ideas and tips for busy business owners… like you!
Email is a business tool we just can’t avoid. Keeping our inboxes manageable is a daily challenge. (Believe me, I’ve tried the avoiding option and it only becomes a bigger job.) I’m usually pretty good about reading and responding; it’s the filing and organizing that … Keep reading…
One night last week I dreamed that Mary Jane Copps and I co-authored a best-selling book called “Always Showing Up”. It was about the importance of being seen often and always bringing value to clients, potential clients and referrers – the commitment to building relationships … Keep reading…
My friend Anita Kirkbride has been digging deep into all the social media platforms for years and regularly shares updates on changes and new developments. Another friend Alison Knott enjoys reading about stats, trends and best practices, and shares interesting tidbits in her monthly newsletter … Keep reading…
Perhaps it’s the control freak in me but have you ever wished you could make someone else be more curious? Years ago when I lived in Toronto, I went out with a guy who, after a few dates, suggested I shouldn’t talk about my work … Keep reading…
We can all appreciate a beautiful website or newsletter or social feed. Colours, fonts, everything matches. Brand expression can be a wonderful thing. Last year, I was working with a new client who raised a concern that the colour I had used for the call-to-action … Keep reading…
It’s easy to get hamstrung by what you don’t know… and then do nothing at all. If starting an email newsletter for your small business has been on your to-do list for a while, here’s the perfect place to start. Below I’ve gathered my best … Keep reading…
Have you ever opened an email to a big blank nothing? Probably you saw a little icon that tells you there should have been an image… but it wasn’t loading for you. Ugh, what a waste of time opening that email. Of course, you don’t … Keep reading…
THIS is yet another good reason to be creating marketing content: “Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.” – Cory Doctorow While I would argue that content is more than just something to talk about (or should be), I love this sentiment! … Keep reading…
Late in the ’90s, after an intense SAP implementation with my employer at the time in Toronto, I spent the better part of a year working with all of the different business groups to document and improve on their process workflows. This meant travelling to … Keep reading…
When 2020 arrived, I had recently split with my husband of 17 years, sold our family home, and moved into a new apartment. The problem was that during the year of getting the house ready and sold, I turned away work. And I started the … Keep reading…
Like you, this past year has been one of changing and adapting for my business. And also like you, it’s meant big changes to my personal life. For one thing, I had more time to read. But instead of escaping into my usual murder mysteries … Keep reading…
“For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” – Henry L. Mencken – Henry was not a small business owner. Instead, he was a journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic and scholar who penned that quote a hundred years ago. … Keep reading…
A glowing white screen can be mesmerizing in its utter emptiness, taunting you to type something… but not just anything. It’s got to be useful or interesting to your blog and newsletter readers. It’s got to be better than the last article you wrote. It’s … Keep reading…
It’s that time of year when our email boxes quickly fill up each day with special promotions – Black Friday will kick it all off. Depending on your type of business and target market, you may be (should be?) considering doing some extra promotional emails … Keep reading…
Back in June, I had the honour and pleasure of being a guest on Mary Jane Copps’ monthly webinar. The topic was “How to Continually Grow Your List… and Why It’s Important”. We had a wonderful chat and answered common questions about list building. You can … Keep reading…
I’ve joked to friends that no one ever needs to reach me in a hot rush because there are no marketing emergencies. In fact, there are some things that might constitute an “emergency” (Sheldon quotes), such as a website going down or an app not … Keep reading…
I’m tickled pink because I finally reached 1M pageviews here on the blog. It feels like a #VanityStat but I know it has led to lots of great opportunities over the years… ten years, in fact. This wasn’t even a goal when I started blogging in … Keep reading…
You and I both know it can be a lot of work to keep the content machine going – blogging, email marketing, social media and more. When I find an idea I can execute in 15 minutes that will give me social media posts and … Keep reading…
If your ideal client has finally found you – your website, your blog, your social profiles – you want to be strong and confident with your calls-to-action. I’ve written before about ‘just’ and ‘feel free’ and other wishy-washy language. It doesn’t serve you well. Here’s … Keep reading…
There are no 3-easy-steps to becoming a millionaire. If magic bullets and passive income really existed, we’d ALL be sitting around enjoying the view from our yachts. Cambridge Dictionary defines a ‘magic bullet’ as “a quick and simple solution to a difficult problem”. None of … Keep reading…