With the increasing availability of vaccines, I think we&apos;re all starting to see a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, it will soon be possible to once again connect with people in person. Hopefully, that will mean a return to more social happy hours with colleagues. But after working virtually for all this time, we&apos;ll likely end up with a hybrid model. Because I&apos;ve been networking my way across Zoom for the past year, I&apos;m definitely hearing positive feedback on the convenience of a networking one-to-one meeting over video. Honestly, when I think about how I used to drive 45 minutes to share an in-person coffee, getting stuck in traffic on the way there and back, there were days when it took an entire morning to have a single networking meeting. Now I can either have six meetings in that time, over video, if I&apos;m really ambitious — or one meeting and still get some work done. 

Entrepreneur with Diane Moura

The Worst Networking 1-1s

We just celebrated the 4th of July which is about our country’s independence and freedom.  As entrepreneurs, we celebrate freedom every day.  I know we tend to feel stressed and overworked a lot so it’s important to remember and appreciate why we chose this path.  Today I’d like to reflect on the many freedoms of an entrepreneur.

What Does Freedom Mean For An Entrepreneur?

One of my favorite animated movies is “Up”. The distracted dog cracks me up! OK, the story is sweet too but I love the dog. He reminds me of shiny object syndrome, that entrepreneurial killer weakness of unfocused distraction from the core goal that can kill a business.  As I speak with other entrepreneurs, especially since the pandemic and every one going online, almost without exception they talk about how busy they have become.  So busy in fact, that despite spending more time working from home, they seem to be spending less time with their families.  They’re definitely working harder, but they aren’t always making more money, which tells me that they probably aren’t being more productive. 

Are You Drowning in Busy?

In our personal lives, many of us may have created vision boards by pasting torn-out magazine images onto a piece of cardboard representing our goals.  A picture is worth a thousand words, as the saying goes, and by seeing these images regularly, our hope is that they create a sort of program in our brains that will predispose us to adjusting our course in the direction we seek.  Some of us may repeat affirmations with the same intent.  Olympic athletes visualize themselves flawlessly completing their events in the hope that the physical world will match their imagination on race day.  Vision is something we can clearly see, even if it is only in our minds.

A New Look At Vision For Growth

Three years ago, Tom Goodwin wrote an interesting book titled, “Digital Darwinism:  Survival of the Fittest in the Age of Business Disruption”.  A student of the digital impact across industries, Tom coined the now-famous quote, “Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles.  Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content.  Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory.  And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate.  Something interesting is happening.”  His basic premise is that the internet is the most powerful tool possible to perfectly match people who need something, with people who offer something, and it is shifting the balance of power from corporate scale and efficiency, toward service and brand.  

COVID Just Accelerated Small Business Darwinism

The emergence of COVID-19 required many in-person teams to go remote. Going virtual means implementing new technologies and virtual processes, which comes with a large adjustment that can take time to fully streamline.If you have successfully transitioned your team to a virtual model, you might find that the next big challenge to tackle is employee motivation. Without a motivated team, overall productivity drops, leading to lower output and employee retention.

How To Motivate A Virtual Team

Shawn Cole, MD has worked in multiple clinical settings, has become a leader in the virtual healthcare revolution, and even spent some time behind the scenes in New York when the pandemic first broke out.  In this interview, he discusses how he uses this experience, together with athletics, to coach other physicians on growing their practices while avoiding burnout and becoming the best versions of themselves.   As honest, humble, and gritty as they come, this interview was a real treat.

From The Founders: Interview with Dr. Shawn Cole, Ivy League trained physician and industry expert in telemedicine

My grandmother and an aunt I was quite close to were born in the early 1900s.  When they were growing up, it was only ok for women to work until they got married, after which time they quit to take care of their husbands and ultimately raise a family.  I remember my aunt telling me that a working woman back then was viewed as taking a job away from a man.  My mom was born in the early 1930s. My daughter was born in the early 2000s and I hope things will be different for her.

How Will You #ChooseToChallenge

There are a lot of lakes around where I grew up in Ontario.  I had friends with family cottages on lakes, and one summer I worked as a camp counselor on a lake.  One thing I loved to do back in those days was swim the length of the lake. Naturally, since by now you know I’m a fan of metaphors, this made me think about parallels to running a successful business.

Building Business Endurance

You probably know who your best clients are, and you certainly know the ones you’re not as fond of.  So how do you clone your best clients and grow your business around people more like them?

Cloning Your Best Clients

Just for fun, or perhaps to torture myself with the freedom of our past, I decided to listen to my old podcast episode from the first week of January, 2020.  In retrospect, it felt like the age of innocence, before all Hell broke loose.  I remember the excitement of a new decade, and how cool it felt to write the year 2020, as though anything could happen.  Some of you may remember the topic, it was “Calling BS On New Year's Resolutions”.  My idea at the time was that since most of us tend to break our resolutions, we’d be far better served by forming habits that would sustain us.  I shared the 21 habits of successful entrepreneurs, which included things like prioritizing their time, focusing on what they can control, and not sweating the small stuff.

How On Earth Are We Supposed To Make New Year's Resolutions?

For 26 years I worked in corporate consulting, helping Fortune 500 companies with customer segmentation, customer treatment strategies for marketing & operations, and how to improve their long term customer relationships.  What I learned is as applicable for the single entrepreneur as it is for the corporation seeking to improve its stock price. I read a great article in Forbes magazine on this topic and the first piece of advice made me laugh but it really makes a point.  “Don’t try to give birth to an adult”, they wrote.

What Small Business Can Learn From Big Business About Growth

so I thought today I’d talk about a feelgood topic, and that is the subject of human connections.  As a marketer, I’m keenly aware of how much more we’re able to get through our day without making any human connections.  Over 20 years ago, when my husband and I were first dating and he lived in Brazil, we used to laugh about how Brazilians never needed maps.  Here’s how finding your way from Point A to Point B used to work when driving around Brazil.  Maybe this will sound familiar for some of you as you think about your home countries. 

The Power of Human Connections

While we may be getting into more of a rhythm, for many of us it’s becoming a lot.  While the introverts among us are having the time of their lives getting to focus on their computers without  anyone bugging them, those of us who are extroverts could really use a good happy hour with actual crowd noise in the background and finger foods to share.  Or at least sharing a tea with a new business connection who begins as a stranger but then becomes a friend through laughter and stories. But I have had some great meetings too.  And some of the best ones typically include laughter.  Which got me thinking about humor in the workplace. 

How Humor Helps Our Work Relationships

Today is part 3 of our 3-part series on using psychology to improve your marketing.  In part one, I talked about how to use psychology to get attention and  make a good first impression.  One component of getting attention is having a tagline that both catches attention and makes it clear what you do. Today we’ll zero in on creating a killer message.

How To Develop A Killer Message To Attract More Clients

Marketing and leadership tips on growing your startup or small business, plus interviews with successful entrepreneurs. From consulting with 30 of the Fortune 500 to launching her own successful marketing firm, Diane Moura shares lessons and tips on making your own venture a success.