I hate to break this news to you, but I’m breaking a promise. A few months back I told you I would blog every day in at least one of my three blogs, marketing/branding, entrepreneur or free biz finds. I’ve given it my best and believe I’ve pumped out some good and useful content since then. It’s not easy to write every day, but then again when you follow the tips I’ve learned to make blogging easier, it can be done with joy and without much pain.

Then came being an entrepreneur, running a small business and life, and my noble commitment became a big challenge for me. One that was causing a high degree of stress and maybe this over demand place I signed up for was even jeopardizing my health.

This past month has been monumental. I traveled to Saudi and made history, spent a week in New York City, got inspired, did my thing for the local economy, was featured in the New York Times and then went to Nigeria where I was a guest lecturer to an audience of 500 marketing and leadership professionals. All while blogging daily, servicing my consulting clients, managing my team of support personnel, writing a new book for McGraw-Hill called Brand Turnaround and playing 15 matches of tennis.

Then, just as I got unpacked, I signed up for a week-long comedy school that included a five minute bit, complete with memorized new and hopefully funny material. The class was in Tampa, produced by Jeff Lawrence of the Laughing Buddha Comedy School, who preforms around the country and is based in NYC.

I attended the first class on Tues., it was fun, saw many of buddies Frank Robertson, (a broadcast and media consultant) and Scott Farrell, (a proud stay at home dad) and met some great new friends too, Susan Guidi, another entrepreneur who runs Advanced Ultrasound Services in Tampa.  All in all, it was everything I wanted it to be. I’ve done comedy school before, so I knew the basics going in. And I knew there would be homework.

That night, I couldn’t sleep, I tossed and turned about all my commitments and now this one with a short deadline. Then I experienced a major anxiety attack, where you feel like you are going to have a heart attack and really die!!! YIKES!@#%!!!!

After about an hour of this agony, I got up, rubbed my big, happy, crystal Buddha’s belly on my dresser and had an important epiphany.

This is freakin, self-inflicted stress and pain and you, Karen Post, can stop it. I pulled out my writing pad and made a list of my: “had to do, must do” responsibilities. Comedy class was not on the list.

What was on my list: finish my book, take care of my clients that I am under contract with, and take care of me. The rest will have to wait and I know it will take care of itself.

My brain has a certain amount of brand-width, there are so many hours in day and I do not want to do anything that is not my best work. PERIOD.

The moral to this story and the 3 entrepreneurial essentials.
Know your band-width and respect it.
1) Don’t kill yourself, know your limits, and say no to things that are not in the top priority zone, especially if they can impact your true goals and dreams.

Exercise your rights as an entrepreneur.
2) As an entrepreneur, you get to control a lot, so don’t fail to use this privilege and power.

Change your mind  and alter your plan, if you need to. And don’t beat yourself up for it.
3) It’s OK to opt-out and change your mind and that’s what I’m doing. This is different than dropping someone in the grease with no back up options. This was not my case, no one was going to be disappointed if I didn’t take the comedy class at that time. I called my comedy instructor and told him my situation, my plate is over-floweth, I have to deliver my best stuff, my book, my clients, my team and right now just can’t do the class. He understood.

My game plan forward.
I’m taking an official break from daily blogging. For the next 4 weeks, my head is immersed in client service and completing my book and taking care of me (tennis, massages and a trip to Aruba to write and recharge).

You may see some random blog posts during my hiatus, but not making any commitments, as I’m islanding it in Aruba island for a week, I’m speaking at the Southeast Entrepreneurial Conference in Tampa on April 1 and I’m addressing Pizza Hut’s Annual Franchise Convention in San Antonio.

In my absence, my fabulous assistant, Lauren, will be spot writing on Internet marketing. Lauren has been with me for almost 7 months now and I believe she is the 8th wonder of the world. She’s an Internet and social media whiz and teaches me a lot everyday. I know she will bring some great articles and tips to the blog. Jocelyn one of the co-founders of Oddpodz may kick in a post too. She’s in Savannah, building her consulting, research and branding practice and helping other entrepreneurs succeed too.

So until next time . . .

Southeast Entrepreneurship Conference, April 1-3 at University of Tampa.
Join over 200 other entrepreneurs and business experts for three days of ideas, energy and insight.

The University of Tampa Entrepreneurship Center presents its premier spring entrepreneurship conference at the University of Tampa in Tampa FL.

The 2011 Southeast Entrepreneurship Conference (SEEC 2011) is a three-day conference that will allow students to engage in networking opportunities with students from all over the country as well as business professionals. The main event of SEEC 2011 is the Spartan Pitch and Plan Competition.  Students will have 90 seconds to pitch their innovative business idea to a panel of judges and will competing for $1,500 to kick-start their venture.  The conference also includes meals and an optional kayaking trip.

The UT Entrepreneur organization recruited over 20 expert speakers from all over the country. They will be addressing hot entrepreneurial topics ranging from: branding and marketing to fund raising, to business operations and professional development. There will be keynotes and breakout sessions.

Some of the featured speakers include:
Joe Keeley
College Nannies and Tutors
“Severe Danger of Getting a Job” (Keynote)

Sidd Pagidipati
Chamber.com, MealDeal.com, Freedom Health
“What to Do With a Start-up Addiction” (Keynote)

Karen Post
Brain Tattoo Branding and Oddpodz
“The Art of Branding” (Keynote)

Ian Spector
Mobiquitous, LLC, www.4Q.cc, and Others
“Mixing Comedy, Literature, and Business” (Entrepreneurship in the Arts)

The event is sponsored by partners like: The Coleman Foundation and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization,
along with

Delta/REP
Grasshopper, the entrepreneur’s phone system Solben
College Nannies and Tutors
Self employment for the arts

SEEC is open to all college majors and community business partners. This is a great opportunity for networking and learning if you are exploring entrepreneurship, are an emerging entrepreneur, or for those who are already have businesses up and running.

To learn more about SEEC 2011 and how to register log onto www.seectampa.org

If you live in Florida and are an entrepreneur, don’t miss this event! If you can’t make it, do check back on Friday, I will be posting my branding presentation and other event highlights.

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.

These writing tips should help you write more, better and faster. This will work for blogs, letters, proposals and, I’m happy to report, in dumping your notes too.

1) Find a very cool pen. Write your outline of top key points to want to end with on paper. Not the computer.
When your pens are inkless and old, but you still love them, create a cool piece of art like Pen guy does.
2) Research those points, look at other points of view concerning them.
3) Jot down any random words and thoughts.
4) Pick up a good magazine, spend an hour just looking at headlines and titles.
5) Create a starter list of headlines and titles for your work.
6) Expand your key points into some bullets.
7) Start writing, don’t worry about perfection.
8)  Scribble or doodle your big idea into an illustration. This will force your full brain to join in.
9) Crank up the music. Print out what you’ve done and edit the printout.
10) Make your changes in the computer. Print it out again.
11)  Do something else for a couple hours.
12) Edit the printout again, this time try to improve your adjectives with fresher, more compelling words, eliminate duplicate words and add another sprinkle of your unique personality.
13) Revisit your first key points, confirm they are in your body of work, are clear and memorable.
14) Do a shot of something, wheat grass, super-food, tequila or chocolate milk, then write some more.
15) Be the tough critic, anything lame, overdone or said that sounds like a rambling, confused soul, delete.
16) If you are a bad speller and a lightweight on grammar like I am, find an editor or proofer to look at your work too.
17) Print out and reread their comments. Do a final read when you are not tired, exceeded your drink quota or when you just took an Ambien.
18) Celebrate your achievement. Go get some fat free frozen yogurt.

For more writing tips, check out: 10-steps to making writing your blog easier.

State is a place you choose to be. This past week my state was questionable. I let a few goofy thoughts enter my brain and they had a direct impact on my output.

I chatted with my Tony Robins coach, Jayne, about this situation and she reminded me of the time I walked on fire and I didn’t burn one toe. I pulled that off because I was in a very intense state of mind – like a soldier on the front lines, an Olympic athlete in the game of their life. That night I was 500% focused on my mission. I could see the end of hot coals before I took one step forward. I was rock solid with confidence and felt there was nothing I could not do. I chanted. I talked to myself more than normal.

I can’t officially tell you this next part, because by doing so, it cracks the state I am in now until I finish my book. So I will only elude to this historic thing.  Ah, better idea, I will speak about a person I once knew.

There was a great writer who was awarded a plum assignment, because she knew her stuff inside and out. Instead of cranking out the goods, she surrendered her mental state to thoughts of question and doubt. She pondered way too long trying to write the perfect sentence, instead of pouring out what she knew, like her name. She wasted precious time and invited stress and all its kids to move in. Summary – big freaking waste of everything. Life, time and brain cells.

Today, a new writer showed up.
She was militant. She broke down big scary goals into small pieces of cupcake bites. She felt like Iron woman, Super diva and Queen of everything. She got back into exactly how she felt walking on that fire that night in Chicago and felt a powerful new strength. Within 60 minutes, she was in the flow zone and writing like a machine.

Every human has the ability to get into this state, if you want it bad enough. It is a mental drill. It is a dominating, dictator mindset, a take no prisoners attitude. Wussies not apply.

If distractions show up in your head, shrink them all down to small little crumbs, so you can’t even see them.
If voices start babbling, turn the volume button completely off, so you can’t hear them at all.
If you see something that looks bold, bright and scary, make it black and white, so it fades into nothing.

Getting into full State works with anything you want to accomplish, sales, writing, performing and sports.

Look out Saturday morning tennis opponent,  I am Venus William’s alter ego and I am here to win!

Also, be sure to check out: Trading your time for money is a mind-set you can no longer afford.

Being introduced to new experiences can change your perspective on life. They can also change your perspective on how to run your business. Karen Post and the Oddpodz team experienced many new things this past week and we’re sure you’ll enjoy the take-away.

