One of the most intriguing insights that I got ( yes, I still remember it after 20 years) from the Autobiobraphy of Ben Franklin was how he was able to make friends, not by doing a favor to the person, but by letting the person do a favor FOR him.

Apparently, he discovered that for some people, “he that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than whom you yourself have obliged”.

This was quoted by Seth Godin, another original thinker whose many ideas seem to be uncommon common sense, when he tried to explain how Yale wins by using this principle.

Jeff Cornwall have an excellent piece on how to determine the business value of your company. This is a great list of things that buyers are willing to pay for, and whether you eventually plan to sell your business or not, this is actually a good list of basic things that you need to focus in making your company a better one.

Basics like market positioning, track record and reputation, state of the industry, depth of management and sales team, customer base, etc. I would like to add two: The efficiency of your systems and processes ( which I believe is very important to gain a competitive edge) and of course the strength of your technology ( research and development portfolio, patent portfolio). Some technology are bought up primarily for their research breakthroughs.