Build Your Brand

Artisan Jewelry by Little Green Apple

You might think that little green apples don't have much to do with exquisite, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry.

But.

Don't tell  Mary Anne Green that.   She's got a thriving jewelry stand at the Fairport Farmer's Market.  You can find her along what I call the 'back 40" aisle - the vendor stands  that back up to the Fairport Credit Union's parking lot. 

The sign makes it easy to find her.

 

And, she's got a group of raving fans who absolutely ADORE what she makes.  Like me.  And my friend who shops the market every Saturday.  And many more women who wander up to her table that first time and fall in love with Mary's jewelry.

There's a  LOT to see. 

If you don't see what you want,  talk with Mary.  She made my friend an ankle bracelet because my friend asked her if she could do that.  And, Mary could.  And, she did.

This bracelet is one of my favorite pieces.  Mary collected the stones from a beach up in the Adirondacks.  Isn't it stunning?  And, it's the only one.  I didn't buy it when I first saw it.  Think I'll go back next Saturday to see if Mary still has it. 

This is Mary.  I'm not sure why she closed her eyes when my husband took her picture.  Maybe she's shy and likes to let her jewelry speak for her. 

What do you suppose her necklaces are saying?

Are any of these bracelets talking to YOU?

See the necklace in the photograph below -- the one that has three pearl stones with the antique pin?  Well,  it had SO much to say to me that I just had to buy it.

Jewelry's like that,  you know.  If you listen,  it will speak to you.   And, about the only place that Mary's  jewelry may have the chance to speak to you is at the Fairport Farmer's Market.  At least for now.

The market is Mary's store.  She doesn't have a web site.   Or an email address on her business cards.   She does have a Facebook page that her daughter put up for her. 

So.  If you like the photos  I've posted,  there are a LOT of Saturdays to come between now and mid-November when the market shuts down for the winter.  

Come out to Fairport and see if Mary's stunning, one-of-a-kind jewelry has anything to say to you!

"Wisdom in a Traffic Jam" -- Yes, This is a Book Review!

Remember that song:  "Hello, it's me and it's been a while?"   Somehow, with all of the efforts I'm putting into my dog blog and then my family's annual Adirondack vacation,  I've neglected to put in some time here. 

Thought I'd get two things done at once to make up for my absence.   Write a post that introduces you to someone I first met in 2005 and do a book review of her very first book!  Let's get the show on the road. 

 

Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk

The typical profit and loss statement for the janitorial industry is pretty bleak.  Most companies grow by just one-to-two percent annually.  “Many,” says Angella Luyk, the CEO of Midnight Janitorial, “ see only a marginal amount of money or end the year with a deficit. They end up chasing their tails.” 

She knows what she’s talking about.  In 2005, she started a commercial cleaning company with her husband, Harry.  Angella assumed the role of CEO and Harry became the CFO.  Together they grew a company that defied the odds and went on to achieve stellar success. 

They worked hard that first year and saw a 20% growth in business by year's end.   Deciding that an annual growth of 25-30% would be a realistic, manageable target goal,  they put together a business plan to meet that percentage.  And each did what they do best. 

And for each year to come, they met that target goal. 

In 2007 Midnight Janitorial was a Rochester Business Ethics award finalist, and a 2008 winner. Additionally, the company was named 2008 New York State Employer of the year (one of five companies in twenty years to win from Rochester).

And then, Angella wrote a book. 

Rather than write about Midnight Janitorial, Angella writes about her personal philosophy for starting any business and then describes all of the things that she did that led to the incredible success of her company.  Everything that Angella did can be applied to the majority of traditional business models. 

If you have ever wanted to pick someone’s brain about what it takes to start a business, Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, by Angella Luyk, is the book for you.

By her own admission, Angella was naïve about some business practices when she started her company.  And, she doesn’t hesitate to describe some of the things that happened to her – all with the intent of making sure that none of this happens to you. 

For example, she arrives at one of her very first professional networking events wearing shorts and a shirt.  After making quite the startling entrance – everyone else is wearing standard business attire – Angella realizes her mistake and also realizes that she’ll look even worse if she turns around and leaves. 

She handles this with her trademark humor and is able to turn it into a learning experience for herself and for anyone in her reading audience who is as inexperienced as she was then. 

