Saturday, January 31, 2009

Virtually Successful by Cindy Greenway - Book review


Virtually Successful

8 Simple Ways for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients


By: Cindy Greenway

Published: Aug 1, 2008
Format: Paperback 168 pp
ISBN: 9780980903
Publisher: Cindy Greenway



As a professional Virtual Assistant, you are now a business owner and an industry professional, writes entrepreneur and virtual assistant Cindy Greenway in her practical and concise book Virtually Successful: 8 Simple Ways for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients. The author answers effectively the important questions, faced by virtual assistants, of how to find good clients and how to retain them over the long term.

Cindy Greenway dispenses with the formalities and gets right down to business, as she shares proven techniques for building a profitable and growing client base. She recognizes that becoming a virtual assistant is entering into a partnership with the client, that is mutually beneficial. As a business person, Cindy Greenway stresses the importance of developing a business mindset, and not thinking of a virtual assistant as being an employee. To that end, the book is filled with easy to apply concepts and the author's personal business successes and disappointments, that emphasize the business aspect of becoming a professional virtual assistant.



Cindy Greenway (photo left) understands that building a business is about marketing the business properly. To that end, she recommends the niche market approach for virtual assistants, as a proven technique for differentiating the new virtual assistant business from the competition. At the same time, the author points out that specializing in a specific industry develops a knowledge of that industry and its problems and challenges. As a result, the virtual assistant can focus the business website, marketing, and personal contacts on addressing and overcoming those challenges.

For me, the power of the book is its practical, business based approach to establishing a virtual assistant practice. By focusing on marketing, on building a client base, and on helping that clientele to succeed, Cindy Greenway helps build a solid foundation for a new or existing virtual assistant professional. By demonstrating the partnership value of outsourcing with a virtual assistant, the author shows how to create value and become an important profit center for client companies. Cindy Greenway emphasizes the importance of considering oneself a professional business person, and not an employee, helping to establish the right marketing mindset from the very start.

I highly recommend Virtually Successful: 8 Simple Ways for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients by Cindy Greenway, to anyone starting or building a professional virtual assistant business. The compact book contains problem solving ideas that can be referred to again and again while growing the company and its client base.

Read Virtually Successful: 8 Simple Ways for Virtual Assistants to Find (and Keep) Clients by Cindy Greenway, and establish yourself as the leading virtual assistant in your industry niche. Become the professional business person, and help your company and those of your clients to grow and prosper.

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Closing The Innovation Gap by Judy Estrin - Book review



Closing the Innovation Gap

Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy


By: Judy Estrin

Published: Aug 13, 2008
ISBN: 9780071499873
Format: Hardcover, 272pp
Publisher: McGraw-Hill



Scientific innovation is not important only to scientists and to the U.S. economy. It affects everyone, writes innovation thinker and entrepreneur Judy Estrin in her visionary book Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy. The author makes a powerful case for the vital importance of innovation in building a strong economic future for everyone.

Judy Estrin describes the often unsettling but unvarnished underlying causes for the decline of American leadership in science and technology. That deterioration of American industrial strength, she believes, can be traced to a failure to continue the tradition of creative thinking and innovation in every aspect of American life. The spirit of new discovery in industry, academia, government, and public education has declined dramatically over the past decades. Instead of seeking long term answers to vital questions in science and technology, the focus has changed to results that only require a short time horizon.



Judy Estrin (photo left), as former CTO of Cisco Systems, understands the modern corporate structure from an insider's perspective. She recognizes how Wall Street and shareholder pressure have shifted emphasis on long term innovative product development, to short term quarterly reports. Corporate CEOs, facing a very short job expectancy of an average of three years, are under extreme pressure to create immediate gains in profits and share value. The result of this short sighted thinking has been a loss of a generation of scientific research and development. Universities and government sponsored scientific research has suffered from similar constraints. The loser in the underfunding of scientific research is the entire economy and the overall quality of life.

For me, the power of the book is the visionary approach taken by Judy Estrin, as she analyzes the problem, and then offers concrete and workable solutions. Judy Estrin understands the process for creativity and innovative discovery is a messy business and difficult to quantify. She recognizes that false trails and dismal failures are part of the innovative process. As a result, executives seeking to apply standard metrics will often be disappointed in the results of the research team. Instead of further funding, whether internally or by venture capitalists, will very often be steered into immediate marketing solutions. In the end, the opportunities for real advancement in science and innovation are lost.

