A few years ago, I read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. It’s an excellent book about end-of-life issues and I highly recommend it, but the idea that most stuck with me is summarized in this quote: “We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love. That remains the main problem and paradox for…
Did you know that Warren Buffett has created over 90% of his wealth since he turned 65? He became a millionaire in 1962 when he was 32 years old. He became a billionaire in 1990 when he was 60. Last year he reached $20 Billion in net worth (after giving away much of his Berkshire…
Focusing our business on solving a specific problem for a specific group of people (e.g., “Accounting and financial operations for brewery owners.”) makes growing a business so much easier. But at the beginning, everything about this process feels wrong! It can feel like we’re going backward. Imposter syndrome is everywhere, and your gut tells you…
We’ve frequently discussed how making decisions is the leader’s #1 job. It’s what earns you the big bucks. Somedays, you get the easy ones. The client is 60 days late on their last invoice, but they want us to expedite the delivery of their website so that it will be ready for the upcoming trade…
I’ve had a raft of conversations this month with founders who are looking back over their shoulder. One came across a job posting that looked so attractive, almost alluring! Another just started daydreaming about what it would be like to get a nice, cushy corporate job. (With benefits!) I get it. I had those fantasies…
One of the most painful truths I’ve ever encountered is that if I want to be good at something, I have to tolerate being terrible at it for a while. That feeling of not knowing what I’m doing is terribly uncomfortable – especially since there are many ways I could spend my time working within…
I knew I wanted to go to prom. It was going to be a big party with all my friends – one of the last times my high school gang would be together. I know I want to be there. But I need a date! Finding a date means taking the risk of getting rejected….
I’m part of a Slack community filled with agency owners, and last week one of the participants asked, “How’s everyone’s pipeline right now? Have changes in the economy impacted your sales results?” What followed was a deluge of reports; There are certain sectors where the story is different, and I have clients who are closing…
When I started my business, I was selling help with business operations for founders wanting to grow their businesses. That’s what I thought people wanted, and I had a track record of doing it. Sales are easy when you sell folks what they already want! I was riding a Trojan Horse. Talking about growth (what…
So far as I can tell, there are three ways of being in the world. One, I can decide that I’m fundamentally broken. So I try to hide my broken parts, shine up the acceptable parts, and only show people the parts they might like. This is what I call living in the false self….