All kinds of economic changes affect businesses, whether full-blown recessions or market fluctuations. Unfortunately, financial uncertainty can cause companies to fail entirely, but it’s possible to push through the storm and succeed.

As a freelance writer, I constantly learn about new industries and how they work. Lately, I’ve started to learn more about entrepreneurship through acquisition.

I’ve made over 11,000 cold calls. I’ve booked 335 meetings, closed over $287k at a startup company and $40m in an enterprise multinational company, and saw what works. I’ve also seen what burns out reps fast. I remember one call early in my career that still haunts me — in a good way.

If you’re wondering what the secret formula is for going from freelancer to entrepreneur, then building a thriving business model, then achieving goals for that business, I’d say to just ask Jim Huffman.

Imagine if you could pinpoint when you’ll have the cash flow to hire another employee, or how a supply chain disruption would affect your business.

If you’re looking for a way to show off the value of your product or service to potential customers, proof of concept (POC) in sales is a real-world method with tried-and-true results. Although I wasn’t well-versed in the subject going in, by talking to sales experts I discovered how POC can help you connect with […]

I have taken my fair share of notes as a senior coordinator (and former assistant and coordinator). For most of my career thus far, I’ve taken notes in at least half of the meetings I’ve been in. At roughly one page of notes per meeting, 20 meetings a week for five years, that’s … a […]

Last spring, I was hired to write emails for a client’s product launch promotion. Their last spring sale email campaign had bombed — open rates barely broke single digits, and their “fresh start” messaging got lost in a sea of similar sale emails. My job was clear: Write emails that people actually notice, open, and […]

Starting up a business — piece of cake. Keeping it going past the first year … not so much. If you‘re like me, you’re an entrepreneurial spirit who wishes to have her cake (business) and eat it too (turn a healthy profit).

Discovery calls seem straightforward: learn about your prospect and present your solution. But in reality, they derail more often than they succeed. I’ve been there — watching a prospect’s energy fade as I talked too much, only to receive a polite “we’ll think about it” before they disappeared forever.

I’ll never forget one of my first big sales meetings. I walked out feeling defeated, convinced I’d blown it. The prospect had bombarded me with tough questions and objections, and the whole time I thought they were poking holes in my pitch because they weren’t interested. Later on, a mentor would point out that those […]

As a business owner I know there’s one thing that can make or break my business: cash flow. If you start a brick and mortar store with employees you may be aware of how crucial it is to know when cash is going in and out — but maybe less so if you run an […]