Sunday, November 08, 2026
Only finding out how last month went weeks later? An NBA team’s gamified sleep stats and the One Metric That Matters framework fix that this week.
There's a particular kind of tired that has nothing to do with hours worked. It's the tired that shows up after a good month, not just a bad one — when the numbers were fine and you still lay there wondering if this is just what owning a business feels like, forever. If you've had that thought, you're in more company than it feels like at 1am: 40% of US small business owners have considered giving up their business altogether (Xero Emotional Tax Return 2026, US). That's not a small, private failure. It's close to half.
The villain isn't you, and it isn't the business either — it's the quiet rule that says admitting this out loud makes you less capable of running the thing. So owners carry it alone, performing "fine" at dinner, at the school gate, in the group chat, right up until it either passes or it doesn't.
What you'll miss, if it stays unsaid: not necessarily a dramatic collapse — just more of the same weight, carried solo, for longer than it needed to be. The version of this year where someone else was holding part of it with you.
Kim Scott's Radical Candor is usually taught as a management idea — care personally, challenge directly — but it works just as well pointed at yourself. Most owners are honest about everything except how they're actually doing. That's not toughness. It's just a habit nobody's interrupted yet.
Here's something I don't lead with often: having founded or co-founded nine companies and coached 200+ businesses one-on-one since 2017, I still hired my own coach through The Icehouse to accelerate my own growth. Not because I was failing — because having someone outside the business, with no stake in pretending it's fine, changes what you're willing to say out loud, and what you're willing to actually do about it once you've said it.
"Keeping me sane and focused during uncertain times."
— Rachel Williams
This isn't for you if you'd rather push through quietly and hope it passes on its own. It is for you if you're ready to say the true thing to someone who'll actually help you do something about it.
If any part of this sounds like your Tuesday, a conversation costs nothing and carries no obligation — that's exactly what the free call is for.
Sunday, October 04, 2026
Most SME strategies are really just revenue wishlists with no diagnosis behind them. Here is the three-part test that separates a real strategy from a wish, and what to fix first if yours fails it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
94% of small businesses using AI across multiple functions have cut spending on marketing, data and bookkeeping, and they are more confident than ever. Here is the three-question audit to run before you cut judgment along with the invoice.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Chasing a poor-fit customer to hit a year-end number rarely pays off. Here is the Right-Fit Growth Filter SME owners use before saying yes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
High satisfaction with your business coach does not guarantee progress. Here is the yearly Re-Contracting Conversation that keeps coaching sharp.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
We'll sort it in the new year is quietly stalling more small businesses than any competitor. Here is the Now-or-January Test that fixes it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
A 10 percent discount can need 46 percent more sales volume just to break even. Here is the Quota-Protection Plan for small business sales teams.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Referred customers buy four times more often, yet most happy customers are never asked. Here is the Post-Purchase Sequence that fixes it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Your best quarter can hide the same problems as your worst one. Here is the five-step Success Audit SME owners use to pressure-test growth before it plateaus.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
You just gave someone a raise to keep them, and they left anyway. A new US survey shows a 21-point gap between what owners think keeps their team and what actually does.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Small Business Saturday falls just 27 days before Christmas this year, one of the shortest holiday windows in years. Here's the three-step margin check to run before Q4 locks in your pricing mistakes.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Acquiring a new customer costs five to seven times more than growing revenue from an existing one. Here is the share-of-wallet audit that finds it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Most coaches say yes to everyone who can pay them. Here is the real test for whether a business coach is actually right for your business.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
The average knowledge worker gets barely an hour of uninterrupted time a day. Here is the meeting-free day protocol that gives your team room to think.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
A verbal yes is not a closed deal, and more than 40 percent of B2B deals stall in the gap between agreement and signature. Here is how to close it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Ninety percent of blog content gets zero traffic from Google, and most SME blogs are no exception. Here is the content-market fit audit that fixes it.