I bought the tickets in April.

Story Feast was last Saturday in Minneapolis (an amazing annual event you should consider attending). Six months out, it was already on my calendar. A beautiful space, a delicious meal, date night with friends. It felt like a must-experience event from the beginning.

"I'm just not a natural salesperson."

I've heard some version of that from so many smart, capable business owners over the years.

And every time, it makes me curious. These are often people who are incredibly good at what they do. They understand their clients, solve complicated problems, build st...

"I don't create an annual growth plan. I just see where the year takes me."

That was Jim, one of my first clients as a business consultant. He said it with certainty. "I had to create annual sales plans in corporate, and I refuse to ever do it again."

He'd been in business for 20 years. He was hav...

Last week I was home in Fargo, ND for NDSU homecoming, staying with my mom and attending a Hall of Fame luncheon. In the lobby, I unexpectedly ran into Dan Michaels: legendary radio personality, the voice of the Bison, my first boss in radio. The lobby was full of past athletes and family members mi...

Today is October 1.

Every September, I write each of my clients a recap. It covers the work we’ve done in 2026, what I’ve heard them say they need, their objectives, their pain points, and the things they’ve raised in coaching sessions that are really opportunities for 2027.

Some of those I can he...

Today marks 100 days left in 2026.

That’s enough time to keep going on the path you’ve paved. It’s also enough time to make some changes. You can finish the year strong, or you can reinvent for the year ahead.

This year hasn’t gone the way I planned. That’s not a bad thing. It’s not a good thing. ...

Theo got stung by a bee last week. Right near his eye.

He’s five months old — my first puppy — so I did what any first-time puppy parent does: I called the vet. They didn’t hesitate. “Bring him in immediately.”

His eye was swollen. But he was acting completely like Theo. Tail wagging, sniffing aro...

Last week I had two doctor's appointments, back-to-back.

Each visit ran about 45 minutes. Both moved me through efficiently. I walked out of both feeling fine.

And I had two completely different experiences.

The first appointment

I checked in. I barely sat in the waiting room. Everyone who touch...

The first three years of this business, I said yes to everything.
 

Executive leadership retreats. Building out sales leadership teams. Business consulting for owners across half a dozen industries. I loved a lot of it — until I didn't. Somewhere in year three, I looked up and realized I'd become th...

Somewhere along the way, someone handed you a definition of winning.

You probably didn't notice it happening. A parent. A first boss. A leaderboard on the wall. A number someone else set that you agreed to carry.

And you've been running on it ever since.

Here's what I want to hand you today: you ...

I did something last week I’m pretty sure I’ve never done in my life.

I stayed for the whole thing.

Five days at a mastermind retreat with other business owners. No slipping out early. No catching the last flight home. No “I’ll just come for the two main days.”

And it was the most energizing, did...

You said it. You know you said it. You could point to the exact conversation.

And the thing you asked for still came back not quite right.

So you fixed it yourself. Again. On a Saturday.

Here's what I've watched happen over and over this past month, with solo founders, with founders running a small but...