The Art Of Entrepreneurship

This episode’s topic comes from a listener-submitted question about a tough position that leaders will eventually find themselves in. What do you do when you’re asked to give a professional reference for someone whose work was less than awesome?  The listener specifically asked about what to do when you’re in a tight community and want to support another small business. It’s hard: we all want...

**NOTE FOR LISTENERS** I’ll be moving from publishing episodes 3 times a week to 2 times a week. This will allow me to produce higher-quality episodes moving forward. I can’t wait for you to see what’s coming next! In today’s episode, I’m sharing the lessons I learned while taking some time away from my business. I recently returned from a 2-week vacation with my family to Europe and guess what? E...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, we talk about the potentially hot-button topic of whether leaders should speak up about their political views. How much should leaders share about their thoughts on political discussions? Does silence on an issue say more than speaking up? Are human rights issues different than political issues?  These are all topics I’ve considered when sharing my opinions...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we’re talking about one of my favorite topics: growing your personal brand on LinkedIn. This is a much more technical episode than some of my previous personal branding chats, and you’ll hear more about the ‘how-to’ rather than the ‘why.’  I’m laying out the steps you can take to ensure your LinkedIn profile is set up for success. This is what has worked f...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we talk about a topic that’s been keeping leadership and HR staff awake at night for more than a year now: how to create a better employee experience. With all the fallout from the Great Resignation and high turnover, companies are struggling to answer this question and retain their workforce. I’m joined by Andy Alsop, an entrepreneur who is champio...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, we talk about some of the things that I say way too often in my own mind, and I’m guessing you probably say too. Lately I’ve found myself on social media playing the comparison game, telling myself, “It’s too late for me to do that,” or, “I’m too old,” or, “I’m behind compared to this person.” I want this podcast to be a reminder for you as much as it is for me...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we’re talking about going against the grain in the business. Being an entrepreneur gives you the freedom to run a business in the way you best see fit instead of doing the things people say you “should” do; however, that can be harder than it sounds.  I’m joined by Nyesha Stone, Founder of Carvd N Stone. Carved N Stone is an awesome business that delivers...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we’re talking about a theme I’ve realized is pretty common along the entrepreneurial journey: making mistakes. One of the goals of this podcast is to help you learn from my mistakes, but when you find that you’ve made one, it’s important to recover gracefully.  How you recover from mistakes can make or break you for a long period of time. If yo...

There will be no new episodes this week because I am on vacation! This will be my first true vacation without working in nine years. I had convinced myself that working every day was doing myself a favor. But what’s the point of building a company that it can run when you’re not there if you don’t ever let it run when you’re not there? I’ll be back on Monday, July 11 with brand new content. Have a...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, I’m explaining why I hate this seemingly innocent ask: “Can I pick your brain?” I know people have good intentions, but here’s why it’s a problem.  Good intentions don’t always mean that the asker considers what’s in it for the other person. Oftentimes I see this ask from strangers on social media who haven’t done anything else to build a relationship. Some...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we’re taking a break from guest interviews because I want to talk about the kinds of people who can help you succeed. I’m super lucky to have these people in my life, and I hope my examples encourage you to take a closer look at your circle.  I’ve spoken a lot about how incredibly important the people you surround yourself with are. The people around you c...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we’re talking about those times when it does not pay to negotiate. Listen, I am a huge fan of negotiating—but only if it has a purpose, and it works for both parties.  When you are paying someone for their expertise and years of experience, everything they have learned culminates in one hourly rate or one project fee. Hard negotiation is disres...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, I take a look at the pros and cons of the old adage “fake it til you make it.” I see people proclaiming online that this is bad advice, but I think there’s a time and a place to push through feelings of inadequacy.  There are a lot of fakers in this world; people who pretend to have all the answers but they don’t or who are trying to scam people (see: Eliza...

In this episode of Startup Survival, our topic is one that you’ll definitely grapple with throughout the process of starting and building a company: overcoming doubt. Not only do we experience doubt from other people, but you have to deal with your own internal doubt as well. I’m joined by Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint, Inc. , best known for its award-winning Hint® water. Kara is also an au...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we’re talking about that nagging feeling that plagues many successful people: imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is what happens when you achieve success but feel like you don’t deserve it, or that you’re somehow a fraud.  I’ll answer the big question of the episode right here in the show notes: you do not overcome imposter syndrome. No perma...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, I’m sharing the not-so-secret weapon to achieving success. I found through my own journey of building my company, plus consuming everything I could from other successful individuals, what it actually takes to succeed. Here’s the thing: deep down everyone knows the answer, but they don’t want to hear it. They hope there’s a hack or a formula that works for everyo...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we talk about what is, of course, one of my personal favorite topics: marketing. I see sales and marketing teams everywhere running massive outreach programs without putting a brand in place that is compelling to your buyers, leading to mixed results at best.  I’m joined by Jason Vana, a brand and content strategist for B2B companies. He’s an expert in hel...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we’re talking about why everyone should consider creating content to share online and what you’ll learn from the process. The answer isn’t to be another talking head on the internet, or even to grow a personal brand (though I’m a big advocate of that too), but what you learn about yourself when you create. When I started creating my own content, I w...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, we talk about acknowledging and apologizing for your mistakes. In theory, everyone knows that it’s important to admit your mistakes. But how much are we doing this in practice?  Admitting your mistakes helps you better process what happened and not beat yourself. It also helps other people understand your intentions or assign positive intentions to your act...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we talk about two of the keys to being successful both personally and professionally: the ability to form deep, genuine connections; and how to talk to people honestly without offending them. With me today is my friend who is also an informal mentor because I ask her for advice all the time, Amy Volas. Amy helps SaaS startups hire sales executives, and she has...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we’re talking about what it looks like when we push everything else aside so we can focus on work—often to our detriment. This is a huge problem that entrepreneurs struggle with in our “hustle” culture, so I’ve been doing some research lately to learn more. Addiction is a serious condition and should be diagnosed by a doctor, but I’ll share some war...

In this episode of S*%! People Say, I want to address a way-too-common behavior that’s just downright mean. Whether you know it as “subtweeting,” “shading,” “trolling,” or whatever the kids are calling it these days, it’s unacceptable online behavior.  According to Google, subtweeting is “a post that refers to a particular user without directly mentioning them, typically as a form of furtive...

In this episode of Startup Survival, we talk about hiring—but from a different perspective than I’ve covered before. I want to get into the nitty-gritty of what A-players look for in an employer and how your startup or small business can start hiring top-performing employees.  With me to discuss this topic is Austin Belcak, the founder of Cultivated Culture and a coach helping people land the...

In this episode of Big Questions, Short Answers, we talk about that nagging feeling you get when everything seems to be going great, but for some reason, something seems off. It’s called hitting your “Upper Limit,” and it’s your brain’s way of trying to keep you in your comfort zone.  Surprisingly, our brains don’t want to keep us happy—just comfortable. When we get that new job or hit that b...

Want to win some Apple AirPods? Leave a review for The Art of Entrepreneurship and send a screenshot to hello@accelitymarketing.com by May 27—the winner will be announced on May 31. Thank you for your support! In honor of 100 episodes of The Art of Entrepreneurship, we’re revisiting some of the most popular episodes. I wasn’t surprised at all to see this episode of S*%! People Say was the most pop...