I’ve been on vacation, and I took notice to a few things that stood out to me. I’m always looking for bits and pieces of things to relate to business and my other projects which include things like marketing and sales. I’m aware of tiny details, and make a note of them for future reference - so that I can disect them and see how I can improve on my own business.

One of the things I noticed during my vacation this week, (2 great weeks in Florida) was “it’s in the details” that make something just that much better.

Let me give you tiny examples of little details that I noticed:

The vacation condo we stayed at not only had a washer and dryer, but they provided detergent for you to use as well…it’s a tiny thing, but thoughtful, which saves me from going out and buying a large container of detergent to wash 1-2 loads of clothes on vacation.

Here are some other things that stood out to me:

Blue Man Group was interactive, which kept the audience excited and involved….tiny thing, but huge impact.

In a gorgeous hotel, while the bathroom was amazing, it was the massage bar of soap that caught my eye. Other hotels use regular common soap bars…this bar was unique, which made it feel special.

Do you see how just an itty bitty difference or effort gets noticed? What are you doing - are there details that will make your customers say, hmmm, nice thoughtful touch.

In one hotel, we were given warm cookies on check-in….nice homey touch.

We played an interesting game of mini-golf, and there were a lot of stairs involved…a bench at the top of the stairs…nice touch. Good for my son who has asthma…and a welcome relief in very hot, muggy conditions.

Details are those little things that make a difference. You don’t have to scream out…wow, look what we have, but know that those small details DO get noticed, and are often appreciated. When you take the time to think about your customer’s experience…what tiny changes could you make to improve their experience?

Quantity versus Quality

When it comes to websites and blogs, you want to read quality information. In the world that I’m in- workwise, sometimes quantity is something I have to push out. In doing that quality gets sacrificed. In this instance, I’ve chosen to write only once in awhile and wanted to choose quality over quantitiy. It doesn’t always happen that way though on some other sites that I run.I hate that. Truth be told, sometimes it comes down to the person with the most content and keywords wins. It’s a fine balance to be able to present quantity with some quality- and still be happy with the work.

I write, and one of the things I’ve had to do is learn that sometimes “good enough works”. That’s not what I wanted attached to me though…while I’m working on large numbers of projects, I’m finding that it’s not as satisfying to push together a project fast and slam it out, just to get it out there and done. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the passive income it can generate, but it’s when you craft and work on something of value, something you care about that you find satisfaction.

What about in your business? Have you sacrificed quality because you were so busy just trying to get the job done that you started cutting corners or getting sloppy? I’m really been doing a lot of looking at my stack of projects and I’m ready to slow down and start digging back in the way I used to. Down the road I’ll appreciate I pushed myself to get a lot done, but I’ll be honest, it lacked satisfaction, and without it, I got bored.

I’m actually on vacation this week, and slowing down has me looking back at the past 6 months of work…while I understand my choices, and know the time invested will be well worth it, I do miss the creative details and “feeling” like what I’ve done is a “job well done”.

It feels good to slow down and see these past few months differently….if you had a full week to look at your businesss, what would you see that you’ve been doing, and what would you do differently?

Me…I’m going to slow down, come back to quality and value, and forget this race I’ve self-imposed on myself. What about you?

When you decide to make a new blog or web site, what tools are you using?? I use Micro Niche Finder to help me find pockets of gold. It’s the ULTIMATE tool when it comes to finding underdeveloped niches.

Let’s look at when you’re trying to break into a competitive market:

Suppose you’re trying to get into the credit card market…Discover Card pays $40 for all new card members you send their way. Not too shabby…oh wait, did I mention everyone and their brother is trying to do that?

Sounds good, until you do a Google search for “credit card” and realize there are 56 MILLION sites in the results. Yikes, lots of competition…

Here’s a secret…Discover applies a 5% cash back incentive on gas purchases, and if you do a search for “credit card gas rewards” you get 56 results. Big difference, right? Yup, it means there’s a LOT less competition. Easier competition means easier money.

No matter what kind of marketing you do, it stands to reason that if you target overlooked, under-the-radar keyword phrases, you’ll divert more traffic and convert more of that traffic into money.

So, how do you FIND these missed, under-the-radar keyword phrases?

