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Articles by Danny Iny
21 Ways to Create Compelling Content When You Don't Have a Clue
Sometimes you’re just flat out of ideas. It’s not a matter of talent — you’ve written great stuff in the past. But lately, when you go back to the well for a fresh idea, it’s coming up dry. This happens to the best of us — even veterans who consistently produce quality content have their off days. Yet they continue to write. They may grumble about how hard it is to get going and create something solid, but they still do. Again, and again, and again.
Struggling to Find Great Talent? Consider Candidates without a Degree
The U.S. Department of Labor has just released its latest numbers and unemployment rates are holding firm at 3.7 percent. This is a nearly 50-year low. If you’re an employer you don’t have to be told what this means: it’s really tough to find great talent right now. Expand your pool of candidates by considering those who don’t have a college degree. One of the biggest misconceptions among employers is that people MUST hold a college degree to be a viable candidate. It’s just not true.
The Gift of Feedback
7 Steps to Move from Confrontation to Conversation Feedback is a gift that anchors your relationships in honesty. Everyone depends upon the feedback they receive to appreciate and reinforce their areas of strength, and to identify areas for personal and professional growth and development.
A tool for combatting thrips
Greenhouse Management April 2019 Brand Spotlight - Advertorial: Brand Spotlight with SePRO Hachi-Hachi SC Insecticide from SePRO is an essential, broad-spectrum tool for combatting thrips and other insect pests. March 25, 2019 Photos courtesy of SePRO With their rasping-sucking mouthparts and small size that enables them to maneuver through small spaces, thrips can be a problem for any operation.
Why Dealers Have Problems with their Detail Department
If the title of this article offends you because you don’t have problems with your detail department, then please do not read any further. This article is for those dealers who can honestly admit they have problems in the operation of their in-house detail department. Seeing the Problem, but Doing Nothing You are not unique among business owners/managers who see problems in the business but end up not doing anything to eliminate the problems.
Digital Retailing: Creating a Car-Buying Experience
If you operate in any part of retail these days, you know Amazon has changed the game forever. Consumers have come to expect one-click shopping, access to products through any connected device and a digital experience that serves up recommendations just for them. The “Amazon Effect,” as it has come to be known, is reshaping consumer preferences across all industries, and automotive is no different.
How Do You Define Leadership
As the leader or one of the leaders of your dealership, you know that you are someone who influences the individuals and groups within your organization, and part of your responsibilities is to help guide them toward successful careers. Throughout the years that we’ve brought you AutoSuccess, our contributors have provided great words to inspire us all to be better leaders, and we’ve featured many dealers who are shining examples of true trailblazers.
Clearwing Borers
Photos by Shelby Jackson No one writes poems and verses about landscapes. It’s a “garden” that incites poetry and dreams; where we want to hang out, muse, or just relax. What separates the use of the term garden from landscape? What’s the difference between hiring a landscape firm, a landscape architect, or a gardener if you wanted someone to design and plant your backyard? What differentiates a garden from a landscape? Do you want a gardener taking care of your plants or a landscaper?
Struggling to find great talent?
If you own a nursery, garden center or landscape business, you are in the branding business. The real question is “Are you creating a valuable brand and are your leveraging its value?” Brands have been in existence for a long as people have put up store signs. The word “brand” was derived from “brandr,” an ancient Norse word meaning “to burn” or more specifically it referred to a burning a piece of wood or torch.
Why You Should Consider Hiring Someone Without a Degree-and How to Find the Right Candidate
A college degree has long been a hiring prerequisite for certain jobs. If a candidate didn’t have one, he or she just wouldn’t get past the gatekeepers. That’s because the degree is a “signal”: a psychological shortcut we rely on to help us make smart decisions without having to investigate every option. But this particular signal has lost its meaning—and when employers doggedly cling to the “degree” requirement, we miss out on some great candidates.
