tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48751321960646203752023-11-15T05:21:10.126-08:00Kibbe on EntrepreneurshipLife Lessons From BusinessCindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-8084490293844778952013-01-13T11:46:00.002-08:002013-01-13T11:46:19.216-08:00Join Me on Better Business, Better YouHi, Folks:<br />
<br />
I've moved, updated and refreshed my blog. "Better Business, Better You," at <a href="http://cindykibbe.wordpress.com/">cindykibbe.wordpress.com</a>, takes off where "Kibbe on Entrepreneurship" started.<br />
<br />
As I grow my business, I found I was growing as a person. "Better Business, Better You" reflects that journey with lesson I hope you find interesting, can commiserate with, and most of all, can apply to your own business and your life.<br />
<br />
Read more at "<a href="http://cindykibbe.wordpress.com/">Better Business, Better You</a>" ...Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-91011783528758454352012-12-12T06:44:00.003-08:002012-12-12T06:44:49.374-08:00Blogs I Wish I’d Written<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I’ve done you all a bit of disservice.
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As only a close family member can do by completely disarming
you with an errant comment during the holidays, I was so reminded that if I
wanted to end a blog, I should say so and not abandon readers.</div>
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She was absolutely right.</div>
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I’ve been blessed with a number of opportunities and I’m
beginning to focus my attention on some new creative endeavors. Because of that,
I’ve been neglecting “Kibbe on Entrepreneurship,” and decided to sunset it. There
are others who write about entrepreneurship that can say things much better
than I can. And to be even more truthful, I kind of ran out of things to say. I
wanted to bring an honest voice to the blogosphere of what starting a business
was like for someone in the trenches. Hopefully, I’ve given you some
information, insights and viewpoints that have helped you in your own business.</div>
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I’ll still chime in to the social media world now and then
when <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I have something to say
that will be useful and worth your time to read. </div>
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As I move on to some other projects – chiefly, a novel and
possibly a completely new blog series – there were a number of other blogs that
I wanted to write but didn’t fit the theme of “K on E,” didn’t know enough
about to address effectively, or simply didn’t have the guts to.</div>
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They are, in no particular order:</div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Why I don’t talk politics in public, and why I
don’t want to know yours either</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>“Citizen reporters” are the worst things to
happen to journalism since “Entertainment Tonight”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I’m Catholic, and I’m proud. Deal with it.</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>I could care less what shade of gray you are – I
don’t want to know what or who goes on or in your bedroom</li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Christmas is the birth of Jesus Christ, all else
is wrapping paper. If you don’t like that, tough. That said, I would love to
celebrate any and all holidays with you as your tradition holds dear. If you
don’t want to celebrate anything, I support your decision, but then you’re just
a big ol’ meanie.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why I think the so-called “Fiscal Cliff” IS the
solution (I’m not violating my first non-blog because this is economics)</li>
</ul>
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<li>Why I believe reporters should never have blogs</li>
</ul>
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Drop me a line and let me know what blogs you wish you had
either written or read. I’d love to know!</div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cindy Kibbe is owner
of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a professional writing services firm
based in New England. She has written for several Boston-area media companies
and was an editor for a regional business publication for a decade. She can be
reached at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>. </i></div>
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Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-38210074738790580532012-10-24T10:53:00.000-07:002012-11-12T07:10:49.982-08:00Success is the Only Option<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heading into my second year of entrepreneurship, I’ve grown
comfortable with a lot of the vagaries of self-employment. But every now and
then, the siren song of a cubicle job echoes in my head, typically when the
Visa bill arrives.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We experienced a budget crunch recently and I’ll admit I
panicked. I cancelled some commitments I was looking forward to and sent out a few
resumes. I started to think of all that I’d do if money continued to grow
tight. Bagger at a grocery store? Get rid of cable? Move back to Chicago and
live with my mother? </div>
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<br /></div>
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Then it occurred to me I was spending an inordinate amount
of time planning for failure. I realized I hadn’t given my baby business a fair
shake – there were several publications I hadn’t reached out to yet, hadn’t
tried spinning up business in guest blogging/tweeting/Facebooking for clients. I
hadn’t even broken into markets just over the border into Massachusetts. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m afraid I’m a bit of a pessimist; well, maybe aggressively
pragmatic is a better description. I always try to plan for a way out, a safety
net, an escape plan if something doesn’t work out. Being practical is one
thing, but dwelling on failure doesn’t do anyone any good.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After I realized I really wanted to give my little business my
all, I was determined to stop thinking of exit strategies and start putting
more effort into success strategies.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And you know what? The fear vanished. In fact, I thought of
the other areas in my life where I was “planning to fail” and reworked them as
well. I’ve never felt more confident, and frankly, excited. When failure is not
an option, it’s amazing how quickly the worry dissolves and positive action
takes its place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I can’t say that I’ve completely stopped being a worry wart
and that I won’t have moments of cubicle weakness, but I do know I’ll start
thinking of ways to be successful instead of ways to fail.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good luck with all your success options!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cindy Kibbe is owner
of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a professional writing services firm
based in New England. She has written for several Boston-area media companies
and was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can
be reached at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>. </i></div>
Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-77660976888857025852012-10-02T05:14:00.000-07:002012-10-02T05:32:42.977-07:00Putting 'You' Back in Your Success Equation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was laid off from a company once and it had always left me
upset and frustrated. For a long time I was stuck in some sort of unresolved
corporate grief. I worked my butt off for years, volunteered for things when no
one else did, continuously upgraded my skills and was always looking for ways
to bring in more revenue. Like a stuck record (I’m dating myself…), I could not
get past the fact that, despite all this, the company no longer thought the
value I represented was worth spending the money.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a recent rainy Friday, I sat down in my living room and
felt sorry for myself yet again. I asked myself why I couldn’t get past this. What
positive was there in that horrible experience that I could learn from? That
concept of “value” returned over and over again. Then it dawned on me<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>–<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did all those wonderful things simply to benefit the company. I was nowhere in
my own success story. If I did more, learned more, maybe they’ll like me more
and I’ll be safe. My over-inflated sense of loyalty left me a prime target.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I realized that instead of thinking, “All these skills will
bring value to the company and I might benefit as a byproduct,” I should have
been thinking, “All these skills will make me grow and might bring value to the
company as a byproduct.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The positive in this negative experience was the fact that
learned an important lesson – the improvements I make to grow as a person and
professional must serve me as well as anyone I work for or with.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Notice I said “as well as.” It’s very easy to look at this
lesson and become conceited and selfish. The objective is really to look for
the win-win as overused as that phrase is. But it also means to make sure you
obtain one of those “wins”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some business owners, especially us new ones, might feel the
need to occasionally debase ourselves just to make a sale. We’re just starting
out, we want to make a good impression on prospective customers and we’re maybe
a little desperate. A recent acquaintance of mine wanted to provide some
editing services for free to a potential client. The first rule of business we
all learn is to charge <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something </i>for
your product or service. What would she have gained if she did free work? Maybe
a client, but what would then happen when she tried to charge for the next job?
Where is the “win” for her in free work?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all want<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– and
must – do right by our clients and/or our employers, but if you don’t receive
some benefit, some positive growth experience, how are you succeeding? There’s
only one person I can think of that completely gave of himself for others, and
I’m nowhere near that standard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If the needs of your clients or your company lead you to a
formula for growth, make sure you are a part of the arithmetic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cindy Kibbe is owner
of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a professional writing services firm
based in New England. She has written for several Greater Boston-area media companies
and was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can
be reached at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-49561214711938291252012-09-20T12:24:00.001-07:002012-09-20T12:24:44.595-07:00Kibbe on Entrepreneurship: Getting Back On the Wagon<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I didn’t understand what some small-business owners meant
when they said keeping up with their blogging and social channels was too
difficult. I’m a writer, so writing typically comes as easily to me as
breathing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then I became a small-business owner myself and ran smack
into what they meant.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My weekly blogging habit faded, and I am now hard pressed to
put out one a month! I developed a startling case of writer’s block, which for
me, almost never happens. And when it does, I feel like my world has ended.
