Topic
Building companies · page 3
Firsthand writing about operating decisions, systems, and the work of building companies.
70 articles · showing 49–70, current writing first
Management, organizational change, and choosing the enterprise systems that support the work.
Company building23 · 19 early
Jake’s firsthand lessons from building companies, developing systems, and working through operating decisions.
Articles
How My Personal Brand Built Lead Cookie’s Revenue
My 2019 account of how my personal brand drove Lead Cookie’s revenue through podcast relationships, and later lessons on who a podcast should serve.
Company buildingEssay
Sales call script: the seven-stage Lead Cookie framework
The seven-stage sales call script behind my reported 375 calls and 154 closed deals at Lead Cookie, with supporting emails and what has changed.
Company buildingPractical guide
Productized service lessons: Lead Cookie's first six months
My January 2018 lessons from Lead Cookie's first six months as a productized service, from the first pitch to $33,168 MRR, and my 2019 correction.
Company buildingEssay
Stop overthinking it... take action.
My May 2020 essay from early in the pandemic: when a business decision feels unclear, you lack facts, and taking action, not overthinking, gets them.
Company buildingEarly writing
How Understanding My Unique Ability Changed My Life
My February 2020 essay on Dan Sullivan's Unique Ability process: what it showed about my strengths, and how I rebuilt my role at Lead Cookie around it.
Company buildingEarly writing
Why decision fatigue is so important for entrepreneurs
My February 2020 essay on decision fatigue as a founder: why I held off big decisions when exhausted, and how cutting commitments and checklists helped.
Company buildingEarly writing
The magic of a money-back guarantee
My 2019 essay on the 30-day, any-reason money-back guarantee at Lead Cookie and Content Allies: how often clients took it and how it changed sales calls.
Company buildingEarly writing
The 15-year overnight success behind Lead Cookie
My 2019 correction of my six-month Lead Cookie headline: the 15 years of ventures, consulting and mistakes behind it, and the case for the long view.
Company buildingEarly writing
The Value of Coaching Your Team
My 2019 essay on coaching my leadership team at Lead Cookie and Content Allies: how three people grew into their roles, and the weekly one-on-ones I ran.
Company buildingEarly writing
You choose what business you build
My May 2019 essay on an adviser's reminder that I was in the driver's seat: Lead Cookie's growth at all costs, and a 20-hour-week limit for Content Allies.
Company buildingEarly writing
The #1 mistake when starting a productized service
My April 2019 essay on the mistake I made at Outbound Creative and Lead Cookie, delivering the service myself, and why I argued for hiring from day one.
Company buildingEarly writing
Lessons from 6 months of advising with Alex McClafferty
My February 2019 essay on six months of advisory calls with Alex McClafferty, co-founder of WP Curve, as I started Lead Cookie: hiring, process, mindset.
Company buildingEarly writing
Our weekly company habit that changed everything
How my team ran Workshop in 2019: a weekly 60-minute meeting with a shared board of problems, a facilitator and action steps, an idea from Chet Holmes.
Company buildingEarly writing
Shutting down my startup: seven lessons from Content Allies
My February 2019 account of shutting down the first Content Allies, a content support service run at a loss, and the seven lessons I took from it.
Company buildingEarly writing
Before starting a business, ask why you are building it
My January 2019 essay on the question my mentor asked when I started Lead Cookie: if the business succeeds, why build it? And my answer for Content Allies.
Company buildingEarly writing
Building a business on someone else's platform
My January 2019 essay on the flaw in Lead Cookie: built on LinkedIn and technically against its terms, and three risk questions to ask before you build.
Company buildingEarly writing
Zero to $60k in 90 days: Launch plan for my new venture
My January 2019 plan for launching Content Allies: a $60k collected-revenue target for the quarter, three marketing channels and a March pre-sale offer.
Company buildingEarly writing
Stealing business ideas: how I modeled Lead Cookie
My 2018 essay on building Lead Cookie from borrowed frameworks and competitor research, with a five-step framework for stealing a business idea.
Company buildingEarly writing
Lessons learned from a year of evolution
My September 2015 essay: why my freelance marketing director role failed, how I handled it, and how an outreach service got paying clients in about a week.
Company buildingEarly writing
Why creatives should think twice before hiring
My 2014 essay on the Nashville video company I started at 19, why I left it, and why I told creatives not to hire employees but to raise their rates.
Company buildingEarly writing
Accepting Failure
My December 2013 essay on closing Telehealth PT despite prospects and signed letters of intent: no passion for what I built, and accepting that I failed.
Company buildingEarly writing
The Courage to Try
My 2013 essay on trying: a recording studio, show promotion, design for artists and artist management all failed before video production worked.
Company buildingEarly writing