Welcome to the Story Bistro blog!
Our most recent posts have been cued up for your enjoyment. This month, our focus is on blooming and deepening our online relationships.
(See the footer at the bottom of this page to browse by category.)
Build Your Brand and Your Business Without Cash (A True Story!)
When I first started my consulting practice I used a combination of just three funding sources: savings, credit cards and a little thing called barter. Bartering can be great fun -- especially when you find someone who has what you need and who needs what you have,...
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Designing a Brand that Works: 6 Key Eye-Catching Elements
It’s Day 6 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment we'll look at the six key elements of using design to create memorable visual representations for your...
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Surprising Advice for Honing Your Storytelling and Blogging Skills
Have you seen the above rules before? It's super-smart advice! [Get more writing and content marketing tips from Copyblogger.] Here's Step #11: Don't Write in a Vacuum. It's simple: if you want to get better -- no matter what your experience level -- you should also...
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Game-Changers Wanted: I Need Your Advice
Note: Recently, I published a post about blowing things up. That post literally got more comments than any other post I've ever received on this site. Clearly, I'm not the only one frustrated by the system as it exists. I've been getting a lot of questions and...
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(Infographic) If Your Blog Were a Beer, What Kind Would it Be?
I always love when food (or in this case, drink) and marketing come together. Once you've read thru this infographic, share what flavor you think your blog is in a comment below... If Your Blog Were A Beer... infographic by...
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Book Review: “Uprising: How to Build a Brand and Change the World” (Plus a chance to win a FREE copy)
I love to read -- it's one of the reasons I do book reviews here (so that I have access to all the latest and greatest business books). But this, my friends, is a book you absolutely must read if you're serious about building something bigger than yourself. I know...
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On Teaching: An Interview with Jennifer Louden
I stumbled on Jen Louden about a year ago, while researching different classes on teaching. I've found her credible and genuine and full of heart. She is an "A-lister" who doesn't take herself too seriously and is always willing to share something that matters. She's...
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Collaborate in the (Online) Kitchen and Yield Exponential Results
Your Business is Like an Artichoke
Have you ever been seduced by a vegetable? I have. And her name is Artichoke. What is it about her that draws me in? She's beautiful, sensual and earthy all at once. She has hidden mysteries, layers of "meaty" stories, and a delicious interior that can only be...
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Gratitude, Goals and a Turkey Day Business Tip
Gratitude is everywhere this time of year. Especially online. I've seen posts on Facebook every day since Nov 1st (it's that 30 Days of Gratitude thing). Twitter is clogged with #Gratitude tweets. And today, multiple posts around the blogosphere hit my RSS feed. There...
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Case Study: Creating an About Page that Works
Did you know that your About Page is one of your website's most important tools? For some of us, it's probably one of THE most-visited pages on the entire site. And that's because people want to know who they're about to do business with. Are you trustworthy? Do you...
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Are You Smokin’ a Joint (Venture)? Why Collaboration MUST Come First
I've been doing a lot of hanging out with freakishly cool kids. (Have you noticed?) First came the Word Carnival carnies. (An ever-growing close-knit tribe of bloggers who write for the small biz crowd.) We've been together for almost nine months now. Then came the...
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Lovably Unpopular: An Interview with Erika Napoletano and a Chance to Win Her New Book
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that around here, figuring out your Secret Sauce is a pretty huge deal. That's why I was so excited about the chance to talk with Erika Napoletano (the person behind the persona at RedHeadWriting.com). She's got her own...
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How to Avoid Being Killed by Evil Chef Robots
Have you met this guy? He's a very sneaky sort of villain. He's what we call around here an Evil Chef Robot. And he's just one of several marketing-type enemies that could hurt your solo business. Let's take a look-see, shall we? How to Spot Them These buggers tend to...
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Yes, We’re Overrun with Fear, Violence and Fuckery. Here’s How We Turn that Around.
Our world is seriously crazy. (And getting worse every day.) In just the last month, nearly 100 people have been shot dead in the U.S. (see Gun Violence). Every time you turn around, someone else is (rightly) up in arms about sexual harassment and gender violence (see...
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The PB&J Guide to Building a Tasty Brand
Peanut Butter and Jelly. Two simple, timelessly appealing ingredients. Like most of us, you probably became a fan in childhood. Of the PB&J, I mean. I know it was the only thing my little brother would eat. Period. White bread, creamy peanut butter and grape jelly...
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Ask for Advice
This post is part of the 30-Day Bloom Your Online Relationships Challenge. If you'd like to play along, you can sign up here (don't worry -- it's FREE). We're all working through these small, powerful actions together and sharing our questions, learnings and...
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Behind the Scenes of AmyTV
Some of you may have seen Amy's video series, Content Marketing Stripped. She's created a total of 20 videos so far -- each one a gem filled with storytelling, humor and value. Perhaps (like me), you found yourself giggling out loud and sharing the videos with your...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Apple Nachos
Keith Pillow of Caddy Marketing submitted the first dish up for examination in my new weekly series that answers the question, "What the heck can we learn about marketing from our favorite foods?" An expert on marketing and communications, career advancement, and...
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#Follow Friday Much? My Love-Hate Relationship with Fan Base-Building Tactics
Yes, we all know it's about quality, not quantity. But still. It's tempting to want to take shortcuts with building your connections on social media. After all, at some point, you DO need a critical mass to help you get traction. But when we stoop to buying Facebook...
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My Big Why: On Motives, Mentors, and Defining Moments
Every hero has one: an origin story. Bruce Wayne watched a mugger brutally kill his parents when he was just a child. Peter Parker found his inner hero after a radioactive spider bit him. Buffy discovered she was “The Chosen One” and learned to leverage her slayer...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Chocolate Cake
Loran Hills of Loran's Heart tweeted this week's suggestion to me after I asked folks to share their favorite foods. Known as the Monarch of Heart, Depth and Focus, and Explorer of the Sacred Realms, Loran helps her clients find clarity and purpose. Connect with her...
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10 Totally Unique Ideas for Your Next Blog Post
Nobody ever wants to "phone it in." Our blog posts reflect who we are as a brand and a small business. The more you're able to think creatively about your content, the more you'll be able to generate engagement and interest, right? So I asked some of the brightest...
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Brandscaping: An Interview with the Author, Andrew M. Davis
Just before Christmas, I picked up a new book called "Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships." And I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I added it to my Must Read Marketing List and then reached out to the author for an interview. Andrew Davis says...
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The Nemesis: Tell Your Marketing Story Better with a Character (or three)
One of the things you want to do is personify the problems of your customers. Why? Because it helps you tell better stories about how you fix those problems. I've done this for my own business, and was able to identify almost a dozen evil characters that stop my...
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9 Tips to Connect with Your Inner Genius and Find Your Best Content Marketing Stories
Ideas. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you're distracted by at least one or two every day. If you're lucky, one or two might spark your next great blog post or a heartfelt email to your subscribers. (LOVE those.) But if those ideas just seem to distract you from...
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The Doctor Who Guide to Content Regeneration (and more!)
And now, for something completely different... Most of you know I'm a bit of a sci-fi geek. Usually, I keep that kind of stuff on Twitter and Facebook. After All, you're here for the food porn photos, am I right? Well, sometimes, you gotta break the routine just a...
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