Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure. – Napoleon Hill

Find joy in everything you do.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases “Content is King” or “Content Marketing” a lot lately. That’s because providing quality content to your customers, fans and followers is more important than ever if you want to be considered an authority in your space. Blogging, social media, email campaigns, and video – so many different platforms that require content. How can you possibly generate good content to fill each of these channels? In today’s episode, I show you some simple tips and tricks that will have you producing an endless stream of awesome content. If you’re like most people, coming up with the content ideas can sometimes be a struggle, but hopefully not anymore after you listen to this episode. I have a lot of great resources to share with you today that should solve this problem.

Here is what’s featured in this episode:

• I answer a listener’s email with real world examples of how to generate good content
• I share 15 tips to create content that your customers will love
• Plus I throw in a couple of bonuses!

Things and links mentioned in this podcast episode:

• Peter Lopez – Certified Business Broker at LA Biz Seller
• Google Alerts
• SmartBrief
• TalkWalker Alerts
• The Great Business Project Tools
• Facebook: The Great Business Project

Thanks again for listening, supporting our show and helping to make it a top business podcast.

If you enjoyed it and found it useful, it would be GREAT if you’d take a few minutes to rate the show on iTunes and leave us a quick review. This will help us spread our message to entrepreneurs all over the world. You can also help us spread the word by sharing this podcast with your friends. Please use the Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+ buttons below.

Also, make sure you don’t miss one single episode. Subscribe for FREE to our show by clicking any of the following links:

Finally, if you’d like to leave us a comment, suggest a topic or ask a question use the comments box below or you can leave me a voice message here. Remember to leave us you name and website in case we use the audio clip in a future episode.

Here’s to your success!

Chip and Dan Heath, in their book Made to Stick, tell a story about Herb Kelleher, former CEO of Southwest Airlines. Kelleher had a simple view of his purpose at the airline. He was there to ensure that Southwest became the unchallenged low-cost leader in its industry, period, end of story. Every decision he made during his tenure had that end in mind.

Once, when talking with a co-worker, he gave an illustration of how his approach worked. In it, a person from marketing told Kelleher that she had done some research on passenger’s meal preferences. Her findings showed that they would prefer a light entrée to the peanuts they were usually served. She suggested chicken salad.

Kelleher’s response to the marketer was to-the-point. He said, “Will chicken salad make us the unchallenged low-cost airline? If it won’t, then we’re not serving any damn chicken salad.”

Kelleher may not have been a fan of chicken salad. But his illustration shows how to deal with one of the greatest threats to any organization: the problem of mission drift. To show how this malady works, consider the following hypothetical scenario.

The Bureaucracy That Wouldn’t Die

Company X was trying to gain market share from its arch-rival, Company Y. To do so, it created a new department and tasked it with examining Company Y’s flagship product, the Cosmic Widget, to find out why it sold so well. The department was called the Bureau of Widgetology, and it was staffed by the best and brightest minds Company X could find. Its workers enjoyed exorbitant salaries and bonuses, and received great recognition throughout the firm.

About six months after the Bureau of Widgetology was formed, the government announced that it was pulling Company Y’s Cosmic Widget off the market, due to links between it and certain types of cancer. Suddenly the purpose the bureau was created for no longer existed. But its workers persuaded Company X’s top brass to keep their department going, by using bribery, flattery, and scare-mongering.

These events occurred in 1953. Company X is still around in 2013, and so is the Bureau of Widgetology. It drains the firm’s resources, while researching a product that has been off the market for 60 years. And Company X is still playing catch-up to Company Y.

The Moral of the Story

No doubt all of us are aware of real-life counterparts to the Bureau of Widgetology. They exist in every field of human endeavor, including academia, business, and government. They survive because leaders ignore what Herb Kelleher was really saying when he deep-sixed his marketer’s chicken salad project years ago.

What he meant was simply this: organizations exist for a purpose. That’s why they create mission and vision statements in the first place. But it’s not enough to just put those principles down in writing. They must guide everything the firm does, every moment of every day. This is the essence of mission-oriented thinking.

Accomplishing this is easier said than done. One of the many things that can derail it is confusing mission-oriented thinking with its first cousin, goal-oriented thinking. This mindset has an ostensibly noble purpose in mind: to ensure that all actions are directed towards a particular goal.