Most of you have businesses outside of writing, but my business IS writing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still, I know I’m not alone when it comes to becoming lax in
blogging, running out of ideas to Facebook, and Tweets dwindling down to
monosyllables.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s some ideas and thoughts to jump start your
blogging/social habit again: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idea 1:</b> Ally
Piper, owner of the web marketing agency <a href="http://brighteyescreative.com/">Brighteyes Creative</a>, suggested at
recent presentation that erstwhile bloggers should make an editorial calendar
for the year. That way you will always know what you’re going to write about
before you sit down to post. I can see this being very helpful, especially if
you’re going to discuss a topic over a multi-part series. You might even see
that instead of a single post, it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i>
be a series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idea 2:</b> Always be
thinking about blog topics. I did this all the time – ideas come from anywhere
and everywhere – but I became lazy. Be aware of events, people, places, news,
stories around you, and riff on them. One of my favorite blogs was
reviewing/critique the Super Bowl ads. Sure, others do it, but no one has my
particular form of insight. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idea 3:</b> Take a
hike – literally. My problem lately has been idea generation (Note to self: See
Idea #1). I went for a walk, rededicating my mind to the question, “What am I
going to write about?” and a couple of ideas popped into my head somewhere
around the 1.5 mile mark.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idea 4:</b> Dedicate
time to write. For me, it’s actually Friday morning. That’s the day I’ve
dedicated to working on my business (sending out invoices, updating accounts, correspondence,
computer work, etc.) as opposed to at my business, aka writing articles. I set
my posts to publish on Monday morning, but I’ve actually been thinking of
moving to mid-week. Most people publish on Monday, and I don’t want to get lost
in the Inbox clog.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Idea 5:</b> Take the
cheap way out if you have to. By this I mean, create a blog based on someone
else’s. It could be as simple as a paragraph of commentary on a blog or article
you found interesting or important. But it’s very important to remember that
you have to be giving your readers something genuinely useful. And include the
original link or citation. No one wants to read, much less write, blather.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Looking forward to seeing everyone back in the blogosphere!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cindy Kibbe is owner
of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New
England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a
decade. She can be reached at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-87308613169512413382012-08-22T08:44:00.001-07:002012-08-22T08:44:39.282-07:00Kibbe on Entrepreneurship: How Time Flies<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was a year ago almost to the day that I started this
blog. My goal was and still is to share with you some of the things I learned
during my many years as a business journalist and editor that might help your
small business. Little did I realize at the time that I’d become a
small-business owner myself. It’s amazing where life can take you in just 12
short months.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wanted to share with you some of my reflections from this
past year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In an earlier blog, I mentioned that I fought becoming a
freelance writer/business owner tooth and nail. I was motivated by fear, not by
success. A bad way to go, indeed. I can happily say that’s behind me, although
the specter of the fear of failure does creep up now and again. Just the other
day, I talked with someone about a part-time job. The hours were all wrong for
me, but I left feeling crazy for turning my back on a “sure thing” for this
silly writing business I fancied I had. Not a minute after I got home, the
phone rang with a potential client inquiring about my services. Message heard,
loud and clear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The transition from a “cubical creature” to a business owner
was not an easy one for me. One of the most important things I’ve learned is I
have the power to set my own schedule and to work as much or as little as I
want. That identity shift of who and what I am has been monumental. I still
catch myself sometime referring to myself as being unemployed. I am not; I have
a small business. It might be very tiny, but it is a business, I’ve made some
money and new clients are coming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Really owning this choice of how I want to work was
difficult and I’m still learning it. Again, fear was a motivator. Early on, I
took on a lot of concurrent work and was on the fast track for burning out very
quickly. That wasn’t the way I wanted to run this business. During the
following months, I realized I had worked flat out for all of my adult life.
There’s nothing like a cardiac surgery going badly in OR and needing
uncrossmatched blood from me to get the adrenalin running. Long hours of
managing computer system installs and even chasing news stories were also a
part of my career picture. When I looked back on what I had done, I realized
for the first time I could make the choice that I didn’t have to run a daily
marathon if I didn’t want to. That was an awesome choice to have.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That choice was also scary for me. Self-employment work
balance is a double-edged sword. As a freelancer, the checks only come when you
write something. No words, no dineros. No duh. I had to learn what as an
acceptable level of income – or lack thereof. That’s a big change of mindset
with big real-life ramifications (e.g. loans, taxes, retirement planning, life
insurance, etc.).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the past year, I’ve learned who my true friends are,
people who have your back no matter what. When you’re a reporter, you get a lot
of “friends” because of a perceived easy access to free advertising. When you
no longer have a press pass, calls sometimes aren’t returned quite so quickly –
or at all. That hurt, especially when I received that kind of response from
people I had known and trusted for years. That also leads to growing a thicker
skin, something essential as a business owner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve learned that it’s OK, even expected, to admit you don’t
even know what you don’t know. That’s when I reach out to my resources to ask
for help. I’ve noticed I’m starting to get as much business from consulting as
from writing services. It was time to build that into my pricing structure
certainly, but more importantly, I needed help learning how to support my
clients by providing an appropriate amount of resources without cutting off my
nose to spite my face. The Center for Women’s Business Advancement at Southern
New Hampshire University and the Small Business Development Center are going a
long way to helping me better serve my own customers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While many people yearn to work from home, I find it a bit
lonely. I’ve learned I have to get out and network, not only to build contacts
and to meet potential clients, but for my sanity. And it may sound mundane, but
I also learned to balance CK Creative work with housework – and when one should
take priority over the other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is my value.
I think most new business owners take any contract because of the fear no
others will ever come again. I certainly thought the same way. I had a
potential job lined up was still waiting on the particulars, including how much
I’d be paid. I was soon faced with turning away jobs that I had signed
contracts for or keeping this potential job I knew little about. I had to let
that one go and it probably caused a bit of bad blood. I did my best of offer
suggestions of other professionals who could take on the job only to find out
they were considered “too expensive.” In other words, I was cheap. Needless to
say, I learned to have my ducks in a row before I agree to work – and that I am
a professional, not a chump.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lastly, I’ll admit to everyone who will listen how incredibly
blessed I am to have even had the opportunity to learn these things and have these
choices. If my life were different, I’d probably be feeling just as blessed if
I had a job at a fast-food restaurant. I’ve never been one to take the good
things in my life for granted, but I am more grateful than ever that what began
as a very dark chapter in my life has turned into perhaps one of my life’s
biggest blessings.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cindy Kibbe is owner
of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New
England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a
decade. She can be reached at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.
</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-81958994914018986812012-06-13T07:01:00.001-07:002012-06-13T07:01:27.706-07:00Kibbe on Entrepreneurship: Great ExpectationsOne of the first things a new business owner has to learn is how to manage customer expectations. The more thorough the discussions you have with your clients at the start of the project will go a long way to helping you ensure you deliver what they wanted.<br />
<br />
As important as that is, few people talk about managing your own expectations as a business owner. Certainly, you must do due diligence in understanding how much money you truly can make from your endeavors, but there’s more to it than that.<br />
<br />
I’ll use my own experience as an example.<br />
<br />
Workflow as a freelance journalist is very different from that of a writer working in a newsroom. I was used to researching, writing, and editing several stories at once, handing it all in to my editor. He’d tweak it for publication, send it to Production, where it would be published a few weeks later.<br />
<br />
I expected able the same workflow patterns in the freelance world. I figured there might be a request or two for some minor tweaks within a day or so of me handing the assignment in. I was way off base.<br />
<br />
Articles could be held for weeks at a time, and just when I was deeply involved in another project, an older article would come back with requests for extensive revisions. Or worse – they don’t know what they want, but what I gave them wasn’t it, and they can’t articulate what they want me to change.<br />
<br />
The lessons here are less putting the burden on the client and more on me. <br />
<br />
First, if I’m a subcontractor on a project, I now make sure the base contract with my client’s client has been signed and ready to go. It doesn’t matter if I know and trust my client – if it’s not a done deal, “shovel ready,” it’s not a bona fide job.<br />
<br />
I’ve learned to explain to the client the approach I intend to take on an article – the lead, some of the experts I intend to interview, etc. – before I even touch the keyboard. That goes a long way to proving if you and your client are on the same wavelength.<br />
<br />
There’s concurrent projects, and then there’s concurrent projects. While it might take me only a day or two to complete an article, editors are busy people who are dealing with more writers than just little ol’ me. I knew that, but underestimated the time they take in getting back to me. Since the only way I can make more money as a freelancer is by writing more articles, I have to ask for – and build into my contract – a check-back time. I need to know within 72 hours of me handing in an assignment if it’s at least in the ballpark of what the customer expected. If it is, I have the green light to work on or solicit other work. If not, at least I won’t be backed up with subsequent jobs and can focus on giving my client exactly what he or she wants. As an employee, you don’t have this amount of control over your work. As an entrepreneur, you do.<br />
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Lastly, and one I don’t know if I’ll ever completely learn – it’s just business. Freelancers have to be prepared for a lot of rejection. I’m finding many clients can be, well, rather nasty when what I’ve given them isn’t exactly what they wanted. Maybe they’ve been burned and they don’t think I’m willing to do what it takes to make it right. I don’t know. I was expecting more civility out there. Understand and own your gifts because you might be your only fan that week. <br />
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If you’ve done your best and want to make your clients happy, no one, not even yourself, can ask for more.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>. <br />
