Archive for August, 2006



Remarkable Audio Learning

Wednesday 30 August 2006 @ 7:17 am

Over the past year I’ve had the pleasure of reading and listening to a number of great books. Books that motivate and inspire and have changed my life for the better. I thought I would share my list with you today.

Most of these titles have been audio books that I have listened to while walking, driving, or just relaxing. The majority have been part of my MBA on the Run program. The thing that really sticks out about the whole experience is how much I have learned while doing mentally unproductive things such as driving or exercising.

Audio books that I have downloaded on my iPod just work well for me. I listen while going back and forth to work and while at lunch. It’s easy to jot down notes and you can easily stop or rewind the audio at any time. Over the next few months I will be reviewing these titles on my other blog, MBA on the Run.

I would like to encourage you to give audio books a try. You can buy the CD collections from Amazon or download the titles from iTunes. If you have an iPod or other Audio player you can take this learning experience wherever you go.

Enjoy…

Leadership Titles

Networking-People Skills

Business-Entrepreneurship

Life Hacks & Organization

Success & Motivation

Marketing & Branding


Financial

Innovation, Technology, & Creativity

Storytelling

Inspirational-Spiritual


Comments (12)  | Posted in Listening, MBA On The Run, Personal Development    


Review: Little Miss Sunshine

Monday 28 August 2006 @ 7:00 am

Every once in a while you run into a movie that just hits home. A movie with a plot that you can truly relate to. Little Miss Sunshine is such a movie. I first heard about this movie from a L.A. Times link on “The Church of the Customer” blog. This movie is destined to become another “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”
 
This family depicted in this movie has so many interesting characters that almost anyone could relate to them. The dad (Greg Kinnear) is an over the top motivational speaker, speaking to tiny audiences through tightly gritted teeth. In the scene where he talks about his Top 9 qualities of a winner, my wife broke out into crazy laughter. She poked me with her elbow and we both cracked up. I quickly mentioned that most of my success presentations only have five or six points.

The mom (Toni Collette) is overworked and exhausted and she must take care of her son (Paul Dano) who has taken a vow of silence, a daughter (Abigail Breslin) who is practicing for a children’s pageant, her husbands cantankerous dad (Alan Arkin) and a overtly depressed uncle (Steve Carrell).

 It makes for a great story as the family heads from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach in a battered yellow VW van. What makes this story so magical is the interaction between the characters. Each one is slightly over the top but represents characters that are present in most families.

I could really relate to the dad and his gritted teeth motivational speeches. In Toastmasters I’ve seen many outline oriented motivational presentations, some with 7, 8, or even 9 main points. I just had to laugh at the cliché laden, “refuse to lose” speeches. I’ve been there and probably said that over the years.

The whole trip in the VW bus is similar to one that my wife and I took years ago from L.A. to Albuquerque and back in a 71 VW Camper van. There is nothing more adventurous that taking a long trip in a VW bus and this movie pointed out many things that we experienced as VW owners over the years. The bad clutch, stuck horn, and even a door falling off have been a staple of VW ownership for years.

The other themes in this movie such as a children’s pageant, crazed uncle, expressive grandfather, and unconventional teenager are all things that most moviegoers have experienced in their own lives. What elevates this movie above its rivals is its refreshing and dogged refusal to ignore or sugarcoat the maddening nature of families, and the ability of each member to irritate the others with sure fire precision.
 
This is truly a witty and well produced movie that will have you laughing one minute and saying, “I’ve been there,” the next. It will be interesting to see if word of mouth advertising enable this low budget film to be one of the summer’s great surprises. As the Times article explains…

The life cycle of a word-of-mouth movie depends on its ability to ride a wave of critical success into more and more theaters, the inverse of the typical big summer movie that comes out instantly in thousands of theaters and often vanishes in a couple of weeks.

Time will tell, but this is one motor trip you won’t soon forget.

