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Goble Properties

Bill Murray and Business Advice

It never ceases to amaze me how much bad business advice exists and even thrives. On a recent flight I opened a copy of the airline magazine and came across this article about Bill Murray and marriage advice. The gist of the story is that if you can survive an around the world trip with a person, then you should marry that person because you are obvious compatible. It’s a cute story.

But at the end of the article the author draws out a business lesson. He writes, “…before working with someone, before employing someone, before going ahead with that …

Goble Properties, Junkyard Management,

How to Get Rich

The question comes in all kinds of forms. Sometimes subtle, sometimes direct, sometimes wrapped in noble hopes of changing the world, sometimes in naked self interest. However it’s asked, it is one of the most common questions I hear.

“How can I get rich?”

The answer is complicated and spiritually loaded. Context is everything. But this is a blog, and blogs need to stay simple. So at the risk of sounding triumphalist, here you go. Ten tips on how to get rich:

1) Get as much education as you can reasonably afford and realistically achieve. It’s not only for the …

Book Reviews, Goble Properties, Junkyard Management,

Are Corporations People?

Are corporations people? When the Supreme Court made their famous Citizens United ruling, this question set off a firestorm. The flames were renewed, at least partially, with the Hobby Lobby decision.

I have opinions from the perspective of a small business owner, of course, but my opinion isn’t all that important. I have little to add beyond what you can read elsewhere.

That said, I will share one insight worth mentioning.

Corporations tend to have a life of their own. This corporate heartbeat is created by the founder and perpetuated by others in the company.

But like anything with a …

Belize, Goble Properties, PathLight,

Social Enterprise Stories

Even after 33-years at Goble Properties, it is still fun to see others bewildered when I value people over profits, communities over growth, or the environment over margins. Of course I’ve failed many times on all counts. But when I do get it right, it often stands out as counter-cultural in the business world.

Which in turn triggers conversations about why I made a decision, which allows me to share how faith is central to my values.

Last week I wrote about social enterprise being a gateway to spiritual conversations with the wealthy. Within a few hours of posting those …

Goble Properties, Random Thoughts,

Reaching the Rich

I remember in college when a chapel speaker told us about his ministry to the rich. He was a pastor ministering at a church in Carmel. It was an interesting contrast to the many “serve the poor” speakers that came through. Thirty plus years later I’m still thinking about his talk.

In this age when so many young people want to change the world by working with the poor, I sometimes wonder if we are underinvesting in the spiritual transformation of the wealthy. I don’t mean the middle class wealthy (there are plenty of churches focused on that demographic), but …

Goble Properties,

Street Smarts

For years I’ve complained about the dearth of books for the small business owner. Too many business books focus on creating a Fortune 500 company, or at least managing one. There are few resources for the millions of us who own a small business and have no goals to be large. Like me, most small business owners just enjoy running our own company, being our own boss, and and are very happy staying at a certain size. So I’ve always been disappointed more books are not written for this huge segment of the marketplace.

Then recently I picked up Street …

Goble Properties,

Little Bob

I was a teenager working in the wrecking yard when I first heard somebody refer to “Little Bob.” He was a new employee, and though not really small he was shorter than another Bob who already worked for us. This was 40 years ago.

Little Bob worked all kinds of jobs in the wrecking yard. He pulled parts, of course, but he also handled the huge forklift, ran deliveries, and drove the tow truck. This was a time of transition in the wrecking yard, so Bob bounced from working for my Dad to my brother to finally my uncle. Working …