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<br />Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-23838597615809772772012-04-09T12:08:00.001-07:002012-04-09T12:14:33.741-07:00Kibbe on Entrepreneurship: Fearing Fear ItselfIs fear holding you back in your business?<br />
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It’s a simple question. Before you say, “No,” take a moment and really think about it.<br />
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I’ll be honest, I’ve had a lot of fear in my career life lately. I would jump at applying for jobs because I thought they were what I wanted, when they weren’t what I wanted at all. Fear caused me to even look at jobs in fields I haven’t worked in for years. Even though I’ve been a journalist for more than 10 years, I still wouldn’t let myself believe – <i>really</i> believe – that I could write for a living.<br />
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I don’t have a journalism or English degree. I have a degree in laboratory medicine. But what I did have was analytical skills, rapport-building skills, a knack for spotting a story and some natural writing talent. Combining that with a good editor, creativity and business experience, I became a successful business reporter and editor.<br />
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Still, I held fear in my heart. Because I didn’t go to J-School, I wasn’t really a reporter. I started trying to move my career in directions it really shouldn’t have gone. And it caused me undue agony.<br />
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The minute I admitted to myself writing truly was where my passion, talent and strengths lied, the floodgates opened and work was actually coming to me! I knew, deep down, this was what I really needed to be doing, but because it didn’t fit my definition of what true work should be, I didn’t continue to pursue it as a career. Writing for me isn’t work – it’s fun!<br />
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It seems silly to read this – I’d been an award-winning journalist for 10 years – yet I wouldn’t let myself believe writing could be my career. Once I accepted that writing not only could be, but <i>should </i>be my career, I started to receive more work than I could handle.<br />
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I have a lot to learn as a newbie business owner. The world of freelance writing has a lot of pitfalls, and my emotional constitution makes entrepreneurship a struggle, but I am actually making money with my own two hands. I feel like a farmer, but instead of planting seeds and growing crops, I plant words and grow articles. It’s daunting, exhilarating, freeing and terrifying all at once. But none of this would have happened if I didn’t finally admit to myself that I needed to be writing, just writing. Not marketing or designing ads or public relations campaigns or other word-related jobs. Writing.<br />
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Self-ignoring isn’t a newbie business owner thing, either. All of my clients have been in business much longer than I have, but nearly all of them have that little mustard seed of faith inside themselves that gives them pause.<br />
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Of course I still have fears -- What happens when the work slows? Or stops?! How much is too much? Whose contract supercedes who's? Can I afford a second phone line? The list goes on. But I don't doubt that writing is what I should be doing anymore. Well, most of the time, anyway.<br />
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What’s holding you back? Is there a little kernel of truth buried somewhere in your heart telling you what you should or should not be doing? I can’t wait to hear about the leaps of faith you make when you let go of your fear.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-5927901366511745402012-03-19T07:18:00.000-07:002012-03-19T07:18:30.605-07:00Kibbe on Marketing: The Tortoise and the HareMy husband and I just returned from our much-needed annual vacation in Phoenix. Although life has us here in New England, we are Westerners at heart. Still, I found the contrasts in the economy startling between New Hampshire and Arizona as all parts of the country slowly recover from the recession.<br />
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In 2007 before the beginning of the end, Phoenix had a dynamism that bordered on frenzy. Business development – to say nothing of construction development – was growing so quickly it nearly crackled with friction. <br />
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At that time, biotech companies of all sizes were setting up shop in the West’s Most Midwestern Town. Tech incubators appeared on every street corner it seemed. Even an old shopping mall on the border of Phoenix and Scottsdale was turned into SkySong, a gigantic public-private business generation facility, provocative (or wacky, I’d call it) architecture and everything.<br />
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Arizona, and Phoenix in particular, saw hundreds of thousands of new residents relocating to the Valley. All those people needed homes, so build them they did. All those people needed to shop, so build them they did. There were more places to part you with your disposable income than was believable. And with all these new desert dwellers, home prices shot up to levels that were just laughable.<br />
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Meanwhile, New Hampshire more or less plodded along. Vast swaths of single-family homes have never appeared here, in part, because the Granite State never had to accommodate such overwhelming and constant growth. Our E-Coast simmered down to a low bubble after the early promise of the 2000s. Biotech, for some unknown reason, never really got a foothold here in a big way. Manufacturing had been dwindling for decades, but held on with precision engineering and other niche markets.<br />
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Not to be left out of the party, home prices in New Hampshire did have their day. We came here in 2000 and lost our bid on one house in a bidding war. Quickly learning from that experience, we finally purchased the home we have today by offering above-asking price.<br />
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Comparing the economies of New Hampshire and Arizona was truly a case of the tortoise and the hare race in more ways that most realized.<br />
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Then the crash came. Places like Arizona, Florida and Nevada were decimated. From 2008 through most of 2010, the vibe I had previously felt in Phoenix had been obliterated. There was more confusion than panic at first. Then when things didn’t bounce back quickly like the tech-focused recession of 2001, the business climate was stunned and collapsed.<br />
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To make some simple yet startling illustrations – imagine if entire blocks of homes in Bedford or Concord went into foreclosure, imagine if half the stores on Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua shuttered. And yes, I mean beautiful, big homes and big brand stores. That’s what happened in Phoenix. I believe at one point, one in five homes was in financial distress. Certain business sectors held on – solar energy being an obvious one – but nobody had any money to invest or grow. The few that did were terrified and hid. Bank presidents were having their own homes repossessed as the financial industry collapsed.<br />
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Meanwhile, New Hampshire more or less plodded along. Sure, we had our 300, 400, 500 homes go into foreclosure each month. And to those that experienced it, such a process is devastating. But Phoenix had four times as many homes foreclose each month as New Hampshire had in a year.<br />
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Yes, New Hampshire had layoffs, and to the dozens that were pink-slipped, it was crushing. But rarely did we see entire companies fold.<br />
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Home prices in the Granite State drifted down from modest highs, but didn’t experience a tsunami plunge like those in the Sun Belt. They never reached the stellar heights of other boom states, so they never had far to fall.<br />
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2010 saw most states in the country begin to take their first steps out of their sickbeds, and by 2011, there were even some signs of stabilization.<br />
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Now in 2012, I saw Phoenix begin to shine again. Well, maybe that’s too strong a word. Phoenix will never be the way was in 2005 – nor will New Hampshire for that matter. I think that’s a very good thing. Growth and building in Phoenix was bloated to an almost obscene proportion, and certainly completely unrealistic and utterly unsustainable. While today there is renewed sense of sobriety, I truly hope it continues. Memories can be very short.<br />
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One huge concern I have for Phoenix as it begins to move forward again is the housing market. There are still an egregious amount of foreclosures and short sales. Those who kept their heads during the recession and didn’t have to live with a horror-show local economy are snapping up homes like candy. I know…we’re thinking about it, too. Just a simple example, you can buy a cute 3-bed, 2-bath home for about $125,000 in some areas. But not for long.<br />
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Investors from all over the globe, particularly Canada, are buying two or three or more properties at a time and renting them out. Banks and Realtors are thrilled to get the inventory off the books, so the more, the merrier. I’m sure the same thing is happening all over the country as investors buy distress properties by the armful.<br />
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But what’s going to happen to the stability of Phoenix and other communities when they are filled with renters instead of owners? Obviously, these investors will hold on to their homes until prices come back up – and they will – and sell them for huge profits. That will burden additional would-be buyers who will, once again, be priced out of the market, to say nothing of renters who may face eviction. Business will suffer as a renter population is more transient by nature. And one has to assume banks make more money on mortgages than rents. If nobody is going to the bank for a mortgage, how do they stabilize and grow again? By deposits alone?<br />
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I dearly hope my beloved Valley of the Sun takes a closer look at what’s happening at its housing market and how it will impact Arizona in the long term.<br />
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New Hampshire’s businesses, on the other hand, have been playing their cards so close to their collective vest, they are in danger of missing opportunities. The fear of seeing what happened in places like Arizona and Florida has made them vulnerable to not moving quickly enough to capture new opportunities. <br />
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Biotech is a sector whose time has come, as just one example. With an educated workforce, colleges and universities everywhere, access to Boston’s resources – and yes, our low taxes – I’m stymied as to why Pharma still hasn’t found New Hampshire.<br />
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In the fable, the tortoise won the race through consistent forward motion while the hare burned out quickly. But what do many tortoises do when they’re frightened? Let’s hope New Hampshire doesn’t stay instead its shell.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-40058162848718468242012-03-05T06:47:00.002-08:002012-03-05T06:47:53.880-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: UnPinterestedBowing to significant peer pressure, I recently decided to join Pinterest, the flavor-of-the-moment social networking channel.<br />
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If you aren’t familiar with Pinterest, imagine a virtual vision or wish board meets the “Like” function of Facebook, singled out and on steroids. Once you’ve installed (more on that later) the application, you browse the Internet to your heart’s content Pinning (e.g. “Liking”) anything and everything to a board you create. Folks following you on Pinterest can see what you’re into, comment and share, and you can do the same on their boards.<br />
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I find the concept truly ingenious. Many times, I’ve done some virtual window-shopping and have simply left half a dozen browser windows open as I peruse and compare. Pinterest would allow me to pull all my ideas together in one place, adding and editing as I went. I could leave the project and come back to it at anytime.<br />
