Hello Relational Leaders, Thank you for your trust, your support, and your confidence.I’m deeply grateful for every reply, every word of encouragement, and every one of you who reads this newsletter each week. But let me tell you the real reason I write these… Being a small business owner or commissioned sales professional isn’t easy.In fact, many have told me it’s one of the loneliest jobs in the world. You carry the pressure.You carry the expectations.You carry the responsibility to...
9 days ago • 1 min read
Hello, relational leaders. Hope you’re doing well. First, thank you for showing up here. I always appreciate getting to share what’s working and what I’m seeing in the businesses of other relational leaders like you. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a small business owner or commission-based professional. Which means you live with the ups and downs of variable income. And let’s be honest. It can feel lonely sometimes. You wake up hoping today’s the day a new referral comes through. You...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Hello, relational leaders. Brian McRae here again. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a small business owner or commission-based professional. You live with a variable income. You love referrals. And you’re learning how to make them consistent. I appreciate you being part of this community because my goal is simple. To help you build a radically referable business that grows through relationships. Today’s encouragement comes from one of my favorite voices, Jim Rohn. He said, “Success...
23 days ago • 1 min read
Relational leaders, great to see you. First off, thank you for all the feedback on last week’s topic about “demonstrations of value.” I’ve loved hearing how many of you are putting those ideas into action. Let’s keep going on that theme, because as we build referral-based businesses, there’s one thing that separates the good from the great. Emotional loyalty. That’s the moment when someone doesn’t just like you or trust you. They’re for you. The kind of loyalty where your partners would run...
30 days ago • 2 min read
Hello, relational leaders. First, thank you for being you. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a small business owner or a commission-based professional who believes in growing through relationships. And you’re right to think that way. Because while the world chases attention through social media, AI, or the next shiny marketing hack, what really wins is emotional loyalty. Attention fades. Loyalty compounds. When you build emotional loyalty with your referral partners, your shoulder...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hey, Relational Leaders, I had a great conversation this week with one of my coaching clients. He’s got some big sales goals on the board. You know that feeling—trying to stretch but also stay true to how you want to grow. So he asked me, “Brian, my branch manager wants me to go out and market this unique product we have, but I can’t get through the gatekeepers. What should I do?” And I paused. Because honestly, my first answer was, I don’t know. Here’s why. That’s sales. If you’ve followed...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hey there, relational leaders. I want to share a quick story about one of my coaching clients. Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re a small business owner or a commission-based professional. And like many of us, the relationships that lead to referrals — the kind that drive your results — really matter to you. It’s not always easy. That’s why I like to share real success stories from clients who are doing it well. This one’s about a client named Ben. Ben’s in the mortgage industry, and...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hard to believe we’ve stepped into Q4 of 2025 already. The year’s flown by, hasn’t it? Just the other day, I was with the Boardroom, a group of relational leaders and small business owners who are all busy building their version of special. We spent time debriefing the past quarter, and something powerful rose to the surface—how much execution improves when joyful accountability is in the mix. Now, you’ve probably heard this stat before, but it bears repeating. The American Institute of...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
All right, relational leaders. Let me tell you a quick story about the difference between a 10% chance of success and a 95% chance. It’s not luck.It’s not about finding more time in your week.It’s not even about having the perfect plan. It’s about Joyful Accountability. The American Society for Training and Development did a study that caught my attention. Here’s what they found: simply setting a goal gives you about a 10% chance of accomplishing it. Ten percent! Think about that. Most of us...
2 months ago • 2 min read