Thank you to all of my readers (and podcast listeners) who have followed us here since 2007! I love bringing you tips, tricks, and great links to help further your business. In the interest of consolidating all of the business blogs I write, I'm now moving my voice over specific writing to my main website. Please update your feeds, links, and bookmarks to reflect it so you don't miss out!

Gab for Gaming? What AREN'T you considering?

I've composed and produced video game scores in the past, as well provided some voicing for characters here and there for apps and indie games. It's one of the more fun kind of projects I work on, but I haven't been anything close to a 'gamer' since Nintendo was "super" and character renderings were two-dimensional, so my interpretations of what's needed are sometimes, just that: interpretations.

But nothing beats speaking to a gamer to realize the real necessities of the craft. Even the game developer can have a limited amount of real input, because even though most of them are gamers themselves, this is their "baby". They're very close to the characters and vision they have in their head, so sometimes, like all of us who create things for a livelihood, they get a little stuck on that vision and don't hear the awesome things you might be able to bring to it that they haven't thought of.

I was lucky enough recently to get some really nitty-gritty input from a gamer that helped not only me, but maybe you! Here's some highlights for voicing video game characters with the player in mind:

1. Make the 'gift of gab' tolerable! Unlike audiences for other kinds of voice acting, most gamers spend long spans playing at a time, so make sure your voicing won't be grating if listened to for hours! If it actually makes a player take breaks just to get away from your voice...you're doing it wrong.

2. Don't Overdo it! A lot of us may feel the 'over the top' characters in video games need 'over the top' voicing to match. You may be playing a super-being, but you don't necessarily have to voice them that way. One of the benefits of having a player listen to you for hours on end is that they really get a 'feel' for the character in a way other mediums don't allow for, so relax a little. This isn't a 30-second spot for "Super Tax-Man"! A lot can be conveyed in subtlety, and the player will appreciate that!

3. Stop, look, and listen! If you're going into game voicing blind, there's no better time to study. Talking to gamers is a step in the right direction, as is watching them play, seeing how they respond to other games with voicing already on the market. Watch anime, and see how the dialogue plays. Research the actors at the top of the field in both gaming and anime, and see what their techniques are. It won't be hard to find them - just ask a gamer! The biggest names get fans of their own, and have online accounts they're promoting on.

If you're afraid you're going to have to become a gamer to voice games well, though it would help, it's not necessary. There are resources all around you, from online forums for gaming, to YouTube, to your friends and family members who love the games. Put them to use, and get to work!

VoiceOver Hints for YouTube update - it works!

If you caught my last post about the issues I was having with YouTube degrading my voiceover sound quality to an unacceptable low, you'll know I was breathing a sigh of relief when I found the very, very simple fix!

It truly was just as bring the voice over down in the mix. You might say, "Dana, why didn't you try this before now?", and I will tell you, I did! But it wasn't enough. I brought it down quite a bit more, and even though it didn't seem to make that big of a difference in volume (clearly, the voiceover is still perfectly audible), it was enough to let the dynamic range of the music shine more than the limited range of the voice. I guess that's the trick! It's working today, anyway. See for yourself:

VoiceOver hints for YouTube!

I have YouTube channels for both my studio and my record label, but this past week I encountered a voiceover-related challenge that I hadn't experienced with either before. Searching for answers didn't turn up much for me, so I thought I'd share what happened here, in hopes the next Googler will have better luck than I did!

I had created a promo for my Etsy shop, with still images, voiceover, and a music bed. This is no different than other projects I've created, and in fact, we'd just uploaded our new site intro video not long before this!

BUT, the problem I was having with this new one was a really noticeable drop in sound quality. Now, I'm aware that at the basic setting (not the HQ), the audio on YouTube videos is only 96K. So definitely, there's going to be some loss no matter what. But this video sounded a lot different than our other videos at the same encoding. And, when I played it in the higher quality setting, it sounded just like I expected it to! So it really seemed there had to be some tweak I could make or a workaround that would solve my 'technical' problem.