While Angella may have needed some tips about successful networking when she was just starting out, she was fully prepared at putting together an appropriate business plan before she introduced herself to the business community at large.  She focuses on the practical applications of putting that plan together in Chapter One.  Everything that she outlines is easily transferable to a business that you may be thinking about starting. 

The chapters about networking and branding are two you will want to read more than once.  If you think you are already a pro at this, consider one fact that Angella forgets to mention in her book.  She becomes so proficient at networking in her local community and in developing her brand, that she grows her business on referrals alone. 

That’s a powerful statement.  How many of you would like to be able to make the same claim?  You’ll be off to a good start after you’ve read Chapter 5 – The Secrets to Getting Your Name Out There.

What you’ll discover as you read Wisdom in a Traffic Jam, is that Angella has included some of her professional colleagues’ insights as well.  Want to hear how one financial advisor set her sights on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa and how that trip almost magically came about?  Maybe you’d like to read about how a guy in the auto industry decides to build his professional brand around what women say is important to them in car repairs.

These inspiring stories are just two that are woven into the book.  You’ll also get valuable tips and suggestions about how to have an online presence, effective sales strategies, goal setting and much more. 

Angella’s conversational writing style makes you feel as if she’s talking directly to you.  The result is that she delivers her message in a light-hearted, unabashed celebration of belief in whoever is reading her book. 

Starting a business isn’t easy nor does success happen quickly.  But, if you want to take the plunge by starting your business with a cheer leader in your back pocket to keep you on track, buy Wisdom in a Traffic Jam today.  Then, as Angella writes,  “ Share your wisdom with everyone and the world will be a wiser place.” 

Please note:  I am an affiliate for Wisdom in a Traffic Jam and will receive some monetary compensation if you buy ths book from any of the links in the post or by clicking on the badge in my sidebar. 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post by Jeff Korhan

It's a pleasure to introduce Jeff Korhan to you.  I've been a fan for only a short time and Jeff always amazes me with the depth of material he offers on what's up and coming with social media.  Not an easy task.   In his latest series of posts, he explains what's behind the new Google + software that is (I suspect) going to be the new darling of the online marketing community. 

 

What if You Could Start Fresh With Social Media?

For most of us, our social networking communities were randomly created – they developed organically as we learned new media.

Now you have thousands of followers on Twitter and hundreds of “friends” on Facebook that you have never met.  It’s a fact we all know.

What if you could apply the learning you have acquired over the last several years and start fresh?

Read the rest of this post and to find out how you can check out Google +

 

 

"How To Make Money with Social Media," Book Review

The Shape of Things to Come.

At first glance, this is a book for rank beginners to the internet - if such a thing is still possible.  It's also a visual nod to the intergration of savyy writing practices on the internet with traditional publishing.  What do I mean by that?

It's visually appealing as if the pages themselves were up on a computer screen as opposed to bound in a book.  Wide margins top-to-bottom and side-to-side.  Double spacing between paragraphs.  Bold text to highlight main ideas.  Lists.  Content broken up with graphics.  Some main points are boxed off.  And, I suspect, it's written so that any fifth grader could read and understand it. 

If you're about to write an e-book or put a book together that you want to self-publish,  you might want to pick up this book as an illustration of how to lay out the content. 

   Key Word Search.  Notice how the main title:  "How to Make Money with Social Media,"  clearly illustrates effective use of "key word search."  Want to check this out? Do a key word search over on Google or on SEOTools using "make money with Social Media" and see what pops up.   Interesting, right?

Now, notice how the secondary title:  "An Insider's Guide On Using New And Emerging Media to Grow Your Business,"  says exactly what this book is about.

Wait.  There's more.  Check out how color gets used to reinforce the very clear theme of the title - make money.  Dollar bills are what color?  Green.  What color is the book jacket?  Green.

And, finally:  what's inside this book? 

If you are a total novice when it comes to Social Media, you'll appreciate the easy-to-understand writing and the approach the authors (Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah, Ph.D) use.  They do start with a brief historical overview of advertsing before the internet which is always a good way to measure how far along, technically, things have come. 

And, they talk about Return on Investment (ROI) and they describe "systems."  If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you already know that I'm big on "systems."   As an example,  check out page 47 of this book for a very clear-cut visual chart of the five steps you want a new customer to go through if you're using a social media model to capture their interest.

