Old school wisdom: yes, you absolutely need a newsletter to market your business!
New wisdom: it depends.
In the old days (5-10 years ago!), online newsletters, or e-zines as they were sometimes called, were fairly new. As so often happens in the online world, people started using them, ... Views: 841
There's so much talk about authenticity. It's becoming one of those overused words that people roll their eyes at.
It's easy to talk about authenticity. But actually being authentic? Not so much.
All this pressure to be authentic can start to feel like yet another dang thing that you have ... Views: 1465
In 2005, David Lynch created the Quiet Time Program. Yep, that guy – the award-winning director, writer and producer of Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet. That’s the short list.
This guy is known for his frankly weird films. Now, he’s teaching kids about inner ... Views: 758
I sat over my computer keyboard, finger ready to push the Send button. I couldn't do it.
I'd just spent the previous 6 weeks creating my first online course. All that I'd learned in my 20 years in business about leveraging what you already have for rapid income, in one package.
I knew it ... Views: 889
Do you ever worry that your business will fail? It’s hard to contemplate failure, especially when you’re working so hard and want so much to be successful.
Considering failure is valuable, though, because the very ingredients that make for business failure can be transformed into business ... Views: 1032
Almost all businesses (86%) use online content marketing to attract clients. Are you using this awesome tool to full advantage?
Setting your business apart isn't easy. One way to do it is to know your clients' problems, and providing solutions. How do they hear about it? Content ... Views: 774
"I just have so much to do, I just keep spinning!"
That was from one of my clients during a coaching call last week. It's not the first time one of my clients has said this. You may even have said it yourself.
One of the causes of that feeling of things spinning out of control is that you ... Views: 1210
How do you show up in the world?
A big question.
Your impact is intimately tied with your presence. How you show up takes your impact vision one important step forward.
Think deeply about your response to this question: how do I want to show up? What kind of qualities would I want to ... Views: 795
Where do you think any impact begins?
You might be thinking, action! Or planning.
It’s true, both planning and action are ingredients for impact.
But in the beginning? Impact begins with an idea. A vision.
In the last article ... Views: 825
You want to have impact in your business and life, right?
Here’s the thing: you already do! But it’s not necessarily the impact you want to have.
Having a positive influence in your business, community, and even the larger world takes disciplined effort. When you make those efforts ... Views: 918
How do you feel when someone pays you a sincere compliment? Great, right?
That compliment has more to offer than giving your spirits a momentary boost. You can put that simple compliment to work for you in ways you might never have thought of. Let's explore further.
1. Keep your ... Views: 1244
You may be thinking, adventure? Who has time for adventure? I'm trying to run a business here!
Adventure isn't just for vacations. And it doesn't have to mean jumping off a cliff with nothing but cloth strapped to your back, or riding the wild whitewater in some exotic place.
Our word-y ... Views: 873
How do you reach your prospects in a way that helps them really connect with you, get to know you, trust you, and eventually, buy from you?
The #1 way is through content marketing.
Freely sharing information that's valuable to your prospects is one of the best ways to create the kind of ... Views: 747
Into every entrepreneur's life, a little rain must fall.
Some time ago, I was at a book signing. It was also attended by a former vendor for my business whose service I discontinued rather abruptly. Her dark stares from across the room were not pleasant to behold. Let's just say that our ... Views: 747
Repetition in some contexts can be boring. Not so with your brand.
Repeating core attributes or strengths of what you offer is a necessity. Those core strengths are what create your brand. They help your prospective clients and customers to recognize you.
Your brand distinguishes you, sets ... Views: 903
Income in your business is built on the relationships you cultivate and nurture with your clients and prospects. When people know, like, and trust you, they start to buy.
One important way to keep those relationships growing and to start new relationships is to provide great content and ... Views: 844
Your creativity is an awesome tool. It can allow you approach your business in a unique way that's energy-revving.
At times, though, your creativity can lead you astray and really drain you.
