Beginning November 11th, Google’s getting rid of those wonderful free, voice-activated 411 calls available to us.  As a pretty devoted fan of the service (in fact a regular user, on a daily basis for the past year), I’ve enjoyed using the 1-800-GOOG-411 number, because free beats the usual 411 charge of $1.65 or more anyday.

But maybe even more appealing than the “free” part of the deal is the hands-free part of it.  It’s like the human voice is reintroduced to the communication equation, instead of the tap, tap, tap of fingers on buttons.  And although more than a few times the charming, though automated directory assistance failed miserably to decipher my requests, mostly, it provided the information I requested without error.

Now where can free directory assistance be found?  Do you use a different service?  Send the information along by commenting below, or emailing me at heathertaylormedia@gmail.com

Missed Today’s Tom Brokaw Interview?

Tom Brokaw’s interview about the past, present and future of media and his career as a broadcast journalist aired today at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, but if you missed it, for a short time it can be heard on Blogtalkradio.com/money-matters–more.

He’s a wonderful interviewee, and really sets the standard for how to engage your audience in a down-to-earth and substantive way.  Listen to it and tell me if you agree.

Delightful.

That’s a great way to describe interviewing Tom Brokaw.

In a fascinating interview in late August, the Emmy and Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist and best-selling author of The Greatest Generation reflected on how his career was shaped by the experience of growing up in a working-class community on a prairie in South Dakota.  A defining moment in his life, living out West is where he began to devour the printed word, (a habit no doubt shaped by the fact that he didn’t see a television until he was fifteen years old.), and where he began his successful path through the television broadcast industry.

What advice does he have for anyone interested in carving out a career in the media these days?

– Be mobile.

– Be willing to travel overseas, if that’s where the jobs are.

– Learn everything you can about changes in media.

To hear the interview in its entirety, be sure to check out tomorrow’s Money Matters & More interview at 1:00 p.m. on Blogtalkradio.com/money-matters–more.

Got questions about the broadcast?  Email me at heathertaylormedia@gmail.com, or leave a comment below.

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What should a leader do when business appears to be heading off a cliff?

A valuable bit of advice on this subject arrived this Thursday from an unlikely source:  John C. Lechleiter, CEO of the embattled megadrug company Eli Lilly.   In just a few years, Eli Lilly is expected to lose its patent protection on drugs that make up nearly 75% of its 2009 sales.  It’s had other setbacks as well, and it may have to cut more jobs.  The company desperately needs to turn things around and it won’t be easy.

So what does the 31 year veteran of Eli Lilly suggest about how on handling his tough situation

“…Try to be realistic…while maintaining a sense of optimism.”

What 6 things do we have to do to be successful at business or our relationships, or hobbies or whatever?  Tony Schwartz provided a few answers in today’s Money Matters & More radio interview on Blogtalkradio.com.

To interview (or listen to) Tony Schwartz is alot like having your own personal business coach–part fact-based evidence (ie. the pilots’ study) with equal parts relevant personal story (how to play the best tennis ever).

(If you missed this morning’s airing of the Money Matters & More interview, be sure to click on the media player on the right column of this page, where it says “Listen to Money Matters & More…).

The best-selling author, CEO and President of The Energy Project exudes confidence in himself AND even more importantly, in the rest of us–that we really can succeed in whatever it is we’d like.  Of course, we’ll need to heed his six recommendations listed below:

1. Pursue what you love.

2. Do the hardest work first.

3. Practice intensely.

4. Seek expert feedback, in intermittent doses.

5. Take regular renewal breaks.

6. Ritualize practice.

Be sure to check out his Harvard Business Review blog post from August 2010, for more details.

Are they other tips that have worked for you that should be added to this list?  Twitter me at moneyandmore or Facebook @heathertaylormedia.

(Photo: stmarys.brighton-hove.sch.uk)

Gordon Gekko, the Machiavellian lead character in the movie Wall Street (and its sequel) probably thinks napping is for wimps.  In the same way he dismissed the benefits of a midday meal (“Lunch is for wimps,” he famously remarked to his protege, played by Charlie Sheen), he’d probably view napping as counter to increased productivity.  Why?  It’s because it contradicts much of corporate culture’s belief that in order to increase our productivity means that we must do “more, bigger and faster.”

Except Gekko would be very wrong, according to Tony Schwartz, best-selling author and the President & CEO of The Energy Project.  Schwartz joined me today on a taping of the Money Matters & More radio show to talk about the value of napping to achieve peak performance.  “The recent evidence is overwhelming, says Schwartz. Naps are not just physically restorative, but also improve perceptual skills, motor skills, reaction time and alertness.”

