Just because someone out there has a microphone, a channel, a stage, or a platform doesn’t mean that we’ve got to listen. They may know what they’re talking about, but odds are that they won’t. That doesn’t mean some of us won’t still listen. It’s up to us to do the research. Ask questions. Check their sources. Follow up on …

There are plenty of things wrong in this world, and many of these things directly affect our lives. When we were young, things appeared so much simpler. Most of our perceived problems could be solved with a snap of the fingers: boom; done; finished; all better. Too bad it doesn’t work that way anymore. The sad truth is that most …

It used to be hard to get something up and running; to start a new business. You had to have an in. You had to know someone. You had to be picked in order to gain widespread distribution, to get the word out, to become a household name. But the rules have changed. Now, anyone with a computer or a …

Why is it that customers choose us over our competition? Unless we’re the low-priced leader (and if you are, it’s quite unlikely that you’re reading this anyway), there’s always a good reason. We’re better at one part of our business than our competitors. Our clients found something about us to be irresistible and chose us over those they found to …

When we start a new venture, it’s tempting to do all our homework first: to try to figure out exactly what it is that everyone wants, asking questions, taking polls, sending out surveys, conducting interviews. Over and over again, round and round we go, doing the dance and gathering the data. While the importance of knowing our customers can’t be …

In business, like life, there’s always a hard part. The thing we dread. The obstacle we don’t feel like tackling right now. The detail that needs to be worked out before we can move on. The linchpin upon which all other success rests. But it’s hard, so we put it off. We’ll work on this other thing instead. It’s easier. …

Most of us, especially those starting out in business, are averse to spending money on the tools of our trade. We know we have to buy these things, but we’re often fooled (by ourselves) into doing it on the cheap. All tools, like everything else in our lives, have a cost/benefit relationship. We’ve been conditioned to expect that this cost/benefit …

Throughout our lives, we produce a lot of things: products, reports, letters, presentations, meetings, conversations, promotional materials, etc.; and almost countless number of creations. Everything we put out there, in one way or another and for better or worse, reflects back on us. We know that all this stuff is going to leave a mark. It’s amazing that, even armed …

Our whole lives, we’ve been taught to avoid risk; that we should steer clear of taking chances. We’ve been trained to resist gambling with our future, and all too often our apprehension has cost us dearly. Without risk, there is no reward. We’ll never get anywhere without taking some chances. Not the ‘risking life and limb’ type of hazardous situations, …

If you found a book with the names and phone numbers of everyone who was getting ready to buy a house this week, would it suddenly turn your home inspection business around? If you phoned each person and told them that you’d found their information and wanted to provide them a service, would that make them any more likely to …