Deb's Stuff

Want to Tell a Great Story? Try Reading a Few.

Reading is one of the best ways you can learn to be a better writer. Grab a book – fiction, nonfiction – whatever suits your fancy, and see what you learn. My love of reading and fascination with books dates back to my childhood. Olaf Reads is a favorite from my childhood, and my current library […]

It’s Your Turn. Make Your Move. Share Your Story.

Will everyone want to do business with you? Absolutely not. Your job, then, is to find people who appreciate your unique talent, skills, and offerings. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? You know your business. You’ve fine-tuned your craft. And now, you’re waiting for the phone to ring or an email to arrive. I’ll let you […]

January’s Clean Slate: Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Recharge, Restart, and Reboot

Thanks to the Your Turn Blog Challenge, I’m on a roll. This is day four of the seven-day challenge. I’ve completed four blog posts, joined two blogging communities, and put an end to my drought in the blog-o-sphere. Like many people, I’m using the start of the new year as an opportunity to set some […]

Get Your Social On: Keeping the Social in Social Media

Are you being social or have you slipped into the habit of constant selling, rather than engaging, on social media channels? If you’re constantly asking, selling, telling, are you engaging with your audience? Or have you alienated your tribe? If you’re not engaging, you might just be transferring traditional media tactics to social settings. You might be […]

The Road to Success is Paved with a Strong Team

You can benefit from the input of others whether you work alone, in a small organization, or a large company. The best of teams, however, will do you little good unless you take the time to know each member of the team. Sports teams – professional and amateur – underscore the importance of knowing team […]

Have You Skipped Today?

Spend a day with a kid, and you’ll undoubtedly learn a thing or two. You know what else will happen? You just might find yourself skipping. What kind of question is that? Have you skipped today? Maybe a better question is: Why do we stop skipping? Is it because we reach a certain age? Or […]

Are You All About the Sunset, No Moonrise?

While focusing on one thing – all about that bass, no treble – might work really well for Meghan Trainor, tunnel vision could land you and your business in a very vulnerable place. My husband and I were watching a sunset over the harbor along with a group of adults and one young boy. All […]

Running for Good: Good for the Community and Good for You

This Sunday, get off the couch and hit the pavement. Stretch your legs and support an organization helping people who are facing health challenges.  If you’re in Maine this Sunday, lace up your running shoes and hit the road for a 5K filled with fun in Brewer or Sanford. Each run will support a nonprofit […]

Three Reasons to Read Chris Guillebeau’s Latest Book, The Happiness of Pursuit

Yes, there are WAY more than three reasons to read The Happiness of Pursuit. I’m choosing to limit my list to three reasons that will more than illustrate why you should hop on over to your favorite local bookstore or power up your favorite piece of technology to order this gem. The subtitle of the […]

Oxymoron or Smart Strategy: Planning for Spontaneity

I don’t use the word oxymoron every day, and that’s probably a good thing! While the concept of planning to be spontaneous sounds a bit odd, let’s see how these two concepts might work together in your business. You know where you want your business to go. You know where you want to be in three […]