How valuable is it for you to nap?  Take a brief energy audit to find out at www.theenergyproject.com.

And what, if any companies have adopted this new ethic?  How do we convince company heads and corporate leaders who haven’t?  To learn more, be sure to tune in to my Money Matters & More interview with Tony Schwartz this Tuesday, September 28th at 9:30 a.m. (ET) on Blogtalkradio.com/money-matters–more.

Write that book!

You know the one I mean.  It’s the book that demonstrates to the world that you possess expertise in your field, and that your superior product or service is worth the selling price.

It also means that you’ve multiplied your possible revenue sources.   As the author of a book, you raise your visibility and credibility.  In fact, once they’ve written a book,  it’s not uncommon for new authors to be involved in the following activities:

– Speaking at conferences or meetings

– Leading workshops and seminars

– Identifying greater networking opportunities

– Finding new clients and customers

Sound appealing?

That’s the advice of my recent Money Matters & More guest, Donna Kozik, author and founder of My Big Business Card, a consulting and executive coaching firm that provides support to entrepreneurs and small business owners.

To hear more about writing a book to promote your business, check out the Blogtalkradio interview.   Click onto the words, “Listen to Money Matters and More”, located to the right of this paragraph.

Let me know what you think of Donna’s idea on Facebook (heathertaylormedia) or Twitter (moneyandmore).

Have a great week!

Heather

Don Draper knows a thing or two about fixing what’s broken when it comes to business.  Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a job seeker, he’s got some lessons to share.

In last night’s season premiere of Mad Men, his newly formed advertising firm seemed doomed for three reasons:

– He bombs an important media interview.

– He alienates his colleagues and staff.

– He loses clients.

So what does Super AdMan Don Draper do?

He does what the rest of we mortal entrepreneurs and job seekers have to do:  he hits the reset button.

In his case, that meant recognizing the cold reality of having a new company with diminishing revenues and the need to do three things:

1. Clarify what it is that he wants.  (In his case better press, more and better clients.)

2. Find a way to increase the firm’s visibility and viability by identifying his audience, the market he wants to reach. (In his case, it’s a The Wall Street Journal reporter.)

And a third element:

3. Make sure he’s got contacts that allow him to try to try correct his mistake, or at least try a do-over.

In Draper’s case, a colleague’s contact at The Wall Street Journal, enabled him to hit the reset button by pitching a compelling story to another high-visibility media outlet.

Now if he could just figure out his personal life…

(photo by Salvatore Vuono)

What’s in store for entrepreneurs on ABC’s Shark Tank next season?  Be sure to tune into a Blogtalkradio interview with one of the show’s star’s, Barbara Corcoran, successful businesswoman and savvy real estate adviser for the Today Show.  You can hear her today at 11 a.m. (Eastern).  To find it online, click onto blogtalkradio.com/money-matters–more.

Thanks!

“To twitter or not to twitter?”

That’s increasingly the question being asked by entrepreneurs looking to reach new and established customers.  With apologies to Shakespeare for modifying his words, it can be tough to know whether, or how much time and effort to spend on social media, when so many small business owners have to tend to a myriad of tasks, from administrative to sales.

What’s the answer?  Are Twitter and Facebook worth the effort?  Sarah Needleman (see photo), staff reporter with the Wall Street Journal joins me today on the Money Matters & More radio show to help answer that question and to talk about her recent  WSJ column, Entrepreneurs Question the Value of Social Media, 10:30 a.m. Eastern on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Got a question before the show?  Contact at moneymattersandmore@yahoo.com, Twitter (moneyandmore) or Facebook (moneymattersandmore).

Thanks.

Community Business Partnership

9th Annual Business Plan Contest

Two local business plan contests in the DC/MD/VA region make an offer no new entrepreneur should refuse:  enter and you can’t lose.

How is this possible?  Easy.

That’s because every registered contestant to the Community Business Partnership’s 9th Annual Business Plan Contest and Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI) 7th Annual StartRight! Women’s Business Plan Competition is guaranteed at a minimum perhaps the most important win an new entrepreneur could achieve:  clear, detailed and written feedback from a panel of judges with the skills and experience to offer expert guidance.

And that’s just for participating!

And what if you win a prize?  Depending on the contest, you could win between $250 and $10,000 in cash.

Interested?  Check out the fine print at http://www.cbponline.org, or call (703) 768-1440, and www.RockvilleREDI.org (301) 315-8096.

Deadline for CBP:  Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

Deadline for REDI:  March 26, 2010 (Executive Summary); March 31, 2010 (Business Plan)

Be sure to join me on News Channel 8 (in the DC region) today between 10 and 11:00 a.m., where I’ll talk more about the value of business plan contests.

Thanks.