Mark Deo's Latest News

8 Tips For Employee Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:22:00 +0000

As simple as this sounds, actively engaged employees exhibit certain tendencies - tendencies that will make any business much more productive.

According to a Towers Perrin study of 90,000 employees in 18 countries conducted in 2007-2008, companies with the most engaged employees had:
A 19% increase in operating income during the previous year; while those with the lowest levels had a 32% decline.

Overall, employees are happy when they enjoy their work and they see their part in the organization's progress. What can you do to actively engage your employees?

Tip #1: Create Activities Outside Of The Office - Employees enjoy socializing outside of the workplace. Once per season, create an activity outside of the office, such as a scavenger hunt, bowling outing or picnic.

Tip #2: Eat Lunch With Your Personnel - While understanding each person's job function is important, you should also be aware of your employees' feelings about processes and procedures. Host an informal lunch on a Friday afternoon to encourage general chat and to assess your level of employee engagement.

Tip #3: Encourage Experimentation - Innovation and productivity happens when employees are encouraged to have some time and space to come up with new ideas. Create a workspace that encourages brainstorming.

Tip #4: Establish Weekly One-On-One Meetings - A short, 5 to 15 minute weekly status meeting can really help you connect with each employee and monitor progress. These meetings also give your employees a chance to discuss any concerns.

Tip #5: Interact With Your Employees - Walk around and talk to your employees every now and then. Check in and observe their progress. This also keeps you involved in each aspect of the operation of your business.

Tip #6: Provide A Sense Of Completion - Most employees crave change, especially if their job duties are repetitive. Once a project or major task is complete, encourage the sense of completion that comes along with it. Allowing this to happen will increase employee retention and the general feeling of accomplishment in your corporate culture.

Tip #7: Reward Positive Behavior - Always praise positive behavior and reward success with your employee engagement goal in mind. Provide incentives for helpful ideas that can increase sales or productivity.

Tip #8: Survey Your Employees - Employee engagement is measurable. You can judge your level of employee engagement and obtain metrics by creating and distributing a simple employee engagement survey. Be sure to include some extra space for additional comments or ideas. To measure your success, distribute this survey quarterly or semi-annually. You also might want to provide a gift certificate to the best suggestion to improve the company.

Executive Summary: Employee engagement involves an investment of time (and very little money). Once you do invest more time with your employees, it will result in new ideas, higher productivity, lower turnover and a better work environment for everyone; therefore, investing in meeting your employees' intrinsic and extrinsic needs will provide you a huge competitive advantage in today's competitive economy.

Let us know what we can do to help your firm fully engage your team members.

The Wrong Way to Increase Productivity

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:12:00 +0000

All businesses are challenged by requiring increased efficiency and productivity at a time when their workforces are already doing more than ever before. A desire to shift to a collaborative work environment to ramp up efficiency is quickly gaining traction. According to a recent study by IBM, collaboration is the number one trait CEOs expect from their employees. When employees’ sense of purpose becomes better aligned with the organization’s they are then more engaged and eager to contribute toward achieving the company’s ultimate objectives.” You don’t need to resort to drastic measures. In fact the most practical communication and crossfunctional solutions are the most effective. When properly implemented, people strat collaborating like never before!

The Importance of Family Businesses in America

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:26:00 +0000

Family businesses are the most influential factor in the health of the U.S. economy and they are the ONLY solution to our difficult economic times.

This statement might surprise many people but consider the statistics. According to Family Business Review Magazine family businesses comprise 80% of all business enterprises in North America. They account for 60% of total U.S. employment, 78% of all new jobs, 65% of wages paid and 34% of these companies are listed on the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. With those stats as a backdrop, it’s not surprising that nearly 40% of family businesses in America will be passing the reigns to the next generation over the next five years according to Business Week Magazine (August 11, 2003).

