Three Women Who Rocked the Business Boat

For far too many years, women were left out of the business scene altogether – and when they did finally gain inroads they were patronized, pet on the head and called ‘baby’ a few too many times. The business world has never been an easy arena wherein women could gain power, but a few women have not only managed to karate-chop the door down, they’ve kicked ass and taken names. Here are three amazing women who have not only managed to succeed in a man’s world, but have built their own empires.

Margaret Whitman – Meg’s not just the former President and CEO of the world’s largest auction site and most valuable internet brand, eBay.com. She’s also one of the most financially successful women in history, with a net worth valued at $1.6 billion. Prior to starting eBay, she held high-level position at a variety of big-name corporations including Hasbro, Stride Rite and Walt Disney.

Meg has managed to keep eBay on top despite fierce efforts by competitors like Yahoo and Google, using her business savvy to make decisions to move eBay beyond the realm of garage sales and into a phenomenon with 22 million users and growing.

Oprah Winfrey – Oprah may be an obvious choice for this list, but there’s just no leaving her off. She’s one of few women internationally known just by their first names and rose from a poor rural upbringing to become the most influential women in the world, with a legion of followers numbering in the millions who take her word as gospel. Her resume is almost too incredible to be real: her internationally-syndicated talk show has earned her many Emmys and is the highest-rated talk show in the history of television; she’s an Academy-Award-nominated actress, a magazine publisher, the richest African American of the 20th century and the world’s only black billionaire.

Oprah broke into a field dominated by white males, embarking on a meteoric rise to the top of the TV ratings that would lead to a media empire crowned by her publishing company, Harpo Productions. She has her own XM satellite radio channel called ‘Oprah & Friends’, and will debut a new cable channel called ‘OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network’ in 2009.

Martha Stewart – No matter how you personally feel about her, Martha’s a serious role model for women in business. Though her star might have become tarnished over the last few years after the infamous trading scandal and resulting jail time, only Oprah’s media empire rivals Martha’s in scale and influence. Martha’s rise in the business world began when she became a stockbroker in 1967, enjoying success in that field until she decided to quit to focus on raising her daughter and restoring her new home in Connecticut. What she learned during her restoration efforts coupled with her interest in cooking led over the years to what we now know as Martha Stewart Omnimedia, a company that consolidated her various television, print, and merchandising efforts related to the Martha Stewart brand.

The beauty of Martha Stewart’s career is that she not only broke numerous glass ceilings in various industries, but did it by making crafts and baking apple pie. She took what were stereotypically women’s tasks done in the kitchen for free and spun them into a multi-billion-dollar empire that will leave an indelible mark on the history of women in business.

Get Savvy on Civility: The Delicate Art of Business Etiquette

You say inappropriate things at company parties, drink three glasses of whiskey at business lunches, answer your cell phone during meetings, forget to thank associates for favors and send blunt one-word responses to emails. You may think you’re coming off as a charming rogue when others are rolling their eyes, annoyed at your rudeness.

Nowadays, many see etiquette as unimportant and outdated, but these small actions really do influence how others see you – including colleagues, higher-ups, clients and investors. Making a good impression can be crucial to your success. Here are some tips to business etiquette that you may never have even thought of, but could help you make and keep important alliances.

First off is making a good first impression. Smile, look people in the eye, and give a firm handshake. Stand up and introduce yourself immediately when meeting someone new. Treat everyone you meet as if they’re important – that means acting the same toward your subordinates and other associates as you do toward clients, investors and bosses.

Put your cell phone down. One of the biggest annoyances in today’s business world is professionals who are constantly fiddling with their phones or PDAs – text messaging, checking their calendars, surfing the web or looking at the clock while others are trying to communicate with them. It sends the message that whatever’s on your electronic device is more important than the people around you. On that note, don’t take calls while you’re in a meeting unless you want those in attendance to feel insignificant.

Be on time. It’s so simple, yet so many people fail to do it. Being perpetually late, even if it’s only by fifteen minutes or so, sends the same message as answering your cell phone in a meeting: that those you’re meeting with aren’t important or worthy of courtesy. Being late is a great way to put people off before you’ve even spoken to them.

Be graceful and considerate at business meals. Pick up the tab if you did the inviting, allow your guests to order first, and follow general meal etiquette like placing your napkin in your lap. Utensils start from the outside in. Try to avoid ordering anything too messy. When you’re finished eating, lay your knife and fork across your plate and place your napkin to the right of your plate.

