Living with the turmoil inside
It has been a tough week. My grandmother, who meant so much to me, passed away last Friday, December 27th, 2013. She was 99. Or maybe 98 or 97. She kept her age a closely guarded secret and we have documents indicating each of those as possibilities. Bubbie, as we called her (Bubbie is…
How do you know if it’s time for a “Business ReDesign?”
It happens to all of us: The day will come (maybe it already has?) when, as Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “what got you here won’t get you there.” The gears that ran smoothly start to grind and groan and grate as the old ways that served you so well start showing rust. And there are two…
So simple, 99 out of 100 will dismiss this without real thought…
Real truth is simple. Hasn’t that been your experience? And a simple truth about 2014 is this: 2014 will only be different from 2013 if you decide it will be different. So simple a truth that 99 out of 100 will dismiss what I just said. But 1 out of 100 will pause. Chew on…
Why I don’t chase prospects who don’t get back to me…
In November I spoke with a couple who concluded that they needed to join my “Plenty of Clients” coaching program. The problem was coming up with the money. “We need to figure that out,” they said. “Why don’t we plan to start in January?” I said “You can start anytime you want. But I’ve never,…
Ho-hum. 2014. Just like 2013.
What’s special about December? Nothing, really. It’s the end of the year. So what? Why do we wait for the end of the year to spring into motion? Why do we need to be inspired by an arbitrary flip of the calendar page? We don’t. And the proof is that, as we all know, New…
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…
I’m featured on Inc.com today
I still remember telling my wife that I had come up with a better way of thinking about strategy and marketing. And she was skeptical. Ouch. In fairness to her, this was eight or nine years ago and all my great ideas were not paying the bills. On the other hand, those ‘thought leaders’ I’d…
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…
When to get help – and when to go it alone
Two people can say the very same words. But one of them is being smart. The other is fooling himself. These are the words: “I’m going to try to figure it out myself, first.” The first guy is being smart. Why? Because he’s fresh. He just left a successful corporate career. Or whatever. And opened…
Content shmontent: Why ‘content’ is like packing peanuts
They say ‘content’ is king. They talk about ‘content marketing.’ Content. Content. Conent. You need content. Hmm. Do you really? When I hear ‘content’ I think ‘filler.’ I think packing peanuts. Content is what you put ‘out there’ when you don’t have anything more substantive to offer. Forget about ‘content’. Instead focus on having an…