My New Business Venture

Issue No. 5

October 2007

Dear Colleagues:

For years I've been thinking about using my marketing and training skills to help people who are changing jobs or starting a business. After all, a resume is just a marketing tool, effective networking requires strong key messages, job interviews are similar to media interviews, and sales pitches are a form of presentation.

I've done all these things for big companies; now I'm helping entrepreneurs and executives take the next step in their careers. Today is the official launch of my new business - Blue Feet. The name was inspired by my visit to the Galapagos Islands last year, and the article I wrote in a previous newsletter: Show Off Your Blue Feet.

Blue Feet provides a branding and marketing foundation for entrepreneurs and executive career changers to help them stand out from the crowd. Visit Blue Feet to find out more, or read the press release distributed today.

For now, I'm keeping Cloud Communications for my corporate training and strategic consulting services. In the future, I'll pull it all together under the Blue Feet brand.

It Takes a Village

In my writing workshops I always tell clients: never write alone. A colleague or collaborator will spot things you'll never see and offer an always-needed outside perspective.

So despite my 20 years in communications, when it was time to launch my new venture I gathered my village. I started by brainstorming the idea with my target audience. I discussed the business model with several colleagues. Numerous people reviewed my Web site and a couple even edited the initial press release.

To choose a name, I turned to the smart, strategic design gurus at Double Vision. I had several ordinary ideas, and one that felt a bit out there, but that I loved. They encouraged me to go with Blue Feet, and then designed this wonderful logo that embodies the concept of differentiation.

For once, the cobbler's children have shoes. I took my own advice: don't work alone. By engaging these outside consultants I got a lot of support - something everyone in transition needs, but I also got a much better product than I could ever have created on my own.

True Value

The goal of Blue Feet is to satisfy my life-long love of writing resumes. I did my first resume re-write shortly after finishing journalism school. I couldn't resist. What I saw on the page did not match what I knew of that person.

Despite all the stories of inflated resumes and over-hyped promotional materials, I find that most people undervalue themselves, and few know how to put things into words. Thus we have an excess of dull resumes and non-descriptive, small-business Web sites.

Through Blue Feet, I get the thrill of helping people take a big step in their lives - either by changing jobs or launching a business. I help people understand that what they do matters deeply, not only to themselves, but to their target audience. Then I put this into words and train them how to use these words in writing, networking, interviewing or presentations.

Once people have a way to truly express what they're offering, they feel incredibly empowered and confident. If you know someone who would benefit from having the words to articulate their differentiators, please send them my way. I'd love to help out.

Go For the Bull's-Eye

I never cease to be amazed how even among marketing professionals the target audience goes flying out the window when it's time to communicate. Most people say or write stuff they think, rather than sharing persuasive information that is meaningful to their audience.

And what is meaningful is success. Whether you're pitching new business, striving for a promotion or seeking a new job, you need to demonstrate to your target audience that you can make them successful.

On a resume:
About Me - Objective (what I want)
About Them - Profile (what I can do for you)
About Me - Skills (which they already know)
About Them - Achievements (proof of success)

In networking:
About Me - Talking on and on about yourself
About Them - Ask questions and connect with their interests

In business development:
About Me - Capabilities
About Them - Well-told stories of success

It's Delicious

I'm in love with del.icio.us. I used to collect interesting or helpful Web sites by pasting them into a word document named something that was supposed to be memorable. Before that I used to bookmark in my browser, but then I could never find what I was looking for, or I'd forget that I'd saved it.

Now, I just go to my del.icio.us page and it's all there, reasonably organized by categories called tags. It's such a good resource I've decided it would be good for clients too, so I'm making my page public.

Looking for a six-figure job? There are links to executive job search sites on my del.icio.us page.

Want to know what's happening in the PR world? There's a list for that too.

Trying to find a vendor to help with your search engine optimization? Click the SEO tag on my page.

Check out my del.icio.us page today, and a month from now. Because I'll be adding to it as I find interesting and helpful sites. If nothing else, it makes me feel organized, and that is a wonderful thing.

Learn More

If you know an executive or entrepreneur in transition, please send them to Blue Feet.

If you'd like to book a writing, proofreading or other communications workshop, check out the corporate offerings at Cloud Communications.

Thanks for reading my newsletter. As I say at the end of my workshops: go forth and communicate more effectively.