If you're looking for a way to impress your sweetie with a homecooked—and healthy—meal, Food Network star Vic Moea shows you how. More great recipe ideas. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Most Topular Stories
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How to cook a healthy, Italian-style Valentine's Day dinner
Holy Kaw!12 Feb 2012 | 9:56 pm -
My Top 10 List: Online Entrepreneur Craig Newmark
Entrepreneur Update12 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amThe Craigslist founder shares his latest projects, plus his picks for browsing, reading and TV watching, too. -
Put your email auto response to work
Drew's Marketing Minute11 Feb 2012 | 5:31 amWith the volume of emails we all get every day, we can’t afford to let our emails go unattended. We don’t want the people who email us to think we’re ignoring them, so if we’re going to be out of the office — most of us use some sort of an automated response system. You know what I’m talking about: “I will be out of the office until Tuesday, March 3rd. If you need assistance, please call my co-worker Biff at 555-123-4567.” And that does the trick. They don’t freak out if we don’t answer within an hour or two. But if… -
Heroes with a Heart
WhatGives!? Do Something Good...1 Feb 2012 | 2:38 amYou know someone who deserves this, and it’s not the person you’d normally think of. It’s not (necessarily) the community activist or the volunteer organizer everyone always points to as a pillar of society. The person you know who deserves this probably doesn’t get a lot of attention. He or she just gets things done. [...] -
How to Drive Buyers for Your Book, in Droves
Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends12 Feb 2012 | 5:54 pmCongratulations – you just wrote a book. But if you think all the work is done, think again. As an author of a business book, you still have work ahead of you. You have to market your book. After all, these days it’s up to the author to do most of the marketing. Publishers provide a limited amount of marketing. And as an entrepreneur, that usually means you have to be big on creativity — to make up for a small monetary budget. The topic of marketing your book was one we explored recently in an hour-long chat on Twitter. We tapped into the expertise of 4…
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Holy Kaw!
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How to cook a healthy, Italian-style Valentine's Day dinner
12 Feb 2012 | 9:56 pmIf you're looking for a way to impress your sweetie with a homecooked—and healthy—meal, Food Network star Vic Moea shows you how. More great recipe ideas. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Facebook of the 19th century
12 Feb 2012 | 9:53 pmBefore friending (and unfriending), status updates, and poking, kids kept track of their nearest and dearest friends on ceramic (the old timey version of a Dell). This 19th century vase features the equivalent of a modern day profile picture encircled by the signature's of the subject's closest pals. Full story at anonymous works. Make friends. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
A vision of the future of space from 1955 [video]
12 Feb 2012 | 9:39 pmDr. Leo Steg, manager of the General Electric Space Sciences Laboratory, offers a glimpse into the future of space technology in this vintage clip from 1955 that also includes an introduction by a dashing young Ronald Reagan. Via txchnologist. Modern space news. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Andy Warhol's polaroids of Debbie Harry
12 Feb 2012 | 9:12 pmFrom behind the Polaroid camera, Andy Warhol captured a series of simple, yet, stunning, photographs of Blondie front-woman Debbie Harry in 1980. No Photoshop or Instagram needed. Full collection at Retronaut. A slew of celebrity happenings. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The evolution of web hosting [infographic]
12 Feb 2012 | 9:04 pmVia Peer 1 Hosting. Infographics served fresh. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Entrepreneur Update
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My Top 10 List: Online Entrepreneur Craig Newmark
12 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amThe Craigslist founder shares his latest projects, plus his picks for browsing, reading and TV watching, too. -
There's No Business Like the Chocolate Business
11 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amA truck dealer, an engineer and a mapmaker left their professions to work with their one true love -- chocolate. -
What 'Project Runway' Can Teach You About Business
10 Feb 2012 | 9:09 amRule No. 1: Entrepreneurs who pursue their own passion can't lose sight of what makes a business successful. Two 'Project Runway All Stars' recently made this key-business flub. -
Moshi Monsters and the Mistake That Launched the Multimillion-Dollar Business
10 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amMind Candy's Michael Acton Smith offers his three biggest lessons before striking gold with one of the fastest-growing online children's games. -
Five Tips for Retooling Your Business
10 Feb 2012 | 5:05 amIs your business feeling like an old jalopy? Here are strategies for getting the money-making engine humming again.
