The first was when I interviewed eight-year-old entrepreneur Ryan Ross. During the interview, he said that running a business was easy and fun and everyone should do it. And that if we all did, we could help more people around the world.

Then I had the opportunity to ask billionaire Sir Richard Branson at a recent web conference for his thoughts on keeping his passion alive and giving something back as part of his work as an entrepreneur.

I don’t think it’s an easy feat to stay connected to our core values and who it is that we want to be. No, strike that. I think it’s easy to get so distracted by the “busy-ness” of our businesses that we forget our purpose, our mission, or our vision for our life and who we hope to be.

I want my life to be about giving back, helping others and being of service, but then the days happen. I move from one to-do item to the next, and before you know it, a month or three months or even a year has passed, and I haven’t really spent a big portion of my time encompassing or embodying the traits that I hope will make up the biggest portion of my character.

I don’t know the answer for sure, not yet at least. Maybe we figure it out with time, with age and with wisdom. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I hope there comes a time when I can focus much less on the things I hope to do and much more on the person I want to be.

Maybe instead of (or at least alongside) a to-do list, I should have a “to-be” list and then make a concerted effort to complete them both.

How do you instill more of the “being” even with all the “doing”?

Photo by Flickr user foxspain, licensed under CC 2.0

The concept of the book really resonated with me, as recently I’ve been surprised by how hard it is to find anything that I would call remarkable, whether it’s service professionals, books, products, customer service, or even food at restaurants. Everything seems to be declining in quality, and a lot of people seem to be indifferent when it comes to the quality they bring to their work.

It’s unfortunate how rare it’s becoming to hear things like:

• “She’s awesome with [fill in the task/skill].”
• “He’s a rock star [fill in the task/skill/title].”
• “She’s a [fill in the task/skill/title] genius!”
• “He’s expensive, but you won’t find anyone who’s better at [fill in the task/skill].”
• “Oh, you should contact them. They’re wonderful at [fill in the task/skill/service].”
• “They have a waiting list, but it’s so worth it!”

How many people can you think of who are truly remarkable at what they do — not OK, not good, but remarkable?

Although this can be disappointing when searching for a particular product or service, it presents a wonderful opportunity for anyone willing to go the extra mile and stand out, for anyone willing to do more than just show up and watch the clock. As Godin says in his book:

When customers have the choice between faceless options, they pick the cheapest, fastest, more direct option. If you want customers to flock to you, it’s tempting to race to the bottom of the price chart. In a world that relentlessly races to the bottom, you lose if you also race to the bottom. The only way you win is to race to the top. When your organization becomes more human, more remarkable, faster on its feet, and more likely to connect directly with customers, it becomes indispensable. An organization of indispensable people doing important work is remarkable, profitable, and indispensable in and of itself.

If you can be a rock star, truly remarkable at adding value to the lives and businesses that you serve, you win. You’re the one they’re going to rave about, you’re the one they’re going to call on every single time they need help, and you’re the one they’re going to pay top dollar to for the skills and talents you bring to the table.

Exceed expectations. Over-deliver. Out-perform everyone around you. Focus on exceptional quality. If you do those things, your customers and clients will be running to the mountain tops for you.

Think about it. How often are you truly impressed by someone? When you are, isn’t it hard to wait to tell someone about the experience? Now imagine if your customers and clients felt that way about you.

When’s the last time you felt that you received a truly remarkable product or service? How quickly did you share the news with someone around you?

Photo by Flickr user nikilok, licensed under CC 2.0

#1 Organize the Priorities

The first area I wanted to tackle was my big-picture view of things. Although I had a pretty good grasp of what was most important, I found myself struggling with two main distractions: sub-projects and outside pull for my attention.

Sub-projects

I already had my income divided into three main “buckets,” but within each of those buckets, there were usually at least a half a dozen sub-projects competing for my attention at any given point, and I was constantly getting new ideas to add to the list. That made it really difficult to stay on track and make sure that the most important things were actually getting done, so I needed to decide on my top three priorities within each bucket. That way, when I sat down to work on a given bucket, I wasn’t wasting time trying to figure out what sub-project to work on next.

Outside Pull

Another common distraction was people approaching me to help me with their projects or to collaborate on joint ventures of some sort, which can be a good thing, but not if it keeps me from working on my top priorities. It can be tempting to want to drop what I’m working on in order to make room for a new and exciting opportunity, but the reality is, there are only so many hours in a day, and if I tried to do everything, nothing would ever get done.

It’s a very slippery slope, so I had to figure out a good way to track these outside distractions and make sure I didn’t allow othem to pull me away from my top priorities. I revamped my schedule a bit (a constant work in progress) and set aside three hours a week, in one-hour blocks, for “outside stuff.” For now at least, that’s going to have to be the limit, so when someone contacts me to write a guest post, for instance, or contribute to their project in some way, I can look at my schedule and see how many blocks of “outside stuff” time I have left. When they’re gone, they’re gone. That’s the only way to keep myself disciplined, while still allowing a little wiggle room for those shiny distractions.

