#business

Evan Z.

Jul 19, 2017
3 min

How to Effectively Promote Your Small Business for People Who Can't Stand Self-Promotion

Let’s talk small business promotions. By promotions, I mean strategically positioning your product or service for the purposes of soliciting new and repeat business. It’s a simple concept. We have all experienced reasonably effective and embarrassingly disastrous methods in the fine art of self-promotion. When things go well, it feels simple, sensible sincere. When things flop, the entire experience can do more harm than good (insert cheesy used car ad here). With an increase

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How to Know if You're a Sh!tty Boss and What to Do About It

Evan Z.

Jul 19, 2017
3 min

How to Know if You're a Sh!tty Boss and What to Do About It

Like stinky cheese, obnoxious bosses come in two aromas: those blissfully unaware of their subtle smelliness, and those unapologetically stinking up the entire building. If you are employed, you probably have a boss. If you are a boss, understand the influence you have on the lives of your people. I do a fair amount of career counseling for local clients seeking greener pastures, so I get an earful about unpleasant supervisors. In 2012 USA Today reported that “seventy-five pe

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Roaring Fork Leadership: 30 Years of Collaboration and Civic Engagement

Evan Z.

Jul 16, 2017
3 min

Roaring Fork Leadership: 30 Years of Collaboration and Civic Engagement

There are some things we know we do well. These things don’t feel like work, even when they require considerable effort. These things are fun and usually have inspiring effect on ourselves and those around us. These things spark curiosity, creativity and resolve. Business psychologist, Miriam Meima, describes these things as an individual’s unique genius. I have discovered that my unique genius is connecting individuals around some cooperative effort. For me, there’s nothing

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How and Why We Do What We Do

Early in high school, I remember a writing assignment that required an in depth narrative for why and how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as if educating an extraterrestrial being, entirely unfamiliar with life on planet Earth. We were to approach this project as if the very survival of the planet hung on the successful delivery of our detailed, comprehensive explanation. Regardless of the details of our particular recipe, our account had to be both persuasive and

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

Most People Get Stuck in These 4 Ways

As humans, most of us don’t take action until our pain becomes intolerable. Any of the following caricatures sound familiar? The stuff in your space has taken over your life. You are drowning in things you don’t want, like or need. The useless and irrelevant has cluttered your spaces to the extent that you no longer feel inspired to take corrective action on your own behalf. No matter where you look, you feel overloaded, disorganized, and dispassionate. You procrastinate and

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How This T-Shirt Saved Me 30 Years Later

Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How This T-Shirt Saved Me 30 Years Later

My favorite picture is a photo of myself on my first day of kindergarten, standing at the bus stop with my arm around my big sister. I’m wearing Magnum P.I. short shorts and striped soccer socks pulled up to my knees. I’ve got freckles, great big ears that stick out the side of my face, and a big sign around my neck with my name on it so the school knows which bus to put me on at the end of the day. Imagine a six year old Alfred E. Neuman with tinted prescription glasses. I’m

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Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

4 Steps to Creating Compelling Content

Sooner or later, we will have a great idea worthy of sharing with someone else. When marketing products or services, it’s called content. People presenting themselves to potential employers construct a resume. When educators instruct, it’s called curriculum. Expanded ideas become a platform. Call it what you will, creating compelling content is all about simplicity, clarity and enough inspiration and relevance to inspire authentic ownership and purposeful action. I’m a holist

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How to Get a Grip on Your Mental Clarity

Evan Z.

