Business Strategy – Lisa D. Sparks Blog

The Passion Graph

February 14, 2012 By LisaDSparks 1 Comment

It used to be that what connected us was who we were connected with. The beauty of Facebook is that I’m now friends with the people I was friends with in kindergarten - after a 20-year hiatus. To me, that’s pretty cool. I can see how they grew up and how their kids are like them. Amazing. But there are others I’m connected to and we’ve never met. But I have more in common with them than those who’ve grown up with me, who’ve seen me go from tomboy to six-inch heel wearing diva. What connects us is our passions. Hence, the popularity of social tools such as Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr. Now we can connect, deeply, about the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Strategy Tagged With: passion

[Prezo] Put a Ring on It

September 28, 2011 By LisaDSparks Leave a Comment

Here's a presentation I created in November 2010 for the Empowered Woman Success Summit, held at the Miami Science Museum. I presented to a packed house of more than 200 existing and aspiring woman business owners on how to win and keep a dedicated audience who fervently believe in their brand. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Growth, Slide Presentation, Video Tagged With: brand marketing, Growth

Paul Revere

September 3, 2011 By LisaDSparks Leave a Comment

What if Paul Revere had Twitter? The message would still be the same - but would it have the same urgency? There was drama in him riding through Lexington and Concorde. In a world full of messages, hoaxes and scams, would anyone have believed Paul Revere if he tweeted his message? What if he sent a text? The medium and the message are both important. Choose based on urgency and the intimacy of the message. But please ma'am, please sir do not bore me. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Strategy Tagged With: Inspiration, Lisa D Sparks, planning, small business strategy

Anticipation Marketing

September 2, 2011 By LisaDSparks 1 Comment

I had this thought while surfing Facebook this a.m.: Can you disaster-proof a business in the same way engineers try to protect buildings from natural disasters through thoughtful design? Answer: Yes. Just like we anticipate hurricanes and, to some extent, earthquakes we can also prepare for the worst that could happen to our businesses. Not that we want it that way, but that we can design a business that, to the best of our abilities, is failure-proof and destined for success. Here's a video that illustrates what I mean: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Growth, Video Tagged With: Development, Lisa D Sparks, planning, small business, small business strategy

In Praise of the Idea Economy

September 1, 2011 By LisaDSparks Leave a Comment

We do not now, nor have we ever, exported anything of worth other than our ideas. What can save the U.S. economy? What has always saved us, what made us . . . our ideas. The concept of freedom of speech, religion and equality for all - American Inventions The Locomotive - American The Telephone - American The Car - American The Television - American The Personal Computer - American Google - American Now all of the creators of these ideas became insanely wealthy. When will we understand, as a nation, we export now and always will export one powerful thing that has fueled our growth since our inception? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Growth Tagged With: Development, Growth, Lisa D Sparks, small business, small business strategy

I’ll Pay You NOT to Like Me

August 31, 2011 By LisaDSparks 2 Comments

This is marketing at its best. Abercrombie and Fitch, the teen retailer with borderline pedophile ads, actually offered to pay Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino NOT to wear their clothing. Reverse Endorsement Let's call this the opposite of what brands have done for sports stars such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning. Yes, A&F is associating itself with a name - by turning it's back on that name The Situation. I love this for so many reasons. Here are two, praising both sides: Pro A&F: Develop your tribe by showing who you don't allow/want in the group. Pro Sitch: Whatever you are be it to the tenth power. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Business Strategy, Video Tagged With: brand marketing, branding, Lisa D Sparks, small business, small business strategy

Melting with Passion

August 16, 2011 By LisaDSparks 3 Comments

The creator of Flip Video, Jonathan Kaplan, is now starting a chain of shops that sell grilled cheese sandwiches of all kinds. At first I thought it a bit odd, until Jonathan talked about people’s natural reactions to growing up eating grilled cheese sandwiches. In my opinion he has a hit on his hands. Everyone has a story about grilled cheese from when they were growing up, myself included. When we were bored as kids we'd make a cheese sandwich, wrap it in tin foil and then iron it on both sides until the cheese oozed between the folds of the tin foil. Crazy, I know. But it was really, really good . During an interview with NPR … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Start Up Tagged With: Lisa D Sparks

Weaknesses

July 28, 2011 By LisaDSparks Leave a Comment

I need an executor. Not someone to kill me but rather someone to handle the details. I paint the outline and my assistant paints within those lines. Trouble is, I can not for the life of me find someone who is: Consistent Friendly to my contacts Willing to follow instructions Truthful w/High Integrity Fast - in both thoughts, ideas and action Here I am, slowly losing what credibility I have left because I’m not linking up with the right person to compliment my unique skill sets. I want to make meetings, be on time for meetings, follow up on contacts and deliver on promises Unfortunately I can only force myself to … [Read more...]