Just Do It – It’s an Implementation Thing

Posted by SoMe Guru on Mar 16, 2011 in blog | 1 comment

For many years I’ve thought I had this special gift for ideas.  I love coming up with new ideas and ways to do things.  I just love to figure things out.   That’s it, there’s nothing else to this gift.   Unfortunately, I know a lot of people who have this “gift.”  The more I age, the more of these people I meet.  In fact, in retrospect, I’ve met so many of these people that it’s hardly a “gift” anymore.

Over the years, I’ve used the words “Visionary,” “Leader,” and even Scientist, Inventor or Engineer has come up.

The “world” has some different names for these people with this “gift.”

Pre-Teenage Years – Daydreamer
Teenage Years – Smart @$$
Young Adult Years – Opinionated, or Hard Headed
Middle Aged – Spaceball, blowhard, loser,

Need I go on?

It’s not that there is inherently anything wrong with dreaming. In fact, I think it’s noble and a great way to pass idle time.

The key here is not to demean dreamers (I’m in that bunch), it’s to key in that the key to being a successful dreamer, a Visionary, a “Steve Jobs” is to actually do it.  As Seth Godin mentions, it’s time to “SHIP.”   Most consultant etreprenuers fail to ever capture this essence, it’s in the DOING that dreams can become real.  Don’t just “think” on it, DO it.

I have a great series of posts on Guy Kawasaki and why every consultant should be reading his material, but instead of doing it I’m waiting for the right time, the right book launch, the moment I get a few minutes with him, etc.  I can’t sit on my rear end, I need to just do what I can and MOVE FORWARD.

The success is in the doing, not the dreaming, not the planning.

Oh and your idea isn’t even all that original.  Chances are if it’s a good idea, there are others already thinking it and some doing it.  (Note: 322,000 blog posts about Guy already).  The reality is that very, very, very, very, very few actual DO IT and follow through (only 17,000 mention the word consultant).

Do it, implement it, take it on.  If you fail at least you tried.  Don’t die a daydreamer.

Pick One

Posted by SoMe Guru on Nov 11, 2010 in Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing, Social Media | 0 comments

As a business owner (you are a business owner whether you believe it or not), you have many options to market yourself.  You have the entire world of print, direct mail, you can telemarket, network in person, network over the phone, network on the internet, you can put ads on google, ads on facebook, craigslist ads, the list can go on and on.

The key to success in marketing is actually very simple.  Business owners complicate the matter because they are already usually doing several people’s job so they must master all of these “tools” as well.   In truth, it’s the business owner with focus that will ultimately win, this is especially true of our service industry and consultants.  The key?

PICK ONE.

Pick one “tool” and master that.

If you have a clear message and an easy way to do business with you (do you have a call to action?), then pick one of these and learn it inside and out.  Don’t stress out about foursquare or twitter or linkedin if you and your business has decided to be on facebook first.  One thing at a time.  Even if you hire a consultant like us, we’ll want to walk through each of the tools.  Each tool, has a different use and a slightly different audience.  You don’t communicate the same way on linkedin that you do on facebook or myspace.

Learn to let go of needing to be it all, and just master one, then you can move on to the next one.

Complicated Sucks

Posted by SoMe Guru on Sep 10, 2010 in blog, Featured | 0 comments

Used to be that Complicated was pretty cool.  Think about the early releases of Adobe Photoshop.  Learning all the layers of complexity in just, … well, the layers was something to write home to Mom about.  Perhaps you remember the first real CRM you used outside of Outlook.  The little bells and whistles were not immediately obvious. In fact, a CRM like Goldmine required the help of a programmer to get it tuned to your niche’.

Now, complicated sucks.  Piknik can do for free and for fast most of the photo editing that the people want to do.  Leave Photoshop to the professionals.  Why teenagers or hobbyists have this program in the first place is a bit suspect.

Complicated is the first C, in CRM.  It should be.  Look at 37Signals – their CRMS are not complicated, they are simple.  Simple is beautiful.  Simple is useful.  Do their version of CRMS do anything truly unique or amazing? Yes and no.  You won’t find a branching tree of autoresponding madness complete with triggers and shopping cart functionality (although if they did that I would be first in line).  Nope, you’ll just find the tools they way they were intended.  Sometimes you just need a hammer for a nail, you don’t need the pnuematic nail gun with 137 features.

More on this later…