Three weeks ago we added a new employee to our team. But he had no name.

It’s a funny thing though. I kind of knew his name all along. My husband, Richard, took some convincing… now he’s fully on board! (And he played a key role in figuring out his last name.)

Meet Jack:

Jack Blue to be more specific. (And when we’re feeling really chummy, he’s JB.)

Jack’s been learning the trade since we first introduced him to you. And he’s acquired some great skills. Things like swatting at the cursor on our computer screens. Stealing our chairs the minute we get up. He makes a pretty good paper weight too.

And then of course, there’s the thing he does best:

He’s pretty great at power naps… while still expecting his hourly rate.

Not a bad idea!

Oh! and a very special thanks to all of you who gave us some great ideas for names! We loved every single one of them. You guys are amazingly creative.

Related posts:

1. If we don’t feel valued, we walk.
2. Will You Help Us Name Our New Employee?

How’s your day going?

Seriously… I really want to know. How are you? What are you doing?

• What’s the one thing you’ll work on today that you’ll love doing?
• What’s that one thing you’re putting off?

Right now, I’m writing this post, which is a hell of a lot of fun.

And I get to support my friend Melanie Kissell who is participating in a guest post blog contest! This link will take you to her awesome post, 5 Tantalizing Ways To Expose Yourself On Social Media. Check it out. It’s really, really good!

You can help her win by sharing the post with your social media friends and by leaving a comment under her post.

Then…

there’s that one thing I’m not looking forward to… and it has to get done today. Actually it should have been done yesterday, but I thought yesterday was Monday. I kind of screwed that up. I even missed a call I was supposed to be on. And my friend has not emailed me back to tell me she forgives me (*yet*).

I have a pile of mail that’s a mile high. That’s the not fun part of my day today:( It’s what I get for letting it pile up. Actually that’s how I always do it… works better than dropping everything every time the letter carrier delivers the mail. And of course, I’ve been on vacation… yuck, it’s not always fun to come back to the office is it?

But it’s still a pile of mail that’s threatening to topple over on my desk and bury me avalanche style.

So how do you take a not so perfect day and make it great? You look for something perfect or flawless in everything you do. In everyone you talk to.

For example, I know that in my pile of mail there are at least two SOC cards. How do I know? Well it’s that telltale blue ink on the envelope. And while they are automatically generated, someone did take the time to put me in their database. That’s sort of nice.

It certainly adds a smile or two to a pile of invoices and marketing letters. And junk.

And that makes the pile perfect.

Supporting my friend Melanie is the icing on the cake. You’ll love her post, why not go take a look, tweet, share and comment? Thank you.

Hey, and leave a comment telling us about your day! How do you see something perfect in everything around you?

No related posts.

I’ve been known to say, “There is no such thing as competition.”

Say, what?

Let me also say there are tons of people who have adamantly disagreed with this statement. You may be one of them. I say it so others will stop and think about their mindset.

Consider this. You may possess a highly competitive mindset — to the exclusion of other possibilities. Hmmm.

I’d much rather promote the philosophy that everyone is a potential joint partner. And that to collaborate is divine. Here’s a short post I wrote a while back on the The Art of Competition. Reading it might put you in the right mindset.

I love to support people who are in action. I love to share the spotlight. Should I worry about sending my visitors to another blogger’s site? Especially one who writes on the same topics as I do? Someone who has similar products and courses? Or is a fellow coach?

I don’t think so.

As I meet more and more fabulous people through my blog and through social media, I am constantly amazed at what’s going on out there in the business world. My friends are starting new businesses and launching products left and right. They have businesses that simply rock!

You know who you are.

So, in honor of all of you extraordinary entrepreneurs, today’s comments are wide open. You can ask questions, you can brag, you can even engage in some shameless self promotion or networking.

Here are some ideas for getting in the conversation:

• Is your business so awesome you’re just dying to tell us about? Go for it.
• Are you launching a product or service? Would you like to test the market? You’ve got a great focus group right here.
• Do you have a business question? Ask away.
• Do you have a little challenge you just can’t get your head around? Let’s talk.
• Are you looking for a partner or a mentor? Well… 95% of the people who will help you…  you don’t know yet!

Ready… set… go! You can leave as many comments as you like. There is only one rule. If you totally spam us (that would look something like, “Nice post, here’s a link.”) – I’ll moderate.

