Whoever said “No pain, no gain,” obviously had a few start-ups and small businesses under his or her belt.

The past few months for Oddpodz have been a period of growth and transformation. We are happy to report, we are still moving forward, however, we’ve also had a good share of “OUCHES!”

We have struggled through a frozen economy.

We have danced with investors and fundraising gurus in “not-much-action-for-pre-revenue-deals” funding market.

We have squeezed 18 hours of productivity out of 8-hour work days with a limited team.

And we have kept smiles on our faces, when inside we were often scared and freaked out.

If being an entrepreneur—starting and leading a small business—is in your life path, put your thick skin on and embrace the ability to let challenges not defeat you, but drive you forward.

Progress and change are essential for business success. But when you are a young and small enterprise they also bring several suitcases of uncomfortable side effects.

For almost a year, Oddpodz knew our Web development company was not the right fit. They were not a bad company, but our needs and budget and their needs and budgets were miles apart. We didn’t make a change because the interruption and anticipated new expenses outweighed the acceptance of sluggish service, spending more than we needed to for hosting, etc., so we just carried on.

For nearly eight months, Oddpodz has been operating with a half-tank of gas too. Running a community, marketing, producing content, managing a site, and still earning a living to fund a pre-revenue producing company requires a full tank of dedicated resources.

No matter how creative and passionate we were, this combination was not going to take us to the Promised Land. In fact, it was likely moving us closer to the end.

No matter how painful it was going to be, change had to happen.

We needed a new, responsive, affordable Web partner.

We cut our ties with our old dev firm and found a new resource. They are 3by400. They are Joomla specialists, (Oddpodz is build in Joomla), they have a track record of social media and ecommerce successes, and most of their clients are our size; small, but with potential to scale up quickly. Today we had our first strategic planning meeting with Brent, Kim, and Beth. We heard about many new applications and solutions and are looking forward to enhancing our community platform and site with their expertise.

We needed an additional dedicated, strategic partner, and contributor.

If the one lone founding partner was to lead and fund the company’s growth, at a pre-revenue stage, we needed another social media- and business savvy entrepreneur to add to the team. Rome or any city of stature was not built by one person. We drafted a very comprehensive position description for an ideal community manager. We placed it on high traffic social and job sites and started the process of finding Oddpodz a new community master. Ultimately the winning candidate came through a Twitter post. His name is Keith Burtis. He is a balance and mix of techno-dude, market maker, and creative wonder. He resides in my old stomping grounds outside Buffalo. Oddpodz is ecstatic about our new relationship. We will share more about Keith soon, but just know that there are lots of exciting and new things around the corner for the company and you.

Yes, all this progress is exciting. But with it comes time-consuming, brain-stretching, and investment-needing stuff too.

Turns out our old site was pretty cobbled together with lots of out of date applications and workarounds from a programming team that was no longer anywhere to be found. In fact, Joomla 1.0 had no support and the hosting and IP change caused many features to not transfer or function.

Yikes! This kind of progress hurts a lot until you start reaping your first season of fruit.

Our new community master is awesome. Smart, thoughtful, and creative. His presence feels like a double shot of B12. And once our immune system gets strong again, we are confident there are no marathons we won’t be able run.

We know many of you fellow entrepreneurs are feeling this stress too. Here are five tips to help you manage through your progress and change too.

1. Stay focused on the big things that matter. Answering every email and looking at vendors’ offers when you don’t have the time or resources to invest in them are a huge waste of time.

2. Amp up your efficiency, in everything you do. Put instructions and expectations in writing, start every meeting with an agenda, and utilize productively tools to maximize the hours in your day. While this takes time, it saves a lot more in the end.

3. Keep your standards high and don’t compromise because you are feeling beat up or frustrated. This will, in the long run, produce better results.

4. Do not worry or obsess about things that you cannot control or are in the past. Channel your unequivocal energy on finding solutions that get you closer to your goals.

5. Make your physical and mental fitness regime a top priority. Exercise daily, stretch, meditate, and take deep breaths often. Eat right and sleep enough.

In this time of change we are doing our best to support and grow our community. What types of things can we do better? What types of features would be valuable to you?

Until next time

Thank you for your continued support, your visits, time, and suggestions.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com.

Whoever said “size does matter” was partially correct. In a lot of cases it does. I suppose if you were a small mouse and a fat hairy cat had you in a corner, that could be grim. Or, if you were wrestling a 700-pound sumo and you only weighed 99 pounds with your three-pound Nikes, I wouldn’t want to go there either.

