14 11, 2013

Life is uncertain. Be the best leader you can be everyday.

By |2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00November 14th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Personal Development|

Gabby Giffords, Pam Iorio, Mark Kelly, Karen Post, speaking
This week, I accompanied my dear friend, Pam Iorio, the former Mayor of Tampa, to the Lead & Succeed event in Tampa. If this event comes to your town, attend. For five bucks you will hear top notch business speakers and likely make some great contacts too. Pam was one of several keynote speakers and she inspired everyone, including me, to find a higher level of leadership in themselves. She shared stories about her journey in life and she talked about the three important behaviors that she sees in great leaders. 1) They don’t waste energy fretting about the competition. They focus on their own performance and improving. 2) They treat everyone with respect and make everyone feel important. 3) They don’t give self-doubt a chair at any party. While these points are pretty simple advice, if you think back to any moments of soft leadership you observed, or were a part of, they were not likely practiced.

5 11, 2013

Speaking, stories and snowballs.

By |2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00November 5th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Personal Development|

Speaking, stories and snowballs
A couple of weeks ago, I seduced many of you into opening my blog only to find out that I’ve not read Fifty Shades of Gray yet but did read Magic of Impromptu Speaking, by Andrill Sedniev, while taking some time off of work. I promised a review on the book, so here goes. The book caught my attention as its subtitle states: Create a speech that can be remembered for years in under 30 seconds. The fact is, I and gazillions of other book buyers gravitate to titles that promise fast and almost immediate results. A good formula to remember when you are writing product copy or selling a book. So was he telling the truth or committing a marketing sin and telling a big white lie? It’s a gray area. Maybe not fifty shades but at least three. The book is excellent, filled with wisdom that can be applied to formal speeches and varied other opportunities of attention, like when doing a media interview, interviewing for a job or taking a stance in a board meeting. All good stuff for building a brand.

29 10, 2013

Halloween, Buckeyes and 8 great brand building ideas

By |2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00October 29th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Personal Development|

Branding experiences
This past weekend, I traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to attend the Ohio State University versus Penn State football game. I had a fabulous time and picked up some great brand building ideas that can apply to many businesses.

Here’s the recap on my adventure and eight branding building ideas. 1) Southwest Airline’s identity is in transition. Brands change. The quirky, casual carrier has evolved. Their frequent flyer program still works and is one of the best for rewarding loyalty. My plane ticket was free. Their once low-cost pricing strategy is just a memory and bags fly free soon may be too. Their uniforms have also evolved. The khaki shorts and t-shirts are in the closet and a more formal garb is being sported, maybe to align better with the more upscale pricing. The seats are getting smaller and the people are getting fatter.

8 10, 2013

Successful failures – When a startup dies, a new opportunity is born.

By |2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00October 8th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Personal Development|

Baby startups
This past week, I received an email from a fellow entrepreneur. It was a notice, that after five long years, he was taking his company off the respirator and closing it down. The news was sad. I know he and his team gave it their all. I could feel his pain in the letter he sent to his customers and friends, it was as if someone had died. My friend lost more than money. His entrepreneurial soul took a traumatic hit too. It’s never easy to pull the plug on a business you started. Especially when you are an eternal optimist, which most entrepreneurs are. You cling on to hope. You believe in miracles. Your ego screams, “No freakin way can you bail and be branded a quitter”. Egos do not always give the best advice. There comes a time in business, when quitting is the wisest action to take. Postponing it will just delay your next success.

21 03, 2013

A dangerous habit that can rob your bank account

By |2019-04-22T17:42:14-04:00March 21st, 2013|Entrepreneurship, Personal Development|


Many possess skills, talents and attributes that come easier to them than others. This stuff doesn't feel like work, and it's fun. For some it is writing, rain making, negotiating, playing sports, singing, public speaking or even solving problems. Many believe people who have these traits are considered naturals. They think gifts are included in the DNA, and are passed down when they got their set of genes. Or they are just lucky. That may be true in a few rare cases. But I'm of the opinion there are no gifts of talent, and luck is extremely over rated, too. Gifts and luck happen, when you really love something, are passionate, invest in practicing a craft and continuously developing "the whatever", they become a very natural, effortless act.

23 04, 2012

Self-esteem, 3 tips to make yours rock solid

By |2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00April 23rd, 2012|Entrepreneurship, Personal Development|

Self-esteem for entrepreneurs
Confidence is a condition you manifest when you do things with competence. Self-esteem is a belief level you buy into about yourself, when you're not doing anything at all. To enjoy a great life and a rich business or career, they are both needed to be mastered. I consider myself an emotionally healthy person. I also know that I can always improve myself. I'm interested in learning things that can make me more effective with my business, my personal relationships and things that provide me with a more fulfilled life. Back in January Alan Weiss, a coach and mentor of mine for the past decade, offered a one-day workshop on self-esteem.

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This Sliding Bar can be switched on or off in theme options, and can take any widget you throw at it or even fill it with your custom HTML Code. Its perfect for grabbing the attention of your viewers. Choose between 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns, set the background color, widget divider color, activate transparency, a top border or fully disable it on desktop and mobile.