Ask For What You Want
Travel has always been a big part of my life. It honors my values of adventure, challenge, connection with different cultures and fun. It began in my 20’s with a backpacking adventure, and even now with a family, we rent out our place and go somewhere for several months at a time.
In a matter of weeks, I can find a tenant, enroll clients and associates into my new schedule and have our support network of friends and family look after things such as pets, plants and paintings. We leave with nothing planned except the first few days’ accommodations, and technology has allowed my work to continue from Europe, Asia and even the most remote places in Africa.
I let everyone know what I am doing, what I want and need and somehow
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20 Men Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter
August 23, 2010 by admin
Filed under Online marketing
I was recently included in a Forbes.com list of 20 Women for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter and immediately thought, what about the Men? They may be a minority but don’t they deserve some lovin’? 
I admit, probably 90% of my followers and those I am following are women…and I also follow some really HOT male entrepreneurs on Twitter.
By hot I mean:
- They have an awesome business I admire and am learning from
- They are genuinely interested in and engage with their community
- Some have a wicked sense of humor
- Some have gone out of their way to help me out
- And some of them, are just plain hot (You know who you are!)
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Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
Last week, Steve Jobs and Apple launched the new and eagerly anticipated iPad. Over the years I have admired Apple for their branding, product launches and product innovation.
This post is a more personal glimpse at a much-respected and innovative thinker. I thought I’d share with you a speech by Steve Jobs where he shares three very powerful stories. It never fails to inspire me.
How to Use Photos to Get PR (and save time and money)
Sometimes a good photo can illustrate a story more than words. I guess that’s why they say “a photo is worth a thousand words.”
When we had our men’s socks company (which due to a ton of media coverage, attracted a buyer less than a year after we started it), one of the things we struggled with was, “how on earth do we show photos of boring men’s socks?”
How to Get Testimonials for Your Business
As I was going through some blogs and websites for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the ones that had the most impact used testimonials on their site. Why? It gives me, who may be a new reader on their site, proof of how good their service or product is. It shows readers how much other people have tried and tested their product/service and how satisfied they were. So, to get a testimonial that will boost your business, here are some quick tips.
- Make it easy for them to say YES by guiding them on what you want highlighted in the testimonial. Most people don’t like to write so ask just 3 – 5 questions on how did your product work for them? How were you to work with? What did they like? What could you do better (this is also great research for you in terms of product development) – ask whatever question will serve your needs best. From the answers, craft a testimonial and ask them to approve it. Read more
PR Case Study: Getting Over Stage Fright
October 28, 2009 by admin
Filed under PR Case Study
I was recently contacted by Janet Esposito, author of the new book Getting Over Stage Fright who said:
“I wanted to share with you the great news of my first article for my book. It is a full page spread with a huge image of my book and my photo, along with a long text. It appeared in the feature section of the Litchfield County Times. Thanks so much Elena, for helping to inspire me to go after local media as a first step. I will continue to contact other newspapers and will look forward to more exposure!”
I loved the title of her book as it is what many business owners go through in their own PR efforts – Stage Fright!
We’re often afraid to get started in doing our own PR because of fear of rejection, overwhelm with how to start in the first place and general apprehension of doing something new.
In the meantime, we keep looking over at the competition who IS getting media coverage and wondering when it will be our turn to shine in the spotlight. Read more
How To Get Over The Comparison Trap
“How Does She Do It?” is a common question we wonder when success appears so effortless for others and we’re not getting the results we want. But, it’s when we look externally for validation and confirmation that our ideas have value that self-doubt can be triggered and we fall into the trap.
So…I’d like to invite you to participate in the FREE How Does She Do It? Tele-series happening October 16th and 17th by registering here http://www.how09.com
The simplest way to describe this series is this:
It’s like Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty but… for business.
Dove placed the spotlight on “the comparison trap” as it relates to body image and self-esteem issues that result from beauty stereotypes.
This thought-provoking interview series exposes the comparison trap as it relates to “success” stereotypes and draws attention to how our knee-jerk reaction to compare ourselves to others or to “model success” the wrong way sabotages authenticity and confidence.
The series also reveals the top five challenges that women in business online commonly face and directs the how does she do it question to these relevant topics with the intention of protecting your authenticity.