I highly recommend the important book Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy by Judy Estrin, to anyone who is serious about strengthening the role of science and innovative research in industry, universities and schools, and in government. The time is running out for American innovation to retake the leadership in science and technology. Judy Estrin provides a framework for rebuilding the scope of research and development far beyond today's declining level of true innovation.

Read Closing the Innovation Gap: Reigniting the Spark of Creativity in a Global Economy by Judy Estrin, and discover how to reignite the crucial spark of innovation and creativity in America. The future depends on advances in science and technology, and the time to begin that renewed innovative quest is now.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Kathy Caprino: Breakdown, Breakthrough - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



Founder and President of Ellia Communications, Inc., and author of the empowering book Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose, Kathy Caprino shows working women how to reconnect with their goals and empower themselves to succeed. She shares ideas for gaining inspiration, building hope and for building a plan of action.

Kathy Caprino is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 29, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Founder & President of Ellia Communications, and author of the empowering book Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose, Kathy Caprino shows working women how to reconnect with their goals and empower themselves to succeed. You will learn:

* What causes breakdown in women's careers and lives

* How to achieve a breakthrough to regain power in life

* What are some of the warning signs of a possible breajdown

* How to achieve empowerment and purpose in life's journey




Kathy Caprino M.A. (photo left) is a career and life coach, women's empowerment expert, author, and speaker specializing in helping all professionals gain empowerment and self-mastery to navigate successfully through major transition.

In her work, Ms. Caprino demonstrates and teaches her new Guide for Empowered Living -- complete with three essential steps for empowered life change -- based on the key findings from her national research study "Women Overcoming Professional Crisis: Finding New Meaning in Life and Work." Kathy is a former corporate Vice President who has successfully reinvented her own life, directly applying the principles she teaches and coaches.

Drawing on her extensive training and life experience in business, coaching, communications, systems psychology, spiritual development, and the performing arts, Kathy assists her clients in successfully unlocking their potential, and bringing them to their highest level of empowerment and contribution.

Kathy Caprino also utilizes findings from her research with women, her therapeutic training with families and systems, and her foundational coaching work with hundreds of professionals to provide effective, targeted approaches that help clients achieve desired growth in all areas of professional and personal life.

Kathy works with clients both one-on-one and in groups nationally and internationally. She is a frequent invited speaker and workshop presenter in the areas of women's professional development, empowerment, overcoming adversity and challenge, navigating successfully through transition, empathic relating, and healthy family dynamics.

Kathy is Founder/President of Ellia Communications, Inc. and former co-founder and partner of Living in Harmony--The Center for Emotional Health in CT. She is also a career transition coach for Women@Work Network LLC and a featured contributor for Fifty and Furthermore, the website of nationally recognized aging expert, Dr. Dorree Lynn.

Previous to owning her own coaching business, Kathy built a successful 18-year corporate career in the publishing and book club and membership services industries, serving in various directorship roles in direct marketing, product development, research, and product management.

She received her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Fairfield University, her B.A. from Boston University, and earned other educational certifications and training from New York University, University of London, and the Institute for Life Coaching Training. Her private practice is based in Norwalk, CT. She lives with her husband, world-renowned jazz percussionist Arthur Lipner (www.arthurlipner.com), and their two children in Fairfield County, CT.

My book review of Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose by Kathy Caprino.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with Founder and President of Ellia Communications, Inc., and author of the empowering book Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose, Kathy Caprino as she shows working women how to reconnect with their goals and empower themselves to succeed. She shares ideas for gaining inspiration, building hope and for building a plan of action on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Breakdown, Breakthrough by Kathy Caprino - Book review


Breakdown, Breakthrough

The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose


By: Kathy Caprino

Published: Oct 1, 2008
ISBN: 9781576755594
Format: Paperback, 237pp
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers





Breakdown often seems to strike out of the blue, yet we rarely get to this point without warning signs along the way, writes Kathy Caprino in her empowering book Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose. The author notes that many women, due to a sense of loss of empowerment, are experiencing breakdowns in their lives.

Kathy Caprino was a highly successful businessperson, with a model family, but she felt her life was unbearable. Her family noticed it too as her home life reflected her breaking down in her career. She suffered a breakdown, and recovered her passion and power when she had a breakthrough in understanding. Her book shares the powerful stories of other women who felt a similar loss of empowerment in their own lives. The directness and unvarnished truth of the experiences provide the backdrop for the author's breakthrough discovery process.



