My Look-Back to Look-Forward

Because Chris Brogan's Ending 2010 inspired me to write this:

Looking back at my experiences of 2010:

• I rediscovered my "creative content" due to healing of some "stuff" in my life.
• I dealt with being unemployed for 2 years.
• But - unemployment pushed me toward launching On High Heels.
• I learned that the steps to entrepreneurship can be terrifying, but oh-so worth it.
• I've learned SO much from amazing SM & entrepreneur super-stars like Natalie Sisson, the Mashable crew, Liz Dennery Sanders, Melissa Cassera, Carol Roth, and just a whole host of inspiring people.
• I am throwing aside the intimidation factor, and harnessing the power of belief (though that sounds cheesy).

Looking forward to 2011, I see:

• Meeting more successful women (and men) entrepreneurs, and hearing their stories.
• Learning and applying their techniques and knowledge - and then passing them on.
• Gaining clients, building my business, and becoming more adept at what may well be the new model of business via social media.
• Becoming more recognized in my local community as the go-to-girl for publicity, marketing, and coaching. 
• Helping others believe in their creative content, and teaching them how to use it, show it, and make money from it.  
• Growth in publicity for Camp Laurel and Platform Color Style Salon (for who I willingly and lovingly offer my pro bono PR services, simply because sometimes, it's just about loving what I do). 

I don't know about you, but the challenges (and heartaches) of the past few years, made me realize my mettle.  That I CAN walk "On High Heels", and that making a difference is what counts!

Getting Fired - It's a Good Thing

Is getting fired really traumatic?  But if you hated your job anyway, see some "good":
1. You don't have to go to bed early to get up for work the next day.
2. You can sleep in!
3. No more driving in rush hour traffic.
4. No more being unappreciated, and underpaid.
5. You don't have to "play" politics anymore.

Going from "fired" to "fired up":
1. You can work for yourself - be your own boss.
2. That idea you've been mulling over?  Start fleshing it out.  
3. Your now have room for creativity and doing things "your" way. 
4. Bye-bye to the cubicle and hello to the park, local coffee house, your living room.  The world is your office.
5. That iPhone is now a true resource - and it's probably a tax write-off!

So if you find yourself out of a job, recall to memory that lawn-mowing business you once had when you were a kid.  That entrepreneur is still there, waiting to launch his adult idea.  Don't fret - get fired up instead!

Minding Your Own Business

Starting a business can be an overwhelming endeavor. But it is do-able, and does not require being a Trump-esque organization with a board of directors, a team of attorneys and a 500-page business plan. Starting a business can begin with your passion, an idea, and the desire to do something that offers great reward.

1) Passion – The expression “love what you do, do what you love” is a basic truth. When you were a child, you often play-acted what you wanted to do or be when you grew up: a doctor, an actress, an astronaut – because it was something fun and interesting. Of course, not many of us go on to be those things we fantasized about as children, but the foundation is the same: we sought out something that would interest us. Starting a business should espouse this childhood role-play: do something you are interested in and would “love” to do for the long-term. I use the term “love” because there will be bumps along the way, and just as in life, if you love what you do, you will weather through the difficulties, objections, and any hurdles that your business may face.

2) Idea – The “idea” does not have to be a huge revelation or epiphany. Necessity is the mother of invention, and many times, a business idea stems from a need you see yourself fulfilling. Take the organization “Meals on Wheels” for instance. Someone recognized the need to deliver food to shut-ins in the 1950’s, and thus the current organization was born. But an idea is just an idea until it is implemented. 

Do it, and don’t over-think. Too often, a person with a great idea allows fear and doubt to crowd in: not enough experience, no funding, wrong (or no) education, this is “bad” idea, etc. are excuses that need to be banned from an entrepreneur’s thoughts. Ideas that come to fruition can turn into orchards if
seeded and nurtured correctly.

3) Desire – This may sound a lot like passion, but it is different. Passion is the heart of your business. Desire gives you velocity – forward motion, especially when the going gets tough. Being an entrepreneur is no cakewalk, and starting a company on a shoe-string budget takes a lot of creativity and humility. Be open to learn from other successful companies and individuals whom you want to emulate. Write down what you desire to see for yourself and your business, even if it seems over-the-top. There is something powerful about seeing your future on paper. It may not all happen, but when written the desire looks tangible.

There are, of course, more to starting and building a business than the passion, idea and desire. Take note that these 3 things are mind-sets, and the #1 key to success (or failure) starts in the mind. So don’t let the lack of what you think is essential deter you from starting a great business. “If you build it, they will come” – what are you waiting for?

