Today, an online store has is a necessity for companies. Whether your business is a large corporation or a small organization, it needs an appealing showcase for successful promotion and for selling its products online. Design is a crucial component of your online store. In fact, visual appearance has proven to be an essential feature that determines whether or not a customer … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2014
Active and Reactive Approaches to Get a Board Seat
What really separates those who gain a board seat from those who terminate their goal of becoming a director? It boils down to two approaches – active or reactive. Let's take a closer look. Active Approach You have a clear board-level value proposition. You know who you need to meet with based on your directorship strategy, and you attend networking events to meet those … [Read more...]
Networking One To One
One of the things I love about networking is the creative ways different groups have you interact with each other. For example, a group that I’ve been attending has started implementing what’s called the “One to One”. Here’s how it works. Everyone puts their business card into a basket. Then each person pulls out a card. The card you pulled out is the person you will have a … [Read more...]
Sponsored Video: 5 Tips to Build a Sense of Community on Your Business Blog
Writing a blog is one of the most effective forms of content marketing and can give both large and small businesses a direct line to consumers for a minimal monetary and resource investment. However, if you can’t develop a community around your blog, you’ll just be broadcasting information rather than engaging and building relationships that turn audience members into paying … [Read more...]
Establishing Goals that Balance Stretch and Reality
There have been plenty of articles, books, and training materials written about how to effectively establish goals that allow you to chart a course for success. One aspect that I find missing from this recipe is often the importance of understanding your core feelings about the goals you set and understanding how these feelings can influence the types of goals that are most … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Decide if an Alliance Will Work for You and Your Business
Being in business can be a lonely game, especially if it is just you in your pajamas, in front of your computer, trying to get your message out to the world. There are less solitary ways, you know. An alliance/joint venture/strategic partnership is one of them. Setting up alliances with other businesses that serve the same customers you do is a well-known strategy that … [Read more...]
The Wisdom of Asking Questions: A Unique Board of Directors Perspective
There is wisdom in asking questions. This idea is based on the premise that it's difficult, if not impossible, to give proper guidance without asking the proper questions. Boards that create extraordinary value design an environment that encourages rich dialog. By asking astute questions, board members heighten their effectiveness in numerous ways. Four of the key ways … [Read more...]
Are You too Hard on Yourself?
At the beginning of the year, I like to type out my game plan for the year. As time goes on, I can go back to that list and see how I’m doing. The other day I was thinking about something I wanted to get done. As I was looking through my files, I found my folder with the game plan. I hesitated to open it thinking maybe I hadn’t gotten nearly enough done on that … [Read more...]
Women in Tech are Making Their Mark – Infographic
Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg, and Meg Whitman may be the leading faces for "Women In Tech," but how does their celebrity translate for other women in the field? Sadly, not as well as you might think. For example, did you know that although women hold 57% of all the jobs in the workforce, they only hold 25% of the jobs in the computing/technology industry? Fortunately, … [Read more...]
Before You Are 30, Travel to One Off-the-Beaten-Path Country
Hanoi, Vietnam: I sat, packed like a sardine, in between a pudgy-face child and an elderly woman expertly handling her chopsticks as she shifted crispy, fragrant pieces of pork into broth. I couldn’t have been happier. Two weeks week later, I stared down at my plain salad embellished with chicken. I still remember that moment fondly. After befriending two local university … [Read more...]