Turner and Shah are "chatty" authors and periodically, they step away from their excellent "how to" writing style.   For example,  after applauding Starbucks for creating brand awareness using its web site to "...leverage people's passion about coffee ... turning it into brand loyalty."  (page 65),  and how this has made Starbucks "golden" for creating a brand that has "social media magnetism," (page 65), they step outside of there objective writing style and add these lines:

"The problem is, you're not Starbucks (unless of course, you actually are Starbucks, in which case, we'd like to say, "Hello, Starbucks!")   page 65.

I think this is  too "cutsey" and a bit distracting.  However, this is not enough of a criticism for you to avoid this book.   And, for that matter, you might like this slight of hand technique. 

All of that said,  this is a book you should put on your "to do" list regardless of your own social media background.  There are enough nuggets of information  contained in it that you'll take away one, if not more than one, action steps to intergrate into your internet branding strategy.  And, if you are Jamie Turner or Reshma Shah, "Hello authors!)

 

 

When In Doubt - Keep Digging

Just when you feel like you're at your wits end for thinking through a concept or an idea related to a new project you've undertaken, try turning off your computer. 

What?

Really.  Turn it off.  Sometimes, you'll do your best thinking with a pen in hand and a notebook of blank pages that you can scribble on and mark up. 

I know this because I've just spent almost two hours doing exactly that.  I did take a few breaks.  I went downstairs and washed last night's dishes, grabbed some yogurt and fruit and came back upstairs.  I did not turn the computer back on. 

I'd already grabbed one of the 3-ring notebooks I keep handy - this one has lots of blank paper in it.  My goal was to come up with 6 titles for articles with a definite focus on using keyword strategies to weave into the content.

My initial efforts were crap.  But.  You have to write crap to get to the good stuff. What you're really doing is freeing up your own flow of ideas and words -- think of this stage as the first part of your exercise routine when your body is still stiff and you need to "wake it up." 

When you push through that enertia of OMG, I can't DO this, and you keep writing those words down,  exciting things begin to happen.  You just can't stop. 

What I've got now are 5-6 pages of possible titles, an underlying theme going for all of them and I'm just about ready to get back online to do keyword searches for three of those titles.  

All of this activity is for what I'm doing over at healingrescue dogs.com . 

What I know is that sometimes you have to be like a dog with a bone.  When in doubt, keep digging.

 

Denise Wakeman Interviews David Perdew

Set aside an hour of uninterrupted time to watch this interview.   Watch it if you are in the very early stages of "thinking about your big idea."  You know.  That big idea that you'd like to turn into a profitable business. 

Watch it if you're not sure how to hatch that Big Idea into it's next stage of development.  Which is taking it from the idea in your brain to the first step of making it real. 

Watch it regardless of where you are on the spectrum of starting a business (either off or on line). 

As an introduction to an up-coming, live event for internet marketers (which you will hear about towards the end of this webinar),  one of the presenters interviews the guy who created this event, David Perdew.

The webinar by itself offers great "take-away" material and, if you're ready for some hands-on training, at the end of the webinar, Perdew talks about the 6th "Niche Affiliate Marketing System" event taking place this August.   And,  he tells you how you can register for that. 

When you're done with that,  take some time to explore Denise Wakeman's site.  She's been blogging since 2004 and is a great resource for newbie and experienced bloggers.

 

How is starting a business like buying a used car?

Glad you asked.

If you've been following the back-and-forth conversation between my son and me on Facebook, you know we've been on the hunt for a new car.  The '96 Buick Century wagon that belonged to my mother-in-law, that came to us when she died,  is, at long last, ready to be donated to the Kidney Car Foundation. 

As a matter of fact,  we took it off the road almost two weeks ago.  And, we started talking about what we'd do next. 

1.  Have a game plan. 

      Our initial plan was to look into leasing a new car.   We hadn't a clue as to how much this would cost, but we started with the kind of car we wanted:  a wagon, and, then narrowed down the make of the car to Subaru and, from there, came up with Outback.

Kind of like SEO.  Find your niche topic, and then drill down to some very specific key words.

     Last Saturday, we headed out to Kitty Van Bortel's Subaru dealership out in Victor and spent the entire afternoon test-drivng brand new Outbacks,  a Tribeka, and one or two Forresters.  The weather was perfect for driving.  Not a cloud in the sky and 78 degrees.  Endless summer reveries.  Open the sunroof,  ease out onto the highway and let the car show you what it can do. 

