Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

What’s Your Excuse?

June 28, 2007 by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

During one of the earlier episodes of the television show "Married with Children", the character "Steve" from next door lost his job and was forced to look for another. Well, Steve decided he liked goofing off MUCH better than he liked working. However, rather than admitting this fact to his wife Marcy, he instead would tell her he was looking for work when instead he had spent the day at the zoo. In response to her query about his job search for the day, Steve regales her with the reasons he heard for his supposed "rejections" from potential employers, "I’ve heard it all: too smart, too educated… too good looking!"

I’ve had a couple of people regale me with similar "silly" excuses for their reluctance to get on board with the latest in communication technology. Whether it’s a posting to a blog or learning to use a cell phone that shoots and sends video messages…. your advanced age is NOT an excuse. Technology is not just for the young… but it may well be for the young at heart.

Cross Media/Transmedia Entertainment says it best in the post If 91 year old Mavis from Mudgee can do it…

Make like a scout and be prepared

June 27, 2007 by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

I have a client who is truly a dynamo. She is a registered dietician who is passionate about helping others become fit and healthy. She came to me for help BEFORE she launched her coaching business, which in and of itself illustrates her incredible forsight.

So, we got to work preparing her business for launch.

We registered a descriptive domain name.
Her talented son created a logo.
We launched an attractive and professional blog.
She had a professional portrait taken and we put it on the site.
We set up a newsletter with a "legal bribe" to encourage blog visitors to sign up to hear more from the client.
We created a compelling "warm" letter for distribution detailing the specifics of my client’s new business.

Last weekend, a collegue of hers contacted this client to let her know about his own radio talk show on Sirius radio. His show is on a health related topic so it’s a perfect fit for her nutritional behavioral coaching business. She sent him to her web site (a.k.a. blog) where he saw not only an attractive, professional design but he also saw relevant content. The result? He mentioned her web site address on the show and encouraged his listeners to visit the site. As a result, her traffic figures showed a significant spike.

Buzz Worthy Blog….

June 26, 2007 by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

According to Wired, two years ago Michael Arrington was a 35 year old former attorney and entrepreneur. In the eyes of the media and the world, he was a "nobody". According to the about page on his Tech Crunch Blog, Arrington created a blog that is "dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies."

According to the Wired story, Arrington earns an estimated $200K per month from his blog and has entertained an offer of $8.5 million for the resource.

[Read more…] about Buzz Worthy Blog….

A Really Scary Word: Consequences

June 21, 2007 by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

A great post over at the Runner’s Lounge in Running Has Its Consequences.

While the word consequences does indeed have a "bad boy" connotation, according to word smyth, the word consequences simply means:

1.    that which follows; result.

2.    the conclusion drawn from a logical argument; inference.

3.   importance or significance.
     Example :an issue of great consequence.

Whether you’re running, blogging or building a business, your actions (or lack there of) are going to have consequences. Whether those consequences are pleasant or painful really is decided by YOU.

No one (in their right mind) who is overweight and out of shape is going to sign up to run in a marathon. Instead, competing in a marathon or triathlon begins as an idea. Then it moves from being an idea to being a GOAL. Once it’s a goal, then you begin working towards the goal.

Unknown Territory: What do I do now?

June 19, 2007 by Kathy Hendershot-Hurd

A huge problem for all of us is when we enter unknown territory. When we venture "outside" our comfort zone, we enter a place of uncertainty. While there are some people who CRAVE the area "outside the known box," most of us prefer to live inside the confines of what is known and comfortable.

Yesterday, I ventured outside my know culinary boundaries when I purchased a Papaya. I had read an article on paypaya’s health benefits and decided to try something new. The article which recommended this exotic fruit even told me how to eat a papaya. (Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and eat it with a spoon.) I really don’t know if I would have purchased the fruit without that simple how to which was included in a sidebar.

As I was scraping the seeds from the papaya, I realized that without those simple instructions, I would have been LOST! The seeds of a papaya (at least the one I brought home) were rather soft and I’m not sure I would have known to discard them without some instruction. (I then did a bit of research and discovered that the seeds of the papaya are used as a folk remedy to induce abortion! WHOA! )