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Here’s the inside scoop that I’ve discovered so far, so if you haven’t tried it yet, take a read. If there are already Pinheads out there that know where I’ve gone wrong, I’d love to hear from you, too.<br />
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First, unlike joining Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, your access to Pinterest isn’t immediate. At least it wasn’t for me. You had to be “invited” in, presumably by Pinterest creators or Skippy the geeky intern. I had to wait two whole days before I was allowed to begin. That irritated me and made me wonder what background check they were doing and to whom were they were selling the information.<br />
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Another caveat – it looks like you must have a Facebook or Twitter account to join Pinterest, so if you’re not on either of those channels, either you join those, too, or you’re SOL.<br />
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After receiving my Pinterest invitation, I had to install its bookmark. This isn’t just any bookmark –it strikes me as more of an app that allows the Pinning function, rather than just a short cut to a website. Can you say Cookie Monster?<br />
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Fine, I swallow my pride and install. All goes well, and I decide to put the Pin It button on my Windows Task Bar. That way I can Pin in a single click and I don’t have to keep opening my browser bookmark menu. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work there and gives an error. I can use the Pin It link from the bookmark pull down menu, but that’s a few steps. Do I really want to keep doing a number of mouse clicks just to Pin?<br />
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I actually had two cool projects I wanted to create Pin Boards for – pre-vacay shopping (YAY!) and home office ideas as I want to do a bit of a shoestring-budget redesign (any erstwhile ASID members out there that want to do a small project for trade, let me know).<br />
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I started with the shopping board. Looking for sundresses and swimsuits, I begin Pinning a few ideas. It seems to work just as easily as you would think – find something you like, click the Pin It button, and it appears on your board.<br />
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Well, not everything can be Pinned, apparently. Either the URL of the particular item I wanted to Pin (a very cute dress) had something in it that caused the action to malfunction or the Pin It button itself has a glitch, I don’t know, but I couldn’t Pin the dress. I tried a number of things, including reinstalling the Pin It bookmark, but to no avail.<br />
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Then I started thinking – do I really want my social contact to know my dress size? How much information is being revealed here, anyway?<br />
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I went back to Pinterest to search for ways to make a private board. Guess what? YOU CAN’T. (For the record, FAQs say that they are considering it. How nice.) Everything that goes up is seen. I believe the security functions are tied to whichever social network you’re using so it isn’t completely open, but I don’t even want that much revealed.<br />
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Pinterest pretty much lost interest for me there.<br />
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I started thinking some more – do I really want marketers to know my size? Heck, they probably already do, but still. At least with other online shopping and social functions, good marketers and bad hackers have to do a bit of mining to gather data about you before they can use it for good or ill. With something like Pinterest, we’ve just done they’re work for them. <br />
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I suppose there’s no real harm in getting spam from companies that are in genres I do, in fact, like. But my private life is just that – it’s mine and it’s private and I intend to keep it that way. It’s the principle of the thing.<br />
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Until Pinterest creates a completely private board function, I probably won’t use it much. Again, I find the idea of the site wonderful, useful and downright fun, but my privacy concerns overshadow its novelty. I caution you to consider your use of it, too. You don’t want your vision board to turn into a privacy nightmare.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-63595358428629120302012-02-27T05:45:00.004-08:002012-03-05T06:55:16.221-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Keep On Keepin’ OnA few weeks ago I wrote about the power positive thinking could have on your business and your life. I know it sure has impacted mine for the better. Several opportunities have opened up allowing me to get paid for doing what I love – writing!<br />
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But there is a very seductive specter out there just waiting to put the brakes on my progress. It’s called complacency. It’s very easy to forget to keep your affirmations and positive outlook going when a few good things happen. We’ve all been there – we’ve worked very hard getting to a certain point, now we want to coast a bit.<br />
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Don’t do it!<br />
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In fact, now’s the time when you should be extra vigilant for opportunities because good things are often exponential.<br />
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Sure, I’m exhausted from the work of manifesting and even a little frightened by how “easily” the career blessings that came into my life, but who isn’t? If you think about it, positive thinking to grow your career is nothing more than believing in the marketing of your own business, whether that’s a company or yourself.<br />
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Good opportunities are everywhere. I even sent some of my new business cards to my mother who lives halfway across the country from me. You never know who she’ll meet in her grocery store.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-45556665482366392162012-02-20T06:24:00.002-08:002012-02-20T06:24:35.422-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Hiring by Pin the Tail on the DonkeyThere is an egregious amount of information out there about what prospective job candidates can do to make themselves more attractive to potential employers. From writing strong resumes to networking as if one’s life depended on it to the proper handshake, the list goes on. There is, however, precious little on what due diligence a company should do to present itself as great place to work.<br />
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We all know that it’s a buyer’s market out there, but too often it seems as though companies don’t take the time to figure out what they’re really looking for. Job applicants take skills and compatibility tests to learn what kind of work they’re best suited for, but do companies perform the same amount of introspection when crafting a job position?<br />
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Company staffs have never been more overworked. From the administrative assistant to the CEO and everyone in between, all are wearing many, many hats. Too many, really. Combine that with the incredible amount of talent available, there is a quiet perception that companies don’t have the time and don’t really care about creating solid and detailed job descriptions. It seems sometimes like they’re just continuously plugging square pegs into round holes in the hopes one might actually fit. Just get the job filled so we don’t have to think about this anymore. Then because of the murky job description, the new hire has to fumble his or her way around, no one to show direction. In frustration, the new hire leaves, and the cycle repeats. I previously talked about marketing by pin the tail on the donkey. Well, this is hiring by pin the tail on the donkey.<br />
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Certainly, the hiring process is as much as, if not more, an art as a science. By its very nature, hiring is difficult for all involved. Turnover is a huge cost in and of itself. But desperate, or worse, lazy hiring practices because overworked staff don’t have the time or information to create detailed and specific job descriptions and are ready to provide some minor oversight and training to the new hire only serves to hurt the company in the long run.<br />
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Just as damaging is the complete lack of management development, whereby supervisors learn how to actually hire a new employee. How many of you mid-level directors out there received any training by your company on how to be a director? You work your butt off, get a promotion, then what? Congratulations! Here’s the key to executive bathroom, now go hire a team. <br />
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Huh?<br />
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If managers aren’t given the skills to create good job descriptions and find the talent that really will be a long-term asset to the company, how does the company expect to flourish?<br />
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They next time you or your company is considering hiring an employee, invest in your firm by training your managers, figuring out exactly what and who you want to add, taking the time to create concrete job descriptions, and setting aside side time to also train the new employee. Your candidates – and your bottom line – will thank you.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-50113262541120424872012-02-13T05:23:00.000-08:002012-02-13T05:23:32.930-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: The Stuart Smalley EffectWhen was the last time you thought positively about your business and your talents as a business owner – and spoke it aloud to yourself? When was the last time you dared to think that you are actually in the midst of turning your dream into a reality? Have you noticed that the times you have done this, great things actually happened?<br />
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Some of you out there may remember Stuart Smalley, the hilariously sensitive man portrayed by “Saturday Night Live” alum Al Franken. This gentle soul sought each week to buck himself up with affirmations that coming from anyone else would have sounded grotesquely pretentious. His iconic “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me” has been spoofed innumerable times over the years. But there’s a reason why he –and more famously, Norman Vincent Peale and his “The Power of Positive Thinking” – are so, well, famous. Positive thinking works.<br />
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A colleague of mine told me about a wonderful book by Chellie Campbell entitled, “The Wealthy Spirit.” Similar to other positive affirmation books, this too is based on the power of positive thinking, but is more specific to careers, income and broader definitions of wealth beyond the financial. It contains 365 steps, affirmations and points to ponder – one for each day of the year – that may help you on your path achieving your goals.<br />
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Finding myself an entrepreneur of late has been as terrifying as it has been exhilarating. While I love the excitement of tackling new projects with a large amount of creative control, the prospect of insufficient and sporadic income during what are supposed to be my peak earning years is deeply troubling. After the first page, “The Wealthy Spirit” restored my hope that I’m not doomed to be eating cat food out of a Maytag box when I’m 70.<br />
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I realized my passion for writing has, is and will provide for me. I struggled with the fact that I didn’t want people, including myself, to think of me as some as beret-wearing "La Boehme"-type whiner who refused to get her hands dirty doing an honest day’s work. (For the record, I do have a beret – and I look darn cute in it, too – but these hands saved lives in the hospital as much as they’ve strung together an entertaining subject and predicate <i>and</i> paid the mortgage.)<br />
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I crafted a concrete statement about what I wanted for my career and my life, adding a faith component because that’s important to me and my beliefs. I began saying it daily. You know what – it is working! Not one, but two opportunities presented themselves in a matter of days.<br />
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There is a big difference between wishful thinking and rehearsing a desire for yourself. Affirmations are not pearls spewed from some cosmic wishing well. If you’re 60, you know you can’t affirm your way to actually being 20 again – but you can regain the joy, discovery and exuberance of life you had when you were. <br />
