by Chala | Oct 7, 2026 | Marketing, Small business growth
When I started training my clients’ sales teams on the phone, I knew the avoidance was bad. Then I looked at the numbers. Sellers are scared: A 2018 study by ValueSelling Associates found that 48% of sales reps fear making cold calls. It’s generational: A...
by Chala | Sep 30, 2026 | Marketing, Small business growth
It’s the last quarter of 2026, and I’ve been meeting with a lot of business owners who are worried about their numbers. They’re not imagining it. Four in 10 small businesses expect to fall short of their financial goals this year (Source: Live Oak...
by Chala | Sep 22, 2026 | Leadership, Marketing
Lately, I’ve had a lot of one-on-one conversations with business owners, and a theme keeps coming up. They know they’re not selling enough. Their fix? Outsource the strategy. Hire a sales rep, an ad agency, a door-opening firm, or an AI funnel, and let...
by Chala | Sep 16, 2026 | Marketing
I just got back from a trip to Birmingham, Michigan, where I ran an Executive Roundtable with a great group of women in business, hosted alongside JP Morgan Chase, with participation from their clients and the chair of the local Women Presidents’ Organization....
by Chala | Sep 8, 2026 | Marketing
I was at the DA4S Alliance for Sciences conference in Anaheim a couple weeks ago, and I sat in on a legal panel about AI. I went in expecting a snooze. I came out doing research for days afterward, because what these lawyers laid out wasn’t theoretical, it was...
by Chala | Sep 2, 2026 | Marketing, Small business growth
I’m about to go controversial again: I just got back from three events across Kentucky and California, running Executive Roundtables where business owners share their biggest obstacles to landing corporate clients. I’ve been doing these Roundtables for 10...