Yet the most incredible statistic by far was the one postulated by Robert Avery at Cornell University in his paper, “The Ten Trillion Dollar Question: A Philanthropic Gameplan.” Avery noted that by 2050, virtually all closely held and family owned businesses will lose their primary owner to death or retirement. Approximately $10.4 trillion of net worth will be transferred by the year 2040, with $4.8 trillion in the next 20 years.

The plain fact is that family businesses are in trouble because succession plans are quite obviously less and less effective. This is primarily due to what I call the “motive gap” between generations. According to an article appearing in the Boston Globe, only 40% of family owned businesses survive to the second generation, 12% to the third, and 3% to the fourth. It s also a known fact that these companies are most successful when run by a family member. Family members have the passion, drive and purest motives to run the company in a way consistent with the founding member. While some of these companies will be successfully sold to those outside the family, these statistics represent a disturbing trend and concern for the future of family businesses and the American economy in general!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the root of this problem, simply said, is that sons and daughters are not interested in taking over the family business. Now this may well be attributable to other interests and passions. Certainly this is understandable but it does beg the question of WHY they may not interested or excited about learning the ropes and assuming the reigns? I can tell you that after personally working with thousands of family businesses and in may cases counseling numerous reluctant second or third generation leaders this stems from significant generational differences. These differences can easily be reconciled but often both parties (parents as well as sons and daughters) seem to be completely oblivious as to the differences. The result of generational differences are often mistaken as ineffective work habits, personality flaws or other personal characteristic or attributes. Yet more often than not simply becoming aware of the differences in generational decision making, communication and leadership styles can resolve conflict and restore trust and continued harmony in the business.

This allows the business to thrive even in difficult circumstances.

Mission Clueless

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:49:00 +0000

Merely hanging your mission statement in the lobby or putting it on the back of business cards will not ensure that your people are “living it.” Simply doing this demonstrates that leaders are clueless to the real mission – “making believers of their people!” Certainly articulating the company’s mission and specific goals is important but it is even more critical to incite genuine belief, a deep faith and a burning desire among your team to live-out those plans on a daily basis. This cannot be accomplished with mere words. It must be demonstrated by the leaders in the firm with shoulder-to-shoulder unity. When team members experience this they will then believe that the mission is real… that the leaders themselves are living this out even under difficult circumstances. Don’t be clueless; make your company’s mission-possible! Providing your people with the skills they need is the only way to achieve your vision.

Storytelling

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:05:00 +0000

Let me ask you a question. Where do you find inspiration from? Movies, music, books, magazines, seminars, friends, family, co-workers? - Maybe from all of those places.

Let's face it inspiration comes from stories that we hear from other people tell. How they beat the odds, achieved growth, or found a better way, it's all in the story.

You know storytelling has been around for hundreds of years. From the beginning of time, storytelling has been the means by which cultures and societies have preserved and celebrated their memories, passed on their values and belief systems, entertained, instructed and reported. Long before there were written records, storytellers taught through the oral tradition. It was true in the bush, it's true in the boardroom and it's true everywhere in between.

In fact I think true leadership is the effective communication of the story. Our American culture seems to underestimate the power of storytelling. But think about how powerful a story can be when you're in front of a client. Tom Peters says, stories are the red meat that meets our reasoning process. Stories give us permission to act, they are photographs of who we aspire to be, and they cause the most emotional responses. Stories are how we connect with people.

Falling Asleep on the Job

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 04:01:00 +0000

Achieving organizational behavioral change must occur first with leaders. Employees are very good at picking-up signals from management. They observe much more closely how leaders ACT versus what they SAY. When there is conflict between these two behaviors, team members are hesitant to change their own behaviors. But when there is alignment, leaders are credible and win followers. This behavior is less inborn than learned. When effectively leveraged it produces engagement, accountability and a passion among team members. In short it changes behaviors. Winning accountable behavior requires authentic role modeling. This means leaders must learn how to embrace change. When they do the magic begins to happen!

