business leadership

The Pope’s Brand Quandary

Today Pope Francis visited the United States starting off with a visit to the White House. Even if you do not follow a particular religion or are not Catholic, you must recognize this is a big event, as it’s been seven years since a Pope has come to our country. This blog post is not a conversation about religion, and/or whether you should or should not practice a faith to be a good person. Instead this is a blog post about the brand of the Catholic church and the leader of the brand, Pope Francis…a brand quandary!

Number One Mistake Small Businesses Make

business leadership, marketing, strategy 0

When meeting with small business owners to assist with their branding or marketing I regularly ask, “do you have a budget”. Repeatedly I’m told “No, we do not have a budget”! At first, I thought these were isolated incidents, but have come to the conclusion that this is all too common. And, the size of the business doesn’t change the “no” answer I often get. As you would expect, small businesses that are just starting out and have no annual sales to speak of often do not have a marketing budget, although they should. But what truly surprises me is […]

Ready or Not…Here I Come!

business leadership, Business values, passion, storytelling 2

I heard myself say this a minute ago (in my head), “I’m not ready”! This was regarding eWomen radio, and whether I should apply to have my own show. It got me thinking…exactly why do I think I’m not ready. Here’s the dialogue that followed. INTERNAL CONVERSATION WITH MYSELF That’s a bunch of crap. I’ve been speaking before large conferences, small conferences, workshops, CEC classes, etc., since I was 29. (Some of you have heard me refer to that part of my professional life…I spent 18 years in the fitness industry.)

Women Leading Men: A Man’s Perspective

business leadership, Business values, effective leadership 0

I am so honored to have my friend and mentor John Boggs as my first ever guest blogger. I met him at a networking event a year ago, and have been fortunate enough to get together with him on a couple more occasions since. I so respect not only his impressive background, but his unique perspective and way of looking at business leadership and strategy. John is a retired Marine Officer, former Vice President of a major Washington, D.C. non-profit, and partner in both a government contracting company, and an international business development company, Fortitude Consulting. He has a distinguished […]