Me and other Indies will be LIVE at the Indie Cafe tongiht at 10:00pm EST! Won’t you join us for a time of uplift and encouragement!? Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/8oh2hs All are welcome!
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March 2009 Indie Beauty Tag Party
The Tag Party topic for March is to share a “how to” on any subject. Luci kicked things off over at Here We Are with Luci a few days ago, and now it’s my turn. As you know, I enjoy using Twitter for personal and professional reasons. It’s been nearly a year since I first started using Twitter, and it’s become an integral part of how I create and nurture relationships and expand my sphere of influence. In fact, Twitter is such a significant part of my life that I sometimes forget that Twitter is a mystery to some people. If you are one of those people, then this screencast is for you.
If this video is helpful to you, please let me know by leaving a comment below. If you’re a Twitter aficionado with friends who might benefit from this tutorial, feel free to copy the embed code from my YouTube page and share it at your website or blog.
Now, I’m tagging Tammy at Milk and Cookeez. Take it away Tammy!
Source: Donna Johnson
You know how how I love to steal away from my office to meet in person with business colleagues I have connected with online. You also know how I love to share them with you, especially when they have an area of expertise that can help you in your business. Today, I met with Michelle Tennant, co-owner of Wasabi Publicity. Michell shared what she considers to be the biggest mistake Indie Business owners make when it comes to reaching out to the media. Enjoy this video — it might surprise you!
Links mentioned in this video:
Pitch Rate: complimentary service allowing you to pitch your story in response to a specific media lead
United States Newspaper List (USNPL): where you can search for media outlets by state and major network.
Question: Does Michelle’s advice change the way you view the usefulness of press releases? What tips can you add to the ones she shared?
Source: Donna Johnson
Last year, my husband and I announced The Media Is You!, a one-day training program designed to empower Indie Business owners to use branded social media tools to create relationships and expand their sphere of influence. As the economy worsened, it occurred to us that an in-person training program might not be practical. On the other hand, we remain absolutely persuaded that the information we can share is crucial to the continued growth and development of every Indie Business owner. We were determined to create a way to deliver this critical information in a more efficient and cost effective manner.
So we asked ourselves a question — what if we delivered the training using the very same new technologies that we are going to be teaching people to use in the training program?
A light bulb went off, so we decided to regroup and develop a program that could be delivered virtually using live online webcasting, conference calling and an exclusive social networking site that facilitated one-on-one training relationships. We spent the past several months revamping the program, and a few days ago, I blogged about how people like Tiger Woods are changing the traditional media landscape by breaking their own news on their own terms. Instead of telling their stories to magazine and newspaper editors, people are telling their stories directly to their customers and other stakeholders. That’s what we do in our business and that’s what we want to teach every other Indie Business owner on the planet to do.
So please join us for our live video webcast — The Media Is You! To register, sign up at this link.
Source: Donna Johnson
Four Core Areas of Indie Business Strength
Last Saturday, Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., released his annual shareholder letter. In it, he recaps 2008, including detailed overviews of his company’s performance in key areas of operation: regulated utilities; insurance; manufacturing, service and retailing; finance and financial products; tax-exempt bond insurance; and investments. I enjoy reading Buffett’s annual reports because they always contain things I can put to work in my business.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
The 2008 report contains a summary of how Buffett leads his business by structuring it around specific broad-based goals. Since his example provides a simple, high level overview of what all Indie Business owners must do to successfully lead our businesses, I thought I’d share them with you and see what you think.
1. Maintain a “Gibraltar-like” financial position. This means that the business has a high levels of liquidity so that some cash is always on hand. It also means that borrowing is kept to a minimum, and that any debts are well-managed and short-term only.
2. Maintain ever widening “moats” that create”durable competitive advantages. This indicates a constant effort to create new and distinct value-added products and services that keep the business from looking like other businesses that provide similar products.
3. Acquiring and developing new and varied streams of earnings. Doing this means that all of the business eggs are not in one basket. When one income stream slows down, others can subsidize it until things even out again. When one income stream disappears completely, there’s a back-up. Whether or not you have a traditional job, using your Indie Business to tap into the vast well of your talents and gifts to create new income streams is a wise way of planning your life. Always have a hustle that allows you to maintain more than one way to provide for you and your family.
4. Nurturing employees. Whether or not you have formal employees like Berkshire Hathaway, you must maintain a team of friends, family members, advisers and independent contractors to encourage you and give you advice. Investing in your team members and caring genuinely about their well-being will help them succeed and cause your business to grow.
