“writing” isn’t what most of us think it is

“I’m not a writer”
“It takes me forever to get a newsletter out”
“The process is agony.”

These are the sorts of things people confess to me, when it comes to writing about their work.

Take my client, Yvette. She’s a sharp cookie, and a natural speaker. But after one of my talks, Yvette came up to me and said, “You know how you mentioned people who hate writing? That’s me. Can’t stand it!”

This happens to me all the time. And as a lover of challenge, I say: bring. It. … Read the rest >

With a few exceptions, every business needs a website.

But in 6 years of helping business owners get their websites written, I’ve noticed a phenomenon that is downright crippling to making money in business.

It’s not just a phenomenon – it’s an epidemic.

What is it?

Perfectionism, combined with an error in thinking. The perfectionism tells you, “it has to be perfect for it to work.”

And the thinking error is that you can’t “get out there” or ask people for business UNLESS your website is finished.

Man, I cannot tell you how crazy this idea makes me.

Because it … Read the rest >

Man, are there a lot of terrible websites out there!

Worse, they aren’t making their owners any money.

In my work helping business owners nail their message and understand what sets them apart in the marketplace (hint: it’s who they really are), I can tell in one glance whether a website is making money for its owner.

Here are some tips to make sure your website is doing all it can do for your business:

1. Be clear, not clever. The two biggest problems business owners have here are: 1) using insider language and the jargon of their industry (that the

What impression does your website give?

Before I read someone’s website, I feel it. I look at the colors. I evaluate the amount of white space. I look at the sorts of words they use. Are they engaging? Human? Conversational?

Does it feel grounded, expansive, real? Do I feel excited by the possibility? Are they talking to people like me?

What many business owners don’t realize is how many people are doing this. Before they even get to your words… they are picking up on the emotional honesty and what the business stands for.

That said, here are 5 … Read the rest >

As the year wraps up, many of us are in reflective moods.

So I decided to spend this month reporting back from the investigations of my inner landscape.

One thing I’ve done more of this year is read books.

I tell my writing students who are working on developing their copywriting skills: “read everything.” The shampoo bottle. Ads on the side of the city bus. Articles in magazines that aren’t meant for you. Everything.

This develops your faculty to notice what pulls you in… and what turns you off.

But, being human, I have a hunger for stories.

And for … Read the rest >