However, in business, being small does not need to be the big curse, if you manage it correctly.

During the past of couple years, with Oddpodz; my young, petite startup, I’ve felt that small-seriously-sucks syndrome, often and with some giant challenges.

• Vendors regularly provide small firms less-than-stellar service because our cash contribution is relatively small and if they lose the business, it is not a big loss to them.

• Potential employees view small companies as a tightrope career track full of risk, limited security, and likely with no insurance.

• Strategic partners believe success happens by big company association
• Client prospects often get delusional and bonus your larger competitor with meritless points because of their grander size and scale.

That sucks no matter how you package it. And the reality is that everyday, worthy small companies get discriminated against and doors slammed on their little toes because of their size.

So do you stop there and say: “Poor me. I’m small. Being broke is in my DNA”?

No, you don’t let those temporary situations get you down, in fact, use them to get stronger. And appreciate that being small has its benefits too.

Here are four ways to turn around feeling small and disadvantaged into being tall and on the road to mammoth success.

1) Select vendors that are sized for your needs. This may take some additional due diligence, but the outcome will be worth it. Interview with high standards and trust the red flags you see or feel early on. Set expectations up front and put them in writing. And no matter how much you like the vendor, think about what happens if they don’t deliver; how will you get out of the deal without scary repercussions? And if they do an awesome job, let them know with a testimonial and refer new business back to them.

2) Recruit like-minded self-starter, risk-takers. If you are a small, entrepreneurial company, you need entrepreneurial team spirit and support. Don’t waste a lot of time on people who need security blankets. Changing a corporate type into an entrepreneur is like finding a frog that can meow; i.e., likely not going to happen. Be honest with recruits and employees, but it is not always wise to share every detail. And be thoughtful on recognition and rewards. Do both and often and remember it does not always include money.

3) Consistent performance supersedes size every time. There are big strategic partners and ideal clients who will give opportunities to small businesses. In some cases it is luck; in most cases it is because the small company earned the opportunity by doing a great job, going the extra mile, and squashing the big partner or clients’ perceived risk associated with small. From your proposal to delivering the goods or services, don’t settle for being average; go for brilliance everyday.

4) Confidence is a powerful weapon. Being small is no cakewalk. However, it is pretty amazing how many small details can make a big difference when you are a small potato. Much of the perception a small business creates is controllable. Confidence is communicated by posture and your handshake (stand tall and leave the wet fish at home), dress (better to overdress any day); and choice of words, written and spoken (don’t feel or think something, believe it and don’t suggest an idea, recommend it).

Be proud of small.

All the giant firms out there—Google, FedEx and Victoria’s Secret—all started small. And staying small can be good too. Big is not best for everyone. No matter what size success you want, or what scale you want your dream to be, taking the above actions will add value and benefits to your business.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com.

We’ve all have been there, a bathroom in a business that was not a memorable experience, unless it was so disgusting it left a dreadful, bad impression.

Roadside gas stations are notorious for this. But, I’ve also been in some pretty high-brow retail stores where the loo was a lot less than lovely. In fact, it was missed many opportunities to connect their brand with customers, clients and employees, often and intimately.

If you think about, when someone visits your room of resting it’s a pretty uninterrupted experience, where small details surface and a lot of messaging is communicated.

Take a look at these 3 environments and see how they could be translated into a brand impression.

Unfortunately I see this one a lot.
1) A nasty, un kept facility with no obvious thought about design or decor, multi-used as an unorganized, cluttered stockroom and no basic supplies in sight.

Hmmm is this how do they run their business too?

2) An immaculate space, friendly signage about plumbing sensitivity, interesting art, painted walls and lighting that make your look great, not sick and subtle branding details that further the story about the brand.

This feels good. What a nice experience, I believe this company is thoughtful and these small details tell me more about who they are.

3) I’m blown away. This 2-minute bathroom excursion is so unique. Every detail is memorable from the lighting, to eco-friendly fixtures to the branded soap products.

I can’t wait to tell my friends about this. This company is so creative, innovative and distinct. This makes me feel special.

So which one is your company? And what do you need to do to bring the toilet up to total brand standards?

Here are some ideas to pump up your bathroom branding.
1)Change something out regularly. So people want to visit. Make it a seasonally experience.
2)Consider leveraging more than one sense. What can you do to the scent, the sounds, touch and textures or visuals to make it more memorable?
3)Inject some humor in to the room. Provide custom reading material with a brand twist.
4)Think about how can you imprint your brand graphics into the experience? On the soap, tissues, floor, ceiling or wall tiles.

