By Karen Post, on March 17, 2012

Last week I had drinks with a retired colonel from MacDill Air Force Base. This guy had been to 2 wars zones, Iraq and Afghanistan, three times. He had been inches away from grenades exploding and been literally shot at from 10 feet away. Fortunately, the bullets missed him. Many in his platoon were not that lucky.

He knew I was an entrepreneur. He’d been to my websites. This is what he said to me.

“Karen, you are so brave and courageous. I admire that so much. I don’t know that I could do that, be a front line entrepreneur like you. You’ve got to hustle business every day, be such a self-starter and operate with so much uncertainty”.

WOW, here’s a soldier who risked his life for our country, thinking I’m the tough one. At first I thought he was just flirting, but then I thought about it, and I suppose to many being an entrepreneur is pretty darn scary.

I’ve never seen it that way. Because of the way I’m wired and because of the values I formed from my life experiences.

The fact is we are both warriors, the military and the troops of entrepreneurs all across the world.

This was the theme of my program I presented today to Southeastern Entrepreneurship Conference. It was my second year to participate and like last year the energy I got from the young entrepreneurs was amazing and inspirational.

My message to the audience was direct. There is no place like entrepreneur land. Owning your own business and being your own boss. Sure it’s tough, risky and uncertain, but then again so is walking down the street.

My bigger point to the group was, it’s not what hits you, but what you do next that counts.

My life as an entrepreneur has been an exciting and scary as hell roller coaster ride for nearly 30 years. Would I trade those experiences in for a 9-5 gig? No way. Cause at the end of the day, I’m driving the car. To me that’s the best way to go through life.

Bad and challenging stuff happens to the best of us. And if you’ve got your eye on a big prize, I guarantee you, your share will not be small. Most highly successful people actually encounter more bumps than those who achieve average results. There is a correlation between the volume of failure and magnitude of success.

And then comes my favorite saying: “What does not kill you, makes you stronger”.

Now for any of you who think I just write about this stuff and maybe have not had actual bouts with big boy challenges, here are just a few of my most memorable high stress, danger zones I’ve experienced first hand.

A 4 month tax audit, an investment in a venture that crashed and burned, an employee with a drinking problem, loss of a big client, three key employees quitting at once, a big company filed a trademark infringement that cost over $50,000 and me filing a time and money sucking law suit against an international celebrity to collect owed money. This is the short list. My point is any of these situations could have sent me to the 9-5 world, but they did not and I won the battle.

Here are 5 moves that keep me and my entrepreneurial dream alive.

1) Work from a plan. Even if it’s one page long.
I support this move by writing daily goals before I go to sleep at night for the next day.
I also track my time. This puts light on my waste so I can focus on result producing tasks..
I do daily rituals, every single day.

2) Master mental resiliency.
This is a work in progress, but I have gotten thicker skin through all of my life experiences.
Don’t hang on to screw ups, disappointments and failures. I shake things off like my black lab used to do when she got wet.
Learn the art of re-framing yucky situations into the good stepping stones that get you closer to what you want.
Know how to reboot and create your own momentum.
Be fit, mentally and physically.

3) Network up.
Hang out with people that are challenging you, not saying what you want to hear and sucking up to your mediocre bar.
Be a lifetime learner with folks that are smarter-than you.
Cut the dead wood off your growing dream. This means sometimes you’ll grow out of relationships.

5) Brand you and your business
They are both important and can contribute to your success.
Pick a lane. Decide what you are, do it well and in a unique fashion.
Resonate your identity on all of your touch points to your market (how you dress, act and communicate).

And in closing, I reminded the audience of the number one, most important thing an entrepreneur needs to succeed.

Full body confidence.
Stand tall, shoulders back and believe in yourself. You are your number one and most important fan! Breakthrough business stories have leveraged this powerful weapon for centuries. It is such a game changer.

