List reader Brian had a thought in response to Wednesday’s letter about failure in business (shared with permission): “A very popular keyword in startup culture is ‘fail fast’. It can be applied in almost all situations and it works at any business level, high or low.” “Failing fast” is something that I try to incorporate […]
Read More »As I was driving from my parents’ house over the weekend, I went by a house with a handmade sign in the yard that said: “Topsoil for sale” Makes sense, the homeowners dug up the ground for some project, they don’t need the dirt, so they’re selling it. It reminded me of a business concept […]
Read More »Every networking event I’ve ever been to feels the same – a room full of people looking to sell themselves. The worst type of person at a networking event is the person that introduces themselves and then immediately goes right into their sales pitch… “Hi I’m John, I’m a web designer. I’m great at making […]
Read More »A list member wrote to me with a question: “Sometimes with my business I see the list of “to dos” and it can seem overwhelming (especially when you’re an entrepreneur and you’re wearing many hats). Instead of looking at that list and saying “tomorrow I will get to it,” can you give tips on how […]
Read More »“If You Think It’s Expensive To Hire A Professional To Do The Job, Wait Until You Hire An Amateur.” This is one of my favorite quotes. I keep it in the back of my head whenever I need to hire somebody. Take Frank, for example. Frank’s car is making squealing noises so he brings it […]
Read More »When people first come to your website, what do you think are the most important things they look for? A call-to-action? Your services? A detailed “About” page? All those things are important, of course. A productive website is a harmonious balance between many different elements. Like all things in life, there isn’t a one size […]
Read More »I like to think that whoever designed my inherited washing machine sat down and said to themselves: “How can I make this look as complicated as possible?” I assume that their thought process was to make it convoluted and over loaded with useless features so that it looks more sophisticated (and thus more expensive). Why […]
Read More »Once upon a time there was a wealthy businessman who took a week vacation to a small beach town. While he sat under an umbrella on the beach, thoroughly enjoying his vacation, he noticed a fisherman launching his small rowboat into the ocean to start his day’s work. After 2 hours, the fisherman came back […]
Read More »People hire me to make them websites, right? Well, not really. There’s often something deeper that they’re looking for. 90% of the time, when I first ask somebody why they want a website they have a broad answer, like “my current website is old” or “it’s not mobile friendly”. But that isn’t the real reason […]
Read More »Two psychologists did a little experiment at a grocery store. On a regular day at a local supermarket they put out a display table of different types of jelly. 24 different types of jelly to be exact. They offered free samples to everyone who walked by and then they measured how many people purchased the […]
Read More »Apple charges $1,000 for the new iPhone X. And that’s their cheapest model. Apple doesn’t get into price wars. They don’t compete with Samsung and LG based on how much their phones cost, they do it based on another factor… Unique value They stand by their pricing even though it’s often much higher than their […]
Read More »
It doesn’t matter how wonderful your product line is, if you don’t know who you’re creating the items for, don’t be shocked if the response is lackluster. If you’re feeling a little uncertain about who’s looking for your products, here are some ways to accurately define your target audience: See who’s currently buying from you […]
Read More »