Clarity to Business » writing

It’s Good to be Afraid

Christy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:16:08 +0000

One of my middle-aged lady buddies who is smart as a whip is going back to graduate school to get a PhD. in MATH. She’s somewhat older than the rest of the 20-somethings in her class, it’s been a long while since she’s gone to school full time, and I could list a lot of other reasons that would make anyone afraid.

The real reason she’s afraid, (in my opinion, anyway), is that this is the perfect thing for her to be doing right now. And she knows it.

I see this in coaching all the time. The closer people get to the thing they want to do the most, the more fear comes up. In fact, it’s a great barometer. If you’re really afraid, it’s the equivalent of the universe shouting “You’re Getting Warmer…Warmer…Hotter!” (Unless someone has a gun to your head, which is a different kind of fear that we aren’t discussing here).

I’m feeling it too. My book suddenly went from looking like a cute Word document, to looking like a real book. Holy !$@##@%!! (I’m getting warmer…warmer…).

How about this for an antidote: Fear is excitement, without breath.

Cause Marketing–Would This Work for Your Business?

Christy — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:49:50 +0000

I just finished the last chapter of my second book, You Hate to Market, and What to do About It. (picture me jumping up and down with joy). The chapter was about a kind of marketing where you associate your business with a cause of some kind, so that both you and your cause benefit in some way (hopefully by everyone making more money). This is called Cause Marketing.

There is a good article in Wikipedia about this; it cites some interesting case studies about the way large companies do it. Another good place to look at the effectiveness of cause marketing is the Red campaign. If you buy a Red product from any of a number of companies (The Gap, Dell, lots of others), a portion of the price goes to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa.

I put this chapter in the book (and this post) because it seems like it’s a viable way for us small businesses to market. Here are some preliminary examples to get you thinking about how this might fit for you.

A doctor or dentist could provide free medical care to the local homeless shelter.

A restaurant donates leftover food to a food bank.

A construction business or plumbing or electrical supply store helps Habitat for Humanity build homes on the weekends.

A massage therapist or hair stylist or manicurist works with battered women.

A clothing store donates suits for jobless people to wear when they go to job interviews; a career coach works with immigrants entering the workforce, a coffee shop provides refreshments to the volunteers answering the phones for a fund drive.

Keep in mind that both parties are supposed to benefit from the arrangement. If you want to do volunteer work someplace, go ahead and do that. But if you want to associate your business with a cause in a way that you both benefit (meaning that your business either makes money or gains goodwill with your clients that translates into more customers, and your cause also profits by getting more money, more volunteers or some other benefit), this marketing can work for you.

I like this idea for one primary reason; it’s a way to spread more goodness in the world. I did a little pro bono coaching for people at a job fair a few years ago, and am serving on the board of a community development financial institution, but that’s all. Makes me think I need to ponder this more. Anybody out there doing this? Thinking of doing it? Anybody ready to jump in?

Book Cover is Finished!!

Christy — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:55:17 +0000

My First Book

Well, I’m pretty excited about this. It’s the cover of my first book, a business plan workbook for creative people with passion for their businesses but perhaps a bit of fear about numbers or the “business side” of business.

The cover was designed by The Book Designers who are aces with book design. Check out their website for gorgeous covers and interior designs of some fabulous books.

The interior is being designed by Bev Butterfield. More later as she progresses with it.

My target publish date is June 1st, 2009. I’ll have more to post as I get further into the marketing. I am working with a publishing company, The Printed Voice, where I control how the book is marketed.

I am ecstatic about this book being published. Every day the news hammers on us about how bad the economy is. It’s a perfect time for small businesses to get focused on how we take care of our customers, which is something we’re really good at already. This is the way we prosper. I wake up at night thinking about how to connect people who read this book with each other so they can do their business plans together, and actually get them done. Crazy, I know.

The Internet has given writers powerful ways to connect and even interact directly with our perfect readers. It’s a great time to publish a book.