Lisa Trank Biz Mix

I’m annoyed.

The source of today’s annoyance? Well, lots of things, such the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster, or why summer school breaks have to be such a strain on working families. But at this moment, what’s got my dander up is an email newsletter I received from a prominent work search company geared toward out-of-work males. How it ended up in my inbox is a bit of a mystery, but the article is a pithy and presumably well-intentioned communication unemployed men gain the upper hand in today’s  job market, which is equally tough on both genders of a certain age – 50 and up. The guide includes helpful hints for hiding how old you really are such as:

Removing graduation dates;

Adding special interests such as sports to boost your persona of virility and youth;

Erasing any jobs or job experience from 10 years back or more.

But the helpful hint that really stuck in my craw?

Update your physical appearance.

I guess for men this means getting to the gym a little more often and using one of those hair products advertised on TV. You know the ones where the lonely 50ish guy is sitting at home with graying hair and by applying this wonder product, said lonely 50ish guy is miraculously able to find the perfect job, the perfect partner – the perfect life? The commercial’s not so subtle message? Showing your age will leave you alone and unable to keep or find a job.

I just don’t get it. How did our workplace become an environment where experience, proven track records, professional standing and a few well-earned gray hairs turn into the new “don’t ask, don’t tell”?

I recently had the privilege of sitting in a series of interviews for a VP-level position at an organization where I’m doing some PR consulting work. With the exception of one person, every candidate that walked through the door had at least 10-15 years of solid experience specific to the job description. I, along with the other interviewers, saw this bounty of experience as a good thing, and we were overwhelmed by how many qualified people live in our area. We were relieved that we could make a hiring decision based on more subtle decisions of style and how that person would fit with the mission and vision of the organization, rather than struggling to find one with the right level of experience.

A highly qualified and experienced colleague who has been on an aggressive job search for more than a year related a response she got from a hiring manager when she applied for a “creative” position within their organization. She was told that they were looking for a “punk rocker, spiky haired, multiple pierced” kind of candidate. Without missing a beat, because that’s the kind of lightning wit that comes with age, she said, “You mean, younger?” The hiring manager weakly smiled and thanked her for her time.

Sure, I’ve read the articles on how expensive it is to hire “older” workers, from salary and promotion expectations, to being set in our ways, to being technology-challenged, to more health-related needs that could impact benefit payouts. My response to that? Baloney.

In my ideal workplace of today, I’d like to see a true intergenerational mix since both younger and older workers have much to learn from one another and both bring a different and equally important energy that can enrich the work environment.

But for now, it appears that older workers and older out-of-workers have a choice. We can either sweep all that we have worked for under the rug, dress younger and sweat harder, or we can stand up in our cubicles and declare our age for the workplace world to hear. Our generation has impacted huge societal shifts, so why shouldn’t we expect that we could have the same kind of impact on hiring and employee retention practices that are downright unfair and discriminatory? We should expect more of ourselves and quite frankly, our professional livelihoods depend on us not hiding our experience, but boldly bringing it into every interview.

In the meantime, I can’t wait to read the forthcoming “How Old Do You Look? A Job Search Guide for Women.” Somehow, I expect to see Botox and cleavage in the opening paragraph.

*The first five business owner readers to respond with the correct musical reference hidden in the article title will receive a free one (1) hour consultation with Lisa Trank, One Purpose PR & Communications.

Lisa Trank is owner of One Purpose PR & Communications, a sustainable public relations, social media and communications firm founded in 2007. Lisa has called Longmont home for close to 10 years and is thrilled to be running her business and raising her family here.

Lisa Trank Biz Mix

I love to garden. I don’t know if I’m any good at it, but I try hard and only the season will tell whether my efforts will reap a bountiful harvest. As I’ve been planning my vegetable and flower plots, I’ve been struck by how many similarities there are between sowing a garden and building a business.

