Business Wisdom

April 17, 2009

  • What I Recently Learned About Courage

    So by now you've probably heard of the whole situation surrounding Susan Boyle, a 47 year old Englishwoman who recently appeared on the TV show: Britain's Got Talent (which is similar to American Idol.) I don't tend to watch TV all that often, but I read about her story on CNN and then checked out her performance on YouTube.

    Please take about 5 minutes to watch the video before reading the rest of this post; it will make much more sense if you do.

    (Back from watching?)

March 10, 2008

  • Resource for Life: Positioning Your Business for High Repeat Sales

    As a professional services provider, you need to focus on positioning yourself and your business appropriately. Appropriate positioning, in this case, means that you should do everything possible to be seen by your client's as a "resource for life". The "resource for life" approach means that you invite clients to engage with you now, and again in the future, whenever they need someone with your services and skillsets. The "resource for life" approach moves you from being a commodity (i.e. just anyone who can solve their problem right now) to a trusted and valuable advisor.

February 7, 2008

  • Focus is Not a Dirty Word

    So, when you are looking at your business, and you are feeling this loss of focus which I think happens to all of us at some time or another, there are a couple strategies I would recommend for getting back focused. The first question to ask yourself is this: At what times am I feeling the best in my business?

December 3, 2007

  • Your Biggest Business Lesson of 2007

    Well, with just a few weeks left in 2007, I thought it would be a good time to ask the question, "What's your biggest business lesson of 2007?"

    I'm thinking of something that you have finally learned this year which has changed the way you will do business in 2008 and beyond.

September 26, 2007

  • Stop Meandering towards Outsourcing

    What I realized, just today, is that I keep getting busier, without actually getting extra help. So, my commitment for 2008 and beyond? To stop meandering towards outsourcing- and just head directly to it.

June 20, 2007

  • Business Success Secret: Be Who You Are

    I have a secret to share with you, one that has taken me many years to learn: You are more successful in business when you are being who you are.

    It sounds simple, but, actually, is pretty complex. You see, as a business owner, you are constantly forced to take stock of your service and your products, and, therefore, of yourself.

    If you sell consulting or other professional services, you almost constantly have to strive to differentiate yourself from the marketplace. You need to stand out in some way, to be faster or better.

June 11, 2007

  • Possibility Paralysis

    Possibility paralysis is a term I recently coined (as far as I know) to describe the paralysis that can come from having too many choices. Similar concepts have recently appeared in the psychology literature, stating that people are becoming overloaded by the vastness of their choices.

April 22, 2007

  • How Fear Impacts Your Marketing

    Lately, I've been thinking about the power of fear and how fear impacts your marketing efforts. I attended a continuing education program last week which reminded me that the greatest human need is to be connected to other people, and that the greatest human fear is that of rejection and abandonment.

February 14, 2007

  • Balancing Doing and Marketing

    One of the biggest challenges of any service business owner is the balance between doing and marketing. Very often, the doing supercedes the marketing, until the client flow dries up, then the business owner quickly markets, trying to get clients, and the cycle repeats.

February 7, 2007

  • Making Profitable Connections

    Part of being successful in business is being able to make profitable connections. I think about this as being related to deliberately crafting opportunities to meet new people, and, also, taking the opportunities as they arise.

    Building profitable connections means that you meet people who enrich your life and your business (remember, these are connected!) as you do the same for them. Building profitable connections allows you to find people who can help you reach your goals, as you help them reach theirs.

January 19, 2007

  • Business Wisdom for 2007

    Hi All!

    It's been a while since I wrote…lots of changes in my life in 2006. I got married, bought a house, and trained very intensively in the realm of content publishing. I published a new book: Overcome Rejection, The SMART Way (more details coming soon!), was interviewed on NBC's Today Show, and also listed in The 2007 edition of "Who's Who in America". I also accepted a position as Director of Training & Development at ContentDesk.com.

    So you could say that 2006 was a very eventful year. :)

    Anyway, now that we're into 2007, I wanted to get back to writing regularly and sharing with you some ideas I've learned over the past few months. All of these will be valuable for you and your business.

May 3, 2006