Business Ideas

World acclaimed branding expert Marc Gobé, author of the completely revised and updated edition of his visionary classic book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition, was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions on his book and on his ideas about branding.

Marc Gobé shares his ideas on social media and community building as powerful forces in consumer empowerment in the marketplace. He describes the critical importance of understanding the rise of women in marketing, and their impact on others through social media and online engagement. He discusses the need to recognize the differences in cross generational marketing, as well as engaging the cutting edge gay and lesbian community.

Thanks to Marc Gobé for his time and his intriguing and informative answers.

What was the background to writing this book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition?

Marc Gobé: I wrote my first book because I felt that people love brands but that brands did not love people back. The subconscious connection between brands and people is often overlooked by brands. What we pay for things, the brands we wear or drive and the brands we consume are a way for us to send a message to others, build our self esteem or provide us with a reward. We don’t buy products but ideas.

You make what seems to be an obvious statement in the book that people are the most important part of branding. Why has this simple concept been ignored by branding and marketing?

Marc Gobé: Most companies still have a factory mentality, a manufacturing centric tradition or a reliance on engineering that dominates the creative process. Businesses are about results, efficiency and cost of goods. Consumers are about emotions, experiences and imagination. Unless people are understood to be the ultimate decision makers many opportunities will be lost.

Are the old ways of branding obsolete in an online and wired world?

Marc Gobé: What we are seeing worldwide is the weakening of old media such as TV commercials and Billboards. People are spending more time in front of a computer screen talking to their friends or on a cell phone texting or chatting. Social media has helped create active and dynamic communities of like minded people who prefer to find out about brands from their friends. NBC and Fox are seeing the future of Television to become more an on –demand proposition with less commercial messaging, their large investment in Hulu.com is testimony to that. You can now watch your favorite programs when you want it and where you want it with less interruption form the commercial message.

How has social media changed the way that branding has evolved?

Marc Gobé: The updated version of Emotional Branding includes winning strategies in the age of social media. It has been released this month and while working on it I realized that brands do not belong to corporations anymore but people. The Coca Cola Facebook page with 4 million followers was not even designed or created by Coke but the fans of the brand. This is the most fundamental change, instead of pushed communication as we have known it, brands will have to engage in a two way conversation.

Marc Gobé (photo left)

How have the three generations – Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials – had an impact on branding and marketing?

Marc Gobé: The Baby Boomers were the most impactful group. In the United States, their numbers over shadowed the next generation “Gen X” but this group is now slowly retiring. Now, the Baby Boomers values that were based on an Utopic reality are challenged by new generations that have to inherit and face a more difficult world, one that has been affected by pollution and excess. If you have watched the film WALL-E and everyone in the branding business should see it , it shows very well the ideas i am discussing here.

Millenials or the Y generation is bringing a large demographic whose values will transform how we consume information and even buy goods. The Gen X and Y that I call “ xY” in my new book are the change agent that will rely on new technologies to manage their lives. This will bring new opportunities for commerce online not unlike Zappos.com that has transformed commerce online by leveraging the power of the web to bring forward the most advance form of service.

How are women, the multicultural society, and the gay and lesbian community having an impact on branding and marketing?

Marc Gobé: Women influence 85% of all buying so they are the shoppers in chief, the most powerful consumer group, yet still the one marketers fail to understand. It is now common knowledge that one of the reason for the demise of the American Auto industry is their failure to connect with women with appropriate products. Most importantly women dominates the online dialogue 55% vs 45% to men, they own social media and Brands have to get into that conversation.

The Gay community is a trendsetting community that helps make some brands cool or fashionable. Their influence has been defining for a lot of brands such as VW in America so it is very important to understand those groups and the impact they could have on the success of your business.

You write in the book that sensorial experiences are the uncharted territory of branding. What do you mean by that idea?

Marc Gobé: We are people who feel, we want to touch, we need to be stimulated with our senses. The problem with a lot of brands is that they are trying to commoditize the brand experience. You find soups, gourmet foods and dog food sold in the same cans! We recall fondly sensory experiences such as a great songs or a smell from our childhood that has an emotional resonance, to be successful brands have to engage people with all their senses.

How can imagination and innovation be used effectively in developing a brand by engaging the emotions?

Marc Gobé: People want their brands to surprise them, to wow them and show them the future. That is the reason why Apple is so successful, it makes us dream. Emotionally we gravitate towards progress, this is human nature and brands that understand that are winning in the market place.

What is the future of emotional branding in an internet based world?

Marc Gobé: Emotional branding is about connecting brands with people and this is what the internet is all about …connections! On line the most important word is “sharing” if an idea is not re-tweeted or shared on Facebook it has no value. Which means that the more emotional your message the most likely it will have an impact that exponentially can reach a lot of people. Some of the branded videos that you see on YouTube are reaching millions of people because they are worth sharing. This is the biggest ever opportunity for brands to create a powerful dialogue with consumers, to learn from them to innovate with them. The best research tool ever invented.

What is next for Marc Gobé?

