The concept of the carrot and the stick is something that most people should be familiar with. The earliest recorded use of the phrase was in December 1948 in The Economist magazine. The concept is drawn from the idea of a cart driver using a carrot suspended in front of his or her horse, mule, etc. just out of reach to motivate it to constantly move towards it, while holding...

I've spoken at length in a pair of previous articles about what debt can do to a business (in a two part article, found here and here). But what about the other side of the equation? It's one thing to be in debt yourself, but what if one of your clients becomes indebted to you? Obviously this is a situation none of us wants to face, but it can, does,...

In today's day and age, smartphones are more prevalent than they've ever been. One need only take a look at the people around them as they go about their day to see countless Blackberries, iPhones, and one of the many, many  Android offerings currently on the market. Tablets too are increasingly popular, with almost every major electronics manufacturer in business today having one on the market. People are connected to the...

For everyone out there operating their own business, the urge is most likely very strong to operate every aspect of your business yourself. After all, as the old saying goes, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself", right? Wrong. See there's another old saying you should be aware of. I honestly can't remember the exact phrasing or the source, but its message is no less clear....

In a previous article, we discussed how important it is to be honest with yourself. Today, I'll be getting in to more detail on a point I raised back then, which is the importance of being honest with your clients. We all know repeat business is the key to maximizing your Personal Independent Earnings. This is irrefutable cold hard fact.  But in order to earn the repeat business you desire,...

You've crunched the numbers. You've fine tuned your product. Every i has been dotted, every t crossed. Every conceivable thing you can think of has been taken care of. You've planned, you've budgeted, you've built your team, your marketing is ready to go. It's time for you to put your business out there in the world for all to see. Nervous? Don't be. This is probably the hardest part of...

Burnout is one of the worst things that can happen to any small business owner. Your focus and motivation all but disappear, your desire to work goes out the window, and the thought of getting down to business can actually become a depressing one, rather than exciting, as it should be. Obviously, this is bad news, and something to be avoided. For the 9-5ers out there, it is somewhat unavoidable....

It's very easy for anyone in any industry to think that competition is a bad thing. After all, there's somebody else out there offering a similar product or service and making money on it. Money that could be going to you. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Competition is actually a very good thing. You see, with a competing service out there, it inspires you to try...

If you're like me (and you must be at least a little, if you're walking the path to PIE), you are a highly motivated, self-starting individual. You have an unending drive for success. You are tenacious. You have a tendency to go-go-go, until you attain your goals. The word stop just isn't in your vocabulary. And that is completely fine. But there's a difference between stopping and slowing down a...

As I previously discussed in my two part post on The Art of Negotiation (Part 1 here, part 2 here), everybody loves a good deal. There isn't a person alive who can resist a sale or special, especially on a product or service they've actually been looking for. Or even on things they haven't. Impulse buys play a big role in pulling in business during a special offer as well....