What do you think? Small Business Marketing

A number of my small business clients have been spending the month focusing on creative ways to get the word out about what they have to offer. I always love looking at just how the internet is creating new opportunities to small business to get the word out at no, or low cost.

Walking my talk is very important to me, and throughout the 90 Day Biz Success Program, I too undertake a number of the assignments my clients work on.

A neat tool that I have just started exploring (and I mean just started) is Smilebox, which allows you to create a slideshow with music at no cost.

I thought that I'd try my hand at putting together some photos for my spring through fall programs up in Muskoka which I run with my colleague Sharon Miller. This year, in addition to our couples and women's retreats, we are also offering customized executive and team retreats in Muskoka. You can find more information at our Retreat2Muskoka site.

You can view my Smilebox creation here:

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

It's a very basic slide show, and is just a quick filler for the moment but it was really neat to be able to put this together in less than 15 minutes.

What do you think? There's space for you to comment after you've viewed the slideshow, and as always, feel free to comment below.

Have a great week!

Warm regards,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton, PCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer@potentialsrealized.com
Toll Free: 1-866-217-1960

You are invited to the Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunch - Aug 10th at 1 pm (EST)

I’m pleased to announce that starting this month, I will be holding monthly Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches ™. Similar to brown bags in the workplace (or maybe not) these are going to be interactive skill building and professional development topics related to the business toolkit. Our virtual lunches will be held by phone using a teleconference bridgeline and will focus on a different area of business success – leadership, team management, change management, small business issues, etc. Each month will have a different theme, and I am hoping to invite some guest speakers to join us in the near future.

Attendance is open to anyone who would like to join me for some learning and discussion. For the remainder of the year I will be holding the Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches on the 2nd Friday of each month from 12 – 12:45 pm (EST). Bring your lunch and drop on in for an informative and interactive lunch time. You never know who may be on the line!

This month is an exception, with the launch of the Brown Bag series on Friday August 10th at 1 pm (EST). Our topic this month will be Developing a Marketing Action Plan. If you are a business owner, I hope that you will drop in for some tips and tool to amp up your marketing!

To attend, please drop me an email with August Biz Brown Bag in the subject line and I will be happy to send you the bridgeline information. Feel free to bring a colleague or associate! Note: callers will be responsible for their own long distance charges. There is no other charge to attend the call.

Future Virtual Brown Bag Business Lunches will be held from 12 – 12:45 pm (EST) on
Friday September 14
Friday October 12
Friday November 9
Friday December 14

Mark off these dates! The brown bag topics will be announced on this blog or at the end of the monthly call

I look forward to having “lunch” with you next week!

Are you a transumer?

Once and a while I come across a new term and go - Wow! This is so cool. Over the weekend while reading the Toronto Star I had such a moment with the word "transumer".

Some of you may know from my posts that I spent over a decade working as a global manager, and for several years my life and work consisted of a lot of travel -- and I mean a lot of travel, sometimes 180 working days a year on a plane or in a hotel room. As a manager with staff in 10 countries it was very common to have days when I might wake up in one country and go to bed that night in my third country of the day. It was really fun -- for quite some time before the allure of power travel and plane delays took its' toll. After almost a three year hiatus of power travel, doing only an international consultancy here and there, my thoughts of travel have been forefront in my mind recently, so this article on transumerism was very timely.

Trendwatch defines "transumer" as ,
"TRANSUMERS are consumers driven by experiences instead of the ‘fixed’, by entertainment, by discovery, by fighting boredom, who increasingly live a transient lifestyle, freeing themselves from the hassles of permanent ownership and possessions. The fixed is replaced by an obsession with the here and now, an ever-shorter satisfaction span, and a lust to collect as many experiences and stories as possible.* Hey, the past is, well, over, and the future is uncertain, so all that remains is the present, living for the 'now'.
Trendwatch recommends you read Gilles Lipovetsky’s Hypermodern Times for a deeply insightful take on consumers' pervasive obsession with the here-and-now. "

This weekend's article in the Toronto Star, "Transumers buy on the fly" describes how transumers are modern day nomads, collecting experiences rather than product. They cite Canadian companies such as Roots serving these clientele.

The article hit quite a few chords for me, especially as I realized that my once-nomadic lifestyle is more common than expected, and my shopping patterns "on the fly" are not unusual. Even now my "home base" is still pretty fluid. When I share how we divide our time between Toronto and Muskoka, there often is a longing in people's voices -- how do you do it? Well, for me it really was an intentional decision, and after working in the international development sector for so many years, for me experiences are truly more powerful than goods.

I'd love to hear your comments -- are there any other transumers out there? What's your favorite experience? How has this shaped your life? Your work? Your family? Looking forward to hearing from other transumers out there!

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized
Email: jennifer[at]potentialsrealized[dot]com

101 + Marketing Ideas

101 + Marketing Ideas
Copyright 2007 - Jennifer Britton

January is often the month when the rubber hits the road and we start implementing our plans. But what if our plan is just a skeleton, and not really a roadmap of how to get from where we are now, to where we want to be?

Many business owners struggle with keeping their marketing efforts and momentum going. Recognizing that we all need a little inspiration once in a while, I've put together a short PDF which include 101 Marketing Ideas, with the small business owner or solopreneur in mind. It includes more than 101 ideas to enhance your marketing efforts -- most low cost, and not involving a lot of time.

If you'd like to receive a copy of this PDF, please email me and put 101 + Marketing Ideas in the subject line.

Here's a sneak preview....
#16 - Join a Blogjolt
#27 - Appear on internet radio
#39 - Develop a White Paper
#44 - Speak/Present at an industry conference
#90 - What makes you unique?
#103 - Build relationships

Happy Marketing!

Jennifer
Jennifer Britton, CPCC, CHRP, CPT
Potentials Realized