Business Genius

Many high achievers share a dirty little secret: Deep down they feel like total frauds–their accomplishments and successes the result of nothing more than luck. This phenomenon, known as imposter syndrome, is the result of a deep belief you’re an inadequate, unworthy person and an incompetent failure despite all evidence to the contrary. In short, you’re a hot mess of disillusion. Imposter syndrome has many faces that reveal its existence in various forms. If you’re familiar with the feeling of waiting for people to see you for the fraud you think you are, it can be helpful to identify the face you’re putting on it so you can turn things around by problem solving accordingly.

Persistence in the face of defeat often makes the difference in outcome. That’s not just a military history lesson, it’s also a modern-day business lesson. Which is why you must know: In the face of adversity, are you a Guernsey or a Brahman?

If you’ve ever had to go back and ask a client for more money, you know how hard it can be to have this conversation. Today I’m sharing 5 situations where you’ll need to talk to them about it and some tips for how to approach the subject because clients with big dreams and small budgets can be a problem for your business.

Most people start a business from an idea they had. It can be big or small or even just a seed. When you start to build that business, you quickly discover an idea alone is not enough and are soon faced with many moving parts and steps you must deal with like it or not. When you believe in your idea, you’ll put in the daily work -- the hustle and grind needed for your business dream to become your reality. And you’ll face both good and bad times along the way. There’s no avoiding it; these are the normal challenges of building a business. Within each challenge, looms a common threat you may be aware of, but haven't given a voice to. This threat derails many and you must overcome it to accomplish your business goals. So, today we're talking about it ...

Like all things worth doing, it takes a lot of work to build your audience and platform. And it won’t happen quickly. Especially if you are just throwing random content into every marketing channel hoping something sticks. Hope is not a strategy. Focus your content marketing on 4 objectives: attracting readers, building your authority, developing affinity and inspiring action. HINT: You're building a long-term relationship, not going for a one-night stand.

Despite what you may have heard, you need a lot  more than hustle to market your business. Energy alone isn’t enough.  And the energy you do spend on your marketing must be intelligently and  strategically directed. Today we're looking at the importance of being able to generate buzz through word of mouth.  

When starting out as a coach or consultant or selling professional services it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that offering a free 1:1 client call helps you build a thriving practice fast. But, nothing could be further from the truth!  In fact, any amount of time spent answering questions and giving professional advice for free hurts your business and reputation in three very important ways. That's why it's important to say NO when being asked to work for free!

It can take a lifetime to build a solid, professional reputation online or offline. But only one lapse in judgement to ruin it. Bad behavior might work for the Kardashians, but it isn’t going to work for you!  

I can’t blame you for thinking overnight success is possible because it seems to be what just about everyone out there is trying to sell you. Snap out of it. There is no such thing as overnight success. Some part of you, must know that. If you want your business to be successful, you have to do the work. However long it takes. Let’s take a step back in time for a quick review.

The secret to being more productive is learning how to master your minutes and your mind. Here are some of my best tips to help you with that.

Building a successful business should not mean you’re living a 7-day work week filled with nothing but hustle and grind. You have a responsibility to yourself, to your significant others and to the business to work things out so that you have regular, predictable downtime that allows you to refresh mentally and restore yourself physically.

Just about every business owner is involved in some way with social media. Now the essence of social media is knowing your audience and sharing content they’ll love. The idea is to connect with one another as humans. The currency of social media isn’t self promotion, it’s generosity.

No one starts a business wanting it to fail. But many business owners neglect these eight soft skills critical to success which limits their ability to generate an income from it.

You know there are many ways to read, but are you putting the three different types of reading to best use each day?  Let's find out!

There’s ONE list you need to make (and probably  haven’t) that is so much more important than your to do list. Because  it’s far more effective for upgrading both your productivity and  performance. Find out what it is and what to start putting on it in this  episode!

Meetings may be toxic, but how you plan your calendar is what allows that toxicity to thrive. Today I’m talking about how you can change that by doing just one thing differently!  

Without revenue your business has no future. The good news is there are 3 ways to bring your A game to the bottom line. And, at the end of the day, preparation + perspiration – interference = your potential for success  

Marketing shouldn’t be spiritual suicide. To get your work in front of a larger audience you need to create conversational flow! And that is going to require an investment in time to build the strategic relationships needed to make things happen. Here's how to get others to help share your work.  

Ever had a client try to pull a fast one to justify not paying you for services rendered? If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s only a matter of time until it does. Most clients are honest; deadbeats are NOT. But, deadbeats have predictable patterns of bad behavior and you can’t let yourself be affected emotionally by their crap! Here's what to expect and what to do about it ...

No one likes dealing with a client from hell. No one! The best way to be sure you don’t get involved with one is to pay close attention to your early interactions to spot deal breakers fast. In this episode I’ll tell you what to look for before you seal the deal so you don't get fooled again!