“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education”
– Mark Twain
It’s school time for many of you Mindpetalers out there, so it’s time for a reminder of how not to let school take full control of your mind. Meaning: don’t let your professors’ every word affect how you are going to live your life.
It’s so easy to sit back and just listen to your professor go off about “make sure to get a good job” … “are you ready to join the workforce?” … “is your resume prepared?” … “don’t even think about starting a business until you have some experience” … “work hard for your boss and you’ll be rewarded with a nice raise.” And the list goes on.
It’s like, everything that your teacher is saying is a “must” and is “right.” But, just as the preacher stands on the alter and gives you his “interpretation” of the holy book and demands that you live your life based upon his “interpretations” of said book, the professor is sharing his “interpretations” from what he has learned and is now passing on to you.
So beware. Beware of not falling into the trap of wholeheartedly listing to all of your professor’s proselytizing and educational sermons. Be careful not to take every word for “truth” and “right” when your teacher is giving you an opinion masked as an absolute truth.
I believe that your true education comes from “your” experiences — from what you learn as you journey through life. That’s the most important education that one can ever receive, the education of yourself.
Self-mastery, self-discovery, deep introspection of who you are as a person and the unlocking of your infinite abilities. This education, my friends, is priceless. It’s free. You don’t pay $50K a year for it. It’s not obtained by reading stacks of books and listening to lectures.
Your number one professor should be YOU. He’s called “professor YOU”. Get to know him/her well. Consult with him daily. And trust him to guide you as you journey along life, especially, for you college seniors who will soon be in that shaky transition period between graduating and getting a job.
Go with your gut. If getting a job feels right for you, then do that. If your heart is telling you to start a project and give something else a chance, then go down that route. If you’d like to travel, then hop on a plane. If you want to relax and read books for a year, then get at it. Because there is no wrong and right decision here. Just as long as YOU are making those decisions.
Not Mommy and Daddy. Not Professor Milken. Not your guidance counselor. Not your friends. Not your girlfriend. Not Grandma.
Great business advice isn’t easy to come by on the Internet, so I’m extremely thankful to John Crickett for compiling his list of the “100 Best Blogs about Business“. Also, a BIG thanks to all those bloggers who shared this list with the world by posting it on their blogs and spreading the link love. I hope that everyone reading this list will find some great business advice.
Though I’ve only just begun my journey into learning about the philosopher and profound intellectual, Alan Watts, I am truly inspired by his videos and presentations, namely his discussions on the nature of the human being — the self. His messages inspire me to think in new ways and and challenge deeply embedded notions and concepts. Below is the first part of a four part series entitled “A Conversation with Myself”. I hope that it inspires you as much as it inspired me. Enjoy and please share your thoughts.
Don’t we all know that person — maybe you — who has been working a 9 to 5 but, all they can think about during work is starting their own business or working on a project of their own. And the more they fight it, the more prevalent the concept of going off and starting something becomes.
I used to know a girl who, by nature, was a brilliant artist. She was truly gifted. But she pushed her dreams of becoming a magnificent painters aside, and chose to go down the path of marketing for a large corporation. Deep down inside she had a calling to push forward with her art, but she continued to ignore and resist it. In time, she grew confused about her life and what she was meant to do, but the dream of painting and sketching continued to affect her every thought.
Or what about the people who resist going with what their heart is telling them to do. Maybe it’s “drop everything and go to Mexico” or “completely drop this project to work on another.”
These internal struggles are commonplace and the more we resist our feelings to evolve, our passions to do something, or what we know is the right thing to do, the more these aspirations persist and come back to haunt us.
Resistance simply adds fuel to the fire, it doesn’t put the fire out. When we resist, we shut off our potential; we close the door for opportunity; and we minimize our chances to actualizing our dreams.
As I always tell people, “just let things flow.” Stop building walls between what you are doing now and what you want to be doing now. Follow what “you” know is right for “you.” It doesn’t have to feel right to anyone else except yourself. You are in control of your destiny, no one else. Don’t waste anymore time.
Here’s a question to ponder: Beneath everything that you do — business, art, science, helping others, whatever — what truly defines you? What sort of impact will be left on this Earth after you die?
Now I don’t think that there is a definitive answer to this question. In fact, I don’t think anyone should outright come up with a single, all-encompassing definition, because we’re all so multi-faceted and go way beyond the limits of any single word.
However, it’s a question — even an exercise — that we should all think about. Will you be remembered as the jerk who was always negative to everyone and bashed concepts because you thought they were absolute garbage? Will you be remembered as that person who was always willing to lend a helping hand without expecting anything in return? Will you be remembered as someone who had only one end in life — and that end consisted on making money and nothing else?
I don’t know, but you probably do. You know yourself better than anyone else. But I’d venture to say that many people, right now, reading this probably aren’t happy about how the world will remember them or the impact that they’ll leave on society — the world.
And if that’s the case, then you are likely doing something that you may not be passionate about; perhaps something thing isn’t quite positive; or maybe something that you feel forced into doing due to various circumstances, i.e., for the money, fame, etc.
It’s important to check in with ourselves and see where our true intentions lie. To evaluate the ratio of what we are putting into this world to what we are taking out of it.
We all talk a big game about our contributions and how we’re going to change the world one day, but the fact of the matter is that changing the world isn’t contingent upon how “successful” our businesses are or how many people are using our service. Changing the world starts in the minds and hearts of a person and can be done on a daily basis by our “actions” and the we “think.”