Related posts:

1. How to promote your blog, website, product or service
2. Shameless Self Promotion: Here’s Your Opportunity

Last week I wrote a post about the perils of not having a team help you run your business. One of the responses I received raised an interesting question. It’s one I’ve often pondered.

My friend Ruzanne of Oh!SomeAngels made the excellent suggestion that I consider hiring a VA (Virtual Assistant) during those times when I need some extra help. A VA could help out with things like customer service, writing, editing and proofreading and for social networks site management. It’s a great idea.

But here’s my little dilemma:

When is it okay to hire someone to manage your social media for you?

In other words, is it acceptable to pay someone to be ‘you’ on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin? I believe the obvious answer is yes. But…. I find myself wondering.

I have a friend who is widely known as a guru in the wealth building industry. She’s billed as a top expert in her field. She has built a multi-million dollar business and over the years has created a huge team that supports her. (If you read my blog with any regularity you know I am a firm believer in hiring a team and in delegating the work of running your business to that team.)

A number of years ago she mentioned to me that she has trained some of her employees to speak in her ‘voice’. They know how to sound exactly like her. She’s tasked these individuals to handle all aspects of her social media presence.

They tweet, post and engage online as her.

I’ll admit to being fascinated by this strategy. And I was surprised by it. It seemed like a good solution for someone who was incredibly busy while at the same time it struck me as slightly disingenuous.

I found myself thinking, “You mean all this time you were replying to my tweets and ‘liking’ my posts on Facebook, it wasn’t really you?”

Over the years I’ve found myself presenting this as a viable option to some of my coaching clients. I’ve recommended this strategy to people who have zero time to devote to social media but desperately need to incorporate social media into their business marketing strategies.

I’ve even suggested my husband consider doing this.

In some ways, this is a classic case of “Do as I say, not as I do.”

For example, when I engage with you on social media, it really is me doing the liking, sharing and tweeting. Yet, over the past couple of weeks I was so busy I pretty much disappeared from the social media scene. Now I’m wondering, would it have been acceptable to bring in some temporary help to stay active and current?

I’d love to know what you think about this. Is is okay to have your team manage your social media? If so, is it acceptable to have them speak in your voice? Strategically what is the best way to go about this? How much time do you spend managing your social media? Would you consider delegating this to a member of your team? Is it disingenuous or is it an acceptable practice?

Related posts:

1. Social media, changing the way we do business.
2. How do you use social media in your business?

You can create an idea out of nothing.

You can spread or share that idea using tools your parents didn’t have. For free. Easily. Networking and connecting with others in and outside your field is an accepted practice.

Your grandparents wanted the big brands. Your friends and connections want you. Your idea. Your solution.

Products and services are easy to launch. Social media has made this a foregone conclusion.

Do you have something that soothes others pain? Makes life easier? You can test the value and viability by simply asking… and you can ask hundreds. Before you invest the big bucks bringing it to market.

You can start a business selling things or services people normally buy. Target markets can be reached easily. Prospects, customers, mentors and inspiration are at your fingertips. New technologies are tools your grandparents, and even your parents, didn’t have.

You don’t need to rely on luck.

So my question to you is,

Why wouldn’t you test your idea for a business?

You might discover your biggest challenge is in meeting demand. Nice huh?

One last thought …. have a price and ask for it.

Yes, it really can be this simple.

What’s stopping you? (This is not a rhetorical question.)

Related posts:

1. If Your Kid Started a New Business, What Would It Be?
2. 331 Business Ideas: Start With Your Passion and Your Skills

Today’s awesome guest post is written by my friend Phil Lusted. Phil is a freelance web designer from North Wales, UK, and is one of the most generous bloggers I know. You will find him blogging over at Philz Corner where he shares his passion for the latest social media happenings and web design tips and tricks. Today he is sharing that wisdom with us. Please join me in welcoming Phil to BigFishTopDogs!

**********

Today the internet is a huge thing and it can be used to display information in many different and effective ways. Surprisingly, a lot of small businesses do not take advantage of the internet in order to promote their business. A lot of the time it’s because business owners don’t know what the web can offer them and the effectiveness it can have on their business today.

Are you still doubting promoting online? Here’s some examples on how you could benefit!

Sell your products online

A great importance in today’s economy! A website can allow you to sell your products online which is quite efficient and can also be less stressful to control. So instead of receiving phone call orders from customers, they can simply visit your website any time of the day to purchase products from you. There is no opening time and closing time on an online website!

