I especially agree with points #1 – that was smart to put it up front because it is the key to everything that follows. Also happy to note great points about hiring right which I wrote about briefly. What do YOU wish you’ve known before starting up?

While walking the hallway in my child’s school one day, a poster caught my eye. In huge letters, it said, “Failure Isn’t An Option”. At that time I thought it was good. After all, that’s what we tell ourselves too. It’s an old message and you see it often in different places. We understand it to be good because we’re essentially saying – aim for excellence and we should always shoot to win. It isn’t until recently that I’ve begun to take a different stance on that. In fact, I’ll be watching myself so those words will never be uttered…

There’s this guy named James. He runs a pretty successful business. It’s obvious James has a lot of responsibilities and is a busy man. Regardless, when you talk to him, he’s always positive, smiling and easy going. Do you have a person like James in your life? It’s like no matter what he’s faced with in his business, he always seems to be calm and reasonable. How do they do that and more importantly how can you? The Eleventh Hour Should Be Spent Resting For starters, don’t leave projects till the last minute. Some people claim that the pressure of…

Graphic design firms have for years neglected a key space that can bring them a significant new stream of revenue. Most of this missed opportunity is due not understanding the opportunity of branding. For far too long, graphic designers have called developing logos “branding.” Re-branding is being marketed as simply changing the logo of a company. This mis-information is then picked up by the media and the mis-conception breeds on itself. I cringe every time I see in the media that a company is re-branding, and on investigation, see that they are simply changing the logo. You have to ask…

One: Determine your brand values and be sure that they accurately reflect your brand. One way to be sure is this scenario: if you took away any one of the values would your brand cease to exist as that brand? If not, then the value wasn’t a true value. Two: Determine or develop a positioning strategy that makes your brand a leader in your category. This is not some fluffy slogan that merely inspires but is something that potential customers can resonate with and in many cases pay more for. Three: Own your color palette. Look to your competition and…

What sounds better during a sales pitch: 1. We help businesses improve their bottom line. 2. We helped XYZ company increase revenue by 19%. Obviously number 2 is the clear choice, and the reason is because it includes quantifiable data that validates the value the company claims, which helps differentiate the company and its offerings. This type of anecdotal differentiation comes in many flavors, regardless of the type of organization you run, e.g.: A. Tree removal company – We helped ABC park district remove 26 trees so it could finish its new park on time. B. Law firm – AAA…

With so many factors in a shifting landscape, sometimes it’s difficult to get a broad overview of your business. If you have a firm grip on total quality management, your leadership teams are focused on case studies and apply successful techniques to your current operations. Depending on the size of your firm, it may not be possible for leaders to get on the same page. Larger organizations may consider hiring an outside expert to help them strategize. In smaller organizations, however, internal leadership collaboration can make a big difference. Here are five benefits of total quality management that can improve…

What’s your takeaway? There are a couple of things that jump up for me. Quite a bit mentioned about mobile email and that decision makers open their emails on mobile devices. Email is well and alive today

I’m always trying to find ways to improve on what I do. I do a lot of reading, I reach out to people. I’m continually looking for great opportunities to get my message out there. I recently launched my new website that I had ported over to Wordpress. Now my blog is within my site rather than at a separate location. I’ve also just launched my new ASK ED! question service. In the bag and ready for promotion is a 3 product mastermind like consulting packages that I will start promoting very soon. Also In the works is a new…

Public speaking is a great way to build awareness for your brand, generate leads and increase your expert profile. Public speaking is not a natural thing to do. Standing in front of groups of strangers is enough for some people to lose their cookies. I suggest this channel a lot when I am in conversation with business people. I get a lot of cringes and excuses. But the truth in the matter is public speaking can be easy to do. My experience is typical – I too was nervous the first time I spoke. I had a script, I lost…