More than a Few Words Lorraine Ball

I was so excited to have another chance to talk to Andrea Liebross, a business and life coach who specializes in empowering female entrepreneurs.  This time our conversation revolved around how women owners can think big, manage like a CEO, and achieve success in both their professional and personal lives. Andrea shares insights from her new book, "She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and Into the Extraordinary." She outlines four key steps for becoming a big thinker, someone who makes decisions based on their future self and goals.
The first step is to consider all your thought options, which means choosing thoughts that lead to positive feelings and desired actions. Next, Andrea emphasizes the importance of targeting the real problem, often rooted in a desire to avoid negative emotions. She encourages embracing uncertainty and ambiguity, recognizing that the future is uncertain and that we can't control every aspect of our journey. Lastly, seeking support is vital for entrepreneurs, whether through mentors, coaches, or supportive communities.
Andrea's advice offers practical steps for entrepreneurs to become big thinkers, make better decisions, and navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.  
 

These days everybody's trying to present themselves as an expert. So how do you stand out in your niche in a crowded market? Part of the magic comes from creating a visual brand. - That's what i had a chance to chat with Sharon Haver about back in 2021.  Funny thing, the conversation is as relevant today! 
Where does the process begin to build a visual brand for yourself? In today's crowded market, anyone can become a personal brand, but only special people can become have a personality brand.
A personality brand is what's unique to you. It's how you position yourself in the market and how people perceive you.
In the swipe right swipe left world, we make a decision about someone in less than one 10th of a second. We are in judging all the time so you want to make sure when you are creating your business, it's driven by your personality, because that's something that you're going to find your aligned audience with. And you're showing up in a way that is authentic and honoring who you are.

What will you do when Facebook goes away? Now I’m not trying to spread fear and panic and I don’t expect that the platform will disappear overnight. But let’s face it, technology changes, platforms change and so do fads and trends. At some point, Facebook will diminish. I mean, a decade ago, everyone thought that AOL was the be all end all. And the answer to the question is actually simpler than you imagine.
While social media platforms are important, the one constant in your business is your website. And so while you will continue to share content on Facebook and other social media platforms, remember to be cultivating your community and driving them to your website and to your email list. 

In this podcast interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jan Cavelle, a seasoned entrepreneur from the UK with a wealth of experience in running micro and small businesses. She is the author of two books, "Scale for Success" and "Start for Success," aimed at helping aspiring and growing entrepreneurs. She has also contributed an article as a guest author to my new collection of essays.
We discussed the common issue of small businesses wasting time and money on marketing. Jan emphasized the importance of skepticism when dealing with marketing offers and recognizing that there are countless get-rich-quick schemes that prey on business owners' fears. She suggested thoroughly researching any potential marketing supplier and not being swayed by fear-based sales tactics. One key takeaway was to measure results accurately to determine the effectiveness of different marketing strategies. Jane's insights are incredibly valuable for small business owners looking to manage their marketing efforts efficiently and avoid unnecessary costs.

I know. you think we're living in a visual video world.  Maybe you believe  and you don't need to write anything anymore.  But that just isn't true. No matter what happens in the world of content it starts with words. So I really enjoyed chatting with Erin Lebacqz about the challenges people face when starting to write and tips on effective writing techniques for both informational and emotional impacts.
Erin provides valuable advice on initiating writing, combatting "Blank Screen Paralysis," and how to engage readers effectively. She underscores the importance of addressing both the informational and emotional aspects of communication. For conveying information clearly, she suggests using direct and concise language, reducing bureaucratic or formal tone, and using verbs effectively to provide a call to action. This approach ensures that readers can easily understand and engage with the content. She also touches on the use of AI in content creation and the need to balance AI-generated content with a human touch to maintain authenticity and eliminate self-centeredness.
About Erin 
International educator and author Erin Lebacqz has been teaching writing for over 25 years. Her clients include business and non-profit organizations in the United States and around the world. Her new book High-Value Writing: Real Strategies for Real-World Writing helps business writers boost their confidence by writing clearly, concisely, and with intention.
Want to learn more?  Check our Erin's YouTube channel  which helps listeners find new ways to meet their writing goals. It also supports team leads who need to support remote teams. The channel provides strategies, tips, tricks, and insights. It also shows viewers where to find more info on my book and services.

​When you create your brand you are investing in something that should last for the long haul. The colors, the fonts and your overall style guide should remain fairly consistent over the life of your brand.  However, sometimes your business changes and when it does you might want to consider rebranding.
Maybe you want a more mature look, something more representative of. and established company. Or, in my case as I let go of my agency I'm looking to change my branding to create an image that is more about me so I'm going through a rebrand process right now.
I'm doing the things you need to do if you're serious about rebranding.  I'm thinking about what I want my brand to represent, what I want people to think and when they see the More than a Few Words logo. The process is about the fonts. the colors and the style.  And, it's not easy, but if it's done right it will be a brand that will last.