Here are a couple of my favorite restrooms experiences.

Oddpodz is fortunate to be housed in the Walker Brands Building in Tampa. Walker Brands specializes in experiential, destination branding and their building is the first “Gold” LEED certified property in the city. Which means they were recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s leading-edge system for designing and constructing a sustainable, energy-efficient and high-performance building meeting key eco-supporting standards.
The entire space is awesome and a creative haven, but the bathrooms are a great example of a thoughtful on-brand experience. The 8,400-square-foot building has four uniquely wonderful lavatories, all delivering a cool and memorable experience. All designed with a consistent style, each sport a wall-to-wall photo graphic depicting a story and travel experience. One is Fenway Park, one is an aquarium with whale sharks, one is Times Square in New York City and one is a Roman scene. In addition to energy-saving and beautifully-design fixtures, they all have life like sound effects from the featured destination.

My other example is not quite as full drama, but equally as on-brand. The company is a consulting practice and investment banking firm called Santa Fe Capital. It’s owned by emerging business guru and author David Silver. David is very creative, not your typical finance guy and loves art and collects it. His office is packed with an eclectic mix of paintings, sculptures and photographs. And so is his restroom, wall to ceiling, you feel like you are at the MOMA and not in a small business bathroom. It’s impressive and memorable.

If you want to see some other noted restroom environments for more inspiration check out this link highlighting 10 of the most unique restrooms in the world.

Your company toilet, bathroom, power room or what ever you choose to call it is an important branding touch point, don’t to waste the opportunity. Have you seen a cool and on brand bathroom? If so, share it with us.

Personal branding “Me 2.0″ style
Stop loosing opportunities. Be your strongest business magnet, exude authority, earn trust and enjoy more success today.

My friend Dan Schawbel’s new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success is out today. It’s a great read for its dedicated audience of young professionals, along with us older folks who act all different ages.

Here are some pointers I soaked up from the book and some inspirational, insightful thoughts from a couple of my favorite business experts.

Dan professes, “personal branding describes the process by which individuals and entrepreneurs differentiate themselves and stand out from a crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, whether professional or personal, and then leverage it across platforms with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal. In this way, individuals can enhance their recognition as experts in their field, establish reputation and credibility, advance their careers, and build self-confidence .”

He also suggests you ask yourself this important question before you launch off into your Me 2.0 initiative.

Does your career path make you happy?

If yes, great keep working it. Make the most of your talents and skill set to achieve maximum success.

If no, change it. Find the right path for you and focus on making it work.

If you’re unsure about your future—define it. Weigh all the factors that matter to you and find the career path that fits best.

Dan believes it takes a four-step process to build a powerful personal brand for a successful career:
Discover. In the discover step, you will learn about yourself, figure out what makes you distinctive, and learn how to develop the right skills.

Create. In the create step, you will build a complete marketing kit that you can use in interviews or when networking.

Communicate. In the communicate step, you will take everything you’ve created and promote it to others.

Maintain. In the maintain step, you will perform routine maintenance so that your reputation is monitored and protected.

A big chunk of his book is focused on e-Branding through social media and online channels. Here are some great tips.

When applicable
-Always include your name, picture, and personal brand statement.
-Always include personal information, not just professional experience, so that the user can get a feeling for your eBrand.
-Always keep your site engaging, user-friendly, and easy to navigate.
-Always use aesthetic choices (font style, background color, logos, etc.) that will capture and hold your audience’s attention without annoying them.
-Always use design choices, including a color scheme, that represents your personal brand.

Dan knows first hand about creating a personal brand. For being on earth for only a short time, he walks his talk. Personal brand requires hard work and dedication. But if you’re dedicated and create an online and offline brand presence that relates to the demands of your target audience and delivers what they’re looking for, they will embrace it. When this happens, you’ll be amazed to see how many opportunities for success open up.

Just consider these cool, smart guys quoted in Dan’s book who have certainly earned their top places in business and society through their strategic and persistent online footprints.

