Your Small Business Guide

Social Media Blitz

2010-05-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

Wow! It has been an amazing year! The economy has taken us all for a ride, and I have been focusing on my primary business to make sure that all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed.

In the meantime, I have been learning, learning, learning, and putting the tools I have gathered to use with my business. I want to make sure they really work before I recommend them to you. So now, here we go.....

Over the next few months, you'll be seeing an explosion of information here on the Your Small Business Guide Blog and on the Your Small Business Guide website. You'll be amazed at how much you can supercharge your business and your sales through the use of social media, but it's not a get rich quick proposition. Remember, I always say that anyone who offers you a get rich quick idea is fooling you. Success requires work, but it's how you work that matters. I can help with that.

So, here are some social media links you can use to start following me around:

http://twitter.com/veronicarobbins
http://twitter.com/grantgodddess
http://facebook.com/veronica.robbins
http://facebook.comCreativeRR
http://facebook.com/grantgoddess
http://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicarobbins

The Grant Goddess links are for my other business, so you can see examples of how I put the tools to work.

So, keep coming back! I guarantee you, you'll learn more than you thought you could.

Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?

2009-05-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

This post from Generation-Y Start Up walks you through some of the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and illustrates some of them by giving examples of real people who have those characteristics.

Are you a leader? A visionary? Are you confident? Disciplined?

For more information on just what it takes to be an entrepreneur, visit the Entrepreneur 101 page at your-small-business-guide.com.

Time Management Tips from Zenhabits

2009-05-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

This guest post on zenhabits focuses on 3 Ways to Get More Done with the Power of Less.

We all know that focus is a key to high productivity, time management, and excellence. This interesting post gives some specific tips on how to get there.

Choosing How You Spend Your Time

2009-05-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

I just read an interesting post on ShoeMoney about being more productive by cutting the dead weight in your schedule so you can be more productive. O.K., "dead weight" wasn't the word used by ShoeMoney, but this is a G-rated blog, so you'll have to go with it.

The problem is that he defines "dead weight" as including watching sporting events, playing video games, and spending time with friends. I was with him on the TV and video game part, but he kind of lost me on the spending times with friends issue.

Life is all about relationships. Our happiness is dependent often on the quality of those relationships. Time with family and friends is critical for personal, as well as business success.

Don't get me wrong. I totally agree with the spirit of the ShoeMoney post - if you're going to get anywhere in business you need to prioritize your time and manage it well. I have heard lots of people who are not successful whine about not having enough time only to notice that they waste a lot of it by thoughtlessly spending it on frivolous things.

The key here is thoughtlessly. The same sporting event can be a waste of time for one person and well-spent time for another. For example, if you're watching the ball game by yourself instead of taking care of a business-related task, it may be a waste of time for you. On the other hand, if you are sitting with your teenager and using that as an opportunity to talk with him and develop that relationship a bit, that's a very well-spent use of the time for you.

Successful people, and those on their way to success, have to make tough judgments about how to use their time. It is possible to choose people and relationships and still be successful in business. Without having the first, the second is meaningless.

Marketing Your Small Business

2009-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Marketing your small business can be very confusing.

Here are some quick tips about some things that work and some things that don't.

Tips for Staying Motivated When Working from Home

2009-05-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the hardest thing about working from home is staying motivated and on-task.

Here are some great tips for staying motivated (and on task!) when working from home.

Staying Out of Trouble with the IRS

2009-05-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

This article discusses 10 Ways Small Business Owners Get in Trouble with the IRS and how you can avoid getting in trouble with the IRS. It's worth reading.

When Does Marketing Become Unattractive Self-Promotion?

2009-05-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

There's a guy I see on Facebook who is on my "friends" list. Actually, he's a friend of a friend of a friend, and that's how he got on my list. He's constantly posting self-promotional posts about upcoming events he's holding or posts that pitch his services. It's ok. It's unfortunate that he's just pitching, pitching, pitching and never sharing anything about who he really is (because he would get so much more business out of Facebook if he would), but that's his business.

Then he jumped on the bandwagon of this new Facebook fad - creating a fan page for yourself, signing up as your first fan, and then trying to get others to sign up as your fan. I guess he thinks it will be more prestigeous to have a bunch for fans than to have a bunch of friends. Maybe it is. Who knows?

The problem is that his annoying approach of constantly marketing himself in that medium (Facebook) crossed the line to a really unattractive form of self-promotion. Creating a fan page for yourself and then signing up as your first fan - really? You think that's a good marketing approach?

