Recently I took a road trip from Nashville, TN to Little Rock, Arkansas twice within a two week period! Is there some sort of an award for that? (LOL)

Of course one of the activities that go hand-in-hand with a road trip is making food stops. Even though I knew this would be a fairly long drive, I really had no plans on where to eat on this double trek trip except I did plan on getting some killer BBQ in Memphis which turned out to be a HUGE disappointment! But that’s another story.

I really ended up relying on roadside billboards…

Mind boggling! The entire business landscape is going through a metamorphous of sorts…nothing is business as usual anymore! Really, nothing is!

I see business sector after sector old standby models falling apart everywhere. New approaches are being developed; existing business systems are being redefined and challenged while others are completely collapsing. It’s as though someone took a giant stick and hit the business piñata and bam!!! We have an explosion of winners, losers, new kids on the block staking claim, giants falling, bewildered and confused executives and shareholders, fraud, fear, excitement, status quo and just as Elvis Presley said “A Whole…

The loss of over 6 million net jobs is a huge problem for the US. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nonfarm, private sector employment peaked at 115.8 million in December 2007 then fell to 109.5 million by May 2009.

At this time, job losses from mass layoffs added up to 3.6 million, up 66 percent over the preceding 18 months.

Since many people who have not been able to find a job, we are seeing an unprecedented number of people choosing to go into business for themselves. Historically small business’ job creation will be key in our…

This is my final article of my four part series on Business Suicide Mindsets to Avoid in 2009.

Although I this one is last, it can be just as damaging for a business as the other three I have already covered.

I call this Business Suicide Mentality #4: The “I Don’t Have Too; I Don’t Want Too, I Will Not Change!” Mindset.

Yep, Change…it’s a word we all know yet often we find we are naturally opposed to the meaning of this word.  We find change is disruptive and unsettling, so we resist it.

The dictionary defines change as…

Change

to make the form, nature,…

So far I have covered two of the four mindsets I believe are deadly in today’s new marketplace.

The first was the Status Quo Mindset and the second was the Arrogance Mentality Mindset.

Today I will cover the third mindset I find very noted for the season we are currently in.

It is the Business Suicide Mentality #3: The “Hunker Down” Mindset.

The reference to hunker down means two things: One is preparation for some type of pressure you’re anticipating. The other relates to hiding.

With the jobless rates soaring, consumer spending way down and the incredible shifts occurring in new millennium business across the board…

In my last article on this topic I covered the Business Suicide Mentality #1: The Status Quo Mindset.

Here in part two, I will address The Arrogance Mentality Mindset. This mentality is not as easy to put your finger on at first glance. Rather, it has the ability to rear its ugly head in many disguised forms.

For instance, I had the unpleasant encounter with this mentality during a business cold call activity I was engaged in recently. I had emailed the business owner (whose business I frequent) because I felt for sure I could help him increase his website marketing…

Well…here we are about halfway through what has so far been an incredibly challenging and difficult year for many of us in business, from the giants like GM to the local auto detail shop.

Some have survived, and sadly some have not. Some have reinvented themselves and some are still doing the same things they have always done…resistant to any changes.

So what does the rest of 2009 hold for the marketplace here in the U.S.?

It depends on who you are listening to and what your mindset is. It really does not matter if you are looking to the media; research firms, the…

Well that day that all mothers long for, Mother’s Day…a day of recognition especially made for those of us who have contributed to one of life’s mysteries and wonders…Motherhood is close to showing up on the scene.

If your anything like me, it represents a “check out” moment from the hustle and bustle of life to reflect on the joys of beings mom (and the sorrows), how far you have come and how far your family has come.

Most of us our adorned with flowers, a gift, or dinner out and those are all such wonderful tokens of love from our families.…

Good post by Seth Godin which is simple but true regarding promoting and spreading the word about your business in today’s economy.

Lately I have been hearing all over the web ‘marketing is conversation‘ and you better be on board with social media or you are not marketing.

I say that’s hog wash (I get it! Like pigs wash!).

I am not going to be arrogant enough to say I have the total explanation of what marketing means or what it is because I believe it encompasses really everything you do in your business.

But I will say I know it is about a whole lot more than conversation. No doubt, conversation is one of the “tools’ or methods we can use when marketing.

Marketing TODAY starts…