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I also learned that affirmations are present tense. “Will” means “someday,” implying you currently don’t have and maybe never will have what you’re trying to accomplish. If you think that sounds a bit like lying to yourself –pretending you’ve already accomplished your dream when you haven’t yet – I thought the same thing until I realized the point is to start thinking of yourself in positive terms. Saying the affirmation simply makes you more confident and more aware of the opportunities around you that will help you reach your goal.<br />
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Don’t worry if others don’t agree with you personal definition of success. Your goal, your dream, your affirmation is genuinely and uniquely yours. If you haven’t already created one, you should start. Today. <br />
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Why?<br />
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Because you’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and doggone it, people like you. <br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-40631647013630681382012-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:002012-02-06T05:40:34.026-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Of the CWBA and the NFLI had the pleasure of attending the grand opening reception of the Center for Women’s Business Advancement at Southern New Hampshire University on Feb. 3.<br />
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The transformation of the Women’s Business Center into the Center for Women’s Business Advancement is an exciting step forward in building entrepreneurship in New Hampshire. <br />
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When the old WBC closed in 2010, a huge void was left in the Granite State. Few other organizations did more to work with the smallest of small businesses and help women – and a few men – launch healthy and successful businesses.<br />
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The new CWBA, like its predecessor, is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, but this new iteration has found a new home – and new support – from SNHU. I believe the affiliation has resulted in a firm foundation from which the CWBA will flourish.<br />
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MaryAnn Manoogian, CWBA’s executive director, deserves much credit for taking on such a role at a time when many worthwhile programs can no longer be sustained due to economic belt-tightening.<br />
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I am really looking forward to see the exciting things MaryAnn, CWBA, its clients, and all its stakeholders create in the years to come. As MaryAnn herself said at the event, “We plan to be here for a long, long time.”<br />
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And I know a certain new entrepreneur that needs some serious hand-holding in preparing her business plan…<br />
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For more information on the CWBA, call 603-629-4697 or visit <a href="http://www.cwbanh.com/">cwbanh.com</a>.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">*****</div><br />
I couldn’t let the opportunity go by without saying a few words about the Super Bowl commercials. The game – not so much.<br />
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I have to tell you, I really wasn’t all that impressed with the commercials this year. Speaking as a consumer, none really engaged me. In fact, most I had to research which commercial went with which product. One or two were just plain weird. (What was the Elton John thing with the voice dubbing all about anyway?)<br />
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I’m not a drum-banging feminist, but Go Daddy’s ads, particularly the ones they run during Super Bowls, thoroughly repulse me and have me so turned off from the company, I will never do business with them and I encourage others to shun them, too. <br />
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The “Ferris Bueller” parody with Matthew Broderick for Honda was hugely hyped, but I thought it fell flat. I liked the gravitas of the Clint Eastwood spot. Its juxtaposition with all the comedic ads played well, but again, I had to look up after the fact that it was for Chrysler Group. Now you can’t even do that, as the NFL has made the carmaker take the spot off the Internet.<br />
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Jerry Seinfeld’s commercial for Acura and Volkswagen’s Star Wars cantina were by far the most entertaining. <br />
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The Pepsi/Doritos Grandma and Baby spot was cute and was perhaps the most effective for me as far as remembering that it was selling Doritos. The rest were largely forgettable, and none inspired me to learn more about a product let alone go and actually buy it.<br />
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Like the New England Patriots, better luck next year, Super Bowl Advertisers.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-19422664307375818882012-01-30T05:14:00.000-08:002012-02-04T05:13:57.704-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Thoughts on Savvy’s PR Boot CampI recently attended the PR Boot Camp presented by Savvy Workshop, a Manchester marketing and print services firm. Several area professionals each discussed the various aspects of that mysterious science and art known at public relations. I thought I’d share with you some of the concepts I found important.<br />
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“Public Relations” is not advertising, nor is it strictly synonymous with marketing. It’s easier to say that advertising and marketing are aspects under the public relations umbrella. “Public relations is managing reputation and branding,” said Monica Bardier, owner of <a href="http://www.mypingpr.com/">Ping PR</a> .<br />
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Today there are many different outlets you can use to get your company noticed. It’s not just newspapers and radio anymore. What does this mean to you? If you aren’t present in the digital/social universe in some form, you might as well not exist. This doesn’t mean you should ignore a printed medium, quite the contrary (e.g. print magazine subscriptions are growing), just don’t focus on that exclusively. <br />
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When thinking about how you will interact with your customers, Savvy’s Mike Glazner said to think about them first, not about your company. Don’t tell your customers how many whizbangs your widget has, tell them all about the problems in their life your widget will solve.<br />
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A good deal of public relations is just that – interacting with the public. And that requires interacting with the media. A big part of why I started Kibbe on Marketing was to hopefully educate folks on just how to get us media-types interested in what you have to say.<br />
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Mike Emerton of <a href="http://www.bridgeviewmarketing.com/">Bridgeview Marketing</a> was spot on in recommending that business owners should develop relationships with editors and reporters. As a reporter, my virtual door was always open. With the advent of social media you can get to know publications and those who work for them much more easily. You can see what kind of topics and sectors they write about.<br />
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Matt Mowry, editor of <a href="http://www.millyardcommunications.com/">Business New Hampshire</a> magazine, made a very good point about relationships with the media. Editors and reporters are friendly, “but we are not your friends.” We are not writing an ad for you; we write news. This means we ask questions. A lot of them. And ones that can possibly be uncomfortable. For example, if you have no intention of giving me some financial data, say percent growth, don’t waste Matt’s or my time.<br />
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Feature coverage – that is a piece about you and your company alone – is rare. Don’t ask for it, because it’s just not going to happen. You pretty much have to have made cold fusion energy available at Walmart in order to get me to give you 1,500 words to yourself.<br />
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And if we’ve just published an article on widgets similar to yours, said Matt, we probably won’t be doing another story on that for a longtime – like a year or more – if ever again. So don’t ask for that either. A good review of a particular publication’s editorial calendar is in order.<br />
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You could easily have filled the whole PR Boot Camp seminar on the ins and outs of social media and search engine optimization, more affectionately known as SEO. I am scratching the surface of this myself.<br />
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Allen Voivod, who owns <a href="http://www.epiphanies.com/">Epiphanies Inc.</a>, a social media strategy firm, with his wife Lani, gave a number of important points to consider when moving into the social realm. <br />
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While setting up a Facebook page and Twitter feed are free, think a little first what you want to accomplish. “Social media” is just that – it’s a place for social interaction, not commercials. Think of it more as a place to have conversations with your customers, ask them about their preferences and learn from them.<br />
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When you are getting the word out about your company, Allen said to tie your press release and website together by using the same keywords in both communications. This is at the core of SEO. If you want to learn more about all things social, stay tuned for the upcoming seminar by Epiphanies Inc.<br />
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Savvy Workshop’s next seminar will be the Sales Boot Camp, Friday, Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit <a href="http://www.savvyworkshop.com/">www.savvyworkshop.com</a> for details.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-36510046640141926562012-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:002012-01-23T06:57:24.830-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Between Mount Everest and a Hard PlaceAs business owners, we’re used to a certain amount of upheaval and uncertainty in our lives. We plow forward and make the best decisions we can based on the information we have. Yet there are times when, despite all logic, our gut is telling us something different.<br />
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That little voice spoke to me months ago regarding an opportunity, but I didn’t take it for what it was. You know the one – that little niggling feeling in the back of your mind, the rock that suddenly appears in your stomach that you can’t seem to digest no matter what you do.<br />
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I had an opportunity I just assumed was right for me when it wasn’t, not now and maybe not ever. When recently confronted with similar opportunity, that niggling voice turned into a shout and the rock became a boulder. I made the excruciatingly hard decision that that particular path wasn’t right for me, but not without a hell of a lot of heartache – and stomachache – for all involved. When I made the decision to focus my energies elsewhere, Mount Everest disappeared from my gut. I know, despite what my head was telling me, I had made the best decision for me.<br />
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Business owners experience the same thing from time to time. An opportunity or a client, even a business partner may seem perfect but for that little feeling, that rock in the stomach. We reason with ourselves, cajole ourselves, even berate ourselves, but we just can’t seem to come to true acceptance.<br />
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That is precisely the moment to stop and listen to your intuition. If you can find out why you have concerns, you’ve already won the battle. You can address them head on and your ultimate decision, no matter what it is, will be that much more satisfactory.<br />
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But what if it isn’t one big thing, but a million small things? That’s much harder. A situation like this makes your job of introspection much more difficult. That’s when you have to trust yourself. That’s when you just have to believe in yourself enough to make a decision with which you and you alone are comfortable despite how perfect the client or the contract seems. And that is hard.<br />
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It’s also important not to make decisions based on fear. That’s another thing altogether. Are you considering working with this client because times are tough and you’re afraid you might not get another one anytime soon? Or are things truly just not adding up right? The trick is learning the difference, and that takes supreme honesty towards oneself. And that is hard.<br />
