Too Many Projects (Does Your Project Have A Soul?)
This past Monday my wife Holly, myself, and our assistant Kate had a long meeting. And why? So we can put a bunch of absolutely amazing and wonderful ideas on the back burner, and do nothing about them. It’s probably not such a surprising idea for you, that you’re supposed to prioritize your projects, and […]
Feeling Tender, Nervous, Uncertain
Here’s what happened- I dragged my feet. Well, not exactly. We just got overwhelmed, and didn’t get out from under a huge pile of projects and to-do’s until about a week ago. But, what was supposed to happen was we were going to start promoting our Path to Profitability Retreat back in April. Really gently, […]
Cafe Days, Space Defense, and Being Consistently Creative.
==Flash back to 2004== As I sit down to write an article, I feel stumped. I’ve got an hour to “get it done,” and meanwhile I’m just staring at the screen… 55 minutes later, with a few sentences written, I have to stop, and I’m off to the next thing- two back-to-back conference calls. ==Flash […]
Why and How to Create an Information Product
In a little tweeting back and forth with Naomi of Ittybiz, I was kinda curious about her product release strategy. Instead of releasing a book that was standalone- she released it with support. Then, cut off sales. I’d give you a link, but the book is no longer available, as of August 8. When I […]
Other People's Stuff in Your Info Product
It was 1995 and there we were: me, my girlfriend of one year (who is now my wife), and my parents all snowed in at my parents’ home. A blizzard had struck suddenly, and we were stuck in D.C. for an extra two days, unable to fly out. Unable to do anything, really, except be […]
When Following-the-Leader Gets Your Business in Trouble
On a hot summer day in the early 1990’s, I was standing in the middle of a California freeway. Four cars were piled up around me, and ambulances, fire engines, and the California Highway Patrol were arriving one after the other. Our paramedic unit had parked where the first-in unit had told us to park, […]
Bad-Mood Marketing
Once upon a time, someone called me up wanting to talk to me about my services. He asked me how I was. I thought for a second, and I told him: “I’m in a bad mood. I’m feeling a little off, and unsettled.” I even went into details. Smooth move, eh? I had just executed […]
Less is Less–Do Less, Earn Less, Be Less
My good friend and co-collaborator Leif Hansen, passed along an article from the Harvard Business Review on 37signals.com (who created the award-winning app Highrise, which we use religiously). Here’s the gist of the article, quoting founders Jason Fried and his colleague David Heinemeier Hansson: “No, less is less—because more is not better! Everyone tries to […]
Capital Investments in Teensy Weensy Businesses
In great big, sluggish, behemoth businesses the term “capital investment” refers to buying great big things, like buildings. The term is “fixed assets” and covers things like buildings, machinery- stuff that’s going to be around for awhile. The trouble for most personal-sized businesses is that revenue- if you even want to use that word, I […]
Paying Yourself First When You Can't Pay Anything
Running a business is hard work. So when in the heck do you ever get to have some “walking around” money for all the elbow grease you’ve put in? You should be able to at least go out to dinner every now and again, eh? You’ve just -got- to start paying yourself first. What’s such […]