What power we possess. What vast amount of influence we hold. What immense passion we can shine forth. Through our words, you see, we can make a significant change in someone’s day.
Some may think that words are inert, but they’re quite the opposite. Words instill ambition. Words break hearts. Words put smiles on our faces. Words embolden us. Words excite our creativity.
Ever have one of those bummer days when everything is falling apart? You know, the days when you just can’t seem to get rid of that black cloud above your head.
And then, all of a sudden, someone — maybe a relative, friend, or lover — says something so simple, yet so profound, that your entire mood turns from negative to positive. That black cloud evaporates and the warm rays of the sun shine through and brighten everything up.
Maybe it was an “I love you” or an “it’ll be okay” or “we learn from our mistakes” or even “never give up, you can do it.” Whatever they said, it helped lift you up and back on track with your project, business, or organization full speed ahead.
It reminded you that everything is going to be fine. It inspired you to push on no matter how hard things get. It picked you up when you fell. It motivated you to help others. It reignited your passion to fight for what you want.
As a creator — entrepreneur, artist, programmer, writer, poet, what have you — never forget about the power of words. Appreciate the people who have been there to tell you that one thing you needed to hear at that perfect moment.
And also be aware of the power of what you say — your words. Be skillful with your words. If someone needs motivation, think about words that can push them forward. If someone has fallen, think about words that can pick them up. If someone is lost and confused with their lives, think of words that can guide them back.
Ultimately, people must solves their own problems at the source — within themselves. However, we’ve been given the great ability of words to be used as sparks to ignite that inner torch in people who need to navigate the dark caves of confusion, despair, confusion, and lack of motivation.
Because we’ve all been there. We’ve all fallen and thought about not getting back up. We’ve all pondered the “what ifs” about what we are doing makes sense or not. And we’ve all weathered the internal storms of doubt, laziness, and stress.
So remember the effects of words. Remember their abilities to heal and destroy. Use them skillfully. We all have the ability of using words, but the ones who use them to build are truly making a difference in this world.
Developing a marketing plan can be a part of business planning and development, but it’s easy to confuse it with the formal business plan or startup strategy.
A marketing plan can help you identify the key objectives and goals of increasing sales, and it’s not as intimidating as it seems. A one-page marketing plan is a great way to get started in organizing your next initiative, and all it takes is seven critical elements. Simply plugging in a few sentences or ideas for each question can help you develop a blueprint for your strategy, and these can always be built upon as the project moves forward:
What’s the purpose?
Identifying the goal of the marketing venture helps you filter out unnecessary information. Do you want to increase sales during a specific period? Attract new customers? Increase market share by converting your competition’s customers? The purpose statement is a miniature ‘mission’ statement that can help you create a cohesive and focused plan.
Why do you need to do this?
This will help you determine the benefits of the marketing initiative, and can be a simple bulleted list of reasons why this will help you achieve the items outline in #1.
Who is the target market?
Demographic data and statistics will help you create a more powerful message that resonates with your customers.
Are you a niche leader?
Making your niche business successful requires understanding what exactly you do that’s different from anything else out there. How do you plan to make your brand stand out?
What marketing medium will be most effective?
There are dozens of marketing tools available, but that doesn’t mean you need to use all of them! Consider 2-3 marketing tools for each initiative. A few choices include blogs, websites, podcasts, flyers, brochures, newsletters, billboards, radio, and/or print advertising.
What’s the budget?
Answer this question with some flexibility; you may need to get rates from each of the mediums selected in #5 and then establish a baseline budget. Once you’ve selected the rates and calculated costs, consider ways to cut back if needed.
Is it consistent with your brand?
Your brand and company name must be in line with the activities and initiatives you pursue, and this will help you build a steady group of customers much more easily. Brand identification is important for businesses of any size, and you can reach your target market much faster and more easily with a strong brand image.
What are some other ways to put together your marketing plan?
Motivation, encouragement, and positive feedback are just a few elements of a successful training program, and if you’re in charge of rounding up a sales team for your business venture, it’s important to use the right strategies no matter what the topic might be. People learn and absorb new information fairly rapidly, especially when they are comfortable and open to learning. Still, it’s up to the trainers to lead the way with the right strategy, and discourage the team from simply forgetting or filtering out important information. If you’re in charge of training a sales team, here are few tips to complete the program successfully:
Emphasize the goal.
At each step of the training program, make sure that the objectives are stated clearly. This can help the recruits ‘see’ for themselves why they are being given information or asked a particular question. It also reduces wasted time and provides focus instead.
Plan ahead. You’ll need an outline of the curriculum for your training program, and this needs to be flexible enough to include question and answer sessions, breaks, and opportunities for feedback from the team.
Highlight incentives and bonuses.
If your sales team is commission-based, it’s important to outline the commission schedule and provide information on any bonuses or other incentives as well. If you’re on a straight salary plan, adding bonus programs or even a prize for performance can increase motivation.
Know your subject!
As a trainer, it’s essential that you’ve got the material covered and are ready for questions. Even knowing where to find the information can help you to success.
Read your audience.
No matter what activity you’re doing—lecturing, a hands-on activity, web-based presentation—make sure you’re reading and engaging the audience as much as possible. This will help you read your audience and change the teaching format if needed.
Encourage input for next steps.
Encouraging the sales team to provide feedback or ask questions about a process is an important step. Encouraging input will also help bring the message or lesson home.
