Showing posts with label Business Tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Tips. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Get Motivated: In Review

Get Motivated Tip #2 by Rudy Gulliani: Leaders have lost their own individuality, their passions their principles. Technology is a great tool and it is profoundly making an impact on our society and its leaders. Read how to manage technology and improve your leadership. Read below for more leadership tips > > >

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This week I attended the Get Motivated business seminar at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. There was a bounty of accomplished world renown speakers all sharing tips, techniques, tidbits and truths that have kept them on a steady path of success. I would like to publically thank my friend and fellow Toastmaster, Jan Houin who secured a ticket for me and arranged for transportation for me even though we left at 4:45 a.m.!

Here is a list of the speakers who made the most impact on me and a quick take away I gained from their talk. I share it with you in hopes that you may find it interesting and encouraging for you and your journey.

Steve Forbes:
Don't forget the basics.
(This was the basic tip I basically heard, although, I was late for this presentation so I didn't get the full message. I would have loved to have learned more on what Steve shared however! )



Terry Bradshaw:
Terry was honest and genuine. He told the audience of 15,000 of his flaws, his journey of divorces and family problems, his struggles with depression and ADHD and more. Then he said, "Our lives will always have adversity." He encouraged audience members to work on those simple things in life like smiling and just being happy. He encouraged people to define their gifts, passions and what makes them truly fulfilled.

Terry was told most of his life he was "stupid." He even admitted several times that all he had was "a P.E. degree." He shared about his experience of running through the tunnel onto fields and being booed. Despite the negativity, the adversity, he claimed that he owned the title and deed to his dream and no on could take away his dream.



Rudy Gulliani:
Rudy Gulliani told the stadium of guests that technology and the rate of how information is delivered by technology is having a profound impact on our world. He claimed that one of the problems leaders are faced with due to this information technology is that leaders have lost their own individuality, their passions their principles. There is a tendency to follow majority too often. They follow the polls instead of using their minds and their hearts. He encouraged leaders to develop individual plans and ideas based on experience, education and beliefs. "Collective opinions lack creativity and lean towards a tyranny."

Rudy recognized the impact of technology and offered suggestions on how to cope with this major impact of overwhelming information.

1. Stay connected.
Don't be afraid of it. You will be left behind. Learn how to use a computer.
2. Read.
Read books. Go deeper into a subject you enjoy. Read about a subject that challenges you. Read about subjects that you enjoy.
3. Listen.
Learn from others. Copy other leaders, fit it to your own self. Learn to be a better business person, go to another leader and ask them to teach you.
4. Write. Hand write notes on what your interested in. List pros and cons. Write down goals.
5. Stop and think.
Reflect. Take a moment to search for your own Instinct. Your instinct and individuality needs to be accessed and preserved.

Lastly he shared a great quote from his father, "Weddings are discretionary, funerals are mandatory." You need to care about people. Be a true friend to others.


Zig Ziglar:
While most of the speakers paced the stage from corner to corner with a supernatural enthusiasm, Zig Ziglar, 84 year old man sat on a chair next to his daughter. His daughter introduced her father and told the crowd that Zig had fallen almost a decade ago and needed his daughter to help him on stage when his memory would wander. A strong message in the act was almost as powerful and memorable than the words they shared. Here were some of the principles Zig shared:

Never worry. Tell the truth.
Encourage and court your spouse just like when you were first in love.
Sales techniques come and go but integrity and truth is always in vogue.
Be a life time learner. Put good stuff in, and good stuff will come out.
No one gets anywhere on their own, we all need others. Help one another.
Money buys a nice house, but not a home.
A sense of humor is valuable, don't suppress it. Laugh out loud.
Love your wife. (He kept referring to his wife throughout his presentation.)
Pump pump pump hard and tirelessly. Then, when you least expect it the water will just flow...
See you at the top.


