Category Archives: Business Tools

How to Use Google Plus for Business

August 2, 2011 – 9:55 am
google-plus-business

Recently, I have been asked by my clients on how they can use Google Plus for their businesses while waiting for the business pages to be opened to the public. Here is my post for Overdrive Interactive giving my thoughts: In just one month Google+ has continued its exponential growth reaching 20 million users last week. A few days ago, Google removed several business accounts from Google plus (such as Ford and Sesame Street), but left other brands such as Mashable (because it transferred the brand to a person – Pete Cashmore) to play in beta. Though there has been an announcement that Google+ will be open to the public shortly, many businesses are wondering when they can create their own proper business page. Let’s explore the importance of preparing your brand for that eventuality and some things you can do in the mean time to prepare. The Importance of Google+ for Brands So why should your brand really care about being on another social platform anyway?  Is this just another channel for engagement? Well, if you care about your company’s online reputation and its search ranking, consider these things: Google Plus VS. Facebook Facebook faces a major challenge from [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

7 Ways to Help Women in Technology

July 19, 2011 – 11:04 am
women and technology

This weekend, I came across two articles that made me step back for a moment. The first was the Wall Street Journal’s blog post, “Addressing The Lack of Women Leading Tech Start-ups.” In the post, WSJ tries to address the question of “Where are all the women in tech?” They mention that there is no shortage of opinions about the issue but the core of the article isn’t really being addressed. It must be noted overall that equality has come a long way even in the short time that I have been in the professional world. Where the disparity seems to be is why there are so few women in the technology industry. The next article I came across was a TechCrunch response by Michael Arrington entitled, “ Too Few Women In Tech? Stop Blaming The Men.” In the article, Arrington tries to sympathize with the issue but is fed up with the blame game. Can you blame him? I don’t. Below is an infograph compiled by Socialcast.com that looks at a number of dimensions in the technology industry comparing male vs female ratios. A few key insights: According to Dow Jones VentureSource, 11% of U.S. firms with venture-capital backing in 2009 [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (6)

How to Breed a Team of Innovators

July 13, 2011 – 12:01 pm
innovation-island-building

It’s been several months since the Our Revolution road trip, but the experience has stayed with me and often finds its way into my conversations with others. Although Our Revolution is about promoting social change with revolutionary ideas and actions to change perceptions in lives in communities, my friend Lucas asked me an intriguing question – “How did the experience change you?” I have to say that in retrospect, one of the most important takeaways I have from the road trip was an improved technique for coming up with innovative solutions. The technique is similar to what Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, says, “We run the company by questions, not answers.” Innovation does not spring up out of nowhere. Innovative solutions and answers come first by asking the right questions.  The Our Revolution road trip was full of questions that needed answers. How can we improve a situation? And when you ask a question, it stimulates conversation. It is out of these conversations that come innovation. To stimulate innovation within your team, you need to create a culture of questioning. Here’s how: 1. Set an Example – The behavior of team members always gravitates to the behavior of their leaders. [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Freelance

July 6, 2011 – 9:44 am
how to freelance workfree work free

“If I had seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” -Issac Newton I’ve been down in D.C. for the week and have met a ton of interesting people, many of which are freelancers who are trying to build their businesses. Each of them wanted to know how what secrets I had for them. I have no secrets (expect be prepare to work your butt off and love it), but I can share what I have learned. Here are some items on How to Freelance: I. Fuel : Why Drinking Coffee is Great for You Before you begin, make sure you are energize and ready to take on the world.  Here is a few reasons why coffee is a great way to start you day and get you ready to build your business. To read the article, click here. II.  The Idea: How to Start a Million Dollar Business Every business, even a freelance one starts with an idea. Here are a few ways to find that idea and start a million dollar business. To read the article, click here. III. Freelancer Toolkit: 201+ Amazing Tools and Resources for the Freelancer Every freelancer and small [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

The Importance of Transmedia Storytelling to Your Brand

June 8, 2011 – 11:33 am
browncoats-redemption_janae

The following post is an article for Sparksheet, on brands and transmedia. Below is the extended version of the article. What is it about a great story that stays with us? In its simplest form, storytelling is an act of cultural preservation – from drawing on a cave wall to commenting on a friend’s Facebook status, the process of sharing information between two people is an innate part of being human. But in an age where the distribution and sharing of stories across multiple channels is increasingly accessible (and people’s attention spans even more divided as a result), how do organizations get their stories out to an increasingly fragmented audience? Enter Transmedia. A Transmedia refresher Transmedia storytelling, as explained by JWTIntelligence, “involves narrative threads tailored for different channels (from mobile to big screens, from social to traditional media) and audiences (gamers, readers, Tweeters, etc.)…For brand marketers, this means that rather than striving for consistency across multiple touchpoints, the goal is for different channels to communicate different things (within the overarching strategy), with an emphasis on putting the brand community at the center.” A popular example would be the companion media to 2003’s Matrix Reloaded. The Animatrix, an original series of [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Start a Million Dollar Business

