The day you decided to stop working for anyone but yourself was probably glorious. No one to tell you what to do and how to do it. Life suddenly had promise, imagining yourself spending every day doing the work you’re passionate about. Until… until the day you realized that instead of your boss dictating how you d...
John Lennon gave us, “Yes is the answer,” and I get what he means. He was talking about saying yes to love, embracing life, and seeing opportunities instead of limits—all important and valuable in building the kind of world we want to live in. But what about saying “No?” Is there a place for that, especially in yo...
Imagine what kind of workplace your business would be if your employees thought to themselves: "I’m excited about my work.” “This is a place where I can achieve my goals.” “I feel safe. It’s okay to make a mistake, and I will learn from it.” “I have some great ideas on how to improve things. I can’t wait to share ...
This is the sixth and final installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. Before I dive into this final article on systems development, I want to thank those of you who have written to me during the course of this series. Your participation ...
This is the fifth installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 6. Last week I covered how an operations manual can save your business (and your life), much like the operations manual on Apollo 13 saved Jim Lovell’s life. This week, I want to t...
It was about a year ago today that I was asked by Ilene Gail Frahm, our Board Chair, to become the next CEO of EMyth. The last year has been filled with an immense amount of learning and growth. My appreciation for every single person on our team in Ashland, Oregon has never been greater: they are all incredibly d...
This is the fourth installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, and Part 6. During the last long-haul flight I was on, I re-watched ‘Apollo 13’ (the one with Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell). Perhaps not the best choice as I was hurtling through the sky at 500...
I’m in the upstairs bathroom writing notes on my iPhone when it strikes me—the apparent irony of me sketching out notes for a blog post about work-life balance while in the middle of giving my daughters a bath. I left work hours ago but had hardly left my work behind me. And in that moment I felt so close to the m...
This is the third installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. This week I want to share a business development concept that will help you turn your current frustrations into operational systems. It’s one small step for you and your team, b...
This is a guest post by EMyth client, Morgan Spradling. When I started Highland Cycles in 2007, I wanted to change the way people thought about the motorcycle industry. Over the years, motorcycle repair shops have lost their appeal and have earned a poor reputation. Everyone told me it would be impossible to make ...
How do you inspire your people? You can feel they need something. You see them come into work with tired eyes and watch them half-listen during meetings. You know it’s on you to uplift them or bring them more meaning, something to get their head above water and remember why they took a job with your company in the...
This is the second installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. “By the end of the decade we will have put a man on the moon and safely returned him to Earth.” —President J.F. Kennedy, 1962 In my first article in this series on systems, I i...
This is the first installment in helping you develop and design clear systems. Click here for Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. I can remember watching the moon landings on a black and white television as a young boy and being fascinated by the idea. I’m still young enough at heart to feel excited by big...
You call your team together to roll out your strategy for the coming quarter. Everyone gathers around and all eyes are on you. You’ve spent at least forty hours over the last two weeks planning, modeling, forecasting, all in anticipation of this day. OK, take a deep breath, and begin your presentation. Five minute...
On It is a monthly podcast where we tell the stories of business owners and how they transformed their companies. Listen to the latest episode on Soundcloud and iTunes. In Part 1 of Jeff Schneider’s turnaround story, his business, Marketing Ninjas, was on the edge of failure. But, Jeff was determined to keep his b...
Turn a prickly pineapple into the perfect vacation piña colada At well-past closing time, you’re staring at an inbox full of emails. With only a day to go until your vacation, it seems like your “time-off” will be spent dodging phone calls from employees. Looks like the golden sand, palm trees, and blue ocean you’...
What happened over the last ten years? For me, it went from door-to-door salespeople and a mailbox full of advertisements to electronic overload. My gosh, my inbox fills up fast. My Facebook feed runs faster than I can run my fastest mile. My phone battery now dies quicker than ever before, and at times, I want to...
