Category: Entrepreneurs

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Entrepreneurs

Quiz: Which Social Networking Platform is Right for You? Part 1

Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google+ — oh my! If all the different social networking platforms are making your head spin, this quick quiz should help you get a handle on which social networking platform is right for you.

 

Now while the quiz itself (including the personality types in the answers) are all in jest, there IS a method to my madness. Mainly, know that social networking platforms DO start to take on their own personality as they mature and become more popular. And this is important because it leads to some interesting results:

 

• There is a definite bias around the social networking platforms each person prefers — and personality types do seem to play into those preferences.

 

* BUT what’s also interesting is how people will also adjust their personalities depending on which platform they’re on. Just like in real life, we show a different side of us depending on if we’re at work, at a family function, out with friends, etc. We also show a different side depending on which social networking platform we’re currently on.

 

* AND because each social networking platform attracts a different personality type, what each type is EXPECTING from each platform is different. And why does that matter? Because depending on what YOU want to see happen as a result of your social networking activities, different platforms may make more sense for you to focus on. (I.e. some platforms are better for blog traffic, some are better for networking, and some platforms need you to tweak how you use it if you want to see more blog traffic and/or networking.)

 

Make sense? Great – now on to the questions!

 

1. You’re a professional athlete/celebrity/politician who is feeling a bit bored in your life and you want to spice things up a bit with some sort of scandal.

 

2. You’re over 25 and you love the idea of multi-tasking — a.k.a. keeping an eye on your kid’s social networking activities while promoting your biz.

 

3. You’re uncomfortable letting it “all hang out” when you’re marketing your biz (and you privately feel like sharing too much personal stuff is just plain wrong). You prefer your social networking platform to be as professional as you are.

 

4. You love letting your creative side come out and play — and the more visual the better!

 

5. Ever since you were a child, you knew you were destined to be a movie star, or at least have your own television show. You love nothing better than to ham it up in front of the camera.

 

6. You love being on the cutting edge of the next “hot” social media platform, because once it catches on, you’ll reap that many more benefits as one of the first to use it.

 

So today, we’re going to talk about the best social networking platforms for 1-2 above, and next week we’ll discuss the matches for 3-6.

 

On to the answers!

 

If you’re a 1: Twitter.

 

You love being in the middle of it all! On your bucket list is to be in Times Square when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve and, if you haven’t already, you’re definitely going to be a part of flash mob one of these days.

 

You know, Twitter is sort of the online equivalent of a flash mob. Something happens and everyone jumps to provide their feedback/commentary/opinion – and that leads to topic trending (or Twitter exploding).

 

And maybe THAT is why it’s also the sole social networking platform people use to get themselves in trouble! There is a flash mob mentality to Twitter; something rises up out of nowhere, and disappears almost as fast. You never hear about controversial quotes from something posted on Facebook or Linked In. But random tweets (or, worse yet, pictures of tweeted unmentionables) are always making the news. And it’s not like it’s any less work to post a tweet versus a post in any other social networking platform.

 

Alas, you’d think by now people would have figured out that tweets (especially tweets you have no business tweeting) last forever.

 

Anyway, on to Twitter and your business. My personal experience with Twitter is while it does work, it’s not as good as some of the other social networking platforms out there. Maybe because people aren’t really looking to click on a link to leave Twitter; they’re there to be a part of the action! But even the clicks I do get from Twitter seem to be weaker (i.e. less likely to opt in or take action) than clicks from other social networking platforms.

 

However, there’s no question it does add to your promotional efforts, so I wonder if it’s a bit of a multiplier – if people see enough of your tweets and start to get comfortable with you, when they do finally click on a link (either in Twitter or a different social networking platform) they may be ready to take action.

 

The really nice thing about Twitter is it’s the easiest to add automation to in order to augment anything else you’re doing, so it really doesn’t take a lot of time to have it be a part of your promotions.

 

But if YOU have a different experience — like Twitter is THE place for you to get leads, I’d love to hear your story. Just comment on my blog LINK and let me know (especially if you think I’m just totally off base here).

 

If you’re a 2: Facebook.

 

You love a good party — not too big mind you (it at least needs to fit inside a house) but there’s nothing better than hanging out with 200 of your closest friends playing all the fun 80’s tunes you grew up with.

