One Thing #4
What do you do best? What are your strengths? Last night, I sat with a group of people who all share a common interest in sustainable business consulting. We had two engineers, a former design librarian and archivist, an energy use consultant and me. While we all had a lot of skills and experience to offer, we came away resume-like lists and descriptions, but not a real knowledge... Read More
What is Marketing?
by art_you Yesterday, I had a great conversation with a colleague from a small business consulting firm. We met for coffee, began to chat about our work and processes when she asked me seriously and curiously, “So, what is marketing?” Wow. Now, that’s a great question. I didn’t reply with a textbook story about the four P’s, about how to sell or promote... Read More
365Awesome.com
Get inspired by awesomeness and check out I Spy Joy’s new 365Awesome.com. Read More
Learning, Life, Lou Lou
First, my apologies. I had a sick day yesterday on account of Lou Lou needing a couple trips to the vet, minor surgery, a cone around her head and some TLC. Lou is my first cat and I’m lucky to say it was my first run-in with pet hospitalization. It took me to the next level of understanding what some people do for their four-leggeds. Frankly, I took it worse than she did.... Read More
One Thing #1
I am starting a Monday entry called, “One Thing.” This is designed to help you to perform one meaningful and simple business task per Monday or per week that will help you connect with your customers, your staff and your work this week. One Thing will be inspirational, pragmatic, a friendly reminder, and a hopefully surprising and refreshing idea and tool to help you... Read More
The Beginning
For me, 2010 will be the year of the egg. As I held a little brown Grade A in my hand this morning, I had a cliché but satisfying thought on the new year, improvisational cooking, work, change and growth. Cooking is one of my favorite pastimes for conversations with creativity–goes up there with gardening, painting (walls not pictures) and writing. So it’s no wonder... Read More
Take a Pledge
Take the Handmade Pledge for 2010 I am decidely optimistic about 2010. There’s a lot I’d like to change and improve in my life and the world around me, and I like the calendar year as a measurement for my progress. I’m a sucker for badges and seals, placards and signs… probably a hold-over from my childhood scouting days. Now I’m scouting small businesses... Read More
How to be Happy in Business
I have a special feeling towards Venn diagrams in general, but I especially have a fondness for those that can capture compelling dilemmas. How to be Happy in Business represents one of our great human challenges: doing what you love and getting paid for it (which is not a book title, surprisingly). I think I’ll get one of Bud Caddell’s prints so that I can hang it... Read More
8 Questions and Why
From Seth Godin’s blog. Who are you trying to please? What are you promising? How much money are you trying to make? How much freedom are you willing to trade for opportunity? What are you trying to change? What do you want people to say about you? Which people? Do we care about you? (and after each answer, ask ‘why?’) Read More
Tweet This
It’s official: social media has become an obvious and necessary marketing tool. Social networking is your new marketing friend, giving a direct dialogue with your market at all times. So why are you so unhappy? Because, social media is the kind of friend that calls you at 8 Saturday morning for coffee, drags you around on her errands, convinces you to stay for dinner and then... Read More