COMMENTS
You are so wise! Being a small business owner is all about taking the marathon view, not the sprint view. Success comes slowly, the way your time improves as you train, and the way you start to feel stronger and better. It doesn't happen overnight, and it WON'T happen unless your running/blogging is consistent AND unless you challenge yourself to go a little further each time. But it will happen, and it will sneak up on you and surprise you.
Great post, Colleen!
What an excellent blog and an inspired, accurate comparison.
I feel your pain, Colleen! I too am a runner - not because I love it but because it is the most efficient way for me to stay in shape. Likewise, I think blogging is the most efficient way for small businesses to get found in the search engines. The more blog posts you write, the more opportunities you have to be found in the search engines.
Thanks Colleen, Just what I needed this morning! A good case of motivation!
What a great article! This is a great comparison which many people can relate to. Thanks for sharing.
Hello, Colleen! Yes. Yes. Yes. I was never a runner, but I ran for several years. I allowed myself to stop. Now, I'm a fat old blogger. With your permission, I'll add three things. 1-All of this also applies to the first step in your sales process (Calling?). 2-Don't stop (running, blogging, calling). It's difficult to restart. 3-Don't sweat how much you have to do, focus on taking the first step. Thanks.
Every Business is a people business.
No matter what busines you’re in, your success depends on your ability to communicate with people…listen to people…atrract people…help people…sell to people…teach and train people…inspire people…share with people…and love people.
The internet is a powerful tool, but we must never lose sight of the fact that it’s still tool to enrich the lives of other people.
Good stuff. Simple as that. You could make a series off this analogy! You're Turnkey Approved. Excellent illustration.
Colleen,
Awesome post and so true. I started Hubspot in June 09 and I experienced some sore muscles for sure. As time goes on it does get easier and once you build up the blogging momentum is easier to come up with new ideas and keep it going.
Thanks
@ Mike Bruno - thank you for supporting my point. :-) I am so happy to hear that things are progressing well for you. Keep up the great work!
@ Rick Roberge - Thank you. So true. In all of these areas it is important to try and maintain momentum once you get started. Starting is the hard part, so if you only have to do it once, you'll be much happier and much better off. ;-)
This post feels so familar. As a small business owner who consults and works with small businesses I find that many hats is the new wave. It used to be that we were all Type A's who could not relinquish control but nowadays it is the norm.
I was a runner years ago and I see the running v blogging this way. When you first start out running it hurts, it is painful, it takes an hour to get you to even get your running sneakers on but after a few weeks you are shooting out of the gates first thing for that morning run. You cannot complete your day without that run. The same goes for blogging. The first few blogs are rough and very time consuming however after a few months it is what you want to do first as you are excited about it.
Great analogy and right on target!
I started running and blogging this year. The more you run, the more you can run in the same amount of time. At first, I could run just under 2 miles in 20 minutes; now I can run 2.5 miles in 20 minutes. The analogy aptly applies to blogging, too. I enjoyed reading your post and have been pushing my company to embrace blogging.
Hey Colleen, we all know this, but my biggest block is like writers block...what to blog about? Where to start? I need Help, but then again you knew that!
Sam
@ Sam - Great hearing from you! Gosh I feel like there must be So much for you to write about. I imagine every project you work on has a back story. A school fundraiser, a charity event, a family reunion. Whoever you are working for at the time, there is definitely a story. Your posts don't need to be specifically about your products or services. Share some stories about things you have seen or learned from the different projects you work on. These can make for some real interesting posts and they can be great for local optimization. :-)
well done, thank you, by Nike air max 90 running shoe,
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I've never heard anyone describe it like that but I believe you're spot on.
Blogging seems to brand you more than anything. And it's that consistent branding that will get people to like you and trust you so they'll do business with you.
Great insight.
- Gil
I am a spouse. I am a new mom. I am a sister, a daughter and a granddaughter. I am an aunt and a niece. good talks!!O(∩_∩)O~
As an example, love it, as a test, a beauty, look at the feedback from all those invisible readers that no doubt, will be or send a customer to you one day. Its a marathon all right, but every blog entry is a sprint, so to win, you have to have pace, and just keep putting them together!
Very well placed.
i recently stared my blog having these tips in my mind, i think, here i can have one of best tips regarding inbound marketing.