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Building a Business that Counts

April 10, 2012 by dwellman 4 Comments

For a long time now, I have been a bit unsettled about business in this cray era of the internet and the “global” economy. As a dreamer, I have looked at videos, listened to gurus, and joined the social network. The more I did (and learned) the more unsettled I became. The reason for my unsettled condition was that through all of what I was seeing, hearing, and experiencing there was a tremendous loss of the human element.

For me business is about looking people in the eye and knowing that they trust what I say and I trust them in the same way.

It’s about being confident that the people you work with really care about you and you really care about them.
It’s about relationships that will give the other their last dollar to bail them out of a jam.
It’s about building a business that counts for you, for your customers/clients, and for your community.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to introduce some thoughts about building such a business. My hope in all of this is that some very talented entrepreneurs who are looking for more than just fame and fortune will take these simple thoughts and bring about a revolution of caring in this country and around the world.

So, buckle up and hang on for the ride. Please comment and add to the conversation. This discussion could very well change the course of your world. Most of all I want it to help you find purpose and passion!

Cheers ….

Filed Under: Designing Success, Small Business Tagged With: Building a business, Business, Caring, Experience, Facebook, Small Business, Social media, Social network, Twitter

Betting on the Boomers

April 4, 2012 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

I follow Scott Gerber, founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council, on Twitter(@askgerber). In his recent tweets he has been promoting the YEC’s new campaign “Fix Young America” which he hopes will bring young entrepreneurs together to help to fix the broken economy.

Now, I for one am all for every generation working together to fix the struggling American economy, but if I was a betting man, I’d be betting on the Boomers. You see for most Boomers the 800 pound elephant in the room is that we simply don’t have enough money to “retire” like many of our parents did. And this fact is going to spark a new era of micro-business activity among the largest generation on the planet. So, its time we get back to work!

Work …. yes, but traditional jobs …. never! Our generation is the generation of color television, cable, personal computing, and Starbucks. We are the children that Disney built his empire selling to and still the largest age based market in the US as well as many other economies. We were the great innovators that put men on the moon, created the internet, and created the strongest economy the world has ever known.

With all our experience and wisdom, its our turn to step up again, to turn our “retirement years” into something more than endless days of golf or tennis, We need to determine that we are going reignite our innovative juices and create again an economy that meets the needs for our “chapter two” and leaves a strong legacy for Scott and those in the Young Entrepreneur Council.

Here are some things I think we can do to bring the economy back to full strength:

Look to our lifetime of experience to find, build, and promote new businesses that will put customers first and will effect our communities in a positive way.
Look for ways to embrace our age group in the businesses we create. Remember, we are still the largest generation, and besides, who understands us better than we do?
Look for ways to pass our wisdom on to succeeding generations. Many of us learned the principles of self-reliance and hard work by working with along side our parents or grandparents. We need to pass that ethic on and teach while we build businesses.

Scott and the members of the YEC are doing a great thing by looking for ways to fix the American economy by looking to the current and upcoming generations, but as for me, I’m betting on the Boomers!

Filed Under: Retirement, Second Career Tagged With: Babyboomer, Boomer, Business, Generation, Small Business, Starbucks, Twitter, United States

Social Media and Real Business

March 22, 2012 by dwellman Leave a Comment

An example of the share buttons common to many social web pages. Thanks to http://www.nouveller.com for the free icon pack image. The author (Benjamin Reid) releases the image into the public domain, with the following text available at the source page: "You can use them anywhere you like, absolutely anywhere, anything. No attribution, 100% free.". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The lure of social media is everywhere today. (I watched my Twitter stream all day yesterday to see the fate of Tim Tebow.) Nearly anyone can be found online and in the social media world. As recently as the last couple years the largest segment of growth online were Boomers and Seniors.

Businesses of all shapes and sizes are being inundated with “gurus” who are insisting that no business can survive without a social media marketing plan. Yet, thousands and thousands, and thousands, and thousands (you get my point) of businesses don’t really know what to do with social media or how to do it.

