Internet Marketing for Small Business

Realities of Search Engine Optimization for Small Business

 

 

In a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, Cyndia Zwahlen writes;

The small business was funded in part by venture capitalist Peter Rogers and his Dry Creek Ventures, which targets clean energy, water and food businesses.

Such small local food outfits, especially those that are gentle on the environment, are key to the long-term health of the economy but need formal access to local investors to succeed, says social venture-capitalist and entrepreneur Woody Tasch.

Shifting capital to organic farmers, independent food entrepreneurs, farmers markets and restaurateurs will pay off in stronger local economies, a healthier environment and improved supplies of affordable, healthful food, Tasch said.

He founded Slow Money Alliance last year to spearhead the creation of regional networks of local investors that want to put their money into local enterprises.

"We've had the life sucked out of our society and economy by financial markets run amok and globalism run to extremes," Tasch said. Slow Money is "part of a network emerging of people who want to repair the damage."

Journey of a Lifetime: Young Adult Travel Adventures

Book Proposal Query Letter - Title

Journey of a Lifetime: Young Adult Travel Adventures

Summary

The companion travel guidebook to the web-based Reality TV Travel Show "Journey of a Lifetime" is all about building a framework for a social network of like-minded young adults who crave travel adventures and want to experience their own Journey’s. Just like the contestants who have submitted their video online and won their dream travel adventure, young adults can learn through this companion travel guide how they too can experience the very same adventure they’ve seen on the show, or create their own travel adventure. This companion travel guidebook will compliment the Reality TV Travel Series where submissions by contestants highlight personalized stories, often emotional tear-jerker reunions, about connecting young adults and their families with their heritage across continents. Each chapter will coincide with the actual itinerary of each week’s contestant winner. This guide will include easy reference to all the resources compiled for every aspect of the week’s show.

The JOAL guidebook is different because each chapter tells a unique and compelling story, all immersively tied to the visual anchors of that week’s episode on video, as well as logically and easily navigated on the web. The guidebook is designed to be the back-pocket easy reference for the traveler’s favorite episode. For those traveler’s who were mesmerized by the events portrayed on the show, the guidebook will insure that they know exactly where to go and what to do if they want to replicate that experience.

Author

I am a global media Entrepreneur who captures the cultural change of young adults seeking purpose in their life by producing compelling travel adventures leading to self-discovery delivered precisely the way this generation receives its content: thru their iPhone, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. You can see the show’s website at http://www.journeyofalifetime.com/ which includes videos about the show and submission videos by contestants.

One of the key elements to consider when evaluating whether to represent me and this book is the considerable momentum the author can contribute to the overall marketing of the book through a comprehensive distribution strategy which supports and enhances all the traditional book distribution opportunities. In addition to developing traditional and interesting publicity hooks and novel selling approaches, the author is uniquely qualified to bring about a new distribution method for this guidebook, including;

HyperDistribution (social networking)

DVD Distribution

Broadband and Viral Distribution

Search Engine Distribution

What Qualifies Me? I am a technical entrepreneur and have been published in numerous industry and trade association publications and technical white papers. I am currently writing two other books, one non-fiction titled “Hyperdistribution: How to Market to Young Adults” and one fiction titled “Gardner’s of Eden”. I am a subject matter expert in online marketing and have obtained industry recognition for Search Engine Optimization, including having written extensively about search engine ranking. I am credited with coining the phrase “hyperdistribution” which is a new online method of marketing which is described in detail in my proposal and the subject of one of my other non-fiction books. I have authored numerous internal company publications, dozens of business plans, executive summaries for successful investor offerings and numerous policy manuals. I have written for numerous websites, including writing the website www.pattilang.com, a six year journey chronicling my late wife’s battle against brain cancer. I am a published author for a cookbook titled, “Cicciotti’s Kitchen” Italian Family Favorites, featuring Gaetano Cicciotti.

Audience

The emerging market of Youth and Student Travelers, ages 18 to 35, is becoming a highly prized demographic.

We provide travel content for the Traveling Young Adult and Student Community and have created effective online revenue generation strategies through this vehicle. We create unique location-specific, travel oriented websites to educate and inform youth travelers.

We believe that traveling youth between the ages of 18 and 35 are one of the principal driving forces behind the growth of the Internet and that as of January 2009, individuals in the age group of 18 to 35 made up 45% of the online population. We believe that traveling youth between the ages of 18 and 36 also represent an attractive demographic group for advertisers and businesses, controlling or influencing over $1.6 trillion of the $3.0 trillion in annual travel spending in the United States.

We have one of the most demographically targeted online communities on the World Wide Web. Our business will be the largest online travel content provider for young adults, with more interactive travel connections and more unique visitors to our Web sites in a given month than any competitor. Our network, built around our core community website "JourneyofaLifetime.com", provides an easy-to-use, comprehensive and immersive travel community experience tailored to the interests and needs of traveling youth aged 18 through 35. We provide advertisers and merchants with targeted access to traveling youth using the Web.

We are an online travel content company that enables our target Young Adult and Student customers to not only immerse themselves in the video content of our uniquely formatted travel shows, but to also search for and purchase a broad array of proprietary travel products, including direct sales of in-house Travel DVD productions, travel guidebooks, as well as referral coordination of airline tickets, lodging, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages through our website and strategic partner websites like Travelocity.com and Orbitz.com. We sell these travel products both individually and as part of packaged trips to our target customers located primarily in the United States. We also offer access to travel news, travel weather, travel delays, security alerts and other information of interest to travelers on our website.

Although there is currently more revenue to be earned from Baby Boomer travelers today than Gen Xers or Digital Youth, that won’t be for long, according to research conducted by TIA’s new strategic partner, DK Shifflet & Associates. Gen X travelers have been on a faster trajectory than their older boomer colleagues as far as growth in hotel room-nights goes.

The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, ITA, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, "In-Flight Survey," May 2005. http://tinet.ita.doc.gov/) produced a report showing that there were 27,351,000 total U.S. Residents visiting overseas destinations in 2005, with 22,373,000 or 81.8% of those total overseas visitors doing so for Leisure as well as visiting Friends and Relatives. Applying 24% youth/student travelers to the total overseas visitors shows that there are approximately 5,369,520 youth and student travelers who went abroad in 2005.

Competing and Related Titles

There are literally thousands of travel guidebooks published around the world. A quick visit to your local bookstore is likely to confuse and overwhelm a would-be reader with the plethora of “me-too” travel books. Most of the existing works focus on basically the same thematic formats which bludgeon the reader with statistics, facts and maps.

The JOAL guidebook is different because each chapter tells a unique and compelling story, all immersively tied to the visual anchors of that week’s episode on video, as well as logically and easily navigated on the web. The guidebook is designed to be the back-pocket easy reference for the young adult traveler’s favorite episode. For those traveler’s who were mesmerized by the events portrayed on the show, the guidebook will insure that they know exactly where to go and what to do if they want to replicate that experience.

The JOAL guidebook is part of a comprehensive social networking strategy designed to foster loyalty only associated with high affinity groups. The traditional TV Travel Show Industry (discussed later in more detail) and the Travel Guidebook Industry have missed a fundamental connection which we address because we are creating a Primary Affinity Group. There are signs of this emerging market trend to focus on the Young Adult Travel market, for example:

• YoungMoney.com (http://www.youngmoney.com/) has targeted the Young Adult market demographic, but treats travel as a narrative adjunct for the traditional task list of articles like; dealing with theft while traveling, top safety travel tips, save money while traveling and other equally non-compelling topics.

• Student Travel Association (http://www.statravel.com/) targets the right audience, but regurgitates the same old tired travel information; the world's largest student and youth travel agency, beats any price…wow, what a difference! They get you (student, teachers & anyone under 26) the cheapest, most flexible flights and top-rated accommodations.

• Student Universe (http://www.studentuniverse.com/) is basically a repackaged reseller of online booking and reservation systems linked in from other providers.

• Student Traveler (http://www.studenttraveler.com/) comes a little closer, but still doesn’t hit the mark.

Special Marketing and Promotional Opportunities

Embedded Advertising (branded alliances) is becoming more and more sophisticated. Theatrical release of the most recent James Bond movie embedded everything from Omega watch advertising to Ford. The restaurant chain Cheesecake Factory now embeds advertising from sponsors in their menus! We are proposing a novel approach to partner with our publisher and to obtain upfront embedded advertising from select Product Sponsors.

