How to grow ANY boutique professional services firm: This is the framework we use at Madison to help our clients grow. It's gone through several iterations, and I'm sure will continue to evolve over time: ✅ Get VERY clear on your Point of View. Who you serve, what you believe to be true about your domain, why you are unique, and how you approach your work. Put a stake in the ground and decide who you do (and don't) serve. Make sure every team member knows it cold. ✅ When possible, codify your thinking into frameworks that are easy to understand and create differentiation. ✅ Translate that Point of View clearly into your primary channels. Your website, LinkedIn page, etc. should help people understand immediately who you are and how you might be able to help them. ✅ Create a menu of solutions tailored specifically for who you serve (bonus points if they descend from your framework). Ideally they map to various stages of the client's work. Ideally you have some stuff that starts early and strategic, helping you earn the right to assist with implementation. Ideally some of them are recurring. ✅ For each, state clearly what problem it solves, when that problem tends to arise, how they currently try to solve it, and what solving it would mean for their business. Make sure every team member knows it cold. ✅ Become gratuitously helpful. Give away your best insights, your best ideas. Challenge your marketing team to start thinking like a media company. Look at firms like McKinsey & Company or Bain & Company as models. You certainly can't do all of what they do. But what's your smaller version of that? ✅ Teach your team to give away their secrets as well. Imagine if your 5 (or 20, or 100) partners all were regularly sharing their best ideas on LinkedIn with the people they seek to serve. Imagine if each of them became Trusted Advisors who immediately come to mind when buying windows emerge. The key to being top of mind is being helpful and consistent. ✅ Provide gentle ways to deepen relationship. Webinars specifically focused on major pain points. Lunch and learns in office where you show them EXACTLY how to solve the problem. At each step overwhelm them with value. ✅ Teach your team to be disciplined around nurturing relationships. Help train them on how to be insanely helpful 1 month, 3 months, 12 months in. Make sure they don't wing it - show them how CRM can help them build amazing relationships at scale. ✅ Nail onboarding. Knock your client's socks off during the first 30 days. ✅ Teach your team to systematically ask for referrals, in respectful ways, ideally mapped to key client success or inflection points. ✅ Pursue strategic partnerships. Find complementary businesses that think the way you think. Create partner-specific sales enablement tools so they know what to say when. What did I leave out? (P.S. If you need any help with the above, DM me.)

This is kind of blowing up on Threads. And apparently lots of people would rather compromise their financial and family safety than use a site that is owned by Elon Musk. A little wild - presumably they wholeheartedly endorse Zuck.

PSA: This week was kind of a turning point for AI and cybersecurity. Please take this weekend to do some simple cleanup for your family. Some suggestions: - Set up a password manager like 1Password and give your spouse or partner access to a shared vault. Teach them how to use it. - Update your passwords for critical stuff - your email account, your bank or financial stuff, etc. Store in your password manager and use the strongest password you can. - Use two factor auth for everything you can. SMS is not ideal although better than nothing. Google Authenticator or a passkey is better. Hardware key is safest.) - Add a sim pin to your phone. Makes it harder to sim jack. - Update your phone and your computer to the newest releases. Turn auto-updates on. - Freeze your credit - takes 5 minutes. - Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN. - If you’re using claude code or have AI agents that browse the web, they’re probably using Node.js. It’s also vulnerable. Update claude code, update node on your machine. - If you’re building stuff on your computer, ask claude or grokbot (which is connected to twitter and likely has the most current info) to audit any of your repos for vulnerabilities. Ask grok to make it a scheduled task so it can do this daily - things are moving very quickly in the space right now. - Consider some light resiliency stuff. This probably sounds silly, but it sounded silly at the beginning of covid too. Having printed out copies of important stuff - especially financial accounts. Having some cash on hand. Having some shelf-stable food and clean water or a water filter. Having a map. Having a generator that can at least power your fridge or some devices. Cheap insurance. Again, I don’t want to alarm people, but I was taught that you should have a Secure plan, a Comfortable plan, and a Wealthy plan. And it seems pretty clear the secure plan needs to now factor cybersecurity risk as a legit threat. Take a weekend and shore yourself up.