What are some other ways to encourage, motivate, or teach your team? What works best in your company or organization?
Keeping track of your competitor’s activities can be challenging, but knowing about new activities and events is critical to your own success. If you’re in an industry with very similar products and services, you can learn a lot from the competition and even strategize how to make your company take the lead with a competitive edge.
First Steps
The first step in reviewing the competition is simply identification. You need to know who they are, how big they are, and what type of market share they have. After that, it’s important to start monitoring activity in as many ways as possible. If you’re running a magazine, keeping track of ad rates and packages is a simple way to make sure your pricing is aligned with the market. If you’re running an online store or boutique, finding at least 5-10 other retail outlets on the web can help you track trends, site popularity, and web statistics with online tools such as Alexa and Google Trends.
Important Questions
You can learn a lot about a company with basic market research, and this might take the form of playing the customer. Mystery shoppers do this type of research all the time, but if you can’t afford the services, you can easily handle the task on your own or turn to your administrative team for help. Creating a checklist of questions before picking up the phone or making a visit will help you get exactly the information you need.
Critical areas to review the competition include:
Special offers and discounts offered throughout the year
Upcoming product promotions or company news
Testimonials: are they positive or negative?
Return policy information
Ad rates and related media information
Pricing models and range of prices each season
Any online store information, blogs, and media/press info
Flyers, brochures, and tangible marketing materials
It can be helpful to create a company profile of each competitor and keep it on file for easy access. Developing a simple electronic version is another way to access the data and research when you need it, and makes it much easier to consider your options when you’re trying to calculate pricing models or working on product development.
What are some other ways to keep track of your competitors? What works in your company or organization?
Company newsletters have long been used to share information about current events, upcoming highlights, and latest news. With today’s blogging and website capabilities, many companies have simply turned to web-based versions of newsletters, allowing both customers and employees to access critical information and the latest news. E-mail newsletters offer many benefits beyond a printed form, and can reach out to both your current customer base and potential subscribers through the website. E-mail newsletters allow you to:
Make you an expert.
By allowing readers to learn about the latest trends in the industry, your customers can enjoy keeping up to date with research, news, and reports. You can write up a brief summary or report about a particular news item for delivery each week or month and it’s a great way to position your company as a market leader or industry expert — even a guru.
Teach how to do something new.
How-to articles are well received, and can provide unique content amongst reports, statistics, facts, and figures. Any topic related to your industry can help make your e-mail newsletter that much more readable.
Promote your brand.
The more consistently you deliver your newsletter, the easier it will be to promote your brand and raise brand awareness. Your logo, colors, and theme can be incorporated into almost all e-mail newsletter templates and encourages the mind-connection with your customers.
Spend less money on marketing.
No matter what your marketing budget may be, e-mail newsletters are a simple and low-cost way to create an immediate impact. Many e-mail newsletter programs are also equipped with tracking services that let you see how many newsletters were opened and which links were clicked.
Build web traffic.
Direct links to articles, blog posts, or just your website can be included in each e-mail newsletter and make it easy for readers to simply click to your site.
Share new content. E-mail newsletters link back to articles and content on your site make it much easier to share. Adding a simple ‘forward this newsletter to a friend’ button provides you with an opportunity to increase readership at every single point of distribution.
Whether your advertising and marketing efforts are primarily online or take place in tangible form offline, developing powerful ad copy is critical to long-term success. Brand building, highlighting a new product, or simply delivering an important message are all possible with clever ad placement and a well-strategized marketing plan. But how do you make sure your advertising stands apart from the competition? Here are just five traits of powerful ad copy for your business, company, or website:
The Emotional Capture.
Emotions are the trigger for capturing the audience’s attention and bringing a call to action. Building up emotion in your message and really making the receiver will help your message stick.
Dramatic Leads.
Powerful words, enticing ideas, and drama are critical to your advertising message. If you’re in a highly-competitive market, it’s even more important to be bold about your statements. Bold and simple statements work best, and those that can be memorized easily are much more effective for word-of-mouth marketing and creating ‘buzz.’ This is one reason why guerrilla marketing is so effective.
Steps to the Sale.
This is a highly used tactic by salespeople, but works just as well in any advertising medium by ‘showing the way.’ Show people what to do next, whether it’s to pick up the phone, visit the website, or go to the store. This call to action concept has been used in sales and marketing for decades, and is an important part of effective ad copy.
Getting the Facts Straight.
Providing clear and cohesive statistics about your statements is a great way to capture the audience’s attention. A solid statistic, fact, or figure can build credibility for your message—even if it’s not your own statistic. Think about how powerful the diet industry can be with this tactic; simply talking about a recent study by the FDA, medical professional, or published reports about a particular ingredient gives them leverage to continue on with their own ‘findings.’ Ad copy that includes statistics or other facts can help build up enough resistance and deliver the message clearly
Positive word choices.
Using positive words throughout the headline and introduction is a simple way to keep the audience interested and continue reading. Ad copy that is short and concise still contains enough positive words and connotations to create a positive emotional connection with the brand.
What are some other techniques you notice in the media around you? What ad copy techniques work?
Nowadays everyone is so caught up in rules. Rules created by society. Rules created by ourselves. Rules that you follow but you have no idea why you are following them. Rules… Rules…Ruless…Rules galore!