Limit alcohol consumption at company parties – moderation is key. This is true for food also. You don’t want to stand by the buffet table and stuff your face all night, or give the impression that you’re a lush. Alcohol and business rarely mix well. Consider parties to be part of your job rather than casual get-togethers and conduct yourself accordingly. Try to talk to as many people as possible, especially your bosses. Parties can be a great way to get in some face time with influential people, so take advantage of that rather than getting blitzed and making a fool of yourself.

Give credit where it’s due. Make sure to thank anyone who gives you an idea, a lead, or special assistance with a task. Depending on the situation, that may merit a simple verbal thank-you, a brief handwritten note or a mention during a meeting. Failing to credit those who have helped you in some way can result in bad blood or at the very least, reduce the chance of getting assistance from that person again.

Use email carefully and efficiently. It’s just as important to be courteous in email exchanges as in verbal or written communication. Avoid responding to questions with blunt one-word answers, or at least include the original message with your response when you do. Use sarcasm sparingly, since it rarely comes across in electronic communication. Avoid abbreviations, don’t use emoticons and use proper spelling and grammar. Put meaningful information in the subject line and make sure to sign the bottom of the message. If you have a penchant for responding emotionally and then wishing later on that you had thought out your message more before sending it, follow the 5-minute rule: write it out, leave it alone for 5 minutes and then re-read it.

8 Steps to Keeping Your Business PCs Secure

The last thing any business wants is to lose all of their data or give outsiders access to sensitive information. Both scenarios could potentially destroy a small business, and yet so many business owners fail to stay on top of computer security. You may think, ‘I’m not an IT expert, how can I make sure it’s secure?’ It’s easier than you think. Here are 8 simple steps to keeping your business network safe and secure.

1. Keep your anti-virus up to date on all company computers. We’re assuming that you have anti-virus software installed already, of course, because that’s the single most important thing you can do to protect your PCs. Many programs update automatically, which is the best option for companies with many computers and no dedicated IT person.

2. Run anti-spyware programs regularly to keep malware off your computers. ‘Malware’ is a generic term for software that collects personal information and sends it to a third party. It might collect your browsing history in order to serve up targeted ads or it could do something more malicious, like log your keystrokes. Anti-spyware programs seek out and remove this software. A few good ones are Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and Destroy and Spyware Doctor.

3. Set up a firewall. Firewalls protect the computers on your network from outside threats by screening traffic and blocking unauthorized attempts to access data. It’s best to have a security expert configure your firewall, if possible, since getting the right balance of protection vs. inhibiting users from doing their work can be tricky.

4. Teach employees how to use email safely. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many people still open suspicious files. If you don’t recognize the email address of the person who sent the attachment, don’t open the file.

5. Create an IT security policy. In addition to asking employees not to open suspicious email attachments, ban downloading executable files (.exe), which could be harmful. Most employees shouldn’t have a real reason to download programs onto their work computers. You should also include a line that states that employees may not attempt to gain entry to any network, system, service or data they’re not authorized to access.

6. Keep your operating systems up to date. Older operating systems (like, for example, Windows98) are more susceptible to attacks. For PCs, Windows XP Professional is most secure. If you’ve got Macs, go with OSX. Download updates when they become available – they often include patches that will increase security.

7. Secure your wireless network. Not everyone who accesses your unsecured wireless network is innocently trying to find an internet connection. Unsecured wireless networks give hackers an easy way into your computers. For a guide to securing your wireless network, see PC World.

8. Use password protection. Password protect all important data files. That way, if your computers ever got stolen, the thieves wouldn’t be able to access sensitive data. (Of course, you should have backups of all of your data that are kept constantly up-to-date!). Instructions for password-protecting Windows files and folders can be found here. Instructions for encrypting files and folders on a Mac can be found at MacWorld.

10 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Copywriter

Hiring a copywriter can be one of the most important marketing decisions you make for your business. A good copywriter will help define your brand, keep readers engaged, build their trust in you and make them feel the need to purchase your product or services. A bad copywriter will undermine your professionalism, confuse potential customers and possibly rip you off.

How do you tell the difference between the two? Asking 10 important questions before you hire them. These questions will help you weed out the wannabes and find the true professionals who can help advance your business.