May 13, 2011 – 9:23 am
start a million dollar business spark and hustle ja-nae

Yesterday I spoke at Spark and Hustle, on “No Money, No Excuse.” I love when I can share with people tips and resources that are in “How to Start Your Business with $100” and even my personal story. For example, I was on a Skype call yesterday while one of my coaching clients. He knows that I advise companies on open innovation and sustainability, but he wanted to know the million dollar question: How can a person start a million dollar business? At least he got right to the point!  But this is a good question that I encourage people to ask bluntly.  While creating a million dollar business is not easy, I believe starting a million dollar business is easier than most people think.  If you just have a great idea and a willingness to start, then you’re further along than most potential millionaires will ever get.  So, here are some of my best tips for anyone who is ready and willing to start a million dollar business: Actually Make an Attempt.  Groupon.com was started by a guy in his basement a couple years ago.  Recently, Google offered to buy the company for billions of dollars.  Many reactions to [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Read Body Language

May 10, 2011 – 10:15 am
how to read body language janae ja-nae the freelancer lifestyle design

My friend Jen is in town for the Opera America conference this week. She and I had dinner at the hotel where the conference is being hosted, when all of a sudden, we were surrounded by attendees and colleagues. We found ourselves in the middle of an impromptu networking event. I love being a spectator at gatherings like these because it allows me to observe what people are REALLY saying to you…..with their bodies. The body communicates much more information about how we are feeling than we do verbally. Most of the time, we are not even aware of the signals and signs we are giving off. Here are a few ways to read body language and improve your own: Mirror: If you have a strong connection with someone, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. If you would like to enhance the connection, proactively mirror the person. If she leans in, then you might lean in. If he puts an arm over the chair next to him, you may want to wait a few minutes and then do the same. However, do not mirror too much. If it is obviously that you are mimicking the other person, it [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Language, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

How to Recognize Opportunity

May 5, 2011 – 10:20 am
opportunity the freelancer janae lifestyle design

I have known Sam for years. But I also haven’t seen him in awhile, so getting together for a cup of coffee sounded great to me. Sam is getting his MBA at a well-known institution in Cambridge (there are really only two choices, so I will let you decide which one you think he goes to). He was walking me through the curriculum when I asked, “What is the objective of most of these classes?” He looked at me like I had four heads and responded, “To solve problems, of course.” That’s when it occurred to me that this program (and many MBA programs) has it all wrong. Life and in this case, business, isn’t about just solving problems. It is about recognizing opportunities. Those opportunities can come in many forms: some are where to present change and innovations. Some opportunities allow us to capitalize on a system that is currently working and integrate it into other areas or create derivatives of that model. That was why part of the Our Revolution team went on the road: to find the models that were working and share them with the world, so others could use them. Not everything is broken. There [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

It’s Obvious

May 4, 2011 – 11:23 am
it's obvious janae the freelancer lifestyle design

Jeff was looking for his glasses…again. This was the 3rd time this week. He had to find them and find them quickly because he was going to be late for a meeting. So, the search was on. He went through everything on his desk. He searched through his bags, tore up the living room, his bedroom and to no avail. “My jacket!” They must be in my jacket.” he scurried his way to the black jacket hanging there on the coat rack. He turned every pocket inside out. Jeff even shook the jacket. Nothing. After about forty-five minutes of searching, Jeff sulked down onto the couch furious with himself. As he glanced through the window, he caught something within the reflection. He saw a little glimmer from atop his head. He slowly reached up and realized that what he has been searching for had been with him the entire time. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Most of the time, the answers we are looking for are right in front of us or within us. Keeping your eyes, ears and minds open to what is around you can help you find the resources you need or the [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

How to Be the Change You Wish to See In the World

May 3, 2011 – 12:20 pm

Every choice that you make impacts not only you, but others. Some you know and some you don’t know. How do you make the right choices? How can one person empower others to make a positive change; to turn ones life around and be the change they wish to see in the world. Last week, I spoke on Creating Revolutions: How to Be the Change You Wish to See to the South Shore Women’s Business Network (great group). Here is the video of my talk. Check it out: Are you ready for YOUR Revolution? Tell me about what you’re doing. Tell me how you’re changing the world. Create a video, entitle it “It’s MY Revolution!” and post the link within the comments of this blog or on my Facebook page. I will then post videos that I see in an upcoming blog post. Cannot Wait to Hear from you! Related Posts: The Power of Vulnerability Why I Started Our Revolution Creating Revolutions, Reinventing a City, and My Story The Revolution: 7+ Things To Learn from Tunisia, Egypt, and Iran

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)