Here’s a notion — what if we had no rules to adhere to? What if we could wake up in the morning and do whatever the hell we wanted? What if people were free to say, do, and act on impulse without thinking about the consequences? These “what ifs” interest me a great deal.
It may be unrealistic to think of this “material” world without having rules. I mean, with no rules there would be havoc and chaos. We’ve created rules, as a society, to keep ourselves in check. Are they good rules? I don’t know, that’s for you do decide.
But let’s talk about the rules of our minds, as individuals. In the mind no boundaries, regulations, and limits should exist. There should be no governing laws in the mind. Think, destroy, create, have a blast, do whatever you want with your mind. That’s the brilliant thing about having a mind. No one can take these freedoms away from you — except yourself.
Yet so many of us create boundaries in our minds. We cage our minds up. These same boundaries seep into our material worlds and inhibit us from doing great, extraordinary, magnificent things.
I say let loose! Let your mind wander! Draw outside of the lines! Because the mind is not concrete in nature. It’s a butterfly gracefully soaring through the sky without limits, without boundaries, and without rigid structures.
Fear. Stress. Protecting the status-quo. Being risk-adverse. These are all rules that we set in our minds. We tell ourselves “No, I can’t do this because I don’t have the skills” “I’m never going to find the solution, so let’s give up,” “This project is way too complex, I’m not smart enough” or “my family will hate me if I go in this or that direction.”
That’s all garbage. Throw it away. Those are rules that you are setting up for yourself, to your own detriment. Rules that will crush your potential as a creator. Rules that will extinguish your dreams. Rules that will keep you confined within those lines.
You’re an artist, so paint. Paint wherever your heart desires. No rules. No boundaries. Just allow yourself to be free. And when you have a free mind, anything is possible. Limits don’t exist. Your projects will become that soaring butterfly.
Whenever someone steps off the path, steps out of line, goes left when others go right, and breaks out of the herd formation, that person is either 1.) feared 2.) hated or 3.) respected — sometimes a combination of the three.
Why Are They Feared?
They are feared because people naturally dislike change. They don’t want to see someone doing something that makes them think in a new — a disturbing / disrupting — way. They are feared because they don’t understand why in the world a person would want to do something different when there’s already a perfectly “acceptable” and “ordinary” way of doing it… that’s already in place. Because people fear what they don’t understand. They shun those that dare to be different, because, in their hearts, they don’t have the courage to be different.
Why Are They Hated?
And that fear turns into contempt and hatred for such a disruptor who dare step out of the sheep herd. People hate people who are doing things that they are lacking — so in order to compensate for that “lacking” they project hatred, fueled by jealously. People hate those who come up with radical approaches that totally displace former notions and former concepts. Most of the time, that hate is so strong that that person will — for whatever reason — do everything in their power to prevent you from pushing forward with your ideas. They’ll curse you behind your back, they’ll tell others not to believe in you, and they’ll look for anyway to destroy you and your plans.
Why do They Respect You?
However, you’ll always have those who respect what you are doing and admire your courage for being different — for stepping out of line. Those that fear and hate you many even respect you, but, of course, they’ll never let you know that. Just trust that many of your enemies actually have tremendous “secret” respect for you. Those who respect what you are doing will remain in your corner and you’ll have their support to help push you forward no matter what’s to come. These special people are the ones who can see that sparkle in your eye when you speak about your idea, plans, philosophy, project, etc. They can feel that overwhelming energy radiating from every cell of your body. They can see you light-up and glow with passion and enthusiasm as you grow and your project matures. These people are your gold — hold onto them and never take them for granted. These are your believers.
YOU Decide How You’ll Let People Affect You
Remember, that you hold the power. The army of people out there who hate what you are doing and fear what you are doing are just people with opinions. The smart person would actually respect those naysayser and listen to what they are saying, even though you may not agree with them and though many of them will be aggressive and totally out of whack. Still, listen to their words but don’t let those words throw you off. If you do, then they’ve accomplished what they have set out to do: dishearten and dispirit you. And those that support you and believe in you, cherish those people and stay close to them. They’ll help keep you going in so many ways.
What are “Happiness Expectations”? They are those things that you tell yourself that you currently don’t have, and the only way that you can be happy and content is when you attain them.
Why should there be conditionals on happiness? Why should you have to attain certain sales figures with your company or make that amazing breakthrough with your project in order to feel good? Why should happiness be something that comes about only under certain, “ideal”, circumstances in your life? Why are you waiting for it?
We’ve Been Fooled
We’ve been conditioned in so many ways that we’ve lost track of “why.” Through enculturation. Through the media. Through television / movies. Through business leaders. Through you name it. We’ve been told (re: taught) that in order to be happy in life we need to make a lot of money, live in that big house, be esteemed by all, or have that amazing company that everyone knows about.
But we’ve been tricked. We’ve been fed a bunch of garbage and many of us took the bait. We’ve told ourselves that unless we reach certain goals, we can’t allow ourselves to feel successful and be at peace with our present circumstances.
What if I were to tell you that happiness and success lies within you, at all times? It’s there, but we unknowingly lock it up and only allow it to shine through on particular moments — those “special” days. What if I were to tell you that you can have those special moments 24/7 if you really wanted to?
We’ve Raped Success
We’ve abused, raped, and totally destroyed the word “successful.” We’ve taken that word and and covered it with a bunch of pretty sparkling — “bling bling” — stickers: money, fame, cars, mansions, blah…blah… blah.. Well I won’t be a subscriber to that butchered, status-quo, concept of success.
