When I made the decision to do free workshops and book signings for my latest book, Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer, I thought it would be easy to draw an audience. I had, after all, done all the right things to prepare for this big event: I had a successful e-zine, AbsoluteWrite.com, sent weekly directly to my target market; I was a contributing editor at the most popular magazine for writers; had been interviewed all over writers...more
Okay Friends,It's time for a 'check up from the neck up'! It's time for an evaluation in each area of your life. Some of you may be saying 'I don't need one!' Well, you may be right. And you may not be. But you know what they say? The best time to go see the doctor is to have a preventative plan, not a recovery plan.So, with that said, fill in all of the TRUE NORTH Evaluation Forms provided below and in the book, "The Street Kid's Guide to Having...more
Today's business environment isn't getting any easier, nor will it get easier anytime in the future. I'm not psychic but I have learned that business NEVER gets simpler. More competition, shrinking profit margins, increases in fixed and operating costs are just a few of the issues we deal with everyday. You can lament this fact or, you can take proactive measures to bullet-proof your business. Here are few strategies that can help:Clearly define your business. The most successful business people know what they are in business for. They have one or two areas of specialty or expertise and they stick to what they're good at. They avoid the temptation to try to become everything to everybody. In many fields, specialists tend to do better than generalists and, in bookselling, it's no different. Have you created a niche market for yourself?Is your niche viable in your location/city/town/market?Are you the best at what you do in your trading area? Do you stick to what you're good at or do you stray from this when revenues are lean?Mounting bills, a slow month or months, pressure to generate dollars to the bottom line; it's tempting to take on new work or do something in an area you don't...more
There once was a hawk, ferocious and swift. He was young and agile with many years of life to hunt the open ranch lands. In a nearby field, a mouse scurried about the ground. The hawk saw the hurried motion and swept speedily toward the rodent.Just as the hawk's shadow engulfed the smaller rodent, the mouse fell to its back and begged, "Please,...more
You open your computer, the flashing button says, "We have a new update for your software program. Do you wish to update now or later?" You choose the Update Now button and immediately your computer begins to download a new version of the software program. What is the program updating? It's fixing broken parts of the software program; it's...more
Fiercely combative business, non-profit and association managers use every PR weapon they can lay their hands on. Which means they employ strategic, rapid-fire print and broadcast tactics every day of their business lives. Still, many realize they need more than that to win the long-range battle. Fact is, they need a public relations budget that can deliver results far beyond publicity tactics. The fierce and the smart know they need real behavior change among their most important outside audiences that leads directly to achieving their managerial objectives. So they make sure they persuade those key outside folks with the greatest impacts on their organizations to their way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help their department, division or subsidiary succeed. The really fierce use a public relations blueprint something like this one: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public...more
I've been both a CEO and a consultant, so I've seen from both perspectives what goes right and what goes wrong when a consultant comes in to a company. Generally the CEO or the manager who hires the consultant tells the consultant what he or she...more
Only one of every 5 businesses makes it to its 5th year, and fewer still make it to 10 years. What do the successful businesses have in common? 1. The experience and skills of the top managers. Over half of business failures are directly related to...more
Businesses and other organizations can capitalize on the interest and excitement the 2004 summer Olympic Games will create when they're held in Athens, Greece, August 13-29. Channel this heightened enthusiasm into the achievement of your...more
Promotions are everything you do to let your customers know you exist. Good marketing techniques can help eliminate the "I didn't knows" from your clients and would-be clients. Even if you believe you have more than enough business you should always...more
Sorry about my otaku with this issue (otaku = more than a hobby, a little less than an obsession).Many of you may know me, since I run Imediafax, the Internet to Media Fax Service. I send out over a million news releases a year for people via fax and...more
The design of your office and home has a great influence on your financial success. If your work or living environments are in harmony with nature they have a positive affect on your prosperity. In nature all five elements (water, fire, earth, air,...more