Podcast
Hello! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the The term, “platform” is tossed around liberally in small business circles these days, yet many people remain confused about exactly what it means. To help clear up the confusion, I recently interviewed someone I consider to be an expert on the topic.
Phil Simon is the author of The Age Of The Platform, a book about how small business owners can look to larger companies like like Amazon, Apple, FaceBook, and Google to learn new ways to leverage online platforms for success. Phil has researched the topic extensively, and you’ll enjoy insights during this interview that you won’t find anywhere else.
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Phil, and to put his tips to work in your business now, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Phil and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- What is a platform (4:00)? A platform is a collection of integrated planks. An example of a plank is the hair cut service offered by a barber. The barber could also offer the complementary service of a shave. The two planks (hair cut and shave) create his platform. The more complementary services he provides, the more planks he has to support his platform. While the barber can add planks just to increase revenues, Phil says he should avoid misguided attempts to make quick money. Planks should be logical extensions of an existing core platform. They should support the ecosystem of the brand and enhance the customer experience, not be added on willy nilly to make a few extra bucks.
- Platform alone does not guarantee success (12:45). In addition to knowing what a platform is, we must also know what a platform is not. Phil shares the example of a character in a popular sitcom, who thinks that beepers are making a comeback. That person could build a business around beepers. He could have a blog and manage several marketing channels to bolster a visible platform. Of course he won’t be successful because no one is buying beepers. The lesson here is that a platform does not guarantee success. A platform must must be accompanied by a product people want to buy (know your audience!) and a solid business model. Otherwise, it may be worthless.
- “What’s Yelp?” (16:00) This is a bit of a rhetorical question, to illustrate the point that, if you’re a small business owner, and are not aware of Yelp or other online outlets discussing your brand and/or the types of products and services you offer, you have a problem.
Phil shares the example of a conversation he had with the owner of a moving company he was considering hiring. Before speaking with the company owner, Phil discovered numerous negative Yelp reviews for the company — yet the owner of the company had never heard of Yelp.
Phil’s message is that business is changing — your platform is not completely controlled by you. Not only must you build your own platform, but you must also be aware of third party-owned platforms that can help (or hurt) your business.
Toward the end of the interview, we encountered a technical difficulty. The audio is clear, but you may notice our creative editing in the last few minutes. (Thanks Darryl!) I really wanted to bring you Phil’s insights, so despite the glitch, you will enjoy this podcast.
About Phil Simon
Phil Simon is recognized technology expert and the author of four management books: The New Small, Why New Systems Fail, The Next Wave of Technologies, and The Age of the Platform. His contributions have been featured on Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, the American Express Open Forum, ComputerWorld, Technorati, ZDNet, abcnews.com, forbes.com, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, ReadWriteWeb, and many other sites. Visit his website at Phil Simon Systems, and follow him on Twitter.
Related Podcast: Donna Maria and Phil Simon: Tips To Help Small Business Owners Maximize Technology
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Linda shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: How are you building planks and platforms to support your business?
The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projects that women small business owners will create 5 to 5.5 million new jobs across the U.S. by 2018, transforming the workplace of tomorrow into a far more inclusive, horizontally managed environment.*
What’s more, women-owned small businesses are expected to generate more than half of the 9.72 million new small business jobs projected to be created, and roughly one-third of the 15.3 million total new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018. If these predictions come to pass, it will be increasingly important for women entrepreneurs to excel in the executive chair. I recently interviewed Linda Henman, PhD, author of Landing In The Executive Chair, about how women can prepare themselves for these exciting challenges.
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Linda, and to put her insights to work in your business now, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Linda and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- Practice “F-squared” leadership (4:00). “Great leadership is about balancing concern for task with concern for people,” says Dr. Henman. Doing so requires “F-squared” leadership, meaning you must have “firm but fair” approaches to communication and leadership.
You are in business to achieve specific results. This requires not only firmness and fairness, but it also requires a strong sense of self and self-worth, both of which are driven by excellence. Don’t do like many small and “boutique” business owners and sacrifice firmness (which leads to results), thus compromising their ability to achieve business goals. (If you have issues with self-esteem, be sure to listen to this section.)
