When I first got started in business it was all about “faking it until you make it.” It was “act as if.” “Don’t worry about debt, just build your business and the rest will take care of itself,” they would all say. It was advice that was hard to ignore and came at me from everywhere. “Kid, you don’t have an expense problem, you have a revenue problem,” Bob said. As I look back on almost 29 years in business, some of that was true. When you’re in growth mode and starting from the bottom, it’s difficult to manufacture confidence and momentum. […]

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” -Viktor E. Frankl Most of us are looking to grow in some way, shape or form. We want to become better husbands or wives, better parents, better bosses, and just evolve as human beings. But just like a bud that’s beneath the ground all winter until it blossoms in the spring, growth can be difficult to detect. In fact, growth is almost never visible while it’s happening. And it’s almost certainly never linear. […]

Don’t do business with your friends! We often hear that, posing as sound advice. “A client will become a friend quicker than a friend will become a client.” Or “Don’t mix business and friendship.” It’s been repeated so much, it’s almost ingrained as truth. Almost. But I say, why not? Many of my best friends are clients, and many of my clients have become good friends. Why is it that we should shy away from doing business and having a social relationship with those in our lives? Why are we trying to compartmentalize, or even insulate ourselves? To me, there is no one who will look out […]

When is water no longer wet? When does sweet lose its taste? When do happiness and joy no longer feel like the best feelings one could ever have? Loss can take a lot of that away. Loss can rob us of all of life’s meaning and pleasure, those feelings that are so critical to who we are and the smiles we have on our faces. It is so easy to look across the street and say, “They have it so much better than me,” or “No one REALLY understands what I am dealing with.” But, in reality, none of us […]

Work hard? For what? Exercise hard? For what? Eat right and take care of yourself? For what? That “for what” is what we have to all solve for in life. Imagine training for a marathon but not knowing that the distance was 26.2 miles. You would have no way to train for the race, no way to check in on your progress. A goal without a reason – the “for what” – becomes meaningless. We must OWN the goal. We must own who we want to become and, more importantly, know why. Ultimately, that goal (and that for what) must be for […]

In the movie The Natural, at the opening of the film, Roy Hobbs’ father looks at him and says, “You have a gift, a talent. But that’s not enough.” Unfortunately, the young Hobbs, preternaturally gifted at baseball, has to learn that lesson on his own, as a crazed fan shoots him while he’s on the way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs. In the iconic film, it takes Hobbs, played by Robert Redford, a full 16 years before he can come back to baseball from the injury, this time with less natural talent but far more perspective and appreciation […]

Last week, I went to a Dodgers game with my son. It was Orel Hershiser Appreciation Night, and the legendary pitcher was being admitted into the Dodgers’ Hall of Fame. For those who don’t know, Orel was a fresh-faced rookie when the Dodgers called him up to the majors in 1983. During his time in LA, Hershiser excelled, becoming a three-time All-Star and winning the Cy Young award. And then, there was ‘88, a fairytale playoff run that cemented his reputation as a baseball immortal. Anyways, at the game last week, a host of Dodgers greats from the past were […]

Years ago, a very dear friend and mentor said to me, “Kid, the most successful people I know are the angriest. And you are the angriest person I have ever met.” On face value, I took that as a compliment, as being told you’re successful usually is. But it’s what he said next that still sticks with me to this day. “But you will never reach your true potential until you solve for that,” he went on. You will never reach your true potential until you solve for that. It completely rattled me at the time, opening my eyes to the […]