THE BLOG

As we emerge from the chaos of 2020, I think it’s safe to say just about all of us are looking ahead and hoping for much smoother sailing in 2021. Business owners had to weather the stress of unpredictable storms, each threatening to strike without warning, seemingly overnight.

Naturally, we look forward to a (hopefully) calmer 2021, but this year’s chaos leaves us with one critical principle we shouldn’t leave in 2020. And it’s this:

There are no guarantees in life....

Every business owner would love to snap their fingers and see their revenue grow, right? Wouldn’t that be the dream? As business owners we always seem to have ideas about what we could do to take our business to the next level, but there is all too often a gap between vision and implementation. Why is that?

Over the decades that I’ve coached business owners, I’ve found that there are 8 common factors that constrain business growth. If you’re familiar with the Revenue...

If you’ve been a business owner for any amount of time, you’re probably familiar with the tireless struggle that comes with growing your business. You have visions of what your business’s future could be—but how to get there is less clear. Today, I’d like to introduce you to the concept of revenue throughput—a method I developed over 15 years ago to help business owners analyze “the volume and velocity that revenue flows through your business”.

Every business owner stuck in a revenue plateau wonders what it will take to break through to the next level. Revenue growth can be a challenge for any business, but there comes a point where new growth feels like a never-ending uphill battle. If that's you, then it's time to work smarter, not harder. And how do the most successful businesses do that?  By adding a new revenue stream.

But before you roll your eyes and tell me that's too much work/not feasible for your...

There are two challenges that many small to medium businesses face: growth and stability. It’s why business owners know the pressure to keep adding new revenue so well. This is especially true for businesses based on a non-recurring business model. There’s an urgency to find and attract new transactions on a constant basis to sustain business. If you own a business like this, you may want to consider adding a recurring revenue stream to your business model.

Recurring revenue...

One of the biggest challenges for business owners when it comes to growing their business is troubleshooting the problems that are holding back their growth. With so many responsibilities on your plate, it can be hard to find time to diagnose what’s holding your business back.

We’ve been working with businesses on this problem for years, and there are a few common (but critical) mistakes businesses are making that are crippling their growth potential. Do any of these sound...

Nicole Snow is the CEO of Inc. Magazine 5000 company, Darn Good Yarn (see how Inc. profiled them here.)

Darn Good Yarn is a leader in the movement among great companies that believe they can do well by doing good.  The company employs 600 Artisans around the globe, recovers over a million lbs. of waste materials, and promotes independent artists from around the world. Oh... and they sell a LOT of yarn.

Not only that, they employ a dynamic team for this global business from near Albany,...

This year has forced business owners to re-evaluate the things that matter most in their business models — efficiency, sustainability, and creative paths to growth, to name a few. Whether your business has struggled or thrived in 2020’s upheavals, 2021 will be a pivotal year—either for recovery or for sustaining your newfound growth. As we move into 2021, here are our top adjustments you can make to your business model for a more stable and sustainable year of revenue. ...

In this new age of widespread work-from-home positions, you may find yourself using Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms more than ever. But being on-camera isn't quite like being in-person for those important business meetings. Here are 11 tips to help you make better Zoom calls.

I've actually been a Zoom user for years—long before COVID-19 sent us running to video conferencing solutions. And as a result, I am a seasoned "Zoomer".

But as I (and obviously you) have noticed,...

I have a question for you: Why do customers buy? 

A few weeks ago, I was working with a client whose sales team was struggling to close deals. So I asked him the question I just asked you. It's one of those questions that seems so elementary, it's easy to brush it off.

But really think about it.

When he and his sales team did, they all came up with different answers (which is fine, I love creativity!) But at the end of the day, customers kept slipping away to...