One Year Later, Benefit Corporation Legislation Passes in Colorado…with Little Fanfare

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

There was so little fanfare about this legislation passing that I couldn’t find any pictures

Just over a year ago I wrote a blog post about the transformation of business as we know it. Many companies are starting to embrace a new modicum of success – the Triple Bottom Line. That post sparked a series of events I could never have imagined, and it was all because of you, my readers. You asked some good questions, which sparked some interest in learning more.

About a week after the post, my Mother happened to introduce me to the parent of one of her students because she thought I’d find his work intriguing (seriously people, she doesn’t read my blogs, it was totally coincidental). That’s how the stars aligned for me to meet Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. I reached out with an email and explained that “Some local (Fort Collins, CO) colleagues and business owners have expressed interest in learning more about BCorps after reading my post.”

We connected at LOHAS after emailing back and forth a few times. As luck would have it, Jay was planning a trip to Fort Collins just a few weeks later. He graciously offered to do a presentation while in town.

Truth be told, I questioned myself, almost let the opportunity slip by (damn self-doubt). But I got just the encouragement I needed to dig in my heels and make something happen instead! Two weeks later we hosted “BCorps: A Community Conversation About Triple Bottom Line Business Models”.

The response was invigorating. Local organizations like the Rocky Mountain Innosphere, Climate Wise and Mugs Coffee Lounge came together to help make the event happen. On July 3, a notoriously slow day that many professionals take off, we had over 45 people come out ready to learn. I’m pretty sure we would have had nearly twice that many if people weren’t traveling for the holidays!

Rep. John Kefalas even showed up to the event. He reflected “The workshop that you sponsored in July 2012 was most helpful in terms of background and to better understand the B-Corps movement. This was most important because we had to find common ground and achieve an historic consensus between attorneys and conservationists.”

House Bill 13-1138 was sponsored by Rep Kefalas and Rep Pete Lee. Governor Hickenlooper signed the bill into law on May 16, 2013. Effective April 1 (happy birthday to me!), 2014 businesses in Colorado will be able to incorporate as Public Benefit Corporations!

This is an exciting step, as this legislation clearly aligns with many other efforts to make Colorado a hub for social ventures and business innovation. Rep. Kefalas believes “The new Colorado Benefit Corporation law will help create jobs by attracting socially responsible, impact investors to Colorado who want to invest in businesses that pursue the triple bottom line – profit, social good and sustainability. The new law allows for-profit businesses to establish themselves as public benefit corporations to advance social enterprise.”

Isn’t fascinating how a blip on a screen can have such a ripple effect! Makes you think…what about those things you do that don’t have such a positive ripple? I’m not expert on this policy but I sure hope it proves to have the intended effect!

7 Reasons for Rethinking Sales

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

It’s safe to say that the most pervasive mental models about selling are rather negative. Salesmen are ubiquitous with pushy crooks, and sleazy swindlers. So many people have an aversion to sales because of these rather negative perceptions. It’s quite a shame too because sales is a valuable skill to develop. As long as you have unpleasant beliefs though, it’s hard to cultivate your sales-ability.

Here are 7 reasons for “Rethinking of sales as we know it,” (wise words from Daniel Pink’s new book) and operate from a positive frame of mind.