It's a Trap! A Surprising Path to Stop Trading Time for Money
“Stop trading time for money.” Thanks to the Tim Ferrisses of the world, that has become the rallying cry of people who are stuck in a job they don’t like and who want to create the freedom to quit and do something different. They say it with pride, confident they are making the smart, strategic choice their corporate colleagues don’t have the guts or foresight to make. It makes perfect sense, of course. After all, time is finite. So, by trading hours for dollars, you’re limiting your income.
The Product Marketing Strategies of Best Selling Toys Can Make You Money (Sooner Than You Think!)
The toy industry is no child’s play. Aside from being a multi-billion dollar industry, it delivers some of the most innovative products year in and year out. In this post, we’re going to look at some of the bestselling toys for kids, and what their product marketing strategies can tell us about creating a product that’s perfect for your customers. We’ve picked these toys because each of them illustrates a valuable marketing lesson.
Here Are 5 Signs That You're About To Burn Out | Inc. Arabia
There's a limit to how much anyone can do before you hit the wall -- hard. While we all know the value of working hard and pushing ourselves beyond our limits, there’s definitely a limit to how much we’re able to do that on a regular basis. Even the best leaders and workers know that, if you fail to take any time for yourself to rest and recuperate, you’ll be much more susceptible to burning out–especially if you work in a fast-paced and competitive industry.
4 Ways to Make Your Online Course Stand Out
As more entrepreneurs grab the opportunity to expand their impact and income through online courses, it's more challenging to stand out, especially in a crowded online course marketplace. Not only do you have to deliver a stellar course, you also have to be a maverick at marketing it. That's exactly what my friend, Jonathan Goodman, is doing with the Online Trainer Academy, the first-ever certification course for fitness trainers wanting to expand their services online.
Bayzat Raises Additional $5 Million To Boost Growth | Inc. Arabia
In May this year, Bayzat raised $3 million from unnamed investors less than six months after it raised a round of $3.5 million. Ankush is a journalist hailing from India, who has edited and written for publications in his home country, the UAE, US, and UK. Previously the editor of Gulf Business in Dubai and of Entrepreneur in India, Ankush is a keen student of economics, a follower of Manchester United since 1996 and a disciple of Archer.
This Is What Highly Successful Entrepreneurs Do When They Go on Vacation | Inc. Arabia
Waiting to finish that big project before taking a vacation? Here's why that's a bad idea. Vacations are good for managing motivation. The prospect of a vacation after many months of work can drive us to persist until a major project is completed. And then it acts as a reward for all the hard work we’ve put in. Vacations also help us manage energy. We have rhythms of work and respite. We can’t work all the time without something breaking down. Vacations allow us to rest and recharge.
The 4 Layers of Marketing Campaign Plans | Inc. Arabia
Don't rush into copywriting when planning your marketing campaign. When entrepreneurs plan a marketing campaign, many begin by brainstorming slogans and taglines. In other words, they get fixated on copywriting. But the copy is only as effective as the strategy behind it. To increase your chances of having a successful marketing campaign, start by thinking about strategy. You don’t want to focus too much on the “wrapper” around the messaging; focus on the messaging itself instead.
The 4 Layers of Marketing Campaign Plans
When entrepreneurs plan a marketing campaign, many begin by brainstorming slogans and taglines. In other words, they get fixated on copywriting. But the copy is only as effective as the strategy behind it. To increase your chances of having a successful marketing campaign, start by thinking about strategy. You don't want to focus too much on the "wrapper" around the messaging; focus on the messaging itself instead.
Bestselling Author Boosts Income by Over $200,000 While Writing New Book
When Dorie Clark, business consultant and bestselling author, began writing her new book, a surprising thing happened. As she implemented the strategies in the book--before it was even published--her income grew. Not by a few thousands, but by over $200,000. The book is Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive and, to write it, Clark interviewed over 50 successful entrepreneurs about how they made money from their expertise.
You're Doing Networking All Wrong (This Works Better)
Networking is the best way to put yourself out there and meet potential customers and partners. It was my marketing tactic of choice when, a quarter of a million dollars in debt, I needed to get my consulting business off the ground. But I was in for a rude awakening. I learned that chatting up as many people as you can and handing out as many business cards as possible was the wrong way to go about it.
