I’m going to share the most vital of business tip I can – you have a bad habit. In fact, most entrepreneurs do. I had to become aware of this bad habit, which is why I am passing it on to you. Once you become aware of this habit then you can start to work on breaking it.
So, what’s the habit? Living in the past. Yes, the past. You see, dwelling in the past keeps you from moving forward. It is important that you do whatever it takes to bury the past so you can come into the now. You can’t think about mistakes or should’ves. You really have to focus on planning to move forward and think about possibilities.
People who live in the past or judge the present based on how they have experienced the past tend to be dreamers, not do’ers. It is important that you are both. I use to live in the past. I thought about all the money and time wasted learning lessons and thought how impossible it seemed for me to move forward. Then, one day, after realizing that I was frozen by my past , I decided to dive right into my future. I worked on shrugging off irrational fears of what could happen again and made a plan to move forward and prevent these things from happening again. I didn’t become glued to past results, I worked on moving forward because of the past results.
If you can learn to move forward from the past, you will be successful. There is no question in my mind about this strategy. So, I ask you today, what about your past is making you fearful about moving forward today? Whatever it is, address it and then figure out a plan to move beyond it.
Until tomorrow,
Velma Trayham
Showing posts with label houston music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label houston music. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Quotes for Business
I was recently was reading a trade industry magazine for business men and women. This magazine had a section dedicated to sound business advice. While a lot of the information and quotes were pretty basic, I found five quotes that really inspired me to look at what I can improve upon in 2015.
1. "Never confuse activity with progress." —Ty, Boston, MA
I agree. You can be busy and still not grow. Don't be satisfied with the business you do have. Go after the business you don't have!
2. "Cash is more important than your mother." —Grace, Shanghai, China
I know this is harsh, but cash is king. Your mother wouldn't have nice things if it wasn't for your extra support (I hope). So, know cash makes the world go round and if you're not bringing it in as a business owner then you're doing something wrong.
3. "Always look for people smarter than you, and surround yourself with people who can challenge and inspire you." —Doug, Redwood City, CA
If you think you're the best then you will fail fast. Find people who know more than you and continue to learn.
4. "Hire slowly. Fire quickly." —Jenny, Seattle
I couldn't agree more. You can develop skill, you can't develop customer service. If you have someone on your team who is abrasive and not caring, fire them right away before the situation becomes worse.
5. "Getting your business launched and your first product onto the market will take you twice as long, and cost you twice as much, as you think it will." - —Dave, Toronto, ON
Well said! If you think this is easy, you're not really equipped to run a business.
I hope these quotes have inspired you to do great things for the rest of 2015...
Until next time,
Velma Trayham
1. "Never confuse activity with progress." —Ty, Boston, MA
I agree. You can be busy and still not grow. Don't be satisfied with the business you do have. Go after the business you don't have!
2. "Cash is more important than your mother." —Grace, Shanghai, China
I know this is harsh, but cash is king. Your mother wouldn't have nice things if it wasn't for your extra support (I hope). So, know cash makes the world go round and if you're not bringing it in as a business owner then you're doing something wrong.
3. "Always look for people smarter than you, and surround yourself with people who can challenge and inspire you." —Doug, Redwood City, CA
If you think you're the best then you will fail fast. Find people who know more than you and continue to learn.
4. "Hire slowly. Fire quickly." —Jenny, Seattle
I couldn't agree more. You can develop skill, you can't develop customer service. If you have someone on your team who is abrasive and not caring, fire them right away before the situation becomes worse.
5. "Getting your business launched and your first product onto the market will take you twice as long, and cost you twice as much, as you think it will." - —Dave, Toronto, ON
Well said! If you think this is easy, you're not really equipped to run a business.
I hope these quotes have inspired you to do great things for the rest of 2015...
Until next time,
Velma Trayham
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Competition- Why Falling Stars Matter
Pepsi has Coke. Or, as they see it, Coke has Pepsi. McDonald’s has Burger King. Or, as they see it, Burger King has McDonald’s. Regardless of what you do for a living, there is a competitor. The closer you get to inching over into their profit margin, the more your competition will start to view themselves as a falling star. So, what exactly is a falling star?
