I am thankful for my health.
I am thankful that I have access to health care.
I am thankful that I have freedom to choose my own career.

Moodle

for all of you in the knowledge business.. this is awesome!
Moodle is a course management system designed to help educators who want to create quality online courses. The software is used all over the world by universities, schools, companies and independent teachers. Moodle is open source and completely free to use.

I am thankful for my legs as I walk with my wife and children.
I am thankful for electric lights so I don't trip at night.
I am thankful for my shoes that protect my feet.

I am thankful for the opportunity to pursue my own dreams.
I am thankful for the quantity, and quality, of food I eat everyday.
I am thankful for the technology that allows me to watch the Phillies play for the NL pennant from the warmth of my home.

I am thankful to be able to worship at the church of my choice.
I am thankful for good friends.
I am thankful for fresh food at a local market.

I am thankful for the warm sun on a cool, windy day.
I am thankful for my eyes to see the beauty all around me.
I am thankful for clean water that is so easily available to me.

Savvy Networking

The Wall Street Journal called Andrea Nierenberg a 'networking success story'. She is a master at helping others build their interpersonal skills to create strong connections and build a solid network of business relationships and lifelong customers. Networking is the secret. In this her third book, Andrea breaks all the universal rules down into daily tips for effective networking--for all types of businesses from manufacturing to financial services, from technology companies to retailers. Her tips highlight the types of people who can be helpful to you professionally; offer easy-to-follow steps for transforming your business connections; approaching a room full of strangers comfortably; improving your communications skills; discovering the types of people you need in your network (and that may already be a part of your circle of contacts); and keeping track of your contacts. Learn networking techniques that capitalize on your natural abilities. In her frank, friendly style, Andrea's new book is a daily reminder of why networking must be a vital part of your business plan. Savvy Networking includes personal success stories throughout.

Gratitude for Life

The beauty of this season, this life we all share, the sweetness of connections, I am grateful for all this - thank you Don for jumpstarting this sharing from the heart.

I am thankful for my eyes to see the world around me.
I am thankful for good friends.
I am thankful I live in a country that values freedom rather than control.

I am thankful for the change in seasons.
I am thankful for good friends.
I am thankful for my arms to hold and hug my wife and children.

I am thankful for my eyes to see my family.
I am thankful for a dry, warm place to sleep.
I am thankful for those who protect me.

Gratitude

I am thankful for the quiet of the early morning.
I am thankful for the warmth of an autumn sun.
I am thankful for the love and companionship of a beautiful and faithful wife.

Gratitude

I am thankful for having my electricity stay on during the past storm.
I am thankful for my senses to appreciate the power of past storm.
I am thankful for the life-giving rain from the past storm.

energizer bunny

Nancy Baker is interesting on two levels
we could learn web marketing from her. her web presence is everywhere: her website, blog, facebook, linkedin, more facebook, and of course the book.

and some of the more goal oriented among us may resonate to her personal coaching. i've never met her, but i'm feeling that a daily dose of 55 concepts would be enough to keep anyone energized.

Blog alerts update

Hmmm.....I didn't get alerted about Peter's two video posts. Somebody post some text. I really expected this to work.

Twouble with Twitters: SuperNews!

Linked In... To What? SuperNews!

Possible solution to burning question

I just discovered a way to get notified of blog posts.

I went to Google Alerts.

Search term: ecreferral

Type: blogs

How often: once a day

Email length: up to 10 results

Deliver to: my email address, of course!

Testing the results only gave me two hits: Peter's last post and the general link to the blog. Cool! Not an overwhelming amount of results.

So stay tuned and I'll post the success or failure of this little exercise.

a burning question

last thursday, someone asked if blog followers are email notified when someone publishes a new post to http://ecreferral.blogspot.com/

the short answer is no.
i cannot find anything in blogger.com that says "notify me when there is a new post to this blog"
i cannot find anything in blogger.com that says "notify followers when there is a new post to this blog"

there is a feature in the blog manager window that says "notify up to 10 email addresses when there is a new post to this blog", but since there are more than 10 of us.....

i suppose this is not twitter

but wait!
if i set up a twitter account for ecreferral
i can notify twitter about new posts automatically
then
if you set up a twitter account
if your twitter follows the ecreferral twitter
if you actually read your twitter messages [i dont]
then you will be notified whenever there is a new post

is it worth it?
probably not.

