Enjoy a Unique Experience With One of Your Favorite Celebrities While Helping the Red Cross

I'm a firm believer in giving back to the community no matter who you are or how much money you make. You can give back by volunteering your time or donating money to a worthy cause. We're all here together to help each other do better whether it's in our business or personal lives.

This month begins the annual California auction for the Red Cross' campaign to promote earthquake preparedness. I've lived here in this beautiful state of California for most of my life, and I know full well how devastating a huge earthquake could be.

3 Business Lessons to Learn From Bruno Mars' Superbowl Halftime Show

Bruno Mars along with the Red Hot Chili Peppers put on a Superbowl halftime performance that will stand out in my mind as one of the best in a long time. It had the 3 E's: It was epic, electrifying, and energetic. Businesses could stand to learn a thing or two from Bruno Mars and his success as an award-winning musician and artist. Here are 3 lessons that I learned while watching his performance:

1. Be Passionate and Positive - Bruno was in the moment, and it was awe-inspiring to watch. There's absolutely no doubt that he doesn't love performing and bringing feel-good music to the stage. All of his songs are positive and empowering, and there isn't anyone I know who doesn't appreciate what he brings to the music industry.

Pretty girl, pretty girl, pretty girl, you should be smiling
A girl like you should never look so blue
You're everything I see in my dreams
I wouldn't say that to you if it wasn't true...

2. Keep it classy - Bruno is the consummate professional, giving us a taste of retro cool dance moves, plus the outfits that he and his band wore had a Motown flavor that was nostalgic, yet modern. The display appealed to everyone from old to young. No, um, "wardrobe malfunctions" to get attention. All was needed was just a good ole fashioned music concert.

3. Collaborate with other successful people - Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers on the stage together was unexpected and a little weird aesthetically, but it worked. For those of you who don't know, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a staple in the 90's music world. Just like Bruno, they brought a great deal of energy to their performances, which is probably why seeing these two groups together at once didn't seem like such a paradox.

If you missed the show, watch it below...

Modern and Colorful: Home Office Decorating and Design Ideas

Your work environment plays an important role in the success of your business. If you're starting to feel that your business or creative energy has become stagnant, it may be time for an office makeover or some major decluttering. I came across this article that offers some valuable tips on how to Feng Shui your home office.

Sometimes you just a need a couple ideas to feel inspired. Well, I came up with a ton of modern and colorful home office decorating and design ideas that I pinned on Pinterest. Enjoy the eye candy below and share your own ideas or tips via comments!


Follow the Home Office board on Pinterest.

Business Storytelling: How a Blog Can Help

When was the last time you heard a great story? Did it get your undivided attention?

It's not "the" key to business success (I think customer service is), but storytelling can help elevate your brand from just another business to being a business that people can relate to and make a human connection with.

Storytelling has been a part of human culture for eons now. People would sit around the campfires and relay stories that were passed down from their elders. As the stories were told, the imaginations would go to work as people listening to these stories visualized the people, places, and events that happened.

As the years have gone by, the way we tell stories has changed. We can tell stories through videos, text messaging, or good old fashioned oral presentations. Perhaps that's why TEDx talks are so popular nowadays. I subscribe to the TEDx channel on YouTube and enjoy listening to speakers tell stories that inspire and move me.

In his book, Epic Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi talks about the 3 different types of content producers of which "Storyteller" is the final stage. Joe says:

The storyteller strategy educates, entertains, engages, and has an impact on audiences because the content goes well beyond the scope of the product or service into why the organization exists at all...It creates excitement and interest in those who aren't customers, makes evangelists out of existing customers, and focuses on drawing audiences in to engage with the brand in numerous ways.

The best way I think businesses can tell their story is through a company blog. People often ask me why they should start a business blog. How exactly do they make sales through a blog? Well, if done right, a blog can bring in much more business than your traditional newspaper ad or other online paid advertising. I've already written an article about building a successful business blog, but I'd like to elaborate more on the idea of storytelling...

Let's say that you sell dog clothing, and a woman (let's call her Sally) who loves her poodle is doing an Internet search for cute dog clothing. Sally comes across your business blog and reads a post about one of your long-time customers who entered their dog in a dog talent show and everyone was going crazy over the cute t-shirt the dog was wearing. As Sally continues to read your blog, she discovers that you, too, own a poodle because of a blog post you wrote talking about taking your dog to the vet and how it was an emotional time for you. Sally decides to subscribe to your blog and later she ends up purchasing a few items from your business.

Why did Sally ultimately end up buying from you? It's because she made a personal connection with you. It's a virtual connection, but a connection nonetheless. She may not have met you, but she likes that you have the same love and passion for your dog that she does for hers. This is not something that you could have relayed if you didn't have a blog.

It's true that everything has a story behind it. Even if you think you have a not-so-sexy product or business, you can tell the story of why you went into this type of business. Instead of a boring old testimonials page, you can share stories through articles or videos of how customers have used your product/service to improve their lives. You could even get a little creative and turn your products into "characters" with their own names and personalities.

Are you a good storyteller? How has storytelling helped your business?

If you're in need of a good storyteller to help drive more traffic and sales to your business, contact me to see how I can help!