 

Yes indeed, Facebook has now become “your grandfather’s social networking platform.” That’s right, if Facebook is where you love to hang out, you are now officially old and square. (Oh wait, am I sounding even more dated now?? Does “so last year” work or is that just so “not cool” too?) Kids today between 16 and 25 prefer Twitter and think Facebook is for communicating with their mothers and any of their older friends who aren’t hip enough to be on Twitter. (I guess when your mom sends you a Facebook friend request, it dampens your enthusiasm.)

 

Of course what’s so ironic is Facebook started as a place for college kids to hook up! Ah, how times have changed.

 

Anyway, for the moment (and who knows how long THAT will last since the kids aren’t crazy about it) Facebook appears to be THE place to find clients and prospects via socializing and networking(unless of course your ideal clients are the 16-25 year olds – then you should definitely be tweeting up a storm).

 

Now, while there is no question you can get some decent blog traffic posting your blogs on Facebook, the real gold is the networking. (In fact, if you can fold your blog posting into your networking activities, that seems to work the best.) Facebook truly is the “party” social networking platform, so by augmenting anything you’re doing in Facebook with some personal connection and networking, you’ll definitely see better results.

 

And stay tuned for next week where I’ll talk about the best social networking platforms for you 3-6ers.

 

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Entrepreneurs

3 Tips to Bringing Feminine Energy into Masculine Business Models

female-energy

Your biggest strength is also your biggest weakness. And that’s not only true of people, but also of things created by people.

Like the traditional business model, which is very masculine. And while that’s most definitely a strength — it’s also a weakness. (Especially for women living too much in their masculine energy, but even for men who may run the risk of losing touch altogether with their feminine side.) With more women joining the ranks of entrepreneurship than ever before in the history of humankind, we now have an opportunity to infuse traditional business models with feminine energy.

Now while that may sound good in theory, in practice this becomes “How the heck do you do that?” So if you’d like a few tips on how to get started infusing your biz with some feminine energy so you can more effortlessly build your biz, then read on.

1. STOP and breathe. Masculine energy is about moving forward toward a goal, preferably as quickly as possible. While there’s no question that’s what you want to be doing when you’re growing a business, if you spend all your time in that energy, you’ll burn out. (Hence the biggest strength/biggest weakness.) This is where the feminine energy of stopping, breathing and taking time for YOU comes in.

Not only will you give yourself a much-needed break, but you’ll also allow yourself some time to catch your breath to see if the direction you’re going in is really the direction you WANT to be going in. Which leads me to the next tip.

2. Listen to your intuition. Many successful entrepreneurs, men and women both, know that trusting their gut is one of their most important strengths. And you can thank your feminine side for your intuition!

The problem is most of the time, we either don’t hear it or don’t trust it. Taking time to stop, breathe and listen allows our intuition to talk to us. And over time, as we listen and follow (or not follow) what our intuition tells us (and see how right it was) we can learn to trust it.

3. Learn to receive. Feminine energy is about receiving. And for many of us, receiving is not at all comfortable. (We’re much more comfortable in the giving energy.) But if we can’t receive, how can we receive money into our business, or clients or sales or opportunities?

That’s why we need to learn how to receive.

For me, this was also a struggle, and how I started the process of learning to receive was by accepting compliments. I was someone who would always brush a compliment aside — oh it wasn’t a big deal, oh anyone could have done that. (Part of my Midwestern Wisconsin roots as well, I suspect.) But instead I started saying simply “Thank you,” really meaning it, and just staying quiet. I stopped turning it around and/or brushing it aside, and allowed myself to just receive the compliment, instead.

It wasn’t easy — in fact, to this day it’s still not easy, but it’s easier. And it’s made a huge difference in my biz and my life.

In fact, all these tips have helped me slow down and welcome the feminine into my biz, which has in turn helped make me feel less stress and less overwhelm. My hope is they will do the same for you.

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Entrepreneurs

Top 10 Things an Entrepreneur Never Says: Are you a Wantrepreneur? #entrepreneurfail

entrepreneurfailtop10

New Webcomics series brought to you by #entrepreneurfail and GetEntrepreneurial.com. Enjoy!