Marc Gobé: I am doing a full feature documentary on Emotional Branding My favorites brands:

* Barak Obama because it broke a powerful barrier Race

* Coca Cola because it motivated me to come to America

* Twitter: @mgobe because it is transforming

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My book review of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition by Marc Gobé.

Tags: Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition, Marc Gobé, branding and marketing, business author interviews.

Emotional Branding

The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition

By: Marc Gobé

Published: February 9, 2009
Format: Paperback, 360 pages
ISBN: 978-1-58115-672-0
Publisher: Allworth Press

“Over the past decade, it has become resoundingly clear that the world is moving from an industrially driven economy where machines are the heroes toward a people-driven economy that puts the consumer in the seat of power”, writes acclaimed branding expert Marc Gobé in the completely revised and updated edition of his visionary classic book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition. The author presents a compelling case that consumer power and social media is not only transforming branding, but is altering civilization itself in ways never before imagined possible.

Marc Gobé recognizes that social media, and especially Twitter, changing the way people perceive and interact with brands. This new global outlook is empowering consumers of all types and demographic groups. The author predicted these powerful sea changes in the relationships between customers and brands over a decade ago. Since that time, the consumer trends have proven Marc Gobé correct in his forecasts. The companies can no longer control brands in an internet wired economy. When the brand enters into the marketplace, that control is lost, as consumers take ownership of the brand and give it their own message. Companies that fail to recognize their customers, and don’t follow where their customers reside on the internet, will lose market share, resulting in their eventual business failure.

Marc Gobé (photo left) understands that consumers make purchasing decisions for emotional reasons. Within that emotional marketing paradigm are variations between products and brands, and the emotions they elicit from their target market. At the same time, branders must engage different generational demographics ranging from Baby Boomers, to Generation X, to Millennials. Women form a very powerful decision making group, and their needs and requirements are paramount for any brander to consider. The author describes the severe consequences of failing to engage women as customers. The gay and lesbian community forms another leading edge market segment, very often setting tastes for other market segments. Only through emphasizing the sensorial experiences of consumers can these various market groups be engaged by the brand.

For me, the power of the book is how Marc Gobé presents his vision of emotional branding as the template for the twenty-first century. The author sees clearly the revolution taking place in marketplace and brand perception that is unfolding before our very eyes. Marc Gobé has the insight to see through the clutter, and strike at the core of the new consumer behavior and empowerment. Bolstering his case with lavish use of photographs and graphics, Marc Gobé presents his groundbreaking concepts with clarity. The author challenges branders to use their imagination to innovate and develop and new approach to branding and marketing. Marc Gobé demonstrates the critical importance of being part of the online community and embracing the potential of social media, including Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. He even presents ideas for sharing emotions through social media, giving brands a powerful immediacy for consumers.

I highly recommend the classic, must read book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition by Marc Gobé, to anyone seeking deeper insights into the impact of social media, changing demographics, and consumer empowerment on corporations and their brands. The author describes how information sharing and online community building are changing radically the way brands are engaged by consumers. Companies that fail to consider these critical and growing elements in their branding strategy will lose customers and market share.

Read the important and paradigm transformational book Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition by Marc Gobé, and discover how emotions, connection, and engagement are essential aspects of any online and offline marketing campaign. The recognition of the ubiquitous nature and the exploding importance of the internet are crucial parts of branding now and in the future. There is no going back to the old ways of marketing, and this book guides companies. marketers, and branders into the new and exciting world of emotional and sensorial branding. You will never think in the same terms about marketing and branding again.

Tags: Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People – Revised Edition, Marc Gobé, branding and marketing, business book reviews.

Acclaimed novelists and former corporate executives Robert Gussin and Patricia Gussin, authors of the life changing and inspirational book What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun, were kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about their book. They also shared their thoughts on transitioning from a traditional career to the next stage in life. The Gussins describe their ideas for taking the next step and meeting new challenges successfully and without fear.

Thanks to Robert and Patricia Gussin for their time and their wonderful and informative answers.

What was the background to writing this book What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: Many people asked us how we changed careers from medicine and medical research to writing novels, growing grapes in New Zealand and starting a publishing company all in about five years. Someone suggested after hearing a presentation we made to describe how all this happened that we should “go on the road with this very inspirational talk.” That didn’t really appeal to us so we decided to take it on the road in a book.

Your book is about retirement. Many people fear that event. How can a person remove the fear of the transition from working life to retirement?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: People have to overcome the fear of change and open themselves up to new opportunities, some they may have been thinking about but also others that arise unexpectedly. Here’s where too much analysis allows too many reasons to say no. We abide by the philosophy of “thoughtful impulsiveness.” We don’t jump at everything without any thought, but we don’t overanalyze. You have to take a chance and try some new things. Why not? Just so you are convinced that you can live with a “worst case outcome” in a new venture. If you can, then take a chance and have some fun and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained still holds as a golden rule.

You suggest banishing the very word “retire” from our vocabulary. Why is that an important step to take?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: The word retirement has a negative connotation for many people. Not only does it infer change and uncertainty, but the word itself implies a negative mind set . That’s not surprising when you consider the terms that are synonymous with the word retirement – withdraw, isolate, secede, separate, leave, depart, go off, and many more, all not very appealing. So we prefer terms that conjure up positive feelings. – graduate, transition, shift gears. These make you feel like you are entering a new and exciting phase of life.

