Share your Successes!

Hey- big success here! I even post about it here in Biznik, because I could use your support in making it a lasting win:

Celebrating Getting Published!

Basically, I've been invited to blog for the business section of the Huffington Post, and I could use as much support, in the form of comments and people following me at their site, as possible.

Woo-hoo! It happened like magic...

I think it's important to pick a niche. My firm focuses on the tax and accounting needs of small business. That way, you get very good at a few things that serve your niche. I run into the same needs: quickbooks training, tax preparation, payroll, bookkeeping, business valuation, tax and accounting consulting. It's also important to get quality help. All the tax professionals that I employ are CPAs. I also believe in education. We have five post graduate degrees spread among five professionals. It's a combination that seems to work. I have had my own firm for six years now.

This is such a cool thread and it is incredibly uplifting to hear about everyone's successes! Now mine: I have just been contracted as a freelance reporter for the South County Business Journal, Renton Magazine and Kent Magazine! Bob calls me "Journalist Judy" now.

Wow, this is a long running post of successes and they are inspiring. Sounds like the world is conspiring to see us all successful!!

Last summer I caught the vision of a wonderful workshop for teams on a boat. Didn't have a boat but put it on my vision board. Started lively conversations with people around what they wanted and what they would like in this type of an overnight adventure on the Puget Sound. I have gotten great response to the idea and was still looking for the boat. Well, during one of those conversations talking with someone about what I am up to, there was the boat. I didn't even know this person would be a connection and it goes to show that when we put it out there, speak life to it, we get what we want.

So now I have the vision, tools, boat and now I am putting together the people. It will be an extraordinary event that will cause a Big Shift for every participant that will empower them to take life to the next level.

That's my story of a cool event, I will share the outcome when it happens. Thanks for starting this thread Noreen, it's great

Yippee, My Roo-minder Rings were the main featured item on today's Red Tricycle Online Newsletter. (Not sure how long that link will access the page where my products are featured.)

Red Tricycle is a great online resource for parents for hip happenings and products for babies and kids of all ages. How did I get featured, you ask? Well, by emailing a press release that I wrote after taking Danielle Hermeler's Biznik workshop on how to write a press release!

Nancy

Hop to Signaroo

I've always preached "give yourself some credit for any successes" to my clients, but only recently have allowed my Self to appreciate what I've accomplished.

And it had just opened the flood gates for even greater and more frequent successes!

Thanks to all my Biznik friends who continue to encourage and support me with your positive energy.

Right back at ya!

Hi

I'm very excited about a new project. I'm doing the online promotion for the UK's top ghostwriter Andrew Crofts. I emailed him out of the blue, one thing led to another and now I have a month to create a viral marketing campaign for his new novel The Overnight Fame of Steffie McBride, out in September. I've blogged about it here.

All ideas welcome! I need to get the word out to celebrity loving 18 - 30 year old women online!!

Fiona

Fiona,

That's amazing! I'll have to check out your blog. Isn't it incredible what happens when we just get up the nerve and approach someone?

So, an internet marketing campaign for a novel. That sounds like a lot of fun. Keep us updated on this!

Announcing that at 12:31 today, my daughter and I gave birth to a bouncing, baby BOOK!

Weighing in at 232 pages, with big brown type (bald though), Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family is officially off to the printer.

As some of you may know, our book was to be published by Seattle publisher, but six weeks ago they announced they were no longer in business so would not be publishing our book. Two other publishers wanted it. but couldn't bring it out until fall 09 at the earliest. We have so much momentum built that we decided we'd have to do it ourselves or not at all.

It will officially launch on October 1. The labor was long and difficult, but we couldn't be more proud.

Thank you to everyone at Biznik for their support. I'll be asking for more as we get closer to October.

Warmly, Lynn

Lynn,

Congratulations to you and your daughter. It could not happen to two nicer people. I expect to see it everywhere. You have a great concept and just let me know when you hit Oprah!

