Here are a few of the stories that have my business-owner brain sparking, so I’m sharing in case they help you too:

• Are you familiar with the IBM Institute for Business Value? They publish original research for the C-Suite. Great insights available by sharing your basic deets. Best of all, the reports are FREE.
• Writing for Chief, Megan DeMatteo updates us on what Web3 brings to the table and why we should invest in understanding its business ramifications, um, now.
• Chief got my attention with this one, too: why the Metaverse matters to your bottom line. So, of course, I’m sharing.
• Okay, this isn’t from Chief and has nothing to do with leading your business, but did you see the American Kennel Club released its list of 2021’s top dog breeds? Frenchies are on the “top 5” list, making me very happy (I don’t have a Frenchie but I live vicariously through their owners on Instagram). Here’s the full list.
• The book industry had an exceptional year in 2021. Why’s that you ask? TikTok! Technology has merged with the literary on #BookTok. If you’re thinking of writing a book, add TikTok to your promotions plan. This platform’s honesty and vitality seem to be just the thing to revive an industry some think is “declining.”

Do Good Spotlight on: Elizabeth’s Wish

Elizabeth’s Wish is a not-for-profit established by Elizabeth Hurst, her friends, and supporters to combat ovarian cancer (OC). They very much want you to check out the page making it easy to see the signs and symptoms of OC—which are often overlooked until it’s too late—so you can protect yourself and those you love.

This, right here: “Women reporting symptoms of OC to their health care providers are often dismissed as the presentation can mimic symptoms of other issues or even of physical changes due to peri-menopause or menopause.”

So please check out this page. We were so moved by Elizabeth and her mission that we donated to the cause. Please take a moment to visit the site to learn more. Thank you.

• Smart Insights offers their take on SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals in this post. They’ve added “ER” to the end of the acronym: SMART-ER (Evaluate, Reevaluate). It goes deeper than just defining SMART including the recommendation to integrate this approach for each phase of the RACE (Reach, Act, Convert, Engage) framework. Bonus: a list of 10 measures design tests (e.g., the clarity test that asks if there is any ambiguity in interpreting results) for fine tuning your KPIs.
• Last one for this week…March is Women’s History Month so here’s a great article from Business Insider that has 10 chart showing how employment, education, and business ownership have changed for women over the years.

Well, that’s it for this week. Thanks for reading, and please let us know if there’s anything I shared that you want to talk about. And in the meantime, stay well, stay strong, stay focused—you’ve got people counting on you! And don’t skimp on the self-care—you’re counting on you too!