Success is Simple
Because success is quite simple. If you wake up in the morning, live your passion second by second, and truly appreciate life for what it is, right now, then you are successful my friend. Success will not be defined — and limited — by material objects and social status. Success will be “EXPERIENCED” by how you feel right now — what you’re thinking / doing right now.
Remove All Conditions
Happiness and Success need no conditions to come about. Shatter those walls that are imprisoning that inner joy. Your company, your projects, your passions, your friends, your family, your ideas, and your entire life…. should never be used as means to “bring” you happiness and success because when you turn these things into “tools” you are marginalizing them, belittling them, and really taking them for granted. Enjoy life.
Wouldn’t it be nice not to have to ever think about paying bills, rent, food, etc. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury. Many people don’t. Starting a business, start-up, organization, what have you, certainly isn’t easy and making money is, for the most part, needed to make a lot of things happen in life.
It’s a Thin, Thin Line
The line between doing something that you’re passionate about and something that you do just to make you plenty of cash is pretty thin, shaky, and gray at times. Sometimes I find myself asking questions such as “will this make me money… is what I am doing now going to help me pay my bills… how can I make even MORE money from this deal?”
And guess what? That sort of thinking makes me SICK sometimes. Money this and money that. It’s like money can take over your life (if you let it.) Money can really destroy creativity, innovation, and even your spirit.
It’s sad when we are forced to decided between our passions / creativity and making money. And it’s not always easy being in that perfect sweet spot of harmoniously having both.
But Life isn’t Perfect
We can’t expect everything to be dandy and perfect, so most of us will work up to that point of freedom. Don’t get me wrong, we can all attain freedom at any moment. Freedom of the mind from stress, fears, worries, etc.. In this context, I’m talking about the freedom of not letting “money” poison our lives. Money is a great tool to have, but remember, it’s all about the person behind that money. Money doesn’t have power, people do.
Be careful when chasing money. It can really change people. Sure, I want to make money. But, now more than ever, I realize that I won’t let money destroy my passions and spirit. Don’t let money take over your life. If you’re busting your ass — right now — to be in a position where you can have that sort of freedom, then right on! Keep at it. But if you’re stuck in a rut of being mad, angry, stressed, and intellectually drained in pursuit of making that money and your entire life is suffering, then you are a slave and need to find the path to freedom.
Despite the benefits and success stories of today’s most prominent entrepreneurs and independent business owners, many people are still ‘on the fence’ about plunging ahead with their business idea. Struggling with obstacles of financing, time, and risk, many simply choose to work for a company and reduce any fear involved with becoming their own boss.
If you’re still considering whether to plunge ahead, or just need a few ideas on getting started, here are just 25 of today’s top opportunities that can lead you to the independent lifestyle you want:
Marketing Consultant
Whether it’s a company or a solo venture, every business needs marketing services that you can provide, and build a steady set of clients for referrals as needed.
Home-Based Franchise Owner
Hundreds of franchise businesses can now be run from a home office; by taking advantage of the internet and telephone, you can start your very own franchise operation and even receive training in your field.
Book Store Owner
Setting up your own book store can be rewarding experience; some book stores can even be created online, especially if they capture a niche.
Daycare Owner
Literary Agent
Thousands of authors need representation, and if you have some great contacts in the literary marketplace, this could be a great match.
Web Designer
If you have the knowledge and communication skills to approach prospective clients, your own web design company can give you plenty of opportunities to create, and work with new projects.
Image Consultant
Business professionals and even celebrities are looking for style experts; you can set up your own image consulting business to offer a range of services, and partner up with local salons and spas for referrals.
Personal Concierge
This is quickly becoming a popular service in resort and vacation spots; you become the go-to person to answer questions and offer recommendations on local services.
Auto Repair Garage Owner
Virtual Assistant
A rapidly growing secretarial service, you can work with clients from all over the world.
Telemarketing Agent
Wedding Consultant
Event Planner or Event Planning Services
Personal Fitness Trainer
Personal Chef
Nutritionist or Health Consultant
Internet Publisher
Catering Company
If you have the culinary talents and business acumen to pull together a team, catering and event planning can be a rewarding career opportunity.
Market Research Consultant
Boutique Owner
Food Take-Out Service or Delivery Company
Gift Basket Company
If you’re naturally creative and enjoy working in the seasonal ‘rush’, a gift basket company can help you work with hundreds of clients and retailers to create unique presentations.
Public Relations Firm
Directory Publisher
Entertainment Agent
What other industries or positions allow you to be your own boss? Are you an independent business owner? Share your thoughts and ideas below!
Newsletters, brochures, websites, and even blogs are mediums of communication that reach out to your target market. Without effective ad copy, your market may be oblivious to your message, and it’s one reason why many campaigns simply fail. Knowing who your prospects are is just the first step in reaching out to your new customers, but learning about how to stir their desire and motivation to find you appealing is the necessary element to marketing success. Whether it’s in sales collateral, a newsletter, or a blog post, marketing with emotion needs to be part of your plan.
The first step in choosing your message involves identifying what they really want. Is it status? Vanity? Relief from fear? Increased security? Understanding the basic desires of your customers may require a brainstorming session or two, but the more you can fine-tune your message to appeal to the basic human emotions, the easier it will be to capture their attention. Fear and greed are the most common emotion-stirrers, and are also the themes we see time and time again in mass marketing today. Take a look around and see for yourself which ads stick out from the crowd—in almost all cases, they are presenting a message that is designed to appeal to our most basic desires.