Resilience’s a Good Thing – So many people have an aversion to sales because one must endure…….rejection. That’s actually one of the benefits of doing sales – learning how to be resilient and handle rejection. It also helps you become less fearful of failure, so you’re willing to put yourself out there and take smart risks. Failure, and rejection aren’t negative, they’re a part of any adventure worth enduring.
Less is More – “But wait there’s more” is dead. Well it should be, although many still rely on the “more stuff for less mulla” incentive. I’ve learned from experience that offering more cr*p which doesn’t have much value just to say, “But wait there’s more” backfires. Give a little real value, it’s better business than a lot of non-value.
We’ve Entered the Age of Win-Win – It’s not a good time to be cut-throat and just out for yourself. People can see right through that and they’ll tell their friends too. Old school sales was about getting the deal, whereas these days it’s about making sure everyone’s as happy as can be. People are looking for win-win opportunities, don’t even bother pursuing a win-lose proposition and ignore all advice to the contrary.
Inquiring Minds Will Know – The internet is a great source of information these days, people have all the data they may want at their finger tips. There’s no being deceitful and getting away with it…People will google search for everything and anything they feel the need to know. The modern sales person is honest and doesn’t make any promises they can’t keep. And it’s ok to admit you don’t know everything!
Creativity is the New Assembly Line – There is NO formula for success in sales! It’s more organic than that, it’s a creative dance, a nuanced interaction, an improvisation. Following sales scripts is very 20^th century. The 21^st century sales person provides good service, period. They constantly create innovative solutions as new problems are found. They have presence in the moment and a vision for a better future.
Authenticity Sales – You must have clarity about who you are and what you offer. And you need believe in what you’re “selling.” If you’re clear about all of that you can just be yourself. Authenticity sales, people want to “buy” from someone with which they feel a meaningful connection.
Non-Sales Selling – Have you ever really, really, really wanted to convince someone to do something? Like encouraging you’re Dad to eat healthier, getting your student to practice more, persuading your boss to give you a few extra days off…All of these activities are non-sales selling. There might not be any money exchanging hands but the end result is all about getting someone to do something they otherwise might not, and we all do that!

We’re Rethinking Sales at the EntrepreNerds book discussion this month on Wednesday June 19^th. Join us for a quality conversation about recommended reading, To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger.

Mind Jam Anybody? Seeking Feedback, Building Community and Improving Your Business

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Last Friday I tried something I’ve never done before, I hosted a Mind Jam. It was an opportunity for me to present my business plan, the big picture, to a group of esteemed colleagues and fellow entrepreneur’s to gain their feedback and insight. Truth be told, I also did it for accountability and to build community around my business.

The entire experience is difficult to summarize because it was both enlivening and exhausting. A total of 12 people took 2 hours out of their day to hang out with me and talk shop. That in-and-of-itself amazed and touched me. Especially because these were busy people, accomplished entrepreneur’s and leaders that I admire and whose insight I value.

While it was invigorating, the preparation, the discussion and the followup were also a little bit draining. I spent hours developing materials to share for the discussion. I built models for growing my business, and worked diligently to hone in on which details were relevant to the discussion. Despite all that effort to prepare, there’s still so much work to be done….And my mind’s been racing since the Mind Jam as I process everything that was shared.

Earlier this week I had the privilege of attending the Fort Collins NewTech Meetup for the very first time. This is a fun and supportive community of tech savvy entrepreneur’s where participants have the opportunity to pitch their business and gain feedback from their peers. It was awesome to bear witness, especially since I now have a new level of respect for the people that presented that night.

I could sympathize with how the folks giving their pitches felt. So excited about what they were working on they couldn’t wait to share it with the world. Yet a little confused and in need of direction, clarity and support for successfully creating their vision. Open to feedback, lingering on what other’s say as they evaluated the relevancy of the comments or questions made.

Seeking this kind of feedback is great if you have follow through. You have to process through many comments or questions, many that are difficult to hear, and decide what to do about it all. One of the things I heard from a few different people on Friday was that they thought it courageous of me to seek and organize a method for gathering feedback and “opening my kimono” so to speak.

But I think extending oneself like that just gets you partway there. The fully courageous act is leveraging what you learned to improve yourself and your business. That is about knowing what pieces of advice to ignore, and which pearls of wisdom to act on. Putting yourself out there and seeking input from your community is only as powerful as your ability to synthesize, modify and deliver a better product or service as a result.

So now the challenge is on, both for myself and for the businesses that pitched at the NewTech Meetup: do each of us have the courage to apply what we learned and take our businesses to the next level? Only time will tell!

Improving Productivity: Creating Good Workflow Habits for The Un-habitualized

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

I’ve been working on improving my workflow habits and productivity for a little while now. And one thing I’ve realized is that it’s a continuos process (one never quite arrives). My efforts began last year with the first EntrepreNerds book discussion about Getting Things Done by David Allen. Like any good book, there were more recommendations to apply than I could humanly accomplish in the here-and-now.

But it got me started, I bought a label maker, implemented the filing system, and organized my email according to Allen’s recommendations among other things. And while these changes have helped, there’s still room for improvement (I’m a work in progress).

