Ignore This Blog Post
We dispense a lot of advice here on the Roundpeg blog. We tell you about best practices in web design, graphic design, social media and marketing. We call some strategies and tactics stupid–sometimes in so many words. We do our best to offer advice that fits a wide variety of businesses and applies to many different circumstances. We try to show some nuance and shades of gray, but at the end of the day, your business is different from anyone else’s. And what worked for another business, even one in your industry, may not work for you. And what was successful for you may lead to...
read moreLinkedIn, Really!
I’ve had a profile on LinkedIn for years. I thought of it more as a way of organizing my contacts than as a business-building tool. This was especially true as Facebook opened up to everyone and Twitter emerged on the social scene. These sites were more interactive, more interesting and more fun. I underestimated the influence of LinkedIn, but this shabby stepsister has power! I saw that influence first hand when a former coworker contacted me after seeing a simple status update on LinkedIn. That connection turned into our single largest project last year. Maybe that was a fluke,...
read moreTalking about Social Media
This week, I will be in Seattle on Tuesday and Columbus, Ohio on Friday talking with business owners and recruiting professionals about social media. While the general themes will be the same, there will be some distinct differences in my presentations. In Seattle, I will be talking with HVAC contractors. For this group, I am going to focus on Facebook as a means of driving traffic to their primary website. Strategies for them include short videos of technicians introducing themselves, and interviews with customers. For the contractors who focus on remodeling, I am going to also encourage...
read moreKnow Thy Business
In order to be a success in life, you must know thyself. In order to be a success in business, you must know thy company. Does it all sound just a little too metaphysical and self help-y for you? Stick with me. In order to have a successful business, you must understand your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your staff. Even the best built team will have flaws: too many introverts, too little attention to detail, too big and unwieldy. By understanding these deficits, you can position your company in a way that can minimize their impact. You must also know your audience....
read moreStart the Year Right
I love New Year’s Day. On this day almost anything seems possible. Closing the books on 2011, it is time to plan for the year ahead. And just like every year for the last ten years, I am putting the finishing touches on my business plan. While not as formal as the plans I wrote in the early years of the business, I still spent time reviewing goals and tactics. I focused on mapping out some of the big changes we need to make in the months to come if we want to hit our year-end sales goals. As I reviewed my plan I spent some time researching what other business consultants were...
read more317.569.1396
