How to Find Great Blog Topics

June 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If you are an entrepreneur, you know how important it is to be in steady contact with your audience. One of the best ways to keep in contact with your tribe is to write a newsletter or blog. It gives you a chance to show your audience who you are and the value you can bring them . The more consistent you can be, the better. The problem is, coming up with interesting, value-packed copy on a regular basis can be both challenging and time consuming.

Here are a few of tips to make it easier for you: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Is Indecision Killing Your Business?

June 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Is Indecision Killing Your Business?Do you ever feel like you are spinning your wheels? If you are an entrepreneur my guess is you have felt that way more than once in your business. You may feel like you are doing your best, but you keep bumping up against obstacles. More often than not, however, what seem like obstacles are really just decisions you haven’t made yet.

Unfortunately, failing to make good, swift decisions in your business can have serious implications. Clients are lost, money is wasted and precious, precious time is squandered. As author of Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki says so clearly, “The only difference between a rich person and a poor person is how they use their time.” If you are spending your time hemming and hawing about what decisions to make, you are not spending your time accumulating wealth.

A common mistake in decision making is [Read more…]

Filed Under: Decision making, Entrepreneurial Success, Overcoming challenges, Success Strategies, Time Management Strategies, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Why You Need An Obnoxious Brand To Succeed

May 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If you were raised anything like I was, you were taught to be polite and proper, especially if you are female. “Say please and thank you, keep your clothes neat, don’t interrupt others when they are speaking.” The last thing your parents wanted you to be was obnoxious!  However, teaching good etiquette to children can leave a residue that makes it difficult to market a business effectively.

In order to grow your business, you need to be able to reach and communicate with your audience on a regular basis which means you need to be persistent. The problem for many female entrepreneurs is they don’t want to bother anyone. They don’t want to come across as too pushy. How many times have you heard business coaches say they teach how to do sales without being “salesy”? Salesy has become the new “F” word. What happens in an effort not to be seen as obnoxious is lack of growth and loss of potential income.

Did you know it takes an average [Read more…]

Filed Under: Bold Branding, Projecting your Voice, Success Strategies, Winning mindsets Tagged With: , , ,

Are You Really in the Right Niche?

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are You Really In The Right Niche?Have you ever wondered if you are really in the right niche? Maybe you are just starting out and are unsure of which direction to go. Or perhaps, you’ve been in business a little longer and you’re still not completely clear if you have focused your niche in the right way. Every entrepreneur struggles with this at some point in their career. So how do you know when you get it right? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Finding your Niche, Finding Your Voice Tagged With: , ,

Do Your Shoes Fit Properly?

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Those size 8 sparkly, strappy sandals were really beautiful. The only problem was I am an 8 1/2. However, I truly could not resist. I had to have them. I brought them home, took them out of the box, put them on my shelf and stared dreamily at them. I fantasized about the night I would wear them. I had a big performance at the Wang Center coming up and I wanted to look spectacular from head to toe.

Fast forward to the event. Gown in place, voice warmed up, sexy sandals on. I was feeling hot to trot. Except about 1/2 hour into the event my feet started to hurt. Those thin little straps were digging into my flesh. By the time it was my turn to sing, I had to stop myself from wincing as I walked onto the stage. So much for the perfect scenario. Instead of feeling like a princess, I felt like a giant trying to walk on toothpicks!

I was paying the price for a mistake many of us make, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Authentic Branding, Business Building Strategies, Winning mindsets, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , ,

How to Make a Delicious Brand Cocktail…

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

After a recent trip to Jamaica, my 7 year old daughter said to me, “Mom, I miss hotel life…” Me too, Honey, me too. One thing I miss is having a lovely waiter bring me some delicious, frothy concoction to my pool side chair. On the plane ride home I was already thinking about how I could recreate some of the wonderful treats from vacation, but it won’t be the same. I’ve decided everything tastes better when you are wearing flip-flops.

There is something special about the poolside frozen drink. Sure you could order an ice-cold Coke or even a wine spritzer to quench your thirst, but where’s the thrill in that? When was the last time your Chardonnay came with a maraschino cherry and an umbrella? A good mixed-drink experience is a performance, a spectacle. It is a wild, fun ride that ends with a very happy customer. Hmmm, sounds like a recipe for good branding…

Here is my recipe for a crowd-pleasing Brand Cocktail: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Bold Branding, Brand Building, Personal Branding Tagged With: , , ,

Do You Have An Inspired Brand?

