Are you, like me, sick of on-line “discussions” that are promotions? Books, videos, webinars, classes, insurance products, resume services, MLM opportunities, training programs, conferences – you name it and you will find it posted as a discussion topic. The idea for a discussion forum by social networks such as LinkedIn was just that – providing an opportunity to post … [Read more...]
Brainstorming
Every so often, when my business experiences a bump in the road, or I sense there are opportunities “out there” that I am not approaching in the best way possible, I like to convene a “business brainstorm”. My company will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, so you can imagine there have been more than a few of these sessions along the way. This I how it works for … [Read more...]
Nonprofit Boards and the Public Trust
Women invited to serve on a charitable organization’s Board of Directors are often uncertain whom exactly they serve. The Chairman? The Board as an entity? The Executive Director? The Donors? No, it’s the public. Allen C. Amason, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the Terry College of Business of the University of Georgia teaches a “Roles & … [Read more...]
Serving on a Board of Directors
It’s hardly a secret of the business world that there are far too few women in corporate Boardrooms around the country. Fortunately, there are organizations that advocate for changes in this situation. Women in the Boardroom (Edna, Minnesota) is one of them. It holds seminars in major cities, such as Washington, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and others, for women who … [Read more...]
So, you have 500+ connections in LinkendIn?
So, you have 500+ connections in LinkendIn? A few weeks ago, I posted an article about networking as a marketing tool for one’s products or services – or even oneself, in the pursuit of new career opportunities. That had to do with in-person networking. On-line networking is another valuable tool. Before I delve into it, let me credit Seth Bogin for the idea for this … [Read more...]
Free Speech
It’s an old, stale trick. You call a well-know crowd pleaser you’d like to have as keynoter for your next event and ask her if she believes in “free speech”. When the answer is a predictable “yes”, you offer her the opportunity to come and deliver a speech – for free! Dee Dee Myers, Suze Orman, and Sarah Palin do not have to travel around the country to give free speeches. … [Read more...]
Writing as Marketing Tool
Donna Satchell, an Atlanta-based speaker, writer and trainer, knew from the start, after leaving her corporate position at Clairol, that as a trainer she had to develop a marketing strategy that would work for her. Whether it worked for others was not a concern of hers – she was out to build her own business, not anyone else’s. Writing and publishing became important tools … [Read more...]
Marketing – It’s Simple!
Jody Gabourie, the recently retired Canadian “Marketing Plan Queen”, knew what she was doing when she simplified marketing for small business owners. There are three practices, she advised, that we should consider deploying when we go out and look for new clients or customers. They are: networking, speaking and writing. Think about it. Simple, isn’t it? Let’s talk about … [Read more...]
The Business Owner as Superwoman
We think we can do it all, don’t we? We had an idea for a business, we got it established, we began attracting clients or customers, and we are now in the thick of it. We have signed a lease for our office or retail space, we have designed our logo, hired a printer for our business cards and begun work on a web site. We keep our accounts, design our brochures, write … [Read more...]
Women as Business Owners
In Georgia, where I live and write, women have always owned businesses. Even our fictional heroine Scarlett O’Hara was a business owner, as the proprietress of a sawmill. Georgia women have historically been entrepreneurial – from the rural housewife, whose hens laid more eggs than the family would consume and sold the surplus to her neighbors to Juliette Gordon Low, … [Read more...]