Without a positive self image you may as well be burnt toast. So work on this daily. For me, I go for stuff that seems impossible. Walking on fire was a real booster for me. I also read my affirmations daily (you must write these before you can read them). I keep a victory folder (containing things that make me feel good, from notes, to press clips, to deposit receipts) and I monitor and read about people who inspire me and remind myself how human they are too.

You got the gear and the intelligence. Man up, even if you are a female.

My military friend may have had a valid point when he said that being an entrepreneur was such an admirable feat for the brave and courageous few.

I reminded him and the SEEC attendees that it’s all about the angle that you choose to look at the enemy and the prize.

Risk scares many, but to an entrepreneur it is the needed fuel for the greatest rewards.
Most think danger should be avoided, but to an entrepreneur it is a welcome and exciting adventure.
Being on your own appears to be such hard work and so difficult, not for an entrepreneur who chooses something they love to do.

As free Americans who live in a capitalist society the power to transform uncertainty into clarity is in our reach.

Entrepreneurs make your move.

By Karen Post, on March 29, 2011

I hate to break this news to you, but I’m breaking a promise. A few months back I told you I would blog every day in at least one of my three blogs, marketing/branding, entrepreneur or free biz finds. I’ve given it my best and believe I’ve pumped out some good and useful content since then. It’s not easy to write every day, but then again when you follow the tips I’ve learned to make blogging easier, it can be done with joy and without much pain.

Then came being an entrepreneur, running a small business and life, and my noble commitment became a big challenge for me. One that was causing a high degree of stress and maybe this over demand place I signed up for was even jeopardizing my health.

This past month has been monumental. I traveled to Saudi and made history, spent a week in New York City, got inspired, did my thing for the local economy, was featured in the New York Times and then went to Nigeria where I was a guest lecturer to an audience of 500 marketing and leadership professionals. All while blogging daily, servicing my consulting clients, managing my team of support personnel, writing a new book for McGraw-Hill called Brand Turnaround and playing 15 matches of tennis.

Then, just as I got unpacked, I signed up for a week-long comedy school that included a five minute bit, complete with memorized new and hopefully funny material. The class was in Tampa, produced by Jeff Lawrence of the Laughing Buddha Comedy School, who preforms around the country and is based in NYC.

I attended the first class on Tues., it was fun, saw many of buddies Frank Robertson, (a broadcast and media consultant) and Scott Farrell, (a proud stay at home dad) and met some great new friends too, Susan Guidi, another entrepreneur who runs Advanced Ultrasound Services in Tampa.  All in all, it was everything I wanted it to be. I’ve done comedy school before, so I knew the basics going in. And I knew there would be homework.

That night, I couldn’t sleep, I tossed and turned about all my commitments and now this one with a short deadline. Then I experienced a major anxiety attack, where you feel like you are going to have a heart attack and really die!!! YIKES!@#%!!!!

After about an hour of this agony, I got up, rubbed my big, happy, crystal Buddha’s belly on my dresser and had an important epiphany.

This is freakin, self-inflicted stress and pain and you, Karen Post, can stop it. I pulled out my writing pad and made a list of my: “had to do, must do” responsibilities. Comedy class was not on the list.

What was on my list: finish my book, take care of my clients that I am under contract with, and take care of me. The rest will have to wait and I know it will take care of itself.

My brain has a certain amount of brand-width, there are so many hours in day and I do not want to do anything that is not my best work. PERIOD.

The moral to this story and the 3 entrepreneurial essentials.
Know your band-width and respect it.
1) Don’t kill yourself, know your limits, and say no to things that are not in the top priority zone, especially if they can impact your true goals and dreams.

Exercise your rights as an entrepreneur.
2) As an entrepreneur, you get to control a lot, so don’t fail to use this privilege and power.