The term “wantrepreneur” may have a derogatory connotation, indicating someone is wannabe entrepreneur.  I think every successful small business owner was once a “wantrepreneur, ” so it’s not really a bad thing to be a “wannabe” for a bit.

Now, when a “wantrepreneur” claims to be an entrepreneur – that’s when the trouble starts!  So here is a little pop quiz to see where you stand and you let us know if you have been truthful. Please tally how many of these refer to you:

10. I love missed opportunities.

9. My business is not my baby.

8. It’s all about me.

7. I can shut out the world on vacation!

6. What a cushy job!

5. I’m so bored!

4. Keep the change, IRS.

3. Luck has nothing to do with it.

2. There are plenty of hours in a day.

1. What’s a little equity between friends?

If you checked more than 8, congrats, you are a “Wantrepreneur”! This is fine – especially if you are at the beginning of your journey. Just don’t stay here too long and get stuck. 

You may love the concept of owning a sustainable business, but you aren’t quite there yet. You are not convinced about the idea and business model you are working on, so you are procrastinating.

You perhaps aren’t ready to leave your day job and you are unexcited by about any potential opportunities that come your way and enjoy the “relaxation” and flexibility that entrepreneurship provides. Or perhaps you are working on a business, but you may by trying to do it all yourself. Financially, you do not equate time with money yet. Don’t worry, with some months, effort and learnings you may actually be an entrepreneur!

If you checked 2 or fewer, congrats, you are a bona fide entrepreneur! 

You strive to get find every opportunity. You know that luck can help a business but opportunity and perseverance make it happen. Nothing is dull for you as you pursue your venture.

You know this is not a ride for the freeloader. As an entrepreneur, you are productive, and know that sometimes sacrifices are necessary to make your business a reality. You feel your business has to be an extension of you, just like a baby! It does take an army, a village, and a team effort for your to accomplish success in your business.

Keep pushing ahead! We know we’ll see you on the cover of a magazine one day!

What was your score? Do you agree with our assessment of being a wantrepreneur? Let us know in the comments below.

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Entrepreneurs

3 Powerful Habits to Set You Up For BIG Success in 2014

The good news about being a biz owner is you get to set your own schedule.

 

And the bad news? You get to set your own schedule. (And we haven’t even talked about how that looks when you work out of your home and all the distractions THAT brings.)

 

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, no one taught you what successful habits you should be incorporating into the day-to-day running of your biz. Instead, you brought whatever working habits you learned at either your last place of employment or maybe even from school. And while those habits may have served you at that time, you may be finding they’re now holding you back from growing your biz.

 

So I want to share 3 powerful habits you can start doing right now to grow a successful, profitable biz, without making yourself crazy.

 

Habit 1 — Start your day with a positive, grounding ritual. I don’t know any super-successful entrepreneur who jumps out of bed and immediately checks email. Everyone I know has some sort of ritual — it could be meditation or journaling or visualizing or some inspirational reading. But whatever it is, the point is to start your day powerfully and at peace.

 

Then you can check email.

 

Look, I get it if you’re squirming right now. I was a massive check-my-email-first-thing-in-the-morning too. But for a year now, I’ve instead started my day with meditation and maybe some journaling, and I have to tell you, it’s really helped me stay centered and grounded no matter what goes on around me. I tend to get more done, be less frazzled, and be a lot more focused. And you MUST do this before you check email and start your day — the moment you jump into your day thinking you’ll get “back” to meditating — it never happens.

 

Habit 2 — Take the time to plan your day (and maybe your week) in advance. Now there are lots and lots of resources and systems out there to help you structure your day, and it really doesn’t matter what system you use, just as long as you do SOMETHING. For myself, I take time usually on Friday (but sometimes on Sunday) to plan my week out and at least get the big rocks scheduled. And then each morning I revisit that schedule, and based on what I’ve gotten done (or not gotten done), I then plan out what I need to do that day.

 

I’m certainly no expert at this and I also most-definitely could have a better system, but the point is it does work for me. The days I don’t revisit my schedule and plan my day are typically my least-productive days, so it’s definitely worth it to take 5 minutes and put together my day’s to-do list.

