John Ellsworth of Success Strategies has been an instrumental part of our Management Team and our positive financial results.
The Business Confidence Maximizer™
August 2010 Issue
Published by John Ellsworth,
© Success Strategies, Inc.
Dan Sullivan, founder of The Strategic Coach organization stated that “people do strange things when they have no future.” Since this is undoubtedly true, I have attempted to keep my Clients on the leading edge by providing them with a system for setting regular business objectives and keeping them as far away as possible from the dangers often encountered in their industry. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a working model for completing this process – one that we can revisit as often as needed.
It might be best to start by answering five basic questions. Why take the time to set these goals and develop a Disaster AgendaTM?
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Subject: DECISIONS, DECISIONS!
The Business Confidence Maximizer™
July 2010 Issue
Published by John Ellsworth,
© Success Strategies, Inc.
We are all faced with numerous decisions every day. Simple as it sounds, your daily decisions begin with deciding what time you will be getting up in the morning, what you will wear and what you might have for breakfast. Then, I would suggest, the big decisions need to be made: What cows need treating today? Should I add another employee? Can I afford that new tractor? Sometimes you can defer these decisions. However, often they need to be addressed immediately.
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The Business Confidence Maximizer™
June 2010 Issue
Published by John Ellsworth,
© Success Strategies, Inc.
People love to be offered options in life, up to a certain point. Unfortunately, if they are faced with too many options or ones that they do not understand, the choices available to them become overwhelming. Actually, that may describe the current situation with Milk Options. There are so many options available that the choices can, indeed, be confusing. In November 2009, I wrote an article for the Western Dairy Business publication that centered upon what I felt were the “Top 10” steps to take in preparation for the coming year.
One of the most critical of these steps is the development of a Milk Marketing Plan. This is an absolute must today, particularly with the increasing amount of volatility and fluctuation in milk prices. Understanding your break-even price level and knowing how to position your business to achieve that price will continue to be essential to your financial future. Get involved in your own marketing plan by working with an options broker that you trust. He or she can be invaluable to your business.
Recently, I also had an opportunity to moderate a panel of Agricultural Lenders in a discussion on the availability of financing. One of the recurring themes that seemed to surface was the issue of whether or not a producer should be using milk options, also known as Puts and Calls, in the management of their dairy business. Their response was unanimous.
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May 2010 Issue
Published by John Ellsworth,
© Success Strategies, Inc.
This is the season when many annual loan renewals are completed in the dairy industry. Hence, it can tend to be a period of added anxiety for many producers, especially given the difficulties of the past 18 months. As if the woes of the industry and the additional debt load that many producers are carrying are not enough, most banks are under tremendous scrutiny from auditors and other regulators both inside and outside of the bank. Their anxiety can lead to terms that one might consider unusual. Some examples that come to mind include the following:
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April 2010 Issue
Published by John Ellsworth,
© Success Strategies, Inc.
Sounds like a given doesn’t it? However, it has been my observation that those producers who do the best job of mastering the feed acquisition game seem to be the ones that thrive financially, year in and year out. Since feed, as an expense, can consume 50-60% of your total revenue, it is crucial that you manage its cost as if your business depended on it because, in reality, it very well might. If there was one lesson we all learned in 2008, it was that we have entered a new world where speculation in the commodity markets can force a new trend that impacts every producer. In spite of having record high corn crops the past several years, the dairy industry was treated to a new and less than “user- friendly” corn market. Unfortunately, as corn goes, so goes the price levels of most other commodities and feed crops.
To view the rest of the information on this page you need to get a free membership to my site, or simply login with your existing account. If you have any questions or problems, please contact me. Thanks!