Change your mind  and alter your plan, if you need to. And don’t beat yourself up for it.
3) It’s OK to opt-out and change your mind and that’s what I’m doing. This is different than dropping someone in the grease with no back up options. This was not my case, no one was going to be disappointed if I didn’t take the comedy class at that time. I called my comedy instructor and told him my situation, my plate is over-floweth, I have to deliver my best stuff, my book, my clients, my team and right now just can’t do the class. He understood.

My game plan forward.
I’m taking an official break from daily blogging. For the next 4 weeks, my head is immersed in client service and completing my book and taking care of me (tennis, massages and a trip to Aruba to write and recharge).

You may see some random blog posts during my hiatus, but not making any commitments, as I’m islanding it in Aruba island for a week, I’m speaking at the Southeast Entrepreneurial Conference in Tampa on April 1 and I’m addressing Pizza Hut’s Annual Franchise Convention in San Antonio.

In my absence, my fabulous assistant, Lauren, will be spot writing on Internet marketing. Lauren has been with me for almost 7 months now and I believe she is the 8th wonder of the world. She’s an Internet and social media whiz and teaches me a lot everyday. I know she will bring some great articles and tips to the blog. Jocelyn one of the co-founders of Oddpodz may kick in a post too. She’s in Savannah, building her consulting, research and branding practice and helping other entrepreneurs succeed too.

So until next time . . .

By Karen Post, on March 22, 2011

I understand running a business is about managing productivity and being efficient, but there needs to be a balance somewhere so that in the process of being productive and profitable, you are not totally annoying the heck out of your callers.

Most phone trees should be burnt down. Having to listen to 40 department options that don’t even come close to solving your problem, or screaming your reply to a question four times and then some idiot computer says: “I’m sorry I did not understand your answer” and then you get discounted and get to start all over again, is really aggravating! This turns me and most others into a extremely emotionally disturbed consumers.

If I’m going to be subjected to this craziness, at least let me sound off to a real person. If you share this frustration, try these services.

Dialahuman.com or gethuman.com- they list companies and how to avoid the robot operators. Or another free service is Lucyphone.com, here you enter the company’s name or number, hit start. Lucyphone.com connects you to a company line where you pick an option to get a live rep. You then hang up and get a quick call back.

These services are not perfect, after all they are run by humans, but may be worth the call. Also, check your own phone system, is it easy and joyful or is it just as bad these I’ve described?

Don’t forget to check out: Have an AT&T iPhone? Don’t expect service in NYC. You’ll be disappointed.

By Karen Post, on March 14, 2011

These writing tips should help you write more, better and faster. This will work for blogs, letters, proposals and, I’m happy to report, in dumping your notes too.

1) Find a very cool pen. Write your outline of top key points to want to end with on paper. Not the computer.
When your pens are inkless and old, but you still love them, create a cool piece of art like Pen guy does.
2) Research those points, look at other points of view concerning them.
3) Jot down any random words and thoughts.
4) Pick up a good magazine, spend an hour just looking at headlines and titles.
5) Create a starter list of headlines and titles for your work.
6) Expand your key points into some bullets.
7) Start writing, don’t worry about perfection.
8)  Scribble or doodle your big idea into an illustration. This will force your full brain to join in.
9) Crank up the music. Print out what you’ve done and edit the printout.
10) Make your changes in the computer. Print it out again.
11)  Do something else for a couple hours.
12) Edit the printout again, this time try to improve your adjectives with fresher, more compelling words, eliminate duplicate words and add another sprinkle of your unique personality.
13) Revisit your first key points, confirm they are in your body of work, are clear and memorable.
14) Do a shot of something, wheat grass, super-food, tequila or chocolate milk, then write some more.
15) Be the tough critic, anything lame, overdone or said that sounds like a rambling, confused soul, delete.
16) If you are a bad speller and a lightweight on grammar like I am, find an editor or proofer to look at your work too.
17) Print out and reread their comments. Do a final read when you are not tired, exceeded your drink quota or when you just took an Ambien.
18) Celebrate your achievement. Go get some fat free frozen yogurt.

