Introduction

Feel like taking a trip? Then you’re in luck! For this Word Carnival ebook, we’re going to another planet – several of them. Here the fabulous Word Carnival bloggers cross the final frontier to explore the sci-fi side of business, whatever that means to them. From

Darth Vader to Dr. Who, we’ve picked some of our favorite sci-fi heroes and villains to boldly go where no Carnie has gone before – to the stars!

What’s not possible by Sandy McDonald

As the thundering strains of Thus Sprach Zarathustra rose to a crescendo, the apes cowered beneath a towering black monolith. The sun rose behind it and they saw in its rays the bone that would soon become a living creature’s first weapon.

This is one in a series of Word Carnival Posts Close Business Encounters of the Sci-fi Kind!

Not long after this prodigious opening in Stanley Kubrick’s film, A Space Odyssey 2001, an air hostess wearing grip shoes gently puts a floating pen back into a traveller’s pocket and, a while later, the same man is seen talking to his young daughter while watching her on a colour television screen. It becomes evident that he is on another planet, possibly the moon.

I was 16 and completely awestruck by a cinematic unfolding of ideas at that time way, way beyond my imagination. The year was 1968. For anyone living then, this was utterly and completely unrealisable fiction.

We lived in an era where the only news was delivered with undisputed pomp via the morning newspapers, the radio and the once-a-night 6pm bulletin on the black and white television.

It was nine months before Neil Armstrong was to take his giant leap for man on the moon. My grandparents still had a party line. They would listen for the long, short, long, long ring before answering their phone. And answering the phone was a stately occasion. The whole family would gather in the hallway to find out what portentous news had heralded the call.

Completely spellbound by the convoluted and messianic message delivered by the film, I persuaded my English teacher to take the class on a school excursion. The class debated its meaning endlessly, wrote essays and were generally in thrall with the entire concept. And Keir Dullea. I threatened to call any son I had by the same name.

The film left an indelible mark. Not least of all its portrayal of a technology that few could have imagined, let alone rendered so faithfully.

Many years later, I met the lighting camera man from A Space Odyssey 2001, as I worked in London connecting freelance film specialists to various current productions, using a card file and a telephone. He explained how they’d created a small model to depict the sperm-like space craft. Ahh, so that was how it was done.

All of this before the internet. Before personal connection devices, the concept of which had been shown to our unbelieving eyes, four decades previously in the opening sequence of this remarkable film. We knew it all to be simply impossible, just the doodling of an over creative imagination. Really?

Now just part of a life later, as I scan the internet in a few short minutes for references and images, keying in to my Mac, answering calls on my personal phone, talking to my friends and family by video call on Skype, I ask myself, what’s not possible?

How about a 3D pen. One that creates 3D models of what you write? Not possible? Look at this.

How about we fund this idea from random folk all around the world? Not possible? Try crowd sourcing.

How about we use the electromagnetic field below a cityscape to float a wheel-less vehicle created from an idea by a young girl in China, Wang Jia. The hover car reacts with minerals to float above the street and is activated by voice recognition. Really? Watch this.

Ah but actually, this is just a piece of creative film making. A feat in itself. But no different perhaps to what we witnessed all those decades ago. Even if much of the then amazing technology seems outdated by what we take for granted today.

So what seriously, is not possible? The next time you confront yourself with the thought that what you’re trying to do is not possible, think again.

The human knowledge bank The point is that even the most spell-binding concepts did not come into being from point zero. They are as an accrual of all of the human knowledge bank and purpose-fuelled passion.

The 3D Doodler pen needed a combination of metal and plastic technology and the ability to ask the world for help to fund the project to come into fruition. But without its inventors’ purpose- fuelled passion, the proposal wouldn’t have got beyond an excited ‘what if’ discussion over a few beers.

As for the hover car, what made Wang Jia submit her ideas to Volkswagen for a car of the future? What makes Volkswagen capable of a culture that can foster such enthusiastic and powerful creativity from around the globe and allow for the dream by going as far as creating a film about it?

Entrepreneurial attributes These are the attributes we need to foster in our entrepreneurial lives.

Yes. All the ingredients that nourish the fertile ground of our imagination, our creativity, dreams and conjecture.

Yes. Being driven by passion and laser focused purpose.

Yes. Being determined and dogged about success.

Yes. Doing. Just getting down and doing what needs to be done, step by step, byte by byte, day by day, week by week and year on year.

Assistance is the universal, immutable force of creative manifestation, whose role since the Big Bang has been to translate potential into being. To convert dreams into reality. Steven Pressfield. Do The Work.

Yes, most importantly, then collaborate.

