First Word

1. Stay focused on your objectives. 2. Study the current marketplace, identify the trends, figure out what people are buying and the consumer tastes. 3. If bills are piling and checks not coming, do not get caught up in the bills. It's a negative distraction and will not solve your financial crisis. 4. Look for as many new opportunities as you can to build business. 5. Consider reaching out and doing more networking. 6. Do more public speaking. Speaking gigs attract business because you are the center of attention. 7. Use speaking to do back-of-the-room sales and promotions.

Some of the great innovators (think Steve Jobs) or even great creatives (think Meryl Streep) have made a pointed effort to create their own visions. They are driven by their own ideas. They aren't following the sheep, they are leading the herd. Its easy to get sucked into the belief that you have to please the world. Other people's beliefs about you are important. Don't get me wrong, some people's opinions do have relevance. But if you're going to be a leader and not a follower, an innovator not a copier then you have to go to your own beat. You're going to face naysayers. You might even face an eye roll or two or a chuckle or giggle. But if you firmly believe in your vision and believe in yourself (most importantly) then you should see these people as unimportant. They're only there to remind you to stay the course of your own direction. So have confidence. Don't let others define you. You define you. And if you have a dream and a vision, pursue i...

I always tell business people that writing a book and the value it brings your business isn't measured by individual book sales. It's measured by opportunities. Here are three "opportunities" having a professionally published book can do for your business. 1. Subject Matter Expert. Whether you feel like an expert or not is beside the point. A book in people's minds means you know enough about a particular subject to write about it. Subject Matter Experts get asked to do the following, which provide more opportunities ... 2. Speaking Engagements. Speaking to a group makes you the center of attention. The aforementioned expertise creates credibility. Credibility impresses people. And speaking to a room gives your company exposure to the audience members. And what does exposure do? 3. Attracts Business. Now you've gained credibility and had an "opportunity" to share your expertise and business acumen to a group (audience). Exposure to your busines...

When I open my presentations, I ask two questions: “How many of you throw away books in the trashcan?” I follow up that question with the next one, “How many of you throw away brochures in the nearest garbage can?” The second question provides the audience’s a-ha moment. Most people feel value when they buy or are given a book. A book has weight. It has pages. It has merit. It conveys the perception of knowledge and expertise and time and money to publish. A feeling of guilt or at least a sense of environmental responsibility overcomes the desire to toss all that time, money, expertise, and most importantly “paper” into the garbage can. On the other hand, how many flyers, tri-fold brochures or one-sheets create such a moral or ethical dilemma that you actually feel guilty to throw it away? I’ll be honest. I’ve thrown away countless brochures. I even curse when someone shoves a flyer under my car windshield wiper because now I have to find a garbage can so I’m ...

Have you ever given anything away for free? Have you ever been surprised when something you're giving away suddenly completely loses its value to the point that you can't give free away at all? Yes, people will turn away from free things, which is hard to believe. You want to know why? Because if value is perceived as worthless than the question gets instilled in their heads, "Well, if you don't want it why should I?" Either free things will get perceived as junk (which is why they're free) or the subconscious mind will think, "What's wrong with it?" or "There's a catch." As a sales person it will surprise you to know that giving stuff away for free can be just as much work as selling it. So in that respect you might as well sell it. Here's the real insight: people respond well to DEALS and SALES. While you might not be able to give away anything without weird reactions and "no thank yous" switch your tactic to a s...

Today's topic du jour is about distraction and work-life balance. Since my operations manager position has yet to be filled and won't be until I have complete trust in the person right for the job, I have the details on my plate. As an editor I am generally detail-oriented. These days between operations details, company sales and project work, I find I am driven to distraction. Then I start thinking, "I must be getting old." Well, I did celebrate a birthday yesterday so maybe ... but here are my thoughts on "too many thoughts." First, life is to be enjoyed and not bogged down. I often remind myself of this "detail" as I begin to feel like some invisible pressure from heaven is bearing down on me. I am my boss. Who exactly is going to chastise me? Oh yeah ... me! So, as my boss I give myself permission to be realistic -- there are only so many hours in the day. Don't play at your desk, of course, but don't be so hard on yourself. Second,...

Outflow gets inflow ... so I'm an open book about my business. I like to teach other people how to succeed. It gives me so much pleasure when I see someone go from "rags to riches" (even if it's emotional). So just so you all know right now I'm human. I give myself the badge of flesh and blood. I have my great days like you all do and then I have my tough days. Sometimes as I'm selling our services for 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com), I hit a sudden wall of "No's" vs. "Yes's". If the series of No's starts to trump the Yes's I've learned a valuable technique (well two of them): Give yourself a five-minute pity party . Yep, scream, kick, cry and just light up the room. Punch a pillow. Get your sob on. But that's all you get! Bring on the cake, eat the ice cream, and MOVE ON. Five minutes is all you get. Then move to my opening phrase: outflow gets inflow. Start reaching out. Work it! Work it! Work it! Keep y...

