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The BOLD Bulletin by  |
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June, 2007 |
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Greetings all,
 Welcome Summer! As of 2:06 PM, EDT today (6/21) the Summer Season officially arrives. Many businesses slow down during the summer and others, like tourism, kick into high gear. Whichever is true for you, as a small business owner it is tough to ever completely take off. So with that in mind, we press onward at Bold Vision.
The next Ocular Forum begins in July and the applications are due in by the 29th of this month. More info on that below.
A number of bloggers and writers use the slower summer months to build up their article library. If you're one of them, be sure to read this month's article on writing; it may surprise you. Just be sure you don't lose your reader by writing 'over their head'.
And as always, I hope you enjoy this issue of The BOLD Bulletin. Please pass this on to someone you think would enjoy it and don't hesitate to send me your comments and thoughts.
Be BOLD!
Lynnelle
FYI - The Summer Solstice ushers in the summer season at 6:06 p.m. GMT, or 2:06 p.m. EDT. The word Solstice is from the Latin for sun stands still and on June 21st the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the "longest" day of the year, or rather the day with the longest period of daylight of the year. | |
| Quote of the Month |
"It's none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way."
-- Ernest Hemingway
...and my favorite, also by Hemingway
"Writing and travel broaden your ass if not your mind and I like to write standing up." |
| June's Cool Sites |
| MizPee - Where to "go" on the go. (I'm not making this up.)
Support.com - For small businesses, contractors and others who are responsible for their own computer equipment. Large-scale tech support for the small-scale. | |
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| June's Entrepreneurial Opportunity |
According to European Union legislation that came into  effect in 2005, airline passengers are entitled to financial compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, or if they're bumped from an overbooked flight. However, passengers aren't always aware of what they're entitled to, or don't have time to claim compensation. Which is where EUclaim comes in. A Dutch agency that launched in January, EUclaim processes claims on behalf of passengers, charging a contingent fee of 27% of successfully claimed compensation. In the five months since they got started, the company has netted its clients over EUR 100,000, averaging EUR 400-500 per passenger.
While compensation isn't regulated by law in the US or most other non-EU countries, carriers do offer various degrees of compensation. Airline-specific policies may include reimbursement for meals, hotel rooms or phone calls.
ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY: Keeping track of new laws and regulations. Hey-how's that for a new business? Plough through locally applicable regulation changes. Post them online, for free, and you could grow a high-traffic website, generating revenue from related (premium) services or advertising! | |
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| You Should Know - Pregnancy Discrimination |
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In the past ten years, pregnancy discrimination filings have increased by about 23 percent, hitting an all-time high last year.
In May the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidelines regarding working parents. In the past, female plaintiffs in this type of discrimination case had to prove they were treated worse than men in similar situations in order to press charges for sex discrimination. But now, EEOC says comparative evidence may no longer be necessary, and managers' biased statements or behaviors could be enough. But at the same time, the guidelines don't protect parents unconditionally; a company can refuse to hire parents as long as the rule pertains to both sexes.
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| Ocular Forum |
Leverage the Power of Others - Join an Ocular Forum
Handle Personal Issues: Small business owners are limited in sharing personal issues. With a peer advisory group your peers are in the same situation and have a high degree of empathy.
Sounding Board: A peer group acts as an informal board of directors and an opportunity for real-world experience sharing.
Overcome Isolation: It can be a very lonely being the owner of a small, growing business. Your friends and family do not understand the issues you face. You cannot confide in your employees. However, every business owner in your peer group has the same sense of isolation and can offer support.
Improve Odds of Success: Business success takes vision and insight. Your peer group can help you turn your focus away from the day-to-day issues and look at the bigger picture that can have a major impact on your company.
With a vision, a proven process and peer support you will fundamentally transform your results not just once, but forever; guaranteed.
If you're a small business owner and are tired of going it alone, get support on your road to success. We business owners don't have the luxury of taking the summer off so the next Ocular Forum begins July 17th. - Download a Membership application and fax to me at 207-221-3127. Applications are due June 29. For more information call 207-221-3492 or go www.OcularForum.com for more information. |
| Write Right & Compel to Sell |
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How compelling is your writing? Writing is a critical business skill. When you think about it, writing impacts every part of your business from marketing and advertising to client service, employee communications and contract negotiations. If your writing isn't getting the message across in the right way you are either wasting your time, your money, your reputation or all three.
Even the most educated people tend to have lower reading levels, so unless you're writing for an audience of English professors a good rule of thumb is to write for an 8th grade reader. This doesn't mean "dumb it down"; what it does mean is to keep it real and keep it active; especially your marketing material.
Compare these sentences:
"You will create an action strategy for success."
to
"An action strategy for success will be created."
Which sentence has the energy?
Compelling content is also short and concise. Winston Churchill was known for his inspiring and compelling speeches, right? It is said that his speeches rated at a 5th or 6th grade level. Compare these sentences:
"War is hell." - Winston Churchill
to
"Combat overseas creates many horrific situations." - I made this up.
You "get it" in Churchill's 3-word sentence; concise, compelling. The second sentence; well, it doesn't communicate with the same intensity or personal feeling.
So, now for the cool thing: Microsoft Word has a readability tool that can help you improve the readability of your copy. In Word go to Tools - Options - Spelling & Grammar; Select "Check Grammar with Spelling box and check "Show Readability Statistics". Now every time you run spell check a grammar box will come up with statistics. At the bottom of the box you'll see the percentage of passive sentences (remember active is better) and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level. For most marketing material the lower the percentage of passive sentences the better and a grade level between a 7 and 9.
Be compelling and Be BOLD!
FYI - this article has 8% passive sentences and a grade level of 7.1. |
| Digital Research - June's BOLD Subscriber |
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Based on the statistics I get from Constant Contact I know that of 4648 emails I send out, on average only 1633 (36.6%) of you will open it. I know that the average "open rate" (independent of industry specifics) is 37%, so my results are in line with others.
But knowing "what" my results are doesn't mean I know "why" they are. And the "WHY" is the business of this month's BOLD Subscriber, Digital Research. Digital Research, Inc. (DRI) is a full-service marketing research firm providing clients with reliable primary research data and analysis.
We all know the importance of a business plan to running a successful business,  right? The biggest "Ugh" I hear from my clients when we begin to work on their plans is "Ugh! All those numbers and research! Is this really necessary?" Yes - if you want to make informed decisions. And lucky for everyone, there are businesses out there like Digital Research who will do all that research and number crunching for us.
So this month, be BOLD and be informed. Hug a researcher! Find one at DRI. |
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That's it for June. Please let me know how you like it and if there's a topic you would like featured. And, as always, please pass this on to someone you think may enjoy it.
Warmly,
Lynnelle |
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Bold Vision Consulting | 819 Broadway; B3 | South Portland | ME | 04106
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