Little Miss Sunshine website


Comments (1)  | Posted in Motivation, Speaking    


Blogging SPARK

Friday 25 August 2006 @ 7:35 am

With a lot of new items coming in the next few weeks here at Success Begins Today, I decided to take a close look at our current setup and put this blog through the SPARK ratings system. The five items in the SPARK system really cover the majority of ground in a marketing sense. I asked the question…

What is good about this blog and what does it lack?

I’ve put my thoughts down and also listed a blog in each category that I think rates 5 stars. The comparison should hopefully help me make some constructive changes. I welcome your comments and opinions.

The SPARK Rating system consists of Five Key Areas

  1. Story
  2. Product or Service
  3. Atmosphere
  4. Routine
  5. Key Values

Let’s start with the Story of Success Begins Today. The story here is about 2 sentences long. If you go to our current about page you’ll find a vague statement about the title and not much else. There is a small picture of me so at least you can put a face to the writing. In the Spark ratings system I would give myself a 2 out of 5, or a poor rating. No excuses here, just a lot of work to be done.

As an example of a blog with a great story, I would pick Liz Strauss’s great “Successful-Blog” as a glowing example. She has some great content that really illustrates an ongoing narrative with her audience. Since she is a writer by trade she is really adept at the craft of story telling. Her page entitled “My blogging goal,” is powerful and tells an amazing story of her father and the difference he made in the lives of others.

Liz has over 10 different pages that form her “about” statement. They are clearly listed at the top of the left hand column of her blog and catch your eye quickly. In a few minutes you get a real picture of who Liz is, her purpose for blogging, and some great information to help you become a better blogger. In the different articles she has numerous pictures of herself writing, thinking, and working at the computer. These really help you capture her emotions and make you feel like you have known her for a long time.

Three of her pages really stand out as shining examples of links that every successful blog should have…

Be sure to take a look at how she has crafted a inspirational story that draws you into the pages of her blog.

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When we talk about the “product or service” of a blog, we have to ask the question as a reader… “What’s in it for us?” With SBT I think there are two primary “what’s” or products that are available here. The first is motivational writing on inspirational subjects. This is what the blog started out as and continues to be the passion that drives the writing. The second product has become our free downloads in our Five Minute Solutions series. These pocket sized business cards have proved to be the most popular destination here and people have found many amazing uses for the cards.

Overall I think we offer a good product that people find useful. I would give SBT a rating of four. One of my mentors in blogging has been Rosa Say and her 5 star blog called “Talking Story.” Her blog is the epitome of a great product and unselfish service. Her main “product’ is her book, “Managing with Aloha.” The reviews on Amazon are all 5 stars and the book takes a unique look at management through the lens of Hawaiian values.

The thing that really sets Rosa’s blog apart from the rest is her Ho’ohana Community. This collaboration of bloggers presents an amazing “voice” that is diverse with unique viewpoints and ideas. The synergy that is created through the help of Rosa’s blog is remarkable. As a facilitator Rosa offers help and guidance to others and provides a structure for expressing ideas. The overall service that she provides to her readers is definitely five stars and is available free of charge.

Spend some time exploring her site. You’ll find so many examples of a great product or service ideas that can be offered to readers and website visitors. Examples include..

All three of the items above are on my list for future implementation and Rosa’s site offers great inspiration to get them done.

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The third item on the SPARK acrostic is Atmosphere. When talking about a blog it’s the design and the look and feel of a site. It’s the colors, the fonts and the overall structure. It’s the pictures, the graphics and the icons. It’s the words, feelings and expressions. It’s the total of all of these items combined into an online adventure.

As someone who enjoys the graphic arts, I’ve spent a lot of time on the design of this site. I’ve tried different Wordpress templates, different color combinations, and different header designs. The design has gone from two columns to three and some new plug-ins have recently been added. In the latest iteration I’ve gone for a more professional look and feel.

The problem with spending too much time on design is that the returns do not match the time and energy expended. If I have any advice in this area it is to find a well developed template and do minor modifications. Do enough to make it your own and come up with your own header graphic.

