I fixed computers when they filled entire rooms. I was there when computer networking was invented, not learned about it, watched it being built. Employee number 40 at Cellular One. Fewer than 10,000 cell phone subscribers in all of the San Francisco Bay Area. By the time I left, they had over 1,500 employees and 500,000 subscribers. I was working on the internet in 1992. Before browsers. Before anyone had a name for it. I say all that not to impress you.I say it because I need you to...
20 days ago • 1 min read
I'm still enjoying the high from today's Peloton ride and pondering the nugget shared by Alex Toussaint. The Peloton instructors not only give your body a workout, they share inspirational thoughts that stretch your thinking. Today Alex shared something simple but powerful. "If you're making big changes in your life, don't make one big change. Take micro steps." Micro steps. Not one giant leap. Not some massive transformation overnight. Just small steps, one at a time. Seems pretty obvious,...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Whether you climbed the corporate ladder, built your own business, or spent decades making things happen in your job, your worth was measured the same way. By what you completed. Finish the presentation. Close the deal. Hit the numbers. Get to the next meeting. Every day was a race to complete things so I could move on to the next thing. And here's what nobody tells you about your next chapter: You bring that mindset with you. Last week, I caught myself feeling anxious because I'd only...
3 months ago • 1 min read
If your inbox looked anything like mine yesterday, you probably waded through about 247 "LAST CHANCE!" emails before your morning coffee. And now? Poof. The clock struck midnight, and those "once-in-a-lifetime" deals vanished like Cinderella's carriage. So here's my question for you: Did you participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a consumer? Were you satisfied with your "investment"? Did you participate as a seller? The numbers are staggering. Consumers spent $10.8 billion online on...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I've been thinking about what I'm most grateful for this year. It's not the business wins or the revenue numbers. It's you. The professionals who've spent 30, 40, even 50 years building companies, leading teams, and solving problems that most people will never understand. The leaders who've made the tough calls, weathered the storms, and carried the weight of responsibility that comes with senior leadership. The professionals who've mentored countless people,...
4 months ago • 1 min read
As we approach Thanksgiving, I've been wrestling with what gratitude looks like when life hits you with a sledgehammer. I'll be honest, 2025 has tested me in ways I never anticipated. In just six weeks, we lost three incredible matriarchs of our family. Aunt Magda at 98, Aunt Dee at 96, and Cousin Marina at only 78. These weren't just relatives - they were forces of nature. Powerful, opinionated women who spoke their minds when that wasn't always welcome. They blazed trails, shaped...
4 months ago • 2 min read
You can skip today's Mastermind Book Club meeting with Alastair Dryburgh this Thursday. It’s just another hour out of your busy day, right? But what’s the real price of that hour? It’s not just 60 minutes. It’s the cost of every proposal you’ve underpriced this year. It’s the revenue you left on the table because you were guessing, not strategizing. It’s the deals you lost to a competitor who wasn’t cheaper, but who framed their value better. Think about it. How many times have you set a...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I’m deep into Alastair Dryburgh’s The Pricing Genius, and he drops this military strategy bomb called the OODA Loop that completely changes how you think about pricing. OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Air Force Colonel John Boyd created it for fighter pilots making split-second decisions. Luckily, we don’t have to make many split-second business decisions in business that could be fatal. Here’s the genius part of the OODA Loop. Alastair shows how this combat framework transforms...
4 months ago • 1 min read
For years, I've left a lot of money on the table. I'd charge $5000 for a project while my competitors were charging $10,000, $20,000 and even $50,000 for similar projects. Why didn't I charge the same as my competitors? Remember when you were a kid and your mom would say, "Because I said so"? That was the end of the discussion, right? Well, here's what Alastair Dryburgh taught me about pricing: Most of us are still waiting for permission to charge what we're worth. We're waiting for someone...
4 months ago • 1 min read