Robert and Patricia Gussin (both shown in photo left)

Many people are so self-identified with their jobs and careers, they feel that ending them is a defeat. You suggest turning this time into one of exploration. What do you mean by that?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: There are certainly people who will be very happy continuing on in their jobs or careers if that is feasible. Some will wish to do that only part time. But we believe that when you reach a stage of life where other pursuits are possible it helps to keep an open mind and consider totally new things. Some may be of the magnitude of a “toe in the water” and others may be a “plunge”. But don’t just write off every thought or opportunity for something new and different. As we have learned, jumping into something new catapults you into a whole new identity so completely that you don’t miss the old one. Positive thinking and taking reasonable chances can lead to some very pleasant surprises.

You suggest a concept for people that you call “practicing thoughtful impulsiveness”. What is that idea about, and why is it essential to overcome procrastination and even complete inaction?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: The idea underlying “thoughtful impulsiveness” is the notion and encouragement to react positively to enticing opportunities after some thought but without the excessive consideration and over analysis that can talk you out of everything. Procrastination and “paralysis by analysis” can lead to real unhappiness as you realize that you have passed up some wonderful opportunities and are bored or unhappy with your situation. This is particularly important to someone entering retirement and giving up their job or career.

Many people feel that after their careers they have too much time on their hands. Why is it critical for a person to prioritize their activities?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: We are now living longer and healthier, but we still retire at the age that we have for the last fifty years. So why spend many vital and energetic years frustrated by lack of activity and stimulation? Many retirees would love to take on second careers or opportunities whether or not they need the income. Some people are happy with volunteer activities and these are valuable and important. Some people want to do nothing but relax and recreate. Everyone should think about what they will enjoy after their career and what will give them satisfaction and fulfillment and they should not be afraid to pursue those activities.

You made your own thoughtful, impulsive decision and purchased a vineyard in New Zealand. What challenges and opportunities did that decision open up for you?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: All we knew about wine was that we enjoy drinking it. The purchase of our two vineyards in New Zealand provided the opportunity and the stimulus to learn about grape growing and wine making. We also have a reason to return to New Zealand on a regular basis to enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of the country as well as the friendliness of the wonderful people of New Zealand. Walking through our magnificent vineyards fills us with peace and serenity and pride that we have undertaken this wonderful and rewarding enterprise.

What is next for Robert and Patricia Gussin?

Robert and Patricia Gussin: We don’t know yet. Another fantastic opportunity could arise at any time. But for now, we will continue to write, build our publishing company which is helping many authors, supply our grapes for that wonderful Villa Maria wine, and volunteer at a clinic for low income seniors as well as serve on a few university and business boards.

*************

Robert and Patricia Gussin are the authors of What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun. They have each authored several novels, own two wine vineyards in New Zealand, and run Oceanview Publishing. They divide their time between New York, Florida, and New Zealand.

My book review of What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun by Robert and Patricia Gussin.

Tags: What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun, Robert Gussin, Patricia Gussin, personal reinvention, author interviews.

What’s Next … for You?

The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun

By: Robert Gussin, Patricia Gussin

Published: February 2010
Format: Paperback, 144pp
ISBN-13: 9781933515731
ISBN-10: 1933515732
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing

“Our transition from retirement to a new life – a more exciting new life than any we could possibly have imagined – didn’t happen overnight, but came about piecemeal”, write novelists and former corporate executives Robert and Patricia Gussin, in their life changing and celebratory book What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun. The authors share their varied and fascinating adventures that resulted from the decision to accept the new stages in their lives, and their refusal to live on anyone’s terms but their own.

Robert and Patricia Gussin recognize that life is a series of changes. As people add years to their lives, and they transition out of the workforce, the authors understand that fear and trepidation may enter into peoples’ minds. The life after traditional careers is frightening for many people, as the future is filled with unknown events. While some people view this time of life as retirement, the authors decided to banish that word from their vocabulary and from their outlook on life. The Gussins share their experiences, ranging from writing and publishing, to wine making in New Zealand. The authors chose to reinvent themselves and their lives, and entered into a new journey, after ending their careers in science and medicine.

Patricia and Robert Gussin (both shown in photo left) are wonderful and entertaining guides as they share their enthusiasm for new challenges and projects. Instead of retiring and slowing down, the Gussins consider this stage of life to be about exploration of the world and of yourself. The authors introduce the reader to what they describe as thoughtful impulsiveness. This concept encourages a fresh way of thinking about new opportunities as they present themselves. Instead of over analysis of a situation, the authors suggest study and then taking action, and discovering more about your own abilities than ever before imagined. By recommending prioritizing what is important to a person or couple, the Gussins help their readers stay focused on what truly matters to them.

