Small Business Articles

As a business consultant, I see lots of financial reports. Most of them have a few “slinky knots” in them … accounts...

As Tom McLaughlin and other longtimers in the industry know, things can change on a dime. “It’s just not like it used...

“Ellen, call me. My team wants to know why we are changing everything. Why we are moving to a new pricing plan....

As an employer, it is important for you to give your team members time off. They need some extended break periods to...

Perhaps my favorite (and most productive) consulting activity is to go on a ride-along. I hop in the truck, or work alongside...

You’ve just finished pumping a customer’s septic tank and start pulling out of the driveway. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to you, the customer recently...

At some point, you’ve probably received an email invite to join LinkedIn. People often respond by saying they don’t need yet another...

Your employees work best when they are working together – not acting in self-interest but in a spirit of teamwork, communicating, collaborating and...

You might call Tom McLaughlin a “long timer” in the waste management industry. His involvement dates back 40 years, when the Jacksonville,...

In 2005, Pumper profiled Dan Hilgart Sr. and his Grafton, Wisconsin-based business, Wisconsin Pump & Sump. Now, 10 years later, the family...

When Janelle and Ardell Kick purchased Purple Pumper LLC 10 years ago, the husband and wife team became the fourth owners of...

In the portable sanitation business, special event contracts contribute a good chunk of your summer revenue. Winning those bids can be challenging...

It is a time-honored tradition in businesses across the country: Once a year – typically on the anniversary of an employee’s first...

If it’s happening in California now, the rest of the country should take notice. Prepare yourself by hearing one pumper’s perspective on...