April 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

mallYou have business cards, check. Your website is up, check. You are networking, check. You even have some clients, check. You’ve done all the things you’re suppose to be doing to get your business  up and running and now it’s running, but that’s about it. You don’t feel the way you thought you would at this point. Things aren’t as fun and exciting as you imagined they would be.

It happens to most entrepreneurs at some point. In the beginning you have all the enthusiasm of a kid on the last day of school. You can’t wait to open the doors and get out there, but something happens along the way and you lose steam. While it’s true, there is a lot of foot work to be done to lay a strong foundation for your business, you mustn’t lose the spark that set you on the entrepreneurial path in the first place in the process.

That spark is the core of your brand. It’s not the snazzy business cards, the zippy new tagline or even your great services or products that is going to attract people to your brand. How enthusiastically people respond to your brand is in direct proportion to the level of passion you exude towards what you do.

But what’s a girl to do if she’s lost that lovin’ feeling? It is essential you find ways to stay excited and inspired about your business. Here are a few ideas to get you back into your groove: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Brand Management, Overcoming challenges, Success Strategies, Winning mindsets Tagged With: , , , , ,

I’m Off That

April 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“If you off that, it means you don’t mess with it
But if you love that, it means you mess with it
Let me tell you what I mess with…”

I recently added a new song to my iPod called “I’m off that” by Pitbull.  I downloaded it because it had a good beat, but really didn’t pay much attention to the lyrics until I went for my run and had a chance to listen more closely.

“Dirty money, I’m off that
Cleaning money, I’m off that
Phony money, I’m off that
Getting money, I love that”

Pitbull says over and over, “I’m off that, but I love that” listing all the things he no longer likes or desires and then declaring what he does love now. Even though the frame of reference is very different from my own experience, I LOVE the inference.  It’s a song of letting go and upgrading. I thought it was such a great lesson. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Finding Your Voice, Success Strategies, Taking a stand Tagged With: , , , ,

Where’s The Party At?

April 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

iStock_000023713971XSmallI love InStyle magazine. It’s so fun to look at gorgeous celebrities in the beautiful gowns they’ve worn to the Oscars or some fabulous party. Is there anything that makes a woman look better than a well fitted gown? I don’t think so.

When I was in college I would go with my girlfriends to Bloomingdales and try on all of the prettiest, most expensive gowns I could find. I’m sure the sales people hated us, but it was so much fun. Really, ladies, if you ever want a pick-me-up, I highly suggest you try it. Of course, in those days I was also performing a lot and actually did need gowns for my wardrobe. I had a reason to get dressed up, I was going on the stage.

A big part of creating a winning brand is knowing how to dress it up, but making it look pretty is only the beginning. In order to have success, you have to step onto the stage. You can’t just stand in the wings in your ball gown and expect your business to grow. It is a mistake I see many entrepreneurs make. They think because they have spent time and money getting their websites up or sharp new business cards or even a snappy new tagline, their work is done. In fact, it’s just beginning! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Brand Building, Connecting with your Audience, Entrepreneurial Success Tagged With: , , ,

Turn Fantasy into Reality and Start Living the Dream

April 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“When I grow up, I wanna be famous
I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies
When I grow up, I wanna see the world
Drive nice cars, I wanna have boobies

When I grow up, be on TV
People know me, be on magazines
When I grow up, fresh and clean
Number one chick when I step out on the scene”–The Pussy Cat Dolls

 

What did you wish for when you were a kid? Did you want to be famous? Did you love music or horses or maybe painting was more your thing? When I was a kid, I wanted very badly to be an olympic gymnast. I would practice hand stands for hours and hours, but alas, the closest I ever came to olympic glory was doing cartwheels for the half-time show of a donkey basketball game at our local high school. For those of you unrefined heathens out there, donkey basketball is played by grown men riding real donkeys up and down the court. True story, I could not make this up!

As a chubby grade-schooler living in rural Wisconsin, I had about as much chance of becoming an olympic gymnast as Courtney Love has of being elected president. I eventually let go of that dream and moved on to others. In 3rd grade I wanted to be an astronaut, in high school I wanted to be on the olympic volleyball team, in college I wanted to sing at the Met. None of these fantasies [Read more…]

Filed Under: Finding Your Purpose, Success Strategies, Uncategorized, Winning Strategies Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »