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It Takes a Village: Small Biz Success & the Power of Community

Posted by on Aug 28, 2012 in Carnivals | 0 comments

It Takes a Village: Small Biz Success & the Power of Community

This month, the Word Carnival celebrates it’s 1-year anniversary…a whole year of small biz bloggers coming together to share their insights and creativity with their peers. So it made sense that our topic this time around was “Community.” The Word Carnival community continues to grow and we all feel strongly that participating has played an important part in the growth of all our businesses and blogs. Step right up, and join the show! This is an interactive experience, folks. Jenny Bones of Up Your Impact Factor How to Crush Your Competition Overnight @JennyBBones https://www.facebook.com/upyourimpactfactor Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Community and Your Writing Business: It Takes a Village @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Annie Sisk of Stage Presence Marketing: Building a Clan to Get There Faster (and Saner) @AnnieSisk https://www.facebook.com/StagePresenceMarketing Katrina Pfannkuch of Buzzword Communications: The Power of Several Creative Matches Burning as One Strong Flame @creativekatrina http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-Communications-LLC/121760949393 Carol Lynn Rivera of Web Search Social 3 Types Of Communities That Matter To Your Business And How To Start Building Them Today @CarolLynnRivera https://www.facebook.com/WebSearchSocial Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: I Got Here with Help @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Clans. It’s a Revolution, well, you know @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog Miss Donna, the Unemployed Entrepreneur Yes…You Can’t Do it Alone @iHiredMe Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages The Community is the Brand @ClaresTweets https://www.facebook.com/5EasyPages Sandi Amorim of Deva Coaching Celebrating a Village of Dreams @SandiAmorim https://www.facebook.com/devacoaching  Nicole Fende of Small Biz Finance Forum Using Community to Power Profits @NicoleAFende https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: The Quantum Mechanics of Manifesting Your Community @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef Photo Credit: Mary...

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Business School of Hard Knocks: Real-life Cautionary Tales

Posted by on Jul 25, 2012 in Carnivals | 5 comments

Business School of Hard Knocks: Real-life Cautionary Tales

Here’s a question for you: Ever have anything go sideways on you in your business? Ever wonder what the heck it was all about? Why you? And, why now? You’re not alone. We’ve all had weird stuff happen — and labeled it “bad” or “traumatic” or even “a holy mess.” And if you haven’t experienced the roller coaster of small business ownership, then you’ve either got some awesome karma, or you haven’t been in business long enough. This month, the carnies chose the topic of “School of Hard Knocks.” Kind of the small biz version of “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.” The best part? We all actually learned some good stuff. And now we’d like to pass those lessons on to you: Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Down but Not Out: Surviving The Hard Knocks of the Writing Biz @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Annie Sisk of Stage Presence Marketing: Make Different Mistakes: A Cautionary Tale From the School of Hard Knocks @AnnieSisk https://www.facebook.com/StagePresenceMarketing Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Scooby Doo to the (Mentor) Rescue @NicoleAFende https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Katrina Pfannkuch of Buzzwords Communications: Learning the Tricky Balance of “Doing” and “Being” in Your Business @creativekatrina http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-Communications-LLC/121760949393 Carol Lynn Rivera of Web Search Social Small Business, Big Lessons: How To Learn The Hard Way And Live To Earn Another Day @CarolLynnRivera https://www.facebook.com/WebSearchSocial Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller:And the Horse You Rode in On @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages When Opportunity Doesn’t Knock — Reinvent! @ClaresTweets https://www.facebook.com/5EasyPages Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: Small Business Pickles: a True Tale of Trust and Betrayal @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef And this month we have a special treat…honorary carnies! Ellie Di, the Headologist SOS — Save Our Self: How Cutting My Own Hair Brought Me Back to Life @Ellie_Di Miss Donna, the Unemployed Entrepreneur The Dark Side of Online Friendships @iHiredMe Michele Pariza Waceck of Get Results Blog When Bad Things Happen to Good Business Owners and Entrepreneurs @MichelePW If you’ve found a fabulous blog post that you think fits this month’s theme, please share a link in the comments below! Photo Credit: Stephen Brace *Honorary carnies have written a great post that fits our theme. All honorary carnies are invited to join us on a regular basis. As a reader, please use your peer-pressure-powers-of-persuasion to convince them they’re needed...

