The Rising Effect

10/16/2026

Our next Growth Circle, LIVE! event is going to be on Tuesday, November 17th, 8:30-10:00am. One of our speakers will be Stephanie Kidder of . Join us to learn the 5 Things Every Business Owner Should Do Before December 31st!

1. Take care of your people — Benefits & retirement plans
2. Take care of Uncle Sam — Year-end tax & savings opportunities
3. Take care of your family — Beneficiaries & estate planning
4. Take care of your business — Continuity, protection & succession
5. Take care of your future — Know your numbers & set next year's goals

We got fabulous feedback from our first event, so be sure to RSVP to save your spot!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thegrowthcircletucson

10/14/2026

Business owners usually have a good idea of what they should be working on. The challenge is protecting that priority when something else comes along. So let's explore the idea that every Yes is also a No, and why recognizing those trade-offs can help us make better decisions. We'll look at the difference between being responsive to every demand and being intentional about where we invest our time.

Business owners usually have a good idea of what they should be wor...

10/12/2026

Your small business vision deserves a concrete plan. As we approach Q4 and look toward 2027, it's the perfect time to objectively assess your progress and chart the course ahead. I provide the strategic planning and benchmarking tools you need to bring absolute clarity to your goal setting and ongoing performance. Let’s turn your vision into reality—email me at [email protected] to get started.

10/02/2026

Celebrating client anniversaries every month is always a pleasant reminder of the diversity of thriving small businesses out there.
Congratulations are in order for three of them this month! Kathleen Opeka launched 3 years ago, educating Tucsonans about raised bed gardening and native flora that encourages pollinators. Chris Ambrosio of is celebrating 5 years in private practice, specializing in business, M&A, and real estate law (and is an outstanding resource for nonprofits). For the last 16 years, Chrisie Ballard has owned and grown the region, which provides networking, education, and leadership training for over 450 members. They all make such a positive impact on our Tucson community in their respective fields, and it's a joy to collaborate with them. Cheers and congrats!

09/30/2026

It's ridiculously easy to shortchange ourselves. We keep appointments with clients. We keep promises to clients. But how many times have we set aside time to do something for our own businesses only to break that appointment with ourselves? I've certainly done it! 🙋 It takes a lot of practice to protect time. I'm more consistent about this than I used to be because now I consciously ask myself questions that help me be more discerning.

- If I change my game plan, what is the real reason?
- Is there truly no better option? Am I just people pleasing?
- Where / How will I reschedule that appointment with myself?
- What does that change cost me, if anything?

It's ridiculously easy to shortchange ourselves. We keep appointmen...

09/28/2026

Let’s get you unstuck and moving forward! My RISE Assessment was created specifically to give business owners a holistic view of their business performance and prioritize where to focus their efforts. In 20 to 25 minutes, you'll evaluate your business in 12 key areas. There is one version for solopreneurs and one version for teams, providing further customized insights. Check it out on my services page at https://therisingeffect.com/services. Now is a great time to assess where you're at so you can take action to end the year strong!

09/24/2026

The traditional Pareto Principle says that 20% of your efforts produce roughly 80% of your results. Keller and Papasan of "The ONE Thing" encourage us to take that further: Don't stop at the 20%, keep narrowing. They call it Extreme Pareto. So many of my conversations revolve around some form of overwhelm -- too many priorities, too many obligations, too many opportunities. Keller and Papasan argue that if you take the 20% of the 20% of the 20%, repeatedly, until you identify the single most important action, it prevents overwhelm and hones traction.

There's an important nuance here. They aren't saying the other things don't matter or won't get done. They're saying that identifying the one activity that has the greatest leverage and starting there creates the most impact for the effort. They describe it as finding the “biggest lever” you currently have for achieving a goal.

As referenced in this video, you can take the RISE assessment for solopreneurs or teams at https://therisingeffect.com/services.


https://youtu.be/LTBf4QlkDCk

The traditional Pareto Principle says that 20% of your efforts prod...

09/16/2026

The following article was written by Kristine Dias with KMD Advisory and a whiz at manager development!

Because “We've Always Done It This Way…” The most dangerous six words? Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic.

But “We've always done it this way” should at least make us pause. Sometimes there's a perfectly good reason we've always done something a certain way. We've tried other approaches. We've learned some things the hard way. We know what works.

That's called experience. Use it.

But sometimes “we've always done it this way” really means: This is the way I know. This is the way I'm comfortable with.

Or, for managers: This is the way I would do it.

Sounding familiar? Click here to read more!
https://kmd-advisory-manager-minutes.kit.com/posts/because-we-ve-always-done-it-this-way

I’m a leadership trainer who shows first-time managers how to handle real challenges. Every other week, I send actionable advice you can put into practice immediately. Subscribe!