Here's the video:



I spent the better part of this week uploading, re-uploading, re-encoding. Working with .wavs, working with .mp3s, trying everything to change it. I found some links via Google that said other people were experiencing similar problems, and that it had to do with YouTube's servers, or new ways of encoding, or compression in general. Some people were giving advice to remix the audio. I really didn't feel this applied to me. After all, I have lots of other successful videos that don't have this problem, so the issue couldn't possibly be on my end, right?

I finally got wise and decided to go ahead and compress the audio down to 96K on my end, to see what the difference was. Lo and behold, it sounded just like it did on YouTube! So, the problem definitely wasn't them. But I noticed without the voiceover, my sound bed wasn't having the same problems with losing dynamic quality.

Here's the proof:



So it was really frustrating, and still seemed like there should be some sort of tweak or workaround that I could use to fix it!

This is where my most valuable tools came into play: my ears. I wasn't listening critically enough to my other recordings. Sure, my website intro video seemed like it wasn't experiencing the same level of loss, but was it?

I encoded the audio for it down to 96K, and it sounded ok. After removing the big guitar sound bed, you guessed it: the voiceover for this video was experiencing the same loss at 96K as the other voiceover! The sound bed was merely masking the artifacts because it had a much bigger dynamic range.

So, my challenge now is to work within the confines of Youtube for what I post there (and I still think it's great, even at low quality), while coming up with higher quality options (Wimpy is one) for use on my site. The benefit of the social media sites is give-and-take with the quality. With higher quality on my site, I have to store the media myself, and don't get the viral benefits. So it's a trade off, but luckily one that doesn't make me pick just one option.

So, I'll be posting a new video soon (I'm trying to balance bringing the bed and dynamics up without overpowering my voiceover), and continuing on my Youtube studies to find avenues to the best quality, most effective videos. Stay tuned!

Ready to go back to school? Here's 85 *free* options!

Came across this thanks to Dave Saunders from Your Social Brand. Small Biz Bee has 85 Absolutely Free Online Business Classes all nicely laid out for you. Enjoy!

Does your business need a helping hand from a cool chick?

As you all know, from time to time I come across a vendor or resource that I think is the bee's knees. I've seen a *lot* of marketers promise to help businesses get more attention and get more done, but I doubt few can deliver as much as Indie Biz Chicks does! From blogs and newsletters, to coaching, to informative resources like podcasts and articles, it's one of the coolest one-stop shops I've seen. Plus it's not a budget breaker!

I found the site through one of my favorite magazines, Venus Zine, which is also a great resource for us "crafty professionals". Check 'em both out!

And just so the fellas don't feel left out, here's something Just for Men.

A little post about YOU.

Ok, so it starts out about us, but you'll see--it IS all about You. As we celebrate our 13th birthday here at Serious Vanity Music, reflect with us over where we started and how far we've come (thanks to you).

Voice Over and Studio Life: Is it a Hobby or a Business?

My partner in all things Paul Clark made a great post yesterday at his music blog about treating your music career like what it is--a business.

But I think it's worth repeating in the voice over and production studio realm, too. I think it's easy for careers like ours, where we have so much fun and get to do such creative projects, to start getting a little too lax in how we treat our time and our mindset.

I think too that the bulk of voice over artists and studio owners have left a 'first career' in a less creative industry or a string of unsatisfying day jobs for the freedom of studio life, which makes it seem like a vacation. (In our case, Paul did that very thing. He was in the transportation industry for 18 years. For me, this is it!).

But, ultimately, as Paul quoted John Assaraf saying in the post linked above, "If you treat it like a hobby, it will cost you like a hobby. If you treat it like a business, it will pay you like a business."

I've found this to be true, on both sides of the coin, and I've made a few changes in my routine in order to facilitate my "business", that you may want to adapt to your life, too:

#1: My workday has set hours. Your clients do. And everyone in your life will thank you for this (including yourself, once you see how much more you can work in!