In trying to rate this site for Atmosphere, I had to step back and try and look at the site with unbiased eyes. The blue and silver colors are easy on the eyes, the header has a professional look, and the tag line provides some inspiration. The template fits most screens and three columns provides more information above the fold. Overall a good look, but nothing inspiring enough to garner a five. I would rate it a four.

In my search for an outstanding blog I’ve looked at hundreds of templates and custom designs. Very few really inspire me. Given the available screen real-estate and the abject fear of most bloggers to use Flash or other animation software, most blogs are a compromise to lower resolution screens and older computers.

One blog that has really stood out in this area and has worked through the compromises to present a very unique look is Yaro Starak’s Entrepreneur’s Journey. Using a state of the art CSS template for Wordpress, Yaro combines white space, color blends, and smart buttons in a very intuitive user interface.

Above the fold he includes his picture and a welcome audio message that develops his story on the first visit. His placement of popular articles and blog traffic tips keep readers on his site. Overall this is an amazing use of space. Almost any blogger can find inspiration on this site. Be sure to take note of his…

Yaro has created a Five Star interface and provides a great resource to all bloggers.

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When it comes to routine, blogs are naturally efficient at providing links to previous posts and custom pages. The blog software automatically produces comment pages and keeps track of visitors and other sites that link to them. What sets apart a blog in this area is smart design and a liberal use of informational links. Success Begins Today is just average in this area. I’ve been re-designing some of the links on paper and I hope to implement a much more intuitive system to help users navigate this site. In the meantime I would rate it a 3.

One site that stands out in the navigation area is Darren Rowse’s great Problogger site. This site is very easy for first time visitors to navigate. Key areas of interest are listed at the top in different colored CSS boxes. It’s easy to find what you are looking for. His left sidebar offers numerous “about” pages and the available FAQ pages will answer most of your questions. Overall a great resource and an exemplary model of organization. Be sure to check out his…

Five stars to Darren for a great roadmap to blogging!

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The final area of SPARK is the Key Value. It’s the tag line that you come away with after you visit a site. It’s the one sentence mantra that describes your experience. It may be… “Great site with wild colors,”or “great podcast,” or maybe “what were they thinking??”.

I’m not sure what the Tagline for Success Begins Today might be but it probably have something to do with ideas and the utility of our Five Minute Cards. One of the comments on our Five Minute Organizer was left by Peter Kua. He writes…

 Ahh.. the power of the paper and pen! Very cool!

Since the comments have been generally positive I would rate our take away as Good or a 4.

One site that always elicits a comment from me is Seth Godin’s blog. Seth has such a unique style of writing and is always thinking outside the box. As an author Seth has sold thousands of books to marketers and other business people all over the world. His claim to fame is being remarkable. In one of his latest posts from his 5 star blog he lists what people really want…

The same thing everyone else is having, but different.

A menu where the prices aren’t all the same.

More attention than the person sitting next to them.

A slightly lower price than anyone else.

A new model, just moments before anyone else, but only if everyone else is really going to like it.

A seat at a sold out movie.

Access to the best customer service person in the shop, preferably the owner.

Being treated better, but not too much better.

Being noticed, but not too noticed.

Being right.

I think in blogging people want SPARK.

  • Tell us your story,
  • Offer a great product or service,
  • Package it in a fun and exciting atmosphere
  • Make it easy to navigate
  • Give us something memorable to take away

When you put all the pieces together you’ll have a Five Star Blog!

I added up my score and came up with a score of 3.4. A little above average but quite a ways to go. With inspiration from the Five Star blogs listed above I’m sure constructive changes will come.

Be sure to take a look at their blogs and be inspired!


Comments (3)  | Posted in Business, Inspiration, Success    


A Passion for Writing

Wednesday 16 August 2006 @ 7:12 am

August has been a busy month here at Success Begins Today. It’s back to school time and that brings a lot of busy work getting everything ready for a new year. I find my chunks of writing time have become shorter and less frequent. This always presents itself as a quandary… should I wait and write a thoughtful and thorough post or should I just put my thoughts up quickly and run with them.

