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Posts from the 'Agents of Karma' Category
June 5th, 2008 by Allen Voivod
 On the right there is Anthony Theos. Anthony’s mother Joy is a lifelong friend of Lani’s, and as a couple we’re good friends with Joy and her hubby Tony. The photo is from 2003, not long after Anthony was born.
If you look close (it’s a small photo, after all), you can see the scar on his chest from where doctors at Children’s Hospital Boston had to open his chest up and operate. I’ll spare you the details - suffice it to say, the Theos family spent Anthony’s first months of life at Children’s Hospital Boston, and the odds of Anthony’s survival were not good at all.
Five years later, you look at Anthony and if you didn’t know it, you’d never be able to guess what he went through. [That's him on the right, with his younger brothers Dominic and baby Luca.] He has a perfect boy’s life, and it’s all because of the people at Children’s Hospital Boston, who took such good care of him.
 This coming weekend is the annual NSTAR Walk for Children’s Hospital Boston, and Lani and I will be walking with the “Awesome Anthony” team to raise awareness and funds for this incredible institution. In the words of Joy and Tony:
As you know, Children’s Hospital Boston is a very special place to us! Each year as this fundraiser approaches, we reflect upon our time spent there. Living the first couple months of Anthony’s life within the walls of this hospital was unexpected and heartbreaking to say the least. Yet, as we look back on the experience so much more stands out in our minds. We are forever grateful to the brilliant doctors and nurses who saved his life while at the same time managed to support and show compassion to us as parents.
The dedicated people who work there continue to make a difference in our lives as Anthony continues with his treatment. His ongoing good health is due to their care! We are thankful to them every day and fundraise so they will be able to conquer the health challenges that we, along with other families, face.
And, our team is growing with each year! We are honored to walk with two other children, Delaney & Maddy, who have been patients at Children’s Hospital. Our three little angels will be walking (or riding) 7 miles to help other children who face challenges smaller and much, much larger than theirs.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
 Help us help them, and Children’s Hospital Boston, with your contribution. Lani and I hope to raise $150 each to the cause. You can contribute under Lani’s name or my name, and please - even it’s just a couple of dollars, every little bit helps. Thank you.
[One more photo for you - that's our son Joe on the left, who'll be doing the Walk with us as well. Anthony's in the middle, Dominic's on the right.]
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January 4th, 2008 by Lani Voivod
Article marketing is one of the three Power Tools — in addition to blogging and news/press releases — we recommend to small business owners on a tight marketing budget because it’s affordable, effective, easy. (Heck, we recommend it for bigger companies, too, since adding informative, relevant content around your field or industry to the online party is a MUST to your searchablility, visibility, and competitive edge.)
 Last week I read a kick-butt blog post from Acorn Creative’s “Chief Nut” Kevin Skarritt and asked him if we could send it out to the world via our preferred article distribution service, www.AhaArticles.com. Being the kind ‘n generous dude he is, he said yes. And yesterday, we were notified by www.EzineArticles.com, one of the most SEO-friendly and popular article libraries, that they liked the article, too.
They sent us the email below. The reason I’m pasting it is because, well, even if this is their standard method of operation, it’s a winning strategy because it makes me feel GOOD. Check it out:
Hello Lani And Allen,
Your article, “Inbound Link Mania - 10 Key Content Strategies to Increase Online Visibility” - has been accepted and added to the EzineArticles.com
directory:
http://EzineArticles.com/?id=902941
You’ve also earned Expert Author status:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lani_Voivod
Your article will be on our high-traffic home page later today:
http://EzineArticles.com/
Your article has also been sent to our exclusive EzineArticles RSS Feed and to our proprietary EzineArticles Email Alert Members.
You are welcome to add one of these special buttons on your website to show that your articles have been featured on
EzineArticles.com: http://EzineArticles.com/XXXXXXX [Not the real link, since I don't think it's public]
For quality control purposes, your article was reviewed by our Associate Editor #40
To Your Article Marketing Success!
http://EzineArticles.com/
 In the realm of small biz marketing, how often do you get to FEEL like something you put “out there” actually made a difference? How often do you get to FEEL like your marketing efforts aren’t in vain? How often do the tools you use actually pat you on the back and let you brag to the world that you’re a recognized EXPERT in the article-writing community?
Of course, this is a GREAT move for EzineArticles.com, too, because they get free marketing. But isn’t that what it’s all about? YOU focus on delivering products, services, and creating a brand with stellar standards and practices that make your ideal audience FEEL SOOOOO GOOD, they willingly and happily brag about you to others in their world?