This was actually the hardest one for me, because I hate to say no to my clients. I want to be available on the weekends or holidays, or 2am if I happen to catch an email. But my life suffers, my work suffers (always remember that--especially with voicing, if you're not in peak shape, it will show up in your recordings), my health suffers (especially the ears).

#2: My workday hours are organized and scheduled. This is amazingly effective. I spend half of my workday on office time (paperwork, filling orders, talking to clients and prospects, email, blogs, updating the website...all the good stuff), break for lunch, the spend the last half on studio time. You find that when you limit the time you're working, you only perform your highest income and highest impact generating tasks. If you're loosey-goosey about your schedule all day and float in and out of work and play modes, you'll find yourself blurring the lines. Too much time on Facebook. Too much time cleaning out your inbox. Before you know it, nothing has really been accomplished, but you've not noticed because you stayed "busy".

#3: I say "No thank you". Remember those "highest income/impact" activities I mentioned above? Guess what? That's all you need to do. To the rest, say "No thank you," like the polite but stern owner of your own destiny.

I know, I know, they HAVE to get done too, right? I mean, your desk HAS to be clear, your inbox HAS to be sorted, your magazine racks HAS to be organized by year/month/and paper type.

Does it? I mean, does it really matter if you have too many emails (here's a quick hint: If you haven't read it yet, you don't need it. "Delete" is your friend.)? Will the world end or your business fall apart if you don't have every file folder labeled in the same font?

I'm not saying being a perfectionist is bad (though I DID get interviewed about that in Oprah magazine, believe it or not!). Just be choosy about what you're a perfectionist about. Want to have a perfect office? You'll be a great decorator (unless you're actually trying to be a voice over artist or producer). But want to have a perfect business? Be perfect with your time. Practice perfectly. Hold yourself to the perfect standards of focusing in on the critical things that will make the difference, instead of the time sucking details that will rob you of your dreams like a thief in the night.

Hitting the halfway mark: how're you doing?

Welcome to July, which may start your fiscal year...or it might mark the halfway point. Let's go back to those New Year's goals: doing as well as you'd planned? Exceeding your goals? Still feeling the fallout of the economic woes of your clients?

Halfway is a good point to really measure how you're doing. If you're a procrastinator, halfway is when you start to pick up the pace to catch up. If you're an overachiever, halfway is where you take a breath. And if you're a well-organized planner, halfway should be where you pat yourself on the back for being right on target.

I've always hated running. In junior high, we had to run a mile or two for gym class one day, and as usual, there I was in the bottom three finishers. I always felt like such a loser, but I just didn't feel like I had the strength to keep up with everyone else. I didn't let myself walk the whole thing (I wasn't going to be last, mind you), I just kept up my baby-step pace in my lane, kept my face down so I didn't see just how far behind I was, and kept going.

My teacher pulled me aside (it wasn't hard, everyone else was already in the showers), and encouraged me to go out for the Cross Country team. Was she nuts?!? Did she not just see me fail the exercise? I looked at her like she had three heads.

She laughed at my reaction. "You're a distance runner," she said, "You stayed steady the whole time, and finished solid."

It took me a long time to realize how important what she said to me was. Unfortunately, I didn't get it before I got out of junior high (therefore, never proved my worth on the Cross Country team).

You see, I was a classic overachiever. "Book learning", as we call it in the country, came very easy to me. (As an aside, I'll be exploring the "why" behind this in a later post when I do a little review of the book "Outliers") So easy, in fact, that anything that wasn't as easy, I disregarded.

I was a mental "sprinter". I wanted to get there, and get there fast. Win and be done. The hare, taking a nap on the side of the trail, while the tortoise soldiered on.

In my business life, I expected to continue being the sprinter. I did have some quick successes, but ultimately, I had to learn (at times, the hard way), that it's all about being the distance runner. Stay steady, know where your competition is in their lane, but ultimately, keep your nose down and just move forward. If you stop, you're out. If you waste all of your energy up front...you still have the same distance to go, and you're going to be beat when you get there.

