Here’s a radical self promotion opportunity: star in a reality TV show
“We are looking for individuals who are smart, charismatic, and have strong personalities. We want go-getters who love a challenge, are good organizers, can take charge and have deep confidence in themselves to get the job done.”
Sounds a lot like the skills required by anyone who has successfully started a business, doesn’t it? And it’s the skills that Scott McConnell, a new Biznik member who is the casting director for a new reality-based TV show, is looking for. When he posted his call for applicants this afternoon in BizTalk, I didn’t initially see the fit with Biznik. But on second thought, I bet we’ve got a lot of members who could hardly find a better way to promote their indie business than this, and have a lot of fun at the same time. So, if this sounds like you, here’s a link to more information and how to apply:
casting call reality tv self promotionA Major Television Network is now casting a new primetime reality show currently called “The Island Project.” We are on a nationwide search for dynamic men and women to star in this new adventure series. If this describes you, you should apply immediately.
You can apply to:
castingnewadventure@yahoo.com
More info at www.islandprojectcasting.comPlease respond with your best contact information, attach a recent photo or two, and tell us a few lines about your adventures, goals and convictions.
Other applicant preferences:
Aged 21-35
No children
American citizen or resident
SingleThanks and best regards,
Scott McConnell
Casting Director
Rocket Science Laboratories
(323) 802-0404
scottmc@rocketsciencelabs.com
0 Comments Eureka!
Last night’s Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Made By Small Businesses and What to Do About Them class was a raucous and satisfying affair with a room full of Bizniks scarfing down a ton of marketing info in two tightly packed hours.
But my favorite part of the night was this:
Dominic and I were up there trying to hammer forth a point about niching your business, and how if you enter the right niche you don’t have to work with people you don’t like, when suddenly the whole room went quiet. Honestly, I thought something was wrong. I thought my fly was down, or that the pain pills I was on for my aching back had rendered me dumb.
But it turned out the class was jut having an epiphany.
When you’re working for yourself and desperately trying to get the rent paid, it’s hard to remember that you really are in charge of what you do with your time. If you don’t like a client or a job or an industry, there’s no reason you can’t simply refuse to do the work, politely tell the client no and go off to go to the beach.
There’s a ton of work out there for us talented Bizniks, and when you pick a proper niche and focus on what you want, you’ll find that finding good clients–clients you actually want to work for–isn’t all that hard after all. Plus, when you like who you’re working for, you do better work.
It’s a fact. Just ask a scientist.
Frank Forencich: Play as if your life depends on it
Biznik member Frank Forencich is a Stanford-trained biologist and author of several books about exercise. I met Frank at a Biznik happy hour event a few weeks ago, and learned that he’s planning a book release party on Sept. 16 in Seattle for his most recent book, “Exuberant Animal.” I asked Frank a few questions recently to learn more about his “primal, practical and playful” approach to staying fit.
Q: Tell me a bit yourself and your background.
I’ve spent over 25 years studying the body and teaching movement classes. I’ve trained intensively in karate, aikido, functional fitness and massage. But what really brought this all together was my experience studying human evolution in college. I realized that the human body has a very real and important history that we can take into account as we struggle to live in the modern world. Every detail of our anatomy and physiology has been sculpted by 6 million years of evolution, most of it as hunters and gatherers in the mosaic grasslands of East Africa.
Q: Your profile photo shows you in what looks like a tribal setting someplace far away from Seattle. What are you doing there?
That photo is from a trip I made to the Kalahari desert in Botswana, southern Africa. I went there to see the last of the authentic ancestral lifestyle and to draw some conclusions about what it means for modern people. I’ve also visited a tribe of bushmen in Tanzania, East Africa. Seeing primal peoples in their natural setting is a powerful experience. The contrast between ancestral living and modernity becomes particularly stark.
Q: What is GoAnimal?
GoAnimal is a health and training philosophy I’ve developed over the last 10 years. The method is primal, practical and playful. By emphasizing human evolution, functional fitness and pleasure, I give my students and readers a path to sustainable success. GoAnimal movement classes are play-based, with lots of fitness games, team-building, core conditioning, locomotion and general exuberance. The experience is both fun and functional. I described the GoAnimal method in my first book, Play as if Your Life Depends on It.
Q: What is it about play that is so interesting to you?
