A five-minute interruption is not five minutes. It is at least 10 minutes and can be as long as 30 minutes. Why? Because once you off task it takes a few minutes to remember what you were doing and refocus. People do favors for me all the time, for which I am grateful. I like to [...]
I got thinking about who I want to reach with this blog. Through the process of elimination I decided that it was not "entrepreneurs" or "steadies." If an entrepreneur is someone who makes money while they sleep, whose goal is to scale and sell an asset, I don't think I know one personally. I know [...]
Wow, a lot of people grouse about New Jersey. Constantly. It's too congested. The taxes are too high. Everything is so expensive. All of these statements are true. But there is one distinct advantage to living in New Jersey: we are dead center in the Northeast megalopolis. That giant, connected city that runs from Boston to [...]
I assumed fulfilling my request was not a problem. Mostly because it is your job.
I got a call from a gentlemen who owns a vacation home on the Jersey Shore. It seems that an undersized lot adjacent to his home is coming up for sale and he wanted to know what he should offer.* I was his second call. The first call to a residential appraiser who did a [...]
I am cancelling my subscription to the Wall Street Journal, which saddens me. I once gave up the Journal because the delivery of the physical newspaper became unreliable. So I started reading it on my iPad. But the app sometimes locks me out of stories for no reason. It takes forever to download today's news. [...]
Drew University last week announced that it was slashing its tuition by 20% from $48,336 this year to $38,668 next year. So what prompted this act of altruism? Economic reality. Drew, like many small private universities, has struggled to maintain enrollment while charging a higher-than-average tuition. So how can Drew increase enrollment and maximize revenue? [...]
The age of the internet has spawned a new way of thinking. No longer do you have to wait to be cast, signed, published or discovered. You can publish your own e-book, shoot and edit a comedy video, or perform, mix and release a bluegrass song. Probably the first person to express this sentiment was [...]
He is old school. His partners are old. They don't use email. Those kind of guys. I sent my proposal. He pushed back on the fee. I stood my ground, and he agreed, but he had to convince his partners that I was totally worth it. I did my research and analysis and wrote up [...]
I am a commercial real estate appraiser, but I offer much more than just a point-in-time value and a 100 page report. So how do I let my clients know that I have a variety of other skills that may be helpful? Here's something you may want to try: We send written proposals for many [...]
A brand is not a logo, nor is it a clever name. It is who you are. It is what you commit to do for your customers. It is the story you tell about yourself. It is an issue of character.
How exactly does one market professional services? I mean, we are not creating the iPhone here, some brand new gadget with intriguing design and features. Sometimes professionals feel like they are doing the same, or similar work, day in and day out. We are bound by sets of rules, accepted methods and client expectations. Stifling, right? Not [...]
Apropos of my post on modern marketing, I saw the strangest thing yesterday. A billboard on U.S. Route 1 in Lawrence Township. Advertising an Advertising and Marketing company. A billboard is relatively expensive and it is designed to market to a large audience, so it is most helpful if your customers are well, everybody. Big [...]
I know a guy who owns a lot of income-producing real estate, and he does everything wrong. All of his properties are in his personal name. Pleas by well-meaning lawyers to create single property LLC's to protect his personal assets have fallen on deaf ears. He leases space based on monthly rent and is not [...]
What defines a person of substance? The traditional definition is someone who is rich or noble born. But in America nobility is made, not born. Here are some likely characteristics: Responsibility Commitment Service Justice Faith Charity Compassion Morality Consistency I am not entirely sure what makes a Person of Substance, but I am sure that [...]
You loved the work I did for you. You wanted to let other people know. But I didn't ask for a referral or a testimonial. I'm sorry I let you down, Client I never met.
The days of mass marketing are dead. Ok, maybe not for Proctor and Gamble or Ford, but it is dead for any business whose customer cannot be defined as, "a breathing human being." Which is, if we are honest, most of us. There could be no larger waste of money for a small business with [...]
It simply means that I have done my job. My work (and hopefully the work of my adversary) is well researched, accurate and reasonable. There is little to argue about. Minds meet and everyone has a nice lunch. Trials are often a waste of time. Both sides make their case and the decision ends up [...]
Want success and happiness? Do these things: Smile. Say thank you. Be responsive. Be friendly. Take a personal interest in your coworkers and clients. Stick to your knitting. Not all work is right for you. Develop a list of professionals you trust and refer, refer, refer. The client you refer will be impressed with your [...]
