Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

Have the BIG Idea for the Next Twitter? What’s that Worth?

Filed Under Business Life, Marketing, Successful Blog | 3 Comments

A Guest Post by Carol Roth

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What if you had the BIG IDEA that trumps Twitter — the one that could get everyone to leave the Fail Whale for your newly imagined super-site? Or maybe your idea is for the next VitaminWater or Under Armour - what would that be worth?

You may know someone who came up with a great idea, or maybe you came up with one yourself - an idea that someone else pursued and made major money from. If you could just find a way to get paid for thinking of the next big business idea, you would be set for life. .

The problem is, you can’t.

The biggest bummer about business is that the ideas behind them aren’t worth anything. As Chris Brogan says, “I could totally do that doesn’t mean anything if you don’t.”

A penny for your thoughts … if you’re lucky

Nobody whose head is screwed on straight will buy a business idea from you (or anyone else) because any value related to a business idea is in its implementation. Maybe if you give someone a business idea they will one day send you a coupon for a free product, but that is about it.

The further something gets away from an idea, the more value that exists. Things like

create value.

The reality of the lack of value in business ideas is a shock and a disappointment to many people who want to get compensated for thinking of “the next big thing.”

Sure, the idea kicks off setting the business in motion, but coming up with an idea is a one-time thing that isn’t particularly difficult, doesn’t require much risk and doesn’t take a lot of work. Even if you laid in your bed fine-tuning the idea every night before you went to sleep for six months, this work pales in comparison to the amount of work required to get the business started and to make it successful. The more action you take and the greater the results that you achieve from that action, the more value you will create.

That BIG Idea for the next Twitter, Vitamin Water or Under Armour really isn’t worth anything at all.

All of the other facets of starting and running the business, of which there are many, are quite difficult to do. They require a lot of risk to do and to do well. They aren’t done once, but have to be attended to on pretty much a daily basis. They take a lot of hard work. So, in looking at this whole thing we call a business, would you place a lot of value on a one-time idea that took no risk to produce, or on the other myriad tasks that have to be done indefinitely, day-in and day-out, that take a ton of risk and hard work?

Bottom line: It’s not the idea; it’s the execution over time that counts.

Are you ready to put the work into that BIG Idea of yours?

—–
Carol Roth writes Unsolicited Business Advice (TM) or aspiring entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and other small business owners, at CarolRoth.com You can find her on Twitter as @CaroJSRoth

Thanks, Carol. Ideas are everywhere. Execution is not.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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“Is your personal Web site an embarrassing entrance to your online house?”

Filed Under Business Life, Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 5 Comments

A Post on Web Identity by Sheila Scarborough

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If someone wants to know more about you before deciding to do business with you, they do not want to have to sort out your all-over-the-place lifestreaming babble on Twitter or Facebook or your 3 different blogs (at least no one probably wants to dig through mine!)

They want to be able to go to one place and quickly figure out what you’re all about.

The question is, in the fragmented social Web, which is the one site where people can go to find out what they need to know about you and your talents….and is that site an accurate representation of your various talents, skills and current interests?

I’ll bet that place is not your personal Web site.

You know the URL I mean: www.YourName.com that you bought years ago, stuck into a basic site design template with a few links and a photo - WooHoo 2005! - and then ignored because you went off to start a blog (which was vastly more entertaining and malleable than a dumb old static Web site.)

Here’s the problem….if you Google yourself, where does that website show up in the search engine results? If you’re like me, it’s at the very top, sometimes even above the blogs, LinkedIn profile, etc.

Your most disheveled online self is the first one that many strangers see. It’s not only your digital bra strap showing, it’s your pants on the ground!

Google my name, and the first thing that pops up is my clunky, unloved, ignored Web site that I set up to be a freelance print writer’s portfolio exactly 9-12 months before I realized that I didn’t want to be just a print writer. Since I’ve lost interest in the original purpose, I’ve lost interest in the site.

