I was recently speaking with a new business coaching client who was struggling with time management. She was consistently working 70- to 80-hour weeks and she hasn’t had a vacation in years. And when I pushed her for more information, she reluctantly began to tell a tale of her own controlling behaviors. She really struggled […]
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As a business coach, I am in the business of helping business owners overcome hurdles and help them grow their businesses faster than they thought possible. And as such, I have seen my share of leadership issues and problems. And if I had to pinpoint one issue that causes the most problems for business owners- […]
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When it comes to company culture, many business owners, particularly ones that haven’t been in business for very long, will dismiss it as a big company issue. You might hear terms like “we are all family here,” as if to dismiss the idea that your company and those that you employ have an unspoken hand […]
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Managing a team can be a difficult task. There are so many moving parts and so many chances for things to fall through the cracks. Throw in different work styles and personalities, and you may be struggling to move the needle on the big projects on your agenda. Even with the help of project management […]
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Have you ever had the experience where somebody forwards you an email thread and you have to read through 14 conversations to find the action items? You basically have to become an investigative journalist to try to piece together who said what, who was this again … and by the end of the email you find yourself […]
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Do you feel like your business is stuck in a rut? Do you feel as if you should be progressing faster, but your team isn’t understanding where to focus their time and attention? Do you struggle with similar issues? It’s time to get real and start talking about your business and your goals as a […]
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Having an assistant can be a game changer for many business owners. In fact, I think that it is one of the best ways for an owner to free up their time and start doing more high value tasks. But there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to knowing how and […]
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Finding a good fit for an open position is always going to be a process, no matter what the current hiring climate is like. You have to write the perfect job listing, post it in the right places to get traction, sort through the dozens (or even hundreds!) of résumés, set up interviews, and narrow […]
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I have spoken in the past about how a good administrative assistant can help a business owner get more of their time back, allowing them to focus on growing their business. So today I wanted to share three quick and easy tips that I always recommend when posting a job posting for a new assistant. […]
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When it comes to decision making, many business owners really struggle to make the right decisions for their business. There are so many factors that come into play that it can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the options. So today I wanted to share with you a simple exercise that I do with […]
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You’ve found the perfect assistant and they start on Monday. The hard part is done, right? Wrong. Now you have to handle all the onboarding steps that go along with a new hire, and perhaps one of the most difficult areas to handle with any new team member is the sensitive information portion of the […]
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When it comes to interviewing candidates for an open position, a lot of business owners don’t look forward to the task. There are countless meetings to schedule, dealing with no-shows, and having to come up with the right questions to really get a good feel for the candidate and their capabilities. Now, if you are […]
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In an ideal world you would hire a personal assistant that would stay with your company until retirement. You would only have to onboard an assistant once, and for the next twenty years you would never have to worry about teaching someone how to check your email or make bank deposits. But we don’t live […]
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Having a good assistant can be the difference between being successful in business and failing. I have seen so many business owners struggle to find time in the day to do their high value tasks and once they took the leap to hire an assistant everything changed for the better. But I would be lying […]
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As a business owner, one of the best things you can do to help maximize your time and ability to focus on the big-picture items is to hire a personal assistant. In my 25-plus years of business coaching, I have seen so many business owners propel their business growth by having someone to take items off […]
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If you’re like me, you have a lot of meetings throughout the week. You might have a one-on-one with a key team member. You might meet with potential or current vendors. And you might take a few select sales or client calls. The meetings start to add up quickly, and it’s easy to lose track of […]
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As a business coach, I talk to thousands of business owners every year, many of whom are struggling to keep up with growth and demand. No matter how many hours they work, or how many to-do lists they make, they can’t seem to “stay on top of everything.” and they come to my firm looking […]
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As a business owner, your behavior has a direct correlation to the success or failure of your business. Especially if you tend to suffer from what I like to call controlitis, which is the overwhelming urge to have your hands in everything surrounding your business. Business owners with this affliction tend to be perfectionists who […]
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When it comes to being a leader, there is a lot of pressure to get things right the first time. You have stakeholders, customers and your team all watching and it can be difficult to admit when we have made mistakes or failed at something we set out to do. But it happens. In fact, […]
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It’s a typical Monday morning in corporate America. You grab a cup of coffee and head to your desk to login for the day. You glance over your inbox to see if there is anything time sensitive before opening up your calendar to see what meetings are on the agenda. And as usual, it’s back […]