“I kicked off my un-keynote at the first PodCamp by telling everyone there that they were superheroes. Why? Because through their use of social media, they had the power to bypass hierarchies, discover and connect to meaningful two-way conversations, and build value and brand without getting permission to do either.” —Chris Brogan, cofounder, PodCamp

“People should do what they do/love as well as they can. For me, it’s blogging and speaking. My thinking is that if you do good stuff, your brand will naturally come out of your actions. But if you focus on ‘what makes me look good,ʼ you’ll just be a slick and shallow persona.”—Guy Kawasaki, managing director, Garage Technology Ventures

Keep up the great work gentlemen and congrats Dan on a solid, valuable book!

The past few days I’ve suffered from a less than productive head. I absolutely could not get anything finished or even put a dent in a project. The more I tried, the less I achieved. It was like my brain was at a stop sign and then I ran out of gas. I could not think, create or solve any problems. After a couple hours of useless work, I started feeling very stressed and then I couldn’t even focus on what I was doing. Why does this happen? What can you do, when your brain feel less than productive?

This theory is not scientific. But for me, I think your brain gets clogged up and too many “ta does” and stress can actually immobilize your brain’s function. I noticed that when I stare at my computer screen for long periods of time, this brain freeze happens the most.

Get way from your computer and move around.

My good pal Doug Stevenson explains in his CD series on “How to Deliver a Dynamite Speech” that too much typing on your computer will keep your brain and your thoughts in the left sided, logical mode and will make solving problems and being creative a very difficult task. He suggests creative thinking should happen away from the computer. He also recommends moving around and that sitting still does not empower creative thinking. I agree with that idea. After I go for a run or play tennis my brain is on fire with fresh ideas. And I’m in great mood.

Manage disruptions and doing things tomorrow.
Another friend of Oddpodz is Mark McGuinness. Mark lives across the pond, is a poet and leads Wishfulthinking a consultancy for creative professionals, agencies and studios. Mark suggests managing disruptions like email and responding to clients, along with doing more things tomorrow and not today. Mark’s work and blog has been hugely helpful in moving me out of the brain freeze zone. Two of his brilliant pieces of work are featured in Oddpodz FREE Biz Findz. Both are FREE ebooks. One is called Time Management for Creative People and the other is called How to Motivate Creative People. I recommend both reading both of this and visiting his blog.

I’m out of the brain freeze now. Thank goodness. I know it will be back. I continue to battle this state of mind when my plate is very full. But, I am making progress. When I feel it happening, I change my environment, schedule uninterrupted time and get away from my computer.

Here’s a great new spin to interning. Mid-career Interns.

Check what “Women on the Web” did. This a sassy web site for women started an innovative mid-career internship program. High-level former executives, — including publishers, editors and VP’s drawn from the shrinking print media companies — are retraining in on-line skills at wowOwow.com.  Joni Evans, WOW’s CEO explains, “These are people with wisdom and worth.  In our program we draw on their skill set for WOW while teaching them new skills, reequipping them for the new economy.  It’s a win-win situation.”

Lois Dreagin, a 55-year-old former senior editor at TV Guide is one of these mid-career interns. In her old job she did not need to know a URL from an SEO, facebook from twitter, or a Google trend from search engine optimization. Now at WOW she’s paired with a 24 year old WOW staffer, Randi Benfield, who’s teaching her how to write tag lines for Google and URLs in return.  Lois supports Randi with expert literary instincts and flawless copy-editing skills.

WOW editor in chief, Deborah Barrow, who conceived the program, says that she thinks, “This could only happen at a company like WOW.  This website is run and owned by women.  The idea of women helping women, empowering each other, participating in a caring community, is so different than the way male dominated workplaces have functioned.”  Deborah believes that other companies should imitate her concept of women helping women as a means of survival in the new economy.

wowOwow.com, was founded just over a year ago by former Simon + Schuster publisher Joni Evans, author Peggy Noonan, columnist Liz Smith, ‘60 minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl, and advertising guru Mary Wells.  Contributors Candice Bergen, Joan Juliet Buck, Joan Ganz Cooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Judith Martin, Cynthia McFadden, Sheila Nivens, Marlo Thomas, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Wagner join them on line.  These iconic women are making history with the first-ever website aimed at educated affluent experienced Women.

by Nettie Hartsock

In this week’s “Five Questions for Creatives” we turn to Lynn Kindler, freelance blogger, writer and life/career coach. Lynn is also the host of the show “Book It! Words for the Soul” on the popular Coaching Commons web site – coachingcommons.org. Lynn’s web site can be found at sacredpathcoaching.com.

Lynn shares her insight on all things creative.

