Independence Day has a lot going for it. There’s red, white and blue, Old Glory, fireworks… maybe a barbeque with family and friends or a concert under the stars. It’s also the only major holiday in the U.S. between the end of May and Labor Day at the start of September, so why not make it the centerpiece of your summer marketing? After all, your customers have shed their winter blues and everyone wants to get out and have fun. Show some patriotic spirit, put the focus on fun consumer experiences and it’s hard to go wrong.

In a previous article, we talked about business-oriented podcasts and recommended several that may be worth your time. If you found the content worthwhile, why not take the next step? That’s right, start doing your own.

There are several great reasons for doing so. It’s a chance to give back to the business community by sharing your knowledge and expertise. In addition, it helps gets your name out there and can lead to networking opportunities and a chance to bring in new clients.    

As a business owner, you know just having information at your fingertips isn’t enough. It’s the right information at the right time that makes the difference. There are all sorts of ways to get this information— books, seminar and blogs just to name a few.

One of the ways you may not have considered is podcasts. If you’re not familiar with podcasts, they’re live streamed discussions on a variety of topics, usually with a moderator and one or more topical experts.

It’s hard to escape social media these days, especially when you have a business to promote. No matter where you go or who you talk to, you’re reminded how important it is. That couple a little ways down from you while you’re lounging on the beach? Yep, they’re online and they’re potential customers. Are you using all the tools at your disposal to reach them?

One of those relatively new tools is Facebook Live. You’ve heard of Facebook, of course, and you already know how important it can be to your social media efforts. You probably also know that just posting isn’t enough.

Featured Resource this week - Missinglettr

Publishing new blog posts but not getting the attention and traffic you need?

Missinglettr creates strategic, automatic social media campaigns that drive traffic for an entire year. Leaving you to focus on writing your next blog post.

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Featured Resource this week - Swyft Mobile

Swyft Technology provides small and mid-market organizations with a robust suite of inexpensive, cloud-based software solutions. Swyft clients benefit from increased sales and revenues that come from the automated efficiencies and increased user productivity provided by the Swyft CRM solution.

Be sure to tell Swyft we sent you!

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

Featured Resource this week - PureChat

The Best-Selling Live Chat Software for Small Business

Live chat and visitor tracking software has never been easier.

Close More Saleswith simple live chat software

• Provide instant answers on your website and see visitor history.
• See who’s on your website in real-time and start a conversation.
• See chat metrics over time and track customer satisfaction.
• Record every conversation and share them with your team.

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

Featured Resource this week - ScheduleOnce

Make more connections with an integrated scheduling platform

ScheduleOnce is a field-proven solution for powering online scheduling with your customers and prospects.

Solutions for every phase of the customer lifecycle

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Featured Resource this week -

JoomFuse has changed the rules of membership management. . . forever.

Joomla! + Infusionsoft = JoomFuse! JoomFuse integrates your Joomla! website with your Infusionsoft to content access and membership status, hands-free for you!

Manage infinite levels of paid (or free) membership using JoomFuse to integrate the automation of Infusionsoft with the power of Joomla. You control who gets access to what content... and when. JoomFuse manages access and action triggers for you, driven by Infusionsoft tags. No more duct-taping third-party software programs to try to get what you need to manage your membership (subscription) programs. Now you can sleep at night knowing it's taken care of for you.

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

Most entrepreneurs are autodidacts. That puts the responsibility for our education about our skills, expertise, and industry squarely on our own shoulders.

Going to business school could be interesting although, truth be told, I think I have a business school’s worth of business books on my office shelf right now. No, I haven’t read them all yet but I have a new plan.

Featured Resource this week -

Video Marketing Engagement Platform

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Check out who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

One of our colleagues, a member of the Mastermind group we belong to, lives a very busy life, arguably busier than most. He’s a successful serial entrepreneur, most recently a Digital Marketing director for another agency, father of five, and reinventing himself after some health challenges. So when he recommended this productivity app, I listened.

It’s free, easy to use, and perfect for me. It’s called Pocket and it allows me to archive anything online that I want to read, watch, or listen to… later.

There are all sorts of offices. Some are neat and so organized they look like they should be on the cover of a magazine. Others look like the summer home of the Absent-Minded Professor. When it comes down to getting things done though, it doesn’t really matter how pretty or messy your office is. The keys are being able to quickly figure out what you need to get done today and being able to find what you need to make it happen.

There’s a coffee lovers secret haven near us in the middle of a local suburban town. This shop is in the middle of an area where Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donut and Keurig abound. How they not only survive but thrive is all about personality. The personality of the location, the shop, the product, and the owners.

This little shop is a coffee roaster business set in a historic mill building next to a pictuesque pond and stream, across the street from a local farmer’s fields and farmstand. It’s charming inside and out. But their competition is fierce.

“Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you.” ~ KushandWizdom

As children, we may have heard another saying about stick and stones and words never hurting us. As we grow older, we quickly learn it isn’t true. We know the power of words, and since they hold such power, we need to choose ours carefully.

For a business leader, this sentiment is even more important. In business speak, we learn to use words concisely because… well, time is money.