Today while out a lunch I witnessed the perfect reminder for the power of “enthusiasm” Small business owners and entrepreneurs often over look the importance of this under used tool in the business owners tool belt. Enthusiasm is powerful and infectious and when it is genuinely harvested it has the ability to transform any experience. No mater what your business is, what venture you are operating or what start up you are pitching let enthusiasm guide your path. Harness the power of enthusiasm and  your positive radiance will surely kick start, revive, or drive your business.

So what has spawned my sudden enthusiasm for well…enthusiasm! Willy the owner and operator of a small hot dog shop in North Hollywood called Vicious Dogs. Willy has enough enthusiasm for all of us. He runs his small hot dog restaurant with passion and pride and he displays his enthusiasm at every turn.

From the moment you walk into Vicious Dogs your are quickly greeted by a jovial “hello how can I help you today!” Quickly with out the slightest prompting he will pitch you the dogs off of his menu quicker than the reverend can spout the gospel. His great chrism is followed by a trite story “this is the dog that built this restaurant” as he displays like he is a man passionate about hot dogs but he is no huckster he is just a enthusiastic friend sitting behind a counter ready to give you the best hot dog in the world.

Now the hot dog was amazing but I have a feeling that he could have served a basic ketchup and mustard hot dog on white bread and you would have left there satisfied.

The reason for this is he didn’t limit his enthusiasm to cooking the hot dog routinely he walks through the restaurant thanking his patrons for eating at his restaurant and immediately gathering feedback on their experience. He is truly invested in his customers happiness and effortlessly he builds customer loyalty. His enthusiastic business approach didn’t stop there. As soon as the line in his restaurant disappeared he quickly strolled out side and with in minutes his upbeat conversation had lured five new customers right into the shop ready to try out his energetic hot dog creations.

So what can we learn from this? It doesn’t matter who you are or what your business is people are drawn to enthusiasm. The simple act of being enthusiastic about his hot dogs was enough to entice people to take a shot on his restaurant.

As small business owners and entrepreneurs we are always up against the big guys in the industry but one way they can never compete with the hands-on business owner is in the area of passion. Your passion and enthusiasm for what you do is a competitive advantage that can not be easily duplicated or manufactured but it is quickly contagious, your employes and co-workers will be instantly struck by your enthusiasm allowing them to utilize their own internal enthusiasm.

Going forward don’t be afraid to let your patrons and co-workers see your passion let them share in your enthusiasm. Sharing enthusiasm is the perfect brand building platform. When we experience a brand with genuine enthusiasm it sticks with us and we feel like we where apart of a magic moment! Build loyalty with your customers and establish a strong competitive advantage using the power of “enthusiasm”

Be like Willy and let the enthusiasm fly!

Tags: enthusiasm in business.

As entrepreneurs and small business owners we are closely tied to our enterprise. More often that not our enterprise defines who we are, we put all of our self into our business. We infuse our ideas, and cling to our ventures. We live it and breath it. Because of this it is hard to separate your life, from the life of your business.

Your business personality is important and often times for small business and solopreneurs the presence of the owners personality is a vital part of its success but therein lies the problem. In standard office and corporate environments people are reminded to leave their personal life, problems, worries etc.. at home but for the passionate entrepreneur this can be troubling how do you leave theses things at the door when their is little separation between your work life and home life. You constantly take your work home and your personal life to work.

So what happens when personal troubles seep into your business? Making your personal troubles and drama present in your enterprise can be shockingly detrimental to your business at times even crippling. It is important to remember that often times the professionals your business services or works with are not prepared to deal with your home life and they don’t want to.

Building that work life balance we often hear reference to is crucial to preserve the integrity of your organization even if you are a solopreneur. Bringing toxic negativity to your work is a simple way to destroy your brand and alienate your patrons. Your first rule should always be to never make your personal problems the problems of your associates, patrons or customers. Everyone has their own problems and although your transparency of character has served you well in business it will not do you justice to tarnish that with a infiltration of personal problems.

