I enjoy writing blog posts and sending them out to members of The Edge and a few VIPs most Friday mornings. The way I do that is to create the posts whenever I want to using a basic WordPress blog. Then, I set up an email list in Mailchimp, and set these defaults: If there

I wrote in a previous post about how I was launching something new out of my existing core business, just to create the positive pressure of a launch date, and to think of something at a larger scale than I normally do. I also mentioned how I was recruiting a team of freelancers to help,

I’m on a tear reading books about big time startups. And even though Designing Profits is not a startup, and would not qualify as “big time” by just about any measure, I’m finding the crazy-hard work these startups did in the months leading up to their launch very inspiring. Which made me think of the

An online magazine called Home Stratosphere recently published an article entitled “12 Interior Design Business Software Options.” I don’t know much about the magazine, and I’m not reviewing these particular products one way or the other. Many of them are familiar, however (Perhaps omitting Studio Designer) but I thought I’d provide the links in case

A crucial theme for all Edge members in 2020 is going to be to deepen your network of influencers, not through ads or blog posts or Pinterest…but through good old fashioned networking skills. Here are five tips you can use to get in the right mindset right at the start of the year. (Borrowed from

Enough about you…let’s talk about me! I’m not a great manager of people, nor do I enjoy that aspect of work. That reality has no doubt cost me millions over time as it makes it hard to scale a business. In fact, I long ago started couching goals in terms of what a “one-person” business

On this month’s live coaching call for Edge Members, I told them what I would do if I were them and I were trying to set up a spectacular year in 2020. Among those suggestions was that I would ask myself the following questions. Please don’t limit yourself to these as Einstein said, “If you

I appreciate your patience next week as our offices will be closed as I host my annual strategic planning retreat in Cancun. (The picture on this post is me working hard at last year’s retreat.) Oh, perhaps I should have added the word “solo.” My annual SOLO strategic planning retreat in Cancun. Just me, myself,

I start every year the same way—updating my Photomap. (The one shown on this post is not mine, but that of an interior designer I have worked closely with for years.) The Photomap is a tool I created for my original “8 Steps” book that enables one to see, or visualize, exactly where they want

Need some more resolutions for the new year? I didn’t think so….but I found these in Fast Company Magazine and thought they were pretty good. Certainly the topic of “time management” (not to be confused with “time billing”) was a hot one for Edge members throughout 2019. In fact, I came to believe that adopting

Congrats to Edge member Jeff Schulz and his terrific team at K. Renee design in West Des Moines, IA. Each year they take nominations from members of the community to find one family that deserves an elaborate makeover of their home. Then Jeff and his team select the furnishings (from their own retail store) and

Change in Terms and Conditions for The Edge Like many small businesses, the terms and conditions in effect when members agree to join The Edge are modest and flexible. For example, when you joined you agreed to language something like: 1) The benefits of membership are those described online at the time you joined; 2)

The post prior to this one was about two football coaches, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, who succeed beyond all comparison. One thing they share is the simple message to their players to, “Do you job!” That’s true for you too, but with such a complex business and so many moving parts, you might sometimes

There are few meritocracies more demanding than being the head coach of a football champion at either the college or pro level. Coaches are considered to be outstanding if they coach for thirty years and win one. Some coaches are even considered excellent though they never win one. Win two, and you are headed to

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite the radical shifts in social media and other forms of “personal branding” over the past decade, there is still nothing that provides the stamp of authority like being an author does. A book can be a way that you’re introduced to the world, can

I have a virtual board of advisors and I “meet” with them every quarter. It’s amazing how profound their advice can be. I feel so strongly about this process that I’m encouraging you to elect your own such board. Here’s how it works. I of course follow the world of business very closely, and there

Jordon Belfort is the name of the penny stock trader portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the wild movie, The Wolf of Wall Street. To avoid jail time after being charged with securities fraud, Belfort turned on his co-conspirators and in due course became, what else, an author and sales trainer. To appreciate how good he

Those who blog know what joy it is when you can use an image that is already in your media library! It saves a lot of searching, cutting, resizing, etc. And I should have known when I first found the tombstone with RIP on it to use when describing the demise of Home Polish, that

I love getting emails from Edge members and always try to answer them within 24-48 hours, depending on the degree of research and analysis I may have to do. I got one recently that had such detailed questions that I decided to share it with all members. Enjoy and be sure and leave comments below

I recently held a webinar to promote membership in The Edge. The topic was, “Building the Right-sized Firm” and at the end of the webinar I made a one-day-only offer to try membership in The Edge for one month for only $1. After the event, I received an email from the managing director of a

With apologies to the younger members of The Edge, this post is for those of a certain age, let’s say 55 and up. Then again, even the youngest member may want to spend a few minutes looking over the shoulder of those who are starting to wonder, “What comes next?” How do they ever transition

It’s not so much that I want to say, “I told you so.” Of course Homeplish, the online design site failed, leaving designers, clients, vendors, and bankers angry and out of cash. That much I’ve been trying to say for over two years. Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle recently called Uber “worthless.” (To add a

This will be a short post, because I simply want you to visit a previous post, scroll down to the comments and watch the 2-minute video generously contributed by Edge Member Jeff Schulz. His firm, K. Renee, asks for nominations from families of soldiers in their community. Once the winner is selected, K Renee completes

Wait for it…eMail! So let me tell you who Pat Flynn is. Pat is a former architect who, when he lost his job about a decade ago, started blogging. He discovered that if he blogged a lot, and targeted his markets carefully, he could actually make a little money by selling online courses and running