We’ve all heard about brain foods, and have probably seen some ad for a great new diet that will raise your IQ tenfold. In reality, all these new diets do is raise the creator’s revenue tenfold from book sales or TV appearances.

You really can’t chew your way to being the next Albert Einstein, no matter what they say. But that doesn’t mean you should give up hope. Studies have shown a strong link between certain foods and improved memory and concentration. Here are just a few:

In case you haven’t seen them, Cookie has done two iPhone commercials highlighting Apple’s “Hey Siri” functionality. I think they are very funny and very well done, but I love Cookie Monster (and cookies).

What makes these ads so cool…

Let's eat, Grandma!

Let's eat Grandma!

Language is a funny thing. Only a simple comma separates a cozy dining experience from a cannibalistic feast. Good thing for Grandma that little punctuation mark is there.

Now consider another example: working 'in' your business versus working 'on' your business. Again, the difference is small -just one letter. But that one letter can mean a lot to your business.

If you are (or were) a fan of The Sound of Music, you might remember the lyrics: “Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.”

The same applies in your business.

Too many business owners make the mistake of developing their product or marketing strategy before doing the first critical step…

Featured Resource this week -

 One Click Upsell

If you sell products, services or entry to events, using Infusionsoft's order forms, and you are not leading the new buyer to an immediate up sell, YOU ARE LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE!!!

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Featured Resource this week -

Change the RULES of Mobile Marketing.

Before now, mobile marketing was severely limited. You could only send a single text in response to a single incoming text message. This caused people using mobile marketing to settle for less than effective marketing strategies.

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

Featured Resource this week -

Change the RULES of Mobile Marketing.

Before now, mobile marketing was severely limited. You could only send a single text in response to a single incoming text message. This caused people using mobile marketing to settle for less than effective marketing strategies.

Try Automated SMS for Only $1!

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

Days have an annoying habit of only having 24 hours in them. Your email is full of important messages, and reading time is in short supply. The bottom line is that if you’re going read a business or marketing blog, it had better be time well spent.  

Not to worry. These are blogs that you won’t mind taking up space in your inbox, including a few about some of the greatest marketing geniuses of all times. And why not lead off with one of those geniuses?

The business world is constantly changing. (Surprise!)

Just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, some new piece of technology or some new method of doing things comes along and turns the whole thing upside down. For example, who knew, five years ago, that Facebook Ads would be all the rage now and that Instagram would be following in their footsteps? (Actually, Instagram was a fledgling platform 5 years ago - just another new place to post photos for your friends.)

Featured Resource this week - Copy Doodles

Handwriting and hand-drawn enhancements have been used for years in advertising and marketing because they are a proven way to grab attention and increase response and readability. There is NOTHING out there that matches the quality, expertise and level of support you get when you become a CopyDoodles member.  Their extensive library of direct-response marketing graphics features thousands of hand-drawn CopyDoodles, which can be easily downloaded to your computer and placed on any of the online or offline marketing pieces you are working on in a snap.

Check out others who we recommend - solid vendors and products that could benefit your business today.

In a 1990's edition of the comic strip Dilbert, the Pointy-Haired Boss announces he's going off to a 4-star hotel for a two week management retreat. Needless to say, his staff isn't impressed. The strip hints at the underlying feelings many people have about corporate retreats: expensive wastes of time where executives practice silly exercises like trust falls and rope challenges, all the while gorging themselves on exotic foods in some tropical paradise.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Properly planned and executed, a staff retreat can provide a wonderful vehicle to re-energize yourself or your team, encourage cooperation across different departments and strengthen internal bonds.

You gripped the steering wheel so tightly during your commute to the office that you left claw marks. The frown lines that sometimes visit your forehead have now taken up permanent residence and invited their relatives to stay. 

In other words, you might be under a little bit of a strain.

Stress is nothing new. It's been around since the beginning of time, and it doesn't appear to be going out of style any time soon. How we deal with it will go a long way to determining how productive and happy we end up being.

“Never put off till tomorrow what can be put off until the day after tomorrow.”
“Me?  A procrastinator?  I’ll prove you wrong, just you wait and see.”

Do any of these quotes sound like you, when it comes to doing your taxes?  Like the tide, you can sense the filing deadline washing inevitably towards you, yet you still haven’t gotten them started.  Don’t worry: you’re not alone. The last day of tax season is also one of the busiest. If you’re the type that likes to put everything together at the last minute, here are some tips to help:

Since we were children, we’ve been taught about the importance of goals.

We set them, achieve them and work towards them. Sometimes, like the plants in our homes or offices, we conveniently forget about them, or at other times, we lose sight of them in the shuffle of our daily lives. But if our goals are to bear fruit, we need to occasionally remember to turn to towards the light or water them.

Integrate Your Site To Your CRM! Managing a membership site can seem like a herculean task, but when you combine it with one of your other tools it can become a breeze.

Beware of Data Skew

Simply put, the more lists that you have that contain the same data, the more likely they are to not match up. This is called data skew.