#2 Organize the Environment

Another constant source of frustration was my work environment. There were all these little things that were just not working well, either from neglect or poor planning, so I decided to fix those while I was at it. Some examples:

• The desk organizer where I keep my calculator, which I use quite a bit, was filled with scrap pieces of paper and business cards. Every time I grabbed the calculator, the entire mess of papers would come with it. It’s been that way for a year!
• My desks had very little empty space for writing or organizing projects. I like to plan on paper, and anytime I do this, I end up bumping into phones and books and other unused clutter that is just taking up valuable real estate. I actually would regularly think about going to work at my kitchen table so that I’d have room to spread out all my notes!
• My desktop file bins had become overtaken by takeout menus, magazine clippings, and stray notebooks that weren’t being used (because I forgot they were there). Instead of holding project-related notes, which is what they were intended for, they had become junk bins.

All those little aggravations and areas of clutter were just slowing me down and adding to the chaos, so I started cleaning out and organizing in a counter-clockwise fashion until I had the entire room cleaned back up.

The funny thing was, when people came over, they always commented on how organized everything in my office was, which is probably why it took me so long to realize I had a problem. It doesn’t really matter how organized it looks. Neat does not equal efficient or effective.

Stop and look around your work space. Think about the little inefficiencies that always make you shake your head in frustration and say, “One day, I’m going to have to organize that.” Set aside some time this week to tackle it. I was able to get everything done in two or three hours, and I know I’ll save that much time in improved focus in the coming week alone.

What are the little inefficiencies in your setup, system or schedule that could be improved?

Photo by Flickr user orphanjones, licensed under CC 2.0

Almost on a daily basis, I come across opportunities to refer business to someone. Sometimes I’m asked for a resource, like if I know someone who can design business cards. Sometimes a possible connection just pops in my head, like if a person I come in contact with mentions something that reminds me of someone else or of an opportunity that might interest him or her. Other times, though, I miss the opportunity to make a referral simply because no one comes to mind right away. Yet, if I gave it some thought or asked some of my existing contacts, I’m sure I could easily find a resource to fill the need.

As a business owner, maximizing these opportunities is really important for several reasons:

1. It solidifies your place in the customer’s mind as a go-to resource, as someone who can always help solve problems and find solutions,
2. It reinforces relationships you’re building by showing your willingness to help those around you, and
3. It opens the door for reciprocal referrals between you and other service providers to which you regularly send business.

But how do you make sure you’re ready to act the minute an opportunity presents itself (or at least not very long afterward)?

Step 1: Have Tools in Place to Support You

There are tons of CRM and contact management applications available to help you manage an ever-growing database of connections. Highrise is my favorite; I like the simplicity and ease-of-use of 37Signals tools.

Of course, even the best tool won’t help you if you don’t populate it with data, and this can be the most intimidating part of starting to use contact management software. My recommendation is to ease into it. Start from today and add new contacts you come in contact with. To get existing contacts into the program, try adding a few each day until you have everyone set up. There are ways to import contacts from other programs, too. Just be sure to go through all applications and places where you currently keep information about contacts, including your email and social networking accounts, past blog entries (for example, if you interviewed someone for your site or they provided a guest post), and anywhere else you might find a long-lost resource.

The most important thing, though, is to be sure and tag each person in every way you might search for him or her. For example, you might tag a virtual assistant as VA, virtual assistant, web designer, website designer, etc., depending on that particular virtual assistant’s expertise and skill set.

Step 2: Get to Know the People in Your Network

Learn what your network does. Learn what they need. Recently, someone asked if I knew of anyone who did a particular type of web design. At the time, no one came to mind, but then just a week later, I met another person who fitted the bill. I did an email introduction, which will hopefully lead to shared referrals between the two of them.

Pay attention to the little details about people, even things like hobbies and past work experience. If someone is an avid reader, for instance, you might need a book recommendation one day, or maybe you’ll read a great book that you can pass along to that person. As you discover these little tidbits, enter them (again, as tags) in the person’s contact record.

Not only does paying attention to the “little things” help you along the way as a business owner, but it also deepens your relationships and builds your credibility.

Step 3: Keep Your Network Top of Mind.

Always be thinking of the people around you. How can you help them? How can you help not just your clients and followers, but also fellow business owners? Every connection, every referral and every introduction strengthens your network and your business. People will come to trust and depend on you for quality recommendations and resources to help them in their lives and businesses.

Step 4: Show Initiative

Show people you can help them. When someone asks for a web designer and that’s out of your area of expertise, go to your contact management software and search for “web designer” and see who shows up. Nothing will impress a customer more than you going the extra mile for him or her and sending over a list of quality web designers.

