Why You Should Blog: Reasons for Print Industry Leaders

 Print Industry Leaders: Why You Should BlogHave you ever thought about why you should blog—or perhaps, why you should not?

The act of blogging must be much bigger than simply writing a blog. It must be part of a mission you are passionate about. Without that mission, blogging becomes drudgery.

If you have your eye on a goal and a blog is part of executing that goal, then it won’t just be about cranking out a blog. But the thought must be about working toward your mission.

In the same vein, blogging cannot be about just making money. That’s like saying the goal of a business is to make money. In my opinion, the goal of a business is to serve others. Without money a business cannot survive, but making money is not its ultimate goal or its purpose for being.

Similarly, we wouldn’t say the goal of life is to eat. We need to food to live, but that is not our purpose.

Find your purpose. Whether it’s serving and helping others or something else entirely, if blogging is part of how you accomplish your purpose then that’s why you should blog.

Keep that purpose in mind and blogging will be something you will want to do, as it takes you toward your purpose.

Here are a few less-commonly cited reasons why you should blog:

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Build Better Customer Relationships to Drive More Revenue

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Have you ever thought about ways you can build better customer relationships? Either with either your current customers or your prospects in your print business?

There are a number of ways to do this beyond the five ways in this blog post.

However, I have found that these five have had a profound impact on my personal ability to build print customer relationships. Read more

Seven Benefits of a Mastermind Group

mastermind groupWhat is a mastermind group?

A mastermind group is a group of people that get together regularly for the common purpose of helping each other achieve their goals.

If your goals are important to you and you have a burning desire to achieve them then you should consider a mastermind group.

None of us has a corner on the market for good ideas for how to achieve our own goals so we need the help and support of others in order to reach our goals.

Here are seven benefits for creating a mastermind group: Read more

The Value of Serving

servingHave you ever thought about the value of serving?

It is not only the recipient that benefits but we become better people as well.

We can serve our spouses, our employees, our customers, our family and others.

Serving becomes a mindset, and as we help others with their needs we grow as people.

Here are a few benefits of serving our customers and our people: Read more

For Long-term Success, Focus on Culture

cultureHave you ever observed a company whose success has occurred over a long period of time?

Chances are it has a great culture.

The long-term success of a business has more to do with the culture than anything else so if I am a leader, culture must be one of my highest priorities.

Merriam Webster defines culture as “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization.”

Examples include: How people are appreciated, do we celebrate success, are we honest in our dealings with others, do we respect people, do we hold people accountable, etc.

Culture is primarily the responsibility of the CEO as the Chief Culture Officer, but every leader and manager is responsible for living out the company’s vision, mission and values if we are to propagate the desired culture.

Even our team of people on the front line can hold each other accountable for living out the why and what of the company.

Here are some ideas on how we can create and sustain the culture we want in our companies: Read more

The Key to Success: Three Ways to Provide Value to Your Network

key to successAs business leaders and their staff become increasingly active on social media for professional networking or personal connections, providing value to those in your network is as important a key to success as making the initial contact.

Social media provides us with opportunities to connect with future business partners, visionaries in their industry, and prospective customers, but building a supportive and beneficial network takes time and effort.

In a recent post on entrepreneur.com, Lewis Howes, co-author of LinkedWorking and the creator of the LinkedInfluence training program, lays out three ways business leaders can provide value to their personal and professional networks. In time, those personal and professional connections will recognize you as a resource and connector. Read more