Blogs

I never know, week to week, from where the seeds of my next blog might come. Sometimes, something will catch my eye—a news article, TV show, chance encounter, LinkedIn post, or some other social media share. It’s all part of the creative process, and this week I’ve been thinking about creativity—go figure!—which brought my attention to…

Be prepared. It’s one surefire way to improve your chances for success. Parents prepare. Teachers prepare. Students prepare. Chefs and shoppers prepare. Businesses and leaders prepare. Doctors and athletes prepare. Heck, “Be prepared” is even the Boy Scouts long-time motto. Sure, some folks find success out of sheer luck, but I tend to believe even…

The notion of “leadership” seems to come up a lot these days, whether it’s in casual conversation, business discussions, the news, or politics. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot, which got me to thinking that it’s probably not understood all that well … which would explain a lot! Leadership is about getting…

As marketers, we’ve probably all faced one or more of these situations: We’re not converting Web traffic to sales No one’s subscribing to our email list Our free download just sits there with no suitors, like a wallflower at the high school dance We’re getting no takers on our offer of a free consult No…

A blog on the topic of personal branding seemed like a natural follow-up to last week’s “I Know My Brand … Do You Know Yours?” As I started to ponder what to write, I had the strangest sense of Déjà vu. Seems I’d touched on that subject a few years back, so why re-create the…

Feedback is how we know we are doing something right; it’s also how we know when we’re doing something wrong. Feedback is necessary. It’s how we improve our relationships and raise our golf (or in my case, volleyball) game to the next level; it’s also how we fine-tune our business offerings and hone our brands.…

The calendar tells me it’s spring—though some of my northern and mid-western buddies might disagree—and the days are getting longer and warmer. Another true sign of spring is that the Major League baseball season is upon us (Go Dodgers!). For baseball fans across the land, hope springs eternal and anything, at least for a week…

Nothing beats good word-of-mouth. Whether you’re looking to find a good deal on a purchase, a nice meal out, a plumber you can trust, a new job, or to hire someone to build-up your online presence, when someone you know and trust refers you to a specific vendor or individual, his or her words carry…

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” These are words we’re all likely familiar with, even if we don’t know their source or true meaning. Attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in a 1943 sermon, the roots of…

I’m a doer. I like to get things done. I suspect most of you are doers, too. That’s why you visit my blog. You want some insight on how to get things done. Theodore Roosevelt (26th President of the United States) once said, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is…

Today’s headline got the tech and business worlds all a twitter, and even made yours truly take notice: “Android tablets capture 62% of market share in 2013, beating out iPad for the first time.” Could it be true? How could Apple let such a thing happen? Now read the headline again. It says “Android tablets”…

With most schools on the east coast off the week of President’s day, and a good portion of schools shut down for all or part of the same week in the rest of the country—the proverbial winter break for students and teachers—my mind starting wandering back to the heady days of youth, back to when…