Rosemary, Author at Successful Blog Page

How To Change the World: Revisiting The Question 10 Years Later

July 5, 2018 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

This post is an update of: Change the World: Help Others Pursue the Passion

By Brett Farmiloe

You ever wonder what you were thinking ten years ago?

Well, the Internet is a wonderful place that documents all types of things, including random blog posts like the one I contributed to this blog 11 years ago.

Hey, Brett, How Can We Change the World?

That was the question that inspired this blog post from my 22 year old self. I think it’s a great question to revisit every so often.

So, let’s revisit it. How can we change the world?

Ten years ago, I purchased an RV to travel around the country and interview people about their career paths. Today, I own and operate a digital marketing company that is experiencing Inc. 5000 types of growth. Along the way, my perspective on how to make an impact has evolved.

Let’s take a section of the blog from my 22-year old self.

My idea of changing the world is tapping into a powerful, yet largely ignored natural resource — passion — the passion of people who do what they love.

Yet the model we’re living is not designed to produce passion. It leads us down well-traveled career paths of 8 to 6 jobs that promise bonuses, promotions, and job stability. The model does not place importance on an individual’s love has for the work, but on the quantifiable measurements an individual brings.

I’m not buying that model.

Yikes! Strong words, young Brett.

But, older, more realistic 33-year old Brett has this to add: Money matters. When you have kids, a stay at home pregnant wife, and ba-ba-bills – you need something more stable to stand on…income.

Which brings us back to the question: what’s the way to change the world?

Let me weigh in. To truly change the world, I believe you need to create something that produces a net positive. For me personally, it’s a profitable business with a work environment conducive to bringing out the best in people. For others, creating something can range from writing a book to raising a beautiful family to generating positive results within a job function.

Yes, I said it – you can change the world within a job. As long as you are a “net positive” for your employer, and your employer effectively applies your contributions to maximize the collective efforts of it’s workforce.

The key is getting clear on the definition of a “net positive.” In other words, the “change” in “change the world.”

Net Positive Formula:

Change \ Consumption = (Greater than 1 = You’re changing the world; Less than 1 = you’re temporarily draining the world)

That definition for me has shifted to two parts: “how many people do we employ who are actively engaged with their work” and “what is the impact our efforts have for our clients.” Starting a business multiplies the net positives because of the internal (number of people employed) and external measurements (impact of our work) of the change we’re looking to make. That to me, is changing the world.

For others in a job, a definition can be “do I produce a benefit for my employer that exceeds my salary & associated expenses (benefits)?” For speech givers, ditch diggers, or any position – is the change greater than your consumption?

What does changing the world mean to you? What are you creating? What is the “net positive” you’re measuring to see if what you’re working on – and are passionate about – is making the intended impact?

I’d love to hear it in the comments. And hopefully, let’s revisit this question again before 2028.

Brett Farmiloe is the CEO of Markitors an an advisor to an organizational leadership degree program. He has owned 3 RV’s in his lifetime. The last one he traded on Craigslist in exchange for wood floors in his house in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Featured image: Photo by Eugene Quek on Unsplash

7 Ways to Quickly and Efficiently Re-Brand Your Small Business

June 28, 2018 by Rosemary 1 Comment

By Nathan Sykes

You may be thinking about a re-brand for your business for many reasons, but the most common one is because you’ve hit a rut. No matter why your company isn’t growing, updating your image, changing your audience or selling new products could all be excellent solutions.

However, changing your business around won’t happen overnight. Some ways to go about rebranding are quicker than others, but keep in mind that this isn’t an instant process. Nonetheless, be sure your new brand is right for your business before investing time and money.

Here are seven of the quickest, most efficient ways to make sure the public knows you’re going in a new direction with your business.

1. Get a New Look

The first step in making your business different is to redo your look. Even if you don’t plan on renaming the company, make sure you invest in a professional artist to create a new logo. Try to get your logo to look as modern as possible — unless you’re marketing to a more traditional audience.

With a new logo comes new promotional material. You’ll need to remake all your pamphlets, billboards, uniform shirts and storefront signs, to name a few. The most important change is going to be your business cards. Update cards with your new logo as soon as possible. Often, a business card is your first contact with new customers and clients. You’ll also need to update your website to match your new brand.