The biggest challenge for me has been to create habits where before I had a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. Doing what I felt like doing when I felt like doing it. For years I (unintentionally) fooled many into thinking I was more organized than I actually am…now I don’t mean to say that I’m slovenly or completely disheveled. The challenge was, how do you create habits for the compulsively un-habitualized, classically routine-less, creatively free-spirited entrepreneur.

Well, I learned from The Power of Habit that you start with a vision for where you’re going and a keystone habit to initiate the subtle shifts that lead to more substantial change. In other words, you start small and build from there….I realized my “tackle it all at once approach” was why my efforts to fully implement GTD were thwarted. I needed that keystone habit. For me that started with creating and following a morning routine.

This endeavor also took a long time to “perfect.” In the beginning my intentions were idealistic. My plans for a morning routine included, lying in bed while playing words with friends, then doing yoga or meditation, journaling or reading, and at some point I should eat breakfast and get dressed…..My overly ambitious yet lackadaisical efforts just dug me deeper into despair, like when your car wheels just spin in the snow because you forgot to keep kitty litter in your trunk…

So, what changed? I read Your Best Just Got Better by Jason Womack in February as part of 12 books (full disclosure, I also received a free, signed copy in exchange for which I agreed to write this, “book review”). It was my beacon of light, gently illuminating the ways I was holding myself back while also sharing insights to help me accomplish what I so desperately yearned for, a system that works for me.

What I love about Womack’s book is that he includes insightful activities that help you understand and develop personalized solutions for your unique needs. Some of the activities I’ve done so far include creating your ideal day, brainstorming a list of when I’m at my best, identifying my Most Important Things (MIT’s), documenting how I’ve been spending my time and noting my energy levels throughout the day.

Womack makes a good case for gathering and collecting “data” about your own work habits, energy levels, etc. Doing so helps you to understand where you have room for improvement and how to optimize your potential. As a result of monitoring my energy levels I realized that my expectations for my morning routine were unrealistic. I’m not a morning person, so getting up and immediately being super productive is not in my DNA, not to mention that my initial plans weren’t realistic given my limited resource of time!

Now I’ve come to create a morning routine that energizes me and sets a good, productive, pace for my day. I wake up at 6:30am (I used to hit the snooze button but Womack says that’s a bad habit as you’ll continue to disregard the intentions you set throughout the day), make tea and clean the kitchen. Then I read a book for at least 15-30 minutes while I’m drinking my tea; this habit inspires, it helps my brain wakeup and ensures that I’m investing in my personal/professional development daily. I get showered and dressed, make breakfast and plan out my day as I’m eating before I dig into work.

I’ve just brushed the tip of the iceberg with the opportunities and suggestions that Womack and Allen both share in their books (incidentally they are very complimentary, like a hand in glove). There are countless recommendations I couldn’t share here that you might find helpful for improving your productivity. There’s only one way to find out, get yourself a copy and dig-in. I’d love to hear what you’ve found valuable from Womack’s book.

Get inspired! We’ll be discussing both Womack’s and Allen’s books at the next EntrepreNerds Discussion on May 16th, 2013. Join us for a quality conversation that is expertly facilitated to help you grow by sharing your experiences, challenges and insights with others.

The Anti-Model: Learning from Bad Experiences

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Photo by Jose Meis Meaño

Many of the books I’ve been reading lately talk about finding and modeling the people that you strive to be like in life. And that’s a great rule of thumb, generally speaking. But there are times when you’re dealing with people or situations that demonstrate the antithesis of the values you strive to embody.

It’s easy, typical even, to complain about these situations. It’s you’re stupid boss, that idiot presenter, the disrespectful waiter. Everywhere you go, there are moments where you learn from bad experiences, from the anti-model.

The anti-model is that person that does the thing you want to avoid doing. You know you’re in the presence of one when their actions, words and behavior make you shudder (think nail on chalkboard type of reaction here). That feeling can pre-empt a conscious decision not do “that thing.”

Following through on that intention takes continuous effort. First you must identify the negative cause and effect. Then you must be present within yourself to know when you’re crossing the line. From there you have to self-correct.