For more writing tips, check out: 10-steps to making writing your blog easier.

By Karen Post, on February 20, 2011

Over a month ago I committed to write in my blogs daily. To date, I’ve kept my promise. In a previous post,  I recited 10 ways to make blogging easy. It’s a good post and the advice does work. Until you have a night like tonight.

I’ve been deep into the book writing and felt very stuck – I shared that with you yesterday. Today, I was almost in the flow zone, then at 9PM had unexpected company, opened a bottle of wine, it’s midnight, chapter not finished, and no blog post in sight.

The #10 way to make blog writing easy is my friend and savior tonight. It’s called the excuse card. I don’t use often, especially when you commit to your readers.  But if you must use it, at least make the excuses are creative.

Here goes .  . . four excuses for my lameness

• My dead dog Maxie (who lives in dog heaven) flew in for the night and ate my  notebook with my blog draft on it.
• Loss track of time, I’ve been on the phone with Tiger Woods advising him on how to get his brand back.
• Someone slipped a mushroom on my pizza, I hate mushrooms and now I’m hallucinating.
• I’m part human and really sorry to disappoint you.

Anyhow tomorrow is a new day. I will do my best to get unstuck on the book and and write a distant blog for you.

For more life balance, view our ta-do list.

By Karen Post, on February 19, 2011

I’ve got a serious deadline starring at me. I must write 75,000 brilliant words for my new book, Brand Turnarounds. All this is due to the publisher by May 1 with 50% by March 25th (YIKES).  These words not only need to be really there, they need to be really good. I set a schedule for myself and this week, my goal was to complete two chapters. Well it’s Friday and they are not done. In fact, I’m still stuck on the first one and now feeling a little stressed.

I’ve been here before and I’ve found my way out of the stuck zone. So I think tonight would be a nice night for me to revisit what has worked in the past, share these methods with you, as you maybe working on a book, a proposal, a business plan, a juicy story for a presentation or a mighty blog post. And then I need to practice what I preach.

So here goes . . .

1) Use an egg timer or your iphone and give yourself 30 minutes to produce something. If after 30 minutes, your page resembles a Frette® white sheet or a note card with no notes, you are likely stuck. When you are stuck for more than 30 minutes, don’t stay there, move on to another part of project. Something that is completely new to your brain.

2) If paragraphs are tough to squeeze out of your mind, make lists of words, headline and concepts that you are fairly certain tie into your stuck project.

3) Practice some improv around your subject. Use your recorder on your computer. If nothing else, you’ll entertain yourself.

4) Go exercise.

5) Write an outline of what your goals are for this stuck thing, chapter or story.

6) Write a summary of takeaways that you can imagine at the end, even if they are fictional. You can very likely find the facts to back them up.

7) Read a random chapter from an author who you admire.
Stick to your short-term deadlines. Don’t strive for perfection. Strive ideas, examples and metaphors that reflect your table of contents.

9) Take a shower. Think about why you are doing this book or document. Visualize the prize times 400.

Want more ideas on writing, blogging and creating content? Visit our other marketing blog.

By Karen Post, on February 13, 2011

Every day I hear people complaining about their jobs. They don’t like what they do. They don’t like their boss. They don’t like the hours and schedules required of them and they don’t think they are paid enough.

Sure leaving this faux sense of security of being employed can seem scary. And oh yeah, being responsible and accountable for all your actions is a serious and sometimes not easy commitment.

Most of us live in America. The land of the free. No one has a gun next tot your head, who says you have to be employed. We can all make choices to break away from the employment muck zone to being an enterprising entrepreneur where you control your destiny.

If you hate your job or you know someone who does, there is one person to blame. YOU or THEM!!

Monday is Valentines Day. A holiday of celebrating love, admiration and passion. These are all available when you are an entrepreneur. If you are not entrepreneur yet, join us. If you are, then celebrate everyday the greatest place to be in the world.

