You’re a small business owner — maybe a solopreneur. You make decisions as you experience changes in your personal and professional world. The timing of events will be especially important because they affect you personally. What happens outside the business will affect what happens inside the business. When you take…

Another piece of content creation advice you can safely ignore. "Find your why," they said. "People don't buy you. They buy your why." Frankly, I've never gotten this. I buy competence and skill. I buy problem-solving. I don't know the "why" of anyone I work with...designer, tax preparer, financial advisor…

Small business marketing calls for storytelling with a purpose. Recently I was listening to a marketing expert I admire. I’ve been following him for years. His emails strike the perfect balance between marketing and informing. While some marketing pros never send nurturing emails, his messages do. …

Does swearing have a place in your business storytelling? Should you swear when you’re onstage for your business? There are 3 ways to answer this question. (1) Does swearing fit the purpose behind your story or are you into “lazy” swearing? Are you illustrating a point by including swear words…

Think business storytelling is all about captivating your audience? The best business storytelling also helps you sell. “They say I should be telling stories in my business. Frankly, it sounds ridiculous. I’m not about to open up and get vulnerable. Show me how to tell stories that SELL.” Learn more…

If you’ve been following the soap opera saga of British royalty Harry and Meghan, you know they generated some explosive content. Apparently, they were surprised at the reaction of their many readers and listeners. You’re not royalty and you’re not famous (except maybe within your niche). …

Unlike the groundhog, copywriters can start over…and usually they do. “Give me 2 minutes and I will tell you if we’re getting an early spring!” That’s the headline we might write for the intrepid groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. Alas, today he saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. For…

Majoring in theatre arts or philosophy won’t keep you from a successful career. It’s about how you set goals and hustle. Many years ago, while I was still living in New Mexico, I kept getting asked to complete a survey for some branch of the US government, probably the Department…

Two techniques to save you from wasting time on products that won’t be welcomed by your market. Entrepreneurs and small business owners often believe the sequence “Idea → Create Offer → Start Marketing.” It sounds logical, doesn’t it? Truth is, if you wait till you’ve got a finished product, you’ve…