For me, the power of the book is how Robert and Patricia Gussin approach what used to be called retirement in an entirely new way. They begin by dismissing traditional ideas of slowing down and becoming inactive. They also demonstrate that leaving a career opens the door to fresh possibilities for being productive members of society. The passion for seeking out opportunities, and the fun and adventure offered by tackling new challenges, are inspirational for readers. For baby boomers near the end of their traditional careers, this book provides some very powerful options for personal growth and generating income. The book is much more than a business book and is more of a life coaching manual for accepting changes in life. The book teaches that a productive and fulfilling life doesn’t have to end at age sixty or sixty-five. The Gussins share the idea of creating alternatives and seeking out opportunities for personal fulfillment and happiness.

I highly recommend the inspiring and life embracing book What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun by Patricia and Robert Gussin, to anyone seeking an alternative to the standard concept of retirement. The authors describe how to banish the idea of retirement, and to replace it with the concept of graduation to a new set of life adventures. Instead of slowing down, the Gussins guide you along the way to living your deepest and most powerful dreams.

Read the life affirming and positive book What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun by Robert and Patricia Gussin, and discover for yourself how a change in outlook will result in a happier and more rewarding life. Forget about retirement, and become adventurers on life’s journey. Accept the challenge of change, remove your fear of the future, and enjoy what is next in your own life.

Tags: What’s Next … for You? The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun, Robert Gussin, Patricia Gussin, personal reinvention, business book reviews.

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Founder of QBQ, Inc., and author of the highly practical and enlightening book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional, John G. Miller, describes how all companies and people aspire to be the best. He discusses how people are drawn to outstanding organizations like a magnet. The author distills what organizations of all types need to do and think, and stop not doing and not thinking, to stand out from the rest. He identifies principles and behaviors that play leading roles in organizations. Learn the skills that will turn your average organization into an outstanding one that rises above its competitors.

John G. Miller is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, March 4, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Founder of QBQ, Inc., and author of the highly practical and enlightening book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional, John G. Miller, describes how all companies and people aspire to be the best. You will learn:

* What best practices and principles distinguish outstanding organizations

* How to become an exceptional manager, owner, and employee

* Why personal responsibility and accountability are critical

* How to change the company culture to create an outstanding company

John G. Miller (photo left) is the author of QBQ! The Question Behind the Question® and Flipping the Switch … Unleashing the Power of Personal Accountability, as well as his latest book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional. He is also founder of QBQ, Inc.

John has worked with hundreds of Fortune 500 companies as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations to help them make personal responsibility a core value. He also helps them to become outstanding. John has appeared on national television, radio, as well as in print media.

John lives in Denver, CO with his wife, Karen. They have seven children.

My book review of Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional by John G. Miller.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let’s talk with founder of QBQ, Inc., and author of the highly practical and enlightening book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional, John G. Miller, describes how all companies and people aspire to be the best. He discusses how people are drawn to outstanding organizations like a magnet. The author distills what organizations of all types need to do and think, and stop not doing and not thinking, to stand out from the rest. He identifies principles and behaviors that play leading roles in organizations. Learn the skills that will turn your average organization into an outstanding one that rises above its competitors on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional, John G. Miller, organizational development an management, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Outstanding!

47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional

By: John G. Miller

Published: January 7, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 224pp
ISBN-13: 9780399156403
ISBN-10: 0399156402
Publisher: Putnam/Penguin Group (USA)

“It’s amazing how some truths sometimes hide right in front of us”, writes founder of QBQ, Inc., John G. Miller, in his highly practical and enlightening book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional. The author describes how healthy organizations of all types and sizes, hold and act upon their core values, that build profits, create more productive and engaged employees, and retain good customers.

John G. Miller understands that no company or individual wants to be mediocre or just average. People and the organizations for which they work, want to excel in their industry, and be regarded as the best. For John G. Miller, that means that people and organizations want to be outstanding. With this overall concept in mind, the author shares forty-seven proven techniques to achieve outstanding performance and results. Through his years of experience working with businesses and non-profit organizations, the author discovered that each successful organization maintained and acted upon its crucial core values. That meant that those who were outstanding in their industries were thinking and doing the right things, while not thinking or doing the wrong ideas and practices.

John G. Miller (photo left) has dedicated his career to adding personal responsibility to the list of vital core values. The author believes the principles of integrity, accountability, and authenticity can be transferred to an entire organization. The individual behaviors that people act upon can become company wide courses of action in the organizational culture. John G. Miller describes in detail how these individual choices and actions can be implemented effectively. Personal activity becomes collective action through the application of the author’s recommendations. In many cases, the best and most profitable course of action is obvious, involving doing the right thing for customers, employees, vendors, and all of the organizations stakeholders.

For me, the power of the book is how John G. Miller examines what appear at first glance to be obvious concepts, yet he places them into the overall context of being outstanding. The idea of having both personal and organizational guiding principles is simple, but very powerful. Through having a purpose of being the best, everyone involved in the organization develops their passion for being outstanding. The author provides the practical and hands on tools to achieve greatness in any organization or industry. Through adoption of the book’s forty-seven principles at the personal level, a huge difference is made in the behavior of the entire organization. John G. Miller never forgets that organizations are made up of people, and he believes people want to be the best and be part of an outstanding group of people. As a result, personal responsibility and accountability will achieve success across the entire company.

