My grandfather was a carpenter. Well, more than a carpenter. He could build a house from top to bottom and he was completely self-taught. He could do carpentry, plumbing, electrical, you name it. In addition to his “day jobs” (yes, plural), he was the one that the neighbors called when something needed fixing. He never asked…

Despite growing up near a golf course and now living in a town that has hosted numerous professional golf championships, I'm NOT a golfer. I own a set of clubs that might be 40 years old and I'm not really sure where they are. I think one of the more interesting things about golf is…

November is hanging on by the threadiest of threads and we are set to enter December. That means a seemingly endless parade of holiday music, yards filled with inflatable cartoon characters (huh?), and “doorbuster” sales. By the way, has anyone ever seen a store with its doors actually busted down by shoppers? If you have,…

Autumn is in full swing here in the Northeast which means winter could start at any moment – don't say I didn't warn you – it actually smells like winter out there. About a week ago, I read an article about a beloved college football coach who retired at the end of a game. That's…

  Once upon a time, I was advising the board of a family-owned company to help figure out if a proposed acquisition was a good idea or a bad one. The person who sourced the deal took it upon himself to do a LOT of the talking. He was well-informed and very articulate, but he…

  I hope everyone is having a good summer so far. Here in Upstate NY, we like to say we have two seasons, “winter and the 4th of July”. A “work-related” highlight for me was an event at the Saratoga Raceway (that's horses, not cars). It was put on by the great folks at Upstate…

OK, it's the Friday before Memorial Day and let's face it, you're probably not planning on getting a whole lot done today anyway. So I thought I'd share with you some of YOUR feedback on these newsletters over the past several months. Nothing scientific here; just based on the emails, phone calls, and in-person comments I get…