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The Care and Feeding of Your Email List

Posted by on Jun 27, 2012 in Carnivals | 1 comment

The Care and Feeding of Your Email List

Just as we were finishing up last month’s carnival, one of the carnies mentioned some anxiety around the fact that email unsubscribes seemed to be an uphill battle. It sparked a lively discussion, and before we knew it, the topic for this month’s carnival was born. If you’ve ever wondered what to do about unsubscribes, or how to get a list started in the first place, you’re in the right place! Ready? Let’s dive in: Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Conversations with My List? A Piece of Cake! @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Why My Email List is Like a Cactus @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Annie Sisk of Stage Presence Marketing: Getting Your Email Marketing Done In Your Pajamas @AnnieSisk https://www.facebook.com/StagePresenceMarketing Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Email Lists – Profit is NOT by the Numbers @NicoleAFende https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller:#$%!: a Guide to Profanity in Your Messaging @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Carol Lynn Rivera of Web Search Social Email Marketing In The Dead Zone: Are You Training Your List To Ignore You? @CarolLynnRivera https://www.facebook.com/WebSearchSocial Michelle Nickolaisen of Let’s Radiate Three Ways to Make Writing Your Next Newsletter Easier + Faster @_ChelleShock https://www.facebook.com/letsradiate  Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages So I’ve Got a Great List, Now What? @ClaresTweets https://www.facebook.com/5EasyPages  Jenny Bones of Up Your Impact Factor How to Say Hello (and Goodbye) to Your List @JennyBBones https://www.facebook.com/upyourimpactfactor Michelle Church of Virtually Distinguished: How Can Email Marketing Help You and Your Business? @virtuallyassist http://facebook.com/virtuallydistinguished evan austin of Graphics (and more!) by evan austin: When to Send: Feeding Your Email List @graphicsbyevan https://www.facebook.com/eadesign.me And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: The Great Email Experiment (or, Why Your Inbox is the Best Social Media Channel to Grow Your Biz) @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef And if you’ve found a fabulous blog post that you think fits this month’s theme, please share a link in the comments...

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Quirkology: How to Be Brandtastic by Embracing Your Weirder Bits

Posted by on May 29, 2012 in Carnivals | 1 comment

Quirkology: How to Be Brandtastic by Embracing Your Weirder Bits

Quirkology isn’t a new word. There are more than a few folks out there using it. But this month we’ve co-opted it as a way to introduce you to the kinds of freakiness that you’ll find here among the carnies…and why it’s important to own yours if you want to build a successful business. Ready? Let’s dive in! Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Quirkology. Separating the cream from the wishy-washy-whey. @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: The Quirky Bits of My Writing Brand @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: Art, Craft, and Commodity – Quirks Create the Business @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Annie Sisk of Stage Presence Marketing: It’s the Quirks That Make You Irresistible: Three Case Studies in Quirkology  @AnnieSisk http://facebook.com/pajamaproductivity Katrina Pfannkuch of Buzzwords Communications: Authentic Connect: The Real You is Your Best and Only Currency @creativekatrina http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-Communications-LLC/121760949393 Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: For More Profit, Just Add Quirks @NicoleAFende https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Carol Lynn Rivera of Web Search Social Hack Your Marketing: Turn Tiny Details Into Big Results By Tapping Into This One Overlooked, Underused And Uniquely Quirky Resource @CarolLynnRivera https://www.facebook.com/WebSearchSocial evan austin of Graphics (and more!) by evan austin: Coming Out: Embracing Your Quirks Can Help Your Business @graphicsbyevan https://www.facebook.com/eadesign.me Melanie Kissell of Solo Mompreneur I Have that Face @MelanieKissell https://www.facebook.com/SoloMompreneur Sandi Amorim of Deva Coaching How to Embrace Your Quirky Bits @SandiAmorim https://www.facebook.com/devacoaching  Michelle Church of Virtually Distinguished: Coming Out Secretly – Shh, Don’t Tell @virtuallyassist http://facebook.com/virtuallydistinguished And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: Quirky Much? How Your Oddities, Flaws and Peculiar Habits Help Build a Stronger Brand @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef Photo Credit: Anthony...

