Advice to Young Professionals

I have had a number of invitations recently, to speak to groups of students and young professionals, at IUPUI, Arsenal Tech High School, the Orr Fellows and the Young Professionals of Central Indiana.

After getting over the fact I am talking to a room of professionals, or near professionals who are younger then my children, I really enjoy the conversations.

This generation seems more focused on where they want to go with their lives then some of their predecessors.  They ask tough questions about what it will take to get where they want to be.

So what do  I tell them?

Life is full of surprises.  It is what happens when you are making plans to do something completely different.  Be open to the opportunities that come along.  Be willing to change directions and careers often.  I am elementary education major,  who thought it would be cool to work on Madison Avenue some day.  I never imagined a life anywhere buy Manhattan.  And now, I can’t imagine doing anything besides what I am doing now.

Love what you do or do something else. Sure, there are times you will have to “pay your dues” and work your way up. But only do it if it will put you on the path to somewhere you want to be.

Ultimately, it is about the people you meet along the way. When I think about the jobs and projects I have enjoyed the most, feel the greatest sense of accomplishment when I think of them, it is always connected to the people with whom I surrounded myself.

Never stop learning – The rules are always changing, and when it comes to your career, take a lesson from the dinosaurs: Evolve or Die.

So those are my words of wisdom… what are yours?

New Year, New Beginning

This week I began as an account executive here at Roundpeg. As many of you know, I served as an intern here last summer, and I was lucky enough to be invited back to work full-time. It’s been awesome coming into a situation where I’m already so comfortable and feel I fit in so well. With that being said, there are some adjustments for a recent college grad that hasn’t been awake before 9 in the morning since high school (hello McDonald’s breakfast menu!)

With the new year beginning, we have all kinds of new projects. This is the time of year many companies decide it’s time to optimize their marketing efforts, which keeps us plenty busy. There are tons of new things I’ve got to learn and become accustomed to. Luckily, I have a great-and patient-crew around me to help.

The best part about my new job has been the opportunity   to work directly with clients right off the bat, as well as be a major contributor to several campaigns…and this has all been in the first three days.

So far, it’s been one new adventure after another. In my first two weeks I will have already worked on designing websites, attended corporate events, contributed to the blog, and opened dialog with a handful of clients. I’m discovering and learning new things  every day.

I’m really excited about all the possibilities 2010 has to offer. Here at Roundpeg we’ve done a number of things to improve our business strategy and put ourselves in a great position to achieve our 2010 goals. What changes have you made to start the year off right? How will you improve and make 2010 your best year ever?

Holiday Greetings

My son just called to wish me a Merry Christmas.  That doesn’t sound strange, until you realize we are Jewish.  But my son is in the Navy.  And I can tell you as a military mom, when your child calls on Christmas Day it doesn’t matter what religion you are.

So to all the military moms and dads,  I hope you get a Christmas call too.

 Happy Holidays!  Wishing your children a safe return home!

Episode # 11 My Secret to Real Weight Loss

I suppose you are surprised to see this topic in a small business blog. But there is a connection, I promise. You see the same strategy I used to lose weight this past year,will help small business owners grow sales next year.

There is no magic formula, but setting a goal, creating and sticking to a consistent action plan, measuring your progress will keep you on track in 2010!

Listen to Episode # 11 of More than a Few Words to discover my secret!

Ordinary Man – Extraordinary Passion

This is a true story.

In 1980 Chris Campbell was considered one of the best wrestlers in the in the United States. He was a solid contender for a position on the US Olympic team, but was injured in the World Games a few weeks before the  Olympic trials.  As a result of the injury, he could not qualify to make the team.  In 1980 Chris Campbell stayed home and watched the Olympics from his living room couch.

In 1984 Chris Campbell was considered one of the best wrestlers in the world and he had  earned a spot on the US Olympic team.  In 1984, the US boycotted the Olympic Games so once again Chris stayed home.    Shortly after that, Chris hung up his wrestling gear, went back to school and became a lawyer.

In 1988, Chris watched the Olympic Games from his home, once again.  But as he sat there, he knew his days as a wrestler were not over, so he began to train again.   He began to train and compete, which was a bit of a challenge, because he also had a full time job, but he found a way because he was determined to go to the Olympics.