Really good marketing is about establishing relationships. You establish a relationship between yourself and prospective customers or clients. It's not about becoming a celebrity. It's about developing trust.

It's true that name recognition is really good. And it's also true that celebrities can sell a lot of stuff. But there has to be some substance behind it. I don't care what the world of reality TV and overnight celebrity says. Real and sustainable success in business is not about over-the-top self promotion. It's about offering something of value and developing positive and long term relationships with those who can benefit from what you offer.

The number of people who sign up on the fan page you created for yourself really has nothing to do with it.

Making Success Happen

2009-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I run across people all the time who have a long list of reasons why they aren't successful with their business....or their life. It's the economy. It's lack of time. It's the high cost of marketing. It's the lack of balance in their life.

I suppose it would be great if we could just hit a single button and become successful, but then again, if it were that easy, everyone would do it....or would they?

We humans tend to get pretty comfortable with the life we know, even if we say it's not the life we want. We fall into a comfortable routine of doing what we have always done, day in and day out. Sometimes we look at others who have been successful and ask, "Why not me?" And we attribute their success to luck, or who they know, or where they live, or...or....or.... without ever really considering what they are doing differently than we are.

While it's true that they are people who work very hard and never find success (for many reasons), the most common scenario is that if we want success, we need to work for it. We need to do something different. We need to stretch ourselves. We need to look at others who have been successful, and do what they did.

We need to take action.

There are many different actions to take, but the first and most important thing is to do something.

Do something different.

Push the success button. Start with a decision to take action...and then take action.

Now.

Today.

Inspirational Video to Start 2009

2008-12-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

I was checking in on Facebook this morning, and I ran across this great video. It's nicely done....and very inspirational. It made me think about what I want for the next year. The title is "Break Free in 2009," and it challenges us to become what we want to become in this next year.

Take action.

Become a do-er. Be someone who finishes what she starts.

Say goodbye to the past.

Make a change.

Break free from all those negative thoughts that limited you in the past.

Change your life!

8 Marketing Bloggers to Watch in 2009 - by Chris Brogan

2008-12-30T10:35:00.000-08:00

I was trying to find some new marketing blog sites to share with you, so I went to Twitter (as I often do) and I posted the question. before I even got a response, I started searching Chris Brogan's website (one of my favorites), and I found 8 Marketing Bloggers to Watch in 2009.

I found some new ones...and I'm always looking for fresh new ideas. of course, there is so much trash out there that it's really helpful to get some tips about the good stuff. This is the good stuff.

More Business Card Tips...from Seth Godin

2008-12-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

Seth Godin writes the most popular marketing blog in the world. Yes, you got that right---in the world. Since so many people are reading it, you may want to pay attention.

I have written about good uses of business cards several times - here, on the Your Small Business Guide website, and in a few different articles that have been fairly widely distributed. I was perusing Seth Godin's most read blog posts for the last year, and I came across this little ditty about Business Card Mistakes.

Enjoy!

Radio Shows Planned for This Week

2008-12-29T10:02:00.000-08:00

There are two Your Small Business Guide radio shows planned for this week.

The first will air at 10:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday, December 30th - Ten Tips for Jump Starting Your Online Business.

The second will air at 3:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, December 31st - Why 2009 is a GREAT Time to Start A New Business.

You can listen live by clicking on the link below (or elsewhere on this page).

If you miss the live shows, don't worry. You can catch the archived versions by clicking on the same links...and don't forget that the most recent show will always play directly from this page!

Jump Start Your MLM Business in 2009

2008-12-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

This time of year, people start thinking about making New year's resolutions. A common resolution is to refocus on your home-based business. It's not uncommon to start out well, and then flounder several months later. Don't beat yourself up, but don't just it there either.

If you are like many others, you really want to recommit to your mlm business, but you're not exactly sure how you can jump start it again. Where should you start?

Start by reading this page from the Your Small Business Guide website about Jump Starting Your Network Marketing Business. You will undoubtedly pick up some tips that can help you!

Building Your Web Presence by Gaining RSS Subscribers

2008-11-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, the topic of one of my BlogTalkRadio hows was Building a Web Presence. I discussed a bunch of ways you can get your message out there to the world through the web. That show stopped short of really focusing on how to build traffic to your websites, landing pages, and blogs. That topic will absolutely be covered in one of my radio shows soon, but one of the traffic building techniques that many new internet marketers forget is the use of RSS.

