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ethnic female cafe owner showing welcome we are open inscription

Show, don’t tell

If you want to attract premium clients, selling won’t work. You have to show why someone should buy from you.

Sure, a high-end customer might be ready to pay, and they may want to commit long-term. Why? Because they trust you. They’ve watched you regularly show up and prove that what you say and do align.

Want better clients? Consistently demonstrate you’re worth investing in.

crop man getting dollars from wallet

When your product is “FREE,” is it worth it?

Price isn’t simply an amount, it’s a representation. This is how good we are, this is why you should trust us, this is the commitment, this is the value you’ll receive.

Yes, FREE can help solidify a brand and attract customers. Maybe it can make selling easier. But unless you’re using “free” to establish consistent revenue, is it worth it?

When you circumnavigate hassle with a free label, you might sacrifice perception in return.

Free could just be an easy way out.

In defense of certificates

Certificates, medals, awards, recognition dinners. Necessary? Perhaps not. Here in Nepal, I can get a certificate for donating blood, for giving money, for simply showing up at an event.

A piece of paper is not always meaningful. I could argue that the rate in which certificates are doled out lessens their value. But public appreciation makes everyone feel good. And when people feel good, they do their best.

No, gifts and tokens aren’t essential. But praise and acknowledgement of hard work and generosity of time are absolute necessities.

What is your sacrifice?

If you don’t have an answer, you don’t love it enough.

If you care, REALLY care about (fill in blank with your: project, partner, job, client), you will sacrifice something. Results don’t come without sacrifice.

You might sacrifice time or quality or money or reputation or fame.

But if you don’t know what you have sacrificed, either you don’t care enough or you aren’t fully aware. And the only way you know if your efforts are worth anything is if you can identify what you have given up and what you have received in return.

Bonus: Read how Nepal has taught me about the sacrifices involved with love.

Top 10 blog posts

Before I list the Top 10 most popular posts I’ve written, I want to acknowledge something big: Project Exponential is coming up on FOUR YEARS of existence, and I can hardly believe it.

I remember that first dinner as if it happened last month. I had to talk myself into calling friends and a few famous people I didn’t know all that well and ask them to join me for something new, an experiment of sorts. I was a nervous wreck in the days leading up to that initial event, second-guessing my planned ice-breakers and seating arrangement. At the end of the night I was so worked up, I couldn’t let myself admit a grand success had just taken place.

Countless dinners later, I continue to receive emails thanking me for thoughtfully creating these kinds of dinners: invaluable introductions; new friends, new ideas; old friends, old ideas; surprising conversations; delight. It’s all come together beautifully, and I couldn’t be more grateful to those who have participated and referred clients seeking meaningful connection.

Top 10 posts:
10. I stopped trying.
9. Figure out what you want to learn and go do it.
8. Stop trying to find your purpose
7. 7 sins of crowdfunding
6. The people in your life will make or break you.
5. 10 questions to ask at a dinner party (instead of “What do you do?”)
4. What brings people together?
3. A coffee riddle
2. 5 rules of hustling
1. 12 questions to turn small talk into real talk 

Thank you for your support, your daring, your ambition, and thanks for coming along this journey with me. Becoming an entrepreneur is not easy, and there are no roadmaps for the many winding, twisting roads you find yourself on. If you have a budding entrepreneur in your life, send them a note to keep going (or share one of these blog posts); if you’re thinking about getting started yourself, GO.

Beliefs and your destiny

Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.

Gandhi

It sounds cliche, but it’s true.

Pay attention to the places your mind wanders.

(Want a “real life” example? Read my story about hard work, dreams and Learning House in Nepal.)