General Colin Powell
Shared his own techniques he has used in all sectors, at all levels in his life:
Be a leader, get followers, bond and give them goals, a mission, a PURPOSE. They have to believe that they are making a big impact, benefitting society.
Have a purpose, believe, have passion, show it, show moral and ethical integrity.
Motivate and inspire, people need to believe in what you are doing, so they can achieve in what you need them to do. Make sure they have the tools to get the work in.
Just because you are cold wet, be a leader and don't show it.
Show affirmation, say thanks.
Check in, have human connection with others.
Great leaders are tough too. Don't be a pushover, do not allow bad followers to stay.
Trust is shared by good leaders and their followers. They'll follow you even it it is out of curiosity.
Radiate. Think new thoughts.


Laura Bush
It can be difficult to recognize yourself despite others opinion. She shared her secrets to sanity and told about how she handled stress while living in the White House on 9/11. She shared:
Stay in the moment.
Know who you are.
Respect previous leaders as decent men.
At times we lean to left and to the right but America is the big ship that sails on.
Live thru the adventures, count your blessings (realize the value of your own children safely tucked in, know the job of a leader, take a stand, make q difference, face failure, humiliation and change)

Danica Patrick
Her number one tip: Don't give up. Success takes hard work. Most people quit too early and just give up.
Danica's secret to success: Obstacles only charged her, made her want to be more, to be better, to keep going.
She suggests that others need to identify their passions, find their talents. It is good to have lofty dreams and high goals. Keep big picture in mind.
When asked if she had any advice for other underdogs, she responded with disbelief, "Am I an underdog?" Evidently, she has always seen herself as a winner even as a female in a male dominated sport, from a young age, she never recognized parameters. Her parents helped formulate this belief from early on in her childhood. She shared, "We are our own limit."

A full day packed to the minute of ideas and testimonies from some of the powerhouses and aspiring leaders. From 8:00 a.m. to past 6:00 p.m. the stage was oozing with information and inspiration. We hope you will find these leaders to be role models for you as you form your own ways to manage stress, be a leader, take a stand and change the world. Are you motivated?

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Move over secretary, hello igoogle!

If you have not gotten acquainted with the powers of igoogle, you might be in the pre-internet dark ages.

igoogle is a free online tool that provides online calendar management, online document storage and sharing, web sites, blogs, RSS feed management and well, so MUCH more! This online tool is helpful in going paperless and being successful in the online landscape. Anyone want to share how igoogle has impacted their business practice? Please share!

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Friday, October 1, 2010

Social Media: Help Me Help You

The Midas Center is passionate about helping businesses and organizations succeed. We want to be your Jerry Macguire. Like Jerry, we promote our clients and we use proven, best practices and a variety of creative marketing tools to help clients succeed. We completely relate with Jerry's passion and entusiasm in this clip (see video below). We are just as passionate about helping you to succeed and we are excited about the technologies that are currently and readily and "freely" available to each of us. We talk a lot about social media because there are so many tools that are free to use and have a great impact to helping you reach your marketing goals. So, tell us, help us... how can we help you?

Currently, we are creating opportunities for individuals and businesses to learn-n-grow and lead-n-succeed. Through workshops or coaching sessions, we have a list of social media topics we can offer. We also provide customized workshops, presentations and training to individuals and groups to help clients reach their specific goals through marketing on-line.

We are developing a list of topics we think would be useful. However, if you have a suggestion on a topic you think would be beneficial, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to comment or email Andrea Cook directly with your ideas.

Help us help you!

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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Social Media Tip: Were You Open to Email?



Where are you in your understanding and acceptance of social media? Do you remember when email was the new thing? Perhaps you may recall the Apple commercial with Jeff Goldblum where he opened my eyes to how the email technology was separating members in our society. Even though he claimed in the advertisement that "email is as easy as licking a stamp" and referred to those who email as one big party, and those who did not email were missing out, there are still those in our society who are hesitant to hop on the information highway and travel together online in this internet era.

