March 2016 Blog Posts (163)

Crossroads, transitions, a feeling of being stuck ... we have all been there. Perhaps you are there right now.

You know there is more to life.

You know you are not living to your full potential.

You desire something better, something more meaningful.

You wonder "what's next"?

I had the privilege of taking Jess Berggren through the LifePlan process this past summer. As a result of our time together, she started a …

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Retention continues to be a major challenge for many organizations. The old saying “people don’t quit jobs … people quit leaders,” still holds true in today’s…

"I don't have time to do that right now." You've heard or made similar statements in response to an idea or opportunity. I hear it from people all the time. They somehow view being busy as synonymous with being productive. Yet, the two terms are often opposites. Let me explain.

We all have twenty-four hours to spend. No one gets more or less than anyone else. At the end of the day, we will have spent…

We tend to gravitate towards friends who are just like us. It's human nature. So is eating until we can't move and hording everything we come across. What if we looked outside our own comfort zone for a friend?

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How bad did last year beat you up?

A recent conversation with another small business owner who was ready to throw in the towel illuminated how all the changes in, well, everything, has so many of us just spinning – and getting nowhere. As SBOs (small business owners) we get everything dumped on our desks and we have to deal with it all. That takes its toll for sure.

Blah, blah, blah. We have all heard that over and over.

But today, just for once, stop and think about…

I often have conversations with content-owners who default to a common, but tragic decision—they choose to post their courses to communal sites (like Udemy, Teachable, etc.). They believe the hype without taking a close look at how simple it is to create and host courses on their own sites. Sure, there are Udemy instructors who make six-figure incomes, but that's the exception, not the rule. The average instructor makes…

I have long been a proponent of creating a functional education for young students as opposed to cramming unnecessary skills down their throats. The vast majority of adults in their jobs do not need or use higher skills in any of the educational subjects.

And, guess what?

If they needed to, they can learn them as needed. It's what people do when the need arises.

Sure, teach those classes to the kids that need or want them for future careers or even out of curiosity, but…

Several years ago you may remember the commercial below telling you that “corn” sugar was no different than white table sugar. What they were referring to as “corn” sugar was high fructose corn syrup. Well they’re at it again, only they are getting sneakier this time.

Now there is a…

The ring binder was first patented in 1854 by Henry Sisson of Rhode Island. Another patent was issued to German Friedrich Soennecken in 1889 for ring binders. Since the early days of the ring binder it has undergone many changes and exists in thousands of different variations. A good estimate is that almost 60 million are manufactured every year in the U.S. alone.…

Have you ever seen cheerleaders at a baseball game or a golf match? Me neither. At least not the stereotypical kind with pom-poms. And it occurred to me that most professions outside of sports don’t have cheerleaders either. At least not the stereotypical kind. Could you imagine having cheerleaders at your next Board meeting, cheering on your presentation?

My oldest son used to play youth baseball and now plays high school golf. Like most teenage boys, he is NOT the most expressive…

... a story of a different kind. I am not a coach, I do not have multiple streams of income, and I am not living my dream - or maybe I am and don't know it.

Let's go back in time. The year was 2010. I was working through the financial repercussions of a devastating divorce a few years earlier. I had two very good-paying jobs, one a career job, and three sons in college. Even though I worked about 70 hours a week, I managed to find a little time to devote to a life-long dream of…

We've been getting alot of positive feedback on the store. I've been promoting on blogspot, Craigslist, and Facebook. Still no sales, but no overhead except for initial startup fees.

Wife was just laid off from a non-profit (which means no unemployment) and is building her real estate business. I'm working 50-70 hours a week at the hospital and on the ambulance to meet expenses.

Is there a better blogging site than blogspot? I try to give away educational content and a link to…

A while back we visited Holland in April. One…

Knowledge is the primary reason people deliver content. They want to demonstrate what they know and/or help people learn. All knowledge, however, isn't created equally. In fact, there are four different categories of knowledge present in all of us. This is important for anyone attempting to deliver content through blog posts, articles, presentations, or courses. If you don't learn to recognize these four…

Let me preface this blog post with one big statement: There are MUCH more successful grant writers than me! I don't want anyone to think that I am just rolling in the dough and feel therefore justified to provide this advice. However, I have seen my business grow each year since I started it, have gotten my Grant Professional Certified (GPC), have written a book on…

Advice from a gas station. This is my latest post on Medium.com.

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I know some of you donated money when my son gave away his birthday to Charity Water to support their clean water initiatives, and I wanted to give you an update. You can read more about what he did with his big Eggstravaganza party on his blog.

I just received an e-mail from the folks at…

Before each coaching session, my clients complete a clarity tool to help them get focused on what they would like to work on during our time together. Guess what is one of the most frequent topics? Need to get clients!!! (Note the number of exclamation marks!)

This can feel like a never ending struggle for new…

Is there something you can repurpose? Repurposing is a big deal. It's interesting how many "new" things are made to look old so they will give your home a new look. I guess old is the new new. The same thing that's true about home decor is true about your blog posts and old content.

I've written blog posts regularly for several years. Some of them contain valuable information. That information, however,…