2.   Be flexible.  You might have to change your game plan.

      We narrowed our selection down to an Outback and sat down with the salesman to determine what we'd be looking at in dollars and cents if we leased a 2011 (loaded) Outback.   At slightly over $500.00 a month,  we let the sticker shock settle in and then re-grouped.  What were we planning on as a monthly payment and how could be bridge the gap? 

What about looking at used Outbacks? 

Back out onto the lot we went and down the row of cars we traipsed.  This time, we narrowed the selection down to year preference  ( nothing under 2001), mileage and perhaps "loaded."  Could we still get a sun roof? heated seats?   The salesman kept track of what we were looking at, writing down the vital statistics on a sheet of paper.  We trekked back into the showroom and he ran the numbers for one of the cars we'd looked at. 

We still weren't coming in at a figure we were comfortable with.  Time to go back home and re-group. 

3.  Learn the language.

      Everything,  from politics to sports,  marketing to small business to buying a car has its own language.  You need to learn it or, when you jump into whatever "world"  you're about to visit, take someone with you who speaks that language.   What you risk if you ignore this this step, is the ability to make decisions that are in your best interest. 

In my case,  A's professional experience with everything car-related (nothing like being married to someone well versed in "car speak")  was my short-cut to learning the language of how to buy a car.   Shortly after deciding to search for a used car, we added the words "one car owner" to our key word search.

4. Stories are powerful. 

     As potential buyers,  we had a story to tell.  The salesperson at Kitty Van Bortel's had a story to tell.  The two used car dealerships that we visited after spending that Saturday on the Van Bortel car lot had stories to tell. 

Interestingly enough,  both of those dealerships were "family owned."  Each had been started by the father well over 20 years ago and the dads - on the lot, but staying in the background -  had turned the day-to-day business of selling cars over to their kids. 

5.  Customer Service.

Attentive.  Focused on providing thoughtful customer service from the moment we stepped on their lots.   No pressure tactics.  A desire to serve.  Did we luck out in an industry that has a reputation for more underhanded practises? 

We might have.  It's also quite possible that the car industry has changed for the better over the years.  

How does all of this translate into your fledgling business?  If you've been following my series,  you'll recognize that

a flexible game plan,  taking the time to wrap your brain around the language of the field that you are about to enter,  understanding the psychological power of story-telling, and putting a premium on customer service

are critical foundation blocks to build upon.

 

 

 

 

 

Start A Business - Build Your List

We all know that key saying, "The money is in the list."   Without it,  it's pretty much impossible to build a community of fans who will invest in your programs and services.   Your business, regardless of whether it's on or off line,  never gets off the ground.  

You may be exactly where I am, early in the process of "building your list."  Or. You may be farther along:  you send out an email newsletter or offer free e-courses. 

But.  Are you using your blog to build a list as well?

I promised myself that if I found what I considered to be a great product or training that I bought because it would be invaluable to me, in the early stages of my business,  that I would pass that information on.

So.  If you're looking for an in-depth source of information that explains how you can build a profitable list from your blog,  you may want to consider buying an ebook called  List Building For Bloggers.

It's written by Phil Hollows, the CEO of Feedblitz,  so you know you're getting great "stuff!"

The  principles of 1) build your audience  2) increase engagement and 3) grow your income are the core tenants of this ebook. 

You get:

1. 163 pages,  24 chapters (45,000 words), 3 case studies and 1 bonus chapter.  
2. 24 chapters (45,000 words)
3. 3 case studies
4. 1 bonus chapter

The final chapter:  "The Top Ten Email Power Tips:  Two Weeks to Email Heaven  is priceless!

The best part?  Buy the ebook before May 23rd, and pay only $9.95.  After May 23rd, the price goes up to $24.95. 

Can't beat $9.95. 

I am an affiliate.  But.  You need to know that I would buy this ebook regardless of that.  I'm really excited about using this ebook myself and would love to hear how it works for you!

 

 

Start a Business - "Don't Get Offtrack"

Whew! Lots of stuff going on, most of it still laying a foundation.  Trying not to go on "information overload" and trying to keep a balance on work time, meals, exercise and "chill time."  Which I completely blew yesterday. 

Yesterday was all about work with 3-4 interruptions, mostly to grab food and to get the dogs out into the yard.  Not pretty, but it was productive.  Here's what's keeping me sane.

