Small Business Marketing
Every year I speak with and help other entrepreneurs market and grow their businesses.
Some are able to achieve their desired success. They have a solid business plan in place, the right attitude, make the proper investments, are able to delicate and know when to enlist help.
Others have every good intention, but wander aimlessly with no plan or a plan that changes from day to day. They rely on luck rather than hard work and a more strategic approach.
Then of course, there are the dreamers who do nothing more than dream and talk about their aspirations. They often talk about what the could have done or will do, without taking the first step to put their plan into action.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of grit and determination, bravery and thicker skin than you might have first thought. There will be people that want to see you succeed, but just as many that secretly (or not so secretly) want to see you fail.
For an entrepreneur, that's all part of the journey. They are often motivated as much by proving doubters wrong as they are proving to themselves that their ideas and instincts were right. They value the reward of building something for themselves over the risks and long hours that are required.
Some are able to achieve their desired success. They have a solid business plan in place, the right attitude, make the proper investments, are able to delicate and know when to enlist help.
Others have every good intention, but wander aimlessly with no plan or a plan that changes from day to day. They rely on luck rather than hard work and a more strategic approach.
Then of course, there are the dreamers who do nothing more than dream and talk about their aspirations. They often talk about what the could have done or will do, without taking the first step to put their plan into action.
Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of grit and determination, bravery and thicker skin than you might have first thought. There will be people that want to see you succeed, but just as many that secretly (or not so secretly) want to see you fail.
For an entrepreneur, that's all part of the journey. They are often motivated as much by proving doubters wrong as they are proving to themselves that their ideas and instincts were right. They value the reward of building something for themselves over the risks and long hours that are required.
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As I moved up in my corporate career, I sought out mentors. It is amazing what I learned that helped me grow, improve and maneuver sticky situations. As a business owner I enjoy mentoring young business men and women and seeing them grow in their career with me, above and beyond what I can offer them.
I had a call today where another business owner told me she spoke with a woman who worked for me. My former employee and she said I had helped her build her confidence enough to apply and interview for a job she had really wanted. Guess what, she got the job.
Being a mentee and being mentored is all well and good, but what do you do when you are at the top of the business? You can't look to someone up-the-ladder for guidance. This is when your enlist a coach.
I had a call today where another business owner told me she spoke with a woman who worked for me. My former employee and she said I had helped her build her confidence enough to apply and interview for a job she had really wanted. Guess what, she got the job.
Being a mentee and being mentored is all well and good, but what do you do when you are at the top of the business? You can't look to someone up-the-ladder for guidance. This is when your enlist a coach.
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Do you remember the most popular girl in high school? She wasn't necessarily the prettiest, the most athletic or the smartest, but she was the one who told everyone that she was popular. She walked around with her head held high and commanded attention.
Business can be much like high school in that those who are most successful, are often the very people who show confidence and tell others of their success.
Business can be much like high school in that those who are most successful, are often the very people who show confidence and tell others of their success.
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With over 6 billion people in this world it appears that originality is dead. It seems impossible to even come up with a new idea that has not been thought of before? Not only are business concepts being copied, music is being 'sampled' from great songs of the past. Is it possible to set ourselves apart and is that important?
In Peter Thiel's book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, he states, “ZERO TO ONE EVERY MOMENT IN BUSINESS happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.”
I believe there is a way to both copy and learn at the same time. Sampling ideas of great entrepreneurs may be one of the biggest things impacting entrepreneurs today.
Here is how it is being done:
In Peter Thiel's book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, he states, “ZERO TO ONE EVERY MOMENT IN BUSINESS happens only once. The next Bill Gates will not build an operating system. The next Larry Page or Sergey Brin won’t make a search engine. And the next Mark Zuckerberg won’t create a social network. If you are copying these guys, you aren’t learning from them.”
I believe there is a way to both copy and learn at the same time. Sampling ideas of great entrepreneurs may be one of the biggest things impacting entrepreneurs today.
Here is how it is being done:
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We are barely through the first month of the new year and I quit. That's right, before I get too far into the new year, I quit and you should join me. The key to living your best year and accomplishing your greatest goals is in saying, "I quit."
More and more I am convinced that success is not only based on what you do, but also powerfully connected with what you don't do. So to break through the barriers of success and joy we must courageously quit!
Quitting is not a negative thing. It is an essential part of success. This is the year we stop living an inch deep and a mile wide. This is the year we go narrow and deep and set the foundation for the years ahead.
Here are 5 things I will quit doing and you should join:
More and more I am convinced that success is not only based on what you do, but also powerfully connected with what you don't do. So to break through the barriers of success and joy we must courageously quit!
Quitting is not a negative thing. It is an essential part of success. This is the year we stop living an inch deep and a mile wide. This is the year we go narrow and deep and set the foundation for the years ahead.
