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.
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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...
read moreThe Truth About Why You Aren’t Learning Anything in Your Online Classes
I got an email this morning from Mary over at A-List Blogging (maybe you did, too?). It was titled "6 Reasons Why Blogger Trainings Fail." As I read through, I noticed my head nodding up and down. Yup. Yup. Yup. She's SO right about this stuff. Here's just a portion...
read moreFind Your Purpose in the Tiny Details and Make a Big Difference
Ever wonder what the heck your purpose is? You've got a little business that you'd like to grow and sometimes you wonder if anyone really cares, right? If what you're doing matters in the larger scheme of things? If what you have to offer would ever prompt someone to...
read moreThe Manifesto: Why Your Business Needs One and How to Write It
I always encourage my clients to write a manifesto for their business. And no, I don't want you to write something creepy a la The Unibomber. This isn't about blowing people up. (Just their minds.) What I'm talking about here is clarity. Clarity for you. Clarity for...
read more5 Marketing Lessons from Celebrity Chefs
Collaborate in the (Online) Kitchen and Yield Exponential Results
Solopreneurs and Online Marketing: What’s Working, What’s Failing
Just last month, we wrapped up a survey here on the topic of Solopreneurs and their online marketing practices. The goal? To find out exactly what folks are doing, what's working for them and what's failing. To establish some benchmarks -- not necessarily of best...
read more10 Ways to Spice Up Your Writing and Let YOUR Voice Shine Through
Context Matters: How to Stop Confusing People and Connect With a Hungry Audience
Meet Joshua Bell. He's HUGE in the classical music world. A few years ago, he posed as a street musician in in Washington DC, and nobody paid him any attention. Normally, if you want to see this guy play, you have to shell out a minimum of $100 (that's for the cheap...
read moreYour Brand and the Marketing Rule of 7
Seven Swans a-Swiming! It’s Day 7 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed any of the series thus far, you can find them here. In today’s installment we’ll dive into the Marketing Rule of 7. Never heard of it? Read on! Let's start off today with a visualization...
read moreWhen the Going Gets Rough, Best Have Something to Stand On
This is a guest post by Zeus Why don’t shortcuts work for the important things? Why are real friendships, productive professional relationships, well-run businesses, life callings, marriage, and parenting so inconveniently and persistently demanding? These things...
read moreThe Secret Way To Grow A Successful Business Really Fast With No Effort At All*
This is a guest post by Carol Lynn Rivera. *That was a lie. Just like it is every time you read it in a headline or on a blog or in an email and every time you hear it in a webinar or hinted at in a sales pitch. But did I get your attention? Ok, I admit to a teensy...
read moreTable Talk Q&A: How Do I Pick the Best Marketing Strategies for My Business (and Avoid Wasting Time/Money)?
Question: There are SO many resources, opportunities for learning, mentors, etc., how can I efficiently choose the marketing technique(s) that will most likely align with my business plans, goals and industry? How do I best allocate my limited resources (time/$) to...
read moreOne of the Biggest Storytelling Mistakes You Can Make While Marketing Your Business
It's an easy mistake to make. Especially when you've got some of the biggest brands in the world doing it, too. (Take AT&T, for example.) And there are SO many business coaches out there telling you you're a rockstar. A phenomenaut. In short, a hero. That you're...
read moreThis 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...
read moreTable Talk Q&A: How Do I Expand My Local Business to the National Level?
Question: My corporate training business has been doing well in the local markets where we live. But how to do we get national clients and expand our business? On a small budget of course. How can we get that kind of reach to potential corporate clients without...
read moreHow to Stand Out from the Crowd and Build Something that Matters
I have news for you. I'm not Brian Clark. I don't have his name recognition or his mad copy writing skillz. I'm also not Danielle LaPorte or Marie Forleo or even Danny Iny. Nor am I looking for World Domination. And it's not that I don't want to be successful. I do....
read moreBook 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...
read moreA Solid Brand Begins with One True Passion
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a partridge in a pear tree... Welcome to Day One of my 12 Days of Branding series. Each day -- from now until Christmas* -- you'll be gifted with branding advice, case studies and more. If you like what you see,...
read moreThe Downton Abbey Guide to Building a Passionate Tribe
You may not know Lady Gaga from Lady Grantham. Yet. But the odds are good that you do. Why? Because Downton Abbey is one of the most popular British sensations to hit the US (and the world) since...well, The Beatles. And it’s not just because the characters have funny...
read moreGame-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...
read moreAugust Blog Prompt: Tutorial
Tell us a story! Sometimes finding inspiration -- at least where your business blog's concerned -- can feel a bit like trying to touch your elbow to your nose (frustrating at worst, just plain laughable at best). I hear from a lot of you that you're not sure what you...
read moreCase Study: How the Jansens Regularly Fill Their Virtual, Local, and Global Workshops
Meet Holly and Mark Jansen. This husband and wife team owns and runs a photography business: Jansen Photo Expeditions. Specifically, they teach photo enthusiasts how to get just the right shot, with just the right equipment, no matter where in the world their cameras...
read moreA Business Paradox: Slow Down to Speed Up
You've seen the marketing hype and heard all the promises: Build a Six-Figure Business in just 60 Days! Or, Fail Fast, Succeed Faster. There's even a magazine called Fast Company. And it's true: most of us want that income NOW. We've got bills to pay. Kids to send to...
read moreThe Remarkable Purple Carrot: A Marketing Parable
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,...
read moreFrom Guest Post to Published Author: An Interview with Beth Hayden of “Pinfluence”
Beth and I met last year in a guest blogging class taught by Jon Morrow, and it wasn't long before we'd hit it off. We've even managed to meet up in person a few times, and it's always an energizing exchange when we get the chance to talk. This interview was no...
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