Equipping Entrepreneurs

Technology resources for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Book Review : Marketing Shortcuts for the Self Employed

I heard Patrick Schwerdtfeger speak at a tech conference about 9 months ago, and he was giving away copies of his book titled "Webify Your Business." I must admit that it sat on my bookshelf for 6 months before I picked it up to read it. He has since upgraded the material and re-published it under the title Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed : Leverage Resources, Establish Online Credibility, and Crush Your Competition. This book is a must read for any entrepreneur, small business, or even any hobbyist that is trying to build a web-presence.

I repeat, if you are doing anything on the web, this is a must read. I don't know of any other source that brings this many great materials together in one place. Not only is the book great, but the supporting web-site is as well (http://80shortcuts.com/). There you will find supporting worksheets, new and different writings from the author, online e-courses, and you can witness, firsthand how he markets his own business. 

The book consists of 80 short chapters. But don't let the short chapters fool you. They are so full of great ideas and 'things to do' that you can easily get overwhelmed by it all. So beware of this fire hose of great things. I have recommended and given this book away many times, and here is the advice I give with it. First, read and take action on Part One: Define Your Business Model. It consists of ten short chapters. You will come away with the genesis of great content for your web-site, and the foundation for creating your future content. Next, use the remaining chapters as a reference. For example, if you want to know how to use LinkedIn to promote your business, Read chapters 67 - 70. There are multiple chapters for all of the online tools and resources that you could possibly want to use, including: Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google AdWords, Search Engine Optimization, and many more. 

So buy the book and get a handle on your online strategy. 

Disclaimer: While I am a huge fan of this book and Patrick Schwerdtfeger, I do not know him personally and do not receive any financial gain from him for this review. However, if you click the link above to purchase the book, I will receive a few pennies from Amazon.

How to get a logo for your business

The logo design process is really easy, pain-free, and relatively inexpensive. So, if you are looking for a logo for a new business that you are starting, or if it is time for you to finally get a logo for your existing business, keep reading to learn how.  Oh, and you can usually have your logo in less than a week.
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image courtesy iStockPhoto

While it seems easy to use family or friends to get your logo, this is not the place to let business interfere with personal relationships. Do you really want to tell your sister-in-laws cousin that you don't like the design that she worked on for you [for free]? I didn't think so. So hire a professional to get the job done, and it is really okay if you don't like their work. It's your logo after all, and you are paying for it.

There are lots of great logo designers on the web that use a similar process. Here's how it works. Select the designer, fill out their short questionnaire, in some cases, talk to them on the phone. Within days you will get a few designs back. Select the one you like, give the designer feedback on it, and wait for your final design. That's all there is to it.

All of this can be done for between $150 and $350, depending on how many designers you want working on your logo. See The Logo Co. or LogoMojo to get started

Once you have your design, place it on one of the coolest business cards on the planet from moo.com

*Disclaimer: I get a small discount on my business cards from moo if you follow the link above and place an order.

3 Simple Steps to get your web-site up and running

If you are like me, you want to focus on your business, NOT working on a web-site for untold hours. 
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image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com

The actual process of building a web-site has gotten so easy, that it is only slightly more difficult than word processing. While there are many ways to skin this cat, I'm not going to give a lot of options. I'm just showing a single path through.

Step 1. Register your domain name (e.g. mine is davidyoungcoaching.com). GoDaddy.com is easy to use and helps you to find the perfect domain. It is very inexpensive ($12.00 a year), and they will also host your email (around $2.50 per month for 5 addresses). Visit the godaddy.com domains page to start the process.

Step 2. Write your content - So, I must confess, I lied in the title. There are not 3 simple steps. There are 2 simple steps and one step that is hard work. The most difficult part of building a web-site is gathering your content and getting it written for the web. This takes some focus and hard work, but is made easier if you are crystal clear, in your own mind, about what you are selling and why.

The key here is to start simple. A simple web-site that is live on the web is better than an elaborate web-site that is done next month or next year. So start with the basics and build from there.

Here are the pages you need to get started. 
  1. Home page - what is your elevator pitch. Tell me what problem you solve for me in the first 15 seconds of my reading.
  2. About - Tell me about you! Give me the confidence to hire you or buy from you. Put a nice picture of yourself here too.
  3. Product - Grab my attention. Tell me why I should buy your service or product in the first 15 seconds. And finally ask for the sale. 
  4. Contact - create a contact form and give your email address and phone # so it is easy to contact you.
Step 3. Build the web-site.
I'm using weebly for building my web-site. It doesn't get any easier than this, and there are some really great features. As I said before, it is not much more difficult than word processing. Once you have your pages outlined in step 2, then you have everything you need to get setup in weebly. Once you have your account, you will select a template, create your pages, add your content to each page, then you are ready to publish your web-site. One of the best things about hosting with Weebly is that you don't have to talk to a designer (and pay) every time that you want to make changes to your web-site. But you should have someone proof all of your work before you publish. 

Basic hosting with weebly is free (displays a weebly logo at the bottom of each page). For $5 per month you can upgrade to a pro account and get rid of the banner at the bottom of the page.

Need help building a web-site and attracting prospects? See the Technology Coaching page on my web-site.

Getting Started

I am a life and leadership coach and one of my specialties is technology coaching for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The purpose of this blog is to provide technology resources to bring you clarity on what you need and towards effective use of technology in your business. I will provide you with information on the best tools and technologies available for building your online presence, and I will give some commentary that will help cut through all the clutter and hype about what you need to do on the web.

Visit my web-site or my Life and Leadership coaching blog for more information.