Posts Tagged ‘ small business ’

The Story of Sexy Grammar: Lesbian Sex Tricks & Your Target Market

“Do you want to make her come?” I asked the circle of men around me. “Or do you want to make her come with your dick?”

Long before I taught entrepreneurs how to build social media campaigns, I taught a class I called Dyke Tricks For Straight Dicks at the Bay Area’s clean, well-lighted store for sex toys, Good Vibrations.

Teaching men about female pleasure anatomy showed me how to ask good questions, reach my audience, and consistently deliver a wildly popular message–that some women want more than penetrative sex from their male partners.

Inevitably, the men who attended my Dyke Tricks classes learned something about female sexual pleasure. The women in their lives thanked me with referrals, requests for advanced classes, and sometimes even flowers. And I learned how to motivate a target market.

 The Sexy Grammarian  is a small business owner who brings passion and marketing savvy to Private Sessions that help fellow entrepreneurs find the words to tell their story and sell their services. Get a free Private Session with the Sexy Grammarian now.
2012
08/06
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Everything You Need To Write Your Social Media Content, You Can Learn From Sex: 4 Hot Tips

  1. It’s not the size of the boat. It’s the motion of the ocean. Nobody cares how long your blog posts are or even how often you post them. What counts is that your content schedule has a rhythm that’s right for you and your readers.
  2. It’s better to play with others than with yourself. Social Media is social. Engage, interact, comment, and respond.
  3. Lubrication helps. It’s easy to get uptight about what you’re posting and how you look out there, but remember to have fun too. Flirt, laugh, and play on the Internet to draw more followers and fans.
  4. Imagination trumps knowledge. Let your creativity drive when you’re engaging in social media. The art form is so new, there’s just not that much to know yet!
Sexy Grammar invites the writer in you to a turned on, engaged, and unapologetic creative life. We believe that sex and writing go hand in hand and that the creative process can be thrilling, pleasurable, and satisfying. Ready for your free Private Session?
2012
08/01
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Wicked Grounds: Where the Sex Geeks Write

This is a 5-star review

Wicked Grounds
289 8th St at Clementina
SoMa, San Francisco

If you’ve never spent time in the kink community, you might not expect it to be as geeky as it is. You might imagine the whips and chains party spaces to feel more like a beefcake gym than a campus study room. But anybody who’s spent any real time at a sex club or dungeon in this town knows that plenty of the players in our kink community are total brain-iacs: writers, scientists, educators, and health care researchers.

Don’t believe me? You don’t have to creep around in the shadows of a sex club to see this celebrated subculture in action. Go sit in a café, mind your own business, and soak up the friendly, sassy, study hall vibe at Wicked Grounds.

There’s no better place for such a gentle introduction to the world of kink than this  café/gallery/playspace/community center. The vibe is warm–and hot–just a teensy bit cruisey. The wifi works great, and there are plenty of people writing on laptops, so yes, you can also come to Wicked Grounds for my favorite café pastime: writing. Folks are studying here. My table is stable. And my cookie is fresh baked. The music is familiar and pleasant. The customer service is top notch.

Wicked Grounds welcomes anyone with an open mind to come on in and participate at whatever level makes you comfortable. Flirt with the adorable and knowledgeable baristas. Purchase a naughty birthday card. Take in an erotic painting. Get down on the floor and sip your coffee from a doggie bowl, you dirty little pig! You can dabble, or you can go all the way. Nobody’s going to judge you. Nobody cares.

Take yourself out to a cafe to write. It’s good for your writing and good for small businesses in your neighborhood too. This review has been cross posted on Yelp, where you can read all The Sexy Grammarian’s cafe reviews as well as reviews clients have written about our services.
2012
07/27
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How To Build A Social Media Strategy: 5 Tips For Businesses Getting Started

  1. We’re all experimenting. Even the bloggers and Facebook users who look like they know what they’re doing are just experimenting, so if you feel a little fumbly, remember that use of social media as a marketing tool is in its infancy. Don’t let anybody tell you there’s only one way to use Yelp or Pinterest. They haven’t seen your way yet.
  2. Get a teenager. I assumed my teenage intern would be able to fix my computer, but she surprised me by mentoring me in social media use as well. And it’s no wonder. The kids in their teen years today don’t see social media as a new way of communicating–they see it as the ordinary way of communicating. Your most extraordinary ideas for social media will spring from the mind of your nearest teenager.
  3. Be generous and polite. Participating in social media means participating in a conversation, and even if you’re new to social media, you’ve been practicing conversation since your toddler years. You know the rules: Listen. Attend to the exchange. Respond meaningfully. Use The Golden Rule. Wish more people would comment on your blog? How many blog comments have you posted today?
  4. Match your marketing goals to your social media tactics. What are your marketing goals, and how can social media help you achieve them? Twitter might be great for alerting your followers to a big sale, but you can’t use it to release your 500-word white paper. Match each social media tool you’re using with a goal from your marketing plan, and you’ll feel clearer about why you’re using social media in the first place.
  5. Have fun! Think of social media as a big cocktail party in the sky. The people drawing a crowd are the ones who look like they’re having a good time.

