There’s none so deaf as they that won’t listen…

Hello, good evening and welcome… to my first blog post. I do hope you will stick around, at least for  the time being. It’s taken a long time coming but I’ve managed to get there, somehow.

As you may have surmised from the subtitle of this blog, I am in fact hard-of-hearing, and while on the face of it, it isn’t all bad (as those of you with kids will no doubt understand… Yay! to the on/off switch on my hearing aids), it does have a tendency to throw up the occasional stumbling block with regards to business dealings. This usually stems from my inability to use today’s primary method of communication, the telephone.

As a result there have been a few issues in the past, including people taking advantage, but on the other hand, I have also found that such trials and tribulations only help to make you stronger, more determined and even more ambitious. But hey, that’s a story for another day.

Social Media – A Level Playing Field?

Over the years I have been fortunate that I have had access to certain forms of technology which have helped me along – namely the pager, mobile text messaging, email, instant messaging and more recently the iPhone (thank you Steve Jobs!). Such communication devices and services have seemingly cropped up at just the right time and I have an inkling that social media is next on the agenda.

I am not ashamed to say it, but my primary motivation for setting up a blog was to ‘make myself heard’. With two online business ideas currently in development, creating various online platforms from which to launch and promote them is something that I consider essential to their eventual success.

However in hindsight that was perhaps a little narrow-minded, and after throwing myself into the whole Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn scene I am beginning to appreciate how instrumental social media will be in building supplier relationships and conversing with my customer base on a truly personal level. Even the ability to keep abreast of news within your chosen fields and being in contact with your peers in realtime is a fantastic resource in itself.

I have since come to the conclusion that social media could be the best current marketing tool for small businesses and their key armoury in competing with the more established players. And all without stepping anywhere near a telephone! Let’s hope that this new (Google?) Wave of communication heralds a shift towards the deaf and hard-of-hearing eventually competing on a level playing field with their hearing counterparts. And I hope this blog contributes (however small) to that cause.

What can you expect from this Blog?

The trials and tribulations of a hard-of-hearing entrepreneur in building two new web-based businesses and managing/building up a busy retail store. Oh, and getting that work/life/family balance finally sorted!

With a background in graphic design, branding, business planning, business startups and retail, there will be a variety of subject matter throughout the blog plus the occasional personal rant. Anecdotes, stories, questions, debates, reviews of software or technology that helps me in my quest and some inspirational quotes will also be thrown into the mix. Hopefully it will help keep most of you interested and entertained!

All feedback, comments and questions are appreciated and encouraged. I’m listening…

Hello, good evening and welcome… to my first blog post. I do hope you will stick around, at least for the time being. It’s taken a long time coming but I’ve managed to get there, somehow.

As you may have surmised from the subtitle of this blog, I am in fact hard-of-hearing, and while on the face of it, it isn’t all bad (as those of you with kids will no doubt understand… Yay! to the on/off switch on my hearing aids), it does have a tendency to throw up the occasional stumbling block with regards to business dealings. This usually stems from my inability to use today’s primary method of communication, the telephone.

As a result there have been a few issues in the past, including people taking advantage, but on the other hand, I have also found that such trials and tribulations only help to make you stronger, more determined and even more ambitious. But hey, that’s a story for another day.

Social Media – A Level Playing Field?
Over the years I have been fortunate that I have had access to certain forms of technology which have helped me along – namely the pager, mobile text messaging, email, instant messaging and more recently the iPhone (thank you Steve Jobs!). Such communication devices and services have seemingly cropped up at just the right time and I have an inkling that social media is next on the agenda.

I am not ashamed to say it, but my primary motivation for setting up a blog was to ‘make myself heard’. With two online business ideas currently in development, creating various online platforms from which to launch and promote them is something that I consider essential to their eventual success.

However in hindsight that was perhaps a little narrow-minded, and after throwing myself into the whole Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn scene I am beginning to appreciate how instrumental social media will be in building supplier relationships and conversing with my customer base on a truly personal level. Even the ability to keep abreast of news within your chosen fields and being in contact with your peers in realtime is a fantastic resource in itself.

I have since come to the conclusion that social media could be the best current marketing tool for small businesses and their key armoury in competing with the more established players. And all without stepping anywhere near a telephone! Let’s hope that this new (Google?) Wave of communication heralds a shift towards the deaf and hard-of-hearing eventually competing on a level playing field with their hearing counterparts. And I hope this blog contributes (however small) to that cause.

What can you expect from this Blog?
The trials and tribulations of a hard-of-hearing entrepreneur in building two new web-based businesses and managing/building up a busy retail store. Oh, and getting that work/life/family balance finally sorted!

With a background in graphic design, branding, business planning, business startups and retail, there will be a variety of subject matter throughout the blog plus the occasional personal rant. Anecdotes, stories, questions, debates, reviews of software or technology that helps me in my quest and some inspirational quotes will also be thrown into the mix. Hopefully it will help keep most of you interested and entertained!

All feedback, comments and questions are appreciated and encouraged. I’m listening…

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