Therapy

I just finished my latest therapy session and all is right with me, my family, and the world. During my sessions I review my responses in a critical light and decide where I made my mistakes, where I had successes, and where I didn't even see the opportunity. As usual, I am my own worst critic and generally have higher standards for my actions and reactions than I expect from the people, family, and friends that I meet and greet everyday. I rehash the odd wording of an email that didn't get the response I was hoping for, relive the telephone call that required a delicate touch and I used my sledgehammer, the quiet conversation that I misread and ended badly.

I usually sit during my sessions, but sometimes I enjoy being on my feet, it gives me a new view of the world around me. I never saw my sessions as precious but as I have matured, or aged, or just gotten older and wiser, I covet my time in therapy. I can solve any problem in and with my business, heal all the wounds I have inflicted on my family, and even, I think, bring together world leaders and have them come to agreements about their countries and how they should govern wisely, or at least according to me. I know that as soon as I reenter the real world all my good intentions and bold decisions melt away as the ice in my water glass. And worst, my son has now taken away some of my time without even a thank you or appreciation of the opportunity he is given. Reflecting on his attitude I realize that when I started my sessions I did not realize the great gift I had, but only focused on getting through and on to the rest of my life. I suppose as he matures and moves away and starts a family of his own he will wistfully look back to these days as wasted opportunities to come to grips with his life and his future. I guess it is the way of all life - we don't know what we have until it is gone (I think this a lyric to a song).

Timing is everything

I have noticed that when timing is just right, things go smoothly and fall into place with minimal effort. When we try to control too much of what is going on, we may be missing out on the opportunities to go with the flow. A really full schedule does not have any room for surprises. “Of course not,” you may be saying, “that’s the whole point.” Yet, have you considered the value of suddenly having open space, time and resources, without a plan for their use? The possibilities are endless, as long as one remains receptive and intentionally present to allow unexpectedness to enter. Perhaps you have already experienced this and remember how carefully constructed the ‘coincidence’ was and how much it amazed you.

I propose that we do this more often, find time where ‘nothing’ is planned or scheduled, where we keep an open mind and calendar to see what shows up. For me, invariably, it’s a phone call or a visit, someone unexpected, someone with a really good conversation, an offer, someone who needs my input just then- there are all sorts of options and potential that would not come if I was tightly planned out.

So, how about it? Can you afford to keep an hour free with the intention that you will follow whatever shows up during that time? You could intend to make it a YES experience, expecting delight and fun surprises. You have nothing to lose and some delight to gain.
I usually hold such an intention while continuing to work at my desk, without deadlines or total focus, keeping an eye and ear open. It’s quite lovely to just allow for things to come to us without trying. It might just become a weekly habit - why not give it a try?

Entrepreneurs and Success

I have been incredibly fortunate to have had a great number of opportunities to build relationships with Entrepreneurs and financially successful BusinessPeople. There is a definitive distinction between an entrepreneur and a businessperson. It bears mentioning that possessing an entrepreneurial spirit does not always equate to financial success or satisfactory goal achievement. If you are an Entrepreneur who is experiencing difficulties in achieving your goals keep these two thoughts in mind and consider whether they make sense to initiate a positive response to move forward with your endeavors.



FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS - Be diligent in creating your business plan and be extremely thorough with your goal planning. There are many elements that affect our businesses as there are many things and people we affect with our businesses. Take all into account: family, faith, recreation, time commitments, the economy, your chosen profession, weather, history, background, etc. After all your due diligence has produced the documents that are the stepping stones to your successful future share them with the important people in your life. Be absolutely sure that all agree the stepping stones are the right ones for all to follow. Then focus and stay focused! Entrepreneurs tend to have to many tentacles in motion without the necessary effort and attention being paid to the one tentacle that needs your full commitment.

GET HELP - Entrepreneurs tend to harbor the belief that they possess expertise in associated fields of business. Do not make decisions you are not qualified to make. Build a team of trusted advisers and then question every decision and response. Nobody knows it all in business. Amass and process enough information to produce the best qualified decision that is going to get you on the right path, keep you on the right path while continuing to move forward on that right path. You never want to have to look back in business. Find a support group and assemble a consulting Board of Directors.

More to come,


Chuck

Blogging Lesson

Pursuant to our discussion at our EC meeting this week, I think my first (second?) post should be about how to do this, which JoAnne asked about. So here goes:

Connect to ecreferral.blogspot.com. Scroll down the page. If you're not listed among the contributors at the bottom, you can't post yet. But you can FOLLOW and READ! So click the follow link at the very top and you will get an email every time someone posts so you can read the post, and when you become a contributor you'll be able to post in response. This will help us get a conversation going as we fertilize each other's minds. Then blogging won't seem like such a forced exercise.

