Have you ever felt like you have reached your limits? Whether it shows in your writing, business creation or time management – you are not alone! Below, learn how to develop strategies that will make you feel more productive, take your adventure to the next level and keep you in line – we’ll even tackle the stuff that keeps you up at night. Let Karen Post and the Oddpodz team lead the way.

1 – Does branding countries, government programs and leaders really matter? 3 part series that includes insight, strategy and recommendations.
2 – How to quickly sway opinion, sell product & make a point – with wordplay Metaphors can make a difference.
3 – Energize your entrepreneurial engine. Attend 3-day conference in Tampa. Engage in networking opportunities with students from all over the country as well as business professionals.
4 – Entrepreneur essentials – Bandwidth limits, saying no and time off. There are only so many hours in a day, what will you do with them?

For last weeks wrap up, click here.

Also, don’t forget to check out:
Slimy scam, smart business model or insightful day?
3 smart chicks, 10 ideas to breed more loyal blog readers
Greenwashing and other recycled business sins

Karen Post and the Oddpodz team are back on American soil, had a great time and took away many lessons learned. To view last weeks wrap up, click here.

1 – An airport restaurant so good, you will beg for a longer layover. Great food in Atlanta, only a plane ride away.
2 – Last minute gigs, Nigeria, branding adventures in Africa. Part 1 of a global branding adventure.
3 – Paparazzi, plantains and petrol. Part 2 is packed with lessons learned.
4 – Do you hate computerized customer service as much as I do? Make sure your phone system isn’t annoying your customers.

Also, be sure to check out:
our Get publicity Ta-Do list
I’m going to Saudi, join me!
Creative warrior goes to Memphis

I understand running a business is about managing productivity and being efficient, but there needs to be a balance somewhere so that in the process of being productive and profitable, you are not totally annoying the heck out of your callers.

Most phone trees should be burnt down. Having to listen to 40 department options that don’t even come close to solving your problem, or screaming your reply to a question four times and then some idiot computer says: “I’m sorry I did not understand your answer” and then you get discounted and get to start all over again, is really aggravating! This turns me and most others into a extremely emotionally disturbed consumers.

If I’m going to be subjected to this craziness, at least let me sound off to a real person. If you share this frustration, try these services.

Dialahuman.com or gethuman.com- they list companies and how to avoid the robot operators. Or another free service is Lucyphone.com, here you enter the company’s name or number, hit start. Lucyphone.com connects you to a company line where you pick an option to get a live rep. You then hang up and get a quick call back.

These services are not perfect, after all they are run by humans, but may be worth the call. Also, check your own phone system, is it easy and joyful or is it just as bad these I’ve described?

Don’t forget to check out: Have an AT&T iPhone? Don’t expect service in NYC. You’ll be disappointed.

Preparing for a far away trip can be challenging. Karen Post and the Oddpodz team learn how to take a stressful situation and turn it into an achievement. If you missed last weeks wrap up, click here.

1 – Sponge Bob would be proud of me. I’m soaking up stuff at a very high speed. Traveling is only part of the adventure.
2 – Ouch! Global travel can hurt. How to manage your health on the road. An education on why to take extra precautions.
3 – Why being in the right state is critical. And I’m not talking about Florida. What happens when goofy thoughts enter your brain.
4 – How to reduce the sting in charging service fees. Being nickel and dimed may turn out to be a valued convenience.
5 – 18 steps toward stress-free, fast-lane, more fun and darn good writing. Tips that will make you want to dump your notes.

Be sure to also check out:
Are you brand battle ready at the frontline?
Top 10 best brand stories
How two websites almost killed a baby

This week, Oddpodz shares the reality of keeping a business together while getting ready for an important trip. If you missed last weeks wrap up, click here.