If your brand is changing because of shifting audiences, be sure to look into new avenues for advertising. Try taking out ads on popular websites like Facebook or Reddit that can reach your audience.

2. Remodel Everything

If you want or need an entirely new look, remodeling your brick and mortar stores is an excellent place to start. While not exactly instant, remodeling your stores will be the quickest way to tell the public you’re taking a new approach. One of the easier ways to remodel is to redo the wall panels and siding of your business. Changing the siding isn’t as drastic as tearing down walls, and the new look will speak volumes.

During the age of technology, you may have a lot of customers who never walk into your store. That’s why remodeling your website is just as important as the building. Make sure to streamline and update your site as much as possible. Don’t add programs that will make your site complicated or slower. Hire a professional to do the job for you, or remember to use minimalism to your advantage.

3. Launch New Products or Services

Even if you’re not rebranding because of a new service or product line, introducing at least one new product or service as you’re rebranding will help. Having a new offering shows the public you’re changing along with your look. Bringing in a new product or service may also prevent you from having to rebrand completely.

The new product or service you launch will depend on your business, but keep in mind that this is partially an advertising campaign — new offerings will bring in new customers.

4. Join Social Media

Changing your tone and image on social media is one of the first changes you should make, as customers worldwide will have access to the new you. More importantly, social media allows you to interact with your audience and promote advertising. You can get involved with current topics and trends, address customer concerns immediately and show off your new brand message.

If you already use social media for your business, customizing your profiles to fit your new image is easy on most sites. Vowing to get more involved on Facebook and Twitter is one of the best choices you could make when rebranding.

5. Network All Over Again

If you thought your business graduated from the world of networking, think again. When you rebrand, you’re redoing everything about your business. You’ll have to reinvent your image from the ground up, which includes the basics of networking.

Touch up your LinkedIn profile and attend more networking conferences. Keep in mind this is for your business, not a personal rebrand — you’re trying to build connections all over again. This directive is a lot less important for companies in retail than for a client-centric or contract-based business, but networking may be something to look into if you want your business to move up no matter your industry.

6. Invest in Photography

Finding a good photographer might sound like a strange part of rebranding, but it’s crucial. If you haven’t shown off your employees and staff before now, this is the best opportunity to do so. Customers love seeing small businesses honoring their employees. Bringing everyone to a professional studio and spending a little money can go a long way with making the human connection with consumers.

If you already have photographs of everyone, updating them during rebranding is a must. Don’t bother taking the pictures yourself with a smartphone or even a decent camera — you want your business to look professional. If all goes well, your new photos won’t be outdated for several years to come.

7. Donate Locally

This might sound like another odd piece of advice, but donating to local charities is a fantastic way to get your name out there and shed a favorable light on your company. Ethics matter to customers who research businesses — if you haven’t participated in local charities or fundraisers before, consider doing so as you rebrand.

On the off-chance that there’s nothing local to participate in, consider starting an annual fundraiser. Hosting food or toy drives during the holidays can go a long way with making a good name for your business — not to mention, you’ll be helping your community.

The Finishing Touches

Rebranding a business is not cheap or easy. You can complete some steps more immediately than others, such as joining Twitter or getting a new web domain. Other measures, like remodeling your office and networking, will take patience. If you want an effective rebranding of your business, these are some of the best places to start.

No matter your rebranding goals, the most critical step is to remember why you’re changing in the first place. Keep your mission in mind, and the rest will fall into place.

About the Author: Nathan Sykes writes about the latest in business and technology from Pittsburgh, PA. To read his latest articles, check out his blog, Finding an Outlet.

Photo by Lonely Planet on Unsplash

Seven Easy Ways to Fundraise for Your Startup

June 21, 2018 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

By Kayla Matthews

You have an amazing idea for a new startup. However, there might be a slight problem. You don’t have the funds to get your idea off the ground or the money to do a lot of advertising. Enter fundraising as a good solution to get you where you need to be.

