Posted: Apr 12, 2011 in Business, The Bottom Line by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Business leaders often say their staff is their most valuable asset, yet many fail to practice smart hiring practices. Employees’ skills and outlooks should align with the company’s mission, purpose, values, and vision. In fact, while researching his bestseller Good to Great, Jim Collins determined that hiring competent staff and placing them in the right positions is critical to business success.
We took this philosophy seriously when we set out to build a...
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Posted: Apr 04, 2011 in Business, The Bottom Line by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Apple, Inc. seems perpetually one step ahead of the competition. The company accurately predicts future niches, generates popular, outstanding products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, and keeps customers happy. As strategic marketing consultant Christine Thompson reported, “A key element of Apple’s strategic playbook is its relentless pursuit of consumer-delighting innovation.” Apple effectively gives customers what they want before they know they want it! The...
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Posted: Mar 07, 2011 in Business, The Bottom Line by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Most people think of “entrepreneurs” as being exclusively associated with the business world. Although this is the most common definition (and the one given by Webster’s Dictionary), we have seen many entrepreneurs in other sectors like government, education, and charities.
Entrepreneurs thrive on generating ideas and then seeing those thoughts come alive in the business world (and other realms). They love to win and thrive on success. Entrepreneurism is...
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Posted: Feb 28, 2011 in Business, Personal by Mike & Blake
The DuBose family of companies designed the following guide for all staff to use when developing letters, e-mails, and documents. It ensures that everyone uses the same forms and spellings of words that have multiple accepted options and serves as a reference for staff within our companies. We update it frequently (in fact, we are currently in the process of updating the information contained in it now). This is our latest complete version to date and has helped our companies reduce stress,...
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Posted: Feb 28, 2011 in Business, Technology by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Effective communication is an art that few people ever completely master. It takes time to learn how to transmit messages simply and concisely, but you surely know folks who can—and when they speak, people listen!
The world of communication is evolving. Technology is rapidly advancing; in fact, some researchers say that our knowledge base doubles every two years. At the same time, we are bombarded with messages from our smartphones, televisions, computers,...
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Posted: Feb 14, 2011 in Business by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
We have heard many horror stories from unprepared business owners who lost time and money when they were sued needlessly. Complex laws, unexpected liabilities, and failing to have the right financial and legal systems in place can allow threats—though entirely avoidable—to escalate into major problems. These headaches can distract staff, drain valuable resources, and damage or shut down healthy organizations. Leaders need ongoing advice from the right,...
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Posted: Feb 01, 2011 in Business, Technology, The Bottom Line by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
Fifty years ago, President Kennedy announced, “We choose to go to the moon.” Seven years later, American astronauts walked on its surface—a monumental feat. His vision brought about even greater technological innovation. Now, fast forward to 2011, when some experts are predicting that our technological knowledge will increase 32-fold over the next 50 years!
As a result, business leaders must deal with an ever-changing array of new software and gadgets. Many...
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Posted: Jan 26, 2011 in Business, Social Media, Technology by Mike & Blake
By Blake DuBose and Mike DuBose
If the Beatles or Rolling Stones began their careers today, there’s a good chance that they might fail! All facets of our society are evolving, and what worked in years past won’t work now. The technological revolution has changed how our culture communicates and how we use the media for news, advertising, information, and entertainment. In a 2010 Time magazine article, futurist Ray Kurzweil estimated that we’re doubling technological progress every two years....
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Posted: Dec 17, 2010 in Business by Mike & Blake
As 2011 dawns, lights of hope are appearing at the end of the tunnel. South Carolina’s economy improved in 2010 and will continue its slow recovery 2011, according to a forecast released in December 2010 by University of South Carolina economists at the Darla Moore School of Business.
However, serious monsters still threaten the American economy (e.g., a $14 trillion deficit, Washington political gridlock, high unemployment, complex healthcare bill, shaky stock markets, financially draining...
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Posted: Dec 16, 2010 in Business by Mike & Blake
There was a time when I thought that a business did not need a written strategic or business plan. As the business owner and leader, I kept all the plans in my head or locked in my business desk in a secret file for “my eyes only.” After 25 years of inventing, starting, managing, leading, succeeding, and failing in the business world, I know now that I was WRONG! It is critical that every organization or business has a written, detailed plan for the future: before you sign anything, before you...
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