Networking During the Holidays

I love the holidays. But maybe not for the same reason employees like them. When you work for yourself it’s harder to shut off the entrepreneur brain. I like the fact that everything in life is a chance to learn something new. And when I learn a new skill I’m compelled to either figure out a way to make money with it, or pass the new knowledge on to others, or both. It’s just in my DNA.

I like the fact that there’s no traffic on holidays, and things are quiet. Since no one’s in their office I can’t make any phone calls or be distracted by other stuff. I can putter around the office and get creative. I can write all day long without the phone ringing, and catch up on files that have been sitting on my desk for months.

But I did take some time off today and head to a BBQ where I really didn’t know a lot of people. Since I always have the curious brain turned on, I thought this would be a good time to test out some networking skills and see what happens. I decided to hone my listening skills, which is something most people need to improve on, myself included. Since I wasn’t there to impress anyone or plug a project or get a job, I simply asked questions and listened. I would seriously recommend doing this. By forcing yourself to focus on it you’ll realize how much you really do need to improve and how much you can learn if you take the time to listen to others. [Read more…] about Networking During the Holidays

Version 1.0

I just talked to a friend of mine who has a great idea for a business, how things were going. He said he isn’t ready to launch it yet. It’s always something. Not enough money. Not enough time. The idea isn’t fleshed out yet. Yada yada.

He told me about this great idea about 5 or 6 years ago. In fact, he has dozens of really great ideas. Not one of them has ever been done. Not one of them has even been started. I just find it baffling because as soon as I get an idea in my mind I just haul off and do it, prepared or not. I call this Version 1.0. Software companies do this all the time. They get something out there and work out the bugs along the way.

‘Cause here’s the thing… you will never, ever be completely prepared. Even companies that have millions of dollars and do tons of marketing research can still have issues.

I’m sure some people will disagree with me, but I think you should get an idea as good as it can be and then run with it. I would caution against spending too much on it initially though. My first version of swiggies were pretty awful. They were made of a bulky plastic and had a bulky terry cloth band that didn’t stay on the wrist very well and was incredibly hard to thread through the bottle. I bought some off the shelf packaging and had to seal it together with a glue gun. [Read more…] about Version 1.0

How Long Should You Chase a Dream?

This is going to be one of those posts that has a question, but no answer. That’s because it’s an individual decision. You’re talking to somebody that spent 12 years developing a product before it even made it to market. And someone that hung in there for years as an actor. Some years were great, and I made several movies and TV shows. And some years were spent bartending and waiting tables for what seemed like an eternity. I’ve spent years in a relationship waiting for a ring. So, I’m really not one to tell anyone else when they should give up a dream. I guess the answer is… when you no longer have a passion for it.

Yesterday I was told that I would finally be getting a dream job I had been pursuing for about 2 years. But it started way before that. I started planting the seeds for it before I even knew I was looking for a job. And I didn’t know I was planting seeds at all. It started years ago when I went to get a Christmas tree. The guy at the lot was very proud of the trees and wanted to tell the story of how they got there. Most people were in a hurry to get their tree and go home. But I wasn’t in much of a hurry, for a change, and sensed his excitement over telling someone the Christmas tree story. So, I stayed and listened. [Read more…] about How Long Should You Chase a Dream?

5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Blogging

You can probably guess why I’m writing this post. We’ve all been there. We start out with a burst of blogging energy and enthusiasm, writing like crazy, you can’t shut us up, and then…BAM, writer’s block. I’d like to say I have a great excuse, like I was backpacking through the Andes and didn’t have access to a computer.

But, no. The answer is simply that I stared at the screen for a few days and literally had nothing to say. I should know better. I teach creativity and innovation and tell others not to let this happen to them. But it happens to even the most creative people.

So, I’m going to take my own advice. Here are a few tips to get back and start blogging:

Forget about it!

Have you ever just been driving down the street or taking a shower and you suddenly have a great idea for something? That’s because your brain has been working in the background and it suddenly makes a connection. Go watch TV, take a drive, climb a mountain. Anything! Just get out and do something different and stop trying to force it. Trust that your brain will recalculate. [Read more…] about 5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Start Blogging

PR Marketing Services

abbott & klien

PR SERVICES with ABBOTT & KLEIN:

A typical PR agency charges between $5,000 – $10,000 a month but rarely gives you personalized service. I know, I hired the largest PR firm in L.A. and spent a fortune for 3 months and only got one mention in a magazine. My firm, Abbott & Klein is a small boutique PR and marketing agency that has represented celebrities, Fortune 500 companies, along with small business owners, inventors and TV/film companies. We don’t have the big overhead the larger companies have and will treat your company and products like they were our own. Therefore, unlike the big guys, we don’t take on everyone. If we feel we can’t do an incredible job for you or the business is out of our line of expertise, we won’t take you on. We specialize in publicity for speakers, artists, and inventors.

$1,000/month

1 press release (limited distribution)

Word Press site management

SEO (directory submission, links, etc.)

2 blog posts

2 articles w/ distribution

Social media campaign

Listing in Indie Sponsor or Speaker Sponsor

No fee crowd-funding

$2,500/month

2 press releases (full distribution)

Follow up calls

Word Press site management

SEO (directory submission, links, etc.)

Posting in forums

Weekly blog posts

2 articles w/ distribution

Social media campaign

Listing in Indie Sponsor or Speaker Sponsor

No fee crowd-funding

$4,000/month

2 press releases (full distribution)

Follow up calls

PPC campaign management

Word Press site management

SEO (directory submission, links, etc.)