Social media is a term that encompasses all of the tools that allow us to communicate more effectively and efficiently. It depends who you ask, but I think of social media tools as both hardware and software technologies that all work together, or "sync" to improve the way we live, communicate, learn, improve, behave in society. In 1998, Apple launched the iMac ad (see video below) as a tool to help society as a whole email. Since then, there have been a plethora of tools that help us get invited to the party.

When you first got that invitation to come to "the party," how did you respond? How are you responding to today's world of social media tools?

The Midas Center offers workshops and coaching sessions for individuals or groups to empower you to better understand social media and reach your goals. Whether you are feeling like you're missing the party and just want to learn the social media basics so you can share photos and stay in touch with your friends and family, or you want your business to have a stronger online presence using social media tools, The Midas Center's coaching and workshops can be customized to your specific needs. Contact Andrea Cook today to schedule your session >>

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Social Media: Want to optimize your online marketing efforts?


Learn more about what social media is and how it can help your business succeed today.

Workshops and coaching sessions are available for individuals and groups. Coaching sessions can be customized to your specific business goals and can include training, guidance, support, strategy or what ever helps you meet your goals.

Clients achieve an improved understanding of social media tools including how to better communicate and meet goals using facebook, twitter, LinkedIN, blogs, google documents and more!

To learn more about how The Midas Center can help you improve your social media activities and take your business to the next level, contact Andrea Cook today to schedule your first session by phone at (574) 936- 7058 or by email.

Presentations now available:

• Social Media 101:
The New Frontier of Marketing

• Facebook 101: Save Time and Money and More

• Twitter 101: To Tweep or Not to Tweep and More

• iHEARTplymouth 101: Small businesses get online for free

• Blogging 101: Passionate Social Activists Wanted

• Branding 101: It's not Just for Cows

Professionals who have participated in a social media workshop or coaching sessions by The Midas Center are welcome to be members of The Midas Center Social Media Club.


Award winning full service creative communications agency providing professional marketing, advertising, public relations and branding services to businesses and organizations.

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Social Media Coaching Now Available



We are now offerring social media coaching to interested businesses and entrepreneurs. If you would like to schedule individual- or group sessions, please send an email sharing your wish list of what you are interested in learning and your contact information. We will follow up with you soon to discuss details

contact us about social media coaching >

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Networking Breakfast This Thursday


The Midas Center is pleased to invite local business owners and leaders interested in networking to this month's Plymouth Business Connections, a monthly networking event open to the public.

Anyone interested in networking may attend. This event is spearheaded by Angie Stults, Branch Manager of Plymouth PNC and is scheduled for the second Thursday of the month.

This month's networking opportunity will be hosted by The Midas Center at 100 W. Garro Street in downtown Plymouth. Street parking available on Garro and Michigan Street. Light breakfast refreshments will be available.

Bring a colleague and your business cards and meet other likeminded professionals.

If you have any questions e-mail Angie Stults at angela.stults@pnc.com.

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Successful Brands Motivate and Build Trust


The Midas Center's main objective is to help businesses and organizations succeed. We do that by trying to build a solid brand that contains an image and message that is credible, attractive and motivating. To do this, it takes creativity to develop the right elements and manage the right media mix.

A successful brand takes investment in both time and money. It takes more than just a logo and copy to have the power to reinforce your brand and motivate the public to act.

In an article titled, Harris Poll Finds: St. Jude's Research Hospital and Susan G Komen for the Cure are among Most Trusted Non-Profits written in Business Wire shows the top ten brands of non-profits. It refers to a study by EquiTrend® that, "evaluates measures including: Equity, Customer Connection, Commitment, Energy, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand’s overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Intention to Donate."

It is important that organizations and businesses know their objectives and when implementing a new identity or branding campaign, realize the overall investment. Successful brands can have a profitable return on investment (ROI) if strategically designed, developed and executed properly.

