Category Archives: Growing Your Business

Sleep Your Way to the Top

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I am what is known in the scientific community as, “a really good sleeper.”  I can fall asleep easily. Anywhere, anytime.  Trains and buses? No problem.  Mid-day naps? My specialty.  My most famous sleep-centric “accomplishment” was falling asleep in between my wife’s contractions as she was giving birth to our first child (don’t look at me like that, it had been a long day).  The secret to easy sleep is not to “try and fall asleep.” In fact, trying to do anything when going to sleep […] Click to read more…

Posted in Growing Your Business, Useful Tools


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Food For Thought

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I’m no scientist, but when it comes to the relative temperature of various foods, I am happy to share the following facts: #1. Oatmeal is the hottest consumable substance on earth. If your castle walls are in the process of being scaled by hordes of blood-thirsty enemies, this is the (food)stuff to pour on them. #2. Nothing heats up faster in the microwave than quinoa. Five seconds on “high” and these once benign pellets will melt the roof of your mouth like nobody’s business. #3. Pancakes retain heat […] Click to read more…

Posted in Expert Positioning, Growing Your Business, Owning a Niche

 

Big Plans, Small Steps

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• 22 COMMENTS

“He who is outside his door has the hardest part of his journey behind him.” – Dutch Proverb There are many things I like about our refrigerator. I like that the freezer is on the bottom. I like that there are half a dozen little lights (rather than just one big bulb) scattered about, making it easy to find last night’s leftover slice of pizza.* (*Who am I kidding, I ate it before bed. But you get the idea.) I […] Click to read more…

Posted in Growing Your Business, Simplifying Your Marketing

 

People Are Strange When You’re a Stranger

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My wife Linda and I are down in Costa Rica this week. We rented a small house in a little hill town called Grecia. Costa Ricans are legendary for their friendliness and the people who own this house are no exception. In fact, I would venture to say that even by Costa Rican standards, they are warmth outliers – inviting us over for coffee, bringing us fresh homemade yogurt, taking us to see the local attractions. Plus, there are a […] Click to read more…

Posted in Growing Your Business, Relationship Marketing

 

Happy Birthday to {NAME}

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I don’t really remember how it began. But sometime, maybe five or six years ago, I started sending birthday cards to anyone who wanted one. No charge, no rules – just send me your snail mail address and when your birthday rolls around I’ll send you a funny, personalized card. It seemed like a pretty good marketing idea: Snail mail is an underused channel, so the cards stand out. Everyone has exactly one birthday, so while it applies across the […] Click to read more…

Posted in Growing Your Business, Voice/Tone/Trust Building