Folks, no matter what your preference is politically, we really need to stand united and firm as a nation in the midst of

In marketing and advertising lingo…the term Branding carries a lot of weight! But when it comes to the very target Branding is suppose to make its impact on, well they don’t really care about that term because that is not how they refer to a company, product or service and it’s not what gets them to take an action.

Their touch point, frame of reference, what gets their interest…is the ‘human experience’. Period.

Today’s American consumers (whose ever changing life stages must be taken into consideration) start their relationship with your business by examining and experiencing your intent and motivation.…

A good part of being successful has to do with character and what being successful means to YOU.

Character shows up in those little things most take for granted like keeping your word especially when it’s inconvenient, taking personal responsibility even if it cost you, returning phone calls, looking out for others well being before your own.

Basically, the way I see it is business success in this new economy will depend largely on your intentions, your motives. That is the way it used to be and that is how it should be in my books.

Everyone gets it you…

On the eve of celebrating the blessing of our precious independence for our great country I love so dearly…I came across this headline today which announced 7.9 Million U.S. Jobs Lost many forever.

Wow! What a sad situation our country is facing as we prepare to celebrate and enjoy the freedoms that have been purchased and ransomed for us today on the backs of many a fine American. I thought to myself, “Is this our story for 2010 and on?”

The article went on to say “even though we’ve gained about 600,000 private sector jobs back, we’ve got nearly 8…

Saw a post today on one of the blogs I read where the reader had this idea he was going to offer to manage social media for small to medium size businesses by outsourcing it in India or Malaysia.

He indicated a busy businessman would pay $20 month to have their Facebook, Twitter, Plaxo or Bebo account updated, messages replied and so on and this would be way cheaper than hiring a new employee in-house or contracting independent U.S workers.

Sounds reasonable right? Well I guess it is if you want a…

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…

Aah…the Thanksgiving holiday!

For many of us it conjures up memories and emotions of wholesomeness, family, fall colors, great food and of course, being thankful to God for all of the blessings we have.

Despite the fact Thanksgiving is just about being swept off the map and overshadowed as a major holiday these days…it will always be a significant holiday I will respect and honor in my lifetime.

I believe Thanksgiving 2009 offers up a special opportunity to those of us in business. No doubt it’s been a tough year for many of us here in the U.S. despite what…

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…

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……

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…