1 – I’m going to Saudi, join me! Get the inside scoop of marketing, communication, travel & cultural lessons.
2 – Blog breakthrough – What does it really take? And what is the magic move that turns pondering into reality?
3 – How to get unstuck on a writing project – 10 ways. Learn to practice what you preach in a stress-free way.
4 – Forgive me, I’m using an excuse card tonight. Use these funny excuses if you’re having an off day.
5 – A road warrior’s check list, so the journey is a joy. What to pack when you’re always on the go.

For more on-the-road lessons view:
Networking in the sky. How to turn a seat mate into a good connection.
5 inspirational ideas and 2 revelations from an adventure to Chicago
What I learned from going to see Oprah

Starting this week, we are providing a weekly wrap up email from Karen Post’s Oddpodz blogs on marketing, branding and entrepreneurial matters. In case your week went flying by, here is what you’ve missed from:

1 – 2nd chance. 2nd book cover. 2nd wind. When something does not work the first time, don’t give up – just give it another shot.

2 – If you have ever tried calling internationally, then you will relate to Global phone mess – a lesson in assumption and learn why you should always plan ahead.

3 – Can a good tease convert, engage and conquer customers? We think so. Learn how to get attention from your market, before you give them all the goods.

4 – In 5 Super Bowlicious marketing practices for any size business, discover the trends and how to apply big game marketing strategies to your own business.

5 – In How to make achievements a national holiday, learn 5 ways to turn your achievements into a holiday and why it’s important to celebrate them.

6 – Don’t even think about calling me a senior or reminding me that I’m over 40 is a reminder that marketing towards the young boomers has changed.

7 – Have you learned How to juggle multiple projects and keep your cool? If not, here are two approaches that can help.

Too much email, but still want easy access to the content for from Oddpodz the place for creative-minded entrepreneurs? Then, sign up for the RSS feed and read via a feeder or in your web browser.

And thanks for your continued interest and support!

I was craving a good escape last night, a movie fix. So I went to two.

Tampa is fortunate to have a fabulous dinner, drinks and movie venue called Cine Bistro. It’s so worth the extra few bucks, no kids, no cramped seats, no kidding. Plus the food ranks up there with any nice, foodie, hip dinning spot. If you live in Tampa, check this place out and support them, so they stick around.

My first flick was Unstoppable with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Two fine guys and actors. I loved the movie. Great art directing, awesome sound, good casting and an energizing story line that as an entrepreneur was very inspiring.  The movie had nothing to do with running your own business, but it had everything to do with fundamental principles that are very relevant to being a successful  entrepreneur.

Highlights and my take-aways -
The movie had a simple idea, “a train that could not be stopped”. The simple idea was transformed in a two hour compelling story.
What simple concept do you have in your biz that can be transformed into a masterful story?

The two main characters were regular working class guys both with a skill set, one with limited experience, but had miles of determination.
Sound like someone you admire?

Both characters were dealing with significant personal challenges.
At the moments where stepping up and taking on danger head on, these issues were not present, but the will to succeed was.

Nothing could stop this train.
Does this sound like you? Resilient, tough as steel. If not, make some adjustments.

It was a scary, high risk, against all odds journey.
I know what that feels like. If being in business was easy, every person would be doing it.

Need a little adrenaline rush this week, see this movie.

The second movie I saw was Love and other Drugs
Well for me this flick was not a walk out movie, but, certainly not a must see either, on a 1 to 10, I’d give it a 6. What I would give it is “The trailer was much better than the actual movie award”. Which is always disappointing.

The love story was sappy and predictable. The sex scenes were very present, along with some great camera shots and editing. Ann Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal seem to have good chemistry, even though the story was on the light side. What stuck in my head most about this film was not a dating, love relationship message, but the state of how sometimes creepy and corrupt the pharmaceutical companies and doctors relationships are. See CNN story on branding of conditions,  Kind of made me feel sick.

Anyhow, Movies are good medicine for entrepreneurs. They keep you grounded with moral messages and can expand your mind with some extreme fantasy all in the same day. Movies can teach us, about market segments, typography treatments, promotions, product placement, casting and character creation, creativity, brilliant story telling  and remind us that sometimes even boring and stupid things can make money too.