Play is often trivialized in our workaholic culture, but it’s actually essential to our lives as mammals and primates. Depending on how we calculate it, play may be as much as 100 million years old. We learn through play and we stay healthy through play. Unfortunately, our obsessive work habits have come to dominate even the world of physical movement - in today’s world we work all day and then do work-outs in the evenings. In the process, we’ve exchanged our passion, joy and exuberance for a sense of labor and obligation. It’s no surprise that so many people hate to move their bodies; we’ve engineered the pleasure out of the process. Play offers a great alternative.
Q: What’s happening at your book release party on Sept. 16th?
The new book is called “Exuberant Animal.” I’ve been working on it for almost 4 years and now it’s ready for release into the wild. The party will showcase the book, of course, but there will be plenty of time for recreation, drumming and dancing. I’ll also do a short demonstration of some GoAnimal games. Naturally, the spirit will be exuberant. Bring a drum, shakers or other percussion instruments. Drum circle facilitators will be on hand to keep us in rhythm.
Details: Saturday, September 16
7:00 pm to 1 am.
Alki room, Seattle Center
http://www.exuberantanimal.com/party.htm
The event is free, but you’re encouraged to buy a book.
Wine and beer are extra.
Frank’s other websites:
www.exuberantanimal.com
www.goanimal.com
slowfitness.com
1 Comment2 More for the Top Ten
Hey folks,
We’ve had two last-minute spots open up for “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Made By Small Businesses and How to Avoid Them” tomorrow night, 7PM at Richard Hugo House on Cap Hill. This event has gone over like gangbusters the last two times we’ve done it, so if you’re looking for a way to pump up the power of your business, come and check us out.
Sign up Here.
What the hell just happened?
This ain’t your daddy’s marketing strategy. Heck. It isn’t even your older sister’s marketing strategy.
Unless you’re incredibly perceptive or a wonk obsessed with understanding the fundamental nature of marketing, you may not be aware of the profound changes going on in the world of marketing.
The change began with the advent of the internet but it really solidified after the DotCom Crash. With the Crash came a new incarnation of the internet. Rather than reflecting what marketers wanted it to be, it came to reflect what people wanted it to be.
The implications for marketing are profound. Today we’re seeing an exponential increase in the consumers’ ability to acquire and share relevant information on anything and everything a person could want. AND we’re seeing a similar increase in a company’s ability to be promoted through those channels.
So, what’s that mean? It means the balance of power has shifted from the company to the consumer. And the balance continues to tip.
So, what’s THAT mean? That means that the market’s selective pressures have changed. Whereas it was Survival of the Loudest. Now it is Survival of the Relevant. Marketing strategies designed to grab attention are failing to get results. But marketing strategies designed to offer a reason to be given attention are becoming phenominally successful. (For more on this, read Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing.)
Cripes! Get to the point! OK. THAT means that if you are better, you WILL be rewarded. And conversely, if you’re worse there is nowhere to hide.
Today, the only relevant marketing question is, “How can I be better, if not the best.” And I’m not talking about just making your core offering better. You have to make the entire experience better. Make it more convenient, more meaningful, more interesting, more fun, easier to talk about, more streamlined, simpler, more endearing, whatever.
And now I’d like to belabor a point. The only way to know how to make it better is to know who you are making it better for. And this, kindly colleagues, is why you must have a target market. (Demographic targeting - BAD. Lifestyle targeting - GOOD)
In case I was too vague with the subtext, I’d like to point out that this is AWESOME. With consumers increasingly in control of promotion, smaller businesses have an unprecidented ability to establish themselves and quickly grow. In the new marketing landscape you can’t just relentlessly tell people you’re better. Instead, be better and you will find the growth you seek.
For more astounding insights on marketing and strategy, visit the D/C Strategic Blog.
Or, to become a modern marketing wiz yourself, sign up for the Marketing University Intensive.
A Radical New Pricing System
I don’t want to sound like the main character in the Kung Fu movie, but it’s true: Sometimes the best way to find something is to stop looking for it.
I am not religious but I do study lots of religions. One of my favorite religions is the Buddhist religion. One of its basic doctrines is that you should never accept something that isn’t freely given.
About a year ago, I decided to apply this in a radical way to my pricing system. With the exception of telephone consulting, I now charge a flat up front fee of $2500 for all jobs. Then, I tell the client to pay me more when and if they think I have earned it. I do tell them what the industry norms are. I do have special circumstances when a larger up front fee is required, but generally, this is the approach I take. There are no invoices or standard accounts receivable. There’s just one check and a bond of trust between me and my client.