I highly recommend the engaging and inspirational book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional by John G. Miller, to anyone seeking to become outstanding as an individual and as part of an industry leading company or non-profit organization. This book reminds the reader of the power of doing the right thing, with authenticity and transparency, that results in better performance and greater results.

Read the organization strengthening book Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional by John G. Miller, and put the author’s simple but effective concepts to work for you, your company, your customers, your vendors, and everyone involved with your business or group. The advice is timeless and game changing, and this book will help you and your company become truly outstanding in every way.

Tags: Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional, John G. Miller, organizational development an management, business book reviews.

Certified coach, owner of Clarity To Business and author of the valuable and very hands on book Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Solid Business, Christy Strauch, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about her book and about entrepreneurship.

She describes how creative people can be successful in business and why it’s critical to understand the numbers and to speak their language. She also shared her insights into starting a successful business.

Thanks to Christy Strauch for her very informative answers.

What was the background to writing this book, Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Solid Business?

Christy Strauch: I had been teaching business plan workshops using another book, but discovered it was too advanced. It assumed a level of understanding about business that the classes didn’t have. (I figured this out from the blank stares I would get in the workshops). So I created a 20-page handout and used it to teach from. Every time I taught the class, people asked more questions and wanted me to cover more concepts, so the handout got bigger and bigger.

Somewhere in the middle of creating this ever-growing handout, I also realized that if I helped people connect to their purpose, the numbers sections would go more easily–so I put the chapter about understanding the purpose of and for your business at the front. Then I added more information about basic financial concepts like cash flow and break-even point. After that came information about how to figure out who your best clients were, and how to talk to them.

And Poof! It became a book.

It wasn’t as easy as I make it sound; probably 200 people read and critiqued the book in its various stages of coming into being. I made legions of changes based on their feedback. But once I saw the picture of the cover on Amazon, it felt like my fairy godmother had waved her magic wand and granted me a precious, important and gratifying wish.

You structured this book into modules as a course in entrepreneurship. Was that your intention?

Christy Strauch: It wasn’t! I never thought about it that way until you pointed it out.

Because of the experience I had in using the other book to teach the workshops, and realizing that it was too advanced for the participants, I began adding basic business information to the new iteration of each handout. Even as the copy editor was proofreading the book, she asked a number of business-related questions that I hadn’t covered, and I added more information for her.

The structure of the book was nothing more complex than my responding to the questions I got from my classes and the other people who test-drove it. I see in retrospect that all the feedback I got from everyone who read it shaped it into an entrepreneurship course. What I most wanted was to give people a simple and fairly painless way to write a business plan for their precious businesses.

We often hear that having a passion is fine as a hobby, but it won’t work as a business. Is it possible for people to make a living as entrepreneurs doing what most interests them?

Christy Strauch: On the contrary: I think it’s difficult for entrepreneurs to make a living unless they are doing what deeply interests them. People who make a living doing what most interests them are oftentimes the most successful. For a great example, look at Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, or Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft.

The catch is, if you want to transform a hobby into a business you have to treat it like a business. A hobby is like dating; turning it into a business is like going from dating to marriage. If you turn your hobby into your business you have to show up, just like in marriage, even on the days you don’t feel like it. “Showing up” can include some challenging tasks, such as taking the necessary steps to understand your numbers, understand you customers, and talking your customers regularly.

The question isn’t “can I turn my hobby into a business?” It’s “am I willing to make the commitment required to turn my hobby into a business?”

Many people who want to go into business are immediately intimidated by the idea of numbers. How can this fear of numbers be overcome?

Christy Strauch: You are right about there being a lot of fear about business numbers. It’s ironic. Guess what level of math it takes to do them? Second grade math. We shouldn’t even call it math—it’s more like arithmetic. There is an undeserved mystique surrounding business numbers. If you can do addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, you’ve got all the skills you need.

Math skills aside, the other thing that happens to us as business owners is that we sometimes equate our worth as human beings with our bank account balance. If your bank account is low and that means you’re worthless, it’s much harder to look at your numbers when your business isn’t doing well.

I like to think about “Number” as a separate language that anyone can learn. Right-brained creative types are as good as anyone else at learning languages; this is just like Spanish only easier. And if you are like some of us who occasionally get our self-worth confused with our bank balance, there is help for that. Either way, business numbers are easy to learn. The mystique is undeserved.

Christy Strauch (photo left)

Many right brained creative people have wonderful business ideas, but they often find the world of business outside their type of thinking. How can right brained, creative people excel in business?

Christy Strauch: There is a groundswell of change in thinking about right-brained creative people and business. As Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind says, “The era of “left brain” dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which “right brain” qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate.”

To succeed in your own business, bring your right-brained creativity to you work, and learn how to understand what your business numbers are telling you. That is a solid formula for success.

How can a person discover their unknown strengths and weaknesses and leverage them in the right combination to create and take advantage of new opportunities?

Christy Strauch: Pay attention to what kind of work attracts you. The work that you’re attracted to is calling you to utilize these unknown strengths (and weaknesses). The process of figuring out how to do the work you’re drawn to will tell you what you’re good at and what strengths you have that you might not even be aware of.

