When I was starting out in marketing, almost 24 years ago, I remember my boss giving me some advice, which seemed odd at the time. I asked her what she liked best about being wealthy. I figured she would know, having built a multi-million pound business from scratch. Her reply was simply this: “Jim, the…
Monthly Archives: June 2010
Why quitters seldom succeed!
One of the things that never ceases to amaze me, is the number of small business owners and entrepreneurs, who are always looking for the next new thing; without ever finishing whatever they had previously started. I spoke with the owner of a start-up business earlier this year, who had very limited resources. He was…
Are you doing it often enough?
Recently, I have had a lot of people asking me how I come up with fresh ideas for new posts. So, here’s what works for me and hopefully, will be just as useful for you! The short answer is that the more you write, the easier it gets. For example, I used to publish blog…
Business blogging at the weekends: Is it worth it?
Have you ever wondered about the value of posting content to a business focused blog, like this one, during the weekend? If you have, you might find my experience interesting. Blogging on a Saturday Reader numbers here drop like a stone on Saturdays. I get around 50% of my weekday average, sometimes even fewer. Yes,…
Why yesterday was so special, and why every day should be the same!
Yesterday, I received some fantastic news! You know, the kind of news where you immediately burst into tears of joy – that kind of fantastic news. One of my closest friends, got the results from a scan and found out that he is going to be fine. This came after 3 weeks of tests for…
What do your links say about you?
What do the links on your website or blog tell prospective clients and customers about the kind of person you are? One of the reasons that Google has become the dominant player in the search engine market, is that so much of what it does, reflects the way humans think. If Google’s algorithm spots that…
Bad company?
I had a great conversation yesterday, with the owner of a New York based SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) business. We were talking about the way that Google penalises websites, if that site links to what Google calls a “bad neighborhood.” Here’s a brief clip from the Google Webmaster Guidelines; “…avoid links to web spammers or…
Looking for answers?
If you have some BIG challenges facing you right now, this post is written JUST for you! In my experience, most business owners greatly underestimate their ability to make things happen; to turn things around and create a big, positive impact. They see some of the challenges facing their business or their life in general,…
Time wasters and your business!
It seems that some things in business just never change. Like those people we affectionately call time wasters. I was prompted to write this, after being emailed today by a reader, who had wasted a lot of time dealing with a time waster. This guy claimed to be interested in using her as a freelance…
Are you marketing with a hammer, an axe or a chainsaw?
How would you describe the way you market your business? When I used to speak with marketing students, I would explain the three basic small business marketing approaches like this. Marketing approach 1: Chopping down a tree with a hammer Yes, you can chop a tree down with a hammer but it will take days…
Can I pay you a premium fee for a premium service – PLEASE?
Yesterday, after one too many unanswered tech support emails, I invested in a new web hosting provider. The new provider is around 400% more expensive than the previous one, but their customer service is extremely good. I had already researched them months ago and was really impressed. My old provider offered an very reliable service;…