Here are 5 things I will quit doing and you should join:
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There are many great things about being an entrepreneur... and a few not so great things. One of the biggest challenges I find is getting away for a real vacation. I'm not talking about the trip where you bring along your laptop take conference calls and try to squeeze in family time. I'm talking about really disconnecting from your business. With my previous business I waited five years to take a full no-computer vacation. No surprise it was great, not only for me, but also for my staff.
It becomes a win-win for everyone when you disconnect. For your employees it shows a level of trust that you are confident enough that they can keep the business running while you are away. You get to finally unwind. As an entrepreneur, even when you are not working , you are working, you just keeping thinking of what you can do next. Vacations that exclude being connected to electronics can really give you time to connect with family and friends.
It becomes a win-win for everyone when you disconnect. For your employees it shows a level of trust that you are confident enough that they can keep the business running while you are away. You get to finally unwind. As an entrepreneur, even when you are not working , you are working, you just keeping thinking of what you can do next. Vacations that exclude being connected to electronics can really give you time to connect with family and friends.
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Every year I buy myself a new journal to keep notes from my client meetings, business ideas and new technologies I'm planning to adopt. There is something about a blank book full of opportunities and ideas to be noted and recorded that excites me. What does the future hold and what will the journal say in December 2016 about the past year?
As I start my journal this year, rather than starting with resolutions and goals on page one, I'm going to begin with the last page. Writing what has been achieved, writing what the year looked like, rather than writing what the year will look like. Here is my final chapter of an amazing 2016...
As I start my journal this year, rather than starting with resolutions and goals on page one, I'm going to begin with the last page. Writing what has been achieved, writing what the year looked like, rather than writing what the year will look like. Here is my final chapter of an amazing 2016...
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I recently had the privilege of speaking to middle school students on Career Day about entrepreneurship. I was pleasantly surprised by my experience and I left the presentation with a positive feeling about future generations. Amazingly, when the principal ask the school how many knew what they wanted to become, over half raised their hand. I was blown away by the level of self-awareness these kids possessed.
It may sound far-fetched that 11 to 14 year olds know what they want to do ten years from now, but many do. Now, I realize most will change their minds, after all they are kids, and as adults many of us are still changing our minds. But, to have the confidence in your plans to say "Yes, I do know what I want to do." when you're that young is huge.
It may sound far-fetched that 11 to 14 year olds know what they want to do ten years from now, but many do. Now, I realize most will change their minds, after all they are kids, and as adults many of us are still changing our minds. But, to have the confidence in your plans to say "Yes, I do know what I want to do." when you're that young is huge.
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This Sunday, I completed my second half-marathon. Not bad considering this fall I was running two businesses, selling one, growing the other, raising two teens and training for a half marathon with a few injuries. It's a lot on a person's plate, but manageable if you train like a Badass.
What comes to your mind when you hear that someone just completed a marathon? Do you think I can do that, I've done that or why would anyone want to do that. Well, that's pretty much the same response I get when I tell people I'm an entrepreneur.
As I spent the last few months training for the Dallas [Half] Marathon, I was reminded by how similar it is to growing my business. Both take self-motivation, dedication, a goal and a plan to reach that goal. They both take a Badass attitude.
No matter if you're training for a foot race or business success, here are 10 things you should do to increase your likelihood of success.
What comes to your mind when you hear that someone just completed a marathon? Do you think I can do that, I've done that or why would anyone want to do that. Well, that's pretty much the same response I get when I tell people I'm an entrepreneur.
As I spent the last few months training for the Dallas [Half] Marathon, I was reminded by how similar it is to growing my business. Both take self-motivation, dedication, a goal and a plan to reach that goal. They both take a Badass attitude.
No matter if you're training for a foot race or business success, here are 10 things you should do to increase your likelihood of success.
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I've always said I'd rather give a speech to hundreds than mingle with a small group. I'm pretty certain I'm not the only one. I'm not a psychologist, so I'm sure there is a more complex answer for this anxiety, but my guess is that it comes down to the fear of not being liked or more plainly stated, being rejected. This is the same fear that exists in sales.
I love sales, or should I say I like getting the sale and working with a new interesting client. I don't always enjoy the sales process. I like talking to people, I like helping people, but I don't enjoy being rejected. After all, it's hard not to take rejection personally especially when you're an entrepreneur and own the business, manage the work and do the sales. But what if there was a way to remove the rejection, would it make sales and mingling more comfortable? Could removing fear and being more likeable actually make a person more successful?
