Growing & Learning Archives - Page 12 of 23

Brilliant series on being successfully self-employed

August 10, 2007

Tony Clark has always been one of my favorite bloggers. He's a gifted artist. That would be enough for most people. But he's also an insightful and inspiring writer. (And a Disney fan, so that really puts him over the top!)

His blog, Success from the Nest, is much more than a hot bed of information and solid tips for the self-employed. Tony's posts and life/work balance, chasing your dreams, digging down deep to find the best of yourself, helping clients grow, and practical work tips are food for the brain and the heart of anyone out there trying to make a buck without selling their soul.

I always find something of interest on Tony's blog. But he's recently completed a five-part series called the Hierarchy of the Successfully Self-Employed. Whether you are self-employed or not — I promise you will find food for thought in this series.

It's about so much more than working.

Hierarchy of the Successfully Self-Employed (part 1)
Freelancing is for Suckers (part 2)
All the Aggravation of Employment, Without All the Perks (part 3)
You May Already be an Expert…You Just Don't Know It (part 4)
Gurus Share More by Doing Less (part 5)

Enjoy this series and if you're smart…enjoy Tony's blog on a regular basis.

Beating Writers Block

July 31, 2007

We all experience writers block now and then. Here are some tips for breaking through a block and getting the job done that seem to work for me.

~ Start in the middle. Write your intro last, so you’ll know just what you want to emphasize.

~ Just write. No matter how rough or bad you think it is. Just get something down on paper. That leads right into tip #3.

~ Editing is easier than writing. Go through your rough copy and circle what you like and keep going. It’s much easier to rewrite than it is to start from scratch.

~ Think out loud. Work through your ideas with a co-worker. Words flow easier in conversation. And their feedback might give you a new perspective.

Most of us don’t have the luxury of waiting for the muses to strike. Check out this laundry list of other good ideas from Maartje Van Hoorn at Behind the Page.

Can you add to the lists? When you just can't seem to string two sentences together — what do you do?

Bad customers, branding, chasing cool and babies

July 25, 2007

If you're looking for me today, you're going to have to look all over. It's a little like "where in the world is Carmen San Diego" but with a twist. Check out my posts on these blogs:

Marketing Profs Daily Fix: No one believes in branding more than I do. But have we gone a little too far when we hire professionals to help us brand our baby?

IowaBiz: Everyone wants to be the iPod of their industry. What gets in the way of being a company capable of creating that kind of cool?

Small Business Branding: Everyone's had a bad customer. Guess what? That's our own fault. Branding done right can help us avoid those potential customers who in the end, just aren't for us.

Come catch me if you can!

The cherry on top

July 14, 2007

David Reich of My 2 cents recently tagged me for the eight things about me meme. Many months ago, there was a five things about me meme going around that I got tagged for. You have to give the blogosphere credit – we're always trying to get even better.

So….from the past, here are my first five:

I’ve crossed the threshold of Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971.

I could be President of Venezuela (I was born down there while my parents did an overseas stint for work. )

I hung out with the movie star Ashley Judd for a weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

I really dislike feet. Don’t like to look at them or touch them. Have no idea why. But, if I ever were the President of Venezuela – I would outlaw sandals.

You can find me in the TV special (now on DVD) of a very famous country music duo.

Now, for the cherry on the top….another three.

I always read the last couple chapters of a book first. Yes, even mysteries and whodunits. By 12:30 am next Friday, I will know if Harry Potter dies or not. I promise, I won't tell. I love knowing the ending and then learning from how the author weaves the truths into the story telling. This is especially fascinating in a good murder mystery.

In a previous career, I was the head of a detective agency. Okay, I was about 9 or 10. But ala Encyclopedia Brown, we were open for business and serious about our craft. I believe we solved two minor mysteries (which I am pretty sure our parents engineered) but we earned enough money to hit the DQ.

Only counting the ones that have hospitalized me….I have had about 30 kidney stones. The doctors have done every test imaginable but they can't figure out why. So I drink a lot of water and take an odd mix of pills including a seaweed supplement. Good news…the odd blend seems to be working.

7 lessons worth learning

July 7, 2007

Over at the Joyful Jubilant Learning blog, they have set a big, hairy, audacious goal. In honor of the day of luck (Saturday, 07/07/07) they are trying to accumulate 777 learning links.

It's simple.

Come up with 7 (or more) posts that inspired a learning moment and go over and post it in their comments section. I just posted mine and thought I'd share them with you here as well.

If you look at the posts I've chosen, you'll see that for me the posts worthy of this effort were not about "how to" but instead "why it matters" types of learning.

