I recently found myself thrown into a group situation where several people were quite excited about a new project. Discussion soared, emails flew back and forth, and the brainstorming was supercharged with electricity. They’ll do this! And that! And oooh, THAT! It was a Bright, Shiny Idea. As I watched conversation unfold at lightning speed, I must’ve looked like a stunned idiot. My jaw dropped several times, my eyes went wide and every now and then I’d utter a soft, “Wow. This is incredible.” It was more than incredible. It was crazy. And not in
> Read MoreArchives for January 2011
Blog Archives
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Why You Should Be Kind to Your Customers
Written by El Edwards
You gotta love a girl who names her site Heaven and El. Talk about web design potential!) Frankly, the name suits El to a T. She’s kind, generous and sweet – a real angel. Hell would probably melt if she went to visit. So when El sent in a guest post about kindness, I couldn’t refuse. She shows you how being a kind person can go a long way to creating loyal customers for your business – and reminds you that it’s always a good idea to bring a spare set of clothes. Enjoy. Picture
> Read MoreHow to Avoid Harsh-Sounding Emails
Written by
When I came online several years ago, I suffered a bit of culture shock. My normal tone of voice, the one I used in everyday speech that was always well received, was instantly inappropriate online. I wasn’t a jerk. I wasn’t rude. I wasn’t cursing people out. But often, the mood of written conversation with peers, colleagues and clients would change from friendly discussion to prickly defence. And I couldn’t figure out why. I’d look back over what I’d written and wonder what I’d said. I’d examine the discussion to see where I’d gone wrong.
> Read MoreHow to be Annoyed with Your Clients
Written by Tim Bennett
Everyone knows we should all keep a calm head in business, but that’s often easier said than done. Many situations can lead to annoyance – often innocent ones caused by cultural differences, miscommunications, misunderstandings and imagined tones. So when Tim came along and offered a post on how to be annoyed with your clients, I wasn’t sure what to do – until I read it. Enjoy, and feel free to drop your favorite annoyance tips in the comment section! If you’ve never been annoyed with your clients, then either you don’t have any yet or
> Read MoreThe Secret to More Freedom, Time and Money – Want It?
Written by
When you own your own business, it’s great. It’s freedom. You get to do what you want, when you want to do it. You pick your hours, your clients, and your projects. Awesome. There’s nothing more liberating than that. Actually, it’s not that liberating. Making it in business isn’t easy. It’s not that hard, either, but it does take three simple elements that form the hat trick of success. First you need time to develop your projects, work for your clients, create new ideas and grow your business. Unfortunately, you don’t have an infinite supply
> Read MoreWhy Your Excuses Won’t Fly – or Get You What You Want
Written by
I used to love to fly. Planes? Bring ’em. Awesome. But 12 years ago I’d flown home from a corporate trip and it had been… well, scary, to say the least. The colleague I’d flown with had actually thanked me for requiring her assistance while I freaked out during the flight – she’d said she’d been so busy taking care of me, she didn’t have a chance to get scared herself. I never flew again after that trip. I made empty plans to visit family and friends or go on adventures… but then I’d remember
> Read MoreWhat the Ironman Triathlon Can Teach You About Blogging
Written by Marcus Sheridan
You gotta love Aslan. I mean, come on – there’s nothing more impressive than the kingly Narnian to capture attention. Which is exactly how Marcus Sheridan caught mine. He caught it twice when he sent me this guest post. At first, I was too busy for the video… but then I watched. Then I read the post. And now I’m sharing it with you. Although there are certainly many metaphors that could describe the life of a blogger, I personally would relate it to the most famous test of human endurance and achievement in the
> Read MoreHow to Create Change: Don’t Help People
Written by
Ever realize some people don’t want your help? It’s true. Some people don’t want to solve their problems, no matter how easy, fast, cheap or effective the solution might be. You might have the perfect advice for them but… No. They won’t take it. In fact, those people are kind of comfy in their misery. Really. You know the type, those people who sigh that if they just had more money, more time, more support, or more skills, more this, more that… THEN they’d be able to achieve their goal. They say that if they
> Read MoreThree Ways Writers Evolve Over Time
Written by Phil Simon
You know, I sat here for a long time trying to think of something to say about Phil. I mean, he’s got a goofy looking avatar, he’s shorn closer than a sheep and he sends me good posts. What more can I say? Then it hit me – for all that I don’t know much about Phil, I know this: he observes and pays attention to his writing. Not just how he’s writing now, but how he used to write, and how he’ll be writing in the future. That’s a pretty neat thing to do.
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