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You and I both know that a full pipeline is the only thing standing between you and a stress-free finish to the year. Recently we talked about how you finish the back half of the year — whether you close it out like the Knicks or fizzle out at the end like the Spurs. Strong finishes don't happen by accident. They happen because the pipeline's persistently full and a consistent cadence of outreach generates the right work walking in the door.

But there's a layer underneath all of that, and if we skip it, no finishing kick in the world will save you. Most founders don't realize that the real threat to their growth isn't a lack of tactics—it’s a hidden identity crisis they aren't even aware they're having.

It's the story you tell yourself about selling.

Here's what I hear, almost word for word, from brilliant professional services founders. I’m talking consultants, agency owners, advisors, fractional execs. The people whose product is themselves: "I'm not really a salesperson." "Sales ...

It's halftime of your business year. Six months down, six to go.

So here's the only question that matters this week: based on the first half, are you the Spurs or the Knicks?

If you watched any of the NBA Finals, you already know why that question isn't rhetorical.

Imagine you’re on the road, the season is on the line, and you’re facing a Spurs team that has dominated every minute. Now, picture the scoreboard: you’re down 29 points (27 at the half). By every reasonable measure, it’s over.

In Game 4, the Knicks were down 29 — the largest deficit any team has ever erased in Finals history.

They won. And three nights later they were champions for the first time in 53 years.

So before you write off your own first six months — or quietly assume your lead is safe — I want you to sit with this question: Is your current "score" a permanent reality or just a halftime report?

Your business could be either team

You could be up 29. Coasting, comfortable, assuming the lead holds and that wh...

If you’re like most founders I talk to, you’d probably describe your growth as “successful... but sporadic”. You recognize that business development is necessary, but let’s be honest: you don’t love doing it. There’s that nagging fear of being perceived as "salesy," so you stick to what feels safe—referrals and warm introductions.

But relying solely on referrals is like living on a “heartbeat monitor”. You experience a month of peak revenue while you’re busy delivering, followed by sixty days of flatline silence because you weren't "hunting" while you were working. Because referrals don't compound and can't be forecasted, this approach makes scaling your business feel like a mathematical impossibility.

When the pipeline inevitably dries up, the natural instinct is to try and "out-hustle" the silence. Maybe you’ve even tried going to more networking events or sending those "just checking in" emails you hate.

However, a dry pipeline isn’t a "hustle" problem—it’s the invisible symptom ...

After a recent mastermind, something I've known intellectually finally landed: success isn't about piling on more—it's about peeling back what no longer serves. Here's what I'm learning as I simplify and refocus my business, and I hope it helps yours.

The thread I keep pulling on: somewhere along the way, business got harder than it needs to be. You started your company to help people—bringing a unique skill, perspective, or solution that could genuinely improve lives or workflows. That was the essence of your venture. Then, the business grew. Revenue climbed. Support needs expanded. Offers multiplied. Systems piled up. And before you knew it, what once energized you now feels heavy. If you run a service-based business, I'm willing to bet you recognize this feeling.

So, here are my reflections—not prescriptions. Take what's useful, leave the rest.

Let Go to Let In

I keep returning to this question: What am I holding on to that no longer serves me?

Maybe for you, it's an outdated o...

This week I kicked off a new Sales Growth Sprint with a group of professional services founders—speakers, consultants, advisors. All seasoned professionals and successful. Different businesses. Same core struggle.

When I asked what they wanted five weeks from now, the answers were familiar:

• A stronger pipeline 
• More confidence selling 
• Clearer offers 
• Consistent revenue 

But here’s the truth that shifted the conversation:

Growth never outpaces identity. 

(While it’s true growth can outpace identity initially, that’s often what triggers being overbooked, overwhelmed, and lacking the right support. In that panic, you retreat and retract.) 

Sustainable growth—the kind that leads to expansion rather than contraction—never outpaces your identity. 

If you see yourself as the expert who only gets work through referrals, your business will behave that way: reactive, unpredictable, dependent on others. 

If you see yourself as someone who only sells when things slow down, your rev...