About 28 million small businesses reside in the United States, and about 543,000 new ones start every month, though not all of them survive. The average cost to get a new business going is sometimes daunting. Startup costs vary widely by industry and can run anywhere from $10,000 to $80,000 on average. Here are some easy ways to fundraise for your startup.

1. Enter Competitions

Large corporations sometimes hold competitions to help small business startups. Set up a Google alert to notify you of any “startup competition” or “new business contest” posts. What contests are available varies from month to month and year to year. Seek out competitions that will provide a big chunk of your startup money.

2. Find an Angel

The amount of angel investment is on the rise in recent years, and the tendency is to invest more money into startups rather than constantly adding new companies. If you can find an angel investor, they’re likely to stick with you for the long haul.

3. Sell Stuff

No matter who invests in your startup, they’ll want to know what you’re contributing. If you need only a small amount of seed money, you might even be able to raise it all on your own. First, look around at what you own that you aren’t using or could downsize.

For example, do you really need that car with the $700 per month payment and high insurance rates? Or can you sell it and buy a more modest one, freeing up a few hundred dollars a month? That might not sound like a lot of money, but over the course of six months, it’s a couple thousand dollars extra to put toward your business.

4. Pre-Sale Your Product

If you want to avoid venture capital (VC) funding, because of the restrictions and demands involved, you have to think outside the box. Crowdfunding is one way to achieve this goal and is often done in the form of pre-saling a product to a captive audience. For example, Pebble E-Paper Watch raised over $10 million on Kickstarter in just over a month with the promise of an affordable smartwatch in the future.

5. Talk to Universities

Universities sometimes fund business startups, particularly for former students and the local community. If you have a product that you believe changes the world, reach out to universities in your area to see what grants they offer. For example, Stanford provides funding for non-profit startups that are in some way affiliated with the university.

6. Throw a Party

Do you have a big family or wide network of friends? Throw a business startup party, and ask the guests to pay $100 a head to attend. Of course, you’ll need to invest a bit in a meal, but you can easily feed each person for under $20 and keep the rest for your business. Even better, ask your closest family to pitch in with their favorite dish, and keep the entire $100 for your business fund. You could raise $10,000 with only 100 guests.

7. Rent a Room

Do you and your co-founders have extra rooms in your home, a small guest cottage out back or a mini apartment over the garage? Rent out extra rooms — especially if you live in a city that’s hosting a big event — through sites like Airbnb or VRBO.

If you don’t mind a long-term situation, you might rent out a room to a local college student during the school year and know you’ll have that monthly amount coming in. If every co-founder does the same, you could easily earn $1,000 or more every month toward your startup.

Get Creative

These are just a few ideas for ways to quickly and easily raise money for your new business. Pay attention to how other startups raise money, and watch the online trends. You’ll likely come up with additional fundraising ideas and ways to reach your goals. Together, these tips just may lead you to the biggest success of your life.

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

How Collaborative Tech Can Help Businesses Escape a Growth Rut

May 24, 2018 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

By Kayla Matthews

While the rapid advance of technology is a boon to most business owners, others find it overwhelming, confusing and unnecessary. Adding to the confusion are workers who voice concerns over increasing automation, the increase of threats like viruses and malware, and next-gen systems that are too costly during their initial launch.

To ease the transition for these business owners, IT teams are turning to collaborative technology.

The Rise of Cobots

You’ve been hearing about robots for decades, but what about cobots? Instead of replacing human workers with AI-driven, fully autonomous machines, many business owners are embracing the modern cobot. Instead of working in opposition to your current staff or taking over their jobs entirely, cobots have one clear goal: to work with their human counterparts and strengthen productivity across the board.

It’s a winning situation for everyone involved. The majority of your roster will likely keep their jobs while your company benefits from the heightened productivity and efficiency that is only available through advanced hardware like cobots.

Next-Gen Software

Software solutions are a dime-a-dozen, especially in the business sector. It’s sometimes difficult to separate legitimate apps and utilities from viruses or malware — but there are some highly useful programs available to today’s business owners.

One such program, Encircle, is meant specifically for modern enterprises and highly collaborative environments. According to recent case studies, organizations that use Encircle boast a 65 percent reduction in administration tasks, a 160 percent increase in reporting accuracy, a 250 percent increase in workplace efficiency and more.