Kathy Caprino (photo left) guides women through the process of regaining their personal power that has so often been lost in the workplace. The author understands that women need a sense of purpose for their lives, and for others in their immediate families. This passion for collaboration, sharing, and helping others can even take on a global vision and perspective. Whether the cause of the personal breakdown is due to mistreatment, loss of self esteem, or any of a number of other causes described in the book, a woman receives the guidance to reclaim her personal power.

For me, the power of the book was the author's understanding that women can experience breakdowns from any number of causes, and that they can also achieve a breakthrough for reclaiming and enriching their lives. The case studies shared in the book provide background to the theoretical concepts, and serve to aid the reader toward reaching a breakthrough. As a woman discovers the purpose of her life, and feels the passion for that purpose to feel she would give up everything for it, she develops the commitment to her life's journey. Kathy Caprino recognizes that life is a journey, and not a destination, and provides the framework for enjoyment of the voyage of life.

I highly recommend Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose by Kathy Caprino, to any woman who feels she has lost control of her life and has experienced a loss of personal empowerment. The book outlines the means to win back that passion and sense of purpose that gives a woman the power to speak up and achieve her dreams.

Read Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power, and Purpose by Kathy Caprino, and begin the voyage from the loss of power that leads to breakdown, toward reaching a breakthrough that can change a life for the better.

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

Wade Slome: How I Managed $20,000,000,000 By Age 32 - Author interview



Wade, your book is titled How I Managed $20,000,000,000 By Age 32. What was the greatest lesson you learned while managing that vast pool of cash?

Wade Slome: Managing $20 billion is like captaining a supertanker – maneuvering is tougher and requires much more forward thinking. Buying and selling large stakes in companies for a fund that size is a challenging endeavor. Now, at the company I founded in 2008, Sidoxia Capital Management, managing my hedge fund and separate accounts for high net worth individuals is more akin to handling a speed boat. Since my firm is earlier in its growth cycle, shifts in direction can be triggered instantaneously. When it comes to trade execution, the difference of managing larger asset pools is like the disparity of a baseball batter facing a Randy Johnson fastball versus an underhand softball pitch. There really is no comparison.

Do you prefer using technical analysis, fundamental analysis, or some combination of those and other factors to understand the market direction?

Wade Slome: Fundamental analysis is the main engine I use for generating new investment ideas. In many instances, the two forms of analysis do not align. There is a lot of noise, volatility, and misinformation that permeates through the market on a daily basis, which can cause a lot of false signals, thereby leading to excessive trading, transaction costs, and ultimately subpar investment returns. However, I do believe technical analysis can add value when interpreting short-term supply-demand trends. For example, I use basic forms of technical analysis such as volume, relative strength, and pricing bands when I trade around core portfolio positions. As a recreational golfer, I consider fundamental analysis as my group of drivers and irons, whereas technical analysis acts as my lob wedge – useful and valuable in certain situations.



Wade Slome (photo left)

Why do so many people give up on their dreams of success in the market, and sell their holdings at a loss?

Wade Slome: There is always fear in greed in the market, but the pain of losses is more severe than the pleasure garnered from gains. Amos Tversky, former professor at Stanford University, and Daniel Kahneman, Noble Prize winning professor from Princeton, were pioneers in the study of behavioral finance and the impact of “loss aversion” on human beings. Through their studies, they showed that losses experienced by people are more than twice as painful as gains are enjoyed. Fear is a powerful emotional force, but eventually memories forget the pain and greed takes over. We see it time and time again.

What are the most common mistakes you see investors making with their portfolios?

Wade Slome: The three areas where I see the most mistakes are excessive trading, excessive fees charged by brokers, and an emotional ad hoc approach to investing. Most recreational investors, or aggressive brokers, read newspaper headlines and are overconfident in their ability to generate short-term profits. They feel they can never be wrong, if they are constantly buying ideas based on good news and selling on bad news.

These tendencies may feel right or work in the short-run, but evidence shows, come the post-mortem review of trading statements, that individuals get crushed over longer periods of time. John Bogle, the very successful founder of The Vanguard Group, did an eighteen year study showing that individual investors underperformed the “do-nothing” index strategy by more than 10%...PER YEAR. Astonishing how much trading, fees, and emotions can impact long-run returns.