Gagliano & Company is a small business. A boutique firm, if you will. There are only three of us: Miss Sophia, Office Administrator, bookkeeper, preparer of paperwork and utility fielder; Miss Kim, Researcher extraordinaire, datakeeper, spreadsheeter and report ninja; and Yours Truly, the Wearer of the Turban. As a result, our capacity is limited. We [...]
Snow day! A cry of joy for children everywhere. Not so with the self employed. I sit at my home "office" (a thrice recycled desk and chair) stewing about my lot. I can't be stuck home again. I have too much to do. With all this time on my hands, I started thinking. What can [...]
Since the banking crisis reared its ugly head at the end of 2007, a raft of new legislation and regulation has been approved to prevent the darn thing from ever happening again. Among these efforts was, yet again, a crackdown on real estate appraisers. First an attempt was made to weed out the bad actors, [...]
There are times in every business when the ol' backlog gets a little, um, thin. Many business people at this juncture do one of two things: (a) panic or (b) slow down. Both responses are perfectly natural. Panic is simply our fight or flight response at work. Our ancestors would panic when they saw a [...]
...but are you damn good? Are you a trusted adviser? Do you give your clients what they ask for, or better yet, what they need? Do you deliver good work, on time? Of course you do. So don't apologize for your fees, or your payment terms. This is your business. Your family and your employees [...]
The Consultant's Consultant, Alan Weiss, often remarks, "If you are one percent better each day, you will be twice as good in 72 days." Besides his obvious facility with compound interest, Dr. Weiss gives us some food for thought. What does 1% better every day look like? Get up five minutes earlier Stay an extra [...]
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less is a new book by Greg McKeown that tackles the Unimportance of Practically Everything. Or, put another way, if you don't prioritize your life, someone else will. I originally bought Essentialism as an audiobook, but after I got a cold and was forced to stay home (and rest, and drink [...]
It all starts innocently enough. Telephone Call Number 1 is a pleasant exchange inquiring about our services. " I am thinking about selling my building and I am interested in getting an unbiased value before I list the property," says my prospective client. The proposal goes out, is executed, and comes back. I do an [...]
[ˈhīdˌbound / adjective - unwilling or unable to change because of tradition or convention] My industry is hidebound. Stuck. Full of rules. 50% to 70% of my reports are standard boilerplate that has to be there. That's a lot of senseless murder of trees. After the real estate crash in the early 1990s, the Federal Government decided [...]
Most of my worst professional mistakes have been the result of one of two bad habits: haste, or wanting to please the client. By pleasing the client I don't mean simply doing good work in a timely manner with a pleasant disposition, I mean the ugly side of this coin, people pleasing. My business can [...]
Summer is here and the season wouldn't be complete without loud and strident calls to make New Jersey's beaches "free." First, let's be clear in our definitions. "Free" is not the same as, "managed by a larger, less visible entity." In this instance, the State of New Jersey. Most beaches in New Jersey are managed [...]
Hey Guys, I hope is well. Everybody had it tough during the Recession, but you guys had it tougher than most. Nobody was growing their business, so there weren't many new buyers or renters. People who needed to sell didn't want to sell at a loss. Or were just too stubborn to admit they made [...]
Among my several dozen odd habits is a daily reading of the local obituaries. I’m not a ghoul, I simply want to avoid the awkward conversation with an old friend, “So Skip, how’s your mom doing?” After several years of perusing the Irish Sports Pages, a couple of things became clear. First, the middle class [...]
Nicholas Harary is a Chef, Sommelier, Restaurateur and Entrepreneur. His Restaurant Nicholas, located in Red Bank, is one of top eateries in the state, if not the country. Restaurant Nicholas is truly a fine dining experience, with a kitchen that has been described as a "laboratory," it has been our go-to special occasion restaurant for [...]
Go to any diner in New Jersey and order a salad. Odds are the salad will come with olives. Odds are those olives will have pits. Olives with pits are not a bad thing. In fact, I enjoy them. The issue is more of a social one. To eat the delicious olive, I must first [...]
Do you think that your income as a [insert profession here] is limited in some way? If you think so, you are absolutely correct. You will never exceed that number. Except by accident.
