Recently, we have been talking about the importance of succession planning and legacy and what you leave behind in the companies you're part of, and it very often comes down to culture.

A few weeks ago, I published a podcast I had the pleasure of recording with a colleague, Alan Cohen, - “Making Your Dent on the Universe.” Among the many topics covered with my fellow professional coach was the importance of why we should be conscious of the mark we leave behind when we retire from companies (and how early we should begin planning for that.)

I'm coming to you from Mexico on my vacation and I thought I'd give you a couple of tips on how to balance being away as well as running a business.

It's hard to believe we've already entered the second week of Q2 in 2024. With one-fourth of the year complete, now is an appropriate time to assess progress, establish Q2 goals, and reevaluate roles and responsibilities based on the first-quarter results.

Welcome to April. It's a great time of month, transitioning of the seasons that happens to be my birthday month.

I always think about this time of the year is we've completed the first quarter.

Have you ensured that your company's front-end activities align with those of the back-end? Integrating your front-end and back-end business interests is essential for the success of the business's strategies, both short- and long-term.

Last week, I wrote about family business, and I did a lot of the background information on family businesses. I did a lot of the business part. I thought I'd share with you that I was, early in my career, part of a family business.

Learn more about the values and contributions of family-owned companies that are a part of our daily lives. These include the local diner with three generations of family members working together and the globally recognized larger companies managed by multi-generational families.

It is really important to build out a great dynamic team because it's your team that's going to help you build and expand and scale your business. We can't do this all by ourselves, so my key piece is surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.

When clients are ready to build on or expand their teams, I am frequently asked: “Ivy, What do you think about hiring … Are we ready to hire? “ “Should we be hiring now?”  I thought I’d share some hiring decisions and onboarding best practices I believe in, as well as some thoughts from my team on the subject.

Understanding your priorities is important to business success. The most important piece about this is the communication. Clear, consistent communication is key to managing shifting priorities.

This is the next series of follow-ups to our first blog of the year about  Setting Intentions for 2024. In the past few weeks, I’ve covered “Staying Alive - Keeping Your Brand Current” and “Tips on How Your Brand Impacts Growth and Longevity.” Let’s now discuss the financial planning process and offer functional tips for success.