Nothing great was ever achieved alone. Read the acknowledgements at the front of any novel. Watch the credits roll at the end of any film. Listen to the speeches of those accepting awards.

Everyone who has done anything good or great acknowledges that they may have had the idea and done the doing, but without those others, it could never have been fully realised. Visit this remarkable community from all over the world, who have diligently made and sent over half a million items to warm and comfort children half a globe away, whom they’ll never meet.

It is the power of clan. Those who share your intent and purpose. What’s not possible then?

To learn more about how to build your clan, you can book an Online Health Check by skype or attend an upcoming workshops.

Business owners can enrol in and benefit from the ClanMaker program through these three options: – 24 week individual One on One coaching – 24 week small group online coaching (maximum four people) – 20 week intensive face to face Clans Masterclass with leaders in each of the seven steps (maximum 30 participants)

For more information contact Sandy McDonald

About Sandy McDonald Sandy McDonald is the Clanmaker. She works with business owners to build community- contributing clans as a best-practice, business building strategy.

She is the founder of The Clan Makers, WhyYouMustBlog.com and the co-founder of Australian charity, KasCare Inc.

After 22 years running a marketing communications company, she founded KasCare, an online charity to help the 2. 7 million children in southern Africa orphaned by HIV AIDS and poverty.

She used passionate blogging, to build a community online. Now more than 10,000 from 54 countries, they have sent over 70,000 blankets, hats and jumpers to warm and comfort the children. The community has touched an estimated 250,000 people world-wide, raising awareness of the plight of the children.

Her marketing experience and the knowledge gained from this extraordinary community form the backbone of her book, Clans. Supercharge Your Business.

She believes there has never been a better time to build a clan, and that the blend of head, heart and the Web is a collective power that grows equity in business while reducing inequity for others.

Sandy is known for converting a complex online world into exciting opportunities for business owners that supercharge their businesses while making a difference for others.

The Writing Biz: Six Lessons from Star Trek’s Mr. Spock by Sharon Hurley Hall

I loved Star Trek as a kid; I still do. So imagine my glee when this month’s Word Carnival had the theme Close Biz Encounters of the Sci-Fi Kind. My favorite character from the Original Series (and in fact any series) was Vulcan Science Officer Mr. Spock. He was a man of few words, often choosing to let an arched eyebrow speak volumes. When he did speak, though, he made a lot of sense. I always admired Spock’s analytical approach to every situation so today, I’m picking some of my favorite Spock quotes and seeing how they could apply to the writing business.

1. Are you sure it isn’t time for a “colorful metaphor”? (Star Trek: The Voyage Home) As writers, language is our business – our clients pay us to know and wield the nuances of speech and writing for their benefit. This quote reminds us that it’s our job to know when to dress it up or tone it down. And as Spock was always slightly – make that very – disdainful of human emotion, it also reminds us about avoiding hyperbole in our writing. Both of these are valuable lessons.

2. Computers make excellent and efficient servants, but I have no wish to serve under them. (Original Series, The Ultimate Computer) Technology – we love it when we love it; we hate it when it doesn’t work. I have my geeky side, but this quote from Spock reminds us that we need to be in charge of technology. More specifically, it pays to have a backup plan so we don’t have to run around helplessly when it fails us (because it always does at some point).

That’s why the other day I spent time with the organizer of the writing webinar I’m presenting on Thursday going through what-if scenarios for how it would run if the technology failed. And when I do interviews, bitter experience has taught me never to rely on a recording alone; pen and paper may be old tech, but using them means I always have the info I need.

3. No one can guarantee the actions of another. (Original Series, Day of the Dove) Ever had one of those times where you recommended a course of action and had the client ignore you and do his own thing? This quote reminds us to keep a balanced view, shrug it off, and maintain our sanity.

4. Instruments register only those things they’re designed to register. Space still contains infinite unknowns (Original Series, The Naked Time) And then there are those other times, where you do everything you’re supposed to and it still doesn’t work out as planned. Or when you have a client who wants an hour with you to solve endemic problems. Not only does Spock remind us that we can’t know everything (those unknowns will get you every time) but the quote inspires us to do what he would do – be logical, check out all the variables and measure, measure, measure before deciding what to do next.

5. Your illogical approach to chess does have its advantages on occasion, Captain. (Original Series, Charlie X) That said, even Spock was able to see the value of doing something unexpected and unwarranted, as his human crew mates did often. Sometimes, taking a risk pays off, whether that’s exploring the furthest reaches of space or simply trying a new business area. Who knows? You just might get lucky, or find, as Spock also said, that: Random chance seems to have operated in [y] our favor. (Original Series, The Doomsday Machine)

6. Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected. In this case, I should think “interesting” would suffice. (Original Series, The Squire of Gothos) And finally, no true Trekkie could leave out Spock’s second favorite word. No lessons from this one, just a chance to imagine the raised eyebrow and dispassionate assessment of every situation – perhaps a reminder to leave the emotion out and judge new gigs on their merits? You decide!