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My original decision to consider certain opportunities just because that's the way things are supposed to go were based on fear. That led to some tough consequences, not to mention the loss of all the time I could have spent searching elsewhere. I’ll admit I first felt like a quitter and a coward, but then I realized I was ultimately saving others, too, from the same bad fit. <br />
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As a business owner, what would a working relationship be like going forward with a client or project you hate? Do you think you can honestly do your best work or give your best customer service in such a situation?<br />
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These are not easy decisions, especially when cold, hard honesty is required. Those around you may think you're crazy and that you've made a big mistake. Or the devil on your shoulder gets your ear. You know you did the right thing to walk away this time, but where’s the next opportunity going to come from and what if that one falls through, too?<br />
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Guess what? The next opportunity might not work out, and it may indeed be awhile before another one comes along. But it’s just as likely, maybe even more so, that the next opportunity will be a good fit. It might be right around the corner in a direction you weren’t looking or in a place you had forgotten to look. Why? Because you know now. You are now aware. You have more information about what you want or don’t want. And you are now armed with the courage to make those decisions that were so difficult the first time.<br />
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Growth is hard, and it really hurts sometimes, but it’s the only way forward. Listen to that little feeling. And if you train yourself to listen to it sooner than later, to be honest with yourself and have the courage to trust your decisions, you just might avoid having to digest Mount Everest.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe is owner of Cindy Kibbe Creative Communications, a writing services firm based in New England. She was an editor for a regional business publication for nearly a decade. She can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindy@kibbecreative.com">cindy@kibbecreative.com</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-10633424925584641302012-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:002012-01-09T10:15:40.897-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: The Primary Circus Brings More Than PeanutsThe 2012 New Hampshire First-In-The-Nation Primary will be my fourth go-around in this extrordinary political event. My husband and I moved to the Granite State in January 2000 just in time for that contest. I have vivid memories of stopping into the Outback in Bedford, our apartment still full of wet boxes from the blizzard, to find the restaurant jammed to the rafters with everything from TV anchors, AP journalists, local newsies and even a few bonafide diners like us.<br />
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This latest Primary had me thinking about the ecomonic impact of the event. Analysts say it actually is no big deal in terms of actual dollars, but I don’t think that’s entirely accurate.<br />
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Our once-every-four-years media circus supports local businesses about as much as the average Laconia Bike Week, says the University of New Hampshire. UNH did a study several years ago on the impact of the 2000 Primary on the local economy (and I looked for more recent stats, but apparently there are none), and found the event’s total impact at that time was $264 million. When compared to the Leaf Peeper season, with 2011 estimates over nearly $1 billion, the Primary is chump change.<br />
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I suppose that’s an unfair comparision – the fall foliage season lasts longer (or does it?) and I don’t have more recent spending numbers for the Primary, but I think it means considerably more to the state.<br />
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Let’s start with the news media itself. Sure, they don’t linger to visit like actual tourists, but today we have a whole panoply of folks who call themselves “journalists” covering the event – from bloggers and hyperlocal writers to actual journos who write for actual media outlets to the folks who film the candidate for commercials and out-of-town campaign staffers. All these people are spending money at restaurants, bars, coffee shops, maybe hotels and even a few parking tickets. Each Primary, that number grows. More people, more money spent.<br />
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Then there’s visitors from nearby regions just over our borders who come up to see what all the fuss is about. They, too, eat, drink and otherwise make merry.<br />
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Perhaps most interesting are the people who are here for a short time or who only see us on TV – and remember something that inadvertantly slipped through. Perhaps they’ll think, “Gosh, what a beautiful state that is. What a cute coffee shop, the people seem so nice. That resort by that big lake is incredible. I think I’ll visit there again and stay this time.”<br />
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I wonder if anyone has cranked some numbers on how many visitors we get from folks whose first exposure to New Hampshire was from the Primary? The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office has said the Primary wasn’t created as a tourist event. Maybe there should be some thought given to that?<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-42239331027202445032011-12-19T06:40:00.000-08:002011-12-19T06:40:25.031-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Jingles All the WayAs we are all painfully aware, holiday promotions begin even before the kids get their Halloween costumes on. Of course, those of us in the Northeast, our Halloween this year looked far more like Christmas that jack-o’-lantern time.<br />
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Here are some I found notable:<br />
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<b>Funniest: Target’s Uber-Shopper</b> – This woman is just hilarious! The character premiered last year I believe, so we saw her again on the weeks prior to Black Friday. The training Rambo-style for shopping, complete with the ‘80s sound track is destined to be a classic. The “Minute after Thanksgiving” and “Sabrina Soto in the Closet” spots are also laugh-out-loud funny.<br />
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<b>Nastiest: Best Buy Shoppers Take on Santa</b> – Best Buy shoppers out do Santa by purchasing their family’s “it” gift before he can deliver it. Then they stand there so smug on Christmas Eve. Santa’s a good sport for not turning them into a pile of snow. I must say, though the spots are definitely effective as they let potential shoppers know Best Buy has all the gifts under one roof, I feel sorry for Santa, not happy for the shoppers.<br />
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<b>Most Effective: Lexus December to Remember Campaign</b> – The folks at the luxury car company have made a perfect use out of their jingle (no pun intended), turning the simple melody into a cell ringtone, a music box, and a Guitar Hero song. Lexus elevated the importance the jingle, putting it front and center, bringing the branding into a cohesive whole. Alas, I’d be happy just to afford one of those ginormous car bows.<br />
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<b>Honorable Mentions</b>: I also love Chevy’s commercials with Santa (Or are they really sad that the economy’s so bad “Nick” had to take a second gig looking for spiffs on selling cars?); Justin Bieber’s Black Friday Macy’s commercial with all the men screaming like Tweeners; and Ancestry.com’s Santa commercials – these are so funny, I’m not sure they’re real.<br />
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I’d love to hear which ones are your favorites, or favorite to hate!<br />
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We’ll be tucking in for a long winter’s nap, so Kibbe on Marketing will be back for the new year starting Jan. 9, 2012. Until then, have a Merry and Blessed Christmas, Love and Light on Hanukkah, and all the Peace of the Season and a Happy New Year!<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-84338217412275565772011-12-12T05:18:00.001-08:002011-12-12T05:41:51.737-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Don’t Remind MeI’ve noticed a very interesting commercial that’s been running lately. The Gulf States have put on some good old-fashioned co-branding touting the region as a wonderful destination to visit during winter vacation. The spot features feel-good shots of the legendary Southern hospitality, even more legendary food and lovely beaches all pitched to viewers by ebullient local business owners. The theme is “Best Season,” a mild play-on-words referring to the Gulf states have their best tourism season in years and the region being an ideal place for the holiday/winter season.<br />
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The Gulf region has some of the busiest working ports in the country as well as ecosystems so unique, they are found nowhere else in the world – so say nothing about the shrimp! My husband was lucky enough to visit Pensacola shortly after the spill and found its beaches pristine and the people delightful. His photos have me desperate for a trip there together soon.<br />
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I couldn’t be more thrilled that the Gulf Coast is making huge strides coming back from the British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster that took place in April 2010, during which 11 people lost their lives and the environment endured destruction that I seriously doubt parts of which will ever be able to fully recover. As part of BP’s multibillion-dollar Gulf clean-up response, it seeks to repair the damaged tourist economy.<br />
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The sad thing is the commercial spot isn’t put on by the states’ own economic and tourism development organizations – it is a BP ad, plain and simple. In fact, the last few seconds of the commercial features BP’s logo and the warm and fuzzy caption “Brought to you by BP” just to make sure viewers know this message wasn’t brought to you by the Gulf itself. Why didn’t BP just leave well enough alone and let the state’s use the money to sell themselves?<br />
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The commercial (actually, it’s one of several featuring the same spokespeople) isn’t so much working to repair a region and all it contains but a glitz piece to meant to repair BP’s social (and probably financial) capital. Furthermore, placing the BP logo at the end of the commercial only serves to bring us all right back to the disaster in the spring of 2010. If nothing else, leaving the BP logo off would have made the specter of the disaster much, much more subtle and the message of a vibrant regional economy that much clearer, playing to BP’s needs even better. Throwing “BP” in our faces only serves to remind us all of the disaster, not the incredible work the people of the Gulf have done to save the region.<br />
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If the ends justify the means, then I truly hope these ads will attract crowds to this beautiful and gracious part of our country.<br />
<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-60288809522255369142011-12-05T05:26:00.000-08:002011-12-05T05:26:14.974-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: The New Old New CokeIt was supposed to be the “Paws that Refreshes,” (my words as far as I know, not theirs) but instead it turned out to be another blunder that will go down in the annals of PR history.<br />
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In an admirable program to raise awareness for the plight of polar bears and their shrinking habitat (the ginormous white ursine beasts are also Coca-Cola’s holiday icons), Coca-Cola issued a limited-run Coke can, all frosty white with silver bears. The “Arctic Home” can campaign was supposed to run from October through February, and was expected to raise some $3 million for polar bear conservation. Sounds wonderful.<br />
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One small problem – Coca-Cola's top-selling beverage, Diet Coke, also has a can all frosty white and silver. Apparently consumers couldn’t tell the difference and grabbed the wrong flavor. Some cola drinkers even went so far as to say the Arctic Home Coke tasted different. I think that probably had more to do with psychology than gastronomy, but you never know.<br />
