I get a daily newsletter from gaping void that shows Hugh Macleod’s cartoons. I think that they’re fun and often thought-provoking.

Today’s cartoon, entitled Successful grabbed me enough to go to the site and peak around. (Further testament that email marketing and sending newsletters works!)

While I was there I ran across this article: random thoughts on being an entrepreneur

I think everyone starting a business should print this out and refer to it at least once a week. It can help you get through the rough times and inspire you to keep going.

Some of these may not apply to you, but I would bet that at least half will. Perhaps you don’t have a product yet, you just coach one-on-one. You need a product, too! Find a way to make money while you’re not working directly with a client.

Follow this instruction! 15. Write the following on a piece of paper, have it framed, and stick it on your office wall: “Have you hugged your customer today?”

Be in contact with your clients outside of your normal schedule. Send a hand-written note for a birthday or holiday. Make a drop-in call that they didn’t request and create a deeper connection, or maybe send them a resource for something other than what you’re working on. (You know them enough to know what’s valuable to them.)

22. One successful entrepreneur I know well has a wonderful quality, namely that he never, ever compares himself to other people. He just does his own thing, which actually serves him rather well.

Sure, there are others with more clients, making more money, working from the beach… So what? You do the best you can for the people that you work with. That is all.

I’ve talked to many business folks that seem to understand this principle in many areas of their lives. They don’t compare themselves to their friends, to their own past career, or their contacts in other businesses. But in their business, somehow it sneaks in!

We surf the net and talk to others and that insidious little voice points out how much better those others  are doing. How much money they’re making, how many products they’re selling, and look at all those nice testimonials!

They’re not better than you and it doesn’t matter anyway. Be great with the people that you serve and you will be as successful as anyone.

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You are an entrepreneur and you’re running a business. If you’re not running it like a business, then you won’t be one of those “golden” 6&7-figure entrepreneurs. Get contracts, a business plan, marketing and financial plans. Get a coach!

I know you just want to get to the good stuff; working with people. But, if you skip the business parts, then you’ll have less opportunity to do so.

Read Hugh’s article and get back to me and tell me what the impact is on you. Thanks!

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If you read around this site a bit, you’ll see that I don’t really write that much about technology here. That’s weird!

You see, I’m offering much more than technology. Sometimes business tips, sometimes humorous, and sometimes thought provoking. Whatever I can think to write about a couple of times per week.

I’m not a pro-blogger out to make millions through Adsense. I am a coach that has almost 20 years of technical background and I want to help small businesses get their word out. That’s what juices me up and makes me happy.

Thanks for coming by and hopefully we can work together. You’ll get an online presence and I’ll get the satisfaction of helping you through some difficult things so that you can help someone else be more awesome, too! Thanks!

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Are you wearing a mask??

Could it be that your mask is just that you’re not showing up to be seen??

There are tons of ways to be out there on the Internet: websites, blogs, FaceBook, Twitter and about a million other forums, groups and apps. Each has it’s own advantages and disadvantages.   

But the one thing that they all offer is the opportunity to put yourself out there, to get you seen and recognized by thousands of people that you would otherwise have had about a 0.1% chance of connecting with.   

Lots of folks are confused about the value of some of these tools, so here’s my spin on the big players in Social Media. (And, no. I am not calling myself a Social Media Guru, like every third person on Twitter.) Let’s talk about blogs, FaceBook, and Twitter with a nod toward the common website.   

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Website:   

Yes. You need one. And it’s amazingly easy.   

1. Get hosting. (Yes. They’ll give me a couple of bucks if you use my link. My kids thank you!)
2. Get WordPress. (You probably don’t even have to do this as most hosts will install it for you.)
3. Create some pages for the various aspects of your business. Product or Service descriptions, Rates, About Us, Contact, etc.

This is your place that you put your official marketing stuff. It’s your company billboard/brochure. It’s relatively static and you can sell like crazy here and have optin boxes and whatever else it takes to get people into your funnel and have them buying your stuff.   

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Blog:   

Setup is the same as above:   

1. Go get hosting.
2. Get WordPress.
3. Start creating awesome content!

Here is where you get to show your personality for your business. Let people get to know you. There are many levels of personal revelation available, from “What goes on behind the scenes in our workplace” to “I love cats!”   

People get to know you as a person ongoingly. They get to like you because they know you. And people will always buy moer from people that they know, like, and respect.   

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FaceBook:   

Some will cry foul, heresy, or stupidity about this one, but…   

FaceBook is for personal contact.   

I have nobody on my FaceBook that I don’t really know. I talk to them weekly, or have done business with them, or I went to high school with them… some number of years ago.   

Yes, I have done business with some of those folks. But, now I know them. They’re not just prospects. I could call any of them and they’d answer. (I hope!)   

There are fan pages for doing business on FB, but something about being fans annoys me. <shrug> That’s just one of my things to work through, because I know a lot of people are using FB fan pages and it wroks for them. So, go ahead and market like crazy through a fan page, but keep your personal account… personal.   

I like the idea of having a place where I am never selling and I am just connecting with people that I know and like. Sharing life’s little suprises and wisdom.   

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Twitter:   

Ah, Twitter!   

At first, like everyone else, I said, “Who cares about what I had for lunch?”   

Then one day, I had a great conversation with social media socialite, Tia Singh. (I don’t think she calls herself that, but she’s super friendly and knowledgable about these things, so I’m calling her that!)   

I had a great shift in thought about how Twitter lets you join in on conversations with people, in practically real time, about the various things I’m interested in.   

Here is a great article from the NY Times about Why Twitter Will Endure. Read that and understand that Twitter is changing customer service, too.   

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My true Twitter story

I had just read that article a week or two ago and when I had a problem with my bank (Suntrust) this week. I tweeted about it and I got results too.   

I woke up on Wednesday after a holiday weekend. I needed to check one of my personal bank accounts and to my horror that I was massively overdrawn. There was some confusion due to the way that the website reported transactions and how soon deposits clear. Combine that with the holiday effect and it all added up to calamity.   

When I called, the rep explained to me why I had 11 overdraft charges at $36 each. GRRRR! After checking my account, I was told that since I have been such a “good customer” for so long that he’d be able to refund one of the charges. I felt like I was told I was a “good doggie” and then thwapped on the nose!   

After tweeting my disgust at Suntrust, I was contacted by their Twitter folks and given a different number. Apparently this was a hotline for the disgruntled. I spoke with a soothing, apologetic, nice woman and I was refunded more than half of the charges. Not all of them, but they hoped I’d understand that it wasn’t really a bank error and I might need another way to track my accounts than the website, which might not always be real time. (I swear I usually do, but just upgraded OS and computer parts and had let my receipts accounting fall behind.) 

So, yah. Ultimately it is my problem and they Could have given me nothing. But, by using Twitter and treating people like people, Suntrust saved my accounts from being moved (I have 4 accounts there… still).  

Companies are starting to see the value of having people on Twitter, FaceBook and other social media channels in order to show a human and humane face. Soon, all business will go that way.  

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Take off the mask!

So just like maybe 8-10 years ago, you couldn’t understand why anyone but drug dealers and doctors would need a cell phone… you might consider getting your Twitter and other social media outlets working for you!

Jump in and play the game, not behind some mask, but as you; the real, authentic you. Share as much or as little of the details of your personal life, but be honest and tell your truth. That is how you get to know people, enroll clients, and get more business.

As a bonus, you may meet many other really great authentic people that are creating greatness in the world. Maybe you’ll meet new business partners or even friends!

I invite you to start with me! Please follow me at http://twitter.com/TobyMartini and join the conversation!

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