Marketing can be tough for small business owners. You look to big names like Apple, Nike, North Face, and wonder how you can compete. Thing is, you don’t have to compete with them. They have huge marketing departments and even bigger marketing budgets. So let’s start by eliminating marketing from your language. Why? Because the […]
Stop Marketing and Start Building Relationships Read More »
I recently posted a quote from Muhammad Ali on LinkedIn that got me thinking. Here’s the post: At this point, I’m closer to 50 than I am to 20 and his words resonate loudly. My outlook on life, the way I carried myself, making decisions, all of it was different when I was 20. And
In the last newsletter, I said you’d get the first newsletter of 2024 on January 6. That date came and went. Where have I been? Here’s my LinkedIn post from early January that explains it: And that is where I want to focus the time today: Planning. Specifically, I want to talk about the pitfalls
Make Your Plans Fluid Read More »
I was in the middle of writing this newsletter on a different topic when I realized this is the last one I’ll be sending in 2023. I was also having major mental blocks trying to concentrate on the newsletter while worrying about some client projects to finish this year, preparing customer marketing plans for the
Slow Down and Refresh for 24 Read More »
If your business strives to disrupt the status quo by being best in class in the industry and creating synergy with your customers, we need to have a talk. You’ve grown buzzword happy and it’s doing more harm than good. Your potential customers will give you only a few seconds of their time before they
Buzzwords Don’t Buzz Read More »
Quickly! Without Googling! Can you tell me how many GBs of storage the first iPod had? How about this one: What’s the square footage of your car’s trunk space? Last try. What is the maximum volume of your Bluetooth headphones? Okay, enough of that. You probably want to know why I’m even asking all this.
Stop Making It About You Read More »
Many years ago, I was a young father working retail full-time and trying to get back into school as part of audio recording program. My first audio professor, and mentor, said something that sticks with me to this day Be nice to everyone you meet, or at least professional. You never know who you might
Each Handshake Is an Opportunity Read More »
Whether you remember those days or not, if you were into hip hop in the mid 90s, you either repped the west coast or the east coast. Southern hip hop burst through with the likes of Outkast and Scarface but they were seen as a niche. Master P was among the people who changed this
How Master P Made ‘em Say Uhh Read More »
This is difficult for business owners to hear sometimes, especially when you’re just starting out. You need customers fast and you think to get them, you have to do everything, be everywhere, and solve every problem. Unfortunately, that’s not usually the case. As the classic saying goes, “If you sell to everyone, you sell to
Find What Sets You Apart Read More »
To build something of your own. It’s kind of always the same. When the idea for your small business strikes and you set out on the journey, it’s all smiles and lots of excitement. Nobody can say anything to get you to stop thinking about your business and anybody telling you it’s a bad idea
It Takes Positivity… Read More »