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Outsourcing: Everything You Never Knew You Wanted to Know & More

Posted by on Apr 24, 2012 in Carnivals | 0 comments

Outsourcing: Everything You Never Knew You Wanted to Know & More

Solopreneurs and itty biz folks who know their stuff usually don’t have a problem getting customers. In fact, they usually get so busy, that other stuff begins to fall through the cracks. And when that happens? Well, it ain’t a pretty picture. Trust us. We’ve all been there. (And some of us are still there.) Here’s some of the best advice around on how (and why) to tackle this challenge head on: Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Outsource. Work ‘in flow’ and eschew the Peter Principle! @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Outsourcing Writing Jobs @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: The Danger of Doing Everything Yourself @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Annie Sisk of PJ Productivity: I Got What You Need: Outsourcing a Biz Need Increases Productivity @pjproductivity http://facebook.com/pajamaproductivity Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages: The Power of O @clarestweets Katrina Pfannkuch of Buzzwords Communications: Outsourcing for Your Small Business: A Choice for the Heart, Mind or Both? @creativekatrina http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-Communications-LLC/121760949393 Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Outsourcing to Upsize Your Profits @NicoleAFende https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Emily Suess of Suess’ Pieces: Crowdsourcing: A Solution for the Overworked Freelancer @EmilySuess http://facebook.com/SuesssPieces Eugene Farber of Reality Burst Five Signs You are Hiring the Wrong VA @EugeneFarber https://www.facebook.com/RealityBurst  And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: When You Just Need to Get ‘Er Done: Employees vs. Independent Contractors @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef   Be sure to read as many of the blog posts as you can. We’ll be chatting about the topic on Facebook most of this...

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Market Research: How to Find Out What Your Ideal Customers Really, Really Want

Posted by on Mar 28, 2012 in Carnivals | 0 comments

Market Research: How to Find Out What Your Ideal Customers Really, Really Want

A few weeks ago, I was listening in on the #QuirkyBiz Twitter chat and this question popped up: How the heck do I find out what my ideal prospects really want, who they are and where they hang out? Most of the other quirky biz owners echoed that sentiment, so I knew it would make a perfect blog topic. @teasilvestre Yeppers! Mon. at 2 pm Eastern, 1 Central, 12 Mountain, 11 PacificStandard or Daylight, whatever is in effect. Except in AZ — Tori Deaux (@ToriDeaux) March 27, 2012 And guess what? The rest of the Word Carnies agreed. So this month’s topic is: Market Research. Let’s get started, shall we? Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Clients Think I’m Psychic @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: I Hate That – How Extreme Niches Connect You with What Your Ideal Customers Really Want @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Melanie Kissell of Solo Mompreneur: Put the Right Lure in Front of the Right Fish @MelanieKissell https://www.facebook.com/SoloMompreneur Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages: Fast and Easy Market Research the Social Way @clarestweets Katrina Pfannkuch of Buzzwords Communications: The Power of Getting Hooked on a Feeling @creativekatrina http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-Communications-LLC/121760949393 Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Put Your Time Where Their Money Is (Get Paid to Do Your Market Research) @BizFinanceForum https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Can I Solve Your Problem? @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog Emily Suess of Suess’ Pieces: Tips for Writing Polls and Surveys @EmilySuess http://facebook.com/SuesssPieces And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: 7 Ways to Use Facebook to Find and Research Your Target Market @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef   Be sure to read as many of the blog posts as you can. We’ll be chatting about the topic on Facebook most of this...

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Biggest Business Lessons of 2011

Posted by on Feb 28, 2012 in Carnivals | 1 comment

Biggest Business Lessons of 2011

The wheel of life (and business) is constantly turning. One day you’re up on top, the next you’re on your way down. Hopefully, along the way you learn a few things so you can avoid those rough patches when they show up again in the future. (And they will.) This month, our fabulous carnies share their biggest lessons learned during 2011: Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Writing Life Lessons: The Biggest Thing I Learned Last Year @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: The Five Things The Bachelor Can Teach Us About Marketing @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Annie Sisk of PJ Productivity: Masterminding Your Success @pjproductivity http://facebook.com/pajamaproductivity Emily Suess of Suess’ Pieces: Five Tax Tips for Freelance Writers @EmilySuess http://facebook.com/SuesssPieces Michelle Church of Virtually Distinguished: The Truth About Being Alone @virtuallyassist http://facebook.com/virtuallydistinguished Clare Price of 5 Easy Pages: The Power in Learning to Receive @clarestweets Eugene Farber of Reality Burst: Biggest Lesson of 2011: The Secret Ingredient of Business Success @EugeneFarber https://www.facebook.com/RealityBurst Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Unusual Assets – Taking Stock of the Past Year @BizFinanceForum https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Be Still and Inspire @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: Biggest Business Lesson of 2011: Be (Gasp!) Human @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef (become a fan to get more info on these blog carnivals/Twitter parties)   Be sure to read as many of the blog posts as you can. We’ll be chatting about the topic on Facebook most of this...

