Keeping up with the pace

All I am focusing on right now is keeping up with the pace. It hasn't really set in that I am moving yet. Only that, I am moving my big furniture next weekend. My current attention is on keeping up with graduate school and mgb business work. My designer for MGB put me behind last week, because he decided not to do a site design, with that he didn't feel like telling me that.

Therefore, I quickly put together 1/2 of the work needed and I am still playing catch up on the designs. Looks like I need to find another designer. #Website Designer - Do you know of anyone?

Besides MGB work, I have to start thinking about moving and packing up my 2 bedroom apartment. The new house will have plenty of space downstairs in the storage room for anything we decide is 'clutter' upstairs.

The next 3 weeks will be mad, however all I can do is keep up with the pace and not fall behind. It's not easy managing a business, working full time, taking graduate classes and finding time for a boyfriend. I can only do my best.

Wish me luck! Oye.

Big Move. Big Change.

This afternoon I just signed my life away on a 1 year lease for a house in Mallett's Bay; a stone's throw from the lake. My boyfriend and I are very excited. Big Change - I have been living by myself for the past 3 years and now I have to figure out how to do the "roommate" thing again. Yikes. I am sure it will be fine. Big Change - Moving with my boyfriend. I haven't lived with 'a boyfriend' in over 6 years. Oh - it is all so entertaining.













To be honest, I am not nervous about the move at all. We have the month of April to pack up and move in as we please. We worked out a deal with our landlord to pay the $80 in utilities for April if she would like us move in early. It is a win win for both of us.

Moving won't be easy, however I do look forward to downsizing my assets.

Our new house is a large one bedroom with private beach access to the bay.
Large spacious layout, tiled shower, full separate cornered tub, walk-in closet, porch outside overlooking the lake. Oh yes - we will surely enjoy the sunsets this summer.

I will post pictures once we get the keys. I am sure you will approve.

Buy a book for yourself

This weekend I bought two new books for my 'downtime' collection.
I started reading ' Eat Love Pray ' by Elizabeth Gilbert and I absolutely love it.

The book is about a woman who has so many desires in life and decides to go out and get them. Her experience as a book writer, in real life, has presented her with the opportunity to travel the world and express herself through other cultures and the spiritual way of life.

So far I am hooked on the book. Pick up a copy and read it for yourself.
It is an inspirational read, which will cause you to evaluate your own life and what really appeals to you.

As I have said in the past, do what makes you happy.

The pay-offs to being productive

On Tuesday night, I was very productive and got all the immediate 'to dos' complete. I keep a list in my head and on my white board in my office of what my current projects are, invoices to mail, and proposals to write. At the end of Tuesday night, late Tuesday night, I was able to sit back and realized how productive I had been.

On Wednesday, believe it or not, I was able to relax for an hour or so. For a business owner, this is a very rare thing. The down time was enjoyable and allow my brain to rest for the next round of projects, proposals and designs.


















I could buy one of these funky chairs to spend my down time in... it does look comfortable. Made by Varier. Too bad they are $2000.

I should try this more often. I am not sure why it worked out so well this week, but I should try to duplicate this action. Wait, now that I think about it, it was being my boyfriend had the stomach flu and we weren't spending time together. Time management, that is it.

Maybe you can learn my mistakes or proactive approaches to sitting down and getting things done. Utilizing your time and be productive and making the time in your schedule to relax and renew yourself.

It is a challenge of mine and I am sure others have the same problem. There are so many things that need to be done and you want to get done. However, you can do it all in one day or even attempt it. Defining your priorities, then fitting in the fun business tasks is another wave.

Feel free to share your tips and tricks of time management with others. It may help them recognize and overcome their weaknesses and make them more focused.

MGB Labs

Here are a few things MGB is working on:

Vermont Artwork Online - A website for Vermont Artists to showcase and sell their artwork.

The Unplugged Project
-- Internet Marketing Unplugged
-- Website Unplugged
-- Entrepreneurs Unplugged

Vermont Skiing Resorts - A Vermont skiing resorts website to market those coming to VT to ski.

Mehgo.com - Secret...

Doing what you love.

We all have busy lives and if not - go find a hobby! My point is those of us who don't have much free time we have to keep ourselves sane by taking the time to enjoy the things we love to do. For example, I took the time to go skiing last weekend and it was a great time. The spring weather is finally blossoming here in Burlington, Vermont and most of us want to spend all the time outside that we can.















Even though you have a list of things to do. Think about taking a break. When you come back you will feel new and fresh to get started on your 'task list' again.

This is my helpful reminder to keep yourself happy by doing the things you love.

Cheers.

Internet Marketing Workshop

Tomorrow I will be teaching a Free Workshop in North Hero, VT which will be introducing Internet Marketing to business owners. The focus will be on three channels; Social Marketing, Search Marketing and Email Marketing.


Social Marketing will cover the opportunity on different social media websites out there and how they can be used for your business. A few I will be talking about are Twitter, Facebook, etc. There are different uses for each application and I will recommend what to use based on each individual use.




The Search Marketing segment will include a brief introduction of what it is and how important it is for your businesses website and visibility on the search engines. I will be talking about some of the small things you can do to improve your website listings and the importance of a search strategy.