There are plenty of applications to choose from, depending on your software needs. Other popular collaboration tools include Skype, SharePoint, Office 365, Yammer, OneDrive and many more.

The Internet of Things

Both the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are gaining a lot of momentum in the 21st century. While the latter is relevant in industrial professions — like manufacturing, construction, mining and fossil fuel production — the generalized IoT has tremendous potential to transform how business owners run their enterprises in the future.

According to top experts in the field, the IoT has four potential benefits for modern businesses, including:

Greater operational efficiency
Better customer service and an improved customer experience
Decreased risk in everyday operations
More business value through new services and programs

Business owners who want to make the most of the IoT will need to collaborate with a knowledgeable and experienced IT team, because the scope of the IoT is too large, complex and involved for one person.

New Marketing Initiatives

The newfound emphasis on collaborative tech is creating some new marketing initiatives, too. Search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) are two methods that draw increased traffic to your website. In this case, SEO ensures your website is accessible via today’s search engines while SEM gives your site a higher rank in any search results.

For even greater effect, business owners turn to social media marketing. Today’s social media portals — including Facebook, LinkedIn and more — are the ideal platforms for testing out new marketing strategies, collaborating with partners and strengthening the overall customer experience.

How Collaborative Tech Benefits Everyone

Although the most obvious benefits of collaborative tech come to those on the frontlines, including IT officials, business owners and the modern workforce, greater collaboration on a professional level ultimately benefits us all.

Today’s customers can demand a level of personalization that wasn’t available five or 10 years ago, and owners can conduct business with their partners through high-definition video conferencing. It truly is a system that trickles down to benefit everyone involved.

Featured image: Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Overcoming Writer’s Block: How to Just Start Writing

May 3, 2018 by Rosemary 1 Comment

Snoopy always started with the infamous phrase, “it was a dark and stormy night.” Perched at a typewriter on top of his iconic doghouse, he never had a blank page.

However, for most of us, that blank page looms every once in a while. You’re writing copy on a deadline, you’re embarking on your own book project, or even writing a blog post like this one, and your brain refuses to communicate words to your fingers. Writer’s block has smacked you in the face. What do you do?

This article will offer some fresh ideas to help you overcome writer’s block and start writing.

Do most of the work before you sit down.

Your brain is a wondrous tool, and it can work out problems best when you’re not actively thinking about them. According to a Carnegie Mellon research project, having a “distractor task” actually helps your brain solve the primary problem. If you’re trying to write on a specific subject, looking for a hook or theme, discipline yourself to think about the assignment before you go to bed (or before you jump in the shower). Then go about your business. If your mind rolls over the assignment, let it, but don’t fixate. Using this method, half of your writing could be done before you type a word!

Take care of the first sentence.

Like Snoopy, you could use a jumping off point that takes the edge off of that empty space. You can even use “it was a dark and stormy night” if you like. Or go to your bookshelf and “borrow” an interesting first sentence (just be sure to replace it once your writer’s block is resolved). Sometimes having the first sentence out of the way is all you need to get going. Another idea is to use an overheard sentence as your creative spark. After all, many of us do our best writing in a coffee shop, right?

You must also develop a system for jotting down those brilliant thoughts when they occur to you (regardless of whether they’re immediately usable). Use Evernote, a paper journal, or your phone’s Notes app to retain phrases, sentences, or topics that inevitably assail you as soon as you’re not trying to write.They can then become jump-off points for your next writing session. I often have 3 or 4 articles in progress at any time, and I use Google docs to organize and flesh out these “article stubs.”

Try a change of scenery or equipment.

Just like an insomniac shouldn’t toss and turn in bed, the blocked writer shouldn’t force herself to sit at the computer screen waiting for an idea. If you typically write at your kitchen table, try going out to a coffee shop. Stuck at home? Listen to coffitivity while you work.

If you always write longhand, try using a computer instead. You need to drastically disrupt the blocked pattern, so do something out of the box. Take your laptop to the beach, record some voice notes, switch up the music you are listening to (or turn off the music completely).

