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Get more stuff done with time blocking

By Beatrice

Sometimes I feel that as a business owner I’m called to be super human. There’s often so much to do, and so little time to do it that setting a list of priorities is the only way to survive. I’ve gotten pretty good at being able to recognize when something needs to shift, when something is a priority, an opportunity, and a distraction and I’ve seen many business owners struggle and suffer by NOT knowing the difference.checklist

The good news is, it can all be solved with a calendar and schedule. I know that seems overly simplistic and possibly not even real, but stick with me, I’ll explain exactly how this concept can change your life.

Let’s face it, building and managing a brand (i.e., your business) requires a lot of energy. The more energy  you have, the more you can do. The less energy you have, the less you can do (or the worse you are at it!). I try to keep my energy at a high by eating well (I’m vegan and sugar free) and making sure I get at least some moderate amount of exercise, but that’s not enough.

When there’s a deadline, an issue comes… Read the full article... →

Posted in Brand Boosters, Resources, Reviews and Advice

The Art of the Edit – Taking Good to Great

By Beatrice

Silver_Linings_Playbook_PosterYesterday I rented the DVD Silver Linings Playbook and cuddled up with my dog Samantha for a few hours to some chocolate coffee and cake to spoil myself with a little me time. I didn’t know much about the movie before I rented it, but had received some good recommendations from a few friends at my office. I knew a few things:

1) I knew it had won awards

2) I knew it exceeded the producer’s expectations for it

3) I knew it was over a year old

So, I hopped online and looked at Netflix, but the movie wasn’t there. Then I hopped over to Amazon to see if they had it, and they did, but even though I was a Prime member it would still cost me $12.99 (yes, even 18 months after this movie was released that’s the price they were looking to charge), so I put it in my queue but before I pressed purchase I hopped on the Redbox website to see if one of the boxes near my house had it in stock.

Bingo! They did.

So I reserved the movie online, hopped in the car, retrieved the movie from the kiosk on my… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding

Break the formula and use innovation to boost your brand

By Beatrice

innovationdefineIf there’s one thing that keeps a business in the black (profit) it’s innovation. It seems counter-productive to do something different but the reality is that there can only be a few successful copy cats out there and their life span is very limited. My experience shopping in New York is a great example of this.

Do you remember bootleg CDs and DVDs, or knock-off purses and watches? When I first moved to New York you could find “good looking” fakes everywhere. I always thought the real thing was better than the imitation, but there was enough of a market to keep the imitators in business… until there wasn’t.

Is the greatest form of flattery imitation, or is it the kiss of death? What got me thinking about this so much lately is the increasing number of copy cats I’m seeing on the market. There are two distinct ways I’ve been seeing this: At events and in marketing.

Now, obviously there are some fundamentals that need to be done in every business operation. That’s not what I’m talking about here. Today I’m specifically talking about the copy cat formula that is being washed, rinsed and repeated without any adjustment… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding

Leverage the power of brand ambassadors

By Beatrice

spokespersonHave you noticed how inundated your inbox and banner ads have been with Marie Forleo’s B-School lately? If you’ve been in business and marketing online for more than a year chances are you’re in the midst of a B-School blitz, and love it or not, it paints the picture of how powerful it can be for your income and your brand when you use the enthusiasm and support of others.

I haven’t been through B-School myself, but for the past few weeks I’ve received promotions, offers and insights for it on a daily basis. It’s fun to see and it’s a powerful tool that you can use in your business as well, no matter where you’re starting out at.

Whether your business sells products or services, online or brick-and mortar you have options to leverage ambassadors to grow your business too. Sales make business work, and the more sales you have, the stronger your brand becomes.

So what is a brand ambassador? Simply put, they are people who are already fans and supporters of the products you sell and the work you do. They can be friends, family or former clients but the best ones are those who… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding, Marketing | Tagged advisory board, B-school, brand affiliate, brand ambassador, brand spokesperson, marie forleo

Marketing: Old and New Conversion Cues

By Beatrice
Whether it's attracting new clients, doing field research or promoting new products if you don't pick up the phone you will have a hard time achieving your results. Smart phones, tablets and technology have become so commonplace that it's hard for your message to get through effectively. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding, Branding Exercises, Marketing | Tagged attracting clients, brand exercises, brand strategy, social media marketing, telephone marketing, traditional marketing

Marketing: Old and New Conversion Cues

By Beatrice
Whether it's attracting new clients, doing field research or promoting new products if you don't pick up the phone you will have a hard time achieving your results. Smart phones, tablets and technology have become so commonplace that it's hard for your message to get through effectively. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding, Branding Exercises, Marketing | Tagged attracting clients, brand exercises, brand strategy, social media marketing, telephone marketing, traditional marketing

