A picture of Zoe and one of her potential future husbands is here.

Zoe and Tyler 

THE PRODUCERS OF STYLE NETWORK’S #1 HIT SHOWS SPLIT ENDS & PETER PERFECT are looking to create a reality show following the lives of  BOCA RATON/PALM BEACH COUNTY SOCIALITES Think The Hills meets Real Housewives meets Laguna Beach only 10x better!

IF YOU ANSWER YES TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, WE WANT YOU:

-Do you live a FABULOUS BOCA LIFESTYLE?
-Are you and your friends the ‘It’ Girls or Guys of Boca?
- Do you live an unbelievable lifestyle, an exclusive lifestyle others can only dream of?
- Is your life more interesting than The Hills or Real Housewives?
- Do you hold the people you date to extremely high standards? Will you only date a guy if you can wear your designer heels?
- Are you a philanthropist?
- Is shopping for designer clothes for the evening event your day job? Or does someone shop for you?
- Have you always thought there should be a reality show about you and your friends?
***We are also seeking a mother-daughter socialite duo***

This will be a reality show all about you!

Email The Gab Group today at events@thegabgroup.com with the following:

Your first and last name
Age
Your Photo
Telephone Number
Reason you should be considered for this show

Deadline: Immediate. Show producers are looking to film as soon as possible!

To summarize, Richard posted an entry at her blog warning other business owners about a “new scam.”  The company she mentioned said that it had lost $5 million in business due to her negative comments, and filed a $20 million lawsuit against her.

A few blogging experts contributed to the article, including Seth Godin.  Here is one of Seth’s quotes from the Inc. Magazine article:

“My sense is that she could have written her warning post in a more careful way.  I want to push CEOs to be authentic on their blogs and to be selfless in trying to help readers.  But they also have to understand that their words will be out there and widely seen.  So they owe it to their stakeholders to act responsibly.”

It got me thinking…

We write lots of stuff on blogs, in e-mails, on Twitter, etc., that could be considered controversial.  Often we write it because that’s the kind of stuff we like to read.

But in today’s litigious world, maybe we need to step back and think about this.

A while back I noticed something on Seth Godin’s signature line in his e-mails.  It said “This note is off the record (blogs, too) unless we agree otherwise.”

When I asked him about why he had that line in his e-mail signature line, he e-mailed this reply:  “I do it so I can have ‘human’ conversations instead of press conversations.” And yes, I got his permission to write about his response.

It was a great answer, but it’s also a great way to cover yourself if you have lots of casual e-mail conversations. 

What are your thoughts about posting negative thoughts about people and companies?

Some people define wealth as a certain amount of money in the bank.  Others define it as choice.  I define it as spontaneity.

For me, spontaneity means that I have flexibility in my schedule so I can take advantage of cool and fun opportunities that come along.

On Tuesday I noticed on Twitter that one of my buddies (who I had never met) was going to be speaking at a conference in Fort Lauderdale (about a 40-minute drive).  I twittered her to see where she was staying, and she told me and asked if I could meet her there for lunch.  I said yes.  So I got to meet Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Indie Business expert.  We had a great lunch and a great talk.

The next day I got a call from someone who runs a terrific non-profit, Tim Snow.  He had a last-minute cancellation for the next afternoon/evening and wanted to know if I wanted to go on an airboat ride and have dinner at his family’s house in the Everglades, with a small group of cool, powerful, local women.  I said yes.  That was last night and it was terrific.  I ate alligator and catfish for the first time, and had a delicious stone crab dinner.  The group got along so well that we talked about getting together at one of the lady’s houses on Key Largo.

And last, but not least, I stayed longer yesterday volunteering in my daughter’s classroom to read the class a chapter from our favorite book series - Junie B. Jones, which made my daughter (and I) very happy.

What is your definition of wealth?

But sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

So I asked some small business experts what they considered the one area that a small business should be spending money on right now.

Here are their choices.

Guy Kawasaki, Founder, www.alltop.com:  New product development

Chris Brogan, Social Media specialist: Things that change behaviors to drive sales. Be that more lead generation, or more of some other useful activity.

Katja Presnal, Skimbaco: Customer service & PR - showing that they care about their customers. The fear mentality needs to end; companies showing they care will win.

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Indie Business:  Product photos and business-y headshots.