- Appropriately value your products and services (6:57). Dr. Henman says that her mantra is, “You’re not charging enough.” You should be fairly compensated for what you’re good at, especially if no one in the world is offering the same thing you are. She shares the story here of how she tells one of her female clients, who consistently undervalues her services, to add a zero after each pricing proposal before she sends it to the prospective client.
Dr. Henman says she never has to tell her male clients to charge what they are worth. In fact, she says, her male clients often overvalue what they have to offer! (Take a tip, ladies!)
- MasterMind and hire a business coach (13:30). Dr. Henman highly recommends working with an external coach and a MasterMind group. A coach provides more formal “big picture” feedback while your MasterMind partners are like-minded people who can support in the day-to-day trenches of business.
Your MasterMind partners will help you do things like pull back when you’re getting too far away from your core business, or maybe telling you when you are not charting a high enough price for your product or service. They will even tell you when your feelings may be getting in the way of doing business, ie., when you are being fair but not firm.
Linda’s business coach, whom she highly recommends, is Alan Weiss of Summit Consulting Group.
I have worked with a business coach and MasterMind groups for many years. I fully agree with Dr. Henman when she says that both will help keep you from “breathing in your own exhaust.” Love that!
About Dr. Linda Henman
Linda Henman, PhD, is a coach, consultant, speaker, and author. For more than 30 years, she has helped Fortune 500 Companies, military organizations, and small businesses define their direction and select the best people to put their strategies in motion. Linda holds a PhD in organizational systems, two MAS degrees in both interpersonal communication and organization development, and a BS in communication. A member of the National Speakers’ Association, The National Association of Corporate Directors, and Air Force Association, Linda works with executives and boards of directors to help them set strategies, plan succession, and develop talent. Visit her website at Henman Performance Group.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Linda shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Linda’s advice to women?
* Source: Guardian Special Report: Women Small Business Owners Will Create 5+ Million New Jobs By 2018, Transforming The Workplace For Millions Of Americans (PDF).
Earlier this week, I went one-on-one with Mari Smith, the author of New Relationship Marketing. Mari has been called the “Pied Piper Of The Online World,” and you’ll see why when you hear how enthusiastically and sincerely she shares her tips for marketing your business.
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Mari, and to put her tips to work in your life right away, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Mari and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- You’re already a relationship marketer (2:14)! Since the notion of relationship marketing is based on the underlying intent that governs all of your actions, if you have a business, you currently engage in some forms of relationship marketing every day! Unlike the traditional sales and marketing process, which focuses on closing the sale in front of you, relationship marketing focuses on earning and nurturing relationships, and on acquiring customers for life. This is not a “one off” process. It’s continuous and flowing, and allows you to use new media tools for great efficiencies.
My Takeaway: Rather than focusing solely on your sales cycle, focus also on how relationship cycles complement your sales cycle. Observe how they mature over time. See how they lead to sales and other positive outcomes in your business and in your life.
- The line between business, personal and private (28:00). Stressing that you must take control of your privacy, Mari divides sharing into three categories: business, personal, and private. She suggests a 3-prong test to determine whether or not to share something publicly. Don’t miss this section, where Mari discusses how she applied these tests to determine whether and how to share her change in marital status at her blog. You’ll get some great tips if you are trying to figure out what to share and what not to share.
My Takeaway: If you have a business, there is not such thing as complete privacy. You cannot be an recluse online and then expect the Internet to deliver sales for you. Strike an intentional balance between disclosure and non-disclosure that works for you. Like relationship marketing itself, this is a dynamic process, and may vary greatly depending on the season of your life, the stage of your business, and your own personal comfort level.
- Three things that will always draw people (11:47). Whenever you’re at a loss for how to connect with and nurture a relationship with someone, consider approaching them around one of these three things: family, hobbies, or travel. Everyone likes all three, so you can’t go wrong with any of them. This is a super tip for when you need ideas for new blog posts, and want to use your blog to reach out to specific people with whom you want to do business.
My Takeaway: Use your blog, Twitter, FaceBook, etc., to find out about the people you want to connect with. Just like you approach the job interview process only after doing homework on the employer, approach the business networking and marketing process by first doing your home on the business and/or business owner you want to connect with.
