Prioritizing is key to success for multi-faceted entrepreneur

Showcasing experienced entrepreneurs offers an added marketing communications or social media element to help promote their businesses. In addition, it provides a forum through which they can share solutions to unique business challenges that might be the answer to a similar challenge with which yet another entrepreneur is struggling. This openness of information flows with the following offered by

Liane Sebastian
Publishing pioneer who wears a designer's hat, an editor's coat and a publisher's shoes
http://www.lianesebastian.com/ - lsebast999@aol.com
Blog - http://wisdomofwork.wordpress.com/
847-570-0050

MY BUSINESS
As a graphic designer, publisher, author, speaker, and businesswomen, I claim to be the consummate entrepreneur. If you have the gene, entrepreneurialism propels every big decision. Although my focus has always been on visual communication, my writing and editing follow parallel career paths.

UNIQUE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Most of what I design I don’t write. Yet, I MUST read it to represent it on the page. My publishing skills influence and distinguish my design work. I mesh the visual with the verbal message. However, this blend offers challenges of prioritizing and focus. I’ve learned many unexpected lessons in this blend.

LESSONS LEARNED
Visibility is strategic. It is more important to be seen by the right people than it is to be seen by a lot of people.

Work past self-education. I tend to analyze and read more books sometimes to procrastinate. There comes a time where you have to stop reading and start doing.

It is too easy to get distracted. In a tight economy, networking is under pressure to produce clients. It is too seductive to hang out with colleagues or collect conversations with friends online. Communication must be used as tools rather than as recreation.

Focus on core business. This is a necessity in a tight economy where margins are bare bones. It is unfortunate to work in a profession that has actually had to lower fees versus raise them.

Commit to simple themes. My choice is creativity. My blog applies creative thinking to business and has a running self-seminar workshop column hybrid to help readers polish their ability to access their own creativity.

Target promotion with a finer pencil. In defining my ideal client, the nonprofit association executive, I need to direct all my publications to that audience, even though it is a lot of fun to write to other professional communicators.

Avoid over committing. It is easier to start projects than it is to sustain them. I carefully grew my blog into a routine I can sustain. I learned my lessons from groups joined where I didn’t participate and publications started that I couldn’t support. I have new ideas every day. I am careful to put each away for a few days to reevaluate before serious consideration.

Stir the referral network differently than new business targets. They require very different strategies. I’ve become very cautious about referrals because I lost an opportunity where my referral dropped the ball.

My biggest challenge is building readership in a target market that is too busy to read, but needs the help. The proof can be seen in the state of most graphics - always fitting the 80/20 Rule. But, I add that the excellent are always less than five percent. I strive to be in that five percent and recognize excellence when found.