Tim Bursch

I hope you had a good week. Life is good, but hard sometimes. Be grateful for what you’ve got.

Here are the top ideas that I’m thinking about this week:

1. You can beat Walmart
2. Personal branding? Be yourself and make an impact.
3. Be part of people’s narrative first.
4. Check in on Linkedin at least once a week and take action (intro, recommend, send a message)
5. Email still works- I received two emails this week (a restaurant and a newsletter) Both caused me to take action. Email= action.
6. Conversation- Take time to really listen online and offline. People are good. And their stories matter.
7. The people of Haiti suffered this week. Take notice and help.

What about you? What ideas have impacted you? Share them.

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We live in a beautiful world. - Coldplay
Sometimes it seems ugly though. And really hard.

Please help here or here.

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We all know the man is behind the curtain. The veil is being lifted. We want the real deal.

We are asking where our food comes from. We are breaking down the walls of news. We know the corporate boardroom has been exposed. Our financial system is cracked open and the truth is coming out.

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I am trying to post every weekday here. I have a day job and multiple side projects. I knew that my goal would be tough in isolation. So I am working with a friend in accountability. Whether you like the word or not, it really is just about helping each other but you do have to choose it.

With my blog here is what I’ve done:
-Shared my goal and plan with a partner, he did the same
-Committed to a weekly check-in to share each other’s progress

-Opened ourselves to ongoing feedback for the purpose of getting better
-Said it outloud to others here.

How many goals have you put down on paper and never followed through with? I have pages full. Sure, self discipline is important. But you don’t have to do it alone. Find someone you connect with and trust. Ask, risk, try.

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I can’t wait to read the new book Drive by Daniel Pink. I watched this 2 minute trailer for the book and was captivated. It talks about having a sentence for your life. One sentence to summarize who you are and what you are about.

I get psyched about living a life that is integrated with a mission. People that love their work, their friends and family, and are motivated by a bigger purpose inspire me everyday.

What if you made a personal impact statement? Who and What do you want to impact in this world? How? What will you utilize to do it? One day down the road, what will people say about the impact you made?

My hope: Tim was a voice for overlooked people to business. He helped business see social justice.

What would yours be? Share it here or go write about it.

Image by: Helico

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These ideas and articles made me think, stretch, and go further this week. Actually I’m still thinking about them.

1. Live a good story.
   
2. Be open to different voices and influence.
   
3. What is the soul of your business?
   
4. How can you change the world in 2010?
   
5. The golden rule still matters online and off.
   
6. Relationships make or break business today.
   
7. Be creative with new media. Think bigger.

And just for fun #8

A New Map of the USA

What made you think this week? What did you share? Tell me about it.

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It is that time of year when a lot of us make resolutions and goals for the new year. I know I do.

Here’s a thought: Why do we focus mostly on personal goals?

What about community based goals or resolutions? Have you ever thought of creating a goal with your community? Yeah, me neither.

Here’s the deal. I think there might be some power in collective resolutions. Let’s say you are part of a industry community. You share ideas, network, help each other get better at your business. What could your group (community) impact this year? If you were spending some of your goal-energy working with other people on a bigger goal, don’t you think you would grow…and everyone in the group.

So, what communities are you part of? Why not start a group resolution this year?

Image by: urban_data

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The traditional sales cycle:
1. Mass market to big numbers of potential customers
2. Direct marketing (Push Marketing)
3. Find leads
4. Qualify Leads
5. Close the Sale

New Sales Cycle:
1. Listen to the market
2. Join conversations where customers are talking
3. Create a unique offer for small niche markets, based on what you’ve heard
4. Stay engaged in conversation
5. Customer makes the sale when they need your solution
6. Stay engaged in conversation for service and feedback
7. Still engaged and stay listening

My point is this: selling your product today takes a different use of time and engagement. If you are transparent and easy to talk to (Cluetrain Manifesto), we will think about buying from you when we need your help.

How has your sale’s process changed over the last 3 years?

Image credit: CarbonNYC

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Are you a freelancer? Small business owner? To keep going with the Village idea, I often think about the cost of venturing out on my own.

Most people are working for a living. The challenge with the entrepreneurial journey is that we are the single point of failure in our own business. If something happens to us or we miss work it means lost time, opportunities, money and security.

I wonder though, could some of these costs be mitigated by working more in community. Not necessarily co-working, although I think it might be one model. What if I am a realtor in this village and I have a showing, but my daughter has a special school event? A big cost in my book. Could a person in the Village, not even the same profession, cover for the showing and let the Realtor see his daughter? Maybe.

This village would take time and trust to build. Maybe we are already building it through digital connections.

What do you think? What is the cost and how could it be shared?

Image credit: psyberartist

Tags: village.

Monday. A new year. Back to work.

Remember when mom used to say eat your vegetables first? Or do the hard work first? What if I did some easy tasks first today instead of tackling that gigantic in-box?
How about we start with a few small tasks that we can knock out quickly. Get some momentum going. Maybe give a new look to our reality this Monday.

How’s your Monday looking? What helps you get momentum?

Image credit: kamshots

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