(And for the record, I LOVE running now.)

So I'm halfway through 2009, and I'm not winded yet. How're you doing?

The Bleeding Edge vs. Your Comfort Zone

In building our new site, I've had the opportunity to revisit a lot of old audio projects and samples we've done over the years. I remember taking that leap into professional voice work around 2003, and how capable I really felt when I landed that first voice client.

Soon after I ended up moving my studio to a much different, bigger location, and I felt like the new environment I created improved the overall quality of what I was producing. At the same time, it was obvious that my performance ability was also growing due to all of the experience I was picking up along the way.

Then I felt like I really hit my sweet spot a few years back. My environment, my production level, and my performance level, were all consistent, and my client base was largely a solid group of return clients that I knew how to please.

But, there is a danger in this kind of thinking. It lies in getting too "comfortable". I can hear it now when I listen to those audios I created at that time. The same performances aren't fresh or relevant now. My experience has lead me to be better now, but what else can I do to make sure I don't turn myself into an audio dinosaur before my time?

Step One: Acceptance. Change is happening all around us, all of the time. As industries grow into different markets and technologies are innovated, we have to keep up as professionals. If we stop learning, we stop growing, which makes us stop being useful to our clients. They will not run the same campaigns, create the same kinds of projects, or have the same audiences forever.

Step Two: Research. Are you keeping up with your clients' industries? Following what ad agencies, publishing companies, or the other creative companies who hire you are following, so you can stay on the cusp of their innovations? It's not just about what they're doing today, though it's great if you're an audiobook artist to be listening to current audiobook productions, or if you're an e-Learning specialist to be keeping up with those current releases. But with an eye to the future, you can help your client develop the kinds of audios that can put them--and you--on the map. It's not just about the voiceover or studio industries when we're working for someone else.

Step Three: Practice. Being a performer or producer of any sort means keeping your chops in top form. If you're waiting until you're in the booth or behind the desk to practice your art, you're relying on conscious competence. This is when you're spending too much 'brain time' coming up with solutions or approaches. What you want to aim for is unconscious competence, which is that gut knowing how something should be done. This comes from keeping your skills sharpened with constant reading, recording, reciting...all of the things you love anyway.

If you don't have a client, give yourself an assignment. And see it through. It doesn't matter if it's getting through a tutorial on a new piece of software you want to learn, going to a seminar, finding a voice coach and keeping up with your exercises, studying how others in your field are creating, or just recording for recording's sake.

Volunteer to read to school children to practice character voicing and narration. Help a neighborhood teenager produce their first demo. Just do something to challenge yourself to not stay in that comfort zone.

So now, I'm working on some new samples and projects that reflect my new skills. I still have most of those clients from a few years ago, and guess what? I can still provide what they need--faster, and better--because I chose to stay on the bleeding edge of my craft. Sometimes it's not cozy, but it's always necessary.

Speed vs. Quality: Which Sets YOU Apart?

Here at Serious Vanity Music, we're blessed to work with a lot of great personal development and business growth experts who are making the world a better place. In their industries, like in most, there seems to be a trend when it comes to audio for one of two things: speed or quality.

In the speed category, they're working to keep up with the fast pace of the industry by getting their information developed and released as quickly as possible. This sometimes means getting teleconferences online immediately after they take place, or recording their own web audios or podcasts via a cheap dynamic microphone plugged into the input jack on their laptop.

This does get the job done...in a sense. You have to remember, as a business person, you're ALWAYS branding. Would you give someone a business card you just scribbled out, without even proofreading for spelling errors? This is essentially what you're doing if speed is your main objective.

Another shortcoming of differentiating yourself by speed is that you're shortchanging yourself down the road. You may end up with more audios available in bulk, but what will you be able to do with them tomorrow? Absolutely nothing.

Let's look at quality. With high-quality, top-notch audio, you look good, plain and simple. Proper branding is a no-brainer! And whether your audience is listening as soon as your podcast is available, or a month later, you still look good.

