April showers bring May flowers. Unless you live in the Pacific Northwest, where it's more likely to bring more showers and an evergreen portfolio of verdant landscapes. But looking on the sunny side, it also brings the following podcasts, posts and conversations to help busy business owners get things done, build the value of their business and/or prepare for the eventual transition out of their company.
1. Podcast: Redefining Productivity to Focus on What Actually Matters
Michael Hyatt, inventor of the Full Focus Planner, joins the Building a Story Brand podcast to talk productivity, prioritization and how to finish the things that matter. During this 40-minute conversation, he instructs listeners on how to gain the freedom to focus on the things that matter most.
2. Podcast: Company Culture, Collaboration and Competition
Margaret Heffernan joins The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish podcast for an hour-long discussion of small changes that can make a huge difference in your business, lessons we can learn from the Enron disaster, cultivating a healthy culture and more.
3. Generation X — Not Millennials — Is Changing the Nature of Work
This piece from CNBC claims the workplace is dominated by Generation X, but too many business owners fail to recognize the importance of these uniquely capable leaders. It offers three practical steps toward retaining and developing leaders in a generation that will form the backbone of the workplace for the next 30 years.
4. Podcast: What Do I Do When I Sell My Company and Get All This Money?
This hour-long episode from the Deal Junkie: Cracking the Private Equity Code podcast discusses different aspects to consider when looking at transitioning out of your business. The discussion covers planning for retirement, the importance of getting organized early, steps to take before, during and after the sale of your business, and the surprising psychological effects owners face when selling their business.
5. Podcast: Buyouts from the Seller's Side
This 45-minute, listener-requested episode of the Private Equity Funcast offers advice for choosing the right private equity firm to determine whether they're a good fit for you, which questions to ask during due diligence, valuation models and negotiation — specifically what is negotiable and what's not. You can jump straight to the 9:56 mark to skip the introductory small talk.
6. The Comments Section: Could Off-Hour Work Email Be Banned?
Okay, so this is not a post, podcast or video. It's a LinkedIn conversation about the email-after-hours question for busy employees. "According to CNN, Rafael Espinal, a council member from Brooklyn, introduced a bill last week that would make it illegal for businesses with more than 10 people to contact employees during off-work hours, including weekends and vacations." Follow along as nearly 3,000 professionals weigh in on the measure — and join in if you'd like.