Sometimes a person you looked up to is actually the anti-model. I just started reading Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam Grant (which I really like so far) and that’s one of the very first things he talks about. Some takers act like, and appear to be, givers. Many people think they’re givers, this can go on for years as was the case with the CEO of Enron. But it turns out they’re takers and while they appear generous or giving their purpose is ultimately always self-serving. It is evidenced by a few tall-tale signs the authors go onto explain.

Anyway, I digress! The point is that having bad experiences, being treated unfairly, feeling disengaged or disrespected. All those moments where you want to complain about someone else. These are golden opportunities to learn. They’re doing something that you want to learn NOT to do. What is it?

I’ve learned many valuable insights from these kinds of experiences and I’m sure I’ll continue to. I learned a lot about what not to do at my old job. The founder dude modeled terrible workflow habits. It was all fly by the seat of your pants, do what needs to be when it needs to be. There was no structure, no accountability, no planning to work and working the plan. Communication was negligible…I could go on.

Needless to say, I have been consciously running my business and consulting my clients with those lessons learned of what not to do in mind. It’s part of the reason I’m so determined to read, learn, grow and improve. Because I saw firsthand the negative consequences of not seeking and applying new knowledge and skills. That’s how we apply lessons learned from an anti-model. One thing I’ve been focusing on lately is fine tuning my workflow process to improve my productivity, because I don’t want to be that person that’s disheveled and always complains about never having enough time (We’ll be talking about Improving Productivity at our May EntrepreNerds book discussion)!

That’s just one example of a lesson I have learned from an anti-model. What bad experiences could you learn from? Who’s an anti-model in your life right now? And what are you going to do about it?

Folios, Friedlander’s and Familial Connection

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

I’ve been working a lot this year on improving my workflow process. As part of my overall effort I recently bought a folio to help me stay organized. I didn’t want just another P.O.S. made in China though. I wanted something that fit my style yet was practical. That meant that everything for sale at Office Max was out of the question.

My new folio, isn’t she great!

Actually, there were no options I could find locally that fit my needs or style. So I took to the web, and I finally found exactly what I was looking for on Etsy. It was my first Etsy purchase ever (thank you Watermelon Wishes for making the perfect folio to order for me, how awesome).

It’s such a personal experience buying something on Etsy. You talk with the crafter, get to ask for special touches to make it just right. I even got to pick out whatever fabric my heart desired. That turned out to be a rather stressful endeavor. I swear there were literally thousands of options to choose among.

I tried being rational about my decision in the beginning. I looked through the new releases (which was miles long) and marked patterns I liked to review later. I spent over a half hour doing that and got about 8-10 patterns in the cue. Unfortunately, none of them really spoke to me. They were too feminine or too plain or too light. In short, they just weren’t me.

But searching for the perfect fabric felt daunting. I’d already invested 30 minutes in this endeavor, the pressure was on, this effort better pay off in improved workflow productivity!! Clearly my strategy for searching wasn’t working. I had to try something new. But how do you narrow down thousands of fabric choices?

Impulsively I clicked on the link that listed the fabric in alphabetical order by name of the designer…The page loaded with a list. I laughed thinking to myself, “like this is going to help, I don’t know any fabric designers by name.” As I scrolled down the screen, there was something I rarely see. Someone with my last name (that I don’t already know) was listed! Carolyn Friedlander’s a textile designer. Intrigued, I clicked on her name to find her designs.

Amazingly, she had the most perfect fabric for my folio, called scribbles. That’s when my prolonged search suddenly ended, all efforts to make a rational decision null and void. I placed my order, ecstatic that I’d found exactly what I was looking for (even though I didn’t know what I wanted going into the search), and giggled that I got to support a fellow Friedlander in such a round about kinda way.

Here’s a pic of the inside of my new folio!

Anyway, the entire experience got me thinking about how powerful a thing familial connection is. I was swimming in a sea of fabric choices, too overwhelmed to confidently make a decision. And then, wham I’m looking at Carolyn Friedlander’s designs and my decision is made without another thought.

It’s safe to say I was pre-disposed to like her fabric, which begs the question would, I have chosen that design without the familial connection? To be fair, there was nothing else like Carolyn Friedlander’s designs on the site, her stuff was original and fit my style (it must be a Friedlander thing)! But my decision to look at her designs rather than any of the other names listed was definitely influenced by the familial connection.

