Blog | Michael Knouse

The Biggest Secret I Learned As a Wildland Firefighter

A true story about me. During my summers in college I was a firefighter for the La Grande Hotshots. A Hotshot fire crew is an elite team of 20 wildland firefighters, the most highly trained in the country, which are prepared to battle the most serious fires nationwide. This was one of the most physically demanding things I’ve ever done. Imagine …

Is Your Niche Too Big?

There’s a great quote from a mediocre movie (Man of Steel, 2013). In the movie, a young Clark Kent has a bit of a freakout about his power. His mom, Martha Kent, comes to help get him out of the janitor’s closet where he’s locked himself in. “The world’s too big, Mom.” “Then make it smaller.” For the last five […]

Why I Said “No” To a 5-Figure Coaching Client

Earlier this month an entrepreneur was referred to me and we had an amazing conversation where she asked me to coach her. Awww so flattering (seriously it was flattering) because I love serving entrepreneurs and I LOVED her business. But here was the thing… errr …things…. #1: She wasn’t my perfect client. Since I’ve made the commitment to work within […]

Reflections on a Challenging Year and Trusting the Entrepreneur Within

As 2018 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on what’s gone well and not so well. One of the things that feels like a win, but also feels a little flat, is crossing the five year mark as an independent business owner. Is it really a win if my 5th year in biz felt a little out of sorts? And by “a little […]

4 Things That Will Keep You Broke, Stuck, and Frustrated

Freedom, impact, creativity, and lifestyle… these are the main reasons that many business builders launch into working for themselves. But even with these great motivations, many will never get past survival mode. Sometimes, the work that got an entrepreneur to survival-mode (where you’re paying the bills but not much else), or even a little beyond, is more about hustling and […]

5 Signs You’re Confusing Your Customers, And How To Fix It

Is your business confusing to people? This might seem like a silly question, but a lot of small business owners go about fixing the symptoms of a business problem without considering how confusing their message or positioning is. And honestly, most entrepreneurs are so deep in the weeds of their business that it’s nearly impossible to know if their business is […]

Are You Letting Your Constraints Define You?

I got some shitty news earlier this year. I was told that because I had started training too aggressively, I had injured my leg and that I would need to stop running completely for at least 20 weeks. That’s TWENTY WEEKS of not doing something I loved! No early summer morning runs through my neighborhood. No runs through Forest Park. […]

A Warning About Being an Over-Giver!

After eating my body weight in potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie over the past few days, I started thinking about what I’ve been doing with my time and how my business has evolved over the past year. I’ve experimented with finding a balance between offering 1:1 custom coaching and group coaching programs. I’ve tried to find a rhythm with delegating […]