We’ve all got to deal with emergencies. When we’re running a business, they come up on a regular basis, and we get stressed out when they happen, in our face, demanding attention, stealing our time, using up valuable brain power. The question is, how important are they, really? Will this “emergency” really have any impact on our business in a …

There comes a time when we’ve got to move on from some of our current clients. This usually happens when we realize that we’re diverging from them on one (or more) of these points: Skills: Our client needs something from us that we’re not really good at doing. Temperament: Our client doesn’t treat us with the respect that we deserve. …

Maybe we’re already really good at what we do. Sure, we can always learn something new, but maybe we’re already at the top of our field. Maybe getting better is not what we really need. Maybe it’s being brave enough to take that chance. We know we’ve always wanted to do it. What’s stopping us?

A long time ago (in what seems like the age of the dinosaur to millennials), there weren’t too many people in business in our industry. There wasn’t too much competition, and we could get away with charging whatever we wanted. Now there’s competition everywhere. New businesses popping up on every corner, at every turn, and across the internet. They’re everywhere! …

If we offer a product that’s cheaper than our competitors, we should expect that our customers will be tightwads. If we work with bottom of the barrel people, we should expect that they’ll be quick to roll us under the bus. If we do the bare minimum that we can get away with, we should expect that people will be …

We may think that there are many different reasons why our clients hire us. We can rattle off a laundry-list of benefits that we offer them. In reality, there’s really only one reason that matters: we know something that they don’t. We’ve got knowledge of a specific subject that they need, but don’t have the time, money, or inclination to …

We all want to be better at what we do, but how do we accomplish these goals? Here are some things to try: If we want to do more of the same: Stay the course Try, try again If we want to try something different: Take a new approach Learn something new Reach out to a new audience Do something …

Everything is marketing. Deciding on a restaurant? That’s marketing. Picking out a movie? That’s marketing. Where are we going on vacation? That’s marketing. What are we watching tonight? Marketing. Everyone gets to make their own choices on just about everything. And when people (our customers) have a choice, it often comes down to marketing. Who’s made the most impact with …

One of the best ways to achieve success in an industry is to be unique. When we’re different from all the rest of the options, then we stand out. Take Chick-Fil-A, for example. When everyone else was schlepping burgers, they did something different, and it worked for them. If we do something that makes us exceptional, especially when compared to …

It’s a new day in the working world. Most of us (if we’re lucky) have a chance to be our own boss. Whether we’re classified as a consultant, contractor, or freelancer, ultimately we’re the one that’s running the show. The tough part of being your own boss shares some of the same difficulties as when we were working as someone’s …