If your brain needs some feeding today, take a break and go see a movie.

For more on how to be unstoppable, view: 5 things that helped us get our creative mojo back.

In the new economy unfolding before you, it’s your ideas that are highly valued–not your time.
The fact remains your clients and prospects have an abundant choice of alternatives to you. There are far too many competitors in the marketplace today. Being good, even great at what you do is not enough to differentiate you from the slush pile, and get your business to the next level–where you’re compensated for your value.

Fast and cheap.
As an early-stage entrepreneur, it’s important to remember most clients will place a low value on your time–and a high value on theirs. Consequently, these are the clients who get things done fast and cheap. The bottom line is you’ll only get the gig if you’re the fastest and cheapest. In a commoditized market, any price will be perceived as too high. You’ll always be vulnerable to lower cost providers, and have little if no power influencing the procurement of your services.

Only two things release you from the bondage of trading your time for money–
-       the level of demand for your available time.
-       the financial value people place on your ideas.

Time is finite, valuable ideas are infinite. Entrepreneurs, who can sustain their focus and attention on creativity and innovation in how they bring value to the marketplace, will be the beneficiaries of all the new economy has to offer. Those who stay stuck in a commoditized market, billing their time by the hour, will doom themselves to order-taker status.
Get yourself free at last from the hourly rate mentality.

We are at the very beginning of a new global economic order. In the wake of this transition, we are witnessing the destruction of old systems and structures. For many businesses and the people they employ, the effects have been nothing short of devastating.  As the dust settles from this disruptive reset, and in the midst of all this uncertainty, they are many entrepreneurs who are thriving!  Proof that prosperity doesn’t care about the economy.

Would you like to know what makes these creative businesses rock, and how you can get your scene to rock at the next level?  Here are some ideas that may help you reframe your thinking so you can break free from the physics of running your business by the clock:

Do what really matters to you, and really matters to some people.
In order for you to sustain the energy required to innovate remarkable value for your clients, you must engage yourself in only those ideas, activities and relationships that really matter to you. The lines between work and play must be dissolved.  Passion, and the emotional labor that naturally comes with it, are prerequisites for thriving in the idea economy.

More importantly, what really matters to you must serve a specific group of people–not everyone. Your expertise must be highly specialized in what you love and serves the higher emotional needs of others in the marketplace who are just as passionate about your thing as you are. The days of the generalist are over.  Where ever your passion lies, get famous for it!

Good is the new slush pile.
Nowadays, everything and everybody is good. Good enough. Your talent and expertise is the ante, merely the price of admission. Many people can do what you do–some even better! Become highly valued for your thinking and your contributions of value– not through your skills at implementation or managing process. It is the only way for you to break free from the restrictions charging by hour sets on your income and the size of your future.

Be really different. Make a real difference.
Properly positioning the value you represent in the minds of clients is the source code to your financial freedom. You must invest in building your personal brand, and have it represent something genuine, remarkable, and highly valued from the alternatives in the marketplace.

Make a difference (and create opportunity) by providing your value to those you wish to serve first. Share your expertise–don’t sell it. Most of all provide more “use” value to your clients than they are paying you in cash. In other words, whenever your clients value the benefits they experience working with you more than the value of the money they are holding, you’ll have made a difference.
Stop writing proposals, start making them.
Writing proposals is for suckers. How many times have you written a proposal for a client-to-be and then you wait, and wait, while your client shops around looking for a better fit at a lower price? Stop writing proposals and start making them.

Your proposal is the expertise you share in conversation with your prospective client about how best to solve their problem. After you’ve had the opportunity to assess how best to solve their problem, simply explain in a deeper conversation, what course of action you’d suggest, explain the financial investment required of them, and then say ”if we have a deal, I’ll have my office send you written confirmation of our conversation and we can begin immediately”!  Your proposals are the words coming out of your mouth–not something that gathers dust languishing on someone’s desk!