Save time by having a FAQ page

Do customers contact you regularly by phone asking you questions? With a website you can set up a frequently answered questions (FAQ) page allowing people browsing your business website to read. You could also setup contact pages for customers to contact you rather than using the phone. Once a contact page has been filled in and submitted you will receive the query via your business email address.

Create A Blog Page

Every business website should have some kind of blog. This will keep customers up to date with the latest happenings of the business. Sometimes customers like to read company blogs as it keeps them educated and gives them the urge to check the website more often.

Offer Newsletter Subscriptions

Instead of having customers visit your store (if you have one!) regularly for product or business news updates, you could create a monthly newsletter for the business, keeping customers up to date with new product updates. Customers who visit the business website will have the ability to subscribe via email for these monthly newsletters.

Customers voices are important!

With an online website you also have the ability of setting up a feedback page which could help you improve your business by receiving customer feedback and thoughts. Remember that your customers voice matters!

Social Network Promotion

Once you have a business website setup you can promote it through Facebook and Twitter. They are two of the most effective tools of online promotion and it’s all free to use! Both of these networking sites allow people to keep updated with business news. It’s also a very good way of getting your name around. Customers can also promote your business through Facebook and Twitter.

Are there any other important reasons why a business should have a website?

Your comments are always welcome!

Related posts:

1. The #1 Most Important Learnable Skill in Business Networking
2. Should Your Business Have a Blog?

This post is time sensitive so if you receive my posts via my RSS Feed or email subscription that’s a good thing!

Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is happening next week, November 15-21. In 100 countries. With 40,000 events and 10 million people.

There is a lot going on with this event… you’ll want to visit the GEW website. See if there are events happening in your area. Or download a speed networking guide and host your own event!

Here’s a brief excerpt from the site to give you an idea of what GEW is all about:

“For one week, millions of young people around the world join a growing movement of entrepreneurial people, to generate new ideas and to seek better ways of doing things. Countries across six continents come together to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative to inspire young people to embrace innovation, imagination and creativity. To think big. To turn their ideas into reality. To make their mark.”

Another really cool thing that’s happening is The Global Innovation Game – or GIG. This is a social networking game played on Facebook. GIG challenges an international community of players to crowdsource solutions to problems impacting communities across the planet. You can check it out by clicking this link.

The Creativity World Forum in Oklahoma City will help kick-off GEW. This international conference will examine how creativity drives commerce, culture and Education.

Watch this totally inspiring video:

Many of you know I’m a business and entrepreneurship coach. To celebrate GEW I’d love to support you in your advanced thinking around entrepreneurship. So, let’s play! What one question do you have about becoming an entrepreneur? And for you successful entrepreneurs out there, what challenges are you facing right now? Please ask your questions in the comment below!

Oh! If you haven’t done so already, grab my RSS feed or subscribe by email to bigfishtopdogs.com over on the right sidebar of this blog… you’ll be the first to receive new posts hot off the press!

Related posts:

1. Social media, changing the way we do business.
2. You Are Not Your Ego — It’s An Illusion

As a result of my participation this week in Blogger Monday, a somewhat rule heavy, guidance light game open to all bloggers, I’ve been inspired to write this post. My participation in the game gave me an opportunity to appreciate how much I’ve learned from reading the comments of some really great commenters and to appreciate my experience as a frequent commenter on blogs of all types. It also gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet some incredible bloggers.

If you are a regular commenter on posts, that’s just really cool.  I’d love it if you’d share some tips in the comments below! If you’ve never commented on a blog post, why not start now? I know you’ve got great things to say. Blogs are about community. Community is about sharing.

Commenting on a blog post isn’t about waxing poetic or demonstrating incredible brilliance (although I know you’re brilliant!), it’s about being thoughtful and insightful. It’s about contributing to a conversation. Offering tips and ideas. Expanding on the original viewpoint presented. It’s about building relationships and exercising the power of social media to expand your network.

There truly is an art to leaving comments on blogs. Here are a few tips:

Read the post. OK, so this is pretty obvious, I know, but really take your time and read what the author has written.

Leave thoughtful comments. I always ‘talk’ to the author as if the two of us are sitting in a room together. If I have questions about what they wrote, I ask. If the article makes me think of something funny, I share it. If they made me laugh, I lol! When something I read touches me deeply, I share it.

