Following up on my post about how focusing is essential to growth I got a question from a fellow business owner, Paul asks; Hi Brad, I love this Venn Diagram; in fact, I have a copy hanging on my office wall! The dilemma occurs when the intersection of something we do well and don’t love…
Finding your core service that is valuable to your ideal client and focusing on that means that you are going to do a lot of similar assignments. For creative people, this sounds like a kind of death. “You want me to do this thing over, and over, and over, and…ARUAGHHHH!” Well, yes, and no… First,…
When you started your business, you tried a lot of things before you found what people would pay you for, that you’re good at, and that you enjoy. There aren’t many businesses I work with who still pursue the business idea and model they first started with. So you try things, and you find clients….
Adjusting to a Profit Margin Mindset There’s a strange phenomenon that many entrepreneurs and small businesses suffer from. Fear of raising prices. You’re scared that your customers will pull their business from you if you do. Yet your business is growing. You’ve got loads of work coming in. So much so that you’ve taken on…
Remember my list of ways to make more money? The one that the most folks told me they wanted to hear more about was focusing on higher value clients (and firing your lower value clients). I can see why this idea is attractive — it’s conservative and low risk — but also has the potential…
“I’ve tried that, it didn’t work…” My client, the owner of a B2B creative services firm, had a strong business built by leveraging his network, but he wanted to see more growth. This business owner is aggressive and isn’t afraid to take a risk and try something, but the sales tactics or processes he’s tried…
As I write this, it’s the first day of summer in Chicago, and I’m thinking about taking some time off. But not the whole summer! There’s still work to be done, even though some of my clients, partners and prospects may be away or moving at a slower pace right now. The summer months always give…