Tap into the creativity of your team
Published On: September 1, 2024Categories: Business, Shop TechniquesID 105098069 © Peshkova | Dreamstime.com When we think of assets in an organization, our thoughts generally lean toward the accounting definitions. We have cash tied up in inventory and accounts receivable. We have cash tied up in equipment or other fixed assets. And, we have cash tied up in, well, cash. These are all [...]
How to use AI for marketing
Published On: July 1, 2024Categories: BusinessFull disclosure, I’m not really a marketing guy. When I started AP Consulting more than two years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. And as much as I would like to say I know everything now, I don’t. And that’s OK. The internet is the most extensive repository of human knowledge to [...]
Prevent your small business from being hacked
Published On: May 1, 2024Categories: BusinessWhat we now call “hacking” has been around almost as long as humans have existed. Today’s version focuses on technology, but the behavior takes many forms that even go back to the story of the Trojan horse. Hacking is simply the act of exploiting a weakness to gain access to something, whether that is in [...]
Dealing with difficult customers
Published On: March 1, 2024Categories: BusinessEvery business at some point is forced to deal with difficult customers. Perhaps they are unhappy with the level of service, the product or a member of your team. Or maybe their expectations are just unrealistic. Understanding how to navigate challenging interactions, however, can turn a negative situation into a positive experience that builds stronger [...]
Small business smarts during career transitions
Published On: January 1, 2024Categories: BusinessOur industry has many examples of successful marine fabricators closing their shops and becoming employees of larger companies. The specific lessons learned as a marine fabricator/business owner include time management, finances and accounting, and strategic sales and marketing—all critical skills that will help fabricators excel in the corporate world. Ironically, when you examine the [...]
Navigating the future of labor
Published On: August 31, 2023Categories: BusinessOrganizations need to be thinking about tomorrow and, more specifically, how the future of work, the workforce and the workplace will be dramatically different from what we know today. And more important, from what it has been in the past. Warp-speed changes ahead Let’s start by thinking about today and taking a pulse of the [...]
Leadership and management smarts
Published On: July 1, 2023Categories: Business, ManagementLeadership and management are closely related; however, despite often being spoken of in the same breath, they are certainly not synonymous. If we use those terms interchangeably, we tend to behave as if these roles are interchangeable and equivalent. Doing so means we miss critical components of excellence within our organizations. Destination vs. the path [...]
The lighter side of OSHA
Published On: May 1, 2023Categories: BusinessWhen most of us hear the word “OSHA,” we instantly conjure up images of ticket-writing cops invading our workplace. And these aren’t the $35 tags that grace our windshield when we linger in a parking spot too long. These citations can easily hit the four- or five-digit mark depending on the severity of the violation. [...]
Marketing old and new
Published On: January 1, 2023Categories: BusinessI majored in marketing in college. I thought I was great at “packaging an idea” and running with it. Now that I have owned Onboard Interiors LLC in Marblehead, Mass., for almost 20 years, I understand that marketing changes with the world, and the marine world is a unique market for sure. Are boat shows [...]
Young marine fabricators in Australia
Published On: September 1, 2022Categories: BusinessEmploying young people is painful.” “They don’t know how good they’ve got it.” “All they know how to do is play games on their phones and computers.” I hear these things often, and they are just so wrong. I love young people. I used to be one! Here in Australia, I’ve had the pleasure and [...]