I use Micro Niche Finder, and I LOVE it! It was one of the best tools I’ve purchased.

With Micro Niche Finder, you will be able to uncover untapped niche markets and completely rule them in Google. You can find new keywords related to your base keyword that are more profitable than the keywords you’re using now. You can rank higher in the search engines, bringing more traffic. You’ll be getting targeted traffic, which means you’ll be converting at a higher rate…which means more money!

More information

*I have an affiliate relationship with MNF. If you buy the product, I get a small referral fee, but it does not change the price you pay in any way.

If you’re looking for work employment in the hospitality industry, you’re not alone. Hospitality jobs are one of the most popular jobs nowadays. It is a carer in which there is a big demand for workers. Not only is the industry in demand, it is very important too. Think about how many hospitality workers there are just on a single vacation to a resort. Look around, they are all around you. If you’re looking for work employment in the hospitality field, it’s easy to see why. There’s a great demand for workers in this field.

What do I do for work employment in the hospitality field? Hospitality jobs are basically jobs that involve the act of giving service to people. This could be done in a way that you accommodate people in a certain place and do your best by giving a specific service just to make them feel at home. In short, you become hospitable. Jobs like chefs, hotel managers, receptionists, event planners, tour coordinators and hotel staff positions, all fall into this job category.

You really need to want to find work employment in the hospitality field. If this isn’t your natural inclination, it will grow old quickly. It’s fun and rewarding, but you really will do well with a great personality and a good attitude. The pay in the industry could be very lucrative. Also, due to the fact that there are a number of places that you could work in, finding a job is not that hard.

Where do you look for work employment in the hospitality industry? Because of the very promising and secure future of this type of career, a lot of people go job hunting for hospitality jobs. Other than reading your daily paper’s classified ads section, the Internet is also one good place to do your search. However, cyberspace could be a very vast place to search in. So, if you’ll be looking online, here are some tips on where it is best to look for hospitality jobs. Don’t forget to check your local paper’s ON-LINE classifieds.

Another good place to look for work employment in the hospitality industry are job listings. There are a lot of major job listings online that you could try browsing. To make your search easier, try to take advantage of these Web site’s search box. All you have to do is type in specific keywords on the position you are looking for and you would automatically get results. It is best that you search various job listing sites so that you can have various choices with the results.

Other than general job listings, there are also specialized ones that are tailored fit for your needs. So if you are looking for hospitality career oriented jobs, there are job listings that are only concentrated for hospitality career positions. You can try looking in major search engines for Web sites like these. For sure you can find a number of sites that you can look into. There are websites that cater to certain industries. For example, when I was involved in spa work, I was able to search specific websites to keep current on spa employment opportunities. They were geared to the industry.

There are a lot of options, but you have to be willing to do more than open your local newspaper to look for the work.

Do you love to cook? Wouldn’t you rather be passionate about what you do, rather than force yourself to go to a boring job everyday? What if you could earn money and do what you love? Sound good? Well, maybe you should look into home based business ideas for cooks. A multitude of these
opportunities exist.

Catering is a great way to combine a career with something you love. You could smart small and build up a base. Offer to cater small parties, and get your name and word out that you do this. You can’t just up and quit your job if you don’t have the money behind you. This is something you can start part time and build up a lucrative business.

Search on the Internet for companies that offer cooking-related products or look in a good home business magazine for possibilities. Your enthusiasm, combined with a great product, can start you on your way to a successful business. Get involved in the industry in some way to get your feet wet and make contacts.

If you are especially creative in the kitchen or have access to a collection of family recipes, you should consider creating your own cookbook. People absolutely love to collect different cookbooks even if they already own many others. You can easily self-publish your own, or make digital copies available online. You could start an entire website of cookbooks, and even start a weekly or monthly newsletter.

Another one of the best home based business ideas for those of you who love food and cooking is to become an online affiliate marketer for kitchen-related or cooking products. You can set up
a simple web site about cooking and then promote various cooking-related products or books through advertising links. I have a couple of cooking sites, and one company did something fun, they made great videos, and I use them all the time on my blogs. They’re making money every time someone plays one of their videos. In return, I make money for displaying their videos. Can you make cooking videos, and make revenue?

