I have said many times that if you follow the proper steps and execute them effectively, anyone can be a successful entrepreneur and run a successful business. However, I also follow that statement with an important caveat. Selection is critical. I mean that the selection of a business concept, value proposition, product, or service determines…
Author: Joseph Willmott
Mr. Willmott is a senior executive of a leading SaaS company providing services to health, agriculture, and consumer protection regulatory organizations across North America. He has extensive management expertise in strategic planning, marketing, and financing gained over the last 40 years, managing successful businesses in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the United States.
Mr. Willmott has developed tens of millions of dollars of new revenue by locating, commercializing, and financing new technologies and products for businesses and manufacturers. He has been a guest lecturer at universities and been a keynote speaker at important business seminars across the country.
Boards – Asset or a Nuisance
The answer lies in whether the company is private or publicly traded and how much effort went into board selection. Another factor is whether the CEO is a founder and control freak or has challenges listening to advice, or the company has a group of yes persons on the board who rubber stamp anything management…
I am so Connected I Can’t Get Anything Done
We’ve all experienced this – checking email, Slack, Facebook, and Linkedin multiple times daily to ensure we don’t miss anything. We want to ensure that requests are answered (no one has patience any longer), and that we don’t appear to be ghosting the company. The urge to stay constantly connected has increased because many of…
Put Customers Before Shareholders
To create shareholder value, business managers need to put customers at the head of the stakeholder list. Employees and the community should also come before shareholders’ interests. This is not to disregard the interests of shareholders, as they are the beneficiaries of the business. Instead, we must concentrate on building the company, not the interests…
Creating Hot Zones – Turning Technology into Cash Flow
Technology drives our economy. An explosion of new technologies has given rise to endless new market opportunities. The challenge is linking technological development with the world of buyers, customers, and competitive markets. Often new technology is pushed on to marketing and sales departments to create a demand for the new product or service. Managers of…
Are You Getting People to do What You Want?
How do you get your people to do what you want as a business manager? The answer invariably is that you can’t. You can’t get your people to do anything. If you want it done, you will have to create an environment where doing it is more important to your people than not doing it….
Knowing Where you’re Going and how to get There Makes all the Difference
In the book Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks the Cheshire Cat: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” The Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Alice: “I don’t much care where.” The Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t much matter which way…
A Thought Process for Making Better Business Building Decisions
We all struggle to determine what is essential in our lives and business. How do we know to make the right decisions unencumbered by bias or inexperience? Making good decisions in running a business is crucial to its success. I will share an effective way to think about your business that will help ensure that…
Plan Well and Make Sure Everyone is Moving in the Same Direction
I started many years ago in the purebred cattle business. I worked in livestock sales management, breeding champion Red Angus. Located in Saskatchewan, I ran my Red Angus herd with my father’s herd of Black Angus. Our neighbor, Davie, was always ready to help whenever needed, and he was able to build anything out of…
It Started With an Idea
Napoleon Hill’s maxim – “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” The story I am about to share is true and exemplifies how a single idea in one man’s head created a world-class event. Last fall, I visited my parents, who live outside of Regina, Saskatchewan, for the first time…