The Building Business Value newsletter has one purpose - to assist midmarket business leaders in their never-ending quest to build better companies. Whether you are the CEO of your own company, a senior manager of a business unit, or a leader in a company that serves those in the mid market, you will find something in each newsletter to help you serve your stakeholders. Each month we will cover a variety of topics, all focused on leading in the mid market.
We are very conscious that you spend much of your day buried in e-mail, so it is with your permission that we send this newsletter your way.
|
| Johnny Cupcakes
| | On a recent business trip to Boston, I was fortunate enough to have my family tag along. We took an extra couple of days and force marched the kids through the Freedom Trial, took a ferry to Salem and made a visit to the Harvard campus (hey, you never know!)
From my fourteen year old son's perspective, the highlight of the trip was a pilgrimage to Johnny Cupcakes. Don't be confused. Johnny Cupcakes is not a bakery, but rather a very cool T-shirt shop located in Boston's trendy shopping district, Newbury Street. We bought a couple of T-shirts and were blown away by this unique store. It had all the trappings of a bakery, but instead of cupcakes in the fridge and display cases, we found shirts and apparel that appeals to the young at heart.
So the obvious question to me was - what drives value for Johnny Cupcakes? |
| Good Reads .....
My Latest Favorites |
 I'm a big fan of Joe Gibbs and had not read anything from him prior to this. I would say that this would be my last Gibbs book, and I say that because I think this book captures what he is all about. The book is very spiritual and as you would imagine, leans heavily on Gibbs' strong Christian roots and beliefs. The books is broken into about 11 categories with guest authors addressing each topic. Some authors are better than others and I would think you may have to be predisposed to Christian teachings to gain much benefit but I enjoyed the book and especially enjoyed Joe Gibbs incredibly honest view of himself, his relationship with those around him and his creator.
|
| The Language of Success
| |
Many midmarket companies get caught in the trap of relying on heroes. So many of the companies in the mid market have sort of flattened out. They've had some success in the past but they are now facing a flat top line, or worse, their top line is shrinking. Sometimes this is the result of the 'hero paradigm'. This is where companies succeed based on the activities of a hero or a set of heroes. So they eventually flatten out because they lack process, structure and methodology (the bane of entrepreneurs) and they can't scale.
A quick litmus test for your company to see if your success is dependent on heroes is to listen carefully to your language of success.
How do you describe success?
|
As a business operator, I have been in a position to lead a company during troubled times. Concerns over the direction of the company, sleepless nights worrying about debt and cash flow, high anxiety over closing a deal or a transaction - the challenges seem endless. But I've also experienced the highs of leadership - the real joy of meeting client needs, the fulfillment of shaping a team, and the satisfaction of watching a vision become a reality. As tough as it can be, there is really nothing quite like being a leader in the midmarket.
It is my sincere desire that this newsletter will support leaders in the midmarket as they navigate their way to building stronger, more valuable companies. I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Marty
Martin O'Neill
Corsum Consulting, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
| | Marty O'Neill | Marty O'Neill founded Corsum Consulting, which focuses on one goal: helping companies build business value. He is a frequent speaker and consultant on leadership, corporate culture and building business value and is the author of Building Business Value (Third Bridge Press) and the co-author of Act Like an Owner (Wiley). As a business operator, Marty started and sold a company, positioned another for an LBO, and helped a third sell for a significant premium. Marty lives on the Magothy River in Maryland with his wife and three children.
| | *********************************** |
| *********************************** |
"Leadership must be based on goodwill. Goodwill does not mean posturing and, least of all, pandering to the mob. It means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping followers. We are tired of leaders we fear, tired of leaders we love, and of tired of leaders who let us take liberties with them. What we need for leaders are men of the heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. But leaders like that are never out of a job, never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away."
- Admiral James B. Stockdale | ***********************************
|
Building Business Value: How to Command a Premium Price for Your Midsized Company
by Martin O'Neill (Third Bridge Press)
Hardcover 
List Price: $22.95
Our Price: $15.96 Buy Now
|
Act Like an Owner Owner: Building an Ownership Culture
by Martin O'Neill (Wiley)
Hardcover
List Price: $39.95
Our Price: $24.53 Buy Now
| |
|