More on contentment. When I was in college I read about how the apostle Paul said he'd "learned the secret of being content." But then he never said what it is. I thought about that for years. Eventually I figured it out (I think). First, the word. The Greek word he uses for "secret" is memyēmai, which means more like "initiated." It was the kind of thing you only come to know by going through it. So he's not hiding the answer. There's nothing for him to hand over. You can't really be "told" contentment, any more than you can be "told" how to swim. You have to go through the process. Second, he says "I have learned." Which means it's a skill. And you acquire skills through training. I can "try" to run a marathon, but it won't go well. But if I "train" to run a marathon, I have a much higher chance of being successful. Likewise, I can't just try to be content. I have to train at it. Third - and this is the part that tripped me up for a LONG time - he talks about both directions. We assume (or at least I did) that contentment is the cure for not having enough. But Paul says it's the cure for plenty too. Plenty is a trap as much (more so?) than lack. It raises the floor on what you think you need. It creates fear of loss. You worry more because you have more to lose. You don't spend time thinking about how far you've come, just how others still have more. It's poison. Last - Paul wrote this in a thank you letter, while in prison. He's accepting a gift from friends. He's receiving help. So whatever contentment is, it's not self-sufficiency, and it's not not needing anything. So how do you train it? Some things that have helped me: - Practice lack on purpose, in small doses. Fast. Take the longest line at the store. Go to the store in the first place vs. pressing the button. Drive in the slow lane. Stay in a less fancy hotel than you can afford. Learn the joy of simple meals with friends. Cap your spending on gifts to your partner. Reps can come from anywhere. - Start every planning session with gratitude. I do this weekly. Always try to make decisions from a mindset of gratitude vs. fear. - Name something you have now that you once only hoped for. Epicurus: "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not." I'm bad at this, but I'm working on it. Most driven people I've met are too. - Write down what "enough" is. A number, a team size, whatever. Otherwise enough gets defined as slightly more than current state, forever. - Celebrate on purpose, even if it feels forced. We keep champagne in the office fridge and open a bottle for every new engagement. I did that because I realized I'm bad at celebrating naturally. - Serve someone who can't pay you back. Ideally in secret. If people find out, it doesn't count. Other ideas? I'm a student here as well.

Last week was the highlight of the year for me, at least professionally. I wanted our first Summit to be uniquely high quality in terms of the material presented, and I was not disappointed. Extremely grateful to our speakers ( Victor Saad, Michelle Johnson, Jon Morris, Todd P. Paul, and Jon Klinepeter) for sharing their wisdom. Grateful to everyone who attended and the quality of conversations in the room. And grateful to the entire Madison team (particularly Margaret Nalley) for making it happen. The videos from the sessions are being processed as we speak. If you missed the event but would like access to the sessions when they're ready, DM me and we'll get you access early next week. Time to start preparing for next year :)