I am one of those overly concerned CEOs who somewhere along the way of leadership and success in the middle of it lost her way ... a bit. Over the last couple of years, an eroding of net profit began. Under the idea that it was okay, I began getting too relaxed about collections and ensuring that 3L Publishing wasn't paying unintended costs. Then I noticed something that was eating away at my leadership skills. We'll call it "client guilt". I felt like even though not a single client made a single complaint that our work wasn't somehow measuring up (especially on the public relations side where results are very "airy-fairy"). I felt awesome about the books for sure. Our books are award-winners. But self-doubt and that "guilty" feeling despite all of the efforts going into it, were eating at me -- but MORE important EATING our bottom line and profits as I devalued my time. I devalued myself. Are you identifying with what I'm saying? I bet ...

Businesses go through fits and starts. As growth occurs so do hiccups. Trial and error equals results. Sometimes you have to keep trying new things to manage business growth without inadvertently upsetting current business. Sometimes, though, upsetting current business cannot be helped. When transitions and changes in business happen, the best approach is to re-pour the foundation and then let the cement dry. We recently went through some growing pains. What I did was get out ahead of the issues. When you get out ahead you are doing "preventative" maintenance. What does this translate to? Let me illustrate. We were having fulfillment issues. Once the problem was identified (orders not going out the way they should), I didn't wait for complaints. I identified the problem. I found a solution. Now here comes the foundation-pouring approach. Rather than try and patch the problem, I came up with an entire overall solution. I moved my inventory and storage closer to my main...

Today's humorous pondering relates to postage stamps and more specifically the NEW famous chefs stamps. Since I've been doing operations on my own I am paying attention to postage. The Post Office folks know me now, and so that opens the door to some banter. So the nice fellow asks, "Do I need stamps?" On this day, I did indeed need some. He whips out this sheet of stamps with the faces of famous chefs (Julia Childs was the only one I recognized). He shares about the sheet and the chefs (doesn't know one of them), and I found my funny mind thinking random thoughts. It occurred to me that for the outrageous price of postage I could afford NOT to have famous faces on my stamps and maybe nothing at all. In fact, I mused I would be willing to pay .10 cents less for a white stamp that simply reads: GENERIC STAMP. Yes, love that one. Oh, come on stamp collectors, you'll pay more for famous faces. On the other hand, I want the .10 cent discount for the generic stamp....

Always able to make jokes even during stress or giggle certainly at inappropriate times -- yes, that's typically me. If there is one thing you learn in business if you can't deliver, what is the point? I've said that phrase a few times this week. Thus, my sense of humor seems to have fled the office. A project in particular in which the client has an urgent deadline seems to be fraught with delays. It's Murphy's Law in action. I've never liked vendors who screw up and make excuses. So I like it even less when I have to make excuses about vendors who have not provided excellent service. Vendor selection and who I work with reflects back on me. So a vendor's excuse is not going to fly with me nor do I expect it to fly with my clients. I do like though something that my husband said, "You're only as good as your last book," which applies to the movie business, too. I don't consider myself a control freak by any stretch of the imagination. I ...

Common mistakes I see business owners make are valuable lessons for the rest of us. Here are the most common mistakes I see all of the time. No follow-up mechanisms . Most business people know they need to relationship build and network. They go out and network and/or speak to groups. They take business cards, enjoy a few conversations, find some prospects, and then what? About 75% of the time they return to the office and fail to follow-up. Do you realize that is like throwing money away. Creating opportunities and failure to follow-up is the same as walking to the nearest trashcan and tossing money in. Always make sure you have a follow-up system whether it's a pledge to email or call the person right after the meeting. Spending money on marketing tools and then not using them . Is your signage being used? Are your information sheets being passed out? Are your brochures given out? Do you hand out business cards or leave them in your pocket, wallet or purse? Do you have a news...

In my "throw myself on the funeral pyre of martyrdom," I had an epiphany. I am generous to the point I found that I was often taken advantage of. No realizing or necessarily discerning the difference between helping, being taken advantage of, or just plain being robbed LOL ... I set myself into an unproductive mindset. Always "other" focused and concerned with client needs vs. my own needs, I began to see an erosion in profits, and I started to struggle. Blame part of it on the economy, part of it marketplace competition, and part of it on -- me. I recently was invited to work on a project that once launched would be a tremendous profit center. I immediately felt "profit guilt pangs": what gave me the right to create such a profitable business model? Why should I make that much money? Anyone out there hearing this and realizing they suffer from "profit guilt pangs"? Doesn't this make me greedy? I had a whole litany of thoughts like these tr...