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Bartering in Business: Who, What, Where, How & Why

Posted by on Jan 25, 2012 in Carnivals | 4 comments

Bartering in Business: Who, What, Where, How & Why

Just because you’re short on cash, doesn’t mean you can’t get what you want. This month, our fabulous carnies tackled the topic of Barter — a great way to “rocket” your business forward: Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Will Write for Barter @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall evan austin of Graphics (and more!) by evan austin: Barter Smarter: Opportunities & Cautions @graphicsbyevan https://www.facebook.com/eadesign.me Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: What Gets Nick to Shut Up for 3 months — and also Bartering @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Annie Sisk of PJ Productivity: Barter Your Way to Biz+Life Brilliance @pjproductivity http://facebook.com/pajamaproductivity Emily Suess of Suess’ Pieces: ABCs of Freelance Writing: T is for Trade @EmilySuess http://facebook.com/SuesssPieces Michelle Church of Virtually Distinguished: Bartering Increases Business Opportunities @virtuallyassist http://facebook.com/virtuallydistinguished Eugene Farber of Reality Burst: The Archaic Solution to Growing Your Business @EugeneFarber https://www.facebook.com/RealityBurst Ilana Rabinowitz of Marketing Without a Net: How to Barter Using LinkedIn @ilana221 Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Is Your Biz Cash Low? Use Bartering to Grow! @BizFinanceForum https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: Master barter and become a key person of influence @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog And of course, Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: Build Your Brand and Your Business without Cash (a True Story!) @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef (become a fan to get more info on these blog carnivals/Twitter parties)   Be sure to read as many of the blog posts as you can. We’ll be chatting about the topic on Twitter tomorrow at noon (Pacific). Find us via:...

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Your Creative Juices: How to (Re)Connect

Posted by on Nov 30, 2011 in Carnivals | 8 comments

Your Creative Juices: How to (Re)Connect

Being a small business owner requires you to think creatively. And not just so you can innovate. Nope. There are plenty of other reasons, too. (Like finding ways to get it all freakin’ done.) This month, our carnies tackled the topic with their usual relish. Here are their offerings for your enjoyment: Clare Price of NewBizStrategists: Creativity: The Gift that Keeps on Giving @clarestweets https://www.facebook.com/pages/Find-Your-Online-Voice/143198439085321 Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online: Creativity Alone is Not Enough!  @SHurleyHall https://www.facebook.com/SharonHurleyHall evan austin of Graphics (and more!) by evan austin: Naked Creativity: What it is and How to Get it @graphicsbyevan https://www.facebook.com/eadesign.me Nick Armstrong, The Business Storyteller: Steal Like an Artist @WTFMarketing https://plus.google.com/+NickArmstrongWTF/ Annie Sisk of PJ Productivity: 101 Easy-Breezy Ways to Get Your Creativity On @pjproductivity http://facebook.com/pajamaproductivity Michelle Church of Virtually Distinguished: Create Balance and Harmony Through Creativity @virtuallyassist http://facebook.com/virtuallydistinguished Eugene Farber of Reality Burst: How to Be Creative: Multiplying Your Ideas by Dividing @EugeneFarber https://www.facebook.com/RealityBurst Nicole Fende, A.S.A. of Small Business Finance Forum: Creative Finance That Won’t Get You Arrested @BizFinanceForum https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizFinance Sandy McDonald of Why You Must Blog: The right brain, left brain thing and content curation @whyyoumustblog https://www.facebook.com/whyyoumustblog And of course, myself: Tea Silvestre, aka the Word Chef: Brainstorming 2.0: 15 Juicy Ways to Use the Internet @teasilvestre http://facebook.com/mywordchef (become a fan to get more info on these blog carnivals/Twitter...

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Business Relationships: Start, Nurture or End Them

Posted by on Sep 8, 2011 in Carnivals | 0 comments

Business Relationships: Start, Nurture or End Them

Relationships are the life blood of your business! So it’s important to pay attention to them.

Our August Word Carnival bloggers tackled this topic with gusto! Here are our posts.

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