Working with the Enemy

We’ve all heard of the movie ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’, right? Well, what if you have to work with the enemy. There is always going to be someone within the office (or your company) whom you dread working with. From personality differences to professional differences, no one gets along with everyone all of the time. However, you do have to overcome differences in order to keep your job or your business.

My best advice is to gently exploit your arch enemy if kindness fails. This doesn’t mean go after him or her or their job, it simply means make it noticeable, nicely, to your boss or other employees what this person is doing wrong.

For example, if the person constantly forgets to put in a proper computer code- you may want to send out an email stating “I know Tasha keeps entering “z” into the “y” spaces.  Don’t worry, I had some free time to go in and correct all these mistakes as I am sure Tasha didn’t realize the error and I wanted to be a team player.”

If someone truly is becoming a rival, it has to be addressed. Sometimes a face-to-face can make it worse so polite exploitation may be the right way to go. Use your best judgment but also play fair. Don’t look for trouble unless you are pushed.

Until Tuesday (Happy Memorial Day everyone),

Coco the CEO

Learning from Branding Disasters

I tell all of my clients to learn from the branding mistakes of others. Why? It is less costly. There is always something to be gained from failure, regardless if it is your own or someone else’s. 

Pepsi unveiled the latest company logo redesign, which simply meant rotating the iconic circular logo and adjusting the tilt of the white stripe. The entire rebranding effort cost the company $1.2 billion over three years. Yes, that is over a billion dollars for a tilt and a rotate. Do you think people cared? No. Do you think Pepsi’s investors and stockholders cared? Yep! This wasn’t money well spent and the story on the money spent was a public relations nightmare.  The slight change in brand meant nothing to customers and everything to the media. 

Capital One added a "swoosh" to its logo hoping to capture the attention of people who love Nike. Why? Was there some large number of sneaker wearers seeking to change banks? The cost to add the “swoosh” was millions and customers didn’t care.  Why? The superficial real doesn’t get customer attention – at least not at first. Customers worry about experience, sustainability, price point and then branding. Yes- in this order! 

Learn from the branding mistakes of others. Your image is important. It, however, is not as important as substance. 

Until tomorrow, 

Coco the CEO 

Learn to be More Creative!

It is possible to learn to be more creative. However, being creative isn’t something that can be learned, truly it is a gift.  If you find yourself working in the creative field then there are some things you can do to become inspired.

First, give your brain a jolt. Take an unexpected break or head into the office late, after a nice stroll through the park. Small changes and unexpected changes redirect the brain and creative juices out of ruts.

Next, do what many great leaders do- draw! Many of history's greatest thinkers, from Steve Jobs to John F. Kennedy, have been avid doodlers. These quick sketches help unlock creativity, enhancing recall and lighting up neural networks that allow for cognitive breakthroughs.

Finally, understand creative blocks happen. Walk away from the pressure of a deadline, yes- easier said than done- and your creativity will come back.

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO

Sins of the Entrepreneur

 Not everyone is going to make it in business- no matter how hard one tries. Why? Well, either you are born with the entrepreneur spirit or you’re not. It is this simple! Below are 5 Sins of “entrepreneurs” that real business leaders use to identify the wanna-bes from the real deals.

1.       They aren’t trying to be something they aren’t. Yes, real business leaders have faith in their own ideas. They don’t spend their time copying the ideas of others.  They either take a concept and make it better or they promote their own vision.

2.       Money is an afterthought. Real business people know money will be a point of stress forever, regardless of how much is in the bank.  Business owners focus on growth, often working under their value, to create a customer base and then keep it.

3.       They have no day job. No one can run a business while working for someone else- at least not effectively. If a business owner has a day job, they’re fake. They aren’t making it and they have no idea how to make it.

4.       They don’t care about fear. Sure, they may be afraid at times but they don’t let fear stand between them and success.

5.       Mentors- Yeah Right.  Business owners will seek our professional advice. Hey, we don’t know it all. However, mentors are not for the mighty or the visionary. Mentors help people find their way out of the maze when they can’t see the exit in front of their faces. Business owners know where there is no exit- that one must be created.

Until next time,

Coco the CEO 

Talking At or With Your Customers?

Do you talk at your customers? Do you talk at your vendors? The majority of challenges within the workforce or business industries result directly from poor communication skills. As a publicist, I have to deal with communication issues day in and day out. 

How do you talk with your customers and vendors and not at them? The answers are pretty simple.

You have to start with identifying your pitfalls. Do you use the same words over and over again? Do you use words that aren’t words but simply poor grammar that distracts the other person? Do you language that is foul, slang or too quick to comprehend? All of these factors can put you at risk for talking at customers and not with them.

The key to talking with customers and vendors is primarily listening. When you do speak, your tone should reflect what you are trying to convey. Speak politely or with interest. Use professional jargon and proper words.  Speak using a calm and easy-to-understand pace.

Communication is hard and mostly unsaid. However, it is not only what we say but how we say it that does matter when words come into play.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

The Traits of Outstanding Female Leaders

I was asked recently how a woman could become or be defined as a great leader. Hmm. What does being a woman have to do with leading? No one ever asks a man how he can become a great leader. Why are we women singled out?

