And that the real winners in the battle for the future will be the traditional privately held, family owned companies - who have an internal agenda oriented toward growth.

It is not the big things that often derail a business, rather it's a series of events that can lead to a "Boiling Point" , that can destroy the business. Here is a real life example of how lack of communications can fuel the feelings of distrust that can bury a successful company.

Profile: John Jowers, www.Antiqueappliances.com
When John Jowers went to work at his father´s appliance company, he never thought it would lead to a sideline business restoring antique refrigerators. But at www.antiqueappliances.com, these "cool" appliances are doing a hot business on the web.

Profile: Eric Deniger, The Working Person Store.
In the 21st Century, more and more organizational leaders have come to understand that happy, respected employees, empowered by their managers to meet and exceed customer expectations, provide the best service and feel more personally fulfilled by their work

Conference Call Service For 21st Century Peer Groups
Businesses use conference calls daily to meet with remote parties, both internally and outside of their company. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, project meetings and updates, regular team meetings, training classes and communication to employees who work in different locations.

Profile: Tony Hutti, Leader of Facilitated Peer Groups of business owners. Tony brings over 35 years of leadership and management experience to business owners working to help each other “Execute their Vision”

Profile: North Main Ventures & www.WorkingPerson.com
The story of the journey from a Main St. furniture store, to www.FurnitureFind.com and then from a small town shoes store for working people, to www.WorkingPerson.com.

Strategic Planning Calls for Peer Support and Advice
Strategic planning: of course it's something that you should be doing for the good of your company, but actually taking the time and dedicating the resources to make it happen is often difficult. It's like daily exercise - you know you would feel better if you fit it into your schedule and you know that it's good for you, but somehow you just don't get around to it. However, you really should get around to conducting strategic planning and you can use a business-to-business peer group to help you get there.

Your Business Colleagues and Peers: A Fountain of Wisdom, Solutions and Advice
The kernel of wisdom is the one piece of truth that you take away from an annual trade association meeting that made the registration fee and travel aggravation worth it.

"You´re the Expert, You fire him!"
Family businesses are always a challenge. Despite our best intentions, baser emotions often rear their ugly heads, distracting us from what´s truly important. One of those emotions is entitlement. In this article, I´m sharing a story about one family and their struggle with entitlement in their business.

Developing Effectiveness in Business
Owning and operating a family business is stressful. Many of us have spent valuable time and money with a business coach or consultant to help us deal with the challenges ownership presents, but these "experts" can´t always understand the unique frustrations of small and family-owned businesses. Other small business owners, however, can. And that´s why Peer Groups are one of the most powerful ways you can develop your effectiveness in business.

"Can´t Talk Here . . ."
Here is a guy that defines the expression "the man in the middle." Literally working between his dad and his uncle - separated by a glass and metal partition - for the past decade he has heard and seen a lot about what they will not talk to him about.

Family Business as BIG Business: It's Not Just Mom and Pop Anymore
The idea that ´family business´ is synonymous with ´mom-and-pop´ is far reaching-- and dead wrong! Family businesses are bigger than you think, and they´re everywhere. For professional solution provider, family businesses are a veritable goldmine of opportunity. If you´re not targeting these companies as potential clients, check out this article to see what you´re missing.

Achieving Consensus about the Future
There is a direct parallel between the willingness to accept change by the business owner and succession planning strategies. As a Certified Mediator and family business consultant, my goal is to begin to close the gap between succession planning and using an online strategy as part of your plans for growth. This article describes the vital role of understanding where each family members is "coming from" when developing both.

"Not With MY Money, You Aren´t!"
Millions and millions of dollars have been spent by advertisers, exhorting businesses to get web sites. During the dot-com boom, the media jumped on the Internet bandwagon as well. And there are success stories. Yet fewer than half of the businesses up and down main Street have taken their advice seriously. Why not? The answer will surprise you - until you think about it.

"Don´t Look Toward The House."
Family businesses certainly create challenges unheard of in other businesses: past histories and emotional needs often further confuse already difficult issues, as I found out when I began consulting for Connie and Ed. Here is their story.