1 – Miracle Whip and Cate Blanchett. What do these two have in common? Differentiating you brand will help you succeed in the long run.
2 – Making history in Saudi and 5 lessons from the experience. Being introduced to global challenges can be very rewarding.
3 – Size can matter. 4 ideas to help your brand impact measure up. Increase your brand memory with objects bigger than life.
4 – Waiting patiently. An oxymoron and opportunity. Don’t wait for your competitors to measure up to you, start creating a masterpiece now.
5 – Have an AT&T iphone? Don’t expect service in NYC. You’ll be disappointed. How some technology can’t always keep up to speed.

If you missed last weeks wrap up, click here.

Also, be sure to check out:
What Jimmy Fallon taught me about marketing.
5 promotional ideas to earn serious visibility for your venture.
Facebook, I’m just not that into you.

This week, I’ve been blogging from the Middle East. I was invited by the Saudi Arabian Airline to address their corporate conference on Branding. It’s been an incredible experience. Today, I learned that I actually made history. I was the first women to ever address the group as a keynote speaker.

If you are not familiar with Saudi traditions, women do not had the same rights as men in their culture. They cannot drive, have limited leadership and governing roles, have strict dress codes and do not mix with men in dinning and many public places. I knew accepting this invitation would be an experience. I was aware of their traditions and values, but until I arrived had not fully realized that I was making history.

Doing business globally introduces many challenges to a day’s work, from the work product you deliver to how you communicate, to respecting their culture and protocols. Read the story in New York Times on my travels.

Here are 5 important lessons I learned from my trip.
1) The world is very small.
Even if you are a small business you can earn rewarding and exciting global assignments. And a single project can develop into a long term cross the pond relationship too.

2) High Google search results are equal to an elite global sales team.
The client found me because of my high Google ranking.

3) A strong and professional website presence can project as much credibility and capability as a firm ten times your size. If you want big projects, you need to practice smart marketing and can’t look like a small potato.

4) Assume presenting your offering to a foreign culture will come with significant challenges. From technology glitches to communications differences, don’t fall short of delivering the best. You may think it will all be like it is back home. It won’t be. Do your homework, plan well and be prepared for travel bumps.

5)  Global adventures can teach you so much and open unexpected doors too.
This trip connected me and my firm not only to this client, their industry, and unique culture, but to other entrepreneurs involved in the project that can be a source of business, knowledge and world friendships.

I’m headed back to New York City tonight.  A thirteen hour flight, and then I’m in Manhattan for a week. While in the big Apple, I’ll be working on client projects, writing my new book, conducting some business meetings and having some fun.

More soon!

For more lessons, check out: I’m going to Saudi, join me!

The importance of branding and the reason it must be done was the focus for this week’s blogs. To view last weeks wrap up, click here.

1 – Is morning marketing more meaningful? Or do night owls rule? Don’t fight your waves of brilliance, do what works for you.
2 – Less stress. More life. Tighter brand. How the small things in life can minimize your travel nightmares.
3 – Nightline, girl power and baba ghanooge. Adventures and inspiration from 8,000 miles away.
4 – Lights, camera, Saudi action countdown. The creation of a lasting customer experience and why brands are critical for success.
5 – Can a strong brand make a visit to the dentist less painful? Why a Nazi commando or a pushy used car salesman never win the fight.

For more branding ideas, view:
The #1 strategy that is giving me more money, influence and balance.
How I earned the #1 spot on Google.
Does your business card scream “I’m broke, clueless or stuck in 1980″?

I’ve got a serious deadline starring at me. I must write 75,000 brilliant words for my new book, Brand Turnarounds. All this is due to the publisher by May 1 with 50% by March 25th (YIKES).  These words not only need to be really there, they need to be really good. I set a schedule for myself and this week, my goal was to complete two chapters. Well it’s Friday and they are not done. In fact, I’m still stuck on the first one and now feeling a little stressed.

I’ve been here before and I’ve found my way out of the stuck zone. So I think tonight would be a nice night for me to revisit what has worked in the past, share these methods with you, as you maybe working on a book, a proposal, a business plan, a juicy story for a presentation or a mighty blog post. And then I need to practice what I preach.

So here goes . . .

1) Use an egg timer or your iphone and give yourself 30 minutes to produce something. If after 30 minutes, your page resembles a Frette® white sheet or a note card with no notes, you are likely stuck. When you are stuck for more than 30 minutes, don’t stay there, move on to another part of project. Something that is completely new to your brain.

2) If paragraphs are tough to squeeze out of your mind, make lists of words, headline and concepts that you are fairly certain tie into your stuck project.

3) Practice some improv around your subject. Use your recorder on your computer. If nothing else, you’ll entertain yourself.

4) Go exercise.

5) Write an outline of what your goals are for this stuck thing, chapter or story.

6) Write a summary of takeaways that you can imagine at the end, even if they are fictional. You can very likely find the facts to back them up.

7) Read a random chapter from an author who you admire.

8) Stick to your short-term deadlines. Don’t strive for perfection. Strive ideas, examples and metaphors that reflect your table of contents.

9) Take a shower. Think about why you are doing this book or document. Visualize the prize times 400.

Want more ideas on writing, blogging and creating content? Visit our other marketing blog.