From the category archives:

Inspiration

TEDx San Antonio and Glass Children

December 28, 2010

In 2009, when I heard that TEDx was coming to San Antonio, I remember thinking how fantastic it would be for the city. I never imagined that I would have the chance to speak. Yet in October of 2010, I did. I did not speak about Sanera, Sanera Camp or even about business. I spoke [...]

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Project Entrepreneurs Inspire

December 6, 2010

I’m sick and tired of seeing entrepreneurs fail. In the last two weeks, three people I know closed their businesses and two others filed for bankruptcy. Gosh darn it! It’s not easy being an entrepreneur. We all have our moments when we hit a wall and are tempted to throw in the towel. I have [...]

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Why Your Business Is Not Changing

July 27, 2010

Have you read John Maxwell’s book Thinking For A Change? In it, Maxwell asks a provocative question: “Do you know what most people’s number one challenge is when it comes to making positive personal changes?” Several answers came to mind: A positive support system is missing. Limited finances. Lack of knowledge. Here is Maxwell’s answer: [...]

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Step Away From the Incubator

June 7, 2010

I’ve been thinking a lot about babies. My nephew’s wife is pregnant and so is one of my good friends. I’ve enjoyed seeing their bellies grow and studying sonogram pictures to figure out whose nose the baby has. We don’t have children so it’s fascinating to me. Several years ago a dear friend of mine [...]

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The Amy Challenge

April 19, 2010

This is a true story about “Amy” who just happens to be one of my heroes. Amy has had a lot to overcome in her life. She was married to a soldier and as that vocation usually demands, they moved to a new state and city where she knew no one. Happily she became pregnant. [...]

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This Should Not Have Happened

April 13, 2010

She sat across the conference room table from me wiping the tears from her face. Her tears were streaming unabated because of news she received three weeks ago: after 35 years, her company did not need her anymore. Today is her last day. The company thoughtfully wanted to support her in her job search and [...]

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March Marketing Madness With Todd Schnick

March 31, 2010

Have you enjoyed March Marketing Madness as much as I have? Well it’s not over yet. I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Todd Schnick. Todd is Chief of The Intrepid Group, a marketing firm out of Atlanta, Georgia. Todd specializes small to medium-sized companies (one of the reasons I wanted him to [...]

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You Need A Business Butt Kicking Part 2

March 15, 2010

In Part 1, we discussed what makes some business owners successful and others not. This is a continuation of that post. So what is the answer? Successful business owners have a different set of core beliefs than those who wish for success. Yesterday, I went over six ways you, as a small business owner, need [...]

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You Need A Business Butt Kicking Part 1

March 14, 2010

Why are some business owners more successful than others? Their belief systems are different from the “wishers” or the “posers.” The successful business owners make a decision to go for what they want and they do it – no excuses. 1. Work your butt off! When you look at successful business owners, it’s tempting to [...]

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Alicia 1 Perfectionism 0

February 25, 2010

In case you’re new to this blog, I’ve shared that I am a “recovering perfectionist.” Perfectionism wastes time, energy, money, kills relationships and stalls businesses. Having said that, every perfectionistic leaning I have was challenged yesterday by a training perfect storm. This is what my morning felt like yesterday. Okay, perhaps not this bad, but [...]

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From Dark To The Light

February 15, 2010

In my last post, I mentioned that I was going on a Christian spiritual retreat for several days that I knew nothing about; no one would tell me anything about what was going to happen or what I was going to experience. I’m back. And I will never be the same. I thought I knew [...]

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Going Dark

February 11, 2010

This afternoon I will do something I’ve never done before. I’m going on a Christian spiritual retreat. I wish I could tell you more, but I don’t have a lot of information other than it is in Kerrville, Texas, I need to bring a sleeping bag, linens, warm clothes and toiletries. (I remember my Girl [...]

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The Un-Newsletter

February 9, 2010

I fought the idea of doing a newsletter for a long time. I hate newsletters. They are typically high on self-promotion and low on value, so I usually delete them before I open them. I don’t have time to read them, I don’t want to read them and I did not want to be hypocritical [...]

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And You Will Tell Them Yes

February 8, 2010

All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you’re not GOOD ENOUGH or STRONG ENOUGH or TALENTED ENOUGH. They’ll say you’re the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or BE THIS or achieve this. They will tell you no, [...]

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Charlie Brown Business Sense

December 7, 2009

Forget business for a moment. Let’s talk Christmas trees. Have you ever been to a tree lot with a perfectionist? That one’s too big. That one’s scrawny. That one has a gap on the left side where a bird had a nest. Too small. Too short. Too green. Too pine-y. Too spruce-y. And after hours [...]

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Walt Disney And Leadership Filters

August 20, 2009

August 18, 2009 – Day 2 What would your cup of joe taste like without a coffee filter? Filters on camera lenses create astounding camera effects. There are filters that do really important jobs: water filters, chemical filters and even nuclear filters that provide ventilation for flammable gas mixtures in nuclear waste containers. Filters do [...]

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Magical Business Results From Disney

August 16, 2009

August 16, 2009 – 10:30 am I am on my way to Disney for the Disney Institute 5-day program “Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence.” This is the first in a series of blog posts about my experiences and I hope to bring you an insider’s peek into what makes Disney so great and how you [...]

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Mickey Nemo & Small Business

August 12, 2009

When I think of Dori, small business is not the first thing that comes to my mind. But after a couple of conversations with Stacey Thomson, PR Manager for Disney Institute, I will be thinking about Disney and small business for a long time. In case you haven’t heard of it, Disney has a world-renowned [...]

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Why Not

August 3, 2009

The Power of “Why not?” Who would have thought that two simple words, when phrased as a question could contain so much power. Many courageous people asked themselves this question (most likely in the face of resistance) and the world has not been the same since. Think about these statements and the passion with which [...]

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I Am Free

July 4, 2009

I’ve been thinking about the birth of our great country today and all the sacrifices so many thousands have made for our freedom. For some reason, this July 4th has me feeling a bit more contemplative and appreciative than in years past. Perhaps it is because I am older than I used to be and [...]

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