THE WAITING GAME!

The well-known Nike commercials have hammered into our heads the phrase “Just do it!” Regardless of how you view their advertising, there is magic in the words “just do it.” The real key to the message is “doing it,” a.k.a. taking action. Anything you have ever desired is available to you if you will it.

Now, consider those who are constantly washed over by the “tide.” Note that the lyrics in Jim Croce’s song say, “I’m WAITING for my ship to come in . . .” and then, “but all that comes in is the tide.” That sounds like a victim’s lament, as in, “Oh poor me, here I am ready and excited, waiting for my ship to come in, and I get dumped on by the sorry tide. Bummer. How unfair.” Duhh! Helloooo!

It’s easy to see that “action” is the opposite of “waiting.” Yet, it’s so easy to do nothing – waiting passively. Action requires energy, enthusiasm, movement, and objectives, while waiting requires not even a thought.

Whether your desire (your “ship”) is a relationship, wealth, a healthy body, or a new car, you must be the captain, not the port – the “master of your fate,” not a tide-washed, sand-covered beach ball. Life is great! On your next trip to the beach, buy a boat, a map, and a compass, and then choose your own port of call. You’ll dine at the Captain’s Table every day!

Have a great week!

Stop Waiting for Your Ship to Come In
If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit Sweet Tea and Straight Talk, where it was originally published.

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LOOK BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Life has been described as a path, a direction in which we travel over time – rather than a single event. Each of us gets to choose the direction our path will take us. By making those choices, we also clear the way to achieving the objectives we’ve set for ourselves.

When we fail to choose the path we will travel, that is also a choice. In that case, the path we travel becomes less distinct with more twists and turns than we would have liked. Each side path we encounter tempts us to change direction. Lacking any roadmap of objectives we might have chosen, we often end up somewhere – else.

Regardless of the quality of our choices, we can get a clear understanding of where we are likely to end up – just by turning around. By simply looking back at the path we have been following, much can be learned. For example, is the path behind us straight, or filled with curves and detours taken? Is it paved with solid, masterfully laid stepping-stones, or filled with muddy ruts that zig-zag around every obstacle?

Chances are that, as teenagers, most of our paths seemed to have had many twists and turns. As we matured and learned from our mistakes, however, it is also likely that we began improving the direction and quality of the path we traveled. The more attention we paid to the path, the more enjoyable the journey became.

Want life to be a most pleasant journey? Build your own roadmap – then start paving!

Make this a great week!

Look Back to the Future to Build Your Roadmap
If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit Sweet Tea and Straight Talk, where it was originally published.

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The winter holidays provide us time off from work to celebrate our faith and enjoy our families. We relax. Okay, maybe we don’t fully relax. We relax in our freedom from work deadlines. Holiday stress — generally self-imposed — is anything but relaxing, and a subject for another time.

As we move through the remaining days of the year, media is replete with new year predictions and end of year reflections. The top 10 this and the top 10 that. I can’t even predict what I’m going to wear tomorrow, so I leave predictions of trends for others to write. I’m good at taking time off.

The Power of Time Off

I’m fortunate to own several time-share weeks on Hilton Head Island, a 5-hour drive from my home. For the price of 2 tanks of gas and some groceries, I can retreat from the daily routine of work for a week or two.

Sleep late.
Read Stephen King novels.
Sun on the beach.
In other words, a vacation.

Other trips are planned sabbaticals.

I pack mounds of unread magazines, books and business notes with the sole purpose of business planning and goal setting. Creative ideas are sparked. Plans are made. Sleeping late is the by-product of creative thinking into the wee hours of the morning. (Not terribly unlike my current routine of working in the wee hours, and yet those wee hours are project focused.)

This year, 2009, marked a strategic and focused change in the direction of my business. Time off from work was work in a different setting.

Barcamps.
Tweetups.
Meetups.
Conferences.
Valuable, yes.  Relaxing, no.
Networking and learning are neither a vacation or a sabbatical.

Stefan Sagmeister closes his business for a year every seven years. He splices the learn-work-retire time line to include a retirement year for every seven work years. Watch the video below and discover the creative power he unveils.

My week-long sabbaticals to focus on implementing new strategies for business growth are booked for each quarter in 2010.

Do you take sabbaticals? How do you carve time for strategic and creative thinking? If you scheduled focused time off, how might your business change? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNuOmTQdFjA

Stefan Sagmeister TED Video on YouTube

Photo credit: Terry Wha via Flicker

The Power of Time Off
If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit Sweet Tea and Straight Talk, where it was originally published.

