Growing up, I was always helping my grandfather with odd jobs around the house. One of these jobs was moving about a metric ton of gravel from his driveway to his backyard, where he had plans of building an above ground swimming pool.

It was tough work. We would fill a pair of wheelbarrows with gravel. Wrestle them through a gate. Cart them around the back of the house. And, finally, dump them on an empty patch of Earth.

After several runs, I told my grandfather there had to be an easier way. I made suggestion after suggestion. Bigger shovels. Faster wheelbarrows. Different tools. He was patient with me. But, by the fourth or fifth suggestion, he shut me up, "Some work is hard and there's no way around it."

I think about this often. Some problems can't be solved with a great idea. Instead, they require a hell of a lot of elbow grease. Sales is one such problem. Better tools can help. Sharper campaigns can help, too. However, at the end of the day, you just have to be willing to get to work.