Sure, it is one-stop shopping for all of my projects and I do keep it updated, but it is a visual wasteland and I’m too cheap to spend any money on it. I’m embarrassed to include the URL on my business cards even though it would be easier for my customers to find me there. I have the URL in my standard email signature, but I often erase it before I hit “Send” because the blog URLs that are also in my signature are much more reflective of my best work “here and now.”

This is absurd, but what can one do with the blasted things? There’s probably a solid place for that site in your online portfolio, but you and I both need to figure out how it fits who we are and where we’re going. The answer is to either suck it up and spend time/money on a redesign, or do something now to make it less embarrassing.

One possibility: why not turn it into a nice jumping-off point for your many endeavors? If people are going to show up at that URL, give them something nice to look at and then get them the heck out of there.

Steal this idea - and I probably will, too - a “business card” landing page on your personal name site that only exists to send visitors over to the real party. For example, look at Becky McCray’s site. She has a (professionally made) welcoming photo on one page, with links to all of the other sandboxes where she works and plays. People can scroll down, pick one and launch.

Obviously, control your own domain name on the Web when it is possible to do so, then put a site there that is worthy of you. You’ve worked hard to have a respected name and reputation; ensure that your personal site reflects that as much as the rest of your online “house.”

Is your personal Web site an embarrassing entrance to your online house?

—–
Sheila Scarborough writes at Sheila’s Guide to Good Stuff , for Family Travel Guide and the Perceptive Travel Blog. She also covers drag racing for Fast Machines. Tourism Currents is what she’ll be talking about at SOBCon this year. You’ll find her on Twitter as @sheilas

As always, Sheila, I loved every word of it!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Social Media Book List: Get Upbeat and do some Savvy Business Promoting

Filed Under Business Book, Business Life, Successful Blog | 3 Comments

A Weekly Series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors and writers by managing their online promotion. As part of my job I read a lot of books (and I love to read anyway!). I am here to offer a weekly post about one author I am working with and one book I have put on my reading list. The books will cover topics such as social media (Facebook and Twitter), organization, career building, networking, writing and self development and inspiration.

Upbeat by Rajesh Setty

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This week I would like to start off with a book I have read and have worked with entitled Upbeat by Rajesh Setty.

This compact book is filled with wonderful ideas and strategies to help any business owner or entrepreneur get out of the “jam” they may be filling at the time.

Here are a few tips from Upbeat I would like to share with you:

1) Be Accountable to Yourself - “Recession time is hard on everyone but that does not mean that you should go into a state of inertia, waiting for the times to pass.”—>The time is now. Take inspired action to do something today to get to where you want to be. Sitting down and doing nothing will get you just that…nothing.

2) Be Grateful - “Yes, you are frustrated, things are not going well, and most of it is not your fault. However, do remember that in the general scheme of things you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to think and do something about it.” –> Take some time to embrace the blessings in your life. Write them down even and you will be amazed at how many things you have in your life to be grateful for. When you are grateful, the positive energy comes out of you and into other people’s lives.

3) The Discipline - “Like any good idea, discipline is very easy to grasp an an idea but has no value unless it is implemented–and well. Quote by Jim Rohn “Every disciplined effort has multiple rewards”. –>things take time to come together and become successful. However, if you don’t start creating action to make those things happen, it won’t.

See, and those are just a few golden nuggets from Rajesh’s book, Upbeat.

About the Author:
Rajesh’s mission in life is to bring good ideas to life. With love!

Rajesh is involved in a few companies in some combination as a founder, operating executive, board member and/or an investor. Apart from that, he has written a few books and is working on a number of them. His first book was published at the age of thirteen. While he is not building companies or writing, he enjoys speaking at conferences and company events.

You can read his latest thoughts on his blog Life Beyond Code or on Twitter at UpbeatNow. If you are really curious to know the events that shaped his thinking, you can read his story so far here.

Rajesh lives in the Silicon Valley with his wife Kavitha and son Sumukh.

You can pick up your copy of Upbeat at Amazon.