As for me – one to beam up, Scotty!

Sharon Hurley Hall is a professional writer and blogger. Her career has spanned more than 25 years, including stints as a journalist, academic writer and ghost writer. Connect with Sharon on her website or Google+. What To Do When Your Marketing Project Becomes a Wraith By Nick Armstrong

If you’re not a fan of Stargate: Atlantis, you may not know what a Wraith is. They are one of the most terrifying baddies ever conceived of in SciFi.

Their basic M.O.: they suck the life out of their victims to heal themselves, live forever as a result, and have turned the Pegasus galaxy into their own personal human farmville (now there’s a game I’d play on Facebook).The Wraith never reveal their actual names, they trick their victims with hallucinations, and they have no qualms about lying to your face to achieve their goals.

Sound like any “gurus” you might know? Only kidding. Kind of. Every time I see one of these creeps, I’m reminded of nightmare projects.

You know the kind – they take up all your time, suck the life out of you, diminish your will to live, and just won’t die.

When a client approaches me with what I suspect is a Wraith project, my first step is making sure what we’re dealing with. Here’s how:

Identify a Wraith Project

● Is the project taking up more and more of your time just to keep the status quo? ● Is the project hard to name? Nebulous? Hard to define? ● Is the demand for work increasing while the returns are diminishing? ● Is your passion for the project about the same as your excitement for a colonoscopy? ● Is there no end in sight? No way to define “done”?

Four of these traits and you’ve got a Wraith Project. Five… and you’ve got one hell of a nightmare project on your hands. So how does the team of heroes from Atlantis deal with the Wraith?

Kill It Dead. Preferably with Fire or Nukes.

Maybe you don’t have access to actual live ordinance. That’s ok – metaphorical ordinance works just as well against Wraith Projects. The first thing to do:

Step 1: Give the Wraith project a Name.

Major Sheppard made a habit of giving the Wraith nondescript names: Steve, Todd, Bob… you get the picture. Victory is a lot easier when the thing you need to defeat has a name. The next step? Get your goals crystal clear.

Step 2: Define Done.

If you don’t know where you’re going, it’s really hard to get there. What does your best-case scenario look like when the Wraith project has been slain? What steps are necessary to get there? Start at the end and work backwards. Then, take stock of what you’ve got on hand.

Step 3: Quantify and Limit Resources and Time

It’s really easy to go all-hands-on-deck, 24/7 on a Wraith project. Against an enemy of this sort, losing yourself in the fight is definitely possible. Quantifying what you have on hand to solve the problem can provide a major boost to your sanity and longevity. An inventory can identify resources you’re burning faster than you can afford to; a time log can keep your hours in check. Still, raw resources without passion or emotional attachment won’t get you where you need to go.

Step 4: Try to Find the Pieces you can still be Passionate About

Passion for survival – whether that’s business or personal – is usually enough to keep you going out of necessity. But in order to sustain through the lowest of the lows and not give up due to straight-out tedium in fighting off a Wraith project, passion for what you’re doing is required. What was the thing that attracted you to the project in the first place? If your answer is money, you may be out of luck. If it was anything else though, try to remember how you felt when you started, how you imagined you would feel when you were finished with the project. It’s really hard to be passionate about something when you keep hitting brick walls.

Step 5: Focus on your Core Strengths

Small business owners have three currencies: Time, Money, and Attention. Time and Money are easy concepts to get; Attention is a bit more complicated – it’s “focused time”. You only have so much attention to give during a day; usually it’s about 3-4 hours when you’re in the groove. The closer the task at hand is to your core competencies, the more you can leverage your attention to get more done. Things outside your core competencies require more attention per task – so you end up getting less done for the same amount of attention invested. Delegating anything that isn’t in your wheelhouse is critical to killing a Wraith project. McKay as a fighter is not as efficient as Ronon. Ronon is most definitely not a scientist. Need a leader? Sheppard is your guy. Everybody has their own core competencies – don’t feel bad about shirking the things that aren’t on your list.

Step 6: Try, Try, Try Again.

When forced to decide, my two favorite episodes from Stargate Atlantis are Season 4′s Trio and Season 2′s Grace Under Pressure. In each, we see our heroes expending attempt after attempt at extracting themselves from seemingly hopeless situations. The consequences of failure? Death. So when faced with a Wraith project, one option is to just keep (strategically) hacking away until the problem is solved. Your other option is to, when all other options are exhausted, let time take care of the problem – even when that’s the last thing in the world you’ll feel like doing.

