Nearly 30 years ago when Aileron was founded, our first service was designed to help private business owners design their strategies. Now, three decades of study later, we’ve learned a lot about small business strategy. This post captures three common but outdated perspectives on strategic planning and offers more productive thought shifts to replace them. Old [ Read More ]
America’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy; small businesses are responsible for 63% of new jobs in the last 25+ years, represent 99.9% of all businesses in America, and employ 46% of America’s private sector employees. It’s clear business owners and small business leaders have one of the most important roles in our society — and [ Read More ]
When it comes to a Board of Advisors, these five qualities separate the exasperating from the exceptional. Does your board have them? A cohesive, high-functioning Board of Advisors can be an invaluable source of wisdom, accountability, and support for a business owner. But if the board is ineffective, misaligned, or poorly managed, it can consume a business owner’s [ Read More ]
At Aileron, we practice customer intimacy and frequently conduct customer research so we can design services and content that support our community of business owners. Part of our process involves completing the Strategyzer Value Proposition Canvas. This tool helps us more deeply understand business owners, the challenges they face, and the outcomes they’re after. Since we started collecting [ Read More ]
Aileron was thrilled to host a Personal Vision Workshop in January to celebrate Founder’s Day and give our community guided time and space to explore their dreams. Nearly 200 community members participated in this workshop, and we heard an outpouring of positive feedback about it — so much so that we’re making the workshop materials available to the [ Read More ]
As Aileron’s community spends time and energy in January doing the meaningful work of vision-setting, it’s the perfect time to revisit your organizational vision and ensure it is providing the direction your organization and team need. When done well, a vision can have a monumental impact on the organization, its people, and the bottom line. Here’s how. A [ Read More ]
As a business owner, you understand that running a business is a team sport and your team is your most valuable asset. Your team members are the people who turn your vision into a reality and help you grow your business. As you work to install professional management in your organization, Activating Professional Management can help you onboard [ Read More ]
Your Content Goes HereSome of the greatest challenges a business owner faces can also feel like the loneliest — setting the direction for the business, navigating changes in the external environment, and preparing to leave the business to the next generation of leadership are emotionally, mentally daunting tasks. Which is why Aileron exists — to equip business owners and leaders [ Read More ]
Aileron’s flagship program, Course for Presidents®, teaches you fundamental skills to direct, operate, and control your business. Key areas of focus include leadership, strategy, people development, business structure, organizational performance, and culture. This in-person program offers a hands-on learning experience that's been transforming businesses for more than 25 years. We’re excited to share we’ve been enhancing and refining the [ Read More ]
Our Course for Presidents alumni have consistently told us over the years that this program is a life-changing experience for the private business owner. It delivers insight and knowledge from people who get it, and everyday tools that impact their professional and personal lives alike. But, taking two days away from your business to work on your business can [ Read More ]
At Aileron, we not only teach professional management, we live it. We believe the DOC System of Professional Management empowers organizations to thrive for the long-term – even our own. The next time you’re on campus, you might see one of our latest professional management techniques in action. You can learn more about how we’re making our strategic priorities [ Read More ]
Everything in a business – the people you hire, the vision you construct, the customers you serve, and more – is connected. Building a better understanding of the interrelated methods and processes at work is key to your ability to improve your business results. We call this approach “systems thinking.” The Aileron definition of systems thinking is: the [ Read More ]
