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Amazon is the most profitable online retailer in the world. Considering its massive catalog, absence of inventory, elegant user interface, speedy customer service, enticing product previews, free shipping, efficient logistics, recommendation algorithms, low prices, ongoing discounts, helpful reviews and simple return policy, it’s no surprise they’re the best. But what most people don’t know about Amazon is the is context in which it was created. Twenty years ago, Jeff…

Like buttons are nothing new. Long before social media governed our relationships, long before the web changed our economy and long before digital technology shifted our culture, we all had like buttons. They may not have been visible. Or clickable. Or even called like buttons. But we all had them. Still do. In our nature is a built-in need for approval from others. It doesn’t come from a well…

On the neverending list of things to do, at the top will always be “more.” Creating more real work, executing more actual product and shipping more lasting value, in the unique way that only we can deliver. As my friend Chris says, we have to get our units up. Our work, our art, has to be living in as many different venues as possible, both online and offline, for…

We should never feel bad about burning out. It’s part of the life experience. None of us is invulnerable to the emotional exhaustion that comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. Or an artist. Or a leader. Or a parent. Or a whatever. Burnout affects everybody, everywhere. It’s human, it’s healthy, it’s helpful, and best of all, it’s humbling. It’s a reminder that, despite our best efforts, life…

The first sale is the one I make to myself. Before I make the call, meet the client, give the pitch, show my wares and ask for the order, my chief weapon is the convincing of myself. The internal monologue that inspires me, down to my bones, to believe in who I am and the value I deliver. And it’s not just the first sale, it’s also the hardest…

When we tell our story the same way, all the time, everywhere, people don’t just buy from us once, they join with us forever.  Stay at any Ritz Carlton around the globe, and the employees offer the same warm welcome, deliver the same anticipatory service and embody the same attitude.  Take a class at any Bikram studio around the world, and the instructors will use the same language, teach…

    Unlike a certain former president, I do inhale.     Nothing drug related.        It’s just part of my job.        Here’s a list of my favorites from this year so far. 1.     The Challenger Sale. If you help customers think differently and bring them new idea, then you earn the right to a relationship. 2.     Art+ Copy. It’s not a truth about the product, it’s about…

I got too successful, too fast, too early. And because I lacked the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional foundation to support my new found success, a lot of my life suffered. On the business side, media attention wasn’t leveraged, partnership opportunities weren’t developed, web traffic wasn’t converted and product sales weren’t generated. No wonder my company didn’t make any money for three years. No wonder the ratio of effort…

I’ll never forget smelling the first copy of my first book. Greatest moment of all time. Especially for a guy who wanted nothing more than to be an author his whole life, when I opened that cardboard case and literally touched a copy of my dream, pride an accomplishment washed over me like a spring rain. Immediately following that, I had a realization: Crap. Now I have to sell…

Most headphone companies tout their ridiculous bass quality, masterful sonic performance, superb tonal balance and revolutionary planar magnetic orthodynamic reference capacity.  Whatever the hell that means. Meanwhile, Bose is the only headphone company whose value proposition is based on what you can’t hear. And every year, they’re always the best selling in their category. Never underestimate the profitability of can’t.