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.)
It’s All About YOU
(and WHO is that, exactly?) And now for something completely different. Rather than hear from me, I'd like to get to know you. Here's how to play: Introduce yourself and your business to the rest of the world in a comment below. Include any links to your website...
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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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Has Your Brand Reached its Expiration Date?
(Or, does it just need a little freshening up?) When we start our ventures (if we do things right), we create branding that eventually accomplishes the goal of telling our story in a way that is unique, compelling and builds community. Both the visual and written...
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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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When You Just Need to Get ‘Er Done! Employees vs. Independent Contractors
You're at the crossroads. (And I totally feel your pain.) We both know there aren't enough minutes in the day to finish up all that work on your plate. Clients are trying to track you down. And the emails and phone calls are coming in faster than you can respond. And...
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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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The Fiery, Naked Approach (and How to Use it)
My friend and colleague, Danny Iny (of Firepole Marketing) recently published a marketing manifesto titled "Naked Marketing" -- and it's been getting quite the reception around the interwebz. So much so, that people are creating lists of valuable resources around the...
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Game-changing Dynamite: Why I Feel the Need to Blow Something Up
Ever get so frustrated with the way things are that you'd like to blow it all up and start over? Mmm, hmmm. Me, too. Especially lately. (Fair warning: This is gonna include a bit of a rant.) Why my fuse is lit: Marketing successfully -- whether online or off --...
read more![[Infographic] Solopreneurs: How We Market Online – 2012 Survey Results](http://storybistro.com/wp-content/uploads/food-growth-400x250.jpg)
[Infographic] Solopreneurs: How We Market Online – 2012 Survey Results
What We're Doing, What's Working and What's Not Created from survey data collected from nearly 1,200 respondents during June 2012. A full length research report is also available. For more, click here. Embed this Infographic <a...
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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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No, You’re NOT Stupid (Or, How to Keep Your Brain from Melting When Things Don’t Work)
A guest post by Zeus Yiamouyiannis. Is it possible for a Ph.D. in education (me) to take a half-day getting his website email up and going? (Drum roll…) Yes, it is. You’re kidding. I mean, c’mon, this should take a few minutes, right? Umm, not exactly. I know what you...
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Don’t Read the Instruction Manual: It’s Time to Improvise
Growing up in a Mormon family, I was encouraged to learn things that would develop me into the perfect wife and homemaker. How to make jam. How to sew. How to play with barbies. You know, girly things. And there were always lots of instructions for these things. A...
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When 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...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Ice-Cream Christmas Pudding
Elizabeth Todd, the brains behind Income Trigger Consulting emailed this week’s suggestion. Here's what she had to say about this particular dish: When I first arrived in Australia I was invited to have Christmas with relatives of my girlfriend and there I discovered...
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This Week’s Marketing Dish: Tiramisu
Laurie Nylund, a writer extraordinaire from Sandy, Utah, emailed this week’s suggestion. Here's what she had to say about tiramisu: This Italian dessert means "carry me up" or "to heaven," which is an apt description for how I react whenever I find a piece worthy of...
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Marketing: It’s Not What You Think (and, Why Knowing the Truth Matters)
During our mentoring wrap-up call last week, I asked Zeus for some feedback. I wanted to know what I might've done better or differently during our time together -- something that could've possibly made a bigger difference to him and his marketing efforts. One of the...
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Does this Business Make Me Look Like a Fat Failure? (Or, How to Silence That Voice in Your Head)
How're you feeling about your business and where it's headed? Hunky dory? Or just hunky? Is there a nagging voice in the back of your head screaming that your projects will never be Grade-A material? Are you constantly taking one course after another in order to get...
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Table 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...
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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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A Business Storytelling Manifesto
This isn't just another bandwagon. This is truly important stuff. Especially if you're a mission-driven entrepreneur who has some world-changing ideas, products, or services. You know that business IS personal. That it SHOULD be personal. How else will we ever fix...
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Lizard Brain Much? How to Blog When Everything You Write Sucks, Nobody Reads or Comments, and You Feel Like a Failure
This might surprise you, but not everyone enjoys the process of blogging. Even those who write for a living! I've had clients whose main source of income was freelance writing tell me "I hate blogging." And others who've even written and published entire books ask me,...
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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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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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More Stories Means More Readers (Plus, 15 Stories You Should Be Telling)
It happened again this morning. (Sometimes it feels like Groundhog Day around here.) Groggy-eyed, I opened my email to find that someone else was talking about the power of storytelling. Again. In case you hadn't noticed, "storytelling" is the latest craze. It's the...
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Uncorked: Sarah Arrow’s Secret to Blogging Success
Welcome to our new bi-monthly series: Corkers Uncorked. It's a new take on the spotlight posts I did at TheWordChef.com (remember the Wordie Hall of Fame?). Those were some of my most treasured interviews -- mostly because I got to know my readers (you!) on a whole...
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Be an Authentic Goofball
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 working through these small, powerful actions together and sharing our questions, learnings and...
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Create an Intentional Space for Your Visitors
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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