We are in a down economy today, and the recession may last for awhile. Are the ideas and techniques you present in the book still useful in tough economic times?

Wade Slome: Absolutely. This has been particularly difficult period over the last 10 years, when the stock market effectively has managed a flat return, but most people forget that this stagnant period came off of a multi-decade run in the 1980s and 1990s when the market increased by more than TEN-FOLD. There have been about 15 bear markets since World War II and historically these have absolutely been the best times to buy equities.

So when Warren Buffett advises investors to “buy fear, and sell greed” it pays to take notice. But stocks are not the only area of opportunity, there are great investment prospects in a wide range of fixed income securities as well, whether you are talking about corporate bonds, high-yield, TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities), municipal, and hybrid securities (i.e., convertibles).

This period is particularly unfortunate for retirees that were improperly allocated in their portfolios or did not save adequately, however for the vast majority of investors that have, 10, 20, 30, 50+ year time horizons, this current environment is dramatically more fertile than it was 12 months ago.

When someone is seeking a financial adviser, what qualities should they seek?


Wade Slome: From my perspective, the decision boils down to two key factors – experience and trust. But I’m not talking about sales experience; I’m talking about investment experience. So many of my supposed stock broker competitors are commission-quota sales people that have little to no investment experience and they handle hundreds of clients simultaneously.

I pride myself on the statement that I eat my own cooking, or in other words, I invest in the same types of strategies and investment vehicles that I offer my clients (subject to each client’s goals and circumstances). If there are no material conflicts of interest and there is transparent disclosure of fees charged, that is a good foundation to build a long trustworthy relationship with your adviser.

What are the most important questions a person should ask their current or prospective financial adviser?

Wade Slome: First and foremost, understand how your adviser gets paid. Not all commissioned sales people are evil, and there are indeed some good ones out there. But it’s imperative to understand any potential conflicts of interest that may exist. I am strongly partial towards “Fee-only” advisers, and at Sidoxia Capital Management we certainly are not the only Fee-only advisers around. Fee-only is the minority, but the trend towards this fee structure is increasing.

Secondly, get to understand the educational and training background of your adviser. Do they have a bachelor’s (and master’s) degree? Are they a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or a Certified Financial Planner? These are indicators of how committed your adviser is to his or her profession.

Lastly, find out what you are paying in fees. People are embarrassed to ask, but generally people are not shy when they buy other high ticket items like homes and cars – so don’t be bashful, you are paying your adviser a lot of hard-earned money. Investors should be paying closer to 1% than 2%, and if you’re not, then you could be pushing out your retirement. Good advice can help your situation, but not if fees strip away the results.

What is next for Wade Slome?

Wade Slome: More of the same. This is an extremely exciting period in the investment world, even in the face of tough economic times for the U.S. and global economies. I find it extremely gratifying to educate and advise investors in these difficult, uncertain times. I will continue to selectively build my base of long-term investment clients and add to the incredible number of good ideas available for my hedge fund.

The feedback from my new book has been positive thus far, but I will have to assimilate the responses from other readers and reviewers to determine whether an encore book will be in the cards?!

----------



Wade Slome (photo left)

Wade W. Slome, CFA, CFP®

President and Founder of Sidoxia Capital Management

Wade Slome is a CFA charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst), a CFP® certificant (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®), and a member of the CFA Institute and the FPA® (Financial Planning Association®). Wade Slome has worked in the investment industry since 1993, and Bloomberg identified him as the second youngest manager among the largest 25 actively-managed U.S. mutual funds in 2005. Wade Slome has also been a media go-to resource, quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, Dow Jones, Investor's Business Daily, Bloomberg, and Smart Money, among other publications.

Wade Slome's website: Sidoxia Capital Management

The full tour schedule and details of Wade Slome's blog book tour are posted at Virtual Blog Tours.

Autographed copies pf Wade's book are available at Amazon.com or from Sidoxia Capital Management for $23.95

His book is also on Amazon.com for the retail price.

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Darwin Gillett: Noble Enterprise - Uplifting People & Profits - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



President of Noble Business Solutions, and author of the thought provoking book Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits, Darwin Gillett shares ideas on leadership and building a sustainable company that helps people inside and outside the company. He describes how helping people achieve their goals and practicing ethical business is both profitable and good for the organization as a whole.

Darwin Gillett is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 22, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

President of Noble Business Solutions, and author of the thought provoking book Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits, Darwin Gillett shares ideas on leadership and building a sustainable company that helps people inside and outside the company. You will learn:

* What it means to have a company that is a noble enterprise

* Why empowering and uplifting people in the company is good business

* How noble enterprises and the relationship economy will guide the future

* How to turn your company into a sustainable and profitable noble enterprise




Darwin Gillett (photo left) is Founder and President of Noble Business Solutions.

Dar Gillett is a business author and international speaker on strategies for building competitive advantage and sustainable success. With degrees from Yale and Chicago in economics and business, Dar has pioneered in the field of strategic planning and the leadership of knowledge-based businesses. He provides consulting and executive coaching for leaders of multi-national corporations as well as smaller businesses, helping them lead their companies to new heights.

Darwin Gillett blogs at Notes On Noble Business Blog.

My book review of Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits by Darwin Gillett.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with President of Noble Business Solutions, and author of the thought provoking book Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits, Darwin Gillett as he shares ideas on leadership and building a sustainable company that helps people inside and outside the company. He describes how helping people achieve their goals and practicing ethical business is both profitable and good for the organization as a whole on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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Monday, January 19, 2009

Noble Enterprise by Darwin Gillett - Book review



Noble Enterprise

The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits


By: Darwin Gillett

Published: Aug 30, 2008
ISBN: 9781605201184
Format: Paperback, 252pp
Publisher: Cosimo, Inc






Our economic system must evolve to meet the changing needs and aspirations of humanity, writes transformational author Darwin Gillett, in his thought provoking book Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits. The author demonstrates clearly how a fulfilled and empowered workforce is beneficial to a company and to the economy as a whole.

Darwin Gillett demonstrates clearly his concept, that companies must meet the needs of both the inner dimension of its employees as people, with the outer dimension of traditional business practices. Far from being a coddling of employees, the author recognizes that motivated employees perform better and are more productive on the job. Empowering and trusting employees, while boosting their morale, creates a more profitable and respected company. By taking a holistic approach that considers both people and process, a company will develop a sustainable, competitive advantage in the marketplace.



Darwin Gillett (photo left) provides the powerful case study of how visionary CEO Bill Catucci of AT&T Canada empowered, and built relationships within and outside of the company. In doing so, he turned the near bankrupt telecommunications corporation into an industry leader. Through trust, vision, and a spirit of integrity to do the right thing, the formerly distrustful employees were transformed into leaders in their own right, who facilitated the company's dramatic turnaround. The At&T example shows clearly how a new relationship focused economy is replacing the former knowledge based capitalism.

For me, the power of the book is the recognition that business management can profit and build sustainable companies through ethical treatment of employees, customers, shareholders, and the economy as a whole. At the same time, a executives can focus on developing effective processes to streamline the entire business operation. The two aspects of sound business and meeting the spiritual needs of employees, are at the heart of a holistic and sustainable enterprise. When a company's vision is based on cooperation, ethics, and integrity, the business is more profitable, is sustainable for the longer term, and more respected by the general public.

I highly recommend Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits by Darwin Gillett to anyone seeking a more holistic approach to business management. For managers who are serious about building a visionary company, that cares about people, this is the ideal book for developing the business.

Read Noble Enterprise: The Commonsense Guide to Uplifting People and Profits by Darwin Gillett, and recognize that motivated and empowered employees are the backbone of a profitable company. Ethical business is good business practice, and this book proves that fact through real world examples and practical humanistic ideas.

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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Norman Birnbach: Media Trends In 2009 - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



Public relations and media expert Norman Birnbach, President of Birnbach Communications, Inc., discusses media trends in 2009. He describes what is happening with radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and online media. His company's recent 2009 media trends study provides ideas about where people will get their news in the future as well.

Norman Birnbach is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, January 20, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Public relations and media expert Norman Birnbach, President of Birnbach Communications, Inc., discusses media trends in 2009. He describes what is happening with radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and online media. You will learn:

* Five major changes that will take place in the mainstream media

* How the economic downturn affects advertising revenue for the media

* How online media are affected by the industry wide changes

* How social media including Twitter and Facebook will be affected



After 15 years experience in journalism and big-agency public relations, Norman Birnbach (photo left) established Birnbach Communications, Inc.. in 2001 to provide strategic communications for clients looking for senior talent, who are accountable and responsive, to generate results and to pay close attention to their needs without the overhead of a large agency.