Jul 15, 2017
3 min

How to Get a Grip on Your Mental Clarity

I recently saw a woman wearing a t-shirt sadly affirming, “I can’t brain today. I have the dumb.” I can relate, but at the time, I couldn’t decide if I was amused or offended. I’m sure I’ve learned somewhere that it’s impolite to make assumptions about a person solely on the basis of the captions on her clothes. But then it occurred to me that this shirt resonated with her enough to broadcast her ill-fated condition openly, as much an admission of guilt as a plea for understa

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Elevate Your Business with these 3 Target Talking Points

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Elevate Your Business with these 3 Target Talking Points

In business, if our work is anything, it should be honest. People should feel a depth of sincerity that resonates in their bones. Musicians get this better than anyone. In just a few moments, a song can convey feeling, express emotion and communicate clarity with a universal power to open hearts and lift souls to new levels of inspiration. I think the magic formula for self-expression is good ol’ fashioned honesty, plain and simple. When we apply this level of heart to how we

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The Secret to Delivering Exceptional Customer Service

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

The Secret to Delivering Exceptional Customer Service

If you’re in business, know this: people talk. That’s the good news. Here’s the bad news: if people have a bad experience at your business, they’ll have a lot more to say to a lot more people. How about a helpful tip for you: decide whether or not you care what customers have to say about your business and then structure your practices around giving people a desirable experience. Here's how... I’m not a big believer in the “customer is always right” philosophy. I find that pe

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Angus' Adventures Inspires My Top 3 Scheduling Hacks to Good Living

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Angus' Adventures Inspires My Top 3 Scheduling Hacks to Good Living

This year my friend Angus decided he was going to have the best summer of his life. Without any real plans, he worked his way across the country – making friends and taking on adventures from the silly and ordinary to outright epic. He posted the good stuff on Facebook with heartfelt messages of love, freedom and passion for living life just for today. My hat’s off to you, Angus. Angus inspires me to wake up every morning determined to have a great day. Even though, I’ve got

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Writing Slam-Dunk Resumes and Cover Letters

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Writing Slam-Dunk Resumes and Cover Letters

As a strategies consultant, I do a lot of career coaching for people ready to move on to greener pastures. Whether you’re established in your field or straight out of school, dusting off that sleepy resume and giving some intentional thought to your next cover letter will give you a serious edge over your competition. Secure your next place of employment using my recommended resume template and my formula for slam dunk cover letters. Ultimately, the goal is to get a foot in t

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Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Hometown Hero: Craft Coffee Brewed to Perfection at Bonfire

Looking for a creative challenge, I recently approached Bonfire Coffee owner/operator, Charlie Chacos, about writing some website copy for his Main Street coffee house in Carbondale, Colorado. My affinity for Bonfire Coffee started in 2012 during the infancy of my professional practice. It is where Intentional Solutions was born and has come to thrive. The literal and social nucleus of Carbondale’s downtown core, I and countless other enterprises attribute much of our cumulat

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How to Inspire Would-Be Clients: 4 Parts of the Perfect Pitch

Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

How to Inspire Would-Be Clients: 4 Parts of the Perfect Pitch

If we’re in business to do business, we need to engage our target audience and deliver. In a perfect world, clients are lined up down the block and around the corner, cash in hand, ready to go. They’ve heard great reviews from their best friends and business associates. Now they’re just waiting in line. Reality check. Look outside. If there’s a line of customers down the block and around the corner, you’re awesome. Get back to work. For everyone else, keep reading. Finding ou

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Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

3 Epic Take-Aways from Experts Academy

No matter who we think we are, there are some events that simply redefine us. These experiences challenge our paradigm of the world. They force us to reexamine our truths, limitations and reasons for living. Through defeat, redemption, triumph or revelation, these glorious ah-ha occasions reshape our perception of possibility and the lens from which we view our unique potential. I recently attended marketing mogul, Brendon Burchard’s, celebrated Experts Academy in Santa Clara

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Evan Z.

Jul 14, 2017
3 min

Time to Get Serious. Time to Hustle.

Entrepreneurs, nonprofits and small businesses owners, I’m talking to you. Our great ideas will never flourish until we get serious. We need to become scholars about our industries. We need to know our target audience. We need to leverage what makes our approach unique and appealing to those we mean to serve. We need to speak their language and we need to market our programs, products and services in a way that will draw attention and boost enrollment. It’s time to pick up th

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