You remember the fable from Hans Christian Andersen called “The Emperor’s New Clothes”?  (14min ) It’s about an Emperor who hires two consultants to create the finest clothing in the world. If an entrepreneur specified the fabric it would be: ‘unbelieva...

Imagine yourself, the ‘A’ list lead actor, flying in the squadron, returning from a winter-over in the south. Your goggles tightly pressing on your face, the brisk air patting your cheeks and puffing in your ears, your green argyle wool scarf flapping lightly on your chest. Arms out, legs together… you’re ‘in-frame’, the focus of the action.

Remember the ‘NO FEAR’ bumper sticker? I’ve seen them on the back of old beater trucks and rusted Volvo wagons with mismatched body parts. I’d usually spot the sticker right after they cut in front of me, while trying to pass with head-on traffic. My usual reaction was something like; “you don’t have fear cause you’re stupid!”

I’ve dropped a bunch of cash into cups and palms only to simply watch it exchanged for alcohol two blocks down the street. When you walk past a street person asking for your change, do you feel - as I have - a bit relieved to tell the truth; “sorry I don’t have any cash”?

The heartache from a rotten outcome, a disappointing turn of events, or a catastrophic failure can be very troubling. Consequences, pain and suffering seem to be an inevitable part of life – and confusing enough to keep us awake late into the night while our minds sort out possible conclusions we can learn from.

Getting on track with your 'calling', your 'mission' and living each day 'on purpose' can be a huge challenge. It may seem that decades go by while the scenery doesn't - like a hamster in a wheel, you're working hard and not making much progress. Let's have a look at people that have left a legacy, and learn from their experiences.

I learned a bit of calculus in college, and as an enterprising couple, I see a correlation between math and marriage – especially between calculus and a great marriage of two serial social entrepreneurs. It’s tough, and there’s nothing better…

Over half of marriages fail. Over half of small businesses fail. What hope is there for the married and self-employed? We’re #%*@^. If we fail at home, we’ll usually loose both our marriage AND the business. If we fail in business, we go back to a ‘job’ a...

With the Internet, you can find all kinds of nuts. Trust me, I’ve heard some really interesting stories - like the guy below. He grew up to be... what I’d call a ‘brilliant’ dumb-ass! You decide for yourself.

Work-At-Home Busyness! It’s the future they said! Yeah, right. Three decades later we know a little about it! he dangers of ‘working-at-home aren’t blatantly obvious, nor can they be avoided intuitively. You’ll get blindsided by them if you aren’t forewarne...

What we speak isn’t just hot air. It encourages and heals, destroys and condemns. Our thinking is one thing – it hurts us. But, the self-talk we let fly out of our hurt, is completely another. I know. I’ve done more damage with my words, than with any other weapon.

A master archer was in the forest with two students. As the students prepared to shoot at a distant target, the master interrupted them with a question; "what do you see?" Cash flow, payroll, supply problems, employee benefits, taxes, risks, market changes, labor issues, recalls, marketing failures... The forest is thick with distraction.

God designed men to to yearn for a battle to fight, an adventure to take, and a beauty to rescue. Unfortunately as with most men, I was incomplete. At 50, I decided I would celebrate by cycling solo across America, from Seattle to New York City. What I didn’t expect was...

One spring morning, in the Pacific Northwest, I was chatting with a client. The white table cloth had been set with fine china and champagne in crystal glasses. We were just remarking about how fragrant the pink cherry blossoms were when we all caught a whiff of smoke.

This is a really easy and effective tool. Use it!

All The guys I know; Terry, for example, gets half his ideas explaining what’s NOT working to other entrepreneurs. My “insights” usually come by sleeping on the problem – but Terry claims his insights happens by spotting examples that “point the way”; like a cartoon character or by observation of a failure.

  Autobiography in Five Short Chapters Written by Portia Nelson, Illustration by Élena Nazzaro Chapter One I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost.....I am hopeless. ...

I once had a client excuse their obligation for a rather large invoice with the reasoning that I shouldn't "take it personally - it was just business". I ended up a few thousand dollars poorer - but much richer. I realized that he was really wrong. Small business IS personal!

Discovering that we are not alone in our struggles is a welcome relief. Knowing we have company is heart-warming. Feeling a sense of confidence that someone else has been through this brings us hope, and courage. Enterprising Couples are people ‘on the move’. The vehicle is not important. The desire to go is the common denominator.