Finally: realize that failure isn’t fatal.

You’re gonna screw up and fail. It’s just bound to happen. The only thing to do is to fail as quickly and as frequently as possible – ramp up your expertise and resiliency each time, get back up, and keep fighting. Preferably with a good team by your side.

So, what do you think? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

(Header photos: All rights reserved by MGM)

About Nick Armstrong

Nick Armstrong is unapologetically awesome at explaining difficult-to-grasp marketing and web technology concepts. In his day-to-day work, he helps small business owners swear less and profit more by making small business marketing fun.

For the last 3.5 years, Nick’s business WTF Marketing has amassed a large number of happy clients, among them Fortune 100s, solopreneurs, and everything in between, including three distinct $2M+/year businesses in Fort Collins, Colorado alone. He leverages over a decade of web design experience and eight years of hands-on, knee-deep community building and marketing.

He founded the Digital Gunslingers in 2009, teaching $5 classes on social media and marketing concepts and donating all the proceeds to charities in Fort Collins, Colorado. You can connect with him on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.

Top Secret: How to Beam Your Business From Bland to Superhero Status, NOW! By: Ashley Welton

Comfortably situated in the back booth of our favorite Japanese restaurant, we’ve just ordered the first round of sushi when her phone rings.

“Answer it,” I say.

“You don’t mind?”

“Of course not, if Iron Man was on my caller id, I’d answer it too.” I know better than to interrupt the negotiations of superheroes.

She giggles. Before putting him on speakerphone she whispers, “Okay, this’ll be fun. I’ve been expecting his call.”

Sipping my martini, I settle in to listen as Tony Stark spills his story.

“Hi Tony, how can I help you this fine evening?”

“Evening Sue, we’ve got a special case that needs your expertise.”

"Mmmmhmmm," she purrs. Man, she was always cool as an ice-dancing penguin when business propositions came her way.

Iron Man pushes on, “Magneto acquired a somewhat sizable stash of plutonium and has conveniently stored it under the United Nations Headquarters in downtown Manhattan. I’m sure you’re aware that the largest meeting in the history of the Nations is to be held there in three days.”

“Ah, that sounds serious, Tony. How can I help?” Sue wafts back at him.

“Well he’s managed to shield the location in a way that none of the telepaths can get an exact read, and we don’t have enough detail to storm the castle, as it were. We only know it’s there because we picked up the signal during transport.”

“Magneto’s getting sloppy then?” Sue muses.

“Maybe, or he might be testing us knowing that whatever forcefield he’s thrown up is too strong to pierce. You're the only one who can get close enough to collect the data we need to prevent whatever catastrophic playground he’s planning.”

“Sure, I’d be happy to help. Send me the logistics and I’ll look them over on the plane. You know my standard rate for jobs like this.”

Iron Man groans audibly. “You ARE an expensive one,” he says with a smile dancing around the corners of his sentence.

“If you have someone else you’d like to use, feel free. I have a platter of sushi on the way that I'd be remiss to abandon.” She throws a wink my way, fully knowing there is no one else who can do what she can.

“No Sue, there’s only one Invisible Woman, and you know you're it. We'll pay you whatever you want," says Iron Man, resignation and gratitude leaking through the phone. “Now, get on a plane. I’ll pick you up at La Guardia.”

Sue ends the call, and looks at me, eyes apologetic. “Sorry, gotta go.”

“Oh please, I’ll be fine. I’m just sorry you’re going to miss the world class sushi that’s on its way right now,” I jab at her.

She smiles, stands to leave, and, not three steps from the table, promptly disappears. Sue's warming up already I see, and watch as a slight breeze sways the bamboo divider. Alone in the booth, I munch on edamame and think, if Miss Sue Storm has taught me ANYTHING about business, it’s to specialize.

Specialize like you have nothing to lose.

Specialize like your (business) life depends on it.

SPECIALIZE and you eliminate competition.

Which is to say, be yourself. Because, like The Invisible Woman, you are the ONLY person on the planet who can do that.

It’s not easy, and it’s never final. You will constantly evolve and tweak your specialty, and for those of you freaking out, RELAX! Expanding your focus is always an option, but for the love of every business seedling in the greenhouse, pick something narrow, something that resonates, something you KNOW you want to be, and DO IT NOW.

Without regret. Without fear. Without wavering.

Because… If you try to be everything, you’ll have nothing.

If you try to satisfy everyone, you’ll please no one.

If you try to wear someone else's business model, you’ll find yourself sitting in a pile of mud, partially disrobed, and wondering What the hell am I doing, and why does no one care?

