taking action

RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Karilee in Small Business Technology 1 Comment

Every entrepreneur has moments of struggle – moments when the path is too stony and lonely, and where they just can’t quite see the way to the outcome they dream of. And that’s why today I ask you to remember Steve Jobs. His occupation was listed on his death certificate as “entrepreneur”.

Sometimes the Challenges Are Gifts

Steve dropped out of college because he couldn’t afford it, but that freed him to learn what really intrigued him. Later, he was fired and humiliated by the company he built, and endured to return triumphantly and steer them to new creative heights. Read more

No New Years Resolutions!

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Karilee in Small Business Marketing 1 Comment

Outcomes, not Resolutions

Your business deserves some marketing attention in the coming year, and this is a great time to think about how you could do things a little differently from last year. If you’re not getting the outcomes you want to see, something needs to change. Doesn’t it?

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.“

– Albert Einstein

Part of the answer lies in planning your desired outcomes first.

This Isn’t About Goal Setting

Although it feels like it, we’re not talking about goal setting here. We’re certainly not talking about resolutions. In fact, this begins a little closer to a visualization exercise – but what it’s really about is taking back your power to choose. Read more

What I Do For You

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Karilee in Small Business Marketing 9 Comments

Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz just posted a game about making sure your readers understand your business. Since Naomi’s posting for the second time on this topic, and she’s brilliant at helping tiny businesses get less tiny, let’s play her game. What you need to do is copy the following questions into a document, and then <drumroll> answer them. Then, for big bonus points, make sure your website answers them!

What’s your game? What do you do?

Why do you do it? Do you love it, or do you just have one of those creepy knacks?

Who are your customers? What kind of people would need or want what you offer?

What’s your marketing USP? Why should I buy from you instead of the other losers?

What’s next for you? What’s the big plan? Read more

3 Ways to Market in Under 10 Minutes

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Karilee in Weekly Marketing Tips 13 Comments

Are You REALLY Marketing Enough?

The first challenge for my clients in our Weekly Marketing Mastermind Group Coaching is to realize what they’re really getting done in terms of their small business marketing. Action matters, not plans. Most people underestimate what they can accomplish in the long term and overestimate what they can do in the short term. Here are two questions to get you started:

How much time do you spend on marketing in your business, on average, every day?
How much time do you think your business needs you to spend on marketing every day?

A Tiny Marketing Action Has Big Impact Over Time

Over time, taking a very small marketing action consistently will add up. Creating the habit of taking action on your marketing every day is of huge benefit to growing your business.

Think of water wearing away rock – a drip system of tiny actions can add hugely to your marketing impact over time. Read more

Contrasts in Marketing

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Karilee in Small Business Marketing 15 Comments

I’ve been talking to various people today, and I wanted to point out the huge contrast between a couple of them. First, let’s talk about one of the calls I tried to make, from contacts I made at a business mixer this week. I picked up a copy of my card (yes, this person had no card), with a name and number scrawled on the back, and it went to voicemail.

Except it didn’t.

The message was “this customer has not yet initiated their voicemail service. When you speak to this customer, please remind them that they need to configure their voicemail.”

Wow. There’s a marketing impression.

Now, I know stuff happens. There’s probably no marketing sin that I haven’t committed at some time, I’ve just learned better in some cases. It’s easy to overlook details, but having your voicemail set up is a good basic to get out of the way. If you haven’t already grabbed it, the free Small Business Marketing Self-Assessment does remind you to check that you have a clear phone message (or phone reception) set up. Plus over 40 other things to check. Read more