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If you are a local business owner, do yourself a favor and invest in online marketing. The more savvy you become now the more effective your efforts will be in the future.

h/t  Ted Murphy
Photo Credit: funkeemunkeeland

Ready to Free Up Some Marketing Dollars?
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What I like best about the new communication tools we lump together as “social media” is serendipitous connections. Earler today, I met a Tampa storyteller because a Maryland real estate agent and I were using Twitter in the same moment of time.

Nice, simple Twitter connections. Friendly Twitter chats.

A few minutes later my friend Charity Hisle, a multi-family property marketing specialist raised a question on Twitter about bloggers who don’t promote email subscriptions on their site. Charity prefers to follow her favorite bloggers using email instead of rss. In my effort to be helpful to one of her followers, I discovered a simple tool Charity might find useful. (Maybe you will too if you prefer email subscriptions over rss subscriptions.)

Then I found a powerful article by Valeria Maltoni in my blog reader. I felt compelled to share her thoughts within my social networks — business and personal. Valeria shares the social connections leading to the video clip embedded here.

Idea generation for uncovering career opportunities

More importantly — and why I felt inspired to spread the word — Valeria offered 50 ways to make limoncello when you’ve been laid off. Which reminded me of my delightful conversation with my new friend, the Tampa storyteller.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJltcT7DH7g

Mister Bluebird’s on my shoulder
It’s the truth, it’s actual
Ev’rything is satisfactual
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay!
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The best cure for feeling alone, pitiful, unsuccessful, on the wrong path… Cheese dip with a girl friend who knows you well enough to listen, share, guide and whack you up side the head.

Warren Zevon offers one solution. What’s your cure for being pitiful? How do you push through the dip?

Share your favorite solutions in the comments.

Photo Credit: besighyawn

How Do You Cure Pitiful?
If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit Sweet Tea and Straight Talk, where it was originally published.

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Naming things is important. Naming helps us understand new concepts.

Naming is empowering. Naming brings the unknown into the realm of the known.

When I know what something is named, I can share with you.

Today, I read two posts focused on the same phenomenon – social business.

Technology, society and work are all changing at breakneck speeds. Businesses that seek to create and capture value from these changes must harness opportunities at their intersection, the hub of social business.

With Social Business Design, communication becomes an integral part of how workstreams relate to one another allowing decisions to be made with fresher information. Businesses progress towards strategic goals, under the assumption that all activities are on a “need to know” basis – and anyone and everyone needs to know, all the time.
~ Dachis Group

‘Social Business’ denotes businesses organized around social ties and the use of social technologies to support them.

Of course, they [the Dachis Group] are advancing a more complex picture — social business design, and its moving parts — while I am simply sketching out the anthropology of the thing.
~ Stowe Boyd

The second “definition” is easier for me to wrap my mind around. Organizing around social ties is what most women do quite naturally. It’s in our genes, I guess.

I don’t work in a huge corporate setting — unless you want to count the volunteer work at church! Maybe that accounts for my difficulty in reading the Dachis Group material. Even the David Armano illustrations are complex.

My definition is simpler.

Social Business ~ Southern Style. Let’s get together with a glass of sweet tea. You tell me about your business, your clients, your dreams. I’ll tell you about ways to integrate technology into the mix and help you spread the word to people who care.

Do different businesses need different approaches? Does the size of the business make a difference?

What do you think? How do you define social business?

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Social Business – Southern Style
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Twitter is a great resource for small or sole proprietorship businesses to get exposure on a world-wide level with a minimal investment. Whether you love the concept of  Twitter, or hate the idea of Twitter, at the very least explore the potential Twitter opportunity.

1. Complete your Twitter profile.
2. Brand your profile with a custom Twitter background
3. If you are the sole proprietor or face of the company, add a more personal touch to your Twitter profile with a picture of you.
4. Add your Twitter link to your business cards.
5. Find other Twitter users who are interested in your niche or products.
6. Be efficient with your daily Twitter use.
7. Share beneficial and relevant information with your followers.
8. Do your best to reply to anyone who replies to your tweets or posts an @yourname.
9. Thank users who retweet one of your tweets.
10. Create surveys or ask questions to your followers about your products and services.
11. Follow the leaders in your industry.
12. Provide free insight and help on Twitter
13. Track your Twitter referrals to your website.
14. Invite your employees to create an account and take part in Twitter.
15. Monitor your brand.

Questions? Suggestions? Let us know in the comments.

Twitter Tips for Small Business Owners
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Exploring a consulting relationship means questions are asked. Prospective clients have questions. Consultants have questions. The interview/briefing process is the time to identify mutual expectations and possible areas of conflict.

Laura Spencer shared 42 questions I adopted into my consulting practice. Perhaps there are questions you will find helpful, too.

