We’re just coming off a great teleconference with Steve Boucher, whose official title is “Communications and Legislative Director” for the NH Division of Economic Development, which includes the NH Business Resource Center and is the agency behind NHEconomy.com.

That straight-laced description belies a creative mind. Steve’s main focus is to show savvy business owners the powerful reasons why NH is the best place to produce and profit. Limos, motorcycle sidecars, Segways (and even a failed attempt to use roller-derby girls in an ad campaign for BusinessNH Magazine) are just a few of Steve’s outside-the-box strategies to grab the attention of his Ideal Audience.

It’s a thrill and a joy to find someone like Steve working within a government agency (he’s been with them for nine years now). And to the agency’s credit, Steve says his bosses have been very supportive of his unconventional media visibility tactics.

After our conversation today - which covered a lot of ground in time that seemed to fly way too fast - Steve graced us with this:

“I’m sick as a dog, but this is the best meeting I’ve had all month.”

We feel the same way, Steve! (Except not the “sick as a dog” part. We’re as healthy as Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch, knock on wood.) So we put this together with AhaBizVideo.com for you…

As we learn more and more about what’s available — and possible! —  in this small-but-spunky state, we’re blown away by the biz boosting resources waiting to be discovered and put to work for innovative biz owners. Not the least of which are the great people in these state buildings, working their butts off to pump up the economy and enhance the lives of its residents and business owners.

As Steve says, “This isn’t your grandma’s state government agency.” Thank goodness for that.

Posted in "A-Ha!" NH, "A-Ha!" TV, Agents of Karma, Microenterprises R Us | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 2:17 pm and is filed under "A-Ha!" NH, "A-Ha!" TV, Agents of Karma, Microenterprises R Us. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

You know, life and biz are getting so screwy, so nutty, so unpredictable and wacky and scary and tangled these days, aren’t they? The economy, social networking, Mercury in retrograde…who can soak it all in, let alone keep up with it?

So we just decided to chuck convention once and for all and start having as much fun as possible while doing everything we can to reach like-minded imperfect-preneurs and biz owners who also want to forge the dream life they know they’ve got in ‘em.

That said, we present to you a special series of Public Service Announcements to Fight HCS, or …

Headless Chicken Syndrome: Don't let it happen to you!

As you may have inferred, Headless Chicken Syndrome is a serious affliction that spares few (if any!) small biz owners. Essentially, it’s when we need to get more revenue and results in our biz, but instead of getting smart, focused, and Down ‘n Dirty with our energy and marketing efforts, we run around like chickens with our heads cut off, plowing time, money, and resources into systems and strategies that never pay off.

Or, because everything we do is fueled by a panicked desperation, we don’t have the time or patience to give them a fighting chance to pay off. Believe us, this ruthless Syndrome is a cold, cruel biz killer!

Below you’ll find four, er, unusual videos - each just 30 seconds long. Please:

1. Take a look at all four of them (It’ll take you 2-3 minutes, max)
2. Pick your favorite one
3. In 140 characters or less (in honor of Twitter tweets!), explain in the blog comment field why your favorite is  the best PSA video to advance the awareness of and fight against HEADLESS CHICKEN SYNDROME.

Winner gets our new *Down 'n Dirty Marketing Planning* program...for free!

Everyone — yes, EVERYONE — who takes the time to watch the vids and share a 140-character-or-less opinion on his or her fave by Feb. 15th, 2009 will get a link to the MP3 recording of a teleclass we did in December: “12 Days of Biz Success: A Dozen Must-know Trends & To-do’s for a Powerful, Profitable 2009,” which isn’t available anywhere else…plus our “A-Ha!” Success Kit and a free subscription to our “Inciter” ezine.

AND…

The person who shares the BEST reason or justification for choosing his or her fave HCS video PSA gets the cure for Headless Chicken Syndrome - our brand new ***Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning*** program - absolutely FREE.

And YES, by all means, make fun of them, make fun of us, have a laugh, chuckle, or chortle…It’s pretty obvious we’re more than a little stir crazy in this snowed-in NH winter season.

Ready to get your judge’s hat on? Okay, here you go! (And THANK YOU in advance for casting your vote!)

PSA #1 ==== “HCS: The Silent Killer (FightHCS.com)”

PSA #2 ==== “Imperfect-preneurs: FightHCS.com”

PSA #3 ==== “FightHCS.com (Any Questions?)”

