Marty’s Musings
I almost don’t believe I did it…
Wow! I did it. I almost don’t believe it. You see, I’m the champion when it comes to breaking commitments that I make to myself. If I make a commitment to a client, you can be that I’ll bend over backwards if that’s what it takes to meet their deadline. For myself?...
You better make it easy
I’ve been cleaning up my inbox, unsubscribing from some lists that aren’t really my cup of tea anymore, and simply changing the email address on some of them so that I can manage them better. My goal everyday is to have a clean inbox, but I get so much stuff it is...
Social Media Faux Pas
As I slowly make my way into the Twitterverse, I’m trying to be careful not to make the same big mistakes that I see so many business people making in social media. The biggest mistake: Selling too soon. When someone follows me on Twitter I like to send a direct...
A Year at a Glance
For the longest time I always said I was a lousy planner. I was pretty much the typical entrepreneur and I flew by the seat of my pants most of the time. Another favorite self-put down of mine was “I am successful in spite of myself.” (Well, there’s quite a bit of...
Whatever It Takes, Part 1
Just how committed are you, really, to making your business a success? There are, of course, all kinds of ways to measure success, and you will certainly have your own measure, but for most businesses, success is measured in profits. Now, I know many of you just hate...
Go Where They Go
Once you know exactly who your ideal client is, you'll want to go where they go. If they attend networking events, you want to go to those same events. If they belong to a club or group, then you want to join that group. Whatever industry they are in or whatever their...
My Office Supply Fetish
For as long as I can remember I’ve had a love affair with office supplies. You know how some people love shoes so much that they buy every color available in a single style? I’ve heard that called “shoe therapy” or “retail therapy.” I guess for me, office supplies has...
Groceries and Your Email Marketing
Well, you’d think I’d learn. It’s not like I haven’t been to the grocery store on Wednesday night before, but I did it again, and after finding empty shelf after shelf I remembered that Wednesday just doesn’t seem to be the best time to go to the grocery store. So I...
Free Puppies
In her great book, Confessions of Shameless Self-Promoters, author Debbie Allen shares a story about a pet shop that gives away free puppies. Yep, they give the puppies away for free knowing that the new owners will spend a good deal of money right on the spot to buy...
How to Prepare Your Business for the Summer Months
Summer is right around the corner and that can be a loaded word for the self-employed. For those of us who call ourselves “self bossers,” summer can be a scary few months. Everything seems to get a little out of whack in the summer. Children are home from school....