“Cutting corners in a contract situation will often cost you more than had you invested initially in the proper documentation because legal cures are more expensive than legal prevention,” says Greg Clement, a partner with the California law firm of Burkhalter Kessler Clement & George LLP. Read more...

Good communication is a key to success in any endeavor. Yet in the business world there’s often the sort of "failure to communicate" referenced in the movie Cool Hand Luke. That failure in the movie resulted in the premature demise of the hero. In real life when leaders are unclear about their expectations, employees often muddle through blindly, work at cross-purposes or pursue unintended, unproductive directions. The result is poor organizational performance, if not an early obituary for the leader and his or her vision. Read more...

The largest single point of failure for a new franchisor is to not sell the initial five units who start to validate the business model and brand.  This puts a significant amount of pressure on new franchise systems to get these initial units sold and as a result typically the failure rate is higher for early stage franchisees. Here are 4 tips that can help you work through the difficulties as you start to franchise. Read more...

The numbers are sadly staggering. Some 70% of American workers are not engaged and dread Monday morning, according to an annual poll by the Gallup organization. Many are quick to blame the organization, the working conditions or that old, tired industry. If only I worked for the next Google, that would be exciting. If it were that easy then why were highly compensated, key executives recently bolting from Uber like the building were on fire? Read more...