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What Will You Do for Fame?

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walk of fame
Image via Wikipedia

How far would you go to be famous? If offered a shortcut that would catapult you into stardom, would you take it? Would you change the way you act to fit in to the accepted vision of fame? Would you prioritize your friends and family based on their influence? Would you step on a few toes along the way for the greater goal? How far are you willing to go? Would you distance yourself from your old life to achieve fame and fortune? When the spotlight shines on you will you stand in it alone or share it with those who contributed to the journey?

What would you do for fame?

I am willing to bet that a number of you rejected the self serving, ego-driven behaviors implied by the above questions. You may have even shaken your head as you declared, “No way, not me.” If it’s so distasteful why are you doing it now?

Signs that you may be selling out for fame:

  • You only connect with influencers because your time is too valuable
  • You turn down a guest post on a small blog in favor of one with more visibility
  • You quickly wave everyday but would not recognize the security guard at the front desk of your building
  • There is not enough time in the day so you respond to @ replies from important people but ignore the rest
  • A client heaps praise on you but you don’t mention the contributions of your team reasoning that any praise includes them too.
  • You have not been to a single soccer game or school play in months
  • At work you are funny and engaging but so distant from your family they think you moved out of state
  • Wanting to appear sophisticated you accept the glass of expensive wine offered to you, even though you do not drink. You will hold it all night occasionally taking a sip, no one will know.

While the above signs are extreme there are other subtle ways which we make tradeoffs. We may reason that it Is the price we have to pay but over time it can erode your soul.

In business and life we all have our own unique version of fame. For some fame is a title, for others it is recognition, and still others it may be the outward signs of financial success. It is our version of fame that motives and drives us as we move toward our goals. Those daydreams of “stardom” fuel our forward motion and inspire us to grow, learn and create. Nothing wrong with dreaming of stardom but there are checkpoints along the way, decisions that allow us to choose who we are now and who we will become in order to achieve our dream.

You can choose to relentlessly pursue fame at any cost, shoving others aside as you grab the spotlight or you can pursue a version of fame that doesn’t sacrifice your values or the people around you. What will you choose? What will you do for fame?

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5 Reasons Your Business Needs An Exit Strategy

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Alcatraz - Exercise Yard Exit Door "Saili...
Image by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr

Business owners carefully plot their entry into the market but few spend as much time planning their exit. An exit strategy is as essential to your business plan as knowing what you offer and to whom.

“Every exit is an entrance somewhere else.” — Tom Stoppard

Your exit strategy can impact all of your business decisions. Knowing your destination will help you plot the course.  Service providers and creative professionals especially those with a virtual business very often do not have a good exit strategy particularly at the inception of their business. Yet it is this group that should give even more thought to planning their own exit.

Not everyone desires to build a business empire. There are small businesses and solo professionals that have created their own job and that is more than enough for them. However, a job is simply that and if you don’t plan for the day when you no longer can or want to be your own boss you may find your options limited.

An exit strategy can help you define:

  1. Your branding – are you creating a brand that can be transferred or is it so personalized that it can never be sold or operated by others?
  2. Your operations- Do you have systems and processes that allow you to outsource or expand? Are you creating a scalable business?
  3. Your offerings – Will all of your business income depend on your labor or will you create secondary revenue streams?
  4. Your investment strategy – Are you creating a lifestyle business or a business with equity that you can liquidate, sale, merge or sell stock? If you’re making 7-figures from your lifestyle business you can choose not to grow and invest your money in other vehicles. This however requires long term financial and tax planning.
  5. Your personal financial plan – Knowing when and how you will exit will drive your personal financial decisions. For example, a doctor’s exit plan may result in paying off their primary home, and buying their practice building.

Don’t allow a lack of planning to limit your choices. Make a conscious, well thought out decision that is right for you, your business and your circumstances. And remember the best journeys have a destination but allow for flexibility in how you get there.

Do you have an exit plan? If so, how has it impacted your business? If not, what would help you to formulate one?

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5 Sweet Business Lessons from the Cake Boss

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The Cake Boss is a US Reality Television Show which follows family owned Carlo’s Bakery in New Jersey, as they create amazing cakes. The cakes are unbelievable – a NASCAR race car cake (pictured to the right) built to scale, a cake that looked exactly like a paintball field and even a dog cake for dogs at a shelter. It would be hard not to love a show that’s all about cake. However, there are also some great business lessons beneath the frosting and fondant.

  1. Show your ingredients. The Cake Boss shows us the ingredients that go into making great cakes. We see the process from client consultation to delivery and all of the details in between. Knowing what goes into a great cake (or business process) helps clients to understand what you are really doing for them. It can facilitate discussions about timing, value and the complexity of specialized requests.
  2. Tell your story. Buddy Jr. (The Cake Boss) heads up the design and baking, and frequently talks about learning the business from his now deceased Dad, Buddy Sr.  The company history is so much more than words on a brochure or web page; it is a living piece of all that the team does today. Yes, family owned businesses have a unique position but all businesses have a story.
  3. Share your mistakes. We have seen cakes fall apart, incorrect dimensions and disaster deliveries. So often we are afraid to share what went wrong for fear that it will dampen our credibility. At Carlo’s mistakes are taken in stride, things happen and you fix them.  The team learns from their mistakes and it increases our confidence in them because we know that they can bounce back from mishaps and keep the client happy.
  4. Eat your own cake. Buddy is never ho-hum about his creations. He thinks every cake is “awesome” and his enthusiasm is infectious. The large, extended family also has Buddy and the team bake for every occasion and they put as much love into these cakes as they do for customers. If you won’t eat your own cake, what does that say to your customers?
  5. Buttercream frosted king of the world. Buddy is transparent about his vision for the business. I love knowing that he is always working to improve and grow his business. Don’t be afraid to share your goals with customers. Your desire to be better lets them know that you are still passionate about your business and invested in its continued success.

