Why Moments of Clarity In Business Are Way Overrated
28/01/16 How to Brand Your Juju # , , ,

Why Moments of Clarity In Business Are Way Overrated

You know that moment when you see things in your business for exactly what they are? When everything lines up for you and you understand JUST how things work? When you really GET something? When all of the sudden it occurs to you that you’ve been after the wrong customers, or messaging from the wrong angle, or branding yourself entirely the wrong way?

 

When you say, “A-ha! OMG! Eureka!” and you smack yourself on the forehead?

 

You know when you have those moments of clarity about your business?

 

You shouldn’t be having them.

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The Dangerously High Price of Poor Strategy
25/01/16 How to Brand Your Juju # , , , ,

The Dangerously High Price of Poor Strategy

If you’ve been around my blog, my website or my Facebook page for long, you’ll know that I’m a stickler for strategy. I love a good plan. I’m wild about doing things for a good reason. And where branding is concerned, I don’t make a move without a sound strategy.

 

But you know what? Oddly enough, this is a very UNCOMMON position in the world of entrepreneurs and small businesses. “Strategy first,” has a bit of a bad rap.

 

And that’s a shame. Because “strategy first” is really the only way to go.

 

Every day I watch people – in and outside the world of branding and marketing – pay for tactics and forego strategy. They’ll buy the tangibles (the things they can see and touch) but they won’t invest in the strategy that makes those tactics successful.

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Old Broad, New Tricks? Oh, yeah.
14/01/16 Personal Juju , Uncategorized # , , ,

Old Broad, New Tricks? Oh, yeah.

I was a sophomore at the University of San Diego when I decided to declare my major as English with an Emphasis on Writing. I knew my dad, who was paying my tuition, wouldn’t be completely thrilled. His idea of “career” and mine were two different things.

 

When I told him about my choice, he said this:

 

“Writing? That’s great honey. Why don’t you come on down to the dealership and learn the Finance Department… just in case you’re not Hemingway?” (My dad had a way with words.)

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The Devil is in the Discount. Why You Should NEVER Lower Your Rate.
11/01/16 How to Brand Your Juju , Uncategorized # , , , ,

The Devil is in the Discount. Why You Should NEVER Lower Your Rate.

In the late 90’s, I was managing a premium brand for Jacuzzi and we had a giant web project up for bid. It was a complicated project, requiring the development and management of standardized websites for franchise hot tub dealers in 63 countries.

 

I had a brilliant young woman submit a proposal for the job, and I knew I wanted to hire her. She was sharp and determined and her solutions were creative and well-strategized.

 

But her proposal was out of my budget range.

 

I asked her to come to my office to discuss the proposal – to see if there was a way we could work together within my budget. I knew in my gut that she was the best solution for our issue at hand, and I intended to hire her. I was fully prepared to give up some of the services in the proposal – to minimize the bells and whistles – in exchange for the peace of mind I would receive in working with a true professional who was highly motivated to do the job.

 

She wanted the job.

 

I wanted her work.

 

When we sat down at the table and I presented my budget limitations, her automatic reply was:

 

“I can give you a 25% discount. I’d really like to work with you.”

 

In a split second, it changed the way I felt about her. I wondered – if she would give up so easily on her hourly rate – whether or not she really had other clients, and why she was clamoring for work.

 

I wondered if I’d misjudged her value.

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What to Do When You’ve Had Enough
07/01/16 Personal Juju # , , , ,

What to Do When You’ve Had Enough

How long does it take you to fill in this blank: “I am not ________ enough.”

 

Or this one: “My business is not __________ enough.”

 

I’m guessing it took less than a second.

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10 responses
The Art of Recommitment
05/01/16 Uncategorized

The Art of Recommitment

I have a single, driving goal in life: to experience joy.

 

I’ve discovered, through decades of trial and error, that there are certain practices that lead me to that end goal.

 

I’ve also found that when I lose sight of the end goal, I become burdened by the practices.

 

Are you burdened by a practice?

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14 responses