By developing a strong and comprehensive list of resources, it becomes even easier to take better care of your customers and clients, as well as all the relationships in your network, and of course, there’s something to be said for good karma and paying it forward.

What tips do you have for maintaining a better “little black book”?

Photo by Flickr user vince42, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub. req.): Social Media in the Enterprise

There comes a time in your business where you experience growth or change. You think you have everything running along smoothly, and then the real work begins when everything is turned upside down. You want to take advantage of new opportunities, but in order to do that, you have to adjust your systems, support and tools to accommodate that growth and expansion.

Old Pain: Incomplete and Outdated Systems

You know you need to do it. You hear it all the time, “You have to put systems in place to support your business and streamline your work so that you’re more productive, and so that you can outsource and delegate lower level tasks.” It makes sense in your mind, but it just doesn’t seem to be a top priority in the early stages of your business. Instead, you concentrate your efforts on figuring out how to navigate the often confusing path of the small business owner, while spending the rest of your time trying to find new customers and clients.

Before you know it, though, your business starts to take off, and then the pressure really starts setting in. You’re still figuring your way around, you’re trying to maintain your current lead generation efforts, but now you have the added workload to boot. There’s just no time left to worry about creating systems now, except that the further things go, the more desperate you become, and you start feeling like you’re digging your way out of quicksand.

Old Pain: Little or No Support

Most small businesses have to keep things very lean during the beginning, but it doesn’t take long to get used to managing things solo, leaving you strapped for time and thinking you’re the only one who can get the job done.

Then, of course, because you never had time to create systems around your business, everything is a jumbled mess. How will you ever figure out what best to delegate? Even if you wanted to outsource some of your work, where would you start? Without clearly delineated roles, hiring help would seem like a waste of time and money. You’d only end up doing the work yourself or not having anything for the new assistant to do.

The only problem is, there’s only so much you can do on your own, and at some point, you’ll come to the end of the line of your availability, which will mean the end of the line for your company’s growth as well.

Old Pain: Few Tools in Place

There are so many tools available to make the life of a business owner easier, but in the beginning, several things can get in the way of you taking advantage of them. Money is tight, and with such a small workload, it just seems to make more sense to do it yourself, rather than paying for something that you’ll barely use.

As your business grows, you start thinking you might want to get a few tools in place to cut down on your administrative time, but by then, you think that you’ll get things done faster if you just just keep doing them as you’ve always done. By the time you realize you really need them, you’re worried that implementing new tools could cause you to lose valuable information or time, should there be glitches in setting them up.

They don’t call them growing pains for nothing, but as hard as it is to interfere with the delicate arrangement of your business in order to put new systems, support, and tools in place, it’s important to have the faith and, as organizational and productivity guru Julie Morgenstern would say: let go so that you can grab hold. By letting go of things temporarily, you’ll be able to get a better handle on them for the future so that your business can handle the growth that’s coming your way.

What “old pains” are holding back your growth potential, and how are you overcoming them?

Photo by Flickr user doug88888, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Divide and Conquer

To get started breaking down what needed to be done so that I could effectively delegate or outsource certain responsibilities, I first had to figure out what I did all day. (Oddly enough, this wasn’t exactly easy, at least not at first.) How do you name all the things that have to get done in a business each day?

To get a handle on it, I started at the top. What did I do immediately after coming into the office each day? From there, it would be easier to move through my day and week.

• First, I generally did a quick check of my email to see if there were any time-sensitive to-dos or messages waiting for me, but there was nothing there to delegate, really, at least not at this point.
• After that, I went to my Backpack account, where I keep all my recurring to-dos. (I have a template that houses a weekly checklist sorted by day that I simply copy each Monday for the new week.) Within my checklist, I had a variety of tasks. Some of them had to do with things like planning and accountability, others had to do with my writing, but most of them were administrative in nature (prime territory for delegation).
• At some point each day, I had to go back to my email box to sort through any new appointments and book guests for my radio show, magazine interviews, and podcast, which meant adding data to my calendar, as well as other locations to keep my content production schedule running smoothly.
• I also needed to sort through pitches and press releases each day, figure out who I wanted to book, and coordinate interviews.
• Then there came the actual production of content, which included things like editing down recordings and transcribing some of the interviews.

On and on, I went through my days, figuring out all the steps required to do every job I do. I noted each task on a separate index card and then divided them into groups based on context (grouping scheduling/booking tasks together, editing and publication tasks together, lead generation tasks together, and so on).

Once I had all the roles and responsibilities divided, I could decide what would be most beneficial to outsource or delegate at this point, but that required me to break things down a little more.

Focus on Highest and Best Use

To keep everything in perspective, I had to think in terms of “highest and best use.” There were certain tasks that were absolutely the most important things for me to be doing in my business. They weren’t the urgent fires. They weren’t the tasks that needed to somehow get done by someone at some point. They were those tasks that directly generated income or interest in my business, and there were only a few of them. Those few tasks were my “highest and best use” tasks, and I knew that they should have the majority of my attention each day.