Preparing the soil: Sometimes, we have to learn the hard way. After too many gardening disasters where I’ve just stuck some starter plants into the dirt, I’ve learned how important it is to prepare the soil. So I’ve grown to love the early steps of digging, pulling dandelions, turning the soil over and being thrilled at the sight of earthworms. We’re lucky in our house because our kids attend an Eco-cycle Green Star school. Over the last two years we’ve been the recipients of the richest compost that has come from the school’s cafeteria. I’ve watched my clay-packed, unyielding dirt turn into rich soil with just a few shovels of compost. How does this relate to business? I like to think of the days before opening a business as being the time we are preparing the soil. The digging? Market research. Pulling dandelions? Lead generation. Earthworms? Finding the folks who help pave your way.

Designing the garden: Every spring, I get a vision of my garden, from the vegetables I imagine sinking my teeth into, to the cheery flowers I want to welcome our friends, family and neighbors. I walk around our front and back yard and assess what survived from last year, what needs replacing and what needs to be re-imagined. One of the most important decisions I made when planning both the vegetable and flower gardens was to make them sustainable, water-responsible and easy to maintain. These goals are not too dissimilar to how I planned and run my consulting business and I’d suggest that the time we take in planning our gardens would be a wise approach to starting and running your business.

Planting the seeds: This year I tried something different and began a sprouting garden. Three flats of seeds became three flats of buds and every day my family watched with excitement and patience to see which seeds were sprouting. After a few weeks, we tenderly planted the sprouts, only to have one last Colorado spring snow hit hard. After the snow melted, we waited to see which little sprouts made it and which didn’t. About half of the sprouts survived. When we start a business from scratch, many of our early efforts reach fruition and some end up like some of my little sproutlings. There are lessons to learn from both our successes and failures and we have to plan for both.

We are lucky to live in a community that is home to so many wonderful local farmers and I’m constantly talking to them about their techniques at the Farmer’s Market, as well as how they weather the good and the down times. There’s much to learn from a life dedicated to living in rhythm with the earth, and we can take the lessons from our gardens into our businesses. Happy gardening!

Lisa Trank is owner of One Purpose PR & Communications, a sustainable public relations, social media and communications firm founded in 2007. Lisa has called Longmont home for close to 10 years and is thrilled to be running her business and raising her family here.

Lisa Trank Biz Mix

As a marketing professional, I’ve written plenty of print and electronic newsletters and receive more than my inbox can handle. Electronic newsletters are a great way to disseminate information, share knowledge, spread the news about your product, business or services. They also are a great way to generate prospective new customers and create brand loyalty among existing ones.

Unfortunately, all too often, e-newsletters are deleted before they even get read for some very basic, avoidable, reasons. I’ve put together a top 10 list of basic rules to consider when creating your electronic communications that will get and keep your newsletter at the top your customers reading list:

Less is more: When it comes to content, remember that your customers are as busy as you are, so keep the number of your articles to no more than three per issue. Launching a new product or business service? Let that be your lead story, or another item you’d like your readers to remember, such as new employees, awards or articles featuring your company. If you’re overflowing with content ideas, don’t cram it all into one issue or you’ll overwhelm (and lose) your readers. Instead, catalogue your ideas into an editorial calendar for a more strategic publishing approach.

Grab the spotlight: Spend time on creating catchy article titles and with attractive images that support your storylines, or tape a two-minute video describing your new product, promotion or contest. Your readers will appreciate the variety and you’ll get to showcase your multi-media know-how.

Stand out from the crowd: Your e-newsletter is a terrific way to support your brand integrity and fluidity. While you can opt for a template, creating a custom one won’t take that much more effort and will drive home your company’s look and feel into your customers and prospects inbox.

Generosity is key: Your electronic newsletter is a terrific way to display your level of expertise. Strengthen that image with a well-placed and timely white paper that is free to download for your subscribers for free. Make sure you include a way for your subscribers to share your paper on the various social media outlets, with an option that Constant Contact, iContact or any of the other online communications publishers have to offer.

