More Than WE Know

What have you written in your Journal today?

You do have a journal don’t you?

You don’t?

Well then, where do you write down your ideas, observations, questions, and thoughts???

You don’t try to keep them all in your head, do you?

Oh.

Oh, no.

Well, today I am going to give you an idea of why keeping a Journal can be a great competitive advantage for an Entrepreneur.

In case you think the idea is only for beginners, consider this quote from Richard Branson, owner of an international conglomerate of 350 small to large businesses under the Virgin brand, with a combined total sales of $8 billion.

“I keep a notebook in my pocket all the time, and I really do listen to what people say, even when we’re out in a club at 3 a.m. and someone’s passing on an idea in a drunken slur. Good ideas come from people everywhere, not in the boardroom. ”

So.

What do you put in your notebook?

Here are some recent entries in mine. As you can see they are jottings that really only make sense to me. They are inspired by observations while surfing the web, running errands, or talking to clients.

Feedburner has an email subscription option - need to add to site - what about at the end of each post?

Article series on WAHMS…..balance, belief, business.

Grocery store has rental car, starbucks, bank inside - appealing to convenience factor - how to align similar small businesses for convenience of customers - i.e. shopping and shipping? haircare and daycare?

Sometimes I don’t know why I am writing down what I am writing down - I don’t have a clear idea of how or when I will use it. But after it’s had a chance to live in my subconscious for a while, an idea will appear, fully formed.

If I hadn’t written it down, it probably would have been lost forever.

Here’s an example of an article I wrote on building customer loyalty based on observations in my journal.

And here’s another on turning marketing obstacles into opportunities.

And here’s one on the challenges of networking from a conversation with a friend.

And one on situational shyness based on my experiences at an event.

And you’ll notice that I was motivated by my scribbling to take action. I followed through and added a way to subscribe to a feed of this blog in your email. You can now have it delivered to your mailbox every day (see upper right corner of the page).

So, grab a piece of paper and a pencil - write this down.

To Do:

1) Buy a notebook.

2) Carry it with me.

3) When I have an idea, see something unusual, interesting, fun, or exciting - write it down.

4) Review once a week

5) See what happens!

Do you keep a notebook? How has it helped you? What ideas have you gotten? How ofen do you write in it? How often do you review it?

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In the overwhelming flood of mail and advertisements of the holiday season, how do you stand out from the rest, and ensure your customers keep you and your business at the top of their minds? 

The following ideas can be even more effective than a traditional card that is quickly read and then lost among the pile.  

First, instead of a traditional card, send a holiday email to your customers  - let them know that you are purposely not sending holiday cards and limiting the amount of seasonal paper advertising you are sending - in order to promote an environmentally-friendly Green Holiday season. 

If you want to go further you can also let them know that you are contributing the amount you usually spend on paper-based advertising to a local pro-environment organization.

And to really get, and keep,their attention - Include a list that will be helpful to their holiday planning. Be sure to include your company and contact info on the list, so they have it handy. 

• if you’re a realtor or decorator - send a list of tips on decorating for the season
• if you’re a florist - send a list of tips to keep trees green and pointsettias red
• if you’re a craftsperson - send a how-to guide for some simple crafts
• if you’re a baker, restaurant owner or other food related service  - send a favorite holiday recipe 
• if you own a market - send a list of items people always run out of and should keep on hand during the holidays (ex. eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, whipped cream, etc.)  
• if you’re a masseuse or yoga instructor - send tips for reducing holiday stress
• if you’re a nutritionist - send tips on eating healthy during holiday parties
• if you’re an accountant - send a tipsheet on tracking charitable deductions and deductible holiday expenses
• if you’re a bookseller - send a list of top holiday reads by age group
• if you’re a retail shop owner - send a list of gifts for “hard to buy for” people - adult children, aging parents, teachers, co-workers, etc. or a list of stocking stuffers
• if you’re a daycare provider - send a list of activities that will keep kids quiet and busy during the school holidays
• if you’re a video store owner - send  a list of favorite holiday movies by category
• if you’re a veterinarian, groomer, trainer or seller of pet supplies - send a list of holiday pet care dangers to avoid - pointsettias, tinsel, trees, etc.
• if you’re a life coach - send tips on time management
• if you’re an executive coach - send tips on managing work-life balance for self and employees
• and regardless of what your business is,  if your customers are local - send a list of holiday events, light displays, parades and shows in your community 

The idea is to provide something of value that they will want to hang on to, and as a consequence, think of you every time they refer to it.

So now that you have the idea - what lists can you come up with????

(For more ideas on making Christmas Cards stand out see Martin Russell’s 5 Tips For Your Christmas Card Marketing posted at Comments for Word of Mouth Marketing.)

Did you hear about how MasterCard saved Christmas ice skating in Toronto? 

You can bet everyone in Canada has.  It seems that the city was planning to delay the opening of its 49 skating rinks until Dec 31st in order to save tax money.  The President of MasterCard Canada, who lives in Toronto, quietly stepped in and donated the needed $160,000 to the city so that the rinks could open on time at the beginning of December. 

MasterCard isn’t asking Toronto to rename any parks after them or paint their logo on the ice. They simply gave them the money and asked them to open up the rinks on time. This lack of requesting any kind of credit, made the story even more newsworthy. 

For the relatively small amount of money, MasterCard has gotten lots of free publicity and an increased level of goodwill in Toronto and other areas of Canada.

So, what is the lesson here for Women Entrepreneurs?

