On a trip to Santa Monica, my husband and I stopped into 24 Hour Fitness Express. Armed with a free three-day pass and dressed to sweat, I was ready to climb the Stairmaster and pretend to work off the previous night’s dark chocolate lava cake. Only there was a problem. I hadn’t carefully read the … Read More
White space
Archimedes shouted “Eureka!” in a bathtub. Einstein had sudden insights into the theory of relativity while riding a streetcar. Newton “discovered” gravity during a countryside retreat (Cambridge University was closed because of the Black Death plague). I had my own eureka! moment when I started my first business years ago. I hated my job at … Read More
Paid in Full
As Seen In … Why did you start your company? If I had to guess, it could be for any number of reasons. Your boss was an idiot. You wanted to make a difference in the world. You wanted to work in a collaborative spirit with other people, instead of always watching your back. You … Read More
What’s monkeying with your business growth?
“Every time I call, it’s a [expletive] debate,” Devon fumed. “And I gotta call every month to get paid. I can’t stand it!” My client, Devon, runs a tech support and solutions business. He’s been grumbling about this business customer for many months. How the company never pays on time. Or follows the “rules” in … Read More
Independence
“I took my first 3-week vacation ever,” beamed my 62-year-old client, Tim, over lunch. “Never checked in once. It felt amazing. And my doctor is finally taking me off all the blood pressure meds I’ve been on. Can you imagine?” Tim, the owner of a 7-figure glass business, was finally enjoying the fruits of his … Read More
What REALLY drives your revenue?
Listen to the Episode Below: Owning your own business means understanding what drives your revenue, not just the revenue itself. And in order to drive your revenue and put it on auto-pilot, you need to create rewarding experiences that define your business for yourself and your clients. Elaine Starling is on today’s episode to tell … Read More
The riches are in the niches
How many times do you need to hit yourself in the head with a hammer before you get the lesson? Over the years, it took me several times … and several different hammers … to identify my niche market (“sweet spot”) and stick with it. One nasty hammer was a landlord/tenant matter that my then-law … Read More
Top tips in creating a flexible work environment
Recent findings by Adobe indicate that 55 million—or 35% of the total U.S. workforce—are choosing to freelance. To be part of the “gig” economy. Also, many U.S. workers now consider work/life balance and flexibility to be the most important factors in considering job offers. According to a 2013 PriceWaterhouse Coopers study, 64% percent of Millennials … Read More
Are Your Leads Like Tootsie Pops?
How many leads does it take to get you a sale? Reminds me of the classic commercial for Tootsie Pops: “How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop?” Mr. Cow, Mr. Fox and Mr. Turtle don’t know because they never got that far without biting. Mr. … Read More
Do Your Clients Ring the Register?
Listen to the Episode Below: As entrepreneurs, we often only want to talk about our top line. Your big money is the sexiest part of running your own business, but how can you guarantee bragging rights (and scale) if you don’t understand where the money is coming from? Having a financial brain on the team … Read More
Stop Scrambling for Sales!
Listen to the Episode Below: For creative business owners, “sales” can feel like a four-letter word. Your skin may crawl as soon as you hear it. But sales are the lifeblood of any business. No matter who you are or what your service is, we are all in the business of sales and marketing. You … Read More
Tame the chaos by documenting your systems
Look up the word “chaos” in the dictionary, and you’ll probably see a picture of a small business owner. Fighting fires, filling in for absent employees, running around to prospect meetings—it’s anything but smooth sailing. Yet, chaos often comes from not having systems for getting things done. When you don’t document your processes, how your … Read More