Most of us have a pretty good idea where we are going. That's normally not the difficult part. It's the journey between where we currently are and where we want to be that turns out to be tricky. Challenges, like roadblocks and detours seem to constantly confront us in our daily journeys to the … [Read more...]
The small business lifestyle
I probably have an advantage in small business that you just don't have. I grew up in a family that owned a small business. Okay, there's nothing you can do about it anymore than I can do anything about being 5 foot 6 inches tall. I'd love to be taller but it is never going to happen. I'm just not … [Read more...]
Promise Marketing is a Better Mousetrap
Awhile back, I was introduced to the concept of "Promise Marketing." Unfortunately, I can't remember her name but the woman who presented the concept owns an agency that works with doctors, lawyers and accountants. These are professions that by and large don't have tangible deliverables they can … [Read more...]
It's always about the compelling story
To be compelling, a story needs to be authentic and share a real outcome with results. By definiton, that means that sometimes you will be sharing stories with happy endings and other times not-so-happy endings. That's life and people want the good, the bad and the ugly. Telling an authentic story … [Read more...]
The power of a social media audience
Recently, I was reading an email from Seth Godin about his new book "Poke the Box" that he is releasing through his new publishing venture The Domino Project. Seth was excited because enough of us had tweeted about and purchased the book to bring the price of the Kindle version down to $1.00. Yes, … [Read more...]
My sharing threshold
Sometimes I hear that I share too much in my blog posts. Other times I hear from people that wish I would share more details. How much I share and how I share it is a bit of a balancing act with several factors to consider. My general sharing guidelines I share stories about past successes and … [Read more...]
The day I quit a great job
A little over fifteen years ago I quit what, in hindsight, can only be termed a great job. I was about 30, had just completed an MBA program (paid for in large part by my employer) and had received a very nice raise to keep me happy now that I had three extra letters after my name. It gets better - … [Read more...]
Your story, sharing the hard parts
There are parts of your story you may choose to never share. There are other parts you may never share online. Maybe there are parts you plan to share in a book somewhere down the line. If you're like me, however, you will share most of your story face to face once we know each other. There are … [Read more...]
The idea box idea
After reading Mitch Joel's The Internet Is Your Media Lab, in the comments I shared an idea to add a simple "tip box" to my blog. Your blog after all, is your media lab, right? Racing down the rabbit hole The next thing I know I'm spending a few hours on a rainy Saturday morning figuring out how to … [Read more...]
Moving a teenager to college
I'm a big ball of mush sometimes. No, really I am. Normally when there is no one looking, like earlier this evening. I had just left my oldest child's first home that is not a home we had made for her. For her second year of college, she has moved away (25 whole miles) into her own apartment. It hit … [Read more...]