In an ideal setup, I would only focus on those tasks 100 percent of the time. Of course, perfection was out of the question, but I could at least organize my workload, as well as the workloads of those who work alongside me, to focus on our individual highest and best use tasks as much as possible.

Obviously, the administrative tasks were not my highest and best use activities. I could quickly eliminate around 25 percent of my workload by delegating those to someone who charged 25 percent of what I made, so that had to be the top priority.

Organize and Execute

I decided to start with getting help in two main areas — scheduling and editing/transcription, but before I could do that, I had to organize all the tools and resources and develop a specific system around each role. That included things like:

• Setting up a branded email address for my scheduling assistant.
• Creating an email signature to clarify to guests her role within my organization.
• Creating canned email responses within that assistant’s email account to communicate in a consistent way with guests
• Creating a step-by-step checklist of “how-tos” that outlined each and every task the assistant had to do.

Once I had all that in place, the rest was pretty easy. Each time I got a new appointment confirmation email, for instance, I simply forwarded it to the new scheduling assistant with the following action in the subject line, “[Book].” There are only five or six actions that my scheduling assistant takes care of each day, and I start each email type with one of those actions so that she immediately knows what to do.

Until I know she has the hang of it, I’m saving all of the emails I send to her in a separate folder. Once a day, I’m running through them and making sure that nothing is fallen through the cracks. There have been a few hiccups, but nothing earth-shattering, and I’ve already seen a major reduction in admin time each day.

What steps do you take to make your outsourcing and delegation as painless as possible?

Photo by Flickr user Wonderlane, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Maybe it starts with the long-awaited end of a project, a move, or even the reorganizing of a closet or the rearranging of a room.

For me, it started with the re-installation of my laptop’s operating system. Simple, right? But fifteen minutes into the process, I felt relief, “Thank goodness this thing will finally work as it should.” I immediately wanted to re-install the operating system on my desktop computer as well, just to have a completely blank canvas to work on; how nice it would be to have both my computers functioning like they were new again.

I started thinking about clean slates. Imagine if you could make every part of your life feel new again.

Maybe you get back to exercising and eating better every day. Maybe you eliminate your debt and cut all the fat from your spending. Maybe you move to a place you’ve been thinking about or paint your office that bold color that always catches your eye.

Sometimes we need to hit the reset button on our lives, not to forget or undo where we’ve been or what we’ve done, but to get a new lease on life, a new perspective, or a breath of fresh air that’s just enough to motivate us to live our lives and run our businesses in a better way.

Spring is just around the corner, and what better time to make a little room to clean a few slates?

Start in the Most Obvious Places

For me, that was my laptop. I had been aggravated with its performance for several months and had gotten to where I rarely used it, because it was too slow. That meant I was bound to a desktop, which seems crazy to me as a web worker.

There are other obvious areas that need my attention, too. My desktop computer is probably next, as well as my archaic filing cabinet that’s filled with junk I don’t need or even use. In fact, I could almost take the entire thing to the curb to go out with next week’s garbage, yet I keep it, and it’s just another reminder of the various canvases and slates that need to be cleaned in my life and business.

Be Inspired to Keep Going

As you clean out one area, a junk drawer or your desk, you’ll most assuredly think of other areas that need your attention. Don’t feel like you have to tackle it all in one day or weekend. Maybe set aside two or three hours every Saturday or Sunday for as long as it takes to get to the bottom of it all. How motivating could that be to think, “What will I tackle next? What will be the next clean slate in my life?”

And, you know, it doesn’t have to stop with junk drawers and computers. You might need to clean up some relationships in your life. Maybe you don’t call your mom or siblings or best friend as much as you’d like and could make some time to make those relationships stronger. Then again, you might need to tackle your health, spirituality, or areas within your business.

So often, we become hoarders, hanging on to all kinds of clutter and excess baggage that crowds our lives and our thinking. Clean slates are very liberating and make you start thinking of all the possibilities that are available to you, if you only make room for them.

Sometimes I get on what I call my “crazy cleaning sprees” and get rid of all kinds of excess clutter and junk. What’s the most outrageous cleaning spree you’ve gone on? Were the results good or bad, liberating or costly?

