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wide open to whoever IS showing up, even if that competitor charges more and delivers less. Out of sight means out of mind, and out of mind means out of business. Here’s the kicker: Most business owners think they’re communicating when they’re really just talking about themselves. Every message is about their new service, their latest promotion, or what they need from the customer. They forget that customers don’t care about your business — they care about their problems and whether you can solve them. The lesson: Consistent communication isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s the difference between customers who stick around and customers who silently walk away. You can’t retain people who feel forgotten. 5. Always plan time to work on the business. Shortly before I hired my first assistant, I’d come home every night and complain that I felt like I didn’t accomplish anything. And I was right. I’d spent my whole day putting out fires and working on low-level tasks anyone could have done. The problem wasn’t that I was working hard. The problem was that I was working on the wrong things. Research shows micromanagers spend 78% of their day reviewing others’ work instead of engaging in strategic planning. That’s a life sentence of busy work disguised as leadership. When I finally started asking, “Is this something only I can do?” before saying yes to anything, my calendar and our growth curve changed. The shift from “in the business” to “on the business” is the difference between working hard and building something with real value. The lesson: If you want millionaire- or billionaire-level results, you can’t operate like an overworked assistant. 6. Focus on your lane, not the economy. I started Newsletter Pro during the recovery from the housing crisis. Everyone said the sky was falling. The doom-and-gloom narrative was everywhere, and I bought into it. One day, I wasn’t feeling motivated; actually, I was a little depressed about the state of things. My team emailed me the previous month’s revenue and sales numbers, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: We were growing. Despite all my worrying about the economy and the future, we were actually growing. I realized I would always be able to outwork, outthink, and out- hustle any issue. Once I focused on what was true in my world, rather than what was happening around the world, we doubled our revenue in about four months. I stopped obsessing over headlines and started obsessing over my reality. Now, I plan for the worst and expect the best. This positions me to win regardless.
The lesson: Worry less about the headlines. Worry more about the experience your customers are having with you right now. 7. You’re not bothering anyone unless you’re boring. One objection I hear from clients on the email side of our business, more frequently than on the print side, but I’ve received it in both places, is “I don’t want to bother my customers by reaching out too often.” This drives me crazy because it’s based on a false assumption.
You’re not bothering anyone unless your content is boring. Research shows 61% of people actually want to hear from businesses weekly, and when asked about email frequency, 48% said they don’t want fewer emails; they want better content. The problem isn’t too much communication. It’s that most communication sucks. Sporadic contact is worse than frequent contact. When you only reach out every few months, customers forget who you are, why they hired you, and what problem you solved. Your brand recognition drops. You become just another name in a crowded inbox and less crowded mailbox, instead of a trusted advisor they think of first. Here’s what actually bothers people: irrelevant content, sales pitches disguised as value, and companies that disappear for six months then suddenly need something. Consistent, valuable communication? That builds trust and keeps you top of mind when they’re ready to buy or refer.
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