Celebrating the birth of this nation and its independence gives me pause to reflect on the meaning of freedom. William Ralph Emerson was an architect and second cousin of the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. In addition to designing many houses and inns, William Ralph Emerson helped to design some of the first buildings at the National Zoo in Washington, DC. In this poem, Emerson reflects on the aspects that make a nation strong. It’s not the wealth, weapons, or...

Over the years, the various social media platforms have become a huge influencing factor in the way we communicate online, conduct our business and engage with potentially billions of people. I am personally active on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Clubhouse. In my article Addicted to What? I raised some concern regarding these social media platforms but there are of course benefits to using them as well. Here are the top 25 reasons why you ought to use social...

Laurel and I took a road trip to Duck, North Carolina this past week, where she officiated a wedding of a former student and his new bride. Generally, we would fly, but without any direct flights and the need to rent a car to drive the 2 hours to the nearest airport to the resort in Duck, we figured it would take about the same amount of time. Thankfully, we decided to stop on the way in Washington DC after...

When I chat with new prospective clients who want to strengthen their thought leadership through their web presence, I employ a simple test to measure their confidence and expertise by asking, “what is the greatest challenge your clients face and what are 3 recommendations you offer to resolve this challenge?”  I am surprised when some, who claim to run a very successful business, are unable to articulate the answer quickly and powerfully to my question. Rather, they say, “I need...