Corey Anker

Welcome back Elevate. I hope you had a great 4th and a great week off. And speaking of Independence Day, over the time since we were together, I got to thinking about how I could bring to you some things that I’ve been focusing on for a while now in my work. I hope it […]

As entrepreneurs and business owners, we spend a great deal of time studying markets, analyzing numbers, improving systems, and pursuing growth. We become experts at understanding business realities: supply and demand realities, economic realities, competitive realities. But there is another reality operating around us every day that often has more influence over our success than

When sophisticated entrepreneurs gather in a room, the greatest advantage rarely goes to the loudest person, the most charismatic person, or even the person with the most money. It tends to go to the person asking the most intelligent questions. Because high-level networking is not socializing. It is strategic discovery. So rather than surface-level questions

The Persian poet Hafiz said, “The words we speak become the house we live in.” And right now, there is a single, tiny little word quietly limiting your leadership, your culture, your growth, and your results. That word is “but.” “BUT” is a canceller. It’s a diminisher. It’s a psychological eraser. You’ve heard it, and

What’s the hardest thing to learn about networking? It’s not how to shake a hand.
It’s not how to deliver a 30-second pitch.
It’s not how to “work a room.” The hardest thing to learn about networking is this: It’s not about you. And that is incredibly difficult for entrepreneurs. Because when you own the business, you

When you strip away tactics and trends, growth comes down to answering a small set of hard, clarifying questions — and then revisiting them often. So today we’re going to look at the most important questions every business owner must answer to grow intentionally and sustainably. And we’re going to have a little fun. I’m

So here we are again, this time at the Winter Welcome. And it certainly is Winter out there, but the warmth in the room is beyond welcoming. I look around at the faces at these tables, and I see greatness. Intelligence, dedication, experience, presence, agency, wit, and drive. And thanks to our vetting process and

Last week we looked at first impressions, and how to make them effective. But let me ask you a question: Once you’ve made a strong first impression… what happens next? Because a great first impression opens the door — but what you do after that determines whether the door stays open or quietly closes. So

I hope you had a great couple of weeks off, a solid close to 2025, and a positive transition into what I know is going to be a very strong year for us all. And since this is the first meeting of the year, it has me thinking about first impressions. Likely everyone has heard

Every business that has ever been created, grown, or transformed stands on the shoulders of two crucial forces. Courage and confidence. In business, these are not “soft skills.” They are not personality traits, reserved for a lucky few. Like any muscle, they can be created and cultivated, and strengthened through action. And if you want