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Drew's Marketing Minute
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Put your email auto response to work
11 Feb 2012 | 5:31 amWith the volume of emails we all get every day, we can’t afford to let our emails go unattended. We don’t want the people who email us to think we’re ignoring them, so if we’re going to be out of the office — most of us use some sort of an automated response system. You know what I’m talking about: “I will be out of the office until Tuesday, March 3rd. If you need assistance, please call my co-worker Biff at 555-123-4567.” And that does the trick. They don’t freak out if we don’t answer within an hour or two. But if… -
The 5 things that will derail your marketing in 2012
8 Feb 2012 | 6:37 amI don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but the truth is — most organizations’ marketing efforts stink. And they stink for reasons well within the marketing department’s control. If you’re worried that your own efforts might fall short — beware of these five danger zones that can derail you in a blink! Inconsistency: Does your monthly newsletter go out 5 times a year? Does your copy tone/style fluctuate between somber and casual? Are your weekly sales calls happening every week? Inconsistency not only waters down your results but it also… -
Crisis communications – don’t wait to create a plan
6 Feb 2012 | 6:10 amDoes your organization have a crisis communications plan that you could actually put into action at this very moment? All of the hubub surrounding the Susan G. Komen decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood and then their reversal of that decision following a 72+ hour firestorm of public outrage should have scared the bejesus out of you. If an organization as large, powerful and well respected as Komen can get into that much hot water — and is that ill-prepared to handle it then what in the world would happen to you if there was an accident on your job site, if your CFO embezzled… -
Don’t add frill until your core is rock solid
2 Feb 2012 | 6:15 amA couple times a month a cleaning company comes into our house and does a deep clean. Every time I walk into the house after they’ve cleaned… the toilet paper rolls and tissues sticking out of the boxes are folded in some sort of origami art. Sometimes, they leave a truffle on the kitchen counter. I get what they’re trying to do. And it’s a lovely little extra. Unfortunately, I also find things like: Every waste basket in the wrong spot (they’ve been cleaning the house for over a year) The back door unlocked or a window left open A few lights left on… -
What you don’t know about your sales funnel
30 Jan 2012 | 5:56 amWe all think and talk about our sales funnel a lot. We’re always saying things like: We need to keep it full. We need to stay active with the prospects that have been in it for awhile. On average, it takes a prospect X months to move through it. And so on…. But consider the statistic to the right. 60% of your sales efforts are what happens before you have actively put someone into the funnel. In other words — it’s not you who is doing the selling. Who is? Your existing customers The customer who left and is working with your competitors Your vendors Your website…
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WhatGives!? Do Something Good...
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Heroes with a Heart
1 Feb 2012 | 2:38 amYou know someone who deserves this, and it’s not the person you’d normally think of. It’s not (necessarily) the community activist or the volunteer organizer everyone always points to as a pillar of society. The person you know who deserves this probably doesn’t get a lot of attention. He or she just gets things done. [...] -
Expand Your Message, Not Your Budget
31 Jan 2012 | 2:43 amIn this instant information age, there is the constant lure of what’s new and hot, and the perception that you must always be grabbing and re-grabbing your audience’s attention – much like waving keys in front of a toddler. Certainly, a new approach to your company’s or organization’s goals can re-energize existing supporters and attract [...] -
I Support Hope
19 Jan 2012 | 6:36 pmI’ve been listening to Shaun King for several years now. I’m not the only one. It’s not just that Shaun is persuasive. He is very, very persuasive. He sets daunting goals, dedicates every resource he can scrounge, works his ass off, and meets that goal, smiling all the way. Then, for reasons no sane person [...] -
Viral Video Checklist
17 Jan 2012 | 7:45 amClient: We would like our video to go viral. Me: Um, okay. Here’s our checklist: Monkeys in hats. Famous athlete who just finished rehab/winning a national championship/doing something charitable (preferably “for the kids”). Current pop hit mashed up with client jingle, created by a 12-year-old in another (preferably less-fortunate) country. Spectator minor injury caused [...] -
Get Your Holiday Spirit Out Of Layaway…
16 Dec 2011 | 2:39 pmHey, all you Secret Santas, I have a great idea for you. Okay, I stole it. But a good idea is a good idea, so here it is. Go pay off someone’s Christmas layaway bill. Go to Kmart or WalMart or any of the marts that have layaway, walk up to the counter, and hand [...]