Technically speaking, a falling star is defined as follows; A meteor or “shooting star” is the passage of a meteoroid or micrometeoroid into the Earth’s atmosphere, incandescent from air friction and shedding glowing material in its wake sufficiently to create a visible streak of light.
Notice the phrases “air friction” and “shedding glowing material”. When your competition stops competing and starts sabotaging (yes, it does happen) or is consumed by jealousy they become falling stars. They hit friction and they shed their glow doing so. As a business owner, you will come across several falling stars. You are warned. It will happen.
The best advice I can give you is to stay in your lane. These are not the types of falling stars that you want to notice. Ignore them. Ignore the friction. Do not look at the shedding glowing material. Don’t buy into jealousy. Instead, continue to glow as brightly as you can so you too do not fall.
We all need healthy competition in life and in business. It is what helps us grow and drives us to be better than we were yesterday. But when our competition turns into a falling star, know that their friction and temporary glow is contagious and can also drag you back down to Earth while harming your business.
Stay positive. Stay focused. Stay bright!
Velma Trayham, ThinkZILLA
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Top Ways You're Killing Time!
Ever feel as if there isn’t enough time in the day? You are not alone, especially if you own a company. Well, there are some things we as people do daily that really lead to time crunches and task bottlenecks. I’ve listed them below to help you identify where you are wasting time and recover it to become more productive.
1. Administrative work. If you are a business owner then this is your largest waste of time. Many business owners don’t want to relinquish control over these tasks. Why? You should waste an hour or more a day consolidating reports, reviewing specific documents, etc. Your administrative team should do this for you. You only need to review report synopsis, considering details as needed- not in general and all of the time.
2. You place value on quick tasks. Don’t do this. You are wasting time. If you put off schedule appointments for simple haircuts, responding to short emails, etc. – then you are adding items to your task list and building pressure upon yourself that isn’t needed. If it takes under 2 minutes to do – do it immediately.
3. Finally, don’t repeat things. If you have customers who ask you the same thing over and over again, or want you to send them the same document over and over again, put it on your website. They can find these answers and documents on the website or your administrative team can help.
Until tomorrow,
Velma Trayham
1. Administrative work. If you are a business owner then this is your largest waste of time. Many business owners don’t want to relinquish control over these tasks. Why? You should waste an hour or more a day consolidating reports, reviewing specific documents, etc. Your administrative team should do this for you. You only need to review report synopsis, considering details as needed- not in general and all of the time.
2. You place value on quick tasks. Don’t do this. You are wasting time. If you put off schedule appointments for simple haircuts, responding to short emails, etc. – then you are adding items to your task list and building pressure upon yourself that isn’t needed. If it takes under 2 minutes to do – do it immediately.
3. Finally, don’t repeat things. If you have customers who ask you the same thing over and over again, or want you to send them the same document over and over again, put it on your website. They can find these answers and documents on the website or your administrative team can help.
Until tomorrow,
Velma Trayham
Friday, March 13, 2015
Cold Pitching The Press 101
Publicists don’t have a magic wand in their desk drawer. Their relationships with the media come from a long line of pitching, meeting in person, bugging, sending over holiday cards, repeating this process without feeling rejected, and then repeating it again. It gets easier as time passes and you prove yourself as a publicist, too.
This said, I wanted to share one key thought (or magic want maneuver) today when it comes to breaking the ice with a much sought after member of the press. If you can’t crack a relationship (or even a smile) from a press agent, implement the Tripe R method. This method consists of Respect (1), Reliability (2), and Response (3).
First, you have to respect the demand on journalists today. Many people blog for free and get paid by ads or PPC campaigns- not media resources. This said, budgets are tight and reporters have more responsibilities along with a skeleton staff due to cutbacks. Traditional media is competing with a heavy freelance community. If you call a reporter once during the day, leave it. Don’t call four or five times. Don’t send emails throughout the day. Don’t trample on their time. Be respected and also make sure what you’re pitching is included in their assignments category, otherwise you’re just being annoying.
