Happy Thanksgiving!

Menchie's...They Make You Smile!

Because I wanted to do a blog post about a company founded by a woman, I did a search and found a company I already love and frequent: Menchie's frozen yogurt restaurant.

I live in St Petersburg, Florida which has several options for the frozen yogurt lover. My family has tried each one - more than once. By far, our favorite is Menchie's. The flavor and topping options are similar to the other local franchises, but Menchie's offers more.

My favorite are the cool, reusable spoons. I noticed about 2 weeks ago that our supply of Menchie's spoons has gone way down, so this was a perfect time to go back. Other reasons to love Menchie's are the free stickers, balloons, and other little things; the cute clothes they sell; and the giant chalkboard kids can draw on. They also have a reward program and I think they are slightly cheaper than the other froyo places near us.

As you can see, I already loved Menchie's. Having learned the history of the store makes me love it even more. Here is the story from the Menchies website:

Co-Founder Danna Caldwell often refers to Menchie’s as “a love story.” She and her husband, co-founder Adam Caldwell, went on their first date to a frozen yogurt place where you could add your own toppings. Excited by the different flavors, the rainbow sprinkles and the business possibilities, Danna and Adam hatched an idea that night in Orange County, Calif., to open a well-branded, family-friendly, self-serve frozen yogurt store in the Los Angeles area. As their idea to start a frozen dessert store blossomed, so did their relationship.

In 2007 the couple opened their first frozen yogurt shop, naming it Menchie’s after Adam’s pet name for his bride-to-be. After opening their first store, Menchie’s CEO Amit Kleinberger partnered with them and laid out a vision to create a global brand.

If you want to experience Menchie's for yourself, click here to find a location near you.

Here are some fun photos from our most recent trip:

Gratitudinally Yours

I know that is not really a word, but it got here you here, didn't it?

I came across an article on GrouponWorks about keeping a small business gratitude journal. This paragraph stood out to me:

Studies have found that people who keep a “gratitude journal,” a simple list or notebook of things for which they’re grateful, sleep better and are healthier and happier.  It makes me wonder if business owners who kept gratitude journals might be happier with their businesses and less prone to the stress and depression so many entrepreneurs face.

I wonder the same thing. Would I be happier with my business if I took time to meditate on what I am grateful for about my business and then express that gratitude in some way? I think so. When I take the time to do these things in my personal life, I know I feel a boost in my mood.

Lets try it out. Take five minutes and write down things you are grateful for regarding your business. I did and here is the list I came up with:

• I am grateful for the opportunity to use my skills and talents to make money
• I am grateful for the recent opportunity to stretch myself professionally
• I am grateful for the clients I have had over the past 7 years
• I am grateful for the colleagues I have worked with
• I am grateful that I have been able to stay at home with my children
• I am grateful for technology
• I am grateful for a supportive family
• I am grateful for networking opportunities
• I am grateful for my entrepreneurial drive
• I am grateful for the opportunity to seek new clients

Well, I have to admit that I do feel happier, I can feel the gratitude in my heart for my business. The real question is will I sleep better tonight? I'll get back to you on that.

Gratitudinally Yours,

Tara

Who Was the Human Exclamation Point (!) ?

I first heard of motivational speaker and entrepreneur, Zig Ziglar as a teenager. My father had one of his many books on cassette tape in his truck. I listened to part of it with him and was impressed. I had never heard anyone talk that way before.

Ever since then, when I need to find a motivational quote, I think of Zig Ziglar. Part of it is that his name is so fun to say, but the other part is that he really impressed into my mind that he is in the business of motivating people - and teaching others to motivate people.

My husband mentioned one of his quotes last night and that got me wondering who he is/was. Sadly, one of the first things I learned is that a year ago this week, Zig Ziglar died at age 86 of pneumonia in Plano, Tx.

Hilary Hinton Ziglar was the 10th of 12 children born in rural Coffee County, Ala., on Nov. 6, 1926. He spent most of his childhood years in Yazoo City, Mississippi in humble surroundings. His father died of a stroke when he was young, which left him raised by his widowed mother.

