Category: My Story

Posted on in 1-Monday - Subject Matter Expert, Business owner motivation, goals, marketing, My Story, Real world, Success tips

TribeologyBlog.com – Episode #603 – Add Color (In the Right Place)

Quote: “Your best teacher is your last mistake.” Ralph Nader

Monday: Subject Matter Expert

 

Have you ever had one of those days when you just screw up. Welcome to my last week Sunday.

UGH.

I was mad at myself for this…  The yellow is suppose to be white. UGHHHHHH

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, I have mentioned that I create personalized dog collars. Well, Shyloh, wanted a new collar.

It’s a great vibe collar with a yin-yang.  I created the layout, programmed the machine, and started stitching.

You know what I did… I broke my rule.  I walked away from the machine before double checking the stitch color.  By the time I walked back to the machine, less than one minute, I noticed my error.  And I couldn’t fix it.

I was out of blank blue collars so I needed to ship it.  Today, I received the replacement blank and I was able to recreate it…

This time I did it the right way… well, here’s fun twist.

Do you remember my post Episode 593 – How I Saved 50% by Listening to My Gut – But I’m Still Hungry? I wrote about my drama in trying to buy new back drops for taking photos of my products.  I plan to revamp my website and update the look on my Instagram.

Well… LOOK!  I was able to use Shyloh’s collar and photograph it with the new backgrounds.

This is important because the design of a yin-yang is a great example of my “cute design upsell”

I like to mention my failure, past and update on Subject Matter Expert day because it’s important to keep up your skills and continually improve.

It’s easy to stay complacent.  Especially with technical and design skills.  I mean look at the black background collar.  It’s fine. It works.  It features the product nicely.

But look at the color backgrounds.  They give Shyloh’s collar an entirely different vibe.  The store has a fun, hip, vibe… and as a result your dog will be hip and fun.

Today, elevate your skill level.  Look for that class, read your magazine, take a seminar.  It’s easy to be stale… but the group your leading needs your best.

#doinginfinity

 

Tomorrow… come back for my episode “Content & Consistency”!

PS:  Like my vibe? I want you to join my tribe!
FREE GIFT! Grab my guide: 6 Steps to Subject Matter Expert.

Infinitypreneur.com

Infinity Marketing Machine Daily Topics:
Monday – Character (Subject Matter Expert)
Tuesday – Content & Consistency
Wednesday – Midweek Motivation
Thursday – Infinity Customers
Friday – Big Money
Saturday – Try This!
Sunday – Week in Review

Posted on in 3- Wednesday - Midweek Motivation, branding, Business owner motivation, goals, marketing, My Story, Real world, Success tips

TribeologyBlog.com – Episode 593 – How I Saved 50% By Listening to My Gut… But I’m Still Hungry.

Quote: “Instinct is the nose of the mind.” D.deGirardin

Wednesday: Midweek Motivation

 

Trust your gut feeling.  That is something we all know to be true, but sometimes it’s really hard.

You’re rushing around trying to “make something happen” and it’s really REALLY hard.  You drop your keys, you slip on the ice, you do X, Y, or Z. UGH.

Well… that was my today.

I wanted to buy a new photography backdrop so when I take photos they look good online.  I’ve use black for about 4 years.  I still think it looks great.  I’m not a hip/trendy person, really… quite the opposite.  However, I have skills in marketing things.

Last week I bought a wood panel background and it looks nice.  It also kind of looks like every other photo on the internet. I like black.  But the black does kind of look dated.  So my choices… look dated or look like everyone else.

UGH (again).

Recently I’ve noticed 80s colors are in style… armed with that trend I went to Amazon.  I found some back drops in blue, pink, green.  I put them in my cart – the total was over $100.  They were too big for my small photo studio.

And I got stuck… should I order, should I not order, should I go to the fabric store tonight and get vinyl there?  A storm is coming in and I don’t want to go shopping. But I’m hungry and I could get dinner, too.  UGH (third time)

I got distracted (shocker)

And was hovering with my finger over the buy now button.  UGH (fourth time) I just couldn’t buy the three backgrounds.

