In a 2004 article for Wired magazine, Chris Anderson took a statistical term and made it cool. Mentioning the long tail strategy in relation to the success of popular companies like Amazon and Apple moved this concept into the mainstream and gave retailers an innovative way of moving hard to find items through the sales process. By making these items available to larger audiences, the…
The truth is, as a business owner, regardless of the industry you’re in, you are first and foremost in the people business. It’s those people you encounter, be it in person or through social media, that you hope to win over and turn into lifelong clients. Business is very much people business and many of…
Let’s say you’re sitting in a room of familiar business owners. I walk in and give each of them a slip of paper and ask them to write one word on it that describes you best. What would they write? This happened to me once in a mastermind group. Attempting to work through a mock…
This morning I did something I have never done. While rushing into the gym, I left my smart phone, my lifeline, in the car. I didn’t even notice it until I climbed onto the elliptical, jammed my ear buds in my ears and reached for my phone to check messages before getting started. For a…
As women, regardless of our various levels of success, either working within the home, running a small business, or climbing the corporate ladder, one truth became very clear to me while chatting with my fellow gal pals during our daughters’ dance class. You are given the ‘stink eye’ (thank you Juno, the movie, for this…
Last night, I saw the shell of a broken man. As I looked into the eyes of Lance Armstrong as he spoke with Oprah, the words liar or cheat, never came to mind. All I saw was regret. To have accomplished so much and fallen so far has left its mark, not only on Lance,…
Starbucks. Â Finally. Â Crap, the parking lot is full! No..wait, there’s a spot. I almost missed it..I’ll just back in. After I park, I cut the engine and trip out of my car. I try not to run, but can’t help it – it’s already been one of those mornings and they have something I really…
If you’ve ever had a conversation with a small business owner, you can’t help but walk away changed. Their enthusiasm and determination is infectious and to some, delusional. But, when I think of the long list of delusional people who have gone on to create successful companies, something inside of me nudges me forward and challenges me to add my…
It can be argued that small businesses are the backbone of America, the ultimate expression of the American Dream. Many companies, though large today, started as a mom and pop store in the middle of Smalltown, USA but grew into the mammoths they are today because of you, our patrons. So, I want to say thank…
About ten years ago, I was working at an affinity marketing firm. From time to time, management would get all associates together in a large banquet hall for the all-employee meeting. You’ve been to those…free coffee and poppy seed muffins. Well, these meetings were often used to tell us how good (or bad) the company was doing and plans…
It’s fascinating to me to watch people network. The smiles and firm handshakes. The warm introductions and business card exchanges. All a necessary part of growing your business and getting your name out there. But I’ve also witnessed the other side of that. The whispers and eye rolls. The brush offs and avoidance. All unnecessary parts of growing your business and getting your…
Being good at something will automatically make you successful in business, right? Well, not so but we’d all like to think that. Many of us go into business for ourselves with a particular skill set that we have nurtured and mastered. Now that we’re experts, the next logical step is to start a business. Isn’t it? Here’s the…