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Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends
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How to Drive Buyers for Your Book, in Droves
12 Feb 2012 | 5:54 pmCongratulations – you just wrote a book. But if you think all the work is done, think again. As an author of a business book, you still have work ahead of you. You have to market your book. After all, these days it’s up to the author to do most of the marketing. Publishers provide a limited amount of marketing. And as an entrepreneur, that usually means you have to be big on creativity — to make up for a small monetary budget. The topic of marketing your book was one we explored recently in an hour-long chat on Twitter. We tapped into the expertise of 4… -
Online Event Registration with Eventbrite
12 Feb 2012 | 11:30 amAt first glance, Eventbrite does not appear to be a small business tool. Most small business owners are not planning events, right? Let’s redefine what an event is and then we’ll see if this tool can help you grow your small business and marketing presence. Events are the secret sauce to good marketing and Eventbrite can help you manage and promote your business. This review is for the small business owner or team member who handles marketing tasks. I’m defining the term “event” broadly — if you are a small business owner who is meeting with customers or… -
Three Unusually Named Books To Check Out
12 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amWorking behind the scenes on the Small Business Book Awards, you get to discover a lot of books you might not have known about otherwise. Here are just three uniquely-named books that we found there. The Cheese Mall If the title of this book isn’t enough to make you read it, I don’t know what will. Written by Bernie Tracey (@theBeaconCoach), The Cheese Mall teaches lessons about marketing through the story of Millie and Matthew (they’re mice), who decide to start a business. Putting the customer first is the recurring theme and one we could all stand to have drilled… -
Take a Look: Small Biz Awards and Contests
11 Feb 2012 | 11:30 amThis list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses is brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com. Also, if you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let us know so we can share your news. * * * * * Fulton County PA Excellence in Small Business Award Enter by February 17, 2012 The Awards Committee of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism is accepting nominations of local businesses for the 2011 Excellence in Small Business Award. The award will be presented at the… -
No, You Can’t Pick My Brain Reminds Entrepreneurs of Their Value
11 Feb 2012 | 5:30 am“If you’re good at something, never do it for free” – The Joker, as played by Heath Ledger In the movie The Dark Knight, The Joker bargains with the Gotham mob dealers for half of their holdings if he kills Batman. He replies with the above quote when a Gotham mob boss asked if killing Batman was simple, as the Joker had implied, why hadn’t the Joker done so. Even in a fictional council of criminals, there’s an code that implies worthwhile endeavors, especially strategic ones, are seldom free. In the more honorable and less sociopathic world of small…
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Business Opportunities Weblog
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Today in Entrepreneurial History: February 10
10 Feb 2012 | 8:26 am1863 – The fire extinguisher is patented. 1870 – The YWCA is founded in New York City. 1933 – The New York City-based Postal Telegraph Company introduces the first singing telegram. 1996 – The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov for the first time. -
11 Year Old’s Eco-Friendly Fashion Accessories
10 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amStarting a business is hard enough if you’re an adult. If you’re a child, the complications only increase. However, many children succeed in business. Some mow lawns, walk dogs, or baby sit for a living. Maya Penn runs a fashion accessories business. Maya Penn, CEO and owner of her own online boutique “Maya’s Ideas,” started the company just three years ago at the tender age of eight years old. Since launching the shop through Etsy.com, the adorable 7th grader has been received orders for her whimsical scarves and headbands from around the country and the world. -
Artisan Creates Glamor From Grocery Bags
10 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amWhile many people argue whether plastic bags should continue being used, one woman is upcycling them into unique products. Based outside of Washington, DC in Stafford, Virginia, Tina Dean Designs is owned by Tina Dean Allen. No one will guess that these stylish accessories were once grocery bags. Plastic bags are prepared into plarn (plastic yarn) and hand crocheted into contemporary designs for every woman. A large TDD tote takes a minimum of 100 bags out of our landfills and waterways. “It’s a wonderful experience to share with the world that plastic can be ‘haute’. My products are… -
The Origin Of The Safety Pin
10 Feb 2012 | 5:30 amWalter Hunt was trying to find a way to repay a debt. While nervously wrapping a wire around his finger, the idea suddenly hit. It soon became the dress pin, later known as the safety pin. It was one of many Hunt inventions, including the sewing machine, knife sharpener, a streetcar alarm bell and a device that helped launch the Winchester repeating rifle and revolving pistol. Though a prolific inventor, Hunt (1796-1859) toiled in obscurity, selling many of his ideas before they turned into mainstream items. In his patent filing for the safety pin, Hunt described the invention of “a pin… -
Kodak Shuttering Camera Biz
10 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amThe inventor of the digital camera, Kodak, is now leaving the camera business, reports Reuters. Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy protection last month, said on Thursday that getting out of cameras would result in “significant” job losses. Most of the 400 people in that business are based in Rochester, New York, and work in research and development and marketing. Instead of designing its own cameras, Kodak will now try to license its brand to other camera makers, several of which have already expressed “significant interest,” said spokesman Christopher Veronda. Kodak,…
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How to Change the World