Then I searched again.

This time I found 24″ wide. Hummmmm….. this was impossible about 3 hours ago, I wonder why the 24″ are showing up in my results, now…   BUT PINK WAS OUT OF STOCK.

BIG UGH.

I went to the post office to get the mail.

Opened it up and there was this Trendy advertising card.  Sure enough it was a bright pink background with a very happy gal. It’s as if the color I want is mocking me.

SOOOOOO I searched again…

You know what I found?  Nope not pink… I found a BUNDLE PACK with pink!  And they’re 24″, the perfect size I need without cutting… AND they arrive in two days. I don’t have to go to the store.

The best part… this bundle pack was over 50% cheaper than the original three colors I had in my card… now I get 15 colors… no cutting… delivered to my door!

Yeah, this was a minor thing, but my gut was telling me not to make the decision for the three backdrops, but to just wait… I have no idea why I couldn’t find the “perfect” thing earlier today – but I’m glad I listened to my gut.

However, I’m still hungry and have no idea what I want for dinner.

 

#doinginfinity

Tomorrow… come back for my episode on “Infinity Customer”!


PS:  Like my vibe? I want you to join my tribe!  I love motivation and inspirational quotes… I have another site called PineapplesInProgress.com go sign up for the newsletter for FREE.

Infinitypreneur.com

Infinity Marketing Machine Daily Topics:
Monday – Character (Subject Matter Expert)
Tuesday – Content & Consistency
Wednesday – Midweek Motivation
Thursday – Infinity Customers
Friday – Big Money
Saturday – Try This!
Sunday – Week in Review

Posted on in Blog content, Business owner motivation, Content, goals, marketing, My Story, Real world, Success tips

ProfitCenterCoach.com – Day 19 – Three Thing List.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Zig Ziglar

Yesterday.  I have no idea what I did or what I got done.  Don’t you hate days like that?  UGH.  It’s like the day just happened.  So I was really frustrated by the time we closed.

This morning… I started the same way.  I’ve got this wicked summer cold thing going on and my motivation has been zero.  OK… quick question, which is worse: cold in the winter or cold in the summer.  I’m going with summer… both are lame, but there’s something about putting on an extra sweater and laying under a blanket that just goes “better” with winter!  🙂

Back to my lack of motivation… so today I started down that path – and then I made a “three thing list”.  1) Get flowers for the planters.  2) Make an appointment for my car 3) get the “stuff” we have for sale “organized”

Guess what…  ALL ACCOMPLISHED! And more!

I made the car appointment on my way to buy flowers.  The funny thing with the flowers was… all I needed to do was pull up to the flower stand and pay.  I didn’t have to plant or grow them.  I didn’t even have to load them in my car!  They look REALLY nice and I feel great each time I walked by them! yea.

Now… the “stuff” for sale – all I wanted to do was put out life jackets… roll eyes.  I got distracted 6 times.  SIX!  But I finally got them put out on display at about 7:45 tonight.  In my defense – the boat that came into the dock that was sinking was a little more important.

Seriously, never a dull moment.

We did get it out before it went down.  Whew! But it was a little over whelming as I watched the swim deck go below water and the owner was “kinda” in denial about the urgency of getting his boat to shore.

I did get one more thing done and it wasn’t on my list! – I was able to organize the shelves in our store.  Something else that was really bothering me is bothering me NO MORE!

SO there you have it — Everyone needs to use my “Three Thing List” technique.  I feel accomplished.  I know that I did actually set out to do something AND I DID IT!  I now feel good when I walk by our shelves, I feel good when I see the flowers, I’m happy I have my car appointment, and I’ll feel really good when we sell the life jackets.

SO…

Give it a shot. Start your day by making your “Three Thing List” then come back and tell me what you did.  I mean it can’t be any lamer than “make appointment for car” – right????

