Working for yourself doesn't mean you work alone.
You wear many hats as a solopreneur— but success doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Join Solo(ish) for expert insights, support, and strategies to grow your business with confidence.__
No one strikes out on their own just to give themselves another job.
Why Referrals Should Be Your Marketing Priority
Referral marketing isn’t just a strategy—it’s the backbone of sustainable growth. Referrals harness the most powerful form of advertising: personal recommendations. Turning satisfied customers into enthusiastic advocates can build trust, attract new clients, and create lasting loyalty without stretching your budget.
Serendipity and Spaghetti: The Networking Story You Didn’t Expect
Here’s a little tale about why you’re always networking, even when you’re just grabbing a plate of free food.
Recharge Your Entrepreneurial Spirit: The Importance of Downtime for Solopreneurs
Downtime for solopreneurs and small business owners is essential for boosting productivity, creativity, and work-life balance. Learn why taking breaks, whether through vacations or sabbaticals, is key to preventing burnout and ensuring long-term business success.
3 AI tools I use that aren’t ChatGPT
Cuts through the AI hype, with practical insights for service-based SMEs. From automating customer relationship management to refining your professional writing and optimizing your calendar, these AI tools streamline your tasks and enhance productivity.
Social Media: A Marketing Tactic or Strategy?
While social media platforms provide tactical tools, they are just a part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. By expanding your tactics arsenal beyond social media, such as leveraging email newsletters, advertising, and engaging in speaking opportunities, you can connect with a broader audience. However, the key lies in adopting a strategic approach.
To DON’T List for Startup Brands: Avoiding Pitfalls of Building a Strong Brand
Launching a startup brand can be an exhilarating and challenging endeavor. As you embark on this journey, navigating the path carefully and avoiding common pitfalls hindering your brand's success is crucial. By keeping these branding "don'ts" top of mind, you can...
“Liking” is the powerful short-cut to “Trust.”
Most of us are familiar with the BNI expression 'people do business with people they know, like and trust'… what few people realize, however, is that trust takes a combination of factors to develop. Still, it may be short-circuited with "liking." A study by Stetson...
The WHY of BNI Education
If anyone in the room owns a business with staff, you have likely experienced “leaky bucket” syndrome where we train our team only to find a few weeks later they’ve forgotten the training. We have to keep topping off the bucket!
What are CEU’s And How Do I Get Them?
BNI is notorious for acronyms, and one of my favorites is the CEU, or “continuing education unit.” What exactly is it? When you joined, you might remember some discussion about how BNI is big on education and helping you improve your business, and giving you the...
Never Forget to Follow-up Ever Again.
A timely follow-up can mean the difference between closing a sale and hearing that they hired someone else before you got around to it. Use this hack to never forget to follow-up ever again.
You Invited a Visitor to Your BNI Meeting, Now What?
As you know, visitors are the lifeblood of BNI. Natural attrition means 20% of members leave due to factors outside of the chapter's control. Visitors provide the possibility of new members to maintain and grow the chapter. On average, visitors spend $1,000 on...
The ABC (and D) of Who to Invite to a Networking Meeting
A steady stream of visitors is necessary to keep a chapter healthy and growing. But we don't need to invite visitors just for chapter growth. Whether they join or not, visitors contribute to your growing network of business partners, potential referrers, and even new...
Invite F.R.O.G.S – An Easy Way to Think About People to Invite to a BNI Meeting
When we look at the overall levels of member engagement in terms of attendance, one to ones, referrals, and visitors, generally, the weakest area is inviting visitors. The irony of this is that we were all visitors to a BNI meeting at some point. So, we know that...
Be Specific: 5-Point Checklist For Networking Commercials
During business networking meetings, such as BNI or Chambers of Commerce, you will have one minute or less (usually less) to do your weekly presentation (in BNI) or a round of introductions (Chambers and other networking events). This “commercial” is your chance to...
Present Like a Pro
Are you stressed out about your upcoming featured presentation? Are you worried about whether you're going to get your message across? Concerned if anyone will remember anything you said? Some people think that a featured presentation is merely to give a talk in front...
3+3+3=9 Minutes
Here are some secrets for planning and preparing for your 10-minute featured presentation. You'll learn about the 3+3+3=9-minutes rule. Please listen to this very carefully: what you put into your featured presentation is what you'll get out of it. Don't use your time...
Specific is Terrific
Business professionals who want to do business by referral are often far too general in their requests of other people. In referral marketing, it’s crucial to teach others how to refer you. This is why you need to be specific to be terrific. Why? Because sometimes,...
GAINS profile
So often, BNI members are frustrated about not getting more business referred to them. After all, isn’t that what business networking is all about? The fact is, it’s not enough that you’re great at what you do and can offer a lot of value to new clients. To win...