First Word

Well, it’s true! I survived my 50 th birthday. Here is a tidbit of trivia for you. Did you know that 3L Publishing turned 10-years old at the same time I turned 50? Yes, I’ve now been in business 10 years. I’ve learned a lot about entrepreneurship in those years. I’ve enjoyed some great successes, some abysmal failures, and some important lessons. So in honor of what I’ve learned and to impart this “amazing” wisdom LOL, here is the “Top 10 Things I Learned in 10 Years”. 1.      Whether in business or your personal life, always trust your gut . It never fails you. Now if you ignore your gut then you have to take responsibility for it, too. I’ve ignored my gut a couple of times and regretted it later. 2.      Try and keep your cash flow in real-time . Once you get in the arrears on your cash flow it’s very, very difficult to bring it back current. So as money comes in try and keep your bills and payments current. 3. ...

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...

The Daily Cup: Issue 4 ​   Q: What is your "boiler plate"? A: A boiler plate is a brief description of your company, product or service. It is typically about 30 to 50 words in length. A boiler plate can also be the About section of a brochure, paper, website, one-sheet or any marketing collateral. ​The boiler plate is written to let the audience know what is your company ... your product ... your service ... your program. It should cover "who, what, where, when, and why." In fact, when you write your boiler plate, use that protocol and answer each of those questions one at a time. Build on top of it with each answer. Smooth out your wording. Cut unnecessary words or adjectives, but also keep some excitement, too. If you find you've gone past 50 words, cut some more. Figure out what isn't necessary to say. Your boiler plate can also be used as your "elevator pitch" when you're out networking, too. Every time you send someo...

I had a conversation with a client this morning. As we were exploring the book publishing process, she mentioned her desire to build credibility within her industry. I asserted, "If nothing else a book will definitely build credibility." Another friend of mine I said, "Imagine giving a prospective employer your resume and your book... who do you think they're going to be more impressed with? The guy with JUST the resume or you?" Books definitely build desired credibility. People are generally impressed that you had not only the knowledge and expertise, but also the discipline and skill to sit down and write a book. We all have a story to tell, but can you tell that story in a captivating and interesting way? And one thing that our company can do is help just about anyone get the book out of their heads and onto paper. While we can never promise how a marketplace will respond to a book, we do promise these benefits (as they are assured): Credibility as an e...

I admit it when I am watching obstacles build. I recently have been watching the barriers build like a brick wall -- one after the other. Life loves to build brick walls, but then it's my job to take them down, brick-by-brick. Sometimes when the bricks are too many and the feeling overcomes you, "How am I going to take this one down?" You have to look for a jackhammer. Today though I sat down up against my current brick wall and just sat and breathed heavy. I can't find the jackhammer or the wrecking ball, but oh! Here's a tiny pic. And in Andy Dufresne style from Shawshank Redemption , I think I'm going to get me a poster, a pic and time. I'm going to pic out a hole to the other side. And that's the life and business lesson you learn. When it's just a brick, it gets kicked aside. When it's a brick wall and you have no jackhammer, you find yourself a pic, a poster and time. So let's start today! Each moment of the day is an opportunity ...

I had a meeting last night with a long-time business associate about publishing his book. We were talking about the subject of his book, which is life lessons. We started talking about being business owners and entrepreneurs. The subject of holding your value came up. The take away from this conversation inspired me, and it made me think about how important just the idea of "value" is not just to how it comes across to prospective clients or current customers, but also in your body language. How you feel about what you're saying. How it's perceived by others. A sale happens in the customer's mind. It happens in how they perceive you. It happens in how you truly inwardly feel about what you're selling. What my friend taught me was to know inside first my personal worth and value, and then to project and hold that value outwardly. Not to concern myself about the other person's situation. Know my value and project it. Don't feel bad or guilty about it. ...

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 ...

I don't like micromanagement. I had a conversation with an old friend of mine I ran into at Bistro 33. We came from some familiar stomping grounds together. I've known her for years. Anyway the discussion turned to micromanagement. Some people don't truly understand the difference between true leadership and being a micro-manager. Micromanagement is actually time consuming and in many ways very unproductive. Here is my credo: hire the right people, put them in the right jobs, and trust them.  If you can't trust your people to do the job (after proper training, of course) then you shouldn't have hired those people. Micro-managers are not effective. People typically want to work (if you hired the right ones), and they often enjoy the responsibility. If you feel the "need" to sit down and look over your employee's shoulder (an employee doing a good job) then my question to you is, "What is wrong with you?" Answer the inner questions, ...