You can use this tactic in your own marketing and advertising campaigns. Design your sales or ad campaign with any of the following as the fundamental theme, and you can easily power up your ideas with a few carefully chosen words:
Satisfy a curiosity
Reduce discomfort
Help them avoid embarrassment
Provide hope or optimism
Help them achieve security
Encourage self-reliance
Help them become popular
Lead them to take advantage of a new opportunity
These are just a few of the most common themes in today’s most powerful marketing campaigns. Which ones tend to stick with you in your daily life? How can you sue the same tactics in your own campaign?
Even with today’s emphasis on website advertising, blogging, and other internet-based marketing efforts to reach your target market, there’s still plenty of opportunity in traditional forms. Print media and radio advertising can still deliver a powerful message as part of your marketing campaign, and understanding how to use radio advertising to your advantage can help you launch your business in a fresh direction. Here are just a few benefits of radio advertising:
You’ll become a local celebrity. If you can schedule an interview with a radio talk show host or other expert in your field, you’ll gain instant traction with your local market.
You can arrange for a rotating broadcast. Radio advertising packages allow you to choose different time slots for each message or campaign, and you can easily target your most interested audience at just the right time.
You can partner up with a public service announcement. PSAs are a great way to get your company name out, especially if you’re just starting out. Just contact the radio station and ask how to get involved.
You can be a featured guest. A guest speaker on the radio helps you reach out to a new audience, and you’ll have a chance to encourage listeners to visit your website immediately.
You can run a high-frequency program efficiently and easily.
Every type of marketing effort needs to reach your customers at least 20-25 times before it becomes ‘natural’ for them to choose you. Radio advertising is a great way to use the power of repetition with your advertising ideas.
You can run a short-term promotion campaign. Announcing incentives or discounts on the air can help you attract a large pool of customers quickly. Listeners might dial in or log on to your website immediately after hearing about a special offer.
You can get people talking! Radio advertising that uses a clever theme, song, or just a fresh idea is a great way to generate some word-of-mouth marketing.
What types of marketing mediums serve you best? Is radio one of them?
Shoeboxed.com is an online service that allows people to easily and securely manage their e-mail and paper receipts, helping them take a big step towards achieving financial organization and consumer confidence.
How did you guys get started?
Taylor Mingos, our founder, started actively working on the project about 9 months ago. Most of the team members are current and former students of Duke University, and Shoeboxed was really born out of a series of dorm-room conversations about Web 2.0 business ideas. We worked on campus in the spring before moving to Berlin, Germany this summer to develop the project full-time. With all of us living and working out of one apartment, we were able to get a lot done, and we’ve been blown away by the success we have had as such a young start-up. Right now, we have an office in Durham, NC, near Duke’s campus. We still have lots of students working with us, but there are a healthy handful of full time (read: all the time) Shoeboxers that are making sure everything goes to plan.
How has the original idea evolved and grown?
With the idea of organizing digital receipts from the outset, Taylor and the rest of the team have developed a comprehensive strategy for where we want Shoeboxed to go in the coming months and years. We will be launching an upgrade to the site in the next month or so that will use our receipt functionalities as a launchpad into new areas of the Internet. Shoeboxed is a dynamic project, and we are putting up new features all the time. It’s the kind of thing that you want to check everyday, because you never know what’s coming next.
How large is your team?
We have 25 team members.
What are some techniques that you guys have used to keep such a large team so tight?
Well, this summer, 13 of us lived and worked out of an apartment in Berlin. With two bedrooms and one bathroom, we got along surprisingly well. Those of us that were in Berlin are certainly a tight-knit group because of our shared experience of working so hard to launch the site. But even the new additions to the team that have come since we moved back the U.S. have quickly become part of the group, and it’s hard to imagine how we survived without them! We only bring people on that we think will work extraordinarily well with the rest of the team, and so far, everybody has been enthusiastic, flexible, and hard working. I can’t say we make it a point to do “team bonding” or anything like that… we are just lucky to have found an amazingly dedicated bunch who are committed to making Shoeboxed a success.
What does a typical team meeting consist of — brainstorming sessions, fights, or what?
The flavor of meetings at Shoeboxed is kind of dependent on what part of Shoeboxed we’re talking about. Our marketing meetings are very collaborative, creative and high-energy. Our development meetings on the other hand, would involve a more technical creativity… and a lot of white-board space. I’ve never seen a meeting where there was a “fight.” We’re a pretty reasonable bunch I suppose. We throw a lot of popcorn at each other though…
List 3 totally unrelated (to your business) areas of study that you are into that inspire you as a person / company
Well, there aren’t too many disciplines that are TOTALLY unrelated to Shoeboxed. We’ve found that pretty much every academic field can be applied to our work, and having people that majored in completely different things has definitely been a good thing for us.
What are the percentages behind your motivation — 50% for the money, 10% for the fun, 40% to truly help people or what?
100% for making receipts a manageable, useful and fun part of everyone’s life!
In one sentence, what words of inspiration do you have for someone wanting to take a risk and start something new?
You’ve got to love what you are doing!
If someone offered you guys 20 million to sell your company and never again push forward with another idea, concept, company again, would or wouldn’t you take it and why?
We have way too many plans for Shoeboxed to take any amount of money right now. Plus, so many of us have this entrepreneurial spirit so engrained in our personalities, that we’d be really bored with doing anything else!
