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Business

The Importance of Brand Vigilance

by Daria Steigman on March 25, 2013

Storm Trooper Standing GuardActor Bill Cosby sent a “cease and desist” letter to a businessman who had an online company called Cosby Sweaters. (The company name has since been changed.) The owner reportedly tweeted that he couldn’t believe his childhood hero was suing him. I can.

Obviously Cosby cannot claim ownership of every crazy patterned sweater into perpetuity, but he certainly has a right to protect how his name is used.

Brand vigilance is critical.

I was advising a very new business owner the other day about making sure that she puts the right framework in place to protect her intellectual property. While I was talking about legal frameworks, she kept talking about how she has a solid brand. By which she was really referring to the fact that she had trademarked her brand name and held a copyright on her core materials. All of which, by the way, is good–but not good enough.

There’s a difference between having a strong brand and protecting your business. Just ask Microsoft about fake software. Or kate spade about knockoff handbags.

What do you do to protect your brand?

Photo by pasukaru76 (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Why Bad Leaders Are Scarier than the Zombie Apocalypse

by Daria Steigman on March 15, 2013

ZombieI thought they were just stupid, but it turns out the bigger problem is a failure to lead.

Six weeks ago I wrote to my condo board requesting:

“an update on efforts to address the intermittent lack of hot water. As ‘condo zero’—the first place that this problem shows up—I would like to know what the Board is doing to address this problem and what the solution is.”

They don’t have one. So they’ve decided people’s faucets are to blame (yes, the same faucets I’ve had in my condo for years). Actually, the problem started after the solar panels went up. But since they can’t pinpoint the problem, they can’t accept a possible cause and effect.

That’s the stupid part. But here’s the leadership flaw: Cowardice.

You can’t be a leader if you don’t listen.

Here’s how this board is deliberately isolating itself:

  • Not providing their phone numbers or email addresses.
  • Providing only a generic “info@” email address for all correspondence with the board.
  • Cancelling monthly pre-board open meetings with co-owners.
  • Offering people the “opportunity” to meet privately with the board (i.e., we don’t want you to share your concerns with anyone else).
  • Designating only 2 of the 5 board members to meet with co-owners at all (i.e., 3 of the 5 never want to hear from co-owners).

You get the pattern, right?

You can’t make informed decisions if you’re not informed.

I still haven’t received a response from the board; But I finally got someone’s attention when I posted an open letter on the building’s bulletin board that starts:

“Concerned About Plummeting Property Values at 4600 CONN. AVE. CONDO? So am I.”

It took them over 24 hours before anyone saw it. (Then they took it down.) I got this response from the building’s part-time manager:

“The bulletin boards are not the place to post complaints. Items there can be read by prospective buyers, and could seriously impair an owner’s chances of selling.”

Actually, no. Being lucky if you get hot water will seriously impair an owner’s chances of selling.

I want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

This is about business. In this example, the focus is property values, community, and quality of life. But maybe in your company the focus is supply chain management, employee retention, or product innovation.

This board appears only to be concerned about people finding out about problems. Real leaders are interested in solutions. When the zombie apocalypse comes, what kind of leader do you want to see?

Photo by Randy Salgado (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Are Women Risk Averse?

by Daria Steigman on March 11, 2013

Standing at the Cliff's EdgeDoug Sundheim has written a business book about  risk. The book (which I have not read) has a number of stories–but only 18 percent feature women.

To his credit, Sundheim was a little appalled when he realized this. More important, he was curious as to what happened.

Are women risk averse?

In a thought-provoking post, Sundheim writes:

“Historically, risk-taking has been framed so narrowly that it skews our perceptions. For example, the majority of studies that point to men having a greater inclination for risk-taking define risk in physical and financial terms. They don’t point to risks like standing up for what’s right in the face of opposition, or taking the ethical path when there’s pressure to stray—important risks that I’ve found women are particularly strong at taking. If these sorts of risks were fully accounted for in our business culture, would it balance the gender perception? I think it would.”

Wow. I think Sundheim is on to something.

Obviously I don’t believe women are more risk averse either. But I also think that our brains (by nature or by nurture) are more wired than men’s to seek collaboration and consensus. This leads to perceptions about risk and ruthlessness that don’t always serve women well in the business world.

One example: women often tout team accomplishments more than their own. While men are taking credit, women are sharing it. So when it comes time to associate an accomplishment with a person, who do you think gets the brass ring?

What do you think?

Photo by Jo Munday (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Threading the Branding Needle

by Daria Steigman on February 26, 2013

Spool of White Thread with NeedleAh … the personal brand.

Throw out a question on personal branding and you’re guaranteed to get a heated discussion between proponents and opponents. Which never makes sense to me, because we all have a personal brand. It’s called reputation.

From a business perspective, the challenge is how to make sure your brand is working for you rather than limiting opportunities for your company to grow.

There was an interesting conversation at the Solo PR Summit last week about how to navigate between being a business owner and owning a business. It’s a challenge for a lot of solo-owned companies to figure out when to say “I” and when to be a “we.”

Greg Brooks made a great point:

“It’s about threading the needle between the personal brand and scalability.”

Bingo. Warren Buffett isn’t Berkshire Hathaway. Richard Branson isn’t Virgin Group. You can have your brand and scale (your business) too–you just can’t scale you.

Photo by lukar14 (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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Specialist or Generalist?

by Daria Steigman on February 18, 2013

horizontal slats in a vertical spaceAre you a specialist or a generalist?

My friend Kellye Crane asked me to lead a discussion on this topic at the Solo PR Summit later this week. She’s an advocate for vertical integration–picking your industry or sector and drilling down (for clients) from there.

I have a different perspective. I started out in public affairs, where I gained a working knowledge of several different sectors (agriculture, energy, international trade and development) despite walking into my business with a graduate degree in a completely different field. My take is that, as a communications pro, you can learn the “content”; it’s your skill set, not your industry know-how, that is your key selling point.

This is about your business model.

What I love about good topics is how they can evolve in directions you don’t expect. While Crane and I were thinking about the industry question, several colleagues took the “specialist vs. generalist” discussion to be about how broadly or narrowly they should be positioning their core business offerings.

There aren’t any right answers or wrong answers. It’s really about what is the best model for your business.

We’ll have a lot to talk about. And if you’re not going to the Solo PR Summit, please add your two cents here.

Photo by Darwin Bell (Flickr).

Have you grabbed a free copy of Your Social Media Checklist? Download it today to get 9 tips for being findable and attracting the right customers for your business.

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