I just attended a small business roundtable group which serves as a forum for entrepreneurs seeking business advice and mentoring. The facilitator couldn’t be there so we were on our own to lead the discussion with a couple of suggested topics. Unfortunately that led to trouble.

We started out talking about economic projections but a couple of people moved the discussion to politics. Only a few people participated in the political conversation and they all seemed to agree with each other. There seemed to be an assumption that we all felt the same way. I was very uncomfortable and I suspect I wasn’t the only one.

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Thanksgiving is almost here and with the holiday comes etiquette challenges. Make your Thanksgiving a happy occasion by following these tips.

Approach Thanksgiving with a giving heart

While you may not look forward to seeing loud Uncle Joe or crazy cousin Sally this is a time to be gracious and kind even to those who irritate you. Don’t engage in conflict or arguments. Let others “win” or steer the conversation to something more neutral. [...]

I just experienced a perfect example of how not to do sales. Someone I met at a networking event followed up with me by leaving a voicemail message marked urgent. He said he wanted to talk. Didn’t say why he was calling but wanted me to call him right away. I smelled a hardcore sales call. However, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was calling to talk about hiring my as a consultant or to build a relationship. [...]