The last time you are able to be selfish is the moment you put CEO on your business card.

“Every piece of your day must become highly orchestrated as you curate honesty while maintaining an even keel.” As the CEO, you are the one keeping everything in line for the better of the company. You sacrifice many things to be a CEO every single day.

Are you willing and able to master these five skills that are often overlooked? While they may seem simple, they are absolutely critical.

If you think you have what it takes to be a CEO, check out my Inc. column for these 5 skills.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

Do you know what you are looking for in an interview?

While it’s said that 33% of bosses know who they will hire in the first 90 seconds of an interview, many often don’t ask the right questions to find the right fit for their company.

Asking an interviewee questions that require them to dig deeper and be personal is what really matters. All interviewees can be on track with business and job related tasks, but do you want to hire someone who can memorize answers, or someone who can dig deeper and provide you with what they are passionate about?

If you are wondering what you should be asking in an interview, my Inc. article will provide you with the answer.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

It’s never easy starting a business.

We look up to entrepreneurs and assume they just happened to be successful overnight, and so we expect to completely crush it like them, right? Wrong! Often times businesses don’t crush it.

The five pieces of advice I’m about to give you are things I wish someone had told me about starting a business. Being able to prevent the pitfalls many of us have made in our startups will enable you to succeed much faster than the rest before you!

Continue Reading at Inc.com

“Who you know is more important than the ideas you have.”

Networking yourself is never easy or comfortable to do. Small talk with strangers, collecting and exchanging business cars, and standing alone can make you hate networking events. But if you build your networking skills and group, then you can enjoy these events and succeed!

Having a plan, being selective, and focusing on mentoring and learning can make the experience much more bearable and enjoyable. The more you are able to give, the more you are able to get out of the experience. Read on to see the mindset you need to go in with to succeed at a networking event.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

“No one is good at everything.”

Everyone is looking for that unicorn in their company. Whether it’s an agency or an incredibly diverse employee, the hunt is never ending. But have you ever wondered what happens once you do find that unicorn? It never seems to end too well.

Do you think of what isn’t being done while you hunt for days on end? Do you believe you will ever truly find one? If you do find one, what happens when they no longer want to be treated like a wild beast?

You need to ask yourself, “Do I want to adopt a unicorn – or rent an agency?” 

Continue Reading at Inc.com

Sure, we all want to get that new employee trained as quickly as possible, and we tend to have seasoned employees do the boring stuff no one else wants to, we need to begin focusing on spending time training our employees.

Spending adequate time with new hires and experienced employees for on-the-job training is absolutely essential for the good of the company. If you cram information down their throats, it’s like study for a final exam – they retain nothing.

Don’t make HR responsible for all training, have someone who truly knows the company and roles within the company be the trainer. Find ways that enable your employees to stay engaged while wanting to learn for the better of the company. Build a culture of learning.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

“With budgets to meet and expanding teams to support, price hikes are inevitable.”

Are you questioning when your company should begin raising prices? Are you worried if you do raise prices you will lose your customers? I’ve got four tips for you on how to do this!

Benchmarking customer happiness allows you to fight for your value when raising your prices. If you feel as though it’s time to raise your prices, then it’s time to raise your prices. Learn how to maintain your value equation and raise your prices without losing your customers.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

Are you sending potential clients cakes with their faces? Or their new born babies bibs? If you are… STOP!

While this may seem like something that is just polite and normal, it can come off as creepy. Although you may think you are being kind and know them well, you don’t want potential clients to view you as a stalker, questioning how you know everything about them.

Instead of being creepy, read these three ways to collect user data.

Get to know your clients, but don’t stalk them for it!

Continue Reading at Inc.com

“Why requires not only diligence but a frightening amount of humility.”

It is difficult for many people, especially a leader, to admit fault or failure. But admitting this to others is what enables them to trust you and want to engage with you. By not providing my team with 100% of the truth, I am unable to receive 100% of the effort.

By withholding the truth from my team I take away my employees’ desire to help. Providing them with the truth will enable them to feel engaged and begin to regain their trust.

As I tap into the potential that each of my employees bring to the table I tap into showing more humility with my team. Although being brutally honest can be difficult, it will be extremely rewarding in the end.

In my Inc. article, I tell you the best ways to be honest with your team and the outcomes that follow.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

Many companies are now making paid time-off mandatory, what do you do to help your employees on time-off?

What is your plan to ensure that your clients and customers are still experiencing the same service and expertise with your employees kickin’ it back on the beach?

Remember that the onus falls on the employer and the employee to have a stress-free vacation. Your employee needs to give you time in advance, as well as you providing them with a team to take on their tasks.

Read my latest Inc. article to the steps you need to implement to prepare for employee vacations while keeping customers, clients, and employees happy.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

Face-to-face interaction is so much more important than cold emails and colleague referrals.

Having been to so many tradeshows over the years, I can’t even count them anymore. I know how to select the tradeshows my company attends by answering the question:

Will this deliver 10X ROI?

Of course we figured this out after having attended a few too many tradeshows that showed the expenses outweighed the benefits. Read the tips I have for you to decide which shows you should attend. Although tradeshows can suck, learn how to make them beneficial for your company.

Continue Reading at Inc.com

If you are constantly listening to excuses from your employees, you’re in big trouble!

As a CEO, VP, Manager, any leader it is important to know when to no longer take excuses from your employees. It is also important to know when to give a little grace to employees for valid excuses for a one-time pass.

Being aware of these excuses can help you create a better company culture, so read my recent Inc. column, 3 employee excuses great leaders will never accept more than once.

Continue Reading at Inc.com