Second, be reliable. This means not exaggerating facts or shoving hype when speaking with a reporter. If a member of the press can learn to trust you as a resource, you will have them knocking at your door- not the other way around. So remember, never lie to the media to get press attention. It will backfire.
Finally, be responsive. If you can’t respond to any member of the press within 5 minutes of the day or night (and anytime of the day or night) you can say goodbye to your client’s story / interview and the relationship with the reporter. Most members of the press work long hours and are usually up late finishing stories. They may send you an urgent email at 1am asking you to verify a fact. Do it. Be available at all times to the media as this is part of your job as a publicist.
Until Monday,
Velma Trayham
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Another Word on PR & Social Media
Every remove someone from your social media accounts because they are stalking every post you write? You know the type- they “like” or “retweet” everything you say. Even worse, their own posts are nothing more than selfies, rude memes and, of course, status updates from the gym! You want followers, but you want the RIGHT followers.
Here are my tips to navigating your way through your personal social media accounts like a pro;
#1. Don’t overshare. Oversharing photos of yourself, your pets and/or your kids is called annoying. Think of yourself walking down the street and someone stopping you every two seconds with a photo from their wallet to share with you. Annoying! Don’t be this person, especially if you run a company!
#2. Don’t buy “likes”, YouTube views or Twitter followers. We all can tell when “ana zhoisf sdjkdfhss” is a fake profile and you look silly with 10,000 fake followers reading your uninteresting posts. Value who you follow and appreciate those who REALLY follow you!
#3. Have actual conversations. OMG! Yes, don’t send important information via a text or a social media post. That’s classless- especially if it is a welfare check on someone’s emotional or physical health. Be personal,
you will intrigue more people to follow you on social media when you show you truly care about others.
Until tomorrow,
Velma Trayham
Friday, October 17, 2014
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has hired Burson-Marsteller
I recently read all the nasty brand hitting Burson-Marsteller is taking on behalf of its new client, Texas Health Presbyterian. Wow, what some PR agents have to go through.
Typically, medical clients are a hard sell for the publicity teams who represent them. But, it doesn't have to be this way. In life, there are always exceptions to the rule. While Burson-Marsteller has an uphill battle for its client (which hired a PR firm way late in the game), all is not lost.
I'm sure Burson-Marsteller is going to implement these two rules (below), so why am I sharing them with you? Well, they are PR secrets that only season professionals implement during a time of crisis. Since this is a learning blog, it is important for me to share with both clients and professionals what steps need to be taken during these situations.
First, state a positive position on non-paying clients. Why? Well, there are already racist accusations and poor-hating statements on social media. The medical group needs to make a public statement on how it handles patients with no insurance and cite examples of its quality-control committee reviews in relation to paying (insured) and non-paying patients. This is damage control 101.
Second, host a town hall meeting with employees. Reporters are going to seek out employees to comment. Smart reporters are not going to the PR firm at this point. They want quotes - even if anonymous- to support sensationalized headlines. Reporters will find disgruntled employees to speak with before contacting the medical firm's pr team. A town hall meeting can help address what would happen if non-aligned statements or concerns leak to the media before internal resources.
Cover ups shouldn't happen, but accidents do. Handling these situations from a media perspective can be a challenge. Remember, control the message and accentuate the positives.
Until Monday,
Velma Trayham
Typically, medical clients are a hard sell for the publicity teams who represent them. But, it doesn't have to be this way. In life, there are always exceptions to the rule. While Burson-Marsteller has an uphill battle for its client (which hired a PR firm way late in the game), all is not lost.
I'm sure Burson-Marsteller is going to implement these two rules (below), so why am I sharing them with you? Well, they are PR secrets that only season professionals implement during a time of crisis. Since this is a learning blog, it is important for me to share with both clients and professionals what steps need to be taken during these situations.