Even when you’re working through the challenges and obstacles of running a business on your own, you may need to hire some help as you grow.
Finding the right people to join your team can be a challenge in itself, and making sure you have a pool of qualified candidates to choose from usually takes extra time and energy. If you’re ready to start interviewing and selecting new team members, it’s essential to develop a process that you can review with ease. A few items to keep in mind:
Acknowledge your work style.
It’s important to know and accommodate for your work style as you build your team. If you’re a micromanager or more of a hands-off leader, run this by your prospects and see how they react. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to simply ‘switch’ to one or the other as you start working with other work styles and personalities, so make this clear from the beginning!
Conduct a phone interview first.
This can help you eliminate most candidates that will not be a strong match, and save both parties the time and energy needed for an in-person meeting.
Start with a list of objectives for your potential hire.
This can be an extension of your job description that lists specific projects and even upcoming deadlines. You can present this to the potential candidate after a second interview, and see how they react or respond to the requirements of their workload. A promising candidate will ask questions and even offer a few ideas of their own.
Provide information about policies and expectations at the initial interview.
If you’re using an interview process that requires a second or third interview during before selection, you’ll easily be able to screen out candidates that don’t think they can meet the expectations. This can easily prevent firing during your probationary period.
Leave them with a company summary and position objectives list.
This can also help screen out any candidates that don’t think they will be a strong fit after meeting with you. A simple way to screen out any candidates that may not be serious is to include an extra step of the interview at the end of the summary. On this sheet, indicate that they need to send a confirmation e-mail to a specific address for follow up. Those that can follow these simple directions can then make it to the next stage of your interview process.
Building a successful team will require work and many rounds of interviews, but your hard work and effort can pay off with the right screening process.
What are some other tips on interviewing, hiring, and screening potential candidates?
Imagine that you spent an entire year building a beautiful home in the woods. Your dream home. Each day you woke-up early, chopped down some trees, shaped your wood, and laid piece by piece to build your home. It wasn’t easy work, but you enjoyed it. All day long, you built and built, slowly putting together your dream home and at the end of the year you’re finally finished!
But, all of a sudden, you take another look and you realize that this isn’t your dream home. You have an entirely new idea for an even better, bigger, and stronger home… even though you know that you can “get by” with the current home.
So what do you do? Do you say “ahh.. oh well.. let me just keep this home since it took me a year to build, even though I’m not 100% satisfied” OR do you say “let me destroy this current home and build the one that I really want! So what if it took me a year to build, the new home will be worth it!”
These are the decisions any creative, innovative, and disruptive person has to make throughout their journey. Will you have the guts to totally destroy one of your concepts for an even better one when the time comes? Will you have the courage to turn your back on something that is only “okay and decent” for something that is “magnificent and amazing” ? Will you be willing to risk it all to pursue what your heart is telling you to do?
Don’t be scared to destroy. A forest fire is natures way of promoting new — greener — growth. A fever is a way of purging your body of a virus. When you break a bone it comes back stronger. You see, advancements and creativity come from destruction in so many ways.
Blogging is a natural extension of many business websites, and is quickly becoming a valuable way to attract and retain visitors to your site. Using a blog as an extension of your website—and even a marketing tool—can help you generate some new interest in your company and products, but there are a few essential elements to consider before you start posting. Here are just eight essential elements for your business blog:
Stick to a schedule. Lining up a schedule of postings will make sure your blog is updated regularly and consistently, giving readers a chance to ‘count’ on your information. When visitors see that you are a reliable source of information, they are much more likely to come back—or subscribe to your site.
Make sure your posts are optimized. Search engine optimization isn’t just for website articles, and you’ll need the search engine recognition as often as possible. Make sure to use proper formatting procedures, tags, and appropriate keywords throughout your post.
Post at least 3-5 times per week. This is just enough to keep your readers interested and improve search engine recognition over time.
Make sure you have an RSS option. This will help create a steady list of subscribers and readers, and also make it easy for your site to reach social bookmarking sites with ease.
Run that spellchecker! Spell checking and editing your blog is just as important as writing content for a website. Keep your readers interested by providing quality copy.
Become a resource point for your industry. Allow visitors to turn to you as a rich resource of information, not just another ‘echo’ on the web.
Provide fresh news on a regular basis. Even if you’re not a news-based site, develop at least a couple of posts per week that pertain to the state of your industry with summaries, links, or even video clips.
Keep your message clear and concise. Clear and concise writing is essential for your blog. This is different from article writing and print media, so make sure you can develop short and clear posts as often as possible.
What are some other blogging tips and strategies that work? Share them here!
Creating a valuable first impression isn’t the only way to build and establish rapport with your clients.
Knowing how to build rapport with each and every prospect is a simple way to put your relationships into high gear and bring benefits to all parties involved. Even for the introverted types, rapport is a skill that can be learned; while some people have a natural ability to communicate and create a positive relationship with other people, others may need to practice and strategize a simple game plan to make it work! Here are some tips on building rapport:
Make solid eye contact.
Eye contact is essential when you want to make a favorable impression, and showing sincere interest will require your full attention. Avoiding eye contact is a sign of insecurity and even deception, so it’s essential that you provide clear signals of interest throughout your interaction.
Match your body posture to your prospect’s.
