How to Network for Business While Having a Mojito (or other choice beverage)

5 Ways to Network at a Party While Still Having Fun

Many of you (and we!) like to enjoy casual parties or events. We think business networking events present great opportunities to engage in some good network building, market intelligence gathering, or sales prospecting. So, why not expand your networking to casual parties and get-togethers? I know, I know, you must be saying “Are you kidding me? My goal is to have fun, not network at a party!” We get it. But, at the same time, every entrepreneur and small-business owner, whether you are an extrovert or an introvert at heart, should be ready to have a casual, yet meaningful conversation if...

Read More

What a Great-Grandmother Reminded Me About Sales

Recently, on holiday to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, I was reminded by a great-grandmother of one of the keys to being a successful salesperson. She said, "give your customer your best advice." Sounds simple, right? But first, let me tell you how I came to meet this wonderful great-grandmother. Touring around Tenerife, we visited the village of Vilaflor, as recommended by the guide we received at the airport. It is a beautiful place, known for the "roseta," a special type of embroidery. Walking around the tiny village, a storefront caught my eye and I went inside. There I met the...

Read More

10 Books to Put on Your Summer Reading List

Summer Reading List Picks

The summer season is the perfect time to catch up on all those books you've saved to your Amazon wish list since you put "read more books" in your New Year's Resolution. We caught you! My mom and I have put together this list of some of our favorite books from our collective bookshelves. Some are perfect for the beach, while others are intended to help your business grow. Some are good for both! Can you guess who picked out which books? Whether you're traveling this summer or staying local, these 10 books can help you get a jump start on the second...

Read More

15 Strategies To Make Your Home Rental Business Successful

Whether it's a full house, an apartment or even one (tiny!) room, the vacation rental and home rental business is getting larger and larger by the day. Between Airbnb, HomeAway, and FlipKey alone, there are nearly 4 million listings worldwide. Perhaps you see an opportunity for yourself to start a home rental business. Go for it!! We did, eight years ago now, and we've been happy with the results. We approached marketing our condominium by applying the same principles we teach to small business owners: Target: Who do we want to appeal to and, by definition, who could we not serve well? Product:...

Read More

Life Lessons by Inspiring Moms on Mother’s Day (+ Every Day!)

I think it's worth celebrating inspiring moms every day. When my mom and I decided to start a business together this year, it came on the heels of me getting mad at other people on the Internet (typical!). I was looking for new marketing freelancing opportunities and, on the recommendation of one of my friends, I checked out Fiverr. And I didn't like what I saw, at all. Now, I'm 100% all for people rocking their side hustle (and we'll share more of our thoughts on having a successful side business in the future). But one particular seller was hawking off...

Read More

10 Marketing Lessons I Learned the Hard Way–So You Don’t Have To

10 marketing lessons

I’ve spent a career working across many different businesses, in the consumer and b2b domains. I've been on some of the best brands globally–Jell-O Gelatin, American Express and IBM. For anyone who spends a significant time in an area, you know you build up both muscle and scar tissue in doing so. As you plan your own marketing efforts, even if you’re just starting with a Facebook page, the following is a list of my top 10 marketing lessons, learned the hard way. Here's to your success. Superior value: Ensure that what you’re offering is better in all ways than what the competition is providing....

Read More