Financial advisor Jim O'Boyle recalls a time long ago where he thought he was completely prepared for an important public meeting--until someone surprised him by asking him to talk about where the money was going.
learning from faux pas, miscalculations and decisions gone wrong
Friday, July 6, 2007
Not paying attention to negative signals when hiring
Banker Bill Runner talks about several instances where he hired someone despite signals that they might not work out, from tests and others' opinions--and they didn't work out.
Incomplete due diligence in a real-estate transaction
Continuing our look at successful entrepreneurs and the mistakes that shaped their careers. This video was part of the Mistake Bank Ning site, and I was reminded of it as we toured the city of Wilkes-Barre, PA, last weekend. My wife was driving, and from time to time she'd point to a building and say, "My dad owned that one."
This story was from the beginning of my father-in-law's real-estate investment career, and to me says a lot about due diligence. I've heard many entrepreneur mistake stories where inadequate due-diligence was at the heart of the issue. On the other hand, diving into a deal without having everything figured out, and then making it work, eventually brought these business owners to another level of success.
So: mistake or bold move? Discuss.
Don McFadden on Due Diligence in a Real Estate Transaction - a Mistake Bank story from John Caddell on Vimeo.
This story was from the beginning of my father-in-law's real-estate investment career, and to me says a lot about due diligence. I've heard many entrepreneur mistake stories where inadequate due-diligence was at the heart of the issue. On the other hand, diving into a deal without having everything figured out, and then making it work, eventually brought these business owners to another level of success.
So: mistake or bold move? Discuss.
Don McFadden on Due Diligence in a Real Estate Transaction - a Mistake Bank story from John Caddell on Vimeo.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Not doing my financial due diligence
John Caddell describes the dream of a career--being able to become part owner of a business--and what he learned after he was afraid to ask too many questions before signing on.
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Tuesday, June 5, 2007
A product killed by poor packaging
When John Caddell first became a product manager, he thought his MBA had prepared him for the jump from software development into the marketing world. He still had a lot to learn, as became obvious when he had to create pricing for a new product.
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Hiring the wrong person
When John Caddell first became a supervisor, one new task was hiring employees. When his fellow supervisor refused to let John defer yet another hiring decision, he was on his own to decide. And it didn't work out.
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Welcome to the Mistake Bank
Come here for true mistakes related by the people who made them! View the introductory video below:
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