In today’s National Post – Financial Post, the Small Business section has a feature on advisory boards and the role they play in helping small businesses succeed.

Interesting.

I have a new business mentor, the brilliant, creative, and very generous Brian Larter of Larter Marketing Communications, who has been giving me outstanding advice on branding, selling, and creating my business, and Brian told me a few weeks back that an advisory board would be great for my business. The National Post article just confirms what Brian said. And it’s a fantastic idea.

What is an advisory group? For me, it’s a team of people who can offer a variety of advice in areas where I’m not an expert but where I need help. For example, Jane Reeves Writes is turning into The Reeves Group and I’m developing a new program centred on employee engagement measurement and improvements and employee communications. While I spent many years in HR Communications and employee program development and engagement measurement, I don’t have a full HR background. So first on my group are some HR experts who can give me feedback and advice on the product I’m creating from their perspective, and act as consultants if my clients need specific HR support (performance management, recruiting, for example).

Well, no first is Brian, my business mentor. Second is HR – I have an HR lawyer and am currently looking for a generalist consultant.

Another key member of my advisory board is a trusted friend and my current “business buddy,” Lynette Rumble of AIM Coaching. Being a life coach, she asks me the questions I need to hear to keep me focused and on track, and is AMAZING at getting me over stumbling blocks.

I’m still building the board, but rounding it out at the moment is a Senior Partner of an international PR agency’s digital and social media practice, and an external PR guru with eight years’ success running an independent consultancy. Last but certainly not least is my brother-in-law Blake Reeves who is a technical and computer genius.

There is no set structure or meetings for my board. I don’t need that (yet). They are just people I call on for advice and feedback. Unfortunately I can’t pay for their advice, but I’m happy to give mine freely in return. And these are people I’ll gladly refer to others because I picked them for their incredible skill, attitude, and dependability.

I figure I’ll need an accountant and a lawyer as I grow bigger. But for now, I have a great start. What roles do you think are missing?

Cranberry muffins? Cheese Sandwiches? What does this have to do with Social Media Marketing? I had the opportunity to find out when Rob Campbell, CEO of SMOjoe Social Media, the engaging and, let’s face it, a bit kooky presenter came to Oakham House at Ryerson University in Toronto to share his thoughts on Social Media Marketing on May 12, 2010.

One of the great things about my new job as a freelance communications consultant is I now have time to attend (and in this case, volunteer for) local seminars like Rob’s. The disadvantage is I have to pay for them. But Rob was well worth the $35 spent (in fact, see him soon because I think we’ll be paying more for his advice in the near future)!

Rob, supported by his search engine optimization (SEO) superstar Will Webb, used the cranberry muffin example to demonstrate how to increase your social relevance through classic storytelling and modern SEO, no matter what your business is. Your social relevance, says Rob, is the key to social media marketing success.

What does he mean by social relevance? Well, if you watch Mad Men, social relevance is anyone who was invited to Roger and Jane Sterling’s “picnic.” Don Drapper, for example, has great social relevance. Rob says that our social relevance today is measured by Google’s Page Rank software. His page is a 4/10. Mine isn’t even on the radar yet, but I’m working on it.

There are more details about his process, “Story funnels to buckstop,” in my review of the event on IABC/Toronto’s website, including Rob’s guide on how to create a “keyword sandwich” that feeds the humans (readers, subscribers) and the robots (Google’s algorithm). I’m going to test it out, in between paid projects, to see if I can become a 2/10 by summer’s end. Stay tuned. And subscribe to my site if you like it, that will help a lot!

You learn a lot about yourself when you become a freelance writer. As I’ve said a few times, I thrive on structure. And I love “how to” books and people. Not because I’m too lazy to come up with my own ideas. On the contrary, I’m known for “creative problem solving.” But because I like to hear people’s opinions, and either learn from them, or argue the opposite point. Usually it’s a bit of both, and that guides me to a starting point …

Get Clients Now is a great “how to” book for marketing your professional services, especially if you like structure, self-imposed deadlines, making lists, and gaining focus – like me. A friend referred me to the book, and while it’s perfect for me in the early stages of building my business, it also fits with anyone looking to grow their business at any stage.