Want an Effective Brand Voice? Try Talking Less and Listening More
What do all great brands have, that every business wants to have, but almost nobody knows exactly how to get? A brand voice is the company's personality: Down-to-earth or sophisticated? Vintage or futuristic? Goofy or formal? One way to think of your own brand voice is to ask, "If my business were a person, what would he or she be like?" When some people hear "brand voice," they think of a company's logos and the tone of its communications. But a brand voice goes beyond all that.
How to Succeed in Business (Even in a Saturated Market)
Some people think it’s best to avoid a saturated market. They feel the market is too crowded with competitors and will be difficult, if not impossible, for them to penetrate. But I take the opposite view. Testing an unproven market can become expensive, time-consuming, and risky. On the other hand, in a saturated market, there are clear signals about where opportunities lie. However, most people don't read those signals properly.
How to Really Make Money as a Book Author (Even If You Don't Sell a Single Copy)
We imagine a successful author's life to be idyllic: write a book, or several, sell millions of copies, sit back and relax on a secluded island, living off of your book royalties. The reality couldn't be more different. A typical book author barely makes more than minimum wage. You receive an advance and 10% royalties on net profit from each book. If your book retails at $25 per copy, you would need to sell at least 4,000 copies to break even on a $5,000 advance.
Swamped with Work? Try the DDAD Formula to Get Things Done
If you constantly find yourself wrestling with a to-do list that's longer than the Pan-American Highway (and who doesn't), then this post is for you. Productivity experts give all sorts of tips, techniques, and hacks to get more stuff done, and most of them focus on doing things faster, so you can do more in less time. That's all well and good. Certainly, you shouldn't spend more time doing one thing than is necessary.
If You Really Want to Help, Stop Being Charitable
Occasionally, someone approaches me asking for complimentary access to one of my company's business training programs. When that happens, I stop and think hard. Not because I'm a Scrooge, but because I don't want to inadvertently harm the other person. Too many people default to a "yes" answer. After all, we all want to be charitable and help those who are in need. And certain catastrophic circumstances do warrant acts of charity in the short term.
Want to Sell More? It's Not Enough to Find Your Ideal Customer
A simple chain of consequence runs through every business: No customers > No revenue > No sustainability > No business Without customers (not just leads on a list or followers on social media, but actual customers who buy from you), you can't make your business sustainable enough to survive. And if you're serious about growing your business, figuring out how to get more customers--more sales--is your top priority. How do you get more people to buy from you?
Google Started this for Employees in 2007 and Now You Can, Too
In business, a small mistake or misjudgment can become a large (and expensive) problem. So wouldn't it be awesome if there were a simple way to improve your concentration, productivity, and decision-making? Well, there is. The solution already exists. It's called mindfulness and it's a simple, zero-cost way to improve your performance in business and in life. Sometimes we get caught up in what's going on around us.
Success Lessons From The World's Biggest Rejects: Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Meryl Streep and 10 More
The road to success can be long, winding, lonely, and difficult. But sometimes we forget. And when we run into obstacles, we think it's a sign that we're on the wrong path, that we should give up. But all great successes have struggled and had setbacks along the way. Winston Churchill's parents ignored him, he did poorly in school, he stuttered and spoke with a lisp.
Need Unprecedented Growth in Your Business? Focus on This Instead of Tools
Getting the "right tools" for your business is a LOT less important than you've been led to believe. Most people are very focused on tools, rather than skills. But even if you already have the right tools, and you know how to use them, being able to apply them effectively in a project is a whole different level of expertise. Knowing how to use a hammer--the handle goes in your hand, and then you hit things with the heavy end--doesn't make you capable of building a cabinet or a cartwheel.
