I’ve been receiving quite a few e-newsletters lately that have needed second glances before they go out the door. Images not rendering, alignment off, hyperlinks not working…
There are several ways MailChimp makes this proofing process easy for the user:
FREE to all users – On Step 3 of creating your campaign within the Campaign Builder, there is a blue button near the top of the screen that 
says, “popup preview”. Click on this button and your e-newsletter will pop open in a new window so you can see how your communication will appear in your web browser.
FREE to all users – On Step 5 of creating your campaign within the Campaign Builder, there is a “send a test” button at the bottom of the screen. You can send to 3 emails at a time and a maximum of 6 test emails per campaign. I like to send tests to people who use different email clients (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail…) because the email will look differently across all of them.
MailChimp also offers the “Test With Delivery Doctor” feature which is available on all monthly and pay-as-you-go accounts. This feature tests your campaign with common spam filters and consumer ISPs letting you know which part of your campaign may cause delivery issues.
A feature that is free for monthly subscribers is “Test With Inbox Inspection”. This feature lets you see your campaign in your subscribers’ email clients to help you ensure it appears pixel perfect and avoids spam filters.
Whichever Plan you have with MailChimp, please take advantage of these testing features to ensure that your prospects/clients see the best you have to offer.
I know…I’m a little late to the party on this one, but I finally got around to reading Stephen Covey’s “international bestseller”.
This work is truly a guidebook on how to perform better in both personal and professional areas. Covey stresses that if we want to make a change, we all should first address our own personal attitudes and behaviors. Personal victories precede public victories.
- Habits 1, 2, and 3 deal with self-mastery
- Habits 4, 5, and 6 deal with teamwork, cooperation and communication
- Habit 7 incorporates all of the other habits to help an individual work on continuous improvement.
- Habit 1 – Be proactive – Principles of Personal Vision
- Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind – Principles of personal Leadership
- Habit 3 – Put First Things First – Principles of Personal Management
- Habit 4 – Think Win/Win – Principles of Interpersonal Leadership
- Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood – Principles of Empathetic Communication
- Habit 6 – Synergize – Principles of Creative Cooperation
- Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw – Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal
Being proactive was the Habit that resonated the most with me. The most difficult step to take is the first one, whether you’re looking for a job, starting a new business or taking out the garbage. Just do it. There are no excuses and there is no one to blame for not getting things moving. It’s your choice to take action or not.
The best advice I received when I began my consulting/coaching career was to listen. (Habit 5) Don’t be afraid to ask a question and then just sit back and listen to the answer. Don’t say anything in the silence because chances are, the other person will fill it up with additional information. Make sure you get all of the information from the person you’re communicating with before you offer a solution. Be sure that you understand what the problems are first.
And finally (Habit 7), it is important to focus on the physical, emotional, mental and social side of your being. When you neglect one of them, the others tend to suffer and your work is affected. Schedule time to take care of your physical being; schedule time to go out with your friends.
When you read the book, which Habits resonated with you? Which Habits are you using in your personal and professional lives today?
L-O-V-E-D it. Rework is the second book written by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, aka the founders of 37Signals. (Getting Real was their first).
From the book jacket: 
Rework shows you a better, easier way to succeed in business. Read it and you’ll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don’t need outside investors and why you’re better off ignoring the competition. The truth is, you need less than you think. You don’t need to be a workaholic. You don’t need to staff up. You don’t need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don’t even need an office. Those are all just excuses.
What I loved about the book was – everything, including:
- The Chapters aren’t numbered
- No Chapter is more than two pages long
- There is a sketch introducing the concept discussed in each short Chapter
- The 277 page book took me only 4 hours to read (I’m really slow)
- I even appreciated that there were wider margins which made the words easier to read
This book is all about revising and revamping how you work. With Chapter titles that include: Takedowns, Go, Progress, Productivity, Competitors, Evolution, Promotion, Hiring, Damage Control and Culture, these authors literally covered all aspect of owning and running a business.
The authors wrote the book and then during the final editing process, chopped it in half because they realized they didn’t need as many words as they used to get their point across and that less is more. They get straight to the point, which the majority of business books fail to grasp. The long, drawn out business books lose my interest very quickly. Read. Apply the Knowledge.
What’s the last business book you read?
I finished another book as part of my professional development. As part of the Meyvn Group’s Business Book Club, we read Toy Box 
Leadership: Leadership Lessons From the Toys You Loved as a Child by Ron Hunter Jr. and Michael E. Waddell.
I had a bit of trouble relating to the content since it talked a lot about leadership within organizations – and as most of you know, I’m a one-woman show. But the authors do a great job of create a context for the creation and popularity of ten toys (i.e. LEGO® Bricks, Slinky® Dog, Play-Doh®, the yo-yo, Mr. Potato Head® and Rubik’s Cube®, the rocking horse, little green plastic army men, Lite-Brite®, and Weebles®) and then writing a chapter focused on the leadership lessons that can be learned from each.
The chapter that spoke to me the most was on Weebles and about how you can never completely knock them down. They might teeter, but they never topple over. As a Free Agent, I’ve learned to understand that while there may be ups and downs I need to remain confident that my efforts will never let my business completely fail.
What was the last business book you read? What did you take away from it?
A few months ago, I decided (along with my husband) to train for the Des Moines Half Marathon taking place in October. While I’ve never considered myself a “runner”, I do triathlon and running is part of that, so it didn’t seem like that big of a leap for me. I mean, if my husband can do it, I can certainly do it, right? It’s only 13.1 miles…
Over the weeks, my runs became increasingly painful and unsuccessful. My mile time went up…a lot and I was really discouraged.
It was a tough decision, but I’ve decided to discontinue training for the half marathon. My body was rejecting the training and it was starting to affect my health.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how solopreneurs and small business owners struggle in the beginning…how long do they struggle before they quit? How do you know how hard to push yourself (and when to stop), when you’re not seeing the results you expected?
Is it when the money runs out? Is it when you take out a second mortgage on the house? Is it when the stress of being in business for yourself drives you insane?
When I decided to quit (and it’s very difficult for me to use that word) training for the half marathon, I knew immediately that I’d made the right decision. I stood up a little taller, I smiled; it was as if a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders…
(By the way…in exchange for the half marathon, I signed up for the Cy-Man sprint triathlon up at Big Creek this weekend…I just can’t stop!)
Have you ever quit something? How far did you let it go before you decided to throw in the towel?