Take your time. Commenting is not a contest and it’s not a race. Don’t let your commenting turn into some weird take on speed networking. Leaving a comment like, “Hi, how are you? Good to meet you. Bye.” or, “Great post!” is not how to build community, or to network.

Engage socially. Take a look at the other comments. If someone leaves a great comment or says something that really resonates with you, follow their link. You may discover a wondrous new blogger or arrive at a website with a product or service you may love. I have. And, I’ve made incredible new friends this way.

Follow the blogger on Twitter. Retweet their article. Click on a Facebook like box or ‘like’ an individual article, or both. Subscribe to RSS feeds. Share the article with your online networks. If you are into social media, this is a great opportunity to expand your network… you really shouldn’t overlook the opportunity.

Look around the site. I’m not suggesting you start buying products or opting in for every offer you find… but take a minute to get to know the blogger. This is where they live. Read a couple of other posts.

Read the about page. Some of the stories you read will make you laugh or cry. Some about pages will leave you completely turned off. Find out about the author before you decide whether or not to leave a comment. You may also find you have something in common that you can talk about.

Be sure to visit the home page. If you land on a post through social media or through a search online, take a minute and pop over to the home page. Sometimes important things are posted permanently on the home page. The blog might be a small part of an entire website. Why not take a quick look? If you loved what you read in a post, you might find other great stuff on the site.

Engage with the other commenters. It’s OK to comment on other comments. Remember? This is about community.  It’s a conversation. If you read something you can contribute to, do it! Leave tips or varying viewpoints. The conversation can go in multiple directions.

Proofread your comment. When I comment on a post I usually write it in a separate word doc. Kind of a strange tip I know, but after I accidentally hit enter once, submitted a comment that wasn’t complete, and sounded like someone who couldn’t finish a thought, I learned my lesson. It’s also a great way to proof your posts.

Be original. Don’t parrot back what the post author or every other commenter has already said. When I make a comment I usually write it before I read the other comments. I know this is counter to what I said earlier about engaging with the other commenters, and participating in threaded comments, but I don’t like to be influenced by what’s already been said.

One of the things I love most about commenting on blogs is the anticipation of the reply to my comment, especially if I asked a question. I can’t wait to see what the author says as a result of my commenting on their post. And when a blogger doesn’t reply, it’s hugely disappointing. I rarely visit the site again… why waste my time on a one way journal?

Blog posts can be full of information, actionable items, and ideas outside of your daily world or experience. Blog comments are where the valuable conversation begins.

Care to comment? I realize it seems a little bit funny commenting on a post about commenting on blogs. I’d really love to have you join the conversation. Why not leave a comment below?

Related posts:

1. How to promote your blog, website, product or service
2. Should Your Business Have a Blog?

Have you ever asked your son or daughter what kind of business they would start? You’ve probably asked them what they want to be when they grow up, or someone has for sure.

Why not try a new twist on the old, extremely dated, industrial age question? Instead of asking your kids “Who are you going to work for?” why not ask them what they would create? Without limitations?

Interesting, huh?

Here’s what a bunch of really great kids came up with this week — all between the ages of 7 to 11 years old:

Teach adults how to use their “smart” phones. Need I comment here? Do you know how to use all the functions on your iPhone or BlackBerry?

Vending machine business – placed at factories and business centers. He’s donating revenue to a Women’s Center.

Computer game creator. I won’t give the name or concept away but it will be “the newest and awesomest game around.”

Children’s party planner – hosting parties for kids up to 8 years old. Donating a large portion of revenue to Haiti.

Online fashion for kids. Clothing and accessories. This adorable 10 year old from Australia “Quite likes spending time with younger children.”

Fitness for kids all around the world. He’s donating some of the revenue to local children’s hospitals after seeing his 6-year-old friend die from cancer.

Video advertising for business owners. He will video interview people “in the real world” about their experience with your business and post it to YouTube.

Using social media in 20 minutes. He’ll help you set up Twitter and Facebook and show you how to advertise your small business on your Facebook page… in 20 minutes.

Breed and raise pheasants & quails. Target market gourmet meat companies and hunting reserves. His 8-year-old sister will be selling designer flip-flops and hair bows online.

When it comes to ideas for new businesses kids can be creative and open-minded. They are incredibly future driven as well. Kids seem to get that a business is not built overnight and that they are building for tomorrow. They have no boundaries to their thought processes. Anything is possible.

