. You Don’t Have To Reinvent the Wheel. Have you ever heard someone say this? This discussion usually takes place when someone is looking for a Great Idea or the Next Big Thing or trying to hard to be a “Disruptor”. (An aside: Please stop using any form of the word “disrupt” in relation to business. We’re over it. Seriously, we had a meeting. Stop it. Love, Everyone.) The reality is, you don’t need to come up with something that no one else has ever thought of, you simply need to do a particular thing better than everyone else, or solve a current problem. Not sure where to begin?…

Crafty Calendar! My biggest fan (read:my tween daughter) has consistently informed me that more people would pay attention to my YouTube videos if I would just post something interesting. “You know, like a make-up tutorial or a craft.” I hadn’t come up with a way to impress her, until now. Here is a transcription of Mash The Button: Home Ec Edition, where I teach the viewer how to make good use of those old 2016 magnet calendars, now that the new year -and new calendar- has arrived. If you’d prefer to just watch the video and not read through the nonsense, click here. Hello, everyone! This is Laura Fangman with…

Don’t be a half-assed marketer. If you’re going to do something, do it with your whole ass. When you get lazy or bored or busy or disinterested, all those feelers you put out there are still… out there. All of those activities meant to generate interest don’t just stop. When you don’t follow up with leads or inquiries or clients, it makes people unhappy. They feel irritated and disappointed and unimportant. The ire of the public will then turn on everyone in the industry, as we share the blanket of unprofessionalism. It’s sweeping generalizations, it’s not fair and its absolute fact. If you’re going to market, do it. Do it…

A follow up to “Where to Begin? Business Planning 2017” . Your peeps. Your circle, friends and family, sphere of influence, funnel-filler, pipeline… these are the folks who will contribute to your success. Some of us have a larger pool to draw from than others, but everyone has a pool. With our population becoming more transient, it is common to find yourself starting over in a new place and feeling like you have no human resources from which to draw. There are tons of resources available, if you’re researching ways to connect and grow your sphere. For a list of great ideas to get you started, click here. Take note…

You’re Late It’s January 9th. If you are still researching articles on business planning, you’re doing it wrong. More specifically, you’re late to the party but, better late than never, right? If you get a handle on things now, next year will be a breeze, in comparison. This is a very basic overview to get you started. Sometimes, too many intricate details can create confusion, so let’s step back and look at the basics of planning a successful year. Here’s a little timesaver tip: Regardless of your plan, the key will ALWAYS be consistency. If you’re not committed to getting off your ass and working hard, don’t bother reading the…

A follow up to “Where to Begin? Business Planning 2017” Be unique… just like everybody else. Believe it or not, there’s some truth to that first line. The twist is, you have to be unique the longest. When it comes to implementing your How, you could do the exact same thing as 50 other people, but if you do that thing consistently, you’ll come out ahead. We are notoriously bad at follow-through and, even though the Good Idea Fairy visits us all from time to time, it’s the Gnome of Consistency, plodding along, that gets the results. For many of us, the How -as in, “How am I going to…

As a follow up to “Where to Begin? Business Planning 2017” . Stop daydreaming and start doing. Have you ever gone through the process of finding your “Why”? This important, but incredibly over-used tactic, is often employed at sales conferences and company meetings to motivate employees and give them a feeling of deeper purpose about their jobs. The majority of people will stop at, “My kids” or “Get Out of Debt” as their Why, without putting much thought into it. Others will get so wrapped up in finding the “right answer” or the deepest meaning, that they never really benefit from the exercise. Are kids and debt important? Absolutely! Is…