We think that we’ve got a great idea. In reality, we’re probably not the first person who’s ever thought of it. Most likely, we’re borrowing stuff from others who’ve gone before us. In all likelihood, it’s not gonna be an instant win. The odds are that it’s going to take us longer than we thought it would. Chances are that …

Figuring out what to charge for our services is quite often the most difficult decision faced by new business owners. Unfortunately, there’s no guide book for us to lean on and lots of stress involved in making this important decision. We think if we go too high we’re going to price ourselves right out of the market, but if we …

When we produce a product that’s not as easy to use as it should be, we’re wasting our clients’ time. When we come to the job unprepared, without having done our homework before we arrive onsite, we’re wasting their time. When we force our customers to pay us in person instead of using their credit card online, we’re wasting their …

We all want to move forward, but quite often we believe that there’s something blocking our way. It could be a real impediment to forward progress, like a multi-vehicle pile up that totally blocks a road we’re travelling on. But often it’s not a roadblock, it’s just an obstacle (like a wind-blown trash can that we’ve simply got to drive …

Having a nice logo is definitely a good thing, but it’s not as important as we’re led to believe. We’re probably going to be looking at our logo much more than anyone else, so (as Seth Godin says) “if it’s not perfect, don’t sweat it, that’s mostly a personal challenge.” As long as it’s good enough, as long as people …

Feelings matter. Rarely do any of us make a decision that isn’t influenced by the way we feel. If a young student is trying to choose between two colleges, the weather on the day they visit, how friendly the tour guide is, and how beautiful the scenery was on the ride to the campus all play a part in their …

It’s a common mistake of new business owners: trying to reach everyone. We figure that the more people we get in front of, the better our chances. But it’s impossible to connect with every single person in your market. One, we don’t have the time (or money) and two, there’s no possible way that we can make a connection with …

If our job is creating a product for our customers, then it follows that the better our product is, the happier our clients will be (and the fewer problems we’ll have to deal with.) Unfortunately, when we first start our business, we’re not going to have a great product. Part of the process of growing our business is providing our …

Since birth, we’ve been conditioned to focus on outcomes. Sit quietly and I’ll give you a cookie. Memorize this information and you’ll get an “A” on the test. Show up here, Monday through Friday, eight to five, and you’ll get a paycheck at the end of the week. Without an outcome to fixate on, most of us cannot focus, which …

Many people believe that they are great teachers, capable to educating even the most unsophisticated student. And they’d be wrong. There is no way that we can force someone to learn something that they don’t want to know. Our best hope is that we’re lucky enough to cross paths with someone who is fully enrolled in learning. Then, a good …