We hadn't anticipated that the sales cycle would be so long. The business was running smoothly. But we missed a payday once and that was tough. We just told employees the truth and most of them hung in with us..

Denver. In 1981 Jim Spoor founded Spectrum to capture the power of the personal computer to develop human resource management software. Today his company is the longest standing, full-service, PC-based provider of HRIS. Jim is a member of the
Council of Growing Companies and shares with us his "Sliver of Genius"

Big Ideas.

• When you see an opportunity, jump on it.
• Be willing to sacrifice everything to make your idea a reality.
• Don't underestimate the length of the selling cycle.
• Recruit your competition to sell your product for you.

In this segment of In the Trenches you meet Ella Williams; she is one of the few black women who has succeeded in an industry dominated by ex-military brass. Ella is founder and owner of Aegir Systems, a full-service engineering and consulting firm for the US Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation. You'll learn what it takes to do business with the government and hear her down-to-earth advice on running a company.

Integrity Selling. Ron Willingham, author of Integrity Selling and several other books -- When Good isn't Good Enough, The Best Seller, and Hey, I'm the customertalks about the heart of business.

Do the right thing.Professor Dr. Laura Nash of Harvard University and Boston University is the author of Good Intentions Aside and talks here about business ethics.

StreetFighter Marketing. Jeff Slutsky takes us into the creative mind and the enterprising, rather bold, spirit . . . great market tips for the viewing!

Law Talk. John Dolan talks about the home office deduction and cautions viewers to be sure it is your principal place of business

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