Mastering the Art of Yes and No

A few years ago, I was facilitating a panel that was set up to help emerging entrepreneurs understand what it’s like when you’re starting-up a business, when you have a couple of years under your belt, and when you’re in it for the long run. As the discussion unfolded, a pattern became clear:

New entrepreneurs say “yes” to many of the opportunities that come their way. They are discovering their ideal clients, their ideal set of products and services, and their voice. Each new opportunity is a chance to test and iterate their hypotheses about … READ MORE

Tackling the Impossible

Writer Annie Lamott, in her wise and entertaining book Bird by Bird, has some of the best advice I’ve ever seen for tackling a project that seems impossibly big or complex:

“…thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day….He was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my … READ MORE