Seven main Product Sponsorship areas of focus (not including ancillary product placements) are priorities for SIP operations: Airlines, Hotels, Rental Cars, Search Engines, Computers, Beverages and Clothing. Please see the Product Partners section for more details about each of these opportunities.

In addition to the Product Sponsorship, we are working with a highly specialized Media Services organization which is helping us prepare a sophisticated and comprehensive viral and hyper distribution marketing strategy.

Most 18-year-old students, our Digital Youth, entering the graduating class of 2010 this fall were born in 1990. They grew up with a cell phone in one hand, a mouse in the other and a computer screen as part of their worldview. They learned to surf the internet as they learned to read. While they were still in their cribs, the 20th century started to close as the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet bloc disintegrated, and frequent traditional wars in Latin America gave way to the uncontrolled terrors of the Middle East. For them: Billy Carter, Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Billy Martin, Andy Gibb, and Secretariat have always been dead. This year’s entering students form a generation that has always been ‘connected’ and is used to things happening in ‘real time,’ like live satellite coverage of revolutions and wars, instant messaging and movies on demand. They expect solutions for every problem, from baldness to diseased organs. To the chagrin of traditional media outlets, they’ve developed their own generational means of communication.

HyperDistribution: a distribution channel which is even more efficient than broadcasting. If you don’t know what HyperDistribution is, then you don’t know about YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. If you’ve never checked out online content forums and social media sites like Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us and Newsvine, then you’ll need to explore those to understand what’s going on.

Recovery...again...really?

Reading the announcement from the Fed in the latest L.A. Times article by Don Lee titled, "Federal Reserve leaves interest rates near zero" and reflecting on the Feds extraordinary stimulus measures it is amazing to me that we continue to see unemployment rising and they continue to try and support the notion that we are in a recovery. The reality is we are facing the very real prospect of hyperinflation. Here's why;

Look at what's happened to the dollar...record lows...which completely foretells inflation at a minimum and likely hyperinflation. Unemployment has gone UP almost 2 percentage points since the stimulus was put in place, so how does that support that "economic activity has picked up."

Ask the millions of Americans without jobs if they feel like there has been any kind of "leveling out?" Not likely. The duplicity of how the panel can immediately follow a false positive statement with the reality that "economic activity is likely to remain weak for a time" completely bursts whatever bubble of optimism they were trying to portray. How these supposed experts can seriously submit that they have somehow forestalled an economic calamity is sheer lunacy.

The reality is, just as during the Great Depression, the market meddling and mindless manipulation by the Fed to "do something...do anything" has in fact only temporarily confused the market and in that confusion merely diverted a trickle of a flow that is soon to be followed by a crushing torrent of true market correction.

There is a flood coming, pent up and boiling. Just like with Mother Nature, the raw correction of the natural markets will not be put down and no amount of intervention or "stimulus" is going to prevent what is as natural as the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
 
The wheels were long ago put in motion and the consequences cannot be put aside. There will be a correction and we have not seen it yet. There are undisclosed foreclosures at a level that will shock the country when the reality is revealed. The ramifications of the coming collapse, not only a further collapse in the already battered residential markets, but the even bigger implosion of the commercial real estate markets. Shortly after that will come the collapse of the dollar once our population realizes that the financial market has not corrected.
 
People do not comprehend that there have been 94 bank failures so far this year, with over 200 projected failures in total for 2009. That means we are going to see over a hundred more bank failures in the 4th quarter of 2009. Along with these failures will come a vortex of consequences and just like water down a drain, unstoppable. We are about to be witness to the creation of "Ghost Malls" that become problematic for cities trying to secure these new wastelands of retail glutony.

The reality is we need to allow the markets, as painful as it may be, to go through the inevitable correction. It is only in this negative painful learning experience of the true market correction that we will really understand what it is going to take to get back on the road to a sustainable recovery. I am the ultimate optimist and I believe in the power of our nation to overcome these market setbacks and to ultimately prevail in the preservation of the quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am just also a realist in that nothing ever comes for free, most of all freedom.

There is no doubt we are all changed forever and things will never be the same. You can throw out the old rules of the pie chart asset distribution for wealth management as those days are gone. There's not going to be a rebound to what we knew, and the paradigm shift isn't clear as to what the rules are going to be going forward, but we know that what used to work won't function anymore. Regardless of your enterprise, we all intersect with finance, whether borrowers, lenders or new ventures looking for investors. My personal brand is that I am cognizant of financial issues which are collateral to the running of any business. How you view your potential interaction with me is going to be a function of what you believe I understand about finance which is a reflection of my overall business acumen.

We are in the Eye of the Hurricane

By Mid to Late October... It will Not feel like a Recession but rather a Depression!

Here are the reasons why...

#1. We're about to see the Largest Bulk, of the "option arm-risky Loans" written by the banks, Re-adjust from a Fixed-- "Teaser-rate" to a Variable rate.

Home owners will go from a 4.25-4.5% interest rate, to 8-10% (Libor rates). People will No longer afford their mortgage payment! Foreclosures Will Skyrocket!..

Banks will Not have equity (payments) coming in...They're going to Fail!

#2. Banking system is Under water; according to the FDIC website, we have already seen more than Three times as many banks Fail this year, than the last 10 years put together... Banking Holiday??

The FDIC has published information about yet another "stimulus" plan called Foreclosure Prevention Initiative which you can read about by clicking the above link.

#3. Unemployment is rising; many prominent economist believe Real unemployment is closer to 15%... At the height of the 1930s Depression, unemployment hit 18%...we're almost there!

#4. Housing is being artificially kept from crashing by Banks, whom are holding onto foreclosed properties, Only releasing a small amount of inventory.. They don't want to Flood the regional market with excess inventory.. Hence; Crashing Prices even further!

Nevertheless, foreclosures are rising ...They will have to release inventory at one point!

#5. The FEDS continue to bailout the banks by Buying "Toxic" Mortgage Backed Security, for both residential & commercial loans. Plus, the auto industry by their creative "Cash for Clunkers" program. Not to mention, the FEDS are Now Buying their own Bonds, at the T-Bill Auctions... China doesn't want our Debt/Bonds anymore...Who can blame them?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the writing is on the wall.

It's about to get Really Bad, Really Quick!

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/q-a-with-the-fdic-s-david-barr-1.aspx

Questions for David Barr (FDIC Spokesperson):

Some industry analysts are predicting more than 200 bank failures in 2009. Does that seem like a reasonable number?

Predicting failures from the outside is a difficult thing to do. Last year we had 25 failures. To go back to when we had more than 25 failures in a given year you'd have to go to 1993, when we had 50. In 1992, we had 181.

From: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/2009-list-of-failed-banks.aspx

2009 list of (94 so far by September) failed banks

Failed bankDate closedEstimated cost to DIF ($millions)

Irwin Union Bank, F.S.B., Louisville, KY*9/18/2009*850 for both

Irwin Union Bank and Trust Co., Columbus, IN*9/18/2009*850 for both

Corus Bank, National Association, Chicago, IL9/11/20091,700

Brickwell Community Bank, Woodbury, MN9/11/200922

Venture Bank, Lacy, WA9/11/2009298

First Bank of Kansas City, Kansas City, MO9/4/20096

InBank, Oak Forest, IL9/4/200966

Vantus Bank, Sioux City, IA9/4/2009168

Platinum Community Bank, Rolling Meadows, IL9/4/2009114.3

First State Bank, Flagstaff, AZ9/4/200947

Bradford Bank, Baltimore, MD8/28/200997

Mainstreet Bank, Forest Lake, MN8/28/200995

Affinity Bank, Ventura, CA8/28/2009254

eBank, Atlanta, GA8/21/200963

First Coweta Bank, Newman, GA8/21/200948

CapitalSouth Bank, Birmingham, AL8/21/2009151

Guaranty Bank, Austin, TX8/21/20093,000

Community Bank of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV8/14/20091,400

Community Bank of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ8/14/200926

Union Bank, National Assoc., Gilbert, AZ8/14/200961

Colonial Bank, Montgomery, AL8/14/20092,800

Dwelling House Savings and Loan Assoc., Pittsburgh, PA8/14/20097

Community First Bank, Prineville, OR8/7/200945

Community National Bank of Sarasota County, Venice, FL8/7/200924

First State Bank, Sarasota, FL8/7/2009116

Mutual Bank, Harvey, IL7/31/2009696

First BankAmericano, Elizabeth, NJ7/31/200915

Peoples Community Bank, West Chester, OH7/31/2009130

First State Bank of Altus, Altus, OK7/31/200925

Integrity Bank, Jupiter, FL7/31/200946

Waterford Village Bank, Williamsville, NY7/24/20095.6

Security Bank of Jones County, Gray, GA7/24/2009807

Security Bank of Houston County, Perry, GA7/24/2009807

Security Bank of Bibb County, Macon, GA7/24/2009807

Security Bank of North Metro, Woodstock, GA7/24/2009807

Security Bank of North Fulton, Alpharetta, GA7/24/2009807

Security Bank of Gwinnett County, Suwanee, GA7/24/2009807

Temecula Valley Bank, Temecula, CA7/17/2009391

Vineyard Bank, Rancho Cucamonga, CA7/17/2009579

First Piedmont Bank, Winder, GA7/17/200929

BankFirst, Sioux Falls, SD7/17/200991

Bank of Wyoming, Thermopolis, WY7/10/200927

John Warner Bank, Clinton, IL7/2/200910

First State Bank of Winchester, Winchester, IL7/2/20096

Elizabeth State Bank, Elizabeth, IL7/2/200911.2

First National Bank of Danville, Danville, IL7/2/200924

Rock River Bank, Oregon, IL7/2/200927.6

Millennium State Bank of Texas, Dallas, TX7/2/200947

Founders Bank, Worth, IL7/2/2009188.5

Mirae Bank, Los Angeles, CA6/26/200950

MetroPacific Bank, Irvine, CA6/26/200929

Horizon Bank, Pine City, MN6/26/200933.5

Neighborhood Community Bank, Newnan, GA6/26/200966.7

Community Bank of West Georgia, Villa Rica, GA6/26/200985

First National Bank of Anthony, Anthony, KS6/19/200932.2

Cooperative Bank, Wilmington, NC6/19/2009217

Southern Community Bank, Fayetteville, GA6/19/2009114

Bank of Lincolnwood, Lincolnwood, IL6/5/200983

Citizens National Bank, Macomb, IL5/22/2009106

Strategic Capital Bank, Champaign, IL5/22/2009173

BankUnited, Coral Gables, FL5/21/20094,900

Westsound Bank, Bremerton, WA5/8/2009108

America West Bank, Layton, UT5/1/2009119.4

Citizens Community Bank, Ridgewood, NJ5/1/200918.1

Silverton Bank, Atlanta, GA5/1/20091,003

First Bank of Idaho, Ketchum, ID4/24/2009191.2

First Bank of Beverly Hills, CA4/24/2009394

Michigan Heritage Bank, Farmington Hills, MI4/24/200971.3

American Southern Bank, Kennesaw, GA4/24/200941.9

Great Basin Bank, Elko, NV4/17/200942

American Sterling Bank, Sugar Creek, MO4/17/200942

New Frontier Bank, Greeley, CO4/10/2009670

Cape Fear Bank, Wilmington, NC4/10/2009131

Omni National Bank, Atlanta, GA3/27/2009290

FirstCity Bank, Stockbridge, GA3/20/2009100

Colorado National Bank, Colorado Springs, CO3/20/20099

Teambank, N.A., Paola, KA3/20/200998

Freedom Bank of Georgia, Commerce, GA3/6/200936.2

Security Savings Bank, Henderson, NV2/27/200959.1

Heritage Community Bank, Glenwood, IL2/27/200941.6

Silver Falls Bank, Silverton, OR2/20/200950

Pinnacle Bank, Beaverton, OR2/13/200912.1

Corn Belt Bank & Trust, Pittsfield, IL2/13/2009100

Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast, Cape Coral, FL2/13/2009201.5

Sherman County Bank, Loup City, NE2/13/200928

County Bank, Merced, CA2/6/2009135

Alliance Bank, Culver City, CA2/6/2009206

FirstBank Financial Services, McDonough, GA2/6/2009111

Ocala NB, Ocala, FL1/30/200999.6

Suburban FSB, Crofton, MD1/30/2009126

Magnet Bank, Salt Lake City, UT1/30/2009119.4

1st Centennial Bank, Redlands, CA1/23/2009227

Bank of Clark County, Vancouver, WA1/16/2009120 - 145

National Bank of Commerce, Berkely, IL1/16/200997.1

Recovery...Really? It's the Economy...Stupid

Career Fair and Open House Job Matching

I recently had the opportunity to attend an IT Open House for a San Diego base life sciences company, Life Technologies...this was a career matching job fair, meet the employer kind of setup, but exclusive to this one company.  I must say, they did a great job marketing this event (posted on Yahoo!Jobs, DICE and other job boards, as well as email blasted, so that combined with the fact that it's a really horrible job market out there gave them great attendance) because the place was packed!

They had over 300 job seekers there for just the one session I attended.  When I was leaving my allotted one hour session, it appeared that each of the 3 sessions was going to be similarly well attended. They had one hour sessions at 4pm, 5pm and 6pm (which means there could have been close to 1,000 people over 3 hours for what looks like maybe 40 jobs posted on their job board). The CIO gave a brief presentation, introduced the limited staff at various stations and then encouraged attendees to go talk to them.  Everyone dutifully lined up and waited for as long as 30 minutes to introduce themselves and give their resume.

I'm not sure what will come of it, but it was an interesting (and yes, very uncomfortable) exercise.

Modern Day Great Depression Bread Lines
One of the iconic images from the Great Depression was that of the breadlines, with men in overcoats (or at least non-casual-looking clothes) queued up solemnly. Newspaper editors and photographers would publish these images as a reflection of how dire things were at the time. 

I do believe we are experiencing more than the Great Recession, I believe we are in national denial about actually being in the midst of the Second Great Depression.

Every month when the Department of Labor announces the unemployment rate, it makes front page news in papers nationwide.  It continues to amaze me the spin folks try and put on data that just can't be denied.  We are in a horrible job market and it's not getting better.  All indications are that it's going to get worse before it gets better, so when politicians start to rally around a supposed recovery, I ask, "recovery...really?"  I just don't see it.  What I saw at this IT Open House was fear, a sense of panic and terror.  Good god, look at all the other people out of work I'm competing with! I was really disappointed when I saw one of the staff actually hold out a guys resume to him and point out a typo...really bad form.

Actually, as I was standing there I had visions of those old pictures of the Great Depression when guys would line up for the day jobs and get left behind...seems like history repeats itself, just in a new form. The reality was, this company was nice enough to provide sandwiches and refreshments, so it truly is the new bread line.

Cicciotti's Kitchent: Italian Family Favorites Cookbook

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“This is what Cicciotti’s Kitchen is all about: sharing some delicious dishes — Italian classics, restaurant favorites and new creations — and showing you how easy they are to make. It’s using the fresh, simple staples that I grew up with: fish, cheese, pasta, olive oil, tomato, onion and basil. You’ll find all of these ingredients in the recipes throughout this book.”

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA, September 19, 2009 - It is with great excitement that Chefs Press presents CICCIOTTI’S KITCHEN: Italian Family Favorites — Quick, Easy, and Delicious, a new cookbook by chef and restaurateur Gaetano Cicciotti (July 2009, jacketed hardcover, full color, 96 pages, $25). For seven years now, Cicciotti (pronounced CHEE-chotti) has owned and operated the very successful and popular Cicciotti’s Trattoria Italiana & Seafood in Cardiff, California.

CICCIOTTI’S KITCHEN features more than 40 delicious, quick and easy-to-make Italian recipes, many learned and inspired by his childhood spent in the Naples, Italy kitchens of his Grandmother and Mother, including Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Trenette al Pesto con Pinoli (Fettuccine with Pesto and Pine Nuts), Asparagi alla Zingara (Asparagus Bundles with Prosciutto), Rigatoni con Melanzane e Salsicca (Rigatoni with Eggplant and Sausage), Farfalle alla Boscaiola (Bowtie Pasta with Ham and Peas) and Scampi alla Livornese (Shrimp with Capers and Olives).

About Cicciotti's Trattoria Italiana & Seafood
Gaetano Cicciotti serves authentic Italian food in San Diego (http://www.cicciottis.com/); some say the Best in Italian Food in North San Diego County. He has been voted the best Italian restaurant in San Diego County for Italian food. Cicciotti's is casual Italian dining cooked by a Published Author & Chef Gaetano Cicciotti. Cicciotti's Trattoria serves classic Italian pasta like fettuccine Alfredo which you might find in Italian restaurants, but you won't find Italian restaurants that cook fresh Italian food the way Gaetano Cicciotti does. As a native Italian Chef he serves true Italian cuisine, Italian dinners and traditional Italian food. He serves Italian lunches on his Italian menu in his Italian Restaurant. Gataeno's Italian Restaurant is in North County. If you want a pure wood fired brick oven pizza restaurant, a very romantic restaurant among romantic restaurants in San Diego County, then this Italian Food spectacle is just the place for you.

About Chef's Press
Chefs Press (http://www.chefspress.com/) is a niche publisher of restaurant and celebrity chef cookbooks, as well as professional photography of food, beverage and restaurants.

For more information about CICCIOTTI’S KITCHEN or to schedule an interview with Mr. Cicciotti, please contact Amy Stirnkorb, Publisher, Chefs Press by email at Amy@chefspress.com or by phone at 619.276.8411.

Personal Brand Continuum

The Personal Brand Continuum

by Kendell R. Lang

When talking about my personal brand continuum, I am talking about my personal brand, my executive brand, my intellectual brand, my brand statement, and my personal value proposition. As a technologist, writer and change management specialist, there is a tried and true methodology which I've personally used many times in the past which I believe applies to this phase of my personal brand assessment.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, yes...the old SWOT analysis is an ideal way to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and where the opportunities and threats lie with regard to selling my, my brand.

In this post I'm talking about using the SWOT analysis to help me address the ever-present question of strengths and weaknesses, but if you think about it, it’s the perfect way to identify some very personal areas of opportunity.

Of course there is also the definition of insanity by trying to get a different result by doing the same thing. In this case I am seeking a specific outcome so I have to be willing to get outside my box and use proven tools in a new way. When I go about performing this self-analysis, the most difficult task is going to be realistically, as independently and as honestly as possible consider my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in light of my objectives, my experience, my circumstances, my sphere of influence, my chosen vertical market and the technical skills of my chosen profession.

I am thinking about this not purely from a competitive position, but I'm think about this as war. Psychological Warfare. The Art of War put into the form of a Thought War. In my personal brand continuum "space", who is vying for the same results, the same objective, the same partnership, the same engagement or the same job? I have to so fundamentally shift my thinking to be radically focused on and genuinely most interested in the needs of the target, partner or hiring company. What makes me stand out to solve their problems? Here’s how I am using the SWOT assessment process to define my personal brand and find my next book agent, production company, joint venture partner or maybe even a job :)

Strengths:
· What advantages do I have?
· What do I do better than anyone else?
· What unique or low-cost resources do I have to offer?
· What do others see as my strengths?
· How do I help close the sale or reduce overhead?

Weaknesses:
· What areas can I improve?
· What areas should I avoid?
· What do peers in my market see as weaknesses?
· Where do I fail when trying to close a sale or reduce costs?

Opportunities:
· What opportunities am I seeing?
· What interesting trends can I identify and take advantage of, such as changes in technology, regulations, social patterns, etc.?
· What is happening in my market that can promote new business development?

Threats:
· What obstacles do I face?
· What interesting trends can I identify which I should be worried about?
· Are the required specifications for my project, my venture, my job, products or services changing?
· Is changing technology threatening my personal brand position?
· Do I have bad debt or cash-flow problems?
· Could any of my weaknesses seriously threaten my business?

Once I actually complete my SWOT analysis I expect to have a clear picture of how I fit in my target market, my strengths and weaknesses, and what will differentiate me from the competition.

Now I can then get to work on distilling my findings into a succinct pitch that really shows my strengths and why someone will seek me out.