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Mistakes Businesses Make Trying To Go Green

We've been borderline-obsessed with thinking how we can improve our dedication to eco-friendly working, living and learning.

Since being recognized as a finalist for the Indiana Green Business's Entrepreneur of the Year, we admittedly acknowledge that we are unqualified to represent such a noble title.

True confessions: at times we don't use both sides of our paper, we drive more than ride our bikes or walk, we will use plastic bags if and when we frequently forget our recyclable bags and we even shop at Wal-Mart.

Just yesterday "green" guests came to our offices and we politely offered drinks, as in coffee or water, and one of the gentelmen kindly declined and reminded us of the plastic bottle conundrum. Yes. Conundrum.

In the spirit of taking green initiatives mainstream, we would like to share an interesting article we throughly enjoyed. We hope you will find it interesting and thought-provoking as well.

"Five Mistakes Businesses Make Trying To Go Green," written by Jill Fehrenbacher CEO, founder, Inhabitat.com. Read article >>


Together, businesses can impact the green initiatives and take steps to save the earth. As for this little marketing shop in small town Indiana, we admit we have a far way to travel to reach the ideal image of an earth-saving business.

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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Midas Center: Taking Green Mainstream Part II




You may recall a previous post written here about the first installment of The Midas Center's Core Values. One of the core values uncovered in that article is the high importance The Midas Center places on visual integrity(TM).

Visual Integrity(TM) is so important that The Midas Center trademarked the term. From the office decor to the printed and online materials, there is the highest regard for aesthetics and visual appeal. This focus on visual appeal translates through The Midas Center's communications for its own marketing purposes and is applied to each and every client communication tool, too.

This post would like to introduce its next core value: eco-friendliness. The Midas Center understands that the choices their team makes in day-to-day living and working isn't perfect, but does place attention on the social responsibility to be better stewards of our earth and its valuable resources. From the office decor to the portfolio of "green" clients, The Midas Center is dedicated to do all it can to "Reuse, Recycle, Reduce."

In October 2009 when The Midas Center restarted its business in downtown Plymouth, owner Andrea Cook needed to make purchases for office furniture and decor. She was pleased to find 100% of the office furniture from local thrift stores like Salvation Army, ReStore and the Recycle Depot. From the paint on the walls, that by the way just happens to be a perfect match of Pantone 131 - the gold in The Midas Center's logo, to the conference tables, chairs, kitchenette cabinetry, counter-tops and presentation easel, the office furniture is all second-hand.

When items are purchased from thrift shops or second-hand stores it is a win-win for so many people:
- The items were saved from going to a landfill or collecting dust in someone's basement.
- The cost of the items were budget-friendly, for example, the office chair was purchased from the Culver Wesley United Methodist Church annual rummage sale for $4.
- Repurposing materials can be fun, such as an old door into a large desk can promote creativity, develop into a hobby and reduce stress.

The Midas Center is proud to be green. The eco-friendly choices that have been made for this business has not only been earth-friendly, budget-friendly, they have also helped our business grow. Sharing values and interests in the community opens the doors to new opportunities with other businesses. It also builds awareness in the community. The Midas Center is purposeful on taking green mainstream.

More details on taking green mainstream to follow...

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

February's Brown Bag Lunch: Branding Basics: It Is More Than Just For Cows

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

US Industries: Out with the Old, In with the New



As one calendar approaches the end of its lifecylce, all 2010 calendars are primed and ready to go. Much like some key industries reported by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) this month, the adage: Out with the Old, In with the New holds true for the marketplace with some industries predicted to decline while emerging sectors show signs of growth.

