I admit it. I’m a bit of a black and white person. Figure it out, do what’s best, and move forward. “Moving on!” is a familiar refrain in my world.

So when we, as a family, decided it was time to sell our house and find a new one, I clipped along and got it done. Old house sold. New house bought. Packing. Moving. Planning.

Moving. On.

But what I didn’t count on in all my efficient trouncing forward was the emotional toll it would take on everyone around me. My children cried. A lot. My sweet, easy-going husband was wound tight as a drum and stomped around for several weeks. Even my animals became not themselves.

What was wrong? Didn’t we all want this? Weren’t we all excited about the moving on?

If I’d taken my moving on hat off for five minutes to really think about things, I would have realized that efficiency cannot take the place of closure. Recognizing the emotions associated with change, regardless of how positive the change is, is an important part of moving on. Perhaps the most important part.

What is true in life is also true in business. You must properly handle the endings to fully succeed in your beginnings. Clients. Employees. Jobs.

Pay proper attention to the things you are letting go.

Be gracious in your goodbyes.

I love what Ellen Goodman said on the matter, “There’s a trick to the ‘graceful exit.’ It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage or a relationship is over — and let it go. It means leaving what’s over without denying its validity or its past importance to our lives. It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving up, rather than out.”

Essential for moving on.

Recently I took a girls trip to New York. I. Love. New. York. What’s not to love about the largest, busiest, most exciting metropolis in the country (IMHO)?

We are not “double decker bus girls.” Our group had visited New York several times and had already knocked the tourist spots off our list. And other than securing tickets to a show, we didn’t have even a scratch of plan. Our plan was no plan.

We set out each morning just walking and allowed the city to take us where it willed, fully taking in the sights and sounds of New York. And it was AMAZING.

We experienced the glamour of Fifth Avenue, the reverence of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the grandeur of the public library, happy hour with local residents, spotting Sara Jessica Parker shopping in Gourmet Garage, rockin’ and shopping in the Times Square H&M at 10:30 p.m., and observing the nuances of the cultural pockets of the boroughs … WE LOVED IT ALL.

Bubble Man in Central Park

This great city is the entry point for our ancestors and the entrepreneurial spirit of our country. Entrepreneurs are abundant. However, there was one entrepreneur in particular that peaked my interest.

We found The Bubble Man in Central Park (side note – permits are not required to sell/collect money in the park as long as you are mobile). Here’s the concept: a bucket, soap, rope and stick. I absolutely was fascinated by this set-up and lingered a bit to see the interaction.

Parent after parent dropped $10 and $20 in the hat for their kids to play with bubbles for a couple of minutes in Central Park. Say what?!? Low overhead, easy execution, flexible hours, built-in audience. BAM! So simple. But so ingenious.

Simple models can have big results as long as you put on your entrepreneur pants and work it! Thank you NYC, the city of dreamers, workers, bankers, marketers, artists, actors and entrepreneurs. I heart you!

You’re standing at the podium in front of the room with all 500 eyes on you. Waiting. On. Your. Every. Word. Is this your worst nightmare?

It can be a terrifying feeling for many – in fact, statistics indicate about 74% of people have a fear of public speaking. So if you can relate, you’re in good company. But knowing this doesn’t help when business requires a speech.

The solution? You’ve got to grab the presentation bull by the horns and practice. Honestly, the more you present, the better you’ll get, both in technique and in feeling relaxed when you’re at the head of the table.

Even if presenting doesn’t make you break out in a sweat, it never hurts to remind ourselves of a few best practices that will more fully engage audiences to achieve the desired outcome.

1. Research Your Audience. Know who you’re talking to – if you want to influence these people, you need to understand what they care about and what motivates them.

2. Start With a Good Story. Preferably one that the audience can relate to – and one that will make them laugh. Capture their attention right away.

3. Clarify the Goal of the Presentation. Before you even outline what you’re going to say, determine the end goal. Sharing a key process? Persuasion to a specific point of view? Providing status on a project? Then, as you’ve likely heard before, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And tell them what you told them.” Keep it simple and on topic.

4. Make Eye Contact. Engagement happens when people feel like you’re talking to them versus at them. They’re more likely to actually hear you and buy into your content when they feel a more personal connection. Eye contact goes a long way in small, intimate meetings and large, seemingly impersonal audiences.