PSA #4 ==== “FightHCS.com (Admit the Problem)”

And in case you’re wondering, we created all the videos sometime between 10pm and 3am last Saturday night with www.AhaBizVideo.com. Yes, we really should consider getting a life, but then we’d have to pay a babysitter.

Posted in Fun With Marketing | 14 Comments »

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 12:58 am and is filed under Fun With Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Yesterday, DeBorah Beatty left a quick comment on our blog post about our 2-for-1 “A-Ha!” Strategy Sessions special offer (which expires 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 31st or for the first 10 people to take advantage of the offer, whichever comes first!). DeBorah’s question was simple, really. She wanted to know how much we charge for these Strategy Sessions. We emailed her directly, and today we’re sharing that email here in its entirety for two reasons:

1. Just in case anyone else has been wondering the same thing.
2. To give DeBorah an extra bit of visibility for asking the question in the first place.

Here’s the deal…

Hi DeBorah,

Thanks for asking about our Strategy Sessions! They’re normally $300 each – full deets are here, and you can reserve your sessions here. To make it easier, I’ve also pasted details about Strategy Sessions below my signature block.

Hey, wanted to let you know that Lani and I really enjoyed your “Five Ways I Will (NOT) Screw Up 2009” blog post. We were surprised neither of us had ever heard of the “Oughta-Pilot” phrase – it’s a good play on words, and very relatable. How’s your “creating a plan and sticking to it” goal? That’s never easy for those of us who enjoy the “bright ‘n shinies”, as you call them. The one we connected with most was your first declaration: “I will not stop just short of success.” Yes! So true.

In fact, we both just re-read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. Have you read it? In it he shares an anecdote about a guy who took off to California with the whole gold rush gang. Unfortunately, he hit some rough patches and ultimately decided he had to throw in the towel. According to Hill’s anecdote, it turns out the guy quit just three feet away from this incredible vein of gold that was worth bazillions. So all through January, Lani and I keep bantering about our own vein of gold, and how we’re determined to dig until we strike it, so to speak. Turns out this has been quite motivating for us, and many exciting opportunities are coming through for us because this whole “We will not stop three feet away from the treasure!” battle cry has kept us focused and gritty in our doggedness. Whatever happens, DeBorah, don’t you dare stop digging!

If you have any other questions, just drop me a line. We hope we have the opportunity to help you discover and dig up your own goldmine, whatever that may be. Think of it this way – you’re a speaker/trainer for a reason. You’ve got things to say and share, and there are people out there who should – and need to! – know your message. Whenever those bright ‘n shinies try to distract you, think of all those people who you’re meant to teach and inspire, and keep going strong.

Best,
Allen (& Lani)

And we sincerely hope YOU are one of the few folks we get to help at our 50% off rate. We don’t know if we’ll be making this offer again this year, so if you’re tempted to take advantage of this opportunity, don’t wait until it’s too late!

One-on-one consulting, a written summary report of the call that includes specific tips and next-step recommendations, and the option to have the session recorded so you can listen to it later…PLUS another FREE session later in 2009, whenever you want or need it. This 2-for-1 opportunity is a really sweet deal, if we do say so ourselves.

Not to mention it’s a great way to help you “A-Ha! Yourself” – put some happy action behind your boldest insights to get your message, mission, and vision OUT THERE to your ideal audience, while getting the revenue and results you want and deserve!

Posted in Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 11:45 am and is filed under Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!". You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

On behalf of the team at Epiphanies, Inc. (namely, us - Lani & Allen), we’d like to wish you a Happy Chinese New Year! To lighten your day, here are a few quick facts about this ancient holiday celebration. Enjoy ‘em just for the heck of it, or feel free to use ‘em for:

• Networking icebreakers
• Inspiration or fodder for newsletters, ezines, articles, news releases, blog posts and tweets
• Sounding timely and witty as you pepper your day’s small talk with these bits of trivia

(Adapted from Wikipedia.)

1. According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or “Year” in Chinese. Villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors and use firecrackers to frighten away the Nian.

2. The Chinese New Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, a practice known as “new-year visits.” Yes, it’s that literal. New clothes (predominantly red! - related to #1 above) are usually worn to signify the new year.

