Just announced. Ellen Degeneres is leaving American Idol. This is the right move for her for countless reasons and there are lessons here for any entrepreneur.
It’s not because she’s not in the music biz. It’s not because she didn’t like saying hurtful things to contestants or because of her heavy work schedule although I’m sure [...]

So exciting to get unexpected lumpy mail. Today’s haul included 3 marketing books (one of the benefits of being a blogger–Thanks Todd And for dragging me to blogging…and thanks to Wiley & Entrepreneur Press).
The one I opened first (while waiting outside the donut shop for my kid finishing her shift) was David Meerman Scott’s [...]

So I’m watching last comic standing tonight. Nobody is all that funny. What ever happened to Paul Foot? But I did notice something. That it’s more important to have an interesting colorful persona than to have “good jokes”. Several of the comedians were funny on paper. One even got the compliment that if the show [...]

Saw these guys in Seville, Spain. And they got a lot more attention (I’m wondering if that translated to more cash) than their “competitors” ’cause of truth in marketing. They even accept donations by paypal. The photos are kinda creepy but you gotta admire the honesty and sense of humor. So what do you think? [...]

Entrepreneurs are always being told to stand out from the competition. But how? Casey James was brilliant in choosing a not very memorable John Lennon song and making it moving and dramatic. Here’s the studio version below.

I loved the Beatles, but, in my opinion, John Lennon’s version below pales in comparison.

Share and Enjoy:
These icons link [...]

Just spent a day coaching entrepreneurs to be original, be authentic, be confident and be stars. Then hung up the phone and tuned in to hear Simon and the gang say the same stuff to the contestants on American Idol. Haven’t seen much of that this season on American Idol so I dug up [...]

Yup, it’s another season of American Idol. Ellen’s in. Simon’s on board for his last season (Miss you already Simon) and the lessons for entrepreneurs abound.
Just a singing contest. Hardly. Just like it’s not a “Who’s the best accountant?” contest when your prospects are looking for a new money man. It’s about personal branding. Standing [...]

It’s great to have David back with another guest post! The Second Edition of David Meerman Scott’s now classic book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, a BusinessWeek bestseller published in 24 languages (WOW!) is released this month. (We’ll be giving away 3 copies of David’s book later this month so watch for that [...]

The results of our first book giveaway of the year are in.
But first, I gotta say, I was blown away, by the unbelievable response from so many wonderful talented people.
Even more rewarding was the fact that many people used this opportunity to connect with each other and I think there are going to be [...]

Last year, here at Step Into The Spotlight!, we were fortunate to be able to give copies of several wonderful business books including Andy Nulman’s Pow! Right Between the Eyes, David Meerman Scott’s World Wide Rave, Andy Beal’s Radically Transparent and Drew McLellan’s 99.3 Random Acts of Marketing

This week, we have another exciting Step Into [...]