And yes, clients are quite often flabbergasted. And yes, once in a while, someone does try to take advantage of me. And yes my accountant thinks I am crazy. But the vast majority of my clients like this system and pay me well. And I’m not crazy because for me, the system is working.
My clients have an incentive to pay me. In addition to it being the right thing to do, they pay me because they see results from my work. If a client doesn’t pay me fairly, I end the relationship. But that almost never happens.
As for the upside? The clients that want more of my attention pay me more, and everyone gets along because there’s a mutual respect. Every dollar I receive is truly freely given.
Think of the cell phone company that locks you into a two-year agreement, regardless of service quality. Most of my friends don’t much like their cell phone provider. They just tolerate the cell provider. Since I know life is short, I don’t want to spend my time in those kinds of relationships. I’d rather know that my clients like me and are happy with me. I also don’t want people feeling like they have to do business with me because of a contract. I want my clients to want to do business with me because it makes sense.
I’d rather know that the people who I do business with call me because I perform. They call me again because I deliver. If I stop delivering, they’ll stop calling. We each have an incentive to help the other.
Now here’s the kicker. . . since I began using this pricing structure, my profits have doubled. In fact, I am running at almost 200% capacity right now. I can’t say that my pricing policies are the only reason for the increase. After all, the podcasting arena is growing exponentially. But I do believe that the change in my pricing structure has played a part in my success. So that takes us back to the beginning of this post. I suggested that in order to find something, you need to stop looking for it.
Since I pursue fun work with people I respect, working on projects that I think matter, seeking self satisfaction as opposed to financial gain, money has found me, not the other way around.
Biznik now has an FAQ with “how-to” tutorial-style answers to your questions
I’ve created an FAQ page that contains how-to instructions to frequently asked questions that we receive. Currently it’s got three items, and we’ll be adding many more in the days ahead. Do you have a question about Biznik that you’d like to see added to the FAQ? Ask me your question here in the blog comments, so I can add it to the FAQ.
Here’s the link to the FAQ: http://biznik.com/faq
answers Biznik faq help tutorialMoney Money Money
In yesterday’s podcast Stephen McCandless and I expounded long and hard about money, our attitudes toward it the fundamental truth that “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you any kind of misery you want.”
But I’d like to expand the conversation here. How do you feel about money? Has it been a positive force in your life or something that’s a constant source of worry? If you suddenly had all the money you could ever want, would that be a good thing? Or would you end up like some 90 percent of lottery winners for whom getting all that cash is an absolute and utter life-killer?
Tales from the desk of an indie professional
In the third Biznik Podcast Chris Haddad talks with Biznik Stephen McCandless about his experiences transitioning from the role of employee and becoming one of the indie professionals out there. Stephen shares stories of exchanging Microsoft’s corporate culture for a stint as an EMT, only to wind up as a free agent; and the two discuss the pitfalls of self employment, how to overcome the theory that money buys misery, and what it takes to start a business of your own.
If you haven’t heard Chris and Dominic Canterbury’s spoof on the Apple vs. PC ads you’ll find that little gem nestled inside the 30 minute segment. Click here to listen.
business networking indie business indie professional microsoft10 Deadly Words that Should Send Any Self-Respecting Indie-Pro Dashing for the hills and Never Looking Back
“Well, I just don’t have time to do it myself”
Over the last three years I’ve been freelancing I’ve learned some hard lessons about how to work with clients, just what the heck “Professional” means and how to make a decent live as an Indie Pro without sacrificing my ethics, my passions or my almost pathological need to take languid naps on Tuesday afternoons.
But the biggest lesson I learned is this one:
If you ever sit down with a client to kick off a project–and I don’t care if you’re a house cleaner or a high-priced consultant–and during the course of your conversation they say “Well, I just don’t have time to do it myself” pack up your bag, tip your hat, wish them luck and dash like the road runner out of their as quick as you can.
Why?
Because those ten little words say volumes.
They say “I see the work you do as a simple commodity that I could certainly do if I ‘Just had the time,’ not as a hard-earned and valuable skill that should be left to a qualified pro;”
They say “I’m going to nitpick, second guess and micromanage every single thing you do;”
They say “I’m going to wince, howl and raise my eyebrows at your prices, no matter how reasonable they might be;”
And, most importantly, they say “I’m not a client you’re going to enjoy working with, and isn’t enjoying what you do the whole point of running your own business?”