But, as laudable, as it is, goal-oriented thinking has a severe limitation. It cannot ensure that the goal being pursued is in line with the firm’s mission. Going back to our earlier illustration with Company X, the employees of the Bureau of Widgetology had a goal. It was to take care of themselves at all costs. They worked towards this objective with great enthusiasm. But all of their efforts did nothing to enhance their company’s mission.

Incentivizing Mission-Oriented Thinking

Human beings are not selfless. They take jobs because they want things such as camaraderie, recognition, and of course a paycheck. Managers must keep this in mind when structuring enterprises, so that they foster mission-oriented thinking in their employees. This will require great effort, as well as a generous amount of outside-the-box thinking. But, for those who recognize the benefits that mission-oriented thinking can bring to their organizations, the costs pale in comparison with the benefits.

Failure: it can destroy you; or it can make you so freakin’ mad that you work even harder to succeed.

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There’s a very good chance that you are making a really dumb pricing mistake in your business. (For the record… I had been making this mistake too!) In this video Derek Halpern reveals the common mistake and more importantly, how to fix it! This could be worth thousands of dollars for you.

Derek Halpern is an expert marketer and entrepreneur. He’s also the founder of Social Triggers. Rather than explain what Social Triggers does, check it out for yourself: SocialTriggers.com

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Founded in 2010, Blogcast FM is the one stop resource for online businesses and entrepreneurs. With a podcast having more than 70,000 downloads each month, BLOGCAST FM is the most prolific resource of interviews from successful and nationally known business owners, bloggers, online entrepreneurs, and published authors. BLOGCAST FM’s audience includes social media enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, influencers, authors, actors and actresses, PR and advertising agencies, and corporate decision makers. BLOGCAST FM is also popular with bloggers and social media users on well known platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube – which is a widely recognized influential demographic.

You can listen for FREE here:

Believe in yourself. Have faith in your abilities.

Boy does it feel good to be back!!! After a nearly 2 month hiatus, I am extremely happy to be bringing you episode 19 of the podcast. Thank you very much for sticking by me, for caring about my well-being and for encouraging me to keep going. All of the email, calls and messages I received from many of you mean a great deal to me.

In this episode, I fill you in on where I’ve been, why I have been missing in action, and what I learned in the process. I also have my good friend, Srini Rao, joining me as my special guest.

Srini is the founder and host of Blogcast FM, one of my favorite podcasts for entrepreneurs, he’s an author, a master interviewer and a great thinker.  Today he’s joining me to talk about The Small Army Strategy, a concept he’s developed on how to turn your customers, fans and followers into friends for life by actually giving a damn! His book is a powerful read and the concepts work.  I know this to be true because I don’t think I would have survived the last two months in my business without putting some of these concepts to work in my own life.j

Thanks again for all of your amazing support! I am blessed to have a community like the one I have.

Here is what’s featured in this episode:

• An update from me on where I’ve been and why I had been missing in action for 2 months
• A chat with my good friend Srini Rao about life, philosophy, business and giving a damn!
• Why I think Srini is the modern-day Plato
• A preview of some of what I have in mind for future episodes
• and a good dose of inspiration!

Things and links mentioned in this podcast episode:

• Blogcast FM – Podcast for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs
• Srini Rao – Author, Speaker, Blogger, Master Interviewer and Modern-day Plato
• The Small Army Strategy Book
• The Skool of Life – Life Lessons from One Smart Dude
• The Great Business Project Tools
• Facebook: The Great Business Project

Thanks again for listening, supporting our show and helping to make it a top business podcast.

If you enjoyed it and found it useful, it would be GREAT if you’d take a few minutes to rate the show on iTunes and leave us a quick review. This will help us spread our message to entrepreneurs all over the world. You can also help us spread the word by sharing this podcast with your friends. Please use the Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+ buttons below.

Also, make sure you don’t miss one single episode. Subscribe for FREE to our show by clicking any of the following links:

Finally, if you’d like to leave us a comment, suggest a topic or ask a question use the comments box below or you can leave me a voice message here. Remember to leave us you name and website in case we use the audio clip in a future episode.

Here’s to your success!

