Blog

I was planning to write this on Tuesday, but I decided to share it a bit early, becauseI'm celebrating a new accomplishment: I just published a class on SkillShare, called Low-Cost Marketing for Small Businesses and Freelancers ... and for a limited time, you can get it for FREE. In this 68-minute class, you'll discover how small businesses and freelancers can attract leads while spending little or no money on advertising, and convert them into clients without feeling guilty, pushy or salesy. You can access this class, and thousands of... Read More

When you're having a conversation that you hope will lead to a sale, and it's time to ask for money, what kind of feelings come up? Do you feel confident, happy, and ready to give great value and be paid what you're worth in return? Or do you feel guilty, nervous, and uncomfortable with the idea of asking someone to part with their hard-earned money? For many people, asking for money is a challenge. The media, our peers, the internet, and sometimes our parents tell us that rich people are greedy and bad, and to ask someone for money is... Read More

Happy holidays! Today's blog post is a few days early, because who wants to read business emails and work-related blogposts on Christmas Day? OK, I'm sure there are some of you out there, and hey, I'm not here to judge. :P But if you ARE reading this on Christmas, that might be a sign that you have a special need for it, because today's article is about how to let go and relax during your holidays, instead of feeling constantly guilty because you "should" be getting work done. Full disclosure: this is an area where I myself need to... Read More

When you're passionate about helping your clients to overcome their challenges and create the lives of their dreams, one of the most frustrating things you can encounter is a person who DEFINITELY needs your product... but still says "I'm not interested". They said they have the problem you solve. They said they want the outcome you create. And yet, they still said "no"! When this happens, many business owners make a sale-killing mistake: they keep on talking about their product . Even though the person they're talking to just said... Read More

Today's blog post is written by Hisham Wyne. We could all use more coaching. - Richard Thaler The world is a noisy place. The chaos of everyday life, the cacophony of the city, and even the muted chatter around you can all contribute to a distracted mind. The modern world with all its developments and conveniences can also be a place where you cannot even hear yourself think. A Helping Hand There are some people who cannot function well in the midst of all the auditory and visual noise. They get sidetracked, lose focus,... Read More

ByJock Purtle When you first decide to launch your own business, the chances are that you'll be full of excitement and expectations. There's something wonderfully freeing about making the decision to launch your own company and bring your incredible ideas to life. Unfortunately, while there are many people out there who dream of creating fruitful ventures, only a handful achieve the success that they crave. In a world where everyone has an opportunity to launch their own company online, it's the entrepreneurs that put extra time and... Read More

If you host webinars, give live presentations, have an "About Me" page on your site, or otherwise share your story with your audience, I have a question for you: Do you share your raw, real story, warts and all? Or do you present a pretty, polished version for fear of making people uncomfortable or making yourself look bad? A few years ago, I met a business owner who faced that conundrum. She'd been abused, had lived on the streets, and had struggled to support herself. Since then, she'd become a six-figure business owner, and she... Read More

BySalma El-Shurafa When you read business journals and other publications to take inspiration and lessons from those who have succeeded in the business world, youre sure to encounter the topic of passion quite frequently. There are some entrepreneurs who conclude that whatever success they have secured was gained simply by following their passion: they did what made them happy, and everything fell into place. Thats the kind of story every aspiring entrepreneur likes to read or hear, because it presents a romantic journey. In such a... Read More

By Chris Mercer Im naturally a very agreeable person. Its because I like it when people are happy even more so when Im the reason they feel that way. At the same time, at one point that sentiment nearly destroyed me. ​There are many reasons for that, but one of the biggest ones was that I was spending all of my time dancing to other peoples tunes and never getting the things that were important to me done. Then I learned how to say no and everything changed. Admittedly, it wasnt easy at first. It caused quite a bit of a... Read More

People refer to sales calls by many different names. Some call them strategy sessions, others call them consultations, and others still might use names like discovery sessions. Whatever you call the conversation, the purpose remains the same: you want to see if the client is a good fit for you, and give them the information they require so they can see that they need your solution and should invest in it now. For many business owners, this is a daunting challenge. If you feel bad about asking for time or money, are uncertain of the value... Read More