We’ve all heard about brain foods, and have probably seen some ad for a great new diet that will raise your IQ tenfold. In reality, all these new diets do is raise the creator’s revenue tenfold from book sales or TV appearances.

You really can’t chew your way to being the next Albert Einstein, no matter what they say. But that doesn’t mean you should give up hope. Studies have shown a strong link between certain foods and improved memory and concentration. Here are just a few:

Featured Resource this week - Copy Doodles

Handwriting and hand-drawn enhancements have been used for years in advertising and marketing because they are a proven way to grab attention and increase response and readability. There is NOTHING out there that matches the quality, expertise and level of support you get when you become a CopyDoodles member.  Their extensive library of direct-response marketing graphics features thousands of hand-drawn CopyDoodles, which can be easily downloaded to your computer and placed on any of the online or offline marketing pieces you are working on in a snap.

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In a 1990's edition of the comic strip Dilbert, the Pointy-Haired Boss announces he's going off to a 4-star hotel for a two week management retreat. Needless to say, his staff isn't impressed. The strip hints at the underlying feelings many people have about corporate retreats: expensive wastes of time where executives practice silly exercises like trust falls and rope challenges, all the while gorging themselves on exotic foods in some tropical paradise.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Properly planned and executed, a staff retreat can provide a wonderful vehicle to re-energize yourself or your team, encourage cooperation across different departments and strengthen internal bonds.

“Never put off till tomorrow what can be put off until the day after tomorrow.”
“Me?  A procrastinator?  I’ll prove you wrong, just you wait and see.”

Do any of these quotes sound like you, when it comes to doing your taxes?  Like the tide, you can sense the filing deadline washing inevitably towards you, yet you still haven’t gotten them started.  Don’t worry: you’re not alone. The last day of tax season is also one of the busiest. If you’re the type that likes to put everything together at the last minute, here are some tips to help:

Since we were children, we’ve been taught about the importance of goals.

We set them, achieve them and work towards them. Sometimes, like the plants in our homes or offices, we conveniently forget about them, or at other times, we lose sight of them in the shuffle of our daily lives. But if our goals are to bear fruit, we need to occasionally remember to turn to towards the light or water them.

Integrate Your Site To Your CRM! Managing a membership site can seem like a herculean task, but when you combine it with one of your other tools it can become a breeze.

Beware of Data Skew

Simply put, the more lists that you have that contain the same data, the more likely they are to not match up. This is called data skew.

Featured Resource this week -

Sherrie at SLS Event Planning and Consulting LLC, organizes, sets up, and manages various corporate, public, and private events and meetings.

We’ve known Sherrie a long time and have confidence and respect for her amazing event planning skills, so please give her our regards when you call.

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Featured Resource this week -

The Sales & Marketing Software for Small Business.

Customer & Marketing management: Manage and automate all facets of your customer relationships. Infusionsoft revolutionizes the way small businesses drive and manage their growth. With a robust dose of marketing automation, Infusionsoft replaces your diverse incompatible systems and provides you with an "all-in-one" solution that leaves you with more time to strategically grow your business.

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The business world is constantly changing. (Surprise!)

Just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, some new piece of technology or some new method of doing things comes along and turns the whole thing upside down. For example, who knew, five years ago, that Facebook Ads would be all the rage now and that Instagram would be following in their footsteps? (Actually, Instagram was a fledgling platform 5 years ago - just another new place to post photos for your friends.)

Let's eat, Grandma!

Let's eat Grandma!

Language is a funny thing. Only a simple comma separates a cozy dining experience from a cannibalistic feast. Good thing for Grandma that little punctuation mark is there.

Now consider another example: working 'in' your business versus working 'on' your business. Again, the difference is small -just one letter. But that one letter can mean a lot to your business.

Featured Resource this week -

 One Click Upsell

If you sell products, services or entry to events, using Infusionsoft's order forms, and you are not leading the new buyer to an immediate up sell, YOU ARE LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE!!!

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Featured Resource this week -

Change the RULES of Mobile Marketing.

Before now, mobile marketing was severely limited. You could only send a single text in response to a single incoming text message. This caused people using mobile marketing to settle for less than effective marketing strategies.

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Featured Resource this week -

Change the RULES of Mobile Marketing.

Before now, mobile marketing was severely limited. You could only send a single text in response to a single incoming text message. This caused people using mobile marketing to settle for less than effective marketing strategies.

Try Automated SMS for Only $1!

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Days have an annoying habit of only having 24 hours in them. Your email is full of important messages, and reading time is in short supply. The bottom line is that if you’re going read a business or marketing blog, it had better be time well spent.  

Not to worry. These are blogs that you won’t mind taking up space in your inbox, including a few about some of the greatest marketing geniuses of all times. And why not lead off with one of those geniuses?

In an iconic Calvin and Hobbs comic strip, Hobbs is reminding 6-year-old Calvin that his leaf project for school will soon be due. “You haven’t even started.”  

“I work better under pressure,” Calvin responds.

“You only work under pressure,” Hobbs grumbles.

When it comes to taxes, many of us can relate to Calvin. The forms, the hassles, the annoying number crunching and obscure rules can make it a nuisance we’d rather not deal with. On top of that, you need to plan for the future as well as deal with the present, which means not only filing this year’s taxes, but gearing up for next year’s as well.