5. Project Your Voice. Everyone in the room, no matter how large, should be able to hear you – otherwise, what’s the point? Practice, if you can, in the room you’ll be in so you can gauge how loud you need to be – and don’t turn your back and talk to your slides instead of your audience.

6. Slow Down. Most people, when they’re nervous, don’t realize how quickly they talk. Concentrate on speaking slowly, pausing at key points, and giving meaning to your words.

7. Use Big Gestures. Not only is your voice and delivery important, so are your gestures. Command the space you’re inhabiting in front of the room. Move around, make a point with your hands – think like a TV weatherman! Your enthusiasm and passion for your subject should be evident in your actions.

8. Be Entertaining. A presentation is not the same as reading an informative article or textbook. It’s in person, and as such, the audience expects to have an emotional connection with the speaker. They want more than just the facts – they want to be engaged.

9. Anticipate Questions. Come prepared with answers to potential questions. You can’t possibly cover everything in one presentation, so what are people likely to ask? You’ve started a conversation, and an enthusiastic audience will want to know more.

10. Practice Like Crazy. Last but certainly not least, practice!!! When you know what you’re going to say backward and forward, you won’t have to worry about stumbling over words or losing your train of thought. And when you know your presentation, you won’t read slides, which keeps your audience focused on you.

Have more tips? All of us on the Porch would like to hear from you!

Plans are comforting. Satisfying to-do lists, orderly outlines, and pro-and-con comparisons are all tools that tame our anxiety and give us the feeling of being in control. As business people, we thrive on living this structure. assembling and assigning structure to a process.

Whether we are a part of a service-oriented business or one that is product-based, smart business people assemble structure to a process and put systems and procedures in place to maximize productivity.

Yet the natural order of things is chaotic.

So you’re a start up and are successfully launched. All systems are go. Products are distributed. You’ve diligently put systems in place and created a system of organization and productivity. Things are humming along smoothly.

Congratulations … but don’t get too comfortable.

Because inevitably, unforeseen circumstances and uncontrollable events will threaten to derail your hard-earned success. So how do you handle the chaos?

1. Stay focused

2. Stay true to your core concept

3. Stay true to your brand vision

4. Be agile

5. Be adaptable

6. Get back on track

As Deepak Chopra said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Chaos is inevitable. Use it. Learn from it. And recognize that in the midst of the chaos lies opportunity.

I love it when people ask me about our brand and how the name came to be. We enjoyed our branding process immensely; and we as a team love it when start-ups come to us with their business concept and ask us to help them name, brand and market it.

Just yesterday we were presenting logo options to a client who commented that they were impressed by our process for naming, preparing a creative brief and then developing logo concepts. The leadership team had no idea how much time, energy and thought went into the process and were curious whether we thought other start-ups went through a similar process.

Unfortunately, the answer is no.

But they should! Naming your brand is an important process and must be tackled in a diligent, thoughtful way. Choosing a strong name requires that it:

1. Stands out from the competition (unless it’s more important to fit in)
2. Communicates the business you’re in
3. Reinforces your brand promise
4. Communicates your company’s distinguishing characteristics
5. Has long term viability
6. Is easy to read
7. Is easy to pronounce
8. Is simple to spell
9. Is short and concise
10. Is memorable

Do the work on the front end to analyze your brand, your business, your competitors and your promise to ensure that your identity represents all that you want and need. You will save time, money and energy down the road if you start off right!

Cheers! Your company has a clearly defined brand – a simple, relevant customer promise that competitively gives you an edge. Check that off the list, right? Absolutely! But before you move on to other things, have you thought about your internal processes?

What must you do internally to execute the brand? To make it come alive? Become more than just a piece of paper? Ensure that your customers understand the brand as you intended?

Before you talk about your brand to the masses, you need to first look within to be sure you’re delivering on that brand throughout the organization. You don’t want to set an expectation that disappoints later! So consider this carefully – What are your customer touch points? Think about ALL of them, from where your store is located to how well the product performs or even how clean the front desk is when you walk in the door.

They’re all important.

Ergo, all companies need to identify and proactively manage their brand at all points of customer contact. Make a list of your contact points. Especially the less obvious ones like:

• the way your phone is answered
• how seamless your billing processes are for customers
• what your employees say to others about their job
• the attire of your salespeople
• the quality of your packaging
• the functionality and ease of navigating your website
• your response time for customer questions

Basically, everything you say and do as an organization reflects on your brand. Look carefully at your internal processes. If you’re experiencing problems at a touch point, they need to be addressed – you don’t want a seemingly minor issue to be the string that unravels all the work you put into building your brand. Assess each item on your list, and then prioritize those you need to change.

