Company of One

As a business owner, I know the value of a business marketing plan. A marketing plan typically covers a year of activity. By having a plan, we know what is coming and can slowly move toward a goal. You also need a marketing plan - a personal marketing plan. Why would you leave your image and your future growth up to chance? You need to have a specific plan for how you will grow in the next year. H...

Do you have a pile of unfinished projects laying around? Those pesky projects tend to drain your energy as you see them in front of you begging for attention. We can throw them into the closet and ignore them, but some projects just need to be finished because - for whatever reason - they are important. Here is a trick I use to get those unfinished projects done. "Get those pesky projects don...

Your personal economy is usually thought of as a combination of your finances, your time, and your career. In this episode of Company of One, you are going to do an assessment using a downloadable worksheet. This exercise will help you determine the current state and set some goals to improve your personal economy. "Do you know the state of your personal economy? #PersonalDevelopment #Downloa...

The other day I had four projects coming up. I sat there in indecision not knowing what to work on. Which one to do first? What was the next step? It felt like 5 minutes that I just stared at all things in front of me. I was suffering from overwhelm. As I tried to figure out what to do, I realized each project had its own challenges. Each one of them seemed to have an unknown set of things that I...

Have a stack of "to be read" books and magazines lying around? (My son, Daniel, labels his "to be read" TBR.) Want to get those reports at work read faster? A few years ago I got into reading faster. I will not call it speed reading because that conjures up images of those weird speed reading exercises when I was in grade school and I start to hyperventilate. (Have I mentioned...

Decisions. We have to make them over 1000 times per day as we decide what to do next.  Too often we are consumed by meetings, email, and other items so we forget what is key. Last week I talked through my email management method I use to get to inbox zero - so this week I want to share how I use my TIGER TIME with Google Calendar. "Work in the mornings: afternoons = brain mush = nothing gets...

I want to share something that has really changed the game for me - that is operating from INBOX ZERO. Specifically, I am going to be talking about how to get to inbox zero with gmail, but most of the same principles apply to other email systems such as Outlook, Apple Mail, etc. Gmail - Filters and TabsOne of the reasons I converted to Gmail was their excellent spam filter. My life was consumed by...

One thing we all have in common is that we all want to learn how to finally get things done. No matter position, title, or role - we never have enough time to really get the big items done. I can claim no particular expertise or success here. I struggle just like you. But, I have found some things that work for me. Here is my method on how to finally get things done. How to Finally Get Things Done...

Recently I was encouraging a client to get busy moving her product. After about 20 minutes she told me she just needed to learn how to overcome the fear of selling. Bingo - that was the issue. The fear was pushing her to do all kinds of work on the business - none of them making money or serving customers. Until that point, she had sounded 120% confident in her product and her plan and I thought s...

Do you have an entrepreneurial mindset? No, it does not matter if you work for a large company or own your own company. An entrepreneurial mindset will help you enjoy your work, be more successful on the job, and make more money. Does that sound like things you would like? Here I will share some very simple ideas that will help you begin to change the game and teach you to move from an employee to...

So you have a business and it is making money. But you are asking "How Much Should I Pay Myself?" And related are the questions of a) how much you should invest back into the business and b) how much you should save for taxes. While every business is a little different, I will share some basic principles that are easy to manage and do and will keep you motivated to keep going. "Busi...

If you are leading people for the first time you are likely a bit intimidated - and maybe a little excited. Leadership has this mysterious nature to it. Yet, when we step back we realize leadership is really about helping people help you to reach a goal. You are now part of a team and they need you to point the direction. How do you do that? I will share some basic leadership principles, as well a...

Mastermind groups have become wildly popular with business leaders and entrepreneurs. Yet, many mastermind groups are facing leadership challenges and as a result these groups are less functional - if not a complete waste of time. For the past 5-6 years I have been coaching mastermind teams and have seen many of these challenges played out in front of me. Some have been fixable - others not. So to...

Need a business license? One of the first places we stop when getting started is the business license. But, what kind of licenses do you need? Where do you go to get them? Today I will deal with these and other related questions to help you get your business out of bureaucracy mode. "Having a license does not make you a business ... revenue does #entrepreneur #businesslicense"]Business l...

We all have time to start a side business. I know that because I see the busiest people start new businesses daily. Sure, they may not all grow as fast as a company with a full-time staff, but they do grow and prosper. Carving out time from a busy home and work life to get a company going is about using our time wisely and staying focused on the next action. In this episode, I will share some of t...

Do you feel guilty about  making money? Most people starting or growing a business struggle with this feeling of guilt. This guilt feeling comes from wanting to help others in need mixed with a lack of confidence. The result is that volunteer our time with a ministry mindset. After all - we want to help people. But this feeling of guilt about making money not only keeps us from developing a busine...

Want to find ideas to start your own business? Like me, most of you struggle with how to find ideas to start your own business. Finding ideas sounds so simple.  After all, we have tons of business ideas - that is until it becomes real and we start to act. It is when we are ready to start that indecision and a lack of clarity begins to haunt us. We are often left frustrated thinking we have no real...

How Much Money Do You Need to Start a Business? The typical thinking is that $100,000 is needed to start a business. But in reality, the typical startup spends significantly less. In this episode we will explore ideas to get your business started with little or no investment. Money Plan to Start a Business "It costs less than $10k to start a business. #entrepreneur #startupcost"]No one e...

There are four obstacles keeping you from starting your own business. In all my coaching of business startups, these four continue to show up keeping would be business owners from starting their own business. Today I will examine the fours issues - and in the next few weeks I will provide you with the common steps I have seen work for others - as well as for me - to get past these obstacles. &quot...

Today I cover the four steps in starting a business. But, I am excited to be sharing these steps along with Debra Mastic - who took these steps to create her business and leave her day job in just a few months time. This is so critical. So many times we listen to people tell us how to do things - but we doubt it will work for us. Debra doubted too, but she acted. She joined up for our business coa...

Do you need another degree to start a new career? Most of the time we assume the answer is yes - of course. As a result, colleges are making a fortune from career changers. (Which is good for us!) But before you jump in and sign up for a new degree program or new training, you need to look closely to get the facts. Here, I will help you do just that! Photo by Joshua Earle is licensed under CC BY 2...

How can you go about finding your path and doing what you love? Perhaps it is not by working harder, but instead you should do what you love even if you see no path to money. In 18 Minutes  author Peter Bregman explains that we often find something new when we stop looking so hard. Think about it. Do you know someone who wanted to get married, but only found a spouse when they gave up? What about...

Lean Startup is a term I hear often. Recently, I was asked to talk about Lean Startups to a corporate group, followed by being asked to speak to a high school class on the same subject. So I wanted to share with you. Lean startups is about about starting or growing a company without going broke. It is a process for entrepreneurship. Image is by Stephen Radford (modified) is licensed under CC BY 2....

I spent the last few days at the Tribe Conference. It was great to hang out with old friends and meet new friends. While the conference was about entrepreneurship and information marketing, I took away things more about life. The speakers and the side conversations really changed my view on some issues -  and I want to share some of them with you. After all - the first takeaway was "just help...

There are ideas, and then there are opportunities. How do you find out if your business idea is a true winning opportunity or a dud? In this podcast, Anthony Witt and I help you find ways to validate your business idea, connect passion to profits, and find significance along with revenue. "Validating Your Business Idea" by Todd Quackenbush is licensed under CC BY 2.0[/featured-image]Clic...