Don’t do that. Fly free little birdies, and let your colors shine.

About Ashley Welton

Ashley Welton is the chief Adventure Copywriter and Brand Anthropologist at Miniskirt Ninja. She hails from Hawaii and delights in working with businesses to uncover and translate their brand through action inducing copy that inspires, converts, and ignites a sense of adventure in all who come across it.

Ashley is an expert story-teller, connection creator, and exalts in helping companies succeed. When she’s not having an intimate dinner with her thesaurus, she dedicates time to surfing, traveling, exploring, and the general outdoors. You can connect with her around the interwebs on Twitter, Facebook and send her love letters here.

Doctor Who's Favorite (Marketing) Dish: Fish Fingers and Custard! by Tea Silvestre

"New mouth, New rules!" -- The Doctor

Worried that your marketing sounds a lot like everyone else's? It happens. To the best of us!

Usually because we're too insecure to throw away those sales page blueprints and email templates and create our own path.

We're afraid to stop listening to the advice of the A-Listers and Influencers for just five minutes and do a gut check with ourselves.

The Doctor has just what you need. Even if you're unfamiliar with Time Lords and weeping angels, I promise you'll find these tips helpful the next time you feel stuck or even fearful about your marketing.

To start, let's take a look at a particular scene from Doctor Who: The Doctor (a Time Lord; probably the only one left in the Universe) has just regenerated for the 11th time in nearly 900 years.

What's important to note is that he is still himself. With all the memories and wisdom that entails. But -- and this is crucial, too -- he's also new and different. A fresh slant on the old Doctor. He looks different. He has new tastes. New quirks. A whole new personality. (If we were talking about marketing, we might call it a brand refresh.)

And because the process takes/creates an enormous amount of energy, the Doctor usually finds himself a bit out of sorts afterward (much like you and I do after a long biz planning session).

This time around he is (ahem) astronomically hungry.

The problem? The foods his last body loved so much no longer meet his needs...

Watch the video: http://youtu.be/TQuCP0GJHf4

Did you catch all those beautiful marketing lessons? Here's what I saw: Stay relevant. If your branding no longer serves you or your mission, it's probably time to make a change. And to do that, you need to...

Nurture a Beginner's Mind. Try to approach your topic without preconceived notions of what will "work" or what "needs" to be done. Instead, reach down deep and turn up the volume on your enthusiasm and optimistic nature. There'll be plenty of time later to let that crotchety old nag in your head back into the picture.

If you've not done this before, you might feel a bit wibbly-wobbly. But keep at it. With practice, you'll soon re-discover the awe-inducing power of looking at things with the eyes of a child.

Experiment freely. Instead of copying how "everyone else" does something, ask yourself What if questions. And then take some action and see what happens.

Express yourself! Love or hate something? Then say so. Don't just go along with the crowd because you're worried about looking silly or hurting someone's feelings. Usually, if you're passionately for or against something, that's a huge clue about who you really are as a human being and a business owner. Leverage that in your branding. You can start by writing a manifesto.

Don’t be afraid of weird combinations. Remember the old Reese’s commercial? You’ve got your chocolate in my peanut butter was a huge success precisely because people didn’t expect that particular mix of ingredients.

Fish fingers and custard are like that, too. What two juxtaposed ideas or topics could you combine? (Marketing and Cooking are my two things -- sometimes I even throw in a little sci-fi!)

Use what you've got on hand. Open your metaphorical fridge and take a look at what's in there. Do an inventory of your assets. There might be a few wonderful surprises waiting for you.

You might not need to invest in any more "tools" or "programs" to find real business satisfaction.

Build on the greatness. Once you've discovered something that really grabs people by the juevos, turn up the marketing volume and create more opportunities for your audience to get involved.

The BBC saw the power of that Doctor Who episode and decided to create an Official Intergalactic Fish Fingers and Custard Day (It's April 3rd). And a quick online search for "Fish Fingers and Custard" yields over 340,000 results -- with everything from fan videos to recipes. That's a lot of audience participation and extra PR. And it'll go a long way toward solidifying the fans' love for the Doctor Who brand.

What current offering could you leverage in similar ways?

Are there other marketing lessons hiding in this dish? p.s. - Fellow Whovians seeking more Doctor Who marketing tips might want to check out this post and this inforgraphic.

About Tea Silvestre, aka The Word Chef As a marketing coach and consultant, Tea excels at helping her clients find and share their Secret Sauce with the world. She's also the founder of the ground breaking new reality web series, "Prosperity's Kitchen" and the author of "Attract and Feed a Hungry Crowd." Connect and chat with her on Twitter: @TeaSilvestre.

