life

stand out with positioning

Consulting Positioning: 4 techniques to nail your niche

Positioning your consulting practice is perhaps the most critical sales and marketing decision you can make, but it’s also hard, so a lot of consultants don’t really do a great job with it. This leads them to struggle unnecessarily. Why … Read More

As a consultant, are you a business owner or a subcontractor?

The phone rings and you can see the name of your client. What’s the feeling in your gut? Is it, “oh, great, I’m looking forward to talking to so-and-son”? Or is it, “not again, this so-and-so is draining the life … Read More

Barley, VP of HR at Mimiran

Meet the new VP of HR

I like to think I’m pretty mentally strong, but I have to admit that morale hasn’t always been great during this pandemic. My board has been pushing for a VP of HR for over a year, and I finally decided … Read More

Small Business Weekly Planning Calendar

As a small business owner, it’s hard to juggle everything, but having a weekly planning calendar helps. It’s easy to feel busy without making progress on what’s most important. You can get to the end of the week and wonder … Read More

Living in the Zoo

When I was a very young child, I loved going to the zoo. I wanted to see the animals in real life. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the animals in the zoo seemed bored, depressed, and … Read More

always-be-closing beliefs are the biggest sales obstacle

Our own beliefs are the biggest sales obstacle

Sales is hard for anyone, but especially when you start your own professional services business, your own beliefs are often the biggest obstacle to sales. I started with some strange, self-limited beliefs about sales. Over time, I realized that I … Read More

Simple Video Call Tips

Now that we’re all stuck inside thanks to the coronavirus, video calls are the next best option, but most of us hate how we look on video (or so I’m told) and don’t know how to make the most of … Read More

professional services sales trap

The professional services sales trap

Professional services people can be great at sales (and marketing), but we often struggle. Why is that? I think it has to do with the “professional services sales trap”, which actually sets your own expertise against you. In the last … Read More

Shhh… here’s a secret

Every great company is built on a secret. At least that’s what Peter Thiel writes in his book Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future. So here’s the secret at the heart of what I do … Read More

Things I’ve Learned This Decade

Being angry or mean (to others of yourself) rarely makes things better. But anger and other emotions are telling us something– listen and then decide what to do. When other people are angry or mean to you, it often has … Read More