Be a gracious host: Even the most creative writers can use a break once in a while and so can your readers. Invite an expert in your field, or link to another article of interest (with the writer’s or publisher’s permission) for a variety of voices and points of view.

Be an educated subscriber: If you want others to read your newsletters, sign up for e-newsletters from those in your industry, as well as your competitors and other small business owners. Through seeing what works for others, as well as what doesn’t, chances are you’ll find inspiration for your own online publications.

Be respectful: This is my own personal pet peeve: always ask permission before adding someone to your electronic newsletter distribution list. Most of the time if you ask, you’ll receive a yes, but don’t assume that because you’ve exchanged business letters that this entails an agreement to receive your e-newsletter.

Track your moves: Take the time to create a search engine optimized (SEC). Create plenty of chances for readers to contact you with a clearly placed contact information.

Consistency is everything: At the same time you’re creating your editorial calendar, create a publishing calendar that works with your overall business. The best way to create reader loyalty is to deliver worthwhile content on a regular business.

Inspire action: Give your readers plenty of opportunities to take action, which should be one of the goals of your electronic communications. From promotions to downloadable content, to surveys or invitation for events, your newsletter can be a great way to prompt your subscribers to email, pick up the phone or stop by your brick-and-mortar shop. One of the most important features to include is the simple opt-in or forward button. And don’t forget an unsubscribe option, which is required by most online communications publishers. Add in an incentive for your readers to forward your newsletter and you’ve created a win-win situation for you and your subscribers.

Electronic newsletters are an effective and inexpensive way to stay in touch with your customer base, as well as create content that can be re-purposed on blogs, direct mailers, or other communication collateral. With proper planning, your e-newsletter can be one of your most valuable tools and one that your customers will actually look forward to opening!

Lisa Trank Biz Mix

At my heart, I’m a writer. Whether writing this column, press releases, corporate sponsorship letters, web content or even those persnickety 140-character messages for Twitter, I work to craft my words that clearly communicate my client’s message, or my own thoughts and beliefs.

Perhaps my bias is showing, but I’m of the belief that solid writing is one of the most important skills in creating and sustaining your business success. I’m amazed at how many business owners I come across who feel uncomfortable putting pen to paper, or fingertips to keyboard, to articulate their business vision to the customers, or to themselves.

For four years, I taught composition, creative writing and research-based writing at Front Range Community College. My students ranged from those just graduated from high school to those returning to school to either finish a degree they began years before, as well as those who were seeking to develop a new career track. The biggest lesson I learned during this experience was that the majority of my students had a high level of sophistication in their ideas, but needed support in learning to organize and articulate those ideas. Once we were able to bridge that gap, the transformation in their ability to clearly communicate their ideas into well organized compositions was amazing.

Writing is a skill that you learn early and use your entire life. As a business owner, if you lack the confidence in your ability to put your business purpose, product or service into clearly expressed language, don’t fret. It’s never too late to learn, or brush up on your written communication skills. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started in becoming the writer your business needs you to be:

Free up your inner writer: Like anything else, writing only gets stronger the more you practice it. To get your writing muscles in shape, start your day with 10-15 minutes of free writing about your business. Have a new product you’re thinking of bringing to market? Put pen to paper and let the creative juices flow. What might look like scribbling could end up not only being the stuff your dreams are made on, but could also serve the purpose of providing necessary written documentation for intellectual property, patenting processes and copyright protection.

To thine own self be true: The same spark that got you started in your venture can provide the tone for your business writing style, which should reflect the overall look, feel and experience of your company’s product, service and vision. Learn to listen to your business voice and begin to learn to capture it in your brochures, web copy and white papers.

Write a sentence, save a buck: The better your writing skills, the less you’ll have to rely on outside sources to communicate your business for you. Even if you choose to outsource your business writing, the stronger your writing skills are, the more likely you’ll be able to cut down on rounds of edits and control your business message.

Read, baby, read: I’m a huge believer that the better the reader, the better the writer. Head to your public library and pour through the business section. Find a business writing style you like and emulate it until you begin to create your own writing voice.