We have seen how the recent marital dramas of the Los Angeles Dodger owners the Mccourts has had a troubling effect on the organization as a whole steaming all the way down to the club house.

Just remember don’t be a toxicpreneur, keeping your positivity up even during the down times will server your organization right and lead to continued loyalty amongst customers and employees.

Your business is you but your business should always be the best face of you, just like any brand, consistency of character is key and if you show inconsistency and draw too much negative attention your brand will suffer.

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Entrepreneurship has long been heralded as a rewarding yet risky experience that for many people just carries to much risk and uncertainty.

With the rise of our current economic recession and massive layoff’s across most industries we are seeing a different bread of entrepreneurial thought. Rather than setting sail as a profiteer looking to take advantage of rising market trends and make some wonderful profits along the way, we are seeing the hungry entrepreneur taking flight out of necessity and a will to create a lifestyle that they are in control of.

With no job or a job that could be on its way out, an industry in shambles and this entrepreneur is in survival mode. Feed up with not being in control of ones own destiny and in search of a lifestyle not bourgeoning profits the entrepreneur sets out.

In recent months here at Zella Design we have seen a rapidly increasing amount of entrepreneurs who are taking the reigns and striving to launch new and interesting businesses.

“there comes a point when you say oh why not, I have nothing to loss its not like I have a job any more” declares a recent corporate world expat.

When entrepreneurship calls here is a basic guide to being a Spartan Entrepreneur cast off on the road against insurmountable odds but internally driven to hold your last bastion of the American dream.

Live humble:

Times are tight, capital resources are few and fleeting and start up capital is shallow. Being under capitalized can be a huge encumbrance on a start up business but they call it “bootstrapping” for a reason. In order to pull your self up from your bootstrap you need to live humble.

Avoid credit card debit – Debit is a sure fire way to sink your ship. If you must incur credit card debit as a form of start up capital keep it too a minimum and layout an aggressive payback plan. If you can slip by with just reinvesting profits from services render you will be much better off.

Limit your bills – you need to be able to take risk and be flexible, a heavy bill burden can hurt you. Know your expenditures and when you do your business plan decide what you can eliminate. The more freedom your cash has the better you will be situated to survive.

Keep your life simple – cars and houses are liabilities, in simplifying your life focus on assets that help your company move forward. If your capital is tied up in your mortgage, rent or car payment you will be severely limiting your ability to invest back into your company’s sustained growth.

If you are turning a profit – don’t race into expenditures, a little capital savings can be a vital assets during lean times, and these days there appears to be a lot of lean times.

Stay Nimble:

A young company needs to keep on their toes, you need to be able to pivot left and sprint when moments early you thought you where going right. Many successful start-ups stumbled upon their business model be taking an unexpected opportunity and driving towards it.

Be Adept at change - You wrote a business plan but a plan changes and you need to be able to adapt to change. Be solutions focused steer clear of over rationalizing and dwelling on problems. Focus on what is working and base your decisions on “bright spots”

Don’t get frustrated - You are performing research while you work, you don’t have time to research every possibility and analyze all factors. Many entrepreneurs perform their market research as they go along adapting their pitch, product, and service as they receive feedback from customers.

This was a very helpful tool for Zella design when we where starting out, it allowed us to trial test our product on consumers and get real feedback that helped us rapidly evolve our services to match the needs of our market.

Act Quickly! Have the ability to act quickly, in the corporate world there are layers and voids to be crossed in decision-making, but when you strike out on your own or with a small group decision-making can happen rapidly.

Don’t be afraid – to test new market trends or chase your passion. Larger companies will often wait to watch new markets develop that attempt to move into them once they show promise. If you can identify growth markets or developing markets and act quickly to capitalize on them you can position your company for success.

Lead don’t follow - Many small companies always look to copy and mimic what larger competitors are doing but the thing about being small, mobile and flexible is that you can take risk and act with a speed that will allow you to out flank larger competitors. Make the larger company chase you around, not the other way.

Discount your services - A great way to get your company going is to offer substantial discounts or even give a few products or services away. By doing this you entice customers to try you out and you also gain a portfolio. Consider it paid market research. If you satisfy your test run clients there will be more orders or referrals in your future.

