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. …

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.” …

Elon Musk did not invest in Twitter. He SPENT $2.6B to buy a 9.2% stake after musing out loud about starting a social media network because of his love/hate (or hate/hate) relationship with Twitter. (Nice way to talk the stock down while building your stake, Elon.) Predictably the stock popped…

Self-awareness and Self-acceptance are the Starting Points — If you have drama around weight, I bet you have it around money. Weight loss coach Brittany Kolb and I were comparing notes and had an aha! moment. …

More Is Not Necessarily Better When It Comes to Investing — Diversification is one of the ten commandments of investing. Don’t stake your financial future on only one horse, no matter how sure you are it’s a winner. Because when it gets injured, ALL of your wealth suffers. If you own a bunch of horses, no one injury will set you…

Don’t Be a Pickpocket — I am not a f*ing deer in the crosshairs of your marketing shotgun. I am a human being. I am not a “target,” an “avatar,” or your “ideal customer.” I have a human brain, a human heart, human fears and desires. …

A Zero Consult Month Is Not a Zero Income Month — You don’t get mad at your German Shepherd for not being a Dachshund. You love it, play fetch, and feed it treats anyway. So why do we get mad at our businesses for not generating a consistent income, as if it were a salary? Consultants and coaches have even worse…

Go Abstract, Not Concrete, and Do a Reality Check — I have a friend who “lost” $500,000 (on paper) in this market correction. That could have bought a Rolls Royce Phantom, a white picket fence house, or 125,000 Big Macs. $500K is very serious money. If not “fuck you money”, at least “damn you money.” This loss is a sucker…

Automate. Reduce Cognitive Load. Enjoy Your Dough. — You’re starting to make real money. More than you’ve ever made before. You’re a healer, coach, or therapist and your business is finally starting to take off. You’ve conquered your fear of selling, you’ve grown confident in your skills, and you’re finally charging enough. Yet too much money can be…