Articles

"Wow. I feel like I am starting to really get it... to understand leadership."

This is how I have been feeling lately.

I'm rising, launching several new companies, and also seeing my existing companies evolve.

But what is interesting is that this is not being accomplished by some brute force work ethic on my side...

My businesses are rising because I'm finally understanding what it means to be a great leader.

And in this "epiphany" of leadership, I feel like I have unlocked an entirely new chapter of my entrepreneurial career that is about to be much bigger and better.

In this article, I try to capture this "epiphany" in writing, and teach you want I am learning.

"You really nailed it on the productized service front." - This is what a friend who I hadn't spoken to in a few years said to me the other day.

I laughed because to the outside world, Lead Cookie did look like we nailed it as a productized service.

And to be honest, at one point we did... but markets shift and industries change.

In this post, I am going to share how we have been slowly "un-productizing" Lead Cookie. I'll explain why we are doing this, what that looks like, and what you can learn from our journey.

Since COVID-19 hit, I've been in a bit of a panic...

In January and February, I was literally working ~20 hours per week and spending all my free time working on fun side music projects.

Then in a matter of weeks I was thrown back into heavy work on my businesses as I realized just how fragile they are.

Through these weeks, I've gone through a lot of ups and downs... mental hurdles... epiphanies... and setbacks.

In this article, I am going to share one of the simple mental frameworks that has helped me through these uncertain times.

There is a tactic I have used twice now at Lead Cookie to generate significant sales increases.

It's a simple concept, and it's one that any established business can use.

It's the reactivation campaign.

In short, you reach out to every prospect you have ever spoken to before with a new offer.

In this article, I dive into what a reactivation campaign is in more detail, and share how we did this successfully twice at Lead Cookie.

Often I hear from many others who are wanting to get started with building their personal brand.

Yet many times, I hear huge objections, excuses, or reasons for not getting started.

Even when they know the value that a personal brand can bring, they still don't get started.

In this article, I'm going to give you the very simple steps to getting started with your personal brand.

Over the past few years, I have had countless people come to me who are trying to build a company similar to Lead Cookie.

They look at what we built and want to model something similar.

Yet my advice to them is often a wake up call...

Be careful.

The outbound Industry is evolving... and it's getting way harder...

The economy is taking a drastic hit.
It will impact all of our businesses.
That's a fact.

But how you choose to react in this moment, that is up to you.

In this article, I'm going to share the mental frameworks I am using to keep positive amidst the chaos of the world and markets.

Since I was 19, I've been running my own companies. Yet, it wasn't until last year that I even began to think about the idea of "selling" the companies I've built.

While the idea was always somewhat on my mind, I didn't even think it was possible or I was anywhere close to being capable of producing something of that value.

Ironically, the lack of understanding acquisitions was actually limiting me as an entrepreneur in building something worth acquiring.

"Once I get to that point... everything will be better."

This is a little lie that I have told myself many times in business.

Once I get that salesperson hired.
Once our revenue hits $X per month.
If we could just reduce our churn to X%...

"If there is one thing I have done right, it's not selling to my peers." - Sam Shepler, Testimonial Hero

This simple statement from a discussion with my friend, Sam, had a profound impact on me. For years, I had fallen into the trap of selling and marketing to my peers. And it wasn't until this simple sentence was said that I realized it.

Everyone likes to talk and write about tactics, how to's, and success stories in entrepreneurship. But today, I want to tackle something a bit more ephemeral, yet so essential.

Decision fatigue.

In this article, I'm going to dive into the importance of decision fatigue, how I do my best to manage this, and the consequences of failing at this.

Freedom of time and money. That is what most of us are really aiming for as we go down the route of entrepreneurship.

Some people may care more about time; others more about money. But in the end, these are two of the biggest aspects of freedom that your business can bring you.

Yet, freedom from your business doesn't happen overnight. Instead, it happens in a series of evolutions.