Q. What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to being a successful creative person?

Lynn: Yourself. Once you get over yourself and get out of your ego and on to the business of fully realizing your creativity you can then hear and heed advice, recommendations, and suggestions given to you to help you sustain success. It’s about learning to engage the atrophying side of your brain that we don’t usually use when we’re creative.

Q. What are three tips you would give to anyone who wants to empower their creative career, whether it be as a copywriter, web designer, artist?

Lynn:

1. There may be over a billion people in the world, but there is only one “you,” be the best “you” that you can be;

2. Meditate or take 30 minutes of time each day to teach your mind how to quiet itself and align with divine order (this may be more challenging than you realize!).

3. Identify and hire people and/or their services to do for you what you don’t do well. Feed the business beast side of your work so that you can be free to create.

Q. What is most rewarding about being on your own and working to grow your creative business?

Lynn: Not having to “answer” to someone that I don’t have respect for (yes, I’ve had authority issues in my life!). I love being able to create my own day with systems, processes and an environment in place that enables me to do my work without the adrenal depleting stress. There’s nothing quite like working on your own book with a cat purring in your lap and dogs asleep around your desk!

Q. What inspires you to be creative?

Lynn: What I call my “higher power”. When I am taking care of myself (head, heart, body and soul) then I can align with this higher power and the creativity flows through effortlessly. There is a really, really big lie floating around out there that says in order to be creative you have to imbibe large amounts of mind altering substances. Not true. If anything I believe that dilutes our creativity.

The musician Stevie Ray Vaughn was just hitting his stride in sobriety when he was killed. I wonder what music he would have created after several years of a connection to a higher source?

Q. What is the greatest benefit to working as a creative professional?

Lynn: I’m in my bliss and amazed that I get paid for doing what I do. I believe really everyone is creative it just reveals itself in different ways. I love the combination of intelligence and heart that shows itself through the creative work of the professionals I work with…I’m constantly delighted.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite book about business or creativity?

Lynn: I’m going to have to say Mitch Ditkoff’s latest book, “Awake at the Wheel”, for both business and creativity. It’s got some great points, is a fun read and made me laugh out loud more than a few times. I also recommend Steven Pressfield’s book, “The War of Art” which is this thin little beguiling book all about resistance. He’s thought of it all because he’s been there, and it’s a must have for all writers.

About the author: Nettie Hartsock is a digital strategist helping authors, creatives, musicians and companies create actionable how-to 2.0 programs to establish a powerful base for attracting both blogger and journalists attention. Her website can be found at NettieHartsock.com.

A few months ago, we posted a question of the week that went something like this:

This question comes to us from our pal, Carrie:

I am a graphic designer and I had to work in a “cross-functional team” at my office. I had to work with people from accounting to develop a new logo. Don’t ask me why. Here’s my question.

Why is it so hard for two intelligent people to communicate and translate a creative idea into words they both understand? Has anyone done so successfully?

(I know we’ve all been there, how do you deal with this?)

You can read the rest of the post and a few good comments here

Update (08.12.08) DARN! The video linked to below is no longer available! We’ll leave the link up in case AgencyLifer reposts it.

Over the weekend, we came across this video that shows why executives shouldn’t tell he creative department how to design. If you’ve been on either side of this “cross-funcitonal team” you will get a chuckle out of this. Enjoy!

Here’s another funny one about everyone’s favorite gigantic company, Microsoft.

Video: Microsoft redesigns iPod packaging

By Karen Post, The Branding Diva®

Several studies were conducted within large organizations to discover the major difference between highly creative teams and non-creative teams. The findings were eye-opening. The major difference in the two groups was not training, education, or even gene pools; it was confidence. The folks that were pumping out the big ideas believed they were creative.

Does your organization aid in this creating a culture of “we are creative, hear us roar!”?
Or does the environment and leadership unconsciously suppress the creative spirit?

Let’s find out.
5 questions to assess your creative culture.
1) Is creativity part of your organization’s core values?
2) Do you easily invite ideas from all departments? Not just the marketing group?
3) Do you recognize and reward creative thinking, even if it does not evolve into a formal practice or product?

4) Does your total environment stimulate creative idea generation?
5) Do you have regularly scheduled creative events that present ideas and tools to empower creative thinking?

If you answered no, to any of these, you’ve got work to do. Here are five simple actions you can take to amp up your creative culture and output.

1) Include creativity/innovation in your core values.
Creativity and innovation are important threads in the fabric of successful organizations. Make sure to address how your organization values and supports creative thinking and application. This includes language in your organization communications, training manuals, events, and most of all by walking the talk through initiatives and leadership actions.