So, in 2008 and beyond, go ahead — find little things you can do to make every contact with you and your business, your BRAND, as fun, entertaining, and pleasurable as possible. Take an extra 10 minutes to add personal touches to your marketing touches. Whether it’s your outgoing phone messages, your invoices, your signage, etc., take some chances and make your mark.
It’s not only fun, it spreads good stuff in the world…and it’s GOOD for your bottom line.
Posted in Agents of Karma, Fun With Marketing | No Comments »
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on Friday, January 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am and is filed under Agents of Karma, Fun With Marketing.
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April 18th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
THANK YOU to Sue Vachon for saying kind words behind my back to MicroCredit-NH Regional Manager Claudia Needham about the BRAINSTORM + BRAND = BOOM! workshop I did with branding superstar Kevin Skarritt last month. Check it out:
 Hi Claudia:
WOW……powerful, excellent and full of energy. Great seminar, very motivating. Opened a lot of questions up for me and my plan. Need to spend a few days digesting the info and then making some decisions. Love the energy Lani has…it’s good really good and contagious too, so that’s even better. Money well spent. The kind of energy I have been looking for, for a while. Thanks!!
Sue
Bella Beads of Meredith,LLC
38 Main St # 2
Meredith, NH 03253
www.bellabeadsnh.com
1-603-279-1211
If you find yourself in picturesque Meredith, NN, pop on into Sue’s gorgeous boutique for some creative inspiration and fun. (And please tell her I said hello,and thanks again!)
Are you a small biz dynamo who’d like to get more creative AND effective with your own marketing efforts? Sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
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on Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 at 1:19 pm and is filed under Agents of Karma.
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February 1st, 2007 by Lani Voivod
Because it’s so very easy sometimes for small business owners to lose track of why we work so hard when others punch in, punch out, and have a life, I’ve vowed to keep track of kind words in our blog as often as possible.
Recently, Mike Lemire, owner of Everything Wired in Winnesquam, NH, sent me this wonderful message after I spent a few hours talking with him about life, business, niche marketing, cell phone plans, the power of blogging, and why he thought my computer was running slower than a hobbled three-toed sloth on valium:
“From the moment you came into my store, it became fully apparent to me how much value you provide, with no apparent expectation of reciprocation. Like I said to you when you left, “I felt it was ME who received the higher value in services rendered.” I valued all the insights you shot my way, your interactive approach to problem solving, and the very passion in which you do what you do. You really seem to love what you do, and I think you very effectively deliver those solutions!”
Now we just have to reconnect and get him officially started on a powerful plan to make his profits skyrocket in 2007!
(We can do it, Mike. I know we can!)
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business (and get YOUR profits over the rainbow), sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
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on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 at 3:43 pm and is filed under Agents of Karma.
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January 24th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
Okay, this is slightly incestuous, but I had to give a “blod” (that’s a “blog nod”) to my friend and biz associate, Kevin Skarritt.
As I type - and my feverish 4-year-old son is leaning against me in his oozy delirium - Kevin and Allen are creating #2 of FOUR amazing information products that comprise our “Business Breakout 2007” package, available to the public on January 31st! (If you want to find out more - and even get a special deal! - on this exceptional collection of information, go to www.GoNutsin2007.com, sign up for the free special report, and take a look at the “hidden” page on the other side. You don’t want to miss it!)
Despite the fact that he and Allen were burning the midnight oil last night, Kevin took a moment to blog about his post-recording buzz…and say really nice things about us in the process, such as…
This is what Allen and his business partner (and lovely wife) teach to all of their clients. How to create “bold insight and joy-filled action” in your business! They call it “A-Ha-ing” yourself.
If this is how a business owner can feel after a 17 hour day, then COUNT ME IN EVERY DAY. Well, not for the 17 hour part. You know what I mean! Have you A-Ha’d yourself lately??
Since “A-Ha-ing Yourself” is more of an experience than an easy-to-explain concept, this blog entry is a kind and wonderful gift to us. It shows us - and Kevin’s blog readers - we deliver value, we’ve got something special to offer ultra-talented entrepreneurs and business professionals, and perhaps most importantly, that the “A-Ha-ing Yourself” process is understood, appreciated, and adored by those who have experienced it.
Thanks, Kev. You da BOMB, baby!
(And not to be a nag, but do you think I could have my husband home before tomorrow this time?)
Want to increase the number of “A-Has” you have in YOUR life and business? Sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in A-Has in the Ether, Agents of Karma, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 1 Comment »
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on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 at 6:07 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether, Agents of Karma, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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January 20th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
When you’re on the right path, the perfect people come into your life at exactly the right time.
Such is the case with Team Epiphanies (that’s Allen and me) and a dynamo named Claudia Needham.