Let me give you three quick tips on how to use social media in a real business:

Create a social media plan that is heavy on the social. The point of social media for business is to build relationships and to actually carry on conversations with your customers and prospective customers. Most companies believe that if they just send out enough information to enough people they will gain enough customers. (That is really just “old school” marketing in a new medium.) Social means social, so talk!
Create a social media plan that allows your customers and potential customers to ask questions that then get answered for everyone’s benefit. The more you can answer questions before and after the sale, the more people will buy from you again and refer you to others.
Create a social media plan that allows you to monitor your brand and respond quickly to any negative comments. People today are more apt to take their anger with you and your company online these days than they are to talk directly to you. If you are monitoring your name and the name of your company, you can usually respond to and defuse most complaints in real time. This kind of open and thoughtful response will go a long way in repairing relationships with an existing customer and showing potential customers the kind of effort you will make with them should an issue arise!

Real businesses (not the shame groups teaching you to make money online by teaching people to make money online to teach people to make money online) need to have an online presence these days. But, don’t let the lure of the online cause you to loose sight of the rest of your business planning, marketing, and efforts. Social media is one tool in the tool box. Essential …YES! But, not to the expense of all others!

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Business, Company, Customer, Facebook, LinkedIn, Marketing plan, Social media, Tim Tebow, Twitter

When Social Media Turns Ugly!

February 22, 2012 by dwellman 13 Comments

Image via Wikipedia

I spend a lot of time on social media channels these days and I have found that since we”marketing experts” have discovered them, they have really lost their desire for simple people like me. I will admit openly and without reservation that I embraced these channels of communication and considered with glee the great opportunity they provided for business growth and expansion. However, after becoming the victim of the insanity, I finally came to understand that these wonderful opportunities for small and quiet voices to be heard had been overtaken by the loud voices of “the market” and their ability to control the whole system.

Everywhere you go (from Facebook to Pinterest to LinkedIn to Twitter and beyond) the social stream is less and less social and more and more another channel to inundate the public with more and more “stuff.” Even the concept of “inbound marketing” where content is supposed to be free and limited so as to create a greater sales cycle.

I am not against the use of social media for business purposes, but I am dismayed that nearly everything you read these days is a “not so veiled” sales pitch. This post marks a change in thought (as well as direction) for me. I am still going to provide what I hope will be great and informative content to my friends and readers, but I am going to let the decision to work with me professionally be entirely yours.

The result may be a lessening of readership, a fewer numbers of “lead captures,” and maybe even less income for our company as well as for me, but I am ready to do the right thing. How about you? What do you think would bring you to such a decision? Is it important for your company to be seen in this kind of light or is money and growth all that is important? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Business, Facebook, Inbound marketing, LinkedIn, Marketing and Advertising, Pinterest, Social media, Twitter

Inspired by an Expert

January 31, 2012 by dwellman 2 Comments

As you know last week I talked about having writers block. I am thankful for all the comments and DM’s I got about the subject and how to get past it. Then, over the weekend I was looking through my Twitter stream and came across a great article on the blog of one of my blogging heroes. (Mark Schaefer)

As I read his article “Improve your blog. Stop writing for an audience!” I realized that I had been inspired by an expert. Someone, in this case, who was writing with passion as his principle purpose. The reason that I find this exciting is that much of what I have read by the experts these days have just been a rehash of the basic things that I learned early on in my time as a blogger. And, following their advice (writing for my audience) was partly the reason for my writers block.

Now, its one thing to say that you have been inspired by an expert and quite another to take the advice that is given and make things better from it. If you are going to move forward with this kind of inspiration you need to:

Look for experts who connect with your way of thinking. This does not mean find experts that you always agree with or who always say what you want to hear. It does mean to look for experts who teach, inspire, and challenge you to think and grow in your business and personal life.
Look for experts who don’t just push out the “same old stuff” but rather push the envelope in order to teach you better ways of looking at things you both need and want to get done.
Look for experts who don’t try to spend time tell you how expert they are. If you connect with them and their information and advice is really inspirational, you will know they are experts even without them saying so!

When I first started blogging, I tried to read everything from everyone. These days I just read a handful. My advice, find a few experts who write because of their passion and let them inspire you!

