My friend and colleague Keri Lehmann offers a 6th idea killer!
6.  Dismiss the Idea Right Away Because You Think It Won’t Make Any Money.
How many times has an idea, still in its infancy, been abandoned because “the voice of REASON” asks: but how will this make money?  Some of the most inspired and successful businesses [...]

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I was working with a client this morning when we started laughing about an unfortunate and humbling experience: Killing a Great Idea. Here are my top tips (from personal experience, unfortunately, and from my clients’):
1. Demand It Be Successful Immediately. Think of your idea as a newborn baby.  Sweet, precious, and needing nurturing.  It [...]

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Today, a dear friend sent me this article.  (Thanks Susan!)  If this isn’t a shining sign of the times, I don’t know what is.

Sarkozy Wants Happiness Used as Economic Indicator
By EMMA VANDORE, AP Business Writer PARIS – France plans to include happiness and well-being in its measurements of economic progress, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said [...]

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I used to practice law, and as everyone knows, law is a very left-brain career.   Lots of analysis and linear thinking without a lot of room for the right brain skills of artistry, empathy, inventiveness, and big-picture thinking.  Little did I know when I left the practice of law in order to [...]

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Jim Collins, the author of the books Good to Great and Built to Last was recently interviewed in Inc. magazine.  One of the questions Collins was asked is how he defines entrepreneurship.  His answer was  this:
“I see entrepreneurship as more of a life concept. … You can take a paint-by numbers approach or you can [...]

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I’ve been using Concept Draw’s Mind Mapping software and love it.  It works on both Mac & Windows platforms and has cross-platform capability.  So I can create a map on my Mac and send it to my Window’s-owning business partner for updates, comments, etc.  It’s very easy to use.  Highly recommend trying the 30-day free [...]

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Q. From what you observe, what is today’s top challenge for women business owners?
A. So much of human interaction has migrated to the web, so businesses must, too. Bottom line: women business owners have to have a web-based presence and must know how to use social media to their advantage.
Read more of the interview here

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There’s a question that many business leaders like to ask each other:  “What keeps you up at night?”  I seriously dislike that question.  It implies that it’s a sign of  great success to be insanely obsessed, lying awake and worrying about business.  That question neither inspires nor brings out the best in me.
[Don't get me [...]

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I developed a habit early in life.  It seemed to serve me well….until one day it really didn’t.   The habit:  thinking, saying, and believing that “I have to _____”.  Fill in the blank with anything.  Go shopping.  Clean my office. Return phone calls.  Review my P&L.  Brush my teeth.
From the mundane to the important, I [...]

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If you haven’t heard of Zappos, you need to know about this company — both from a consumer and a business owner’s perspective.  I do realize that it’s more than a little weird to have a crush on a company, so let me explain.

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