Now, of course I learned this one the hard way–and regretted every moment I spent working on that project.
So be smart, my friends. Be smarter than me. And know when to run.
Chris Haddad
http://www.haddadink.com/blog
Good Marketing Strategy/Bad Marketing Strategy
I would have to write a big-ass book to explain how to design a good marketing strategy. But it would take only a short blog post to tell you how to know when you’ve got a bad one.
There is one absolutely positive, 100%, every-single-time indicator that your marketing strategy (barring some phenomenal piece of luck) is DOA. And that one absolutely conclusive indicator is…. wait for it….. wait… the Mystery Step.
A good marketing strategy creates an appealing path between you and your potential clients. A bad marketing strategy leaves gaps and obstacles in that path that the potential client will, somehow, for some reason, willingly traverse.
A perfect example of the Mystery Step is the ubiquitous Myth of Seven Impressions — the belief that if you “just get your name out there” about seven times then clients will start knocking on your door.
Let’s take a closer look. For that strategy to make sense there would have to be something almost coercive about being exposed to a person, product or ad. A dubious claim indeed! I’d say that awareness alone generates no behavioral change (the only exception being in a case where you have no competition) (for more on this see “Awareness doesn’t count for much)
The Seven Impressions strategy will fail because it’s not based the true nature of behavioral change (and behavioral change is, after all, what you’re looking for). The fact is, people change because they WANT to. So, what makes people want to change? I’ll tell ya. It’s Relevance, Credibility and Value.
A Mystery Step, then, can be defined as a step that does not clearly establish enough Relevance, Credibility and Value to motivate a person to take the next necessary step.
And there you have it. If your marketing isn’t working I can pretty much guarantee there is a Mystery Step there somewhere.
If you just love marketing strategy, take a look at the D/C Strategic Blog.
Lucas Ames: Do one thing and do it well
Are entrepreneurs born or raised? The answer, in this case, lies somewhere in … Washington DC. Which is where member Lucas Ames is part of an organization that teaches entrepreneurship to young people from low-income communities. Lucas also runs an online bookselling business and blogs on the subject regularly (and currently holds the #6 position in Biznik’s Top Member Sites). I interviewed him recently to find out what can prevent low-income individuals from successfully launching a business idea, and what he’s doing to change that.
Q: Tell me a bit about NFTE and what you do there.
Through entrepreneurship education, NFTE, which is also referred to as Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, helps young people from low-income communities build skills and unlock their entrepreneurial creativity. Since 1987, NFTE has reached over 120,000 young people, trained more than 3,700 Certified Entrepreneurship Teachers, and continually improved its innovative entrepreneurship curriculum.
I work in the Greater Washington Program office. My primary responsibility is to recruit new teachers into the program and work with the first year teachers. I recently began working more with our alumni, offering business mentoring, entrepreneurship workshops, scholarshop opportunities, and more.
Q: Are you an entrepreneur yourself?
I have been working in the online bookselling business for over ten years. Currently, we are editing the Bookselling Online Blog, running a wholesale distribution of academic books for resale, and continuing to sell new/used books on large websites, like Amazon. I really want to continue to support the independent online bookselling community and we are excited to launch a new venture at the end of this month to expand on our current offerings.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge in preventing low-income individuals from successfully launching a business idea?
It is all about awareness. Many students, quite frankly, are not aware that they are “allowed” to start a business. At one point a NFTE staff member polled a class as to what type of government they lived in - 80% said a communist government. Most believe(d) that they could not play an active role in the market economy and could only be acted upon by the socioeconomic system in place.
Giving students the awareness and ability to create a business is like flipping a switch, offering many students from low income communities their first taste of direct agency in their own lives. Once this switch is flipped, we have found that students from low-income communities are actually well-prepared to succeed as entrepreneurs. Many of their life experiences fit well into the experience of starting and building your own business.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give to someone just starting a business?
One piece of advise, that I wish I could take myself: Do one thing and do it well. Entrepreneurs never stop seeing opportunity, but this type serial entrepreneurship can be debilitating if you are doing many things just ok, but nothing excellent.
Q: How’d you hear about Biznik, and do you think this group can be useful to someone starting a business in Washington, DC?