I struggle with contentment. Left unchecked I can be blind to ambition. I studied contentment between companies, and I review it often to help keep the demons at bay. Some highlights: “He is richest who is content with the least; for contentment is the wealth of nature.” - Socrates“ The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” - Plato “Happy the man who can endure the highest and the lowest fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity, has deprived misfortune of its power.” - Paul “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you do not. Remember that what you have now was once among the things you only hoped for.” - Epicurus “Very little is needed to make a happy life.” - Marcus Aurelius “Let your prayer for temporal blessings be strictly limited to things absolutely necessary.” - Bernard of Clairvaux “The highest arts is to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.” - Martin Luther “Discontent doth dislocate and unjoint the soul, it pulls off the wheels… it is a fretting humour, which dries the brain, wastes the spirits, corrodes and eats out the comfort of life.” - Thomas Watson“ A wise man cares not for what he cannot have.” - George Herbert “The highest point outward things can bring unto is the contentment of the mind; with which no estate can be poor, without which all estates will be miserable.” - Sir Philip Sidney “My crown is in my heart, not on my head, Nor decked with diamonds and Indian stones, Nor to be seen; my crown is called content; A crown it is, that seldom kings enjoy.” - Shakespeare “Before we set our hearts too much on anything, let us examine how happy are those who already possess it.” - Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld “The fountain of contentment must spring up in the mind, and they who have so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but their own disposition, will waste their lives in fruitless efforts and multiply the grief they propose to remove.” - Samuel Johnson “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.” - Benjamin Franklin “He is happy whose circumstances suit his temper; but he is more excellent who can suit his temper to any circumstances.” - David Hume “Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” - William Gladstone “Give a man everything he desires and yet at this very moment he will feel that everything is not everything.” - Kant“ "You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” - Spurgeon “Can anything be so elegant as to have few wants, an to serve them one’s self?” - Emerson “Contentment is the only real wealth.” - Alfred Nobel “Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment.” - Ghandi

Over the last few years I've sought to cultivate what I call "slow intensity." On the one hand, I want to move important projects forward. I want to be efficient and effective. On the other hand, I want to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from my life. I don't like how it impacts my relationships. I don't like what it does to my body. I don't like what it does to my soul. Like most of the important things in life, it's a tension to be managed rather than a problem to be solved. But I do believe it's possible to be busy but not be hurried. To be ambitious and peaceful. Some things that have helped me: - GTD: my task management system is critical to making this work. I'm a huge advocate for GTD. By getting everything out of my head into a system I trust, reviewed at an appropriate cadence, I don't have to think about things 'Im not actively working on. - Single tasking. I used to cook and listen to a podcast and think about tomorrow's meeting. These days I try to just. cook. I close browser tabs I'm not using (adding to my task or knowledge management system if necessary.) As much as possible, I try to do one thing at a time. This has become harder with the robots. I frequently have Claude Code working on one thing while I work on another. I get a lot more done. But I notice it can be more taxing on my mind. - Deliberately slow down. The speed with which I move impacts how I feel. So I try to slow down. I go up the stairs more slowly. Cut vegetables more slowly. Open my laptop more slowly. It sounds silly, but I think it matters. - MVT. Defining my Most Vital Task (MVT) each morning and making sure I block 2-3 hours to get that done is an enormous unlock. It ensures I tackle my most important priorities and critical deep work before the day blows up. - Use disciplines to develop patience. This can be anything. Driving in the slow lane on purpose. Going in the longer line at the grocery store. - Output per workday vs. hours worked. There's always another call to make. Post to write. Lead to follow up with. Trying to be focused and deliberate with my work day allows me to close my laptop and say, that's enough. You did well. If I didn't do well, I gently ask why, get up and resolve to do better the next day. Consider implementing your own practices to bake slow intensity into your life. Your soul will thank you.

The new Apple upgrade program with @Klarna is wild. I have fantastic credit. And I have a Macbook already on the upgrade program. But I can't get approved for the Duo.

I started posting consistently on IG and TikTok ~90 days ago. It's been pretty wild: IG: 8M views, 47k profile views, 40k new followers (up from 11k). TikTok: 3.6M views, 43.4K profile views, 19.1k followers (from zero.) Haven't talked about my company directly once. Our next hire likely will come from it. 120k in revenue might come from it.

I remember going in to guest lecture my first class at Kellogg, as an audition. I was terrified. It took about 5 minutes before I realized I did, in fact, know more about my subject than anyone else in that room. No one has your unique combo of skills and experience. Share it.

