The two things that need to change

The new calendar year is around the corner. For many business owners, this means new plans, new goals, and new strategies. It means change.  But change is not a light switch you turn on the morning of Jan 1.  Change is a process.  How does change happen Change is hard. People are used to doing…

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How to be the smartest person in the room

Who is the smartest person? The person who knows the most? Or the person who learns the most? Conversation  When you are trying to connect with somebody, you probably won’t pull out a PowerPoint and give them a 20-minute presentation.  You will engage in a conversation, which means more than one person speaking and some…

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Three easy ways to keep your brain curious.

Curiosity is good for business.  It improves collaboration, keeps your business goals fresh, and can lead to greater innovation.  Most importantly, curiosity has been shown to increase adaptability, an essential trait for running your business in the long term.  When you demonstrate curiosity in what you do, others will start to emulate that approach. But…

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Do you know what you are selling?

Nobody goes to a restaurant for scrambled eggs.  It is both easier and faster to make scrambled eggs at home.  People go to a restaurant for everything else: the atmosphere, the service, not having to do the dishes.  Chances are: your profession has a DIY option too.  What makes the difference to buyers between DIY…

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Three ways to measure customer satisfaction

“Our customers love us, we have never had a complaint.” Ahem.  The speaker, here, is drawing a rather unscientific conclusion. Just because clients have never complained, does not necessarily mean that they love the service they are getting.  To be able to say “Our customers love us”, collect some empirical evidence using one of the…

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How to stop thinking (and why)

Let’s start with the homework today: write down five things you know to be true about your business. Make them simple sentences, describing 5 facts that you know thanks to your expertise.  A realtor might write down that unexpected repairs are the biggest regret of over 33% of home buyers. A plumber might say that…

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How To Be (and not be) Innovative in Business

Your clients like what you offer. And you want to keep it that way.  But then, suddenly, your competitor metaphorically drives by in a shiny new vehicle with apps and features you had never considered. And now you also want that metaphorical new car.  How not to be innovative So you start developing your product…

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Where do you get your best ideas?

A global pandemic is a rare and unusual form of disruption.  Although the whole point is that we never see it coming. Disruption comes from unexpected places, and even hindsight is often short-sighted on learning its lessons. Let’s walk through three lessons from three highly disruptive episodes of recent business generations.  Disruption story one: Uber…

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When will your next competitor arrive?

The way other companies compete with you isn’t always about you.  We have already considered replacement competitors, generic competitors, and budget competitors.  What about your direct competitors? And in particular: the new ones that will show up just around the corner? How difficult is it to start your company? Barriers to entry What does the…

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Comparing to the Competition

You have heard me say it before: innovation is about customers, not the competition.  If you are looking at your competitors to decide your next move, you are doing it wrong.  But that doesn’t mean that there is never a reason to look at your competition.  Sometimes you just want to look and compare: so…

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