I think many bloggers face the same problems… I’ve noticed over the past year that many of my favorite blogs go through spurts of activity followed by long drought periods. Exceptions abound and I’m always amazed at the bloggers who can find the time to post often and in some cases multiple times a day.

One of my new blogger discoveries is Liz ME Strauss over at Successful Blog. She is an amazing writer and has the unique talent of being a blogger “Sparkplug.” She has a blog that elicits more comments than any other I have ever visited. She does “open mic nights” where she turns her blog into an open forum with comments coming fast and furiously. The other night she logged over 400 comments in an evening… wow. Even the best comment spammers would have a hard time matching that feat.

Liz wrote me the other day and called this blog a S.O.B. I was taken back a little until I realized that SOB stood for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers. I am humbled by her award and hope to follow her lead and keep improving the content here and upgrading the usability of this site.

She has an interesting article about writing today on her blog and I want to pass along an excerpt. She says…

Write to an audience of one. Imagine that audience is someone intelligent who shares your passion for what you are writing about, but doesn’t know the subject as well as you do.

Writing will never be easy, but it doesn’t have to be overly hard either. I still love the quote that can’t be attributed

I hate writing. I love having written.

This is so true. As Author William Zinsser explains in his famous book, “On Writing Well,” that no matter how long we do it…writing is hard.

It’s always nice to meet someone like Liz who has a passion for writing. When the words don’t come, I can always tune into her blog for inspiration!

Be sure to check out her open mic nights and be part of the conversation.


Comments (2)  | Posted in Conversation, Inspiration, Success    


SPARK: Ratings

Monday 14 August 2006 @ 6:14 am

Over the last week we talked about the five elements of SPARK and how they relate to businesses. The five criteria are…

  1. Story
  2. Product or Service
  3. Atmosphere
  4. Routine
  5. Key Values

It will be pretty easy to set up a 5 x 5 grid to rate businesses on a 1 to 5 scale on each of the five areas. This will give us a way to average out a score and publish a rating for a business. The ratings will be as follows

  1. None
  2. Poor
  3. Average
  4. Very Good
  5. Excellent

Lets look at an imaginary business and see how we would score it.

Wiley Widget company has the following

  1. Story: The story of Wiley Widgets is a short one.
    They are basically a copy-cat organization without a
    creation story or marketing strategy. The average
    customer doesn’t know much about them. The address
    of the company is not listed on the web site.
    Rating: 2 (Poor)
  2. Product: The Wiley Widget is a cheap copy of a
    name brand product. Product quality is average
    with more defects than the name brand.
    Rating: 3 (Average)
  3. Atmosphere: The product comes in a cheap white
    box with generic lettering. The web page consists
    of a very generic page with simple order form.
    Rating: 2 (Poor)
  4. Routine: The ordering routine of the company is
    simple but does not have any bells and whistles.
    You go to the website and select size, color and
    quantity. The product is shipped by UPS.
    Rating: 3 (Average)
  5. Key Values: The key take away from Wiley is one
    sentence… Cheap Commodity. The product does
    not elicit excitement and would not lend itself to
    word-of-mouth promotion.
    Rating: 3 (Average)

The SPARK Rating will be the total of the ratings divided by 5
Wiley Widget ends up with a 2.6 rating which puts it below average for companies in its marketplace. These five items will give a pretty accurate accounting of business success and allow a picture to form for areas that need improvement. If 4 out of the 5 areas are very good or better but one area lags behind, this rating will help pinpoint the problem.

Lets look at an example of a company that lags behind in one area.

Molly’s Muffins has a great story of home baker turned entrepreneur.

