Hiring feels terrifying—even when you’re financially ready. It took me almost three years to hire my first employee, and the reason was simple: I kept thinking in annual numbers. I looked at a $60,000 salary and thought, “There goes $60K of my income.” But that’s not how hiring works. You’re…
I grew up in a house with four brothers, no sisters, on a lake in Indiana. And as a Gen-Xer, people like me aren’t supposed to cry. We’re supposed to stuff it down and power through. So I was shocked when business brought me to my knees while I was…
I was totally burned out. I was in my second year of freelancing. From an outside perspective, things were going great. “Mike has tons of projects. Looks like he’s slaying it!” But behind the scenes, I was a wreck. I was stressed out and burned out, working 14-16 hours a…
I attended a lot of “networking” type of functions while I was growing my agency. I knew that there was a direct correlation between the amount of people I knew in the business world and the amount of opportunities, growth, and success my agency had. One of the networking groups…
In 2018, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) faced an unexpected crisis in the UK when they switched chicken suppliers. Unfortunately, the new supplier wasn’t able to deliver on time, leading to an unprecedented week-long closure of all KFC stores in the country. KFC lovers were disappointed, and the brand was embarrassed….
Nineteen years ago, my brother had his second child. They named him Thor Odin Janda…and not gonna lie, I’ve been massively jealous of his name ever since. My parents named me freakin’ “Mike!” I could have been named “Thor” my whole life?!?!?! Why didn’t anyone tell my parents that was…
Just like most designers starting out, I would just guess my prices. A client asks for a logo design and I’d think, “I can do it for $_____.” Yeah, that sounds good.” Then I would submit my price and hope to win. In fact, everything about my business was a…