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Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 10:46 amOver the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are… -
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 8:24 amNow this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap” the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored -
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 1:52 pmThis is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who… -
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amHere is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan. -
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 8:01 amWelcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
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Small Biz Survival
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Share your light in the Brag Basket
10 Feb 2012 | 3:55 amThe Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. Step up and share some good news. Baskets in the light.Photo by cava_cavien. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one Feb 10-12, 2012. Have some good news this week? Put it in the Brag Basket. And cheer for each other, OK? I'll be away from a computer all weekend. Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. What can you do in the Brag… -
6 Things Self-employed Should Know From the IRS
9 Feb 2012 | 4:20 amBy Maesz IRS Tax Tip 2012-16, January 25, 2012 There are many benefits that come from being your own boss. If you work for yourself, as an independent contractor, or you carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor, you are generally considered to be self-employed. Here are six key points the IRS would like you to know about self-employment and self- employment taxes: Self-employment can include work in addition to your regular full-time business activities, such as part-time work you do at home or in addition to your regular job. If you are self-employed you generally have to pay… -
Bonus way to get more locals to follow you online
7 Feb 2012 | 3:42 amTourism groups and small businesses both struggle with a common question: once we get online, how do we get local people to follow, like or friend us? OK, now that you're in the room with yourlocals, how do you get them to follow, likeand friend you? Last week, I shared three ways to get locals to follow you online. I deleted two comments off that post (because they came in a flood of spam) that suggested the fourth, bonus method to get more locals to follow you: Hold local events. This gives you a chance to talk about your online efforts in an offline setting. You can create events of… -
Alternatives to small business loans
6 Feb 2012 | 4:29 amMany small businesses can't qualify for a small business loan from a traditional local bank. A bad credit record disqualifies many. Lending standards have tightened. Some small towns are limited by local banks that don't support small business; others don't have locally-owned banks any more. The good news is that alternatives are available. We'll be profiling alternatives to traditional small business loans in this new series on financing. First up: BoeFly. BoeFly helps small businesses get loans from banks all over. BoeFly doesn't make loans. It helps small businesses get loans from banks… -
Step up to the Brag Basket
3 Feb 2012 | 4:56 amThe Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. Step up and share some good news. Step basket photo by Joe Shlabotnik on Flickr. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one Feb 3-5, 2012. Have some good news this week? Put it in the Brag Basket. Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great news from this week congratulate a…
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Business Blogs
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What Business Owners Can Learn About Marketing From Girl Scout Cookie Selling Superstars
11 Feb 2012 | 1:00 amIt’s Girl Scout cookie time and you don’t have to go out of your way to find a group of girls in green uniforms with a table full of colorful cookie boxes and sweet smiling faces asking if you want to buy a box or two or three. From the outside, these girls may look like most other non-profit groups that set up outside the local Walmart to sell their wares and raise some funds. But when it comes to marketing and sales; these girls rock. Small business owners can learn a lot from those little girls in green. I recently had the opportunity to interview Tiffany Manley… -
How to Focus SEO Activities For Results
9 Feb 2012 | 5:41 amOverwhelmed with SEO Options? There are many choices available when it comes to search engine optimization, or SEO, and you probably have many questions: Should you do your own SEO or hire a firm? Is SEO worth it? Will you be able to get to the top of the search engines? With all of the services, tips, articles, expert insights, updates, and more, it’s enough to make your head spin. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed, but feel you need to take advantage of SEO to get more people to your site, here’s a simple question that will help you focus: What are you trying to accomplish? If you… -
5 Things You Need to Know About Marketing Your Business On Pinterest
8 Feb 2012 | 6:57 pmI’ve found a new addiction on the Internet; it’s Pinterest. And it appears that I’m not the only one that’s addicted to this amazing website. With close to 12 million active visitors in the US per month Pinterest just happens to be the newest “big thing” in the social media world. In case you haven’t heard of it, Pinterest is like a virtual version of the bulletin board that you keep in your office. Users have their own “boards” where they can post images of things that they find interesting, inspiring, or memorable online. Users can… -
The Rules of Networking
8 Feb 2012 | 6:15 amI know you may find this surprising since I am always chatting about connecting on the Internet, but I am a big believer in face-to-face networking. In fact, if you spend all your time being social on social media, it is my belief that you will get nowhere fast. The main idea behind using social media for business is to convert your connections into real time engagement as in pipeline, networking, collaboration. Lately, I have been putting my money where my mouth is and getting out and networking. It has been both fun and rewarding for me. I met a few key business people and engaged… -
Are You Missing Out on This Direct Marketing Opportunity?
