“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” – Theodore Roosevelt There is no end to the list of things that business owners have to deal with. Customers, products, employees, competitors, vendors, the government, the weather, technology, etc. – the list goes … Read more
“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” – Chinese proverb The more I’ve learned about leaders & their businesses (not to mention myself), the more I’ve come to believe that our lives are largely self-fulfilling prophecies. There are certainly exceptions to that rule, but for … Read more
“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” – Albert Ellis It’s interesting to watch leader behavior across different organizations. Each one has their … Read more
“A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.” – Phil Armstrong I was fortunate a couple of weeks ago to be able to facilitate a discussion amongst some of our firm’s best clients. As always, it was a learning experience for me, probably even more so than for them. And as … Read more
“I am not young enough to know everything.” – Oscar Wilde A few weeks ago I posted something about how important it is for leaders to be lifelong learners. An enthusiasm for learning is one of the surest predictors that you have a chance to be a successful leader. But it can’t just be you. … Read more
“Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” – Oscar Wilde There are plenty of factors that help determine whether any organization is successful. Things like marketing strategies, operations strategies, the ability to innovate, and so on. All of those topics get a lot of attention – just search for any of them … Read more
“Change is disturbing when it is done to us. Change is exhilarating when it is done by us.” – Rosabeth Kanter I’m fortunate to spend a lot of my career with leadership teams who are working on the future of their organizations. We’ll talk about products and people and competitors, about growth and profit, etc. … Read more
“You must make your mark on this earth, and, if you have never done so, it is simply because you neglected to use the powers you have, or you have neglected to develop them.” – John Henry Patterson I’ve written about belief previously in this space (here, for example), and about the reality that if … Read more
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill There are a lot of people out there who are in some kind of position of leadership, whether it be in a business or some other organization. From the outside it can be difficult to tell why … Read more
“Let us not seek to fix blame for the past – let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” – John F. Kennedy I enjoy watching sports, and I watch a lot of them. I enjoy watching teams over the course of a long season, the inevitable ups and downs, wins and losses, etc. … Read more
Get to know our proven, forward-thinking accounting, planning and business consulting experts.
1008 Third Avenue Sheldon, Iowa 51201 • (712) 324-4614 & 5130 E. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 • (605) 610-4611
© 2025 Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP
Sheldon:
1008 Third Avenue Sheldon, Iowa 51201 • (712) 324-4614
Sioux Falls:
5130 E. 57th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57108 • (605) 610-4611
© 2017 Cain Ellsworth & Company, LLP