BTW:  Join my tribe…   start here

 

Posted on in Blog content, Business owner motivation, Customers, marketing, My Story, Success tips, Two Minute Commute

Profit Center Coach – Day 4

“Kind people are the best kind of people”

It’s been a tough week at work.  I always “joke” that when we get a week full of “odd” customers that it’s got to be a full moon.

well…

Sometimes people are just in a crappy mood.  Here’s a quick little tidbit from today to throw a little perspective in your life.  We had a customer just “over the top” angry today – she was rude to our crew saying we have the “crappiest customer service she’s ever experienced”.  Honestly, our crew was doing lots of things to help the woman.  Well… she left, went on her boat… and about 6 hours later came back…

no one wanted to help her.

But the crew did.  And she had the chance to come in and shed a little light on the morning activities.  Her father had recently died and they were having a family gathering in remembrance…  and she appreciated our help.

So there you have it.  Everyone has their own baggage.  Be Kind.

Remember… I’m still here, I’m just taking a little creative break!  More details coming soon!

Posted on in Blog content, Content, Customers, marketing, My Story, Real world, recretainment

ProfitCenterCoach.com – Day2

“People are hungry for stories. It’s part of our very being” Studs Terkel

Oh my… what a long day at the marina!  There was a “big” party on our lake… That meant I made four calls to 911 and two actual visits from the police to our marina.  (And it’s a Tuesday! UGHHHH)   I’d share more of the stories… but let’s just leave it at the question, “Is it necessary to puke on our front lawn?”

Again… I’m still here!  I’m just taking a mini-blog-break.  More info soon… 🙂

 

 

Posted on in audio blog, Blog content, Content, marketing, My Story, Sales, Social proof, Success tips, Two Minute Commute

Episode #210 – Stop Making Excuses Or You’ll Wonder What Happened!

“You can’t make money and excuses at the same time. So pick one”

Today I made a video.  This might not sound like a big deal… but it was.  My hair is not perfect, OK… let’s be honest it could look a lot better.  But you know why I did it, because I was tired of excuses.

I was making a dog collar.
What?

Alright, my hobby is making money.  I truly enjoy selling things online.  I’m a complete dork, but if I’m not working at my “real job” at the marina I am doing things online.  That means I sell things online whether it’s my store, Etsy, eBay, Zazzle, Facebook… I sell stuff.  This is how I pay for my car… I upgraded a couple weeks ago. Ironically, while I was at the showroom I received a message from a prospective buyer.  She was looking for a Martingale collar a little wider than I sold. My supplier had it.  The other thing was she didn’t want the name of the dog on the collar but a message “Do not pet” – her dog is a rescue that is not comfortable when strangers try to pet him.

Long story short, here’s the thing.  I went back and forth messaging with the prospective buyer.  Saw photos of the very cute dog… and I created a custom listing so it was easy for her to order.  And as I was walking out of the dealership, ding… I got an order!  I look at this as a good sign that my hobby will pay for my car.

So why did I make a video?  Because in about a year the overwhelming amount of content online will be video.  That’s crazy!  I did so a 30 day, get comfortable in front of the camera, exercise… oh mannnnn, it was awful.  OK by day 30 it wasn’t a big deal, but day 1 to 4 are really bad.  I mean REALLY bad!  I’m glad I did that exercise.

But… a couple days ago I came up with an idea that I could take videos when I’m creating the crafts that I sell.  SO today was the first day!  I made the video, I quit the excuses.  The story is amazing and I wanted to share it.  Because, if you want to make money, build the relationship with your customer and create the product they want!

Now it’s your turn… stop excuses and do that “thing” you’ve been avoiding.  You’ve got to choose it’s either money or excuses.

 

SME + Content/Consistency + Goals/Motivation + Customers = Infinity Marketing Machine

PS: Make sure to “like” this post… and follow me!  (and please do me a favor… if you want more great ideas like the one in this post, just fill out this form and I’ll send them to you…  start here)

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Action Steps
1- No More Excuses.  Choose Money!  Start building your Infinity Marketing Machine.  (Whether it’s collecting names, working on your subject matter expert status, creating your blog/podcast/vlog, making passion pages) — Start!
2- Install my free app! (SmallBusinessClubApp.com)

Podcast:
Listen to Episode #210 of the Two Minute Commute audio blog Podcast
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Posted on in audio blog, Customers, email marketing, marketing, My Story, Sales, Social marketing, Two Minute Commute

Episode #172 – If You Don’t Create an Infinity Marketing Machine You’ll Hate Yourself Later

How do you create your future?  Clear goals, a path to achievement, and controlling your destiny.  Sounds simple, but is it… the most difficult portion is the controlling your destiny.  There are several ways to end up in situations where you are “controlled”.

