Tips & Tools: Resist the herd instinct

TIP:

Resist the herd instinct. Don’t give up your individuality. Don’t act like all the others.

As an entrepreneur, one of your defining character traits is that you think differently—you don’t follow the crowd. Use this to your advantage. Pardon the cliché, but consistently think outside of the box.  Don’t be afraid to think big.

A publisher, upon hearing at-the-time-unheard-of Jack Canfield’s goals for his new Chicken Soup for the Soul books, declared to Jack, “You’re crazy. Impossible.”

“Crazy, no,” Jack replied. “But I am an entrepreneur—and some folks get those two things confused.

The rest, as they say, is history. Like Jack, may you believe in big things even when no one else does.

TOOL:

Google’s Ad Planner serves as a great media planning tool. The site allows you to locate websites that your potential customers are visiting and helps you target your advertising dollars to reach those customers.

The flip side of Google’s Ad Planner is that, even if you aren’t considering an advertising campaign, Ad Planner is a valuable tool to help research any type of group—to see what sites they are looking at.  Crucial information to those of us who need to understand our customers better: Who are our customers watching? What are they reading? Where are they spending their time? Great insight to help us fine-tune our own services.

Check it out here:

Much like a carpenter, an entrepreneur needs a toolbox. A real workhorse, filled to the brim with the essential tools to do a quality job. An easy to tote, practical, and always-on-hand toolbox.

Consider this yours. Each week, we will offer practical tips and tools to help grow your business.

What do you think?

Have you used any of these tools? We would love your feedback. What worked, and what didn’t? Would you recommend them?

Jo Ann Fore is a certified Life Coach and freelance writer. Visit her at www.JoAnnFore.com.