Have you made a decision recently that was influenced by a familial-likeness? How’d that work out for you? For marketers, leveraging such a pre-disposition for the familial can be a mighty fine advantage. But for the smart decision maker it can be problematic if all rational criteria is overshadowed by familial-likeness!

Embracing Failure to Succeed!?!?!?!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

There are many adagios about innovation and success being predicated on failure and mistakes. Some of history’s most accomplished individuals say it is so.

Thomas Edison once proclaimed, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work”

Now that’s dedication!

This witty remark is from Woody Allen, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying anything.”

How’s that for reframing failure.

And Beverly Sills gave this retort, “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”

So in other words, fear not and go forth! Failure isn’t a bad thing; it’s a reality of a life fully lived. Don’t let the potential for failure hold you back from creating your dream.

Sometimes, what we intellectually know and what we deep down believe are two different things. I recently realized that while I understood the importance of failing forward towards success I didn’t want to believe that I might actually fail. “Oh no the horror of failing!”

I dream big, but I don’t always step forward into acting on those dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take risks. But setting my sights on a big dream and putting myself out there to potentially fail publicly feels rather daunting (and humiliating). I realize now my predominant thought process went like this, “I’m willing to make mistakes as long as people know I don’t make epic failures.”

How did I come to realize this rather disturbing limiting belief? Well, you know how they say to not take anything personally (and by they I mean Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements). It’s a good rule of thumb because most people’s actions, comments, etc. are not a reflection of you, but are a result of their own insecurities…

One day in the not so distant past I caught myself being pretty critical of others. Not just any people, I was being harshly critical of some entrepreneurs that I know who had dreamed big, got a few years into their journey and failed. As I reflected on my judgmental thoughts (yes, I admit I can be judgmental, but I strive to not be), I realized that I wasn’t just criticizing an element of their business, I was questioning their effort in general; why did they even bother! That’s a rather blasphemous thought for me to have given the values I hold near and dear.

Sure, there might have been problems with their business model, or ways that they led their organization asunder. But I truthfully don’t know that much about their situations to be so discerning. What I do know is that these people had the courage to show up and a willingness to be vulnerable that I’m aspiring to. And that’s the thing about vulnerability, people (the one’s whose respect is worth having) don’t judge you so harshly for “epic failures.” In fact, there’s a lot of respect to be gained from putting yourself out there, taking a risk and going for it. And while my own insecurities caused me to interpret someone’s failure negatively other’s saw character, creativity and strength.

That is how I learned that I needed to shift my perceptions, because acting on big dreams means putting yourself out there without any certainty of the outcomes. I’m embracing failure to succeed so that I may go forth into the unknown world of possibility.

We all have different fears or limiting beliefs that hold us back. I don’t know the obstacles that you need to overcome. But I will encourage you to take some time to develop awareness of how your own fear of failure manifests. Start by reflecting on the moments you find yourself being critical of the “failures” of others. What did they do? Why is their failure such a bad thing? And how does your critique reflect on your own actions or lack there of?

Managing Change – The Three Elements for Fostering Positive Change

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

If only it was a simple as following the signs!

I’ve been fairly intrigued with managing, creating and fostering positive change for quite a while now. My interest stemmed from the realization that “things” aren’t working the way they are and in order to improve people need to change….

I’ve learned through experience that creating change is not easy. That good intentions, passion and dedication are not enough to encourage others to change. And that deep, meaningful change takes time. Some of my own personal crusades have been around encouraging individuals to make life-style changes to positively (or at least less negatively) impact our environment and our communities. I’ve driven organizational change as well.

I’ve run in the same circles with many other change agents for years now. And the one caveat I hear too often is that people won’t do, what appears to be, the obvious solution to a problem. I think sometimes as agents for change we mistaken good intentions and purpose driven motives with a gestapo like dedication to our own personal vision. “It’s my way or else!”

