Tshombe's Biz Talk posts

What will you achieve over the last 100 days of 2009?

There's magic in public testimony. What will you accomplish before the end of the year?

Stating it before the Universe and everyone is the first step toward success!

Seeking Your Votes and Positive Comments!

Hello Biznik Gang!

I've entered the Best Coaching Blogs 2009 contest that officially begins today (June 1), and I'm pretty excited!

There are lots of great contenders (45 coaching blogs in total), and since the blog I entered is relatively new, I'm up against stiff competition.

Will you help me out with a little Biznik Love?

This week (June 1-7) is the "Qualifying Phase," so I'm seeking your votes and positive comments.

My blog is TheMagneticEntrepreneur.com.

I encourage you to check out all of the great coaching blogs in the various niches (but be sure to cast your vote and positive comments for TheMagneticEntrepreneur.com!).

Thanks much for your support :-)

Anyone using BatchBook CRM?

I'm considering the BatchBook CRM. It appears to offer great features at a very reasonable cost.

Anyone have experience with it?

Help Choosing a Title for Sales Special Report

Hi Everyone!

I'm putting together a special report to support sales professionals and need your help choosing a title. Will you fill out my quick 2-question survey?

Thank you!

Click Here to take survey

Call to Action for a Biznik Member - Deadline: Friday 4/24!!!!

OK Fabulous Biznik Folks! We have a Biznik in Need (sort of!) to support and I'm appealing to all of YOU.

Karrie Kohlhaas who has and continues to contribute amazing talent and expertise to our Biznik community has entered the esteemed Intuit competition and we can help her win (or at least be in the running).

Read her article submission, rate it (positively, of course), and offer accolades in the form of your comments.

Yes, you have to register at Intuit in order to offer a comment, but let's go the extra mile for Karrie, a fellow Biznik.

Wouldn't you want the same for you?

And isn't this what Biznik is all about? Supporting one another to be great?

Do it NOW while you're thinking of it, since Friday 4/24 is the deadline!

Using Twitter to Find Collaboration Opportunities

Who knew Twitter could be used to find JV opportunities? Check it out, and let us know what you think.

Pretty Cool, huh?

Twitter Link on Biznik Profile?

I was just looking at my profile at the top area where is says "Add IM" and I thought "Wouldn't it be great to have a link to our Twitter accounts?"

I suppose this really is a question for Dan and whether it's a big deal to implement or not, but I wondered what the community-at-large's thoughts on this are. (?)

How do indies structure their workday?

Just read an article on CopyBlogger on Five Tips for a Successful Freelance Writing Career.  In short, they are:

1. Create a division between work and home
2. Take off your pajamas
3. Get to work on time
4. Don't watch TV in the middle of the day
5. But do go out to lunch

What do you think?  Are these tips useful to you?

Or, do you find some other daily routine conducive to work?

How do you structure your workday (or night!)?

President Obama offers his view on collaboration between US and Europe

I just read a CNN article describing President Obama's appeal to both the United States of America and the European Union 'to drop negative attitudes toward each other and to adopt "unprecedented coordination" ' in it's place.

I believe this principle should be embraced wholeheartedly among entrepreneurs.

Your thoughts?

Leaders in Relationship-Based Sales & Marketing

If you could spend an hour learning the techniques of any expert, strategist, or teacher in the field of sales and marketing in the world, who would it be?

Following Timothy Ferriss on Twitter to raise funds for public schools

Not sure if you are aware of this, but Tim Ferriss, the author of The Four Hour Workweek, is donating (in conjunction with an anonymous donor) $3 for every person who follows him on Twitter up to 50,000 followers.

As a "bribe" to get people to follow him (which he probably doesn't need to do, since he's quite popular already), he has collaborated with others to give every follower 3 valuable gifts worth $168 per follower.

I just followed Tim, and encourage you to do so, too.

