A Fool for a ClientI hate that as a coach, consultant, and expert in a few different things, I'm lousy at diagnosing and treating my own problems. It's like some cosmic catch-22. Do you hear that? It's the universe laughing. What seems easy when it comes to clients, students, and friends suddenly becomes convoluted and just plain hard when I turn the lens on myself and my business. I know it's a blind spot most people have, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. When I used to do career coaching and resume…Keep Reading
Collect the DotsThis weekend I dove into the riveting mystery/police drama "All the Devils Are Here" by Louise Penny. It's one in a long-running series that features the soulful and wise leader of the Sûreté du Québec—the police force for the Canadian province of Québec—Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. About a third of the way into the book, I read these two short sentences: "It was their turn now to connect the dots. But first, they had to collect the dots." This stopped me in my tracks because I often…Keep Reading
This Is Not ClickbaitHi Reader, Just around a decade ago, I wrote a weekly blog on business strategy that eventually got picked up and was syndicated. I did that for about 8 months before I just couldn't keep it up. I was pulling all-nighters to hit my self-imposed deadline most weeks, stressing over every word, image, link, and headline. Perhaps, worst of all, I hated that crash of disappointment when I didn't get the response I was hoping for after hitting 'Publish.' Even when one of my posts did go "viral", or…Keep Reading
Flip The ScriptHi Reader, Earlier this week, I wrapped up the 6.5 week class I've been teaching for New York City Small Business Services with 15 fantastic business owners who wanted to dive into growth strategy and create a scalable three-year plan. It's the first time I've taught this class since the pandemic. It was also the first time I taught it remotely. So, I spent a lot of April crafting a new curriculum with loads of updated and new lessons and resources. When I started building the updated…Keep Reading
Shall I Compare Thee…?Hi Reader, The other week, a young web designer asked me how she could distinguish herself from other freelancers offering the same types of services. I'll be honest, this question always makes me think of Jeff Bezos talking about how, in building Amazon, he didn't focus on the competition but on customers. As a result, his competition began to focus more and more on Amazon as it ate up more and more of the marketplace. In other words, Amazon distinguished itself from the competition by…Keep Reading
Off the Beaten PathHi Reader, This past July 4th weekend, one of the guys who works in my apartment building jokingly said to me, "I think we're the only two people left in the building this holiday weekend." I've never, personally, enjoyed traveling on holidays. Sitting in traffic. Waiting in long lines. Feeling like part of a crowd. It's not for me. Instead, I like to look at the mass exodus of holiday travel as a unique opportunity—especially here in New York—to enjoy the more relaxed pace and unique…Keep Reading
I hate that as a coach, consultant, and expert in a few different things, I'm lousy at diagnosing and treating my own problems. It's like some cosmic catch-22. Do you hear that? It's the universe laughing. What seems easy when it comes to clients, students, and friends suddenly becomes convoluted and just plain hard when I turn the lens on myself and my business. I know it's a blind spot most people have, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. When I used to do career coaching and resume…Keep Reading
This weekend I dove into the riveting mystery/police drama "All the Devils Are Here" by Louise Penny. It's one in a long-running series that features the soulful and wise leader of the Sûreté du Québec—the police force for the Canadian province of Québec—Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. About a third of the way into the book, I read these two short sentences: "It was their turn now to connect the dots. But first, they had to collect the dots." This stopped me in my tracks because I often…Keep Reading
Hi Reader, Just around a decade ago, I wrote a weekly blog on business strategy that eventually got picked up and was syndicated. I did that for about 8 months before I just couldn't keep it up. I was pulling all-nighters to hit my self-imposed deadline most weeks, stressing over every word, image, link, and headline. Perhaps, worst of all, I hated that crash of disappointment when I didn't get the response I was hoping for after hitting 'Publish.' Even when one of my posts did go "viral", or…Keep Reading
Hi Reader, Earlier this week, I wrapped up the 6.5 week class I've been teaching for New York City Small Business Services with 15 fantastic business owners who wanted to dive into growth strategy and create a scalable three-year plan. It's the first time I've taught this class since the pandemic. It was also the first time I taught it remotely. So, I spent a lot of April crafting a new curriculum with loads of updated and new lessons and resources. When I started building the updated…Keep Reading
Hi Reader, The other week, a young web designer asked me how she could distinguish herself from other freelancers offering the same types of services. I'll be honest, this question always makes me think of Jeff Bezos talking about how, in building Amazon, he didn't focus on the competition but on customers. As a result, his competition began to focus more and more on Amazon as it ate up more and more of the marketplace. In other words, Amazon distinguished itself from the competition by…Keep Reading
Hi Reader, This past July 4th weekend, one of the guys who works in my apartment building jokingly said to me, "I think we're the only two people left in the building this holiday weekend." I've never, personally, enjoyed traveling on holidays. Sitting in traffic. Waiting in long lines. Feeling like part of a crowd. It's not for me. Instead, I like to look at the mass exodus of holiday travel as a unique opportunity—especially here in New York—to enjoy the more relaxed pace and unique…Keep Reading