How to Engage an Audience: Mirasee's CEO, Danny Iny, Reflects on Where Things Went Wrong
Sometimes the hardest things are surprisingly simple. We set goals, and we strive to achieve them. We work, we reach, and we stretch in the direction we’re trying to grow. Sometimes, we find greater success than we ever expected. Sometimes the goal posts move and, without realizing what happened, we just keep on chasing. And sometimes we find that, in pursuit of those goals, we’ve veered off-course, to a very different place from where we thought we’d be.
Our Most Successful Business Students Have This In Common
Of all the known elements of success, the most neglected one is support. And I'm not referring to having a team made up of A-players in your field--although that's essential, too. I mean getting support from people who are important to you: your partner or spouse, parents, siblings, children, and closest friends. The lack of support from them can set you back from success. Without this support, you feel isolated.
Want Happier Customers? Focus on Transformation, Not Transaction
We need a shift in the way many of us think about our roles as marketers and entrepreneurs. Customers means anyone who takes an action with you, whether it's paid or not. It's not wrong, but it's incomplete, on two dimensions. The first dimension is that the transaction is just the beginning; fulfillment is what grows customer lifetime value. The second dimension is that we live in an interrelated world, and one person's end of cycle dovetails with another person's beginning of cycle.
Want an Increase Your Money Mindset? Try These 2 Hacks
Your money mindset is a narrative you tell yourself about money, and it's based on your sense of worthiness. If you feel unworthy, you'll tell yourself a story filled with head trash about what you can't afford, what you'll never do, and how careful you have to be. On the other hand, if you feel worthy, you'll tell yourself a story about what you'll achieve with your investments, what good causes you'll enjoy spending money on, and how excited you are to get started.
Here's What Domino Math Can Teach You About Succeeding in Business
When we look at a situation, we don't just see what's there--we also see what's missing. We constantly fixate on that gap, what could be better, and what isn't yet done. Face it, we're downright negative thinkers. This is hard on us, because it means our work is never finished. Just when it looks like we're about to cross the finish line, it moves farther away. We never really arrive. In a survey of 242 entrepreneurs by Michael Freeman, MD, etal, 30% of respondents reported experiencing depression.
The 3 Zones of Productivity and Why They Matter to Your Success
Why is it that sometimes, even though you work yourself to the bone, you still feel like you're going nowhere in your business? That's because the value of your work to your business isn't always the same. It depends on which zone you're operating from: your Zone of Genius, Zone of Ability, or Zone of Waste. You can tell which zone you're in by looking at the value of what you produce. The Zone of Ability is where you produce value equivalent to where you are right now.
Woody Allen Said Show Up to Succeed. Is This What He Meant?
"80 percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen If so much of our success depends on simply showing up, then naturally, all of us would like to show up. But what does it mean to show up, exactly? Does mere physical presence alone constitute "showing up"? Is it enough to go through the motions? I like to think that business--if not all of life--is like being in university. You may attend all your classes, but you still have to do the work to succeed.
When Does It Make Sense to Take a Risk? Ask This 1 Simple Question
A few years ago, I began investing $500 a month in Bitcoin. Although its value was going up, I was still afraid of losing my investment. So, after a little more than I year, I sold my shares. I had put in $8K and got out about $14K, so it felt like a win. ...Until I checked the exchange recently. If I had left my investment in and not touched it, it would be worth $100K today. If I had continued putting in $500 every month, the value would have been close to $200K.
On Business and Responsibility
How you think about responsibility greatly affects how you run your business and how successful you'll be. But responsibility isn't a top-of-mind concern for most entrepreneurs. Instead, when people think of business, they think of "opportunity." The opportunity to make money. The opportunity to make a difference. The opportunity to create something great. The opportunity to leave a legacy. The opportunity to be time and location independent. And so on and so forth.
5 Elements of the Right "Context" for Business Success
People think you hire a great team after experiencing success, but they've got it backwards. Hiring great people is what gives you the ability to succeed quickly. That's why companies make it a priority to find the smartest people with the biggest hearts and bring them onto their team. It isn't just about implementing the growth roadmap of your business (though of course that's very important!)--it's about turning the flywheel of success to get to a sustainable and scalable income through impact.