On down the road, if you want to create information products on CD or in downloadable form, you're already ready to go, without having to go into a studio to develop new audios, hire voice talent, or create scripts. You've done the heavy lifting up front!

You may not have as many audios with quality as your goal (though, with a studio like ours that has a quick turnaround, you've got a pretty good chance of coming close). But you'll have more impact, which will in turn, get you and your audience better results.

Which are you focusing on?

The Voice Over Industry puts the "BOOM!" in "boom mic" this year!

David Ciccarelli posted the Report on the Voice Over Industry: 2009 at Voices.com. Interesting data, that I know for certain my fellow audio workers will be pleased to see.

Of course, I'm sure many of us had a hunch that while other industries have been struggling to keep up with the fluctuating markets and ever-changing business landscape, we've been growing strong. Thanks to the popularity of Web 2.0, gaming, and mobile audio devices, it's become our time to shine...and prosper!

How do you make the most of this boom?

1. Take advantage of close-out prices and liquidation by software and recording equipment dealers and upgrade your studio! I've never met a studio owner who hated buying gear, and by having the latest technology to offer, you're that much more appealing to clients.

2. Build long-term relationships. Odds are, you're going to get a lot of clients in the near future who are going to be watching their budgets, and hiring you for a little here, a little there. Developing "bulk rates" or being a go-to in these tough times will be something they won't forget when the going gets better, thus cutting down on the amount of lead generation work you'll have to put in tomorrow.

3. Go where the business is now. Odds of doing a major car ad right now? Probably pretty slim. Voicing debt consolidation ads? Better.

4. Use any down-time between jobs to better your skills. Take a voice course, do work outside of your comfort zone, or network with other talent and trade tips.

5. Be the best you can be, in performance, delivery, communication, value, and all-around experience. This is ALWAYS the way to go.

It's our year. Let's jump beyond the projections and make this industry the best it can be!

How to Succeed in 2009 - more on the Power of the Plan!

Janet Attard has a great article on how to succeed in 2009 up at Business Know-How, which I think works in perfect sync with my post here the other day on the Power of the Plan: 2009. Keeping "the end in mind" (as my coach likes to say) is a fantastic way to really get goals (and dreams!) accomplished.

As I've said before, I'm a very "visual" worker, and I've got to get all of my senses in alignment or I start to get confused. On my vision board, I actually stuck a little drawing with my overall "end goal" at the top, with the depiction of a road leading from it. Along the road, I've got all of the things sketched that I need to do, or that are aspects of my life that I'm doing now that already lead to the road, to keep me on track. Other things, which I may also be doing (or have done in the past), that lead away from the road, have arrows pointing away, reminding me that they're not good choices if I want to get where I want to be.

The lesson is, you need tools! No good craftsman, either in business, in art, or in life, operates without them. Don't shy away from using as many as you can.

The Power of the Plan: 2009!

Happy New Year! Another one is behind us, bringing with it financial ups and downs, political changes, and beautiful opportunities to shine and grow. I have two freebies for you today, to help get your new year started off right:

1. The Power of the Plan!

A few years back (2000-2003, to be exact!), when I was a writer for the now defunct Women of Mp3.com, my first article each year was my very own personal and business planning outline. I have always believed strongly in putting dreams, goals, and visions down in physical form, as a means to not only get clearer on the steps I need to be taking, but also as a message to the powers that be that "this is what you need to aid with!". It was not a big shocker to me, as I moved deeper into studying personal and business development that many great minds also used this method to move closer towards their goals. It's a very important part of the business growth network I belong to today, and the foundation on which I've built my tiny empire.

2. Some "Soulstice"!

Download the free mp3 above to groove your way into the new year while you read the article below! Brought to you by our very own Serious Vanity Records and performed by Gentlemen Prefer Bombs! You can enjoy it and the other 11 tunes from the "wintery mix" Too Cool for the Yule at the CD's official page, for free, for a limited time.

And now...on with the plan!