4 Feb 2012 | 6:14 pmLast weekend I went to a local farmer’s market to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables. As I visited the different businesses exhibiting at the market, I couldn’t help but put on my marketing hat. After all that’s what I do! My biggest observation was that while all of the businesses were there to sell their products to as many people as possible, they were missing out on a huge opportunity for continued sales. Small businesses, especially ones like the ones at my local farmer’s market, have a special place in my heart. I immediately wanted to go give them…
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Helping Help
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Where Good Ideas Come From
12 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amThe best ideas come from people. Most take a long time to evolve. They come from the "collision of smaller hunches". The person originating the idea usually try and fails many times to develop it. Ideas grow and improve when people developing them learn, network, and connect with others. "Chance favors the connected mind" - Steven Johnson Steven Johnson wrote a great blog post and even better book on this topic if you want to read more. I also highly recommend this short video: -
Real Leaders Inspire Ongoing Action
16 Jan 2012 | 4:49 pmThe day after MLk day is more important than the holiday itself. It is the day that we truly see who the real leaders are. It is the day that the celebrating masses give way to the nonconforming minority of change-makers. MLK taught us to lead fearlessly, selflessly, and righteously. His accomplishments - and sacrifice - is worth celebrating and remembering, and I am proud that we take a day every year to do it. But celebrating is easy. The day after MLK day is where true leaders shine. And they continue to shine for the weeks and months in between celebrations. Right now, the world doesn't… -
Passionate Leaders are Better Leaders
9 Jan 2012 | 6:05 pmLeadership Passion Pyramid To be a truly inspiring and effective leader, you must have passion. But not any passion will suffice, the best leaders focus their passion on 4 main areas: Passion for the development and fulfillment of the people they lead Passion for the cause they are working towards Passion for making an impact Passion for their own personal growth The ordering is just as important as the area of passion. Why? Nothing happens if the people you lead don't make things happen. Be invested in the people you lead, as their happiness and… -
Look Back Before Moving Forward
24 Dec 2011 | 8:40 amAt the end of every year, I dedicate a day to looking back. I think about a lot of things, and I use Who, What, Where, When, Why, How as a framework... Who slowed me down Who helped me What I set out to do What I did When I was struggling When I was happiest Where I tripped Where I soared Why I failedWhy I succeeded How I lost motivationHow I inspired, motivated, and empowered others and myself I look within myself to find balance, and I look outside to find knowledge. I listen and learn from experts in all fields, knowing the diversity of… -
Inspire Others To Exceed Their Expectations
17 Dec 2011 | 4:12 pmForbes.com just published a brilliant article on leadership that was written by Russell Raath. In it, Russell share a scene from the movie Invictus where Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela: Morgan Freeman’s Mandela offers some final words of wisdom. “We need inspiration,” he says, “because in order to build our nation, we must all exceed our own expectations.” You can read the full article on Forbes and I highly recommend it. The takeaway is simple and powerful. As a leader, your job is to do more than just setting and achieving goals. Your imperative is to inspire and…
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Stay N Alive
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Xydo Pivots to a New, Targeted B2B Content Model for Your Business Newsletter
8 Feb 2012 | 5:24 pmIf you're reading this, there's a good chance you clicked on a link from my newsletter to get it. If you didn't, go over to the right column of my blog and subscribe now! (or just click here) One thing I haven't been able to divulge until now is that there's an innovative company that I've been using to provide these weekly emails that provide customized news from my social news streams, and -
Path's Privacy Problems Aren't Path's - They're Apple's
8 Feb 2012 | 1:05 amThe world is up in arms about how the mobile application Path, which I covered here as one of the next social networks to watch, has been sending users' phone directory data back to the service. As someone that knows the founders and trusts what they'll do with the data, I didn't give it a second thought, but the concern is valid. I'd like to suggest that the problem isn't Path's though. In -