Here is what the Washington Post said of Ziglar's mother:

He described his mother as the foremost influence on his life, a strict and devout woman whose mental storehouse of adages (“The person who won’t stand for something will fall for anything”) remained a cornerstone of Mr. Ziglar’s speeches and writings. 

I imagine motivation coming from a woman who had lost her husband and one of her daughters in a short time frame, had an immense impact on that young boy.

He went on to serve for the Navy in WW II, attend University of South Carolina and  marry his lifelong sweetheart. He left school, however, to become a door-to-door salesman. While he was moving up the ranks in the company, he began speaking locally about power and self-help. He would often quote his mother and relate his own ability to make it through hard times with a smile. Eventually the demand for his speaking increased enough that an entrepreneur was born.

Ziglar founded Zigmanship Institute in 1971. It is now known as Ziglar, Inc. Words from one man's mouth launched what is now a motivational and personal development training company that offers various corporate training programs, including sales, leadership, presentation, and public speaking skills. It provides its training programs through keynote speakers, classroom training, customized programs, and online training worldwide. The company also sells books, CDs, and DVDs.

As an entrepreneur, I am motivated by what his company has become, not just his motivational quotes. I am most impressed that he lived what he preached. He woke up to the "opportunity clock." He used self-help to live a full and happy life. I can only hope to begin to live my life that way.

As a tribute to this man, here are some of my favorite of his quotes:

"If you can dream it, you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."

"You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you

"Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be."

"When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you."

"The elevator to success is not running; you must climb the stairs."

"Motivation needs to be a part of y our own life for you to be effective in conveying it to other people."

"Other people and things can stop you temporarily. You're the only one who can do it permanently."

"You are the only person on earth who can use your ability, it's an awesome responsibility."

Color me Blue...and Orange!

I found an amazingly accurate infographic that explains what emotions a company's logo emanates.

Let's analyze my logo - according to thelogocompany.net.

ORANGE

• the ‘hottest’ of all colors in temperature – orange is distinctly energetic
• associated with fall foliage and sunsets
• though intense, doesn’t insist on being taken too seriously – playful, gregarious, extroverted, happy and childlike
• may be preferred by kids ages 3-6 and adolescents
• has some of the drama of red tempered with the happy nature of yellow

BLUE

• strong, dependable, reliable, trustworthy – often the brand color choice for financial institutions and other businesses that want to be seen as stable and trustworthy
• associated with sky and water, perceived as a constant
• restful; it’s cool temperature calms and soothes
• the color of choice for doctors and nurses in hospitals, an excellent choice when you want people to be able to focus and concentrate or for products that have soothing, calming benefits

I would agree that my business is stable, trustworthy, extroverted and happy as described by my color choices. What does your logo tell about your business? Read the original article by DB Squared Inc to find out.

Networking on a Deserted Island

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a networking meeting - which led to an invitation to a networking lunch at my local Chamber of Commerce.

At both meetings, I walked into rooms of complete strangers. And, yes(!) I survived and even walked away with some business cards and with lessons learned. Here are those lessons:


1) Feeling uncomfortable can lead to opportunity. Even though I pride myself on being able to talk to anyone and create small talk with even the stiffest person, I felt really uncomfortable when I knew no one in the room. In 1995, Dr. Phillip Zimbardo of Standford University's Shyness Clinic reported that 88 % of people consider themselves shy. Wow! Then how come the majority of people in the two networking meetings I went to had no problem chatting away with someone else in the room?

They took that uncomfortable, shy feeling and turned it into an opportunity. They did not let it stop them from interacting.

Right when I walked into the lunch meeting, I looked around for someone to talk to. Everyone in the room was already talking. I wasn't sure how to go up to any of the pairs of people talking. So, I walked around uncomfortably looking at the plaques on the wall honoring past Chamber members, just waiting for a pair to break up. It didn't happen so then I sat down to wait for fresh meat. When a woman approached my empty table, I thought, "Finally. Somebody to network with!" My "shyness" isolated me as if I were on a deserted island waiting to be rescued.

2. Always leave the house with 10 times as many business cards as you think you need. The other day, I brought enough business cards for one meeting, not expecting an invitation to another. At the second meeting, I only had five cards to hand out among a group of 40 people. That required me to hand them out strategically. I would have preferred to hand one out to each person.

