Why you want to learn how to business—the craft of building a profitable, sustainable business for yourself.

The three most critical areas to master (delivery, sales and marketing) and how to start practicing each immediately.

What to do now to avoid the “sophomore slump”—your second year when referrals tend to dry up.

Why speaking and writing—even at the very beginning of your business—are worth committing to consistently.

Teaching your contacts how to look out for the key trigger that says it’s time to call you in.

Quotables

“Use that time (your first year of business) to learn how to business, learn the craft of business, building a profitable business that you want to show up and work at every day.”—JS

“(Your pre-layoff work) came to a screeching halt because somebody else made a decision that was outside of your control.”—RM

“You probably think that doing a great job is how you're gonna magically get new clients.”—JS

“Selling is the art of taking someone who's interested and showing them how you can help them, how you can transform their situation into something better.”—RM

“Instead of pitching, you try to talk them out of working with you, confidently, perhaps with some humor.”—JS

“If you're just getting started, focus on actively listening (in a sales meeting) because your instinct is gonna be to do the opposite.”—RM

“You're not gonna know who your ideal buyer is. You might not even know who your target market is, but you do want to show up in places where people who might have problems you can solve are hanging out.”—JS

“Think in terms of a trigger: what does that other person have to hear to know that they should call you in?”—RM

The Dark Room: Johnny Cash w/ J.L. Mackey