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Coca-Cola's marketing/design team really had a misstep here and completely failed to recognize their own product. I even have to admit the fault really isn’t so much that consumers can’t read the label, although some blame lands there, too. For years, companies have issued special packaging for the holidays, including Coke. I happen to enjoy the snowflakes myself. Therefore, it’s quite understandable some Diet Coke drinkers might have grabbed the white/silver can of full-sugar Arctic Coke and Regular Coke fans reached for traditional packaging, bypassing the bears altogether thinking they were holiday designs for Diet Coke.<br />
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One of the first and most basic steps in branding is to take a look at everything you have so far and study existing designs. New designs have to be evocative of existing ones or risk the alienation of customers and the loss of brand awareness. Oops!<br />
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Consumers really have to dig to find information about the new, new can, which is – lo and behold! – a red background with silvery bears like it should have been all along. Calling it "Phase II," Coca-Cola said, “People have told us they love the limited-edition white ‘Arctic Home’ Coca-Cola cans, and we know they love our iconic red cans, especially during the holidays. So we're introducing the next limited-edition ‘Arctic Home’ can, which will still feature the same polar bears, but with our iconic red Coca-Cola background. “<br />
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The sad thing is, Coca-Cola was (and still is, I should add) doing a great thing. Coca-Cola is a multi billion-dollar company that can probably absorb the snafu. It’s a shame the funds they would have raised for polar bear conservation probably will not be able to shrug off the mistake as easily.<br />
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Read Coca-Cola’s statement on its “Arctic Home” campaign:<br />
<a href="http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/dynamic/press_center/2011/12/coca-cola-continues-arctic-home-campaign-with-introduction-of-limited-edition-red-cans.html">http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/dynamic/press_center/2011/12/coca-cola-continues-arctic-home-campaign-with-introduction-of-limited-edition-red-cans.html</a><br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-43867442817992694532011-11-28T07:42:00.000-08:002011-11-28T07:42:02.198-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Cyber SanityFresh from taking in some Cyber Monday deals while doing my holiday shopping online, I reflected on what a nice experience it was. Cooling down from my morning walk, Christmas carols playing on my computer, no crowds, no pepper spray…<br />
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I was appalled, like all of you, to hear the reports of violence on Black Friday, the so-called shopping day after Thanksgiving when retailers traditionally turned a profit. Everything from cat fights to robbing at gunpoint to pepper spray attacks, to say nothing of the now-expected stampedes through the doors all in the name of unbridled greed and overconsumption. And this is to say nothing about store clerks dragged away from family gatherings at some ungodly hour, whether or not they made time-and-a-half for the privilege.<br />
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<i>Seriously?!! </i><br />
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Isn’t this supposed to be the time where Christians celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, Jews commemorate the miracle of the oil lamps, others honor the hearth and home of the solstice time and everyone brings a little more cheer, charity and peace to the world? A greater, and frankly sadder, irony could not exist in the mockery Black Friday has made of the season.<br />
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I could debate the desperation of people in this economy, mob psychology, Occupy This and That as causes behind the frenzy, but the fact is Black Friday craziness is just that. I am frustrated and ashamed that retailers allow the extremism to continue. Are they really making so much money on that one day that they can turn a blind eye to people actually requiring hospitalization after visiting their stores? We arrest the tramplers and pepper-sprayers but aren’t retailers who allow this to continue somehow culpable as well? Since the once-shocking, now routine incident of someone being trampled during a Black Friday door rush, I have boycotted specific retailers and Black Friday in general. What if more people also boycotted Black Friday? Do you think there might be a retailer out there with enough backbone to think of some other way to stop the insanity and still make a sale?<br />
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I've come up with a simple solution for all this nonsense – bring more cyber sales to Black Friday. If retailers must partake of the insanity the holiday shopping season has become, start offering more online deals earlier. Go ahead – offer fantastic prices on Kindles, hexbugs, flat-screen TVs (to be sold on Ebay, not used at home, of course) and Tickle Me Whatevers starting at 9 p.m. Thanksgiving night between football games. We can shop from the relative comfort and safety of our own homes (relatives not withstanding), retailers don’t have to overstock stores or hire security guards, clerks can stay home with the fam, and nobody is trampled, shot, stabbed or sprayed.<br />
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Here’s to a safer, saner and still profitable Black Friday 2012. Let’s see if we can’t do a little better next year, OK, people?<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at</i> <a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-84626794242018587182011-11-21T06:58:00.000-08:002011-11-21T06:58:37.400-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Do it for Laurie, do it for New HampshireThis week’s blog was supposed to be a punchy, informative column on shopping local for your holiday gifts – and it still is – but the more I thought about it, the more I thought about Laurie Ferguson.<br />
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For the one or two people in New Hampshire that didn’t have the privledge of meeting Laurie, you missed talking to one of the Granite State’s biggest cheerleaders. She was the founder and longtime executive director of New Hampshire Made, the state’s marketing, branding and “locally made” advocacy agency. If there’s a product made in New Hampshire, chances are Laurie had something to do with bringing it to the marketplace.<br />
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I first met Laurie when I was “the world’s oldest-living newsroom intern.” I would call on her very often, sometimes weekly, to get her take on what was happening with New Hampshire’s small businesses for the articles I was writing. And on more than just a few occasions, she’d give me some much-needed career advice.<br />
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Laurie had had a thriving career on Madison Avenue – yes, THE Madison Avenue. She was also good enough at skiing that she could have gone pro. Certainly life and family made her take some course corrections, as it does with all of us, but it is no small thing to say she gave up both of those paths to work on this one-time experiment in branding and marketing New Hampshire-made goods and services. Vermont maple syrup sold in New Hampshire? Really?!<br />
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Her frequent emails on behalf of NH Made to my newsroom computer always were read, so I wondered why they suddenly stopped last spring. I knew she had, years earlier, fought a courageous battle against cancer. Working in silos as we often do, it didn’t register for a few weeks that I hadn’t heard from her lately. It never registered that the disease had re-entered her life. It came as a crushing blow when I found out last April that she had passed away after her second tour of duty as it were. I sat in my cubicle and cried.<br />
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At the helm of NH Made since its inception in 1998 until her death in April 2011, Laurie helped breathe life into literally thousands of small businesses. As we enter our first holiday shopping season without her, I know Laurie wouldn’t have wanted any tears. She would have wanted us to SHOP NEW HAMPSHIRE!<br />
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At good place to start your shopping is at www.nhmade.com. There you’ll find a directory of thousands of locally made products and services. By shopping locally, you will be supporting local businesses AND JOBS, not to mention avoiding the crowds at the mall and giving something uniquely New Hampshire made. Want to avoid traffic altogether? Virtually all NH Made vendors have websites, can process orders through the Internet, and can ship across the country.<br />
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So shop locally this season. Laurie would have wanted it that way.<br />
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Here’s a few of my favorite New Hampshire products by NH Made members (Yes, I really do buy these products frequently, and no, they didn’t pay me):<br />
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* <a href="http://www.bellowshouse.com/"><b>Bellows House Bakery</b></a> – Your search for the most decadent chocolate brownies on earth has just ended.<br />
* <a href="http://www.labellewinerynh.com/"><b>LaBelle Winery</b></a> – Forget everything you thought you knew about fruit wine. The grape wines are some of the best the state has to offer as well.<br />
* <a href="http://www.farnumhillciders.com/"><b>Farnum Hill Ciders</b></a> – Imagine a vivacious Riesling-like libation to serve with all your holiday gatherings (and no hint of apple flavor, I swear).<br />
* <a href="http://www.aerostery.com/"><b>A&E Coffee Roastery</b></a> – Coffee the way it should taste.<br />
* <a href="http://www.ncsmokehouse.com/"><b>North Country Smokehouse</b></a> – The perfect ham for the holiday table, but you just might want to keep it for yourself.<br />
* <a href="http://www.boggymeadowfarm.com/"><b>Boggy Meadow Farm</b></a> – The creamiest Swiss cheese you’ll ever have – and I hate Swiss cheese.<br />
* <a href="http://www.justnaturalproducts.com/"><b>Just Naturals</b></a> – All-natural products for bath, body, home, baby and pet. The store alone is so bright and fresh, you can’t help lingering.<br />
* <a href="http://www.nhcrafts.org/"><b>League of NH Craftsmen Stores</b></a> – Don’t forget to buy your annual keepsake ornament, not to mention everything else on your gift list.<br />
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Here’s a few more of my favor local shops:<br />
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* <a href="http://www.bedayspa.com/"><b>Be Day Spa & Image Studio</b></a> – Where I go to learn to breathe again. Pick up some gift certificates for the Pumpkin Spice Facial or Cranberry Butter Cream Pedicure.<br />
* <a href="http://www.bonneviesalon.net/"><b>Bonne Vie Salon & Spa</b></a> – I’ll cut back on electricity or heating oil before I’ll cut back on my highlights. They are that good.<br />
* <a href="http://www.bedfordfields.com/"><b>Bedford Fields Garden Center</b></a> – For garderners, winter is planning season. They also have a wonderful array of pet items. Don’t miss the Holiday Shop.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at </i><a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-23416656365772107332011-11-14T12:06:00.001-08:002011-11-14T14:50:03.914-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: New Hampshire Conference for WomenWhat happens when you combine hundreds of bright, creative, hard-working women and six outstanding leaders in their field? Something wonderful.<br />
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That something wonderful is the 2011 New Hampshire Conference for Women, held this year on Friday, Nov. 18, with registration beginning at 8 a.m., and sessions starting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester.<br />
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Created by Leslie Sturgeon, founder of the women’s professional networking and business support organization, Women Inspiring Women, this year’s conference looks to be the biggest and the best yet.<br />
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Headliners this year include six women from a variety of backgrounds. Kathleen Peterson, of PowerHouse Consulting, will discuss “the five lessons” she has learned from life’s experiences – some as simple as spelling, use of language, and the difference between fine wine and not so fine. <br />
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How do you create health and wealth from the inside out? KBK Wealth Connection owner Kathleen Burns Kingsbury will show us how to stop sabotaging our perceptions of money and create a more financially secure and fulfilling future.<br />
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You can’t lead others effectively if you can’t lead yourself. Laurie-Ann Murabito will discuss how to build a culture of excellence within ourselves to bring out transformational change.<br />