I’m not suggesting that you donate $160,000 to your town. But I am suggesting that there are lessons to be learned and followed from MasterCard’s example.

1) Find a cause or charity that aligns with the mission and values of your busines (for MasterCard, saving Christmas ice skating for local families and children was “priceless”)

2) Identify a unique, fundamental need that you can help with, rather than simply donating money to a general fund - the more personal and emotional you can make it - the more it will resonate with your customers

3) Don’t ask for advertising or recognition in return - this cheapens the perception of the value of what you have done - simply give money, time, merchandise or advice without a lot of fanfare 

4) It’s okay (even good) to create some press “buzz” around your charitable activity but ensure that it’s done in a way that highlights the charity and cause rather than your company - you want to promote the charity - not yourself.

Places to look for worthwhile causes:

1) Begin close to home - is there an organization that you have a long-standing relationship with? This lends more credibility to your efforts.

2) Look for logical alliances with your business. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon with the latest “fashionable” charity.

3) Do something unique that shows thoughtfulness, insight and an emotional connection. 

4) Make a long-term or regular commitment - don’t just do something quick for the holidays, really strive to make a sincere difference.

Depending on your interests, you can find organizations that:

• help women - domestic violence and temporary housing shelters, micro lending organizations, educational programs, job training programs
• help children - education, recreation, safety, health
• help animals - shelters, identification, training, health
• fight disease - cancer, diabetes, stroke
• promote health - obesity, lack of exercise, drugs, alcohol
• help the community - litter, recreation, safety, beautification
• help the environment - pollution, carbon footprint, land preservation

You can follow these same guidelines even if your main business is online. There are lots of virtual and national organizations that need help.

The bottom line is that you can think of your business as being more than just a personal asset. It can also be an asset to your community, whether it is local or online.  You and your business have an opportunity, and even a responsiblity,  to give back to your customers. 

And when your customers feel emotionally connected to you and your business, and that the world is a slightly better place because of it - they will work to support it and keep it in existence.  

And that kind of support? You guessed it - priceless.

I’m looking for woman owned businesses to profile during the holiday season.

I’ll include a description of your business and a link to your site.

Additionally, I’d like to write about you as a woman entrepreneur - what motivated you to start your business? what  challenges have you faced? what lessons have you learned?

I’m looking to profile woman owned businesses from Nov 23rd through Dec 24th.

If you are interested, please contact me in the comments below, or email me directly:

liz (at) morethanweknow [dot] com.

As you may remember from my previous post today is  Blog Action Day.  A few months ago, a group of bloggers got together and asked:

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day?
One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

Well, today is that day in 2007  and the environment is the issue!  As of last week 7500 bloggers had registered and the number was still growing.  (update: 15000 bloggers registered by this morning!)

The idea was to write about the environment from the point of view of the blog. Since my blog is about Women Entrepreneurs, especially Women Entrepreneurs who are aiming to do well by doing good,  I chose to write about a Woman Entrepreneur who is building her business around helping other businesses be profitable in an environmentally- sustainable way.  

I thought it would be inspiring to hear about her business, and provide practical information to other Women Entrepreneurs.

Many of the women entrepreneurs I speak with are concerned about our impact on the environment.  We have watched “An Inconvenient Truth”; we have applauded Al Gore winning the Nobel Peace Prize; we have considered purchasing a hybrid car.  But in reality, few of us know how we can make a real impact on global warming or other environmental concerns. 

In short we are overwhelmed, discouraged and aren’t sure where to begin.

Elizabeth Striano wants to change all that.  She is the founder of A Green Footprint, LLC. Her company helps businesses implement sustainable solutions and reduce environmental impact through:

• Decreased consumption and waste production
• Increased efficiency
• Eco-friendly choices

Elizabeth holds a masters degree in environmental science and has nearly 15 years experience working on a variety of environmental issues, including water quality, energy, clean air, and public health and security.  

According to Elizabeth, “A Green Footprint LLC aims to help those organizations sort through the clutter and identify the most effective ways of finding efficient, cost-effective environmental solutions.”

Elizabeth blogs about the challenge of making eco-friendly decisions.  In recent blog posts, she describes her own concerns about the impact of her daily commute on the environment and the common confusion over which paper products to purchase.

Some ways that micro businesses and home-based businesses can reduce their impact on the environment and generally save money by using:   

• rechargeable batteries
• recycled paper
• certified forest managed paper
• refillable ink cartridges and pens
• laptops rather than desktops
• fluorescent rather than incancdescent bulbs
• solar powered calculators
• bio-degradable and non-toxic cleaning supplies, glues and markers

In addition, Women Entrepreneurs can take the following steps to further reduce their impact on the environment:

• get off junk mail lists
• market in ways that don’t add to junk mail
• unplug laptops at night and cell phone chargers when not in use
• recycle old cell phones and computers as well as paper and plastic
• use reusable cups and mugs rather than Styrofoam or plastic
• tele-commute
• use public transportation or carpooling when you must commute
• reduce packaging materials on your shipments where possible
• buy products in bulk and combine errands and trips 

Don’t forget that “being Green” is also good publicity:

• include information about it in your online marketing materials
• submit an online press release about your “Green business”
• let your customers know that you have “gone Green”
• let your customers know how using your services help them “go Green” as well

For more information send an email to info(at)AGreenFootprint(dot)com.

What ways does your business “go green”? What new ways will you add? Do you think it is important for micro and small businesses to reduce their impact on the environment? Do you think it is good for your business, or bad? Do you think your customers care whether you are “Green”?