Are you feeling overwhelmed? I am. I'm cutting everything too close. My life has too little "margin". Richard A. Swenson, M.D., wrote a book about this...called, naturally, Margin. He talks about emotional and time margin, as well as financial margin. If someone or something comes up that you need or want to address...do you have the resources? [...]
My favorite part of the new year is the fresh slate. I love the opportunity to shed stuff that I don't need or want, even more than adding resolutions or things to do. My Mission and Goals haven't changed much in the last few years. My Mission is Freedom. Honorable, profitable business expands peace, prosperity [...]
Branding 101 - What I Learned from the Most Interesting Man in the World! Recently, I was invited to speak at the Business Experts Forum at the Harvard Faculty Club. How exciting! Our assignment was to share our most important, essential, legacy message...in 5 minutes. As I was putting my materials together for the event, I struggled [...]
Are you sold on flat rate pricing? (a.k.a. upfront pricing, straight forward pricing or bid pricing.) I hope so. There are lots of reasons why it’s a good idea. The number one reason? Your customers want to know how much it’s going to cost before they agree to a repair or a replacement. So maybe [...]
What appeals to me about running is that there is no good reason to do it. I mean, jogging a few miles for fitness' sake...that makes sense. But 26.2 miles through mountains, rocks, tree roots, mud and nasty weather? There is absolutely no reason to do that. Yet, I want to do it. This is fun for [...]
"Got a Minute?" That question can suck every minute out of your day. You want to be helpful and open. But when you become "at the effect" of everyone else, you may get frustrated. Maybe even snap at them? That's the opposite of being helpful and open. Here are a couple of tips to deal [...]
Years ago, when I first started with Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, John Nicholson asked if he could become a franchisee. I said, "No! You only do new construction work. This is a conversion service franchise. That means, you need to do service work with at least two truck to be eligible." Two months later he called me, "Ellen, [...]
A friend and client of mine reminded me about this video. I recorded it a few (many?) years ago and my friend, Jack, told me he watches this video several times a week. A WEEK? Wow. I'm honored to have made that kind of impression on him. It's called "How To Make Running Your Business [...]
I graduated at the top of my class with a degree in Business Administration. I took Accounting 101 and 102 and got "A"s in both. My professors drilled this into my head: "Find a good accountant." Alas. That was a disastrously incomplete lesson. What I wish I'd learned sooner: My money is my responsibility. If it's my money, [...]
Oh, it breaks my heart when this happens: A good team member...leaves. A client of mine called and told me that one of his key team members resigned. Let's call the employee Dan. (Know that that's not his real name, and this story is a mashup.) Dan is a great guy and had been with [...]
