Are you nervous to reach out to prospective sales prospects and partners? Does the idea of making sales calls conjure uneasiness or even a touch of dread? Do you stand in the corner at networking events or industry conferences, just waiting long enough so you won't feel too guilty when you duck out early? Or do you find excuses to skip them altogether, even though you know you want more people to engage with? You're not alone. Many salespeople, in fact, many people, avoid taking the first steps to start new relationships. It stems from an emotional lesson that we learn when we're young and that continues to influence our behavior … [Read more...]
How to Find Unexpected Business Solutions Through Couples Counseling
You might not think of your business partner as your life partner. But in many ways they are as close, if not closer, than a romantic partner. Money, time, visions of the future...these are just a few of the topics that you'll have to navigate when you go into business with someone. Starting and running a new business is often an overwhelming endeavor. There are so many tasks to get to and goals to achieve, it can be too much for one person. That's why so many people dive into entrepreneurship with a partner to two. You can share the load, and everyone will bring different strengths and skills to party. But Are Partnerships Always … [Read more...]
How to Fix the 3 Delegation Leaks That are Costing You
Ask any plumber and they'll tell you: leaky pipes are bad news. They lead to decreased intensity, wasted resources, and slower delivery. And there's a good chance that if you are leading a team, there are a lot of leaks in your delegation "pipes". In my work with small business owners and entrepreneurs, I've found that one of their biggest hurdles comes when they have to start delegating tasks to their team. They've moved past the point where they can do all of the work themselves, and they need to spread activities around. Leaky Delegation Creates More Work But often, instead of taking responsibilities off of the leader's shoulders, … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurs – Stop Waiting for Clients to Come!
"Is this Heaven?" "No, it's Iowa." Every time another baseball postseason ends, I'm reminded of the quiet corn field in Iowa that becomes a baseball diamond in Field of Dreams. In the beginning of the movie, Ray hears the famous line, "If you build it, he (his father) will come". Ignoring mounting debt and the doubt of those around him, Ray builds the baseball field. And at the end of the movie, it switches from "he will come" to "they will come" as cars line the road to pay a few dollars to visit the field... and take care of Ray's money problems. Oh, Hollywood. Too many new solopreneurs and freelancers take the same … [Read more...]
Moving Past the Damming (and Damning) Power of Getting It Right
I've found that one of the biggest challenges for myself as an entrepreneur and creator is the desire to get things right. I know that it sounds a little backwards, but I've found that one of the best ways to not make forward progress is to worry about making sure your progress is the best it can be. Perfection Gets You Stuck Getting stuck because of this focus on perfection manifests in different ways for different people. For some it's analysis paralysis, where they keep accumulating more and more data instead of acting. For some it's constant revision and changes on their projects which prevent them from being released into the … [Read more...]
To Stay or Go? How American Professionals are Like Scottish Voters
Like many Americans, I watched the reporting on Scotland's independence referendum last week with fascination. What fascinated me, though, was how close the election was. With a final vote tally of approximately 55%/45%, the decision to stay in the UK was hardly a landslide (although David Cameron, in a post right here on LinkedIn, said that the results were "clear". Clear, yes, but hardly a mandate - you have to love how politicians spin things). There wasn't an overwhelmingly answer to the question of whether Scotland should remain part of the larger entity or go its own way. The response was decidedly mixed. There wasn't a strong … [Read more...]
The 30 Minutes Between You and Your Dreams
I sent my latest draft of Networking in the 21st Century: Why Your Network Sucks and What to Do About It to the editor last week. I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about it. And a little surprised. If you had asked me at the beginning of the year if I could write a nearly 200-page book, I would have demurred and said that I didn't have the time or the patience to do it. Writing a book was a pipedream. So how did I do it? And why should you care, even if you don't plan on writing a book anytime soon? One Step at a Time Like many of us in this information-soaked age, my attention span is not the greatest. In addition I run my … [Read more...]
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