The Thoughts of a small-town man raising his family, growing a church, and building a law practice

 It simply depends on the size of the tank. Small tank = small goldfish  Why do I think I need to revamp SquareSpace in favor of ClickFunnels?  I'm trying to copy rather than create. I want to see that it's already been done and go from there.  I don't want to put in the hard work of creating value.  What about lead magnets?  What about value ladder?  What about them?  I'm justifying to myself that this is the most important thing.  It's a bell and whistle; shiny and new.  The sign is when I go to fiverr to hire someone else to do the thing.  To create the logo. Design the mailer.  The actual act of creating is up to you.  You can't outsource that.  You can look for inspiration and see what others have done.  But there is no golden bullet. There are a thousand silver BBs.  So the value stack is straight forward for now.  "You have estate planning concerns" They come in many different forms.  My sol...

 Another week gone by.  How did that happen? Fox and the Hound tonight.  Is this really a place to reflect?  Probably not.  I picture an audience reading these words, though I know no one does. Well some people do. You know who you are.  Do you ever wish you could have a conversation with your future self?  What would he say?  How would he encourage you in this moment?  He'd say keep walking the path.  So when I read this a year from now, will I then be encouraged?  Am I encouraged now?  I've certainly learned lessons along the way.  Flat fee for example. It's easy to say flat fee for each document.  But flat fee for offers--true offers--is the best path for leverage at this time.  Nothing new coming in will be done hourly. Just get the job done, get right to the heart of the matter.  Client like it so much more. They're not worried that I'm wasting time. They know I'm getting the job done. 

Failures have one trait in common: "Airtight alibis" We all have excuses to explain why we can't achieve our goals, dreams, visions. We've all been there, hearing these voices echoing in our mind: If only I didn’t have a wife and family... If only I had enough “pull”... If only I had money... If only I had a good education... If only I could get a job... If only I had good health... If only I had time... If only times were better... If only other people understood me... If only conditions around me were only different... If only I could live my life over again... If only I didn’t fear what "they" would say... If only I had been given a chance... If only I now had a chance... If only other people didn’t "have it in for me"... If only nothing happens to stop me... If only I were younger... If only I could do what I want... If only I had been born rich... If only I could meet “the right people”... If only I had the talent some people have... If only I...

Chasing the new trends.  It's always the newness.  The novelty.  That's the sign of anxiety.  Jumping from thing to thing. New project after new project.  The Woman in the Red Dress distracting each passerby in the Matrix.  Stick to what you know. Double down on what's working and find more ways to get more of those people in the door.  Yes, AI is exciting because it's changing everyday. (AI can now operate your computer for you. That's incredible).  But this act-- This act of creating. That requires discipline.  That's why we have business plans.  That's why we write down our goals and stay committed to the process.  Any one of the business model could work. It's not of matter of whether they will but how much effort you will put in to making them work.  Render value.  Stay focused.  Praise God for the straight and narrow. 

With 3 kids, 2 parents, and 1 business, it's no wonder the day zooms by in a blur.  The alarm goes off and then something happens--life moves through us or we move through life--and then it's time for bed.  Long days, short weeks.  Life lived in seasons at a time.  A difficult season.  And what of it? Would you have it any other way? I can't wait to see who we are on the other side.  How much more like Christ we will be after being the parents to 3 under 4.  The story goes that a man prayed for strength.  So God gave him opportunities to be strong.  The man prayed for wisdom.  So God gave him opportunities to be wise.  The man prayed for direction.  So God gave him opportunities to lead.  Should we be surprised then when the circumstances make the man?  Like the chisel against the granite.  Like the knife against the wood.  Like the words against the page.  These are the days that form the character nec...

 As a general rule of thumb for marketing: if everyone is doing it, do something else.  There must be a way to stand out  and provide an irresistible offer.  Maybe EDDM is that way.  I've done LinkedIn ads, Facebook ads, Google ads.  But the only reason I believe those work is because everyone else is telling me that they work.  Someone could keep a mailer. Post it on their fridge. Give it to a friend.  With digital media, they click and see. And then you have to retarget time and time again.  This could work. We'll see.  If it does work, I'll have a whole new problem on my hands.  But it is hard to be poor with leads knocking down your door.  Oh yeah and by the way: sickness stinks.  Everett was sick on Thursday so it's just made it's way through our home.  Once he "got it" then it was only a matter of time before we "got it" as well.  I guess the same thing could be said about marketing.  Once someone els...

 Fridays are the best day of the week.  Why is that? Anticipation of the weekend.  Reflection of a hard week of work.  Maybe that's why Monday is the worst day of the week. Anticipation of a hard week of work.  Reflection of another weekend gone by.  Weekends are usually when we get to live our dreams.  Either early morning coffee with dad or sleep until we wake up.  Big breakfast with the family.  Deep, creative work at the office. Then home for the afternoon, usually for cleanup or projects.  Saturday is the day our soul breathes.  Sunday is the day our soul worships with other souls.  And Friday is the day we get to anticipate those days.  But you know what would be super cool? If every day was lived like Friday: in full anticipation of life yet to be, lived in such a way that days of the week had no meaning; that life could be lived seasonally instead of day-by-day.  That'd be something else. That sounds like a li...