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Level Up
What does one more deal or one more customer really do for you? You may have been working your job or business for quite a while and are quite good at it. That's great. The money could be good. It might be worth sitting tight and be a
Winning
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You Only Have to be Right Once
Most things don't work out. And that is the raw reality of business and entrepreneurship. All those people who were excited and did not call you back are just part of the flow of dealmaking. All those promising projects that did not materialize or play out could have
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Find Businesses That Already Have Demand
It's far easier to meet demand than create demand. I have been in businesses that are innovative and the proof of concept, go-to-market strategy and target customer all have to be identified. This approach takes a lot of commitment to discovery and gathering feedback. You have to see
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Be Clear About Who Your Customer Is
In case it doesn't sink in, remember, you are one of 330M people in the United States. Go to the airport, a concert or any large gathering to get a small glimpse of how minute you are in a sea of people. The strategy to try and work
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Credibility
Does it work? Was it designed in and for the real world? It's critical to take whatever idea you have and see if it stands up to the rigor and texture of people - customers, partners, critics, etc - in the real world. That's honest design.
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Be a Ruthless Pruner
We are always working on yesterday's commitments. And when we have committed, it's so easy to make those decisions sacred. Such reverence for our past commitments builds up continual clutter, drag and mediocrity in our work and lives. Without knowing it, we are managing many subpar
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Loving The Main Thing
“The main thing Is to keep the main thing the main thing.” ~ Stephen Covey Keeping on the rails is so hard when our brain loves to pull us to distractions. It's not only the distractions, but we are barraged by other people's demands and priorities continually.
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Collecting and Testing Mental Models
Principles prevail in a world of chaos. Much of life is indeed chaos. I think the importance of collecting and testing your mental models - how you problem solve and approach the world - is critical to drive success. The 80/20 rule can help you focus on what has
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Always Monitor Relevance
I went through a lot of old digital files recently in my Google Drive as part of a pruning day. I had everything from client projects from years ago to books I was working on to consulting and coaching tools for strategy. The vast majority of information was irrelevant to
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Minimize Your Digital Platforms
We have a hard time appreciating what drag does to our lives and work. If you're used to sifting through your junk to find your clothes, notebooks, gadgets or everything to help you in a day, the friction may be lost on you. It's become a
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The Purpose of an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs are heroes in our society. They fail for the rest of us. ~ Nassim Taleb Yes, entrepreneurs are indeed heroes. Ultimately, entrepreneurs are about initiative and responsibility for risk. However, at a fundamental level, entrepreneurs are problem solvers. They own the difficult problems others are reluctant to carry. There are
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How to Drive Clarity
Are you doing what you are supposed to be doing? Is the work you have been doing for many years as relevant today, or are you having to unlearn and reinvent? I think that effort and working hard are relatively natural for many driven and successful people that I know.