Mighty Marketing Mojo

Tag: entrepreneur

  • Celebrate Your Freedom Fourth

    Celebrate Your Freedom Fourth

    Fireworks-red-pink-FloridaJuly 4th – Time to Celebrate Your Entrepreneurial Freedom

    Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur – yet – you still enjoy many similar freedoms. Or you likely want to. This is a great time to reflect on the independent mindset and how we can all nurture it in ourselves and others.

    We’re more than ever a nation of independent workers, entrepreneurial in spirit if not in action. Some of that by choice, some by forces out of our control. But  . . . we can choose whether we stay on our own Freedom Trails or not.

    LibertyBell RedWe have been given the freedom to choose – whether we stay in a employer-controlled job, to work for a nonprofit, to volunteer, to moonlight, to freelance, to consult, or to wholly own our own businesses. We can choose to go back to j-o-b-s, to retire, to teach, to work part-time, to work multiple jobs or gigs to make it and stay afloat. None of those or all of those. Never forget that you have more choice than you think. What paths to take, what the trail and winding journey looks like for each of us.

    And we are not alone

    More than 50+ million Americans are out on their own (updated – Statista says as of 2020 nearly 60 million freelancers in US)  in some way – freelancing, consulting, work-for-hire, running their own business and own lives. Gigs, side hustles, consulting, freelancing  – it’s all been on the rise for years.  Small businesses (with <49 employees, so truly ‘small’) have contributed to most to overall job growth in the US lately (BLS, SBA). America has 3.7 Million ‘microbusinesses’ (<9 employees) and they make up 75% of ALL private-sector employers. Wow. Are you one of those? Do you want to be?

    There are a lot of other solos to be out ‘alone’ alongside.

    What might work independence look and feel like for you? For your work with clients, your community, your family, your fellow entrepreneurs? What small and big freedoms will you celebrate?

    This Freedom Fourth maybe you will celebrate:Freedom Fourth Story-InfoHound

    • Freedom to work wherever you choose
    • Freedom to believe in yourself, your abilities, your skills, your gifts
    • Freedom from working with sabotaging bosses or co-workers, time- and soul-sucking tasks
    • Freedom to choose your own projects, your own clients, your own boss
    • Freedom to work on projects you really, truly love – with people that respect and love you back
    • Freedom to pursue your dreams in all their forms
    • Freedom to break rules and create your own
    • Freedom of flexibility
    • Freedom from trying to please everyone, and never being quite happy with yourself
    • Freedom to be who you are, play to your strengths, and love what you do

    Take time this 4th of July, Independence Day holiday weekend to celebrate your own freedoms. Claim your Freedom – now and every day going forward. What has led you to take a different path, or just begin to contemplate it, and the happiness that independence brings you.

  • Learning to love change

    Changes, tweaks and adjustments coming soon!

    A bit of remodeling and upgrading coming here to the home of The InfoHound. I’ve been watching videos & webinars; reading books, articles, blog posts, emails, trade press,  and magazines; attending events and conferences, ‘going to class’ and generally learning so much good stuff lately that my head might explode soon!!

    learn to changeI need to find new ways to get all that knowledge out and share it with you here!

    1) Because it’s the kind of knowledge that is meant to be applied, shared and taught,  and

    2) because that’s what I DO!

     

    What kind of changes? What have I learned?

    I’ve attended great talks by Debra Fine,

    Debra Fine
    photo © by Mark Goldstein / IRC https://www.flickr.com/photos/mg-irc/

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    and Erika Napoletano 

    Erika Napoletano
    Photo © by Mark Goldstein https://www.flickr.com/photos/mg-irc/

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    And branding expert Aaron Templer. 

    Amazing, inspiring, thought-provoking presentations. [Maybe someday I will tell a story about Debra Fine’s great book “Small Talk” that I was able to tell her!]

    Napoletano_Unpopularbook

     

    And now I have my signed copy of Napoletano’s UnPopular to finish reading.

    [Napoletano gained… I won’t say more ‘popularity … from this TEDx talk –  watch and you’ll know why! ]

     

     

    Video Super Heroes!

    Video is HOT! It’s perhaps the biggest change to marketing since the days of  John Wanamaker! Small businesses, firms, entrepreneurs and non-profits that could never afford TV advertising can produce creative, engaging, educational videos on their own.

    Want proof that even seemingly ‘unsexy’ industries, or B2B companies, can make this work? Seen the Blendtec videos? Yeah, that’s an iPhone in a blender! It’s a great story and marketing success.

    I’ve learned (and am still learning!) many cool tips, tricks and techniques for videography from some of the current gurus in the field of video marketing. Experts such as Steven Washer, Don Crowther, Jason Fladlien, James Wedmore, Jody Jelas, Andy Jenkins and Marisa Murgatroyd.

     

    infohound_videosupplies_smI’ve got a few pieces of gear, accessories for my DSLR & pocket HD video, new software and will be putting it to use to better engage here and elsewhere in my business.
    As I learn more, I’ll share even more – because that’s what I do!

     

    Entrepreneurship, marketing and marketing intelligence

    Small business, entrepreneurship and marketing ideas from Steve Gordon, Ian Brodie, Dov Gordon, Chris Brogan and PJ Van Hulle are now in my toolkit/arsenal.  So much good information to share and spread the word about.