You're Better Off Working at McDonald's Than Working in Your Business
Someone once asked me to recommend a free tool for creating landing pages. He explained that he had spent over 20 hours in the past week trying to set up a landing page using the free tool he had been experimenting with. When we spoke, he was beyond any reasonable point of frustration. So I asked him why he was looking for yet another free tool, when there are a number of great paid tools on the market. "I can't afford those tools," he replied. So I told him to go work at McDonald's.
5 Elements that Make People Desperate to Buy
What does it take to create an offer that's irresistible to customers? Manipulative psychological tactics, high-pressure tricks, and hard-sell maneuvers seem to work. But is there no other way? I believe there is. Unhappy with questionable conventional sales strategies, I've designed my own framework for crafting irresistible offers. It's one that involves attraction rather than mind-control, and guiding rather than coercing.
Tripwire Marketing Is All Wrong for Thought Leaders
Tripwire marketing is not the most profitable business model for some, especially if you're in the thought leader business. With tripwire marketing, you first turn people into leads by giving them a free offer. As soon as they sign up for your email list, you offer a low-value product (aka "the tripwire"). The idea is to turn them from a lead into a customer in a painless way. Painless for them, that is.
What It Really Means to Work Smart on Your Business
You have to work hard if you want to be successful. But succeeding isn't just about working hard. It is about working, that's for sure, but it's also about working smart. Because you can work very hard and still not execute effectively on anything.
How to Get Your First 50 Customers (Without Paid Advertising)
Nothing is more exhilarating than getting your first customers. And in your haste to sell, you may think that buying ads is the best way to make your first sales. That may certainly be the fastest way, but sometimes, slow is better. When you launch a new product, you're still testing the market, and the indicator you're measuring is actual sales. I recommend a slower but more insightful way of getting your first customers: getting into conversations with your prospects.
3 Resources You Can (And Should) Leverage Even When You're Dead Broke
When you're bootstrapping, it's' hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's hard to remember that many of today's largest corporations--Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Disney, and many others--were bootstrapped at first. The key to graduating from the bootstrapping stage is to use your existing resources to take the step that will expand your pool of resources. That's how a business grows, whether it's birthed in a garage or Silicon Valley. "Existing resources" doesn't only mean money.
The #1 Overlooked Strategy for Business Growth
Many people ask me how to get better at marketing. They're usually entrepreneurs who are trying to get results from strategies that aren't appropriate for their business' stage of growth. Executing any strategy has a lot of nuances and, for most new businesses, many strategies that can be powerful later on will have a surprisingly low impact. Until then, these strategies are distractions.
3 Key Elements to Grow Your Business Further and Faster - And Have More Fun Doing It
To grow your business further and faster, you need to grow as a person and as an entrepreneur in three areas: strategy, execution, and mindset. These form what I call the Success Triangle. Each element is important. The absence of one means you'll struggle harder and longer and have limited results. Success lies at the intersection of these three. Let's talk about each one. Strategy You need to learn, understand, and internalize the correct strategies that will create success.
How to Go Viral: 3 Elements of Content That Resonates
In today's attention economy, one of the biggest questions in every marketer's mind is, "How can we create content that will go viral?" You can't create viral content, in the sense that you ultimately don't have control over what goes viral and what doesn't. But you can increase the potential of your content to resonate with your audience and earn their attention. It boils down to 3 things: 1. Speak to needs people strongly feel.
The Problem with Creating a Business Around Your Passion
There's a lot of narrative in our world right now about following your passion. We're no longer satisfied to spend our days slogging away at a job, relegating our passions to the weekends or postponing them until retirement. Why wait when you can do what you love and earn an income right now?
4 Steps to Build a Product that Sells
They either create the product first and then find a market for it later, or they spend months, even years, perfecting the product before selling it. The problem with the former is that, often, our assumptions about what people will buy are wrong. They may want something badly enough, but be unwilling to pay for it. That's not a good foundation for a sustainable business. I made this mistake myself.
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