I learned about Biznik from Lifehacker back in early March. Networking is extremely important to all entrepreneurs, but especially in Washington, DC. I think Biznik provides an immensely efficient way for entrepreneurs to build their network.
business networking education entrepreneurship low income Washington D.C.Dear Indie
C from Seattle asks:
“Dear Indie,
I’m a young, hip and pretty successful Indie professional in the great city of Seattle. Heck, I’m good at what I do and have a lot of confidence in my ability to help my clients. But sometimes I run into a problem where clients don’t think I’m “nice” enough and that I come across as arrogant or mean when I offer them consulting advice.But really, Indie, if I come across as brusque, it’s only because I care and I truly want to see my clients succeed. And ethically, I can’t bring myself to pat someone on the head and tell them they did a good job when what they’re doing is actually going to hurt their business.
What do I do, Indie? Do I need to learn to “play nice” or should be myself in all my thorny glory and seek out clients who appreciate my particular straightforward approach?”
Oh, dear C. I can picture you now toeing that line between honesty and etiquette and not knowing which side to come down on. Personally, I always say you should be yourself. Unless being yourself means being really boorish and annoying and scaring away all your customers to the point that you have to live in a little box outside Safeway. Then you should try to be someone else.
Gosh, I’m snookered here. Let’s open this up to the Bizniks at large.
Bizniks, should C swallow his tongue (and his pride) or continue on in his own acerbic way?
Comment away!
And if you have a question for Indie, get in touch, won’t you? I won’t bite. I promise.
Word of Mouth Marketing
Quick. What’s the most powerful marketing force known to mankind?
That’s right – Word of Mouth.
Fortunately for all of us alive and marketing today, word-of-mouth is now easier to generate and more powerful than anytime in human history. And, best of all… it’s frick’n cheap!
So, how can you wield the raw power of the WOM? (It’s an inelegant acronym, I know, but it works)
Let’s start with the fundamentals.
1. People talk about what they love and what they hate. They do not talk about the bland middle ground (the space occupied by 99% of businesses.)
Corollary: If people love your business, they ARE talking, but talk alone in no way guarantees clients. This is what’s known (by me) as the Referral Paradox.
2. People share WOM with those they believe are likely to become your client. And not only that, if they really love it they will share the WOM over and over and over until the target caves, tries it and falls in love with it too.
3. They’ll talk about you on their own terms, not yours. If people are going to spread the word about you, they’re going to do it when and how they want to. So, figure out how they would want to talk about you and make it easy for them to do it and help them do it well. For some people you’d want to create an email they can forward. For others you’d want to create an event to which they can invite their friends. The options are endless, but the details are critical.
4. They’ll find you on their own terms, NOT yours. Ignore this principle at your peril! These days it takes just minutes to find credible information on pretty much anything you want. This puts the consumer in control and the empowered consumer doesn’t want to hear from you until they’ve given you permission to speak.
For that kind of permission, look for the contexts in which your target market would be SEARCHING for what you got. For example, if you’re marketing to Luddites, go ahead and advertise in the newspaper. For non-Luddite markets, look a little deeper. Do they rely on blogs? Their massage therapist? Their company newsletter? A trade magazine? The office manager?
5. If it’s not obscenely easy, it’s not going to happen. Attention (of the individual and the group) flows like water. The slightest obstacle can send it flowing somewhere else. BUT if you build yourself a steep, smooth trough, all you have to do is tap into it and it’s gonna head right to you.
That, my friends, is WOM in a nutshell.
Is there any reason you can’t get your WOM on? Absolutely not! I’ll tell you this though. If you insist on trying to appeal to everyone and your target market is “anyone who can afford it,” the WOM is going to end up anemic if not stillborn.
Here’s an assignment. For the moment, forget all of your presumptions and beliefs about what a business should be. Be open to the idea of changing the rules of the game and doing it all differently. Now ask yourself, “Why not be great?” With that in mind, think about who your ideal clients would be? What do they want? And what would make them fall in love with your business?
Do that simple exercise and you’re well on your way to becoming a WOM-machine.
Alright then! Thanks for reading all the way to the end.
As always, if you have any marketing questions, send me an email. Consider me your marketing advice columnist, or marketing therapist. Ask anything you like. Go ahead, try and stump me.
Should you ask for a testimonial? How should you ask?