Norman creates, manages and implements long-range integrated strategic communications programs tied to clients' business goals and helps emerging clients to jump-start their PR programs. He counsels CEOs and senior management on national media and online strategies, including developing new corporate positioning, establishing communications plans to support sales force, business development, and VC communications.

Norman develops messages that repositioned companies to more effectively reach new customers and the media – and that work has led to some of his industry awards. His work repositioning Corning as a tech powerhouse, not the manufacturer of Corningware cookware (a division the company had sold off five years earlier) led to a Bell Ringer from the Publicity Club of New England.

Norman won a Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for helping to relaunch distance education pioneer Mind Extension University (now Jones International University).

The 2009 Trends Report

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with public relations and media expert Norman Birnbach, President of Birnbach Communications, Inc., discusses media trends in 2009. He describes what is happening with radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and online media. His company's recent 2009 media trends study provides ideas about where people will get their news in the future as well on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Nancy Hendrickson: Improve Your Website Marketing - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



Online marketing expert and internet copywriting coach Nancy Hendrickson shares tips and ideas for improving you internet marketing. She describes ways to make your website more effective, how to write more effective web copy, and how to generate more sales online.

Nancy Hendrickson is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 15, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Online marketing expert and copywriting coach Nancy Hendrickson shares tips and ideas for improving you internet marketing. She describes ways to make your website more effective, how to write more effective web copy, and how to generate more sales online. You will learn:

* How your website can sell more effectively

* How to improve your website copywriting

* How authors can use the internet to boost book sales

* How to use advances in technology including Kindle



Nancy Hendrickson (photo left) is an online expert with substantial experience in Internet marketing, copywriting, website development, and marketing strategies. She places a high premium on customer service, providing clients with creative problem-solving, attention to deadlines, and providing deliverables that exceed expectations. She is known as a team player who can be counted on to provide the needed oomph when ideas are lagging and team spirits are sagging.

Nancy Hendrickson is the author of four books, and more than 1,000 magazine and Web-based articles. She has provided Web content to a wide range of clients, including physicians, authors, aerospace, investment corporations, medical service companies, psychologists, collectors, genealogy, astronomy, science, and real estate.

Nancy's articles have appeared in national and regional magazines, including:

TECHEdge
Ultimate Mobility
The Writer
Writer's Digest
San Diego Parent
PC Magazine
History Magazine
I.D.
Personal Journaling


Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with online marketing expert and web copywriting coach Nancy Hendrickson shares tips and ideas for improving you internet marketing. She describes ways to make your website more effective, how to write more effective web copy, and how to generate more sales online on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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Sunday, January 11, 2009

Roads To Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon - Book review



Roads To Quoz

An American Mosey


By: William Least Heat-Moon

Publish Date: Oct 29, 2008
ISBN: 9780316110259
Format: Hardcover, 592 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.








"As travelers age, we carry along ever more journeys, especially when we cross through a remembered terrain where we become wayfarers in time as well as space, where physical landscapes become confused with temporal ones," writes best selling author William Least Heat-Moon in his monumental book Roads To Quoz: An American Mosey. Traveling the back roads and backwaters with his wife "Q", the author seeks the interesting and unusual, in the less explored places and forgotten times of America. These off beat, and out of time, serendipitous discoveries are referred to as "quoz".

William Least Heat-Moon not only travels in space and time, but is also on a journey to self discovery. Like the arteries of the body, the waterways and highways of America are its life blood. The author undertakes the voyage both inward and outward, as he explores his personal history as a microcosm of America. Following the footsteps of many explorers, including those of his own wanderings, William Least Heat-Moon moves seamlessly from the past to the present. In his world, temporal issues mean less than their real and metaphorical connections across time and space.



William Least Heat-Moon (photo left) is a lyrical writer who delights in the unusual and unexpected places, people, and events both past and present. These quoz, as he calls them, can even be found within himself. The mythical is everywhere, and exists in all times, and the author finds its magic everywhere. William Least Heat-Moon's quixotic quest for the heart and soul of America may appear disjointed at first glance, but the journeys intersect and entwine together. As with America, and for himself, the trails of quoz form a greater whole. In many ways, they are as one.

For me, the power of the book is the author's poetic evocation of the joy of discovering the extraordinary, in seemingly ordinary people and places. Very often, those uncovered delights are within himself and his own history. William Least Heat-Moon understands that travel transforms a person and the sense of self. The new experiences, gleaned from both the journey and the eventual destination, create a new self awareness and a renewed sense of place and time. Whether that voyage of self discovery is one of movement in distance or in time, the person arriving is different from the one at the departure.

