If there’s one point we touch on again and again, it’s this: You can’t run and grow a successful business while doing the day-to-day work yourself. Sure, many entrepreneurs start out on their own, but you have to start delegating at some point—the only alternatives are stagnation and total burnout. You may wonder: How can I possibly find time to delegate or teach someone else to do the work when I spend 80% of my time just doing it? This is a real problem for all small business owners—time management is one of the trickiest skills to master. And the truth is, when it comes to delegati ..read more

One of the most common frustrations we hear from business owners is: “I just need systems.” We also hear: “I need more cash,” and, “I need more sales.”  ..read more

Not knowing how to scale is one of the most common frustrations we hear from our business owner clients. It makes sense. If your business has grown to a point where you’re producing reasonably consistent results in terms of revenue and lead generation, the next natural question is: Now, how do I increase revenues and continue to grow without going back into the pressure cooker? There are many ways, each with its own degree of risk. You could raise prices, but then you’d potentially lose customers. You could automate things but could take investment that you’ll have to recover. Or you could s ..read more

Are you frustrated because your employees aren't doing what you need them to do?  Do you worry that they seem checked out, unmotivated, or even ready to jump ship at any moment? Is there someone on your team you’ve been thinking about letting go, but you don’t know if replacing them would do you or your business any good? You might think getting employees to do what you want them to do comes down to common sense, clear instructions and a detailed job description. There’s some logic in that: if you tell people what you want them to do and you’re paying them to do it, then they should do ..read more

Organize your business and build a high-performing team using position agreement templates found in our free guide ..read more

When my daughters were younger, they belonged to our local community Girl Scout troop, and every year they'd go about the business of knocking on various strangers' doors to sell their Girl Scout cookies ..read more

At the best of times, business owners struggle to step away from running their company to focus on themselves, on the things that refuel them and clear their minds. But a pandemic—or any crisis, really—makes it that much harder. Right now, at the time of year when most of my clients would be taking a much needed break, many aren’t because of the pressures and limitations related to health, travel and the economy. (I’m guilty of this, too!) For these clients, choosing to focus on themselves means putting their business at risk. So instead, they’re doubling down—working extra hours, sacrificing ..read more

“I’m overwhelmed.” It’s a phrase we hear often and from everyone, from parents to business owners. There’s always so much to do, so many details to track and deadlines to manage. Nobody wants to feel overwhelmed—but in today's busy world, what can you do about it ..read more

Change is everywhere—pandemic, inflation, interest rate hikes, social unrest—and the examples are obvious because they're happening to all of us, all at once. Underneath all this shared experience is the realization that even when things start to seem more “normal,” there’s still plenty of change impacting us. Small businesses are often the first to feel the next big change ..read more

Here we are at the beginning of a new year (and a new decade!)—an incredible moment that offers the opportunity to metaphorically wipe the slate clean and start fresh. And what if you really could start fresh, start anew? What if this were the year you could achieve the dream we know so many business owners have, the dream of freedom in their life from a business that makes that life possible ..read more