You don’t need a reality TV show to give your customers a peek behind the curtain. Invite them in and let them see more of your process and your passion. The rewards could be sweet for both of you.

Do you have any sweet lessons to add to the list? Feel free to share them in the comments.

Aging, Relevancy and Branding Tales

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via online.wsj.com

Once upon a time there was brand that defined a generation of professional women. However, after only 34 years, is this brand ready for retirement? It is a question examined in the Wall Street Journal story, “After Targeting Younger Consumers, Liz Claiborne Hits Snag” (read full article at online.wsj.com). It is a fascinating look at a once iconic brand and its failure to age gracefully.

The article details a series of factors that have contributed to the brand’s now shaky position in the market, It is a cautionary tale for up and coming and established brands. When I first read the article, I was struck by how much I had forgotten about Liz Claiborne. Before reading this today, if asked to name clothing lines, this one would never have come to mind.

Liz Claiborne fell out of favor with their market but also with their biggest customer, Macy’s. Couple this with questionable management decisions and you have a brand marching to the graveyard of “used to be big.” The latest move will make it difficult if impossible for the brand to return to its glory days. JC Penney who has aggressively tried to revitalize their brand in recent years may not attract the same audience that once loved Liz.

We can all learn from the Liz story, don’t allow your customers to become bored with your brand. Listen to your market even as you expand to to add new customers and keep it fresh in the marketplace. And if the person leading your company has 11 straight quarters of losses, it may be time to keep the brand but retire the leader.

Posted via email from Marketing, Musings and More from Karen Swim

Facebook Marketing Lessons from a 13 year old

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via allfacebook.com

A 13 year old boy was able to gain 16,000 fans in a mere 96 hours with limited technical skill and a lot of heart. You can read the entire post, How A 13 Year Old Gained 16,000 Fans In 96 Hours here: http://www.allfacebook.com/how-gained-fans-2010-08#

The post is an excellent case use of Facebook but there is more to be learned from this pre-teen’s success. Logan Ludwig set up a Facebook page for his Grandfather who was dying of stage 4 lung cancer. His love and compassion for his grandfather drove him to use a familiar medium to raise money to help his grandfather.

You do not have to be technically astute to successfully capture an audience and have them respond to your call to action but you do have to care about more than your bottom line. Use Facebook and other marketing channels to solve problems for others, or add value and you have conquered half the battle. Your small business may not reach 16,000 fans in 96 hours but you will have a better chance of reaching an audience of people who matter most. Thanks to Logan Ludwig for the reminder that humanity does indeed have a place in social marketing.

Posted via email from Marketing, Musings and More from Karen Swim

Exploring the Heart of Writing

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happy valentines day - pink gerbera with a hea...
Image by Vanessa Pike-Russell via Flickr

Last week, I read a post by Joanna Paterson at MidLife Journal on Facebook in which she distinguished writing with a capital “W “from writing. The phrase resonated with me and I found myself thinking of it, turning it over, and journaling about it.

Joanna wrote:

“…writing doesn’t need to start with a capital W. There’s a role and a place for that kind of writing, of course there is, and I know many of us dream of getting our work ‘out there’, published, and read.

But there’s a whole lot of other writing that isn’t ever going to end up on someone’s bookshelf.” (Writing and Pathways of the Heart)

We all have our capital W writing – business communications, proposals, presentations, white papers, emails and more. It is the writing that is defined by the intended reader. We craft it with carefully chosen words and phrases with the knowledge that it will be read and in essence will be a reflection of our knowledge and talent.

While the capital W writing certainly has its place the professionalism of it can actually get in the way of the words.

Small w writing for me most often happens with a pen. It is “soul writing,” that comes from a place deep within where raw honesty supersedes style and content. My pen functions as a pipeline to my inner being where thoughts, ideas and feelings drain freely onto the page. In this haven of uncensored thought, the inner critic does not exist. There are no rules and thoughts are allowed to shove their way in uninvited even if the result is a page of seemingly fragmented nonsense.

If you have ever written a letter with no intention of sending it, or poured your heart out in a journal then you know the intensity and satisfaction of small w writing.

Some small w writing should remain private, a safe haven where you can work through the inner complexities without over analyzing the content of your message. Yet, I can’t help but wonder how much better we would communicate if we allowed at least a little of this into our public writing. Would we see posts and articles that were passionate and pure? Would we forgive less polished writing for writing that was heart felt and intense? Would we move past convention as we focus on communication?

I am convinced that writing from the soul always has a place whether is it done with a capital W or small w. How about you?

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