Testimonials can be left by Bizniks for Bizniks on their profile page. What are these testimonials worth? Their value is very subjective. I, for one am selective about when I leave a testimonial and place a high value on them. To me, leaving a testimonial is an intimate and permanent association with the business or person I’m writing for. Whether or not you subscribe to this idea, don’t forget that testimonials can’t be taken back. You may hire someone once and have a great experience, but if after continuing to use them or refer business to them, you discover that they’re a little sloppy of the job, tend to drop the ball, or fail to follow through then you may wish you hadn’t left such a glowing statement about them until you had gotten to know them better.
Inversely, I also place a high value on the ones I receive. I believe that it takes a very satisfied customer to leave me a testimonial because not only do they need to feel good about my service, they need to feel strongly enough to take the time to leave one for me. I’m not opposed to reminding a customer who had just gushed to me about how happy they are, that there is a testimonial tool available, but I am not comfortable someone to leave one who didn’t voluntarily give me a verbal testimonial.
So when is it okay to ask for one and are there better ways to ask for one? There are probably as many different opinions on this as there are marketing styles. It’s largely a personality thing and of course it depends on what kind of service or product you’re selling. I have come up with three rules that I believe can be applied to general cases.
Rule 1: Be straight forward, upfront and honest.
Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t forget you’re asking someone for a personal favor. When requesting a favor, ask for it.
I had someone ask me for one recently who beat around the bush. They called me out of the blue and said, “I want to give you a free __.”
Racking my brain as to why they would want to do that (and naively thinking that maybe they had noticed how much pressure I have been under lately working on Biznik and wanted to thank me) I paused, then said, “Ok… great! Thanks.”
Only then did she say, “The reason is, if you like my service I’d like a testimonial from you.”
I felt put on the spot. But because I had already said Ok, I went along with it and scheduled an appointment. If I hadn’t been taken off guard, I might have shared my thoughts on testimonials with her. But I didn’t think of it until I had hung up so I decided to go through with the experience and cross the testimonial bridge when I got to it.
What could this person have done differently? Been more forthright. How about, starting the conversation with what you want.
Something like, “I’m looking to add more testimonials to my profile and I came up with an idea…” (But this leads me to the next rule.)
Rule 2: Don’t put a customer on the spot.
I actually would have preferred if this person had not called me and put me on the spot at all. So how could she have asked? Perhaps by making a more general request.
Make an announcement at an event, post something on Biz Talk, approach someone at a Happy Hour, or send an email. If you do call, let them know right away why you’re calling.
“I’m looking to add more testimonials to my profile. I’d love one from you. I know you haven’t used my service and I’m not asking why that is. I just wanted to let you know that if you’re ever interested in giving me a try, I’d love to give you a __ at no charge and if you like it, maybe you’d leave a testimonial for me.”
I could have replied with simple, “Ok.” Whether I decided to try her service or not I would not have been left feeling obligated to give a reason why. And that leads to the last rule.
Rule 3: Never ever obligate someone to leave a testimonial or give you a reason why they have not left a testimonial.
Follow up is fine to find out if a message has been received, but be careful about asking people why they have chosen not to try you or why they have not left a testimonial for you. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask people for feedback on your business or service - there are appropriate times and situations for just about everything. Just proceed with care.
Do you agree with me or disagree with? How has this worked for you? If you’ve successfully requested testimonials from people, share your experience here.
testimonialWhat I love about being an Indy Pro
If there’s one thing I love about being an Indy pro it’s the absolute and unadulterated freedom to spend my day doing just about whatever the heck I want. If I want to work, I work. If I don’t want to work, I don’t work (and feel guilty about not working. And go a little nuts at the idea of not paying the rent. And cry.) If I want to cover myself in lime green body paint and parade down 15th Ave. while eating ice cream and shouting about Biznik . . uh. . .well, I don’t do that. But I think about it. I think about it long and hard.
Here’s something else I think about: Helping small business people dodge the marketing pitfalls that claim oh so many of their peers. There’s only 5 spots left in “The Top Ten Marketing Mistakes Made By Small Business and How to Avoid Them” class. Get it while it’s hot!!
Who’s riding your ass?
When you’re self employed indie professional, working alone on your laptop in your home office, you need to ride your own ass to get things done because no one else is going to do it. Dan and I have each other but as business partners who are also marriage partners, that can be a dangerous thing. “Did you call that client back yet? What about doing some laundry this week? Where’s the outline for Biz Pods? And don’t forget your mom wants some dates of when we can do dinner,” can all come tumbling out in the same breath.
