Author Archive
SUCCESS - Thursday, April 11, 2013 1:00 - 1 Comment
Funny Side Up: Snapshots from Rita Davenport’s Career as a TV Host
Rita Davenport’s speech impediment made every day words difficult to say. When she described the material from which her dresses were made of, thick feed sack burlap, she said “theed thack.” That didn’t stand in her way of going on to become a successful television host, company president and public speaker.
In this web exclusive, Davenport shares some of her favorite photos with her celebrities guests.
Read more about Rita Davenport in “Be a Hope Dealer” on SUCCESS.com.
As a former talk-show host, Rita interviewed celebrities, including the entire Osmond family.
- Start Small Win Big: Your Week 1 Action Plan
Start Small Win Big: Your Week 1 Action Plan
January 21, 2013
Editor’s note: This is the first of eight installments for SUCCESS’s 2nd annual Start Small Win Big entrepreneur challenge.
Welcome to the best eight weeks of your small business and welcome to Week 1! Let's get started with Step 1: Refine your elevator pitch.
This week’s assignment is to prepare five pitches– one that fills 20 seconds, one minute, five minutes, 20 minutes and one hour. Grab the notebook you'll use to collect your thoughts and assignments for this entrepreneurial challenge, and start writing with our tips below. Then, we encourage you to share your one minute pitch with us on the SUCCESS YouTube channel, where you’ll meet your fellow Start Small Win Big contestants. CONTINUE READING
- Meeting Zig Ziglar
by Michael Levin The next-to-last time I saw Zig Ziglar, I was one of 17,000 in attendance at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, where he was speaking as part of a program of superstars, including Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Joe Montana. He was onstage accompanied by his daughter, Julie Ziglar Norman. On April [...]
- Mompreneur: Her Business and Kitchen Towels Are Locked in Place
SUCCESS.com has partnered with Lifetime Moms to introduce you to some outstanding women. Last time, we introduced you to Lori Reynolds-Lewis of Mocha Moon. Lori and these other women are lot like you—they range from stay-at-home moms to successful career women, entrepreneurs and CEOs of their homes. Meet Cindy Sawyer by Mattie Schuler Cindy [...]
- ‘Start Small, Win Big’ 2012 Winner Shares Lessons
by: Tami Provost Who knew this New Hampshire gal’s first trip to New York City would be an all-expense-paid trip by SUCCESS magazine for me to meet Good Morning America’s Tory Johnson? Having attended Tory’s Spark & Hustle event in Boston, I knew I was in for a treat. Her high energy and “spark” during [...]
- A Night Dive with Sharks
by Sam Watson SUCCESS.com Web Designer Daymond John, creator of FUBU clothing and celebrity investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, says looking back, he now sees the roots of his entrepreneurship. Speaking to a Dallas consumer banking audience recently, Daymond shared how at a young age he was shoveling snow for money and getting paid in [...]
- Joseph McClendon: Get Happy Now
Consider this: There are some 43 muscles in the human face, most of which are controlled by the seventh cranial nerve (also known as the facial nerve). This nerve exits the cerebral cortex and emerges from your skull just in front of your ears. With each expression comes a chain reaction of moving parts that [...]
- A CEO’s Take on Daily Deals
Although my companyisn’t in the daily deal business, we live in an adjacent neighborhood. It’s a less crowded place, and the neighbors aren’t as likely to be in foreclosure on their houses or dodging collection phone calls. And because we only sell tickets to live entertainment, the block parties are a lot more fun. They’re less about oil changes, laser hair removal, 2 hot dogs for $4, and Botox. More likely someone’s singing show tunes, playing basketball, or balancing on top of a wheel of death. It’s a good group.
Anyway, that and a decade of e-commerce experiences means I can be helpful to merchants who are evaluating whether or not to work with one of the many daily deal providers. Done right, it can be a very strong marketing tool, and done wrong, it can break a small business. You’ve probably heard the stories.
Think of it this way. Daily deal sites are like a band composed of one instrument: a great big bass drum. It plays one note: loud. Big email, big discount, potentially big volume sales, for a single day. Impressive. Powerful. Strong.
But most bands aren’t limited to a single instrument. And if you’re marketing a business, you probably want different instruments for different moments. Perhaps it’s a “bass drum” moment for you, but maybe it’s not. Here are some thoughts on both how to figure it out and what to do about it.
First, figure out if the program is going to make you money now, later or never. In fact, you might lose money in the short term, but you make it up by increased awareness.
Keep it simple and estimate what a customer is worth to you in a single year. If your analysis told you that you needed 10,000 new customers to break even, I can tell you from here that that’s not going to happen. In other cases, the deals might make you money now, if you don’t lose any money on the sale.
Either way, you should know if the daily deal is going to make you money now, later or never.
Now and later are both OK. Never is not.
Second, control the number and timing of the sales. Selling an unlimited number is not usually a good idea because the promotional value of doing one of these doesn’t change all that much whether you sell 300 or 600, but your costs sure do. The daily deal site may… Click here to read more.