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We’ve all been to conferences that sap our energy more than they inspire it. Humorist Lesley Smith will be on hand at the New Hampshire Conference for Women to make sure we take time to laugh and regroup.<br />
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Wrapping up the day will be hikers Nancy Sporborg and Pat Piper. They’ve been to the mountaintop – literally and figuratively – and will show us that we all have the skills to scale the seemingly insurmountable in our life.<br />
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Throughout the day there will be dozens of exhibitors, door prizes, and of course, more than a few surprises.<br />
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I chatted with Leslie and here’s what she had to say about this years event:<br />
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<b>CK: Are you surprised at the way the conference has grown from last year?</b><br />
<b>LS:</b> This is the 2nd NH Conference for Women (plus we also did the 1st Annual Inspiring Women in Business day-long entrepreneurial event in May of this year). We had a waiting list for last year’s event as we filled up very quickly so this year we moved it to the Radisson/Center of NH so we could have unlimited numbers of women! <br />
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I am thrilled that it has grown to where it is today, but not surprised! Women are finding great strength and support when they are around other women. They are networking and connecting more than ever! And women are starting businesses faster than men in NH and making great strides in their careers as well. They are taking time to stimulate their minds, learn new things and be in a positive environment – all of this has resulted in tremendous growth for WIW in general, making us the largest organization for women’s empowerment, personal development and networking in NH.<br />
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<b>CK: What’s new this year?</b><br />
<b>LS: </b>The venue is new! In addition to our returning sponsors – PSNH and NH Division of Economic Development – we also have Exeter Health Resources who has sponsored us for all of 2011 and T-Bones/Cactus Jack’s is an event sponsor. We are attracting women from more of NH – last year we had 43 towns represented and we have exceeded that this year.<br />
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The speaker line up is new as we always strive to keep it fresh. Many new exhibitors are participating, including some from national companies. Enhancing the attendee experience and keeping it new and exciting is part of our success, so we always have surprises. And of course we will continue to have an impeccable attention to detail to make it a dynamic, awesome day!<br />
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<b>CK: What do you know attendees come away with?</b><br />
<b>LS:</b> We actually ask this on the evaluation forms, but get a lot of testimonials, emails, etc., too. Connecting with other women is a huge part of the day, and a sense that we are all in this exciting life together, helping and supporting each other on our individual journeys. <br />
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Some women have said that the conference has encouraged them to work at higher level and also to recognize they need to take more time for themselves to do the things that are important to them. Others said NHCW gives them the tools to analyze their life and figure out what’s working and what isn’t.<br />
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When Leslie told me WIWNH and the New Hampshire Conference for Women were more about hugs than handshakes, I didn’t believe her until I went to a meeting. I was moved to tears by the power and support in the room – and yes, I received hugs.<br />
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I’ve had the privilege of attended last year’s event and as well as the monthly WIWNH meetings and each time I come away with a renewed sense of not only optimism but also of myself. I will be attending the conference. I hope to see you there!<br />
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Registration for the 2011 New Hampshire Conference for Women is $59. Contact Leslie Sturgeon, Women Inspiring Women, at <a href="mailto:info@wiwnh.com">info@wiwnh.com</a> or 603-744-0400. For more information and to register, visit <a href="http://www.wiwnh.com/">www.wiwnh.com</a>.<br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at <a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.</i>Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-41425311107085445592011-11-07T09:46:00.000-08:002011-11-07T09:46:42.197-08:00Kibbe on Marketing: Part 2 - Born or Made?Well, are our “shovel muscles” all limbered up now? We were without power for five days. I never, ever take my blessings for granted, including the miracle of hot running water, so I was even more grateful when the power came back on.<br />
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My crisis management muscle also was exercised. I was pleased with how I was able to keep things calm and under control as humanly possible, which led me to think a little more on my last discussion of whether entrepreneurs are born or made.<br />
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I still contend that, while concrete skills like bookkeeping and marketing can be learned by all new business owners, successful entrepreneurs have innate qualities that make them, well, successful. I never thought I possessed some of the more critical ones – my complete aversion to risk-taking, for one – but “Snowtober” and a recent workshop at the Hannah Grimes Center in Keene has me changing my mind. Perhaps with right planning and coaching, anyone can learn to harness his or her own innate abilities to create and run successful ventures, too.<br />
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Helaine Iris, life and business coach and owner of Path of Purpose Coaching, led “Four Things to Consider Before Starting Your Own Business,” held Oct. 27 in Hannah Grimes’s new offices. What made this workshop unique is, as far as I can tell, it’s the only one I’ve found that is for those considering whether starting a business is right for them. Certainly, SCORE, the Small Business Development Center, and other business resource agencies have excellent “how to” programs but I haven’t found many “Do I want to?” programs. (If you know of another one, let me know!)<br />
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“Four Things” discussed some of the more emotional considerations as well as concrete issues that should be pondered before moving forward with a decision to start a business. Helaine was a wonderful speaker and an incredible resource precisely because she has gone through everything the business-pondering attendees are going through. (Where will the money come from as I’m building a business? Can I still have a social life? What if the business fails? What if I fail?) Attendees received a packet that included several questionnaires and readiness assessments to help rein in some of that mind chatter.<br />
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One of the points I learned at “Four Things” was to have your values connected to you passion. This may seem obvious to some, but others wonder if some of their more noble aspirations would sabotage a business in the long run. Whether you’re baking Moon Pies, building websites or anything else, you can and should incorporate your values into your business. That will not only help sustain your passion and the reason why you started a business in the first place, it will help see you through the deeply challenging times as well. <br />
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Folks always talk about having a business plan before your start your venture, but so many entrepreneurs don’t even think about having one until there’s a need for a loan. Guess what? I learned, yes, you really DO need a business plan before you start getting clients if at all possible – but it doesn’t have to be “loan-worthy,” at least not in the beginning. And I’ve learned from other seminars on entrepreneurship, that a business plan is never finished; it grows, changes and evolves as the business (and you as the owner!) grow, change and evolve.<br />
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Exit strategies are typically not things business owners think about as they are building their business – but they should. Helaine said every business will always have an end whether that is a sale or merger of the business or the retirement or even death of the owner. Perhaps those are more dramatic endings, but for those considering a business I learned it is good to have a concrete idea of what has to happen if the business is going to continue or when to pull the plug. <br />
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For those of you who are intrigued with the idea of owning a business, I encourage you to give Hannah Grimes, Helaine Iris or another business resource agency a call. Remember, there is also as much gained by learning that business ownership is not for you as there is by moving forward with your venture.<br />
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<i>Hannah Grimes Center may be reached at 603-352-5538; <a href="http://hannahgrimes.com/">hannahgrimes.com</a>. Helaine Iris can be contacted at 603-363-4252; <a href="mailto:helaine@pathofpurpose.com">helaine@pathofpurpose.com</a>. For those who have made the decision to take that next concrete step toward business ownership, call Hannah Grimes about its 12-month Business Start-Up Program, covering the skills and receiving the support needed to reach your business goals alongside other like-minded entrepreneurs. Class starts Nov. 10.</i><br />
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<i>Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at <a href="mailto:cindykibbe@comcast.net">cindykibbe@comcast.net</a>.</i>Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4875132196064620375.post-113066180946641512011-10-24T05:31:00.000-07:002011-10-24T05:31:43.238-07:00Kibbe on Marketing: Born or Made?The question, of course, is whether entrepreneurs are born or made.<br />
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That was the very discussion I had with Mary Ann Kristiansen, executive director of the wonderfully successful Keene business incubator, Hannah Grimes Center and its affiliated Hannah Grimes Marketplace.<br />
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Over a delicious lunch at Luca’s Mediterranean Café overlooking the preparations for the Keene Pumpkin Festival, we tackled that question. I’ve never thought of myself particularly entrepreneurial; starting a business always seemed like a job for someone with more backbone that I. You know the type – since they were children, entrepreneurs always seems so clever, so common-sense smart, so quick to pick things up. They just seemed to see the world through a different set of eyes.<br />
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While Mary Ann agreed there are certainly those preternaturally gifted people, “entrepreneurship” is something that can be and is created by the rest of us, perhaps even more often than I thought. She used herself as an example, and her current position at the incubator. More times than not, our life circumstances change and we find ourselves propelled in a direction we would have never considered in our wildest dreams (or nightmares, for that matter). <br />
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But at what point to the scales tip? When do we nascent, even fretful, entrepreneurs take that huge leap forward to becoming our own boss and start our own business?<br />
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I’ll be honest, I don’t know the answers. For me, at this point, I love to use my strengths and creativity to not only do better the things I excel at, but to try new things and create a shared success for myself and the organization I’m a part of.<br />
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However, there is something hugely appealing in having a second revenue stream based completely on my own skills – namely writing and desktop publishing.<br />
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How about you? Where do you stand? Were you born or are you being made?<br />
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<i>On Thursday, Oct. 27, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hannah Grimes Center in Keene will be presenting “Four Things to Consider Before Starting Your Own Business Workshop.” Visit www.hannahgrimes.com for details.<br />
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Cindy Kibbe, an editor for a New England business publication for nearly a decade, can be reached at cindykibbe@comcast.net. </i>Cindy Kibbehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00229037643121461056noreply@blogger.com0