By Brett Cafferty Recent reading helped me better understand something I wish I had learned years earlier: Being “ready” is not a feeling. It’s a decision. Most people assume readiness arrives like confidence - suddenly appearing out of nowhere. We think one day we’ll...

By Dr. Jim Bailey, drjim@drjimbailey.com In recent months, I entered an unanticipated life transition and find myself “in between” the work and life I had and the one that’s yet to come. Insightful writers have referred to these life transitions as liminal space, from...

By Andy Barton Have you ever needed a plumber, an electrician, or any other experienced professional from the multitude of trades we depend upon for the upkeep of our homes, businesses, infrastructure, and countless other necessities? Ever have a difficult time...

Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing. The other day when the sun was shining and the temperatures felt more like April than January, I took advantage of a break in my schedule and went outside for a walk. “Make hay while the sun shines,” says the old adage, and...

By Brett Cafferty Last week I was fortunate enough to have lunch out twice - once with an old friend and once with a new friend. I also got my fix of a Mexican food lunch as we just happened to have that both days! My friends are both professionals who work from home,...

By Dr. Jim Bailey Recently I met a man who was supervising construction at a house near mine. The house has spectacular views of the Tennessee River and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but the foundation is built on Tennessee red clay. The clay acts like a...

By Brett Cafferty When not tending to magazine matters, I assist a local general contractor (who is also a friend) manage interior renovation projects. Having two very different vocations allows a change of scenery, and each has each own “flavor” of challenges -...

By Dr. Jim Bailey The other day I looked up from my reading and saw a small millipede walking in circles on the patio. We have a wooded yard, so it’s not unusual to see insects, but this guy kept moving in the same left-hand circle like he was a miniature NASCAR...

By Chuck Morris I've been self-employed for more than 34 years. That’s given me a front-row seat to several big technological shifts that have fundamentally changed how we do business. Desktop publishing revolutionized document production in the late '80s and early...

By Dr. Jim Bailey Years ago, a friend helped me revamp my website. Early in our conversation, he asked, “What is the common theme for people who come to you for coaching services?” I responded, “Pain. People come to me because they are stuck in uncomfortable...

By Brett Cafferty As we commemorate Labor Day, I decided to revisit the origin and events that led to our national holiday honoring the achievements of American workers during a very difficult period in our history – At the height of the Industrial Revolution in the...

By Dr. Jim Bailey Last Saturday, several high school guys and their Young Life leader helped me mulch the flower beds around my yard. These guys helped turn what would have been a week of back-breaking work (it took seven cubic yards of mulch) by myself into a fun day...

By Brett Cafferty A question posed a few weeks ago at a men’s group I meet with asked, “Who did you want to be like when you were a child and why?” I didn’t have an immediate answer, but what did come to mind were those I’ve learned from and had relationships with in...

By Dr. Jim Bailey What do you want from your life? It’s a simple question, but answering it can be incredibly hard. If I asked you, “What do you want?,” what would you say? We humans have an endlessly changing list of things we want - a better job, new car, new home,...

By Brett Cafferty Within the past month, I’ve specifically noticed four small retail businesses close that are along my usual route. A small space in the Cedar Springs Shopping Center, others in Turkey Creek, Farragut, and a downtown shop in Sweetwater. I’m sure there...

By Dr. Jim Bailey At the beginning of the year, there’s a lot of fuss about the resolutions we make regarding our health, financial situations, relationships, and the like. Experience (and the media) reminds us that most of our resolutions have failed by the second...

By Brett Cafferty There are many reasons we struggle to get in gear on whatever tasks or goals we have determined are important or necessary. Within the small business community, there are many professionals who are creative, capable, hard-working people that fully...

By Dr. Jim Bailey A fun fact about me - the mute symbol on my TV remote is worn off. The television is only six months old, and the mute button is worn because I have a habit of muting the sound during commercials. I’ve never had patience for TV ads that attempt to...

By Brett Cafferty Back in 2009, my daughter and I took a road trip together to attend a family wedding in Western New York. We first drove to Northern Virginia where my brother lived to join up with him and his daughter, then the four of us (two dads and our teenage...

By Dr. Jim Bailey In late August, I was in the mountains of North Carolina and, though it was still summer, the mornings were fall-like, with temperatures in the 50s and highs around 80. Autumn is my favorite season, and I could see the gold of summer afternoons being...

By Chuck Morris What in the world do we mean by “Marketing at Human Scale?” Or, drop the marketing part for now - what is “human scale?” Human scale is a term typically used in architecture and interior design to describe the built environment’s purpose to meet human...

By Dr. Jim Bailey A friend once told me, “Until your kids can drive, it’s a family trip, not a vacation.” It’s sort of a Murphy’s Law for life with children. Well, recently Murphy showed up at my family beach vacation and taught me something that is going to make my...

By Brett Cafferty I have had the adventure of working in very different businesses in my career, with exposure to all kinds of situations, people, technology, and have gained an appreciation (and some great stories) of the quirks and cultures that come with a given...

By Dr. Jim Bailey I’m sometimes asked, “What brings clients to your website or business?” My quick answer is “pain.” Then I’ll explain, “Most of us have a deep desire to be competent and capable of solving our own life problems. It’s painful to embrace the idea that...

By Andy Barton May was Mental Health Awareness Month. This means something different to each of us. For some, it’s more acute and sometimes tragic. For many, it’s just another month. However, we should all be cognizant of our own mental health and that of those we...