We’re less than a month away from March Madness. The NCAA recently released the tournament schedule with locations, if you’re wanting to see your favorite team play in person. Or you just want to mark it on your home calendar so your family knows you’ll be commandeering the living room TV for a few weeks.
Something to mark on your office calendar that needs to be taken care of this year: Beneficial Ownership Reporting as required by the Corporate Transparency Act. Have you started gathering your documents and filling out the required form?
A year seems like a long time, but better you take care of it now than when you’re bogged down with the demands of your Minnesota business later on. Go here to start on that: https://www.fincen.gov/boi.
Or, if you’d rather talk it over first and get some guidance on getting it done, I’m here and ready to mark you down on my calendar:
See, I try to be very strategic and tactical in what I share with you in these blogs. I know the rigors of managing a business and want to provide you with resources covering the whole spectrum of business strategy and planning.
I also know that sometimes a good story goes a long way.
So because we’re in the beginning quarter of the year – when budgets are full, optimism is high, and you might feel more time luxury than usual (generally speaking) – this story is meant to encourage you to invest in yourself, and your Minneapolis business.
Good business strategy and planning does NOT come in a neat, plastic wrapper. It often takes some exploratory digging to get to the right solution.
A Failed Business Strategy Tale for Minneapolis Owners
“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen
An uncle of R.U. Darby caught gold fever back in the gold rush days, setting off West with dreams of striking it rich.
He claimed his spot and got to work, shovel in hand. After weeks of tough labor, his efforts were rewarded with the discovery of gold. But to get that gold out, he needed machinery. So, he went back home, rallied support from family and friends, and managed to fund the necessary equipment.
With machinery in place, Darby and his uncle mined their first batch of ore and sent it off, only to discover they’d hit one of the richest veins in Colorado. They were on the brink of massive profits, just a few shipments away from clearing their debts.
But then, the gold vanished. Despite their desperate attempts to find it again, they came up empty-handed. Defeated, they sold everything for scraps and headed home.
The man who bought their machinery consulted a mining engineer. The engineer revealed that the project had failed because the owners were not familiar with fault lines. His research found that the vein would probably be found just a few feet from where the men stopped drilling.
And that is exactly what happened. This “junk” man found gold just three feet from the original drilling and went on to make millions from that mine, all because he recognized the value of seeking expert advice.
The lesson I want to leave with you today: ask for help when you’re stuck. Don’t quit. Darby’s uncle and Darby himself learned this the hard way. The true gold, it turns out, wasn’t just in the earth but in the wisdom they failed to seek.
What business problem has you stuck? I might be able to help provide strategy and planning, and if not, I might know someone else who would be a good fit.
calendly.com/gmdaffin
When in doubt, reach out.
Grant Daffin