Articles & guides
Writing on growth, AI and technology decisions
Plain-English guides for owner-run businesses, written for the person who has to live with the decision rather than the vendor selling it.
Everything published so far
10/06/2026
Growth Advisor, Consultant, Mentor or Coach: Who to Hire
Advisor, consultant, mentor and coach are not the same help. Here is how they differ, who does the work, and how to choose for your situation.
10/06/2026
Do You Need a Business Growth Consultant? Ten Questions
Ten honest questions to decide whether a business growth consultant is worth paying for, and what to do first if the answer is not yet.
10/06/2026
Free Small Business Help in Jacksonville, Florida
Where Jacksonville and Northeast Florida owners can get free, confidential business advice, and how to decide when paid consulting is worth adding.
10/06/2026
Growth Marketing, Digital or Brand Consultant: Which?
Growth consultant, growth marketing, digital and brand titles overlap. Here is how to tell what each person actually does and which one fits your problem.
10/06/2026
How Much Does a Business Growth Consultant Cost?
Published rates for small business consultants run from about $25 to $149 an hour, and the sources disagree. Here is why, and how to judge a fair price.
10/06/2026
Resources for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses
The SBA programs built for veterans who own or want to start a business, what each one is, and how to find the free local help alongside them.
10/06/2026
Revenue Growth Consultant or Business Growth Consultant?
Revenue growth consultant, business growth consultant, growth advisor: the titles are not standardized. Here is how to read them and what to ask instead.
10/06/2026
AARRR Metrics Template for a Small Business
A fill-in template for the five AARRR (pirate metrics) stages, written for a business with customers and invoices, not an app. What to count and where to find it.
10/06/2026
How to Audit Your Business Software Subscriptions
A step-by-step audit to find software you pay for twice, never use, or cannot get your data out of, before the next renewal charges your card.
10/06/2026
Is Google Cloud Right for a Small Business?
What Google Cloud is, what the free trial and free tier actually cover, and the questions to ask before a small business commits.
10/06/2026
Software and Cloud Discounts for Non-Profits
Google and Microsoft run non-profit programs with strict eligibility rules. What each one requires, who is excluded, and what to check before you plan around them.
10/06/2026
Software Subscription Audit Worksheet to Copy and Fill In
A free worksheet for your software subscriptions: the columns to copy, a simple keep, merge or cancel test for each tool, and a renewal calendar rule.
09/24/2026
The Login Tax: What Admin Screens Really Cost
Every cloud tool comes with a login and a hunt for the right button. How to price that hidden cost in one hour, and what talking to your systems changes.
09/24/2026
Buy Software That Has an API
A vendor without an API is one you'll log in to for as long as you keep it. What 'has an API' really means, and what to ask before you sign.
09/24/2026
Enterprise Platforms Without the Guided Tour
If talking to your systems works on Marketing Cloud, ServiceNow and Terraform, it works on a small business's tools. What carried over and what stayed manual.
09/19/2026
Jacksonville Just Ranked #3 for Small Business
09/19/2026
The Historic Coast Doesn't Need a Modern Look
09/19/2026
We're Too Small for a Growth Consultant
09/14/2026
Migrate Now or Later? How to Decide
Migration effort is the weakest reason to avoid a structural change. How to weigh a one-time cost against a shape your business will live with for years.
09/13/2026
When Your Websites Compete With Each Other
Running more than one website isn't the problem. Two of your sites selling the same thing is. How to spot the overlap and turn it into a referral instead.
09/10/2026
The SEO Problem That Costs You Silently
A page can rank, look fine, and still bleed search value every day over one broken link nobody's checked in years. Why URL integrity should jump the queue.
09/10/2026
Every Job Bills Rounded Up to a Whole Minute
A CI billing quirk most people never read the fine print on -- and the broader lesson it teaches about reading the meter before you scale any tool up.
08/31/2026
Why Sponsor a High School Media Program?
School broadcast and livestream programs are looking for sponsors, and they are an unusually good deal for a local business — visible to exactly the households you want, cheap by advertising standards, and genuinely useful to the students. What to ask before you commit.
05/31/2026
Q-Day: Quantum Computing May Arrive Sooner
“Q-Day” isn’t just another scary apocalyptic term. Always looking ahead, quantum computer advancements will accelerate all tech innovations.
03/16/2026
AI Search Is Answering Your Customers Already
Short answer: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring your website’s content so AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews can find, trust, and cite it when answering a customer’s…
01/21/2026
How AI Is Erasing Small Business Software Costs
Because of the exponential trajectory of AI, we are witnessing the fast demise of software and systems as we know them. The traditional “tech stack” is becoming invisible.
09/13/2025
Business Idea: Automating School Pickup Lines
Automating the school pickup process addresses key challenges like congestion, inefficient manual systems, and resource limitations.
08/29/2025
10 Free Ways Small Businesses Can Use AI Now
If you’re a small business just starting up and you’re looking for not just a competitive advantage, but any advantage at all, you need to look into how you can use AI to help you run, execute and analyze any aspects…
08/29/2025
Is Jira Good for Small Businesses?
How is Jira different than typical Project Management Systems (PMSs)? Would Jira be considered a PMS?
08/25/2025
Top 4 Project Management Tools for Small Teams
For small business owners, the top Project Management Systems (PMS) include Basecamp, Asana, Trello, and Zoho Projects. How to evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and pricing.
08/24/2025
The 5 Phases of the Small Business Lifecycle
You have to know where you are now to understand where you are heading. Every small business evolves through 5 distinct phases with unique challenges and defining moments.
08/16/2025
Challenges Veterans Face Starting a Business
U.S. veterans bring strong leadership, discipline, and resilience to entrepreneurship, but face unique challenges. Finding and accessing specialized programs and resources will support their journey but resilience and…
08/06/2025
How to Test If a Business Idea Is Viable
Assessing the financial viability of your idea in a fast-moving market like tech or non-profit requires a structured and practical approach. Here are the essential steps and considerations for both types of ventures:
08/03/2025
Ten Questions Your Business Plan Must Answer
Starting a new business is an exciting but complex journey, and crafting a realistic business plan is pivotal. Here are the top 10 most important questions new founders should answer, each illustrated with a real-life…
07/20/2025
How AI Is Changing Small Business Tech Teams
Thanks to AI, ALL Software Developers and Engineers are now Technical and System Architects. Sure, it means having to write less code but it also means being able to accomplish more things faster — more optimizing,…
04/20/2025
Using NotebookLM Free as a Small Business Owner
In today’s fast-paced business world, gaining a competitive edge often comes down to how efficiently and effectively you use information.
03/20/2025
Free AI Tools That Give Small Businesses an Edge
As a business owner you’re very busy, so you may not have a lot of time to research tools and Technologies outside of what you are used to.
01/13/2025
Ten Reasons to Use a Business Growth Consultant
Ten honest reasons to bring in an outside advisor — and what each one is actually worth. No borrowed statistics: every reason here stands on whether it describes your business, not on a number somebody selling consulting quoted.