Richard Branson on Taking Chances

As we near the end of 2010 and launch new beginnings in 2011, we must be brave and take a few chances with our brands to achieve our goals.


I am a follower of Richard Branson's Tweets but I also pay attention to his articles on Entrepreneur.com. I related to his discussions on Taking Chances, especially the part about "Most Entrepreneurs fail the first time they enter a market - or at the very least have to recover from a tricky scrape". I have launched my own business opportunities and am finding that the service industry is much easier than the product industry for me. Live and Learn through the success and scrapes of others.

Richard Branson - Founder Virgin Group

Here is just an excerpt from his article "Taking Chances":

When you decide to pursue an entrepreneurial venture, you have to confront your doubts and fears; sometimes you just have to go for it. Many times I have hesitated before launching a new venture or investment, even after my team and I have vetted it and we’re ready to go ahead. I’m lucky that I have a great network of friends and advisers to take soundings from.

If you believe that your personal training business can succeed, draw up a short plan describing how it would be different from other such businesses, how you would build it up and attract customers. Discuss this plan with trusted friends or advisers (make sure you ask people individually, and not as a group). Collecting and acting on this feedback is a crucial step before launching any business.

I can't help you make this decision without knowing more about your situation. However, I can tell you that when I have to decide whether or not to go ahead with a new venture, I have often found that intuition is my best guide. What does your intuition tell you? If you decide to go ahead, be prepared for a bumpy ride. Most entrepreneurs fail the first time they enter a market – or at the very least have to recover from a tricky scrape.

read on at Richard Branson on Taking Chances - Entrepreneur.com

Inspirational Quotes from TedWomen

Sheryl Sandberg speaks during Session 2: Life’s Symphony, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010, at TEDWomen, Washington, DC. Photo: James Duncan Davidson / TED

TED inspires hope, evokes emotions, and causes you to think about what is possible. You feel fortunate just to be able to view the speakers and videos from past events.  Here is one from Dec 2010 that should be read.


I laughed, cried and smiled while reading the quotes of the days speakers at TedWomen.

Read all the quotes from TedWomen.
by Mari Cartel

Top 25 Celebrity Doctors on Twitter Worth Following

What makes a physician popular on Twitter? Celebrity status might be gained through television shows, authorship or simply by being accessible to patients and to other medical professionals in the comfort of their homes.


In the list by PR LEAP (PRLEAP.COM) of the top 25 celebrity doctors on Twitter who are worth following, you may learn that ‘celebrity status’ might be a combination of what that doctor knows as well as how he or she presents that information.

Dr. Deepak Chopra 
Deepak Chopra / Deepak Chopra

DeepakChopra: Dr. Chopra is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. Time magazine heralded Chopra credits him as ‘the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.’ Personal Branding is NOT just for the celebrities, take a look at this list of Docs that have learned how to use online mediums. 


Each doctor on this list is worth following, as they all offer information to the medical profession as well as to patients. No matter if its in the field of nursing or in the field of social media, each doctor can show readers how to gain some popularity (and responsibility) for helping others.
via prleap.com

2010 State Of The Blogosphere: Facebook And Twitter Drive The Most Traffic

TechCrunch reporting on Facebook and Twitter, looks like these are the GIANTS for now and into the future - Crystal Ball or not, they are driving the traffic.

A little bit of the Report - link to TechCrunch for full report and presentation.

Earlier today, Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra gave his annual State of The Blogosphere presentation at the ad:tech conference. Technorati will be blogging about the findings over the next few days, which is based on a survey of 7,200 bloggers. But we have the full slide presentation below. 

by Erick Schonfeld on November 3, 2010

Your PERSONAL BRAND: Guest videoBLOGGER, William Arruda

Using Social Media for Employment by SilkRoad

A wonderfully creative video about the use of social media for employment. I think SilkRoad nailed the process for looking, searching and being active online to help YOU STAND OUT and land your next BIG JOB opportunity over others.



congrats to epipheo studios for nailing the process of the job search in a most creative fashion!

Judy Van Norman Launches her Brand Online

A lot of personal brand discovery, a globe that she received when she was 5 years old and a world of professional experience in Healthcare and IT, is what it takes to POSITION a consistent brand experience for Judy Van Norman, Healthcare IT Executive.

With the help of Robin and Don, Partners, SteelID.com, Judy proudly launched her brand online this week, and promptly got asked for an interview with the Phoenix Business Journal to speak about Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and the use of technology in patient care and medical services.

We would like to believe that all of her online communities will benefit from this information as Judy can now direct her communications through her consistent branding on all sites.

See the attached Infographic that explains her integrated design package for an Intraprenuer.

Check out her website at www.judyvannorman.com

Congrats Judy and we wish you well in Australia!