When you read the first 3 entries in this series of blogs about NJ’s budget crisis, did you conclude that

-           those problems could only happen to the government?

• What about General Motors? Bethlehem Steel? Lehman Brothers? 60% of new businesses?

-          elected officials value power and control more than business leaders?

• What about the fact that 98% of all privately held businesses remain “micro-sized incorporated careers”?
• What about the glass ceiling? Corporate politics? Insider trading?

Ignoring the Numbers and Borrowing Against the Future During Good Times

Ask yourself if your

-          current financial stresses could have been moderated if you too hadn’t assumed that the good times would just continue

-          routine includes in depth analysis of causal trends rather than just results-focused percentages

Avoiding Conflict and Hoping to be Rescued During Bad Times

Ask yourself if you are STILL not addressing your

-          friction between business partners
-          over dependence on a key leader or a few large accounts
-          chronic recurring profitability or cash flow problems
-          when and how to replace a long term unproductive or disruptive employee
-          unrealistic revenue projections in your proposals to outside investors

Resisting Consolidation and Forcing Disaster Today

-          Ask yourself how bad things must get before you will learn more about:

• how acquisitions, asset purchases, joint ventures, and mergers really work
• succession strategies, equity deals, ESOPs, and IPOs
• alternative business models
• new approaches to market research to reduce your risk of being blindsided
• how to recognize complementary companies and become an attractive partner

5th in a Series –