The Solution to Offshore Manufacturing is Technology, Not Politics
24 Jan 2012 | 8:56 pmIn The Biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, it talked about a meeting Steve Jobs had with President Obama. Jobs was quoted saying, '“You’re headed for a one-term presidency,” Jobs told Obama at the outset. To prevent that, he said, the administration needed to be a lot more business-friendly. He described how easy it was to build a factory in China, and said that it was almost impossible -
Defining Social Product Strategy Within the Organization - a New Role I Think Companies Should Pursue
11 Jan 2012 | 12:35 pmOver the last several years, as we've seen Social Media grow and mature within organizations, I've been in a bit of a struggle as I've tried to define my role at each organization. As a software developer and entrepreneur interested in product design and growth, I've been forced into this world of marketing, a world where developers typically avoid. I've grown to enjoy it, and I think I've -
There's Plenty of Room to Grow for Enterprise Social
7 Jan 2012 | 4:34 pmOn Thursday Altimeter Group released a report, titled "A Strategy for Managing Social Media Proliferation", on the state of social media strategy in global corporations with over 1,000 employees. The report is quite telling, suggesting that most organizations in this category simply aren't properly aligning business values with social media strategy and lack the proper tools to manage their
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Reimagine Rural
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Don’t know and don’t care
7 Feb 2012 | 4:07 amWriter and photographer Lisa Hamilton traversed the California countryside last year, intending to explore the health of rural communities. She ran into two problems. She describes those barriers in a recent article titled “California’s Real Rural tells hidden stories,” First, people in our cities generally don’t know much about “the rest of California,” have barely ventured off Interstate 5. Second, they don’t really care. Surprise Valley? Lost Hills? Mecca? Why should it matter what happens in these distant, faceless places? Why, in fact, did I care… -
Maroney Commons: “Uncommon innovation” made common
28 Dec 2011 | 4:44 amIt’s old news now, but worth repeating. The Maroney Commons, a conference and training center in Howard, SD, recently received the 2011 Rural Smart Growth Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Smart Growth is a set of community design and transportation principles that govern the sustainable development of communities. In many ways, these principles are the vanguard against the urban sprawl that plagues our country. But the principles have impact in many other areas; hence the reason it makes sense to honor a rural project, where sprawl isn’t as much of an issue. The… -
My Return and “Rewriting the Rural Narrative”
21 Dec 2011 | 4:31 pmMy return to Reimagine Rural as a guest blogger is finally at hand. And fittingly, the subject of my post is a Lakeland Public Television interview with Minnesota Extension Researcher Ben Winchester. Titled “Rewriting the Rural Narrative,” the interview focuses on how many of the messages we hear about Rural America – and assume to be true – are often incomplete. For instance, Ben’s research shows that while young people do move away from their hometowns following high school, there is a movement of college educated adults age 30-45 year olds who are moving to small towns. In… -
A farewell of sorts
14 Oct 2011 | 11:52 amIt’s with a mix of sadness and excitement that I announce my departure as the main curator of content at the Reimagine Rural blog. Beginning on Monday, I will go to work for Horizon Health Care of Howard, SD as the Prairie Health Information Network Director, helping them and two other rural community health centers with the implementation of their electronic health records. Reimagine Rural: the beginnings When we started the Reimagine Rural blog back in October 2008, we were one of the few blogs focused on rural issues. Overall, I knew very little about social media and to be honest, I… -
The Great Wide Open – Revisited
13 Oct 2011 | 2:59 pmI have a love-hate relationship with urban reporters who write about the demise of rural South Dakota. I love that they care enough about the problems we deal with on a daily basis to write about them. But hate that these stories often perpetuate stereotypes and myths created by a lack of familiarity and understanding with the subject. For instance, Maureen Callahan recently wrote an article about the demise of Rural South Dakota in the New York Post. Callahan appears to be a talented writer who flew into Rapid City, drove out to small towns in Western South Dakota like Belvidere (pop:…