    The team at Aurora WDC, along with SLA [Special Libraries Association], and info pro colleagues like Ellen Naylor have been buffing up my knowledge of competitive intelligence, market intelligence, event-based research & intell as well as using social media to collect intelligence. Some of those research tools and skills are ones all business folks can make use of, and I’ll be sharing those in the near future.

    So, what’s next?

    The interesting news and excellent resources about doing better research and using search shortcuts will continue – but likely over at the blog part of IntelliCraft Research.  IntelliCraft will maintain its focus on business intelligence through smarter research – so you can always look smart in your business.

    But The InfoHound is going to explore the ‘info’ of marketing  – marketing strategy, research, planning and techniques. Emphasis on strategy and research, sound principles and how it can all work for us ‘little guys and gals’. It keeps the blend of marketing, information, research and libraries that is the essence of The InfoHound’s background and expertise. So, keep your eyes peeled for new things coming!

     

     

  • 12 Last Minute Business Book Gifts for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Folks

    The 2013 Business Book-a-Month List

    The kind of New Year’s resolution we can all get behind – read more! Here are 12 business books to read in 2013. Read a book per month. Ok, read more. I won’t tell.
    Some of these business books are classics, others are new to the scene – all have come recommended from some of the best minds, or hives of minds, in the business world today.

    • The Startup Playbook by David Kidder – insider’s views of the highs & lows of entrepreneurship from top innovators (Spanx, LinkShare, Flickr, LinkedIn, TED,etc); a guide for small and large-thinking entrepreneurs [ via Fast Company]
    • The Half-Life of Facts: Why everything we know has an expiration date, by Samuel Arbesman;  the world, and its knowledge, advances. Science, technology, medicine, our ability to measure things, and even our understanding of history, are all advancing – so ‘facts’ are changing. Smaller, regular changes often precede and foreshadow larger ‘breakthroughs’. Learn to question assumptions and to gather quality information [hear, hear!!  Info pros have long said that the right info, for the right question, is always an improvement. Need help with that? See below!]   [via Inc]
    •  The One World Schoolhouse, by Salman Khan – understanding the power of online education; founder of the Khan Academy – goal of free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere; Khan Academy gives free videos and software on numerous subjects; Khan is rethinking assumptions about education in form, technique, structure and more
    • The Book of Business Awesome (and the Book of Business UnAwesome), by Scott Stratten; the power of the customer experience; case studies of successful businesses and “train wrecks” of unsuccessful ones

    [above three from Content Marketing Institute’s “Gift Ideas for Content Marketers”]

    Business Books to Read in 2013
    Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/
    • The Art of the Start: the time-tested, battle-hardened guide for anyone starting anything, by Guy Kawasaki – a classic; whenever you need to go back and remember why you’re starting something and how to turn your ideas into actions
    • The Dip: A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick), by Seth Godin; don’t quit too early, but don’t stay in too long when you should really get out; help with perspective on quitting
    • The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An easier way to build credibility, generate buzz and increase revenue [2012 ed], by Shama Kabani; clueless on where to jump in and begin using social media to really propel your biz?  here’s some help and a confidence boost

    [above three via Social Media Today, Natalie Sisson’s “13 Must-Read Books to Kick Start your 2013”]

    • The Lean Startup by Ries – a nearly cult hit in the small business, entrepreneur, startup communities; logic and guidance for using a ‘lean’ methodology in starting a company [via Forbes]
    • Commitment Engine, by John Jantsch [see also his best sellers The Referral Engine and Duct Tape Marketing]

    [above three via Seth Godin]

    I have more business books as must-reads for my 2013.  What else is on your must-read list?

    Thumbs-up Reviews Want more recommendations and maybe some reviews of other business books? Good! Because they’ll be coming in the new year. Check back often to see which of my reads from 2012 get a thumbs up and review.

     

    ——————————————————————————-

     Worried that the ‘facts’ are changing or that you can’t keep up with information overload? Need to always look smart and work smarter? Then head to IntelliCraft Research and see how we can help!

  • Tips for new entrepreneurs

    It might be questionable to make my first official post about an article with “stop f**king around” in the title. But there are some salient points raised here.

    First-Time Startup Entrepreneurs: Stop Fucking Around | TechCrunch.

    At first I read it and griped that it is focused on tech start-ups, coders, programmers, the next big app thing. What about the rest of us? What about those who ‘start-up’ something that isn’t a Silicon Valley wunderkind, or going to get Y-Combinator funding, or maybe any funding at all other than our savings accounts? But yes, the article is from TechCrunch, so a techie focus should likely be expected.

    However, a few universally salient points are made:

    – Don’t waste time. Don’t meet people for sake of meeting people, or code because you can, or do whatever it is that seems cool and  a ‘must’. Instead … work.

    -But … don’t work to the complete exclusion of everything else. Find your ‘me time’ thing and keep it on your calendar. Always.

    -Define your goals first. Sounds simple and common sense, right? but apparently it’s easy to just jump into the ‘doing’ and forget about the ‘why you’re doing’ or ‘who you’re doing for’. Don’t forget. Plan around the ‘why’ and the ‘who’ and take your time to figure out how you’re getting there — first.

    For other non-techies out there, what did you take away from this article that could help you?

>