Most of these center around money.  The bank holds your loan, partners that grow apart, inventory and even non-payment on inventory.  You need money to sustain and expand.  Your own financial advisors can help guide you in these areas, but what about the “new” controlled areas of business?

I’m referring to access to customers.

Who’s the “big guy”?  Well, Google followed by Facebook.  You are controlled by them.  Even in the smallest town in the middle of the country, you are controlled.  Why? Because they have a very big presence online and you want (need) to “borrow” this access.  As such, you are dependent on them and if “they” change “their” rules you can be shut down, instantly, without warning.

This is not new.  But it has gotten worse. Imagine that you have 25 million followers on YouTube (owned by Google) and you are shut down.  No more access to 10 years worth of videos, no more access to your followers, AND no more access to the advertising revenue you generated from the videos you have created for 10 years.  It’s all gone, now.  This is happening.  I think it’s wrong. You research it yourself and form your own opinion, but at the end of the day, you are putting videos on a free service.  As such… You do not pay to host your videos.  Therefore, you are at their mercy.

Facebook did this around 2009 when it cleaned up it’s user newsfeeds and started restricting “free” company page posts from getting to followers.  Overnight companies saw their business models crash.  You still had followers, but the ability to stay in touch got much more expensive.  Yesterday it was free, today it’s not.   Therefore you are at their mercy.

I experienced the Facebook shift.  That was not fun.  I also experienced getting Google smacked.  That sucked.  I’ve been kicked off Amazon (roll eyes).  And my favorite was getting locked out of my 1500 emails on Constant Contact.  I let an email list go dormant for 6 months and they would not allow me to send to send from the list because it was dormant, and they would not allow me to “clean” the list because it was dormant but they wanted me to clean the list (lots of chicken and the egg going on).  Needless to say, I am not a fan of Constant Contact, AT ALL.  Here’s the deal.  When big companies shut you down, don’t waste your time or energy in their phone trees.  It’s pointless.  (sorry if that sounds defeatist). Move on, learn from the experience, AND…

Make the plans ahead of time to NOT depend on the big companies.

You are a small business…use this to your advantage.

Switch your main marketing model to email. Funny, since I hate Constant Contact!  But I believe in email.  Email as THE tool for small business marketing.  You need to build and control your list. This is the way to protect yourself from being dependent on “big company” rule changes.  Sure you will create social media followings and use Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc., but you will NOT depend on them.   If they choose to shut down your page you won’t be devastated.  You must do this.

This is the way to create your future.  There are many facets to developing an infinity marketing machine, which is my ultimate goal for you.  This is what I believe is the new success path for small business marketing.  It takes time to build an infinity marketing machine, but it all starts with emails.  Begin today by developing the system to capture emails from customers.  You don’t have to do anything with the email today… but if you have it you can do something with it tomorrow, next week or in a month!

 

Question of the Post:
Have you ever been “shut down” online?

PS: Make sure to “like” this post… and follow me.  Please answer the question of what your two biggest hurdles to online marketing are, it will really help me!  answer here

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Action Steps
1- Start collecting emails from your customers.  (abide by the CANN-SPAM rules)
2- Share your two biggest hurdles to online marketing with me, it will help me provide better information in these posts and in the book I’m writing… answer here
3- Install my free app! (SmallBusinessClubApp.com)

Podcast:
Listen to Episode #172 of the Two Minute Commute audio blog Podcast

Love this inspirational quote?  View it on a 12″ x 12″ Canvas “Social Square” wall hanging!

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A- Install our Free App (SmallBusinessClubApp.com –Apple or Android )
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