Posts by Linda Ruffenach
Confessions of a Female CEO
“It is not who you are that is holding you back. It is who you think you are not.” – D. Waitley For most of my career I have worked with male leaders. I have always been able to blend in and be one the boys. I am sure in my career, there were several…
Read MoreContingency Planning vs Exit Planning
Sam is a business owner who spent 15 years building a flooring business. He had built a strong reputation for being professional, reliable, and affordable. He had a team of installers that he supervised closely and was pulling in over a $1 million a year in revenue. After years of installing floors, his back went…
Read MoreWhat are you aiming for?
We get so caught up in running our business we forget to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. For many businesses the thought of annual planning conjures up images of long drawn out meetings, complicated analysis and elaborate planning. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does take time and…
Read MoreWhere is the exit door?
WHY DO I NEED AN EXIT PLAN? Every business faces challenges, some minor, some major. Even the minor challenges can bring a business down but the stronger your business is the better prepared you will be to weather the storm. Let me give you an example. Things are going well. You have no plans to…
Read More5 Reasons for Building a Strategic Plan
Building a strategic plan for your business each year will keep you focused on the right goals and priorities. The process will help you to identify new opportunities, set achievable targets and communicate your strategy clearly. Here are 5 reasons why it is important. 1) It creates focus – A strategic plan forces you to…
Read MorePlanning for the Unexpected
Did you know that 50% of businesses will transition unexpectedly? No one ever expects bad things to happen, but they do. In business, we often refer to the factors as the 5 D’s: death, divorce, disability, disagreement and disaster. These are the things none of us want to think about but any of these can…
Read MoreThe Most Important Thing to do to Reach Your Goals
As we roll into the fourth quarter of the year, you may be starting to consider your business goals for next year. Given how 2020 has gone, maybe your primary ambition is to survive in 2021. Perhaps you’re going to create a recurring revenue stream or finally hire that general manager. Or maybe you’ve decided…
Read MoreLessons from Mom: Always balance your checkbook.
My Mom was a very smart lady but I could not admit until I was over the age of 18. She has been an inspiration to me throughout my career, teaching me many valuable lessons. When I was younger, I used to watch my mother at my grandpa’s old desk, sitting in his vintage red…
Read MoreTurn the Worst of Times into the Best of Times
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” – Charles Dickens Paraphrasing Charles Dickens, I like to believe, “It is the worst of times that became the best of times.” It is through challenges we have our greatest learning, the worst pain we can find the most joy, and during the…
Read MoreShock Your Potential Podcast
Enjoy our conversation with Shock Your Potential host, Michael Sherlock who works with businesses and professionals to achieve their full potential in leadership, sales and customer experiences. Listen as founder, Linda Ruffenach shares her experiences and her thoughts on how It can get very lonely at the top. And the higher you rise in business,…
Read More