Photo by Flickr user John Loo, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

1. Plan your exit. Productivity for tomorrow starts today. Set a time to leave the office and stick with it. An hour before that time, have a wrap-up alarm remind you to start wrapping things up for the day, a great tip from organizational and productivity guru Julie Morgenstern in her book, “Never Check E-Mail in the Morning”.
2. Plan tomorrow. Set your intentions and priorities for tomorrow during the last hour of your day so that you hit the ground running.
3. Set your boundaries. At quitting time, turn off the computer (completely off so that you’re not tempted to “quickly” check your email), turn off the light, and shut the door. Don’t return until it’s time to work tomorrow.
4. Honor a bedtime routine. Two or three hours before you want to be asleep, begin a routine of winding down. This will be different for every person, but it might include: no more phone calls or connectivity with the outside world (unless it’s an emergency, of course), no more talk about work, a bath or shower, a cup of hot tea, light reading, journal writing, no television, and lights out at a set time.
5. Start the day off right. Wake up at a set time. Exercise or do yoga for fifteen or twenty minutes, unless you have another workout routine that you prefer. Eat a healthy breakfast (don’t skip this, as it affects your energy levels for the rest of the day). Set out with the right intention for your day by taking care of yourself first.
6. Maintain your boundaries. Don’t immediately go to your office and start checking emails or news feeds. You’ll be at your computer all day. Take some time for yourself and other priorities in your life, or they’re less likely to get done later in the day, especially after work.  Have some coffee, write in your journal, read, or go for a walk. Just take some time for yourself before jumping into your work day.
7. Avoid or limit email time. Avoid checking your email right when you go to the office, or if you prefer seeing if anything important is waiting, at least limit your time to fifteen minutes so that it doesn’t distract you from more important tasks. Email is a huge time suck; if you don’t control it, it will control you.
8. Avoid or limit news feeds and social networks. This is another time-suck that easily distracts from other priorities. Set specific times for keeping up with the latest news and updates, and then be diligent about staying away from the distractions.
9. Start with your list. Jump right to your list of intentions and priorities that you jotted down the previous day. You were probably much more focused and honest about what needed your attention when you were planning it out with a clear head. First thing in the morning, it’s easy to want to procrastinate or give too much importance to trivial tasks and to-dos.
10. Check in often. Set yourself an alarm for every hour or two. Don’t let yourself get too far off base from your intention/priority list. If you do get derailed, at least you’ll not lose much time this way.
11. Work in blocks. In a business, it’s easy to have a wide variety of different types of tasks. There might be client work, writing and publishing, and marketing-related tasks to be done. Groups these tasks and complete them in scheduled blocks of time, say two- or three-hour sittings.
12. Stay disciplined. When you finish with a particular type of task, like work for a specific client, don’t pick up that client’s work again until his/her designated time comes back around again. It’s easy to be tempted to do “just one more thing” for a project, especially when clients are emailing feedback and updates throughout the day, but avoid the temptation. Treat all time blocks with equal importance, whether you’re working on client projects or doing lead generation tasks. It’s all important, and if you don’t maintain a balance between current work and future prospects, you’ll experience peaks and valleys with your revenue as well.

It’s not always easy to stay on track. Time flies, distractions can beg for your attention, and deadlines loom, making you feel pulled in one hundred directions and unable to keep up with the demands, but by approaching your work with purpose and discipline, it’s a lot easier to get things done and feel great about what you’ve accomplished.

What steps do you follow each day to stay on track and productive?

Photo by Flickr user SC Fiasco, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The most common option is to brand yourself under a company, which works well when your company name is unique, brandable and broad enough to encompass a variety of products and services. This option works well for technology companies, for example, like Google and Apple.

Another option is to brand yourself under your own name. This is the way I ultimately decided to brand myself, but coming to that conclusion wasn’t quick or easy.

How It Works For Me

In years past, I tried to identify and promote each of my business ventures individually, but more recently, I asked myself what my main mission was for my work and business. I was able to succinctly say that my goal was to be a resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Once I realized that I had that one central objective, I saw that it really served as an umbrella for all that I do.

All of my work in some way supports small business owners and entrepreneurs. I have one site that provides articles and podcasts on issues related to small business owners, as well as products and services to help them along their way. I have a radio show that covers topics relevant to this same group, as well as a web design company that serves, for the most part, solo entrepreneurs. And, of course, I write for sites like this one on topics relevant to the group.

That unifying thread of serving small business owners and the entrepreneurial crowd shows itself in everything that I do, and usually, clients who work with me through one of my sites end up working with or following me through one or more of the others, so I decided to simply introduce myself under my own name. I changed my email signature, Twitter handle, Posterous handle, etc. to my personal name (or a shorter version of it), and now, when I introduce myself, my business card points people to my main web site (the domain is my name), which then links them to any of my business ventures that fall under the umbrella of what I do.

Instead of trying to wrap my mind around all the different products, companies, or spin-off sites that I develop, which will likely be an ever-growing and changing list, I now focus on thinking about what I personally want to represent and be known for: helping small business owners and entrepreneurs through a variety of resources, products, and services. People start with knowing me and what I do and then figure out which of the sites under that umbrella might help them.

Other Successful Examples

Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, and Gary Vaynerchuk are examples of successful entrepreneurs who identify themselves by their own names rather than those of their companies. They each have two or more sites, books, or companies underneath them and are considered experts in a particular area or niche. Seth Godin is known for marketing, Chris Brogan for social networking, and Gary Vaynerchuk for parlaying passion into business. Their followers know the niche that they serve, and they know them by their individual names first then that of their companies or products.