Everything I Know About Business I Learned From Tony Stark by evan austin

Ok, not EVERYTHING. But when it comes to biz advice, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark is not a bad place to start. First, a little background for the uninitiated:

Tony Stark is a comic book character, created in the 1960′s by Stan Lee of Spiderman and Marvel Comics fame, and most recently brought to life by Robert Downey, Jr. in 2008′s Iron Man. The character is a cocky and hotheaded inventor/industrialist who built an empire designing and manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, but after sustaining a severe chest injury during a kidnapping in which his captors attempted to force him to build THEM a weapon, he instead built a suit of armor to save his own life and escape. He now protects the world as Iron Man.

I like the Iron Man concept (and execution, frankly) a LOT. I like Robert Downey, Jr. a LOT (in fact, I’m trying to get him to have lunch with me). As unlikely as it may seem, I think there are a few things to learn from him that are relevant to small business:

● Turn Your Vulnerabilities Into Strengths In order to keep shrapnel away from his heart, Tony invented a miniature “arc reactor” that’s permanently embedded in his chest. Without it, he dies…and yet it also powers his mechanical suit, which makes him “invincible”. A whole cadre of small business bloggers (of which I’m one) tackled this topic in May 2012: check out what we had to say here. The short version is that the odd bits about you – the things that make you weird, quirky, and vulnerable – are the things that make you HUMAN, and therefore relatable to other humans…and therefore able to engage them emotionally, which is what good storytelling AND good business are all about.

● When You Do Something Awesome – Or Make A Huge Mistake – Hold A Press Conference When RDJ’s Tony Stark returns from captivity with the revelation that the very weapons he’s built to protect America are being used against it, he immediately – like, scratches on face, arm still in sling – holds a press conference to announce the decommissioning of all his company’s weapons manufacturing while they reassess and figure out how to make a different contribution to the world. This is of course met with a collective gasp from the industrial and military worlds and his own business partners…I don’t suggest popping a surprise change in direction on those who should be in the know, but the principle of identifying something that doesn’t work or is no longer serving your values and dropping it is still solid. Later, after his Iron Man armor successfully defeats the film’s villain, Tony holds another press conference, where he’s encouraged to recite a narrative deemed acceptable to the public. Instead, he blows the lid off of the sacred “secret identity” code. If you do something sucky, say you’re sorry…and it’s okay to admit to being awesome, too.

● Improve Relentlessly The spare parts suit that Tony invents to save his own life originally was something of a marvel (pun acknowledged), but when he gets home, he immediately sets about improving the design. Then, after he’s invented AND manufactured the most awesome thing ever AGAIN, he keeps making it better. By The Avengers (2012, after Iron Man 2 and before Iron Man 3), he’s wearing the 7th version of his armored suit! Just because it’s your best-to-date doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Make it so.

● When Wearing Your Super-Suit Or Your Business Identity, Be As Authentically YOU As When You’re Not. Tony is sarcastic, punny (not a typo), brilliant, charming, and prone to fits of rage…and so is Iron Man. So am I and so are you, in our own ways…the point is to maintain a consistent identity. People want to hire YOU, partly BECAUSE you’re you. Hero or housewife, vanquishing or vacuuming…same you.

● The Good Of Others IS The Good Of Yourself Remember how I said Tony Stark is cocky? Yeah, he can make COCKY feel shy. As such, he often gets painted with the “you only care about yourself” brush. While that’s not without a certain degree of fairness, what Tony comes to learn – and what is still an emerging business philosophy – is that being sensitive to, looking out for, even PROTECTING the interests of others IS in your own best interest. If nothing else, putting others before yourself means there are plenty of people who have your back when you need them – AND YOU WILL.

evan austin is not a superhero, as far as you know. He does raise 3 daughters while running a pretty super graphic design business out of his home in southern California. Probably he’ll be designing your next logo or business card. Facebook: /eadesign.me Twitter: @graphicsbyevan Online portfolio: eadesign.me

Star Trek Voyager Small Business Lessons On Going it Alone by Nicole Fende Thousands of light years from home. No back-up. Limited resources. Scary bad guys with superior weapons.

Is this the plot of Star Trek: Voyager, or a day in your small business?

Both! I’m light years from my old corporate life. I don’t have the bench strength of hundreds or even thousands of colleagues, and limited resources would be a step up from my current supply.

Bad guys? Visit my gallery of villains for just a glimpse at the bad guys small business owners face.

Right now I’m rediscovering the Voyager series with my husband and daughter, who are first time viewers. I was still in a corporate role when it originally aired, so the intriguing corollaries to being an entrepreneur are a new experience.

