Brand Against The Machine – A Book Review

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After years of relentlessly being inundated by business books overflowing with textbook terms like ‘brand equity’, ‘value proposition’, and ‘positioning statement’, this book was incredibly refreshing and rejuvenating. It cuts through the BS and gives you the tools you need to build a powerful brand TODAY. ‘Brand Against The Machine’ isn’t like any other brand [...]

How Women Can Advance as Business Leaders

Sandra Day O'Connor is a member of the Wall Street Journal Women in the Economy Task Force.

Helping women ramp up their businesses, not only to add jobs, but to increase profitability and financial independence, is one challenge I’m looking forward to discussing at The Wall Street Journal Women in the Economy Task Force, on April 30—May 2. Improving the competitiveness of the American workforce is the overarching goal: “To that end, [...]

Overpriced: Are you worth what you charge?

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  To some, success lies within making a difference; making a product easier to use; streamlining a business process that cuts expenses or touching the lives of others and helping those in need. But where does respect for the quality of our own work factor in? How often do we question the value of what [...]

What 15 years as a stay-at-home mom taught me about entrepreneurship

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New days. Fresh starts. 2012 will be full of them, and I’m committed to finding new “blue oceans” to explore for our clients—leaders in the energy, engineering, financial, pension, and commercial real estate industries. Not too long ago, however, my clients were my children (pictured at left). Not only did they not pay me for [...]

Do you Blamestorm? Stop Blaming – Start Doing

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Outside my office I have an 8.5 x 11 copy of Spirit Lexicon (Online Dictionary) entry no 1,210. The word: “Blamestorming” Spirit Lexicon has “blamestorming” defined as; 1. Business meeting that devolves into finding fault for projects gone wrong rather than looking for successful results. 2. A discussion between colleagues involving major finger pointing. Its usage example reads [...]

5 Leadership Lessons You Can Only Get From Experience

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There’s an age old debate about whether or not leaders can be made, or if you have to be born that way.  Nevertheless, every year, countless professionals of all experience levels and all walks of life decide to invest in themselves to hopefully become the next great leader. There are a plethora of degrees, certificates, specializations, [...]

I Can’t stand “I Can’t”

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Just yesterday, while waiting to catch a flight to beautiful Austin, Texas, I walk into an airport store to pick up a bottle of water.  The store offered two sizes of water bottle, expensive, and really expensive.  Ok, seriously, it was a small bottle for $2.69 and large one for $3.39. I pick up a [...]

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