Whether you're a full-time pro in your industry, a part-time enthusiast, or a hobbyist just looking for a little more direction, this will be a helpful activity to get your head in the right place.

Get yourself a pen, lots of paper, and a big glass of leftover egg nog, and let's get to work!

Page 1: title this one "MY DREAMS FOR 2009".

I like doing this page best. Let your imagination run away with you as you list all of the amazing shows you'd like to play, ads you'd like to produce, albums you want to record. It's important that you don't concern yourself with budget on this one. It's purely creative visualization material. Just let your heart play dress up with it, and list anything and everything that would be your "dream gig".

Page 2: title this one "MY GOALS FOR 2009".

Here's where we get a little more precise and budget-minded. If you think it's realistic that you could put out a CD in 2009, add this to the list. If you'd like to play certain clubs or go on a regional tour in the summer, add this to the list. If you've got a prospect that's looking pretty close to getting on your schedule, add this to the list. If you've been meaning to do more web promo, social networking, blogging, or physical marketing, add this to the list. You get the picture.

Page 3: title this one "DEFINITES for 2009".

Name says it all! If you know the CD you've got at the plant will be back next month, or your iTunes songs you submitted last week will be live soon, add this. If you've already got shows lined up, add this. If your networking, online and off, is in action, and you know it will continue, add this. It's very positive after seeing everything you want to see a list of everything you're already accomplishing.

Page 4: title this one "TIMELINE".

This is where pages 2 and 3 start to come together. Page 1 will work itself in through the year, as you accomplish these other goals and definites.

Make a calendar (this can actually replace Page 4), January through December 2009. Be precise in lining out the shows you already have, the release dates that are coming up, and (the organized Virgo AND synesthete in me suggest using a different colored pen here!) the release and launch dates you have on your goals (Page 2) page.

Put as much info as you can on your calendar. Seeing the way your business and creative endeavors will potentially fill up your year will help you to meet your goals!

Page 5: title this one "BUDGET".

Ah, the least fun page (if you're not Bill Gates).

This is called a revenue plan in other spheres, and should really be far more detailed. But I believe that you've got to start somewhere, and especially for us right-brained musician types, a big picture is very necessary before we can even begin to deal with fine tuning the details.

List your resources. What's your band's monthly income? How much credit do you have available for CD pressing or merchandising? What's your average weekly/monthly biz spending? It might be something you're not used to rigidly keeping track of. But once you start, you'll see that you are better managing the money you have left over after web fees, guitar strings, promo items, or new microphones (my favorite vice).

Break it down as much as possible. Yearly incoming/outgoing doesn't give you enough of an idea of what you have to work with. Monthly and weekly budgets are a lot easier to manage. Truth be told, I've now broken mine down into a daily picture, with my various bids and scheduled jobs worked in well in advance, so by mid-week, I know whether or not I'm hitting the targets I need to.

Hold on to your budget and your timeline, and be prepared to amend them as you go. Tuck everything else away until mid-year. When you have some down time in June, whip those puppies out and see how many of your definites are done; how many of your goals; and most surprisingly of all, how many of your dreams.

Believe in the Power of the Plan, and it will work for you!


Dana Detrick-Clark is an entrepreneur, musician, composer, producer, award nominated voice artist, writer, and all around rockin' Zen gal. What kind of world do you want to create today? Dana's mission is to help. Learn more and get more F*R*E*E information on her site. http://www.seriousvanity.com

NOTE: You are free to share this article with friends and/or publish it in your magazine, trade journal, newspaper, business journal, website, blog, newsletter, and/or e-zine, provided you keep it in its original form and include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated, but it is not required.

Attitude O' Gratitude!

Thank you to all of my dear readers who have not flittered away during my absence. We've been producing our holiday CD over the past several months, and I've neglected the blog and the podcast a bit!

