James Black shares priceless insights learned from his career as an independent consultant. Seven years ago, I put up my shingle and set up an LLC to work as an independent consultant, working on growth strategies, marketing strategies, and insights for clients. During this time, I’ve learned a lot about the space, and myself, and wanted to share my perspectives with others.  Define the target market you’re seeking to serve (and periodically revisit it). At P&G, everything started with the…

In this evergreen article, Sherif El-Henaoui takes a moment to explore the ever-present problem of judging without knowledge. … they will never know. When they try, they will always learn. I watch people dislike Airbnb, Tripadvisor, Uber, Twitter, alibaba, etc.. No problem disliking something in life except when one doesn’t have any clue about it… In recent times I have been facing people, who discredit things they don’t understand even worse they don’t want to understand. If one never has…

If education is on your mind or part of your business, this article from Yuri Narciss may stimulate conversation on common points of controversy. I have worked in the education sector for the last three years as a member of the Global Executive Team of Study Group in charge of marketing and sales. Joining from Google my background and perspective is very different from the majority of professionals in the sector. With all the hype around Online learning and $3.1B…

If you are thinking about your personal brand or how you are perceived online, Paul Sims shares an article that may help you define the traits that are important to you. I attended the funeral of a close friend last week and, as those things often do, it caused me to reflect. I thought about the question, “How do you want people to describe you?” There have been many articles written about what you want on your tombstone, what kind…

In this article, Jessica Lackey highlights the importance of taking time out of the daily grind to remember how to be human.  I almost didn’t take my own medicine. I preach about how we humans, we aren’t machines. How we are designed for seasons of bloom and seasons of rest instead of constant productivity. How cycles of expansion are followed by cycles of contraction, versus linear growth. How we aren’t meant to push through the pain, and certainly not alone….

Paul Millerd shares an insightful perspective on how he makes sense of his path without the traditional measures of corporate success. I received the following question from a reader of my internet thoughts and thought it might be worth re-posting my answer here: Question: “I understand navigating our own path, but I think people need to aspire to things to contextualize their journey. People especially love rituals and rites of passage. To this end, have you heard of any ideas…

Susan Meier shares a post that identifies the courage it takes to face your fears especially if that means going against the flow.  ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.’ – Nelson Mandela Each year, the French celebrate the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a major event in the French Revolution. Americans celebrate Independence Day, the day on which the colonies’ separation from Great Britain was made official. On these days, what we…

Susan Meier shares an insightful perspective on the benefits of walking the path that’s neither straight nor narrow. I’m captivated by the Olympic figure skating. I’ve always watched, but this year I’ve taken it to another level. I’ve been staying up past my bedtime, getting up at the crack of dawn, watching on my phone while in transit – whatever it takes not to miss a moment.  What it takes to win Yes, the skating is beautiful, and that’s enough…