Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Take a Field Trip

by // Leave a Comment

The view at Allium

The summer is an easy time to make excuses- it’s nice out, the sun is shining, Hank wants a walk, and then he wants to go lay on the patio and sun bathe- it’s easy to get distracted from getting your job done. I can make an excuse to not do ANYTHING I don’t want to do. On Monday I took the day off to drive to Orcas Island and visit my friend Lisa who owns Allium, the greatest restaurant EVER. It’s worth a 16-hour day of driving and ferries and traffic for a meal here, trust me. And the day away was JUST what I needed.

I drove up with my friend Karen at One Smart Cookie Marketing, who I don’t get to spend much time with, she also has a marketing firm, but we focus on different market segments so we were talked about strategy, best practices, what’s working, and what’s not. I realized that getting out of town can be really great for my business. Pick a topic, pick a friend and take a field trip. It’s amazing what a day away from work can do for your business.

And rewarding yourself with an incredible meal with 6 other friends doesn’t hurt.

Need a day away?- I highly recommend a trip to Orcas & Allium…

 

 

Dog Treats and Business Treats

by // Leave a Comment

Last week I had the chance to meet with Kim Scott, the owner of The Nyima Bakery here in Issaquah. I read about her in a recent Issaquah Press article and had to meet her! So, I did what any sales person does, I shot her a note and asked to meet. And great news, she said yes! So Hank & I went to meet with Kim, and she’s awesome. And The Nyima Bakery is AWESOME. Natural and organic dog treats made right here in Issaquah. Hank is in LOVE! The treats are delicious, and I don’t worry about giving him high-processed treats since they’re all natural and organic ingredients! The Nyima Bakery is also committed to giving back, and 10% of their profits each month go to a pet-friendly nonprofit organization.

When I started Yellow Dog Consulting one of the pages on my website I knew I wanted was a Resources page. I know a lot of people, and while there’s a lot of things I CAN do to help businesses, there are a lot of things that are best left to others. So I created my resources page. Everyone on the page is someone I have actually done business with, and I think might be helpful for you and your business.

Since I’m all about Hank it’s probably a good idea to offer some “resources” for Hank as well. So I asked Kim, and The Nyima Bakery is not only a resource on our website, she’s offering 10% off your entire order using the code HANK at checkout. As always, you can thank him with treats (he’s loving the wheat free salmon bites!) And Hank (and I) will thank Kim by sharing the love with others!

How Can I Help You?

by // 1 Comment

Hank’s Walk

The other day Hank & I took a walk with a friend of mine who has had a successful business for years and has decided to start working on a nonprofit idea, so we spent a lot of the walk talking about that idea. We also talked about my first year, my clients and general catch up stuff. At the end of the walk when we got back to our cars, she asked “So what can I help you with, what do you need?” And I thanked her and told her. Then I asked her the same thing and she told me.

Do you do this when you’re networking? Do you ask and the other person doesn’t ask in return? Take that as a sign.

Networking is about a lot of things to a lot of people. For me, it’s about helping each other grow and build our business, not by hiring each other, but through who we know and how we can help and support one another. Next time you’re meeting with someone one on one make sure to ask them how you can help their business grow. You never know how that will come back to reward you in the future.