3. 2009 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. This powerful sign is a born leader, being quite dependable and possessing an innate ability to achieve great things. Famous Oxen include Meryl Streep, Margaret Thatcher, Jack Nicholson, Princess Diana, George Clooney and President Barack Obama.

4. Among the customs considered to be good luck on Chinese New Year: Opening windows and/or doors; switching on the lights for the night to scare away spirits of misfortune; eating sweets to ensure a “sweet” year; cleaning the house from top to bottom before New Year’s Day for good luck in the coming year (cleaning the house on or after New Year’s Day is frowned upon).

5. Among the customs considered to be bad luck on Chinese New Year: Buying a pair of shoes; getting a hair-cut in the first lunar month (which puts a curse on maternal uncles); buying (or reading) books; wearing black or white clothes (black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral color).

And there you have it! Hope this is at least mostly fun for you…and if the spirit moves you, please share it with your family, friends, and other contacts who’d enjoy it!

P.S. Speaking of holidays, our “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning” program is only $97 from now until Valentine’s Day. (After that, it goes up to $197.) It’s everything you need to plan your 2009 success in less than a day! Get instant access here and now.

P.P.S. Keep an eye out for our upcoming crusade against “Headless Chicken Syndrome” - or if you want an early preview, check out the faux-PSAs on our YouTube channel. (Warning: They’re stunningly ridiculous.)

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 5:51 pm and is filed under Fun With Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

LACONIA, NH - For a limited time, NH-based social marketing firm Epiphanies, Inc. announced it will offer its signature “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning” program for a significantly discounted price, to help small businesses with quick, painless, and affordable solutions for their business success.

The $197 self-study program, available at http://www.EpiphaniesInc.com/DnDMarketing2009.php, will be reduced to $97 through February 14th, 2009 - a savings of 50%. Those who take advantage of the offer will get instant access to two 70-minute audios recordings of the team’s January 2009 live teleseminar event, related templates, “Cheat Sheets,” sample plans, profit-projecting tools, and more.

“These days, businesses have to be more careful with their money than ever,” explains Lani Voivod, co-owner of Epiphanies, Inc. “That’s why taking focused action is so important. But a lot of people assume ‘marketing planning’ takes 30-page documents, thousands of dollars, and weeks of work, and that’s just not the case.”

In fact, Lani and her husband/business partner Allen Voivod include three different marketing planning templates in their “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning” program, all of which are 5 pages or less, and each can be completed within an hour.

“We’re using the templates ourselves and included them as real-world examples,” adds Allen Voivod. “They’ll work just as well for other motivated-yet-time-crunched solo professionals and small biz owners, too.”

In addition the business tools, marketing resources, and Content Cheat Sheets geared for helping people easily create articles, write news releases, and collect testimonials, the “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning” program also includes a copy of their “New Rules of Shoestring Marketing” audio recording and related cheat sheets as a special bonus.

“Companies can’t afford to get pecked by ‘Headless Chicken Syndrome,’” says Lani. “Running around in a panicked state of desperate marketing just doesn’t cut it. With the ‘Down ‘n Dirty’ program and bonuses, imperfect-preneurs and million-dollar businesses alike can confidently identify the most strategic, cost-effective ways to drive more sales and profits…and plug them into a plan that works for them.”

About Epiphanies, Inc.
Lani & Allen Voivod, The Content Lovers of Epiphanies, Inc., help imperfect-preneurs and million-dollar businesses get down ‘n dirty with their marketing, so they can connect and prosper with the peeps who matter. Get your free “A-Ha!” Success Kit, a one-of-a-kind 7-day ecourse with real-world case studies, posters, and articles designed to thrill, inspire, and rock your world, at www.AhaSuccessKit.com.

###

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 12:45 am and is filed under Press 'n Such. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Now through January 31st, you can reserve one “A-Ha!” Strategy Session with us to get your marketing planning for 2009 ready to roll … and we’ll send you a voucher for a second Strategy Session absolutely free.

This 2-for-1 offer goes to the first ten folks who jump on it, and the “A-Ha!” Strategy Sessions can be used anytime during 2009. Learn more about it and reserve your Sessions today while it’s fresh on your mind.
 
