Some years ago, I called a client of mine (let’s call him “Mark”) who owned a skateboard design and manufacturing company to confirm an in-person coaching session we’d scheduled. When he answered the phone, he was out of breath. “Are you okay?” I asked him. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just hanging from the ceiling, running...
Take a moment to think about your business. Go ahead—picture your typical work day. What does that picture look like? Does it look like you clocking into a job, immersed in the technical work of your business? Does it look like you putting out constant fires, struggling to check a single task off your to-do list w...
Let’s be honest: Building a business that doesn’t depend on you isn’t easy. It’s going to take lots of time, attention, and know-how. You’re going to be drawn into fighting fires you wish weren’t happening; you’re going to worry about having the right resources to create the right results; you’re going to have to ...
If you’re fortunate enough to have taken your company on a journey through all of its highs and lows for 5, 10, even 20 years or more, chances are you’ve had those moments when you wished your business weren’t so damn dependent on you. No matter what you’ve achieved, most business owners know in their heart that i...
Let’s start with one thing we all know: Being good at something – designing a building, baking specialty cakes, performing micro-surgery, repairing cars, promoting artists, installing electrical wiring or plumbing, providing legal or financial advice – achieving a level of expertise in any area for which you have ...
Our natural world is a great example of systems at work—solar systems, ecosystems, weather systems, bodily systems, and so forth. As humans, we naturally look for patterns to solve problems and make extraordinary advancements. We search for ways to turn chaos into order and to discover efficient and repeatable way...
If you’ve ever had the thought that you weren’t a good leader or didn’t know how to be one, you’re not alone. Business owners rarely go into business for themselves in order to become the leader of a company. In truth, most are looking to secure a “job” where they can provide their product or service free of a bos...
As a business owner, attracting customers is so central and occupies so much of your focus that it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that not all customers are created equal. Not knowing who your best customer is results in countless and costly efforts to attract a customer who isn’t actually your ideal. You suffer...
When I started as a business coach, my life did not look like it does today. I lived in the city, in a house that was in the middle of a subdivision. I worked for someone else and had never considered myself an entrepreneur. My default vision at the time was that I would continue to build a career for myself insid...
As a business owner, you’re the leader. You need to decide what your business will do, how it must do it, and where it will go next. But what happens when you lose sight of your goal? Creating a vision for your business reminds you of the destination.When you try to move forward without it, you’re left jumping bli...
At EMyth, we take the approach that owning a business is a vehicle to give you more life. It’s a place to grow and to discover who you are and the way you want to express yourself in the world. It’s a place for creativity and innovation that can bring you closer to your own strengths, your own purpose, your own he...
In the beginning If you’re like many of our clients, you had a picture in your mind when you started your business of what you wanted to do. You could clearly see how your first office or store would look. You imagined your customers and employees. You saw yourself in the center of it all. You understood that it w...
If ever you’ve longed to find out why you’re here—your purpose, your big mission—this blog is for you! This blog is it. Your silver bullet. The answer you’ve been seeking for years. Read on to discover the 5 steps you need to take to find the answers to your deepest questions, all in 30 minutes and while surfing F...
A life consumed exclusively by your business is not a life worth living. Let me tell you about Harry. Harry was a deeply spiritual man. He wanted to have the time to be involved with his church’s philanthropic efforts, and he yearned to give what he could to create a better world and set an example for his young d...
When was the last time you took a vacation? Did you unplug from your business? No cell phone, no email, no emergencies interrupting your time away? Most business owners find that kind of break nearly impossible to take because the business isn’t setup to work without them. If you’re like most of these folks, unplu...
Oh no . . . This is my life. Diana and her two partners had a business that served the skateboarding community. When they first began coaching with me, the wheels were starting to come off for Diana. She was on the verge of quitting. “I want out,” she said, “of all of it. Everything feels like it comes down to me....
Whether you know it or not, the business you have right now, with all of its imperfections, could be your path to the life of your dreams. Your business is supposed to serve your life, not the other way around. Unfortunately, most of the time it doesn’t work that way.