3. Action brings action. The action of getting out of the office to network increases your chances of receiving leads and referrals (incoming action). One example already mentioned is how I went to one meeting and ended up getting invited to another. The second meeting is really where I met some people I can see myself doing business with.

Learn from my lessons. Don't put yourself on a deserted island when you are in a room full of strangers. Don't wait to be approached. Take the uncomfortable feeling you feel and turn it into opportunity. You never know what that action will lead to.

The White Pages are so Last Decade

If the extent of your marketing budget is the cost of putting your number in the local White Pages, you are way behind all your competitors who are online. Now, more than ever, every company needs a website. Not many people look up a company in the phone book anymore. An informative article found on Entrepreneur.com provides 10 tips for small business owners with websites. I would encourage you to read through this if you have any doubt about the importance of maintaining a company website.

Here is a truncated version of the full article found on Entrepreneur.com:

The Web is full of horrendous sites, and we're not just talking about bad design. There are many other elements besides how your website looks that go into making it customer-friendly -- not to mention something that inspires them to actually do business with you.

From thorough contact information to customer testimonials, here are the essentials that every small business website should have for it to effectively help you do business.

1. A clear description of who you are
Someone who stumbles upon your website shouldn't have to do investigative work to figure out what, exactly, it is that you do.

2. A simple, sensible Web address
Don't make things complicated.

"Your domain name is like your brand. It should be easy for a user to type it into a Web browser or an e-mail address," says Ron Wright, the founder of business Web design and online marketing firm Accentix.



3. An easily-navigated site map
Clear links to the most important pages, and a site map, are crucial for guiding visitors to the information they're looking for.


4. Easy-to-find contact information
You wouldn't want to lose a customer to a competitor just because you made it difficult for them to get in touch with you.

5. Customer testimonials
Honest words from others help make your products or services more tangible to customers who are visiting you online.

6. An obvious call to action
"Tell the online visitors literally what you want them to do with clear tones of commend," says Zhuang. "For instance, you may want them to call you now for free quote, or sign up to your exclusively online coupons, or add products to the online shopping cart, etc."

7. Know the basics of SEO
Your website won't do you as much good if no one can stumble upon it. Become familiar with the SEO basics to make it more accessible by search engine.

8. Fresh, quality content
For many businesses, your website is your first impression on a customer. You want to give them what they're looking for, and perhaps even give them a reason to keep coming back.

9. A secure hosting platform
Having your online information hijacked is a nightmare, and, should it happen to your business, it could cost you customers.

10. A design and style that's friendly to online readers
As Forbes puts it, "Web surfers have the attention spans of drunken gnats."

Yes! You need a blog (and I can help!)

Over the past few years I have maintained several company (mainly law firm) blogs and have seen the benefits of keeping one and updating it several times a week. Businessinsider.com said of starting a blog:

[I]t is good for your company. Consumers want to feel like they know the faces behind a company and what they stand for.
"Blogging doesn’t just bring attention to you; it can also bring eyeballs to your company," Schawbel says. "According to a 2009 survey by Technoratixx, 71% of bloggers surveyed said their blogs have increased visibility for their company, 63% converted prospects into purchasers through their blog, and 56% said their blogs bring recognition to their company as a thought leader in the industry."

Contact me if you have any questions about starting a blog. Here's another outlook:

Veteran's Day

Just wanted to share my two favorite veterans, 

my grandfather Dale Trinkle Jr and my brother Dayton Trinkle.

Wordle...What? Wordle, Wow!

If you are looking for a fun way to display words, I have the solution for you. Create a Wordle!  I have an event coming up that celebrates a group of young women. As a gift, we decided to give each girl a Wordle printed on canvas (I hope none of them are reading this). It was pretty simple and relatively inexpensive art.

If you want your own Wordle, click here. Go to the "Create" link.

Once you click "go," the website spits out an image similar to the one above.  You can then change the color scheme and layout.

Have fun and post your Wordles in the comments section! Oh yeah, if you are interested in printing onto canvases, I recommend EasyCanvasPrints.com .

Did you Schedule your Company's Plastic Surgery?

Quiz question: How many different women are shown in the photographs below?