As a small business owner — and a successful one to boot — you haven’t gotten where you are by sitting on your duff and waiting for new customers and accounts to fall in your lap. Acquiring new business requires proactive pursuit of clientele using investment strategies that are designed to penetrate new markets and maximize returns. Whether you plan to extend your business to tackle a new niche, build a secondary location or crossover into the world of Internet sales, expansion is no different than a start-up — it requires growth capital.

Fortunately for you, as a small business owner, finding the cash to grow the next phase of your business is not completely contingent upon your personal bankroll or your relationship with investors. Instead, you have a powerful force on your side called the Small Business Administration; and it’s currently backing tens of millions of dollars worth of small business loans every single day. In 2011 alone, the SBA backed a record-setting $30.5 billion in small business loans, placing the administration unpredictably close to its loan approval limits established by congress for the fiscal year. In other words, the SBA isn’t being stingy with its money-backing power, and you have an opportunity to make that munificence work to your advantage.

What is an SBA Loan?

Let’s just get one thing out of the way: The Small Business Administration does not lend money to business owners, and unless you are preparing to delve into the world of combustion energy research or planetary biodiversity (yeah, probably not), you probably are not going to be scoring any big grants anytime soon. That said, what the SBA is capable of is guaranteeing a portion of the value of a small business loan that you obtain independently from a private lender. That backing makes your perceived risk to the lender much lower, improving your chances of not only securing a loan, but also of acquiring the amount you need to successfully grow your business.

Expanding with a 7(a) Loan

The SBA has several types of loan programs, all of which have varying purposes. One loan in particular, the 7(a) loan, is popular with business owners who are preparing to expand. Put simply, a 7(a) loan was designed for borrowers who need capital to finance an expansion in its most comprehensive form. You can use the money from a 7(a) loan to purchase or construct a new business, as well as purchase inventory, equipment, fixtures and supplies. You can even use 7(a) funds as long-term working capital, which is merely a fancy way of saying you can use the money you borrow to meet payroll and other accounts payable. The SBA will back your loan up to 85 percent if it is less than $150,000. Loans that exceed that threshold may receive up to an 85 percent backing. In fact, you can receive up to a $5 million loan with a 75 percent SBA backing.

Unlike some other SBA loans, 7(a) loans have negotiable structures and terms. However, you must be prepared to help fund at least 10 percent of your expansion capital with equity from your business, though many lenders require more. If you are approved for a loan, you can expect a variable interest rate (although some lenders offer fixed rates), as well as extended repayment terms of up to 25 years depending on the purpose of your loan.

What you’ll need to qualify for a 7(a) loan:

• At least two years of financial statements
• Some personal equity your business.
• Annual sales less than $750,000 to $33.5 million (limits determined by industry)
• Fewer than 100 to 1,000 employees (limits determined by industry)

There is one caveat — you must be willing to back your loan with enough collateral to secure both the interest and principle on the balance. If you are using 7(a) funds to purchase tangible equipment and property, the loan is self-secured. If, however, you choose to use your loan for non-liquidable purposes, you’ll need enough business or personal collateral to protect the lender from default.

Applying for an SBA Loan

If you are ready to take your business to the next level, the SBA may be able to help. If you are interested in 7(a) Loans or would like to explore some of the other SBA-backed loan programs, contact your nearest Small Business Administration district office or visit the SBA online at SBA.gov.

You either have the things that you want or the reasons why you don’t.

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Social Media has changed the business landscape forever. If you think that it’s just a fad, think again! Companies that fail to embrace social media in a meaningful way may not be around in two years time. It’s not about economics anymore. It’s about “socialnomics.” Think we’re exaggerating? Just look at the stats. This video produced by Erik Qualman, author of socialnomics: how social media transforms the way we live and do business, explains why social media simply can’t be ignored.

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The Entrepreneur On Fire podcast is designed to provide you with a fresh dose of inspiration from today’s most exciting and successful entrepreneurs.  Every day, the show’s host, John Lee Dumas, takes you on a journey that discusses the failures, obstacles, and challenges each spotlighted entrepreneur has faced. He gets them to open up about their AHA moment and the actions they took to turn that moment into the success they have today and what is currently exciting them most about their business. Every show ends with a very popular “Lightning Round” that features 5 insightful questions that draw incredible advice from the guest entrepreneur.