21 reasons why I love being an entrepreneur!

1. My actions ans choices decide my paycheck
2. I can play tennis at 2PM
3. Or work until midnight
4. Or start at 9AM
5. I can wear sweats and tennis clothes everyday
6. I can’t get fired
7. I can try crazy ideas
8. I can invest in lifetime learning or anything for that matter
9. I can pick my support team
10. I can fire my support team
11. I can break rules
12. I can make rules
13. I can go to the movies at 4
14. I an eat pizza at 10 AM at my desk
15. I can give my self a raise
16. I can buy a new company car
17. I can change my mind
18. I can pick my clients
19. I can take vacations when I want
20. I can start a new business
21. I can work hard, or I can hardly work

View our set up your new business ta-do list to establish the best business structure for you!

By Karen Post, on January 30, 2011

Running shoe is by Newton.

I’m still in Houston and today is the Chevron Marathon. Thousands of ambitious runners are headed for the finish line as they run, walk or crawl 26 long miles. Achieving this goal after months of training and preparation is huge.

The day will be painful, challenging, rewarding, joyous and emotional for most. Sounds like a day at the office when you are entrepreneur. I’ve recapped 26 steps that these runners have taken and you can apply to reach your goals.

1.) Start. Set your goals.

2.) Create a simple, doable plan – how will you get to your goal?

3.) Develop a working schedule that covers: research, training, execution and anything else that needs to be done.

4.) List out all your smaller milestones that are needed to meet your big goal. Make sure you set accountable measures and deadlines.

5.) Design a wellness plan that includes diet, exercise, supplements and stretching rituals.

6.) Re-think your sleeping zone, your bed, the noise and the lighting so you can sleep for 7-8 hours every night.

7.) Relearn the importance and practice of breathing often and in a full cycles.

8.) Research and buy the best equipment you need to achieve the ultimate performance.

9.) Decide who your positive support network will be including business associates, friends and vendors.

10.) Kindly lose any negative, non-achieving friends, business associates and vendors from your world.

11.) Exercise your mind by using both sides daily. From crossword puzzles to something creative like doodling.

12.) Hydrate daily with water, not wine. Wine can be consumed in moderation, but water needs to be drank at least 6 times a day.

13.) Establish daily learning rituals from reading the WJS, to listening to podcasts and watching webinars and practice what you’ve learned.

14.) Work on improving mental toughness every hour. Shake off mistakes and disappointments. Believe in the power of your mind.

15.) Push yourself beyond what you think you can do.

16.) Identify a handful of people that inspire you, follow them and learn from them. Whether you know them or not.

17.) Carefully assess your competition, their strengths, and weaknesses.

18.) Seek out legal advantages that will accelerate your journey to the finish line.

19.) Keep your eyes and ears wide open for potholes and flying objects.

20.) Practice, train and be disciplined everyday.

21.) Recover, refresh and revitalize often.

22.) Show gratitude and appreciation to people you know and people you don’t know.

23.) Visit, read and recite your goals every day.

24.) Affirm in writing what you believe and can achieve. This is your story that you own, read it out loud everyday.

25.)  Stay laser focused on your goals and dreams.

26.) Don’t waste emotions on feeling guilt, worrying, dwelling on the past or things you can’t control.

Bonus step

27.) Be proud everyday of every little step you’ve taken.

For more on entrepreneur list-styles, view:
Celebrate loving being an entrepreneur everyday.
Can being happier change your entrepreneur results?

By Karen Post, on January 24, 2011

Karen has joined the daily blogging club! Use the RSS feed to get everyday insight or sign up for the Oddpodz ezine, which is a summary of blog posts that is sent out bi weekly.