Michael Port is another example. He has his main, personally-branded site, MichaelPort.com, which directs visitors to any of his books and programs. People know him as a marketing expert, or maybe as the “book yourself solid” guy. They don’t necessarily remember every one of his books or products, but they know him and his name, and they know what he represents.

When to Go With Your Name

I think that if there’s even a remote chance you’ll start another business, sell your current one, or change directions, it’s probably better to go with your name over that of your company. This option works well for entrepreneurs and writers especially. If you think that you’ll start spin-off companies, products, or services and want to be known as an expert on a particular topic, then going with your name might be the easier choice when it comes to branding and promotion.

For me, it’s been much easier to promote myself, definitely, but I’ll also say that it seems to be a lot easier for new contacts to wrap their mind around what I do as well. They immediately see that I do a variety of things, all geared to help them as small business owners. It has made things easier to manage, and I’m much more confident in my marketing efforts as a result.

How do you promote yourself, as your name or that of your company? What made you decide to go that way?

Photo by Flickr user Frogman!, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Waiting to be discovered, however, probably won’t get your business to the level of success you hope to achieve. You can’t wait for people to stumble on your site, thinking that that’s going to be enough to generate the leads required to sustain your revenue goals. You have to be proactive. Here’s how.

1. Find a way to quell the nerves. This starts with being willing. I’ve approached many business owners in recent months to ask them to be guests on my blog, podcast and radio show. Most of them emphatically accept, but occasionally, I do run into people who turn me down simply because they’re too nervous. In many of the cases, I convince them to start with an interview for the blog, and if they feel comfortable moving on to the podcast or radio show from there, great, but if not, at least they’ll get the traffic from the article. Inside tip: Start small. Inch your way into bigger and more visible media outlets.
2. Be prepared. Another concern I run into when asking business owners for interviews is that they worry they’ll look or sound silly. What questions will I ask of them? What bio or leading information will I use for the article, podcast or segment? What photo of them will I put on my site? These are just a few of the questions I’m asked from prospective guests. Mostly, their concerns stem from wanting to control the image that is presented of them and their companies. I reassure them by letting them know that I intend to portray them in the best light possible. Inside tip: Be prepared. Create a media page on your site that houses this kind of information (topics you’re prepared to discuss, sample questions you can answer, your bio and your photo). From my own experience, I can tell you that the job of a writer or interviewer is hard enough, and any bit of information like this that you can provide will not only be appreciated, but will also be used, so you can better control the direction of your media appearances.
3. Take the initiative. I’m finding this out for myself, so I know other media outlets, reporters, bloggers, podcasters and anyone else who generates any kind of content on a regular basis are always on the lookout for great stories and great sources. With a business to run on top of that, it’s especially helpful to have someone approach me with an idea or source for an article or segment, but I can tell you that it doesn’t happen nearly as often as I’d expect. What does that mean? Most small business owners don’t think about approaching bloggers and podcasters to pitch their stories (let alone radio shows, magazines, and larger media outlets). Inside tip: Go for it!  Pitch your story to that blogger or podcaster. If their content focuses on the audience that you target, then you have valuable information that could be shared. Make their lives easier. Send them a quick note to say, “Hey, I’d love to be on your [blog, podcast, show, etc.]. I’m an expert on [your topic of choice], and I think it would be a great topic for your [site/program].” It’s really that easy.
4. Get help. If you’re still worried about tackling media and publicity for your company. Find an expert to help you get started. These folks often have direct access to the media reps and can help you get your foot in the door. Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy is a personal favorite and has an arsenal of free and reasonably-priced resources to get you started in the media.

Be proactive. Take charge of your company’s publicity. Find ways to get in front of new and bigger audiences so that you begin to grow your own following. It doesn’t have to be so intimidating, and if youl inch your way into it, you’ll be a media favorite in no time!

How do you proactively market and promote your company?

Photo by Flickr user hiddedevries, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I wouldn’t want to learn from a teacher who never experiences and only theorizes, nor would I want to learn from one who never reflects on his experiences and, therefore, never gains wisdom.

When you’re trying to run your own business, I think you need time to experiment and try new methods and approaches to your systems and your work. But you also need time to reflect on what’s working and what’s not so that you can modify your direction as you go.

I’ve talked with several business owners in the past few months who have recently become known as experts in their respective niches, and they all have said that even though they know that they’ve been at it for, in some cases, 10 years or more, it’s still hard to feel like an “expert” at what they do (or maybe it’s just strange hearing themselves called that). The truth is, though, they have been doing their work, learning their trade, figuring out how to be successful for years and have earned that title, even if it is strange to hear it themselves.