In 1992, a 37 year old Chris Campbell became the oldest wrestler to ever participate in the Olympic Games.  He came home from Barcelona Spain with a bronze medal

It is easy to look at the story of Chris Campbell and say he was an extraordinary man.  That he did things no one else could do.  But I met Chris, and I can tell you he was an ordinary man, with extraordinary passion.

As the year is ending, it is a good time to think about what’s next.  Where do you want to be a year from now?  What is your extraordinary passion?  Will you dream about it, or work on it?  Will you carry the flag in your Olympic game or watch the contest from your couch?

Hoosier by Choice!

If you have been reading my blog lately, you may have noticed a definite Indiana bias creeping in.  It is by design! A native of NYC, I have traveled though much of the US, and lived in several cities.  Today I choose to make my home in Indy.

Beyond the good friends, and comfortable life style, I am intrigued by the potential of this city to be so much more in the next decade.  Like a farmer in the spring time,  I see the seedlings of a great city, with art, culture, and tremendous business opportunities. And yet, we are often overlooked, the Midwest’s best kept secret.

Today,  December 3, 2009 (12:30pm EST / 11:30am CST) tweeters from the banks of the Ohio River to the shores of Lake Michigan will try to change that perceptoin by  sending a tweet containing “#Indiana”  The goal is to get #Indiana to trend among the top ten words on twitter.

What types of things will people be writing about?   Organizer Amy Stark suggests we write about “something fun about ” #Indiana” or a favorite #Indiana tradition or vacation spot. The idea is to show the global twitter audience how cool Indiana can be.”

In a vibrant conversation on Smaller Indiana others have voiced opinions we should also write about things going on in the business community, about some of the successful new technologies which are emerging here. ( Address Two, Bank Service Inc)

I will be among the bloggers posting comments at 12:30.   I will probably share a note about my favorite coffees hop (Lulu’s on 86th) or my husband ( @aballstudio) and his  exhibit as part of Modern Perspectives this Friday or maybe a note about something one of my clients will be doing.

What about you?  Will you help grow the trend?

Episode 6 – More Than a Few Words – Inbox Zero

I had a chance to sit down with Michael Reynolds, owner of Spin Web recently.  We talked about a number of things including Inbox Zero.  If you are not familiar with the concept, it is a technique for managing your email instead of letting it manage you.

The goal of Inbox Zero is to clear your “inbox” every time you sit down to address email.  It sounds impossible, especially for someone like me who receives hundreds of emails, but it works.  At the core of Inbox Zero are four folders:

• Action Required
• Someday Maybe
• Waiting For
• Archive

Making the switch from multiple folders for projects, customers and employees to just four was difficult at first. As I have used the system, I discover it is faster to find what I am looking for then it was when I had lots of folders.

Want to learn more about Inbox Zero?  Listen to today’s podcast, check out Michael’s blog, or even one of his seminars and you can become an email Ninja too!

Make Your Life

Every now and then I get one of “those” emails.   Most of the time, I browse and delete, but every now and then I like it well enough to share.   This is one I wanted to share, but didn’t want to add to the clutter in everyone’s email box, so I thought I would post it here.

It is an excerpt from a poem by Maya Angelou. While she is not writing just for business owners, I think her comments are dead on.  She says:

‘I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I’ve learned that “making a living” is not the same thing as “making a life”.

I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back!

I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

So here is my thought for today – Before you end your day,  do something to MAKE YOUR LIFE: Learn something, give something or do something to make someone else feel special.  After all, isn’t that why we went into business?

Local Economic Ecosystem

At the October Rainmakers meeting, I had a chance to talk about my passion for LOCAL business and the impact we make every day with our purchase decisions.

This is just a short excerpt from the program, the rest of the presentation will be available on the Raincast soon.

The Local Economy – by Lorraine Ball from Dave Anderson on Vimeo.

Hope Always Finds a Way!

For a change of pace, I watch Video’s from the annual TED event.  The range from interesting, thought provoking, and funny to completely over my head or simply inspirational.

I found this one today, and and was inspired by the story of Becky Blanton.  She was a writer, photographer and former journalist who planned to live in her van for a year and see the country.  Instead when her freelance job ended, her camping trip turned into homelessness.

In this short seven minute video, she describes her experiences, and the path back to mainstream society.  Her closing words, Hope Always Finds A Way rang in my ears long after the video had ended.

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