So, to become a contributor, Peter, as the blog originator, needs to designate you as a contributor, which he is planning to do for all of us. He references your email address to do that.

Once you're a contributor, you can sign in and post.

To post, first sign-in by clicking the sign-in link. If not obvious, you will at least find it in the drop down menu attached to your picture (or picture placeholder). A window will open giving you the option to sign in using your Google, Twitter, or Yahoo account. Click the one you want to use. Or if you have none of those, there's a link to create an account. A new account will be a Google account since blogspot is hosted by Google. This will also give you access to the other features of Google, but that's another story.

Having signed in, there will now be a "New Post" link at the top of the page near where the "Follow" link is/was. Click that and you will get a box where you can dispense your wisdom, muse on anything including someone's prior post, or ask for enlightenment.

Do not be paranoid about what you write. These are not etched in concrete. You can edit them after you post them.

If any of this does not comport with what you see, let me know and I'll correct it!

Happy blogging!

gaping void dot com

Optimize your web site

If your business depends on the internet attracting clients/customers, you're going to want to check this out.
Web site Optimizer, Google's free web site testing and optimization tool, allows you to fine tune your web site.
Not for the faint of heart, expect to spend a few hours a week for a long time.
The process is:
• design an experiment [different headlines, fonts, graphics, page designs, prices]
• publish your experiment.
• after a few days or weeks, analyze the traffic on different experimental pages
• change & publish your most effective design
• go to step 1.

Mastermind for Karen Zipser

Karen Zipser is looking for a tagline for her website; like "Karen Zipser - Word Wizard". Her history is writing for marketing and advertising, technical manuals, and letters. Her intended audience is business people; so her tagline should speak to them. Studies show that people decide to stay on a website within microseconds so we need an attention grabber. So. We decided to have a virtual internet mastermind brainstorming session. Think of a tagline. Be creative. Think outside the box. Anything goes.
Send your ideas to Karen at karenz@dejazzd.com

Thanks in advance.
Peter Mitchell

Gerald Pawlikowski speaks

Gerald Pawlikowski speaks about being aware of customer perceptions and being customer focused.
Presentation to Entrepreneurs' Connection February 4, 2010
http://www.ecreferral.com

more web marketing

Sydni Craig-Hart is a marketing coach that will help you focus your internet marketing.
i'm impressed with her simple approach to practical things you can do to attract business using internet tools.
apparently, she has taken her own advice. google "sydni craig-hart" to find 75,000+ references to her business.
and about the funny picture of the dragon eating it's own tail?
it's the icon of a self-referential system.
it just struck me as iconic that sydni is using her internet marketing expertise to sell her internet marketing expertise.
and it didn't escape me that the link to "google "sydni craig-hart"" above will appear in the google results for sydni craig-hart.

eckhart and oprah

eckhart and oprah have collaborated on a webcast that i think we can learn from.

the marketing plan
eckhart tolle is in the knowledge/expertise business just like a lot us us at entrepreneurs' connection.
first he writes a book.
he speaks continually all the time and apparently travels with his own video production crew. [he has over 6000 videos on youtube]
he sells his videos and his mp3 podcasts
he has his own subscription video service

and now he's done a webcast with oprah
even though both eckhart and oprah are well known all over ther globe, i think we can apply the marketing plan to our own businesses.

eckhart teaches
eckhart teaches meditation - sort of.
the buddhist call it mindfulness
christians call it the lord's prayer [Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven]
nevermind the different rituals and theology,
meditation has physical benefits [you will live longer, get sick less often, and heal faster]
meditation has emotional benefits [it will lower your stress level]
meditation has spiritual benefits [it will connect you to "Thy will be done"]
the taoists have a short explanation that is both doctrine and ritual free; and i paraphrase:

if the king[you] keeps his mind in heaven, his kingdom[your life] will be full of peace and prosperity
but if the king[you] keeps his mind on earthly things, his kingdom[your life] will be full of war, famine and pestilence

and if you are thinking "but they are chinese!" moses teaches the same thing in deuteronomy.

if you want to know more, check out this and this, or we can do lunch.

more marketing 101

In June 2009, I set up a website for Little Academy Faye's School in Swaziland [South Africa]. The website has not been pulling in donations like the owners of the school expected, so one of the owners sent me an email and complained. read more....