What do you have in common with Warren Buffett?
Source: Donna Johnson
Twenty years ago, to start a business, you had to be concerned about the old “bricks and mortar” overhead:
utilities, phone bills,pesky landlords, street signage, wages, cost of materials and supplies.
Today, to start a business, bricks or not, you must be concerned about the new overhead:
The new overhead is your time . And if you’re just now starting a business, I want you to know that, no matter what, you’ll never have enough of it.
Consider yourself forewarned.
Source: Donna Johnson
When I first started blogging, I couldn’t figure out why some readers emailed their blog comments to me instead of posting them at my
blog. I started to wonder how I would ever create community at my blog
if I was the only one there. This used to upset me greatly until I
remembered that my blog is not about me. Instead, it’s about my readers,
and my job is to engage them where they are and in whatever
ways they feel most comfortable.
Still, a blog is not a blog if the owner is the only
one there. So I started to figure out ways to encourage people to
communicate with me through my blog without causing them to feel forced or dragged into it. Here are some of the things I have done that have helped me do this. Perhaps they will help you too.
People appreciate individual attention. Over time, and with consistency, activities like these create
community, not only at your blog but also around your brand. As you engage people, people will engage you. And
what’s more, they’ll tell other people about you. And when that
happens, everybody wins.
Question: Have you tried any of these things to encourage increased comments at your blog?
Source: Donna Johnson
This week, I am reading Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?
by Seth Godin. I’m about halfway through and enjoying every page of it. One of the things the book is confirming is my decision many years ago to focus on a specific target market, engage the people in that market and then be of service to them. This is very different from trying to be everything to everybody. It’s also very different from simply making money. I suppose I could prioritize both of those things more, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun or as fulfilling. After all, Indie Beauties are my family.
Earlier this week, my decision to pursue my passion in the industry I love was once again confirmed when new Indie Beauty Network member Valerie Rice (pictured) of soon-to-launch Piper Tate joined IBN. She told me how excited she was to become one of hundreds of men and women who, like her, are creating unique, high end products and services, not for the masses, but for people who want to purchase and enjoy really special personal care products.
Here’s what Valerie said about how excited she is to join IBN:
I am thrilled to be an IBN member! Before joining, as a new entrepreneur, I often felt overwhelmed with all of the logistics of launching, marketing and running a small beauty business. Now I know that I’m part of a supportive and incredibly knowledgeable community that wants my business to prosper. With a diverse array of tools such as networking, promotional opportunities and discounted supplies, I feel confident taking my business into the competitive marketplace. dM has been a fabulous resource with an aptitude for creating community. What a renaissance woman, she’s done it all, and so well!
Valerie’s comments warmed my heart and confirmed my place in the universe. Leading the Indie Beauty Network is my passion, my life’s work. And while Valerie’s compliments about my work are appreciated, if they are deserved, it is only because I am in the unique position of reflecting the passion and creative spirits of the hundreds of Indie Beauty Network members it is my privilege to serve.
It’s not only my light that Valerie sees. It’s the collective light of all of Indie Beauty, and her, and also the people each of us attracts as we live out our life’s purpose to enhance people’s lives every day.
It’s moments like these when I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am right where I am supposed to be. Thank you for sharing this time with me.
Question: Do you ever have moments that confirm that you are doing precisely what you are supposed to be doing in your life and your business? I know you do! Please share it with us!!
Source: Donna Johnson
Focusing on the Journey and the Destination … Together
On yesterday’s Indie Business Radio Show, dozens of Indie Business owners joined me to talk with Andrew Sherman, author of Road Rules: Be the Truck, Not the Squirrel. Andrew talked with us about his book, which covers 12 of his “essential” rules for planning, navigating and enjoying the road of life and business. The audio stream and MP3 downloads will be available in a day or so, but in the meantime, I want to share some of the highlights with you.
First, a little about Andrew, an attorney at Jones Day. While I have never met him in person, I consider him a valued and trusted business colleague. I first heard of Andrew while doing research for my first radio show back in 2005. At the time, I had a small law practice and was looking for an attorney to talk with my listeners about the importance of trademarks. Andrew appeared as my guest on the show for the first time on March 20, 2006, just 5 months after the show launched. Andrew is serious about his life and his work, both of which encompass a “giving back” component that is hard to miss. Once again, yesterday, he didn’t disappoint. Here’s a taste of what you missed if you weren’tt able tot join us.