Can we take a lesson from these kids?

How about you? Are you ready to believe that anything is possible? Do you realize that just about anything can be turned into a business?

Will you take the challenge and ask your kids what kind of business they would start today? Will you support them in believing they can do it? Intrigued? Leave me a comment or a question below!

Oh! If you haven’t done so already, subscribe by email to bigfishtopdogs.com over on the right sidebar of this blog… you’ll be the first to receive new posts hot off the press!

Related posts:

1. A tip for leaving your W2 job or for starting a new business
2. Business people, are you ready to rock your business?

We would like to know how you use social media in your business. Who are you using? Are you more active on Twitter, Facebook , LinkedIn, or others? What do you write about? Has it improved your business?

Do you have any unusual tips for using social media?

We’d love to hear your stories, ideas and tips — please leave us a comment below.

Thanks,
bigfishtopdogs.com

Related posts:

1. How to promote your blog, website, product or service
2. Social media, changing the way we do business.

I laugh every time I call our house sitter and part-time marketing assistant, Danielle, on her cell. Most times I get her greeting, “Hey Everybody!”. It’s like Danielle thinks it’s likely, or probable, that everyone (in the whole wide world) could be calling her cell and it always makes me laugh. But, now, after becoming more and more involved with social media, it’s dawned on me that Danielle is operating more from a mindset where she feels globally connected. She does live in a world where everyone is connected, at least those possessing technology or having access to it.

And, what’s even more amazing, is how, although not face to face, we are connecting with friends, strangers, etc. all of whom want to know “What’s happening?” (Twitter), “What are you working on?” (LinkedIn), “What’s on your mind?” (Facebook) and they want you to know the same about them.

How does this change the way we do business? It’s simple… people want to know what interests you, what keeps you busy, what you’re up to, and by the very nature of this connectivity, you are able to tell the world.

Related posts:

1. A tip for leaving your W2 job or for starting a new business

Entrepreneurs, would you like an opportunity to be exposed to a new readership? To promote your website or blog through links back to your site? To attract potential customers for your product or service? To promote yourself as an expert in your field?

Most online marketing experts agree that a great way to generate new traffic to your website or blog is to participate in conversations on related blogs by posting valuable comments.

We’ve taken this a step further by offering our readers an opportunity to post articles as guest entrepreneurs on our blog. Are you an entrepreneur with a great product or service? Are you an expert in your niche?

If so, we invite you to join us as a guest entrepreneur on bigfishtopdogs.com!

It’s easy to do, just follow the steps below.

Follow these easy steps to guest post to BigFishTopDogs.com:

1. Register by clicking this link. You will be asked only for a username and email address.
2. You will receive an email with your username, password and a link to log in to our site.
3. Log in. Fill out your bio information. Be sure to give us the link to your website or blog. You may also change your password.
4. Email us your user name by clicking this link.
5. We will upgrade your user status to “contributor” and send you an email confirming your new status.
6. You are now able to log in, write your post and save it for review and publishing.
7. If your post is selected by our editors for publication, you will be notified by email.

When filling out your bio, please write a brief introduction of yourself. Include a link to your website so our visitors will know how to reach you or see your public profile. (You can use a link to a blog, website, twitter account or other social media, etc.)

Entrepreneur Guidelines

You must be an entrepreneur. (If confused about this, read some of our blog entries. If still confused, you are probably not an entrepreneur… but you’re on the right path.)

Please offer a killer deal. This usually means free. This is something you can offer that will bring readers back to your site.

You can write about anything you like as long as it is about being an entrepreneur. A typical day, your business, psychology, passion, beliefs, innovation, leadership, creativity… there are no limits. Write about your business and how you started it. Write an expert advice column on what you know best (this is the type of post that can be found by search engines for years to come — free traffic to your site!).

We’ve found short posts to be as effective as long posts, the length is up to you. We just want to know what you feel compelled to share with the ‘rest of the class’.

See our front page or visit our site for sample introductions, blog posts/articles and killer deals.

This blog is first and foremost a forum for those entrepreneurs who love to mentor and to contribute to other entrepreneurs (see About).

Killer deal: Do you offer a product or service you would be willing to offer a killer deal on? You can put restrictions on this if you like, such as a deadline.

Let us know if you would like to be considered as a regular contributor to this blog. There are benefits to doing so and we’d be happy to discuss!

No related posts.