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Word of the Day: Stragedy
strag·e·dy [stra-jed-ee] noun A carefully devised plan of action to achieve a goal which leads to a tragic conclusion. Often implemented quickly, with great cheer and rejoicing. The adaptation important to de-evolutionary success: a term that is often associated with those who manage to earn themselves a Darwin Award. Usage: “It was a stragedy to forgo a formal contract in order to create a casual go-with-the-flow atmosphere. Now we live in a trailer with three …
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50 Questions to Ask When Interviewing an Accountant
Nothing is more frustrating than to work hard and make a pile of money, only to lose it in a law suit or to the IRS. There are core people to each and every business team. Few are more important than your accountant and your lawyer. Having been through the selection process a few times, I figured it would be worth sharing some of the wisdom we have gained.
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Contractor 101: Final Exam
In the process of interviewing people for the post of office / operations manager, we asked them to complete a business acumen final exam. Peter & I sat down and wrote a fictitious letter to a client containing pretty much all the major business mistakes we have made in the past number of years. Think you are ready for the big time? Give it a shot. Look for spelling, grammar, poor communication, business etiquette, a …
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family. finance. friends. fitness. faith.
Base your success on happiness, and you will fail. Happiness is the most common answer to the questions “what do you consider success?” I cringe each and every time I hear it. You see, ultimately, you have no control over your happiness. Tragedy strikes and your spouse dies. Your happiness instantly diminishes. Are you less successful because the feeling is gone? Not in the slightest. We need to base our sense of success and self-worth …
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PDA Etiquette and the Evolution of the Smoke Break
I’ve always thought it was ironic when smokers “go out for a breath of fresh air”. Recently, I found myself sympathizing with the plight of the proverbial smoker when I came under heavy fire from my friends for answering my iPhone email in front of them. So I left the company of friends to go outside and communicate with people by myself. Having skipped many of Shane’s important emails in my attempts to skim read, …
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Charging Hourly Vs. Fixed Price
Unlike most of the freelancers I meet, I started my freelance career charging by the hour. The CTO of the company, now one of my best friends, carefully watched my deliverables and my bills to make sure they matched his expectations. Knowing this was my first gig, he explained to me that the company was buying my expertise. He encouraged me to charge, and charge well, when I knew what I was doing and was …
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5 Steps for Simple and Effective Marketing
Using the Get Clients Now Marketing Program The other day I heard business described as a leaky bucket. Simply put, your customers and their projects slowly leak out of your bucket and into someone else’s bucket unless you take steps to actively keep it full. As the owners, it is our job to keep the bucket full of water. The only way to fill the bucket is through marketing and the sales. Marketing is the …
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Entrepreneur Blogs I Read
I’ve always been obsessed with books. You can get 80 years of a person’s condensed wisdom in 400 pages for twenty bucks. Amazing. And now with blogs I don’t even have to wait for the publishing process. There are a lot of people out there who write great content about all kinds of stuff. My personal passion - the process of building a company (big surprise there). As a result, I’ve developed a list of bookmarks I …
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You Need a Mentor
There is only one way you cross a mine field. Find someone with bigger feet than you who has successfully crossed it in the past and carefully follow in their footsteps. In the minefield that is small business, not enough people take the time to find a mentor. Many of those who do, often pick the wrong one. Your long term odds go way up if you can find someone with the success you are …
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Freelancer’s Guide to Sales: You’ve Got the Cookie
There have been “aha” moments in our business that have substantially affected our income. One was bookkeeping & clocking (read Are you working for free?). The second major “aha” was realizing that even though I work with technology each and every day – I am in a people business. I solve people problems. People decide whether or not to pay for my solutions. People drive most of our business through referrals and reputation. The fact …
