There’s one secret shared by the most successful entrepreneurs I’ve met.

• It’s the secret that allows them to scale a business infinitely.
• It’s the secret to producing results for their customers.
• And it’s the secret to increasing profit even when it seems there’s no room for growth.

Here’s what the most successful entrepreneurs do differently… 

They repeatedly identify and remove bottlenecks. They focus 90% of their attention on just two things:

1. Gathering data to discover where the bottlenecks are in their operations, and
2. Designing creative solutions to remove those bottlenecks.

As a productivity coach, this was a rather embarrassing lesson for me to learn. Because I thought I was the solution to their productivity goals.

I thought if I could just get the business owner to be more productive with their own time, everything else would fall into place. They would be so overjoyed with my services that they would recommend me to...

In my daily life, I often work through decision-making processes with clients. One of the common issues is uncertainty about making potentially risky decisions, especially in business.

One thing we usually discuss is that there is really no such thing as business opportunity without risk. Have you ever heard an enthusiastic startup claim they have a huge opportunity with hardly any risk or competition? In my experience, this isn’t usually accurate.

The general rule with any business is that either you have a strong market for an idea, therefore you probably do have competition, or you’re headed into murky waters without a clearly defined market. Either way presents a risk. Essentially, risk and opportunity are two sides of the same coin.

So how do you decide which opportunities are worthwhile?

Need a practical framework for decision-making? Get my suggestions here.

The Psychology of Risk

The nature of entrepreneurship is that you often enter into situations that...

They say stress is the constant affliction of the hurried.

I believe that, because I’ve experienced it myself. And I hate feeling stressed.

But in this article I’m going to show you how to work faster without increasing your stress.

Upon closer examination, I’ve realized that hurrying itself is not the problem. In fact, I enjoy working at a fast pace. I like breaking speed limits to get more done in less time.

So that raises the question, if hurrying is not the cause of stress, then what is?

Well, here’s what I’ve noticed.

Stress is actually caused by the prospect of not finishing something on time. It’s the natural response to the perception that there is a potential failure looming in your future.

It’s the feeling that something matters to you but you don’t have enough control to guarantee it’ll turn out the way you want.

The more you care about something, the more it stresses you out when you are behind schedule.

And if one...

Mondays. Everyone can relate to that feeling of resignation with a tinge of dread - back to work after a short break.

Mondayitis is quite normal. For most people, it dissipates by the end of the day and feelings are at their relative “normal.” In fact, research from Sy-Miin Chow finds that “Blue Monday” is less about negative feelings toward work, and more about lessening the type of joy one feels at the weekend.

What happens when your “case of the Mondays” is more like an everyday occurrence? Sometimes it’s not something you feel acutely, but more of a vague sense of malaise, indifference, or lack of joy. Sometimes it manifests as impatience at work, frustration, or a lack of interest in what you’re doing. Often you get the feeling of being stuck.

Is it time for a career change?

Free download: Get our skills self-assessment worksheet here.

Signs it Might be Time for a Career Change

“I’m thinking of quitting my job,”...

The health of business partner relationships can make or break a business.

Most of the time, your business partnership begins full of optimism. You have hopes for building a wildly successful business and you see many possibilities.

However, there will always be ups and downs in business and this is where those partnerships are truly tested. It’s effortless to work harmoniously while things are going well, but business or personal challenges can cause relationship strain.

It's easy to find examples of very public falling-outs between business partners. In fact, data suggests the business partner “divorce rate” is as high as 80%! 

Ideally, you don’t want to be in a position where there are “irreconcilable differences,” so it’s important to work on building healthy partnerships in the first place.

Free download: Get my quick guide to business partner red flags here.

What makes a “healthy” business partnership?

Talk to any...

Are you happy with your life direction?

It’s a question most people land on at some point in their lives.

Whether you’re not completely sold on the career path you’re heading down, or you’ve lost your usual zest for things that once brought enthusiasm, it’s common to question your choices.

Sometimes key life changes or differing circumstances trigger you to question what you’re doing. Sometimes you look around and see other people who seem to be comparatively happier, or more successful. You wonder, "Have I taken the wrong path?"

The tricky thing is that the answers to those tough questions take some introspection. No one can give you the answers, but we can look at a few aspects of the human condition that can help you reach your own important insights.

We can look at how our innate biases impact your decision about what to do next. 

Questioning your career path? Ask yourself these questions...

The Modern “Quest”

...

Any time is a good time to set and manage goals, but the beginning of a new year is often a trigger for people to assess where they’re heading.

We’ve all heard of “New Year’s resolutions,” perhaps you’ve even set some yourself. How successful were you in achieving them? The numbers for people “falling off the wagon” are telling – around 80% of resolutions have failed by February.

We know that the secret to making resolutions stick is not to make resolutions at all. Why? Resolutions tend to be ill-defined ideas such as “lose weight” or “work out more often.” They fail because there are no clear parameters, steps, or measurable outputs. The human brain is wired to prefer the same old routine, so it’s difficult to get results without a good plan.

Goal setting is much more effective, particularly if those goals are clearly defined. Visualizing your way to those goals is a strategy that has been proven to...

Have you ever reached a point where you just feel “stuck”?

It doesn’t matter what you do or how your frame it, things that used to excite you just don’t spin your wheels anymore. Perhaps you feel like you’ve reached a sort of crossroads.

What if I told you that you may be experiencing a clash with your personal values? This is very common - perhaps you’re working in a job that doesn’t fulfill your values, or maybe your values have changed over time.

When you just can’t muster the energy and enthusiasm you once had, when you’re missing the joy certain things once held, it’s important to stop and evaluate. Sometimes the feelings you get can be associated with depression or anxiety. On the other hand, sometimes feeling stuck can be a trigger for depression too. Evaluate carefully and always seek help where needed.

Here’s why values matter when it comes to feeling fulfilled:

Download my exercise to help uncover your...

Here’s the thing about putting off your important decision…

Not deciding is a decision.

As long as you realize that, and you’re okay with that, then I guess you’re okay. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re making a wiser decision by repeatedly kicking the can a little farther down the road.

It’s kind of like what I tell people about relationships. “Your relationship is like a plant. It’s always either growing or dying. It’s never just staying the same.”

If you have dreams to chase, a better life to pursue, or things you need to make right, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll do it “someday.” Or else you’ll end up like the people interviewed by Bronnie Ware, a palliative nurse who spoke with dying patients about their top regrets.

Want to know the number one regret of the dying that kept coming up over and over again?

Here it is:

“I wish I’d had the courage...

I have a secret. 

It’s one simple question that gets more “results” than any of the other sophisticated techniques I use with my coaching clients. 

Would you like to know the secret question? Ok, here it is… 

“How do you want to feel?” 

When all the deciding is done, and you’re busy taking action on the new life-direction you’ve chosen, how do you want to feel? 

Why is this question so powerful? 

Well, it’s simple, really. You see, gaining clarity about how you want to feel is more important than anything else. 

It’s more important than figuring out which job will earn you more money next year. Or which house is going to appreciate more over the next 15 years. 

It’s more important than analyzing your aptitude for the business idea you might leave your job to pursue. And it matters more than the odds of success in one relationship or another. 

All of those factors are...