I am a great example of this, as are most of my coaching clients. I took my own struggles with money and debt and turned them into a coaching business helping other small business owners conquer their own money issues. One of my clients who was the life of the party in her twenties; who went to, and also organized the best and most outrageous parties, is now a meeting planner. She applies her life-of-the-party skills to create memorable meetings for corporations and non-profits.

Look at all the things you do well, and pay attention to the kind of work that attracts you. That will tell you where your skills lie.

Truthfully, though, I’ve figured out a lot of this only in hindsight. I went for the work I loved, and understood only in retrospect how all my skills and experiences made me uniquely suited for this work

A term you use a lot in the book is clarity. What is clarity, and why is it important?

Christy Strauch: This comes from my own experience of having a business where I had no clarity.

There is so much competition now, that to succeed, you have to be clear. You have to know what you stand for, who you help, why they like you, how to talk to them, how much money you make and need to make, how much your expenses are. It used to be enough to open your doors in a decent location, or start up your business and say “I’m the best” or “I’m the cheapest” That doesn’t work anymore. So to compete, you have to know who you are. You have to be clear.

Business plans are an essential part of planning out all aspects of the business. Why do business plans scare people and how can this fear be turned into a positive force?

Christy Strauch: Business owners talk themselves out of doing this scary thing, a business plan, using these excuses (as I did many times myself). “It’s not necessary. I have the plan in my head. I don’t have time to plan (!). Plans are for bigger businesses. I don’t know how to do one. It’ll just sit on my shelf and gather dust.” None of these excuses hold water.

Fear can be a flashing neon sign telling us that this scary thing we don’t want to do might actually be the thing we most need to do next. If you’re afraid of doing a business plan, take that as a sign that you need to do one. Round up another business owner or two who are also scared, and do it together.

Eleanor Roosevelt said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” She was right.

You describe a business as having a language that speaks to a person. What is that language and how can we hear what it is saying?

Businesses speak a language I have named “Number.”

The language of Number isn’t tough to learn. As I talked about in previous questions, learning how to speak Number requires only basic math skills.

Once you get over the idea that you have to have a PhD. in math to comprehend your business numbers, you can begin to understand what your business is telling you.

With a little work (or a simple accounting program), you can figure out who you best customers are (or at least you can see who spends the most money with you). Your business will tell you whether you’re making enough money to support yourself; how much it costs to pay the light bill each month, how much profit you make on every product you sell, how many of each product or service you sell monthly. It can tell you if things are going well, or badly, whether your sales run in cycles, and many other very interesting facts. You can even see how your business stacks up against other ones doing the same work.

To hear what your business is saying to you, you can sit down with your bookkeeper or accountant and talk to them; you can take a class at a local community college, or, my favorite option: buy my book!

Right brained people are naturally creative. That ability should make them naturals for marketing and promotion. How can the creative person tap into this skill and turn marketing and promotions into a dream come true?

Christy Strauch: The best way to turn your creative skills into successful marketing is to look closely at what you enjoy doing and pay attention to that.

If you are an eloquent writer, you will enjoy having a blog, publishing a newsletter, writing articles or posting on Twitter. People who are more visual might enjoy creating videos to post on You Tube. If you like to teach or give speeches, audio podcasting might work well for you as a marketing tool. If you enjoy being connected to a lot of people, Facebook or MySpace are great sites for that.

My new mantra for marketing is this: the marketing you enjoy is the marketing that gets done regularly is the marketing that works. So, look first at what you truly enjoy doing, and build your marketing around that.

How can a business person be accountable to themselves to ensure that every part of the business is looked after?

Christy Strauch: Ask your customers to help you. Send out surveys and see what they say about how you’re doing Take them to lunch or coffee.

Set up these talks with your customers regularly. Put them on your calendar. You can also use survey tools such as www.surveymonkey.com or www.zoomerang.com, which, for small surveys, are free. You can even make your surveys anonymous.

You can also talk to your employees, if you have them, although sometimes employees want to spare you the bad news. Customers will usually tell you the truth.

If you incorporate regular visits with your customers, listen to what they tell you, and make the changes they suggest (unless you absolutely can’t), this will keep you accountable and focused on all parts of your business in a way that a time management plan can’t even touch.

If a creative person wants to start a business, what is the first step that individual should take?

Christy Strauch: You have to ask yourself two questions. First: Are you willing to make the commitment (remember the dating vs. marriage example)?

Second: do the numbers make sense?

This question is a little harder to answer, so I’ll give you an example. A client of mine who wanted to start a cleaning business had to gross $100,000 per year in the business. She planned to charge $50.00 per hour.

So we did the math. In order to make $100,000, she would have had to clean 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year.

Since this isn’t humanly possible, before she launched this business she had to make sure she could get other people to work for her so she could bill the number of hours to hit her goal.

Obviously she faced other challenges such as marketing her business appropriately so people would hire her, but before she did any of the other work, she had to solve the problem that to make the money she needed to make, she had to hire other people, raise her prices, or start a different business.

What is next for Christy Strauch?

Christy Strauch: I am writing a second book, called The I Hate to Market Book.