Kind regards, TV

I have two businesses and two successes to share:

1. As a financial advisor working in concert with active money managers, I'm happy to report I have clients who not only did NOT lose money last year..but even eked out some small gains. HUGE SUCCESS in my world.

2. My hobby business; organic skin care and soaps. Launched a program for young girls called "Girl Power" to teach girls 12-18 how to make simple goat soaps, package and sell them, make a profit and learn simple bookeeping. They are required to save 10% of what they sell to re-invest in their business, or to save for college. I'm promoting self-sufficiency, green product awareness and business skills so these girls have a way to take care of themselves, or just find the thrill in entrepreneurship

After being inactive for about a year, this thread looks like it might take off again!

My business got off to a strong start this year. I filled my Marketing Mastery Program with 16 participants which will give me all the clients I need for a whole year. That's my "high-end" program.

My Action Plan Marketing Club is now up to about 360 members. That's my "very affordable" program.

I've done a lot of things to market myself over the years (my business is in it's 25th year!) but I think the number one thing contributing to my success has been growing my e-list and sending my eZine (email newsletter) out weekly.

My list is now at about 50,000 people and virtually ALL my business comes from that list. When I have a program or service I want to launch, I just send an email to the list.

Sure, it takes a good web site, a good service and a whole lot of other things, but without the list I'd have to work a lot harder to get clients.

Right now I get about 170 new subscribers to my e-list every week (it's actually been higher in the past) and then every week I send out my eZine, More Clients, with a new article on marketing for Independent Professionals.

One thing that helps get more subscribers is offering a free report and emphasizing that over the eZine subscription. That change alone, doubled my subscription rate!

I realized that the most important goal of my web site for first time visitors was not to buy my services or products (that comes much later) but to give them free and valuable information and collect their name and email address.

Even though I have a primarily online business, it's still all about building trust, credibility and relationships.

You can see how I do this on my site. Action Plan Marketing.

I hope this is helpful. If you really focus on building your list, do everything you can to set up your web site to attract new subscribers, and then stay in contact with that list with valuable information, you can grow your business in ways you can't even imagine.

You also need to be very patient and persistent! It took me a long time to build my list, but the effort was certainly worth it.

Cheers, Robert

Robert, we are seeing that kind of success to a smaller degree with Groups on Biznik.

One of our most popular groups - the Power Chicks - is so popular because the group owner sends out a weekly newsletter documenting the hilights of the group's activity this week. So even if someone has been too busy to log in, they don't miss out on the conversation and have an overwhelming number of things to get caught back up on.

This is very important in active groups, and Lynn Baldwin-Rhodes has created the most vibrant group on Biznik simply through applying the newsletter technique you spoke of.

Big list? Small list? Doesn't matter. Keep people engaged and informed with a newsletter.

Things are going gangbusters for us, great things happening and on the horizon. Last week we shot video for a company that syndicates news segments to TV stations around the U.S. and also shot a segment for KING 5. Monday, we're doing the NPR program, "Tell me More."

I hope everyone here is working the media angle for all you're worth, and you're worth a lot!

Here are a few of my successes:

1) I hired an awesome coach a few months back and my vision for the future is brighter than ever--not just for my real estate practice, but also for my band's music.

2) I have a few commercial deals in the works that resulted from networking and making connections.

3) Best of all, I am getting better at networking and building connections. Things can only get better from here!

Hi,

New book “The Overlooked Expert” by Sarah Gerdes just out. A great book for anyone looking to become self employed, find their niche. I also think it’s good for any one who is self employed and struggling. It’s full of great marketing ideas and also the common mistakes we make when starting a business. She dedicates the book “To all those people who are smart enough to have an idea, brave enough to be self employed, and determined enough to become successful.” I’m so honored to be one of the featured experts! It’s as good as any award I could have won. The book is listed on Amazon. Hope you check it out!

Yes, no longer overlooked except by my dogs. :)

I love to get a rave review from my clients, worth it's weight in gold.