The goal is to eliminate negative experiences and keep or build on areas in which you are strong. Strong in communicating the brand promise.

Often, we ask a client, “If you do everything right, what’s the one thing you want your target to remember about you? If we conducted research now, would they give that answer?”

This is the fun part, folks! Branding and marketing rocks! Every company has struggles, but strategic marketing built on a strong brand is the impetus for success!

Go team!

Julie Porter is the chief rocker at Front Porch Marketing. You can follow her, julie_porter, or her company, itsfrontporch, on Instagram; and Twitter @juliedporter01 or @itsfrontporch; and like us on Facebook at FrontPorchMktg.

It started as a typical day, moving forward, stopping at the store to pick up milk. I back out of the parking spot, turn the wheels to drive forward, and realize I’m stuck. In reverse. The gear shift is broken. After several scrapped knee-jerk plans (sit and wait, don’t move, don’t turn off the car, drive the car home in reverse) the final decision is made.

Tow it. Fix it. Move forward. 

During this brief, chaotic situation, it occurred to me that I take two beautiful abilities for granted; the ability to shift gears and the ability to move forward. Thank you, vehicle, for the head smack. How awful it would be to only move backward!! Unfortunately, we find ourselves looking backward far too frequently.

We can’t redo yesterday, last week or 10 years ago, so why do we spin our wheels in reverse?

Companies do this all the time. All the time. How many times have you heard or said:

• We will not carry zuladings because we tried and they don’t sell …
• We will not invest in social media (insert any marketing tactic print, radio, TV, community outreach, etc). We tried and it doesn’t work …

Decisions made from a rear view will hinder future success. 

A couple of real business examples:

1. In 2009, Starbucks breakfast sandwiches were a hard fast no. Too much aroma competition. “Coffee must win.”
2. For most of this decade, Michaels Arts and Crafts’ only mass reach tool was the weekly insert in the Sunday paper. The company would not invest in anything else because, “Only print worked.”
3. In late 2009 Domino’s Pizza changed its pizza recipe! After almost 50 years. “Yes, please” was not the initial response.

In all these cases, they didn’t let their rear view to deter them from moving forward. Yes, history can repeat and lessons should be learned; but what didn’t work once might work today because it is a new day, with a different landscape, different customers, and different needs.

Business strategy should always be forward-thinking and used to drive success.

Everyone has the ability to shift gears and move forward personally and professionally. If something is broke, fix it! By the way, I rode my bike to pick up my repaired vehicle. And you know what’s beautiful about a bike? It only goes forward.

After the long, cold winter, the arrival of spring is a welcome influx of new growth and new beginnings. Spring flowers, Easter and Passover celebrations and the kickoff of baseball season brings us happiness and warmth. We embrace this change.

Change is good.

In business and in life, the one thing we can be certain of is that change is around the corner.

Change is necessary. And change is rarely smooth.

Change can often be tumultuous – just google spring weather and take a look at the storms created by the replacement of cold air with warmth. But then think about the spectacular aftermath … after the spring storms depart, we are left with a rewarding burst of color.

Anything worth doing well comes at a price. Successful disruptors are revered, and for good reason. To have the vision for necessary change and the courage to enact the plan is not for the faint of heart. Patti Johnson notes in her book, Make Waves, “Even though each change is different, there are common patterns, habits and strategies that fuel those who start grassroots changes”

In order to grow, evolve and meet today’s rapid pace of change. It is vital that you and your organization are ready to meet the needs of the process of change and the new environment created:

• Have a vision.
• Have a strategy (identify the end goal and plan how to get there).
• Make sure the vision and plan are clearly communicated.
• Be prepared. You need the right team of like-mind folks.

Remember change is good, necessary and it is rarely smooth. As you begin to implement changes, be watchful of results and ready to adapt. Communicate those changes along the way. You will find the results well worth the pain and effort of getting there.

Your company has gone through the branding exercise and has a clearly defined brand! Cheers to you! 

And by that I mean a simple, relevant customer promise that competitively gives you an edge. Check that off the list, right?

Absolutely! But before you move on to other things, have you thought about what you must do internally to execute the brand? To make it come alive? To become more than just a piece of paper? To ensure that your customers understand the brand as you intended?