Listen for FREE here:

Be the change you want to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

― Ernest Hemingway

The journey of an entrepreneur has its downs and its ups, its dark moments and its exhilarating times. But regardless of where we find ourselves in this journey, one thing is certain: We wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world! Neither would the 400 or so entrepreneurs who gathered to share ‘why’ they’re entrepreneurs for this collaborative film project produced by BIZNIK.com, an online networking community for micro business owners and solopreneurs.

Animoto

5 Ways to Keep It Pinteresting

High-resolution Photos

Recognize the importance of a high-resolution photo, but also note that the description of the pin is equally important. People are more likely to be attracted to your pin if the photograph is interesting and relevant, but the description is what helps your business show up in the search results. When you use search engine optimization techniques in your pin descriptions, you will help increase your visibility online. Don’t forget to include your business location to help you reach local customers who might be searching for your services.

Variety

Pin a variety of different items, including blog posts, photographs and videos that are related to your business. Many people mistakenly assume that Pinterest is only for pretty photographs, but you can also pin info graphics, blog posts and videos. Your followers will be pleased to have an easy spot to locate all of the information they need about your business, and the more varied pins you have the more interesting your pinboards will be.

Pinboards

Create a pinboard that customers can pin to themselves. These are called guest pinboards, and they allow your customers to pin items that they find that they think are relevant to your overall mission and business ideas. This encourages customers to interact with your business, and the more they interact with your business on social networking sites the more business they are likely to do with you. It’s important to approach your Pinterest account more like a regular person and less like a business owner, given the casual tone and nature of this social networking platform.

Pinterest Button

Add a Pinterest button to your business website. Customers who come to your website looking for information or hoping to make a purchase will then instantly realize that you have a presence on Pinterest as well as other social networking sites. When you add a “Pin It” button to pages with your products, customers can easily pin your products to their own personal pinboards. You never know what useful item might go viral on the site, which has a specific search function for gifts. Include the “Pin It” button in many different areas of your website so people can easily save the information they find, and come back to it later.

Follow

Follow as many pinboards as possible. Like Twitter, the more pinboards you follow the more people you will reach. Typically when you follow a person’s board, they will follow your board in return. Consider following people’s boards that are related to your specific area of business. You might also want to follow the boards of other local businesses in the area. As local customers are browsing their pinboards, they might see your Pinterest account and recognize you as another local small business. Remember that “liking” a pin is considered an endorsement of sorts, so don’t forget to interact with your Pinterest followers in that way as well. It helps you to stay visible and relevant on this social networking site.

STOP being afraid of what could go wrong and focus on what could go right.

Be Inspired, Join the Movement, Pay It Forward.

HOLSTEE.COM

Touch

Have you ever wasted time searching for someone on Facebook you met the day before?  Did you meet a professional at an event but forget to ask for his or her LinkedIn information?  In that respect, networking can sometimes be challenging. SociaLink solves this problem! This app simplifies the way you send or receive friend requests and follows on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram while meeting someone in person. By simply clicking “Link” on the app, Bluetooth will recognize the phone of the person to whom you are trying to connect.  Choose the user you’d like to be friends with, select the networks you would like to connect on, press connect, and all respective friend requests and follows will be sent! It is that simple! Never miss an opportunity to expand your network again! www.SociaLinkApp.com

 
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Do you ever wonder what millionaire entrepreneurs know that you don’t? Finally, you can find out…Every week, on Eventual Millionaire, Jaime Tardy interviews a successful millionaire and dives deep into their mind, revealing EXACTLY what patterns have made them so successful. Get access to 70+ success interviews absolutely free at www.EventualMillionaire.com. If you’re on the move, listen and subscribe to her podcast for FREE.

Lose yourself. Win the game! – Sara Blakely

Free can be one of the most powerful business tools you can use. How you ask? Don’t worry, I had exactly the same question as we settled in our seats recently at the New Media Expo presentation given by our good friend Pat Flynn. Then he proceeded to blow us away with an incredible presentation that built a great case as to why FREE works for business. While this was geared towards online businesses, we can all apply these strategies to any business.

