Thanks to Bill Haslam for your incredible encouragement and kindness and for pointing out that I needed to professionalize my operation. And thanks to Doug Keim for helping me make it happen. I also want to thank my team, Kyle Willis, Kyle Reid, Dr. JJ Peterson, Matt Harris, Tyler Ginn, Jake Ousley, Marlee Joseph, Andy Harrison, Karri Ellen Johnson, Aaron Alfrey, Bobby Richards, Lindsay Frail, Sam Buchholz, Steven Parker, Kari Kurz, Amy Smith, Macy Robison, Hilary Smith, Kelley Kirker, Prentice Sims, Tyler Bridges, Rosie Hunt, Hannah Hitchcox, Suzanne Kelly, James Sweeting, Collin Smith, Zach Grusznski, Josh Landrum, Patrick Copeland, Suzanne Norman, Aundrea De Leon, Tim Schurrer, and Sydney Weidlich. A special thank you to Emily Pastina who manages all our projects and tells me every morning what I am supposed to be working on. She frees me up to be creative and I am grateful. Thanks as well to the hundreds of Business Made Simple Certified Coaches and StoryBrand Certified Guides who partner with us to help small-business owners grow their small businesses. Thanks also to our facilitators who are constantly on the road presenting workshops on our sales and marketing frameworks.
A special thanks to Carey Murdock who has kept me incredibly organized over the year it took for me to write this book.
I am also grateful for the long friendship and business relationships I’ve had with my agent and publisher. Wes Yoder is the world’s best literary agent and has helped me dream up this book from day one. Sara Kendrick isn’t just a great editor; she’s a fun person and somehow delivers her criticism while still making me laugh. Jamie Lockard runs a steady ship us authors can count on, and Belinda Bass has been making great book covers for me for more than twenty years. I’d also love to thank Linda Alila for her editorial support and Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum for his copyediting.
I also want to thank my wife, who, morning after morning, gives me a kiss and sends me out the door to do work she also thinks is important because she cares about you, the small-business owner. We have so many friends in the fight and she wants to see them win. I love you, Betsy.
Lastly, thank you. Thanks for believing in yourself and your product and your people and your customers. I’ll keep going as long as you keep going. I know it’s hard, but I believe in you.