4 non-traditional but incredibly powerful ways to build a network of amazing people: - Start an organization. Be the hub. Doesn't have to be formal - can be as simple as a Slack group. A buddy of mine runs a group for Chicago CMOs - it's one of the coolest groups of people I've ever met. Just takes a willingness to stand up the group, invite a couple folks, introduce them to each other, and provide ways to facilitate connections. - Start a podcast. Don't worry about how many subscribers or listens you get - that takes time, and will come eventually. It's also not the point. The point is you now have a reason to talk to super fascinating people. Just make the ask - you'll be amazed at your hit rate, even without a warm intro. Be fascinated in them, let them shine. Ask them if they know anyone else who'd be up for it. - Work for free. Want to learn real estate? Offer to go hunt for deals for free. Want to get into venture? Scout deals, offer to help with diligence. Want to get a role in a new organization? Go get them a client. Stop thinking of your time as something you trade for an hourly rate. Think of your time as an asset you invest in your long term growth. - Organize dinners. Bring 6-10 people together. Tell them why you picked them. Let them get to know each other. Connect them all the next day.

I did standup for 3 years in college. And I wasn’t good at it. I’m immune to trolls.

This completely blew up overnight. 1) Lots of people saying this doesn't take a genius. Never said I was bright. 2) A lot of people are VERY upset. Quick story: When I was in college I worked at Bennigan's. At the end of the shift, you were supposed to "marry" the ketchup's. There was this one dude who never did it. Drove me nuts. I went home and told my roommate about it. Complained for several minutes. He looked at me and said, "dude, you need a bigger world." Changed my life.

The best way I’ve found to figure out what you want in life: visualize your ideal (realistic) day/week/month/year. As vividly as possible. YOURs. Not what you read in a book or from some influencer. What I wrote down for myself: I never picture having a second home. I picture going to new places all the time. I never picture a second family car. I do picture renting fun, fast cars to drive around those new places. And perhaps some fast car that I drive around a track in semi-competitive races. I never picture a country club. I do picture playing 9 holes of public course golf, once a week, in the morning, with a group of guys I enjoy, drinking great coffee. I never picture a bigger house. When my kids are grown, I picture a smaller one. But big enough to host a great party on the main level. I picture a sauna I use daily. A gym I use daily. I picture good friends I see every week. I picture a lot more date nights. Quarterly staycations in the city. I picture a weekly massage. I picture a great, tailored wardrobe. Age appropriate. Classic. I picture Sunday dinners with friends at my house. I picture a meal that takes all day to make, in a kitchen that is perfect. I picture good wine. I picture long walks in my neighborhood. I picture a great comfortable chair with a nice view where I can read with a great cup of coffee. I picture being able to fly home to see my folks in their twilight years. I picture calling my kids, telling them about the adventure my wife and I are about to go on, asking them if they want to come. I picture a work life that allows for me to be busy but unhurried. I picture moving at a pace that somehow helps those around me feel more peaceful themselves. I picture a small office in Evanston with a team of amazing people building something we love. I picture a bunch of remote folks who are obsessed with their craft. I picture flying everyone to a fun place each year to hang. I picture champagne toasts when we land clients. Clients who are friends. Doing great work at a sustainable pace. I eventually picture a bookstore, that I own, with comfortable seating in the front, where a group of old friends come in the mornings to hang out and drink great coffee. It has a fireplace (somehow), and my dog sits by it. I have those glasses with the strap and the magnet in the middle, and when customers come in I look up at them and smile. It doesn’t make much money. That’s not the point. And in between customers, I write. Maybe I publish it. I don’t think it matters. Mostly I picture a healthy cadence. Meaningful work. Great friends. A fantastic marriage. Lots of time to think. The point though - this is mine. You don't need to do mine - you probably shouldn't. You should figure out yours. I find it much more motivating than vague notions to build a company and make a bunch of money. More importantly, I find it helps give me guardrails on the kind of decisions I make - especially the kind of work I do. I found solitude DEEPLY helpful as a practice in this. It allowed me to unplug from all the inputs surrounding me, and actually hear my own mind. Consider going into the woods :)

Unpopular opinion: I love checking a bag. I love walking around with just my laptop and a book and a coffee. I love not fighting for overhead space. I don’t mind the extra few minutes upon arrival. It’s a reminder to slow down. Lost luggage? A story for later.