Ready to find out what Star Trek: Voyager has taught me about small business? Set your phasers to stun, and hold onto your communicator.

Star Trek Voyager Small Business Lessons On Going it Alone

Be Open to Unusual Alliances (with a Scorpion Failsafe) Alternate Title: Don’t trust a Borg leopard to change its spots. Keep a tranquilizer gun on hand.

In an unprecedented move, Captain Janeway strikes an uneasy alliance with the Borg. She needs safe passage through their space, and they need human innovation to defeat a powerful enemy.

A Star Fleet captain made a deal with the Borg. Why not just summon the devil himself? How could this even be considered? How could this efficient, soulless, collective be trusted?

The question for Janeway was not if the Borg could deliver on their end of the bargain, but if they could be trusted to keep up their end once their enemy was defeated. To make it work Captain Janeway implemented a “trust but verify” approach. A poison pill, or as Chakotay called it, Scorpion, failsafe was put in place. When the Borg tried to renege on the deal, scorpion was activated, and the crew was saved.

Keep an open mind regarding unconventional partnerships for your small business. Get all agreements in writing, and include an exit strategy. Who knows, you may get safely through enemy territory AND gain a crew member like Seven of Nine!

You Can’t Avoid Holodeck Technology Problems Alternate Title: Why do people keep using the holodeck when past “glitches” have resulted in life threatening problems?

From the time holodecks were introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation, holodeck malfunctions became a plot device. Safety protocols off, aliens in the holodeck, holodeck characters run amuck,…

The holodeck became the “redshirt” of newer installments in the Star Trek universe. Why even have a holodeck with all those problems?

In Voyager the holodeck serves a variety of functions. The crew often uses it for running simulations to test new technology. Holo technology allowed the ship to have a doctor when the flesh and blood one died. It also provides some much needed R&R for a crew that is tens of thousands of light years from home.

Bottom line – the benefits of using the holodeck are worth the risks.

Technology in small business is no different. 95% of the time technology works perfectly. It makes your business run more efficiently and more profitably.

Oh but that other 5%. Webinars gone awry. Files that didn’t save. Blog posts that don’t publish. From an outsiders perspective wouldn’t the question be the same as the holodeck one? Why keep using it?

We should only use technology when it supports our business and our bottom line. If the holodecks ran amuck 50% of the time how often do you think they’d get used? If they provided little value why would anyone use them? Run your holodeck diagnostic against the technology you use. Does it function correctly the vast majority of the time? Is it contributing to your profit and success? If not, it’s time to take it offline.

Use Scarcity to Inspire Innovation Alternate Title: Hair pasta is just an expression, right?

I love Italian food, especially spaghetti. But after an episode where Neelix (the alien cook) serves up “pasta” that really IS made from animal hair I took a break. I just kept imagining a mouth full of human hair. ICK!

Once I got past the ick factor though, I realized that if I were stranded far away from any source of real pasta, I would consider alternatives. What if the taste and texture were very similar to real angel hair pasta? Would I give up a favorite dish because of my narrow mindedness?

While some Trekkies disapproved of Neelix’s character, I found him refreshing. As a former junk dealer / scavenger cum Delta Quadrant guide, Neelix was used to making do. Ships weren’t bright and shiny, with limitless replicator rations in his world. Scarcity was the norm.

I started my professional career in a large corporate environment. The equivalent of bright, shiny, and new, with full replicator access. When I first made the transition to entrepreneur it was hard to change that mindset. To remember that I couldn’t just dock at a Star Fleet base to resupply and repair any damages.

Embrace your inner Neelix. Look for creative ways to use your resources and make them stretch farther.

Final Thoughts What is the top business lesson that you’ve learned from Star Trek? For Trekkies – can you also share when you started referring to Star Trek for business insights? For non-Trekkies – is it legitimate to use fictional characters with phasers as role models in business?

Nicole Fende is The Numbers Whisperer® and author of How to be a Finance Rock Star: The Small Business Owner’s Ticket to Multi-Platinum Profits. You can listen to her live on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. CST on Finance Rock Star Radio. Thursdays at 2:30 p.m. CST she co-hosts the live TV Show Call a Biz Hero with Laura Petrolino.

The Tao of Joss Whedon: What Firefly Taught Me About Small Biz Marketing

By Annie Sisk

No, not that firefly ....

Not that one either ... where'd I put that thing? :::rummaging through digital drives::: Yes!

There we go. THAT Firefly.

My point: Object lessons about business marketing are everywhere, if you know -- no, not where to look -- but how to look.

Case in point? Read on ...