1. Work samples – Ask about the copywriter’s recent work and read a variety of samples in different areas such as sales letters, web copy, brochure copy, product descriptions and email marketing campaigns. Don’t place too much emphasis on whether they’ve done the exact sort of project you’re looking for before – you can tell a lot about their abilities by looking at other work they’ve done.

However, be advised that there’s a big difference between copywriters and creative writers – don’t hire someone whose portfolio is full of short stories or poetry. Similarly, there’s a difference between content writers and direct response copywriters (though many writers do both): content writers can provide a nicely written article according to your needs, but may not have sales and marketing experience. Bottom line: work samples are the single most important factor in hiring a copywriter – they give you an instant idea of what you’re going to get.

2. References – Get a few references from previous clients of the copywriter (family and co-workers don’t count). When you check the writer’s references, ask about how happy they were overall, how professional the writer was and whether they recommend the writer’s services.

3. Adaptability – How well the writer can mimic or develop the right tone and voice for your piece is an important factor in how successful it will be. If the writer seems to write in the same voice over and over again for various clients (i.e., playful or authoritative), ask if the writer is adaptable to achieve the effect you’re going for. ‘Voice’ is an important branding factor for businesses, so if you have one already established you want a writer who can stick to it.

4. Subcontracting vs. working alone – Does the writer subcontract any of his or her work, or do it all him/herself? If subcontracting is part of their business model, ask exactly which tasks are done by others and which will be personally completed by the writer. Some writers farm out tasks like research, proofreading and fact checking, while others may farm out entire projects. You want to know exactly who the work will be coming from. If the writer does subcontract the actual writing of the piece, ask if they guarantee the quality.

5. Market research – How extensively does the writer research your market before beginning a project? Unless you provide it all for them, they’re going to have to get out there and do some grunt work before starting (and be advised, this may cost extra). How will they get to know your industry and market? Will they interview clients, or research statistics? If the writer doesn’t know who they’re speaking to, their work won’t be as effective.

6. Turnaround time – How long will it take to finish the piece? Be aware that freelance writers usually work for several clients at the same time. Rush jobs cost extra. Disorganized writers who can’t tell you approximately how long it will take could be a headache in the end. Both parties agreeing to a deadline before work begins is the best way to prevent this problem.

7. Rates and fees – The writer should have a rate schedule with ballpark estimates for various types of projects. The actual total for your project may vary depending on how much research is involved and how many revisions you request. Ask for a detailed list of any other fees that may crop up, also – some writers charge for things like hard copies and conference fees. And yes, it’s true: cheap copywriting isn’t good, and good copywriting isn’t cheap. You get what you pay for.

8. Contracts – Ask if the writer provides a contract. Most professionals do. The contract should outline the project, what’s expected from both parties, expected turnaround time and an estimate. The contract may include a purchase order or letter of authorization, which guarantees payment for the writer. Fees for initial projects often require a 50% advance payment. Some contracts stipulate that the writing, unless otherwise specified, is the intellectual property of the writer and that they retain the right to use it in their portfolio.

9. Revisions – Some writers include a set number of revisions in the fee for each project, with additional revisions charged at a set hourly rate. Make sure you find out what that rate is before beginning, and be aware of it when asking for revisions. Writers should be open to changing their work to please you, but be aware that it takes time and effort and the fees can add up. Some writers may set a maximum number of revisions they’ll do on any one project in order to ensure that they can keep their commitments to other clients.

10. Questions from the writer – Ask the copywriter whether they have any questions about the project before you begin. Unless you’ve provided it up front, a good copywriter should ask about how the writing will be used, who it’s targeting, what action you want the reader to take, what are the features and benefits of the product or service you’re selling, and whether you have testimonials. All of these things will help the writer create a piece that meets your needs and produces the wanted action from the reader.

Establishing Your Identity: 8 Branding Tips for Small Businesses

It’s absolutely crucial that your customers know who you are and what you do. It sounds elementary, but many businesses forget that making a strong impression on the minds of the public is a major component of success. You don’t have to be a huge corporation to use ‘branding’ to your advantage – small businesses can get in on the game, too, with simple tips that will help you stand out against the crowd.

Have a website, even if you’re an offline business. In today’s technology-oriented world, potential customers are going to be searching online for information about all kinds of different products and services, and they’ll often choose the business that has the most information available online. Your website should be professional, reflect your brand image, have an ‘about us’ page (see above), include basic information about your products or services and testimonials, if applicable.

