Favorite Links This Week

This week, let's start out with a great one! Check out Robert Rosenthal's Freaking Marketing blog post from earlier this week. Let us warn you, however, that the video sports some pretty explicit language, so if you're not into having to hear the F-bomb a lot, don't listen. It is a very funny piece from comic, Bill Hicks, who is on a major rant about why marketers should kill themselves. In the video, Bill outlines how we see opportunity in pretty much everything, then try to build a marketing strategy around it (my words, not his). This one will get you laughing for sure!

On a semi-kinder-gentler note (well, at least he doesn't mention killing anyone), Ron Shevlin's Marketing Whims blog post this week talks to how we tend to over-use whatever seems to be the word du jour. Ron specifically notes these three words that he sees marketers, and business-people overall, using way too much (in his humble opinion): death, disruption, and innovation. As usual, Ron provides his opinions with honesty, candor and a dry wit. His points are well taken, and the thing is, words do lose their true value when people over-use them. Remember when the concept of CRM was first introduced? Then, how it came to be used in every sentence? Pretty soon it came to mean everything -- not a specific discipline, solution, etc. Well, the reality is that CRM is different things to different people . . . but by making it a buzz-word, the idea of it becomes very blurred and diminished greatly in it's interpretation (i.e., everything is dubbed CRM and the word loses its value). So, as usual, Ron's right!

On a more positive note, Lead From Your Heart's blog-author, Lewis Green, tells us how to deal with the summer doldrums that occur in marketing every single year. In Lewis' post, "Friday Mornings in the Dead Zone," he talks about his strategy to combat the summer doldrums and how he plans on getting more than one email to come in at a time and his phone ringing robustly again. As entrepreneurs, I think we can probably all relate to this post, and it'll be interesting to follow the comments to see what ideas others have on bringing in more business in slower times.

We hope you enjoy these links . . . and Happy Weekends to all!

Tips for Entrepreneurs

I remember when our direct marketing consulting business was solely a dream. A dream that was fueled by conversations between Nancy and I during long flights traveling across this country to and from our clients. We'd complain about our jobs in corporate America, bitch about all the traveling and dream about working for a company that really performed for our clients. One that delivered on its promises, every time. One that had a positive energy and embraced new ideas and new technology.

Hence RRW was born. We took the leap, took absolutely no clients, quit our jobs and lived on savings for a few months. That was four years ago. Exciting and scary times, for sure.

So, every time I find advice to wanna-be entrepreneurs, it resonates with me. This NY Times article hit home: Advice on Taking an Entrepreneurial Leap.

The article focuses on three areas:

1. How to take the leap into the small business world
2. How to market your product and, for retail ventures
3. How to find the best location.

The first area might be the most important. The article (and I couldn't agree more) talks about how important it is to really think through and research your business idea. Do some soul-searching to understand what type of business will be most fulfilling for you. Understand your strengths and weaknesses.

Take the time to write a complete business plan (exhausting, yet so worth it). Research what your competitors are doing. Decide how you're going to legally form your business (corporation, LLC, Partnership) and how you're going to finance it (the article recommends NOT relying on credit cards).

If you've done your research right, it's at this point that the dream becomes a reality. You see it on paper. You have a budget. You start to understand that being self-employed is something that you CAN make happen.

The article goes on to discuss how to market a new business. It gives good advice on building online exposure and using PR techniques to get the word out about what you're up to. The author suggests creating a blog to build credibility (again, we couldn't agree more!).

The article concludes with tips on how to choose the right location (for retailers).

All in all, good stuff! And, just reading it brings me back to those heady early days when RRW was but a dream. I sure never want to go back to Corporate America, and would love to hear more tips from entrepreneurs as to what made your business a success.