Not to leave my studio clients in the cold, we've got some great deals going for both :30 radio/web ads AND last-minute holiday music licensing. More info on the latter in the next few days, but believe me, now's the BEST time to take advantage of our full production ads (I can't even mention the price here, it's so ridiculously low). Treat yourself to some exposure this season, you deserve it! Drop me an email for more info!

How Color Can Effect Your Mood...and Your Business!

I just read a great article on the use of color (in life and in business) and what impact it has on our decisions and moods. I've posted about this before, and this article is definitely another to be added to the archives!

As someone with synesthesia (I talk more about it here), color plays a huge role in how I associate many things. It's a big inspiration, as well as a guide for me. Probably a little weird, but fun!

Enjoy the article!

A Trip to the Organic Market.

It seems like every couple of months I have to take at least a few hours out of my week to sort through the various newsletters and email lists I've acquired, unsubscribe from what I'm obviously not reading, and finally get my life back from the marketing clutter that's filling my inbox (and keeping me from what I really need to be reading).

Inevitably, I gradually sub to more lists ("sign up for a free video" or "get daily motivation" usually draws me in), and the cycle continues.

Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat. The Marketing Wheel keeps turning.

Truthfully, though most of these people are really successful marketers, no doubt hitting that critical percentage that makes up their lifetime customers and guarantees them residual monthly income, it all looks alike to me.

When the Marketing Wheel spins in this hypnotic "Marketing Kaleidoscope" fashion, I become blind to anything that makes any of them different from the last one.

In fact, I cringe a little each time I realize I've fallen for another one, gotten sucked onto a list that will cost me precious seconds at least once a day (and they almost seem to be getting more frequent), and have to now deal with sorting through them all once again!

My biggest fear is that, in my own marketing, I'll become one of these people.

And THAT's a conundrum, isn't it? Because we know that at least some of them are successful, so we should at least analyze what they're doing right. But at the same time, is it worth the risk of turning off real people, who are looking for more than just the 'right' words? They want to know who we really are, what we're offering, and most importantly, what benefit it is for them, without being sold to like victims at a used car lot.

Good news! You can be an Organic Marketer. An Organic Marketer is someone who speaks authentically, all naturally, and without all of the harsh crap that your readers, customers, clients, or community don't want spoiling the precious seconds they're giving your words.

Maybe androids want some magical text that's going to lure them into throwing down cash without trust or proof that it's worth their while, but human beings (the ones behind those computer screens) don't. In a world that's ever increasingly contrived, if you've got something real to offer, you owe it to your product, service, prospect, and YOURSELF to be real in how you market it.

Here in Kansas, trees are brimming with delicious harvests of the fall. It's a constant reminder to me that the sweet, uncorrupted fruits of communication are the most appealing. Organic Marketing is the only way.

A Meatball Sundae is just what you need.

Marketing genius Seth Godin has once again hit it out of the marketing ballpark with Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?. Colorfully and succinctly, Godin lays out what you might not want to hear: that the "Old Marketing" of television interrupts and mass marketing average products, is losing ground to the "New Marketing" in the Web 2.0 world, and you've got to pick a team.

With fourteen clearly defined considerations of New Marketing in his toolbox, along with enough case studies (from companies you not only already know of, but have probably worked with) to prove his points, Godin makes a great case for not only utilizing these new tools, but also for adapting your entire business structure to work with them.

What could be so compelling that a seasoned company would restructure into a fresh startup just to take advantage? The consumer. In today's online market, the customer is not only king, he's also the boss, the critic, and sounding board from which all new ideas come.

It's never been a better time to be a consumer, an entrepreneur, or a creative. With Meatball Sundae Seth Godin makes us all feel new again!


Check out this book as well as many other great business resources at the Serious Vanity Learning and Productivity Center.

Are you "Joe the Plumber"?

It's an understatement to say people have been discussing "Joe the Plumber" this week in regards to United States politics, but it's not so much the tax plan references that have caught my interest.

What has surprised me most about "Joe" is that it seems a lot of people discussing him aren't aware of what small business people are capable of. And that needs to change!