Hope Saved on a Laptop

This 9/11 story is a powerful reminder that waiting until tomorrow to chase our dreams may be too late. We owe it to ourselves to at least begin the journey today.

What Do You Believe In?

This grew out of a famous scene in the movie Bull Durham. The question…what do you believe in generated some remarkable answers throughout the blogosphere. The learning comes from asking yourself the question.

Want to feel good about our world?

I can't watch this YouTube video (and read the accompanying story) without tearing up. This is a story about a son's dream and a father's love which brought the dream to life.

Marketing Lessons from Walt Disney

A week's stay in Walt Disney World turns into a Master's Degree in marketing, thanks to the genius of Walt Disney.

I Wish I Had Written This
One of the finest examples of writing I have ever seen. It is absolutely brilliant and shoudl inspire every writer to reach a little deeper.

I Hail the First-Person Singular Pronoun

A very straightforward reminder of the power of word choice. And the power of the individual.

Helping College Grads Get a Job – FREE e-book

This collaboration became a stupendous e-book with professional and life lessons for recent college grads and even seasoned professionals.

You can also check out the compilation of the posts in a sorted order.

Celebrating a Virtual Ton of Fun – Drew’s Marketing Minute Hits 2000 Comments Strong!

July 1, 2007

Submitted by Roberta Rosenberg

Drew sent me a quick email informing me I had written his 2000th comment since he launched Drew's Marketing Minute and asked me ever-so-nicely if I would write a post about the reaching this milestone.

David Reich had been tapped for posting duties when his comment clocked in at 1000 and pushed Drew into quadruple digits. David's post, as you can read here, is eloquent and generous. But it didn't take very long to get to 2000, did it, Drew? Barely 2 months and bam! there you are.

What else could I possibly add as your 2000th commentator? Maybe I'll just accept my virtual balloons and confetti and call it a day. (Thank you, everybody. You're the greatest!)

Or maybe not.

I'm still a fair newbie to blogging and social media marketing. Coming to the medium from a marketing/copywriting career in print and old-fashioned web work — amazing to say a 10-year old medium is old-fashioned, but hey, I digress — the overall generosity of the marketing-minded blogging community in general, and Drew in particular, continues to astound and amaze me. And unless you're, like under 25 and are thinking what's the big deal, you probably feel the same way.

From one little acorn grew not only a towering oak but a veritable garden of digital connections. Some direct, some not so. Some useful, some just fun. All good.

Drew's devotion to his craft and his firm grasp on the philosophical and yes, ethical bigger picture, have lead to ebooks, several memes, get-togethers, and an abundance of link love. Hundreds of his fellow bloggers – marketing-oriented and otherwise – have benefited. I know I have, and probably so have you.

Even now, Drew has initiated yet another helping hand. In his post, Help me build a new blogger toolbox, Drew has asked his friends – let's call them "Drewpies" – to provide core resources for newbie bloggers. Someone was kind enough to mention The Copywriting Maven and when I finish this post, I'll be adding a few of my own favorites.

Congrats, kiddo. I'm proud to be a "Drewpie!"
–

Blogs that make you go hmmm…

June 21, 2007

It’s pretty cool when one of the smartest bloggers you know points to your blog as one that makes HIM think. So I was really tickled when David Reich included Drew’s Marketing Minute in his list of five blogs that make him think.

Feeling good about David’s nod was the easy part. Then, I kept reading and realized that I now had the difficult task of narrowing down a long list of blogs that make me go hmmm every day down to a measly five. Cripes.

So…here goes. I checked as best I could and it looks like these blogs have not already been nominated. If I’m wrong…enjoy the double dose of love. And check out my blog roll to see how many other blogs could have been on this list.

Servant of Chaos — Gavin Heaton is a marketing poet, pure and simple. And my partner in publishing with the Age of Conversation. Wickedly smart. His posts dig way past strategy to purpose.

Steve Farber — Author of two of my all-time favorite business books (Radical Leap and Radical Edge), Steve Farber is about life’s purpose, joy, leadership to the extreme and changing the world.

Logic + Emotion — David Armano’s blog is probably most associated with his graphics. But what puts it on this list for me are the questions David asks as he explores connectivity, conversation and consumer communities.

The Copywriting Maven — Roberta Rosenberg has a way with words. Her posts are never wasteful — every word has a job to do. She teaches, offers tips and asks questions that make me want to be a better writer. Update: And is snort your milk through your nose funny!

Success from the Nest — Tony Clark writes with conviction, experience and cartoons. Tony puts his readers’ through their paces. By going through them himself first. He’s a human guinea pig — and he invites us along on his explorations.