The truth is there are plenty of great women leaders out there and there are plenty of great male leaders out there. The test of leadership isn’t found within your DNA and birth sex, but defined by the following skills. Do you have them? If so, you’re a great leader.

1)      You don’t care what people say, you have your vision and you are moving forward.  This stands true only if your vision is positive, lifts others up and you’ve done research to have such a provocative opinion about your vision.

2)      You collaborate, you don’t delegate.  Anyone can delegate. Not everyone is humble enough to collaborate. You need collaboration with other people to build your brand, grow your business and improve your networking (in person and online) circle.

3)      You are a life-long learner. If you didn’t throw your degree on the wall and announce “I’m done” then you are a life-long learned. Continued education is the key to being able to pivot your company when new technologies or methodologies are introduced.

You don’t have to be one sex or another to lead. You simply have to follow the three steps noted above to success.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Why Your Business Doesn’t Have Legs!

There are many great business ideas out there. Most don’t get off the ground because the person(s) behind the idea isn’t capable of executing it. In fact, they have some pretty bad business habits that harm the business idea.

 I’ve put together a list of the top 3 reasons why businesses / ideas don’t succeed. Read the list below and ask yourself if you own one or all of these habits.

1. Your reactive not proactive. Proactive people are busy planning, doing, getting things done. Reactive people spend the majority of their time catching up, copying the ideas of others, responding to emails all day long, and really not accomplishing mush.  You have to make your product grow. This isn’t something you can delegate to others. You can delegate emails, not your business.  Be proactive, not reactive.

2. You slow down the decision making process. Not every situation is life or death in business. You should be able to make a decision fairly accurately and quickly.  Major decisions do require time and thought, but are you bottlenecking simple decisions? If so, you are stunting your growth as a company.

3. You are brand confused. Wow, this is a major issue for me with many clients. You can’t have one leg in one demographic and another leg in a different pool. In other words, make sure you are true to your own brand if you expect other people to do the same. If you are business woman, act like a business woman.  If you are a tattoo artist, act like one.

I hope this information has helped you identify how to truly get your ideas off of the ground and your business moving forward.

Coco the CEO

Great Advice from Great Business Leaders.

Today I want to share some advice I have read and collected over the past couple of years from amazing business leaders. While I know advice isn’t always applicable to situations, it sure can help put things into perspective.

Sir Richard Branson: “"The truth is, rules are made to be broken. There have been many occasions, especially early on in my business career, when I've had to ask my ever-understanding wife to sign a sheet of paper with me to put a second mortgage on our home in order to get a business deal done! However, the theory is sound: trust your instincts, but protect the downside. And, of course, remember to listen to your mum and dad's advice!"

Gary Vaynerchuk: "You just don't know what the reality of the situation is going to be until you're in it. Once you're in it, and things maybe aren't exactly what you expected them to be, you have no choice to make a call and adjust. You'll never be able to force a different reality on the situation."

Arianna Huffington: “"We don’t have to wait until we move or change jobs to change our lives. Nor do we have to wait for large-scale, upstream change. We can initiate change right now. There are endless starting points."

Deepak Chopra: "I was told that my core being was a field of infinite possibilities, infinite creativity, comfortable with uncertainty, synchronicity, and imbued with the power of intention and choice."

Coco the CEO: “Have patience. Nothing worth doing can be done overnight. Owning a business is a collaborative process. It takes one person to have an amazing idea, but many people to help see it to fruition.”

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO!

How to Stay On Your Game!

People ask me all the time about staying on your game in business. Who has time to really go focus on networking when you have a business to run, right?! Wrong! Here are my three tips to staying on your game.

1. Try to meet one new person every single day. Yes, you never know who you are going to meet so make sure to introduce yourself to one new person at your local coffee store or in your office complex daily.

2. Spend 15 minutes each and every day doing something you hate. Why? It helps you grow your problem solving skills when faced with a challenge.

3. Share photos of your goals on social networks. Yes, your goals. Working for retirement? Share photos of places you want to retire. Working on becoming famous? Share your writing, music, etc. on these mediums. Why? Sure, the posts tell people about you but, more importantly, they work as self-affirmation and keep you on track towards these goals.

Until tomorrow,

Coco the CEO

Out Think Your Competition.

Many companies sell the same products or service. Why are some companies more successful than others? There is no secret sauce- understand this right off the bat. The difference between success and even greater success is customer service and to really understand what you are doing, offering and then do it cheaper and better.

McDonalds has been around for decades. Their burgers remain cheap and their best seller. Do other places have better burgers? Sure! Do other places sell burgers between six and eight dollars and still make a profit? Yes. So, why is it McDonald’s has staying power , amazing brand recognition and survives with their bestselling item selling for less than a dollar? Easy, the company knows what they are doing brand wise and they sell burgers smarter than the rest.

When you decide to go up against your competition, try finding cheaper source or product providers. If you can find a cheaper vendor, you can lower rates and still be competitive. Next, know what you are doing. Don’t just start a business and walk away. Run your business. Understand what it is your customers truly need, not just what they want.

Most importantly, don’t just compete – think!

Until Monday,

Coco the CEO