Company Background Questions

1. What kind of business is your company in?
2. How long has your company been in business?
3. What is the size of your company?
4. What is the company’s reputation?
5. What is your typical customer like?
6. Who are your competitors?
7. What is your address?
8. What is your phone number?
9. What is your e-mail address?
10. What is the best way to contact you?

Questions About Work Philosophy

1. What is most important to you, quality or speed?
2. How often do you want updates on my progress?
3. Do you hire freelancers very often?
4. Is your preferred work process structured, or unstructured?
5. If necessary, would it be okay if I used subcontractors or outsourced parts of the project?

Project Specific Questions

1. What is the purpose of this project?
2. What sort of background do you expect a freelancer working on this project to have?
3. How technical is this project?
4. Describe how you envision the finished project?
5. How many (words/pages/screens) are needed? (Modify this question for your own specific field.)
6. What are the specific project instructions?
7. Do your customers have any special requirements or needs to be met by this project?
8. Can you show me an example something like what you have in mind?
9. Who will be my contact for this project?
10. How available are you (or the contact) to answer questions during the course of the project?
11. If necessary, will I have access to (your website/company-specific information/etc.)? (Choose one.)
12. Is it necessary to have any special (equipment/software) to complete this project? (Choose one.)
13. Do you envision any potential problems with this project?

Work Agreement Questions

1. What is the budget for this project?
2. Who will own the intellectual rights to the finished project?
3. What is the deadline for this project?
4. How will you be making your payment?
5. When will you pay?

Follow Up Questions (After a Project)

1. How do you think the project went?
2. Do you have any suggestions?
3. Do you anticipate having any other projects based on this one?
4. Will this project need to be updated or revised at some point?
5. If the project needs updating, do you consider the updating or revisions to be a separate project?
6. Are there any other projects that I can do for you?
7. How often do you need the services of a (writer/web designer/programmer/consultant)? (Choose one.)
8. Can I use this project as an example on my portfolio? (If the project has gone well.)
9. Would you be willing to give a testimonial on my work for my web page? (If the client is pleased.)

Do you interview perspective clients? If so, what questions do you ask?

Questions Every Consultant Should Ask Before Saying Yes
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We live in extraordinary times. The Internet changed the game and social media brought the game to a whole new level. There has never been so many tools available at our fingertips. Geography is no longer a restriction. The list could go on and on. The point is, it has never been easier to start your own business. Here are some initial steps for building a strategic foundation.

1.  Pick a name that works.  Something simple, memorable and available.

2.  Design a simple website.  Make sure to use a decent content management system (CMS).  The structure and features of a CMS are going to be important someday.  Trust me.

3.  Setup a twitter account .  Use your name.  Even if you doubt the value of twitter, go ahead and create a twitter account anyway.

4.  Get a nice logo.  Make sure you get the vector file (Illustrator or EPS file) as part of the final deliverable.

5.  Setup a Facebook business page (known as a “fan” page).  Add a simple description of your business, link back to your main website. Facebook doesn’t allow simple/vanity URLs until you establish a required number of fans. So, setup a sub-domain and redirect it to your Facebook page.

6.  Kick off a blog.  You can use one of the free hosting tools (like WordPress.com), but do NOT make it yourcompany.wordpress.com.  You want to control all the SEO authority for your blog and channel it towards your main website.

7.  Write a blog article that describes how you got to this point.  What problem you’re hoping to solve.  Why you picked this problem.

8.  Setup Google Alerts for at least the following:  your company name, link:yourdomain.com, your name.

9.  Update (or create) your LinkedIn profile Mention your new business, and add a link to your website.

10.  Get business cards printed.  Don’t go overboard, but don’t use a free option.  You need them when people ask you for one at conferences and meetings and such.

11.  Use the Twitter Grader search feature to find high-impact twitter users in your industry.  Start following them.  Listen. Share. Connect.

12.  Create a StumbleUpon account.  Spend 10 minutes a day stumbling and voting things up/down. Don’t submit your own stuff — just start contributing.

13.  Subscribe to the LinkedIn Answers category that best fits your area of interest.  Answer one question a day.  Don’t self-promote.  You’re seeking to build credibility and trust.

14.  Find the bloggers that are writing about your topic area.  Subscribe to their feed, and read their stuff regularly.  Leave valuable comments and participate in the conversation.

15.  Start building contacts on Facebook.  Organize your contacts into groups.  This will come in handy later.

16.  Grade your website on Website Grader .  Fix the basic things.

17.  Get Some Analytics: Install web analytics software and start watching your traffic.

What have I missed? List other steps in the comments.

How To Start Your Own Business
If you would like to see more articles like this, please come visit Sweet Tea and Straight Talk, where it was originally published.

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