2) As a regular practice, invite idea contribution from everyone.
Creativity and innovation can come from the strangest places, including employees involved in not-so-creative daily jobs. This does not mean a suggestion box that you never look at; it means regular communication, easy methods to submit, and recognition for trying, whether it’s a winner or not.

3) Recognize and reward contributions.
Small tokens of appreciation and acknowledgment go a long way. Whether it’s featuring an idea in a company publication or on your Intranet, humans like to feel valued. Plus, posting the seed of an idea can lead to another one. Consider movie passes, special parking privileges, scratch-off lottery tickets, or even branded company wear.

4) Make your environment, inspirational and enjoyable.
Imagination, ideas, and creativity blossom when they are fed the right stuff in the right place. This starts with a setting of inspirational and enjoyable environments. If your office is bunch of cubicles and drab surroundings, this area needs attention. Consider paint colors that positively impact mood, art or murals that encourage reflection and ingenuity, and furniture that promotes open mind, flow; not uptight structure. Changeable white boards for idea building and sharing are a powerful tool; add some play to your company with games. Music is a tremendous stimulator too; make headphones available or pipe in tunes in key office spaces. If you are a small company, start with one room that is the idea place for incorporating a sense of fun and creative spirit.

5) Bring in other creative thinkers to your organization and host creative events.
Outside minds can be a great reality check to the world and different markets. Consider hosting creative workshops, guest lecture series, and creative contests and events. This can be taking the department to the circus, moving a planning session to comedy club and kicking it off with a comedy show, to showing creative films in your lunchroom.

If you want to nurture big ideas and creative thinking in your organization, you’ve got to contribute to the confidence building of your team, provide the tools, and an empowering environment.

If you always think the way you’ve always thought, you will always get what you’ve always gotten—the same old ideas. Why not try some these on your team and space today.

Here are a few resources that can enhance your creative space and thinking.

Creative work environments, do you work in one?
Check out these courtesy of The Cool Hunter.

Removable wall art resources
whatisbilk

An environmental design and innovation motivator company
creative-va

More than 100 years in business, Creative has combined the knowledge, experience, and business insight to transform office spaces into a center of workplace motivation. They understand that in the “flattened” world the only competitive advantages are innovation, imagination, and the ability to execute.

Some of my favorite audio and books for creative mind work
Michael Gelb’s books and audio programs can help you discover and express your creative gifts. His first book, “Body Learning,” began life as a Master’s thesis and was first published in 1981. His most recent book is, “Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor”. I’ve gained a lot from several of his published work. They are worth checking out.

Great diversion reading.
Take a break from your industry and try on some trivia. This is a very fun and quirky pub.
Mental_Floss

About the Author
Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

By Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva®

I cannot claim to be a stress free. But I have recently discovered some actions that have truly reduced my stress level and increased my productivity. My current workload is a very full plate. I feel like I have two, 50 hour a week jobs. I’m a partner in the Oddpodz and I also speak and consult. Both require a lot of creative production. About a month ago I was feeling like a plane in a tailspin. My daily to do list was massive, my concentration level was blurry at best, I was experiencing unpleasant physical symptoms and I so cranky, violent thoughts were common. After some research and visit to a doc, I learned that my stress was creating a hormone called Cortisol. This hormone while needed in a healthy person, in excess it can have some negative effects. For me, it whacked out my blood sugar balance, which impaired my brain performance, mood and even can cause your stomach to store extra fat, because you’re stressed. Picture this, an over the top, irritated, can’t concentrate, in a bad, bad mood, big bellyed, stressed basket, that was me.

Here’s what changed me.
1) Exercise every day at least 30 minutes no matter what. This activity produces good endorphins that will correct the blood sugar issues. And research shows people that do 15 minutes of cardio before problem solving score significantly higher on creativity tests.

2) Takes breaks from your computer. Mix up how you work. Think and write on paper as much as you peck on your keyboard. Schedule deep breathing and stretching at least three times a day for five minutes.

3) Eat 5-6 small meals a day and limit your sugar intake. Swap out grains, natural fruits and veggies for processed sweets and white carbs.

The bottom line here is, as a creative professional and especially an entrepreneur you will have stress, unless you leave the earth. You can decide to let stress win and work in a miserable state of mind, or you can say, “Hey I’m the boss here and this is how it’s going to be”. Don’t expend energy on worrying. Stay focused on the actions to solve the problem.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.