Still don’t think it can work for you? Pat averages $50K per month in income while giving everything away for FREE! Do I have your attention now? Here’s Pat’s presentation…

One of the most common questions we get every month is,”How do you record the interviews that you include in the magazine?” Well, I’m about to let you in on that little secret!

Even though it looks like we spend hours producing those videos (including the ever popular split-screen view), it’s actually a rather simple procedure thanks to 3 pieces of software for your Mac*. This can all be done for a little over $100. Here’s what you need

Skype

Skype allows you to make video calls for FREE all around the world.

Ecamm Recorder

Completely automatic call recorder for Skype which includes split video utility.

Screenflow for Mac

Powerful, easy-to-use screen casting software for your Mac. Easily record, edit and share the contents of your screen.

*PC Users can use Skype, Camtasia and Pamela Recorder for Skype

When people think of ethical blunders, Fortune 500 companies and Wall Street executives normally spring to mind immediately–think Enron, AIG, Coca Cola. The truth is, making ethical decisions is imperative for every business of every size.

Unless you lost more sleep than you gained, sacrificed cheering on your little leaguer for late night service calls or skipped too many family vacations for a quick buck in a temporary business scheme, you are probably interested in growing your business. That is what business consultants call sustainability.

All too often small business owners think that following labor laws and treating their customers with respect is enough. That mindset is like comparing a dripping faucet to a swollen Mississippi River after a torrential summer rain–not even close. Ethics is more than just following a few regulations.

If you took any ethics classes in high school or college you can probably still hear the instructor saying, “In the absence of your own ethics plan, financial ethics will automatically guide your company policy”.

Every business venture is designed to make money. How that business produces the revenue and what the business does with the profit is where ethics comes into play.

So what is ethics and why does it matter?

Depending on who you ask, you could get many different answers. Most people agree that ethics revolves around how you conduct yourself and how your actions affect others.

As an entrepreneur, that means considering everyone from your core employees to the tax man before you make business decisions. It also includes your customers, the community where you live, your family and investors–just to name a few stakeholders.

From a management viewpoint, how you act ought to match up with not only what your employees hear, but what they see. For example, if you are always preaching honesty, but you are paying part-timers cash under the table to avoid having to file 1099′s, don’t be surprised if they are padding their expense accounts.

Another example is the boss that claims he has an open-door policy, but explodes every time someone comes in to discuss a problem or pitch a new idea. You have heard it, “Do what I say, not what I do”, but in an “ethical” business setting that won’t fly.

Why does it matter? Think back to the scenario with your employees. If your values seem to change directions every time the wind does, how can your staff ever relax enough to get their jobs done?

Keeping employee morale high is a sure-fired way to save money on training, replacement and sick-time expenses. Good for the business–good for the workers. Happy employees produce happy customers and happy customers come back for more.

What Does An Ethical Decision Look Like?

An ethical decision is clearly based on a set of values. Relying on your own personal values you can make reasoned decision for every area of your business plan. Your social policy will impact the four major areas listed below.

• Assessing and controlling risk management: avoid conflict and lawsuits.
• Improving internal and external company functioning: build solid relationships with employees and vendors.
• Establishing yourself in a prime marketing position: Protect your brand and market share.
• Creating or maintaining a strong civic and community position: Think charity and civic duties, like paying your taxes on time.

Six Steps for Ethical Decisions

1. Define the Issue

2. Identify your stakeholders

3. Consider alternatives

4. Compare your options

5. Make a Decision

6. Watch and learn from your outcomes

Effective Leaders are not Necessarily Ethical Leaders

Before you think that a second look at your company ethics isn’t necessary, ask yourself what you want to accomplish through your business. If you are in it for the “long-haul”, you should choose an ethical management style over effective management every day of the week.

A manager with a big stick, charging around the break room threatening to fire everyone in sight might be very effective at getting results in the short-term. Sweatshop tactics won’t work for very long, though and your reputation in the community will suffer–remember those customers out there.

An ethical approach considers the bottom line and the broader picture simultaneously. Does ethics matter? Most definitely.

While most people dream of success, WINNERS wake up and work hard to achieve it.

Caine Monroy is a 9-year old boy who spent his summer vacation building an elaborate DIY cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store. This is the incredibly inspiring story of his journey as a young entrepreneur.