What experts have inspired you? How has their advice made you better at what you do?

Filed Under: Designing Success, Internet Tagged With: Blogging Heroes, BusinessGrow.com, Mark Schaefer, Small Business, Twitter, Writer, Writer Resources, Writers Block, Writing

Networking and the Growth of Business

January 17, 2012 by dwellman Leave a Comment

Small Business Summit 2011 Pre Event Photo 22

Image by Grant Wickes via Flickr

I had an opportunity to sit with a couple young entrepreneurs this morning. In spending this time with them, I was reminded about the idea of networking and the growth of business. Without this time of networking I would not know about their business nor would I be able to refer them to my clients who might well need them.

While networking has always been a part of business success, it seems that in today’s business climate driven often by online marketing opportunities, that real networking has suffered. It’s easier to “shoot” someone an email or direct them to your Twitter account than to sit down for a cup of coffee. While these technologies have their place in every business, they should not and really cannot take the place of the face-to-face contact that is the essence of networking.

Networking is important because:

When I am looking into your face I can hear the sincerity of your words.
When I am looking into your face I can see the passion in your eyes.
When I am looking into your face I can tell your confidence that you display.
When I am looking into your face you can see the same things in me.

It is when we can gain the confidence in each other that only this kind of conversation brings, that we will readily refer each other and our businesses to our clients, family, and friends.

Every business should recognize the value of this kind of networking and realize how important it is to the growth of our businesses.

Filed Under: Small Business Tagged With: Business, Business growth, Business networking, Business success, Small Business, Small business growth, Small business success, Social media, Social network, Twitter

The Trap of the Internet and Social Media

January 9, 2012 by dwellman 5 Comments

Starting a new business in the current business environment is as exciting as at any time in history. With the ability to be “seen” not only in your local market but also in every market around the world via the internet and the use of social media is just incredible.

Yet, with such powerful tools available, new businesses can also fall victim to the trap of the internet and social media. What I mean by this is that new businesses can easily get mesmerized by the power and reach of both the internet and social media and come to believe that if they are simply “out there” that success is guaranteed.

I remember having a conversation with a business owner who was in the second year of her business. She was a very savvy business woman who had used her internet and social media skills to launch her business a year prior to our conversation. What stunned her though was that now in her second year of business things weren’t going nearly as well and she was not getting the new business that had seemed to come so easily to her in the first year of business.

She recognized that her internet and social media efforts, which had been a large part of her first year success, were not bringing the same return as in the first year. As she considered her options, she began to reach out to her personal network and developed new products to make available to her local market. She continued with her online efforts as well, but learned that being online alone is not enough. You need to have a balanced approach to marketing that is strong both on as off line.

Don’t fall into the trap! The internet and social media can play a very powerful role in the success of your business, but for most businesses they cannot be your sole efforts.

What have you seen in your business? What other marketing efforts are you using to maximize your success model?

Filed Under: Internet, Social Media Tagged With: Business, Facebook, Internet Marketing, Local Network, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Offline Marketing, Small Business, Social media, Twitter

So we gotta say goodbye

December 15, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

Image by Terence S. Jones via Flickr

I am writing this post with a sense of sadness and reluctance. As of this post, BabyBoomEntrepreneurs.com is signing off. Now don’t loose hope, what is happening is that I am going to move all of the information from BBE to my primary business site (Doulos Marketing).

My concern for the plight of Boomers in this crazy world economy is as fervent as ever, I am just having a difficult time making everything fit into my life these days and with so much of what I post here really duplicated at Doulos Marketing, I have made the decision to combine the two.

So, we gotta say good-bye for now, but check in over at Doulos Marketing and let’s get reacquainted there! You can also follow me on Twitter @doulosmarketing (Business) or @davewellman (Personal) and check out my personal perspective on the pursuit of the quiet and peaceable life at DaveWellman.net.

The run is not over, its just changing locations! Come join in and “let’s rock!”

Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers Tagged With: Business, Doulos Marketing, market, Marketing and Advertising, Online Communities, Social Networking, Twitter

Changing the Face of Business

October 11, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to change! I enjoy my routine. Yet, I have also come to understand that without change there is no growth and without growth there is stagnation. (Not a good word for a successful business!) So, I set out to change, to learn, to grow no matter how hard it seems to be.

However, I don’t want to do all this changing and growing alone, so I have come up with a little experiment that I want others to join with me. The experiment involves changing the face of business as we know it. I am speaking particularly about how business is conducted in the online, social media world.

When the business community invaded the online world and specifically the world of social media, we did so with the same bluster and bravado (and junk mail I might add) as our entrance into all other types of media. Suddenly every email, every website, every blog post, every tweet was an advertisement for some product and/or service that I didn’t know I wanted or needed.

Businesses are being swept into such tactics by the promise of a worldwide audience and the thought that if just .01% of all their posts become sales then they would be rich beyond imagination. So the posts come, the tweets are made and the email offers are non-stop. It is so bad now that I am ready to shut it all off and actually talk to my clients in person again (what a concept!)

Thinking about this makes my head spin! So, I have decided to do an experiment. The goal of this experiment is “changing the face of business.” The way that the experiment works is that I want to establish a business relationship (more about what that means later) with 100 people. This relationship will be one of mutual respect, and one of mutual benefit, driven by the sense of value that such a relationship can bring to all involved. I am not looking for people who necessarily want to sell me something, but want to know who you are, what you do, and how you bring value to your customers/clients. I want to share my value with you as well. Then, if we need something from the other, we would certainly feel comfortable hiring the other and/or recommending each other to our spheres of influence. No pressure, no hype, and no more quotes from dead people just to fill our twitter stream (my pet peeve!)

If this is something that might strike your fancy, you can check out my new twitter account @dwellmanonline. It is a social/business place where I talk business, root for the Cardinals, and talk with my business partners. This experiment will last as long as it has value to all involved. If you get too salesy I will let you know, if I get too salesy please let me know (PM’s please, not news stream flaming.)

In the end, I hope to find that changing the face of business is not only possible but also rewarding personally and professionally!

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Business, Change, Changing, Customer, Face of Business, Facebook, Online Communities, Social Media, Social Media Today, Social network, Social Networking, Twitter

Tell the Truth and Tell it Fast!

October 3, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

Image via Wikipedia

I watched a great interview done by one of the men that I respect most online (Mark Schaefer). Mark was interviewing Amy Howell of Howell Marketing Strategies. (See the interview here!) Mark and Amy were talking about the changes that have occurred in the world of Public Relations with the onset of social media. The point that struck me the most was that Amy said because of the speed at which things occur online these days you, as a business owner must, “tell the truth and tell it fast!”

I couldn’t agree more with Amy’s assessment of the online business climate. Tell the truth and tell it fast ought to be a mantra that is driven home in every business small, medium, or large in our world today. Not only does this kind of transparency avert bigger problems down the road, but it also helps you become more real to your clients today.

There are three things that make telling the truth and telling it quickly stand out to me (and I would suspect to a lot of others as well):

Telling the truth in a crisis acknowledges your humanity and your fallibility. I have worked with businesses in the past who, for whatever reason, would not acknowledge an error when it was obvious that one had occurred. (Several auto repair shops will go unnamed at this time!)
Telling the truth, quickly shows clients that you are on top of your business and that your companies reputation is important to you. This level of importance gives current and prospective clients the confidence that you will do all that is necessary to protect your reputation by protecting theirs as well.
Telling the truth, even when you are to blame, makes it difficult for even your staunchest critic to cause long-term damage to you or your company. While every mistake causes short term damage to a client and/or those that they can influence, acknowledging the mistake and fixing the problem can also make for loyal customers and a life-time of referrals from someone who could have been a critic for life.

My thanks again to Mark Schaefer and Amy Howell for stirring my thoughts with this great interview. You can follow Mark (@markwschaefer) on Amy (@howellmarketing) on Twitter.

What do you think about this kind of transparency? Has it helped your business in the past? What do you think now?

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Amy Howell, Blog, Business, Howell Marketing Strategies, Mark, Mark Schaefer, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube

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