- Reporter’s Notebook: Mark Cuban
In the November 2011 issue of SUCCESS magazine, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban talks about what worked—and what didn’t—as he built his championship franchise. One of the most innovative professional sports team owners in recent years, Cuban’s perspective is
- The Poltergeist Effect: How Allowing Mistakes to ‘Haunt’ You Can Derail Creativity and Success
by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz Ask most people to tell you—in a single word—what they want most from life, and they’ll answer with one of the following: happiness, love, health or… success. What’s interesting, however, is that so few people make a serious run at achieving success for fear of making a mistake. It’s [...]
- SUCCESS Book Club Ch. 5: Prioritization
SUCCESS Book Club Selection: Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary by Frank I. Luntz. SUCCESS editors and staff will read and dissect select chapters and offer key points and discussion questions. Just joining us? Read notes from Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three and Chapter Four. “The key is [...]
- Chapter One: What Is a Winner?
In his new book, Win: The Key Principles to Take Your Business from Ordinary to Extraordinary, former pollster Frank I. Luntz demonstrates the how-to behind winning strategies, using examples from some of the world’s most successful businessmen, politicians and sports figures. In describing “life’s winners,” author Frank I. Luntz says, “They all love what they do. [...]
- Nerds on Location: Dallas Comic Con feat. Stan Lee
by Ashley Glenn
SUCCESS Marketing Manager
(However, in honor of Stan Lee, he’s adopted a new pen name: Ash Lee)
- Nerds on the Scene Sam Watson and Ashley Glenn
Since SUCCESS magazine featured Stan Lee in the June 2011 issue, SUCCESS web designer Sam Watson and I somehow convinced the bosses that we should be there to meet him. To our surprise (proof that it never hurts to ask), they approved in exchange for a blog, so here we go.
We were there to “cover” the event, but let’s be honest, it was a free trip to Comic Con to get in touch with our inner nerd and fulfill a childhood dream of meeting the godfather of comics, Stan “The Man” Lee. If that weren’t enough justification, we figured if the world ended on Saturday as predicted and the zombie apocalypse finally came, then we were in good company. What better place to be than with thousands of nerds who all had the zombie survival guide memorized. (See The Zombie Survival Guide chapter 6, “Living in an Undead World.”) If they couldn’t help us, then perhaps the cast from AMC’s The Walking Dead could.
- Comic Con Attendee Chris Albright discussing the Stan Lee article with SUCCESS employee Ashley Glenn
With stacks of SUCCESS magazine in hand, we hit the dealer room to…
- SUCCESS Foundation Inspires Teens to ‘GR8′
by David Lee The main office at Skyline High School in Dallas is a constant stream of activity. With nearly 5,000 students, Skyline is one of the largest high schools in the country. The SUCCESS Foundation introduced its Eight to GR8 program to the school as part of its mission to equip today’s youth with [...]
- Overview: Become the Leader You Want to Be
Welcome to the Robin Sharma leadership blog challenge! Here are the exclusive details for this exciting six-week challenge that’ll take place March 22-April 29.
- Become the Leader You Were Meant to Be
When it came time for Robin Sharma to carve out a life for himself, becoming a lawyer seemed right. Although he had loving parents, there was never abundance during his childhood, and he was determined to find a way to prosper as an adult. His life as a litigation lawyer provided money, status and all the trappings of the success he envisioned. But Sharma felt something was missing—that a vital part of him was silently starving to death.
- The Five Laws of Personal Constraints
by Guest Blogger Flip FlippenThe Five Laws of Personal Constraints by Guest Blogger Flip Flippen
There’s a reason swimming with barbells isn’t an Olympic event.Yet most of us attempt something just as illogical—we strive to reach our potential without first getting rid of the traits that weigh us down.The greatest swimmer in the world couldn’t do much more than tread water unless he or she lets go of the barbells. It wouldn’t be the swimmer’s great abilities that determine the level of success but rather the weights that hold him down. In exactly the same way, things other than our talents, personality or academic achievements play a greater role in determining how far we go in our professional careers and personal relationships. In a recent article I wrote for SUCCESS magazine, I included a quiz for the readers that must be completed in 10 seconds or less. It was a simple question:
- Meet Shawn Phillips
“Strength is about being more, doing more, giving more. It’s not just surviving; it’s thriving. Most importantly, strength is about cultivating a reservoira deeper, fuller capacity of body, mind and heart.” Longtime ambassador for personal transformation and fitness, Shawn Phillips is on a mission to spread a new standard of strength throughout America. On his [...]
Polls
Loading ...
Recent SUCCESS magazine articles
- How To: Know Your Company's Worth June 18, 2013Understanding how small businesses are valued helps companies be more efficient and prepare for the future. […]
- 4 Steps to Getting the Most out of Mentorship June 18, 2013Tips on how to be intentional in finding a mentor. […]
- Celebrate Small Business Week June 17, 2013National Small Business Week recognizes entrepreneurs and small-business owners with free events. […]
- An Apple a Day (Keeps the Doctor Away?) June 17, 2013What healthcare legends are true, and what ones are false? […]
- Reading List: HeadTrash June 15, 2013Read about the seven forms of junk that clog our brains. […]
Most Popular Content
- Maeghan, perhaps your parents took their prioritisation for each other a few ste...
- Heya we're for your major moment in this article. I uncovered the following boar...
- Love it! I still don't know all the stuff my phone does......probs never w...
- Hola! I've been reading your weblog for some time now and finally got the courag...
- I don't know what to say. This blog is fantastic. That's not really a ...