As a business owner, you want to scale and grow your company without sacrificing your personal life or working 70 hours a week. The secret to doing so lies in your ability to coach your staff to collectively produce more and reach their goals faster. As someone who has worked in the business coaching arena […]
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Do you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? Are you working 70+ hours a week and feel like you are just treading water? You aren’t alone. After working with thousands of business owners over the past 25 years, time and time again we see a lack of time as a huge concern […]
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The idea of starting a new company is a provocative one. Whether this is your first business venture or you are a serial entrepreneur, the startup phase is exciting and full of promises and possibilities. But starting up is also riddled with uncertainty and doubt, which leads many entrepreneurs to wonder if their idea has […]
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As a business owner, you have thousands of ideas running around your head at any given time. You may want to tweak some product packaging, try a new marketing concept, streamline your supply chain, hire a new assistant–and the list goes on and on. It can be overwhelming, and often leads to decision overload, which can really […]
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As a business coach for over 25 years, I have worked with thousands of businesses teaching them how to scale and create owner-independent companies. While there are many components to a successful business like good business systems and a positive company culture, having a good solid customer base ranks at the top of the list. […]
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Over the past 25 years of business coaching, I have heard every excuse in the book on why a business might be stuck in a growth slump. Here are the top 6 excuses that I hear every single day from small to medium sized business owners. 1. “I can’t afford it….” As in, “I can’t […]
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Being a great boss, takes a lot of time and effort. You want to coach your staff for development, help them recognize their successes and give them the tools and guidance to reach their company goals. But what happens when the best intentions turn out to be micromanaging? You may set out to help mentor […]
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Stress and anxiety are a way of life for most business owners. You have staff, customers and vendors all relying on you to be successful and grow your business. And that little voice in your head will remind you that at every turn. If you find yourself struggling to turn that voice off and get […]
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When left to our own devices, time management is sort of like a buffet. You have dozens of different options in front of you. Should you spend the next hour working on payroll? Finding a new assistant? Working on that new marketing project? Scrolling through Facebook? Shopping for new shoes on Amazon? The options are […]
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I recently wrote an article on anxiety amongst entrepreneurs and it really struck a nerve with business leaders. So many of you are struggling with anxious feelings surrounding the fate of your companies, and at times it can seem overwhelming no matter how hard you try. Well meaning friends and colleagues may offer up advice […]
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Keeping your key team members is critical to your success. But do you really know what motivates them? Here are my top 12 things that you must focus on to keep your employees happy. What’s interesting is that 11 of the 12 aren’t based on money or “compensation”. Of course you need to pay fairly, […]
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As a business coach, I often get the opportunity to coach not only the CEO but also some of their key employees. This strategy is very effective for a number of reasons, and it often allows a clients business to create better results in less time. One of our new clients came to us struggling […]
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In a recent article I addressed 3 reasons why you are working more than you think you are. So today, I wanted to give you two more reasons why you haven’t been able to cut your hours. “All I do is work. Even when I’m with my family I’m still responding to emails and texts […]
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I have heard it more times than I can count. “I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. So much of my day is spent putting out fires and reacting to customer demands. The only way I can get my key projects done is to come into the office earlier and stay later, and work […]
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Being a business owner in today’s fast-paced digital world means that you are always in the public eye. While you might not have stockholders like Elon Musk or Amazon, your employees, vendors, and customers are paying close attention to what you do, and don’t do, when it comes to your habits and choices. When it […]
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In today’s economy, you would be hard pressed to find a business owner who doesn’t experience some level of anxiety surrounding the fate of their business. But for many entrepreneurs, anxiety can be a real hurdle that makes growth and progress difficult. Take for example Joaquin (name changed to respect his privacy), a business owner […]
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Do you wish there was a way to supercharge your staff and help them achieve their full potential? Do you wonder if you are doing your best to support their efforts and put their best foot forward? Over the last 25 years, I have helped thousands of business owners just like you become great leaders. […]
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Business coaching is forever. Once you find the right partner in growth, you are unstoppable. Unfortunately for many business owners, you might have to work your way through a few business coaches until you find the right fit for your business and personality style. Over the last 25 years, I have coached thousands of business […]
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As a business coach of over 25 years, I have helped thousands of company owners guide their key employees to greatness. We coach them on good hiring practices, how to overcome worry and procrastination, and the best way to get feedback from their team. But one of the most important skills we teach our clients […]
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I was recently listening to a podcast that discussed the concept of designing your week around special events to give you something to look forward to in your day-to-day life. They suggested implementing a “Taco Tuesday” or a “Spa Saturday” to break up the monotony. The idea is a good one that I want to […]
