Welcome to the 3rd quarter 2005 edition of the Smart Growth Report from the Childs Company. I hope you find the information here useful in developing plans to meet your business or personal goals. Please contact me if there is anything we can do to facilitate implementing the ideas contained in this report. I would love to help you.

Childs Company is a growth partner for emerging companies and entrepreneurs. We work with a limited number of small business owners who are serious about growing their business.

Click here to learn more about Childs Company

Bryant Wharton is a full-service consultative employee benefits insurance brokerage firm. The company has established an excellent reputation among its clients and in the insurance community based on its commitment to customer service. Bryant Wharton’s role is to act as an independent advisor for its clients, tailoring customized employee benefit solutions for each client’s needs. Its clients range in size from small businesses with less than a dozen employees to national companies and institutions with hundreds of employees.

Bryant Wharton offers a wide array of services including strategic planning for benefits programs, administrative services such as employee communications, COBRA administration, etc., as well as complete market analyses designed to optimize cost/benefits for its clients.

Childs Company has served as an advisor to the company and has referred a number of satisfied clients to the firm.

Click here to learn more about Bryant Wharton

Childs Company possesses a commitment to long-term growth and a genuine interest in achieving maximum potential for its clients. Childs Company serves as an operating partner and an active member of management, taking an active role in implementation of strategic growth plans.

Click here to discover how Childs Company works with small businesses and entrepreneurs

Business Publications

Business Week
Business 2.0
Business to Business
Catalyst
Entrepreneur
Fast Company
Forbes
Fortune Small Business
Fortune
Harvard Business Review
Inc.
Kiplinger's
Money
Smart Money
Strategy+Business
Sales & Marketing Management
Selling Power

This Quarter:

• Leadership Lessons of the Navy Seals
• Rising Prices for Oil and Gasoline
• GA Economic Indicators: 2nd Quarter 2005
• Business Partner Profile: Bryant Wharton

Leadership Lessons of the Navy Seals By Jeff Cannon and Jon Cannon Leadership and team building techniques of the military elite, where partnering is mandatory and failure is not an option.

Written by Jeff Cannon and Jon Cannon, "Leadership Lessons of the Navy Seals" is built around inspiring real-life stories from both the military and business worlds. Below are some of the highlights from the chapter on team building, “Building a Thundering Herd”.

-Retain your best people or you’ll pay through the nose. Listen to what your best people need…it is your job to deliver it. If you can’t deliver it, you need to explain why. Otherwise, don’t expect them to stick around.

-Give real rewards for real achievement…and it’s not just about the money. High performers usually want feedback, recognition and loyalty from their leader.

-Identify your lead dogs, feed them well and put a pack around them. This is a central tenet in building high performance teams.

Click here for more tips from "Leadership Lessons of the Navy Seals"

Need help in evaluating the leadership skills in your company? We can help. Click here to contact us.

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Rising Prices for Oil and Gasoline:
What Does It Mean to You?

Oil prices have hit record highs of over $70 a barrel and gasoline in the Atlanta market is close to $3 a gallon (up 70% from a year ago). Hurricane Katrina has caused a disruption in oil supply which will result in even higher prices at least short term. Somewhat remarkably, these stunning prices have not shaken the U.S. economy….yet. What’s to come?

Click here to learn more about what rising oil and gas prices will mean to you

How will rising oil and gasoline prices impact your business? Click here to contact us.

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Click here for Matt's analysis of the 2nd Quarter Indicators

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