Hey guys! I hope you had a nice weekend. As always, here are some of the best articles (and , yes, some of my own thoughts) from last week. Happy Reading!

• For those of us that hate to say “no”, here are some alternatives: bit.ly/2ddEEji
• How to make those sad, little “Following Up” emails we all send more impactful: bit.ly/2djxPJo
• Here’s how to craft a non-spammy sales pitch: on.inc.com/2dsMXT2
• Some ways small businesses can compete successfully against the BIG guys: entm.ag/2dxibNx
• The secrets to powerful PR in the digital age (and how it can help your small business): on.inc.com/2dpTe6A
• I like how this article looks at the principles behind “a deliberate, well-designed, and perceptive customer strategy”: bit.ly/2dhTijP
• What habits do truly authentic people have that we should all have? entm.ag/2d6ZHjv
• A personal story can help make your business more memorable: huff.to/2cx0Zlv
• Some of these mistakes may be messing up your content marketing: bit.ly/2dmKqyI
• Invest some time in these TED talks – and you’ll get tons more productive: on.inc.com/2cG8Noc

Over the years I’ve helped a number of companies and nonprofit organizations design growth strategies. Last week, I thought a lot about the issues of how to design a great growth strategy. I was thinking about the key characteristics of a business growth strategy – and what things you need to think through to develop one. Here are a few tips I shared:

• Allow your business to show some personality as part of your growth strategy.
• Planning with a vision is one of the critical elements that will help your business to grow.
• Identify the critical skills/characteristics you need in the 4-5 key roles that will help your business grow.
• Evaluate your customer-facing business processes to make sure they are customer-friendly and ready for business growth.
• Your business will struggle to grow without specific, targeted knowledge of your business’s market positioning.

I also wrote my last blog post about the issue of growth. I would definitely love to hear yourthoughts too. You can read it here: “The 7 Ps Of A Business Growth Plan“. Read it. Share it. Comment on it. Let me know your thoughts!