Over the holidays—during what we now know was the calm before the storm—I watched a series called The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules for Life.

One of the coaches featured was Doc Rivers, reflecting on the 2008 Boston Celtics championship. A team that hadn’t won in 22 years. A team stacked with talent that didn’t become a team until they embraced one idea:

Ubuntu.

A Zulu and Xhosa word often translated as I am because we are. More fully, Ubuntu reflects a belief in shared humanity, compassion, and deep interconnectedness. That who we become is shaped by how we treat one another. That restoration—not domination—is how we move forward.

Desmond Tutu famously used Ubuntu during South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process. Not to erase harm. Not to avoid accountability. But to bring people back to one another so something new could be built.

That word hit me hard—because 2008 was also the year I was in South Africa.

I was there working in a rural village with a group of women business o...

There was a time when being underestimated was my edge.

My sales manager leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, with that look—the one that said he was about to enjoy this. "You can't close that account. And there's no way you're hitting that number. You're a girl."

He came from a family of sisters. He knew exactly what he was doing.

And it worked every time.

That stubbornness—the little sister who had to prove the big brother wrong—became my fuel. Straight-commission radio sales. No safety net. Just me, a phone, and a string of "no's" that I turned into a personal dare.

The more people doubted me, the harder I pushed. The challenge wasn't discouraging—it was oxygen. They didn't think I could? Watch me.

That mindset built my career. I'd close the client no one else could win. Hit records no one thought possible. Outsell, outwork, outperform. It wasn't arrogance—it was fuel.

But here's the thing about being the underdog: it depends on having something, or someone, to push agains...

Last week, I said goodbye to Lyle. Sixteen years old, ten of them with us. A rescue dog who chose us as his second home and spent a decade teaching me more about life and business than I ever expected from a Westie with a persistent bark and an even more persistent heart.

For years, I resisted getting a dog. I loved them—deeply—but I couldn't face the inevitable loss. So I dog-sat, borrowed other people's dogs, kept my distance from commitment. Then Lyle showed up and stole our hearts anyway. And now, in the rawness of missing him, I realize he was teaching me all along. Life lessons. Business lessons. Lessons I sometimes listened to, sometimes ignored, but all of them worth revisiting now.

These are questions I'm asking myself and my clients. I'm sharing them in case these reminders connect for you, too.

There are always second chances

Lyle was a rescue. He had a life before us, and with us. He didn't dwell on whether he deserved us or wonder if he should take the chance. He showe...

I was laughed at when I predicted the Lions would win 13 games. They won 15.

It was June 22, 2024 (yes, I know the exact date because it’s still in my phone). My dad, my husband, and I were talking about our favorite subject—football.

We started making predictions.

Ever since a girls’ weekend in Detroit, I’ve loved the city and its team. But let’s be honest: the Lions weren’t much to talk about. Not until Dan Campbell walked into the building and created a culture of winning.

After a losing 2021 season, the Lions stacked winning seasons in ’22 and ’23. I was convinced 2024 would be even better. I predicted 13 regular season wins. My dad and husband laughed, even teased me.

But I believed.

And the Lions went 15-2. Even when they fell short of the Super Bowl, it was still a victory.

Now, a new season begins. And my belief is unshakable.

The Detroit Lions are more than a football team. They’re the mascots for entrepreneurs.

Like entrepreneurs, they were underdogs. Like entreprene...

There's nothing like a gathering of good friends to lift you up and add perspective. Radio brought us together. Friendship has kept us together for 30 years. We used to see each other daily, hear each other's phone conversations, cheer each other on, console one another in the low moments. We've traveled together, traveled to see one another. We've weathered and championed moves, marriages, kids, career changes, business launches and challenges.

We don't see each other nearly enough now, but when we do, it's like a moment hasn't passed. New stories weave together effortlessly with memories.

Among us is about a 10-year age span. Some of us are having life experiences now that others had decades ago, and others are leading the charge of what's to come. We had dinner together the other night (missing our friend Paula Beadle). We all left corporate to pursue other things, and most of us are small business owners.

As the evening unfolded, I realized something powerful: while we all have ...