Originality is what's left after imitation, friction, and failure. Early in my career, I tried as hard as I could to sound like people I admired: business owners, marketers, writers, and some salespeople I was convinced had it all figured out. I’d listen (and model) how they framed ideas, told stories, even how they carried themselves, and then I’d try to do the same thing. Spoiler alert: It didn’t go well. Not because those people weren’t great - they were. But that was the

When your value isn't clear, price becomes the only thing left to compare. Recently, I was speaking with a friend who, as it turns out, buys promotional products. As he knows I ply my trade in the industry, he was quite candid with his dissatisfaction with his current distributor. “They’re fine,” he said. “They get us what we ask for, pricing seems to be right, and the overall service seems to be decent. But, honestly, I don’t see much difference between them and anyone else.

Running a business is one thing. Doing it when life shows up is something else entirely. As a solopreneur, I’m militant about controlling the chaos that comes with running a business on my own. Like others, I’ve spent countless hours building systems, managing my calendar, and planning weeks, quarters, and even years well in advance. Over time, we convince ourselves that as long as we’re disciplined, organized, and focused, everything will keep moving in the right direction.