The Sexy Grammarian arouses entrepreneurs and professionals to build their own strategy, brand, social media, and marketing content with private sessions, intimate workshops, custom style guides, and free online lessons and tips, such as this tip about why your company’s name should not end with an s or this advice about how to be a sexy social media writer. And check out these useful tips for business owners from last year’s Small Business Week: How To Get Organized, How To Engage Your Social Media Community, How To Set Goals, and How To Become A Sought-After Speaker.

2012
05/14
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Network Like A Pro: 5 Hot Tips

Small Business Week is right around the corner, and organizers have planned some great events. Are you ready to network your heart out? Here’s the Sexy Grammar approach:

  1. Whom do you want to meet? I usually find the best solutions to my business conundrums in other people, so before I go out networking, I ask myself, “What does my business need right now?” Need a logo? You need to meet a talented graphic designer. Need an office space? You need to meet a good real estate agent. Go to the event looking for someone specific to help your business grow.
  2. Seek quality people, not quantities of people. It’s easy to meet a lot of people and hand out a lot of business cards at a networking event, but how many of those 30-second glad-hand moments turn into valuable business connections? Seek out one or two high quality connections, and you may find your next collaborator or mentor.
  3. “Have you met anyone interesting here?” It’s one of my favorite conversation starters at a networking event. Suddenly, your conversation partner becomes your co-conspirator. Mine the people you meet for the connections you both want to make.
  4. Streamline your follow-up. After the event, don’t let your stack of collected business cards become an object of follow-up guilt and misery. Instead, break down the stack into 3 groups: 1) people you really need, 2) people who really need you, and 3) people you’ll probably never see again. Write to the first group right away. Give the second group a chance to approach you first by putting them off a day or two. Send a polite but short note to the folks in the last group whenever you get around to it.
  5. Look your best. Don’t over-drink. Have fun. Just because the party has the word networking in front of it doesn’t mean the basic rules of party attendance don’t apply. Look great to feel confident. Have a soda between those free glasses of wine, and have some fun. It’s a party!

The Sexy Grammarian arouses entrepreneurs and professionals to build their own strategy, brand, social media, and marketing content with private sessions, intimate workshops, custom style guides, and free writing secrets such as this tip about why your company’s name should not end with an s or this advice about how to be a sexy social media writer. And check out these useful tips for business owners from last year’s Small Business Week: How To Get Organized, How To Engage Your Social Media Community, How To Set Goals, and How To Become A Sought-After Speaker.

2012
05/07
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Where the Professionals Work: Caffé Bianco

This is a 5-star review

39 Sutter St
San Francisco’s Financial District

Sometimes I like to hang out in the Financial District, land of the diagonal crosswalk, women who pair their corporate drag with sneakers, and men who still smoke cigars. When I’m here, I like to get lunch and a little writing done at Caffé Bianco.

This place feels like an old boys’ club hangout. The owner’s at the counter and has been for thirty years. Next door you can get your shoes shined. Suits huddle at tables, talking finance. I don’t know if they’ve got a wifi connection or many available electrical outlets, but nobody’s going to throw you out for opening your laptop either. People here are working, whether they’re puzzling a crossword on their lunch hours or sealing a mega deal with a venture capitalist.

I can get a pot of tea that’s properly brewed or a lovingly crafted espresso drink, and the lunch selection boasts hot pasta dishes, intriguing salads, and the usual sandwich fare, all at very reasonable prices.

I love the architecture too: the grand column in the middle of the seating area, the dark passage from Sutter to Market, and the great sunny widows, where I like to sit. When I want an even more serious focus in the air around me, I brave the treacherous stairs to the glamorous balcony, where the upper window, railing edge, and mirrored walls create an airy atmosphere that’s great for writing.

Take yourself out to a cafe to write. It’s good for your writing and good for small businesses in your neighborhood too. This review has been cross posted on Yelp, where you can read all The Sexy Grammarian’s cafe reviews as well as reviews clients have written about our services.

2012
05/02
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Get Ready for Small Business Week

 

In less than a month, San Francisco will celebrate Small Business Week, and if you’re in business for yourself or if you’re a leader in any small business endeavor, you owe it to yourself and the success of your company to attend.

