6. Collecting (all) customers. Maria Marsala, a business coach in Poulsbo, Wash., finds that many of her clients waste time and energy serving the wrong customers. She encourages them to define their "ideal" customer--the person or entity that will pay a fair price for their product or service, value their business, return and buy from them again and generate referrals. The greatest marketing investment and effort should be devoted to finding and courting those ideals, she says. Marsala initially marketed her coaching services to all small-business owners. She decided to define her niche in the business-to-business world serving established business owners who didn't balk at her fees. Then she created an opportunity to sell to a

During the Focus Roundtable: How Organizational Culture Affects Organizational Performance, one question in particular really got participants talking: Can the culture of a company be dictated by top level management? The ensuing conversation brought out some passionate responses on both sides of the equation; but the various insights and theories backing up those opinions was equally engaging. The Focus Content team has gathered some of its favorites responses from Experts Maria Marsala, Josh Bersin, Tom Egelhoff, Erik Goldoff, Mark Herbert, John McCoy and Richard Morris. Download the white paper at http://www.focus.com/research/general-management/many-drivers-company-culture/

It's so easy to lose a receipt or not remember a trip you've taken, Keep an envelope in the car and put every receipt in it. When the envelope is full (or before your bookkeeper arrives) bring the contents of envelopes into your office.  (Leave the envelope in the car or it won't be there for the next batch of receipts). Then, have your bookkeeper pull out what's deductible. Keep a pad in the car to write all of the day's business trips. You're bound to get extra business mileage because you logged in a side trip that you soon would have forgotten.