There’s always the main avenue that people first thing of, owning a restaurant or being a chef, but there are many ways to consider cooking as a business. Think outside of the box, to get a fresh look at the topic.

Employment job search options have been on my mind for a while. I see many small businesses failing and having problems. Many struggling small-business owners are going to have to go out and Find a New Job.

What I’d like to do is start talking about employment opportunities as well as to continue talking about small-business. I think it will be a good thing for small-business owners to have the information in case they are forced to go out and get a job. An employment job search in itself can be a very difficult task and can really wear you down. With so many people applying for the same jobs, it can be quite a struggle. I’ve got an answer for you.

With so many layoffs happening. The amount of competition out there is much larger, and that means finding a job can be that much harder. But what if you have tips and tricks and ideas of how to be noticed? No matter how many people go in for an interview at the same place, it’s the person who stands out who often gets the job. The question is how can you stand out? How can your resume stand out above others? How can you improve your interviewing skills?

If you’re a small business owner and you’ve been working for yourself, it can be hard to get back into the game. It’s already overwhelming if your business has been struggling. You’ve been in business and you’ve been the boss, and now suddenly you have to go out and work for somebody else. Don’t let this get you down, there is a job out there for you, At some point, maybe you’ll get your small business going again, but right now let’s take care of your priorities. Let’s get the bills paid; and whether you work for yourself or somebody else, when money is coming in, it’s a huge stress reliever.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want you to jump out of your small business, but sometimes, you know, when you have to stop. If you’re struggling, if your family is under complete stress because of the financial situation, maybe it’s time to find employment elsewhere.

I know the employment job search can be frustrating.

I have a FREE Employment Strategy Guide (10 part series) that offers strategies, tips, and common mistakes to avoid when it comes to job hunting. You can sign up for it at the top of my blog. All you have to do is drop in your name and e-mail address and I’ll send it along to you. Take a few moments to read it, and learn how to stand out. Get ahead and get that job!

I wish you the utmost success. I know it’s painful when something doesn’t work out how you anticipated. Lots of small businesses are struggling. Don’t let your pride get in the way of taking care of your family. You can always open another business in the future.

I’ve watched friends and family get laid off, changes being made, hard financial situations, stocks dropping, and people losing money. It’s a hard time and people feel it. Take the time to learn how you can get ahead, and have a better shot at getting that job opening during your employment job search.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Thanks to Laura for showing me a link to this. This is something you’ll want to see.

Let’s talk about content…what works, what doesn’t?

You’ve decided to start a blog for your company so you get more online visibility. More visibility is good, right? It’s good when you have something useful to add to the online conversation. If you’re going to go through the trouble of starting a blog, then be sure to “add to the conversation”.

If you use shortcuts, and don’t care about what you’re putting out there, you’re going to get that same kind of reader or audience. If you don’t care, they won’t either, and they won’t be returning.

Remember to put good quality content out there that is not only unique to your company, but provides useful information. Once you get it up there, syndicate the information and be everywhere, rather than just on your own blog. The more exposure the better.

While at Izeafest, one of the speaker panels that I had a lot of interest in was the “Growing Traffic” panel. I knew as soon as Dr. Tony Hung, the moderator, got up to speak, this was going to be a good panel. I was right, and as soon as the first person started talking I was hooked. That first person was Lea Alcantara, and what she talked about was branding. It was something I needed to hear more about. I’m going to share some of the things she shared with us. It’s easy to tell others how to do something, but sometimes we overlook what we need to do. This is one area, I need to get better with.

Lea wrote a series of articles called the Art of Self Branding.

How she starts is by asking people she knows to give her 3 adjectives that describe her. After asking enough people, she starts to see a common thread. It then helps her shape her branding. I did this first step when I first got home asking friends and family for words to describe me. This is the list that I’ve got so far:

Kindhearted, passionate, emotional, compassionate, intelligent, beautiful personality, upbeat, knowledgeable, sensitive, smart, caring, empathetic, intuitive, thinking, generous, fun, tender, giving, positive, determined, and generous came up a second time.

The common threads I see are:

1. kind, compassionate, tender, empathetic
2. intelligent, smart, thinking, determined
3. generous, giving

Okay, now what?