I have always been one to follow my instincts -- your gut tells the truth even when your mind resists. Gut-reactions are the ones that speak the initial truth. It is only our minds that cloud the issue and drum up questions or my all-time favorite, "Why?" A client of mine was talking to me about the book Blink b y Malcolm Gladwell, and he said its theory is that we size up stuff pretty much in a "blink" of the eye. I agree. Our senses tell us everything we need to know quickly. It is only our minds that interfere in the obvious. Some people might even say it's psychic, and I'm willing to go along with that assessment too -- part gut, part observation, part psychic. You have two self-empowerment tools you probably didn't realize were at your disposal: your gut and your ability to trust your gut. Problem is (as this applies to women especially with men who are "players" or don't have pure intentions) many people will have that gut-reaction ...

In giving my marketing presentation (especially in front of older audiences), a theme has developed. A contingent of the audience has what I'll call the folded-arm social media "disgust" attitude. The demographic here usually consists of those whose hair (how shall we say) has grayed. They don't accept social media, and most of these folks don't even know what to post or more importantly "why" they should post at all. Social media has become a lynchpin to my marketing mix. For me not to post on social media I would be missing a tremendous and valuable percentage of the market segment. Now the gray-haired naysayers who typically look at me almost with an incredulous disdain when I say it's mission critical to have a social media presence don't seem to understand social media in general nor do they even want to deal with it. The next contingent of naysayers will look at me with their eyes glazed over and push back by saying, "Who has time?...

Yesterday a situation arose with a client. We were talking, and the client was duly upset about a disputed matter. We talked through the issue, and she wanted to talk with the other person involved. I told her to let it sit overnight and we would address it in the morning when cooler heads prevailed. As a manager, the "let-cooler-heads-prevail" philosophy is a good strategy to adopt. Automatic reactions to situation produce more automatic reactions, and misunderstandings can grow from what could have been a much more manageable issue into a major fallout. I do think there is a difference though between proactive management and "simmering" leadership. Being proactive is working out of Stephen Covey's idea about the 4th quadrant. Simmering on issues is a whole other thing in business we'll call "boiling pot" management. Boiling pots don't react or even behave proactively. Simmering pots boil and boil and boil until the issue spills over and bur...

I have recently encountered some legal discussions, and I realized some people may not understand some realities of today's digital world. For unaware businesspeople who may not know I thought I would share the following information. Texts --did you know that if a legal dispute comes up your text conversation can be used in court? Yes, the cell phone companies keep records and entire transcripts of text conversation can be pulled up and used in court. Agreements made in text are like a digital handshake and can be used to bolster your case. Email --emails are the equivalent of that same digital handshake. An email can be used to show an agreement was made. Also, employees should be aware that email sent from their employer's machinery is subject to be monitored. Yes, employers can read their employees' emails. It's company property, and employees who use for personal reason should be aware of the legalities. The best case is to always get a signed contract, but th...

These days the idea of achieving the corporate dream of getting the corner office with the view has been replaced with contentment in my home office working in my blue robe vs. blue suit. A recent bicker with an associate of mine made me think about this ... the idea of how we work these days. A suggestion of "professionalism" came up, and my so-called home office. I started thinking about how once not that long ago I had the executive suite and the HUGE office with the conference room table in the middle of it. All the employees on that floor reported to me. I had definitely achieved the executive dream. In the middle of my "deluded" concept of success, I worked long hours and came home late. I didn't get to spend enough time with my kids. I was exhausted. I always loved working from home, too, in my downsized and comfy office that was really an atrium-turned office with glass windows on all sides and a gorgeous view of our backyard. Well, in 2006 I took the ...

I'll never forger this: I was at a networking function and this woman was discussing her blog. She said she had 5,000 page views a month (heck I struggle to get 2,000). She was an average business person. Here is what surprised me: her blog was about knitting . Realizing that I my blog was well under her page views, I suddenly had blog-envy. How does a blog about knitting get 5,000 page views per month? I randomly ask myself that question all of the time. Actually the question I really ask is: how do I increase my blog readership? Hmm ... My blog is about publishing, business and marketing (and I occasionally sprinkle in humor) -- check. I write about broad interest and general topics, too -- check. I include pictures when I have them to post -- check. I think over my "labels" very carefully -- check. I "think" my writing is good LOL (insecure writer syndrome) -- check. So, what's the deal? How can I increase my blog readership? Why does knitting get...

Have you ever had a client who is such a major PITA you want to run for the hills every time you see his/her name pop up on your cell phone or in your in-box? PITA clients are the type who cannot be satisfied. No matter how much hand-holding, time and effort you put into them the tagline "satisfaction guaranteed" just never applies. You could jump 200 hoops and "how high" -- and this client would still complain about or criticize your efforts. Want the solution? Fire them! Yes, I said the magnificent two-word solution. Don't gasp. Don't cry out: "But I can't afford it." Here is the truth you're right. You can't afford it. You can't afford to have all of your time, effort and resources sucked into a vacuous hole of dissatisfaction. When your time and attention is mired in a PITA you are not open to other possibilities. You are spinning your wheels and most important spending all of your time on the insufferable demands of a PITA....