Inspirational Picture Quotes That Will Motivate Your Mind : Part 16

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media : Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library)

Gary Vaynerchuk  is a video blogger, co-owner and director of operations of a wine retail store, and an author and public speaker on the subjects of social media, brand building and e-commerce. Vaynerchuk immigrated to the U.S. in 1978, and after graduating from Mount Ida College in Newton, MA, transformed his father’s Springfield, NJ liquor store into a large scale retail wine store named Wine Library, and in 2006 started the video blogWine Library TV, a daily internet webcast on the subject of wine, which launched his career of internet celebrity.

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape

Inspirational Picture Quotes That Will Motivate Your Mind : Part 15

Inspirational Picture Quotes That Will Motivate Your Mind : Part 14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspirational Picture Quotes That Will Motivate Your Mind : Part 13

Inspirational Picture Quotes That Will Motivate Your Mind : Part 12

7 Tips For Naming Your Business

Entrepreneurs fret over packaging and a host of other details as they get started, and then leave one of the most important aspects as an afterthought.

The sad truth is that the right name can sometimes make all the difference when it comes to propelling a business to success, rather than just slogging on.

Consider this: Would you like “Patagonian toothfish” on your plate tonight for dinner? Hmm… not so much? Ok what about “Chilean Sea Bass?” That’s much better, right? Or another example is how Marion Morrison put on a cowboy hat, slung on a six-shooter and became “John Wayne.”

Names are quite powerful. I pretty much started as a copywriter. I know that words are incredibly important. Each one has a distinct difference. Get the name right, and you get branding as a by-product of your advertising.

Here are seven things I consider when determining a business-related name:

1. The name needs to sound good when it’s said aloud. I’m a big fan of alliteration, using words that start with the same consonant, Coca-Cola or Jimmy John’s. Just make sure to say it aloud — a lot — and make sure this isn’t a “she sells seashells on the seashore” situation. People need to say the name on the radio, a video or in conversation.

2. Use a name that has meaning to it and conveys a benefit. If you heard it you’d know right away what it is. For example, my first “real” book was called, “Moonlighting on the Internet.” The word “moonlighting” instantly conveyed that this was about using the Internet in your spare time to make extra money. Also make sure the name isn’t too generic. Personally, I think Boston Chicken made a mistake when it changed its name to Boston Market. Don’t try to be everything to everybody with your name.

3. Avoid Web 2.0-ish syndrome. I still don’t know if you spell Flickr with an “er” or not. And I definitely have no idea how to spell delicio.us without looking it up. This sort of mildly dyslexic spelling is so last decade. Potential customers for your new venture of “Computer4You” should be able to easily look up the name, and they shouldn’t be asking whether a “you” is a “u.”

4. Beware initials. They are so boring. Yes, IBM and 3M have gotten away with initials, but these are multibillion-dollar corporations that have been around for decades. You can do the same when you’ve brought in billions of dollars over a hundred years. Until then, rely on a name that is interesting.

5. Use specifics. Don’t use a generic name that doesn’t mean anything. I like names that take advantage of details such as numbers and days. My buddy Tim Ferriss found a pretty specific and compelling name for his book “The 4-Hour Work Week.” Other titles that use numbers to focus in on specifics include “8 Minute Abs” and “5-hour Energy.”

6. Make sure you can trademark the name. Depending on how big you want to build the brand, this is an important consideration. It’s worth it to check USPTO.gov — or a new site called Trademarkia.com— before settling on a name.

7. Test it out on Google AdWords. One of the great features of the “find keywords” tool on AdWordsis that it will list similar search phrases, along with how many global and local monthly searches each are getting. Some AdWords searches with the name you are considering can ensure there isn’t a slightly different name out there that might get more attention on the Internet.

If you really want to get advanced, try to come up with a name that could be eventually used as a verb, or lends itself to the creation of your own “language.” People who go to TED, the conference for Tech, Education and Design, now call themselves “TEDsters.” My company, Maverick Business Adventures, recalls “Maverick Moments” stories about happenings during a trip.

Think it through, and your name will be a multiplier in your favor.

From http://www.youngentrepreneur.com

Courtesy Yanik Silver.

The Secret Rule of Changing Anything

How can we defeat this powerful force — our own mind?
Awareness is the key. It’s the start.
1. Start by becoming aware. Become an observer. Start listening to your self talk, observe what your mind does. Pay attention. It’s happening all the time. Meditation helps with this. I also learned through running — by not taking along an iPod, I run in silence, and have nothing to do but watch nature and listen to my mind.
2. Don’t act. Your mind will urge you to eat that cake (“Just a bite!”) or smoke that cigarette or stop running or procrastinate. Listen to what your mind is saying, but don’t act on those instructions. Just sit still (mentally) and watch and listen.
3. Let it pass. The urge to smoke, eat, procrastinate, or quit running … it will pass. It’s temporary. Usually it only lasts a minute or two. Breathe, and let it pass.
4. Beat the rationalizations. You can actively argue with your mind. When it says, “One little bite won’t hurt!”, you should point to your gut and say, “Yeah, that’s what you said all those other times, and now I’m fat!” When it says, “Why are you putting yourself through this pain?”, you should say, “It’s painful to be unhealthy, and it’s only painful to avoid the cake if you look at it as a sacrifice — instead, it can be a joy to embrace healthy and delicious foods, and fitness!”
There are lots of times when “willpower” fails us. These are the times we need to become aware of our minds.
When we are aware, we can change it. This is a small secret, but it’s life changing. It changed my life, because I can now change anything. I watch, and I wait, and I beat it. You can too.