So, are you ready to join us in drawing a line in the sand?
Are you ready to break free from the cookie-cutter/copycat approach to modeling success so you can create success your way, authentically and with confidence?
I’m proud to be one of 16 successful women who are speaking up to reveal our own experiences with comparison. Our goal is to provide valuable insight, share lessons learned and inspire you to take YOUR next steps all from a caring and supportive approach that protects your authenticity.
The event is sponsored by IAWBO, the International Association of Women in Business Online and your free registration also includes a starter membership as well as contest prizes to be won!
Again, the tele-series starts October 16th at 9:00 am CST and you can listen to the interviews FREE when you register at http://www.how09.com
I’d love to get the conversation started – are you in a comparison trap? How do YOU handle it?
Interview with Marybeth Bond on Author PR and Oprah
September 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
It was so fun to chat with Marybeth Bond, the expert in women’s travel who has adventured her way through 70 
countries! She is an award-winning author who has written 11 books including 50 Best Girlfriend Getaways in North America, and Gutsy Women.
Marybeth is a nationally recognized travel expert and media personality, having been interviewed on over 150 TV stations, and 250 radio stations including CBS News, CNN, ABC, NBC, National Public Radio and National Geographic Weekend.
With her book Gutsy Women, Marybeth was a featured guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and she 
shares with us her journey towards getting booked on the show, which took her several years of creative persistence!
Marybeth shares lots of golden nuggets in this interview, including how to take No as an answer (it just means not yet!), how to use your website as your business card, creating multiple streams of income, using soundbytes in interviews and how women can help each other to build business relationships.
Checkout her information-packed website at www.gutsytraveler.com and listen to our interview here
Interview with Pam Slim and Getting PR for Authors
August 31, 2009 by admin
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
I first met Pamela Slim online when she covered our “monthly socks by mail” company in her Top 10 Christmas gifts back in 2006. We’ve since sold the company and I’ve continued to follow her fantastic blog, Escape From Cubicle Nation, which helps people in corporate jobs trying to make the leap to becoming an entrepreneur.
Pam’s site is one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web, and she has now published a book of the same name. I also love that Pam is certified as a master coach with “the best-known life coach in America,” Oprah Magazine columnist Martha Beck!
Having been covered by the New York Times, CNN, Business Week and Wall Street Journal just to name a few big hitters, I asked Pam how she started out getting PR.
“I helped behind the scenes and provided sources for stories even where I wasn’t quoted,” says Pam. “Journalists need us as much as we need them, they’re constantly looking for good angles for stories and they need sources. I 
make it a priority when a journalist contacts me to get back to them because I know they are working on a short deadline.” The lesson here? Work in partnership and collaboration with a journalist way before you need them!
Pam has a great press page for you to look at. She makes it easy for reporters to contact her and write about her by offering clear and organized information, a compelling bio and a list of story angles and interview questions for a reporter to ask her.
Listen to my interview with Pam Slim and how getting PR has helped her as a blogger, author and coach:
Getting PR for Coaches
August 26, 2009 by admin
Filed under What Is PR and How Do You Get It
For my coaching community, listen to my interview with Emmy award winning TV reporter and news anchor Mark Joyella as he talks about his beat as the first Community Supported Journalist covering the field of professional coaching worldwide. At the Coaching Commons, Mark writes and reports on coaching, creates multimedia content and engages participants across various media platforms and social networking sites.
In our interview, Mark shares the types of articles he writes to address common concerns of coaches (such as how to build and grow your coaching business, debates on whether coaching should be regulated, top 10 coaching books) and we have a fun discussion about Twitter and whether it’s an appropriate coaching tool.
Mark suggests that coaches – or anyone trying to get PR – should first get a really good sense of how a reporter is already telling a story about your topic. Coming to the Coaching Commons website allows coaches to see what’s newsworthy around the world and tailor that story pitch to use in your own local or national PR efforts. It’s a great tip for coaches on how to do your own media pitches without re-inventing the wheel!
Mark can also be found on Twitter as @coachreporter and suggests PR newbies join the Monday evening live discussion between journalists and PR on Twitter by following the hashtag #journchat.
And a lot more press