No, they still don’t get it right all of the time. They still flounder and figure things out as they go, just like the rest of us, but I still personally value their insight very much. By learning from their wisdom, even as they continue to practice, I save myself some steps here and there, and sometimes I even save myself a lot of headache and heartache from side-stepping mistakes they’ve made and that they’ve been so kind as to help me avoid.

Certainly, you want to figure out how to get it right so that (sooner rather than later) you can do the things that will help you succeed in your business, but you also have to save room for experimentation and for failure. It’s how we learn, it’s how we grow, and ultimately, it’s how we succeed.

What have been the greatest experiments of your business, whether they ultimately failed or succeeded?

Photo by Flickr user mikebaird, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

There are so many people who influence us in our businesses, from the bloggers who consistently provide us with helpful information to keep our businesses growing and thriving to the people in our spheres of influence who rave about us and keep clients and customers coming our way. They help us every day, and it is important to reach out and say “thank you” every now and then.

Even when you think it will fall on deaf ears, that it won’t matter to the person, or that he or she is probably inundated with messages every day, let the person know how he or she helps you in your business and that you appreciate his or her efforts. Say what’s on your mind and make it heartfelt — because for most people, it really will matter.

Someone sent me a thoughtful thank you note a couple of weeks ago, and I have thought about her message several times since then. She said my help and support had been “wind in her sails” that week; little did she know that that note would be wind in mine for weeks to come.

Take the time to thank the people who inspire you, motivate you and teach you. Instead of passing over the comment sections of their blogs again, thinking you have nothing of value to add, let them know how their posts are making a difference in your business. With so many jerks in the world these days, it’s really nice to come across someone who actually takes the time to be, well, nice.

And, to my favorite bloggers (The Bloggess, Chris Brogan, Dumb Little Man and Gary Vaynerchuk, to name a few), thank you.

What was the most heartfelt or meaningful “thank you” you ever received?

Photo by Flickr user vistamommy, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I love this restaurant, first because it’s a homegrown success story and second because I have memories of it in college, when it was just getting off the ground.

Their slogan is “One Love,” because it only serves meals of chicken fingers. That’s it. The founder, Todd Graves, had one vision in mind when he was in college, to start a chicken finger restaurant that had a fun atmosphere with good food and great people, and he held onto that vision until he was able to open his first restaurant in 1996.

That vision holds true today. The restaurant is still a lot of fun. (I can’t help but laugh when I go to the drive-through and the person taking the order says something like, “Welcome to Raising Cane’s where the chicken’s kickin’,” in the most upbeat cheerleader-voice I’ve ever heard.) The people are always friendly. The food is always good, and the restaurant provides a unique atmosphere with fun people who take pride in the company, from the person taking the orders to Todd Graves himself. I’ve visited so many of the restaurants around the state, and they’re always the same, which only goes to show how important the original vision continues to be even today, nearly fifteen years later.

Vision is important for building lasting success. I read once in Henriette Anne Klauser’s book “Write It Down, Make It Happen” that you must “hold it in your mind.” If you have a vision, you have to hold onto it, keep it at the forefront of your mind until you can make it a reality. Hold true to that vision. Make sure that everything that represents you and your company represents it, as Cane’s does throughout all of  its restaurants, with every single employee, and down to every last chicken finger.

If you’re in a state with a Cane’s or will be visiting one soon, be sure to check it out.

In what ways do you make sure to hold true to your vision for your company?

Image from the Raising Cane’s website

It was pure madness, and I was completely frazzled. I had to turn in the show without a single run-through to make sure it was OK, my house wasn’t nearly as clean as I would have liked, and I was still in lounge clothes when my guests arrived — not at all my normal way of handling things, especially where work is concerned.

The bad thing was that my entire week had gone that way, too: jumping from one appointment to the next, eating lunch at 2 PM (if I was lucky), and stopping work just in time to go to bed at a decent enough hour to be rested enough for the next morning’s appointments. It was chaos, and it proved that not only do I need an assistant, I also needed to create buffers within my schedule.

It might seem efficient to have back-to-back appointments with small buffers to compensate for meetings running over and time to get to the next one, but what about the time needed to process what happened in the meeting? In every appointment I have, whether with a client about a project, a partner about a strategic alliance about collaborations we’re getting underway, or a guest about the radio show, there’s usually some sort of follow-up that needs to be done after the meeting. Wouldn’t it be more effective to do that while it’s still fresh on my mind?

