Book Review: Six Pixels of Separation

This book by Mitch Joel focuses on the power of blogging and podcasts. Even though the book was
published five years ago, and there is some outdated references to social media, blogging is still relevant today. As with any online medium, content is still king.

In the book, Mitch gave many anecdotes with the success of his blogs and podcasts. One success story in particular connected two people in a town in Australia as they were both connected to his podcast. Although I don't listen to podcasts, they are still going strong and are being consumed.

I prefer to go straight to YouTube and I think this year, many businesses are going to be integrating YouTube into their social media mix. YouTube videos are now easily accessible with your mobile phone as podcasts once were with your ipod.

As technology, social media and online conversations continues to evolve, videos, blogs and podcasts will be part of this evolution. No matter what though, content will continue to be king!

Get Cash Back This Holiday Season

Now that you've come down off your turkey coma, it's the first day of December which means holiday gifts for your clients should be on your to-do list. As you're perusing the plethora of holiday catalogs that have made their way to your mailbox, make sure you're taking advantage of discounts.

1. Ebates - no matter which store you're going to purchase from, sign up for a free profile on Ebates. Since this summer alone, I have already earned $90 cash back just from online purchases I've made. All you do is go to Ebates, search for the company you're going to make a purchase from and it will say how much cash back you can earn when you use their click-through links. You can even search for a product and Ebates can direct you to retailers that have partnered with Ebates.
2. Retail Me Not - This website is a goldmine for coupon codes. Anytime I make a purchase online, I check here first to see if there are any discounts on the site I'm shopping. Why pay extra money when you don't have to pay extra money? 
3. Groupon Goods - You may be able to find the perfect gift for your client (or family member) on Groupon Goods. They are separated into categories and are even searchable based on your needs. Everything is discounted and even gift baskets are even sold on Groupon Goods.  

No matter what tools you decide to use, choose gifts that are appropriate for your recipient. And don't forget to check out the aforementioned websites to save yourself and your business some cash.

If I were to own _______, I would do this.

After having an experience or after discussing a business with friends and family, I often think about what I would do to make it a better business. Since I do this more frequently than I should admit, I thought it would be great content for this blog. You'll probably notice throughout this and future posts the theme of making the customer experience fantastic.

Today, I went to get my nails done - a basic manicure and pedicure at a place that only does nails. It was my first time using this nail salon, but it was in a newer upscale shopping area and their website looked very professional. I ended up in a chair where the massage function was broken. For me, that is the majority of the reason I get a pedicure, but they didn't offer to change me seats or reduce my price. There was also some communication issue with me and my nail technician (multiple times). I had some questions about the difference in the different types of pedicures and she didn't understand, which could have been a missed upsell opportunity.

As I was sitting there, my mind began to wander as to what I would do if I were to own a nail salon. Well here's what I would do:
1. Make the place warm and inviting (which this nail salon had).
2. Have one of the daily pre-open tasks to make sure all machines are functioning and all equipment is clean. (This nail salon had a technician with some down time using WD-40 on some freshly cleaned nail equipment right next to two customers. Sorry - I don't think something is clean after you spray WD-40 on it.)
3. Have all of my nail technicians speak and understand English very well. You don't have to be American, but if you can't communicate with customers properly, then the customer's experience is diminished.
4. Hire a receptionist so one of the nail technicians isn't taking calls while he's working on someone's manicure. That person could also offer guests beverages, help move people from station to station and take payment while the nail technician's are focused on their art.

I probably won't be going back to this salon, but most of these are easy things to implement and could have really improved my customer experience. As far as nail salons go, I was super impressed by their decor and selection of nail polish colors and types, but that can't overcompensate for language barriers and the cleaning practices of a business like this.

Turn Off Your Electronics

I recently went on a family vacation out of the country and was forced to turn my phone off, travel without a computer and cut off all ties to the electronic world. This meant taking careful preparation to make sure everything was covered. The first day I was thinking about stuff I needed to do when I got back and I had to consciously stop myself. Here are some tips when you decide to take a vacation away from electronics.

1. Realize the work world doesn't stop because you are unavailable. (That was one of the hardest things for me.)
2. But you can prepare to be out by finding backups for all of your necessary responsibilities, especially if you run social media profiles.
3. Make sure your out-of-office (for all email accounts you run) is set-up and says you won't be available by email or cell.
4. Don't tempt yourself by bringing any paper work or business-related items. (I did bring Forbes mixed in with my Glamour magazine.)
5. Relax and enjoy the things outside of work. That may be the beauty of your surroundings, your family, whatever it is - enjoy being away from your office or work.
6. If you can't seem to do number 5, take a couple deep breaths and reread number 1.

