There are only three ways to grow any business: Most business owners focus hard on number three. “If I just had more customers, I’d be in great shape” is a pretty common statement to hear from the average business owner. But often, that’s the hardest one to achieve. And in reality, of course, you should…
Nearly every small business launch I’ve ever seen, including most of the ones I’ve started(!), have made competing on price at least part of their pitch. It makes sense. When you have a brand new business, you’re essentially saying to your potential customer, I know I have no history, experience, reputation, reviews, or references to…
Well, the title may be slightly misleading, because when I tell you the “secret” you’re going to say that’s not a secret at all. But, in my defense, I see SO MANY small business owners blow this that it almost seems like it must be a secret or why else would it not get more…
There are lots of ways to know if your business is doing OK. The number one way most business owners judge is by how much is in the bank account and how tight things feel when it comes time to pay the bills. My business has gotten years and years past the point of being…
When you are just starting out in business the strong temptation is to work with anyone who knocks on your door and offers to pay you, no matter how far off it may be from what you were planning to do. If you started a house painting business but someone sees you have a ladder…
I recently completed my training for a private pilot’s license and am now certified by the FAA to go fly an airplane all by myself. I can even bring passengers! Which is, honestly, a little terrifying. But the more I fly the better I get and one day I probably will be able to talk…
Yesterday was National Bosses’ Day and as a result, I got lots of nice well wishes and cards, etc. Which was great! But also, I hate it. Let me explain. I am very glad that the people who work here think well of me! But the word boss just seems weighted down to me with…
When you get into the world of entrepreneurship you are constantly bombarded with stories of amazing tenacity and never-say-die spirit that carry people to success. Everyone will tell you that there is no get-rich-quick and most overnight successes are normally ten years in the making. The good news is this can really help sustain you…
A lot of figuring out business for me seems to come down to asking questions and then understanding the right answer and using it to drive decision-making. And a lot of times, the questions themselves seems pretty simple at first pass. Like the one in the title. What does your customer really want? Seems like…
If you’re thinking about how to fix your business or ways you can improve it, then one thing I think can be really helpful is to find the spots in a conversation where you make yourself cringe a bit. Let me explain 😊 Suppose you decided to sell your business and as of tomorrow a…