About Mari Smith
Mari is a passionate social media leader, specializing in relationship marketing and FaceBook mastery. Fast Company describes her as a veritable engine of personal branding, a relationship marketing whiz and the “Pied Piper
of the Online World.” In addition to her new book, New Relationship Marketing, Mari is the co-author of FaceBook Marketing: An Hour a Day, and is considered one of the top resources and thought leaders in the world of new media marketing. Follow Mari on Twitter here, and check out her website here.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Mari shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Mari’s tips? What did we miss? How do you use technology to nurture relationships that help you and others be successful?
In a recent episode of Indie Business Podcast, I sat down with Tiffany McCauley, the incredibly devoted and diligent mind behind the popular Gracious Pantry website. Not only did Tiffany and I discuss some of her recipes, but Tiffany also shared a bit about her journey to better health through “clean eating.”
Not only has she lost 59 of the 114 pounds she’s aiming to lose, but she is also off of her blood sugar medication and hopes to soon be able to ditch the high blood pressure pills too. This was a holiday show from last month, but the principles Tiffany and I discussed apply all year long. Sit back and enjoy super tips and ideas to help you improve your life by improving your diet.
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Tiffany, and to put her tips to work in your life right away, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Tiffany and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- Reinvention (2:00)? Before Tiffany and I got into the aspects of clean eating, she shared some of the emotional challenges she faces on her fitness journey, and how she changed her professional career more than once before settling on her current passion, which is also her business. This is a super segment if you need some encouragement and confirmation about the kind of dedication it takes to get a new business off the ground.
- Holiday celebrations shouldn’t last forever (8:30). Tiffany reminds us that a holiday should never last a whole season. After all, it’s Christmas day, not Christmas month. It’s a birthday, not a “birthweek.”
When not enjoying the actual holiday celebration itself, you should choose healthier options. “Preparation is the biggest key to success where eating is concerned,” she says. Enjoy your treats, but make sure your meals include good tasting foods made with lower fat ingredients. (See below.)
Love this quote from Tiffany: “You have to know what you’re going to eat ahead of time. Otherwise, you’ll just eat what’s there.” (So true!)
- Substitutions (11:47). Tiffany shared a few substitutions you can use for higher fat ingredients: substitute grapeseed oil or olive oil for other types of oil. Bake, instead of fry, as much of your food as you can — baking requires less fat to cook food. Replace some of the fat in some baked goods with pureed bananas. Use a combination of grapeseed oil and unsweetened apple sauce to sweeten baked goods. Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour.
Don’t miss the part at 15:00 where Tiffany offers tips to convert your favorite calorie laden sweet potatoes into something healthy and delicious, how to liven up your oatmeal, some smoothie ideas (with spinach?), and also, what she thinks of sugar substitutes of all kinds. (Hint: the term “chemical surprise” involved.)
And in case you’re wondering, the graphic above is Tiffany pictured with her brand new Clean Eating Four Bean Chili — get the recipe here.
About Tiffany McCauley
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Tiffany McCauley is a soon-to-be published cookbook author (January 8, 2012), and is currently pursuing a master’s degree as a registered dietitian. She publishes TheGraciousPantry.com and SkinnyCrockPot.com (which she co-authors with Gale Compton). Both blogs offer clean eating recipes, tips, weight loss support and encouragement. Follow Tiffany on Twitter here, and check out her website here.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Tiffany shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Tiffany tips and insights? Do you practice “clean eating?”
While the holiday season and start of a New Year can be an especially stressful time, small business owners manage an extraordinary amount of pressure all year long. But you don’t need to live in a constant state of overwhelm and anxiety in order to thrive in your life and your business.
Gina Rafkind, otherwise known as the “Anxiety Busting Guru” joined me on a recent Indie Business Podcast to share her best tips for overcoming anxiety and actually using stress in your life to reduce stress in your life. Yes, Gina says, it’s possible.