One way I take the burden off my marriage is to use my accountability partner, fellow Biznik Sara Eizen. We meet once a week for coffee, share what we want to get accomplished before our next meeting, and commit to three things on a task list. I’m busier than ever now - I don’t always finish the stuff I said I’d get done and I don’t always feel like I can afford a coffee break, so I was very reluctant to commit to the accountability partnership. Some weeks I’ve been so close to canceling our meeting, I can almost taste the sweetness of relief. But I don’t let myself and it’s been awesome.
Sara rides my ass. We problem solve and commiserate. We lay ideas on the table and produce action items for each other. The brainstorming is some of the most productive I’ve ever had. She’s not my boss or my client and I’m the one responsible for making use of my time wisely and growing my business, but I swear just the thought that I’m going to have to report to someone (and not my husband!) on something I said I’d do gets my butt in gear. Often times I’m finishing a project the night before our next morning meeting but, “if it weren’t for the last minute nothing would ever get done” - right?
So who’s riding your ass? If you’re the only one holding yourself accountable consider getting yourself an accountability partner. It doesn’t have to be anything formal. Why not ask a new friend in Biznik to give it a try. I would say that you should each commit to one month of weekly meetings. Don’t make them too long or too involved, just follow through with sitting down face to face for an hour a week and tell each other what you plan to do before your next meeting, then let the conversation flow naturally. Sara and I’ve gotten into the rhythm of bouncing new ideas of each other and it’s been an awesome to have a fresh perspective.
Has a partnership like this worked for you in the past? Share your stories here!
accountability business networking indie business indie professionalCassandra Lanning: “I like to be different even from the people who are being different”
As Biznik continues to grow, I’ve been asking myself the question, “What is it about someone that makes them quintessentially Biznik?” And as I was browsing through the new member profiles on Monday, I found an answer: Cassandra Lanning. She’s one of the founding members of Seattle’s Urban Craft Uprising, and the manager and director of vendor relations for Seattle’s monthly indie craft show, I Heart Rummage. But wait, it gets even better. She’s also a member of the newly formed Seattle Craft Mafia (”we have glue guns…they’re loaded and we know how to use them…”). She also runs The Bathery, one-woman bath and beauty business “trying to create a sense of mystery and intrigue in a world of predictable, unoriginal bath products.”
Wow. Do you see a pattern here? Here’s what I think: Biznik is for people who are as unapologetically themselves in businesses as they are in the rest of their lives. It’s for people who are as passionate about what they do for a living as they are about what they do on the weekend. For people who don’t take themselves too seriously, who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo, and who are tireless in pursuing their vision. Well, maybe they get tired sometimes. But they keep going anyway. And I get the feeling that Cassandra is one of those people. Let’s find out…
Q: I think we share a passion for the word “indie” as it applies to business. Tell me a bit about what it means to you in terms of your passion for indie crafts.
To me indie means more than just the latest in urban trendiness. Indie is individual expression, innovation, uniqueness. Personally, I don’t embrace what’s hip at the moment but I still consider myself indie because I am unique, I am original, no one else does what I do. Indie is a vast definition that can embrace a whole spectrum of people, of arts, of anything. Being indie means not having to be nailed down to what’s “considered” indie. I like to be different even from the people who are being different. ummm, isn’t that called a trouble maker?
Q: What is Urban Craft Uprising, and how are you involved with that?
Urban Craft Uprising is Seattle’s annual indie craft revolution! In our second year, we are gathering the most indie crafters under one roof that Seattle has ever seen! I am the Director of Vendor Relations with UCU. I coordinate all the vendors, help with creating the floorplan for the show, assign spaces and field all vendor questions, enquiries, and concerns. And I can sell my peeps like a mo`fo!
Q: and you could probably guess my next question: tell me about the Seattle Craft Mafia. Can you be part of the Uprising and the Mafia at the same time? Or does the Mafia mercilessly hunt down anyone not completely loyal to them?
That’s top secret information. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.
Q: How long have you been an indie business person? Tell me a bit about your background…
I started my indie soap business in 2005 after a very unsuccessful stab at doing “suburban” craft shows. Somehow my “goth” soaps got placed next to the lady who’s soaps were wrapped in Bible verses. Aaackk!!! So, very quickly I discovered IHR and started selling with them. Of late my soap business has been put on the back burner as my involvement with my groups has increased, but it’s not dead yet! I LOVE making soap and bath products, especiallyones that are very unique and unusual. I’ve created a very specialized niche for myself, so I’m still looking for my target audience. Middle-aged Goths with money to spend on frivolously beautiful bath products? Where are you?