These Sessions aren’t just for marketing planning, either. You can also use your “A-Ha!” Strategy Session to:

• Plan out new revenue stream ideas
• Brainstorm ways to increase your visibility
• Plot out the actions steps to generate new client leads
• Get tips on how to use social networking to boost your bank account
• Sketch out PR campaigns for upcoming sales, events, classes, or product launches for maximum punch
• Identify ways to leverage your existing content and/or marketing assets to get more for your time, money, and resources
• Figure out how to put article marketing, blogging, and media relations to work for your biz
• Get focused feedback on how best to grow, streamline, systemize, or expand your biz

Basically, whatever you think you personally need to improve the revenue and results you create in your business.

Again, here’s the link to take advantage of this 2-for-1 special, and get the information, advice, support, and objective feedback to get focused and powerful with your marketing!

We sincerely hope we get the opportunity to help you grow your business and boost your bottom line!

Posted in Fun With Marketing | 2 Comments »

This entry was posted on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 at 10:57 am and is filed under Fun With Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

“You never do anything with all your heart unless your reason why is big enough.”

–from tonight’s episode of The Biggest Loser.

Posted in Insight + Action | 1 Comment »

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 11:47 pm and is filed under Insight + Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Hiya, good-lookin’. Or as Los Angeles Dodgers sportscaster Vin Scully likes to say, “Hi again, everybody, and a very pleasant good evening [or morning!] to you, wherever you may be!”

You may have heard about this “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning for 2009″ 2-day teleseminar event for a while now, or maybe this is the first you’re hearing of it. Either way, since we’re putting the finishing touches on it (it starts Tuesday January 13th at 1pm Eastern - register here), we thought we’d take a minute to answer some important questions about the event.

1. “I want to attend, but what do I do if I have a scheduling conflict?”

As you might guess, there’s not going to be a time that’s good for every single person who wants to attend. That’s one reason why we’re recording the live calls, and including the digital versions of those recordings as part of the whole “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning” package.

The other reason we’re recording the calls is so you can listen to them again and again - when it’s convenient, when your planning needs a tune-up, or when the next year rolls around!

2. “There’s a ton of free marketing planning information out there. Why sign up for your teleseminar event?”

Some of that information centers around “traditional” marketing plans. You know the ones. They’re 25 pages long, academically thorough, and ultimately intimidating. If you’ve tried doing one before and never finished it, then don’t keep trying something that doesn’t work for you! Find a better solution instead. (Hey, there’s a reason we’ve named this event “Down ‘n Dirty” - it gets to the point, and cuts out all the blather!)

And as for the rest of the marketing planning information out there, well … ultimately what it comes down to is trust. We’ve filtered our information over the years from a number of sources we trust, as well as our own experience as small biz owners with corporate clients. You can do the same for yourself - or you can find someone you trust to be the filter for you. Our goal is to be that filter.

3. “If I don’t sign up for the live event then kick myself after while stewing in a pit of regret, can I still get all the information you’ll be sharing on the calls and in the other materials?”

The short answer is yes - for now. The longer answer is, yes, you’ll still have an opportunity to get the exact same package, but it won’t last long. After January 31st, the price will increase by $50.

Only you know if this Program is right for you. One thing’s for certain, though - all of us need plans to get where we want to go. In life, in business, you name it. Here’s your chance to work a plan that’s smart, quick, and painless. Go for it!

To your continued success,
Lani & Allen

P.S. There are negative old sayings about “things not going according to plan” and “God laughing at people who make plans.” But when you stop to think about it … when has NOT having a plan ever been the better choice?

Please join us for “Down ‘n Dirty Marketing Planning for 2009.” Here’s the link, one more time, so sign up today:

http://www.epiphaniesinc.com/dndmarketing2009.php

Lani & Allen Voivod
Co-owners and Content Lovers of Epiphanies, Inc.
Social Marketing and Success Strategies
for Lifestyle Entrepreneurs and Million-dollar Businesses
www.EpiphaniesInc.com
“A-Ha Yourself!”

Posted in "A-Ha!" Events, Fun With Marketing | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 10:21 am and is filed under "A-Ha!" Events, Fun With Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

(Video created fast, fun, ‘n free with www.AhaBizVideo.com yet again!)

Posted in Fun With Marketing | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 8:20 am and is filed under Fun With Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

(BTW, Lani created this video for free in less than 15 minutes with www.AhaBizVideo.com.)

Posted in "A-Ha!" TV | No Comments »

This entry was posted on Friday, January 9th, 2009 at 10:07 pm and is filed under "A-Ha!" TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.