Talk about a great premiere! The first interview with the MoxieTalk brand features Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Viewed here, Kirt asks the senator to share his story – from his childhood in Alabama overcoming polio to his entry into politics and rise to the position he holds today.

A year ago, Kirt approached us to help re-brand his show and take it to a larger audience. He had a solid audience over the eleven years as Leadership Landscape TV and wanted to build on that success. The show features inspiring stories of leaders in all fields, with the mission to inspire, educate and engage people by sharing the stories and journeys people took in their lives to get where they are today. We assembled a top team and guided the creation of MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs, with additional formats and platforms to serve up these inspiring stories. Now available for viewing on a new platform at moxietalk.com, viewer can elect to view videos or download podcasts for an audio experience.

Finally. A new tech device we love so much, and sooo easy to use. (Not to mention brilliant marketing.)

It’s the cordless IKEA bookbook. Take a look!

At only 8mm thin, and weighing in at less than 400g, the 2015 IKEA Catalogue comes pre-installed with thousands of home furnishing ideas. Join the revolution at http://IKEA.sg/bookbook (Singapore) or http://IKEA.my/bookbook (Malaysia).

 

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Take a look at John Waters Inc. new website: jwaters.com. John Waters Inc. is Louisville’s leading heating, air and electric services company in the Greater Louisville area. Consistently earning top reviews for their service, the company is the ONLY one in the Kentucky area certified to perform the COPALUM solution for buildings with aluminum wiring.

Thanks to Hatfield Media, the new site takes their message to a new level.

Wow! This TED talk by NYT technology columnist David Pogue is jam packed with fast short cuts on everything from browsers to text to phones. You will more than save the six minutes it takes to view. And also fun.

TED Talk: David Pogue

(and here is the link in case the player doesn’t work: David Pogue  )

One person I love to follow and pay attention to is Dr. Ben Carson, Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Aside from his amazing journey out of childhood poverty to become one of the top (if not the top) pediatric neurosurgeons in the world, he’s written a number of bestselling books and established a scholarship fund with his wife, Candy.

So, when Dr. Carson sets out a set of four questions he uses to evaluate every decision, I pay attention. They are simple, and they are powerful. I’ve applied them over recent weeks in business and in personal decisions, and found them so effective that I wanted to share them with you:

1. What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
2. What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
3. What is the best thing that can happen if I don’t do this?
4. What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do this?

That’s it! Simple, yet effective. The last two force me to think through decisions in new ways – revealing a great deal in the process.

What about you? Give them a try and let me know if they help you as well.

Find the best media type: who do you want to reach and why?
What do they read or listen to? Think traditional (newspapers, TV, and radio) – and also new media (blogs, e-zines, free-zines)

Tip: find blogs at: bloglines.com

Have a story: one that their readers/viewers would be interested in. Look at back issues and stories previously run to see the stories they like. Some blogs and publications even have a section to tell you!

Tip: blatant self promotion is NOT a story. Match the story angle to the media. A business publication will have a different tone than a women’s magazine.

Make it easy: have a press release, backgrounder, images, people to interview

Tip: Try to avoid pitching on deadline days.

About that press release…: single page, please! Most local reporters refer to a press release. Email it as a PDF.

Follow up!: if you email, follow-up with a phone call. Spam filters can hijack your mail.

Event?: invite the reporters. Have special check-ins, and a quick guide if there are restrictions (e.g. photography limitations during a performance)

Nine year old Caine Monroy loves arcades. He spent a summer in his dad’s used auto part store building a cardboard arcade with games and prizes. Caine paid meticulous attention to detail to every part of his arcade, down to security PIN codes on each game, prizes for winning and a staff t-shirt he designed.

Caine’s very first customer loved the arcade (and the value of a fun pass) so much that he wanted everyone to know about it. So he went to work on spreading the word to all of his friends. Who told their friends. You get the idea.

While there are many marketing stories to be told from this, what we love most is how Caine’s optimism, perseverance, and passion for his arcade resulted in a happy customer willing to tell his friends.

Do you make these marketing mistakes?

Common marketing mistakes business owners make can cost valuable business opportunities and serious money.

Over the years, I’ve heard countless business owners voice regrets about spending marketing dollars for no return. As they say “hindsight is 20/20”. Most stories reflected common mistakes. This list highlights the top 7: Continue reading »

Last year I discovered my staff had not learned goal setting in school. To my shock, this appears to be the norm! (which gets into another issue with our education system, but I digress).

Thirsty for new tools that helped them, everyone embraced the new knowledge and picked it up quickly. And, of course, results began to happen.

Tip: our approach included happiness in every area of life – not just work. This made a big difference to the team. Most comments sounded like this: “This is a view of success I like! Most of the time it’s just about money & more stuff.”

The steps.
Here are the steps I take: Continue reading »