But in reality, creating change is more a game of finesse than brute force. There are many complicated moving parts like old habits, the existing culture, established systems, and the emotions of everyone involved. As a change agent, you have to balance providing direction without dictating every piece of the solution. You have to engage people on an emotional level without alienating or discouraging folks. And lastly (but really firstly), you must model changing yourself. These encompass the three elements for successfully fostering positive change:

Change Yourself First – This is where many efforts fall flat. If you want to encourage change in others it starts by changing yourself first. You might be thinking, “but I’m already practicing what I preach, I recycle, I compost, I bike instead of driving…” If you’re already modeling the behavior you want others to do (which is imperative) than the change you likely have to make is in how you interact with others and how you lead your efforts. I guarantee you, there’s something you’re doing or a way you think about the world that’s inhibiting your change efforts. So take stock, what skills could you develop? What relationships do you need to build? What old habits do you need to change? In Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit, he simplifies the process for changing habits. Every habit is made up of three parts, the Cue, the Routine and the Reward. You can’t eliminate a habit once it’s formed but you can change the habit by changing the routine.
Seeing the Future – All successful change agents have a vision of what they are working towards that is shared with their tribe. The key is to have a vision for the future that’s inspiring, hopeful and meaningful to people without being too prescriptive. What inspires you to change (think Global Warming) might not motivate the guy in the cubicle next to you. But if you dig deep enough, you’ll find some common values (like not being wasteful) on which you can build your shared vision for positive change. Duhigg shared the story of a successful organizational change in his book. The CEO inherited a fledging company and his vision to turn it around was to create a safe workplace with no accidents. Many people thought the new CEO was a dunce and some shareholders bailed out at that point. But his vision created positive change and the company became the most profitable manufacturer in their industry.
Encouraging Change Among Others – One of my favorite TEDxCSU talks this past weekend was by Jeni Cross about the 3 Myths of Creating Change. They are 1) Education will encourage change (education alone isn’t enough), 2) You need to change attitudes to change behavior (nope, attitudes actually follow behavior), and 3) People know what motivates them (the good old carrot or the stick…actually neither will effectively get the job done). The Heath brothers outline three steps for creating change in their book Switch, A) Directing the Rider, B) Motivating the Elephant, and C) Shaping the Path. In other words, you need to make both a rational and an emotional appeal while removing obstacles to ease the transition from the old to the new ways. And as Jeni says, “common sense is the enemy of change.”

Suffice it to say that creating change is quite a comprehensive process that takes dedication, perseverance, and patience. For your efforts to be effective, all of these pieces must align. Your personal change efforts must help you to make progress towards accomplishing your vision, which needs to support the way you encourage change among others.

Would you like to further your own skills and knowledge as an agent of change? Join us for an EntrepreNerds book discussion on Thursday March 14th, noon-1:30pm in Fort Collins, CO. More information and RSVP online.

“Buy a Book By Its Cover” – Words, Triggers and Decisions

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Be Glorious performing our Burning Questions

I just laughed my ass off at the ELTC fundraiser, Word Play Literacy Theatre: A Night of Improv. It was a night to be remembered. Be Glorious, a local improv troupe, entertained us. Everyone in the audience was asked to provide a line of dialogue from a movie or a book and a burning question. It was LOL from the very beginning.

As part of the act, there was a fundraising activity “buy a book by its cover.” We had over 50 books, graciously donated by Old Firehouse Books, for sell for $20 each. They all had a prize worth at least $10 inside them and there was a grand prize, a nook in one. Members of the troupe read the titles of each book, elaborating on the the premise until someone from the audience raised their hand. Of course I bought a book.

Of all 50 titles, what kind of book do you think I got? I totally bought an EntrepreNerds book, I mean I’m not sure it’s EntrepreNerds quality but it definitely fits the genre. Not only that, to make my purchase I literally and impulsively jumped up and down screaming, “Oh me, me!” (keep in mind, I was volunteering at this event, running books from stage to the audience only half listening to the troupe).

The book I bought, which will be out this April, is called Give and Take by Adam Grant. It is “a Revolutionary Approach to Success.” Hello, key words I get all tingly over.

Shop Local

Anyway, I didn’t plan it that way, to buy an “EntrepreNerds” book. I didn’t even know a book like this was in the pile! Most of them seemed to be novels or memoirs. But before I could even form a conscious thought my interest and desire was triggered by these keywords and the decision was made, I must have this book!

