Where'd 2013 Go? ::: 2014's On Deck

All the sudden, we are on the cusp of another new year. Fiscals for most companies, new initiatives and possibly even a bit of attention to your brand. What's the direction you want to go this year? Perhaps the answer is buried within your brand. I challenge you to seek out that core element as a priority and watch what ease it creates for other initiatives. Need help? Get help.

Make 2014 your best year yet.

Revenue North Summit ::: 2013

Thursday, April 18, I had the opportunity to attend the Revenue North Business Summit here in Colorado Springs.  While they were all good, some of the keynotes were noteworthy above others.

Economist Mary Kelly, CEO of Productive Leaders, painted an insightful picture of our economic situation in the United States and the world.  Humorously, before she began speaking, a member of the audience raised their hand and asked, “if the Federal Reserve is buying our debt, won’t that devalue our dollar?”  To which Kelly replied, “Great, you asked and answered your question all at once.”  While the state of our world’s economy is not excellent, that doesn’t mean money can’t be made in a number of sectors.  Best practice is to manage fear, and in my opinion, add value in every possible opportunity for your customers.

Author and Attorney Louie Larimer, CEO of Focused Strategies, shared keys to business success.  He compared heroes in business synonymous with success, namely, Warren Buffet, Jack Welsh, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, Daniel Bowman, Peter Drucker, Tony Robins and more.  All of which had something slightly different to say about the “key to success.”  The takeaway for me: given the many possible avenues to “success,” there are always variances in how individuals or companies attain it.  Therefore, I think an open mind, and the ability to change as needed is critical given their examples.

Great info also coming from Rick Denton, Chris Blees, Ethan Beute, Larry Peek and Laddie Blaskowski.

From attitudes and professionalism, to SEO, marketing, crowd funding and capital, the Revenue North Summit covered vast ground in a one-day package.

-D. Bauer

INTRO ::: On Marketing

For the past ten years, I've watched as clients and friends struggle to do their marketing [well] while running their business.  Marketing is the life blood of a business.  While companies may hit hot patches naturally though a boost in demand, or right-place-at-the-right-time luck, a thriving business needs great marketing in place to weather the storms, and capitalize on the highs, to grow and thrive into the future.  When you’re busy, it’s easy to allow marketing to take the back seat.  I’ve seen many business owners struggling to find the time necessary to come up with creative and marketing strategy.  The result: they end up settling and throwing money everywhere or nowhere with little-to-no attention on message or creative.  This is why I created FreshForm Marketing, to help businesses in an arena I am both familiar with and great at.  The biggest oversight in marketing can be what to say, how to say it, and how it should look so that your demographic hears and responds.  That is no small task, but it’s one I do well.  Through messaging and creative branding, I help truly move my clients forward. 

Marketing shouldn't hold you back.

-D. Bauer