by Rex Richard | Jul 17, 2012 | Business, Personal Development, Social Marketing
In light of the recent recession, more and more individuals are turning to entrepreneurship as a way to not only survive, but to thrive.
Here are some of my favorite marketing tips for small business owners:
- Build a blog and start blogging
- Network through social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and sites related to your specific industry
- Make use of direct mail campaigns
- Send out e-newsletters to clients and prospects
- Issue press releases when you’re company meets a milestone
- Get involved in the community. Become a sponsor of an event or fundraise for a cause that’s near and dear to your heart
- Target your audience with care and network at events where you’ll be most likely to meet potential clients
- Offer a free gift or free report through your website as an enticement for individuals to sign up to your newsletter
- Be open to feedback from your clients
- “Reward” clients that refer you to other clients. Word of mouth is the best advertising available
We’re sure you have other ways in which to network and grow your business. We’d love to hear what they are.
by Rex Richard | Jul 3, 2012 | Personal Development, Renewing The Mind
Entrepreneurs know that working long hours can lead to burnout. It doesn’t matter whether you work outside of the home, are self employed or commute to your home office, there comes a point in every day that you need to step away from the tasks at hand and take a mental health break and give your mental batteries time to recharge.
For many people, the idea of self care doesn’t figure into their every day work life and they feel selfish if they even give a thought to taking a few hours, let alone a weekend, off from work. Your mind and body will thank you though if you take a break. Remember, at the end of the day it’s your friends and family that should be your priority, not your career.
If there are days when you feel as though your life is spinning out of control it could be your brain’s way of telling you to take a breath, step back and reassess what’s happening. You need to learn to not always put others’ needs ahead of your own.
Maybe all you need to do is to take a step back and ask yourself whether you feel you not only need, but deserve a little time off. Do you think you’d be more productive once you’re done with your time away? Will taking a step back help bring joy back into your other everyday activities? What will you lose if you take a day or an hour off from work?
If you come up with answers to these questions and realize that stepping away for a short time won’t negatively impact your business and could positively impact your life, you’ll see that taking care of yourself should be a priority. Begin with baby steps – a 15-minute break here or 30-minutes there. Work your way up to the hours at a time, or a day or two off. Your physical and mental health will benefit when you make time for yourself.
by Rex Richard | Jun 19, 2012 | Personal Development, Renewing The Mind
When was the last time you were truly excited about something? A new opportunity? A new gadget? A new idea or plan for success? Sometimes it’s so easy to get into a rut. Beware of this though, because if you do you can thwart your creativity. Take a few moments to think about the last time you were truly excited about something. Do you tell yourself you’re not “allowed” to be excited because you’re a business owner and you have responsibilities? I’m here to tell you that because of your status as an entrepreneur you need to make time for excitement.
This is what I’ve found happens when I embrace a new idea and let my creativity flow:
- My creative juices flow and then they overflow into all areas of my life.
- I feel energized! Watch out though you may be so energized that you forget to sleep!
- Even spending time thinking about your new idea allows you to leave the routine and the mundane behind and you’ll return to the task at hand feeling refreshed and renewed.
If you haven’t tried anything new and/or exciting lately, look for an opportunity to do something truly different and exciting. Who knows, maybe such an opportunity will appear in your Inbox in the next day or two!
by Rex Richard | May 31, 2012 | Business, Personal Development
Did you know that in your pursuit of perfection you could be standing in your own way of success? In some cases it’s true. In other cases, the pursuit of perfection is another method of procrastinating. Whatever your reasons for being “perfect” you need to relax your standards and allow yourself to push on forward.
While it’s true that you don’t want to give your clients less than your best, but you can also be frozen in place when it comes to growing your business. Do you think of items that you need to do… such as, sending out a monthly newsletter? Revamping your website? Putting together a brochure? Redesigning your logo? Putting together a new program to bring in more clients? The list goes on but you get the idea.
Many entrepreneurs think everything must be PERFECT in order to do anything and if it isn’t then they do nothing. Here are some ways to move past your perfectionism, get unstuck and move forward:
- Write down your ultimate goal
- Write down small steps you need to take to get toward your ultimate goal
- Work the steps
We’d never try to minimize the feeling you have of being overwhelmed, but if you break it down into bite-sized chunks, you can achieve your long term goals.
by Rex Richard | May 22, 2012 | Business, Personal Development
This is just a quick list on things that you might be doing to sabotage yourself, either intentionally or unintentionally. Take a quick moment, read these tips and if you see yourself in any of them, take a step back and change your way of doing things.
- Don’t spend time with the “wrong” people. You know who they are. The people who always tell you how to do something better or faster or bottom line, that you’re simply doing it the wrong way. Look for someone who offers productive advice, not destructive criticism.
- Put yourself first. It’s easy as an entrepreneur to put your own needs on the backburner. You focus on growing your business, satisfying your clients, spending time with your family, but you do need to make time just for yourself.
- Take a leap. Don’t let fear of failure or fear of a mistake stop you from doing what you believe you might enjoy or what you may succeed at if only you tried!
- Savor small moments of happiness. Taking time to smell the roses and savor the successes is crucial to business success and overall happiness.
- Share your success. Don’t bury your light under a barrel. If you succeed, share the news. Build excitement. Your friends and followers will join you in the celebration.
What are you doing to get in your own way? What have you done to step aside so you can succeed?
by Rex Richard | May 15, 2012 | Business, Personal Development, Renewing The Mind
A Synthesis of the Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics…
I have always been fascinated by various mind control methods ranging from simple “self talk” all the way through to the real thing… “brainwashing”. In my research I found the following article which proved to be well researched and provides a deep insight into the “brainwashing” techniques developed by Russia, some of which you might recognize as being used by politicians today.
I hope you enjoy the read!
Introduction
The following treatise on communist brainwashing, which has been published and republished since the 1930s, is an edited version of an actual textbook on Russian “psychopolitics.” It was used as a primer, here in America, to teach communist agents how to brainwash people, and, in fact, how to subvert entire populations. While the wording of this particular treatise and there are any number of them may or may not be completely authentic, two things are historically certain: 1) Such brainwashing activities really occurred, and 2) this volume accurately conveys the principles and techniques employed.
Download the full article here: Brainwashing
