For more years than I can count, I suffered from burnout. At least that was what I told myself. I’ve been an entrepreneur for a really long time (since 1998—I know, I’m old). And for a decent chunk of those years, I found myself experiencing burnout after burnout. The cycle was always the same. I’d be fine for a while, and then I would start to suffer from overwhelm, … [Read more...] about No, It’s Not Burnout (And, no, more “self-care” isn’t going to help)
Love-Based Creativity
4 Ways to Creatively Power Up Your Marketing
Today, I’m sharing a hard truth about marketing: People don't care about businesses (and that includes your business). What they care about is how your business's products or services can solve THEIR problems, meet THEIR needs and make THEIR lives easier. In other words, if you want your business to be successful, you need to know how to describe the benefits of your … [Read more...] about 4 Ways to Creatively Power Up Your Marketing
Need Some New Ideas? 3 Ways Journaling Boosts Creativity
Whether you’re a writer or not, as entrepreneurs, we could all use a creative boost every now and again. After all, creativity plays a big part in many aspects of business. If you ever find yourself experiencing a block in new ideas, consider journaling to get the creative juices flowing. From Julia Cameron's The Artist Way to Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones to … [Read more...] about Need Some New Ideas? 3 Ways Journaling Boosts Creativity
Calling All Creative Entrepreneurs Who Have No Time To Be Creative
Business. Family. Endless to-do lists. Client/family emergencies. Obligations and responsibilities. Such is the busyness of “normal” life. And then, one day you wake up and realize you haven't done squat for months (or maybe even longer) to nurture your own creativity. You cling to the hope that, once you overcome whatever obstacle (family/business/health/etc) … [Read more...] about Calling All Creative Entrepreneurs Who Have No Time To Be Creative
3 Ways to Put a Fresh Spin on Old Marketing Concepts
Does your advertising or marketing campaign give you a sense of the “blahs”? If you're a small business owner, copywriter/graphic designer/marketing consultant, or other creative professional, and you know what I’m talking about here, you may be searching for a new twist to freshen up your campaign … to make it exciting again! And you might feel a little overwhelmed. … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Put a Fresh Spin on Old Marketing Concepts
Need a Great Idea? Feed Your Brain!
Great ideas often happen when two or more other ideas collide to form something completely new. Think of those old chemistry movies we used to watch in school. Atoms floating around everywhere when two collide and bam! A chemical reaction. Maybe something new was created. Maybe something exploded. Or, maybe it just fizzled out, and nothing happened. Well, a similar … [Read more...] about Need a Great Idea? Feed Your Brain!
7 Reasons to Get Creative with Your Marketing RIGHT Now
While it's true there is never a bad time to get creative with your marketing, I would argue that it's even more important to do so right now. How important? It's so important I'll give you not 1, not 2 but 7 reasons. Let's get started. 1. It's not your grandfather's communications model. Communications has drastically changed since, say, the 1970s when … [Read more...] about 7 Reasons to Get Creative with Your Marketing RIGHT Now
Change Your Perspective, Change Your Results
According to one definition of “creativity,” creative people will look at the same thing everyone else does, yet see something completely different. But what happens when creatives run into roadblocks? It’s sure to happen, as it does with everyone. Maybe it's just not possible to see something different. Maybe you've been focusing on a problem for so long, it becomes … [Read more...] about Change Your Perspective, Change Your Results
Are Creative Stereotypes Holding You Back?
I believe one of the things that prevent people from fully realizing their creative potential is the idea of stereotypes. For example, maybe you think you “can’t” be creative, because you don't look, act, live, etc., a certain way. Unfortunately, that kind of belief can become so powerful, it actually ends up crippling your creativity. That’s why today, I’m wanted to … [Read more...] about Are Creative Stereotypes Holding You Back?
10 Tips to Make Your Marketing More Creative (and More Successful)
Let’s face it: when it comes to marketing, the “same old, same old” just doesn’t cut it anymore. To make your marketing stand out (resulting in more sales of your product and/or service), you need to get creative. Keep reading for ten tips to get your creative juices flowing. (Some of these are brainteasers, or what Thinkertoys author Michael Michalko calls “Linear … [Read more...] about 10 Tips to Make Your Marketing More Creative (and More Successful)