First, state a positive position on non-paying clients. Why? Well, there are already racist accusations and poor-hating statements on social media. The medical group needs to make a public statement on how it handles patients with no insurance and cite examples of its quality-control committee reviews in relation to paying (insured) and non-paying patients. This is damage control 101.
Second, host a town hall meeting with employees. Reporters are going to seek out employees to comment. Smart reporters are not going to the PR firm at this point. They want quotes - even if anonymous- to support sensationalized headlines. Reporters will find disgruntled employees to speak with before contacting the medical firm's pr team. A town hall meeting can help address what would happen if non-aligned statements or concerns leak to the media before internal resources.
Cover ups shouldn't happen, but accidents do. Handling these situations from a media perspective can be a challenge. Remember, control the message and accentuate the positives.
Until Monday,
Velma Trayham
Monday, September 8, 2014
Pr and Permission
Today I want to talk about permission. It is a huge public relations issue. Why? Not all PR companies obtain permission when working on co-events or co-accounts to use certain photos, comments, namesakes, etc. This can get you (either as a publicist or a client) into a lot of hot water.
Not everything on the internet is public domain. Also, if you are going to advertise a guest speaker or a celebrity endorsement, you better have written permission to do so beforehand. Otherwise, you will be sued and your brand can be destroyed.
There is no "sure fire" when to check if something is public domain or not. If a celebrity gives a quote to a certain magazine, you may have to reference the magazine before you can republish the quote because of exclusivity rights.
The best way to offset a potential permissions issue is to do the right thing and seek it out before publishing. As professionals in the PR industry, we should already know that if there is even a minuscule chance that a news release will need to be retracted, we can't send it out. A newswire – press release or news newswire – can’t have all of its affiliates and syndicates retract your story once it’s published.
All this said, don't every obtain secondhand permission or permission to use anything over the phone. Send an email or a letter and make sure you have a clear response before going forward. If you release something too soon, you will be liable and after the lawsuits have been settled- the internet will still show traces of the content and/or press release.
Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO
Not everything on the internet is public domain. Also, if you are going to advertise a guest speaker or a celebrity endorsement, you better have written permission to do so beforehand. Otherwise, you will be sued and your brand can be destroyed.
There is no "sure fire" when to check if something is public domain or not. If a celebrity gives a quote to a certain magazine, you may have to reference the magazine before you can republish the quote because of exclusivity rights.
The best way to offset a potential permissions issue is to do the right thing and seek it out before publishing. As professionals in the PR industry, we should already know that if there is even a minuscule chance that a news release will need to be retracted, we can't send it out. A newswire – press release or news newswire – can’t have all of its affiliates and syndicates retract your story once it’s published.
All this said, don't every obtain secondhand permission or permission to use anything over the phone. Send an email or a letter and make sure you have a clear response before going forward. If you release something too soon, you will be liable and after the lawsuits have been settled- the internet will still show traces of the content and/or press release.
Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Handling Bad Press
If you ever find yourself in this position – keep reading. I
have three fail safe ways to recover from this scenario. First, you want to
confront the source. Make sure you
address your concerns in writing, via email or a letter, and wait a day before
you send it. You also to have your legal team review the letter before sending
over anything in writing. You do, however, need to address this issue in
writing should it scale beyond an apology.
Your next step is to confront the article, in a positive way,
via social media. Make the statement brief and share one of the photos taken
during the interview. Hashtag the post with #confused. This will put your
existing audience in your corner and the reporter on the defensive. This usually
will stop the rest of the press from jumping on a negative “shock jock name
making” article.
Finally, have your client post a blog about what a great
time he or she had during the interview and make sure they ask for fans to not
instigate or engage the reporter. Make sure your client writes “everyone is entitled
to their opinion” before signing off on the blog.
It is nature to attack those who attack us, but I promise
you these tactics will result in a better outcome for you and your client.
Until tomorrow,
Coco the CEO
Thursday, July 24, 2014
The 2014 Go DJ Awards In Houston Broke Entertainment Records!
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