Alan Hall

Burgeoning Internet sales are destroying the traditional business models for many small business retailers across America. It began with most brick and mortar shops feeling confident they could survive this disruptive innovation forever.

It’s time to determine your company’s goals for the New Year. Smart business builders are working on this task now. From my point of view, it is imperative to establish reachable and measurable goals in advance.

Those who don’t are destined for the Cemetery of Failed Businesses. Consider the profound advice of Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra: “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”

Where do you want your company to be one year from now? What do you want to achieve?

There’s been a fair amount of discussion recently on the worst communication mistakes employees make, and the negative things employees should never say to a boss. I’d like to turn the tables.

Based on the comments I have received from both managers and employees, combined with a report from U.S. News, here’s my own list of things a supervisor should never say to an employee.

Starting and running a business can be extremely challenging. Most entrepreneurs and managers find new obstacles to remove and towering barriers to scale every day. We often encounter disruptive situations in our personal and professional lives such as a divorce, the death of a loved one, illness, the loss of a favorite customer, the departure of a valued employee, a shortage of funds or even a lawsuit.

Great business builders are fanatical about growing their companies. They spend time every day thinking about how to engage new, loyal customers to replace those who have vanished. They also concentrate daily on ways to find new clients to increase the pool of shoppers who will increase topline revenues.

Each year, American companies must replace, on average, about 10 percent of their client base for various reasons, including customers who move, customers who find new solutions from competitors or customers who no longer need a given product.

To remain viable and profitable, business leaders must regularly increase gross revenues by adding more and more buyers who will purchase their solutions.

I have an amazing friend who is a world-class branding expert. In his spare time, he enjoys wood carving. He tells me it’s a peaceful and enjoyable hobby that provides relaxation after a stress-filled day at the office. He has carved numerous works of art and improved his talent with every new creation. To enhance his skills, he has taken classes from accomplished teachers who have witnessed his progress as an artist.