2009

  • Balance

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    From time to time, I struggle to find balance between my work and home lives.  Sometimes things I’m working on at home drift into the workplace.  Other times I can’t seem to find the off switch when I leave the office for the day.  When the imbalance issue crops up, it causes some serious problems

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  • Multi-faceted Marketing

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    How many sides are there in your market?  Are you a B2C?  A B2B?  A B2B2C (OEM)?  Whoever and whatever you are, you need to keep in mind that there are at least two sides to your market, if not more. When most people think “two-sided market” they think of a marketplace.  eBay is a

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  • A Spirit of Service

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    I had the chance to spend this past week out of town.  Rather than be at work or even at home in front of my computer, I went up to the hills around Mt. Jefferson to camp with the Boy Scouts at Camp Pioneer.  With the exception of a little misty/drizzly weather on Sunday, it

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  • 10 Ways to Save Money Using a Brand Coach

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    Last week I gave you some quick guidance about what to look for in a brand coach.  Now I want to give you 10 quick tips for how you can save money in your search and make the most of every dollar you spend on branding: Shop around for estimates – Consulting is competitive, make

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  • How to Choose a Good Brand Coach

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    A “brand coach” is not necessarily an all-knowing marketing guru (though we all like to think we are).  Really, a brand coach is just someone who’s been around the bend, knows what questions to ask about your business, and brings a clean eye and customer-centric point of view to the discussion.  He is the guy

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  • Abandoned Artwork

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    Art is never finished, only abandoned. — Leonardo Da Vinci Working in a startup company and developing a new product, I can vouch for the accuracy of this statement.  We’ve spent countless months of hours laboring on our little project only to determine we need more time to finish it.  This button isn’t polished …

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  • The Name of the Game

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    What businesses are you in?  Really?  This is a question that 90% of small business owners forget to ever answer – and it’s the most important question regarding your business! Many managers in big business will tell you, “businesses exist to make money.”  This is one of the few truths in the world, and it

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  • What is your Google score?

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    I am amazed by how many people have never Googled themselves.  In today’s world, it’s increasingly important just what the Internet says about you – whether true or fiction.  Most of you understand this, and have taken the proper steps to protect yourself from online brand-hijacking.  Just think of how awkward that next job interview

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  • Pay Time

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    At a sales training seminar a couple weeks ago, the presenter spoke on the topic of separating pay time from no pay time.  I was very familiar with this concept, but not in quite the way he put it.  All of us recognize the importance of tracking billable versus non-billable hours, but “pay time” doesn’t

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  • Know Your Customer

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    In general, I do branding and marketing work for three kinds of clients: Individuals Local small businesses Start-up companies I enjoy working with these kinds of clients for several reasons.  Primarily, though, they tend to have a deep understanding of their mission, some kind of core driver that makes them unique, and a complete misunderstand

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