advice for entrepreneurs – Page 3 – Karen Post, The Branding Diva

5 11, 2013

Speaking, stories and snowballs.

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

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

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

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.

1 10, 2013

Perpetual proofing predicaments – A tool to fix them.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00October 1st, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

"I use Grammarly for proofreading because without TYPOS, I have less gray hair and then I look much, much younger*." (Read the entire blog to make sense of this opening quote.) Of all of my skills and talents, proofing text is not one of them. In fact, if there were an award for the most consistent practice of missing those grammar gaffes, those punctuation oversights, or the spelling snafus, I’m sure I’d be a finalist. I’m okay with this because I know I have many other valuable skills that these grammar gurus and spelling bee society members don’t possess. I know these shortcomings drive my journalism-minded, editing buddies nuts. I’m okay with this, too. I do respect the English language. I understand that errors and bad writing reflect poorly on one’s professional image, and that’s not good brand-building.

24 09, 2013

Tangibility is back in vogue. Strut some today.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00September 24th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

We live and breathe technology. Smart phones, dumb text messages, notebooks, PDFs, videos, virtual meetings, cloud computing and all the "apps for that". All this stuff has certainly added convenience to our lives, however, its also created a society of gadget addicts. And Heaven forbid, there is no Internet connection for 10 minutes! Someone call 911 and order me a respirator. IT withdrawals are worse than needing a crack fix. Technology has had a profound impact on how we function and communicate. This new world order has also zapped the tangible factor in many business connections. The days of touch, hold in your hand marketing and ink on your fingers are gone. We are now a digital domicile. A planet of wifi, plugs, chargers and adapters.

16 09, 2013

Worse than lice.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00September 16th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

They put you to sleep, it’s a poor reflection on a good brand, and its just a down- right bad presentation, but they are still spreading around the globe. I experienced one just the other day. The saddest part of this story, these presenters were not first-time entrepreneurs committing a branding crime or a recent graduate new to the business world. These were executives from a large company, with resources, who should have known better.

20 08, 2013

Pets, positioning and poop.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:13-04:00August 20th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

8 marketing truths Almost a year ago, Chip (short for Chipolte) entered my life. A long-haired, kind of crazy, very co-dependent Chihuahua straight from the local SPCA. So, how does a former homeless pup turn [...]

7 08, 2013

Speak better. Brand smarter. 31 tips. (Part 2)

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:14-04:00August 7th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

Like I mentioned last week, I attended the National Speakers Association’s annual convention and brought back a bunch of good ideas. Here are the remaining 19 tips. If you missed Part 1, you can read them here. [...]

9 07, 2013

Why I said NO to a free vacation in a $2.6M house

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:14-04:00July 9th, 2013|Entrepreneurship, Productivity|

NOTE TO ALL READERS - Starting next week my blog updates ezine will hit your mail box every Wednesday. Instead of 3-4 posts in one mailer, it will only have one blog post per week, but will be on a regular schedule.

Call me crazy. Yes, I did. I said no to a luxury vacation in the mountains of North Carolina in a $2.6 million dollar, 5,000 square foot, McLodge just off Cedar Cliff Lake. My boyfriend and his family rented this gorgeous place and invited me to join them and I opted out in the eleventh hour, even losing a $300.00 plane ticket. Why? Because the past 6 months, I have been super busy, and have not had my ample "just me" time, to think, write and create beyond my obligations, including my blogging. And as a creative, highly sensitive (HS) person this is like cutting off my oxygen. I’m not complaining, I am grateful my life has been filled with giving keynote speeches on branding, working on a very exciting global brand transformation, enjoying two great relationships, one with a smart guy and the other with a very cute dog.

28 06, 2013

Paula Deen’s brand, Southern charm now burnt toast

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:14-04:00June 28th, 2013|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Inspiration|

Paula Deen's branding meltdown
There is no amount of butter that can help Paula Deen’s brand get out of this tight jam. The past few weeks have not been pretty for Ms. Paula, the Southern belle, sweet potato, comfort food celeb. After being deposed in a lawsuit where a former employee alleged a culture of racism and sexual harassment, Paula under oath, admitted using the “N” word and I’m not referring to “Non-Fat.” Her million-dollar empire went from deep-fried and happy to “where have all my sponsors gone?” Wal-Mart, Target, Smithfield Foods, Caesars Entertainment, The Food Network, Home Depot and even the drug maker Novo Nordisk all opted-out after the news broke. Doing something bad is never good, but this situation went from bad, to insanely stupid, self-inflicted, career-ruining awful.

This Is A Custom Widget

This Is A Custom Widget