I recently attending a breakfast discussion at the Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. It was facilitated by Dr. Fritz Rieger. The subject being discussed was how to anticipate the outcome of two companies joining forces, through Acculturation – a model of cultural adaption. He essentially outlines four directions the corporate cultures would go. First of all they would either assimilate completely into the new culture or the opposite, separate themselves and the stronger entity would continue their home culture. The other two directions are the softening of the model and probably the more desirable positions. They…

Passion is one of those potentially arbitrary words that is difficult to define. Passion, as defined by the dictionary, is “a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.” Having passion for your business is critical to your success. Why? Without passion and enjoyment for your business you won’t be motivated to make it the best company it can be. Sadly your customers will get very bored of you and what you have to offer. Without passion and joy for the work that you do, it’ll show in your company’s personality and have a direct…

One of the most intoxicating aspects of the Internet is the power and reach it extends to even the smallest businesses. For this article I was inspired by Yaro’s post Using The Internet To Grow Your Business. He makes a very good point when he says… “There is no good excuse for not initiating some form of online marketing. Even simply having a website listing your contact details is a start and should be leveraged using other marketing methods, such as including your web address on business cards, letter heads and brochures.” Just ensuring that you have a professional presence…

I had breakfast with a friend recently who wanted to discuss personal branding. They felt that if they determined what their brand was or could be, it would change everything. But the truth is the real problem wasn’t necessarily their personal brand but their passion. Right of the top we put cost on table. “How much might this cost me Ed?” they asked. I just as quickly threw $5,000. at them, knowing the reaction – “5 grand, whoa that’s way to much.” Think so? Here’s the thing, 5 grand was not the issue. $100 might be too much, who knows.…

There is safety in numbers. There is also a great deal of knowledge that can be had if you take a sharing attitude. You don’t have to be an island. There are good people out there who would love to pick your brain and in return allow you into their inner sanctum of experience. I have been involved in a group exactly like this going on five years now. We got together after a design conference in Phoenix and had a burning desire to carry on the conversation . We are a small group of four companies within a 6…

When I first heard that Yaro Starak from Entrepreneur’s Journey was planning to sell this site, I felt like my own entrepreneurial journey was about to take another exciting and successful leap. It didn’t take long for me to decide to become the new owner of Small Business Branding. I started my first small business when I was 20 years old selling products from a booth at the local mall. So strong was my desire to be an entrepreneur that I ran my booth while working full-time as a District Manager for PCA International. As District Manager I was responsible…

Is your brand in a whirl? Many a CEO have ignored the signs and are afraid to contact their brand doctors. Some fear the embarrassment of having admit that they have long ignored the obvious and suffer from denial. Many simply have no idea why they are suffering and are just confused and anxious. If you are uncertain, here are a few things that might alert you that your brand is suffering from WhirlyBrand: Symptom: Your business completely blends in throughout it’s category. There is nothing to distinguish you. Diagnosis -WhirlyBrand: People confuse your company with that of your competition?…

If you want to increase the value of your personal brand, I believe that there is no better and faster way than blogging. I have been involved with putting my opinion out there for all to view and rebuke for a little over year now. I AM NOT A WRITER by any stretch of your imagination. As a matter of fact I don’t type home-row but use a quick hunt and peck technique perfected over many years. I consider myself an, “Opinionator”. It gives an air of respect to my open views on things that I am passionate about. You…

There has been a shift coming for some time, have you noticed? Sales used to be about catalogs, cold calls, doughnuts, lunches and lobby phones. But, not anymore, now sales is about the post choice, transactional components; how many, how much, by when, shipping methods, warranties, etc. Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING is marketing. Check the new American Marketing Association’s definition in Rob’s recent ( 2/5/08 ) post. Marketing is no longer a “function”, but a process that includes every nook and cranny of an organization. Marketing is about “information”, both good and bad, that is available 24 X…

We’ve all been in that sales situation where you think you have it wrapped up and at the last minute it stalls. They stop returning your calls and emails, all correspondences are very short and to the point, the RFP is hanging out there, it seems like your prospect has simply fallen off the face of the earth. So what happened? Were they not an ideal client or part of your target audience? Was there secretly a competitor with an inside track or existing relationship (hint: there usually is, but that’s a different ezine topic)? Were they simply shopping to…