If you are a business owner, selling is an essential part of your job. But if you’re like me, a shy introvert, you find it uncomfortable to tout your virtues or to ask others to buy from you. As a somewhat shy, self-conscious introvert, here are five things I do to get the sale…without actually selling... Read More

You know what sucks (besides spin, of course)? People who think a communications firm isn’t a real company. People who won’t invest in your success because they don’t perceive your multiple sale rate to be as large as, say, the newest tech idea. Media outlets that won’t consider your leaders for awards such as Top 40 Under 40 because you do PR for a living (which, ... Read More

I wrote earlier this week about the PR firm of the future. Clearly, it isn’t all worked out yet, but I do think the days of people sitting in offices from 9-5 (or 8-6 or 7-7) will soon be extinct. As I do when I’m working out a new idea, I looked at it first from the perspective of an employee and whether or not the ... Read More

I fell into running my own business quite accidentally. I was never one of those people who thought, “I have to have my own thing someday.” Of course, if you know me, it makes sense. I’m a double type A personality who is very competitive (I can hear my team laughing out loud at that right now) and always strives for the best. But I’m also ... Read More

Late last week, I was having a conversation with a friend about life. He said he’s frustrated because he feels like he’s behind some of his peers at this stage in his life. I don’t know if other cultures do this, but Americans tend to compare ourselves to others, particularly in terms of what we don’t have. You know, the whole keeping up with the Jones’s ... Read More

When Lindsay Bell asked me to guest blog, I was pumped. I asked her “What topic?” She said, “Anything. Write it from the heart.” I was initially stumped for a personally passionate fit for a PR and marketing blog. But there is something. My psychological well-being has become a priority in the last few months. The online business and our digital world has a tendency to ... Read More

Last week I wrote about humility in leadership. And, as usual, I had some really interesting conversations with you lot. Before I move on, let me just say this: The Spin Sucks community ROCKS! Ok, back to the conversations. One chat I had in particular, about team leadership training, really stuck with me. It was with J.D. Robertson, who, after a little sleuthing, I discovered is ... Read More

A few months ago, Gini Dietrich told the story of Dan, the Starbucks barista who engaged in a long-distance conversation with her through coffee cups. Gini’s husband picked up the coffee, and one day he ordered her a larger size than usual. Dan the Barista noticed, and wrote a short note on Gini’s coffee cup. So began a many month exchange of notes via coffee cups. ... Read More

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That’s a quote credible sources attribute to Peter Drucker. I’ve come to realize companies tend to fall into one of three culture camps: Those who believe in culture, those who don’t, and those who pay lip service to the concept. There’s a divide among these camps—a distance that will widen with the increasingly important role of content marketing—the number one priority ... Read More

Our fearless leader, Gini Dietrich, has talked at length about how our virtual office works, so I won’t rehash the details. Suffice it to say, I think my team does a great job of collaborating and holding each other accountable for our goals. However, there’s been a lot of discussion lately about certain companies requiring employees to physically work from the office. It seems Best Buy and Yahoo! have made up their minds about ... Read More