Four years ago today I became a full-time entrepreneur. It has been an amazing journey so far, but I have never been more excited about the direction of Blue Kite than I am right now. In the past few months, I have brought on two new team members – Reed... Read More »
Happy 2016! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that your New Year is off to a great start! One thing I do to start every year is to determine three words or phrases to guide my throughout the year. I call them my guiding principles. No, these... Read More »
I grew up as a Kansas City Royals fan. Although I was too young to remember when they won the 1985 World Series, I do remember that era – George Brett, Bret Saberhagen, Bo Jackson and Willie Wilson. I remember hearing my dad yelling “BO JACKSON, BO BABY!” when I... Read More »
There are few things worse than discovering that you or someone at your company has made a cringe-worthy mistake. It’s embarrassing, frustrating and it can totally disrupt your business. And if you’re like most people, it makes you want to crawl in a hole to hide from the potential fallout.... Read More »
Although it is one of the most exciting times to be a marketer, it’s also one of the toughest. Marketing is more complex than ever before thanks to the vast number of channels and platforms available to us today. And the landscape keeps shifting on a weekly basis so it... Read More »
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a prospective client about their marketing needs. They currently have an in-house marketing person, but he is not quite fitting the bill. He’s a bit behind on digital marketing and he’s a “doer” not someone who can guide their marketing efforts. They... Read More »
A lot of entrepreneurs and business leaders have a tough time selling themselves. They don’t want to sound like a used car salesman who is constantly peddling the latest deal on the lot. And, because overselling is so rampant on the social web, businesses often get gun-shy about touting their... Read More »
In recent weeks, I’ve had several conversations with people who want to know where they should spend their limited marketing budget. These folks know they need to market their business, but they are short on staff, resources and budget. If you’re a startup, non-profit or if sales are down at your... Read More »
If you’re a business owner, you’ve undoubtedly heard the statistics around business failure rates. Only 50 percent of businesses make it past the first five years and one-third make it past the 10-year mark. Although there are plenty of reasons why businesses fail, lack of differentiation is one that often... Read More »
One of the most common questions I get from companies is about marketing budget – especially from companies who have never spent a dime on marketing before. How much is enough? What should I spend on marketing to get the desired results? If you’re looking for an easy answer, there... Read More »