The Best Advice: Seek Outside Counsel

As I mentioned in a previous blog, even the smartest folks need help from others when it comes to navigating big decisions. When you’re an entrepreneur who is emotionally involved in your business, it can be tough to overcome hubris to see things clearly. Even small, seemingly innocuous things can appear to be impossibly overwhelming […]

The Right Players Make the Best Team in Business

As an entrepreneur, you know the value of having the best players on your team. You want people with a variety of talents, and it’s equally important for teammates to know their roles and stay in their lanes. Having too many people with similar skills or who refuse to stick their own roles can end […]

Overcoming the Entrepreneurial God Complex

Bill Gates has said that, early in his career, he placed a lot of value on intelligence. But over time, he found something else more valuable—self-awareness. In working with entrepreneurs, I’ve found that self-awareness is key to avoiding hubris. Of all the things that can wreck an entrepreneurial venture, one of the most ruinous of […]

What Are You Really Looking for in a Client?

When I started my business, I realized at one point that my robust weekly schedule consisted only of lunch breaks and the occasional haircut. I was desperate for appointments and in danger of falling into a couple of entrepreneurial traps: scarcity of clients and the belief that my business could serve everyone. These two traps […]

What are Your Customers Really Paying You For?

With my near-photographic memory, I used to try to be the smartest guy in the room by coming up with unique facts and information most people didn’t know. Today, the internet has taken away that edge—everyone has a smartphone and they can look up anything they need or want to know with just a few […]

Are You an Emotionally Fit Leader

In a previous blog, I talked about how the best investment you can make is you—hands down, there’s no better place for an entrepreneur to put their hard-earned dollars. And of all the things you can invest in for yourself, your mind is top of the heap. By that, I mean emotional fitness—your behavior determines […]

Are You a “Fire, Ready, Aim” Entrepreneur?

It never ceases to amaze me how ill-prepared people can be. Whether it’s an illness, finances, or a family matter, people so rarely spend time preparing for the pitfalls in life. Of course, no one wants to spend their life worrying about going bankrupt, getting divorced or sued, or dying. Nevertheless, plans should be made […]

The Value Of Disruptable Thinking

In today’s ever-changing world, businesses are constantly dealing with disruptions. That’s why being adaptable to change is key to growth and longevity.  Just look at recent years as evidence: a great recession, a pandemic, and a few wars to boot. To keep going as a business, at times, has meant adapting in drastic ways. Add […]

The Best Investment—You

If you were to ask someone like Bill Gates how he became so successful, chances are he wouldn’t tell you he’s worth $130 billion because he spent years putting his money in his 401(k). His net worth comes from years of investing in his business and business deals.  Still, there’s one investment that should take […]

Four Principles For Building Wealth

Entrepreneurs who know what it means to be investors in their business understand the power of economies and the efficiencies of scale when it comes to building wealth. They understand the power of expansion, replication, and recurring revenue; they know that it’s about putting their efforts into the best opportunities and that keeping the money […]

Mark B. Murphy
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