Susan Payton

Sometimes I feel like it is a futile attempt to get all of my entrepreneurial knowledge into my blog, but getting it all into a book would be even harder. I don’t know how author Susan Payton pulled it off, but if there was a book with nearly all the bases covered for a new entrepreneur, this book would be it.

But the book, 101 Entrepreneur Tips, is a small book, you wonder… and yes, indeed it is a trim & sleek 128 pages. With each tip being one page, you’d be amazed at the amount of info which is packed in here. What I love about this little purse-sized gem is that it does cover nearly everything – with just the right amount of detail to let you know if you either know enough about her tip, or it sends off that little warning signal that says, “Uh – I’d better go do more research on this!”

Susan covers business planning, customer service, communications, sales, marketing, networking and raising capital. She really hits it out of the park with her business planning section and the marketing section, covering everything from market analysis and operations to podcasting and search engine optimization for press releases.

I especially love her mix of tips blending traditional marketing with online marketing. Sometimes I forget about offline marketing tactics because my business is so heavily focused online. Especially since PR is one of my weaker points, I loved Tip 43|Targeting Editors With Your [Press] Release. Here’s an excerpt:

Ever feel like your press release goes off into a black hole? It does. So how can you ensure that relevant editors read your release and consider it for a feature or additional coverage?

1. Target Your Editors: Press release distribution programs allow you to select the channels where you send your release. You can choose categories like medical, entertainment, health and automotive. Don’t be greedy and send your release to all. Stick to relevant industries to ensure interest from editors.
2. Follow Up: Editors get hundreds, if not thousands, of press releases each day. By following up to see if there is interest in your release, you stay on the mind of the editors in your industry. Even if they can’t accomodate a story on your news now, if you stay in touch, they may need you later for a quote or interview.
3. Send Your Release Directly: If you feel your release is relevant to local news, fax or email a copy to the editor of the section you feel it fits best with. While they may not take notice of your story through the media channel they use to get news, receiving a copy of the release from you with a personal note (followed up by a personal phone call) increases your liklihood of getting coverage in the media.

Overall, there were a few topics that were absent from Susan’s tips such as financial management and work-life balance. Yet those things sometimes need a whole separate book to address, which is I’m sure why she left them out.

Lastly, I found that even as an experienced entrepreneur, this little book was a good reminder for me to get out of hyper-focus mode to remind me of a few sides to my business that needed some attention. But for a new entrepreneur, this is such a simple and easy guide that I really would highly recommend it.

Susan Payton also runs Egg Marketing & PR.

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