Masters of Sales

Secrets from Top Sales Professionals that will transform you into a World Class Salesperson

Now is time for me to showcase a book I have not read but it is on my reading list. This week my choice is Masters of Sales by Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D and Don Morgan, M.A.

Bursting with valuable advice from Jack Canfield, Anthony Robbins, Keith Ferrazzi, Tom Hopkins, Al Lautenslager and more than 70 other masters of the art of selling, this exclusive compilation of the best sales strategies ever known puts you on the fast track to sales success.

Just a short but poignant business lesson of what I read by just picking up the book once:
This is a excerpt about Janet Attwood (speaker, trainer,author)–
“A persistent attitude is mandatory for success in any endeavor, including sales. You may need to stop banging your head against the wall and change directions, but don’t stop too early–you might be closer to success than you realize! Listen to your intuitions, and you can make a lot of money!

About the Authors:
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization . BNI was founded in 1985. The organization has thousands of chapters throughout every populated continent of the world. Each year, BNI generates millions referrals resulting in billions dollars worth of business for its members.

Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California. He has written nine books, including his New York Times best seller, Masters of Networking and his #1 bestsellers, Truth or Delusion, and Masters of Success.

You can pick up your copy of Masters of Sales on Amazon.

What Makes a Great Working Relationship Actually Work?

Filed Under Business Life, Successful Blog | 7 Comments

Who Does the Work? Who Benefits?

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I’ve been a freelance writer, an online publisher, and a strategic consultant. I’ve handled a multi-state whole sale consumer products accounts, selling to big chains and to mom and pop stores. I’ve presented huge educational programs to state boards of education and made deals with publishers on four continents. I’ve built a successful conference and convinced big brand sponsors to partner with us. I led the strategy that turned around a failing company. Most of what I know about getting folks to work with me I’ve learned the hard way, by doing things wrong and adjusting out when those things didn’t work.

But I pay attention … especially to one question that makes a working relationship actually work.

Working relationships work because an exchange of value occurs. Value can be currency, time, resources, risk, or sharing a network. Somehow in the best working relationships a balance seems to keep itself, without any party too closely monitoring the score.

So if you’re looking to start a new working relationship, you might want to do a little more work before you event start.

Investors call that “share risk, share the benefit.”
Working partnership might think of it as “share the workload, share the win.”

It’s a great way to get everyone working at what we do well and still get everything done. It’s also a great way to make an offer to a new client.

What makes your great working relationships work?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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10 Critical Skills of Highly Successful 21st Century Leaders

Filed Under Business Life, Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 1 Comment

Adding Unique Value to Earn a Living

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We have the wisdom of teachers all around us. They say that when we’re ready to learn the teacher will appear … We can find those teachers in our family, in our friends, great books by our heroes and by people we’ve heard of. Some of those teachers were in our schools. Others meet us daily on the Internet.

But it’s the ability to know which past decision applies to today’s problem and which tool to reach for when something is broken that builds our own wisdom. Practice and experience with our thinking makes the difference between the wisdom a Yoda and a Skywalker.

It takes 10 critical skills to own an outstanding future — to think and achieve personal wisdom to navigate a life and do the passionate work that we are uniquely suited to do.

What follows is an article I wrote four years ago that you may missed if you recently tuned in to my blog.

Thinking, Fitting In, and Living Well

Thinking cannot be separated from who we are. In the 21st century, the age of intellectual property, the way we think is crucial to having a place in society. What we think and how well we express those thoughts determines where we fit and how well we live. Thoughts, ideas, processes, intangibles — all have value in a world of constant change where knowledge is an adjective, a noun, and an asset — in the form of intellectual property — on balance sheets.

In the largest sense, American society is breaking into two classes:

The first class are people who know how to think. These people realize that most problems are open to examination and creative solution. If a problem appears in the lives of these people, their intellectual training will quickly lead them to a solution or an alternative statement of the problem. These people are the source of the most important product in today’s economy – ideas.