Be hungry - Be willing to make tough decisions and gut out some down times while staying positive is a sure way to achieve success. Many soloperneurs and small start-ups fail because they lacked the guts to survive. You are at the bottom and you need to be willing to do what your competitors are not doing to survive.

Big established businesses become complacent and arrogant resulting in their diminished relevancy at the ground level. Stay hungry and you can stave off these problems.

As the founder you are the key to success, and you need to be willing to do what ever it takes. If you are willing to do what others are afraid to do you will drive your company forward. Make that extra phone call, follow up on every client, pound the pavement and scream the gospel of your product or service. Do not expect your employees to dig in the trenches for you if you are not right their side beside them.

As my professor Steve Abbott always said as a young entrepreneur you need to live a Spartan life; Live Humble, Stay Nimble

Tags: entrepreneur, Survival.

As a kid like many young boys I grew up complete obsessed with and immersed in sports.

When you are child you play for the excitement and you revel in the accolades but little thought goes into the life lessons that are pounded into our young minds on the field of competition.

Sports and business philosophies are so closely tied that the vernacular is seamlessly interchangeable. Every corporate boardroom is filled with sports cliché and huddle up speeches. Every aspect of sports can become a situational metaphor for business situation and strategy.

Here are two things my coaches pounded into my subconscious that have helped me in my business life.

“keep your feet moving”

This was a common thread that I have heard from many of my coaches.  No mater what the situation is this mantra of momentum can help us all push through. As a hockey player I was always a bit undersized but my coach would repeat this mantra to me “keep your feet moving” by doing this I was able to out work and win over my larger opponents.

He would always say when the puck goes into the corner and you end up in a fight for the puck just keep your legs pumping. When you are up against the boards and you are in a scramble for the puck it is important to not dig in and push. Rather get low and keep your feet moving.

By keeping your momentum up and driving through your base you can out work even larger and stronger opponents. But if you dig in hunker up and just push you become static predictable and week and you will ultimately lose the battle.

This is an important reminder to every entrepreneur because day in and day out with a small business you find your self up against the boards fighting for a loose puck. In theses tough economic times business are continually fighting for fewer customers against larger and stronger players but if you keep the wheels turning and you stay focused on the object ahead you can drive through.

So remember when it gets tough don’t hunker up, close your eyes and push. Instead get low, keep your head up and drive your legs. “Keep those feet moving” and if you are looking forward that is where you will end up

“Highest hips win”

When I wrestled we had this whacky old coach that every time you went to the mat he would yell in cattle call reminiscent tone “hips, hips”

Our coach would always say when ever you where in a scramble on the matt the wrestler with the highest hips would win. So every time we where in the down position or we where trying to escape he would start yelling “hips, hips”

In business when you are in a scramble work towards driving your business core up. Don’t rely on a periphery function an arm or a leg, rather leverage the core of your business and the rest of your business functions will follow rapidly. If you can get your core elevated quicker than your competitors you will win out over the competition.

Tags: Highest Hips Win, Keep Your Feet Moving, Sports in Business.

Here at Zella Design as we approach our 1^st anniversary I have come to a fast realization. As much as it pains me to say it, the service quality at Zella Design has been lacking, we have been neglecting a very important client. We have been neglecting Zella Design.

There is saying in business that small business owners, consultants and entrepreneurs throw around all the time “be your own best client”.

But as much as that phrase is repeated there seems to be an old truism that when it comes to service side businesses we are notorious for being our own worst client. We always say, “practice what you preach” and “eat your own cooking” but time after time the internal needs of a company fall by the way side.

My father a long time small business owner and artist always jokes with me about how the roofers, roof always leaks or how the mechanic’s car is broken down. These seem like simple ironies but the truth is that when you spend so much time dedicating your companies resources and energy to servicing you clients needs above and beyond expectations the first thing that suffers is your companies personal needs.

