During my college years I worked construction during the summers and one year I found myself working for a mason in Maine.
We had a small project at the Hancock Creamery (the local dairy in Ellsworth) and my boss, the mason, handed me (age 17) the keys to his truck and told me to go… Read More »
Have you ever met someone who seems to have it all?
Their business is growing, they’ve got success, wealth, freedom, and a great family.
Meanwhile, you’re struggling to make ends meet, to bring in business and to pay the bills. Is it that they are just lucky? Read More »
On the Spring equinox a couple of weeks back, I got up early and crossed the road behind our house to watch the sun rise over the sea.
The sight was so spectacular that I couldn’t wait to repeat it the next day. But on the following morning, the sky was cloud-covered and the sea an uninviting slate-grey. Read More »
How many times has this happened to you?
You’re having a great day. You’re being productive and doing the things you set out to do for the day. You have a smile on your face and nothing can get in the way of your business’ success.
That is, until someone who’s having a horrible day comes around and tries to… Read More »
In mid-2007 I was talking with my friend Tom about investing. I told him I was thinking about buying gold, not bars, but investing in gold funds on the stock market. Tom, who was a seasoned Wall Street veteran and was at the time a vice president at a large reinsurance company, told me I was crazy.
He said gold had no inherent value, was way too risky and that I’d be much better off just… Read More »
What’s the most essential ingredient to your success, no matter what you do?
I’d like to tell you it’s marketing but the truth is until you know how to do the following, you’ll never be able to use all the marketing ideas in the world. It doesn’t matter whether you want to start a new Internet company or open a restaurant. If you can’t do this, you’ll always struggle.
What am I talking about? Read More »
What’s it take to be successful?
When I was a kid, I’d see my Dad head off to work at 7:30am or earlier each morning. He’d be home by 6pm for dinner, and then more often than not he’d go back to work in the evenings and for a half day on Saturday.
He did what most of us have been taught… Read More »
Ever finish a week of work and feel like you’ve been through the spin cycle of your washing machine? Ten-hour days and you’re still taking work home to complete over the weekend.
But you’re dedicated to the success of your business, so you shoulder the load, figuring that if you just keep working harder, you’ll get results.
That’s what most people do. And unfortunately most people… Read More »
When you experience a pitfall, it’s a lot easier to want to give up than to somehow muster the strength to continue. Especially if it’s something we wanted so badly and there’s no way see why we “failed”.
The following is a reminder that there’s no common path to what we call “success” and that just because you haven’t achieved everything you want doesn’t mean you should stop trying or give up. Read More »
You’re not going to hear this from your business partner, your yellow page ad rep, your mother and probably not from anyone you know. So I’m going to stick my neck out and be honest with you.
After working with hundreds of hardworking business owners like you, I’ve learned a basic truth. The biggest obstacle to the growth of every business is… Read More »