I once attended a very large business gathering hosted by a client. We'd had a great working ... Views: 744
Have you seen that YouTube video with the cat using the iPad? It's hilarious to watch.
And it tells a revealing story about how the world is changing for your business.
Right now, there are more people in the world with mobile subscriptions than there are people who have access to ... Views: 908
Do you hold yourself back from asking for something, because the person is high profile?
Do you figure that they don't want to hear from you, that you're not important enough?
Do you assume they'll say no?
In truth, none of those things may actually be true.
I've been doing bold ... Views: 1002
I'm always surprised when I hear the advice, don't take business personally. It's 'just a business decision'. My response? Horseradish! Okay, I'd prefer to use another term here, but I'm keeping it clean!
After years of working in an impersonal corporate setting where so much bad behavior was ... Views: 886
At the beginning of every work day, what do you think about?
Your get-to-do list? A problem that needs to be solved?
What if you started every day thinking about the impact you are having?
What if every day, you think about the impact you could have?
Every business owner has impact. ... Views: 902
"I can't afford it right now," Laine said in a small voice. I could feel even over the phone how her energy was shrinking, moving away from what she wanted but felt she couldn't have.
Laine's not alone. Her dilemma is one we all face, over and over again, as we move through this journey as ... Views: 1114
Every business needs help. You can't do it all alone.
Your team is central to your business. Even if you have part-time or virtual help, you still have a team supporting you. If you're just starting out, your team may only include your accountant, your lawyer, and your banker.
So how do ... Views: 902
Melissa spent the whole day running at full speed, jumping from one task to another without a break, barely taking a moment to grab a quick lunch at her desk.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She looked back at her to-do list, and was dismayed to see that she hadn't accomplished all ... Views: 1102
Networking can feel like a big bad beast. Something that's hard to tame. Maybe even something to be avoided.
The thing is, though, networking is not just important. It's crucial to your business.
So how do you tame the beast? How do you get comfortable with networking?
The problem is ... Views: 870
"Why isn't this working?", said a client, whom I will call Kendall for the sake of this article. "I should have more customers by now. When [insert name of a leader in her field] started, it wasn't this slow."
Kendall had been working on building a new business online when we started working ... Views: 932
Creating a platform to reach out to your audience takes time and effort. Your website, a blog, gift content - all play a role in creating your brand and establishing you as the go-to person for your area of expertise. And you can do it!
But you can also leverage other platforms to accomplish ... Views: 969
As entrepreneurs, we can get caught up in our to-do lists. Or our get-to-do lists, as I like to call them, because after all, we are the creators of our own work!
Setting intentions, taking action, getting things done - these are all important.
And what happens when we do get something ... Views: 744
ROI, return on investment is an important matter to consider when you're making choices about how you spend time and energy in your business.
If you choose to spend that energy on something with little or no return, then your energy is wasted. Your energy as an entrepreneur is one of your ... Views: 865
OK, stop for just a moment. What were you doing right before you started reading this article?
Was it one of your priorities?
Chances are, if you haven't already completed your priorities for today, that you're procrastinating.
It's something we all do at times. I know I ... Views: 950
I don't often write articles with lists, but this one just begged to be written. This past week, I've been thinking a lot about why I do what I do. It can feel elusive. What's so fun, energizing, and amazing about it, that I just keep being called back to it?
It's the starting point for ... Views: 1066
It's not always obvious what to do next.
Finding your way in your business can feel confusing, especially if you're struggling with processes like marketing and client contact.
When I started to feel this way, I used to do one of two things. I either worked harder, hoping that clarity ... Views: 958
Katherine is a consultant. She can be quiet, but she is good at making connections. At meetings and events, she has learned to approach people. She listens. She's warm and friendly. She sincerely wants to help, so she offers all kinds of information and mutual introductions.
Katherine is also ... Views: 1177
Ever have a client or colleague who just is not a good fit for you? What you are doing gets hard. All the fun goes out of it. It feels like a struggle.