  1. Story: Her Applesauce muffins were a big hit with her
    friends and co-workers. They encouraged her to start
    her own business, which she did after scrimping and saving.
    The story gets better with her whole grain and organic ingredients.
    Rating: 5 (Excellent)
  2. Product: Her muffins are the best. She uses the best
    ingredients and makes sure every one is perfect.
    Rating: 5 (Excellent)
  3. Atmosphere: This is her weak point. She has taken over
    an old donut shop. The walls are dingy white and the
    plain glass display cases are boring. She has no sign
    or logo on the business. She just has a piece of paper
    in the window that says Molly’s Muffins.
    Rating: 2 (Poor)
  4. Routine: Her smile is her best selling point and her
    attention to detail on each sale is great. The sales routine
    is easy to follow and she always makes you feel welcome.
    Rating: 5 (Excellent)
  5. Key Values: The word of mouth about her muffins has
    driven a tremendous amount of business her way. The key
    sentence… Her muffins are the best! Viral Marketing at work.
    Rating: 5 (Excellent)

As you can see when we break down the ratings one glaring area becomes apparent. If she were to design a logo, add a sign, and paint the place in friendly colors, her long term viability would increase. The improved atmosphere would increase sales and probably change her key value to cute place and great muffins.

Take a minute and jot down your ratings for some popular businesses in your area. See if there are any glaring problems that could be overcome with a little SPARK! If you run your own business can you see some areas for improvement? Have others rate your business and see if any patterns emerge. A little SPARK never hurts!

Later in the week we’ll look at SPARK and how it relates to Personal Branding.

Other posts in the SPARK series…

Creating Spark
Spark: Telling Your Story
Spark: Product Excellence
Spark: The Routine Path
Spark: Key Values


Comments (0)  | Posted in Business, Marketing, Success    


SPARK: Key Values

Thursday 10 August 2006 @ 7:10 am

Visit any store in your local mall, hire someone to perform a job around your house, or visit the newest website and you’ll capture it. You’ll come away from each experience with something very profound. It’s a few words compiled into a short sentence. It will affect your future and it may have profound implications for your friends, family, and even the person you meet on the street.

It’s something so simple you may not realize it even exists, yet we create them on a daily basis. It’s called a “Key Value,” and it happens in our minds. It’s the few words or sentence we create to describe our experience.

Here are some examples…

  • Walk out of a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop and the words may be hot and delicious
  • Experience Disneyland and the values might be fun and excitement.
  • Fresh and clean might describe having your carpet cleaned.
  • Paying $1.59 for a small soda at Wendy’s might elicit what a rip-off

These key values are commonly shared with our friends and family. If they are positive, our friends will want to experience them. If they are negative, people will stay away. These key values are a mixture of the other SPARK values. When you combine the business story with the quality of the product and experience it in the unique business atmosphere while following the routine path, these items form a synergy that can be expressed in just a few words.

The interesting thing is that only one of the SPARK values need be negative and the entire key value may end up negative. Take Starbucks as an example. They have a compelling story with a wonderful atmosphere and an intuitive routine. Their product quality is exceptional but what key value would you take away if their paper cup leaked all over your freshly pressed white shirt?

Attention to detail is paramount and the little things can really sway a customers opinion. If you are sitting in a window seat at a 5 star restaurant and you notice a dead fly on the window sill will your key values be positive? When you have to fill out that webform three times to get it to work… maybe the routine will sway your opinion of an otherwise fine business.

In his insightful book, “All Marketers Are Liars,” Seth Godin talks about the power of first impressions.

The problem with first impressions isn’t that they’re not important (They are important! They’re crucial!) but that we have no idea at all when the first impression is going to occur. Not the first contact, but the first impression. That’s why authenticity matters.

Since we don’t know when first impressions occur, having positive SPARK values are very important.

We need to ask the question… what key values are our customers taking away?

Other posts in the SPARK series…
Creating Spark
Spark: Telling Your Story
Spark: Product Excellence
Spark: The Routine Path


Comments (0)  | Posted in Business, Marketing, Success    


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