Q: and finally, what one piece of business advice from your experience would you like to share with indie business people?
Two things: 1. Don’t be afraid to get out there and start a business, or market yourself. I can’t believe the feeling of freedom I discovered when I was forced into business for myself. Suddenly it was like the world had opened up for me. Sometimes you need a kick in the ass, but hey, kick yourself in the ass and just get out there and do it. The doors will start opening and you won’t regret it! 2. Don’t give up or get discouraged. As a friend of mine said to me, “Don’t let the buzzards get you down!” Just because things don’t seem great, don’t lose hope. Just keep at it, things will always get better. Oh, and don’t forget to get your business license.
Words to live by:
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, red wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO-HOO!!! What a ride!!!!!!”
Proprietor, The Bathery
Electrologist, The Bathery Electrolysis
www.thebathery.com
Director of Vendor Relations,
Urban Craft Uprising
www.urbancraftuprising.com
SXSW Conference panel proposals - and a question for you
I learned this morning that DL Byron is pitching a panel topic at the SWSX Conference, so I hopped on the website and voted for his event. If you attended one of Byron’s Biznik blogging workshops and want to give him your nod as well, here’s the link: http://2007.sxsw.com/interactive/panel_picker/.
Two things struck me while I was browsing through the proposed titles: 1. This is going to be a FANTASTIC conference - I was absolutely blown away by the quality and relevance of the titles, many of which are focused on indie business entrepreneurship. 2. I wonder what type of titles Biznik members would come up with if we asked?
Check out these proposed titles:
Little Big Blog & the Accidental Entrepreneur
Business that were built with nothing but a blog, how they found success, what they failed at, and what they’ve learned (DL Byron’s proposed panel).
Self Branding 2.0: Building your Personal and Corporate Brand
How would you rate your personal brand? If you are in the technology field personal branding is an absolute necessity. This is doubly true if you are a start-up or thinking about starting a company because early on, the brand of a company and its founder will be one in the same. This panel will discuss ideas and techniques for building and maintaining a “true” personal brand.
“I’m good, really!” - Self-marketing for the freelance web geek
Tooting your own horn doesn’t come easy to geeks and programmers. When you decide to leave BigCo or Startup.com and go freelance, how do you market and advertise your skills as an individual? Freelance panelists discuss strategies and difficulties of representing your personal brand when you take the leap and go independent.
Turning Projects Into Revenue Generating Businesses
Whether your intent is to start a new business or simply make some money from existing projects, generating revenue from online services is rarely straightforward. Making money from your sites usually requires creativity, passionate understanding, and lots of trial and error. Whether your goal is to cover expenses of a side project, quit your day job or to cash-out and retire early, this panel will explore real-world success stories of making website into web companies.
When Your Partner Is Your Partner: When Home & Office Collide
“Honey, let’s work together!” sounds like a good idea at first — but how does it actually work in practice? In this session, you’ll hear what succeeds, what doesn’t, and what (nearly) brings couples to the break-up point as several successful programmers, designers, and writers talk about how they work with the person they love and love the person they work with.
Lara and I should probably be on that last one! We work together literally everyday, and absolutely love it (most of the time).
Now, it’s your turn. If you could clap your hands and see any title you wanted in the Biznik events calendar, how would it read? (OK, clapping your hands isn’t enough - you’ll have to actually write it and post it here in the comments, but come on, do it!)
blogging business networking entrepreneur sxwf conferenceBackpack lets you take it with you
Over the last few weeks I’ve become a big fan of 37 Signals Backpack application. For those of you who haven’t heard of “signals,” they’re sort of web 2.0 wunderkinds, pumping out powerful web-based apps to help make the tech set more productive.
Their first product Basecamp is a heck of a way to manage a project between far flung folks (Dominic Canterbury and I use it for several of our projects) and Backpack is sort of a “Basecamp for 1.” It lets you create lists, notes, and easily organizable project pages that are then accessible wherever you’ve got a live internet connection.
Personally, I’ve been using Backpack to help me implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodology for, uh, getting things done and have had quite a bit of success.
Anyway, check it out. It’s nifty. And I’m a big fan of the way the 37 Signals folks design and write their websites.