Congrats Class of 2013, Now Go Get a Job! - Part II

You've cleaned up your online persona, you've written a clear and succinct resume and customized a cover letter to each position you're applying for. You've been called by a prospective employer and you have an interview coming up. Now the real work begins!

Do some research - Google your prospective company. Make sure you understand their products and services and check out any news or industry rankings. develop some questions to ask about a specific thing you've seen during your research.

Be able to answer "easy" questions - You may think that "Tell me about yourself" is something you can answer very easily, but that really is a tough question. You could end up rambling or you could end up divulging too much of yourself that you didn't intend to. With every question you answer, make sure that you're giving them an insight to the personal and professional you; a balanced individual that is able to perform the tasks required for the job.

Leave your emotion at the door - I've been sitting in an interview when an interviewee is on the verge of tears because they feel they need a job so bad. Even if you've had a string of bad luck, don't let your emotions get in the way of nailing an interview. Interviewers want to see personality not your baggage. (Side note: the interviewee found employment shortly after with another company.)

Bring a copy of your resume and portfolio, if appropriate - They may have a print out, or they may not. Better play it safe and have multiple copies of whatever you have to highlight yourself. It's very easy to ask how many people will be in the interview so you can have an appropriate number of copies. If you have a portfolio, bring a copy of it on a flash drive that you can leave behind.

SEND A THANK YOU NOTE - Even though the parting handshake may be the last impression you leave with a future employer, you must send a thank you note. Typically an email thank you will suffice, especially if they say they'll be making a decision quickly. If you don't send one, it will be noticed; and not in a good way.

Last, but not least, take a deep breath and practice in front of a mirror, a spouse, a trusted friend, or even fido. Make sure you, and whomever you're practicing with, likes what you see.

Good luck!

Leaving That J-O-B

Since I'm now fully focused on my marketing communications business, I have had many people tell me that they are thinking about working for themselves as well. They ask me for any tips or things to think about before they take the plunge and leave their full-time J-O-B.

1. Calculate what you need to make as a contractor to cover things like insurance, retirement, vacation and sick days. One of the things I forgot to calculate was vacation and sick days. Yes, I can take a day off whenever I want, but I forgot to add that into my hourly contracting rate.

2. Talk to your financial advisor. Make sure they give you an opinion on your proposed hourly contracting rate and that you're set-up for things like insurance, retirement, etc.

3. Hire a tax professional. Yes, it's an extra expense, but you need to do it. They will be able to help you answer questions you have about running your own business including the best form of business (S-Corp, C-Corp), what you can deduct, what percentage of your home is included as part of your office space, and paying quarterly taxes. Plus they stay up-to-date on current tax laws which may help you even further with your taxes.

4. Pay quarterly taxes! Normally with a full-time J-O-B, you are withholding money throughout the year that will count towards your end of the year tax payment. It will be easier once you know what you should be withholding the first quarter so you know what to expect for the rest of the year.

5. Remember that working from home still requires you to work. I work out of my home office and the first month that I was working for myself, I couldn't make the hours that I needed. Because I was home during the day, it became my responsibility to run errands that were normally taken care of outside of business hours. Just because you work from your home doesn't mean you can't work. Make sure to prioritize what needs to be done so you can still get your work done.

6. Your paycheck won't come twice a month. Working for yourself typically means billing on a monthly basis. Now you can write a contract with whatever terms you want, but typically companies bill once a month, which means you get paid once a month. Work you are completing on June 1 won't get paid until at least the second week of July. It's nice to have a little extra money to cover those time gaps when you first start out.

These are just a few tips for things that I experienced. If you are thinking about taking the jump, talk to people you know that work for themselves and see what their experience was. I will tell you that it gives you greater flexibility to do the things you want to do and greater freedom as well.

Get The Discounts You Deserve

If you are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, I'm sure you're taking full advantage of any charity discounts you can get your hands on. However, if you're a for-profit organization that hosts events to benefit charities, you could also be receiving the discount as well, depending on the type of event and the level of benefit for the charity.

I'm currently planning a corporate golf tournament where all the money raised will go directly to our not-for-profit charity. As I'm researching and connecting with golf courses, I've been able to get their charity rates since all money raised goes directly to the charity. The discounts can range anywhere from 5-15%, in addition to donations to the silent auction. You may not think that's much, but for a $25,000 tournament, that could be a savings of $1,250-$3750.

Be sure to explain whatever your situation is and ask if your event would qualify for a not-for-profit discount. The worst thing they will say is no!