The business landscape has changed fundamentally; tomorrow’s environment will be different, but no less rich in possibilities for those who are prepared. McKinsey & Company, worldwide (former) Managing Director, Ian Davis

A lesson from the (original) Great Depression – opportunities always exist!

Many years ago, I heard a story of a man who became a millionaire during the (original) Great Depression. This banker had lost his fortune and had watched many of his friends capitulate to the circumstances. Faced with unemployment he learned a trade and became a tile layer, he eventually worked his way back up, and was hired to work on the the construction of the Holland Tunnel in New York and got the contract to supply the tiles for the inside of the tunnel….. in the process regaining his wealth.

The Great Depression was a terrible time for many, some would compare today’s economy and the Nation’s battered spirit to that time. I have thought about this story many times lately, and the lesson. In the US, there are always opportunities to make money in ANY economy, you just have to have a little vision and be prepared to grab them.

Your own “Reinvention plan”

The lesson of this story was one of the influences that propelled me to make one of the boldest moves in my life – going back to school to get my MBA in Global Management at Thunderbird. This was part of my “personal reinvention plan” which was spurned by the reality that the industry I had worked in had changed dramatically due to advances in technology, and a bad economy, and that the skills I had carefully honed and the network I had cultivated for over 20 years of my career had (almost) been rendered irrelevant. This was a scary and expensive move, but I am confident that it will pay off over time….

It’s wise to devise your own “personal reinvention plan”, even if you are currently employed and happily doing your job. In this era of the “new economy” you must NOT be complacent or tied to old thinking, and processes. This trap can become the “concrete shoes” that will weigh you down and may eventually sink your career.

As a job seeker, what I am finding more and more, are that the larger companies are:

• Full of “Scared Managers” – terrified that they may loose their jobs. This fear leads to ineffective second guessing every move, and sticking to old tried and true ways.
• “Confused” because they don’t know how to define themselves in this new economy – lot’s of “analysis paralysis” happening.
• Companies are giving lots of “lip service” to “entrepreneurial spirit” and innovation” within their organizations – but not fostering this behavior or hiring the right kinds of people to develop this kind of culture. 

These are MAJOR ISSUES in today’s business environment, that will deeply affect organizations ability to survive and thrive in the long run. Be careful if you are currently employed in one of these organizations. Ask yourself, is my company really poised to thrive in this “New Normal”?

Where are the opportunities?

Now Apple is like the rest of the US – they have no Jobs

With an alarming ZERO NEW JOBS in August and with 14 million people (reported) currently unemployed, and the President’s announcement of the $447b Job Plan…. Where are the good jobs???? The fact is that most lost jobs are being replaced with lower paying jobs.  Still there are some industry sectors that are making gains in good paying jobs. 

• Green collar Jobs: According to, “Sizing the Green Economy” – “The clean economy, which employs some 2.7 million workers, encompasses a significant number of jobs in establishments spread across a diverse group of industries.”

• Consulting - Management and technical consulting services reached a record high in August.
• Health Care – Elderly Services, Therapy, Home Health Care, Mental Health Services, Outpatient Care, Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories, Physician’s Offices and Administration, Optometric and Dental Services, Chiropractors.
• Internet Hosting and Publishing.
• IT - Hardware and software.
• Retail - Brick and mortar retail stores and e-commerce.
• Administrative and Customer Services.
• Software Publishing.
• Education Support Services.
• Passenger Transportation (air and land).
• Daycare (juvenile and adult).
• Writers and Artists. 

Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for “job creators”, this plan is for you.  ~ President Barack Obama, 9/8/11

The news today about jobs and employment picture is no doubt scary and daunting but there are some good stories to tell. Consider this - 28 million small businesses employ 57% of the country’s private workforce, and 60 to 80% of all new jobs come from small businesses. It is expected that job growth will continue to come from this healthy sector.

It’s a Brave New World

Business in the US and much of the world isn’t as “usual”, we will probably never go back to the pre-recession time and the reality is, we must adapt to the “new normal”. Today, we need more than ever to hone that good old fashioned American ingenuity, create new opportunities, because we can no longer rely on the comfort of the corporate giants.

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But Silicon Valley had other ideas, and the bill was shelved last week after 96 Internet giants jumped in with a letter of protest. No matter how tough on crime the Senate wants to appear, when phrases like “fragmenting the Internet’s global domain name system” are being thrown around, they stop and pay attention.

The bill would create a whole new way to go after Internet pirates. The Justice Department would have the authority to designate some copyright-infringement sites (movie downloading sites, mostly) as “dedicated to infringing activities” and shut down their domain names.

They want to shut down domain names! Cracking down on illegal downloading is one thing, but shutting down domain names is pretty extreme. The Internet Engineers’ letter is all about censorship and destabilizing the global DNS, but it’s also worthy of note that the bill recommends punishments far out of proportion to the crime. In the physical world, after all, the FBI confiscates your bootleg DVD and leaves the rest of your stuff alone. Why the double standard?

I’m glad the letter from our 96 rock stars had such an impact. The bill isn’t dead, and will likely be taken up again when the Senate reconvenes in the new year, but the Senators are listening to both sides now.

What do you think of the anti-piracy bill?

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2. Too Much Information on the Internet
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What to do? Here are three things you may want to consider:

• SEO (search engine optimization): Writing with specific keywords in mind is a key to search engine success. Search engines pick up on the words you designate crucial to your business, to help place you at the top when a potential client is searching for you or the kinds or services or products you offer. Don’t be afraid to blog or write multiple articles centering on similar topics – this will only boost your business in the search engines.
• Ghostwriting: Having a professional writer is like having a partner in business you never knew you had. Ghostwriters will work closely with you to successfully market your product. Whether it be for a website, press kit, marketing materials or other services, a good ghostwriter will learn the ins and outs of your business and will be able to get your point across more effectively (and free you up to do what you do best).
• Press Kits: It’s safe to say that e-mailing has become a mainstay of communication, and not just for sending pictures. Building an electronic (“e”) press kit offers a complete PR kit for your business in an easy-to-send file (usually a pdf). Press releases, press clippings, interviews, your bio and other components are compiled in one convenient file. You won’t have to struggle to get the word out about your business – a click of the mouse is all it will take!

Related posts:

1. What is SEO copywriting? (Part 1 of 2)
2. What is SEO copywriting? (Part 2 of 2)
3. Go Green With Your Copywriting – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Want your marketing writing to be more eco-conscious?  Here are some tips:

Reduce. There’s tons to read on the web right now, almost too much for many business people to handle. How do you have your business’ voice heard? Writing distinct, short, easy-to-scan copy allows readers to really understand what you have to say (or what you’re selling), without being long-winded.

Reuse. Have something important to say? Say it more than once! If you want clients to have your message in their heads, put it there and keep it there. Blog posts can turn into informational website articles, and can be submitted to the almost infinite number of article submission sites that go out to the masses every day.

Recycle. This may seem similar to “reuse,” but recycling isn’t always about your own content. Finding information from other sources allows you to expand on subjects you’re most passionate about. Ask experts and colleagues to post guest blogs and write guest columns. Find information and ask the contributor or writer if you can re-print and it for your audience. The Internet is a great source of shared information – use it (honestly, of course) to your benefit for business success!

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1. What is SEO copywriting? (Part 2 of 2)
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3. What is SEO copywriting? (Part 1 of 2)

To make the Google cut, your copy needs to be:

• Relevant: To the topic, to your customers, to the search engine. Google wants to see that you are actually writing about what you say you are writing about, so if you list “travel to Mexico” as a keyword for your page, make sure that travel to Mexico is a theme or idea you discuss on that particular page.

  Trust me, Google will know if you are being tricky – it won’t work and you and your site will be penalized.

• Updated: If the last time you revised your web page or site was 2004, it’s not new or up-to-date. Google likes recency. And that’s the beauty of the online medium – it can be added to or updated almost instantly and constantly.

  News, information, tips, new ideas – whatever you have to say, you can say it. Just make sure you keep your search engine ranking goals in mind at all times.

• More quality than quantity: Good SEO copy is not about making sure that your page or article has XX number of words or XX% of keywords. (Though you will meet tons of people who give you all sorts of percentages and density numbers.)

It’s about using the words you know you need to have in a way that is consistent, relevant, well-written and logical. It’s about following through – focusing on what you are telling Google through your meta tags that you’re going to focus on.

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1. What is SEO copywriting? (Part 1 of 2)
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For the rest of us who always want to learn more, when it comes to natural or organic search engine rankings (as opposed to the kind you pay for, like pay per click), there are a number of issues to consider.

Back in the day, SEO (search engine optimization) copywriting wasn’t something most businesses even knew they were looking for. But all that has changed, and understandably so – these days, who isn’t trying to crack the Google code and catapult themselves and their business to the top of the search engine pages??

Most people do not (please don’t be offended) know how to write good, effective SEO copy – they just don’t. Good SEO copy needs to “speak” to two audiences – the target market who ultimately needs to make a buying decision AND the search engines. Both need to be spoken to within the same copy. And that same copy needs to do its job so well that both groups think that that copy is directed right at them.

A tall order, huh?

Learn more specifically what you need to know about good SEO writing for your website and other online marketing in my next blog entry.

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