Articles – Create2Sell

Why Having Books Around You Can Have A Huge Impact

During a recent conversation with one of my son’s teachers I was asked a question that made me stop and think – the question was, “Do you have many books in your house?” My answer was an immediate -yes, many (and I do mean many) of them. Our family room has an entire wall of bookcases packed to overflowing, mostly fiction but I do have several bookcases stuffed with reference materials and non-fiction books as well. The teacher answered, “I thought so, it shows in your son’s vocabulary and creative writing.” That’s what started me thinking. Why is it important that I have books and what does that have to do with my son’s literacy and personal growth? Having books around is just natural for me – I have an extensive digital library but there’s just something about having a wall of physical books that I can browse through and refer to. I was brought up surrounded by books and I can’t imagine a room without at least a few. So I did some research, and what I found was not really surprising but interesting. One of the best articles I found was from Smithsonian, which actually included one of […]

3 Tips For Turning One Speaking Gig Into Many

You live and die by your ability to leverage one speaking opportunity into numerous additional bookings. It’s not enough to just be a great speaker, you also need to be an innovative marketer. The good news is your biggest potential marketing opportunity is your actual speeches.

A Beginner’s Guide To Social Media Marketing

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about what social media marketing is and what it does out there. For a beginner (whether that’s a new business owner or someone who’s been in business for years) it can be overwhelming to the point of getting tossed into a back corner as “something I’ll look into later when I have the time and energy.”

Beware of Scammers Posing As Freelancers

I just read an article discussing how scammers – you know, those incredibly persistent and enthusiastic people who could probably be millionaires if they put their time and energy into something … I don’t know … legal – well they’ve now turned their attention to freelancers. The article details a growing trend of scammers stealing a real freelancer’s information using sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, websites, associations, etc. and then creating a bogus account on freelance sites like Upwork and Freelancer using that information (including a real picture of the freelancer they stole the information about). I don’t really understand how the scam works though. I know with Upwork a business can dispute if the actual work is not being done and not pay the scammer. The article doesn’t detail how the scam works, if the phony is just trying to get access to the business information and does their damage there or if they’re actually getting paid for work not done. Regardless, as a freelancer keep a close eye on your name/image and brand to make sure it has not been stolen. And for business owners looking to hire a freelancer, make sure you do your homework before hiring someone. […]

One Simple Trick To Make Your Speech Compelling

One of the first questions I ask the speakers I work with is, “Can you tell me about your presentation in one sentence?” If they can tell me their position, their stance, their big idea in one sentence, I know they’re in great shape and we can turn our focus into fine-tuning their speech and focus on their marketing and their personal brand. If they can’t, and most speakers fall into this category, then I know we need to hone in on the speaker’s objective with their presentation. What are they trying to say and why does someone need to hear it? One of the better articles on this and one I recommend everyone interested in giving a clear, concise, and compelling speech read, is an article by Brenda Barbosa called The 1 Sentence That Will Make You A More Effective Speaker Every Time (you can find it here: https://www.inc.com/brenda-barbosa/the-1-sentence-that-will-make-you-a-more-effective-speaker-every-time.html ) The article also gives several additional resources that are also well-worth your time. Think of your one sentence as your GPS destination – if you don’t have that nailed down before you start, you’re not going to be able to navigate the best path forward.

Are You Making Room For Your Big Rocks?

During one of my business classes the professor told a story that has stuck with me for years.

Turn Your Resolutions Into Solutions

It’s a new year, and if you’re like most of the human race you’re already behind in implementing your New Year’s resolutions. The good news – you’re not alone. The better news? You can still get back on track.

Make This Your First NaNoWriMo Year

Whether you’re an aspiring author, already have several books under your belt, or are just wanting to step outside the whirlwind that has been 2020 and take a chance on writing something, the November writing challenge might be something you want to check out. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve wanted to do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for years, even started it one year … for a few days. It’s intense and condensed with the lofty goal of helping writers develop the one habit they absolutely need – getting into a consistent schedule of writing. One of the biggest complaints I hear about this challenge is that the end product is sometimes just a jumbled mess of thoughts and ideas. It’s important to keep in mind that the desired result of this challenge isn’t to produce a refined, ready-to-print product. I challenge you to find any author that published their first draft and it was free of typos and manuscript ready. The whole point of the project is to challenge yourself, commit yourself to writing a certain amount within a given deadline and follow through until the end. Revisions happen after the first draft is complete. And it […]

7 Technical Tips For Virtual Speakers

Transitioning to a virtual event can be overwhelming and frightening not just for the event organizers, but for the speakers themselves. Giving a presentation in a virtual environment can be quite challenging for those used to the live audience – the energy, the non-verbal cues from the participants, the applause, laughter – it’s just not the same when you’re speaking into a web cam. That’s not even touching on the possible technical complications … technology is a wonderful thing, until it’s not working the way it’s supposed to, that’s when the stress really kicks in.

2019-2020 Remote Worker Trends

Before the massive influx of people being forced to work remotely due to lock downs from the pandemic, the number of remote workers was already on the rise. In this article by Remoters, (https://remoters.net/remote-work-trends-future-insights/ ) there are some interesting stats from 2019 and early 2020 that are worth looking in to: In a study done by Buffer.com about the state of remote work in 2019, 99% of the interviewees reported that they would like, at least once in their career, to be able to work off-site. A report by Zapier.com published at the end of 2019 revealed that about 74% of the workforce would prefer to quit a job for one that offers remote positions. Remote work is also an increasingly desirable trait an employer can offer, with 57% of the workforce saying that the option to work remotely is their most preferable employment perk. GlobalWorkplaceAnalytics.com data shows that regular work-at-home, among the non-self-employed population, has grown by 173% since 2005, 11% faster than the rest of the workforce. Telecommuting in the US has seen a 115% increase in the past decade. Investment company Betterment estimates that about 33% of remote workers are freelancers, translating to about 1 in 3 […]