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For many businesses, finding and hiring the right talent is a huge undertaking, and with the competition in the marketplace, it has become increasingly difficult to find the right fit for your company, both from a technical standpoint and a company cultural fit. That along with the Great Resignation and many employees looking to retire can leave […]
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New business partnerships can be really exciting and it is easy to get caught up in a great business idea and want to just hit the ground running. But like most relationships there is a honeymoon period, and once that time is up, the differences between you and your partner can become more obvious and […]
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When it comes to taking on a business partner, there’s a lot to consider. And, as a business coach, over the past 25 years I have seen some really amazing partnerships and some that were doomed to fail before they even got started. So today I want to share with you three ways you can tell if […]
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I recently met with a business owner who was struggling to grow their business. They had a great product and an eager customer base, but recently they had started falling short of their goals month after month. When I sat down with them to discuss their business, it became clear very quickly what the issue […]
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As a business owner, you are always faced with decisions. You have vendor issues, new suppliers to vet, marketing decisions that need to be made, customer service issues that require solutions, and a myriad of other things that require your attention on a daily basis. And at times, it can be downright overwhelming. Many business […]
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As a business owner you probably spend a lot of time working with your sales team to make sure that they have all the information and training needed to sell your products or services. But when was the last time that you spent time and energy training the rest of the staff on how to […]
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When it comes to marketing funnels, there are a lot of things to consider. And depending on your product or service, the sales funnel can be rather lengthy — which means that you need to put a lot of time and effort into crafting a sales funnel that keeps your customer engaged, educated, and ultimately […]
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We are officially into the second quarter of the year, and if you are like many of my business coaching clients, it’s been a busy year thus far. Most have taken the time to complete their quarterly action plans and have a good idea of where they want their businesses to grow in the next […]
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Over the past 25 years, I have helped thousands of business owners grow their businesses and build systems that allow their business to thrive even when they aren’t in the office. And one of the easiest ways to achieve this kind of growth has to do with the creation and implementation of universal business systems, […]
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Having a great assistant is a game changer. They can take so many things off your plate, allowing you to focus on the few items that can drive the most value to your business. They can monitor your email box, schedule your appointments, keep track of your projects, circle back with key team members to […]
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If you want to grow and scale your business, you must focus on tasks that bring the most value and growth to your bottom line. Unfortunately, there’s one thing that you do every single day that takes up 28 percent of your workday–that’s 2.6 hours a day. We are talking about email. But, thankfully, that’s 2.6 hours of your […]
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When it comes to business, experimenting and trying new things comes with the territory. The best companies will A/B test their headlines, their website graphics, and their email subject lines. They will run marketing campaigns to new demographics and launch new products. There are a million different ways that your business can experiment to help […]
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Being a business owner is full of ups and downs. Some days you wake up ready to conquer the world, and other days you may wonder if you are really making any progress at all. One month your sales are through the roof, and then you have a lull in sales that makes you wonder […]
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Controlling managers are often frowned upon. Nobody wants a manager looking over their shoulder, constantly making sure that they are doing their job correctly. Nobody wants to be micromanaged. So for me to say, as a business coach of over 25 years, that I am proud to be a control freak, it might raise a few […]
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As a business owner, you likely have several large projects in the works, a new product or service launch right around the corner, a few employee issues that need addressing, payroll due on Friday, and three customers who are past due on their payments– and that is just a typical Tuesday. Despite your best efforts, juggling all of […]
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Are you trying to scale your business and struggling to do so? Are you stuck in a holding pattern and wonder if there’s room for growth? If so, it may be time for a pivot. For one reason or another, your product or service isn’t reaching its full potential–and it may be one of these six […]
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As a business coach for over 25 years, I can attest to the power of strategic planning. I have seen business owners come in who were barely making ends meet and struggling to take their businesses to the next level, start to scale and grow at lightning speed once they learned how to properly plan […]
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When it comes to running a business, one of the most difficult parts of the job has to do with finding and hiring new talent. It can be stressful, and if not done correctly can actually end up costing you a lot of time and money. Whether you are trying to backfill a position within […]
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With 2023 right around the corner, for many business owners that means it’s time to shift gears and start planning for the upcoming new year. So, I want to take a moment and share with you the four things that I think business owners should start focusing on in quarter 3. 1. Reframe Your Focus “But, David, I […]
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A lot of businesses are hiring right now, and I hear from owners every day who are struggling to find the right fit or rushing through the hiring process in order to fill empty spots on their team. Which is unfortunately the worst time to look for a new hire– because when you are desperate, […]
