A horror movie unfolded in my office this morning. I was on Zoom, onboarding a new coaching client, when I noticed a quarter-sized spider crawling on the wall behind my computer. I tried to keep calm and maintain eye contact while occasionally glancing at the spider. This went on for a few minutes until... >> horror movie sound effects of violins screeching << The spider was gone. 😮 I wrapped up the call and then hired my 13-year-old kid to hunt him down and kill it. I'm no fan of spiders. My...
1 day ago • 1 min read
Want to make more money from every sale... Without sending more traffic? Then you need two things: Order bumps Upsells Order bumps are items people add to their cart after they decide to check out but before they pay. Think Mountain Dew in the checkout line at the supermarket. Upsells are things after the initial order is placed, but they make the "thing" they just bought work better. But a lot of people get stuck on what to offer for their upsell. Here's an easy trick: Sell them the thing...
3 days ago • 1 min read
What comes to mind when you imagine a tropical vacation? A cool breeze in your face... The relaxing sound of waves crashing on the shore... Toes in the sand... Icy drink in hand... You get the picture. Notice what didn't pop into your mind? Getting up early and driving to the airport Finding a parking spot Taking a noisy, crowded shuttle bus to the terminal Waiting in line to check your bags Getting a TSA pat down A middle seat on the airplane with someone who won't share the armrest Getting...
3 days ago • 1 min read
We made a huge mistake... ...we went to Costco on a Sunday afternoon. Yesterday, my wife and I braved the crowd to restock our pantry after being out of town last week. We promised each other to "only get the essentials." We didn't last 15 feet. A new "superfood smoothie" drink mix caught our eye in the front of the store. We had never tried it and decided to pass on it even though it was on sale. After stocking up on snacks in the front of the store, a friendly worker offered samples of (you...
4 days ago • 1 min read
My dog does terribly on the leash. He's a retired racing greyhound that we adopted when he was 3. Since he was raised on the racetrack, he doesn't know how to use a leash. He zigs and zags on walks, sniffing every shrub and marking every tree. If the goal is to "take the dog for a walk," we'd lose every time. Instead, we now say we're "taking the dog for a sniff." Success! Reframing the objective means we're undefeated. My dad and I returned from our 3-day fishing trip a few hours ago. We...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I never do this... I've sent a daily email every day since Jan 1st, 2022 (900-ish days in a row). And I always write them in the moment. I don't batch-write my emails. Instead, I set aside a few minutes a day to share a story and lesson with you... ... and show you how to apply it to your business. This means I write emails from campgrounds, hotel rooms, in-law's houses, and airplanes... A day at a time. But one year, we were camping in South Dakota. I assumed the campground had Wi-Fi, but it...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
My house becomes an oven in the summer. In the evening, the setting sun blasts through our sliding back door and a wall of windows... roasting everything inside. Luckily, we have a basement that stays 20 degrees cooler. So, on warm summer nights, we retire to the big green sectional couch in our basement and watch movies. Last night, we watched the Jim Henson documentary. He's the creative genius behind The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, and a bunch of other fun projects. It's easy to...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
The ads got me. I was helpless. Within seconds of seeing the video ad, I flipped to Amazon like a zombie and ordered a colorful squid-like device. $9.99. Next-day shipping. Boom. When the package arrived yesterday, I tore it open and wriggled my fingers into the fluorescent pink webbing. My kids looked on, puzzled, as I contorted my face and squeeeezed my hand outwards. The gadget I bought was a device to strengthen your forearm. I have decent grip strength from a lifetime of weightlifting....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I saw a headline yesterday that made me do a double-take: In summary, remote employees had rigged a device that automatically moved their computer mouse so it would appear they were being productive to their sophisticated monitoring software. When in reality, they were watching movies, playing video games, or napping. 😮 So, they got caught and canned. What a time to be alive. But... I know a lot of people who fake productivity. They'll buy another course, watch another video, listen to...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