But First, A Bit of Background In case you've been living under a rock for the past century, here's the 411 on Firefly in bullet form:

● Created by Buffy/Angel/Dollhouse genius Joss Whedon

● Kind of like Bonanza meets Ocean's 11 meets Star Trek with a little Welcome Back Kotter thrown in.

● Aired on Fox for exactly one season -- actually, less than one season. Fourteen episodes. (Yes, we're still bitter.)

● That? Was ten years ago.

● Today - ten years and one feature film (Serenity) later? RABID, PASSIONATE, MASSIVE FAN BASE.

So what does all this awesome have to do with small business marketing of the digital kind? Plenty, as it turns out ...

Lesson #1: Nobody Will Care About You(r Business) Until They Care About Your (Business) Story Why is Firefly still going strong all these years later? Well, lots of reasons, really, but one of the key reasons is this: Joss Whedon knows how to tell a ripping good yarn.

Each of those fourteen episodes boasted a strong script that focused on story elements that were compelling, provocative, and highly entertaining.

Want to rev up your tribe? Start looking for ways to use story-telling in your marketing content.

Lesson #2: Getting the Right People On Board Is Not Just a Good Idea -- It's EVERYTHING

Joss Whedon is also known for getting the right people to say "yes" -- bringing together a diverse cast and crew that somehow merge together to create a whole that's greater than even the very impressive sum of its parts.

Firefly was no exception. Even after only fourteen episodes and one feature film, you'd be hard pressed to find a fan who could even envision some other actor filling any particular role. They somehow just ... fit. Perfectly.

Even if you're a solopreneur, the same is true for you: you need to assemble a team that provides that kind of rightness of fit. That's true not only of independent contractors, vendors, suppliers, and virtual assistants ... it's also true of your tools, the components of your various business and marketing systems, the social media channels you utilize.

The right people can be the difference between wild success and abject failure.

Lesson #3: There Is NOTHING In the 'Verse More Powerful Than an Embraced-and-Empowered Fan Base of Brand Ambassadors Why is Firefly still culturally relevant? I mean, look at it - less than one full season, ten years ago ... this thing should have rolled out of the public lexicon ages ago.

But it didn't.

Why?

Two words: The Fans.

Dedicated fans can make ANYTHING happen. (Don't believe me? Two more words: Jericho. Peanuts.) Embrace and empower your repeat customers to become your best source of marketing: brand ambassadors. Dedicate yourself to creating a unique experience for each of your customers/clients so that they turn into raving fans, sharing with their peeps the sheer magnitude of your awesomeness.

Lesson #4: Sadly, It Really Is, At Some Level, All About the Numbers ... With all that awesome going on, why did Firefly get canceled after airing only eleven episodes?

Because the numbers just weren't there.

And if the numbers aren't there for you, then your business will fail eventually.

So pay attention to the metrics. Do not fear the numbers -- confront them and make peace with them. Understand them. Use them. Then improve them.

Lesson #6: ... Except When It's Not. Every once in awhile, though, some franchise will come along that defies expectations, refuses to go quietly into that good long night of permanent hiatus-ville -- Firefly is probably the prime example.

Sometimes, the numbers don't tell the whole story.

That's why it's a good idea to have actual conversations with clients and prospects - and competitors. Get the whole picture of the state of your industry and the health of your micro- economy.

Lesson #7: Take a Chance, and Believe In What You're Selling. The biggest reason Firefly is such a success story probably has to do with Joss Whedon himself, and by extension the key players he assembled for the cast.

He could have taken his toys and gone home after the network bigwigs canceled his show.

Instead, he believed in that vision. He championed it. His cast did the same. And thus was born Serenity. And a second life for the canceled series. And a bunch of conventions and fan fiction and fan art and DVDs ...

You get the picture. Believe in your creation. And be willing to take some calculated chances with the way you market that creation.

And no power in the 'verse will be able to stop you. You'll be a leaf on the wind. Watch how you soar.

Photo Credits:

● tom.arthur via photopin cc

● Ryan Plaisted via photopin cc

● Chipped Productions

About Annie Sisk Annie is a WordPress website developer and marketing consultant at Stage Presence Marketing. Because she is essentially lazy by nature, Annie’s learned how to do more crap before noon than most of those folks in the snazzy corner offices do all week. And yes, she does it in jammies (actually, yoga pants and t-shirts, but since she often sleeps in yoga pants and t-shirts, it totally counts). Annie works with a small number of coaching clients every month, and offers one free half-hour session to all new clients, so you can see if she’s a good fit for you. You can read more of Annie’s get-your-crap-done advice at Pajama Productivity, the go-to productivity site for creative workers. Annie lives in the North Carolina mountains with her daughter, as well as the (possibly imaginary, but don’t tell them that) llamas who make up her support staff.