It is very hands on, with accompanying activity sheets (available for download from their website) to guide you through goal setting and action planning. It suggests a 28 day marketing program to improve the area where you need greatest focus:

• filling the pipeline (me, generating leads),
• following up,
• getting presentations, and
• closing sales.

Clear explanations, related examples, and simple structure makes the process easy to follow. Because I have little ones and work when I can, I had to adjust the 28 day plan across three months. It’s flexible enough that you can make it work for you.

What I love about it is it remains true to traditional marketing plans (establish your brand, define your niche, set your goals and strategies, etc.) but it keeps you on track with a visual of your accomplishments and results (you have to mark “y” or “n” in your worksheet beside each of your daily strategies) and rewards you when you’ve done your job.

I highly recommend it to anyone in business – whether just starting out or trying to grow. I ordered it through Chapters/Indigo online for about $16.00 CDN.

My first work day after leaving my job began with a blank computer screen and the self-directed question, “so now what?” With a mountain of possibilities ahead of me, I wasn’t sure where to start.

I knew how to build a business plan and a marketing strategy. I knew I wanted to start a blog. I knew I had to get out there and network. But I didn’t know how to “chunk” my days into getting all these tasks done.

In Corporate, my days had consistent structure despite the variety my job offered: rush to work; sit in traffic; calm down, check my hundreds of emails, and respond to priority ones; update my daily/weekly action plan; prioritize tasks for the day; and then off I went.  Working at home without the same structure posed some problems. Here are some steps I took to overcome this and start my business.

1. Create an action plan

I am a visual person. I started with a blank white sheet and, using circles, categorized all my business ideas. I had a “blog” circle, a “publish magazine articles” circle, a “communications consultant” circle, and so on until I had a page full of bubbles with many business ideas.

I then used Excel to transform the bubble page into an action plan. Columns included: priority, action item, details, resources required, and deadline. I mapped out all my business set-up tasks (hire accountant, create email account) then added the ideas from my circles. I inputted marketing tasks (create on-line portfolio, develop blog site,) and networking ideas (attend networking event, arrange lunches). I mapped everything out, categorized it, prioritized it, and got started.

2. Speak to people in the same boat

People love to talk about their work. Just by asking simple questions, you can learn loads from those who’ve paved the path before you. I sought out successful business friends and acquaintances and, armed with questions, invited them for coffee and took copious notes.

Another great idea came from a friend of mine who also recently started her own business. She suggested we meet once a week to keep each other on track and brainstorm. This turned into a strong partnership. I feel accountable to her, which keeps me productive, and she also gives me business ideas and contacts. I do the same for her, which helps me add value and is great for my self esteem in these early days.

3. Enroll in a career course

Now’s the time to ask, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” One of the best things I’ve done so far to move forward and refine my focus is enroll and complete a career course. The facilitators walked us through interests, abilities, personality characteristics, and values. We then researched potential careers that supported these findings and built strategies to pursue them. The course introduced me to the idea of teaching as a side activity to my business, which I am currently investigating.

4. Don’t just sit there … network!

I attended a workshop on face-to-face and social media networking. It reminded me networking is really just planned socializing. It isn’t something to do only when you want a new job; it’s about meeting people and holding conversations. A lot of people think networking is scary. Walking into a room full of strangers, introducing yourself, and admitting you need a job is no one’s idea of a great time. Finding people who are inspiring and helpful and sharing your ideas for a successful business with them can be uplifting.

I started networking again by attending business workshops and events, calling up former colleagues and asking them to lunch, and developing a linkedin and twitter strategy to promote myself. I’ll outline more details about networking in my upcoming post: Networking 101.

5. Find and use all the resources available to you

Did you know the Canadian government offers free business coaching to people starting a small business? Government websites are full of information. Spend some time sifting through them to find available resources. Also, talking to people in the same boat as you will expose you to the resources they used that may also help you.

I took over a month off between my corporate role and starting my new business. It was important to have that down time, to catch up on errands, and focus on the family. It also helped me develop new routines and gave my family time to adjust. The biggest hurdle is developing that new structure and getting started. For me, it was about taking pieces of my “corporate” way of doing things and incorporating them into my new world. And it’s been amazing!