Posting in forums

Twice weekly blog posts

4 articles w/ distribution

Social media campaign

Listing in Indie Sponsor or Speaker Sponsor

No fee crowd-funding

Full sponsorship management (no other PR firm offers this!)

Coaching & PR Services

Coaching and PR services

Prices

CREATE YOUR OWN JOB WEBINAR:

The Basics

$59.00

This is the “Create Your Own Job” webinar. It’s an hour and a half class on how to create your own jobs or have jobs created for you. The course is very detailed and is enough to get you started. It’s fine for those do it yourselfers that can take an idea and run with it themselves. If you need more help you can subscribe to the Create for Cash RSS feed for free, valuable advice on being a bootstrapping entrepreneur. You can also buy a copy of “The Money Garden: How to Plant the Seeds for a Lifetime of Income” on Amazon. It’s loaded with free and low cost marketing tips on how to promote your new venture. It’s also available in the Kindle version for only $9.99.

PR SERVICES with ABBOTT & KLEIN:

The Basics

$80.00 per press release

This is for business owners that already know what they want, they just need someone to write up a press release. This doesn’t include submission of the press release to the media.

Best Value

$2500 /month

A typical PR agency charges between $5,000 – $10,000 a month but rarely gives you personalized service. I know, I hired the largest PR firm in L.A. and spent a fortune for 3 months and only got one mention in an international magazine. My firm, Abbott & Klein is a small boutique PR agency that has represented celebrities, Fortune 500 companies, along with small business owners and inventors. We don’t have the big overhead the larger companies have and will treat your company and products like they were our own. Therefore, unlike the big guys, we don’t take on everyone. If we feel we can’t do an incredible job for you or the business is out of our line of expertise, we won’t take you on.

Our fee includes 1-2 press releases per month (depends on what you’re promoting), distribution to the media, brainstorming sessions with you to make sure we are in line with your branding message, all costs of postage, phone calls, etc.

Platinum Package – minimum of 3 months – space limited to 1 client per month

$5000/ month

When you consider most large PR firms charge between $5000 -$10,000 a month for PR, we really are a bargain. This package includes everything the Best Value has, and more. We also maintain your blog and social media for you and write 4 articles a month and distribute them on the appropriate Internet sites for your target market.

Who’s The Boss?

I was talking to a friend today who works in an office. She said she really hates her job, but as long as she makes sure her boss is happy, she’s pretty sure she will always have a job. I told her that’s probably not the only thing she needs to be worried about in this new economy, but, whatever.

She said she only has to please one person, but I have to please everybody. At first I thought “I don’t have to please anybody. I’m the boss.” But after giving it some thought, I realized she was right. As an entrepreneur, everybody’s your boss. And since I’m running multiple businesses that number multiplies greatly. She IS right. EVERYBODY is my boss. And I have to make them all happy. [Read more…] about Who’s The Boss?

The Learning Curve

The unemployment numbers lately have been pretty bleak. But for recent college graduates they are even worse. Almost half of all recent grads are either unemployed or underemployed, meaning there are a lot of very educated people flipping burgers and serving cappuccino. I’ve been there. It’s the learning curve.

I used to dodge the question I would always get asked “So, where did you go to college?” “Um, oh, a school you’ve never heard of”, and drop the subject. I always felt like I was missing out on some kind of secret party that everyone had been invited to except me.

The truth is that I could have gone. I’m sure my parents would have scraped together the money somehow or borrowed it if I had pushed the issue. But I didn’t. Instead I saved up a few hundred dollars and as soon as I turn 18 I left my small town and jumped on a plane headed to NYC.

I had no idea where I was going to go or what I was going to do when I got there. And I didn’t know anyone at all in the city. Talk about not having a plan! But fate had other plans for me. [Read more…] about The Learning Curve

How Well Do You Know Your Customer?

How well do you know your customer? The more you know about them, the better you’ll be able to serve them.

I just got back from speaking at the California Public Information Officers Conference on the topic of “Getting Your Message Across: What Great Leaders Know About Storytelling”.

I really didn’t know what these people did, but I decided to do a lot of homework to find out. I’m glad I did because it paid off and they noticed.

Know your customer

The reason I’m bringing this up is because it’s important to know who your customer is. Since I was speaking at a conference, my customer was the meeting planner that hired me. But the “end user” was the people who were in the audience. So I actually had to know both for different reasons.

Let’s say, for example, you have a product or service to sell. You could sell that product directly to the end user, or you could sell it to a distributor, wholesaler, or retailer. With each one, you need to know the needs and concerns of each customer. And some of their concerns overlap. [Read more…] about How Well Do You Know Your Customer?

Product Prototype

product entrepreneur — product prototype

I remember trying to explain my first product, swiggies, wrist water bottles when I didn’t have a tangible prototype to show. “It’s a bottle that straps onto your wrist and has a pull top like a regular sports bottle.” People were picturing a regular water bottle that simply strapped onto your wrist.

Even when I made a clay prototype, it still didn’t quite register. The clay was molded into a small bottle type figure that sat on top of the wrist and had a vel-stretch band through it to keep it from moving. The cap opened and closed like a sports bottle.

It wasn’t until I had the finished product in the packaging that people finally went “Oh, I get it!”

Because most people can’t visualize something exactly the way you can with your own vision. So, if you plan on licensing, or even manufacturing yourself, it’s good to have some type of prototype for several reasons. [Read more…] about Product Prototype