Leighton Ventures

What Matters Now ebook – C O N N E C T E D

MPL — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:56:44 +0000

There are tens of thousands of businesses making many millions a year in profits that still haven’t ever heard of twitter, blogs or facebook. Are they all wrong? Have they missed out or is the joke really on us? They do business through personal relationships, by delivering great customer service and it’s working for them. They’re more successful than most of those businesses who spend hours pontificating about how others lose out by missing social media and the latest wave. And yet they’re doing business. Great business. Not writing about it. Doing it.
I’m continually amazed by the number of people on Twitter and on blogs, and the growth of people (and brands) on facebook. But I’m also amazed by how so many of us are spending our time. The echo chamber we’re building is getting larger and louder. More megaphones don’t equal a better dialogue. We’ve become slaves to our mobile devices and the
glow of our screens. It used to be much more simple and, somewhere, simple turned into slow.

We walk the streets with our heads down staring into 3-inch screens while the world whisks by doing the same. And yet we’re convinced we are more connected to each other than ever before. Multi-tasking has become a badge of honor. I want to know why.

I don’t have all the answers to these questions but I find myself thinking about them more and more. In between tweets, blog posts and facebook updates.
Howard Mann is a speaker, entrepreneur and the author of Your Business Brickyard.

Download the entire ebook.

Go Fish Friday: Where do those illustrations come from?

MPL — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:10:03 +0000

Laughing Stock – Stock Illustrations and Assignments.

My iGoogle

MPL — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:17:32 +0000

People often ask me what I read online and what resources do I seek out of all the information on the web. Well, here are the links on my iGoogle for your reference.

The Blog of Timothy Ferrriss
Zen Habits
Freelance Switch
Killer Startups
Go2Web20
Master of 500 Hats (one of the more interesting reads)
Quick Sprout
ChangeThis
Shoemoney (starting to get diluted)
Duct Tape Marketing

Go Fish Friday: Tracking Banner Ads with Google Analytics

MPL — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:59:21 +0000

If you publish advertising banners on your site, there is an easy way for you to track which banners visitors click on to leave your site and which advertisers they visit.

Check out this site to help guide you through the process to track outbound clicks.

Google also has a url builder tool to track campaigns.

Go Fish Friday: 2010 Digital and Interactive Marketing Conferences

MPL — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:55:38 +0000

Your full line-up of digital and interactive marketing conferences in 2010.

Check out Jimmy Hendricks’ stab at the list.

Brainwashed: Seven Ways to Reinvent Yourself

MPL — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:09:13 +0000

Written by Seth Godin

Click here to download the PDF.

“Years ago, when you were about four years old, the system set out to persuade you of something that isn’t true.

Not just persuade, but drill, practice, reinforce, and yes, brainwash.

The mission: to teach you that you’re average. That compliant work is the best way to a reliable living. That creating average stuff for average people, again and again, is a safe and easy way to get what you want.

Step out of line and the system would nudge (or push) you back to the center. Show signs of real creativity, originality or even genius, and well-meaning parents, teachers and authority figures would eagerly line up to get you back in line.

Our culture needed compliant workers, people who would contribute without complaint, and we set out to create as many of them as we could.

And so generations of students turned into generations of cogs, factory workers in search of a sinecure. We were brainwashed into fitting in, and then discovered that the economy wanted people who stood out instead.

When exactly were we brainwashed into believing that the best way to earn a living is to have a job?

I think each one of us needs to start with that.”

LinkedIn – A Wasteland of Aimless Connections

MPL — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:01:41 +0000

My definition of LinkedIn.com – A wasteland of aimless connections.

Let’s face it, LinkedIn is just not that exciting; nor is it meaningful. I have always said that it’s more effective to just pick up the phone. Also, think about when you are really in a pinch for help… are you going to send a impersonal email through LinkedIn? Or, are you going to “Pick Up The F%&$ing Phone” (PUTFP).

2010 Predictions – MPL’s Big List

MPL — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:45:39 +0000

Below is MPL’s Big List of 2010 Predictions:

Social Media will become diluted. Many social media users (twitter, facebook, etc.) are already getting fatigued and I think we’ll see much less buzz in 2010 as revenue numbers are confusing and elusive.
Tiger Woods will win 2 major golf tournaments in 2010. I predict the British Open and the PGA.
Small businesses will get more creative with their marketing at a cost to guarantee results – see #10 below.
Identity security will become the next big scare that the government creates hysteria for.
Another year will go by without healthcare and education reform. It’s just a no brainer.
The stock market will have a slow upturn throughout the entire 2010 year. No major peaks or valleys.
People will continue to believe everything the read and hear. It’s just easier to put your head down and get fed than to think for yourself.
Chevy will go out of business.
There will be another Enron and accounting firm issue.
Online marketing companies will go big in 2010 as small business continue to try to understand the e-marketing space and how they can actually get a return compared to traditional yellowpage advertising.

Small Business Reality Check

MPL — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:32:23 +0000

Like gambling and the stock market, the majority of the time people you just meet or even your friends/family will tell you how they hit it big and how much they won. Rarely do you ever hear about the losses or the failures. The same holds true with small businesses. Well, 2009 was a reality check year for small businesses. Many maneuvers had to be made to sustain their companies, pay their bills, and just make enough revenue to hold on until the next big swing.

This is a good read about “7 Businesses That Did Not Survive 2009″. I recommend all small businesses read this article and pay special attention to “What Went Wrong” and “Looking Back”.

7 Businesses That Did Not Survive

I think people that fail the most and are willing to work through “what went wrong” and understand the “lessons learned” will be far more prosperous and successful. I imagine that these entrepreneurs will pick up the pieces and create another revenue stream.

If your small business needs some marketing help to build the top line in 2010, give me a call.

A Cut Above – Photography Worth Seeing

MPL — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:20:01 +0000

Have loved Jack Brauer’s work for a few years. He’s a friend of a friend whom I’ve never met. Following his trips around the world through the eye of this lens.

Mountain Photographer, Jack Brauer