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Gina, and to put her tips to work in your life right away, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Gina and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- Form your business around yourself (2:30)? Before we got into the anxiety busting conversation, Gina shared a bit about her journey from a business that was bad for her to a one that is good for her. It all comes down, she says, to putting herself first. Gina recommends that you check your life and make sure that as you serve your customers, you don’t forget to serve yourself too! The desire not to let other people down can be overwhelming. Still you must make sure you don’t sacrifice yourself to please your customers.
- Practice conscious breathing (13:40). Here, Gina shares how to quickly (really quickly) go within yourself to notice what your body is saying to you. this is a fun exercise we do live on the show. Try it and notice the benefits! We also discuss the circuitous nature of negative feelings and how they can sabotage our progress to appropriate respond to our bodies.
- Value your values (11:47). In addition to conscious breathing, Gina says you can relieve stress and anxiety by identifying your core values and then situating your business around them. For example, as much as Gina loved her career as a hair stylist, it was not allowing her to enjoy her core value of “freedom.” Once she made this connection, she “did the hard work” (her words) of closing one business and opening a new one that she felt would provider her with freedom and work enjoyment simultaneously.
Of course Gina’s not suggesting (nor am I) that if you feel excessive stress and anxiety, you should close your business and open a new one. That was right for Gina, but your journey may lead elsewhere. It all starts with putting yourself first, knowing what you want, and then creating your business around that.
About Gina Rafkind
I like to call Gina the “Anxiety-Busting Guru.” She helps women establish new paths of “being” so they can enjoy their lives more. Through guided meditations, e-books, workshops, and transformational life coaching, Gina’s work helps women transform stress and anxiety into positive forces for good in their live, so they can have more fun and experience more success in buisness and in life. Follow Gina on Twitter here, and check out her website here. You can also connect with Gina at Indie Social.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Gina shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Gina’s tips and insights? Did you try the breathing exercise on the show?
Podcast No. 270: How To Reduce Stress and Anxiety In Your Life and Business Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadIn How To Control Your Growth and Don’t Break Your Life, I shared my insights based on 12 years in business about successfully integrating your need to build a profitable business with your need to build a business that is the right for your life.
These are two distinct things, but unless they are considered together, you could end up with a highly profitable business but no time to enjoy your life, or a great life plan, but not enough money to live it. When it comes to business, my definition of success is actively leading a business that’s designed to finance your unique lifestyle goals. How that looks will vary from person to person and from life to life, and that’s what Adelaide Lancaster and I discussed on a recent Indie Business Podcast episode.
Adelaide is the co-author of The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: Confessions of a Social Media CEO
- What’s in it for you (5:03)? While you’re probably used to asking this question when it comes to your personal relationships, you need to ask it for your business as well. Of course, you have to look at how your business will serve your customers, but in that process, remember to also ask how your business will serve you.
There are multiple ways to support yourself, and if you choose entrepreneurship, be aware of why you are making that choice. What do you want to get out of making money as a business owner that you cannot get out of making money by being employed in a traditional job. Knowing the answer to this question will help you choose an entrepreneurial path that will help propel you toward the kind of life that keeps you happy and satisfied.
- A “job” is a good thing (8:08). Traditionally, business has been defined in party by how many systems you have in place and how few employees you can hire to run those systems so you can maximize your efficiencies. OK, that’s all good stuff, and more power to businesses that run that way. We need them. But, says Adelaide, don’t let anyone tell you that your business doesn’t matter simply because it’s really a job you have created for yourself.
Today, she says, more and more people are deriving enormous amounts of personal pleasure and satisfaction from their work and their role as a small business owner. This flies in the face of the “auto-systematization of everything” kind of mindset. If you have created a business that you enjoy, and your hands-on role is personally and financially profitable, then more power to you for creating a means to leverage your best skills and talents to benefit your community and yourself.
- Be prepared for short-term consequences (9:43). I pulled my share of “all-nighters” in college and law school. I didn’t stay up all night every night, but for brief periods, I had no choice if I wanted to complete a project on time or study enough to excel on an exam. Business is much the same way. Says Adelaide, there will be times when you will have to work more and spend less time with family in order to do things like push through a customer order, open your new online store, or organize your marketing system.
“Your business will require you to do a lot of things you don’t necessarily want to do,” says Adelaide. The trick is to push through those times so your life can normalize again. You don’t want lead your business from one never-ending emergency project to another.