What do these blogs have in common? They ask questions and invite me to think. Thanks to all of you for making me go hmm.

And…here’s the rest of the prize package, according to the originator of this meme:

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to Drew’s post which says such nice things about you so that people can follow the meme’s trail,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

Let go

June 17, 2007

It seems appropriate to share this with you on Father’s Day. It’s something that’s come to me as I’ve blundered through being a dad. It’s one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever had to learn. Fortunately, the difficulty has been commensurate with the value.

When my daughter was a little less than a year old, she, like all babies, was struggling to stand and take those first steps. I would walk behind her, her hands wrapped tightly around my forefingers to provide some stability, and together we would walk.

Of course, I was handling most of the balancing. She was just putting one foot in front of the other and sort of lunging. If I had removed my hands, she would have fallen. So I didn’t.

My mistake. Once I let her fall a couple times, she figured it out. And took her first steps.

Flash forward a few years. My daughter loved riding her bike and was ready to go sans training wheels. So we took them off. We started out slowly. I’d walk (then run) behind her, holding onto the seat so she wouldn’t fall. Every time the bike would start to tip to the side, I righted it and we kept going.

My mistake. Once I let her fall a couple times, she figured it out. And rode down the street, triumphant and training wheel free.

I’ve observed this pattern in our lives together many times. When I hang on too tight out of fear or protectiveness, she doesn’t grow. She doesn’t master something new. She doesn’t get to be all that she can be.

I know, as we approach the dating years, I am going to be painfully reminded of this lesson. And I know I won’t always heed the little voice in my head that’s whispering, "let go." But I’m going to try.

Beyond parenting, I believe the "let go" lesson is incredibly relevant in marketing.

We can craft our marketing messages and our brand promises until we think they’re perfect. But sooner or later, we have to let go. We have to recognize that it’s a conversation, not a monologue.

When we hang on too tight out of fear or protectiveness, nothing grows. We can’t master something new. And the relationship we’re trying to forge with our community of customers doesn’t get to be all that it can be.

What’s something that you held onto for too long? Or, tell us a success story of what happened when you let go.

What if Seth Godin was full of crap?

June 15, 2007

He’s become the JFK of the blogosphere. Revered. Quoted. Beloved.

But what if ones of these days he said something that just didn’t ring true to you. Or that you vehemently disagreed with? Would you publicly say so? Would you call him out or disagree?

As I watch us all invent this medium and how it is used to create thought leadership surrounding marketing and branding, I’m struck by how genteel we are. We rarely argue with one another. We point to each other and "atta boy" a good post. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

As long as our readers know there’s a balance. As long as they can trust that we’ll tell them when the Emperor’s naked.

And it’s not just Seth. I think we do it with each other all the time. Haven’t you read another marketer’s post and thought "he/she’s way off base there?" Did you comment or post your counter-viewpoint? Or did you just shrug and let it hang?

Seth’s just a great example because he’s become the marketing icon. He’s down to first name status. He’s the Bono or Cher of our industry. But, as smart and insightful as he is, that doesn’t make him infallible.

And if you say…"well, Seth is never wrong…" does that mean he stays in the safe zone? No one is always right unless they don’t push beyond the accepted truths, right?

What do you think? If Seth (or Guy or Kathy Sierra or any respected marketing/branding blogger) posted something today that was based on a faulty assumption or flew in the face of a marketing truth as you know/believe it to be – would you write about it?

Maybe the better question is — have you ever?

UPDATE: Mack Collier asks a very interesting and smart question. If Seth were to launch a generic blog with no tie to him/his name –would it survive? Thrive?

Feeling lucky?

June 8, 2007

Here’s something a little lighter for your weekend fare. Two chances to win big.

Darren Barefoot (of DarrenBarefoot.com fame) was involved in a project with Elastic Path where they did some edutainment videos spoofing some of the frustrations that come with ecommerce. (In the first video, Darren has a cameo role as a search engine!)

If you check out the videos and either subscribe & comment or link back to their site, you could win a $100 Amazon gift certificate.

AND

Sean Spence has launched a new site that is holding a contest for great marketing concepts. As the site says, "any NEW idea designed to convince people to want or have or do something. There is no limit on the type of product, service, entity or individual. The only major rule is that the idea must be creative, effective and original. Truly stolen ideas will be immediately disqualified."

Oh yeah…there are two prizes here. First– you get to read everyone else’s great ideas and on August 31st (or after he gets 250 ideas, whichever comes later) the person with the best idea will win $1,000. There are some other cash prizes so go check it out!

Good luck!

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