Your relationship with money is your relationship with yourself — You were born unselfconscious, delighted at being alive, as sure of your purpose on this planet as the sun, an oak tree, or a manatee. Your very existence made you worthy. You needed no other justification, and every breath you took connected you to the living fabric of the universe. …

Life is too short to live in fear of numbers — If you think you’re just ‘not good with numbers’ — hey, I get it. And it doesn’t need to be a reason to give your business the silent treatment. I suffered from a LOT of math anxiety growing up — in 4th grade in a Guadeloupean (French West Indies) Catholic…

You get to smash the piñata however you want — “It’s your party. You get to smash the piñata however you want.” I tell my clients that all the time about their businesses. Homemade piñatas are colorful, custom expressions of what matters to host of the party, and they’re filled with treats carefully chosen to delight the guests. Guests can’t…

You’re getting divorced. And as you’re sorting through who gets the wedding pictures and who has custody of the goldfish, you’re offered a choice of either a $500,000 house or a $500,000 savings account. One may have more sentimental value, assuming some good memories, but their VALUE is the same…

You and your partner bought an itty biz just 3 months ago, 50–50. Now, out of the blue, she wants out. You were the operating wizard. She was the marketing genius. You made an awesome team and now you’re feeling betrayed and alone. You’re kicking yourself for not having an…

Take the money and run. You think it’s a no-brainer to choose between a $45 and $40/hour job offer. Just hit the bid, baby, and don’t look back. Not so fast, Jack. Don’t just focus on the hourly rate. If you want to make the right decision, look at the…

Money, like corn, can be cultivated — When I was a kid I was obsessed with hot dog trees. So besotted was I with the idea of trees festooned with sausages that I made my mother read the Raggedy Ann and Andy books out loud to me over and over. I even had dolls of the characters…

Get the Biggest Return on Effort — It’s seductive to focus obsessively over your expenses. They’re easy to quantify and give you, the small business owner, the illusion of control. It’s satisfying to shave off costs — to eliminate the duplicate subscriptions, the apps you no longer use, or to order the toilet paper in bulk. There…

Prepaid discounted packages are a win-win for practitioner and client — Do you love a bargain but hate to give your customers one? As a business mentor, I’ve worked with service providers (e.g. bodyworkers, coaches) who hate pricing a bundle of sessions at discount. Here are the most common reasons given: 1. “I have too much self-respect to devalue my work.” …