The foothills west of Coffs Harbour have a way of making you slow down. The roads narrow, the gum trees lean in, and the air smells faintly of woodsmoke and old stories. It was on one of those winding roads—decades ago, early in my business life—that I learned a marketing lesson so sharp it still cuts through my thinking today. The Visit That Changed Everything I was selling Solahart solar hot water systems back then. In those days, Solahart was the heavyweight champion of the industry—big...

A friend of mine—let’s call him Terry—recently confessed that he had “double vision.” Naturally, I suggested an optometrist. He waved me off. “No, no,” he said. “Not that kind. I mean I’ve got a personal vision and a business vision… and they don’t talk to each other.” Ah. That kind of double vision. The entrepreneurial variety. Much more common, far less diagnosed. Terry’s Two Visions Terry’s personal vision was glorious. It involved long lunches, short workweeks, and a lifestyle that...

Every town has that café—the one with the mismatched chairs, the barista who looks like he was born steaming milk, and the chalkboard menu that changes depending on who wrote it that morning. In our town, that café was run by a lovely bloke named Graham. Now, Graham made a muffin that could bring a grown adult to tears. Blueberry, white chocolate, still warm in the middle. People would walk past three other cafés just to get one. They were that good. But one Tuesday morning, as the sun rose...