Your logo is important, but don’t sweat it too much. Yes, your logo will be on all of your marketing materials, from your website and blog to your business cards and letterhead. It should definitely be well designed by a professional, and fit who you are and what you do. However, it’s not the end-all be-all of branding and it will rarely act to increase sales. The most important thing is making sure it ends up on every piece of your communication, to help establish your brand identity. Consistency is key.

Have a one-page ‘about us’ overview written. Have a professional writer do this for you – it won’t take too terribly long, and it’s one of the most important pieces of copy you’ll have on any of your promotional materials. Your ‘about us’ page can either be a casual, conversational piece highlighting your company background, mission statement and how you plan to grow in the future or a ‘corporate overview’ detailing your value proposition, target audience benefits and experience. It can be used on your website and as part of your press kit, and snippets of it can be used for brochures.

Put a human face on your marketing materials. The online world can be a cold, impersonal place where one business blends into the other. Putting a human face on your company can help make you more memorable. Your name, photo and a brief personal message (most often put on the ‘about us’ page of your website) helps give visitors a sense of the human element behind the mechanical façade, which engenders trust.

Start a blog. Writing consistent, frequent posts that contain information relevant to your industry can position you as a leader in your field, get your website more traffic and build an audience. If you’ve never done it before, don’t worry, it’s really quite easy when you get the hang of it. Publishing software allows you to simply type in your content and hit ‘publish’, so you don’t have to deal with design, code or other elements of web development.

Use social media marketing to your advantage. Social media creates a sense of intimacy, making your online contacts feel as if they know you personally. This, in turn, creates brand loyalty as well as getting your company more exposure on the web. Learn how to use social media effectively in our previous post, ‘Marketing with No Money: Using Social Media to Grow Your Offline Business’.

Stick to what you do best. Sometimes companies embark on misguided attempts to grow their brand through ‘diversifying’, and we’re not saying that that’s always a bad idea. However, when a website that sells water fountains suddenly starts selling children’s furniture and pot racks as well, the brand gets diluted. People don’t know who you are and what you’re trying to do anymore, and chances are, you don’t either. Branching out is okay, but you may want to consider doing it under a different business name.

Listen to your customers. Nothing sinks a business faster than failing to consider the needs of the people who matter most: the ones who buy your product or service. They’ll provide the best cues as to your strengths and weaknesses, and knowing exactly what your customers want can give you a competitive advantage. Ask for feedback, and listen closely to what they have to say.

MARKETING | Marketing With No Money: Using Social Media to Grow Your Offline Business

Marketing doesn’t have to be a huge drain on your budget. Online social media allows business owners to connect with the public like never before, providing an outlet for you to get your name out there and get noticed. You don’t have to be an online business to use social media to your advantage; you can use it to grow your offline business, too. Social media comes in many forms, from blogs and microcommunities to video and social bookmarking.

What social media does is create an elevated platform for your content, to give it a broader reach. It’s not a miracle worker – you’ve got to have high quality content in the first place to be successful with it (and how to create viral content is a topic for another day!).

The essence of social media is person-to-person contact. Marketing is no longer about faceless corporations plastering ads all over every possible surface. Consumers want ‘conversational marketing’ – wherein the advertiser actually listens to what they have to say in return. The old yelling-into-a-megaphone routine doesn’t work so well anymore.

Social media isn’t a direct highway to sales – social media users like the notorious Diggers and Stumblers don’t care about your static direct-response website. They want to see unique content that pertains to their interests. That’s why some social media sites work hand-in-hand – like creating your own blog and then using media like Digg, Twitter and Stumbleupon to promote interesting posts. The best use for social media is to boost unique traffic and high quality links, which will in turn create a community of supporters and better search engine rankings.

Once you get the hang of it, using social media isn’t complicated. You might provide updates to new content published on your website via Twitter, or create and upload a how-to video related to your field on YouTube. You could network with others on Facebook and LinkedIn, social networking sites that let you virtually schmooze and make new contacts.

Some of the best online social media resources available are the previously mentioned Twitter, YouTube, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn, Facebook and Digg along with Flickr, Technorati, Newsvine, Del.icio.us, and Reddit. Go to each individual site, take a look around and see what other people are doing with it. It might just inspire you to jump right in and start getting noticed.

