In our last conversation, we talked about choosing an industry, or vertical specialization, as a way to find your “people like us,” but what if there’s not one industry that fits your business? One of my clients, Diane Yetter of Yetter Tax, helps people with their most difficult sales tax problems. Though we think of sales…
In our last conversation, we talked about how “people like us, do things like this.” How identifying your tribe, and then acting in ways that show you are a part of that tribe, can significantly accelerate the growth of your business. Which begs the question: who are your people like us, and how do you…
You know when you are in a “tribe” because you do the things that your tribe does, you wear the things that they wear, you sound like them, you look like them… Seth Godin, in one of his most popular blog posts, called it “People like us do things like this.” So when you think…
In our house, there’s only one show that the whole family watches religiously the moment it’s available and that’s Snake City. Snake City is a show that follows a South African snake catcher (Simon Keys) and his assistant/girlfriend (Siouxsie Gillett) as they drive around Durban catching poisonous snakes. (Durban is loaded with venomous snakes!) Simon…
In our last conversation, we talked about The U-Curve, the predictable path that business profits take as your business grows from “just you” to “you and your team.” The most important feature of the U-Curve is the flat bottom. That’s the zone where profits are slim, growth is hard, and a lot of entrepreneurs stall…
Remember that first time you got paid by a client? You stepped out on your own, got some work, delivered on it, and got paid. I know for me it felt like magic. People were just giving me money! As my business grew I started adding some expenses, I built a website, I added a…
From now until mid-December are the most critical hundred days of the year for owners of B2B Service firms. This is the time when clients are making big decisions about their priorities and budgets for the next year, and you need to be in those conversations with them. If you want to grow your business,…
I’ve been having a great time getting on the phone with some of you this last week. I heard about moving houses and offices (and the upheaval that brings). I heard about hiring and firing teams, about businesses that had tough years, and businesses that are on fire and are having their best year ever….
OK, so we’ve been talking about The Resistance for a few days. We’ve seen how subtle it can be, how tricky the lies can get. We know it costs us energy, confidence, and progress in our business and our life. So what can you do to defeat The Resistance? The Resistance is in your head….
What does it look like when we’re afraid to make changes, take risks, or push our comfort zone? How do we recognize that The Resistance has a hold on our perspective, and is holding us back? Let me tell you a story. I knew I had to fire him. He’s a great guy; he’s got…