1)  I use "Composition notebooks," - the ones you can grab at an office supply store or the drugstore for just one dollar (and change).  They used to have black and white speckled covers, but now come in a rainbow of colors.   My study is littered with green, organge, blue, and blue/magenta, and red notebooks - each one for a different aspect of my business.

2)  I've got a couple of "day timers" - one for recording what I do each day, which includes what training program and/or files I've downloaded.

3)  I've got a "to do" list that breaks down into weekly and daily tasks....and, there are days when any hint of a schedule is thrown out the window.

4)  I've got a marketing budget to guide any purchases I make.  And, I've gotten really good at keeping inside this budget. 

5) My most important asset are my "running buddies."   One of my "Texan buds" is  pacing herself alongside me.  We intend to collaborate on one or two projects in the near future.  In the meantime, she's doing what I'm doing:  learning the "how tos" of laying the foundation for her core online business. 

I've got a few close friends here that serve as my "board."  They are the women I can talk with about what my long range plans are.  We keep ourselves psyched about our respective entrepenurial projects and support each other on the days when we wonder just exactly what it is that we are trying to do.

I've found new friends and mentors online that are such fun to work with.  You've already met Connie Ragen Green  in this post .

She and two of her friends and mentors put together a wonderful two-day webinar training that anyone wanting to make money online needs to consider as a part of their overall strategy for building an online business. 

And, from that training,  I met two very savvy online marketers,  Jason C Maxwell and Geoff Hoff.  You can check out Jason's web site here and, you can find out more about what Geoff does here. 

Whenever these three team up to offer training for "newbies," you can be sure I'll let you know.  They are a dyanmic three-some and they truly understand what it's like to be just starting out. 

At the same time, don't hesitate to check them out individually as their areas of expertise address different elements of key pieces to building any marketing strategy to get started online. 

Life's sweet.  I'm really enjoying the energy surges that come from within as I work each day.  That energy tells me  I'm on track and exactly where I'm meant to be.

Starting A Business - Resources

This is the fifth and final post in a 5-part series that examines how I (finally) decide to start a business that I will be marketing online.   If you want to start at the beginning, click on this line of text.  The second post and the third post and the fourth post should bring you up-to-date. 

 

Resources that I'm using to lay the foundation for my online business:

1)  Huge Profits with a Tiny List - 50 ways to use relationship marketing to increase your bottom line,  by Connie Ragen Green.  Copyright: 2010.  ISBN 9781453697566

Everyone knows that the money is in the list.  Regardless of your profession, you're dead in the water without one.  What's a list?  In a word: customers.  If you're a real estate or other professional sales person,   your customers  (your list) are all of the people you have sold a house or other product to.   If you're a magazine publisher, all of your subscribers plus the people who buy your magazine right off the rack,  make up your customer list.

Which list is better for that magazine publisher,  the subscribers or the people who buy that magazine off of a rack in a store or at a newstand?  If you answered, "the subscribers,"  you're correct!  Why are subscribers a better list?  Because they opted in to have that magazine mailed directly to them.  

Opted in.  Two words that will keep you up at night if you decide to pursue an online business.  This is where it all starts:  getting people to opt in to your message because they like what you have to say, and, they want to hear more.  And, maybe, if they really like what you have to say,  they'll even want to buy from you. 

How and where do you start this process of getting people to opt in to you online?

Never fear.  Connie Green is here!  She has written a practical,  "how-to" book outlining 50 strategies that will help you to build your list.   Most importantly,  her strategies are designed so that you are nurturing relationships while you build that list. 

She quickly points out that you don't have to have a list of "at least ten thousand names on your list before you can make any real money...Instead, as soon as you have ten names on your list begin marketing to them as though they were part of a much larger list."  (pg 37) 

Green is practical too.  Her suggestion is that you read her entire book and then choose "three (ideas) that resonate with your marketing style and put them on your schedule..." (pg 43.)

What will you learn?  The importance of having a newsletter and which format will get you the best results.  How to use video marketing, tele-seminars, how to create info products,  article marketing, and much more. 

Her writing style is conversational, decisive and heartfelt. 

Connie's personal story is compelling and she starts with that, so you have something to look forward to. 

For myself,  I don't feel like I'm floundering anymore.  I've got a concrete strategy that will allow me to combine my personal flair with Connie Green's practical suggestions.  It's great to have a road map!

You can click onto Connie's web site here. 

Be sure and let her know that Mrs BizWhiz sent you!