Marketing is a necessary evil for small business owners. It’s something that we need to do, but not something that most of us like to do. Most people get a bit uncomfortable when it comes time for self-promotion. And once we’ve been in business for a while, we start to think that we’ve already done all the marketing we need, …
All the Luck in the World
We’ve all been there: at the start of something new. Whether it’s starting a new business idea, starting a new relationship or starting a new exercise program, we’ve all been at the beginning. The beginning is always an exciting time, filled with wonder and expectations. There are an unlimited number of possibilities; anything and everything can happen to us at …
The Rules
It can be difficult to run a small business. It often seems like every waking moment (and some sleeping moments) are dedicated to doing something related to our business. Even when we’re not really “doing the work,” that part of the job where we’re directly earning income, there’s always something else to do. There’s always some other part of the …
The Pig Farm
One of the things that we constantly discuss in these articles is the need to continually educate yourself. Arguably, the worst thing that a business owner can do is to assume that they know everything there is to know about their business. Our world is constantly changing, and business and industry are no exception. Certainly, it’s in our best interest …
The Hard Part
Running a small business is a hard thing to do. I really don’t need to tell you that, because you already know. Also, a hard thing to swallow is the fact the majority of new small businesses fail. It’s inevitable. There’s always going to be a lot of starters. Starting is easy. Starting is exciting. Starting makes us feel powerful. …
There’s Power in These Words
It’s one of the most common complaints that I hear from real estate agents about home inspectors is “they always scare the hell out of my clients.” As an industry, we all get a bad reputation for the actions of just a few bad apples. Maybe if we’d all just stop and think for a moment before we opened our …
How to Get SMART in the New Year
As I’m writing this article, it’s two days before January 1st. The start of a new year is always a time of reflection, thinking back on your accomplishments and failures of the past year, analyzing what went right and what went wrong. It’s also an opportunity to look forward, pondering the upcoming year and trying to shape some plans to …
The School of Hard Knocks
As I sit down to write this, it’s about a week before New Year, and like every other year, we’re overwhelmed with information about prepping ourselves to make the upcoming year our best ever! And who wouldn’t want to have their best year ever? The season always ushers in more commentary about how we should approach our lives (personal as …
Walking the Tightrope in your Business
Many years ago, before entertainment was available on demand in the palm of our hands, a traveling circus was considered to be one of the most enjoyable distractions available for middle-class families. I have many fond childhood memories of an evening’s enjoyment watching the various attractions presented under the big top. Without a doubt, one of my favorite performers was …
Investing in Your Business
It’s not our fault. Really, it’s not. We were all trained the same way; all indoctrinated into the same mindset by the same school system. As author Seth Godin is fond of saying, we were all raised to be cogs in the wheel of industry. Put the peg in the hole; eight hours a day; five (or six or seven) …