Suzy Girard-Ruttenberg, Business Coach: Certification: getting employees certified in areas where you previously relied on outside vendors (example: IT)

What do you think is the one area that small businesses should be spending money on right now?

Join us for a free one-hour teleseminar on Thursday, November 6, 2008, at 2 pm EASTERN.  There are a limited number of openings.  You can sign up at http://zfpr.com.

You’ll learn how to get started on Twitter and how to use it to promote your business.

I will be joined by several folks who use Twitter regularly to promote their small businesses, as well as help others promote their businesses.

Sharing their thoughts on Twitter will be:

• Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Indie Business Expert, social media consultant
• JoAnn Hines, the Packaging Diva

• Julie Roads, Writer and Marketer

Sign up here.

There’s not much you can do about the shipping charges, but often the cost of the samples themselves adds up. And many times samples are never sent back.

One of my Pitch of the Month Club members asked what the definitive policy was about sample returns.  I had my own thoughts, but I decided to ask some of my media contacts, in the magazine and newspaper fashion and beauty areas.

The good news?  Of the 9 responses I got back, all agreed on the following:

1. Product samples that the media REQUESTED can be sent back, either when the media was finished photographing them or if they decide not to use them (you should check in with them periodically on the status of your sample)
2. Product samples that were sent UNSOLICITED by product companies and P.R. companies should not be expected back
3. Product samples that the media REQUESTED would be sent back, and shipping paid for, by the media outlet
4. Beauty, food and perishable samples would not be sent back

The bottom line?  If you’re trying to cut expenses, only send samples that are requested by the media. 

This is one of the times when laying your bad news out for everyone to see can actually help you. You can get f*ree advice and services for your business, and you can also get publicity for your business.

I am working on getting some of my clients on the show, mainly from an expert perspective.  If you think you can provide expertise that would be helpful, and would like my help, please let me know.

This is one of the times when laying your bad news out for everyone to see can actually help you. You can get f*ree advice and services for your business, and you can also get publicity for your business.

I am working on getting some of my clients on the show, mainly from an expert perspective.  If you think you can provide expertise that would be helpful, and would like my help, please let me know.

The other day I was speaking with one of my P.R. buddies.  She told me something that made my blood run cold.

Her biggest client had passed away from a heart attack, unexpectedly.  Not only was she grieving, but financially she had to scramble to figure out how to replace that income.  But the part that really bothered me?  He was two months behind on payments, and now she would have to sue his estate to try and get the money.

I have always been a stickler for getting paid.  But this story reminds me, along with everything happening in today’s economy, you can never take getting paid for granted.  And that means putting processes in place so that that doesn’t happen.

Typically, small businesses are the last to get paid when things get tough.  Why is that?  It’s simple.  Most people don’t want to risk problems with their credit scores or legal issues that come from not paying big companies.

Here are some ways to make sure you get paid, even in a tough economy:

1. Accept credit cards, no matter what kind of business you’re in.  If you’re a restaurant or retailer, you’re probably familiar with this.  But if you’re an attorney, ad agency or P.R. provider, you may not have considered this. Implementing this one change to my business six years ago dramatically changed my cash flow for the better. And if you’re scoffing because your fees are high, take heart knowing that I have put through fees in the amount of $6,000 and up without a problem.  I do recommend taking American Express, as many folks like to get points.  If you don’t want to get a merchant account, consider PayPal.  For a long time I dismissed PayPal, but  when I found out how easy and inexpensive it was to set up one of my clients on it, I’ve since changed my mind.  You can find out more about PayPal here.

2. Ask for payment up front.  Your client may say to you (as some of mine have) that they have never paid a vendor late in 20 years.  Guess what?  You don’t want to be the first vendor that experiences that late payment!  I like clients to pay by credit card (on file), up front.  But if a client balks, ask for a check (and make sure it clears before starting your work) up front.  Or get a retainer against future work.

3. Get signed agreements.  Sounds obvious, but unfortunately many people skip this step.  Written agreements may not be iron-clad, but they sure are better than verbal ones, especially if you need to take legal action.  In your agreement, include when and how you are to be paid, the exact products and services you are to provide, and the consequences if you don’t get paid.

4. Make sure your product or service is in demand.  When clients want what you’re offering, they are more likely to abide by your payment requests. 

By taking these steps, you’ll make sure that your small business isn’t the last to get paid. And that will help you stay in business.