The final topic that will be reviewed is Email Marketing. A lot of business owners have heard of this, however are not using it effectively or use it at all for their businesses. There is so much opportunity within email marketing for your business. You can reach your customers directly to educate, marketing, inform.. the list goes on. One of the most important things of Email Marketing is branding your email correctly, because this is how your user interprets your business and message.

This workshop is sponsored by Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce and is free to the public. It is recommended you sign-up before attending. Please contact them directly if you would like to attend. Here is the Contact Information.

We will be providing more workshops in the future, if you have an interest in attending, please email me at mgbonline@gmail.com if you have a particular interest or topic.

Organizing your thoughts, before building a website

Most businesses and organizations are finally recognizing the significance of the web and how you can use it increase awareness or generate revenue. Thank goodness, people are finally catching on. I have seen more 'non technical' owners and organizations get more involved and start to welcome the web and the opportunities it has to offer. This makes me feel great an Internet Marketing professional.

Okay, you finally have the momentum to get going and use the Internet for your business. Yes, a website is needed. You and I both know that, but a business needs to get organized before getting started. Here are a few tips on things you need to know before you get started:


Getting your thoughts organized to build an online presence..

1. Understand your business goals and how they will relate to your website.
   
   You must have solid understanding on the goal of your website and how you are going to use it to leverage your business. Some use website to offer standard content and information about what they do etc., others sell products or services. There are so many different things you can do, it is all based on your goals.
   
   
2. Know your website users or consumers
   
   Understand your business or organizations audience, because they are the main category of people who will be visiting your site. This is important because you need to keep them happy. The marketing and content you provide is all based around your consumers and how you are going to target them, therefore this information is key to a successful online presence.
   
   
3. Document your website pages and content
   
   It is crucial you know what information you want to promote on your website. We "the developers" call this your website pages and/or site map. For those of you who don't know what a site map is - it is a single source that lists all of the pages of your website. The basic information a developer needs is your page title and the content within that page. This will make the process move much quicker, as you get started on the project. If you are concerned about writing the page content, don't worry about it to much. You and your developer can get started before all the page content is done. However it is recommended you have a "Site Map" created, so the developer can build the architecture of the website.
   
   
4. Think about 'Interactive ways' of engaging your consumers
   
   This may be one of the most fun aspect of creating an online presence.. thinking about interactive and engaging ways to grab your website users attention. There are few ways to approach this aspect. Let's think about different site applications, such as an interactive photo gallery, buy products online, live feeds, link to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn ( internet marketing examples). All of these opportunities are fairly standard ways to engage your website users. Another perspective is... think about getting creative, based on the goal of your website. For example, you want to stimulate discussion, create a side blog, market it and link to from your website. That is just one " out of the box " idea.. you may not think of off the top of your head. Take a moment and think about.. what type of "Interactive Application" would enhance your website users.
   If you need help brainstorming, let me know. I would be happy to help.
   
   
5. Domain and Hosting services
   
   Buy your domain name. This is significant because it will save time and get it out of the way. If you need assistance with buying your domain name or selecting which name to buy, ask your developer or reply to this blog post.
   
   Hosting service is important, as well. This is where your website will be stored. There are so many places to buy hosting on the net. If you don't know where to start, it is okay to ask your developer for assistance. They may be able to point you in the right direction. ( aka, the best quality services, at the best price. )

This is by far not the complete list of "SHOULD HAVE'S" before you begin, however will help you and the developer get organized for the project at hand.

If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this post.

Knowing what you want. Go out and get it.

Yes, I said it. Buck up. There are so many challenges in life, with business, friends and family. However, if there is something you want to do in life, go out and get it. Over the past few years, this is how I have lived my life. That is how I started my business. Building a client base and continue the efforts of creating value for the services I provide.

Anyone can do this.

Figure out what you to do. If this is a goal you have for your business or organization, sit down for 15 minutes and think about it. Come up with a plan. If you are lacking resource, start researching what you need. If you are lacking the funds, think about how you can bring in more revenue. It all starts with a positive mind set and then the concentration to move onward, no matter what.

I was inspired to write this post today, because I have fallen into a wonderful situation of pursuing my masters degree in Business Administration. I love business and I wanted to learn more about it. My undergrad was in Website Development and Management, which I got through Champlain College. Although my passion for technology is evident, I still wanted to learn the "nuts and bolts" of business.. so I then wanted to pursue graduate studies.

I am still here writing a paper for my Business ethics course and thinking... Wow. I accomplished something else I wanted to do in life, because I made it happen. I am enrolled in a Business Graduate Program. Don't ask me how I did it. Oh wait, how about a positive mindset and the momentum to push and reach for my goals.

You can do the same thing for your business or organization. Perhaps it is something for yourself. Do not limit your opportunities.

If you need to get motivated, reply to this blog post.

I will inspire you.

Keeping the conversation going...

I thought it would be helpful for me to document and keep the conversation going for all those out there that have an interest in Internet Marketing and other web udpates. There is so much changing daily and I thought it would be helpful to put a bit more content out there to support those who need it.

This blog will not only be a resource for those who need it, but I am here to answer anyones questions about the Internet Marketing industry and what to really do with it.

To start out.. feel free to read MGB Designs current approach to Internet Marketing.
We presented it in a 1,2,3 format because it would give the new Internet Marketers an overview... We do more complex strategies, but this is what we are presenting for now. Those who speak to us will quickly recognize our approach is modified based on the companies need.

Well that's all for now. If you have any questions about Internet Marketing, do let me know.