It's certainly a great cause.  Beyond that, it's also a wonderful study-in-action of the power of joint ventures, collaboration, engaging social media with a clear focus, and leveraging the contacts and influence of others.

Still unconvinced?

Check out the details for yourself.  But act quickly.  I wish I'd discovered it before now, as this great social experiment ends tomorrow (March 30, 2009) at 3:30 pm Eastern Time.

Whether you choose to follow Tim or not, how might an entrepreneur similarly benefit themselves and others from studying/implementing an initiative like this?

How NOT to Use Facebook for Business

I recently had a couple of experiences on Facebook that illustrate how NOT to build relationships online, and I'm thinking about hosting an event or writing an article on this very topic.

I'd love to get your feedback, ideas, and experiences.

So, here's the question on the table: "How to Lose Friends (before you even make them!) and Alienate People on Facebook"

(This is about Facebook in particular, though many of the principles can be applied to social networking in general -- though it should be noted that different forms of the media have some differences in how you approach and utilize them)

Creating Joint Ventures

Joint Ventures are about leveraging/borrowing another person's contacts, mailing list, expertise, skill set, money, event facility, or other asset to create a win-win for everyone involved.

Ideally, the collaboration of a joint venture costs little or no money.

How might different (or the same) industries create joint ventures?

Let's discuss/share ideas or real-life scenarios so that each of us can pick-and-choose what sounds/feels good to replicate.

Clarification on Events

Hello! Recently I learned that a (well-meaning, to be sure) Biznik member created an event that was approved that turned out to be an an event for non-Biznik members.

We know that official Biznik events that are showcased in the Main Biznik Event Calendar are for Biznik members only.

I am about to approach the Biznik member to explain this Biznik rule, but my question is whether Group events are open to include non-Biznik members.

I believe that they are, and if so, I would also communicate that he is welcome in the future to post events to one of the Groups that already exist or to create one of his own.

Pacific NW Train Tour in the Works

Hi Everyone,

You may have already heard that Lori Richardson and I are planning a series of events, a highlight of which is an Amtrak trip to Portland. This would probably happen the last weekend in June.

Please review the concept at http://trainevent.notlong.com/ and let us know what you think.

If you're excited about joining us, let us know in the comments below.

(By the way, a one-way train ticket from Bellingham to Portland is only $30).

Bug with Article link within groups

Hi there,

When someone posts to an article within groups, a link to the article is automatically sent with the email notice of the post. The hyperlink goes to a "Sorry, we can't find that page" error message.

The example link in question is this one: http://biznik.com/articles/what-do-you-think-of-a-biznik-pacific-nw-amtrak-train-tour

What does "Collaboration" look like?

Entrepreneurs often want to collaborate, but find they get stuck at "the how."

Let's share ideas of what might constitute a joint venture or collaboration between two or more indies, and how that might look.

When we put our collective wisdom together, watch out for those sparks!

TweetDeck or Twhirl?

Which do you use? TweetDeck or Twhirl?

Why do you prefer one over the other?

Bug? in Outbox after sending invites

After sending invitations, I checked my Outbox and it generated a separate "sent" message for each of the invitations I sent.

I wonder if it could be reconfigured to operate like it does when we send a email to everyone who RSVP to an event (and later when emailing everyone who attended the event).

What occurs in that instance is that there is one "sent" message in the outbox that contains all of the names of those who were sent individual messages.

Does that make sense?

Locations for Biznik Events - NORTHWEST PORTLAND

Post the best places in Northwest Portland to hold Biznik events.

Please include:

• Name of Venue & Location
• Amenities (A/V? Food/Drink? Free Wi-Fi?)
• Size of Space or Spaces in Venue (How many people does it accommodate?)
• Ambience (For what sort of events -- large or small, for example -- is it most conducive?)
• Costs, if any, to use the space
• Misc (Anything else you might feel important or general pros/cons.  Things you might decide to include:   Is wi-fi spotty?  Is there a food/drink minimum?  How's the parking? Is there accessibility for people with disabilities?)