My granddaughter is a Swiftie and makes no apologies for it. I enjoy Taylor Swift’s music too, and have come to appreciate her skills and business acuity. I am equally impressed that she, like many other rock stars, is constantly testing musical boundaries.

Few people seem to remember that she began her career as a traditional country singer-songwriter. Since the release of “The Story of Us” in 2010, however, she has expanded into the pop-music genre and become perhaps the most popular musical artist on the planet. Rock stars constantly test their boundaries and it’s important to …

I was talking with a mentoring client recently and much of the discussion focused on their frustrations with all the business things on their plate. As a result, they were having difficulty doing the marketing and sales behaviors they knew they should be doing. I told them about beaver dams in business and how destructive they can be.

Beavers are a national symbol of Canada, much like the bald eagle is for the USA. They are a fascinating creature. I grew up in Western Canada and saw many beaver dams during my youth. I’ve also seen …

One of my mentoring clients once made a casual reference to “tumbleweed people” and I thought it was a fabulous term that needed to be shared. They are “now and then” people who tend to blow through our lives. They can also be a dangerous nuisance.

If you’ve ever been out west in the autumn, or even watched a western movie, then you’ve probably seen tumbleweeds rolling across the landscape. If you are not familiar with tumbleweeds, then a simple Google video search will quickly enlighten you.

If you use pitch or slide decks in your business development meetings, then you should probably stop. There are better ways to close new deals.

Let me begin by clarifying that slide decks are great for reporting but generally become a damaging crutch in the sales presentation. That’s because the presenter (salesperson) uses them like a teleprompter, which means they take their eyes and ears off the prospect. Slide decks create an environment that is too focused on the seller rather than the buyer.

Most businesses (and people) develop bad habits. The longer they continue, the more destructive they become. So, how can you reverse them? Over time, bad business habits can become like a groove in a spinning wax disk that becomes deeper and deeper with each occurrence.

Initially, they may not seem like a big deal but eventually they become part of the company’s culture. When bad habits are allowed to continue unchecked, they will start to have significant consequences. Customers become …

Sunshine comes and goes. Storms come and go. Cloudy days come and go too. The same is true for changing economic weather. For the best life possible, we need them all. One of the most important things I have learned in my career is that economic storms play an important role.

I call them “realignments” because they wash or blow away dead and crusty things lingering on the surface while providing nurturing opportunities for new growth that is just emerging. Economic realignment is generally called a recession by economists and the media. Both imply that …

Unlike many people my age, I like and enjoy the generations that follow mine. Every new generation brings fresh eyes and ideas into the world. They brim with hope for a better world and they strive to make a difference.

As generations age, they tend to get stodgy and look at the younger generations with various degrees of disdain. But think about it. The current crop of grumpy elderly people were once the hippie generation. They upset the …

As a company grows and becomes more successful, there’s one thing that trips up far too many founders and professionals. Pride. Starting to think you are smarter than other people.

A self-righteous mindset leads to arrogance. Arrogance leads to missed opportunities and neglecting potential threats. Wise entrepreneurs do TWO THINGS to combat this risk.

I don't know you. Do you really think I'm going to buy your services? It's amazing to me how many people approach me electronically (email, Linkedin, Twitter etc.) blindly pitching their services when no prior relationship exists. It is the epitome of folly. Stupidity even!

Sure, if you throw enough of your sh*t at the electronic wall, you may bump into a foolhardy person here and there who will buy from you, but is that really the type of customer you want? Customers like that fall for the next blind pitch just as easily and you'll get dumped in the process.If you look back at history -- centuries, not months -- you'll see …

Most corporate executives spend less than 2.4% of their time actively thinking about the future. But the ability to anticipate the future is one of the key ingredients of success.

If you race ahead without knowing where you are headed, you may get there fast, but it will probably not be the place you wanted to end up. We see that happening a lot in today’s economic environment. Far too many business leaders never thought or planned for a serious economic realignment. For many, the possibility never even crossed their mind! In contrast, entrepreneurs …

You can't steer a parked car. Entrepreneurs must always keep moving. In fact, EVERYBODY needs to keep moving. Life is full of uncertainty. Too many people seem to park their car until they have a clearer picture of what the future holds.

That generally doesn't work out to well. The horizon reveals itself best when you keep moving towards it. If you just park, then other people on the road will zoom past you. Or crash into you. If you are at a crossroads in life, it's fine to take a quick look around to check for traffic and decide whether …

The bridge is out. It will be months before it is repaired. The route you were planning to take has you stopped in your tracks. You only have a few choices.

FIRST, you can lean on your car horn in anger for the next few months until crews finish their work. SECOND, you can just accept your fate and take a rest. Stay parked where you are until the bridge reopens. THIRD, you can start aimlessly driving around to see if you can find another way. You figure there must be another option and maybe you will be lucky enough to find it. FOURTH, you can …

Does your company have a Last Will and Testament? There's always a chance that the unthinkable will happen. An entrepreneur dies or becomes incapacitated unexpectedly. Will your heirs know what to do? How to do it?

Too often, I have seen families thrown into turmoil because critical details were not available to them. Take a day in the …

People who refuse to accept change will find themselves perfectly equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. When I first launched BizTrek in 1994, my mentor at the time taught me that "mantra." He encouraged me to keep it central to my thinking.

That lesson has been important to me for almost 30 years. My mentor taught me to embrace change. To be comfortable with it. To leverage the opportunities which change brings. I've learned that people who resist change tend to become irrelevant. People who ignore change also tend to …

Most entrepreneurs start a business because they want to do something better. Better than the employer they previously worked for. Or better than any options which currently exist.

They think big at first, but sadly, many downshift their big ideas when they start encountering resistance. Let me assure you that resistance to new ideas, new methods, or new anything, is pretty much assured. You have two choices. Let the …