18 Comments

My Best Business Advice

When I first started The A Group, we were mostly a marketing agency focused on design, print and some web work. Today, beyond the marketing and media services, we have a strong technology division and are soon to announce a new venture launching in August. Throughout our almost 10 years in business I got a lot of advice from friends and mentors, but one of them has paid off more than any of the others, and it has helped grow my company even in times where a lot of similar businesses have struggled.

I remember telling my friend Mike Miller that I used my organizational and leadership knowledge skills as a valued added for my clients who were buying marketing services from us. His reaction was unexpected: “you’re doing this upside down! The strategy is what matters the most. Anyone can come up with design. Your consulting is what you should be charging for.”

He was right. And that day I began to put a value on what I did best: my ability to understand a situation, figure out an outcome and, intuitively know what the next steps should be. From the strategy, my team has a clear road map to the execution. To date, our best marketing and technology work have come from the strategic services we provided our clients prior to production.

What was the best business advice you’ve ever gotten? 

Posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 at 10:33 am under Uncategorized.

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Copyright © 2012 Maurilio Amorim

  • Howard

    The best advice I have ever gotten was: manage cash flow. Borrow money when you don't need it because you can get smaller interest rates and you can manage cash flow better. When you need money, banks will not help you.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    Howard,
    Managing cash flow is critical and you're right, you need money, banks play hard ball.

  • Annonymous

    I have a tough time letting people go. I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt and help non-performing employees with tools to get up to speed even when deep down I know that they are not the right fit for the job. The best advice I got was to not prolong the partying process. Once I realize someone is not working out in a job, I now try to find another place in the organization that fits them better or if that's not possible, then transition them out quickly.

    Since I started doing that, my team is better for it and we get a lot more done with less drama. Sometimes compassion means taking care of all the performing employees instead of protecting the under performing and making everyone suffer in the process.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    I had to learn that lesson the hard way as well. You can resource people who can grow in the areas they are gifted, but in my experience, there's no amount of training, tools or dialogue that can give people the talent, work ethic, or attitude they need to succeed in our businesses.

  • Steve Shantz

    As the CIO of TWR, a global media ministry, I've received a lot of business advice from you in addition to traveling the globe together. One definite outcome is that I am spending a lot more money on clothes and I've eaten a lot of expensive food!

  • Steve Shantz

    I should also mention that the best Business Advice I have received lately is "pay your A-Group invoices!"

  • MaurilioAmorim

    But you look better while enjoying some awesome food.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    That has to be the best advice I've ever heard. Absolutely brilliant!!!

  • Phil Chalos

    Really good post…actually the last two was exactly what I've been needing the last several weeks. Thanks for taking the time to express some great business advice. Also, Looking forward to chatting about your comments.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    Thanks Phil. I hear there's a lot of good things happening in your world. We need to catch up soon.

  • Mitch Ebie

    I got a tip from a friend a while ago while I was showing him my list of objectives. He said, "I don't see any deadlines." He reminded me that I don't have a boss to tell me what to do so I have to make my own deadlines…and stick to them.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    That's a great point, Mitch. We have saying around here that if we leave a meeting without deadlines, then all we have is "happy talk."

  • mjdaniel

    My first month out of college, my new boss was already tired of hearing my diagnosis of all the problems with our organization. She gave me the advice that changed who I was "Anybody can find the problems – very few people know how to develop solutions. Don't come back in my office again without two possible solutions for any problems you've discovered."

    5 years later and I've been promoted 5 times and I now consult for Fortune 100 companies on their learning strategies and technology implementation. Everybody could tell them what their problems were, but they needed a solution guy – thanks to Kris, I've become that guy.

  • MaurilioAmorim

    That's so true. If you're a solutions person, you can name your ticket. Critics abound, but people who can see the solution and make it happen are few. Excellent point.

  • http://www.whitneysegura.com/ Whitney Segura

    Excellent post, this really was some of the best business advice I have heard in years. So glad to have read this. You rock, keep up the good work!

  • http://www.maurilioamorim.com MaurilioAmorim

    Thank you for stopping by and the kind words, Whitney

  • http://www.mitchebie.com/2010/09/finishing-is-better-than-starting-six-tips-that-will-boost-your-career/ Finishing is Better Than Starting: Six Tips That Will Boost Your Career | Mitch Ebie

    [...] Delegate or outsource: Decide if the task is something you should do or if it something that you can delegate or outsource to someone else. Spend your time doing what only you can do. [...]

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    Interesting read. I wish I could make myself write such good posts onto my own blog. I guess I just need to try harder.