Launch Your Business With Ease and Grace

By Beatrice
Are you a dreamer? What do you dream about? There is no greater satisfaction than to watch a dream come true. Branding your business for a successful launch is a step that many people skip, and as a result they don't get to have the business of their dreams. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding, Marketing | Tagged Brooklyn Boutique, Indigo Style, Sheryl Roberts, Vintage shopping

Use TV Commercials To Promote Your Business

By Beatrice

I’ve been on both sides of the advertising table, first as a model, and then as a project manager. When I was modeling the price for being talent in a local commercial averaged a few thousand dollars, and the price for producing them was in the tens to hundreds of thousands. A local 30-second spot was expensive. Imagine my surprise when, as an entrepreneur, I found out that you can advertise on tv for about the same cost, or sometimes even less than you’d pay for a website (but get that website first, you gotta have someplace to send the consumers to).

Two types of advertising are available: Broadcast and Cable. The name is as it implies. Broadcast is when you want to have a spot on a major network, ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX and cable, well, obviously, it can run the gamut. There are regional cable channels, local channels, (like your community college may have) and regional channels. What’s great is that most cable channels have reached an agreement with the government where they MUST offer low cost advertising to small businesses. That means the supply greatly exceeds the demand.

Don’t you just love secrets? Me too,… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding

Why You MUST own your name as a domain name

By Beatrice
We have all made mistakes. We have said stupid things. Done stupid things. Thought stupid things. This past weekend there was a PR/Social media/Personal branding crisis via twitter. Justine Sacco, a former PR exec with IAG brands, tweeted a racist remark from her personal twitter account and the backlash is something that she will be dealing with for years to come. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding, Branding Social Media, Reviews and Advice | Tagged brand crisis, domain ownership, Justine Sacco, personal branding

Is a kickstarter campaign good or bad for your brand?

By Beatrice
Yesterday I was in my class for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and one of the women from our group announced her good news. She had launched her kickstarter campaign, just the day before, and had already raised over $10,000! Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding, Reviews and Advice | Tagged crowdfund with ease, crowdfunding, kickstarter, New York Hat Factory, Patty Lennon, Satya Twena

Does your wardrobe need rebranding?

By Beatrice

shopping-galI got an email from a friend on Facebook the other day, right after my hiatus, asking me if I was now modeling.

That brought such a smile to my face, and I told my friend “no, those days are over” but ironically, just a couple of weeks ago I hired a stylist based in Los Angeles to do a brand style strategy session with me because I was feeling a bit frumpy when I covered my skin.

Can you relate?

We’d all like to believe (at least I would) that it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but what’s on the outside is always, always, always the first thing anyone will notice you for, unless your blind or on the telephone.

So when I reached out to Sybil Henry, a friend and trusted colleague of mine who has worked in branding for over a decade just like me, I knew I was working with someone that wasn’t just going to tell me to dress “trendy” but who was going to consider who I am, what I like, and what my strengths are, and play to that.

It was so much fun. In my 43 years of life I… Read the full article... →

Posted in Brand Style, Inspiration, Reviews and Advice

Are you guilty of manufactured perception?

By Beatrice

magic-2-1120375-mThe new tools of online marketing present a tricky subtext when creating or managing a brand. Often I have conversations with friends and colleagues about whether social media is good or bad… used or abused…

Historically, BIG brands were the only ones to be able to manufacture what you think and perceive about their company, employees and community but now with the onslaught of social media, video and myriads of platforms available manufactured perception is now in the hands of all.

Creating the persona that everyone wants to be, see and connect with is at the root of a very dangerous force. There’s something that is driving a falsehood about your self worth being strongly connected with your life activity. I’ve watched as people commit to being really busy so that they can feel validated and valued.

In developing a brand one of the exercises we complete with our clients is to establish core values. Every brand has them. Every brand needs them. Establishing your brand values helps you to stay on track and can prevent you from falling into the trap of manufactured perception.

