I was on vacation in New York City when I received a phone call from one of my business partners. “J, our servers are down.” My heart dropped. How could it be that during the one weekend I decided to take a short vacation, shit happened? I immediately called iWeb and filed a ticket. As the iWeb team examined the issue we started getting phone calls and emails from our clients. Three hours later...
Let me share a little story… A client had sent me a very unhappy e-mail. I spent the next three to four hours drafting up what I thought was a very constructive, political and positive response. A few hours later, I got another unhappy e-mail. This went on for about 3 more e-mails. Sound familiar? I was confused by the tone of my client’s e-mail and I decided to pick up the phone and just...
She left me. No warning. Not even a goodbye. Poof! Gone. She had always bragged about how great I was to everyone she knew. Lots of referrals too. She was a client of mine, and one day, she decided to take her business elsewhere. No matter how great our work is, relationships fuel the very foundation of business. I recognized the importance of developing good business relationships early on in my...
Sometimes simple things make a big difference. About 3 months ago, I injured my right shoulder. It wasn’t a major injury, but it was bad enough to stop me from playing golf and doing other physical things I enjoy. Like most people with this type of injury, I turned to the medical community for help (from massage therapists to chiropractors). I even tried acupuncture for the first time. I...
We rush around trying to get things done—meet a deadline, finalize a deal, or respond to an email. We go from day to day rushing around like little automatons. After awhile, this becomes our lives. We get into our daily routine and before you know it the day is gone. This happens day after day and we often forget to stop and reflect. Losing the ability to reflect on things prevents us from...
Ever said, “I don’t have time” or “I’m too busy” to doing something you’d really like to do If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve probably said these phrases hundreds of times. I know I have and still do. I don’t say those phrases nearly as much as I once did now that I’ve hired a virtual assistant. She manages my calendar, travel plans, e-mails, researches, and does a few technical tasks...
Like yourself, I have a full plate. I manage a growing business, promote my company, serve as a director on several organizations, write a life blog, give back to my community, and research new business opportunities. Yet I still have time to play golf twice a week and spend most of the weekend with my wife, kids, family and friends. So I want to share how I manage my time and workflow to get the...
Do you have a pet peeve? I know I do. It’s being wrongfully accused of something—lying, cheating, stealing, breaking a promise. That’s because trust is a big issue with me. In fact, it’s the single most important thing in my life—outside my family. Trust is my why: I was known as the “priest” in school. Friends knew I’d protect their secrets. Even today I hold their secrets sacrosanct. My wife...