When people subscribe to your site(s) through RSS, they are expressing an interest in your site (and in you!) and the likelihood tat they will be back regularly increases dramatically over the more casual reader who simply bookmarks your site. Don't get me wrong, bookmarking is great - and some of the social bookmarking sites can really help you increase traffic to your site or blog - but the daily or weekly return of people who are following what you have to say is really valuable.

DailyBlogTips had a post this week week about 50 Simple Ways to Gain RSS Subscribers. It included great tips, and while some are simple and based on common sense (keep your blog focused, offer email subscriptions, etc.), others are based on experience and research and a re probably not as obvious to newcomers (use a large RSS icon, offer a comments feed, use cross feed promotion, etc.).

There is something there for just about everyone. Even if you are pretty experienced and driving traffic to your sites, sometimes a few reminders can really help.

The Biggest Mistakes People Make on Twitter

2008-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

Mike Smith had a great post this week on The 10 Biggest Mistakes People Make on Twitter. As I read his post, it got me thinking about some of the mistakes I see people make on Twitter...and some of the mistakes I have made myself.

While I certainly agree with Mike's list. Here are a few thoughts of my own about Twitter mistakes:

Forgetting that your are posting to a public forum. I have recently un-followed a few people who are really rude on Twitter. They purport to be business people using Twitter as a marketing tool, but they actually hurt their business reputation by making rude personal comments about others. Nobody likes that. Not in person and not online.
Mixing business, personal, and political messages. Mixing business and personal is one of the things I really like about Twitter. I especially like learning more about the personal lives of some of the business and marketing gurus that I follow. I'm not talking about acquiring stalker level knowledge about their personal lives, but just enough to know they are human. However, in the months leading up to the recent election, some folks used Twitter as a forum to push their political views, which is fine, of course. But if you are developing a business relationship with people via Twitter, do you really think it's wise to post a bunch of obnoxious politically motivated tweets?
Tweeting about your every move. Mike covered this in his post, but it is worth repeating here. The fastest way to get me to hit the un-follow button is to post 30 tweets throughout the day all about every move you make in your personal life. Going to the grocery store now. Picking up my son from school. Taking a shower. Watching Leno. Enough already. Getting to know business associates on a personal level is good, but there is a limit, ya know.
Tweeting private messages to the public forum. This is a common error for newbies (and yes, I have made this error myself). If you want to send a private message, or respond privately, don't use the @+ command (as in @veronicarobbins) that's for calling attention to individual tweeters in the public forum). Use the d+ command (as in d veronicarobbins). That will send your message directly, and privately, to the intended recipient.

Twitter is great. I love it. Use it, but be courteous, ok?

By the way, feel free to follow me and check out some of the great folks I'm following, too.

Learn more about Using Twitter as a Marketing Tool.

Twitter Haiku Contest - Win a MacBook Air!

2008-11-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

How would you like to win a MacBook Air?

Well, copyblogger is hosting a Twitter Haiku contest! If the first prize doesn't thrill you, you might be interested in the second and third place prizes, so click on the link here for details and rules.

And hurry -- submissions will only be accepted until Midnight Eastern Standard Time, Sunday, November 16, 2008

Once Again, It's All About Attitude

2008-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

I have posted about the importance of a positive attitude before. A positive and winning attitude is one of the common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

I was scanning the feeds of my favorite blogs (as I do every day) and I came across this great post about "The Marketer's Attitude" on Seth Godin's Blog.

In it, he writes about what he would be looking for in a marketer. Some of the characteristics he highlights include:

Relentlessly positive (Did you get that? Not just positive, but relentlessly positive.)
Intellectually restless
Charismatic
Self-motivated

Are you the best in the world at something or just good at following directions?

Do you find satisfaction in reaching self-imposed goals?

As I was reading his post, I found myself using his "job description" as a yardstick against to measure my own progress, energy, and behavior.

A little self-reflection can be a very good thing.

The Rebel Woman Show

2008-11-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Consider checking out The Rebel Woman Show. Jann Taber is an experienced and successful public relations specialist and author who has created this television show (viewable online) to help women succeed in business.

The Rebel Woman Show episodes (or, more accurately, "webisodes") are brief (approximately 15 minute) broadcasts featuring successful women and topics of interest for women in business.I met Jann about a year ago as she introduced me to a new business venture.

My experience with her is that she is a woman of integrity, full of energy and commitment to help other women succeed.

