Small business – Page 3 – Karen Post, The Branding Diva

9 04, 2013

Playing through pain. And 5 other business tips from tennis.

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

This morning I had a tennis match. It was a beautiful Florida day, sunny and 68 degrees. I've been suffering from plantar fasciitis, a painful foot condition. Not sure why I have it. I'd like to think it's because I'm such a competitive athlete. Which may be part of it or it could be my body is just getting worn down and aged. What matters is not the origin of any challenge, but how do you play and win when you are in excruciating pain and not feeling your best. I was down 5, 0. My opponent was hitting perfect drop shots. I was not able to move fast enough to get to them.

21 03, 2013

A dangerous habit that can rob your bank account

By Karen Post|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.

14 01, 2013

Writing a success plan. A fast, easy, results-producing way.

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

When people ask me what one most important action I take every year has contributed to my achievements the answer is simple. I work from a success plan. This success plan includes what I really want in life and in business and how I will get there. I've been doing this for the past 12 years and I believe it's a fool proof way to manifest any set of goals. If you've never done a success plan before, it does require some soul-searching, deep thinking and a good chunk of time the first go round. But once you've done this the first time, then every year all you do is update and the time investment is minimal. If this process is seems overwhelming, don't procrastinate. Break it down into small pieces. Just write one section a day. In a week or two, you should have a critical tool to speed up your path to success.

12 04, 2012

Confessions, Steve Jobs, Anxiety and Sharks – 4 must read books

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00April 12th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

So many books, so little time to read. The next 4 titles I've read, I loved, I recommend. They cover marketing, branding, the human condition and how to stay competitive. Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun Loaned to me by another speaker, I laughed out loud for several nights while reading this book. It's a gem. Whether you do presentations as part of your job or you are a paid professional speaker, this book is raw, funny and a valuable resource.Why it's worth the read: It's a fast fuel to improve your speaking, around 200 pages, I love snarky humor, its got lots of it, it provides simple, actionable how to's and it's real. Scott has been around.

18 03, 2012

Urgent telephone test – 5 tips for a better brand connection

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00March 18th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

Have you called yourself recently? On all of your phones? If not, it's a fast find and fix to improving your brand impression. How do I know this? Because I was grossly guilty of phone message neglect. Fortunately, I have good friends who tell me the truth. Here's a recent call I received. "Hey Karen, Ms. Branding Diva your phone message stinks. It's too long, you sound like you are in a tunnel under ground and teetering on having a bad day." She was right. This was a big disconnect from who I am and what my brand stands for. Here's the really sad part, it's been like that for a year, YIKES!

17 03, 2012

Warfare, weapons and 5 urgent entrepreneurial maneuvers.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00March 17th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship, Productivity|

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.

3 03, 2012

The magic of momentum – 6 ways to create yours.

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00March 3rd, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

The past few months I’ve really amped up my commitment to my tennis game. I play 4 or 5 times a week, take lessons and participate in cardio drills. The results have been GREAT. I’ve lost 5 pounds and buffed up quite a bit. And I’ve had a surprising number of wins when I was really behind. I’m talking down by two sets, against a 26 year old or in a deep hole with scores like 5,0 and 5,1 and I've come back. I've been thinking about this phenomenon, how it happens and how it applies to life and business too. For me it’s about a few big emotions: frustration, annoyance, disappointment and how to manage them.

14 02, 2012

Unavailable brands—time to kiss them goodbye

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00February 14th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

In the spirit of love and affection as many celebrate Valentine's Day, the day of awesome relationships, frisky friendships, risky affairs and just plain gushy lust, I thought it would be appropriate to mention the everyday occurrence of unavailable brands. You know the kind, the not so healthy, lots of issues, not worth the time and certainly not worth the loyalty---when company brands get so chilly, so unconnected and just straight up are not available to their paying customers who truly want to love them. The sad fact is there are many brands who behave like this and then wonder why their customers cheat and defect to a younger or more loving competitor. Here are the red flags to know when it may be time to start dating- I mean shopping around...

12 02, 2012

52 lessons, observations and declarations

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00February 12th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

This past week one of my favorite guys and myself celebrated a birthday. I’m happy to report that I’m the younger one. In fact, Abe Lincoln is 203. For those of you who know me well know I’m not a holiday girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love to celebrate, I just believe that everyday you are above ground is a celebration and special, instead of making a big deal about the traditional Hallmark days. As I added another year to my timeline this week, I reflected on some of the most meaningful threads that make up my fabric. I put together 52, and yes there is a reason for that number, I hope you enjoy.

8 02, 2012

Leading the brand turnaround, do you have what it takes?

By Karen Post|2019-04-22T17:42:15-04:00February 8th, 2012|Branding, Entrepreneurship|

Do you have the skills, mindset and traits to save a sinking brand, no matter how rough the seas get? Branding guru, CEO, marketing director, head honcho, boss, manager, entrepreneur—whatever your title, one day you may be faced with an unexpected challenge. Lead with courage, you’ll likely turn it around. Manage with mediocrity, and your brand’s life may be very short. Leading a brand turnaround is no easy role. If it were, there’d be fewer brand casualties. It takes a special kind of person—one who can lead and battle through brand bumps, uncertainty and the stress that comes with unfortunate situations like product recalls, scandal and controversy.

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