Claudia is a regional manager for MicroCredit-NH, an extraordinary non-profit dedicated to supporting NH’s microentrepreneurs and its microbusinesses.
Now, if you’ve never heard any of these “micro” terms, you’re going to be shocked when I tell you what Claudia told me:
87% of NH businesses are micros, and 85% of ALL businesses in the U.S. are, too. (!!!)
According to MicroCreditNH.org:
Employs between 1-5 people, including the owner
Has gross sales from $1 to $500,000
Requires under $35,000 for start-up
Claudia recently asked me if I’d like to do a “brainstorming for business” session for an all-day workshop sponsored by MicroCredit in March. (Would I? HECK YEAH!)
We met this week to discuss the workshop. After three hours of talking about businesses, practicums (Claudia’s getting her Masters degree in Organization and Management, with a focus on how to truly live a balanced, non-segmented life and business. She uses the phrase “Lifestyle Entrepreneur,” and I love it. She’s a BRILLIANT woman), goals, marketing, best practices, local talent, regional resources, and pretty much everything under the sun EXCEPT the details of the workshop, we had to part ways.
Yesterday she sent me an awesome email - the kind I LIVE to get - and she said I could share it with you here:
Lani,
Thank you so much for yesterday! I had another “epiphany” this morning of astounding proportions! I’m still processing! You gave me a huge gift yesterday - believing in me in ways I don’t think about myself. Still processing all of that too.
Can’t wait until we talk about the workshop! Have a great day!
I can tell we’re all going to learn so much together over the coming years, and become integral to our business success, intellectual growth, and general well being.
Thank YOU, Claudia!
The MicroCreditNH site has some fantastic resources for anyone running or thinking of starting a new business. And if you’re in NH, I recommend you join one of their business groups and get in on the MicroCredit action ASAP!
Oh, and don’t miss the March workshop, featuring me, Claudia, and “Chief Nut” Kevin Skarritt: BRAINSTORM + BRAND = BOOM!
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Agents of Karma, Microenterprises R Us | No Comments »
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on Saturday, January 20th, 2007 at 9:58 am and is filed under Agents of Karma, Microenterprises R Us.
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September 28th, 2006 by Lani Voivod
 The Internet is a pretty cool tool, no doubt about that. But you know what one of its coolest - and sadly, least utilized - features is?
Using this ”right here, right now” technology to say nice things to people you come across during your online excursions.
Take Rebekah Shores, for instance.
Earlier this month, Rebekah took a moment to say some really nice stuff to us. Now, Rebekah’s a busy woman. She’s the Director at ReBiz Creative Services, a marketing firm based in Orange County that handles everything from market analysis to web services to PR campaigns.
Yet despite all this, she went off the billable grid to make this kind connection:
I just found your website from michael port’s link, and I LOVE your character and personality. I’ve just launched my own marketing company for startup and small biz here in SoCal, and you two have just set the bar for me on self expression and personal passion coming through to your clients. Thank you!!
Isn’t that sweet?
And in turn, now I have the opportunity to say “THANK YOU” to Rebekah on our beloved blog.
The Golden Rule, E-Style. It’s not only good for the Great St. Peter Check List in the sky, it’s good business practice, too.
(Don’t you just love technology?)
Posted in Agents of Karma, Fun With Marketing, Mood Boosters | No Comments »
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on Thursday, September 28th, 2006 at 4:37 pm and is filed under Agents of Karma, Fun With Marketing, Mood Boosters.
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August 25th, 2006 by Lani and Allen
Six-time winner of Forbes Magazine’s “Best of the Best” Award, Acorn Creative tapped us to give their new website (being launched next week) the fresh voice and vigor it deserves for the company’s bold new direction.
Late last night, we delivered our first round of copy. And this morning, as we were listening to Acorn’s “Chief Nut” Kevin Skarritt (pictured) heap piles of compliments onto our work over the speakerphone, we were literally dancing around our little home office. Oh, it feels good to get it right on the first time - AND to give incredibly talented companies the words to express the amazing things they do!
And as if that wasn’t enough, Kevin agreed to leave a message for us on our testimonial line. Isn’t he the greatest?
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on Friday, August 25th, 2006 at 11:31 am and is filed under Agents of Karma.
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This coming weekend is the annual NSTAR Walk for Children’s Hospital Boston, and Lani and I will be walking with the “Awesome Anthony” team to raise awareness and funds for this incredible institution. In the words of Joy and Tony:
Help us help them, and Children’s Hospital Boston, with your contribution. Lani and I hope to raise $150 each to the cause. You can contribute under Lani’s name or my name, and please - even it’s just a couple of dollars, every little bit helps. Thank you.