Take a peek at her show. I think you'll be glad you did.

List of Internet Marketing Top Blogs

2008-11-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

On Twitter yesterday, I saw a post about a list of the web's best Internet Marketing Blogs, so I took a peek.

I was not at all surprised to see some of my favorites there high on the list, like ProBlogger, Copy Blogger, Dosh Dosh, and ShoeMoney. What did surprise me were the many otters I found there.

So, I spent some time yesterday afternoon subscribing to feeds and reading great writing to my heart's content. I now have a whole new set of ideas to act on right away.

Do yourself a favor and check out some of these great blogs. We can only win by learning from those who have been successful.

And when you learn some things that work for you, share them. That's how it works.

Tips for Twitter

2008-11-03T14:28:00.001-08:00

If you are interested in using Twitter to spread the word about your business, take a look at Darren Rouse's TwiTip site/blog. Darren Rouse is author of the popular ProBlogger blog.

On TwiTip, Darren gives tips about day to establish a successful Twitter presence and how to engage your followers in meaningful and mutually productive conversation.

You'll get even more useful information from Darren by becoming one of his followers on Twitter (while you're at it, follow me, too!)

Tomorrow's Radio Show - All About Mini-Grants

2008-10-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's Tips from the Grant Goddess BlogTalkRadio show will focus on "Getting Started with Mini-Grants." If you have been thinking about getting started with grant writing, mini-grants are a great way to get your feet wet and start to learn the trade. Even if you don't plan on doing much grant writing in the future, but your organization needs some grant funds now, this show can help you.

We'll be talking about the basics you need to know about mini-grants, how to find mini-grant opportunities, and some tips for being successful writing mini-grants.

The show will air at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific time) tomorrow, October 31st. You can access the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Veronica-Robbins.

As always, if you miss the live show, you can catch the archived version right here, or by visiting the BlogTalkRadio link, above.

A Quick Way to Make Your Business Card Memorable

2008-10-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

There are many ways to supercharge the marketing power of your business cards; however, there is one thing you can start doing right now that definitely make your cards more memorable and dramatically increase the likelihood that the person receiving your card will remember you. . .

As you hand your card to someone, grab a pen and write a brief personal note on the card (front is best, back is OK). It can be related to your services or simply a call to action.

Here are some examples of mini-note calls to action:

"Call me!"
"Loved your great idea."
"Let's talk more."
"Thanks for the tips."

Then, be sure to sign your first name. Seeing your name in your own handwriting sends the message to the person later that you are a friend and someone they want to call.

Free & Cheap Marketing Tools for Your Small Business

2008-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's BlogTalkRadio show on Free & Cheap Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business was a huge success! Not only did we have more live listeners than I had hoped for, but the archived version has been accessed quite a bit, too. I have also received some great questions by email from folks since the broadcast. Thanks!

You can access the archived version of the 30 minute broadcast (ad listen over the internet!) by clicking on the BlogTalkRadio link to the right. You can also access other archived broadcasts from there.

Also, if you are looking for inexpensive marketing ideas and you want to read, rather than listen, visit the Really Cheap Marketing Strategies page of the Your Small Business Guide website. I have no doubt you'll find some great ideas there that can help you.

Taking Care of Business

2008-09-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting here at my desk on a Sunday afternoon, taking a few moments away from my tasks for the day to jot a few words down. Why am I sitting here on a gorgeous California Sunday afternoon? Why am I not at the park with my kids, or at home doing any one of a hundred more exciting tasks? Because I have to take care of business. Yes, like anybody else, I have bills to mail, mail to open, records to organize.

Small business owners find it easy to get excited about the sales and marketing part of business. When you make a sale, you see money come in. That's exciting!

Dealing with the paperwork is not exciting. That's why most new small business owners tend to let it go.....and that is a terrible mistake.

Not only can you get caught watching money go out (late fees, penalties and interest to the IRS, etc.) if you don't take care of business, but if you don't stay on top of your financial records, it's very difficult to make appropriate decisions for operating your business.

I struggle with this side of business a lot. I have learned some important lessons the hard way.

This might be a good time to read some articles I have written on staying out of trouble with the IRS. The first one is called 10 Ways Small Business Owners get in Trouble with the IRS. The second is a page from the Your Small Business Guide website that focuses on what you need to know as you start a business.

Do yourself a favor. take a few minutes every day to stay on top of the business side of your business. You'll be glad you did.