Earlier this year, this photo of Korean beauty contestants appeared online. At first I was taken in and believed that all twenty of these women did indeed look virtually the same. Digging around revealed that these women are not in fact clones - their faces had been Photo-shopped to give them sharper noses and more pointed chins. It was also pointed out that they are wearing makeup in these versus their au naturel look.

However, one cannot rule out the plastic surgery industry altogether. According to a 2009 survey by Trend Monitor, one in five women in Seoul (Korea) have had some type of procedure. Although the photos above have been altered on a computer, it is still very likely that many of them have had plastic surgery.

Here are two examples of natural vs make-up and Photoshop:

By now, you are probably wondering how women/editors trying to create an acceptable societal norm of beauty can be related to you and your business. IT CAN!

How often do we change our business plan to follow what a competitor is doing, only to find ourselves no better than before. Or worse off even? We try to conform to an industry norm or follow a trend, only to lose much of the identity that drew our customers/clients to us in the first place.

Each business needs to have something they are the best in or something they are known for. If not they will be crowned second runner-up. What do you do to stay unique in your industry? Let us know in the comment section below!

Why do we Need a Mobile Website?

Any attorneys needing more clients, watch Larry Bodine's video that pleads the case for law firms creating a mobile website - not just a PC website. Please visit Larry's LawMarketing blog for more information for attorneys.

What were they thinking?!

A freak tornado hits Los Angeles, causing man-eating sharks to be scooped up in water spouts and flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Surfer and bar-owner Fin sets out with his friends Baz and Nova to rescue his estranged wife April and teenage daughter Claudia. He succeeds, but April's boyfriend is eaten by the sharks. The group meets up with Matt, the adult son of Fin and April, who is in flying school. They decide to try to stop the threat of the incoming "sharknadoes" by tossing bombs into them from helicopters.

As Nova prepares to throw one of the bombs, she falls out of the helicopter and directly into a shark's mouth. Matt, who has fallen for her, is heartbroken. Baz is also lost in the storm. After Matt lands on the ground, a flying shark plummets toward the remaining members of the group. Fin jumps into its mouth with a chainsaw and cuts his way out. He emerges carrying an unconscious but miraculously unharmed Nova. Matt is reunited with Nova and Fin gets back together with April.

If you are clueless, then you missed the disaster film of the decade: Sharknado!  This has to be one of the worst and funniest movies I have seen - ever. It is the worst, if you watch it thinking the actors are taking themselves seriously and that this is a "real" movie with an actual compelling plot. It is the funniest, if you realize that it is a true disaster film that threw in every cliché imaginable, along with an oceanful of fake blood and mangled body parts.

Again, I ask, "What were they thinking?!" The producers knew at least two things.

First, As Tara Reid (starring) put it, "...when I read the script, I actually thought the concept was so ridiculous, that it was almost so bad that it was good." The producers knew where the line is between plain bad and ridiculously bad. The ridiculously bad can bring a cult following.

Second, the producers knew their audience.  They knew that the people most likely to watch the film use social media. Twitter trending is responsible for the second-airing of the film on the Syfy channel and the subsequent showing in 200 Regal theaters around the country. Not to mention, popping up in over 36,000 Redbox machines.

In your business, have you had some ideas that you think are so outlandish that you reject them right away? Those ideas, geared toward the right audience through the right media, could create your own Sharknado-esque following in the form of increased clients/customers.

For the clueless or even the Sharknado fan, I include the trailer for this ridiculousness.

Amusez-vous!

I learned something new today and thought I would share - how to insert letters with french accents on my Windows computer.  I was so excited!

In my last post, you will find this paragraph:

I saw this Geico commercial the other day and realized how relevant it is to me as a business owner. One could take away how successful Geico's commercials tend to be as a marketing tool, but that is not why this commercial is à propos. 

As marked in red, I inserted à propos. Technically, if using this in English I should just spell it apropos (no accent and no space).  But since I also speak French, I prefer to use the French spelling. Before learning the trick below, I would have copied and pasted the accent into my text.  That would have taken me probably a minute or two. This takes about 1 or 2 seconds.

Find the trick here. Amusez-vous!