Five Keys to a More Positive Outlook… This just seemed appropriate for the Thanksgiving season. Be thankful. Research shows you can’t be stressed and thankful at the same time Focus on what you get to do each day — instead of what you have to do. Smile. It produces more serotonin in your brain. Exercise […]
Here is a reply to a post by Cubert at Abandoned Cubicle regarding layoffs… which somehow seems appropriate for Labor Day… Best damn thing that happened to me – twice. The first time got me thinking about starting my own business — the second time (a dozen years are) cinched it. Thirty+ years of running my […]
As an Arizona resident, John McCain has been my Senator for 22 years. I did not always agree with him, but I always had great respect for him. I was greatly annoyed by the smear by “W” against him in South Carolina in 2000, when the story was spread that he had fathered a black […]
So asked fellow blogger Cubert at Abandoned Cubicle in a recent post. Cubert is a 40 something engineer who is (by design) a year from Financial Independence and retirement. In this post, he expresses concerns about being bored and more in retirement. Perfectly normal to get the jitters as one approaches the cliff. Remember the same […]
Once again, it is time to reflect on Independence., and the price others have paid to secure it for all of us. It is why we celebrate the Fourth of July. Consulting can also lead to Personal Independence (PI.) It has for me in three ways: —Occupational Independence (OI) – This was the big attraction for me. […]
Wonder how many times I’ve said that? Enough that I told Mary (my wife) that she can add that to my headstone 🙂 Yes, not everything I’ve tried worked out as hoped. But enough worked more than well enough. Had I never tried, however, I would not be where I am today. Support helps. More […]
What does it meant to be a professional? Here is an anecdote from my past: – Many years ago, I had a question on a contract and asked my attorney “What should I do?” — He replied, “The decision is yours. My job – as a professional – is to lay out options as clearly as […]
Making mistakes are part of starting and growing any business (including consulting firms.) In fact, if you’re not making some mistakes, you’re probably not trying hard enough — nor are you learning. Here are five mistakes I’ve made: (1) Not sticking to the knitting – Back in the late 1990s, we got caught up in the […]
Here is a comment I made over at Abandoned Cubicle regarding making more money from your cubicle job. I mentioned Cubert once before, as he quietly (and anonomously) plots his course towards Financial Independence. In this post, Cubert recommends negotiating your salary. Many people (particularly engineers like Cubert and me) can be reluctant to do so. […]
Sometimes just saying NO is the best thing you can do. It worked for me when at a career fork in the road 33 years ago. The post was inspired by Cubert at Abandoned Cublicle. Cubert is a young family man on his quest to financial independence, who blogs about his journey. For obvious reasons, […]
Thanksgiving is here again, and it is good to show gratitude. Sadly, that seems to be lacking in today’s polarized world. But here are some things I am grateful for: My parents — Although both gone, they poured their love into my brother and me, and offered us the encouragement to be whatever we wanted […]
Time for a mini-rant… While I try to stay politically neutral, this seems particularly appropriate these days… Don’t mix business with bigotry! Last year I read about a pizza place that was under fire for saying they would not serve at a gay wedding. Then they whined that the press was out to crucify them. Really? […]
Picked this quote up from a consulting blog I follow: We learn from the top 10% of our highest performing clients. For the other 90% of clients, we need to lead. While the author is a management consultant (and self-proclaimed non-technologist), it also applies to technical consultants. P.S. Keep learning. And remember to feed BOTH […]
Last week I got some lessons in leadership. Not from a client, but from a chance meeting with the mayor of a small city in Indiana. Some background… In town to teach an engineering class, I decided to stay at a Bed and Breakfast. A history buff, it was great fun to stay in a […]
Here is a link to a recent fee study by Consulting Success. While this blog focuses on general business consulting, technical consultants should find this of use as well. FYI, typical fees at Kimmel Gerke Associates were project based. Typical projects were in the $5,000 – $20,000 range and up. Typical annual compensations exceeded our […]
Two years ago this week my good friend and business partner of 40 years passed away from cancer. Time has softened the pain, but the sense of loss is still there. While I generally recommend against partners, our partnership worked very well. We often mused about why it worked, when we had seen so many others fail. […]
Got this from a newsletter to HOA (Home Owners Association) board members. Struck me as such a good idea I decided to share it here. It is called the Eisenhower principle. In a 1954 speech, US President Eisenhower said: I have two kinds of problems: urgent and important. The urgent are (often) not important, and the […]
Got this pearl of wisdom over dinner with a client. A fellow engineer who had become a director for a defense contractor, we were discussing how engineers were attracted to solving problems. He paused, and said: “It is is not enough to merely solve problems. We must anticipate them as well. Something I always emphasized […]
Here is a reply I left at one of my favorite blogs/web sites — Pamela Slim — a champion of starting and building small businesses (not just consulting.) In her post, Pamela discusses how to react after a “stumble,” including her own examples. She asked for comments, so I shared mine: One of the best […]
Probably the NUMBER ONE QUESTION if you are standing on the edge of the cliff, about ready to make your own JumpToConsulting. So, what if it doesn’t work? The brother of Go-Daddy founder Bob Parsons once told him, “Well, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.” Parsons is now a billionaire. Incidentally, web registration […]
