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Getting the Most Out of Learning Opportunities with #Workhacks

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Raise your hand if you have ever had conference brain? After a conference you are brimming with ideas and have a long list of things that you want to try, implement or learn more about. I don’t know about you but I often come down from the conference high, and land back in the real world with deadlines to manage, campaigns to organize and clients to please. I may get to one or two things on the list but far too often that list become one more of my kids with no shoes.

Overwhelmed

Overwhelmed (Photo credit: Walt Stoneburner)

Last week I attended the first ever Solo PR Pro Summit. It was an amazing event with a great lineup of speakers. The information shared was too valuable to languish in the “land of knowledge never applied” so I decided to try a different approach.

Post conference I started my day off with the #workhacks idea presented by Sarah Evans. As someone who was a Six Sigma trainer I truly appreciate efficiency improvements that are repeatable and help you reproduce the same high quality results in less time. The idea of #workhacks is to get more done in less time by strategically automating tasks and centralizing workflow to one hub.

My first workhack was to set up an account with Tracky which would function as my centralized hub for projects, ideas and status updates. Tracky will take time to really use effectively but is one of those hacks that has immediate payoff.

I cannot possibly implement everything I learned at the summit so made a prioritized list of tips that I could begin hacking away at over the next several months. I used Tracky to set up tips as tracks with links to the accompanying presentations and other resources that will help me work my way through putting insight into action. I can track my progress, and break up larger tasks into milestones. I can also add people to each track. This allows me to add subcontractors, subject matter experts or accountability partners to each specific project.

By using a project management approach, I am treating myself like a client (thanks to Heather Whaling for the reminder on this one) with a commitment to work on and not just in my business. The bonus is that I also have a personal development plan for the year to keep me growing, learning and becoming an even greater resource for clients.

How about you, do you have workhacks that help you to be more productive?

 

Think Big, Act Practical

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bunny_slippers 006
Image by cinnablythe via Flickr

In part 2 of my interview with  Solo Business Coach and Entrepreneur, Trish Lambert she tells all about her Fuzzy Bunny Slipper Contest and the lessons learned in putting together the promotion. If you missed Part I, you  can read it here.

Contests can be a great marketing tool for solo and small business owners. It’s a fun way to promote your business while giving something of value to your community. So Trish, tell us about your contest?

I have wanted to find a way to really celebrate solo business owners for some time. We should be proud of ourselves for what we achieve and how committed we are.  So I conceived the Fuzzy Bunny Slipper Contest (named after one of the elements of the Success in Sweatpants logo). It asks entrants to submit a photo and an essay that answers the question, “Why are you a solo business owner?” in a creative and interesting way. To make the effort of preparing a submission worthwhile, I’ve put together a great prize list that includes: 64G  iPad  (Grand prize), networking Blu-ray disc player(2nd prize) , and a Flip HD Mino videocam (3rd prize) . There is also a bunch of business building products and programs in each prize level, courtesy of our expert panel: Donna Amos, founder of International Association of Solopreneurs; Peter Bowerman, The Well Fed Writer; Mike Michalowicz, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur; Adam Urbanski, The Marketing Mentor and Denise Wakeman, The Blog Squad.

Submissions are open until October 19. Then the entrants need to kick into high gear and get everyone they can to vote for their entry. The 12 entries with the most votes will be passed on to an impressive panel of judges, who will select the winners.

How can people enter?

Go to the Success in Sweatpants page on Facebook and go to the “Contest” tab if you have already landed on it. “Like” the page to get access to the opt in box. Fill this in, and you will get directed to the contest entry page.

Can you share some of the things you have learned from running this contest?

I am learning a lot with this contest. One thing is that you  need  to be prepared to launch a very aggressive promotion campaign.  By “aggressive” I don’t mean “in your face.” I mean that promotional activities need to start well ahead of the contest (a month is not too long a time frame) and they need to continue at a high volume every day once it is launched. I have been amazed at how much promotion is needed to get noticed by people.

Another thing is certainly thought-provoking for me. You know how we are told all the time that we need to think big, go beyond our comfort zone? I think I need to come up with an edited version of that…something along the lines of “think big, act practical.” This contest is definitely a result of big thinking: photo PLUS essay, popular vote PLUS judging panel, “sexy” prizes. And in addition, I plan to create an ebook of all the entries and a 2011 calendar of the 12 finalists. If I had it to do over again, I would have scaled this down quite a bit. Perhaps just a photo contest, with winners selected by popular vote, because I have found  that making it as big as I have has also added layers of complexity, both for me and for the entrants. I promise you that the 2011 Fuzzy Bunny Slipper Contest will be much simpler!

Any other words of wisdom for solos?

It is so very important to remember why you started this journey, because going solo is always a challenge. Always.  Sometimes the challenges are small, and sometimes the challenges loom above us. Progress can seem slow, results elusive, tasks disorganized.  And there are simply those days where nothing is right, you wonder why you went out on your own, and thoughts of spiffing up your resume and going back to the old way flash across your mind.

Remembering why you are flying solo is your anchor any time the going gets tough. When you are in the middle of one of those big challenges, getting in touch with the real reason for all this will help you get through.

And celebrate yourself. You achieve more in one day than three people do back in the corporate world, and you need to stop and acknowledge that from time to time. It takes courage and commitment to be a solo business owner, and we need to keep remembering that!

Well said Trish, thank you!

Do you have promotion or small business questions for Trish? Please feel free to add your thoughts or questions in the comments. Don’t forget to enter the contest and please tell your friends and colleagues!