According to the BLS report, growth industries include:
- Management, scientific and technical consulting services
- Offices of physicians
- Computer systems design and related services
- Other general merchandise stores
- Employment services
- Local government, excluding education and hospitals
- Home health care services
- Services for the elderly and persons with disabilities
- Nursing care facilities
- Full-service restaurants

On the flip side, the BLS reports these industries expected to experience the steepest employment declines:
- Department stores
- Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing
- Motor vehicle parts manufacturing
- Postal service
- Printing and related support activities
- Cut and sew apparel manufacturing
- Newspaper publishers
- Support activities for mining
- Gasoline stations
- Wired telecommunications carriers

How will your business thrive? Are you adapting to and growing with the marketplace as the technical revolultion shifts the way businesses communicate to the public? As 2010 approaches and its trends will inevitability impact your business' bottom line, what ways are you shifting your marketing message? With Social Media as one of the fastest growing marketing tools, technology has again brought meaning to the term: the medium is the message.

If you are interested in learning more about social media, register for the upcoming free workshop, Social Media Pioneers. The Midas Center is dedicated to help Michiana's businesses grow in the marketplace.

For further information on this report, visit the report press release by BLS and an article titled, "Top 10 Growing and Shrinking US Industries," released by MC Marketing Charts.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

"The eighties called, they want their logo back"

Do people make these comments about your business in the market place? Maybe you haven't heard them say it out loud, but perhaps you know what they are thinking. If your business practices were cool back when the Bee Gees went plantium with their highest sales of 8 track cassettes, then maybe it is time for you to take notes. If you want to succeed into the next decade, let's stop blaming the economy and position your business for the current times. Buyers and decision makers have changed the way they communicate, buy and make decisions. The Midas Center understands the current marketplace, its trends and habits and we want to recommend two quick tips for you to do this week so you can go from being so last year to "IN" by this Friday!

1. Get Linked In.
Out with the big bulky Rolodex, in with the online social networking tools. LinkedIn is an online service that allows business-minded professionals a piece of the online presence pie. Consider this a mySpace or Facebook utility for professionals only. It is easy to register and there is no fee to use this online networking service. LinkedIn allows you to connect or "link" to the business world. You may provide resume-like information about your current business as well as your past experience and education. LinkedIn reconnects you with colleagues, classmates and friends. Below is a quick overview on how LinkedIn can help you turn your vision into results.


2. Grow Your Networth with Your Network.
If your current networking activities bore you, then you are probably boring everyone around you too. Do you think already you know everyone there is to know and have little, to no interest meeting new professionals? When you meet someone new, do you instantly classify him or her into one of two columns, a potential client or useless? If your networking activities are as dull as your spreadsheets and data bases, then it is time for you to readjust your outlook on networking. Look for one event this week that interests you personally and make plans to attend. For example, if you enjoy the arts, you may be interested in attending Plymouth's art galleries, both hosting open house receptions this Friday, October 9th at 6 p.m. It just so happens that one of the art galleries is called, "IN." For more information, you may visit them online here >> in Gallery. They happen to be one of our clients, so our apologies for the shameless plug. It is what we do though, look for ways to build awareness for our clients!

Moving onward... By attending an event that might not be riddled with business networking labels, you open the door to a new outlet of mixing with like-minded individuals. You will find more opportunities where people may have left their salesmen repellent spray back at the office. Instead of networking to build business, increase your possible leads, make plans to go to places where you will enjoy your life and meet other interesting people. This is the true value of networking. Increase your personal networth by reaching out to more worthy networking events.

How are your buiness practices stacking up? The Midas Center Can Help You


There you have it, two quick tips to update your business. You can have the best product or service but without some marketing savvy that communicates with the today's language and tools, all you have is products and services. The Midas Center urges you to put some marketing muscle behind you and turn your vision into results.

We hope you will take these two easy steps towards success. And, we'd love to invite you to stop by this Friday at our new office open house. We have a wealth of resources, ideas, solutions, tools, tips and just friendly handshakes to share. Oh, we'll also have some cake and Golden Midas Punch to serve. The Midas Center, 203 N. Michigan St, downtown Plymouth; Friday, October 9th at 6 - 8 p.m. Bring your colleagues and your business cards, it's time to enjoy networking. Get linked. Be in.

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