TheMiddleShelf | Tips, Advice, Musings for Your Business, Career, Life

Think Big, Start Small

January 26th, 2012

Maria Helm

We have learned to dream big and to go for our dreams. These are important messages for a successful venture, but sometimes we get carried away and don’t give our dreams time to firmly take root.

I remember a colleague of mine dreamed of launching an annual online marketing conference. He had a great concept and access to both the funds and the people to carry it out. He planned a three-day event with speakers, workshops, and an exhibit hall. Vendors signed up, facilities for a large crowd were committed. Ads and articles appeared in the local paper and online. Success seemed imminent.

But throughout the process several of his friends and colleagues (me included) had been skeptical. We urged him to start smaller – maybe an afternoon event, to test the drawing power of his idea.

Our colleague remained undeterred. He saw these naysayers as negative thinkers, small-minded folks who couldn’t grasp the potential of what was possible.

The day of the event arrived and everything was fabulous – except the attendance. Those who came found it valuable, but the turnout was disappointing. Vendors were upset, and the affiliating organizations were embarrassed.

Had he started small, none of this would have happened. If he had compacted this event into one afternoon, the small crowd would have seemed large and the event could easily have led to a daylong event the following year with plenty of time for word of mouth and the promise of more to come to buikld on. Failing so big damaged his efforts to do this again.

Lesson learned: dream big, but start small. Let’s go for our dreams, but let’s allow them time to grow into full blown success we envision.

Photo Credit: sirwiseowl

January 2nd, 2012

Maria Helm

I first heard of the poem Ithaka by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy at the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I was moved when I heard it not only because it was used as an elegy, but how meaningful it is to our modern lives.

When someone reads the Odyssey he/she should pay close attention to the symbolic meaning of this poem. The Odyssey has a much deeper meaning than what it seems to someone that reads it for the first time. It is not just a story about a fantastic voyage and a guy overcoming some imaginary difficulties and going back home. In the Greek view it is an inner-self quest for rediscovering who you really are; at the same time it is a celebration of the human nature and the capability of achieving your goals, even if it means that you have to go through the most difficult and unexpected obstacles to reach those goals.

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon – don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon – you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

December 8th, 2011

Maria Helm

As the days get shorter and colder, my thoughts turn to cozy nights in front of the fire, hot cocoa, and of course, meals shared with loved ones. The air practically vibrates with good feelings–and not just figuratively.

A study conducted by UC San Diego found that positive emotions–such as happiness felt during the holidays–are contagious. Researchers learned that one person’s joy spread to not only those in his or her immediate circle but also extended to friends of friends too. What they discovered was that happiness creates a domino effect through social networks, and the good feelings that are passed along can last for up to one year.

So I did an experiment of my own to test this theory. I met friends for happy hour. As we traded stories, our conversation was punctuated by outbursts of laughter. A woman not in our group turned to us and said, “You guys are having such a great time, it’s making me feel happy, too!” Apparently our joy that evening was palpable, and her comment proved that our happiness during our happy hour directly impacted more than just those immediately connected with us. Now I may never know if she in turn passed it along to others in her own network. But even if I was able to simply brighten that woman’s evening, I’d call that a success.

Just imagine how many people could be affected this holiday season if each of us spread a little joy to those around us; the positive repercussions are limitless. If our moods have the ability to spread like a virus, it means we’re accountable to more than just ourselves. The old adage “Always remember to be happy. You never know who’s falling in love with your smile’ now takes on a new level of meaning.

Photo Credit: adwriter

November 2nd, 2011

Maria Helm

Regardless of your industry or the size of your business, you can leverage you website to find more new customers, serve your existing customers and convert more leads to sales. Here are some answers to some of our customers questions that will help you put the web to work for your business.

I’m a local automobile mechanic. My business has done fine for years based on word-of-mouth, but I keep hearing from everyone, “Why don’t you have a website?” Why do I need a website?
Consumers have adopted the Internet as a daily research tool much faster than many experts even predicted. Sure, some of your new customers will continue to find you via word-of-mouth. However, when a potential customer is trying to find mechanics in your area, many of them will turn to the Internet vs. looking in a phone book. If you don’t have a web site and a presence online, those potential customers will find your competitors that do have websites.

I want to maximize any type of e-commerce opportunities out there. Currently, I sell several locally made products on my website, and I have many repeat customers buying my products. What else could I be selling via my site?
Do you have an eye-catching logo or tag phrase for your web business? If so, there’s an easy way for you to sell more. Currently, there are several online services that give you the power to create T-shirts, coffee mugs, and many other items adorned with your logo or tag phrase and sell them on your site. And the best part of services such as Cafepress (www.cafepress.com) is that you don’t have to buy a bunch of T-shirts upfront and hope that they’ll be successful. They’ll print and ship a T-shirt or coffee mug only after you’ve received an order.

Some of my competitors have started blogs, but all they keep writing about is their business. It seems very self serving to me. What’s the value in creating a blog on my website?

September 14th, 2011

Maria Helm

Online video is a great tool for building brand awareness. It a great tool to reach new customers and increase sales. You can spend a lot of money on a sophisticated video marketing campaign, or you can pick up your camcorder and do it yourself. In fact, an unpretentious and honest-looking video may be more effective than a slickly produced commercial product.

You can place your video on YouTube free or post it on your website. The latter gives you more control and eliminates the possibility that your competitors’ videos and ads will show up next to yours.

What should your online video be about? Will it be easy to do? Businesses can promote themselves via three themes:

Showing what you do. The what-we-do video basically features your company’s elevator pitch – your “about us” page on your website. Introduce yourself, how long you have been in business and the services or types of products you offer. Keep it short – two minutes max. Finally, tell customers how to work with you: online, at your shop or both.

Testimonials: short and sweet. The secret to good testimonials is to keep them concise. Find the three most important reasons a customer loves you and shoot three separate videos. Then do the same with another customer. It is more interesting to have separate customers listing different reasons they recommend you than a series of customers all saying the same thing.

You’re the expert. How-to videos are effective for improving your search results on Google and other search engines. What are the top questions your customers ask? Those should be the subjects of your how-to videos. For example, if you sell gloves, discusss how to select the right size. If you fix washers and dryers, explain how to keep them clean.

Let videos help tell your company’s story. If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how valuable a video could be for your business.

Photo Credit: Torley