My favorite tip for becoming the business writer you are meant to be? Ask for help! Our community has many resources for helping you strengthen your writing skills. Most of them are very affordable and can be considered business training or continuing business education.

Investigate what’s available and seek out the training you need to be a confident business owner, on and off the page. Your business deserves no less.

Lisa Trank is owner of One Purpose PR & Communications, a sustainable public relations, social media and communications firm founded in 2007. Lisa has called Longmont home for close to 10 years and is thrilled to be running her business and raising her family here.

Lisa Trank Biz Mix

Perhaps because it’s Sunday evening and I’m waxing nostalgic for a relaxing weekend away from my computer that I find myself pondering how to put balance at the center of my work life. As a consultant, freelancer, independent contractor, or however the self-employed may categorize themseles as in our personal workspace, we know that all too often work comes before everything. That’s what we sign up when work for ourselves, to be on our game every moment we’re awake (and sleeping), right?

Think again.

Finding balance in the midst of establishing, maintaining or growing your business should be as important to your business plan as all the other elements of running your business. However, finding balance is often easier said than done, and definitely hard to put into regular practice.

How do you strike the right balance between work and the rest of your life?  I’ve thought about this quite a bit as I’ve been stepping more firmly back into my identity as an independent consultant, public speaker, business trainer and new product developer. The answers I’ve arrived at boil down to the following:

Is it good for my health? You need to question any aspect of your business, job or project that robs you of your health. By health, I’m talking about how you take care of yourself on a daily basis. In other words, are you eating well and getting regular exercise? Staying healthy is central to keeping your business healthy. Even if it only 15 minutes a day, carve out time to step away from your computer and get your body moving. Your business will benefit from the stress relief and clear headedness exercise brings. Same thing for how you eat. As a solo warrior, you have no one to rely on but yourself, so feed yourself well throughout your busy days and keep your body strong.

Is it good for my family? I’m a mother who works in and out of the home. Any project I consider has to be seen through this lens and that means I look at the time, travel and energy demands of any project I take on. As well, I communicate to my clients that I have a family and that I choose to work around them, not the other way around. Clients appreciate my candor and since many of them are entrepreneurial parents themselves, it establishes a protocol of balance from the beginning of our working relationship.

It is good for my marriage? Just as vital as considering projects as to the impact on my family as a whole, it is just as vital to look at the impact on my primary relationship. Too often, running a business can take so much time and energy that the reason why we’ve taken this leap of faith is not only for our hopes and dreams, but for the ones we love. Remember to make time for your relationships, from your spouse, partner and friends.

Is it good for my finances? When starting your business, it is very common to take advantage of any opportunities that come your way. Yes, sacrifice is part of running one’s own business, but that doesn’t mean you have to undervalue your skills, education and experience to get a foot in the door. Remember that your business must sustain itself (and you) and always weigh the larger cost of working for too little. Establish a firm and competitive set of fees from the moment you hang up your shingle. You can always apply flexibility to those fees, or choose to waive them if you decide to, but always communicate your fee range loud and clearly. Your customers, clients and competitors will appreciate it and understand the value they are happy to pay for.

Finding your purpose in your work is a great gift, but making that gift into a viable career takes a considerable amount of time and energy. Remember to make sure you leave some of that time and energy for the most important part of your business – you. Just finished a long and hard project? After it’s completed, give yourself a few days off to reflect on the project’s success. Just landed a huge contract? Take your family, partner, or dear friends out to celebrate. Have you been working round the clock to meet an impossible deadline? Make an appointment with yourself at the gym, get outside for a walk or take a stress-relieving yoga class.

Will developing the ability to find balance in your work space will make you a millionaire? It may or may not, but I can assure you that a more even-keeled approach to your work life will make you healthier, happier and able to stay in it for the long run. In other words, treat yourself as your best employee – because you are!
Email: lisa.trank@gmail.com