1. The Importance of Sharing
We talked about how today’s technological advances, especially social networks, have made it possible for us to be successful in new ways by allowing us to share the road of business in ways that were impossible just a few years ago. As Andrew talked, everyone in the chat room with me was proving his point by encouraging and lifting each other up. Some people, especially “Leanne” (not her real name) chatted about how good it feels to know that she’s not the only mom struggling with some of the same challenges associated with wearing all the hats in her business. Leanne’s comments, coupled with the replies of encouragement and uplift from others in the chat room made a difference for all of us.
2. Moms In Business, Be Encouraged!
Andrew shared from his own personal experiences about the challenges of managing his own successful business and career as an attorney and speaker. He has two high school aged children, and his accomplishments as a business and family man are numerous. When we touched upon the topic of managing our home and business lives, the chat room lit up with conversation among listeners about how difficult that can be, especially for mothers.
All of us were particularly encouraged when Andrew pointed out the benefits our children automatically enjoy when they observe us in the role of mom business owner. He encouraged us to recognize that our creation of profitable ventures that make substantial contributions to the family’s bottom line will reap benefits in our childrens’ lives for years to come. This is an especially importance message to me and to my husband since we work together in this business.
While I already knew that, the honest truth is that sometimes, I need to hear it from someone else. Andrew pointed out reason after reason for all of us to be proud of our accomplishments as women, mothers and Indie Business leaders, and that felt really good!
3. Vroom! Vroom!
When I first heard the title of Andrew’s book, the picture that immediately came into my head was of a huge 18-wheeler running over a poor defenseless squirrel. Andrew shared that one of the titles originally considered, though not terribly seriously, for the book was “Road Kill.” That title was dropped as an option for obvious reasons.
Andrew pointed out that being a truck in business is not about running other people off the road or smashing them into tiny grease spots on the road. Instead, it’s about focusing, much like a truck and its driver do, on a particular destination and then moving with confidence, courage and determination toward that destination.
Some of Andrew’s other rules cover topics like the benefits of having a clear windshield (#3), being willing to travel the “back roads” (#7) and the importance of a navigational system (#6).
You can learn more about Andrew and his new book, and purchase your own copy, at his website.
Question: What do you think of the topics we discussed? Does thinking of yourself as a truck help you create a clear picture of where you want to go in your Indie Business, and how you will get there?
Source: Donna Johnson
Embracing the Power of Your Own Voice
There was a time when there were two ways to share your news. You
could either buy an advertisement targeted to the masses or you could
hire an expensive publicist to “pitch” your news to the media and hope
for editorial coverage in a magazine or a talk show that your
target audience read or watched. While both of those methods can still
be effective in the proper context, there’s an even better way to share what you
have to offer, and it’s available to everyone: tell your own story.
Photo credit: Media Swirl
Consider Tiger Woods. He’s
been sidelined since June 2008 when he underwent reconstructive knee
surgery. Since then, the golfing world has been wondering if and when he would
return to the game. In the meantime, his wife gave birth to their second child.
Friday, USA Today and probably numerous other publications
reported the big news that Tiger would compete in the WGC Accenture
Match Play Championship this week in Tucson.
And where did the
newspaper get this big scoop? It was not through Tiger’s publicist. It was
not through the journalistic prowess of a sports
journalist. It didn’t come from a scavenger hunt through Tiger’s trash or from a friend with loose lips. Instead, the news came from Tiger when he posted it on his website. That’s right, Tiger scooped himself and then the mainstream media reported on it.
What
does this mean for Indie Business owners? It should be obvious. You are your own news
outlet. Using your website, blog and the social media networks of your choice, you can share news about you, your business and what you are doing anytime you want and on your own terms. You can positively influence the
people who care about you and what you are doing using tools that you own and control.
Yes, I know it’s a challenge and it takes time. But it’s not hard. You need to build a system. Not all at once, but
slowly, consistently and relentlessly. How do you do this? Well, it’s different for
everyone, but there are some basic principles that apply to all
Indie Businesses no matter what they make and sell. You can get some tips by
clicking on the Related Posts links below.
Live Workshops Anyone?
If you would like to
attend a live video workshop where I introduce you to the concept of
being your own media outlet from the comfort of your own home, leave a comment below and share your
questions and comments on the topic. I am considering leading a series
of live video workshops using UStream. You’ll be able to attend without leaving your home or office. There will be a live chat and you can also talk with me and other attendees live during the workshop. If that would interest you, let me know.
Related Posts
My Social Media System
Blogging: So Easy, Anyone Can Do It
To 10 Reasons Why Your Business Blog Is Dead
The Media Is You
How to Generate Sales
Source: Donna Johnson