I highly recommend the powerful, and destined to be classic work Roads To Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon, to anyone seeking a greater understanding of the heart of America, and of their own sense of place and of time. Every person and every place has a history, as well as an important story, to share. For the author, these quoz are on roads everywhere including maps, in books, through times past and present, and deep within oneself.

Read Roads To Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon and begin your own quest for quoz. Your own roads may not lead you to unexpected places and times, but your life's journey will always be one of wonder and of self discovery.

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Peggy McColl: Be A Dog With A Bone - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



President and Founder of Dynamic Destinies, Inc, and New York Times best selling author of the enjoyable and inspirational book Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams Peggy McColl shares ideas on setting and achieving goals, becoming successful, and removing barriers to success. She describes how helping others succeed creates success and happiness for everyone.

Peggy McColl is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Thursday, January 8, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

President of Dynamic Destinies, Inc, and New York Times best selling author of the enjoyable and inspirational book Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams Peggy McColl shares ideas on setting and achieving goals, becoming successful, and removing barriers to success. You will learn:

* The importance of setting and sticking to your goals

* How to avoid distractions that can lead you astray

* How to change bad habits that inhibit your success

* How helping others and asking assistance helps everyone



Peggy McColl (photo left) is a New York Times Best Selling Author and an internationally recognized expert in the area of goal achievement AND an expert in helping experts create products, make money online and create "best sellers"!

With her goal achievement seminars, speaking engagements and books she has been inspiring individuals, professional athletes and organizations to realize their goals and reach their maximum potential for the past twenty-five years. Her purpose is to make a positive contribution to the lives of millions!

She is the President and Founder of Dynamic Destinies, Inc, an organization that trains individuals, authors, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders and employees in some of the most compelling and strategic goal-setting technologies of our times.;

She is the author of several books including:

On Being . . . The Creator of Your Destiny
The 8 Proven Secrets to SMART Success
Be A Dog With A Bone (Always Go For Your Dreams)
The New York Times Bestseller Your Destiny Switch
21 Distinctions of Wealth


and the creator of the audio programs,

Magnet for Money 6CD set;
Turn Fear Into Faith;
Power Emotions Teleseminar
The 8 Proven Secrets to SMART Success
The Magnet for Money Intensive Program


all of which have been sold in more than 30 countries worldwide.

She has worked hard and has earned a reputation for being the gold standard in on-line book promotion. Her marketing strategies and successful campaigns, have been praised by authors and publishers alike, are on the cutting-edge of direct-to-consumer book promotion, and have resulted in book sales of tens of thousands of copies. She thrilled to say that her e-marketing campaigns have driven dozens of books to the top of the best-seller lists. Her deep passion is to help others achieve their goals.

She feels blessed to say that her work has been endorsed by some of the most renowned experts in the personal development field, including Neale Donald Walsch, Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, Jim Rohn, Mark Victor Hansen, Caroline Myss, Gregg Braden, Debbie Ford, and many others. She is laser-focused, determined (like a dog-with-a-bone), committed, courageous, respected and well-networked within her field and knows from years of experience what it takes to make things happen.

My book review of Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams by Peggy McColl.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with President and Founder of Dynamic Destinies, Inc, and New York Times best selling author of the enjoyable and inspirational book Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams Peggy McColl as she shares ideas on setting and achieving goals, becoming successful, and removing barriers to success. She describes how helping others succeed creates success and happiness for everyone on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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Monday, January 5, 2009

Be A Dog With A Bone by Peggy McColl - Book review



Be a Dog With a Bone

Always Go for Your Dreams


By: Peggy McColl

Published: Jan 6, 2009
ISBN: 9781401924645
Format: Hardcover, 160pp
Publisher: Hay House Inc.



You never know how tough you are until someone takes your bone away, writes best selling author Peggy McColl in her enjoyable and inspirational book Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams. The author employs an intriguing dog metaphor to provide life changing messages on achieving goals, dreams, and personal success.

Peggy McColl shares her inspirational life lessons in a unique, and very memorable format. By applying the lessons learned from the world of dogs, the author parallels those lessons to living a happier and more fulfilling life. When a dog gets a bone, they don't give it up very easily. In fact, the dog becomes more determined to keep the bone, the more someone attempts to wrestle it away. That dogged persistence, displayed by our canine friends, is a model that people can emulate in their business and in their life. With so many distractions and wrong roads to take in life, being persistent in following the right dream, is essential to success.