Being your own boss can get lonely. I go to this event every year to meet my fellow small business owners because smart, savvy San Francisco small business people come out for this event and share their knowledge and enthusiasm generously.

According to the SF Small Business Week Committee, San Francisco’s is the largest local Small Business Week in the country with more than 4,000 attendees throughout the week. Thriving small businesses pump the heart of this great city, where, according to this month’s issue of 7×7 Magazine, 99% of our registered businesses have fewer than 100 employees.

So which events should you attend? Here’s my run-down:

Flavors of San Francisco $10 Admission
Monday, May 14, 2012, 5:30-7:30pm – Metreon
San Francisco Small Business Week kicks off with a gala reception in the City View Room at the newly remodeled  Metreon and features small bites from more than 30 local restaurants. Hot tip: I’ll see you there early. The food always runs out.

Board of Supervisors Small Business Award Ceremony FREE!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 3:30pm – City Hall
This is the sweetest awards ceremony ever! Go cheer for your local favorites while the Small Business Commission, the Mayor, and the Board of Supervisors honor one exceptional small business from each of San Francisco’s 11 districts.

San Francisco Small Business Conference FREE!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 8am-5pm – SFSU Downtown Campus
Leaders, mentors, and innovators from our city’s incredible Small Business community offer more than 50 free workshops at San Francisco State’s  Downtown Campus above the Westfield Mall. This event teems with people you need to meet, from the friendly and approachable presenters to your small business peers and competitors.

Hot tip: Take an inspiration break on the grand and secret rooftop terrace, above the mall’s massive glass and steal dome, where the city view should get your blood pumping.

I always make new friends at this event, and this year I’ll be live tweeting from the workshops. I’ve already signed up for these two:

Supercharge Your Facebook Marketing from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM

Tapping into Tourism from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM

Hot tip: See a workshop you’d like to attend but can’t? Leave a comment, and I’ll find another attendee to live tweet it for you!

MEGA Make Contact LGBT Mixer FREE!
Thursday, May 17 – SF LGBT Center
The Golden Gate Business Association,  San Francisco’s LGBT business networking organization, throws this annual networking affair featuring the city’s fine food and wine.

Hot tip: This is always a good party. Put on your drinking shoes.

SFEDA & San Francisco Small Business Week Mixer
Friday, May 18,  – 5:30PM – 7:30PM, Boothby Center
I’m glad to see this new Small Business Week event on the roster, hosted by the San Francisco Economic Development Alliance.

Hot tip: No host bar. Bring cash.

The Sexy Grammarian arouses entrepreneurs and professionals to build their own strategy, brand, social media, and marketing content with private sessions, intimate workshops,  custom style guides, and free online lessons and tips, such as this tip about why your company’s name should not end with an s or this advice about how to be a sexy social media writer. And check out these useful tips for business owners from last year’s Small Business Week: How To Get Organized, How To Engage Your Social Media Community, How To Set Goals, and How To Become A Sought-After Speaker.

2012
04/25
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Resources Galore! Get Organized—Tools To Boost Your Productivity At Work with Joshua Zerkel


Joshua Zerkel is funny! He’s got a dry, subtle sense of humor that really works for a presenter, but he’s not all fluff. In fact, he packed his presentation with solid resources to help you organize your business.

For instance, he advises you to organize one small area at a time. You don’t have to “get organized” all at once, he says. Instead, try to constantly evolve and always make it better. And he suggests only looking at email three times a day. Shut off email noise alerts so you can pull it off.

I loved his time-organizing techniques, such as his advice to create these time blocks on your calendar:

1.    Production time

2.    Marketing time

3.    Admin time

4.    Breaks

And his procrastination strategy:

  1. Identify the tasks you procrastinate.
  2. Focus on the goal of those tasks.
  3. Reward yourself for finishing the task.
  4. Use a timer to limit the time you spend on the task.
  5. Group procrastinated tasks and get them all done at once.

He also offered countless pre-tested software resources. I haven’t tried all of these yet myself but plan to:

http://www.shoeboxed.com/ : digitizes receipts and biz cards

http://www.crashplan.com/ : backups both online or local disk options

http://highrisehq.com/index3 : for contacts

http://www.evernote.com/ : free online archive

Facebook blocking software: I found LeechBlock, a Firefox add-on.

iPhone app: WorldCard

I loved Josh’s resourcefulness and his style. And I love being organized!

Last week, entrepreneurs nationwide celebrated Small Business Week, and San Francisco marked the occasion with several fantastic events including the Small Business Conference, more than 30 workshops to help small business owners succeed. This week, I offer my notes and inspiration from the four  fabulous workshops I attended:

I’m integrating what I’ve learned into my coaching practice, especially for small business owners. Do you know a small business owner who needs help keeping up with the writing demands of Internet marketing? I can help, and my first session is free.