Originally posted on Curvy Magazine, November 24, 2010.

http://bit.ly/hmXq9W

How To Pitch Your Startup To The Press

Here's how most startups that never get written about approach reporters: 

 

Let's say you're working on a new payments system that is obviously better than PayPal in every way, and is therefore a lock to become a multi-billion dollar business within a few years. So, you punch 'PayPal' into Google News, and just like that, you have a list of people who have written stories about PayPal recently. Then you type up an email that starts with "I read your article about PayPal the other day. Very interesting! Since you're interested in PayPal, I thought you might like to know..." You paste in your standard pitch, then you send this email to everyone on your list.
The appeal of this system is obvious -- it lets you reach a lot of reporters in a limited amount of time. The trouble is that none of those reporters will read through this email. Don't waste your time trying to disguise a mass email as a personal one. Instead, use that time to identify one person you think should be interested, and actually write your pitch for that person.
Choosing a target
Avoid the temptation to pitch the person you'd most like to have write about you. Since the time you have to spend on this is so limited, you should instead focus on the person who is most likely to write about you. The way to figure that out is simply to read about your industry -- something you should probably be doing anyway.
Pay attention to who writes interesting things in your industry. If someone is regularly writing about your competitors, that person is presumably interested in what you do. When you are familiar with what someone is writing in general, you're much better equipped to pitch them then when you're referencing a single article.
Pitch a story, not your company
That your company exists is not, in itself, an interesting story. Your job here is to get your company into the news. But the reporter's job is to write things their audience wants to read. You know what sorts of stories this reporter writes. Think of a what a good story written by that person and involving your company might look like, and pitch that. (For more on that, this article by former TechCrunch writer Mark Hendrickson is well worth a read.)
The easiest way to do this is to set yourself up as an expert in your field. If you write interesting things about your industry, or provide interesting data, or are just available to say interesting things about it, reporters will want to talk to you and feature you in other things they write. That isn't as good as having a story written all about you, perhaps, but it gets your name out there, and makes your company and everything it does seem more newsworthy as a result.

Read more: bit.ly/g02BP5

The Basics: Plan

This is a self-explanatory step that many people miss. In the rush to be part of the competition, many people skip the planning part and dive head-long into the fray. Just like a road map, your plan is your route from one starting point to the next objective. A plan sketches out your goals and helps to solidify your mission. Your plan does not have to be complicated - it can be as simple as outlining steps to get your business or product promoted. Will it be ad-driven? Or will you promote through word-of-mouth? How will you accomplish this? What steps will you take? A plan helps you to stay focused and committed to your business. Like a map, it is like a visual into the future of your business. And don't despair if you hit a few bumps on that proverbial road. Because you sketched out a plan, you, the map-maker can always make a few adjustments to get back on track. What is your plan?

Social Media Rules (SMR's)

Social media has evolved into more than just chatting with an old college bud on the east coast.  More small businesses and entreprenuers are utilizing this mode of communication not only to sell, but to inform.  But the courtesies should be still observed. 

SMR #1: Be courteous, even when they are your real friends. Everybody will see what you write - everybody....

SMR #2: Keep the comment thread to the original subject matter.  If the discussion is about a recent movie all parties have watched, do not jump into the conversation and talk about your dog’s scratching habits.

SMR #3: If the original post was something deep and poignant, don’t try to be funny and crack jokes about the post, about others commenting on the post, or something completely random and inappropriate.  If this were a verbal conversation, such irrelevant comments would be considered “rude”. 

SMR #4: Promote those people in your network.  This lets people know that you are indeed “listening” to them.  For Twitter do @mentions, RT’s and re-Tweets.  For Facebook, “Share” links, “Like” comments, and post on others’ Walls.   This is social networking at its basic. 

SMR #5: Be positive!  Never ever make fun of another person’s blog, comments, business model, posts, etc.  Remember: you reap what you sow, so if you want to be positively promoted, do the same.  I think this is called “The Golden Rule”. 

Stick to the Basics (sort of)

As a recent launcher, I am in the throes of learning from other uber bloggers and PR experts.  Whoever coined the phrase," the world is getting smaller" could not have imagined the trifecta of technology, communication and social media.  As I sift through what seems like tons of information on a daily basis, I wonder if there will ever be an over-saturation in media, marketing and PR.  Can I benefit from with the new modes of communication at this stage of the game?  How do I stand out from the crowd and get my message to my audience? 

It reminds me of my frustrations with algebra back in high school.  Whenever I came upon a formula or a problem that seemed impossible to solve, my teacher would tell me to start from the beginning, to remember the fundamentals.  This concept can be applied to media and public relations.  How do I reach my audience?  How can I get the media to perk up its ears?  How do I get the results I need for my client? 

Get back to the basics:
1) Goals
2) Audience
3) Plan
4) Execute

Perhaps these "basics" are not the basics for other entrepreneurs and social media pros, but they have helped me focus on my "to-do" list. 

Come back later as I explain in details these 4 "Basics". 

Launch and Learn

Welcome to my Blogging On High Heels!  This journey has been amazing, and I continue to be excited about my new venture and where my Heels are leading me.  As many of you know, I launched On High Heels recently - just about a month ago, to be exact.  But the concept of On High Heels has been in my heart and mind for the past year.  My decision to finally go all-out was the thought that kept ringing through my mind, "Doing nothing nets you nothing".  And that is such a true and wise statement.  Like a person ready to dive off a cliff, I just stood on the edge, closed my eyes, and launched On High Heels with a huge leap and bound! 

I'm currently in "learn" and "self-teaching" mode.  One of the keys I've learned about doing something new is that there is always something new to learn.  An avid reader, I have spent a lot of hours reading others' blogs, P.R. tips, launch stories, and business tips.  My Heels are walking one step at a time, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this journey.  So please partner with me, read my blogs, "like" me, recommend me, and/or subscribe to me.  Oh! and should you or someone you know, need my services, by all means, On High Heels is here to serve you!