Articles by Catherine Oak and Bill Schoeffler

Oak is the founder of the consulting firm, Oak & Associates, based in Northern California and Central Oregon. Schoeffler is an associate of the firm. Oak & Associates. Phone: 707-935-6565. Email: catoak@gmail.com.

Top 10 goals for agents to make ASAP

The year is winding down and it is time to focus on goals for next year. The easy route is to take the current results and add X% for growth and improve results by Y%. A few other ideas might …

Deal makers and deal breakers

What is it that makes some deals fly and others fail? Every deal needs to be judged on its own facts. However, there is often a pattern that develops during the M&A process. Five deal breakers Lack of good compatibility …

Deals makers and deal breakers

What is it that makes some deals fly and others fail? Every deal needs to be judged on its own facts. However, there is often a pattern that develops during the M&A process. Five deal breakers 1. Lack of good …

Everything I need to know about management I learned from golf

The great thing about life is that the lessons we learn in one part of our life can apply to another part. Business owners and managers can learn a lot about excelling in their profession through the hard learned lessons …

Everything I need to know about management I learned from golf

The great thing about life is that the lessons we learn in one part of our life can apply to another part. Business owners and managers can learn a lot about excelling in their profession through the hard learned lessons …

Coaches help teams and players rise to the top

How many professional athletes get to the top without a coach? Probably very few, if any. So why should a business person expect to get to the top of their industry without a coach? After all it is a very …

Coaches help teams and players rise to the top

n_27_coaches.xtg Coaching, when implemented at an organizational level, can deliver dramatic results and drive significant financial impact to the bottom line. How many professional athletes get to the top without a coach? Probably very few, if any. So why should …

Making the Grade in Agency Diagnostics

As individuals, the easiest way to see how well you are performing is to compare yourself to others. We all do it from time to time. Likewise, with businesses, comparisons are a very useful tool to check performance. The key …

The 10 Percent Solution: An approach to internal perpetuation

Today, there are plenty of deals where the owners of an agency sell to an outside party, such as another local agency, a large national firm or a bank. On average, most former agency owners last about two years working …

Management by the numbers

Management is both an art and a science. Most agency owners forget about the science part. That is because owners typically are not formally trained in management techniques. Interestingly enough, the “art” side of management is difficult to learn for …