Those ups, downs and unknowns.
When things are going well, you’re tempted to think that you’re awesome. You’re ‘It.’ There’s something special about you and you’re smarter and better than many of those poor folks around you. You tend to think things will continue to go well. If you’re ‘it’ then good times will roll on, right? The constant is…
Ontario barbers forced to learn women’s styling techniques
“We’re barbers, we’re not neurosurgeons,” said Frank Olszynko to CBS News recently. “Why do we have to go through this?” While in years past it was the barbers who did the surgeries, Frank is right. Those professions have long ago been separated. (Whew.) But now in Ontario, the government decided that barbers should be classified…
Blake responds to your advice – and the winner
Thank you to all of you who left a comment with your advice for “Blake.” (See “A warning for nice guys…“) I promised that the person with the comment judged to contain the best advice will win a free copy of my manual, “How to Systematically and Consistently Attract First-Rate Customers.” There were dozens of…
When you can no longer ignore the feeling that it’s time for a change…
Some call it the seven year itch. Others call it a mid-life crisis. Still others call it getting “mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Whatever you call it, it’s going to come. And the question will be: Will the uncertainty fuel you – or beat you into submission? Several weeks…
Important message from George Washington to today’s entrepreneurs
2.5 million people. That was the population of the United States at the time of the Revolutionary War in 1776. During that first year of the war, the citizens of the new country were excited, patriotic and strongly supported the war. But that didn’t last very long. When it became apparent that the war would…
I know I shouldn’t – but I envy him
I read biographies of great men and women. Do you? If you admire them, you probably see some of their qualities in yourself. Your potential for similar greatness. And when you learn how they navigated the nettles in their lives, it helps you navigate your own. Take Theodore Roosevelt, for example. To me, the man…
“I keep lashing at my horses with my whip clenched in a spasm.”
If you’re over thirty, you’re accompanied daily with that feeling – life moves fast. And it gets faster with every birthday. To deal with it, most people put their heads down and work harder. And longer. But it doesn’t seem to help. Vladimir Vysotsky, an iconic Soviet-era Russian singer, poet and actor sang it like…
The high price you pay for naivety – in business and in life.
Clear thinking is your most valuable work. Period. This means lots of things. But at it’s most basic, it means you must see things as they are, not as you wish them to be. Self-delusion makes life and business painful and frustrating. And when deluded people are in power, they create pain and frustration for…
Rockets exploding nearby. When do you say “Enough!” in your life?
You let anything slide for too long, and sooner or later, you’ll be picking up the pieces. You push anything too far, and sooner or later you’ll pay the price. I’m sitting in my local coffee shop and writing. Neighbors who see me here so often joke and ask me if this is my office.…
The fruitless crusade to turn prospect Hyde into customer Jekyl
Can you turn a lousy prospect into a great customer? Of course not. But I bet you’ve tried – more than once. I have. Who hasn’t? So why do we waste our time talking to people who will never buy? To answer that, I’m afraid I need to get a tad philosophical. We humans have…