My Essay: To the Almighty Chairman of the Board – gets an honorable mention

by Susan Sparks | Working on Writing

It’s easy to keep your head down working away on client projects while putting off personal projects. I challenged myself to enter one writing contest per quarter. This way I’d have a personal deadline and personal commitment to keep to myself while honing...

What makes you so special? Your Unique Offer

by Susan Sparks | Marketing Matters, Working on Writing

Over the past three weeks, I’ve talked about establishing your personal brand. We’ve covered your ‘Why’ when telling your story and the importance of your mission statement. (Have you written that yet?) (First, here’s a peek at one of my art journal pages....

And now for something different…your mission statement

by Susan Sparks | Marketing Matters, Working on Writing

Part Three of Personal Branding Last week I wrote about the importance and value in using your story. It is one of the quickest ways to connect with a reader, client or prospect when they understand why you do what you do. This week, we’ll dive into a Mission...

Personal Branding: Are you using your story?

by Susan Sparks | Marketing Matters, Working on Writing

Part 2 of Personal Branding Last post I talked about creating your own brand. I’ll admit, the idea of a brand didn’t sit right with me at first. Perhaps because it brings up visions of golden arches or some other tiresome logo. But, I’ve come to...

Create Your Personal Brand: For Confidence and Clarity Start With Your Why

by Susan Sparks | Working on Writing

Last week I shared my struggle with Shiny Object Syndrome, but I’m happy to say I’ve recovered and am back to work, fully focused. I’ve got several exciting projects to tackle in the next few months; I’ll be writing a book for a client and editing two other new...

Turn questions into answers for your business

by Susan Sparks | Working on Writing

If you’ve ever had what you thought was a great idea, but it didn’t catch on – maybe you put the cart before the horse. Business people are often in a hurry to tell prospects what they need instead of letting their prospect tell them what they want. Listen closely to...