Serendipity

Week of September 21, 2009

Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com

“There is no rule that life has to be hard. I looked it up.” --Lora J Canary

This week's topics include: • Serendipity - Linda Fayerweather
• A Master of Viral Marketing - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset - Pat Altvater
• Relax - Paula Frazier

Serendipity
The word “serendipity” is fun to say and it is something that many entrepreneurs forget to observe. It refers to when one accidentally discovers something useful while looking for something entirely unrelated. A short list of serendipitous discoveries are dynamite, silly putty, scotch guard, LSD, Teflon, vulcanized rubber, safety glass and corn flakes.

In my yard this growing season, a doe I call Dora has taken residence. As a lifelong avid gardener, I have watched as my prize plants have been treated like her own personal salad bar! I’ve more than curbed my enthusiasm for weeding - why bother - I just make it easier for her to find the tasty morsels. Even Liquid Fence® ,fondly referred to by my family as “dead man in a can”, ceased to work. This is where serendipity stepped in as "eupatorium rugosum" took over. This weed is native to North American, has medicinal qualities and is POSIUNOUS to deer! If cows graze on it, their milk will be toxic. Ah Ha! The deer seem to be smart enough to not eat it or other things around it!

As entrepreneurs we often get stuck doing, and doing, and doing and forgetting to step back and watch. Imagine setting up your business to run limiting your controlling hands in established processes. Without constant weeding, sometimes serendipity may step in and say “Hi”. Maybe the right “employee”, like the eupatorium, just needs time to establish some roots.

Check out the list of other serendipitous inventions at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity

Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz

Corner Dental - A Master of Viral Marketing
There’s no better way to market than virally – getting a group of people to give your product or service a shout out. MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter have connected people to their friends, families, colleagues and past employers in an endless loop. Marketing to them, however is not as easy as clicking on a banner ad. Banner ad click-through rates now mirror that of traditional direct mail: a whopping 1%, yet banner advertising is worse on social networks where a measly 0.02% of people will click on the ad. The key to getting someone to pass along your product’s name or a testimonial for your service is to offer something that people REALLY WANT. I saw a perfect example of this at the UT/OSU football game on Saturday. Corner Dental advertised the opportunity to “Show Your Smile” to the crowd by texting your picture to their website during the game. Not only did Corner Dental post the photos on the JumboTron at the game, but my nephew gave CD a shout-out to his friends that his picture was featured. Viral marketing doesn’t get much better than that.

Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz

Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset

The following is taken verbatim from http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html

Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD in decades of research on achievement and success – a simple idea that makes all the difference.

In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success – without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.

Essentially Dr. Dweck is saying that people with a growth mindset enjoy challenges, accept mistakes as learning experiences and value personal growth, all essential traits of an awakened entrepreneur. In contrast, a person with a fixed mindset is defensive about mistakes, constantly works at appearing successful and doesn’t try anything new unless they know they can succeed. Which mindset describes you?

It is possible to change. I am interviewing Dr. Dweck as part of my free Childhood Obesity Tele-Summit this October. You can learn more about mindsets and how to help the people around you, your children and/or your employees, adopt the growth mindset directly from Dr. Dweck on October 13th at 8pm EST. For more information and to register for this free event, go to: http://www.tinyurl.com/momstelesummit.


Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613



Taking Time to Revive
So whether your daily grind is physical, mental, or a combination of the two, plan to take a day off to replenish your mind, body and spirit.

1. Pick up a good book and lose yourself in a great novel.
2. Experience a movie adventure with some friends.
3. Take the family to the park for a picnic. Sounds corny; but it’s fun.
4. Let social media be your outlet. Go online to connect on FaceBook and Twitter your favorite Tweeple to your heart’s content.
5. Hang out. Turn off the television, radio and phone and literally do nothing.

No matter what you choose to do, know that you’ve earned it! Get out your planner and schedule your next one, now.

Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles are featured internationally. She was recently published in Brainsbook for Networking and is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com.


Have a profitable week.

Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC