LindaEsposito
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Bio not provided
She accepts guest posts...On second thought---looks like your stuff already met posting guidelines.
Hi Matt--
Congratulations on getting your site up and running--lookin' good :).
I've often wondered about the difference b/w a consultant and a contractor, and this narrows it down for me: "...They are their own project managers. They approach all challenges as an opportunity and see beyond the symptoms they’ve been hired to fix and dive right to the heart of the problem. Doing so requires seeing the whole picture, the needs of the organization and not just the project."
Sounds to me like the delineation b/w an amateur and a professional. And not to belittle contractors, but I think we've all been burned with the housing bubble and subsequent implosion. I also think it's about niche-ing down your expertise, as you mentioned.
Good luck with your new biz venture in 2013!
Nude babies--cute, but not let's-post-this-on-Facebook-cute. The ones that get me are people who have been married for years and post their wedding pic as their profile. I don't know why, I just find it odd. Maybe because it seems so in your face like, "Look at us. We really are a happy couple..."
I still don't know what a "poke" is...:P.
As a kid I was terrified of snakes. We lived in a deserty-area and snakes and wildlife were prevalent. Of course, my mom didn't help matters since she was the original snake-o-phobe. To this day, the thought of snakes makes my skin crawl. I'm sure most of us are in the same scaly boat.
Congrats Holly--may you sell lots of books and spread the good word about differences and compassion.
Lovely review, Hajra :).
Definitely a worthy milestone, Hajra. I can't even bring myself to read my earliest posts---Ugh! Utterly cringe-worthy. I completely identified with the "guru" thing. It's easy to be easily impressed with everyone when starting out.
I look back at some of the A-listers (or so I thought) I eagerly followed, and can't believe my frame of reference for excellence was so limited.
A big mistake I made early on was not being clear with my target audience. I mean, mental health is a rather broad topic. Thankfully, I've narrowed down the scope and focus almost exclusively on anxiety.
Just recalled another biggie--spending way too much $ on expensive marketing workshops. That's a hard trap to avoid when you're green and the real A-listers sell you on the accessibility if you join their program.
Live and learn. Gotta laugh, gotta have fun.
I'm glad I met you via blogging. Love the honesty :).
Here's to the next two years...
Sounds like your adorable son is quite biz savvy, indeed. And he looks so confident with the bill in one hand, and the "pay up" gesture in the other.
I would love to put my 11 y/o to work for me. This will be quite the challenge since I work in mental health, and he's a gold-card-carrying-member of the "Talking about your feelings is dumb" club...On second thought, assigning a job might be just what the two of us need to bridge that gap.
Thank you Pam :).
I like the emphasis on checking out your competitors marketing strategy. This is a wonderful time saver, and just smart. Why do what so-and-so in another industry is doing? Stick to your niche first, I say. If everyone is showing videos of their private practice office on their website, well, it may be time to consider this...:). Just kidding, I don't want my prospective clients distracted from the hot girl in the front office ;).
"You can do everything" is a recipe for burnout. Delegating is where it's at.
Thanks for the reminder!
Hi Lori--
Thanks for the reminder to engage in off-line reading ;). I find inspiration any time I read Irving Yalom. His frankness about the psychotherapy profession, including his utter honesty when describing his professional and personal shortcomings is great role-modeling, in my opinion.
I agree with SocialMediaDDS--I always thought of Ray Bradbury as sci-fi...Thanks for sharing!
I completely agree that selling your products on Facebook is a turn-off in most cases. If you offer a promo--or a fun and creative contest where someone can get it free, that's classier, IMHO.
Love the idea of crowdsourcing--that's super clever and quicker to read than a blog post ;).
Thanks Aaron!
How much does this "trying everything" in the marketing world cost? I completely agree that we need to get creative, controversial at times, but a lot of measured and purposeful marketing seems so much smarter.
Is failure inevitable? Yes, but nobody likes a repeat offender.
I love social media--I love free! Am I going to post on Google+ just because it's good for my (non-existent) marketing budget...no.
I still don't know what Foursquare is :(.
I am most definitely offended when attending youth sporting events and parents and spectators criticize or put down other's children, and even more sad, sometimes their own.
Just like high school--yes. Compelling topic, Margie. I'm mixed on this one. I haven't done the #thing, but I do have a small and close knit group (mostly therapists) who I hang with online. I love the camaraderie and support. We keep things small.
I think relationships take time, and the key is to find those peeps who are genuine. I think we all have an agenda, and that's not such a bad thing as long as you're upfront about it. For some it may be spreading their message (whatever that may be), while for others it's fame and $.
We're wired to connect (pardon the pun).
Hey Tia--thanks for sharing your experiences and the marketing tips from Patrick S. This is a tough one--I once had a consultation with an online marketing expert who suggested to give the good stuff away free, as people will think, "Wow--if this is her free stuff, I can only imagine how great the paid stuff will be...."
Another challenge is that so much of biz and life coaching and psychotherapy (in my case) info can be found free online. I like to think that others would realize how long it takes to troll through the internet for all the free stuff, but who knows??
I recently needed a tech question answered, and I could not for the life of me, find the answer despite the wealth of info and tutorials out there. By chance, I met a woman later that day who mentioned her huz was a tech-y and he would likely have the answer to my dilemma. If she offered his "service" with the caveat, "I'll give you the name of the product you need, but you'll have to pay $27.00 first," you bet I'd have ponied up the cash.
Love the idea to break up the packages into categories and to charge accordingly. We also have to remember that people pay for what they find valuable. Despite the recession and all the economic woes of the past couple of years, Target, movie theater, and mall parking lots are always full...
What a lovely post, Tia. While raising your son as a single parent is challenging for both of you, there are benefits, too. Your son does not have to witness marital or partner discord, and his central nervous system will develop healthier without this added stress. I've counseled too many children and adults whose social and emotional development was compromised by the stress in the home.
I agree with a previous commenter that honesty is the best policy--given his age and developmental level. We create our families, and maybe baby boy will have a man in his life who loves him like a daddy:).
If interested, this is a wonderful resource with all kinds of books that address various family and relationship types:
http://childswork.com