Entrepreneur 101

Stop doing things that don't help you. Keep doing things that do help you. Start doing things that would help you if you did them.

- You Are the Ultimate Disruptive Technology   - Are You Your Business, and Is Your Business You?   - Event Marketing - Why Didn't Anybody Show Up?   - The Perils of Inaction  

Guerrilla Networking. Feeling Good Anyway. Effective Communication. Contact Databases Are Not Optional.

- Information vs Art. - The web is not print.  - Beware of those who masquerade as web developers.  - Beware of those who don't speak your language. 

Marketing is Finding. You must be VMM. Monologues vs Dialogues. Yelling vs Educating. Clean out your funnel.

More juicy excerpts from my book "Business Appetizers". - Nobody can motivate you. - Make a list of things to stop doing. - Your primary business resources. - What is your purpose, anyway? - You can't "sell" information. - Building your list.  

How do you produce a quality, professional video?  There's a little more to it than whipping out your iPhone and putting it front of someone's face and pushing the button.

If you're going to be a professional, then you have to look professional in every possible way, including the way you write.  You need to have a solid command of the English language.  This episode discusses proper punctuation.  I know; your adrenaline is pumping already, isn't it?

Why are there so many websites with NO video on them? If you don't use video on your website, your blog, and social media, you're missing one of the greatest marketing opportunities that exists.

If you're going to be a professional, then you have to look professional in every way.  That includes your command of the English language and your ability to use the language properly in written communication.  It's time to get good at writing, and time to stop making the dumb mistakes that others make.  It's time to LOOK professional.

Your card leaves an impression with a person you give it to. When you're no longer in the physical presence of that person, your card is the only connection they have to you, and the impression your card leaves is what will cause them to keep you or throw you in the wastebasket. Your cards are way more important than you imagine.

There's probably nothing more crazy-making than running a business.  Are there any ways to make is easier?

If you are, or want to be, a professional, you must look like, dress like, act like, write like, and speak like a professional.  You must be remarkable in every way.  You cannot afford to be mediocre.  You cannot afford to be anything less than first-class.

What is a brand, and what is not a brand. A look at "branding media", the first of the two elements of a brand.  The second element, "perception factors", will be covered in a future episode.

Be careful about using the word "ridiculous" to describe coming technologies.  The gadgets we take for granted today were once considered science fiction. Television would have been called sorcery, and it was impossible for humans to fly through the air.

Bad practices for email, Facebook images, spelling, grammar, punctuation, business cards, websites-in-a-box, and other things that can bite you.

If your business is feeling a little down, it might be because you're feeling a little down. Mark Williams, psychologist, discusses why entrepreneurs are more prone to depression that most other people.

No, you cannot build a "stunning, professional" website in 5 minutes!  And other snippets of wisdom from my book.

You can't afford to have a bad, or even mediocre, website. If you do, your audience will notice and will judge you harshly.

If you don't want to someday have to look in the mirror and say to yourself, "You don't know what you could have done, cause you didn't even try." then go for it.  If you want to.