Create once, and then reap the rewards again and again.
Many solo professionals build their practice/business around solving the same kinds of problems for different clients. Their relationships are consulting based, not transactional. If this is true for your business, you probably have tremendous expertise that can be leveraged and offered to many clients at the same time, indefinitely. Your specific expertise can be made available in forms where many more clients can benefit from your value while you are drinking wine in Paris.

There has never been a more profound opportunity for you to exponentially increase your impact, influence and income than right now!  Ideas are the currency of the new economy. Build your brand around what you love, share your knowledge for the good of all, and create high value for others first, and you’ll never fill out a time sheet again!

Think about how you create value, and in what ways you might be selling yourself short.

Editor’s Note: This post is a small taste of the concepts and ideas we will engage ourselves in during a year-long series of four 2-day White Hot Center Quantum Leap Workshops beginning in March 2011. Right from the beginning, you’ll have greater clarity and confidence to define a compelling vision for your future– and set the foundation to achieve your goal of taking your business to the next level in an easy, relaxed, and joyful way. If you are interesting in attending and would like more information, email me directly!

Be sire to check out: Smart tips: word of mouth

Happy delayed Thanksgiving! After this holiday, the O-team keeps on giving- advices and freebies are on the menu. Here is what you’ve missed these pasts few weeks:

1 – In 3 Free Twitter account management tools, Lauren Angrick gives us three useful applications that will make your Twitter experience easier. TweetDeck, Hootsuite and CoTweet get Lauren’s attention, what gets yours? Check Lauren’s selection here.

2 – In Hiring a coach is a waste of money, unless you show up, Karen Post shares her experience on how to choose a good coach. We all have to go through periods of doubts. And at times, buying the services of a professional adds great value to your business. See what you have to look for in a coach according to Karen here.

3 – In 5 promotional ideas to earn serious visibility for your venture, Karen talks about visibility and the impacts it can have on your business. She lists 5 ideas that you will get inspiration from. Therefore, get inspired reading Karen’s post here.

4 – When having a Mind freeze, is there a fast way to thaw your thoughts? In this article, Karen Post wants to know! Her weekend procrastination gave her stress, guilt and an excellent read on high-level creative thinking. To read this article and more, click here.

5 – Can a monkey make our mail better? We think so! And hope you like our new look. Since Oddpodz decided to switch email services, we’d love to hear your feedback. Sign up here to see our new switch and you will also receive a free eBook. For more monkey business, click here.

We hope you enjoyed this content. Stay tuned.

Turn water into wine, prepare hot ice cream and tell time with a broken clock, sounds crazy? Not so, if you reinvent the way you look at the problem.

Just remove the IM our of impossible and it’s possible!

Last weekend I read the book, 106 Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Dr. Robert Quine and John Nolan, and surprisingly discovered how one can solve a lot of seemingly difficult tasks before breakfast, if you start early.

Also, check out: Why creatures of habit are champions in sports, business and life.

No magic stuff here, just good, contemporary thinking with simple methods to shake up your challenge at hand.

The book is smaller than an ipad and a lot cooler than most creativity rags, because easy to digest, fast and fun—my kind of book. More than just tips, it gives you 106 before and after exercises to solve and see the process.

For example:
Grow plants without light. Seems like a tough task.

Start with solutions that reinterpret the problem.

• Grow them without light, OK they may die, but you are still growing them.
• Try plastic plants, add to them, that’s growing your crop.
• Redefine what light is, is it natural, in a lab or some other way.

Then look at solutions that go around the problem.
Then look at solutions you had not thought of.
Then look at solutions that are probably impractical.

Suddenly you have a slew of new ideas.

This book taught me how to:
-reinterpret the question
-find a way to change the rules
-develop entirely new solutions
-and eliminate impractical ideas

This book is worth the pick up. Need other ideas on creativity? check out the book I wrote on A to Z, 26 ways to new ideas and more creativity.