As you listen, be sure to catch the part beginning at 18:00 where Adelaide shares specific tips she uses herself that will help you embrace and organize your social media marketing efforts.
About Adelaide Lancaster
Along with her co-author and business partner, Adelaide is the founer of In Good Company, a community, business learning center and workspace for women business owners in New York City. In addition to her entrepreneurial ventures, she works as a consultant and business advisor. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post and MSNBC. Follow Adelaide on Twitter here, and check out her website here.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Adelaide shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Adelaide tips and insights? Is your company big enough, or is it too big, for you?
I have shared with you previously how managing my life and business from a specific mission-focused perspective has enhanced my life, and also, how New York Times best selling author Laurie Beth Jones helped me clarify my mission. This week, I was thrilled to welcome Laurie Beth as my guest on Indie Business Podcast.
Laurie Beth is the author of The Four Elements of Success: A Simple Personality Profile that will Transform Your Team
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Laurie Beth, and to put her insights to work in your business now, click here. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of some of the things Laurie Beth and I discussed.
- Are you a “Spiritreneur”. Laurie Beth defines a Spiritreneur as those who can answer “yes” to these questions:
(1) are you doing work that honors God?
(2) are you doing work that honors your gifts and talents?
(3) are you making a living full-time doing that work?If you answered, “yes” to all three, Laurie Beth defines you as a Spiritreneur.
- Understand your personality type. Laurie Beth analogizes the four physical elements of the universe to our personality types. The four elements are earth, wind, fire. Each, says Laurie Beth, is characterized by traits that are present in your personality. Knowing which elements are dominant and not dominant for you is key to creating your ultimate success.
Be sure to listen to his part of the show so you know the distinct characteristics of each element. It’s very enlightening to see how Laurie Beth helps you, as she says, “Tap into the creativity of the universe.”
- Laurie Beth’s mission statement formula. Laurie Beth offers a simple formula to help you create your life mission statement. She says to it should include “three verbs, a core value, and a tribe.” Think about how easy that is!
Using Laurie Beth’s formula helped me craft my mission statement: to empower and encourage women to maximize their potential through small business ownership.
You can do the same, and I can tell you from personal experience that having this laser focus has made all the difference in my life and my business.
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About Laurie Beth Jones
Laurie Beth is Laurie Beth Jones, management expert and business consultant extraordinaire, noticed that none of the personality/temperament profiles in the market today, none of them provided a tool that was simple, visual, intuitive, and powerful enough to create a shift in thinking as well as relating. So she developed The Path Elements Profile (PEP), which can be used in recruitment, placement, retention, team building, and customer relations as businesses transform many individuals into a harmonizing, humming force for good. Within the framework of the book will be scriptural examples as well as modern day business stories. Follow Laurie Beth on Twitter here, and check out her website here.
(I just noticed that some of Laurie Beth’s downloads are 50% off. I’m not sure how long this will last, so head on over and grab yours now!)
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Laurie Beth shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It can take up to a day for iTunes to feed my show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: Are you a Spiritreneur? How do you integrate your business and life mission to create a cohesive whole that serves others and accomplishes your own personal goals?
Podcast 264: Laurie Beth Jones On Clarifying Your Mission In Life and Business Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadFresh from running a marathon to help non-profit CARE fight global poverty with an emphasis on empowering women and girls with education, and maternal health and micro-finance resources, Ironman Eric Harr joined me to talk about making sure your social media outreach is ship shape.
I interviewed Eric when he was fresh back from completing IronMan Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii. He finished 40th overall, and the 7th American. This the most diff one-day event int he world, and Eric had a perfect day. Eric is the author of the newly released The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: Confessions of a Social Media CEO
To listen to my 30-minute interview with Eric, and to put his insights to work in your business now, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the play arrow. If you don’t feel like listening right now, here is a high level summary of what Eric and I discussed, with time stamps in case you want to scroll forward.