I noticed that many of my coaching clients are introverts, in that they get energy from being alone as opposed to extroverts who get energy from being with people. Many of them thought that the only way they could market their businesses was to do things like attend large networking events or cold calling. Not only are these activities difficult for introverts, they also don’t take advantage of their natural skill in building deeper relationships with fewer numbers of people, plus other skills like long focus and reflection.

I also noticed that most small business owners don’t market regularly. I put these two observations together and decided that if I could help people understand their own personalities, then present them with thirty-plus ways to do their marketing; that they could choose marketing that they actually liked. Remember the marketing you like, is the marketing that gets done regularly, is the marketing that works.

I have been posting excerpts of the book on my website, and hope to have the entire book in print by the end of 2010.

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My book review of Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Solid Business by Christy Strauch.

My Blog Business Success Radio interview with Christy Strauch.

Tags: Passion, Plan, Profit: 12 Simple Steps to Turn Your Passion into a Solid Business, Christy Strauch, visionary business planning, business author interviews.

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Co-founder of the legendary Casablanca Records, and author of the fascinating and definitive book on the on the story of the meteoric rise and fall of the legendary music company Casablanca Records, And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Larry Harris, shares the real inside story of the meteoric rise and sudden crash of the record label. He describes the brilliant, yet inevitably doomed Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca, and his groundbreaking marketing and promotional concepts. The story of Casablanca is one of a business rise to the top, based on real talent, innovation, perception being reality, and marketing genius. Known as the label of KISS, Donna Summer, and disco, Casablanca used marketing concepts that were ahead of their time. The definitive, and ultimate insider story of 1970s icon Casablanca Records, provides critical lessons for all types of businesses today.

Larry Harris is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, March 2, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Co-founder of the legendary Casablanca Records, and author of the fascinating and definitive book on the on the story of the meteoric rise and fall of the legendary music company Casablanca Records, And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Larry Harris, shares the real inside story of the meteoric rise and sudden crash of the record label. You will learn:

* How an innovative and growing company failed

* Why cash flow management is critical to business success

* How handling growth of a company properly is critical

* How the music industry operated in the 1970s and how it has changed

Larry Harris (photo left) was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended the New York Institute of Technology and graduated with a BFA in Communications. He began working for Buddah/Kama Sutra Records in the summer of 1971 as the New York Promotions Man and in 1973 joined Neil Bogart in founding Casablanca Records. Larry became Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the company in 1976 and left Casablanca in the summer of 1979.

Larry currently oversees The Talk Connection, a public relations company designed to use talk radio and magazine format radio in the exposure of musicians, authors, games, films, and other products. He has worked on projects for DirecTV, Universal Music Group, Warner Bros. Records, Higher Octave Music, Atlantic Records, NBC-TV, among many others.

My book review of And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records by Larry Harris with Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs.

My written Q and A author interview with Larry Harris.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let’s talk with co-founder of the legendary Casablanca Records, and author of the fascinating and definitive book on the on the story of the meteoric rise and fall of the legendary music company Casablanca Records, And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records. Larry Harris, as he shares the real inside story of the meteoric rise and sudden crash of the record label. He describes the brilliant, yet inevitably doomed Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca, and his groundbreaking marketing and promotional concepts. The story of Casablanca is one of a business rise to the top, based on real talent, innovation, perception being reality, and marketing genius. Known as the label of KISS, Donna Summer, and disco, Casablanca used marketing concepts that were ahead of their time. The definitive, and ultimate insider story of 1970s icon Casablanca Records, provides critical lessons for all types of businesses today on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: And Party Every Day: The Inside Story of Casablanca Records, Larry Harris, Curt Gooch, Jeff Suhs, Neil Bogart, KISS, Donna Summer, disco music, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Well known California interior designer, and owner of several decorating stores, Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, was kind enough to answer a few questions about her practical and easy to understand book At Home with Laurie Ann. She shares some money saving, and easy to apply tips and secrets for designing the home of your dreams on a very limited budget.

Thanks to Laurie Ann for her time and for her wonderful responses. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to writing this book At Home with Laurie Ann?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: I wanted to share my knowledge and inspire those who want to make their homes reflections of their personalities and lifestyles.

Many home decorating books have such complicated designs that they are well beyond the budget of the average person. Your book takes a different approach. How does your book help a person create a designer look on a tiny budget?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: I’m teaching people to look beyond designer showrooms and be creative in the ways they shop and to freshen up pieces they already have.

You recommend starting with the furniture and items that the home owner or renter already owns. What do you mean by that idea?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: A simple start to making a home fresh and new without getting rid of everything a person owns is to begin by looking at the furniture one already has and picking out the pieces they love. The initial home design will begin with those pieces — the beloved pieces will dictate the style and colors that the home will take on.

You suggest finding one’s own style. How does a person who believes they have little style or is new to the idea of decorating create a personal style?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: Although someone may think they have no style, there are different design elements that they will find themselves attracted to, i.e., certain colors, particular furniture pieces, definite fabric prints, etc. Start by looking through home magazines, keeping in mind that you may not like the entire room; but if there is an item that stands out, make note of it. A pattern will eventually emerge — identifying your style.

