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.)
An Appetizing Guest Post Pitch: The Perfect Ingredients
A Guest Post by Rohan Pawale of WebHostingDeals.org I’m an big fan of guest posts. I love how they allow me to reach out to new bloggers and build relationships with them. Anything and everything about guest blogging excites me, and considering the latest advice Tea...
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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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My Big Why: On Motives, Mentors, and Defining Moments
This post first appeared on TheWordChef.com in October 2013. When our Word Carnival group decided an homage to parenthood and business was in order (congrats on your new son, Nick!), I felt a little lost about how I might approach this month's theme. Then I remembered...
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The True Meaning of Your Unique Value Proposition (and How to Explain it Like a Pro)
It's Word Carnival time again! In this month's episode we learn all about the dreaded Unique Value Proposition (or USP), why it's so deceptively hard to figure out, and how you can nail it without having an emotional breakdown. Jargon is for jerks. Ninnies. Lazy...
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A Pumpkin with a Plan (Or, How to Quit Being a Slave to Your Business)
Every once in awhile, a book comes along that really makes sense. This? Yep, this is definitely one of them. If you've read Mike Michaelowicz's The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, then you're already familiar with his friendly and accessible style, his sense of humor,...
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Am I Doing My Marketing Right?
I'm currently conducting a 13-week teaching/gamification experiment called "Prosperity's Kitchen." It's an online class for solopreneurs to learn the ins and outs of marketing themselves in the digital world. The twist? It's structured like a reality TV competition....
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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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The Shy Business Owner’s Guide to In-Person Networking
In today's post, I address a question from Caroline Nash of Carolee Crafts (at least 2 other readers asked about this, so I knew it was really important): I'm very shy and fine on a keyboard, but face to face I freeze. Small talk and I do not mix, and I end up...
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Engagement from Scratch: An Interview with Danny Iny
Danny Iny, co-founder of Firepole Marketing, has put together a fabulous new book called "Engagement from Scratch: How Super-Community Builders Create a Loyal Audience and How You Can Do the Same!" Contributors to his book include folks like Brian Clark of...
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Starting an Online Business is Like Building a Plane While Flying
A guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis. Welcome to the first installment in the Zeus Experiment. Be sure to bookmark the series page so you don't miss any of the episodes. Schools fool you. Business development courses pull the wool over your eyes. “Come in,” they say,...
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True Confessions: I’ve Used and Abused My Body (and it’s Finally Caught Up With Me)
For those of you who don't follow my personal exploits (yes, I've got a blog for those), I was recently diagnosed with not one, but FIVE potentially chronic issues: Vitamin D deficiency Gall stones (I'm one episode away from having it out surgically) Fatty, enlarged...
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Uncorked: How Gabrielle Taylor Helps Highly Sensitive Entrepreneurs Thrive
Welcome to Corkers Uncorked. These are some of my most treasured interviews -- mostly because I get to know my readers (you!) on a whole different level. We focus on your astounding biz-related superpowers and origin stories. Bonus: you get to learn more about your...
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The Crowd Sale Experiment
What would you rather do: sell your thing one at a time to many people? Or sell your thing all at once to many people? Hmmm. I thought so. So why do we -- so often -- attempt to find new clients and customers one at a time? Group sales are not a new concept. Folks...
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Vision and Mission: Your Two Brand Messengers
Two turtle doves... It's Day 2 of the 12 Days of Branding. If you missed Day 1, you can find it here. In today's installment we talk about two important foundations for any brand: The Vision and Mission. If you could wave your magic wand and create a perfect world,...
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Passion and Purpose: Why They’re Both Crucial to Your Brand
We branding folk talk a lot about passion and purpose. In fact they're two key elements you must figure out if you want to make sure your business has a fighting chance for success. Why? Because Passion is what gets your motor running. It sparks and fuels your take...
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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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Biggest Business Lesson of the Year: Be (Gasp!) Human
Earlier this month, I talked about the Bears (and how to keep them from eating your business). That post sort of explains the comeback to small biz ownership I made last year. But it's not the whole story. Nope. See, this is the anniversary of something pretty darn...
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Quirky Much? How Your Oddities, Flaws and Peculiar Habits Help Build a Stronger Brand
You and I may never meet in real life. So there are a few things you might never learn about me. The fact that I'm 6 ft. tall, for instance. Or, that I generally operate on the "piles and post-its" filing system. (But those are just surface quirks. Not the deeper,...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Tina Robbins, a "core spirit" life coach from Denver, CO, emailed this week’s suggestion. Here’s what she had to say: Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my go-to comfort foods. There's something about the richness of the meatballs and the noodly pasta goodness that is...
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Doctor Who’s Favorite (Marketing) Dish: Fish Fingers and Custard!
"New mouth, New rules!" -- The Doctor Worried that your marketing sounds a lot like everyone else's? It happens. To the best of us! Usually because we're too insecure to throw away those sales page blueprints and email templates and create our own path. We're afraid...
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On the Paradox of Your (Writer’s) Devotion
It was 4 a.m. on a Monday and most of the water protectors were gathered around a bonfire near the foot of a bridge in Standing Rock, North Dakota. But not Sophia. The 21-year old woman was up on the bridge with a friend when she was hit in the forearm with what folks...
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Feed Us a Story
Stories are food. Feed everyone and be willing to let them feed you, too. Remember humans love stories — it’s hardwired into how we learn and grow. Why did you start your business? That’s a story. Who are your best customers (and what makes them the best)? That’s...
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Book Marketing Lessons from a Finance Rockstar
As the President of Small Business Finance Forum, Nicole Fende, aka the Numbers Whisperer™ is a credentialed actuary with experience as a Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, and successful entrepreneur. She's also the author of the new book, "How to be a...
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Speak Up! Why and How to Find Your Voice
This is a guest post by Zeus This week I quadrupled sign-ups for my mailing list, and re-taught myself some valuable lessons: Trust yourself. Be original in voice. Put quality first. Tap into your existing community. Write what you know. Here's what happened: My guest...
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Little-Known Ways to Cook Up Great Content
This is a guest post by Adrienne Erin When writing for your blog, it isn't always easy to come up with new ideas. Posting four to eight times a month means finding effective ways to create content that will engage and entertain readers on a regular basis. When you...
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5 Ways to Keep Your Marketing Costs from Boiling Over
This is a guest post by Samar Owais Marketing is a lot like cooking— easy for those who enjoy it and hell on earth for those who don’t. Until a couple of years ago, I sucked at both. While I didn’t kill my business or food poison anyone in my family, I came...
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17 Unique Ways to Turn Your Blog Readers into Loyal Fans
Sure. You read all the best blogs about blogging. Your content sparkles. Your design is flawless. You've optimized for SEO and ticked off the long list of best practices. You've fine-tuned every aspect of your site. And you've got passion, damn it. It’s all humming...
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