The work smarter not harder formula is a tough one to figure out. I think it's a balance between a few key areas: team work, responsibility, delegation of the right tasks, and (this is a bonus) passive revenue. The last item (passive revenue) is the entrepreneur's ultimate dream goal: make your product sell itself and bring in constant revenue based on previous work. I am a fan of passive revenue. One of the key things it provides is unexpected income (my kind of bonus). Breaking down the other areas it works like this: Team work -- you need a competent team of professionals who know their jobs. They don't need direct supervision that can suck up your management time. The more time you spend managing people resources the less time you have to work as a CEO. The CEO should never be bogged in minutia (what I call small details). The minute you spend too much time on the grains of sands, the less time you have on the beach :) (and that's a semi metaphor), but the beac...

I consider myself seven parts writer and three parts editor. The only problem is that five parts of my job is two parts less then I want it to be (and I don't think that makes sense so I must be no-parts math :). I had this great "text" conversation with an associate the other day. I was discussing my company 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ), and I remarked how grateful I am to have this opportunity in life. My quip, "It's better than the alternative. I could be digging ditches." But reality is I have to make money -- and this is a business. Making money is often driven by market demand. If the market demands I publish other people's books and edit all day then I edit all day. I would rather be writing all day. Back to my earlier comment though: I am grateful I get to do what I do regardless. I also own the company and the freedom inherent in business ownership while not providing nearly enough time to myself does afford the little things. My fav...

This is a rough draft of the Introduction from my forthcoming nonfiction book Nothing Sells Your Business Better than a Book.   Introduction When I open my presentations, I ask two questions: “How many of you throw away books in the trashcan?” I follow this 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 thr...

The business environment regardless of the economy is constantly changing. As a business leader you have to be prepared to reinvent and change. If you're not growing you're shrinking and that's just a flat fact. No business stays stagnant or level or unchanging. The rule is (let me repeat) if you're not growing you're shrinking. So the idea is to keep your eye on business growth and be prepared to look at it over the long term. Has business been growing for a month or shrinking for a month? If you review your long-term growth pattern and it's overall shrinking then it's time to ask why? As you ask "why" and devise answers then your next step is to "solve" not worry. As a consummate worrier I have to push myself into the solution-oriented mindset. In the solution mode, get creative and think outside of the box. Try different ideas on for size. In my brainstorming session, I realized I had some opportunities on the horizon with a series o...

Employee turnover is said to cost a business $100,000 in loss from the transition, which is one of the reasons I've always gone out of my way to treat my team with respect and loyalty. When you find an excellent team member you do not want to lose that person. Always be respectful and lead with loyalty and kindness and understanding so your team will WANT to work for you. As noted, loss on average per employee is $100,000, which for a small business is costly. Let me give you an excellent example: when I worked in corporate I worked very loyally for my employer for 14 years. Pay raises though were always a bone of contention. Existing inequities between the executives in the company for reasons I won't share existed. As a loyal and hard worker, every time it came time for a raise it was a hard-fought battle with lots of justifications to go round. At the end of the day, I often went 2-3 years without even a cost of living adjustment. Finally in the last year I asked for a ver...

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I have a lot of freedom. With great freedom though requires discipline. Some people need accountability to get their work done. People like myself do not need anyone ruling their schedules. My own drive and ambition rules my schedule. So how do you keep yourself on tasked and focused when there is no force behind you? Keep a routine. Routines help you define your activities for the day. For example, I get up and blog every morning. Then I do public relations activities, promotion and marketing. I like to edit and project manage in the afternoons. If I have a meeting this, of course breaks up the schedule and gives me some variety. Discipline . A routine actually helps maintain discipline since you know your schedule. You'll find many distractions and temptations, but maintain your discipline. Don't let the distractions, well distract. For me I go directly and get a cup of coffee and then go right to my desk and start my routines. Per...

