One of my favorite blogs is Harvard Business Review, not because I wish I’d gone to school there, but because they discuss really interesting ideas that aren’t echoed in the social media chamber (as Mark Schaefer calls it).  A couple of weeks ago, Warren Berger, the author of GLIMMER and GlimmerSite, wrote a post about using design thinking during business planning, in order to develop innovative ... Read More

Guest post by Tim Berry, founder and president of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans.com, and co-founder of Borland International. I got an interesting email the other day from Daniel Hindin, community manager here at Spin Sucks, challenging some contradictions he’d found in some of my work. Sometimes I’m listing the reasons you want a business plan, and sometimes I’m saying the plan doesn’t matter by itself ... Read More

Yesterday Jason Falls wrote a great blog post about incentive-based consulting and the age-old question in a service business…what do we do when someone asks “can I pick your brain?”…for free. Jason makes a couple of points I’d like to illustrate. 1. A couple of weeks ago Peter Shankman tweeted the following: 2. Kami Watson Huyse wrote a blog post about the arrogance of that tweet ... Read More

My mom, Christy Norton, is visiting me from my hometown of Salt Lake City and the Arment Dietrich Facebook fans thought it’d be fun to have her make a guest appearance in today’s video. So, here she is, answering the question, “Did Gini always show signs of being an entrepreneur and, if yes, what did you do to instill that in her?” (If you’re viewing this ... Read More

Guest post by Laura Scholz, president of Scholz Communications. When you first start your solo PR practice, bartering services can seem like a win-win. You get amazing experience, exposure, and valuable services; your “clients” get your professional expertise at virtually no cost. During the past three years, I’ve traded for web design, haircuts, Pilates and yoga classes, personal training, head shots, nutrition advice, office space, and ... Read More

I rode my first ever time trials yesterday morning…a scary and nerve-wrecking experience. It was 50K (just a bit more than 31 miles) and it was two loops in the corn and soybean fields. The sun was fierce, the blacktop was radiating heat up, the wind was blowing right into our faces in at least two directions, it was hilly, and I had no idea what to ... Read More

Did I mention we’re going to have more contests and giveaways? I think I did! It will come as no surprise, to those of you who read Spin Sucks daily, that I am a big fan of Les McKeown and that I love his book, Predictable Success. He has been kind enough to donate 10 books to us to giveaway to you! So we bring you…The ... Read More

A couple of weeks ago, Elizabeth Sosnow, a managing director with BlissPR, a B2B-based public relations firm in New York and Chicago, wrote on PR Breakfast Club, The Secret Worries of a PR Firm Boss. In her post, her worries include: Positioning more broadly, employee turnover and cultural changes, divvying up the profits, employees who don’t like one another, and loss of clients. She and I ... Read More

This article originally appeared in Franchise Times, a monthly publication focused on the start-up, growth, and sustainability of franchises in North America. A couple of months ago, I moderated a panel on social media for the Public Relations Society of America Chicago. Along with some local big hitters, Jack Monson from eNR Services was on the panel. I tell you this because eNR plays in the ... Read More

One of my favorite leadership coaches, Randy Hall from 4th Gear Consulting, and I sat down for a few minutes while we were in Asheville a few weeks ago. We discuss leadership in the new economy, how to take your business forward, letting go of some old perspectives, and where to find the leaders in your organization (hint, they’re not always in leadership positions)... Read More