“Janet” Janet was in the building supply store checking in on things when she heard her name called. They were a major supplier, therefore a major part of her business. She wanted to make sure they knew who she was and that they were happy with her. She looked around to see who was calling […]
Scaling Up Means You Need a Bigger Ladde...
The question I get asked the most is “How do I get more customers?” The answer is rarely about marketing. Usually they are trying to scale up by doing more of the same. It’s like trying to reach higher without getting a bigger ladder. The business owners who scale successfully find a bigger ladder and […]
Janet starts her business: a cautionary ...
“That’s it! I quit!” Janet was furious. Another of her coworkers at the roofing company had fallen off the roof. Luckily this time, it was a low roof and got off with a few bruises. But her boss’s insistence in breaking the safety regulations, and in fact breaking with safety common sense was going to […]
The Conventional Unconventional Path
When does the unconventional path many people follow become the conventional path? It happened again the other day. I was speaking with 2 business owners. One who had built a business to almost 100 people in 6 years. The other owner was following the conventional route to starting a business by writing his business plan, […]
You are the product of the 5 people clos...
You have the same health, the same bad and good habits and the same beliefs as the 5 people closest to you. Choose those people wisely. The research is in and this holds for your personal life. I see the same hold for business. More than anything, you share the same beliefs with the people […]
Feeling Overwhelmed Doesn’t Have to be Y
There is this myth in business that feeling overwhelmed is situation normal. The idea is that there is more to do than you can possibly do and that you have to wear many hats, even if they don’t fit well. The only reason it feels that way is because of the MBA model of business. […]
4 Hour Work Week Your Business – Elimina
Every few years I dive into Tim Ferriss’s 4 Hour Work Week. I set aside all the criticisms and focus on the parts that I can use. The section that continues to have the most impact is the one on elimination. When the book came out, I decided to read it over a weekend and […]
Motivation
I was talking to a successful, driven business owner and he asked me about motivation. This surprised me, because he didn’t seem to need external motivation. He said he was having a hard time buckling down to tackle a particular piece of work. As a master at not doing what I should be doing, I […]
Your Favourite Business
You know the one. The one you look forward to visiting. The staff are happy to see you, you feel comfortable there. You know what to expect and you know you will get what you need – and more. You tell all your friends about this business. Your friends smile and nod. They know this […]
Growth
I’m talking about growth of you as a person and as a business owner. There is a difference between 10,000 hours spent working on your craft and 1 hour spent 10,000 times. Your craft is your trade, what you do in your business – marketing for your clients, baking pies, massage therapy. It takes time, […]