Writing
TL;DR: Disconfirmation bias—the tendency to undervalue evidence that contradicts our beliefs—can derail executive decision-making. Leaders who actively seek and engage with opposing viewpoints make more resilient strategic choices. What is disconfirmation bias? Disconfirmation bias is the cognitive tendency to dismiss...
Proximity bias in strategy is the tendency to lose sight of the bigger picture when you’re too close to a plan, product, or candidate. This happens everywhere in business and politics, and it’s one of the most common blind spots...
What is a point of differentiation (POD)? A Point of Differentiation (POD) is the unique value your business offers that your competitors don’t. It’s what makes your product, service, or brand memorable and desirable to your target audience. Why POD...
Many small business owners think they need to scale to compete with larger companies. They imagine growing bigger, serving more customers, and automating processes will lead to success. But what if scaling your business leads you down the wrong path?...
For small businesses, customer experience beats brand and price because it removes friction at the exact moment of choice. Start with follow-ups, service recovery, and proactive check-ins. My recent experience of buying a washing machine after my old one suddenly...
Small business owners can learn a lot from the nation’s most ubiquitous coffee retailer, Starbucks. The brand’s coffee is table stakes. Their real business is creating an enviable customer experience, high levels of customer service, and delivering the additional products...
There are few easy wins in content marketing, especially given how crowded most verticals and categories are today. But one word that comes up often when discussing successful businesses is consistency, in large part because consistency wins for small businesses....
Few things hobble businesses quicker than poor decision-making. That’s why I encourage businesses to employ the 90/10 strategy for decision-making. It boils down to making sure that nine out of 10 of your decisions are as sound as possible. This...
I make a conscious effort to only work with founders who’ve developed a resilient mindset for small business success. From my experience, this mindset leads to small business owners not only having an unparalleled drive and determination to reach their...
Give your business every chance of success by refusing to face the competition head on. Instead, make the competition play your game. A recent conversation with a local business owner reminded me of an article I read several years ago....