For the first time in ages – I managed to get ahead of my work and spend some time performing a sweep of my inbox and other main collection points.

Nothing unusual there.

Except this time, driving home, I felt physically lighter, happier, and ready for enjoying the weekend. It was an excellent feeling – and I’ll be planning that exercise in every Friday evening from now on.

Announce the album on Tuesday, telling everyone it will be ready for download on Saturday, Make pre-orders on the website a very reasonable £6 for a digital copy. Then, release the album a day early to those that have bought it in advance. Ensuing press coverage is excellent.

Excellent stuff – that’s the way that bands should do business – limit the opportunity to leak and pirate the album as much as possible, price the album well and then deliver quickly and at high quality.

This feels like the future… now, let’s hope the album is as awesome as the dancing in the first video.

The genius marketers at Ikea have put together an amazing campaign to advertise a new store opening in Malmo.

They created a Facebook account in the name of the store manager, uploaded 12 showroom photographs, and ran a competition for ‘friends’, to tag themselves on a photograph and win the item they tagged.

Its a great idea that spread like wild fire – you can watch a full explanation on video here:

Found via Phil Gerbyshak

What are you doing to advertise your business differently?

Sundays inspiration post had a track called Fitzcarraldo as the accompaniment – a song inspired by a Werner Herzog film of the same name. A story about a man who decides that the only way to fulfil his dream is to drag a steamboat over a mountain so that he can set up business in the Amazon, farming rubber.

It is a truly odd film, starring Klaus Kinski and about a zillion Peruvian tribesman, but the underlying theme is one of determination – the amazing quality that some people have for persistence. His dream is eventually fulfilled, despite some setbacks along the way, the scene of Fitzcarraldo smoking his cigar is one of my favourite film moments. 

I’m always fascinated by people with the relentless desire to improve and achieve – sportsmen that press on become champions, business leaders that continue when all else seems lost and people that drag boats over mountains in order to chase their dreams.

Next time the going gets tough, or all else fails – it might be worth remembering that persistence begins with the decision to continue – a small step, but the next one you MUST take if you are going to achieve.

What are you doing to achieve your dreams?

The Purple Cow stands out, because it is remarkable. In a field of black and white cows, the purple cow is the one that you would remember – turning to your travel companion and saying, “did you see…?”

That’s the premise of Seth Godin’s book from 2002, a highly enjoyable spin through the act of being remarkable, and how businesses have transformed their fortunes by standing out from the crowd.

Buy The Purple Cow by Seth Godin here (Amazon Link)

It is an inspiring read, prompting you to evaluate everything from your business models to your personal behaviour – and establish whether what you do is really outstanding.

I devoured this again in one sitting on a 2 hour plane ride – and have come away with a new set of ideas I’ll be implementing, including some that will make my support teams even more remarkable, and also some that will hopefully make me a step closer to ‘awesome’.

What are you doing to ensure you or your business/team are The Purple Cow?

If you must use PowerPoint – then at least make it count. Here are some great resources and suggestions to make your presentations better. Use these tips to be unique in your organisation, challenge the corporate standards and ensure you leave a footprint:

• Break away from the standard PowerPoint templates – Templateswise will pimp your deck with some cool, free templates. Example : I like this one
• Read Slideology by Nancy Duarte – excellent inspiration on how to make your presentations pop.
• Check out whats new in Office 2010 – transitions, video effects, and animation painter should whet your appetite for new ways to get your message across. Use sparingly and effectively for maximum impact.
• Check out Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen – jam packed with beautiful slide design and new ideas on how to communicate with your audience.
• Read Nicholas Bates’ potential problems for PowerPoint – to prepare and prevent presentation pitfalls. Extra tip – read them like commandments.

What are you doing to make your presentations awesome?

Everyone is facing into the challenges of the new economy – and we could all use some sage advice. Luckily there is lots to be found in ‘Defiant!’ – a fantastic e-book packed with great strategies and simple suggestions for dealing with tough times.

Written by Rajesh Setty (subscribe now – I’ll wait while you do), and featuring tips from some of the most inspirational writers around, including Seth Godin and Phil Gerbyshak.

I enjoyed every page of this e-book – and found some great suggestions, you can download ‘Defiant!’ for free by clicking here. Add it to your reading list today.

What other great resources have you found?