Ty Kiisel, in his Forbes article, “Who do you Fire First?” says you let the high performer go.

I get his point.  A person on your team who doesn’t support the company’s course and culture, or even actively undermines it, can be toxic beyond measure.  Worst of all, the individual’s high performance can mask other indicators that actually have more impact on the company’s overall performance.

(Of course striving to hire right the first time means never having to say, “You’re fired.” For tips on how to hire for skill AND culture, read a previous blogpost on the subject.)

Before going any further, and certainly before drafting any legal documentation, find out if you and the other person are heading in the same direction with some fast filtering. Inspired by eHarmony’s online dating model (!), I’ve found three questions will extract important details for assuring a compatible business relationship:

• What MUST you have to say yes to this business relationship/deal?
• What would be nice to have?
• What can you NOT STAND?

So you don’t invest time in an ultimately pointless match or disclose confidential information prematurely (business slutty!), schedule a meeting to discuss your answers.  Have both parties prepare bullet lists of these items and compare. You’ll quickly find compatibilities (must haves), areas for negotiation (nice to haves), and deal killers (cannot stands).

If you don’t know how you spend your non-billable time, you can’t know that you’re billing enough when officially on the clock. ALL of your time ultimately needs to be compensated for if you’re to be profitable. This also means you should track time even for “flat-rate” jobs.

When the job’s over, you can compare contracted to actual hours, and therefore compare paid versus overage hours (for which you weren’t paid).

The final bonus of tracking your time is being able to see scope creeping in real time, and just in time to get client approval for a change order that assures you earn for every moment you work.

Announcing a professional title like “architect” or “graphic designer” isn’t specific enough to build a thriving client base around – the kind that has people calling you with the types of work you crave, and plenty of it!

Unless your niche is as specific as one artist I know (who only watercolors Asian wrestlers), you’re likely not niched down enough to distinguish yourself in a crowded field.

So, niche down. Then whittle a little more. Then carve out one more slice, and you’re still not done!

Focusing all proactive marketing and sales efforts on your pinhead-sized target audience makes it easy for your ideal client to recognize you’re the company they want. It also makes your limited resources more effective with a singular message.

Choosing your ideal target client is the hardest thing you’ll do as a biz owner, because it feels like you’re eliminating options. But no matter how counterintuitive, niching down is the first step to upping your income.

Homework:  See how small can you make your niche by brainstorming your Niche Down outline.  Here’s an example to get you started, supposing you are an architect:

• Architect
  • Residential
    • New construction
    • Historic home
      • Restoration
        • Aging in place
        • Green upgrade
        • New construction additions

Chapman’s  5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace applies the same concept as his bestselling classic:  we each have one or more of five primary ways of experiencing appreciation.  Know which, and you’re more likely to communicate in a way that is most meaningful to those in your employ or surround.

Homework:  Take “The 5 Languages Quiz.”  How might knowing this change how you appreciate your inner business owner, or how you appreciate those around you?

Ceramic artist Ben Owen III, Ben Owen Pottery, throwing one of a limited edition of vases for North Carolina public television donors.

I recently visited the largest community of potters with the longest continual history of pottery-making in the country at Seagrove, North Carolina. Among an array of styles of work and artists I met, I heard a great story from multi-generation potter Ben Owen III, of Ben Owen Pottery. 

You think finding a unique niche is a challenge for you? Imagine being among hundreds of artists at the end of a long line of ancestral craftsmen, one of whose work brings tens of thousands of dollars at auction. Imagine Ben, whose work also is distinctively exquisite, and in high demand. Yet, for a while, he wasn’t quite satisfied with his position.

His wife, Lori Ann Little, asked him a simple and provoking question: “What do you want to be remembered for?”  Surprised by his answer, but willing to follow, Ben now makes large works to create the legacy he wishes for.

I also took Lori Ann’s question to heart.  My answer? I want to be remembered for helping others become their most happy, amazing, and audacious selves.

Homework:  What’s your answer to the question?  What do you want to be remembered for?  In what ways might you change or expand your work to align with your answer?  I’d love to see your comment below, and love even more a chance to be helpful.  My answer to this question just might be your answer.

Though larger works are Ben’s legacy, he also makes smaller vessels like this piece, an early birthday treat from my brother and sis-in-law, Wick and Sabrina Jacobi.

For you, Barbara and RaeAnn, and others who are on the cusp of their next chapter, fire up with one of my favorite Commencement speeches by Harry Potter series author, J.K. Rowling, Harvard 2008.

The rest of my advice for you is in my Commencement post of yore – the speech I’d present if ever asked.

Whether you’re a retailer, a one-time project vendor, or someone clients will depend on for years of service, a thoughtfully crafted Welcome Kit sets the tone for your relationship ever after. Consider things like a flow chart illustrating each party’s roles en route to that custom product; a list of company contacts to pave direct communication; a one pager of bullet items suggesting ways to get the most from your company’s services; and an invitation to signup for your blog with ongoing advice.

If your typical welcome is a stoic purchase order, or a contract filled with legalese language about how you do business, you’re missing the chance to communicate expectations more clearly and create a memorable experience clients can’t help but talk about.

Homework:  Create a Welcome Kit for each type of new client relationship. (I’m working on kits for my Circle of Trust members, new Mountaineers, and even new clients who want a periodic Spot Treatment.)

“Half the failures in life arise from pulling in the horse as he is leaping.”

— Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth by Two Brothers, 1827

I’m building a new product that is thrillingly ambitious, requiring me to leap beyond what I know to get what I want.

In jumping horses, the real safety risk is not in the leap, but in chickening out mid-stride. Similarly, if we hesitate in the middle of a level leap, we sabotage our progress and/or our success.

Whatever hurdles are in your path, commit to the jump, look beyond the rail rather than at it, and enjoy your flight!  I’ll see you on the other side.

I confess that when Dani first recommended this question, I skipped over it, fearing long answers would be tedious. But one interview made me a believer. Though the candidate’s answers to all other questions suggested otherwise, her A to the job Q laid out a clear pattern showing she positively wasn’t the right fit.

Dani’s favorite interview question reveals a candidate’s previous employers’ and colleagues’ opinion: Did you get a party when you left?

Homework:  Start a list of interview questions you’ll ask every time to help filter candidates by your company’s culture and preferences.