There are so many things to do when marketing your business -- how in the world do you get the most bang for your buck? I have already discussed how consistent action beats perfect action. But there is another principle that is essential to getting the most out of every single business development opportunity, which I call "stacking." Stacking is the deliberate process of looking for ways that … [Read more...]

  To make it in business, we need 3 main things: A viable, valuable product or service that solves a real problem A way to sell and deliver it A defined group of people to sell it to But checking all three boxes will not do anything for your bank account. You must let people know every day that you have a business, that you love what you do and that you want to solve … [Read more...]

As matter of professional course, I love to collect tools, frameworks and examples to help my clients solve their problems while building their businesses. When I consulted for large organizations, I would geek out about all kinds of models and assessments to help groups and leaders function effectively. But a few years ago, I began to notice something really, really interesting. I would be … [Read more...]

  Do you have an inordinate amount of things rolling around in your head right now, including what you should have done yesterday, what you need to do now, what you want to do in the future, and what you were born to do but never seem to get it together to make happen? Welcome to the plate spinning club! As creative people, we have the wonderful (and sometimes terrible) capability of … [Read more...]

Greetings from beautiful Salt Lake City! We got here via an 11 hour drive from Mesa on Monday that was so stunningly beautiful. We wound through amazing country, and were able to see lots of my husband and kid's beautiful Navajo Nation (instead of license plates, my kids counted the traditional Navajo homes called hogans). We are here for our son Josh's soccer tournament, where they are playing … [Read more...]

(This is a guest post from my friend and long-time small business expert Karyn Greenstreet. Karyn has been teaching people how to start and run mastermind groups since 1994) Mastermind groups are everywhere! The popularity of mastermind groups is growing as people just like you are finding the success they want through brainstorming with others, creating goals, holding each other accountable, … [Read more...]

There is one homework assignment that I know will send every client into a tailspin: writing their About Page. An About Page is a necessary part of every professional website. In addition to offering rock-solid products or services, your prospective customers also want to know that they can trust your ability to deliver. It is also the source of tremendous emotional consternation, since it … [Read more...]

I was all excited to tell my friend and lawyer Kyle Durand that I was finally exercising on a regular basis, taking early morning walks in the neighborhood. "That's so cool!" he said. Then I asked "So, what are you doing for fun these days?" "Oh, I am preparing to run the 350 mile Iditarod trail in Alaska in the middle of winter." You read that right, not "go on a sled pulled by dogs," but … [Read more...]

Do you ever look at your daily agenda and feel a sense of dread? There are so many things to do every day. Big projects and small projects. Business tasks and personal tasks. Meetings, emails and action items. The more you check off, the more that seem to pop up the next day, or week. You can feel, if you don't pay close attention, that you are just going through the motions of life, on an … [Read more...]

With the exception of a few weirdos like me, most people dread going to networking events. What should you say? What if you don't know anyone in the room and you feel awkward? What if you don't make a single productive business connection, and you waste hours of your time? There is no way to be 100% sure that a business networking event will be a good use of your time. Here are three ways … [Read more...]