Before you talk about your brand to the masses, you need to first look within to be sure you’re delivering on that brand throughout the organization. You don’t want to set an expectation that disappoints later. What are your customer touch points?

Think about ALL of them, like where your store is located to how well the product performs or even how clean the front desk is when you walk in the door. They’re all important.

Here’s an example. My parents, who are in their late seventies, recently had an eye doctor appointment which had been scheduled some months prior. When they showed up at the office, the staff told them the ophthalmologist wasn’t in – he was stuck in another city due to weather. What? Hello? Could the staff not call patients to reschedule before the trek to the office? Even though the doctor is an excellent ophthalmologist, his brand was tarnished that day by his people. If this happens enough, patients will leave.

Ergo, all companies need to identify and proactively manage their brand at all points of customer contact. Make a list of your contact points. Especially the less obvious ones like:

• the way your phone is answered
• how seamless your billing processes are for customers
• what your employees say to others about their job
• the attire of your salespeople
• the quality of your packaging
• the functionality and ease of navigating your website
• your response time for customer questions

Basically, everything you say and do as an organization reflects on your brand. If you’re experiencing problems at a touch point, they need to be addressed – you don’t want a seemingly minor issue to be the string that unravels all the work you put into building your brand. Assess each item on your list, and then prioritize those you need to change.

The goal is to eliminate negative experiences and keep or build on areas in which you’re strong. Strong as in communicating the brand promise.

Often, I’ll ask a client, “If you do everything right, what’s the one thing you want your target to remember about you? If we conducted research now, would they give that answer?”

This is the fun part, folks! Marketing rocks! Every company has struggles, but strategic marketing built on a strong brand is the impetus for success!

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a little tennis-obsessed. I love to play it, watch it, discuss it … it’s my thing. It keeps me sane and makes me happy.

So about three months ago, I got a phone call from someone who I knew only by name (a captain of a rival tennis team). She was forming a “dream team” of players that she felt had the potential to advance and win a city championship, then a sectional championship, and ultimately a national championship.

Naturally, I jumped on board, excited about the possibilities.

After easily winning our regular season flight, last weekend we played for the city championships. Unfortunately, in the month prior I’d been sidelined with illness and injury and wasn’t in fighting shape. My heart was in it and I played, but I didn’t play well, and I wasn’t able to get the win to help my team. Fortunately for me and for everyone, other members of our team won their matches and the team as a whole won the city championship and advanced us to sectionals.

Of course this experience clearly illuminates the importance of TEAM. Finding the right people at the right time to help with the right things – a perfectly constructed gathering of people fully able to collectively move the ball forward and achieve goals. Yin and yang. Strength and weakness. It’s applicable in tennis and even more applicable in business.

I am so thankful to our captain, Lynn, for doing the work necessary to put us all together.

Here’s what we all can learn from her about assembling a TEAM, I will call them ~ “Lessons From Lynn:”

1.  Every team needs a leader who knows what’s what. A good leader has been in the trenches and knows whereof they speak. They should have the knowledge and experience to know what lies ahead and what will be required.

2.  Experience will tell you what you need. Trust your experience to guide you in identifying the needs of your TEAM. Do you need a strategist? An analytical type? Someone wildly creative? A worker bee? What combination of strengths and personalities is going to get you where you need to go?

3.  Find your people. Find the best people you can to fill your roles. Don’t settle for “almost good enough. “Enlist help from recruiters (we are partial to Mom Corps Dallas, one of our superstar clients) and/or behavioral benchmarking software (we are partial to Shadowmatch USA, who we have worked with in the past) to aid you in your search.

4.  Don’t be afraid to remove people who aren’t a good fit. If someone’s work is not aligned with the efforts of the TEAM, don’t try to fit a round peg into a square hole.

5.  Delegation is key. Lynn didn’t even play during city championship weekend. Her role was to make the decisions, delegate, organize and support. The leader doesn’t have to be the star.

6.  Let people do what they’re good at. Diversity in skills and experience brings broader perspectives and different approaches to the TEAM and allows for efficient assignment of people to roles. If you have assembled your team well, who does what should be an easy decision.

I feel lucky to be a part of a fantastic tennis team, and an equally fantastic rocking work team at Front Porch Marketing.

Take a page from our leaders and assemble your own DREAM TEAM to get you where you want to go!