Business Advice

3 Keys to Marketing Your Business

Keesha Mayes
Keesha Mayes
'If you build it, they will come', is a false notion that is commonly held by new business owners. It takes considerably more thought and action to find customers, get them to buy what you are selling and keep them coming back for more.

Marketing is crucial to your business bottom line because it takes your services and products to the public. How else will the world know about your delicious muffins or fabulous jewelry line? So hunkering down and making a clear marketing plan is paramount to driving revenue to your business.

A Culture of Mediocrity!

Monday Mover
Comatose...No. But close. Far too many folks are squeaking by through personal efforts enjoying the results of others labor. Quality is wished for but mediocrity is accepted if it passes the dollar generator or WIIFM phrase some seem to love. Don't believe me; look at the last 10 people recently hired. How many are suspects that made it past the HR lineup and have gone on to commit administrative, educational, financial, performance, policy related, or structural crimes that forced you to work twice as hard?

Battle Call

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Battle Call
When facing a compelling goal; it is nearly impossible to remain discouraged. The theme of the movie TROY speaks to 1) the battles we fight, 2) why we fight them, and 3) for whom we fight.

Popularity or Progress

Torin Ellis
I was recently asked this question: When taking over a brand new team, which is most important popularity or progress? I smiled. The term popularity during the 15th century started out as a word that meant least, low, vulgar, and/or of the common people. It took on a new meaning in the late eighteenth century by which time it began to gain a positive connotation. Another example of man manipulating change. The difference is that progress has always meant what it means today.

Watch Your Mouth

Torin Ellis
Torin Ellis
Vivid as if it were yesterday: I remember disappointing my mother in a hurtful way. In short, I was about to exit our green Buick LeSabre with spoke hubcaps and a damaged in dash radio when suddenly I yelled, "I hate my name and when I get older, I'm going to change it!" Angered, Mom reached back, with a Goody brush in hand, and tried to catch my smacker. Thank God she missed! She later explained her anger and the mandate of watching what I said. Trust me. Mandatory. No 1 - 2 - 3 stuff!

In business, the thought of someone smacking you in the mouth rarely enters the mind, but the need to monitor your words is nonetheless important. Perhaps more important in this time of "can't we all just get along," tort, heightened security, tense employee relations, and deranged personalities.

Decide Who You Are Before Deciding What You Will Do!

Francina R. Harrison, MSW
Francina R. Harrison, MSW
Approximately 7 million Americans are unemployed in the United States. Since August 2003, our economy has witnessed severe layoffs, plant closings and overseas relocations for white and blue collar jobs. As a college student you may be wondering, “In this depressed labor market, is it possible to have the “American Dream” and be successful in the workforce and in life?” Absolutely! The proof is in the person. Look at Oprah, Bill Gates, Denzel, Beyonce, Kweisi Mfume, and Sam Walton. They’ve found the way. In a nutshell, they focused on their potential, not the economic indicators. Successful people discovered who they were “before” they decided what they would do. It’s deeper than a job with these folks. It’s about delivering their passion, purpose, personality, and potential.

Surviving Pass Over

Torin Ellis
Torin Ellis
If I were a poet, I would have crafted a slick and instructive metaphor placing you in the value chain of contribution and preparedness. Instead, just enter this reading from the angle of being at the top of your game seeking the next challenge.

Somehow the promotion went to someone you trained or the contract for the gift shop in the brand new hotel went to another firm. Ask [yourself] me the question. What happens if I am wrapped in unwavering volition yet paralyzed by outside influences? My response: One of the hardest periods in a person's professional career is to be denied access and elevation when clearly they are deserved. The rejection is painfully mental; sometimes catastrophic forcing some to curl up in corners, on floors, weeping with dismay.