Interview on Houston Public Radio

Great interview on Public Radio with Ed Mayberry. He is NPR's quintessential business guru in Houston and a genuinely nice guy. Listen in here!

Flat Tax or Not?

In order to return our economy to health and growth we MUST provide “tax burden relief” for small businesses. They currently employ half the work force, produce half of the private sector output, shoulder the largest tax burden and are likely to benefit from a flat tax more than the larger businesses. A flat tax could eliminate tax deductions and credits which are less widely available to small businesses as well as reduce compliance costs, lower interest rates and ultimately increase exemption for individual and small business taxpayers.I am interested in hearing your opinion. Email me at mark@markdeo.com

Small Business Advocate Show

I was on The Small Business Advocate show this morning with Jim Blasingame. Take a listen below!

Constructive Conflict Creates Attraction

It is only by facilitating constructive conflict, engaging in confrontation and practicing humility and deep self-introspection that we can create attraction and significant corporate cultural shifts. Most companies live in a world of "conflict avoidance." As a result they fail to confront dysfunctional behavior. They accept inadequate or barely adequate performance. They bask in the "comfortable" and encourage team members to place high value on "comfort" and abhor risk. When this happens they trumpet their risk adversity and this becomes the culture. Ironically this occurs more often with market leaders rather than those barely successful companies. Their success breeds arrogance. Arrogance breeds apathy. Apathy results in decline. Interrupting this progression requires redefining values and inciting a work-ethic born of "discipline and passion" NOT "necessity and incentives." When this happens, greater attraction, growth and profitability are simply natural outcomes.

WebProNews Interview

Today I was interviewed by WebProNews, one of the largest small business online resources in the country. Check-out the full article but here are a few highlights:

It’s a survival of the fittest thing. “Weaker businesses are pushed to the side, leaving strong small businesses and market leaders to snap up extra market share.”

The other good news also doesn’t sound like good news: Big companies are laying people off. “About a million people are on the street now,” he said. “Some of them are real smart and some are going to become entrepreneurs.”

“Small businesses can scarf up some of those really smart players. A lot of Fortune 500 employees are going to work for small businesses next. I’ve had several clients who’ve been fortunate enough to acquire some A-player talent.”

One might call that the Making Lemonade Out of Lemons philosophy.

Using the "Rules" in the Investment Community

Like many industries the investment community has changed like never before. The way investments are being sold, marketed and evaluated is different as well. I will be discussing this with JD Morris his radio show, "Ideal for Investors" on Monday at 2pm. We will be exploring how using the Rules of Attraction can help both investors as well as the invetment marketers. Join us by going to
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Ideal4Investors

Economic Crisis May Actually Be GOOD for Small Business

There may be a ray of hope for entrepreneurs in all this gloom and doom. Economic leaders believe that this crisis will eliminate the weakest of competitors in nearly every industry leaving greater market share for the strong. While there will be some direct economic relief, small businesses cannot expect significant help from the government. We are on their own. But now may be a great time to attract some of the best talent on the street. It is also a good time to work on refining new technologies. Here are some tips that I talk about in my new book The Rules of Attraction:

1. Become a bigger fish in a smaller pond by shrinking your audience and targeting
your approach.
2. Create standards and systems to leverage efficiency and accommodate growth.
3. Be willing to destroyand rebuild your business or re-invent
yourself especially NOW!
4. Innovate or die! It’s time to launch your most creative products, services and
marketing.
5. Take advantage of all the great talent on the street.
6. Seek out new collaborative alliances, affiliate relationships and joint ventures
to consolidate costs and spread risk.
7. Localize or globalize! There is no center ground today.

This country was built on the backs of small business leaders. The current financial crisis and lack of effective government intervention will allow the smart, innovative entrepreneurs to dominate and succeed. Those using the rules of attraction will be the ones to succeed.