Everyone starts out their new business with certain goals. Maybe they want to become successful enough to quit their current job. Maybe they want to make enough money to pay for their family vacation, a new vehicle or their children’s college tuition. Or maybe they are saving for their eventual retirement. Regardless of their long term goals, most business owners …
Turning Them Around. Making Sure Your Clients Sing Your Praises
One of the most difficult things about running a business is dealing with clients. An often-heard complaint is that “this would be a great job if it wasn’t for all of these damn clients!” And yes, I know that our customers are the whole reason that we are in business, but (sometimes) dealing with them can cause a business owner …
Jumping Off a Cliff
Unless you have completely given up all hope, which unfortunately happens to some of us, we are all driven to succeed in our lives and in our businesses. And that drive for success pushes us to make improvements in our processes. We usually make those improvements in small, incremental steps. We study the data, looking to see what has served …
What Will You Do? Dealing With an Argument
You may be right, but that doesn’t mean that people will care. Or pay attention. Or take action. Just because you’re right, doesn’t mean they’re going to listen. It takes more than being right to earn attention and action. Seth Godin The above blog post by Seth Godin really got me thinking. It sums up one of the biggest problems …
Power On
We all fall into the same trap. We start something new: a new diet, a new relationship, a new job, or a new business venture, thinking that it’s going to be easy. Yes, we know that everyone else struggles with these same challenges; we hear about the failures from our friends, coworkers, and random associates on our social media channels. …
What Happens vs. What I Want to Happen. What’s The Difference?
Think about that appointment that’s on your schedule for tomorrow. The inspection that’s been on there for the past five days. You know, the one with the big, nasty house that you’ve been dreading. Yeah, that’s the one. What if, instead of being that P.O.S. house, that appointment was the final interview for a really great job. A …
I’m Doing Fine. Why Should I Change?
Most of us have a good thing going. Whether it’s our job, our daily routine or our relationships, we’ve all been doing the same thing for quite a while. It’s all a well-worn routine; muscle-memory at its finest. I’ve been doing home inspections since 2001 and have it down to a science. I know my job, my software and my …
Learning Lessons in the Most Improbable Places
I always find it amusing when I discover something in my personal life that correlates to my professional life. It’s almost as if the experiences in one part of my life are attempting to prepare me for the trials and tribulations that lie ahead in other areas. Now, if I would only start paying more attention… I’m currently …
What’s This Gonna Cost?
Time passes, as it always seems to do. With its passage, we gain wisdom, we gain knowledge and we gain some additional pains that really weren’t there yesterday when we woke up. Often, along our Earthly journey, we find ourselves faced with difficult choices. We’re at an intersection on the road of life and must decide which road we choose …
Embracing the Challenge of Constant Marketing (part 2)
Note: This post is the second of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. I hope that everyone is doing well and prospering in their business. In the second half of this article, I wanted to expand on the idea of Constant Marketing, and the fact that every move you make has an effect on your business. In part …