Business

Sell better, hire better, lead better. The operating manual for running something real.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Tools for building your business

The reading is on BRO. The doing is on az.ai, part of the BRO network: a name, a website, and a check that customers can find you. Prices are shown before anything runs.

Site DoctorTests your whole site, files every bug with steps and a screenshot, writes the fix and re-tests until it is gone.Meet Site Doctor →
AI Engine IndexingSee whether AI search engines and assistants can find and quote your business.Check AI visibility →
AffNetAn affiliate network with every rate shown up front: pay only for real sales, or earn by recommending products you trust.See AffNet →
AI BrainsSpecialist AI helpers for every job in your business, with the price shown before every message.See the brains →
Names.comA private collection of category-defining .com names to buy, brand with or lease.Browse premium .coms →

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 20, 20263 min

Your first five hires decide the next five years

Hire for the company you're about to be, not the one you're tired of running alone.

Match the hire to the shape of the work, not your budget

From the Business archive

Older stories

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20265 min

Selling without the sales voice

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What your processor means when it calls you high risk

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Your high-risk processing rate isn't your processing cost

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

Run your week off one page of numbers

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 22, 20266 min

Most late invoices are a process problem, not a people problem

GuideSam OrtizSep 23, 20266 min

Raising your prices after years of charging too little

Business on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

Alex HormoziNov 7

My 5-Part VSL Framework

Alex HormoziNov 7

A lot of sales is in your ears, not from your mouth.

Alex HormoziNov 6

Before you blame churn, check what's actually limiting growth.

MarinesOct 13

Leadership Lessons from Gen. James Mattis (Ret.)

Bash's Leadership BreakdownApr 8

5 Ways to Instantly Gain Respect as a New Manager

Simon SinekOct 7

Simon Sinek's Top 3 Leadership Traits

Simon SinekFeb 28

Why Middle Management is the Hardest Job | Simon Sinek

Goldman SachsJun 10

Best Advice to Small Business Owners

Young Entrepreneurs ForumJun 16

21 Business Lessons Every Small Business Owner Needs (Learn These Before It's Too Late)

Walker DeibelMay 4

How to Value a Small Business

Andy ElliottDec 8

Sales Training // How to Speak and Sell to Anyone // Andy Elliott

Successful ContractorSep 17

The Painful Small-Business Inventory Lessons I've Learned

Philip VanDusenAug 23

10 Reasons Why Your Small Business Will Fail - and How To Avoid These Tragic Mistakes

Becoming MoreMay 26

How to Build a Business That Runs Without You: The E-Myth Revisited

TEDFeb 9

6 Tips on Being a Successful Entrepreneur | John Mullins | TED

LYFE AccountingOct 12

Accounting Basics for Small Business Owners [By a CPA]

Business quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 18, 20266 min

Take a week off and find out what you actually built

If the business stalls when you step out, the team isn't the problem. Here's how to count the questions, hand off the answers, and test it.

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 18, 20266 min

Fraud starts where trust replaces a second set of eyes

Most internal theft isn't a heist. It's one good employee with one unchecked step, and you can close that gap this month.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 17, 20266 min

The tax deadline you didn't know you had is the expensive one

Most owners can handle the bill. It's the filing nobody told them about that costs real money. Build your calendar before the notice shows up.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

5 min read

Stop doing the work when your hour is worth more than the job

Being the best hand in the shop is how you got here. It's also what caps you. Here's how to know when to step back, and what to hand off first.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideRay OkonkwoOct 17, 20265 min

Put it in writing before the contractor picks up a tool

A handshake works for friendships. For an $18,000 job, you want scope, payment milestones and a change rule on paper before anyone shows up.

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Give the hard feedback while the problem is still small

Most managers don't have a delivery problem. They have a timing problem, and by the time they finally speak up the conversation is twice as expensive.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What to check in the books before you buy somebody's business

The seller's P&L is a sales document. The bank statements are the truth. Start there and work outward.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Negotiating with suppliers when you're the small account

You don't have volume leverage. You have four other kinds, and most small operators never use any of them.

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Write the job post so the wrong people don't apply

Most hiring problems start with a posting that could belong to anybody. Put the pay in, name the hard part, and watch your applicant pile get smaller and better.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

Handing the family business over without blowing up the family

Most successions fail years before the lawyer gets involved. The fix is a date, real authority, and a number everybody agreed to while things were calm.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Leading a team through a mess you didn't make

The supplier burned down, the client went under, the parent company changed the rules. Your people still look at you first. Do this in the first 48 hours.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Where AI Saves Your Small Business Time and Where It Doesn't

A simple test for every tool you're being sold, plus the jobs it genuinely handles and the ones it'll quietly cost you money on.

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

Delegating When You're Convinced Nobody Else Can Do It

Track two weeks, price your hour, hand off the boring thing first, and budget for the mistakes that come with it.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

The culture you tolerate is the culture you have

Values on the wall don't build a company. What you reward, repeat and refuse to put up with does. Here's how to set it on purpose.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

6 min

The insurance policies a small company actually needs

6 min

Run a meeting that ends on time with the decision made

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20265 min

How to run a one-to-one that isn't just a status update

Thirty minutes, same slot every week, their agenda first. Most managers get the order backwards and then wonder why nobody tells them anything.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

PartnerDude.com

5 min read

Your vendor didn't change their bank details. Somebody else did.

The two attacks that actually hit small businesses arrive through the same door, and the defenses are boring, cheap and mostly free.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

Older articles

Older Business stories

Business

Tools for building your business

Your first five hires decide the next five years

Your business shouldn't need any one person, you included

Hire help when the mistake costs more than the invoice

The "while you're at it" request that eats your margin

The customer who costs you more than they pay

Match the hire to the shape of the work, not your budget

From the Business archive

Selling without the sales voice

What your processor means when it calls you high risk

Your high-risk processing rate isn't your processing cost

Run your week off one page of numbers

Most late invoices are a process problem, not a people problem

Raising your prices after years of charging too little

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

Take a week off and find out what you actually built

Fraud starts where trust replaces a second set of eyes

The tax deadline you didn't know you had is the expensive one

Stop doing the work when your hour is worth more than the job

Put it in writing before the contractor picks up a tool

Give the hard feedback while the problem is still small

What to check in the books before you buy somebody's business

Negotiating with suppliers when you're the small account

Write the job post so the wrong people don't apply

Handing the family business over without blowing up the family

Leading a team through a mess you didn't make

Where AI Saves Your Small Business Time and Where It Doesn't

Delegating When You're Convinced Nobody Else Can Do It

The culture you tolerate is the culture you have

The insurance policies a small company actually needs

Run a meeting that ends on time with the decision made

How to run a one-to-one that isn't just a status update

Your vendor didn't change their bank details. Somebody else did.