 

Habit 3 — Take the time to check in with your biz and your goals at least once a quarter. It’s not enough to put together your marketing plan and figure out your goals in January and then never look at them again. You need to go back and revisit your goals and your plan (and also check back in that you’re still connected to your vision and mission). Are you on track? Have you gotten off track? Are you on a different path than you intended, but you’re finding you like that path better? Whatever it is, this is important step to make sure you stay clear, connected and focused on your biz (which makes it a lot easier to reach your goals).

 

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Entrepreneurs

4 Hot Ways To Market Yourself in 2014

year-2014

As you sit down to plan your 2014 marketing calendar, you may be wondering where you should be focusing your marketing efforts to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Well, let me share with you the (currently) 4 HOT “parties” you most definitely want to dress up in your sexiest little number and be seen at!

(Note — like a lot of “In” things, these parties could definitely change to “not-so-hot” overnight. However, even if that happens, you’ll still be able to reap the benefits now; plus, what you create to take advantage of these platforms could be tweaked and reused for the next new hot party.)

1. Facebook. Unless your business caters to teenagers (who now prefer Twitter) Facebook is the place to be. And Facebook ads are also quite hot right now, so it’s not only about having a presence on Facebook – it’s also about investing in Facebook ads. This could prove to be a very smart business decision.

If this intrigues you, the first thing you need to do is get a Facebook business page up and running. It’s a lot cheaper to send ads to your Facebook business page, and from your business page you send people to your opt in page or website.

But ads aren’t the only way to go. Make sure you’re also on Facebook and engaging with your ideal clients on a personal and professional level.

2. Amazon/Kindle. Kindle is really hot right now. Millions of people are on Kindle every day searching for information, but that’s not even the best part. These are actual BUYERS — they’re not searching for free things. They’re looking to purchase a Kindle book to solve what’s keeping them up at night.

Another fact is people who buy and read books are also more likely to buy higher-priced products and programs. While it’s true if you publish a book, it’s a great deal of work to sell it (especially when you consider the very small profit margins) if you have a strong back end of higher-priced products, programs and services, taking the time to write and promote your book can be a huge win-win for you.

3. iTunes. Long time ago, podcasts were hot. Then they weren’t anymore. But even when the “podcasts are dead” belief was at its highest, I kept running into folks who loved their podcasts and listened to them religiously, so I thought maybe it depended on the market. But now we’re full circle and podcasts are hot again.

Podcasts are hot because iTunes is hot. Supposedly, there are a billion accounts on iTunes that have a credit card attached to them. And the reason iTunes has a whole bunch of accounts is because they give people what they want — the ability to buy one song at a time, the ability to download podcasts so you can listen to them when you’re driving, when you’re exercising, etc.

Even though only a small portion of the population are true auditory learners (15 percent) people love the convenience of audio. You can listen and do other things, and that’s what people love about it.

You can also use iTunes to promote videos and digital content (and who knows, Amazon may follow suit and offer podcasts as well one of these days). Plus, both iTunes and Amazon have programs to help promote your books and podcasts.

4. Video. Video hasn’t lost its sex appeal yet! I think a big part is people feel like they know you faster when they see you on video (and your ideal prospects need to feel like they know, like and trust you before they become your buyers). Listening to you on audio also speeds up the getting to know you vibe (again, another reason to consider podcasts — especially since you don’t have to worry about hair and makeup!)

Video is also versatile — you can use video on Facebook, in blogs, to help people find you on the search engines, on your site, as part of your sales funnel, etc. And if you do a Google Hangout, that turns into a video.

Now, before you decide you need to do ALL of these in 2014 (especially if you don’t have a team to support you) — take a deep breath. The point of this article isn’t to make you spin around in circles or feel guilty you can’t be at all 4 hot parties at once, but instead, it’s to give you choices.

I want you to decide which one — and I do mean ONE — feels the best to you. Which one appeals to you more? Do you love the social networking aspect of Facebook? Getting on a mic and gabbing for an hour? Writing short Kindle books? Getting all gussied up and connecting on camera?

Whichever one it is, start with that one. THEN you can move to mastering the others. The only exception is videos (and maybe Facebook ads), where you may want to use videos to support any of the other 3 platforms (but this isn’t about you mastering video, it’s about you using a few videos to support what you’re doing first.)