mark buckner Archives

11Oct 2018 by admin No Comments

How to Find Free Business Leads Using Your Library Card

business building, lead management, mark buckner, Prospecting

With the rise of digital publishing and eBooks, many people tend to undervalue the place of libraries in the modern world. However, libraries provide a number of services and resources beyond just books, and several of them are potentially useful to aspiring business owners. In fact, if you have a public library card, there is a good chance that you have free access to a massive database full of potential industry leads and might not even know it. ReferenceUSA is a source for business and residential information compiled from thousands of public sources, and many libraries provide their users with access to their databases. This can be hugely beneficial for business owners, as it essentially means you have access to unlimited business leads. At a recent class, Barbara Caine walked…

27Sep 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

The Basics of Business Event Management

event management, mark buckner, marketing

Running a business is never just about the desk work or making phone calls. As your business grows, it’s inevitable that you will end up hosting an event of some kind, whether it’s a training course, a seminar, a networking event or an office party. But event hosting requires a tremendous amount of forethought and planning. At a recent class held at greenCOW Coworking, Barbara Caine went over her tips for hosting a successful business event. If you have one coming up, keep this advice in mind, and if you don’t, consider how you would apply it to an event in the future. The Basics When it comes to planning an event, there are a few important factors to figure out right away: the topic or purpose of the event,…

13Sep 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

Barbara Caine’s Best Kept Secrets to Greater Productivity

mark buckner, time management

Time is one of the most valuable assets of an entrepreneur, as there always seems to be too much to do and not enough time to do it. However, more often than not it isn't a matter of not having enough time, but not using that time effectively. Quite honestly, we all get the same 24 hours each day. What you do with it will determine how successful you are. In a recent class held by Barbara Caine, she discussed her tips for greater productivity. As a businesswoman, an educator, a public speaker, and a mother, Barbara has a lot happening on any given day, but she's learned how to manage her time in such a way to make the most of her time. Her secrets can be summed up…

16Aug 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

Productivity and Accountability Advice for the Aspiring Entrepreneur

mark buckner, time management

It's no secret that entrepreneurs are busy people, with numerous tasks to complete any given day. As such, it can be hard to shake the feeling that you aren't working as efficiently as possible and not getting enough done. This was the line of thinking that inspired Barbara Caine to host her Productivity and Accountability Days, a series of events FUSE Business Training does in collaboration with greenCOW Coworking. The objective is simple: bring entrepreneurs together and help them get more done in less time, and after attending one I've picked up on several tips to help get the most out of your workday. Productivity and Accountability Days alternate between 25 minute work periods and 5 minute breaks. At the beginning of each work period, everyone decides on a task…

15Aug 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

Barbara Caine’s 9 YouTube Tips for Ultimate Engagement

mark buckner, marketing, social media, video

Video is one of the most powerful tools a marketer has to promote their business, and YouTube is far and away the leader of video-based content online. As such, it makes sense that entrepreneurs would want to go to YouTube to expand their audience. But making a quality video is difficult, especially for beginners, so Barbara has a list of nine important tips to make the best videos you can and get the most out of YouTube. 1. Be authentic - What makes you, YOUnique? However you are in real life, that's how you should be in your videos. You are selling yourself just as much as your product or service, so don't try to hide who you are. 2. Start small. Trying to produce daily or weekly videos are…

10Jul 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

Five Reasons Video Marketing Should Be Part of Your Business Plan

mark buckner, social media

Over the past several years video marketing has developed into one of the most powerful tools for a successful business. In a recent study, Cisco Systems, Inc. claimed that video will make up 82% of all consumer Internet traffic by 2021. Video has become such an essential part of the internet marketing process, there is virtually no reason not to use it with your business. But if you still need convincing, here are five reasons you should implement video marketing into your business plan. Consumer Engagement We live in an increasingly fast paced world, and while there are still plenty of readers out there, there are plenty more people who would rather watch a video on a subject than read an article. Video is the preferred medium for people on…

22May 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

Tips To Turn Your Friends and Followers into Raving Fans and Paying Clients

mark buckner, networking, Prospecting

When it comes to starting a successful business, many believe in the old adage: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." There is some truth to this, networking is essential to building a stronger business, but it isn't enough to just know people, they need to talk about you too. At a recent workshop, Barbara Caine gave some advice to help turn friends, family, and all those followers you have on social media into paying customers and raving fans for your business. The first step Barbara suggests is to make what she calls a 250 x 250 list, a list of 250 people that you know. You can download a template of this worksheet HERE. Just think of as many names as you can, it's okay if you…

15May 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

How You Can Expand Your Business Through Pinterest

mark buckner, social media

When you think about social media platforms suited for business use, you probably don't immediately think of Pinterest. A visual-based social media site, Pinterest is essentially an electronic pinboard where you can save pieces of multimedia to various themed “boards” (so you might have a board full of recipes, a board full of cat pictures, etc.). This might not initially seem conducive to business purposes, but Barbara is quick to remind people that if there is a user base, there is a potential audience, and Pinterest has a sizable user base. Doing business on Pinterest is one of the sites' best-kept secrets: many people don't realize that Pinterest even has business accounts. Thankfully it is quick and easy to set one up. The process should take a couple of minutes at…

10May 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

How to Use Hashtags to Expand Your Social Media Influence

instagram, mark buckner, social media

Whether you are an experienced business owner or an aspiring entrepreneur, the ability to leverage social media to your advantage is an essential part of the job. As a freelance writer, a good deal of my business is going to be handled online, so I can use any help I can get to make things easier. Thankfully, I recently had the opportunity to attend a workshop with Barbara Caine dealing with Instagram and how using hashtags can help gain followers. She explained that hashtags were the way that social media users find like-minded people online, so just adding relevant hashtags to our posts would lead to more followers in no time. After making sure that everyone in the group had an Instagram account set up, Barbara tasked each of us…

16Apr 2018 by Mark Buckner No Comments

What’s the Difference Between Working “On” Your Business and Working “In” Your Business?

business building, mark buckner

If you read enough books or articles on entrepreneurship and business advice, a phrase you're bound to come across eventually is "Work on your business, not in it." It's become something of a mantra for the budding business owner, a reminder to be aware of the scale of your company and to avoid unintentionally limiting it's growth. This can be difficult advice to follow through with, as it isn't always easy for the owner of a startup or a smaller business to identify when and where they can step back from the inner workings of their company. Their business is their baby, so they want to be involved in every aspect of running it. But just as someone can "over-parent" their child, an entrepreneur can do the same for their…