Now you look at these words, and let them help decide who you are and what direction you should go in. I guess I’m a nice person. How that can help brand me, I’m still sitting on. It’s giving me a look at how others see me though, and allows me to see myself in another way.

Know who you are, what appeals to you, and who your audience is.

One thing I really liked that Lea Alcantara said during her time on the panel is to know that you can’t be everything to everyone. Pick that segment that you want to speak to, and speak with them. My voice, along with what I write is part of my branding. As you know here, I use a very personal voice on my blog, and talk about life experiences and how they relate to business. I prefer to use a non-technical voice, and talk with my readers (meaning YOU!), not AT my readers. My segment is also for the beginners in small business. I don’t have all the answers for big corporate America, but I can help you with direction if you’re just starting out.

So my advice to you today is that if you’re looking at personal branding, get yourself over to Lea’s articles on the “Art of Self Branding” and learn a little more today.

One of the things that meant a lot to me after hearing her speak was that I was INSPIRED! That’s the sign of a good speaker. I’m inspired to take what I’ve learned and carry it with me.

Ted Murphy is one of a kind. He’s an incredible entrepreneur and plows ahead regardless of the obstacles. It’s really great to know this guy, because he’s shown me that good things happen if you keep working hard. It’s been an interesting ride to watch Izea grown out of PayPerPost. I was really excited when I saw everyone that would be speaking, as well as the topics they covered.

Jeremy “ShoeMoney” Shoemaker was there, and honestly, it was the “back story” of his life that really held my interest. It reminded me that we’re all the same, just people out here doing our thing, and when we push and work hard, good things can happen. Sitting on our laurels isn’t going to get us there.

I must confess, one of the other reasons I came down to the conference was for a chance to hang out with a couple of my friends that I talk with pretty regularly. It was a blast. Great combination when you can combine fun with learning.

Merlin Mann was the keynote on Saturday morning, and he gets right to the meat of it- Get better! Seriously, if you get a chance to hear him speak, he was motivating, and really gets you thinking. I knew as he spoke, I needed to make changes, and not just little ones. The thing is, I do want to get better. I don’t want to just settle for doing what I’ve been doing on some of my other blogs. That’s the cool thing about listening to a good speaker, they make you WANT TO TAKE ACTION!

John Chow, Loren Feldman, Neal Patel, and the list goes on. In our world of online blogging and websites, these are people that can really speak our language. People were open with information, helpful, and open for questions. I really enjoyed the give and take that was going on. It wasn’t a one up kind of thing, it was a “let me share what helps me” kind of event.

I can’t say it was all fabulous and perfect. While 90% of the sessions I got something out of, I was a little disappointed in the “Social Networking” panel. This isn’t personal, but if you don’t care about social networking or aren’t a fan of it, why discuss it on a panel? Also, it seemed like it got off track, losing focus, and just centered on twitter. Bring something new, tell us something we may not know about, or show us ways to use networking, that we may not be aware of. Don’t rehash the stuff that 99% of the people sitting in the room all ready know.

My favorite speaker on Friday was Lea of LeaLea.net. She touched on branding, and it was something that really hit home with me. I’ll be expanding on this in a separate post, when I have a moment to sit down with my notes. I’m sitting at the hotel this morning, and getting ready to catch a flight in a bit. Loved Lea!

I loved that the conference combined fun and knowledge. Learning new things is how we grow. You can’t just go on thinking we know “everything” like my 14 year old does, because with growth comes maturity. In my time as a blogger, a little over 2 years now, I’ve beend developing in different ways. I’m learning I want a different audience at times, and that I want to be better. I realized I’m lazy at times, and that’s not fair to the people who take the time to read me. I realized quite a bit, and it’s got my brain firing all over the place!

What I learned more than anything is that I want to be here again next year.

One last thought- we beat John Chow at the Scavenger Hunt, and that alone is fun to shout out! Thanks to John for getting in a picture with our team. We had fun taking the picture, and thanks to John for being a good sport as we “trash talked” him with big smiles. He’s a nice guy, and it was nice to meet him in person. He may not be found easily in Google, but we found him in Florida this weekend!

Thanks to Alli from AlwaysAlli.com for the Izeafest pics she took, and allowing me to share them. She’s a really great girl and someone I’m glad to call a friend.