It got me thinking about how important word choice is in business, for marketing and organizational leadership, to insight action. Really understanding the effect certain words have on your audience is crucial for communicating effectively. Some words will trigger a decision that benefits you while others practically slam the door in your face.

To be honest, I didn’t even realize that Give and Take, Revolutionary (ok, that’s not true I’ve been consciously triggered by that word for years) and Success were all positive trigger words for me. But now I know! And there in lies both the challenge and the opportunity for entrepreneurs, you must know those trigger words even if your audience does not.

I wonder what books everyone else bought last night and why they were driven to get that one. We’re they pulled because of some maniacal obsession like me? Was there a word that impulsively triggered their decision? Is it possible that people voted for their favorite improv troupe member with their purchase? Or was it purely the energy of the room?

Clearly there are many different factors that will influence our decisions, as is always the case in life. We’re not going to explore all of that know. But, what I really want to know is if anyone else is as excited (and decidedly dorky) as me to read the newest edition to their book shelf?

Celebrating 1 Year of Blogging – Lessons and Reflections

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

A year ago I launched my website and Blog, Life Lessons with Rose. It was an exciting next step for me, one (of many) that proved my business was a reality; I existed in the digital world!

Blogging has been quite an experience. I learned that I actually love to write. This coming from the girl that had anxiety around writing for years, throughout college and graduate school. The anxiety all started when my 9th grade English teacher publicly criticized my writing in-front of the entire class. I was mortified and, ironically, wrote in my journal how my dream of being a writer died that day.

I considered starting a blog over six years ago. It took me five years to confront the tension and fear surrounding my own writing so that I felt capable of blogging. Sure I might never write like Barbara Kingsolver or Chiam Potok (two of my all-time favorite authors during my formative teenage years) but I have my own unique voice and off-the-wall commentary to share. Conquer anxiety around writing, check.

That’s not to say I don’t get nervous every time I post a blog, I do. What I’ve found is that while the ideas, and words may flow easily from my mind through my fingers, latent fears still hold me back. I’ve skipped posting a new blog on busy weeks not because I didn’t have anything written but because I didn’t have the confidence to share it with you. It’s tough putting yourself out there for the world to judge and critique, but it’s necessary. Learning to separate my self-image from my writing is a continual process.

As I work on my blog I’m often reminded of how one of my strengths quickly turns into a weakness; I’m a big picture thinker. I not only see how things are interconnected, I’m not satisfied until I explore every facet, nock and cranny that bears some sort of relevance to the topic at hand. In short, I dream big, have a hard time staying focussed and don’t always get to “my point.”

I still have a copy of this memorable term paper!

While blogging over the last year I’ve had many flashbacks to a college experience. My Professor encouragingly said about a term paper I was working on, “Ariana, you’re ideas are cutting edge, but you have about 9 thesis statements here. Pick one and focus on it.”

I heard her advice, and I tried to follow it….but I couldn’t ignore my innate curiosity to understand everything that impacted Shamanism in Nepal. I ended up with a 19 page (double spaced) term paper that cited 21 different sources (that’s an average of 1.1 bibliographic sources per page, only slightly absurd). But I swear, it was all relevant!

I feel that my blog is much like that term paper. Largely inspired by a desire to make sense of my own experiences and curiosity about the world. Loosely focussed on the intersection of personal mastery and business. Drawing on a selection of the diverse books and articles I’ve read. Also similar to my school days, I’m consistently quirky with an unpredictability that drives even me a little nutty sometimes.

But alas, despite all the ups and downs it’s been a worthwhile journey that I want to celebrate. Over the last year I have posted a total of 79 blogs (this is my 80th). My most popular blog was “Admirables: Dani Grant” My most frequently used tags are: Personal Mastery, and Business (hey maybe I’m more focussed than I give myself credit!). And my most commented on post was “From Participant to Presenter – Reflections From TEDx FoCo ‘The Art of Inspiration.’”

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank those that have read my online ranting. There are 66 people currently subscribed to my blog. And while I don’t think I have anything particularly new or original to say, my hope is that I provide a spark of inspiration and a pinch of perspective that encourages forward progress on your own journey.

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