Another way to approach this disruption technique is to change the format of what you’re writing. If it’s supposed to be a blog post, try developing it as a video instead. If it’s a report of some kind, consider creating it as a slide deck. Often we get trapped in writer’s block because the expected structure is too constricting.

Read (and practice) “the Artist’s Way.”

There’s a reason why Julia Cameron’s book has been a global phenomenon for the last 25+ years. One of the key practices outlined in the book is the “morning pages,” three longhand written pages of freeform writing. This is not a journal or a diary, it is intended to be a “mind-decluttering” project. It will teach you to stop censoring your thoughts, which flow to your writing. This self-censoring is yet another reason we get “writer’s block.”. We think “it won’t be good enough,” “I don’t have anything to say,” or “my ideas aren’t special.” Committing to the morning pages routine will help you get out of your own way and get the words flowing again.

For the blocked writer, the most important thing is to stop the mental processes that cause the block itself. Since every person is unique, the solution to each person’s block will be unique as well. Try each of the ideas above, and one of them just may help you get momentum and complete your writing project.

Please share your own ideas in the comments as well!

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who is CEO of Narrative, a new social content platform coming in beta in Q4 of 2018. You can find Rosemary on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Featured image: Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

The Five Habits You Need to Be a Successful Business Owner

April 19, 2018 by Rosemary Leave a Comment

By Kayla Matthews

Success as a business owner entails developing great habits that promote efficiency and productivity, as well as an ability to fairly and effectively communicate. Acquiring these traits is easier said than done, but entirely possible for a motivated business owner seeking success.

Efficient, professional business owners share several habits and traits that contribute to their success, including:

1. Enthusiasm for Local Partnerships

Business owners should play a strong role when partnering with local establishments, which can build local buzz and attract loyal customers. It’s a good idea to strive for exposure that fosters word of mouth exposure, which is what partnerships can accomplish. For example, a Nielsen report found that consumers are 90 percent more likely to trust a brand recommended by a friend.

Local partnerships and engagement can provide personal recommendations, both by using opportunities to connect with new customers and showing a genuine passion for the local community. Owners seeking to have a more prominent presence locally should work on their habits relating to community involvement, specifically outgoingness and openness to partnerships.

2. Learn When to Move On

Stubbornness is not a good trait for business owners to have, especially when it comes to sticking with a particular business strategy that’s not working for too long. A good business owner works on their habits of prudence, especially if they identify key performance indicators and conclude that a specific strategy is not working well.

Similarly, a savvy business owner adjusts with trends in their industry, instead of stubbornly clinging onto relics of the past. Business owners should be progressive and quick-thinking while embracing the learning experience aspect of failure instead of lingering too long on that failure.

3. Opportunistic Drive

Being opportunistic is another habit you need to be a successful business owner. A great way to work on this habit is to set aside time each week to educate yourself on new technologies, in addition to examining emerging trends in your industry.

Although the day-to-day tasks of a business can drain an owner into focusing on the now instead of future opportunities, savvy business owners always take some time to examine new technologies with the potential to save time, reduce operating costs and take the business to the next level.

4. Willingness to Hear Advice

Even very successful business owners can learn something new by speaking to others, from fellow business owners to younger consumers who may provide insight regarding a specific demographic of which the business owner may be unaware.

Business owners that close themselves off to new knowledge and rely fully on their own experiences are likelier to fall behind in their industry. Embracing advice or a mentor figure, in the form of a local mentor or business advisor, can provide additional perspectives that help aid important business decisions.

5. Boost Your Mental Health

Business owners often have a whirlwind of tasks and obligations, which can cause long-term stress that impacts both physical and mental health. It’s a good idea to develop habits that help in boosting mental health.

Eating breakfast is a habit that many overlook, despite breakfast being great for mental and physical health, resulting in improved concentration, enhanced memory and advanced cognitive abilities. Only 33 to 48 percent of Americans regularly eat breakfast, so business owners should strive to ensure they are part of that group by eating a healthy breakfast.

Help Yourself and Your Business

Business owners that aspire to greater success should work on these five habits, which promote quality exposure for their business, in addition to greater opportunities and a better foundation for mental and physical health. The result will be someone running the business who is equipped to handle anything that comes their way.

Featured image: Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash