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There is a growing awareness of the need to go online. Most business owners today understand that you have to be online to even exist. The question that most of these business owners have is: Is it really for me? Or as an extension, if I go online, will I be able to sell? Is people really looking for my product online?

We tend to confuse online marketing with creating websites. And even though creating a website is an important decision and can be a powerful tool for your product’s marketing, it is hardly the only way to market online. The internet has more than websites, it is used for email, for social communication, for information and for entertainment.
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Amazed, as most of you, that Spain and Netherlands made it through to the final. At the beginning of the World Cup no one could have predicted this final, most would have said they were good teams, with possibilities, but Germany, Argentina, Brasil, France, Portugal and even Italy looked like better options to most.

I thought Spain would get a nasty defeat from the Germans, I wanted to see this final between two nations that have never won the cup, but really thought it wouldn’t happen. Germany seemed simply formidable and yet, it fell by the closest of margins and by a defense player’s goal (Puyol).

I have some very dear friends in Spain and they are wild with excitement. Most in Spain can’t believe it either, after many cups being big contenders and not living up to expectations.

How is this related to marketing or the web? (more…)

So here we are, getting ready to move to a new city. The usual boxing of all the old stuff and the review of what stays and what goes… time for a complete cleansing. Time to see all the stuff we have accumulated over the years and audit our past decisions.

We are about a month away from the move and this boxing game has already taken most of our space, the apartment is a mess. Its all for good, we are moving to a bigger space in a better, quieter, safer and kid friendly area. But as in every change, the fear of the unknown is quite palpable. Leaving all the connections and all the work we have done these past years, a question keeps popping in my head… are we doing the right thing? (more…)

Spain is a beautiful country. Beautiful scenery, great people, delicious food (a bottle of 5 litres of extra virgin olive oil for only about $20CAD, excellent wines for only 3 bucks, cheese from heaven – made in La Mancha… crazy!). I was invited to talk about different subjects related to online marketing, business promotion and personal branding for entrepreneurs in different events through several cities.

I learned a lot from this trip. Usually you go thinking, “here’s what I will teach”, but you often come back getting more than what you give and that is the true value of sharing. Spain is in the middle of very hard economic times. It is a country trying so hard to reinvent itself, to find unification and to find growth and stability. In spite of this (or maybe because of all this), people seem to be having a lot of fun. In the streets of Granada, you could never guess that the city is going through one of its worst economic crisis in years. While going about through several small cities and towns in La Mancha, everyone seemed happy and to a big extent, contempt. People in Huesca, Madrid and Zaragoza share a smile and are courteous, all talk about how the times are bad, but no one actually complains, all keep working and keep living. (more…)

While doing some research for a couple of speaking engagements in Spain, I found a video about the nature of teamwork and some interesting insights into ways to accomplish anything.

Lessons to be learned. This also applies very well into any process. Instead of spending a lot of time planning and thinking, spend a little bit less and focus on making it happen. Try as many times as needed until success is achieved. Edison said it: (more…)