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Over the past decade of business coaching, I have helped thousands of business owners grow and develop their key employees. A task, which isn’t always an easy feat. Most managers and business owners tend to point out flaws and places for improvement when coaching their direct hires. They feel that such an approach will help […]
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Hiring remote workers has a lot of advantages: increased productivity, decreased staffing costs and better communication. But there are some pitfalls to having a scattered workforce. If you are struggling with your remote staff try these 3 remote workforce tips to make your team even more productive. Tip #1: Make Sure Your Expectations Are Clear, […]
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Being a great boss is one of the most difficult parts of being a business owner. You have a brilliant idea, the vision to scale and the know-how to make it all happen. You put together a rock star team, and you are working towards building a solid foundation for your business. And then the […]
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Here at Maui Mastermind, we have coached thousands of business owners over the past decade. We have seen small businesses blossom and grow into owner-independent companies, we have seen business owners scale their businesses and sell them for more money than they ever thought possible, and we have watched executives climb the ladder faster than […]
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When it comes to marketing, having a solid emotional appeal to your brand is critical to your success. But what exactly is an “emotional appeal”, David? Your brand is simply the emotional associations and gut level “sense” of how your company, product, or service is intuitively perceived by your market. The easiest way to make […]
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BADD (Business Attention Deficit Disorder) affects millions of business owners each and every year. Symptoms include: excitability, difficulty focusing, lack of systems and controls, inability to delegate tasks, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of actions with no progress. This common ailment has been known to affect profits and has a direct impact on a […]
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Employers have had it good for way too long. Back in the old days, you would put together a written outline of the ideal candidate, compose the perfect job post and then wait for the resumes to roll in. You would then schedule interviews and make your selection based on your selected criteria. Then you […]
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Deciding to sell your business is a big decision and one that you don’t make very often. You weigh the pros and cons of your exit strategy, read all the articles and books on the secrets to selling your business and you begin to take a good hard look at your own business processes and […]
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Think that you have what it takes to be a good leader? Try teaching a 10 year old how to make macaroni and cheese from scratch. This one activity will give you insight into your own leadership skills (and weaknesses) and help you build a stronger, more profitable business. No One Is Born A Chef […]
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You will never forget your first love, i.e., the startup phase. Everything was new and exciting, and you swore you’d passionately give your best to your business. But as time went by, you likely found yourself feeling burned out by the long hours and recurring staff or customer fires you dealt with on a daily basis. […]
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There are three levels of building a company. Level One: A “Start Up” Business. You’ve got no real control yet, nor freedom. Level Two: An “Owner Reliant” Business. You’re a full-time business owner whose business is working-as long as you do. Now you have control, but with that control comes long hours and […]
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If you know your way around a negotiation table, there is no stopping you. You can negotiate for better prices with your vendors, new hire and existing salaries, contracts with sales prospects and long-term clients and lower overhead costs in general, leading to higher profit margins and more capital to scale your business. Natural Born […]
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Women make up approximately 20% of the executive workforce pool. They make less than their male counterparts and are far less likely to receive funding for their business or startup. So, how in the world could you think that women have it easier in business, David? Over the years, I have had the privilege of […]
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There is nothing in the world that compares to a great mastermind session. You walk in the door tired and weary from the day to day toll of running your business. You have more problems than solutions and you feel like you are the only one in the world struggling to make it all work. […]
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In my business coaching company Maui Mastermind, we send out millions of emails each year to our current and prospective clients. Understandably, there is always a certain percentage of bounce-back, unsubs, and undeliverable emails, which we work to minimize. There is one undeliverable statistic however, that I love to see increase over time: auto-replies. I […]
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I recently wrote about a simple strategy that Amazon.com used to generate over $1 billion of extra revenue without increasing its costs. But what about your business? Do you find yourself working harder and harder, but not making more money? Here are five time tested tactics to boost your bottom line and generate more profit. […]
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Top sales people know that you greatly improve your odds of closing the sale by what you do in the first few minutes of your sales conversation. Here is an insider technique to use up front that will help you close more business in the end. Every sales person thinks the sale is made in […]
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Tired of turnover and bad hires? Here’s a simple 4-step system to know in advance if you’re about to make a terrible mistake (and how to make a much better hiring selection).
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You already spend thousands with suppliers and vendors every month. Why not learn how to get the best pricing with these negotiation secrets?These three ridiculously easy questions will save you 5 to 15 percent or more on every purchase or contract.