I have seen this all too many times in my personal and consulting experience and I am ashamed to say that I am currently guilt of that very thing here at Zella. So this is a personal reminder to my self and the staff here at Zella Design as well as to all of our loyal clients and small business owners nation wide, remember to give your company some love. It is not enough to work in your business you need to work on your business. Show your own company the same dedication and performance that you service your clients with and your business will continue to grow.

So to insure that here at Zella  “we eat what the kitchen is cooking” we have declared a host off new features and dedications that will allow Zella to continue to grow and flourish in our second year of business

Zella Design is currently in the process of updating our web site! Look for the new site to launch mid august. With our web site launch Zella Design will be offering some exciting new features to help our clients improve their online marketing.

Until than our blog is back in full swing after a brief hiatus (due to a virus on wordpress) so look for new content and articles in the next few days.

And remember do not neglect your own business, the way your business treats it self is a vital component of your business brand so take some time every week and put some of your love back into your business. In order for your business to be successful you need to put in the time doing the things necessary to grow your business.

Right now is the perfect time to focus some of your business resources and time back into your business. With the slow economy many businesses are cutting back employee hours due to declining workloads.

This might not be the best solution. Rather than cutting hour’s redirect your employees down time towards functions that will help move your business towards its long-term goals. Getting your employees involved in marketing, sales and lead generation can be a great way to build moral and avoid layoff’s or cutting your employees hours activities that are sure to lead to reduced employee moral.

Here are five things you can do to reenergize your business

1)    Start a blog: this is a great way to put content creation in your companies’ hands. If you are too busy to write consider allowing knowledgeable employees to publish content.

2)    Social media: developing and maintaining a social media presence can be a great way to connect with customers and build product awareness

3)    Update directories: update your director listings and Google local listings. This simple task can help you rank better and get more leads

4)    Update your web site: when was the last time you updated your site? Get some fresh content for your customers. Dedicate your self to revising one page a week. In no time you will have your site looking fresh and full of information.

5)    Get Personal: Spend some time connecting with your customers and employees. Spend some face time listening to their needs, who knows what gems you might find hiding in some one else’s words.

Tags: be your own best client, improve your business, update your business.

The “cheap chic” marketing machine of target has come out with a novel idea for this holiday season. Instead of just giving a thoughtless gift card how about giving a gift card that is a gift it’s self! Sound confusing?

Target recently introduced the new Target Digital Camera Gift Card ($50-$1000). This is the Hybrid of the retail world. The gift card features a 1.2 mega pixel camera that holds 50 pictures. The camera / card comes with a USB cord, driver disc and voucher for 40 free prints at Target.

The gift card works the same as all other gift cards you chose how much store credit you want to load on to the card ranging from $50 to $1,000 of store credit.

This is a great idea to help spark lagging retail sales during the holiday season. The camera is fairly useless but it offers a fun cool factor that is sure to attract attention to the otherwise boring gift card.

From a marketing standpoint this move makes a lot of sense for the retail chain.

1.) It is a novel concept that is sure to attract attention and excitement.

2.) Encourages shoppers to purchase gift cards and it will also entice gift card purchasers to up their spend to a minimum of $50 so they can get the camera.

3.) It empowers the lazy gift givers, it is a simple holiday gift solution that keeps the giver from looking like a thoughtless shopper.

4.) It is cool ideas that will attract lots of word of mouth and positions target as a hip creative innovator in their market further differentiating Target in the minds of consumers from the relic Wal-Mart. This is a strong move since Wal-Mart has attempted to re-energize their brand with a more positive, youthful look. Their new logo looks remarkably similar to Targets. And their new tagline: Save money. Live better seems inspired by Targets tagline: Expect more. Pay less.

We will see if this gift card campaign is successful as we approach the holidays.

But it feels like this trend of incorporating utility into gift cards is going to carry on. I could see a company like Apple jumping on this trend with an IPod gift card hybrid. With the high priced items in an apple store they could justify the cost of a music playing gift card. With a minimum spend starting at $300 dollars or so.

I am sure Jobs is already on this and if not Steve better give me a shout out on this one!

