The Pro Tapes® Blog

Ask a savvy cash manager what environment in a manufacturing company is likely to result in the fewest cash flow headaches, and the response may be, “A stable 2 to 3% growth company with high gross margins relative to industry standards.” Why would he or she not choose a high-tech company, with double-digit growth potential? Could it be the constant drain on cash? Read More “Four Ways a Manufacturing Company Can Improve Cash Flow”

I was fortunate enough to be born with some size and a little bit of talent, which I was again fortunate enough to parlay into a football scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh. Like most college students, I learned quite a bit in the class room. Some of the more valuable lessons I learned and carry with me to this day, however, I learned from being a member of a football team. I know there are a lot former athletes who have gone onto great individual success in the business world but to me the unique challenge is getting a company, made up of athletes & non-athletes alike, to function and perform like a championship team. Here are the 5 most important things that football taught me about business. Read More “5 Things Football Taught Me About Business”

Over the past few years I’ve dealt with several matters in my personal life that put quite a bit of stress on me. My mother’s progressing dementia led to the need to move her into a long term care facility, that meant my 82 year old father would be living on his own and in need of his own periodic in-home care, and if this wasn’t enough, I was now the primary care giver for my aging uncle who has no family of his own to look after him. Dealing with 3 aging adults in need of different levels of care (and my time) who live in three different locations was beginning to take its toll. I found myself losing sleep, gaining weight and becoming more & more distracted from my responsibilities at work. Things had gotten to the point where my health was becoming a concern and I knew Read More “A Stoic’s Approach To Business”

Golf is very difficult. In fact, the average score for decades remains at 100, even with all the advanced equipment and the interest in the game according to the National Golf Federation. Rounds of golf do commonly lead to networking and meeting potential business partners, but what business lessons can the game itself teach us?

Let’s play one hole and determine Read More “Business Insights From Your Game of Golf”

It seems every day we read about disasters that devastate lives and businesses. Unfortunately, human nature can lead us to feel a false sense of comfort thinking large storms or computer virus attacks won’t affect us.

After Hurricane Sandy (a 100 year storm) large areas in the Northeast were decimated and most businesses in its path suffered downtime; many are still recovering Read More “ProTapes is Serious About Safety and Business Continuity”