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Over the last twenty-five years, I’ve known and coached thousands of business owners. And if I were to make one categorical observation about us as a group – about the way that we behave instinctually, before we learn to redesign the way we think – it would be this: We stink at celebrating victories – […]
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Wouldn’t it be nice if your staff could handle things by themselves without asking you to be the final arbiter on every decision? Wouldn’t it be nice if your team could solve problems as they arise, taking more ownership and freeing you up to focus on growing the business? Imagine if they found ways to […]
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Are you hiring personal assistants who save you time or who cost you time? Recently, I invited thirty-five of my top business coaching clients to a private retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where I live. We were discussing the various aspects of leadership – the ways that business owners can create strategic advantages and breakthrough […]
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Over the past twenty-five years, my company, Maui Mastermind, has been coaching business owners on how they can build businesses instead of jobs. At the core of that work is the process of systematizing your business – creating a coordinated series of processes, procedures, best practices, tools, and internal controls that empower your team to […]
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Here is that tool – I call it the Sweet Spot Analysis™ Tool. We developed this tool to help our business coaching clients have a simple way to determine the very best ideas that they could implement each quarter to grow their businesses in the face of too much to do and not enough time in which to get it all done.
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The whole point of hiring staff is that they’re supposed to be free up your time. But what happens when you end up spending the same amount of time or more managing the staff you’ve hired? Last week, one of my business coaching clients came into town for a multi-hour in-person meeting. As we talked, […]
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Think of all the times in your business week you negotiate: with new hires and existing employees; with sales prospects and long-term clients; with vendors and suppliers. If you’re a business owner or leader, you need to know how to negotiate. This is non-negotiable. Here are the five most important negotiation skills you should focus […]
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In this article, I’m going to share one of the most effective tactics for coaching your key team members. I call it “deliberate practice.” It’s one of the most powerful strategies that you can use to help your employees become owner-independent. Deliberate practice refers to the intensely focused practice of a skill, habit, or ability. […]
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Part of being a successful business leader is to make sure you extract maximum learning out of your week, month, and quarter. In this article, I’d like to share with you the easiest, most effective way to generate the powerful insights and instant feedback you’ll need to grow and scale your business. I picked this […]
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How do you best develop the talent of your current team? How do you groom a direct report to take on new responsibilities? How do you grow your employees so that they can start scaling your business with you? The secret ingredient is for you to coach and grow your team, and here are five […]
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As important as it is to have a big picture vision for how you plan to grow and scale your business, it’s equally important to bring that broader vision back to the level practical execution. And that’s where the one-page quarterly plan of action is so effective. These rolling 90-day action plans are powerful tools […]
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My business coaching firm launched a comprehensive study on time management. We interviewed and surveyed small business owners and their key executives in order to learn how they spend their time and, particularly, where their time gets wasted. We began this investigation because we kept hearing the same concern over and over again. My business […]
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As a business coach, I’m always looking for new strategies to help people and businesses become more effective and more efficient. Usually, I focus on things like leadership and marketing tactics. But, in this article, I want to tell you about a productivity app called Evernote that’s helped me radically reinvent the way I work. […]
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I’ve been coaching business owners for more than twenty years, helping business owners grow their companies and at the same time, reducing their companies’ reliance on them. When it comes to scaling their businesses, one of the biggest challenges that I see business leaders struggle with is the mechanics of delegating effectively. When you’re delegating, it’s […]
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Mastermind groups can help you grow both your business and yourself. But when a group settles into a routine, it can sometimes lose its effectiveness. That’s why I want to share five ways that you can breathe new life into your mastermind group. Napoleon Hill introduced the idea of the mastermind group back in 1937 […]
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Think about how much money you spend on marketing. Then think about your current conversion rate. Maybe you’re converting 3 percent of leads? Or 12 percent? Now imagine that you could use a simple technique increase your conversion rate by 10 to 25 percent. Wouldn’t you want to do that? Of course you would. The […]
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Leadership grows businesses. It empowers teams to take on more responsibilities and deliver results. In fact, the best leaders are those that train their teams to function without them. Having worked with thousands of business coaching clients, I can say with certainty that the mark of great leadership is the ability to delegate. Nearly all […]
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Do you find yourself wishing you had more time to focus on building your business? If so, you’re not alone. One of the most common concerns among business owners is that there just aren’t enough hours in the week. But, I promise you: There really are. Here are five concrete ways that you can use […]
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As a business coach, I find that while a few challenges are particular to individual coaching clients, many are universal. In part one of this article, we talked about the pandemic “Always On” corporate culture to which all businesses are susceptible, no matter their size and no matter their industry. We saw how noxious this […]
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Chances are you’ll receive a new email, text, or instant message before you’ve finished reading this article. Your phone will buzz or your computer will ding or your watch will vibrate. Probably all three. Will you check your email or stick with this article? In our work coaching thousands of business owners, we’ve found that […]
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What would it look like if you followed a customer through their purchase and use of your product or service? What would you learn? Where would you have made their life harder, more complicated, less efficient? How about your internal processes? What would you see if you followed a team member around as she completed […]
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