A great place to start is this article by social media marketing guru Muhammad Saleem, ‘The Social Media Manual: Read Before You Play‘. DoshDosh also has an excellent rundown of the benefits of social media marketing along with some tips on how to use it.

ENTREPRENEURS | Have Your People Call My People: Personal Remote Assistants 101

As a businessperson, your time is best spent doing what you do best and allowing an assistant to do all of the boring, time-consuming administrative tasks like making phone calls, filing paperwork and doing research. Hiring an assistant may seem like a big step, but there’s a way to get around providing an office, computer, phone and other business necessities: you can pay a ‘virtual’ personal assistant to get tasks done for you without ever stepping foot in your office. Hiring a remote personal assistant will bring order to your day and free you up to manage your time wisely.

What exactly is a virtual assistant, or remote personal assistant? First off, an important thing to understand is that VAs, as they’re often called, aren’t employees – they’re entrepreneurs themselves. They’re independent contractors who pay their own self-employment taxes. That means you won’t have to deal with payroll taxes, worker’s comp, benefits or any other technical aspects of having an employee. You simply hire them as you would anyone else who provides a service, to complete everyday tasks related to running your business.

There are a few different ways you can go about finding a remote personal assistant. First, there are agencies that can match you up with an assistant based on skill sets and your needs. Many of these agencies are located overseas, but oftentimes you’ll find that you can’t even tell the difference. There are quite a few remote personal assistant agencies located in the U.S., also. These agencies pre-screen candidates based on their skill levels, so they can find someone you’ll mesh with. A few to start with are Assistu.com, HireVirtualAssistants.com, TelAssistant.com and IVAA.org, the official International Virtual Assistants Association.

You can also post an ad on Craigslist or one of the many online virtual job databases that are browsed by thousands of people looking for work-at-home jobs every day. Since these people are not pre-screened, it’s important to check their credentials and references before hiring them. Some places to post ads include Elance.com, HomeJobStop.com and VirtualVocations.com.

Before hiring a remote personal assistant, be sure to spell out exactly what kinds of tasks you’re looking to outsource, and find out how they set their fees. Some virtual assistants will charge to take your calls or read your emails. A few might itemize every task they complete, while others work by the hour. Figure out the arrangement that will work best for you and get it in writing before you begin assigning tasks. Don’t be overwhelmed at the prospect of figuring out which tasks to assign - they’re professionals, in most cases they’ve been doing it for years and they’ll know exactly how to help you get started.

One thing that’s important to remember is that virtual assistants mainly do administrative tasks. Don’t expect them to do copywriting, graphic design, web design and bookkeeping. These are separate professional services that require specialized skillsets. Virtual assistants aren’t receptionists, nor will they run errands for you. Since they provide a professional service and aren’t your employee, you can’t expect them to be available 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s why it’s important to discuss your needs up front with all prospective VAs – to make sure you’re on the same page.

For detailed information about how to hire a remote personal assistant, check out the guide at the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce website.

OPERATIONS | Busy vs. Productive: Why do American Workers Waste So Much Time on Non-Value-Added Activities?

In nearly every workplace, no matter the industry, there’s at least one person who somehow manages to get paid to do nothing. Maybe it’s a pair of office schleps who play games all day to avoid filing paperwork, the lady in the cubicle down the hall who spends an inordinate amount of time working on scrapbooks full of cat photos, or the delivery guy who somehow manages to spend a few hours of every shift at the pub watching football. Goofing off on the company’s dime doesn’t just waste money – it unevenly shifts the workload to others, which can lower morale and start a vicious cycle.

Loss of productivity can break even a successful business. Workers waste time for a lot of reasons – sometimes it’s lack of a defined schedule or concrete deadlines, other times it’s a lack of motivation or a need to clear the mind for a little while. Either way, you can nip time-wasting in the bud by giving your employees regular breaks, putting accountability in place to make sure tasks get done, praising good work, and setting goals that allow employees to see their importance in the daily functioning of the business.

The first and most important factor in employee productivity is morale. If your employees aren’t happy, they’re not going to put as much effort into their work. Make sure you’re providing a work environment that makes employees feel valued – that means providing fair benefits, for one. It also means setting goals and making sure each employee understands their value in the overall scheme of the company. If they feel like their work isn’t important or appreciated, they’ll be more likely to waste time on the internet or talking on the phone, so praise is very important.