The second class, the vast majority of Americans, are people who cannot think for themselves. I call these people “idea consumers” — metaphorically speaking, they wander around in a gigantic open-air mall of facts and ideas. The content of their experience is provided by television, the Internet and other shallow data pools. These people believe collecting images and facts makes them educated and competent, and all their experiences reinforce this belief. The central, organizing principle of this class is that ideas come from somewhere else, from magical persons, geniuses, “them.”

–Paul Lutus, Creative Problem Solving

. . . My purpose in this article is to undermine that belief.

Most Schools Are Not About Lateral, Individual Thinking

In school it’s “weird” not to think like everyone else. The management problems of classrooms lead to social conformity and pathways through an over-structured curriculum. In society, lateral thinking is a prized commodity. Innovative thinking is essential to any change-based leadership brand.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

My experience of school, both as a student and as a teacher was not geared toward developing new ideas. It was centered around teaching and learning what had already been done, without taking that next step to challenge the past with how it might have been done differently or better.

Working with Thoughts and Ideas Is the New Reality

The world economy has changed to one of service and ideas. Conversation is digital and content is king. The ability to work with ideas has become crucial to having a place in society. Thinking outside of the box is no longer a weird personality trait, but something to be admired and valued. It’s a key trait necessary to modern-day strategic planning and process modeling.

Those who develop, mold, and execute original thinking will own the future.

10 Skills Critical to Owning an Outstanding Future

  1. Deep independent thinking and problem-solving – The ability to understand a problem or opportunity from the inside out, vertically, laterally, at the detail level, and the aerial view.

  2. Mental flexibility – The ability to tinker with ideas and viewpoints to stretch them, bend them, reconstruct them into solutions that fit and work perfectly in specific situations.

  3. Fluency with ideas — The ability to describe many versions of one answer and many solutions to one problem set and to explain the impact or outcome of each both orally and in writing in ways that others can understand.

  4. Proficiency with processes and process models — The ability to discuss a problem in obsessive detail and to define a process, linear or nonlinear, that will solve the problem effectively within a given group culture.

  5. Originality of contributions – The ability to offer a value-added difference that would not be there were another person in the same role.

  6. A habit of finding hidden assumptions and niches — The ability to see the parts of what is being considered, including the stated and unstated needs, desires, and wishes of all parties involved.

  7. A bias toward opportunity and action — The ability to estimate and verbalize the loss to be taken by standing still and missed opportunities that occur by choosing one avenue over another.

  8. Uses all available tools, including the five senses and intuitive perceptions, in data collection — The ability to weigh and value empirical data, sensory data, and one’s own and others’ perceptions appropriately.

  9. Energy, enthusiasm, and positivity about decision making — The ability to bring the appropriate mindset to the decision-making process in order to lead oneself or a team to a positive decision-making experience.

  10. Self-sustaining productivity — The ability to use the confidence gained from the first 9 skills to establish relationships with people at all levels — from the warehouse to the boardroom — knowing that ideas are not the pride and privy of only a gifted few.

Innovative, imaginative, inventive, mind-expanding, playful-wondering, what-if, how-come, dramatic-difference, find-the-wow, visionary, killer-app, I-want-one, no-more-stupid-stuff, nothing-in-moderation, bet-the-farm, incredibly-sexy, please-please-can-I, that’s-so-cool, couldn’t-knock-it-off-if-they-tried-to, able-to-see-better-than-the-best, no-more-move-here-today-move-it-back-tomorrow, stupid kind of thinking happens outside of the box.

The skills that you develop from deep, individual thinking stay with you for a lifetime and are transferable from one job to another.

You don’t need them to write every shopping list, but you’ll have them whenever there’s a problem to solve or an opportunity to take advantage of.

It doesn’t take a genius to become a fluent, flexible, original, and creative source of ideas. It takes a person who can develop habits of thinking in new ways.

Imagine what you might do if you find out how you really think and use that.

You become uniquely you — BRAND YOU — the only one — priceless.

Who wouldn’t want to work with a person like that?

Be irresistible
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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