Tag: executive link

Dangers of Free Time

mountain hike

Free time is dangerous to those who have been raised to believe that one must always be physically busy in the ranch.   A business in our Executive Link (EL) program recently eliminated a major enterprise that wasn’t working economically and hadn’t been for some time. They were able to make this brave decision, with the […]

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Feedback Loops to Aid Decision Making

loops

If you were to come upon a car wreck, which turns out to be your neighbor with terminal cancer, would you worry about their next chemo appointment? Probably not, your first concern would more likely be CPR or stopping the bleeding. This is about the extent to which we generally discussed the feedback loop at […]

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Leasing Like a Boss

ranch view

This morning I found a great post on the Executive Link private Facebook group. A current EL member was looking for input on information that he should share with the landowners of various properties that he leases. There were several great suggestions ranging from wildlife population status to water infiltration rates. After weighing in myself, […]

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Top 10 Tax Preparer Conversations

tax preparer

I just finished my first round of Executive Link meetings. In addition to being a facilitator I also presented the continuing education session where we dug deep into economics, finance, and income taxes. Although it can be a dry and boring topic, we had great discussions during and after the presentation. A common request from EL members was […]

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A Perspective on Gross Margin from Aaron

sheep

Aaron Helmick is a pain in the rear. Even worse he is a dairy farmer from West Virginia pain in the rear. 😆 Somehow Aaron managed to marry Tara and that vastly improved his chances in life. Aaron and Tara are alumni of Ranching for Profit and Executive Link. They are amazing and thoughtful people […]

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A Business Mind Shift from Treg Ulmer

buttercups

Treg Ulmer and his wife Courtney are members of the Executive Link program and building a business in Ohio. Treg shared some thoughts with me around balancing profit with other reasons why they choose to ranch. I encouraged Treg to write a ProfitTips column on this subject and I’m excited to share that here, with […]

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Bumpers for Decision Making

Crossroads Land and Livestock

“When I bowl, I need the bumpers to keep the ball heading towards the pins, as my wife Maggie and I make decisions on the ranch we need bumpers to keep us heading toward our goal.” This statement was made by Austin Troyer at the recent Executive Link meeting in Billings, MT. Austin, Maggie and […]

This post is only available to members.

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Can Small Scale Operations be Profitable?

chickens

I often hear from people operating on a smaller scale that their limitations of size make it impossible for them to be profitable. “I only run 12 cows and operate on 30 acres. I can’t possibly be profitable!” The limitations to profitability are usually self-induced. When we look inside this operation what we will likely […]

This post is only available to members.

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Two Mornings to Change Your Business

EL Summer Meeting

If you’ve been through the Ranching For Profit School you recognize the importance of working ON the business (WOTB). If blocking out time for WOTB is challenging for you, you aren’t alone. Scheduling adequate time to work on the businesses is often THE most difficult challenge RFP graduates face when they get home.   The problem […]

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Sell/Buy Lessons from Aaron and Tara

Ranching for Profit flip charts

ProfitTips is taking a different direction this time. Aaron and Tara Helmick recently shared with me a collection of “Lessons Learned” from the past 4 years as they have been on a journey to transform their business. I met Aaron and Tara at a Ranching for Profit School I taught in Rapid City, SD. Aaron […]

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