The Friday Habit

In this episode of The Friday Habit, Mark and Ben share why and how to effectively conduct quarterly check-in meetings with each of your team members, including the benefits this can bring to your business. Essentially, check-ins are pre-arranged, lasting approximately an hour. Check-in meetings offer opportunities to discuss how things are going, provide feedback, and meet with each employee indi...

We’ve all felt it, and on this episode of The Friday Habit we are talking about it: imposter syndrome. Perhaps right now you lack confidence in your skills and you feel inadequate no matter how successful you are. Here are 8 keys to building your personal brand and pressing into it with confidence: Specialization – Have a niche and be confident in describing it to others. Leadership – Think about...

We pick back up mid-conversation with Greg Hickman on this episode of The Friday Habit. He is talking about how agencies and businesses that function mostly in the full-service space spend too much time and energy thinking that the grass is greener on the DIY side of things, and vice versa. Ultimately, your best bet is to find a sweet spot right in the middle and then branch out in either directio...

Our guest on this episode of The Friday Habit is Greg Hickman, founder of Alt Agency. Greg graduated from a small liberal arts college and earned a business management degree, then joined one of his classmates at a big brand agency as a project manager. Working with all departments at the agency really helped give him a good understanding of the design process and working with clients. Before long...

This episode of The Friday Habit podcast is dedicated to everyone out there who is looking for a little extra help to maintain or improve their productivity, particularly those people who find themselves thinking “Isn’t there an app out there that can help me with this one thing I need to do AND is well-designed and beautiful to stare at?!” Rest assured that Ben and Mark have got you covered. Here...

On this episode of The Friday Habit podcast, we are finishing up the discussion started last week about the daily rituals that Mark and Ben practice to help them be more productive while still having plenty of time with their families. Ben gets up and intentionally gives his wife some time to herself before he leaves for work, fixing her coffee, and taking care of breakfast for the kids so she can...

On this episode of The Friday Habit, our topic is evening rituals for entrepreneurs with families and the idea that a great day starts the day before. Once the workday ends every day, Mark and Ben are both committed to spending intentional and focused time with their families over dinner where everyone discusses their highlights and lowlights from the day. They also try to do an activity like a wa...

Maybe you are like Ben and Mark and you’ve found that positivity helps you have better personal and professional success in life. Or maybe you are one of those people who Mark and Ben smile at relentlessly in the elevator until you make eye contact and smile back. Either way, this episode of The Friday Habit podcast is intended to give you practical pointers for promoting positivity.  When you fin...

Within the first few clicks on the websites of most organizations, you can find their mission and vision statements that they communicate to the world. But what do they communicate internally? Access.mobile International’s Todd Evenson has focused his journey as an entrepreneur and leader on the establishment of the values of the organization first, before crafting the mission and vision that are...

Ben has multiple personalities – sort of. But you likely do too: Boss You and Worker You. Boss You is the one who plans out the tasks and objectives, puts them on a to-do list, and allocates a certain amount of time for those things to be completed. Boss You is optimistic, ambitious, not very realistic, not very thorough, and doesn’t know how to prioritize things. Worker You is the one who receive...

On this episode of The Friday Habit podcast, our guest is David Hepburn of Hepburn Creative. He and his team are committed to optimizing the video platform for their clients before, during, and after the coronavirus pandemic crisis. Since the vast majority of business meetings (and many personal ones as well) have transitioned so abruptly to video, it is likely that you haven’t had the time to put...

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark discuss specific ways to come up with ideas for your business throughout the year, but particularly during this time of COVID-19 quarantine. Undoubtedly, you have noticed many businesses shifting their methodology and messaging out of necessity such as coffee shops and restaurants offering convenience and grocery items for sale to customers. If you...

Our topic on this episode of The Friday Habit is using podcasting to communicate, inspire, motivate, and connect. There are nearly 1 million podcasts available to listeners at this point in 2020, and you likely subscribe to or listen to at least a few episodes per month. While it might have been complex to launch a podcast back in 2005 when Ben and Mark were both starting to dabble in the platform...

Welcome back to the continuation of Ben and Mark’s interview with Jonathan Stark on The Friday Habit podcast. Jonathan says that it is important to determine the metrics that a client is using or looking for during discussions with them about potential projects or else you will never be successful, and they will never be satisfied. Many clients say that they want to be “thought leaders”, but they...

Our guest on this episode of The Friday Habit is Jonathan Stark, industry thought leader, CEO of Jonathan Stark Consulting, and cohost of The Business of Authority podcast. Jonathan is working to flip the script on the traditional hourly pricing model used in freelancing and consulting. He points out that when you price your services based on hours, you are creating an unnecessary limit on earning...

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark shine some light on the ethereal subject that is website improvements as only two people who are experienced in branding and creative website creation could do. In fact, they outline 7 ways to improve your website that will not only provide you with a clearer and more effective website but also with greater clarity on your brand as a whole. Make yo...

On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark talk with Dr. Sherry Walling, a clinical psychologist with a specialization in trauma and stress. She works with people in high-intensity jobs, particularly entrepreneurs, so she has been trained in the space of chaos and has the advantage of experience in knowing how to navigate uncertain times. Sherry says that during this time of coronavirus aff...

Ben and Mark take a step back from their planned episodes of The Friday Habit to address ways to run your business in these unusual times. Many small business owners and entrepreneurs are struggling to know the next right steps, but there is hope and there are some simple ways that you can keep things moving: Reach out to your network – Call or send messages to your clients and other people you ha...

So how do you retain more of your current clients and increase their lifetime value over time? On this episode of The Friday Habit podcast, Ben and Mark provide their top 3 ways and recommend some awesome resources to help you along the way.  Package or productize your service – Mike McDerment wrote the e-book “Breaking the Time Barrier” demonstrating this topic, which we highly recommend that you...

The topic of this episode of The Friday Habit is dealing with business envy. Everyone struggles with comparison and the temptation to be judgmental of yourself and others in the context of business, and when you are in the heat of the moment it can be difficult to see things from the right perspective. Even if you didn’t get that new client or promotion, you are doing better than you think you are...

Whether you realize it or not, when you say “yes” to anything, you are saying “no” to everything else in that situation. On this episode of The Friday Habit, Ben and Mark discuss the wrong ways that people typically say “no” and the one right way that will be in everyone’s best interest. You could think of this like a financial budget, as described by several business leaders including Michael Hya...

If you are living with the “live every day like it’s Friday” mentality like Mark and Ben are, you know how this shift in perspective can boost your energy level and help you find the good things in each day, seeing every problem as an opportunity to do something right. This perspective carries over into many aspects of your working life and is especially pertinent to the implementation of effectiv...

Based upon the book  "Profit First," Ben and Mark share the concept of setting aside profit for yourself first by simply creating different bank accounts (for operating expenses, owner's compensation, taxes and profit). Then, you put a percentage of what is made each pay period into each account. Each quarter, you change the percentages as needed. One of the many perks is it helps you assess reocc...

Too often, distractions invade our world and keep us from accomplishing everything we have set out to do in a certain timeframe. Whether you find that your distractions are of your own making or the result of those who work around you, hopefully you can find some good insights and action items in these 3 simple strategies for staying focused at work: Stick to a time management plan such as the Pom...

Whether you find yourself constantly procrastinating or you are specifically avoiding a particular task, hopefully you realize that you can’t put it off forever and eventually you will have to do it. Why not just get started right now? Ben shares his 5 tips for beating procrastination: Think through the process – Create some space for yourself each week to consider your upcoming tasks and define t...