On that note, having deadlines – and being firm about everyone sticking to them – can be a big motivator. If employees know that work is due on a certain date and time, and that someone will be holding them accountable for their work, they’ll be far more likely to get it done. You may also want to set progress markers at certain intervals before the deadline to go over outlines or see how the project is coming along. Communication really is key – keep up with your workers and make sure their questions are answered along the way.

Take a close look at the company supervisors. Having bad bosses can be a huge obstacle to success in business. If the employees can’t get along with their boss, they’re not going to be very motivated to do a good job. Supervisors must offer praise, keep negative comments to a minimum, take ownership of their own mistakes and keep their promises.

Finally, you must accept that your employees aren’t robots. If you work them too hard, they’re going to burn out and do even less work in the long run. Have reasonable expectations and they’ll be far more likely to go about their work with a positive attitude.

Give employees regular breaks throughout the day – say, ten minutes at midmorning and/or midafternoon in addition to the lunch break – to get personal things done like phone calls and internet browsing, or to get up from their desks and stretch a bit. This also gives them a chance to re-focus if they’ve hit a difficult point in their work. All of these measures show your employees that you understand the need for a work/life balance, and that in turn will help increase productivity.

STARTUPS | Honing the Elevator Pitch: The Art of Who You Are in 30 Seconds

We’ve all heard the old adage, “you only get one chance to make a first impression”. That’s even more true in business, where sometimes you get less than a minute to explain to a potential customer, supplier, investor or other contact who you are and what you’re about. Making a concise, memorable ‘elevator pitch’ is an art that can help you advance your business. Here’s how to grab that prospect and make them believe in you in 60 seconds or less.

When thinking about what your elevator pitch will consist of, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, ditch the technical terms – it’s a good way to lose someone’s attention if they’re not totally up to speed on the intricacies your industry.

Think about what you’re trying to get out of an elevator pitch and craft it accordingly – do you want to make a sale, make an important contact or get a referral? If you have different goals depending on who you’re talking to, you may want to write up several versions.

Make sure that you’re offering something attractive. Your pitch should be the answer to a problem your listener has – maybe your product or service will make them money or otherwise help them in their own endeavors. If you’re talking to a potential investor, make sure to mention their return on investment and how much funding you’re looking for.

Show, don’t tell. If you have a story that illustrates the value of your product or service and how it stands out from the crowd (and you can tell it succinctly), you’ve got a winner.

Don’t use elevator pitches as an opportunity to hard sell. You don’t want anyone to feel like you’ve cornered them and pulled out your Amway catalog. If the person you’re talking to has a deer-in-the-headlights look while you’re talking, you’re probably trying too hard. Tone it down. Keep it casual.

Memorize your pitch and try it out on friends, family or associates. It’s super important not to sound like a robot, though – instill confidence, passion and personality into it. If you tonelessly drone on with a glazed-over look in your eye that betrays the fact that you’re trying to remember all the words, you’re going to come across as insincere.

If you’re still at a loss, and just can’t seem to formulate a pitch that really resonates, get some guidance from Guy Kawasaki’s book, Selling the Dream. Guy, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, is noted for being an expert on selling one’s business and brought the concept of ‘evangelism’ to the high-tech industry. He’s so well known, in fact, that this is what happens when he gets in an elevator with a bunch of entrepreneurs:

Elevator Pitching Guy Kawasaki from Andrew on Vimeo.

Perhaps the most extreme elevator pitch is the ‘twitpitch’, wherein an elevator pitch is narrowed down to 140 characters or less to be broadcast to an audience via microblogging site Twitter. Created by Stowe Boyd, a business strategy and information technology consultant, twitpitches are a great way to put social media to work. To do it yourself, just tweet as normal but add #twitpitch to the end of your post instead of twittering at (“@”) someone. Check out the latest ones at Hashtags.

Free TV And Radio Time: Five Websites To Get Recognized As An Expert

The first Google Image return for “experts”–really.

At one point or another every hardworking business owner has probably found themselves wondering how to get on the gravy train that is consulting work.  Those of us that are particularly lazy are big fans of thinking every time somebody from our industry is on TV or the radio “that should be me.”  As luck would have it, it’s depressingly easy to penetrate these circles (just think of how people in them can shape public opinion)–and there are multiple websites out there that will give you the first step up.

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