Typical Training is for Pets

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:08:00 +0000

Training our people to be more compliant and follow policies and procedures just doesn't work. They often politely listen and tell us precisely what we want to hear yet fail to make significant, sustainable change. When self-driven behaviors are adopted team members perform with greater passion and engagement. They make better decisions and create more consistent results. Don't train your people like they're pets. They need practical and relevant solutions to today's difficult business challenges.

Mark Hobnobs with Congressional Candidate

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:24:00 +0000

Here I am with Bill Bloomfeild who is running for Congress in the 72nd District. I know Bill from our long association with Wash Laundry Service here in El Segundo. What I like about Bill is he is an independent and doesn't talk bad about the Rpublicans or Democrats. In fact his whole platform is finding a way to bridge the rediculous partisan gap with just common sense and a little hard work. Check him out at www.bloomfeildforcongress.com

Managing Change from the Front Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:08:00 +0000

“Three of the Top Workplace Stressors”

“A true leader has the confidence to influence change, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” – General Douglas MacArthur

The most powerful form of influence we can exert as leaders is… “the ability to influence change.” Yet when change is produced it creates emotions and fears among the members of the organization.

Change is stressful. But stress is a stimulus that can be positive or negative. Studies have shown that stress in the workplace most commonly occurs in one of three situations:

1. When there is a high demand placed on employees

2. When employees are being closely watched

3. When employees are concerned about their competence or value

As leaders it is our job to quell those fears. When we operate in the management role we must balance our passion, execution and sensitivity. It is good to be passionate about where we are taking our organization. But even more important is translating this belief into action. Taking part in the execution process makes a big statement to your team. The best generals have led their troops into battle at the FRONT of the lines. You won't win cooperation by calling the plays from the sidelines. This will create resentment and reduce morale. Finally be sensitive to the emotional and behavioral issues involved in change. Get in touch with how the change is affecting each of the critical members of your organization.

In order to truly put these precepts into practice, we need to understand the way change works. Jeanie Daniel Duck in her book, "The Change Monster," points-out the stages of organizational change and how this impacts the people in companies.

The stages of change are as follows:
1. Stagnation

2. Preparation
3. Implementation
4. Determination
5. Fruition

Stage 1: Stagnation
This first phase can be summed up in two words: demoralization and denial. A demoralized company exhibits the same symptoms as a depressed person: general slowness, difficulty in making decisions, and a lack of motivation. Stagnation can be caused by poor communication, lack of leadership, murky strategy, too few resources, conflicting goals or poor execution. Before you can implement a sound strategy, however, you have to modify the culture of the company - its beliefs, attitudes and habits. In most cases these are the elements hindering growth. To burst free of stagnation, you need to ask yourself: "What outdated beliefs and behaviors are preventing us from conceiving or executing a winning strategy?"

Stage 2: Preparation
During this stage, many operational issues are addressed. This often results in a new structure for the organization, new employee roles. New responsibilities are designed, and management determines which products or services will be most critical in the future. The goal in this stage is to align and energize our management team around a corporate strategy and vision. As leaders we must all consistently articulate the SAME vision. In other words, we all need to be on the same page as to where we're going and how we plan on getting there. Only then will it be clearly understood and executed by others. We also need to be careful of becoming too dictatorial with our precepts. The goal is to develop a group thinking about change. This can't happen if the leader isn't open to hearing criticism of his or her ideas.

Stage 3: Implementation
Implementation is different in every organization. Leaders are responsible during the implementation phase for managing expectations, energy and experience. Asking people to change can create resentment, embarrassment and tension. Here are some ideas to reduce the barriers to change among team members:

Test before deployment - If a new process is being implemented, try it in one department or with one product or service group before rolling it out.

Build behavior first - Focus on a SINGLE OBJECTIVE and ask the employees for input. This allows us to empower our team by letting them SHOW YOU how they can come up with the solution. Create your own little focus groups if necessary for green-light thinking.

