This week, Alyse McConnell's session had us looking at the truth behind the overwhelming feeling most of us as business owners experience when we wear too many hats. It's not about not having enough time, says Alyse; insecurity and resistance gets in the way of focus and energy. And entrepreneurs by nature often avoid the very structure that would help us focus. Determine and then keep in mind our own "highest and best use," and even solopreneurs can gather a team around them to get important projects done.

Next week in Doug Nathan's session "Making the Deal," Doug shows how we enter into negotiations every day--with employees, customers, lenders, and even family members--trying to get what we want with the other's approval. With all that experience, you'd think we'd be confident negotiators. But most of us cringe at the thought of trying to get what we want if it means someone might drive a hard bargain or say "No." Successfully growing your business, and creating the life you want, requires adopting a negotiator's mindset. You'll gain insights that help you:

• Expose assumptions about negotiation that help and harm you
• Know when to compete and when to collaborate
• Create positive emotions for better results
• Look for the possibilities beyond "No."

Rachel Maxwell and Casey Dilloway stopped by OfficeXpats to chat last Friday about an interesting lending model that is like Kickstarter but with eventual payback for the micro-loans that generally come from loyal customers. Rachel and Casey are co-founders of the startup company Community Sourced Capital. They will be presenting their business model at the Fledge Demo Day this coming Sunday, September 23rd, 6pm-9pm, at the Intiman Theater (sold out!). Here's a good review about the Fledge companies at Xconomy.com that includes Community Sourced Capital.

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