We spend too much time discussing, storing, and organizing notes. References are only valuable if you refer to them. Even with a well-organized system for managing references (either digital or paper), how often do we actually use them? How do we make reference items helpful?

Your first book isn't going to happen by itself. If writing a novel or non-fiction book is something you've dreamed of, the only way to make that dream a reality is by putting it into action -- day by day.

read somewhere that Intuit, the makers of QuickBooks and Quicken, have a practice they call “follow me homes” that allow them to go into an actual customer’s home and watch them install their software and get it set-up.

After a couple years of studying how creative people stay organized, we developed a simple and easily customized method for managing projects. A good portion of 2006 was spent putting the Action Method into practice.

may have mentioned this joker guy before but if not, I will again. In February I hired a replacement for a sales coordinator that had recently left my group (for sake of this message, the position is not relevant, these techniques will relate to any position).

The philosophy to "share ideas liberally" defies the age-old instinct to keep ideas secret. However, the creative person's tendency to jump from idea-to-idea-to-idea causes most ideas to die in isolation. Creative professionals should take every opportunity to communicate new ideas broadly, seek feedback, and develop a sense of accountability.

You know you should turn your service into an ebook product, create a new workshop, start a podcast, yada, yada, yada. Sometimes knowing and doing have a hard time intersecting.

In business we all have to compete, earn trust, and gain the cooperation of others, regardless of whether we work as a freelancer, own a small business, or work for a corporation.

Creative achievements seldom happen in isolation. A big part of making ideas happen is controlling how you come across to others.

As I write about small business marketing strategies I’m often confronted the choice between the word client or customer when referring to those folks you exchange goods and services with for money.