Peggy McColl (photo left) recognizes the importance of setting and striving to reach goals in life. She understands that many people are sidetracked by other events in their lives, and need support and help to maintain their focus. Instead of chasing false trails, and wasting time on pointless activities, Peggy McColl shows the reader how to resist that often tantalizing urge. The author also points out that asking for help and offering help, is mutually beneficial for both the giver and the recipient, of the assistance.

For me, the power of the book is in its focus on achieving success, through the easy to understand metaphor of dog behavior. The examples from the canine world help to underline the lessons, and provide instant visual cues, to understanding and remembering the message. As an inspirational work, the book is very helpful, and its brevity enables the reader to absorb the information in one reading. Because the book is presented in a playful way, reading the book is a pleasure, that can be enhanced further with additional readings.

I highly recommend Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams by Peggy McColl, to anyone seeking a brief, and enjoyable handbook for setting goals and achieving success. The examples given, from a dog's eye view, give a pleasurable tone to the inspirational message.

Read Be a Dog With a Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams by Peggy McColl, and learn the power of thinking of the world, as perceived by a dog. The lessons learned from man's best friend are well worth noting, and applying to the achievement of human success in business and in life.

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Sunday, January 4, 2009

Donna Cutting: The Celebrity Experience - Blog Business Success Radio

BlogTalkRadio.com



Speaker, customer service expert and author of the essential guide to extraordinary customer service, The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service, Donna Cutting, describes how you can give the Hollywood red carpet treatment to your customers. She shares tips for providing award winning customer service and discusses how everyone in the company can really roll out the red carpet.

Donna Cutting is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on Blog Talk Radio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, January 6, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Speaker, customer service expert and author of the essential guide to extraordinary customer service, The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service Donna Cutting, describes how you can give the Hollywood red carpet treatment to your customers. You will learn:

* What red carpet customer service really means

* How to give your customers the Hollywood celebrity treatment

* How to apply extraordinary customer service to any type of business

* Why red carpet customer service is good for the bottom line





Donna Cutting (photo left), President and CEO (Chief Experience Officer) of Donna Cutting Presents!, is a nationally recognized expert in employee engagement and extraordinary customer service. A stage actress turned author and professional speaker, Donna helps leaders create places where employees get Standing Ovations and customers get Star Treatment.

She is the author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service, published by Wiley. Donna went right to the source – Hollywood - spending a year and a half interviewing people who own, manage, or work for companies that cater to the Tinsel Town elite to learn what “real world” businesses can do to provide celebrity-caliber service.

As a professional speaker, Donna is anything but ordinary! Combining her experience in the theater and her passion for fun, she delivers her content in a high energy style with her trademark enthusiasm. Her presentations mix include hilarious Keynote Theater™ bits, side-splitting song parodies and exceptional audience interaction. Donna combines her dramatic, fun and humorous style of presenting with easy and action-oriented/practical ideas and strategies that people can implement immediately.

Donna doesn’t provide a speech, she provides an experience.

And when Donna speaks, it’s the AUDIENCE that’s the STAR of the SHOW!

Prior to becoming a speaker and author, Donna spent almost two decades managing creative programs and leading employee engagement initiatives in the healthcare field. She was also the owner of Whimsical Notions Interactive Theater company and performed one woman shows for children and adults across the state of Florida for four years.

The Past President of the National Speakers Association of Central Florida, Donna was recently named the winner of the prestigious Rosita Perez Spirit Award, and was elected Chapter member of the year in 2003. Donna is a member of Athletes and Executives, the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, and Recognition Professionals International. She is a volunteer dreamweaver for Second Wind Dreams, an organization that helps make dreams come true for elders living in nursing homes and assisted living communities.

Donna lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband and best friend, Jim and their Maltese puppy, Snowball.

My book review of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service by Donna Cutting.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

BlogTalkRadio.com

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

Add to iTunes

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with speaker, customer service expert and author of the essential guide to extraordinary customer service, The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service, Donna Cutting, as she describes how you can give the Hollywood red carpet treatment to your customers. She shares tips for providing award winning customer service and discusses how everyone in the company can really roll out the red carpet on Blog Business Success Radio.

BlogTalkRadio.com

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