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray (photo left)

One of your interesting ideas is going room by room. How does this not only help affordability but create distinctive designs?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: It helps with distinctive design because all your energy will be focused on that particular room and you won’t feel so scattered.

How can the use of color, pattern, and layers completely transform the look of a room?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: The color changes the mood, the pattern affects the energy and layering adds interest and dimension.

As families change in size, people move to new locations, and interests and careers change as well. How can these different stages of life be included in new and exciting looks without spending a lot of money?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: When first beginning to decorate your home and shopping for major furniture pieces, invest in higher quality items and keep the color pallet of these pieces neutral — then the selections can grow with you. And when the time comes, walls can be painted and accessories and pillows can be easily replaced or updated to reflect your ever-changing lifestyle.

Do you have hard and fast rules for every occasion as some designers tell us to follow?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: I believe rules are meant to be broken and there are no boundaries when it comes to design. All that matters is that you love your home and the way you feel when you are there — decorate toward those goals.

How can a home be freshened up to a new look with little investment in cost and time?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: Change out your pillows, rearrange your furniture in ways you may not haven’t thought of the first time, paint furniture to give it a new look, replace kitchen knobs, add a slipcover to your sofa. Even new placemats and kitchen towels can make a “fresh” difference.

Should we be sure to remember our lawns, backyards, decks, and gardens too?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: You should never ignore your outdoor space because it is a reflection of what is inside. In essence, it’s the final room of your home.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give to a person who is intimidated by the idea of decorating their home?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: There is no need to be intimidated if you start small — the rest will fall into place.

What is next for Laurie Ann McMillin Ray?

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray: I’m going to continue helping people create for their families homes they all love. Whether that means opening more decorating boutiques or writing additional books, I don’t know at this point; but I’m certainly excited about the future because decorating is my passion, my friend, my favorite pastime.

**********

My book review of At Home with Laurie Ann by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray.

Tags: At Home with Laurie Ann, Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, interior design on a budget, author interviews.

At Home with Laurie Ann

By: Laurie Ann McMillin Ray

Published: February 10, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0984074805
ISBN-13: 978-0984074808
Publisher: Laurie Ann Publishing Inc.

“Whether you seek an all-out overhaul or a visual shake-up of your home, you’ll begin in the same place – with your taste, your needs and your dreams”, writes interior designer and owner of several decorating stores, Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, in her practical and easy to understand book At Home with Laurie Ann. The author shares ideas to transform any house into a home that reflects its owner’s personal style, while decorating on a limited budget.

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray began her decorating career by designing interiors for her home builder father. Her twenty-five years of experience in home decorating are very much in evidence in the book. Because of her understanding that people have widely diverse tastes, families, and budgets, Laurie Ann provides the design tools necessary to create your own home decorating style that suits your individual needs. Whether you are a first time home buyer, a long term owner, or anywhere in between, the author shares secrets that anyone can use successfully to create their own dream home. Laurie Ann invites the homeowner to utilize existing furniture, fabric, and dashes of color in new and interesting ways to put your own personal stamp on each room.

Laurie Ann McMillin Ray (photo left) invites people to discover their own personal style and to have their home reflect their personal space. The author provides a guide to helping your creative side shine through, even if you have always believed that you have no design skill. Laurie Ann doesn’t believe that everyone needs to hire expensive interior decorators. With her lavishly illustrated book as an inspiration, the author believes that anyone can create exciting and eye catching designs, on a very tiny budget. The author sets out the basics of interior design in language that anyone can understand, and suggests that a person look at familiar rooms with new eyes. By simply rearranging the furniture, in patterns never thought of before, the home owner can open their mind to endless new possibilities.

For me, the power of the book is the practical and simple format for home decorating that Laurie Ann McMillin Ray recommends to her readers. Unlike many books on room design, this book is not all about the author. Instead, the author makes a point of having the home owner create their own look, that suits their family’s tastes and lifestyle. The book contains a very handy checklist to help determine what your personal goals for the design are, and what matters most to the reader. The abundant full color photos of various interior looks provide a visual guide to thinking in new ways, and letting your creativity flow through every room in the house, and the yard and garden outside. Laurie Ann even provides tips for making the holiday seasons special, and adds a few tasty recipes to satisfy the hungry home designer.

I highly recommend the very easy to use and approachable book At Home with Laurie Ann by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, to anyone seeking a clear guide to creating a visually stunning look on a limited budget. Instead of being told to throw everything out or buy entirely new furniture, Laurie Ann suggests a more realistic an budget conscious method. She recommends using what already exists in the way of furniture and fabric, and letting your individual style and taste through the end result. By thinking of ways to mix and match, and deepen the textures, a beautiful and eclectic look can be created by anyone.

Read the indispensable guide to low cost home interior design At Home with Laurie Ann by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, and make your house into a dream home that fits your personal style and taste. With just a few hints from this wonderful book, anyone can create looks that match those of an expensive interior decorator, at a tiny fraction of the cost. Read this book and turn every room of your home into what you truly wish it to be for you and your family.

Tags: At Home with Laurie Ann, Laurie Ann McMillin Ray, interior design on a budget, design book reviews.