Is Your Business Really Living, or Just Existing?

Is Your Business Really Living? (Or Just Existing?) What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore “Just teach her daughter an exercise program and get out of there.” Those words changed so much for me. I was working at a so-called nonprofit home health agency, caring for a patient who had suffered a […]

Run Your Business Like It’s Your Last Day (Because One Day, It Will Be)

Run Your Business Like It’s Your Last Day (Because One Day, It Will Be) What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore Bobby was the kind of doctor everyone wants to have. His patients loved him. His staff loved him. We loved working with him. Even in an age of rushed appointments and […]

Doing Good Is Good Business

Doing Good is Good Business What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore “I just want to go out to eat again.” When my patient first told me this, I could hear the longing in his voice. It had been over a decade since he’d been able to go to a restaurant. He […]

A Business That Makes You Happy

Are You Building a Business That Actually Makes You Happy? What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore You started your business for a reason. Maybe it was freedom—freedom to work on your own terms, choose the projects that excite you, or spend more time with family. Maybe it was financial security, the […]

The One Thing That’s Always in Your Control

The One Thing That’s Always in Your Control What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore Two business owners face the same problem: their biggest client suddenly leaves. One panics. They scramble to replace the lost revenue, making rushed decisions that weaken their business even more. They cut prices, chase any client they […]

Acting with Intention

Acting with Intention What Marcus Aurelius Knew About Success That Most Entrepreneurs Ignore Most business owners think they will always have more time. Time to scale (eventually). Time to launch the next thing (maybe next year). Time to figure it all out (once things slow down). But they don’t. If there’s one truth that separates […]

Win by Focusing

Win by Focusing “And if I concentrate while he divides, I can use my entire strength to attack a fraction of his.” — Sun Tzu Spreading Yourself Too Thin Is a Losing Strategy You start a business, eager to serve as many customers as possible. At first, it seems like a smart move—after all, more […]

Win Where Others Aren’t Competing

Win Where Others Aren’t Competing “Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends, hit him where he does not expect you. To be certain to take what you attack is to attack a place the enemy does not protect.” — Sun Tzu You lower your prices, but customers still choose the bigger brand. You […]

Leverage Changes Everything

Leverage Changes Everything “Thus one need use but little strength to achieve much… one must take advantage of the situation exactly as if he were setting a ball in motion on a steep slope. The force applied is minute but the results are enormous.” — Sun Tzu Running a small business can feel like an […]

Delegation Done Right

Delegation Done Right “Do not charge people to do what they cannot do. Select them and give them responsibilities commensurate with their abilities.” — Sun Tzu Running a small business often feels like juggling a hundred tasks at once. You know you should delegate more, but it’s hard—whether it’s guilt about adding to your team’s […]

Managing Teams Through Constructive Conflict

Managing Teams Through Constructive Conflict “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” — Sun Tzu Imagine walking into your business and sensing an unspoken tension. Two team members are barely speaking, tasks are slipping through the cracks, and the mood feels off. You hope it’ll blow over, but the […]

Focus on What You Can Control

Focus on What You Can Control This morning I read this: “That which depends on me, I can do; that which depends on the enemy cannot be certain.” — Sun Tzu This passage reminds me of the Serenity Prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change […]