Carol Daly - Creative Thought

10/15/2018

Those who fear, run the risk of seeing their ideas evaporate or be utilized by someone else who'll run with them. Yes, you must be cautious ... you must do your homework to insure you know everything you'll need to know to succeed, but don't doubt yourself or your ability or you'll never put one foot in front of the other to go forward.

09/17/2018

Whether it's your personal life or your business life, you'll find that developing your creative thinking skills will help get you through :-)

09/04/2018

FREE courses for women entrepreneurs ....

A new e-course for women will address challenges for female founders.

09/01/2018

Something to think about as you celebrate this Labor Day weekend. No one loves their work more than those who have started their own businesses. There's something about growing a business that is very much like giving birth to a child ..... it's a joy and a privilege to do the work we love, and for me it's a true joy to know and work with these lovers of labor. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

08/31/2018

There's a great deal of truth in this .... if you have a friend who started their own small business, and it's a business you have faith that she/he runs honestly and with their customers' best interest at heart, TALK about it .... locally and on social media. We should all be supportive of good people trying to do good work and take care of their families.

08/30/2018

Working online has its own set of challenges. You aren't exactly sure where your retail customers will come from so therefore may have to really think about shipping charges and how to allow for that (a considerable expense that must be passed along to customers); if you're keeping your inventory as opposed to selling via drop-ship, and you don't know that customer base well, you may have problems deciding what and how much to keep on hand; and with all the competition out there, how do you make your company stand out in the crowd? (When I had my children's gift and toy shops online, one of the most appreciated things I did for my customers was to offer free gift wrap for items being mailed to a different address. So Grandma and Grandpa didn't have to send a birthday gift in a plain brown box from the post office ....... when the box was opened, the child found a gift wrapped in appropriate gift wrap (birthday, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc.), and a child-oriented gift card that contained a personal message written by the grandparent. So many people would email me to say how much that was appreciated and how excited the children were to have a real present in the mail. I bought my gift wrap wholesale, so the "per item" cost was minimal, and used regular curling ribbon to tie a bow and attach the gift card. Such a small thing .... but so effective. What can you do to create that special attachment with your customers?

08/21/2018

Thinking things through and planning well before you begin a new business is worth every minute you spend. One of the biggest reasons for business failure is lack of planning and rushing to make things happen before you are ready or prepared. Success is the result of planning and following that plan, even if your project takes a little longer than you had hoped.

08/17/2018

Fund-raising .... a mighty task for non-profits, but you can do it and raise a significant amount in a fairly short time with a little donor-focused planning.

When I heard about Infant Crisis Services’ simple 10-day fundraising campaign that raised more than $14,000, I had to learn more. Jo Lynne Jones, ICS’ director of development and communications, graciously answered my questions about this campaign’s development, ex*****on, and results over the...

08/04/2018

If you're a non-profit director, manager or fund-raiser, you know how difficult it can be to get your message and mission out and properly understood. There are numerous reasons people have come to distrust non-profit pleas to provide monetary assistance for your cause, and most of those reasons will have nothing to do with you or your organization ..... as with most things in life, it's the "bad apples" that ruin things for everyone else. So what do you do?

It's actually relatively simple ..... just tell your story. Tell it in an honest, simple way that encourages them to feel what you feel. People love stories of motivation and inspiration. They want to know why you chose to support a specific cause .... why is it important to you, and why should your readers/supporters choose your cause to support vs the hundreds of others vying for their donor dollars?

In 2018, most people know someone who has been touched by trauma, disease, financial ruin, or social issues that have devastated their families. Without breaking any confidentiality policies, let your audience be aware of the fact that you personally know and have (hopefully) provided aid to someone who could easily be one of their friends, neighbors or relatives, and how that aid made a difference to those people.

By telling a simple, honest tale -- no exaggeration or frills -- to make your audience "feel," you'll find new donors and new volunteers while developing a respected reputation in your community.

08/02/2018

This is my fondest desire as a small business coach ..... to make YOU shine and help you reach your fullest and most creative potential.

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe philosopher, scientist, author.

07/30/2018

Who knows your business better than you do? No one, right? Well, maybe in most areas, but rarely does a business owner understand how to best promote their business on their own. Remember the old saying that "You can't see the forest for the trees?" That's basically the case in solving most problems in marketing your own business ..... you are simply too close to that initial "tree" to see what's behind it. Back there behind your tree there's a whole world you can't see .... multiple other types of trees, low-growing plants, flowers, vines, pathways, animal life ..... it's all there but you can't possibly tend to it all at once when you're concentrating on growing that one tree. You need a little help to make sure that all the details are taken care of.

This is especially true of the very small businesses .... the Mom & Pop retailers, the start-ups, the non-profits still seeking support for their projects. Most of the time, these business owners think they have no choice but to try to do it all themselves. That's why Creative Thought Services is here. Tell us what you need and what you can possibly spare in your budget ..... we need to make a living too, but we'll find a way to work with you on some level, creating that much-needed visibility one tree at a time!

07/25/2018

I read a lot about business. You can't help others succeed until you understand what they're up against out there, and how trends may affect them. As we go along on this small business adventure together, I will be posting or re-posting information that you mind find useful.

With or without a college degree .... with or without an exact plan on how to succeed in business, you may be able to carve out a niche for yourself in unexpected ways by taking advantage of your own natural ability to win people over. "If you have sales skills you have everything you need to change your earning power right now."

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-ways-sales-can-save-your-life-ryan-serhant

AKA: Why Being An ‘Unemployed Employee’ Is The Greatest Job In The World. This morning I woke up at 3:53 AM.