What questions are you living now? If you are someone who takes on big challenges, you probably know what I’m talking about. Every adventure requires us to examine the landscape of the new territory we are entering. We need to acquaint ourselves with what is and with what’s missing. It is so typical to fall…
I have recently received a flurry of invitations on Linkedin to connect with people who claim to be experts who desperately want to sell me whatever is the special of the day. However, instead of actual interest in spending any time on discovery, the invitation is a hard sell or worse, pretends to be something…
I’ve been thinking about spotting opportunities a lot this week. This started in the midst of a conversation with two friends one of whom has always been an entrepreneur (and has learned through more than a few skinned knees) how to spot, unearth, and sometimes precipitate possibilities for her business. The other, Dale Keshesian, of…
“Starting is the Hardest Part.” Cowboy Bob If starting were easy, I guess more people would do it. Starting is hard because it is an invitation to change – the hardest thing in the world to create. It’s motto: Resistance is futile! And looking at all the diet books, how to do anything books, etc.…
Who Is Eating Your Lunch? I was reviewing competitor websites for a client last week. This is a widespread practice in the marketing arena, but not something most businesses do. Do you check out your competitors from time to time? Are those crickets I hear? First, you have to know who your competitors are. It’s…
I get asked that a lot. So, instead of keeping you in the dark, I’ll explain. Although it was the best decision I ever made, going out on my own was a bit terrifying at the time. I knew I had to scare myself to death – well, maybe just hovering on the edge of death…I tried to think of something that would be a mental and physical challenge that could teach me to face down those growling fears. It is somewhat ironic that the idea I came up with was something I had always wanted my boys to do – Outward Bound (www.outwardbound.org) Naturally, having their mother suggest such a thing was the absolute kiss of death but the idea of the challenge drew me in me and I signed up. I did take myself to the outside edge of my fear and realized that it was all in my curly head. And it was a life changing experience mainly because it taught me that whenever I get rattled, I can go back to that one moment at treetop level in the pouring rain, climbing a pole and finishing the high ropes course. I faced down my worst fear of the moment – heights and came through fine.
Your mother was right. Manners are still important, even if everyone else is letting them go. Remember what she told you about all the pigs jumping off a cliff? Last week I posted a poll on Linkedin asking readers the top three things that annoyed people about communication breakdowns. The one that caused the most…
The power of the wave is a visual illustration of the concept that marketing is more powerful when done both internally and externally. Internally, it is the way you hire, engage, create value for your employees, and propel your vision forward. It is how you acknowledge, notice, challenge, spark, laugh, and engage those with whom…
What Are You Really Selling? You may think you know and the answer may surprise you. What!?!**? What is obvious may not be your buyer’s primary driver. Here’s an example: Look at the photo of the treehouse. What is this company selling? You might say design, architecture, engineering, site selection, etc. – right? All of…