Trish Lambert is a solo business coach and entrepreneur. Her coaching helps solo business owners to stop spinning their wheels and produce the right results in  their business. A fervent believer in no gimmicks, just RESULTS, she helps solos to move  forward toward their goals.

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Gratitude, Link Love and Cartwheels Friday

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Thank you *
Image by rustman via Flickr

It has been quite a week! I busted through so many comfort zones that I am officially in a new zip code. Thanks to all of you for making this an exceptional week. At every step you were there letting me know that it was safe to fall, stumble and yes, even succeed!

It’s Friday and in the U.S. the start of a long holiday weekend. Yahoo! Our weather is lovely and I plan to savor every second of these last few days of summer.

Before I cartwheel into the sunshine, I wanted to share a few things that tickled my fancy this week:

Kickin’ it..Sharpie Style. I found this blog while trolling for a summer art project (okay technically it wasn’t supposed to be an all summer long project but I procrastinated!) and loved it! It’s fun to read about all the ways you can use a Sharpie but it’s also a pretty nice use of social media.

Starbucks 15th Avenue. The rise and fall and change of  Starbucks could fill several business books. The brand continues to make curious steps as it strives to rebuild in a tumultuous economy. This post examines their latest brand adventures. Hit or miss? I’d love to hear your take.

The Big List of Social Aggregators. You know how you want to not only post but grab updates from multiple sites at once? Well there’s a tool for that! This is a great reference list for anyone who has more than one social media account.

My Linking Power Forum. If you’re not up for twitter or Facebook, or you simply long for a more intimate setting where you can share resources and ideas, you will love this forum. It’s one of my favorites, and it is a place where I have met many of the wonderful people I now connect with in other places.

Battling the Demons of Doubt. As you read, you will find yourself cheering for our heroine as she silences the demons of doubt. Emma is brilliant writer who is wicked funny and filled to the brim with heart. Dash over and tell her I sent you. 🙂

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I’ll see you next Tuesday!

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Easing into August

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Written by Karen D. Swim

I am sitting in my office on what could be described as a perfect summer evening. August has arrived and with it the heat that has eluded us all year. The sky is clear and there is a peaceful stillness. Even the bugs seem to be moving at a slower pace in an attempt to conserve their energy.

It is the kind of night that makes you want to just sit back and enjoy friends and family, take a dip in a pool, lake or creek (or “crick” as I heard someone say recently) and laugh until it’s so dark you can’t see your finger in front of your face.

I found myself singing an old Gershwin tune and I wanted to share it with you all.  This is the beginning of the end of the summer here, and I hope you take some time to just savor and enjoy.

Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning
There ain’t nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
Summertime – Lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your ma is good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re going to rise up singing
Then you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But till that morning
There ain’t nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by
Summertime,
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush little baby
Don’t you cry
As I listened to these two legendary artists, it reminded me of those who cannot hear the music in these videos. The deaf and hard of hearing also do not have access to online news videos and other videos with words that are only spoken and not captioned. But we have an opportunity to change that. There is a bill to make access available to all of our friends on the net. You can read it about it  here and if you’re on Facebook you can join the Caption Action 2 Cause.

Wednesday Links, Laughs and Loves

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Written by Karen D. Swim

It has been quite a week! I don’t know about you but I’m all for celebrating the half-way mark. For me it has been a week of being sifted and shaken from every direction. I wish I knew a great joke to share with all of you (come to think of it I could use a good joke in which er you know I’m not the butt of it, got any?), but instead let’s check in with the web happenings of the week.

Stacy Lukasavitz shared a great link this week on rap artist Eminem’s integrated marketing campaign. Like Stacy, I’m not a fan but read with interest how his marketing team is using traditional, social media and multimedia to promote his latest album.  Give it a read and let me know your thoughts – weird or brilliant?

Kelly Erickson snags an interview with the author of When Growth Stalls,  Steve McKee. Learn how Steve failed his way to success. Great insight and takeaways that we can all use.

Joanna Young returned from her spectacular writing retreat in Sardinia and pondered how to hold on to that balance. It is a timely, thought provoking piece as many of us attempt to pursue writing dreams, while funding our lives.

…and if you’re up for some great e-book reads, head over to Smashwords and pick up Flashy Fiction by George Angus and Poke it with a Sharp Stick by the man with the big hat and even bigger heart, Robert Hruzek.

How about you? Did you read, hear, see anything interesting, inspiring or just plain wild?

Lazy or Creative?

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A hand-drawn mind map
Image via Wikipedia

Written by Karen D. Swim

Oh My Gosh! I just climbed out from under my rock and realised I have not updated this since people stopped clapping and Tinkerbell died… You would not believe how good I look after all the plastic surgery. Dudes!.

I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english with learning to play lawn bowls, choosing my retirement village, just generally being the life of the party to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day is a magical flight from 8am to 11pm at which point I fall asleep on the couch. I am totally loving it, dudes. life happens.

I won’t promise anything to you but I will write something that makes sense soon. Seriously! Seriously?.

By this point, you may be scratching your head wondering if I am out of my head or on medication. The silly post above was generated using the Lazy Bloggers Post Generator. I could have chosen any multitude of options.

I have lots of posts, stories and ideas but thought it would be fun to try new creativity techniques and happened upon this little tool.  Brainstorming and idea generation can lead to breakthroughs in thinking. The process of allowing free thought without censure can help you to move past blocks caused by rational thought. It is also a great way to keep your mind young and your perspective fresh.

How do you keep your thinking fresh? What is your favorite brainstorming technique?

If you’re in the mood for a little brainstorming, try these resources:

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