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As a manager or business owner, there is a lot riding on your shoulders. At times, it may feel like an impossible task to get all the things accomplished that you want to in any given quarter–which is where your team comes into play. Once you have a clear idea of where you want your […]
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If you are like most business owners, you start the day by reviewing your calendar and seeing how many meetings you have for the day. Often, there are quite a few each day, many of which are marked as urgent. This can be a total productivity killer–not to mention a mood killer as well. In […]
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Employees can be either grow players, those eager to grow and learn from you, or role players, those great at what they do and are eager to do it. If you are like most business owners, you have a handful of grow players and a lot of role players. This is perfectly normal and it makes a lot […]
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Being a business owner is a challenging thing, there are highs and lows, and everything in between. Some days we have all our ducks in a row and everything goes smoothly. And then the next day a crisis hits and we are struggling to find the right path forward. And no matter how much planning […]
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As a business coach for more than 25 years, there is a lot to be said for learning how to tap into your network of colleagues to learn new skills and help get past business hurdles. Having a mentor is one of the main ways that some of the best business owners have been able […]
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Have you ever tried to push someone to grow in their position and they simply didn’t want to? Or had a great staff member leave for a new opportunity because they felt stagnant when they worked for you? Most business owners and leaders have experienced these things, and many are left wondering why that person […]
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As humans, we are creatures of habit. We find a way to do something that is easy and efficient, and it’s much easier for us to continue doing it the same way over and over again than to challenge our preconceived notions of how it should be done. This is even more prevalent when it comes […]
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As a business owner with a bit of experience, you may find yourself in a mentorship situation at one time or another. Whether it be with a new business owner seeking help and guidance on their business journey, or maybe with a key team member or two who are looking to get some executive coaching […]
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After 25 years of business coaching, I have seen it all. I have talked to thousands of business owners across the globe in almost every industry imaginable. I have worked with business owners who are just getting their businesses off the ground and I have worked with leaders who have been in their fields for […]
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A large number of entrepreneurs and business owners start their businesses not because they’re fantastic managers, but because they have the vision and drive to put a new product or service out into the marketplace. Most learn very quickly, however, that the ability to manage and coach their employees is a challenging yet important one […]
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Delegation is one of the hardest skills for any leader to learn. Past experiences and internal blocks make it really difficult for some leaders to delegate tasks and projects to their team members…which ultimately causes their businesses to stall or have slower growth patterns. My company recently surveyed a group of our business coaching clients […]
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Over the past 25 years, I have talked to thousands of business leaders from many different industries. I have met with some inspirational leaders who have taken their teams to great heights. And I have met leaders that have subsequently driven their businesses into the ground due to poor leadership. For the most part, both […]
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As a business owner and coach for over 25 years, I have worked with thousands of individuals across various industries and positions. All of them were looking to be better leaders and better managers for their teams. At the end of the day, that is what all business owners ultimately want. They want to figure […]
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If you were to ask most business owners what the one limiting factor is that keeps them from growing and scaling, they will most likely say something about lack of opportunity or lack of qualified sales leads. But for most, that’s actually not true. The one limiting factor to their business growth is often due to the lack of leadership, […]
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As a business coach, I am a firm believer in focusing on the things that you do best and outsourcing the things that you struggle with. For instance, unless you are an accountant, hiring a controller or bookkeeper is probably a good idea for your business. If you don’t have the slightest clue how to write […]
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As a business coach for over 25 years, I can attest to the power of a good business peer group. There is nothing better than sitting down with a bunch of your peers and going over your pain points, brainstorming your next big project, or simply learning from others about what has and hasn’t worked for their businesses. You […]
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Every week, I talk to dozens of business owners looking to grow and scale their businesses, and the majority of them share one trait that stops them from doing so. When I ask those business owners what’s the one thing standing in the way of their success, I often hear lack of sales or lack of qualified staff. Some may […]
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Being a good manager takes a lot of time, effort and self-reflection. There are so many things that you can do to help support your team members: like coaching for development, recognizing them for their success and helping them grow in their positions. Most new business owners and managers know the basics of what it takes to manage […]
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As a business coach who teaches other business owners how to systematize their businesses, I love a good spreadsheet. There is nothing better than a weekly or monthly KPI report that arrives in your inbox to give you a birds eye view of where your business is and where it is headed. But one thing […]
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Are you living your life based on a to-do list? Do you struggle with getting it all done? Do you keep adding more and more to your list, but never make any real progress? You are not alone. Most business owners have a to-do list that never seems to get any smaller. And we wonder […]
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