The computer may be where your work happens but its real life conversations that spark ideas. Nothing gets my creativity (and motivation) flowing like discussing ideas with like-minded people. The last three days spent with Steve Roller and the other participants at his Ultimate Writing Retreat™ helped me fill a notebook and refine a business goal. Here’s a Taste of the … [Read more...]
What Panera Gets Right About Their Rewards Card (and CVS and Staples Don’t )
“You get a free coffee every day in May.” The Panera Bread employee tells me when she checks my rewards card. “Yay!” I say and proceed to go to Panera 3 more times over the next two weeks. Since I spend a minimum of $8 each time I’m in there, that’s at least $20 more Panera has made from me. Multiply that by their millions of customers and pretty soon you’re talking real … [Read more...]
How to Repurpose Your Content (Or, Make it Earn It’s Keep)
In our content driven world, it's essential to repurpose your content. Not only can you turn one post into an email, a video, a slideshare and a social media update but you can also use is as a chapter in a book or as the basis for a workshop. How to Repurpose Your Content and Squeeze the Value from It Last week I gave a blogging workshop for Network Now Connections,LLC … [Read more...]
What Should I Blog About?
Have your business been around for more than 6 months? More than 6 years? GREAT! You know what to blog about. My role is to help you access your ideas. 1—Start with the conversations you have daily. What are the top questions your visitors ask you? Every business has those “frequently asked questions”. Answer them in a blog post. There you are 5 or 10 posts that your … [Read more...]
My 5 Favorite Productivity Apps for Small Business
Ok, so I haven’t quite mastered the art of the 5-minute meeting but I am a bit of a productivity junkie. Short, focused bursts of work, unplugging for hours at a time (to write!) and "chunking" similar tasks are all part of my strategy. Far from a technology geek, I do love discovering time saving apps so I can spend more time doing what I want and less of what I don’t – … [Read more...]