(Note: whether the real Joe is actually named Joe, is a licensed plumber, or has an extra toe on each foot may be relevant in the candidate arena, but for changing perceptions about entrepreneurs, it's not our issue! My goal today isn't to sway a vote to either side, but to look at our own businesses in a positive light.)

For the sake of my point today, let's look at "Joe" as an archetype for people who may be looking to buy the business they currently work in, or start a business of their own.

I've seen people reference that $250K US is far more than what a plumber can make in a year. Is it?

If a plumber (or the owner of a plumbing company, who may have a background in business, finance, or underwater basket weaving for all we know) runs a staff of five working plumbers, and each perform two $500 jobs per day, five days a week, they generate $25K in revenue. Multiply that by the year's 52 weeks, and we have $1.3M. Remove from that the cost of goods, taxes (income and property), upkeep, vehicles, licensing, wages, and healthcare, and, just by my rough estimates (plumbing is clearly not my field!), the business could easily generate $250K+.

This also means that the worth of the business, if purchasing it, would be far greater than that! There's a lot that goes into valuation, as pointed out by this article, and you should either know what you're basing your numbers on, or be prepared to hire or barter with a professional who does.

My main point is that, as small business owners (whether plumber, voice artist, CPA, mechanic, or chef), we shouldn't let ourselves be marginalized in the minds of our public! Ask yourself, "How can I educate people as to the potential that lies within the American Dream (which isn't just for America--this is a shout out to all business owners in the global marketplace!)?". Inpsiring the children of today will create the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, and I'm glad that at least "Joe the Plumber" is an opportunity to raise awareness to that fact!

Recession-Proof Your Mind, Recession-Proof Your Business

“Our worst fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves,’who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God; you playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. You were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

--Nelson Mandela

One of the biggest hurdles in the current Western economy is in conquering the doomsday machines. We're besieged with negative speak from the media and our peers every day about how we're all going to spiral downward.

It's hard to argue with: there have been huge drops in the stock market, here in the U.S. we now have a fat cat "rescue" plan in place that will cost us tax payers $700 billion, with little guarantee of effectiveness (Certainly, that money invested back into our education system would guarantee far more long term success! But that's another blog post...). People are losing their jobs, their homes, and their hope.

It all spells difficulty in keeping the end in mind (aka your Clear Vision) when pursuing your business and life goals. How can we say that we're certain of our year-end results, when we don't know what the market's going to do this afternoon? Even if we're not directly effected, if that fear is in the heart of our client, they'll be less likely to want to spend right now--causing the agony to 'trickle down' on us.

So what can we do? Luckily, lots of things!

Every challenge presents us with the opportunity to learn, grow, and dig deep to find those solutions that will not only move us forward individually, but as a collective, too! Just like Nelson Mandela said above, "...As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” So we MUST push onward!

Step One: Revisit that Clear Vision, hone it, and own it!

Without the end in mind, we lose our True North. That internal compass point is going to help us plot our path to what we want our businesses (and our lives) to be!

It may be that we need to approach our visions in a new way. There are many methods in laying one out, not limited to:

• lists
  
• storytelling
  
• scripts
  
• mind movies
  
• audio (recorded messages or even song mixes or playlists!)
  
• vision boards (My mentor, John Assaraf, is actually releasing his new The Complete Vision Board Kit tomorrow!)
  
• questionaires or worksheets
  

If you've laid your Clear Vision out as a story in the past, maybe developing a vision board for it will help you to refocus on what you want. A movie-like script, outlining the story of your dreams may be just the injection of excitement your current mind map needs to get you pumped up again, and take your mind off of all the gloom-and-doom you're hearing on the nightly news.

According to "Creating a Clear, Compelling Vision" by Marilyn Schwader, there are four components your vision should have:

• 1. Your Values
  
• 2. Your Dream
  
• 3. Your Purpose
  
• 4. Your Mission Objectives
  

I'll be visiting these all in more detail in the coming weeks. Until then, get on that vision, and start step one in Recession-Proofing Your Mind!