Plan replication - Duplicate your successes. Transferring change from person to person takes time. Let change spread rather than forcing it on your team.

Stage 4: Determination

Because change does take time, many of the former champions of change may have developed second thoughts. At this time it is not unusual to see conflicts arise as a result of change. Often service levels drop, sales falter, production problems deepen, and profitability wavers. It is critical that leaders have the determination to see change through. We can be tempted to throw up our hands and say, "That's it! We're going back to the way it was. Nobody is doing what we told them to do!" Don't mistake your own perceptions for reality. People are finding a new way to accomplish their goals. One that is more dependent on their efforts rather than their leaders support. Conflict is not necessarily bad. It produces change, a reorganization of priorities and self-sufficiency. Conflict must be facilitated in a constructive way.

Stage 5: Fruition
No change is easy. But achieving long-sought-after goals is rewarding. Once a targeted goal is reached, success often begets success. This is the time to reward people for their success. Reward in public and punish in private. The great Dale Carnegie said, "Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."

Understanding the stages of change will afford leaders the ability to assist their employee in dealing with the stress that change produces. As effective leaders we must foster behaviors which are consistent with the company’s values and objectives. Doing this in an organization experiencing significant change is an audacious

Dale Carnegie customized corporate solutions provides all of the tools that leaders need to deal with change in organizations. These include behavioral and work competency assessments, strategic planning and succession planning systems and leadership and employee engagement programs.

Give us a call to discover how you might be able to deal with change more effectively.

The Importance of Family Businesses in America

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:42:00 +0000

Leadership Isn’t for Cowards

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:35:00 +0000

Just wanted to make everyone ware of a great book… “It’s Not MY Fault!” Seven Ways Leaders Can Unearth (and Neutralize) the Fear That Lurks Behind the Blame Game by Mike Staver.
Many organizations are plagued by fingerpointing and responsibility dodging and this is poisoning their culture. The book explains that fear-based leadership lurks at the heart of the blame game. It outlines what leaders can do to overcome their own fears and find their courage—and help their followers do the same.
Removing fear and establishing a take-responsibility culture begins with leaders. Once you have let followers know that you are on their side and want them to win—while establishing that you won’t settle for anything less than the highest degree of execution and performance—they’ll begin to adopt your fearless attitude.
“Acknowledging that you are ultimately responsible for the results of your life, thoughts, and actions creates a level of freedom not experienced by those who choose to blame others,” he adds. “It empowers you to act. Courageous leaders are driven by, even obsessed with, the imperative to eliminate excuse making and blame from themselves and their organizations.”

Finding the Singularities

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Here’s a pretty cool event…How do singularities change your personal life? What unimaginable products and services will be offered by companies of the future? How about transporting matter or synthetic biology in constructing an "internet of living things" - life made from data and parts. Holy cow buckle! Check out this presentation by Metal - http://metal.pingg.com/Singularities

No Thanks to Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:16:00 +0000

Theres no doubt that our economy is recovering for many. Although unemployment is still at record highs, credit is tight and people are holding onto their money with an iron grip. What recovery we've had goes solely to the ingenuity and steadfastness of American small business owners. We salute you. No thanks to our political leaders. Their partisan in-fighting has done nothing to help the situation except garner our contempt.
Check out this article which proves I'm not alone in my opinion.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/16/smallbusiness/economic-recovery/index.htm?iid=SF_SB_River

Money as a Motivator

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:14:00 +0000

Certainly money has its place in the area of motivating employees, particularly for people in the selling role. If nothing else, it is a symbol of accomplishment and without a positive perception of compensation and incentives, employees could feel cheated or unappreciated. However paying money is not a prime motivator for employee performance. This has been proven through many studies over the years. The reality is that we will always find a way to spend/invest the money we earn regardless of our level of income (within reason). It has been discovered that the key motivators to improved performance are more typically: work satisfaction, being challenged, a feeling of importance, being appreciated or recognized, the opportunity to grow, a chance at acquiring higher level skills and work/home balance.

