Don’t get distracted by stuff that doesn’t make your business more money.

Don’t get distracted by stuff that doesn’t make your business more money. It’s easy to focus on the shiny object. Crafting the perfect email signature to maybe appear more polished. Switching project management software for the 4th time to streamline tasks, perhaps marginally. Redesigning a better logo to perhaps appear more professional. Revising the company’s…

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Haz bien lo básico.

https://youtu.be/LD7VlGmgK78 Haz bien lo básico.  Debes hacer lo esencial correctamente: comunica, responde ese correo, devuelve esa llamada.  Viste apropiadamente para tu trabajo y sigue las consultas rápidamente. Admite tus errores y aprende de ellos.  Presta atención a los detalles y cumple con lo que prometiste en el tiempo acordado. Hablo con dueños de negocios todos…

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Get the basics right.

Get the basics right. Seriously. Do the basic shit. Show up on time to an appointment. Return the email. Return the phone call. Communicate. Dress appropriately for your job. Admit and learn from mistakes. Follow up promptly on inquiries and requests. Pay attention to detail. Keep confidential shit confidential. Do the work when you said…

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El entrenador más duro que tuve fue una de las mejores cosas que me pasó.

  De niño, era bastante bueno en baloncesto, casi siempre el mejor del equipo.  Un verano, tuve un entrenador que siempre me exigía al máximo, y no entendía por qué.  Un día, le pregunté: “¿Por qué siempre me estás presionando tanto?”  Me miró y respondió: “Sean, el día que deje de exigirte, es el día…

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The MEANEST Coach I Ever Had Was Also the (One of) The BEST Things to Happen to Me

Growing up, basketball wasn’t just a game to me—it was a way of life.  As a kid, I could shoot hoops for hours, feeling nothing but the leather ball in my hands and hearing the satisfying swish of the net.  I was a standout player, a young star in the making—until puberty hit, and suddenly,…

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“Compra por un dólar, vende por dos.”

“Compra por un dólar, vende por dos.”  Este sencillo consejo, atribuido a un personaje ficticio de la serie The Wire, es una lección esencial para cualquier CEO.  Proposition Joe, un veterano en el tráfico de drogas en Baltimore, ofrece este consejo para maximizar el margen bruto: la diferencia entre el costo de lo que compras…

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Buy for a Dollar, Sell for Two. What Every CEO Can Learn from a Fictional Drug Lord

“Buy for a dollar, sell for two.” – Proposition Joe, The Wire You don’t need to know Proposition Joe from HBO’s “The Wire” to understand the wisdom of his business mantra: “Buy for a dollar, sell for two.”  I am constantly amazed by how many businesses neglect the basics of business economics. Dazzling technology. Hockey…

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Debo dejar que mi mejor empleada tome 30 días de vacaciones?

Tengo una empleada increíble que quiere tomar 30 días de vacaciones.  De verdad, es una estrella, y si pudiera clonarla 10 veces, lo haría sin dudarlo.  Pero al mismo tiempo, crecí en una familia de clase media y la idea de tomar más de una semana de vacaciones me parece extrema.  Apenas tomábamos vacaciones de…

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Should I Let A Star Employee Take a 30-Day Vacation?

Should I Let A Star Employee Take a 30-Day Vacation? One of my best workers, J, wants to take a month off for a trip to Europe she planned before she started working with us. J has been an amazing employee for the past seven months. Her attitude and commitment are exactly what I wish…

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Cowtown Marathon

Yesterday, I ran the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas. It was actually the Cowtown Ultra Marathon – a 31-mile race. In the world of ultra marathons, 31 miles is the shortest distance to still be considered an “ultra.” I signed up on a whim about a month before the race. It was late January,…

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