This is a subconscious habit that is very powerful when you understand how to do it. Imitating your prospect’s stance or overall posture can help them relax and feel more comfortable. Watch how a confident salesperson pulls this off next time you catch them talking with a client; take note of their body movements and gestures to see how well they parallel the person they’re talking to. Chances are, they are matching their body posture more often than not.
Talk slowly.
The fast-talking salesman can easily talk himself out of a potential sale. While today’s fast-talking society may seem confident, slow and steady usually wins between people. Learning to speak in a casual, confident, and conversational style will help you connect with your prospect much more easily. Talking fast can put pressure on the conversation and turn off the prospect too soon.
Learn to be a listener.
And a repeater. If you can fine-tune your listening skills to really understand what your prospect needs and wants, it will be much easier for you to offer a service, product, or suggestion that can meet that need. Repeating what your prospect is saying can further clarify what exactly it is they want, and you can lead the conversation with your offer with much more success.
Ask questions.
Don’t be afraid to learn something as you speak with your prospect and clients; inquiring about something you don’t understand or are interested in learning more about is a great way to ‘break the ice’ in the conversation and allow the prospect to explain something to you.
Use humor.
This goes along with #3 and your conversational style. Anyone is more likely to listen to a friend or someone who seems ‘real.’ Leave the excessive smooth talking for the TV commercial or video plugs; when you’re speaking to others in person, it’s essential to allow a natural, relaxed, and friendly personality shine through! A (respectful) joke or funny story are great ways to start a relationship on the right track.
What are some surefire tips and strategies that work for you?
Up until a few days ago I used to think that outright declaring a niche was the best thing an organization could ever do. I mean, it makes sense right? You don’t want to create something “decent” that caters the entire world. You want to offer something “amazing” that caters to a certain group of people — your core demographics.
But I had it all wrong. I understood the need for a niche, but I was trying to use that “niche” as a tool (almost like a weapon) to block out the rest of the world from using my service. After speaking to my friend Mark Hurst about this issue the other day, I had an epiphany (thanks, Mark!).
Yes, you want a niche. That’s fine. But you want to allow your customers, clients, subscribers to form that niche based upon what you offer them — “their experience” of your service. It’s not “your” image of an experience that you’ve constructed in your head, it’s “theirs!”
You don’t want to create barriers such as “you have to be a certain age” or “you have to be an entrepreneur” or “you have to make a certain amount of money” in order to be a part of this service. No. No. No….
What you want to do is mold your “customer experience” around the ideals of your company, idea, and organization. And then let it loose! Yes, your core demographics will be the ones who you mostly attract, but at the same time you’re not closing the doors for other people to be a part of what you are doing.
For example: If you run a software company and you devise your marketing strategies, conferences, services all around “your” image of a “software person” who you may think is a “nerdy, introverted, glasses-wearing” person and now all of a sudden you have completely blocked out, disrespected and shunned the “muscle-building, macho, and outgoing” person who is just as much into software as the “nerdy, introverted, glasses-wearing” person that you’ve been trying — with all your heart — to attract.
Do you really want to run an organization like that?
I say forget about boundaries! Forget about protecting your niche! Forget about trying to put a definitive label on your organization. Forget about those things. Put your energy into providing an AMAZING customer experience and let “whoever” revolve around that experience.
We’ve become so blinded and caught up in these bullshit business terms and labels. “Entrepreneurship” this, “niche” that, “marketing plan” this, “projections” that. We’re becoming trapped with these business terms and labels that we’re so generously using to justify how we run our organizations.
Have we forgotten about the people? I think so. We’ve forgotten that innovation, “entrepreneurship,” “business” whatever label suits you… isn’t about us, the market, or the niche… it’s about the people who experience your service.
Let the people shape your organization and stop trying to control everything. Stop trying to label everything – geez!
Is the Red Cross nurse who raises 1 million dollars through creative means any less of an entrepreneur than Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? No!
What the hell is an entrepreneur? What the hell is an innovator? What the hell is a leader?
We’ve used these labels to our own detriment. We’re saying “I’m this (label).” And since you don’t have this label that I am using to define myself “You aren’t this (label)” And since you aren’t “this (label)” then you are lacking something or I want nothing to do with you.
This way of thinking is poisonous. Poisonous for your company, organization, community, and life.
Imagine the implications of destroying the labels? Imagine how many more people we could meet. How many more customers and clients would be attracted to our businesses. How many more lives we can change. How richer our lives would become.
Yes, this article goes counter to numerous other articles that I’ve written that were filled with me trying to explain business terms such as “niches,” “demographics,” “marketing plans,” blah…blah…blah… Guess what, I don’t care about sounding like a hypocrite. Going counter to things I’ve said in the past is a small price for coming to a realization that has positively affected my life and organization and that has the potential to affect others.
"Young and Hungry: The New Entrepreneur" will take you on a journey of two young entrepreneurs who share their thoughts, experiences, and lessoned learned while in the process to finding success. Everything from di
It’s like, everything that your teacher is saying is a “must” and is “right.” But, just as the preacher stands on the alter and gives you his “interpretation” of the holy book and demands that you live your life based upon his “interpretations” of said book, the professor is sharing his “interpretations” from what he has learned and is now passing on to you.
Though I’ve only just begun my journey into learning about the philosopher and profound intellectual,
You’re an artist, so paint. Paint wherever your heart desires. No rules. No boundaries. Just allow yourself to be free. And when you have a free mind, anything is possible. Limits don’t exist. Your projects will become that soaring butterfly.