2011
05/27
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The Sexy G In Business
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Inspired! How To Engage or Build A Community for Your Business with Edith Yeung

https://ted.com/talks/view/id/538

Edith Yeung‘s got some great ideas about community building, and she shares them freely. And that’s really her message. Share your great ideas freely. It’s Seth Godin‘s message in the TED Talk above too. And although I took several pages of notes in this session, I encourage you to check out Edith’s many resources on the web. And in this post, I want to share, not what she said but what she inspired.

During this workshop, I got struck by lightning, as if many ideas about marketing and the Internet suddenly coalesced and became clear and beautiful:

  • If you are participating in social media from a perspective of sharing your expertise with the world, then you take steps to increase your magnetism to search engines by cross posting, linking, using descriptive titles, headlines, and link names, and participating in online conversations.
  • If you participate in this way, the Google algorithm likes you, so SEO marketing becomes about doing it right, participating, being engaged, and leading others to be engaged.
  • What is the highest good you can achieve with your knowledge and expertise? Putting your company’s contribution where people can find it, offering free, useful, well-written information to the Internet is the best way to get your message to the world and to be generous with the world.
  • This participation makes you a thought leader and a community leader. Being a leader makes you a better, more successful business owner.
  • It becomes possible that your marketing efforts are actually your gift to the world, the noblest thing you and your company can do.
  • Doing this well destroys negative business owner thinking about marketing being evil, self-promotion being creepy, and social media being a waste of time. Instead, this is the best, noblest, highest good you can offer. In return for your generosity, your community will find you and support your life’s work.

Last week, entrepreneurs nationwide celebrated Small Business Week, and San Francisco marked the occasion with several fantastic events including the Small Business Conference, more than 30 workshops to help small business owners succeed. This week, I offer my notes and inspiration from the four  fabulous workshops I attended:

I’m integrating what I’ve learned into my coaching practice, especially for small business owners. Do you know a small business owner who needs help keeping up with the writing demands of Internet marketing? I can help, and my first session is free.

2011
05/26
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The Sexy G In Business
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Ten More Tips: How To Become A Sought After Speaker and Make Your Business THRIVE! with Caterina Rando

Caterina Rando organizes her inspiring and helpful talk around ten points, which she will send to you as a PDF if you give her your business card (see tip #1 below). But during her presentation I collected plenty more than ten useful tips to steer my future career as a sought-after speaker. Since you can probably get hold of her official list of ten tips by writing to her, I’ll share some notes that fell outside her organized presentation outline but still impressed me.

1.   Everybody loves a handy handout, and Caterina knows it.  She leverages this information to collect the contacts sitting in her workshop, saying, “I am trying to be more green so give me your email address, and I’m going to send you the handouts plus a special gift.” She hands a box around the room for us to fill with our business cards. Shazam, she’s got your number and a reason to send you email. Brilliant.

2.    She speaks to audience members who’ve arrived early before her presentation begins, which makes her more approachable, provides her information about her audience, and cultivates especially attentive audience members.

3.    Invite potential clients to hear you speak–impress them with your audience and your performance.

4.    Caterina on speaking fees:

  • Unpaid gigs let you snag clients more than paid gigs do.
  • Don’t be attached to fees.
  • It’s the client connections that matter here—get yourself in front of your potential clients.

5.    “The more you do it, the easier it gets, until you do it with ease.”

6.    If there’s a microphone—use it!

7.   Caterina expresses and exemplifies a great consciousness about quality of voice for public speaking.

8.    Required business owner qualities:

  • certainty (ahs and ums undermine this)
  • enthusiasm
  • positivity

9.    Caterina does this thing where she coaches her audience to breathe. I wonder what her cue is for this—her own mood, or the audience’s, or some planned transition. Whatever the cue, it works to keep us relaxed and focused.

10. Image: wear a (light) jacket, or any “3rd piece.”

Caterina’s a charmer and a real professional. I’m inclined to do what she says and wear the light-colored jacket no matter how hot it gets talking about Sexy Grammar.

Last week, entrepreneurs nationwide celebrated Small Business Week, and San Francisco marked the occasion with several fantastic events including the Small Business Conference, more than 30 workshops to help small business owners succeed. This week, I offer my notes and inspiration from the four  fabulous workshops I attended:

I’m integrating what I’ve learned into my coaching practice, especially for small business owners. Do you know a small business owner who needs help keeping up with the writing demands of Internet marketing? I can help, and my first session is free.

2011
05/25
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Inspiration
The Sexy G In Business
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