The Forward-Thinking Founder

You Ever Notice How We Chase the Wrong Wins? Building trust locally—whether you’re coaching, lawyering, or fixing roofs—feels like it’s about the perfect pitch. That slick line that makes folks go, “I need this guy.”  Nah. I’ve watched smart people burn cash and time polishing their “brand” or shouting through ads. And then? Nothing. Crickets. I had an attorney client sink a fortune into a marketing firm—fancy site, big promises. Months later, still no leads. Meanwhile, we shifted gears, focused on what actually works, and his phone started ringing. Not because of flash, but because of focus. Truth is, trust doesn’t come from talking louder. It comes from shutting up and listening harder. The One Move That Changes Everything Had a coaching client try something simple this week. Small-town market, tight-knit vibes. Met a guy, didn’t pitch a thing. Just asked questions—“What’s tough lately?” “What’s working?”—and listened. No push, no “hire me” feeling. By the end? This guy is of...

 Business shouldn’t feel like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But for a lot of owners, that’s exactly what it turns into—too many tasks, not enough time, and way too much on your plate. If you're feeling stretched thin, you don’t need more time. You need a better way to use the time you’ve already got. That’s where smart outsourcing comes in. Not just dumping tasks randomly—but offloading the right things, to the right people, with the right systems. Let’s walk through 10 things you can start outsourcing today , including the one system I use that’s bought me back hours every single week. 1. Email Management Let’s start with the inbox. Email is a silent killer of momentum. You open it in the morning, and before you know it, you’ve lost 90 minutes reacting to things that could’ve been handled without you. That’s why my inbox is managed by my assistant—not me. We use a simple system we call the Smarter Inbox Strategy : Everything gets triaged into one of three buck...

 One of my clients was making product images loaded with text—trying to explain everything all at once. We cut that down. Now each image shows one thing clearly. One benefit. One story point. You don’t need 20 sentences. You need one clear message. Confused buyers don’t buy. Clear buyers do.

 You don’t need the perfect sales script. You need better ears. One of the biggest lessons I teach my clients—especially the ones building in local markets—is this: the person doing the most talking is usually losing . I had a client this week who was ready to pitch. But instead, he did something counterintuitive: he asked questions and shut up. What happened next? He built a connection. He got valuable insight. And he walked away with someone willing to spread the word about his business— without ever making a pitch. This is the power of leading with questions. It builds trust. It positions you as someone worth listening to. And more often than not, it creates opportunities you didn’t expect. If you're building a service, a product, or even just a name for yourself… Ask first. Listen well. Speak last.

 Some people just seem to have all the luck. Right place, right time. The right deal lands in their lap, the right client shows up when they need them most. It’s easy to look at them and think, How do they always catch the breaks while I’m stuck grinding it out? Here’s the truth— luck isn’t some magical force that picks favorites. It’s the result of being in motion, putting yourself in the right situations, and knowing how to recognize an opportunity when it’s staring you in the face. Most business owners don’t have a luck problem. They have a positioning problem . They’re waiting for the right moment instead of creating the conditions for success . And that’s what we’re going to uncover today: The Opportunity Creation Framework —four steps to spotting and building opportunities instead of waiting for them to show up. ✅ Find the Problems No One Wants to Deal With – Every industry has inefficiencies. Solve the right one, and you’ll never run out of opportunities. ✅ Spot Mark...