- “The first wealth is health” (3:00). Eric provides a short but pointed overview, and a challenge to all of us really, about how he has always pursued sport as a way to be healthy first and foremost. The first thing Eric does in the morning, he says, is kiss his kids and then immediately address his body. He is far more productive because his fitness comes first each day. Eric says that all the things you do to pursue a healthy lifestyle will benefit you in business.
Continue listening to this segment when Eric shares the three things he did to embrace the mindset he needed to be successful as an Ironman.
- Start at the beginning (5:17). Eric says you have to start with social media by asking the question, “Why?” Why are you involved on Twitter, or FaceBook, or whatever? Yes, social media empowers the individual like never before, so there’s no question that you should be involved in it. However, social media should drive specific business objectives. Eric says to first decide what your top three business objectives are, and then select the social media tools you will use to drive those goals.
- Go “old school” with new media (9:43). “Social media is not a media. It’s a human relationship,” says Eric. So many companies alienate people by trying to “message” them. Eric says to spend time school. Consider “Karen in Kansas,” Eric says in this segment. Spend time caring about and loving on people. If you do that, people will be drawn to you. When that happens, the business will follow.
As you listen, be sure to catch the part beginning at 8:00 where Eric shares specific tools you can use to measure: (1) how many people you are reaching using social media; (2) track how many people are actually clicking on your links; and (3) track how clicks are (or are not) driving sales.
Listen at 9:30 where Eric shares the one social media tool he recommends that everyone use!
Tune in at 17:10 for Eric’s advice on buying targeted FaceBook ads, and engaging in what he calls “like-gating.”
About Eric Harr
Eric is the host of the Social Media Minute, the author of The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: 8 Timeless Truths and 8 Monumental Truths, and an IronMan who believes that “Empowering women is unleashing the greatest power on Earth.” Don’t miss this amazing show where we’ll explore the mind of someone who has used social media to highlight his accomplishments and help others be healthier and more successful in life and in business. Follow Eric on Twitter here, and check out his website here.
And don’t forget to join Eric in his commitment to support CARE’s vision to help women around the world!
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Eric shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What do you think of Eric’s tips?
Podcast No. 261: Ironman Eric Harr And I Talk Social Media and Fitness Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadYou’ve heard me talk about consumer-business owners, that is, people who are at once consumers and business owners. They are consumers because they consume in a traditional sense. They have a traditional job, they buy things, they provide for their families. They are business owners because, in addition to a job, they also sell a product or service that provides for their families and supports the local, national and/or international economy. There was a time when consumers could be neatly categorized. They were not direct producers of anything, except for what they produced on behalf of an employer. That was then. This now.
Felicia Joy knows what I’m talking about. She’s the author of Hybrid Entrepreneurship: How the Middle Class Can Beat the Slow Economy, Earn Extra Income and Reclaim the American Dream
For a high level overview of what Felicia shared, read this post. If you’d rather go beyond reading and start applying, scroll to the bottom of this post, click the gray arrow, turn up the volume and enjoy my interview, using the time stamps to find what interests you most. You can use the link below to download the podcast to your favorite mobile device, or you can listen, download and subscribe via iTunes.
- Hybrid entrepreneurship as a philosophy (9:24). It’s no secret that banks and large companies are sitting on mountains of cash these days. Even though we bailed them out, they are not pumping anything to speak of into the economy, leaving it to us to fend for ourselves. Like me, Felicia believes that today’s small business owners are bailing this country out moment by moment, day by day. Imagine what would happen, she says, if everyone earmarked 10% of what we spend to patronize local businesses.
- Hybrid entrepreneurship as a strategy (11:15). Once you embrace the philosophy, it’s time to get busy figuring out what you will do to create your own business. To do this, Felicia suggests doing a “brain dump” of your talents and skills. Come up with a simple idea that can generate money by providing a needed product or service in your local community. Start there and begin working on a plan to start offering what you have for sale.
- Hybrid entrepreneurship mechanics (13:31). Felicia reminds us that it’s a process. If you have a traditional job, you’ll want to make sure you divide your work time based on whether you are working for yourself or your employer. This separation is important for your own peace of mind and to make sure that you are meeting your end of the agreement you have with your employer. (This important point was also addressed in my interview with Rhonda Cook on How to Leave Corporate America.
