💡 The Lightbulb

Rule #89 of running a solo business: Let the fat cats do the research you could never afford on your own. If I had to choose one company that could credibly make the case about the importance of visuals to a business, it would probably be Canva. If you’re not aware, Canva is a DIY design tool with which you can create pretty stunning visuals. In our world, I see consultants using Canva mainly for LinkedIn graphics, but you can do everything from flyers to slides to business cards. And as luck...

I promised more ‘in-the-wild’ examples of visuals/Headshots, so why not kickoff with an icon in our space, David A. Fields. If you don’t know him, he’s one of the preeminent coach/strategists for small consultancies and is definitely worth a follow. (His visuals are 👌, he doesn’t need my help at all.) David posted this 2x2 yesterday breaking down the different ‘flight paths’ your consulting practice might be on. I don’t need to preach to a group of consultants about the power of a 2x2, but...

Last weekend, I popped down to Portland, Oregon with some friends. In addition to some gorgeous scenic areas and a ridiculously elevated food scene, Portland is home to the world’s largest independent book store: Powell’s City of Books. It’s four stories, occupies a full city block, and when you walk in, it’s...anything but fancy. Quite utilitarian actually, which it has to be to house hundreds of thousands of titles across seemingly any sub-genre you could imagine. I was really in awe of the...

You finally got that prospect on the calendar. You want to make a good impression. But you don’t want to come on too strong. Or worse, seem desperate for the work. So you back off heading into the call. I’ll just lean into building a personal rapport. Keep it casual. See what’s on their mind. The opportunity to help will reveal itself if it’s there. 30 minutes later, you might have waltzed by a few interesting nuggets. But then time’s up. It ends with the dreaded: “Thank you for your time.”...

Last week, I tuned into a talk from a former Finance professor of mine - Sergio Rebelo. He does these virtual events from time to time for alumni, usually with an unassuming title — this time: Understanding Current Trends in the World Economy — and I immediately RSVP and block my calendar. Why? Well, for one, the talks are not recorded. Tune in live, or miss out. But also, he’s proven to be one of my most reliable sources of clarity on the state of the economy, which let’s face it, is always...