The Sensitive Business Owner’s Guide to Becoming Resilient
I was getting pounded by rapid-fire questions. Â The asker was my doctor, filling in blanks on his computer with each answer I gave. His questions were designed to reveal my attitude toward adversity, my ability to come back after a set-back, and my willingness to […]
How We Make Our Own Brand of Confusion
Last week, my heart broke. So did a valuable piece of raku pottery. Moon Pie jumped up onto the sideboard, but — being a runt-of-the-litter kitty — couldn’t quite make it. Â In a desperate moment, she reached her arms out to anything that might give […]
How My Business Gets Up to 50% Client Renewals
It was a dramatic scene. There were lawyers involved. Â Yes, I cried. Â And yes, I was pissed. But please read through to the happy ending – because it could exponentially increase your business revenue. A number of years ago, a trusted person on my team […]
What to Do With Toxic Thoughts (and Beach Vacation Crashers)
It’s midmorning, day 2 of my vacation. Â I’m on the beach doing what is rapidly becoming my Superpower: Staring at the water. My reverie is broken by a new arrival on the beach. Â A young couple with well-appointed tattoos starts setting up camp to my […]
Making a Solo Business Appear Bigger Than It Is: Your Top Questions Answered
>As a solo-business, you’ve got it made. There’s no boss to answer to. Cubicles are a thing of the past. HR doesn’t hound you for your lost key fob. And you’re probably reading this in a t-shirt and jeans. (Okay, pajamas.) Either way – it’s […]
Retreat Planning 101: How to Host Your Own Retreat
If you’re passionate about the work you do, you’ve probably considered offering a getaway retreat so your clients can spend some intense high-focus time with you and other like-minded souls. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? It is! For 16Â years, I hosted my own retreats several times […]
The Psychology of Selling When You Are The Product
“But I’m not a widget!” she whined. “It’s harder for me!” Denise was giving me her number one reason she despises marketing and selling. Â I laughed and told her that it was also the number one reason EVERY solo-business owner despises marketing and selling! It […]
How to Heal the Planet (A Give-and-Take Guide)
I feel so freakin’ helpless. That’s a sentence I overheard as I traveled this past week.  It was a conversation about guns and politics”¦and the feeling of being powerless. Understandable, of course.  But not true. Sure, it’s unlikely that you can singlehandedly end the knee-jerk, […]
The Surprising Answer to “Should I Brand My Business?”
Whenever a solo entrepreneur asks me whether or not to brand her business, I rarely give an answer. Instead, I ask a question. It goes something like this”¦ What are you avoiding? Here’s why I ask: Many, if not most, of the people who ask […]
What Happens When You Hit the Edge (My Personal Comeback)
Somewhere along the way, we teach ourselves to avoid things that are uncomfortable. “Hey look at this,” we think. “If I just stay right here in the middle – away from all those sharp edges – then I don’t get too banged up.” The “middle” […]