Posts tagged as:

small business

Get Future Hindsight Today

January 24, 2011

As I look back at this high school graduation picture, I remember what my life was like, what I was thinking about and how I was feeling about myself and my future. And in retrospect, I have to laugh at how I thought my life was over because I didn’t have a boyfriend, because my [...]

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My 2011 Ikebana Un-Resolution

January 1, 2011

I had this well-written blog about how to stop writing resolutions because they don’t work and how to do strategic planning instead. I even had this checklist about the best way to set goals. And then I thought, “Screw it.” Instead, I’m just going to write what’s on my mind – pretty or not. Ikebana [...]

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Small Business Gift Giving

December 30, 2010

I visited a client the first week of December. I walked into his office and sitting on his desk were boxes of cookies, candy, pretzels and Harry and David. You know what he said to me? “I’ve got a ton of this stuff. Take whatever you want.” Stuff? Someone spent their hard earned money buying [...]

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If I Were A Lightswitch…

October 16, 2010

Do you know why cars have several gears? Because each gear is needed for different circumstances. Reverse is, well… for reverse. Lower gears give you more torque which comes in handy when you’re on steep inclines. Higher gears help you lower your engine’s RPMs which increases your miles per gallon which saves you money. Some [...]

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5 Marketing Lessons from Crack Dealers

September 23, 2010

Disclaimer: I have never used illegal drugs and do I not advocate the use of illegal drugs or controlled substances illegally. Drugs and the repercussions of their use, do irreparable harm to the user, their families, their coworkers and the community at large. Stay clean, stay sober or stay home. One of the things I [...]

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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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What You Need To Know About Your Competition

June 22, 2010

True story: With high expectations, I recently attended a conference held by a nationally renowned company. Surprisingly, the company’s speakers weren’t very good and most of the curriculum was rehashed information I saw in other programs for years. The company was shocked by the lack of enthusiasm from the attendees. And we were shocked to [...]

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Smores and Sales

April 19, 2010

This is a big week at Sanera as I’m starting a third Sanera Camp (small business boot camp) class in two days. As I’ve been preparing for it, the idea of customer experience is in all my thoughts. Last December, my friend and blogger, Michael Long, asked me to write about this very topic. Even [...]

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March Marketing Madness Featuring Amy Howell

April 3, 2010

What a week this has been! We’ve had some fantastic guest posts from marketing experts around the country. We are closing out March Marketing Madness week with a guest post from Amy Howell. Amy is the CEO of Howell Marketing Strategies, a PR and marketing firm that combines traditional and social media marketing. Amy has [...]

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March Marketing Madness Featuring Kevin Grossman

April 1, 2010

Today is a special day. As I was contemplating which guest bloggers to invite this week, this man was at the top of my list – Kevin Grossman. Kevin’s 22 years of marketing communications experience has been primarily in the human resources (HR) and recruiting industries. Hundreds of HR suppliers around the country have tapped [...]

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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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March Marketing Madness Featuring Kent Huffman

March 29, 2010

Welcome to March Marketing Madness! This week you will have the opportunity to hear from marketing experts around the country via guest blog posts on Sanera. Our first guest blogger is Kent Huffman, and believe me, when it comes to marketing, he knows what he’s talking about. Kent led the global marketing communications team at [...]

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The Next Social Media Revolution

March 15, 2010

Forgive the long post intended for social media geeks like me. There is a second revolution coming in social media. In its early stages, social media was the revolution in and of itself. From a business perspective, social media was about establishing better means of communication and connection with customers. “Find them where they are.” [...]

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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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Is Your Cup Cracked

February 22, 2010

My husband loves Starbucks, a “Venti Carmel Macchiato upside down” to be exact; a drink for which he believed there could be no improvement. But then he was listening to a morning-drive radio program and the hosts described what it was like to drink their favorite Starbucks concoction from a mug, instead of the paper [...]

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You Get What You Pay For

February 1, 2010

Would you pay someone $2.25 for an “authentic” Rolex watch that typically costs $100,000+? Then why do we do this very thing in business? We work with vendors and expect to get a $5,000 product for $800. I understand; money is always tight in small businesses. To survive, we typically look for the best deals [...]

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Following My Own Advice

January 27, 2010

It’s funny how being a coach causes me to turn inward and examine my business practices. I regularly have to ask myself if I’m taking the advice I give to my clients. Unfortunately, the answer is “not always,” particularly with regard to niche markets. You see, I’m doing a lot of work with clients (and [...]

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You Be The Coach For Referral Fees

January 11, 2010

I was at a networking event and one of my friends (a small business owner) said: “Someone referred a client to me and they are asking for a 20% referral fee. I don’t charge for referrals. If you’re someone I know and I believe you will do a good job, I’m going to refer business [...]

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2010 What Ifs

January 6, 2010

A preview to my San Antonio Business Building Boot Camp, January 13, 2010: One of the things I love about Twitter is the ability to connect and speak with people I never would have met otherwise. This week I had the fortunate experience of speaking with two super-intelligent business owners: Patty Farmer of Envoy Mortgage [...]

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