Here is a wrap-up of the last 15 days:

1 – In Mystery of pricing exposed. How much would you pay to look smarter?, Karen Post highlights the fact that we tend to forget: behind every decision we make, there is a price. From this standpoint, ask yourself ‘How much am I ready to pay for a particular situation?’ In order to do so, Karen recommends Eduardo Porter’s book The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do. Check out Karen’s literature choice and the awesome trailer, here.

2 – In You know you are engaged when you take your laptop and Seth Godin to the bathroom, Karen shares with us 4 tips she learned from the Seth Godin’s recent webinar she attended (and could not get away from…!). Engagement is one of the primary sources of success. Even during challenging times, do your best to keep engaging in what really matters. The four tips also discuss guest bloggers, blogging frequency, Twitter and not giving up. Learn from Seth and Karen here.

3 – In 10-steps to making writing your blog easier, Karen gives great tips to help each and every one of us to enhance our blogging experience. Keeping up with a consistent daily post is harder than what we can expect. Try out Karen’s 10 ta-do’s and bring your A game when blogging. Check out Karen’s list here.

4 – In The #1 strategy that is giving me more money, influence and balance, Karen discusses her focus on trying to align all of her business ventures. These strategies can be good for your business as well. See how she does it with Oddpodz here.

5 – In 3 productivity tips to prevent eye strain & pain from your computer, Karen shares a few tips on how help your eyes if, like the average business worker, you spend more than 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, in front of a computer screen. See what Karen does to avoid painful eyes and how to stay productive here.

6 – We have all asked for feedback on a project and found that good feedback does not always necessarily mean nice feedback. In Hard candy advice. Why sweet is not always better, Karen tells us about the feedback she received from a recognized author concerning her book proposal. Although it might not have been nice to hear, she definitely received helpful tips. See how she used her advisor’s insights to the fullest here.

7 – In 4-simple habits of champion goal-getters, Karen lists 4 qualities that a well-driven person should have. From setting clear objectives, to surrounding themselves with focused people, some day-to-day habits are essential for anyone who attempts to be a successful goal-getter. See what makes Karen a goal-getter here.

8 – Productivity is a powerful thing. In Save at least 5 hours a week. Subscribe to RSS feeds, Karen tells us how to increase our weekly productivity and to save precious hours. Stop surfing the web looking for pieces of information you want from your favorite websites. Make the news come to you – learn to use RSS feeds here.

9 – In Feet and footers should both be sexy, Karen mentions one of her pet peeves: feet! And also the footers on web designs. Have you checked your website/blog footers lately? You might want to reevaluate and see if they’re eye catching. But before doing so, see what Karen thinks about feet and footers here.

10 – In A crazy combination that works. Bad spelling+psycho cats=$30M in cash, Karen tells us about a crazy success story. Ben Huh, former journalist, bought a website: I Can Has Cheezburger and turned this misspelled domain name into a venture that just raised $30M! See how Ben did it here.

11 – In How to scale up the experience you deliver in 4 dramatic steps, Karen deals with a notion that is really important in the start-up world: scalability. How can a company use all the space available to communicate and sell their products? Learn more about scaling-up your business here.

12 – Want to be a standout brand? Avoid these 5 costly mistakes discusses tips every business should follow if they want to standout from the pack. To become a memorable brand, Karen Post talks about what to do and what not to do here.

By Karen Post, on January 19, 2011

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the deluge of email newsletters and blog updates? I was until I started using a RSS feed reader. I use Google‘s, but there are many that will do the trick. See the link below for the detailed skinny. Many browsers, like Fire Fox also let you build your list of favorite sources and view the titles as they syndicate. These are called live bookmarks.

RSS (Real Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) solves a problem for people who regularly use the web. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. You ensure your privacy, by not needing to join each site’s email newsletter.

Oddpodz has a feeds for all 3 blogs as do most all content rich sites. Just click on the orange icons and you are ready to read without having to schlep through 50 million ezines.

Everything you need to know about RSS feeds
By using a feed reader
By using a browser like live bookmarks in Fire Fox

Also, check out: How much is too much email?