We all spend more time working than doing anything else so as leaders it is critical that we find ways to help our people feel highly engaged and proud of the work they’re doing. When we can help them to see that they really do make a difference in other people’s lives (clients, co-workers, management) as well as the success of the firm, we motivate them to try harder and improve work outcomes and performance. When we give them a compelling vision of the future, this clear destination brings greater meaning to what they are doing. This can change their perception from one of just performing mindless daily repetition of tasks to one where they feel they are doing something really important. In the same way when employees see that the people around them are making a difference, they want to be like them. This creates healthy competition.

The most powerful way to motivate your people is to create an environment where the positive attributes I describe above are consistently employed in a genuine and sincere way. And to get them to go viral! In order to do this we must communicate with team members on a deeper level so that we can fully understand what is important to them. In addition, we need to have our “arms around” the entire team perception as a whole and the collective values embraced.

Bug Resistant Paint

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:13:00 +0000

You want innovation? Check this out. This company has created a bug resistant paint.
A Spanish chemist has invented a way to embed pesticides in microcapsules stirred into house paints at her Valencia company, Inesfly. The insecticides are released from the paint slowly,remaining effective for two to four years,while sprays typically need to be reapplied at least every sixmonths. “The paint acts like a vaccine for houses and buildings,” she says. What can you do to reinvent yourself. Turn your industry on end. Someone has to.
http://mobile.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-17/a-house-paint-reduces-bug-borne-diseases

The Struggle Between Marketing and Selling

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:07:00 +0000

Many businesspeople use the terms “sales and marketing” as if they complement one another as agreeably as peanut butter and jelly, but that is rarely the case. In the same way many executives hold the title of “VP of Sales and Marketing,” yet we often find that they will lean strongly toward one or the other discipline. Everyone would agree that both of these functions are critical within every organization and at times must be managed on an individual basis. While many companies seem to achieve some kind of acceptable balance between sales and marketing it is often reminiscent of the way cats and dogs tolerate one another’s presence in the same household. Yet imagine how powerful these forces could be if they truly DID collaborate and attempt to complement one another.
Improving the disconnect between marketing and sales doesn’t need to be complicated. Both teams are working towards increased market advantage. While it is a fact that a minimum of 50% of sales reps currently do not fulfill their quota requirements; this statistic is being partly caused by a global marketplace with heavy competition for an already Internet-savvy consumer. The answer, then, as evidenced by the success of technology companies, may be found in the combination of old and new–by employing sound principles of viral marketing and communication supported by the benefits of new and ever an improving internal culture.

The Risk Adverse Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:11:00 +0000

I know that these days it is more difficult than ever to encourage team members to take some calculable risks. Even leaders and managers are sometimes hesitant to encourage risk-taking. At he same time,many committed employees are having difficulty balancing their professional and personal life so risk taking is on the bottom of the list. Technology seems to have placed GREATER demands on our time and face-to-face relationships are more important than ever. The current economic and social pressures seem to be pulling at one another. Add to that the generational differences and managing risk, productivity, satisfaction and engagement is a double-edged sword for many leaders. In such a risk adverse environment how can we encourage team members to take risks?

I wanted to take this moment to mention that it is our duty as managers to help our team members to make the best decisions in terms of risk tolerance. This almost always means that we need to KNOW their personal goals, circumstances and current challenges. Often managers and leaders shy away from asking too many "personal questions" or challenging team members to take risks. This is particularly true in rabid HR compliance states like CA and NJ. Let me just say the consequences of taking NO RISKS is even higher. Just as critical, consider the dis-service we are doing for our employees when we avoid this kind of discussion or back-off challenging them.

