Jacqueline Wolven

Solution Hacker

A few days ago I read Seth Godin's blog illustrating a Field Guide to the Meeting Troll. We all have one (hopefully, only one!) in our lives. What caught my attention though was this: Growth hackers look for a yes at every turn. The meeting troll thinks his job is to find the no.

I was talking to a friend of mine about having grown children and our desire, need, compulsion to fix their problems. We can't, of course, but it is necessary to sometimes hold yourself down to a chair and wrap yourself in chains not to jump in and find a solution. Which got me to thinking about what I am... sure I am a "growth hacker" looking for yes under every turn, but even more I am a solution hacker.

I look for solutions to problems. Any kind of problem. It is how I am wired.

Dinner needs to be on the table in 10 minutes? No problem, I can assess, create and make it happen.

Project is getting derailed by team disruptions? No problem. I can come in, share some quick skills that they can apply and the project can launch.

I have $15 and need to get a birthday gift, a quick snack and I need it in 20 minutes. No problem. I'll grab a card I have on hand, wrap up a bottle of beautiful organic olive oil and grab a chia bar at the counter. Done.

Water heater isn't heating water? I'll research possible problems on a plumbing forum, rig up a silver ice tea spoon and scoop out the mineral deposits that are causing it to not heat properly.

You get the picture. I am like a mini MacGyver without the cool gadgets or duck tape.

Every single problem is like a puzzle for me just waiting to be put together and it is the most fun I have. Every single time.

Sometimes it isn't my place to offer or do solutions - I'm learning that - but it is my super power and it takes everything I have to take off my cape and sit on my hands. Are you a Solution Hacker too?

Photo: Cool capes from Etsy Superflykidz

San Francisco to the Ozarks to Find My Tribe

It occurred to me that sharing bits of my own story might help others jump on the bandwagon of wanting to live more simply, work smarter and be happier. At least that would be my hope!

In September it will be 10 years since we took the giant leap and left San Francisco and moved to a small tourist town in Northwest Arkansas. If you had told me then that I would stay for 10 years I would have laughed. We had, up to that point, not stayed in any location more than 4 years. We were consummate game changers and liked to make new starts.

Moving here changed all of that.

Why did we leave? First, I was burnt out. I had been working as an executive in a large marketing firm as the Creative Director and my heart just wasn't singing. Mostly because I could feel the bubble of the dot.com bust starting to burst. People were getting laid off at other firms, clients were tightening their belts, and morale was pretty low in the city.

Our daughter had just entered middle school, too and we were stunned to find out that they had regular police presence at the school. Now, probably common, but this was 10 years ago and I just couldn't wrap my brain around why they needed police on campus for 6-8th graders.

Thinking about options we poured through sites that showed you where you might want to live - granted the Ozarks never came up for us - and we read a book on how to move to a small town. Seriously, I researched it.

We picked our small town because it had three things: a Unitarian congregation, a small independent private school and it was based on a tourist economy which meant there would always be tables to wait if we ever got desperate. (I never have, and if you ask a good friend of mine I have offered to help out only to be turned down due to my severe lack of skill.)

I was lucky to bring my client, The Pampered Chef, with me and worked on their incentive marketing projects for a year as they transitioned from being a private company to being held by Warren Buffet's company. That was a great transition into small town life, but I knew it wouldn't last.

I then threw myself into jobs in town. I worked at our city auditorium (and was fired, but that is another story), I was the director of the arts school (realized too late that I was not with my people although I love the concept) and then finally it occurred to me that my real passion and expertise is marketing and I should go back to that. It was a long route to the right home.

I was engaged 5 years ago to be the part time director of our Main Street program and that was when it all came together for me - I could help small businesses be as successful as they can be and help my town. It was really that simple. I had found my tribe.

That, of course, is the buttoned up version of all that has happened in 10 years and over the next several weeks I'll share bits and pieces about some of the inspiring work I have been grateful to be part of and, maybe, some of the misses too. I figure it is all part of how we get to give our gifts to the world - we grow and stretch and if we are lucky we find our town and our tribe.

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Photo: Every year we dressed up for Halloween at the office in San Francisco. It took me FOREVER to find a prom dress that would fit me and I went as a fairy godmother. Funny thing, I think I made my own dream come true.

Back to Basics Blogging for Business Tips

Starting a blog for your business can seem daunting, but the statistics show that the boost to website traffic, ability to connect with new and current customers, and becoming a known expert in your field make it a worthwhile pursuit to add to your marketing mix. 

• What Platform Should I Use for My Blog? Honestly, it doesn't matter. You can use Wordpress.org, Wordpress.com, Blogger, Typepad or just Tumblr. Don't get hung up on the back end. If you are just setting up a site I highly recommend a hosted domain with a Wordpress.com site. It is easy to use and Google loves it. There are plenty of "famous" bloggers that use Blogger, Typepad and Wordpress - do what fits your budget and your skill level.
• Help! What Do I Blog About? Lists (people love lists of things), To Do's, New Products, Customer Stories, Tips & Tricks, You - people love to know about who is running the business, Reviews, New Ideas... show them how great it is to be in your business. 

Be on fire about what you do and that passion will follow.

• A Few Blogging Best Practices: Read other blogs in your industry to understand what is out there and keep on top of what's new, keep a running list of blog post topics, and write what you know. If you are an expert on pretzels, write about that. 
• What Makes a Great Blog Post?
  • A Kick Ass Headline - think back to anything you remember from writing papers for your 12th grade english teacher! She wanted you to grab your readers attention immediately. That is what works online too. Sometimes obvious is what is kick ass, by the way. I could have called this post Stuff about Blogs, but that doesn't really convey what I want the reader to get or Google to find.
  • An Opening Sentence that Shines - this is often used as your meta description and should clearly help the reader know what to expect in the post.
  • Break Your Post Into 3 Sections
    • Intro - What are story are you telling
    • Details - Who, What, When, Where - you know, that stuff your grammar teacher said
    • Finalize - Give them something to think about, comment on or act in some way
  • Use Links - link to older posts you have written and posts that are similar to yours on the web.
  • Include Photos - I highly suggest all posts have some kind of graphic. A note about photos and images - PLEASE use your own when possible or give credit when you are using someones and a link to their site.
  • Hit Publish! Don't get hung up on if it is perfect. Spell check. Re-read it. Get it out there. Post links to your post on Twitter, LinkedIn and your Facebook Page to drive more traffic to the blog and if someone comments, reply - it is just good manners.

I'd love to see your blog if you start one! Leave a link in the comments and I'll head over and check it out. If you would like to see the presentation that went along with this workshop it is posted here.