On the flip side, ever work with a great client? Someone who 'gets' what you do? You understand what they want, and you deliver it with joy ... Views: 877
Courage in business can take all kinds of forms, from meeting with your first client to putting your first offering out into the world. Courage is often about firsts.
And it can be about ongoing issues like dealing with client complaints, in a way that is respectful for both you and your ... Views: 985
As a business owner, you will at some point be at the receiving end of a client complaint (and you may have been a client with a complaint yourself).
The question isn't whether you'll get them (you will!) - the question is, how do you choose to handle the complaint, and yourself, in ... Views: 1078
One of the best ways to build your business is to talk about it.
It's not just talking to your clients or prospective clients that helps your cause. Taking the conversation to a bigger stage can give your business a significant boost.
Talking to larger groups as a speaker can establish you ... Views: 1341
Fear seems to be the companion, if not the friend, of every entrepreneur I've ever met. That's the reality of being someone who seeks their edge, and steps over it out of their comfort zone. It's the reality of someone who wants to grow, both as a person and a business leader.
That's who you ... Views: 989
You are the heart of your business. And clients are the lifeblood.
OK, the medical analogy may not be for everyone, but hopefully you get the picture.
Clients give you the means to create flow, and they receive what you have to give out into the world.
Most businesses have client ... Views: 959
Marketing has been described as storytelling. You are creating a story about your business.
Some marketing stories are masterfully crafted. But they don't necessarily tell the authentic truth about the brand, about what that company can truly deliver.
I know, because you're reading this, ... Views: 827
The words, personal power, always make me think of Tony Robbins (I obviously have watched way too much late-night infomercial TV!). Don't worry, this is not a hype-fest, exhorting you to (punching fist in the air) take control of your life. It is, though, a gentle call to action. More about that ... Views: 856
Take Action! Just Do It! Action is the Key to All Success!
I was once part of a corporate training group. We were leaders in the organization, real action-takers who were rewarded in that setting because of our ability to 'git 'er done'. We had just spent the first morning of a 2-day retreat ... Views: 1255
He kept low, barely visible, seeming to almost slide forward. His feet seemed to be the only things he was actively moving. The rest of his body was in complete concert, following along.
When an opportunity arose to move forward undetected, he did. When his quarry, a small herd of impala, got ... Views: 989
For your business to be successful, it has to include an ongoing dialog between you and your clients.
Unless your business, your offerings, and your processes are informed by what your clients want, you end up, eventually, with no business at all.
More often than not, this is a matter of ... Views: 915
One of the options available in your business is to take your valuable expertise and step into the role of a consultant.
Being a consultant is essentially taking what you know and appropriately applying it to the client's situation to give informed advice.
When I work with a client to ... Views: 1388
Into every business, a little rain must fall. It's all part of the process. We do the best we can, and yet mistakes are made.
It's not about the mistakes themselves. Everyone makes them. Really. Everyone.
The paths of the most successful businesses include some failures.
When you're ... Views: 957
Do you want to be successful? Since you're reading this article, it's pretty much a given that the answer will be, yes!
Success can be defined in a myriad of ways. If we're not conscious about it, we can get caught up in someone else's definition of success. Your family's. Your culture's. The ... Views: 1028
Ever wish you had a whole crew of trusted colleagues supporting you in your business? You can have just that, with a business mastermind.
The term 'mastermind' was coined by Napoleon Hill, the author of the iconic book, Think and Grow Rich. He called a mastermind a "coordination of knowledge ... Views: 2904
"Wow, that sounds really cool. Have a great time!" That's the kind of thing people who don't travel for business say to those who do.
If you've ever traveled for business, you know that it's a lot of work. Fun? Not so much. You're often 'on' for many hours in a day, at meetings, and at meals ... Views: 1040
"More than anything, I want to do mediocre work." Said no one, ever! Part of valuing yourself and what you offer in your work is that you want to do high quality, and even great, work.
And why not do great work? It's the most fulfilling, most meaningful, and usually the most productive in ... Views: 991