Here is an article written a while back but discusses this in greater detail. Hope you find it to be valuable. Risk Taking Culture

Sales Reluctance

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:10:00 +0000

Why are people in the selling role often fearful of selling? It almost seems like presenting our solutions is a form of prostitution. This is deeply rooted in our belief systems. In some way we have come to believe that we are not worthy of providing solutions to even QUALIFIED prospects. Let's face it we all have doubts about the veracity of our products or services but if WE don't beleive in the solutions we are providing, how might our prospects, who are already doubtful BELIEVE?

Don't underestimate the power of your beliefs. I have closed more than one sale on the sheer power of my belief that the solution I was proposing to a customer was the very best for their particular situation. In the same way I have lost sales because I had a mustard seed of doubt that was in some way transferred to the customer.

When we put our doubts to rest so will our customers!

Upcoming Dale Carnegie Training Classes

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:04:00 +0000

Check out these classes happening soon in in the Los Angeles Area:

Dale Carnegie Class - April 11 - 8 weeks

Leadership Training for Managers Class - April 17 - 7 weeks

Sales Advantage 3 Day Class - April 23, 24, 25

High Impact Presentation 2 Day Class - May 3 and 4

Dale Carnegie 100 year anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Checkout this nice CBS national news feature on the 100th Anniversary of Dale Carnegie Training...

http://tinyurl.com/7e99nly

Thanks to Dale Carnegie of Hawaii

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:39:00 +0000

Thanks to all the talented salespeople in Honolulu for attending the recent sales success program!

Are You in a Dip?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:53:00 +0000

You have to check out Seth Godin's new book. It is pure genius. You know how it goes, often new project (or jobs, or hobbys, or companies) start out exciting and fun. Then get harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you're in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it's really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try. What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. Check it out at The Dip

Let Your Customers Buy

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:07:00 +0000

Most salespeople refuse to do the hard work that makes selling easy, They do the easy stuf0f, which makes selling HARD! How do you let them buy? Ask more, talk less, be friendly, use tasteful humor, know your client’s motives, talk mostly about their desired OUTCOMES, not your company, product features or service benefits. create attraction by writing about timely relevant stuff, maintain a current Internet/social presence, Be a valuable resource to your clients and prospects. When you do this you will find you don’t have to resort to selling because you will be attracting qualified buyers. Yea, selling requires work because we are not really selling... we’re LETTING THEM BUY!

The Risk Adverse Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Deo) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:32:00 +0000

I know that these days it is more difficult than ever to encourage team members to take some calculable risks. Even leaders and managers these days are hesitant to encourage risk-taking of any kind. And even the most committed employees are having difficulty balancing their professional and personal life so risk taking is on the bottom of the list. Technology seems to have placed GREATER demands on our time and face-to-face relationships are more important than ever. The current economic and social pressures seem to be pulling at one another. Add to that the generational differences and managing risk, productivity, satisfaction and engagement is a double-edged sword for many leaders. In such a risk adverse environment how can we encourage team members to take risks?

Here is an article written a while back but discusses this in greater detail. Hope you find it to be valuable. Risk Taking Culture

What's Really Effective in Sales?

noreply@blogger.com (SBA Network) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Next Monday I'll be doing an interview with Morrrie Shechtman, author of Working Without A Net and Fifth Wave Leadership, about this very subject. We'll discuss a study of over 6000 salespersons in 100 different industries, and the conclusions it draws about different sales styles and their effectiveness. This show will be available Monday, December 5th at 4 PM Pacific Time at www.smallbusinesshour.com.

If you missed my show last week, you can also catch a great interview I did with Lloyd Chapman from the American Small Business League. He is one of the few true small business champions out there that has no political agenda, other than to see the government stop giving our tax dolars to giant corporations, and instead to do business with actual small businesses. His lawsuits have forced the federal government to release data showing that they have never met small business contracting mandates. We discussed why politicians from both major parties talk a good game about small businesses while actively working to make things harder for the little guy, and what you can do about it.

If you have any topics you'd like to hear me discuss on future shows, please let me know. Thank you, and have a terrific weekend!