I recently found myself in a situation where an individual went off on me about her "perceived" role of what I should or should not be doing at an event. It was very interesting. First, I am the CEO of 3L Publishing (www.3LPublishing.com), and this was a professional event. What this person got her knickers twisted over was interesting and inappropriate, but none the less she went off anyway. One of her major complaints involved why I was not processing payments and lifting books in boxes. I got to thinking about this complaint and realized there was a greater misunderstand and even a cultural issue about expectations about women. I will start with this basic question to address the complaint: Have you ever seen a CEO at an event lifting boxes and processing orders? The CEO is the company figure head. I was there to meet and greet and represent the product. I hire people to lift boxes (because frankly I have a disability and cannot do it anyway), but the expectation that th...

Build Your Business Book in a Day --  Workshop Price: $99.95 Date: October, 5, 2013 Time: 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Location: 200 South Lexington Dr., Main Office/Club House Sign Up: Click here , (if you're not on Meetup.com, just join (it's easy) and then hit "Yes" and it takes you to PayPal. You can also have us process your credit card, cash or check by sending an email to info@3LPublishing.com or calling 916-300-8012. Michelle Gamble-Risley, CEO of 3L Publishing ( www.3LPublishing.com ) and author of two business books and publisher of a half-dozen others, is teaching a  workshop  titled  "Build Your Business Book."  This three-hour  workshop  will help business people and entrepreneurs interested in gaining valuable opportunities by writing a book to support their businesses. Nothing sells your business better than a book. Here are the benefits of having a book to support your business: Gain credibility as a subject m...

I believe its author Stephen Covey who covers the habits of successful people. I didn't read the book, but I've heard it referenced among other authors and individuals enough that I know some of its facets. As an entrepreneur, I've learned what works and generally what doesn't work. I've discovered that some of my natural traits and instincts served me well in business. So, I thought I would guide others by sharing what are the things that I do that help me to succeed. Discipline -- and it's a job not a get-of-out-work free card . When you run your own show, you will find temptations abound. You don't have a boss. You don't have a supervisor. Your only person driving the team is YOU. If you're not disciplined and don't have enough fortitude to avoid temptations such as a bike ride at 2pm vs. work then it's very likely you'll run right into problems. I learned from the first day I went independent that you go to your desk and you do the ...

As a business owner (I'm CEO of 3L Publishing, www.3LPublishing.com ), we all want to succeed. No one does anything unless, of course they're a little nutty to fail. We all want to succeed and flourish. In my road to entrepreneurship, I've learned a lot. I've had many ups and downs. I've made a lot of money. I've made less money. And I need to make more money. If you're thinking of starting a business or you're wondering how you could improve business, here are three critical things I've learned about succeeding in business. Tip #1: Surround yourself with people who are more talented than you are . What? Yes, if you want to look even better, make sure your team are truly talented. Those who are smarter, more talented, and skilled will shine a better light on you, and they will help you succeed. It's foolish to surround yourself with people with less talent out of insecurity or any other emotional neurosis surrounding your ego. Having an incredi...

Ever thought of writing or having someone ghost write a book to support your business? Did you know a book is better than a brochure? Here are reasons why a book is better for business to create opportunities than any other tool you can develop: A book makes you an expert Experts earn credibility Experts get asked to speak in front of groups Experts even get PAID to speak in front of groups Experts get asked to speak to the media Media exposure gives you and your business exposure Experts can do back-of-the-room sales with their book AND make MORE money Audience members who see you speak will ask to meet and do potential business People who see you in the media will contact you for business A book is part of your marketing platform People throw away brochures; they do NOT throw away a book. In fact, they will pass on your book versus throw it away Do you want to know about my company 3L Publishing's Business Book in a Box package deal? For a flat fee based on th...

Do you ever feel like all you ever do is wait for things to happen? Wait for your life to change. Wait for your personal or professional life to fall into place. This last year, I feel like all I keep doing is waiting and waiting for change. I keep waiting for my business 3L Publishing to go to the next level of success.  I keep waiting for my lover to be with me. I keep waiting and waiting. The frustration mounting each day as only trickles of success happen. It's time to stop waiting and start doing ! Change is about taking action and making changes not waiting, wondering and hoping. In my book Second Bloom , I emphasize the need to take action. Action is the cornerstone to success. Establish your vision! What is your vision? Do you know? Stop and really visualize it. Meditate on that vision. You have to first know what you're heading toward (both personally and professionally). Vision #1 : To exceed my gross income and make first $10K a month followed by incremental in...