My schedule wasn’t the only place, though, where I needed this kind of space.; some padding around all the things I needed to do and all the units of time in which I did them. I knew I needed to start putting buffers around everything that I do:

1. Buffers in my schedule. Instead of scheduling three appointments in the middle of my day, I now schedule two and then use that extra space around them both so that I have time to do the majority of follow-up for each while it’s still fresh on my mind.
2. Buffers around my work day. I need time to throttle up and wind down at the start and end of each day, rather than immediately jumping into or out of work.
3. Buffers within and around projects. Instead of creating a jam-packed project schedule, spread it out over an extra quarter to a third of time to account for setbacks and unanticipated delays. Also consider adding “rest time” between projects to help keep the creative juices flowing and in case a project gets pushed back for some reason.
4. Buffers around vacations, breaks and sick leave. It takes a little time to get back into the rhythm of working, and usually there’s a backlog of emails, blog maintenance, writing and other tasks that have to be tackled in addition to the regular work. Try adding a buffer of a quarter to a third of the time you were out to compensate for the added workload, as well as the “jet lag” caused by time away from the regular routine.
5. Buffers around weekends and work weeks. This is one place where I actually have been doing much better with maintaining buffers. I reserve Monday mornings for accountability calls and planning so that I can see where I’m going in the weeks ahead and where I’ve been in the past week or two. On Fridays, I’m trying to get into the practice of using an hour or so to plan out the coming week and make any adjustments to my schedule and workload, based on any projects and appointments I have on the docket.
6. Buffers around problems. I’m coming to appreciate that when I’m struggling with something in my business or when I’m adding something new to the mix, I need to leave myself enough space and time to work it out. I might need time to figure out a solution (like in the case with hiring help and offloading some of my work), adjust to something new (like the new radio show and its added workload), or simply to reflect on an issue and figure out what I want.

I’ve come to realize that it’s not realistic to expect yourself to jump from one thing to the next with no downtime or space to reflect on what you’ve done, where you are and where you’re headed. It’s important to have “wiggle room” to make it all work and keep yourself from getting overloaded.

Do you add buffers in and around your work day?

Image from Flickr by Plutor

1. Lance Armstrong: Be disciplined. No business will succeed without a lot of hard work and discipline. Commit to it. Stick with it. Eventually, you’ll reach your destination.
2. Paula Deen: Be yourself (and be bold about it). You will naturally succeed if you build a base of followers who are naturally attracted to your personality. Don’t worry about being liked by everybody. Just let your own unique personality shine through.
3. Mr. Rogers: Be positive. I can’t imagine making it in business without a whole lot of optimism.
4. Ellen Degeneres: Have fun. The daily grind, even when you work for yourself, can be dull at times. Doing something you love, surrounding yourself with clients and connections that energize you, and taking time to appreciate the good things in life make it all worthwhile, and who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh every once in a while?
5. Bill Cosby: Keep learning. I used to be so intimidated by what I didn’t know. But I’ve come to realize that such a list is endless, so I just continue to work at it, and I learn more and more each day about how to build a successful business.
6. Carol Burnett: Be creative. Sometimes you have to improvise. You figure it out, and you come to enjoy the journey.
7. Oprah: Build a platform. To succeed in business, you have to have a group of people who believe in you, who want to hear what you have to say, and who want to support you in everything you do.
8. Jim Carrey & Steve Carell: Don’t take it all so seriously. You’re going to mess up, and you will look silly on occasion. Learn to be OK with that.
9. Maya Angelou: Be resilient. Things will not always be easy, but if you refuse to give up and keep bouncing back, they manage to work themselves out.

Just like certain words bring to mind certain products or companies, certain celebrities make me think of lessons or traits I hope to apply within my business.

Do any lessons or traits come to mind when you think of certain celebrities?

Image from Flickr by j a r r o d

For a blue-eyed girl in my homeroom class

Trying to find the courage to ask her out

Was like trying to get oil from a waterspout

What she would’ve said I can’t say

I never did ask and she moved away

But I learned something from my blue-eyed girl

Sink or swim you gotta give it a whirl.

- John Michael Montgomery, “Life’s a Dance”

I’m surprised sometimes by business owners who turn down opportunities for promotion. We can all feel intimidated by the thought of putting ourselves or our ideas out there, but whenever that happens to me, I stop and ask myself, “Are you serious about this?”

If there’s one thing I’m figuring out, especially lately, it’s that you have to be willing to make the approach. You have to be willing to ask for what you want. Ask the person to be a guest for your blog or podcast. Ask to be covered on another person’s site or radio show. Ask someone to join you for lunch or coffee. Just ask.

Maybe they’ll say yes. Maybe they’ll say no, but who cares? There are a million other people to ask.

It’s nerve-racking, spine-numbing and absolutely intimidating to get out there and tell the world about yourself and your business, but at some point, you have to ask yourself just how serious you are and how willing you are to let go of your fears and inhibitions and just do it.

The point is, you’re not going to get anywhere by staying holed up behind your computer screen tweaking, thinking, lurking or waiting. You have to take the initiative. Marketing, promotion and publicity – it’s all intimidating, and very few people are comfortable with it. That’s OK, though. If you admit that you’re nervous, people will be quick to support you and will actually see you as a real person who messes up and has feelings and is just like them, and that’s what you want — to make a connection with others.

What’s the best thing you ever accomplished by putting yourself out there?

Image from Flickr by geeknerd99