The art of asking questions
One of the things that I’ve always seen as a differentiator between good and great teams is their willingness and courage to ask questions that go beyond the usual surface level stuff. The first part of this is the willingness …
Annual Report 2011: The Forty Book of Lists
The typical corporate annual report is a snoozefest, brimming with overinflated earnings, lofty goals for the next year, and psuedo-inspirational fluff. In typical Forty fashion, our team stuck our tongues out to all those lackluster reports and annual books of …
Forty gets lucky: an interview about planned serendipity
We recently sat down to chat with Lane Becker and Thor Muller, authors of “Get Lucky: How to Put Planned Serendipity to Work for You and Your Business.” Forty previously worked with Lane on the branding and website for Freestyle …
12 business books to read this year
If you listen to Dave Ramsey, you’ll know he often quotes Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, who once said, “You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things—the books you read and the people you meet.” The …
Client relationships are an improv scene
“There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t. My ex-wife loves him.” – Bob Wiley, What About Bob? (1991) The cornerstone of all improvised theater is the almighty two-person scene. In …
Officers eat last: Simon Sinek’s revelations on purpose and leadership
Simon Sinek is one of my favorite leaders and speakers in business. I discovered Sinek in early 2010 when I saw his TED Talk on how great leaders inspire action. The core of this presentation was a simple but compelling …
It’s a waste to start anywhere but the beginning
Whenever someone discovers there’s a problem with their business or has a marketing project to tackle, they want it done NOW. They get anxious, excited, and can’t wait to see the solution or finished product. That’s totally normal, and it’s …
Marketing and sales: you got your chocolate in my peanut butter
Having been in sales for my entire professional career, I’ve witnessed one side of the ongoing jihad between marketing and sales. Now that I’m the newest member of the Forty team, I can finally come clean and admit that I …
Is money really real?
Money is just a metaphor My relationship with my own money is usually played out in front of a screen. I spend a lot of time in front of our family budget spreadsheet, and sometimes I’m on my bank’s website …
The thing about “new” business: why focusing on people isn’t really new at all
Here at Forty, we’re big proponents of championing humanity. Maybe we’ve just become super aware of the subject, but we’ve been noticing an onslaught of articles popping up all over the interwebs that preach this same message, deeming it the …