Tags: Apple, Digital Camera Gift Card, Retail Sales, Target one ups Wal-Mart, Targets New Gift Card.

MySpace is targeting small business with this week’s release of MyAds a low-cost do-it-yourself advertising tool. MyAds allows small businesses to target the social networking giants 122 million users worldwide.

Users of MyAds will be able to create their own banner ads to display in targeted marketing campaigns ranging in price from $25 to $10,000 dollars.

Ads will be targeted at MySpace viewers based on the selected target audience of your choice, markets are segmented based on age, sex, location and the expressed interests of MySpace users.

MyAds provides a simple process, you design your ads using pre-made templates, select the campaigns target audiences, designate a budget, and plan a display schedule and you are done. You can then track the performance of your campaign on MyAds using real time-analytics.

So what does this mean for small businesses?

Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing at MySpace feels that “MySpace MyAds is a direct marketer’s dream-providing entrepreneurs with the most accessible, personalized, and targeted advertising toolkit in the market,”

MySpace is a very tantalizing advertising platform that will give small business the ability to connect with specific niche markets easily and effectively. MyAds could make a good addition to your current on-line marketing mix.

MySpace MyAds

Tags: MyAds, MySpace, On-line Media.

Throughout our daily grind we all feel a bit struck for creativity. We long for those ethereal moments of clarity when creativity pours like a fountain of great ideas. The rest of the time we fight and work to conjure up the mere taste of a unique and unconfined idea.

Scientist have developed and are now testing a “thinking cap” that might be the key to unlocking the repressed creative genius with in all of us.

The device is a hairnet like cap that uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain functions. Wearing the cap for just a few minutes has been shown to improve artistic ability and proof-reading skills.

The theory is that the cap uses transcranial magnetic stimulation to suppress the left side of the brain, the side that is generally associated with whole ideas and logic. This temporarily allows details from the right side of the brain our creative side, to flow unfiltered into our direct consciousness allowing us to tap our inner creativity. The effects of this stimulation and the heightened state of creativity that comes with it only lasts for about an hour.

Renowned Researcher and Professor Allan Snyder believes the experiments show we all have hidden talents, we just have trouble tapping into them.

Imagine if every office had a few thinking caps lying around even the left-brain dominant analytical types would be thinking out of the box. Of course we don’t have thinking caps yet but this article reminds us that we need to on occasion look past logic in the hopes of basking in the inner creativity that lives within all of us. 

Tags: Creativity, Thinking Cap.

Recent negotiations between Yahoo and Goggle have lead to a pending partnership. Yahoo will now host Google adwords within its own search engine.

Yahoo will continue to display its own paid search advertisements right next to Google’s ads. An interesting juxtaposition that is sure to cause some initial confusion.

A statement released by Yahoo estimates that the union would bring in an additional $800 million in ad revenue annually. Google and Yahoo will share the revenue generated from the partnership, which is estimated to produce $250 million to $450 million in operating cash flow for Yahoo in year one.

This partnership is sure to increase Google’s preeminence in the search advertising market while increasing the reach of Google’s brand. Google already has a similar ad agreement with AOL and Ask.com.

A Yahoo/Google ad merger has some interesting implications for search marketers. The reach of Google adwords will be greatly increased and the possibilities for reaching new market segments all in one application is a nice benefit, but all of this is going to come with a cost. The pay per click and pay per impression cost of ads will increase due to the rising demand for Google’s ad services.

This move comes at an opportune time for both companies. With the current financial crisis and rapidly declining stock values both companies are sure to benefit from the increased cash flow. But this move is especially important for Yahoo because it will help Yahoo retain their current customer base and help revive the declining usage of Yahoo’s SERP (search engine results page) and allow them to survive in the market place with out a Microsoft buyout.

Anti-trust concerns have been waged. However, most analysts contend that the deal will withstand regulatory inspection. Until committee approval is reached Yahoo and Google have voluntarily delayed the agreement.

I guess in the end sharing is caring. 

Tags: Adwords, Google, Merger, search marketing, Yahoo.