I love sales, or should I say I like getting the sale and working with a new interesting client. I don't always enjoy the sales process. I like talking to people, I like helping people, but I don't enjoy being rejected. After all, it's hard not to take rejection personally especially when you're an entrepreneur and own the business, manage the work and do the sales. But what if there was a way to remove the rejection, would it make sales and mingling more comfortable? Could removing fear and being more likeable actually make a person more successful?
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I think many of us can list the reasons why we would want to start our own business and leave a job where we work for someone else. The idea of working for yourself offers a different kind of freedom and it's a passion that drives so many of us to become entrepreneurs. But it is an idea that is full of risk, made especially concerning if you're in a good job currently. So if that is the case why would you leave a successful business you own to start a new one?
I ask myself this question, because I recently sold a great business that I grew from the ground up. It was a franchise, but even with that there are no guarantees of success, and many owners did not succeed. But I did. I had a passion for my business and I liked my employees and clients. However, as an entrepreneur, I got restless and wanted to share my success and the lessons that I had learned with others. With many years of marketing experience, both in the corporate and small business world, I knew I could help others be successful by implementing solid marketing strategies. With this idea in mind I launched Marketing Eye Dallas as a licensee of the greater international Marketing Eye firm.
With both the knowledge of being successful and starting from the ground up again, I realize there are some things that never change.
I ask myself this question, because I recently sold a great business that I grew from the ground up. It was a franchise, but even with that there are no guarantees of success, and many owners did not succeed. But I did. I had a passion for my business and I liked my employees and clients. However, as an entrepreneur, I got restless and wanted to share my success and the lessons that I had learned with others. With many years of marketing experience, both in the corporate and small business world, I knew I could help others be successful by implementing solid marketing strategies. With this idea in mind I launched Marketing Eye Dallas as a licensee of the greater international Marketing Eye firm.
With both the knowledge of being successful and starting from the ground up again, I realize there are some things that never change.
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After a week spent with family and enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday, it is time to get those running shoes on and make the next three weeks really count for your business. These weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are critical not just for retailers, but for all businesses.
Here is how you can connect with your customers, employees and community to make the year-end a positive one.
Holiday greetings, parties and giving back are all ways to connect with your customers, employees and community. Take advantage of this time of giving to say thank you, show your appreciation and give back.
Here is how you can connect with your customers, employees and community to make the year-end a positive one.
Holiday greetings, parties and giving back are all ways to connect with your customers, employees and community. Take advantage of this time of giving to say thank you, show your appreciation and give back.
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When your company is growing as fast as ours, you often find yourself short-staffed. We feel as though we are constantly in catch up mode, yet somehow we deliver for our clients and continue to produce work of a high standard.
Behind the scenes it's a different matter. Not only are there demands to create strong marketing plans for our clients, there is the demand to do the same for ourselves. The need to find staff that are nimble, creative and deliver is imperative.
I am a strong believer in culture and finding the right fit. I'm lucky, because I started the Dallas office utilizing Marketing Eye staff that was already established and bringing on board a few people who I had worked with in the past. I knew everyone could deliver and I knew what strengths they brought to the team. Now, as I continue to build my team, I will need to find people who are not so familiar, but are a good fit.
Behind the scenes it's a different matter. Not only are there demands to create strong marketing plans for our clients, there is the demand to do the same for ourselves. The need to find staff that are nimble, creative and deliver is imperative.
I am a strong believer in culture and finding the right fit. I'm lucky, because I started the Dallas office utilizing Marketing Eye staff that was already established and bringing on board a few people who I had worked with in the past. I knew everyone could deliver and I knew what strengths they brought to the team. Now, as I continue to build my team, I will need to find people who are not so familiar, but are a good fit.
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As a daughter, granddaughter and employer of a veteran I can say hiring a veteran makes good business sense. The military teaches and instills in its service personnel skills that are both valuable and desirable to American businesses.
No matter your personal feelings about the U.S.'s involvement of international conflicts; men and women who volunteer to serve their country come with a different level of commitment. One that for those of us who have not served, did not make.
Here is why hiring a vet makes good business sense.
No matter your personal feelings about the U.S.'s involvement of international conflicts; men and women who volunteer to serve their country come with a different level of commitment. One that for those of us who have not served, did not make.
Here is why hiring a vet makes good business sense.
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We often get so caught up in our lives that we forget to stop and evaluate where we are and where we are going on our life journey. This week was big for me, I ran 10 miles (stopping only to fill up my water bottle), I reorganized my office, I had a positive sales call which I feel confident will turn into a sale, and I sold a business I have owned for over seven years.
The week came with a flood of emotions from proud, to relieved, to sad, to excited. It also made me stop and think about what is important in life and how I really want to shape my journey ahead.
The week came with a flood of emotions from proud, to relieved, to sad, to excited. It also made me stop and think about what is important in life and how I really want to shape my journey ahead.
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