Here’s something to consider:

Your value doesn’t lay in the number of fans you have… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding, Branding Social Media

Facebook Pitfalls – What will they think of me if…

By Beatrice

inquisitivegirlThe vicious cycle of Facebook. Have you ever found yourself experiencing something and feeling an urge, or even a requirement, to share it on Facebook? Do you ever have thoughts like:

  • “This is awesome news. I should share this on Facebook so that people know I’m doing well”
  • “Eww… I didn’t post about that new contract I won yesterday… I better do that so that other people want to work with me”
  • “[celebrity name] and I should get a photo together. When people find out that I know her, they’ll think I’m special”
  • “No one knows what I’ve been up to for a few days. I need to fill them in…”
  • “I’ve got 3 trips in the next 3 weeks. I’m a jet-setter. I should show people the “lifestyle” that I’m living.”
  • If I’m absent from Facebook, I won’t make any money

I just imagined those specific scenarios  from the top of my head, but I’ve battled with similar ones many times. Social media has turned us into reputation slaves in a way, and as a result we can often feel like if we don’t put it on social media, We won’t matter. 

It’s one of the biggest… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding

What happens during a Facebook Fast?

By Beatrice
I'm back! Today marks my return to Facebook activity and boy do I have a lot of insight and inspiration. I took a few months off of Facebook to decompress and really get clarity about what boundaries and observations I needed to make here. Read the full article... →
Posted in Marketing, Random Thoughts | Tagged Facebook, facebook fast, facebook marketing

Branding lessons from the past — The Soft Soap Story

By Beatrice

softsoapToday’s article is contributed by Bonnie Halper at StartupOneStop.com

Back in the 1970s, liquid hand soap was sold by one guy: Robert Taylor, and his small company Minnetonka.  It was his invention, and he knew he was on to something big. Test audiences loved the product and, despite barely having enough resources to do so, Minnetonka decided to go all in and make a push to take the  product nationwide.

There was only one problem: Nothing he was selling could be patented. 

The concept of liquid soap wasn’t new, and simple pumps had been around since the dawn of civilization. As a result, Taylor knew several huge soap manufacturers were ready to happily steal his idea the very moment it looked like it could succeed on a large scale. Armed with superior resources and the ability to quickly R&D an imitation product, the industry giants were ready to crush tiny Minnetonka.

Taylor, however, was ready for this.

Before any other company had the chance, Taylor decided to go shopping one day and bought a few plastic pumps. And by a few we mean F**KING ALL OF THEM. There were only two companies nationwide manufacturing those little… Read the full article... →

Posted in Branding, Inspiration

Why is everyone freaking out about the new gmail?

By Beatrice
With gmail it's like everyone hit the panic button at the same time. The reason for the panic? Many online marketers make most of their money based on one single factor: the size of their email list. It's a numbers game for them and not getting "top position" has almost all of them worried. Read the full article... →
Posted in Marketing, Resources

I had a 5-Year Breakthrough!

By Beatrice
I'm so excited. I didn't want to leave you hanging about my dilemma about my 5-year vision planning and I have an update! Read the full article... →
Posted in Inspiration, Random Thoughts

What Are Your 5-Year Goals For Your Brand?

By Beatrice
It's amazing how you can have such big goals, dreams and aspirations in your head but when it's time to put pen to paper you draw a blank. I have lofty goals. I want to transform the industry as we know it, give women in branding a voice and catapult our influence to the top of all industries. Yet, breaking that down in yearly, then monthly, then weekly goals is a challenge. How do I start? What's realistic? What matters? Read the full article... →
Posted in Inspiration, Random Thoughts | Tagged Angela Jia Kim, Business Goals, Manifest Method, Savor The Success

Brand Lessons Learned From Tabitha’s Take Over

By Beatrice
In today's blog I give my brand insights from watching an episode of Tabitha Takes Over on Bravo TV. You'll be surprised to learn how these lessons can apply to your business. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding | Tagged brand names, Branding, business growth, changing your company name, naming, Tabitha Takes over

5 Simple Steps To Optimize Your Site’s Exposure

By Beatrice
Today I want to address 5 key areas you need to pay attention to so that your rank can improve. Once you read the article download the worksheet and start implementing them. Read the full article... →
Posted in Branding
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Recent Posts

  • Get more stuff done with time blocking
  • The Art of the Edit – Taking Good to Great
  • Break the formula and use innovation to boost your brand
  • Leverage the power of brand ambassadors
  • Marketing: Old and New Conversion Cues
  • Marketing: Old and New Conversion Cues
  • Launch Your Business With Ease and Grace
  • Use TV Commercials To Promote Your Business
  • Why You MUST own your name as a domain name
  • Is a kickstarter campaign good or bad for your brand?
  • Does your wardrobe need rebranding?
  • Are you guilty of manufactured perception?
  • Facebook Pitfalls – What will they think of me if…
  • What happens during a Facebook Fast?
  • Branding lessons from the past — The Soft Soap Story

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