- Be flexible (14:50). Felicia shared the story of her first business, a social networking site that had the phrase Wall Street in it. It attracted people until the market tanked, after which point no one wanted to be a part of anything related to “Wall Street.” Ever the flexible business woman, Felicia re-grouped and formed Ms. CEO. The point is that you have to plant the seed, and then water, work and tweak it until you find the right target customer for you.
Don’t miss the part starting at 17:05 where Felicia discusses how important it is to be prepared to run your business in what I call a “constant state of beta.” This is an important point that many new entrepreneurs overlook.
About Felicia Joy
Felicia Joy is the founder and CEO of Ms. CEO in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys sharing her insights with others as a marketing and small business instructor at Emory University. Felicia is also a speaker to diverse audiences nationwide on personal transformation and entrepreneurial success. She has been featured on CNN, FOX, ForbesWoman and Black Enterprise. Visit Felicia’s website and follow him on Twitter here.
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Felicia shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Click here to listen at Blog Talk Radio
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: Are you a hybrid entrepreneur? What do you think of Felicia’s tips?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have watched some kind of makeover show. Whether its fashion, homes, makeup or weight loss, reality shows depicting the makeover process are very popular. I recently interviewed Gil Effron, author of How to Give Your Business an Extreme Marketing Makeover
For a high level overview of what Gil shared, read this post. If you’d rather go beyond reading and start applying, scroll to the bottom of this post, click the gray arrow, turn up the volume and enjoy my interview, using the time stamps to find what interests you most. You can use the link below to download the podcast to your favorite mobile device, or you can listen, download and subscribe via iTunes.
- Take inventory (4:04). Before you can change anything, you need to know what to change. Go into your “marketing closet” and see what’s there. How are you marketing your business? What’s working and what’s not working? Find one or two things you do regularly that are not working well, not producing results. Once you pinpoint a few items, move to the next step.
- Analyze the processes (5:21). Once you identify a few areas to work on, dissect each step. What are you doing? What results do you expect? What can be improved about what you’re doing so you can get better results? Look for what Gil calls, “points of constraint,” where there are inefficiencies hindering your goals — or just things that are slowing you down or taking up too much of your time for the results you are getting out of them. Once identify points of constraint, you can remove and move past them.
(It’s hard to describe this process in a vacum, but here’s a simple example, off the top of my head. Let’s say you have a great newsletter, but people are not subscribing. You spend hours each week getting it ready to publish, but the numbers are not going up. Take a look at the entire “subscribe” process and identify points of constraint. Maybe the subscribe link isn’t working, or maybe it’s hard to find on the page, or maybe it’s confusing so people aren’t using it. You may ask a few people what they think of the subscribe process, and use their feedback to help you improve it. This is a simple example, and I made it up. but hopefully, it illustrates Gil’s points.)
- Create your ideal process (9:00). The example above describes working backward from a goal (more newsletter subscribers) to evaluate current processes so they can be improved to achieve the goal. Duplicate the process over and over again (for example, place the newsletter subscribe link in prominent places across your websites). Maximize the value of each customer relationship, one by one.
- Create “good marketing” that supports the sales process (23:12). Gil defines “marketing” as “any activity that speeds shortens, streamlines or favorably influences the outcome of the sales process.” In the big picture, this definition includes just about everything business-related task you undertake. In our example, by placing the newsletter subscription link everywhere it makes sense to do so, you are creating efficiencies that feed directly into your sales process.
- Create a plan (26:55). Well, that sounds easy, but that’s what it boils down to. After all, all the knowledge in the world does no good unless it’s put to good use. Once you’ve followed this process for a few smaller things, you can use them for more intricate marketing processes.
It’s a challenge to summarize Gil’s points in text, but I do hope the above newsletter example helps a bit. To get the most out of Gils’ process, you really need to listen to the podcast and read the book.
About Gil Effron
Gil Effron is the author of How to Give Your Business an Extreme Marketing Makeover
How to Listen to the Show
This post contains my paraphrases of the information Gil shared. To hear it from the horse’s mouth yourself, listen to the entire 30-minute show using one of these options:
- Download it on iTunes. (It usually takes a day or two for iTunes to feed the show there.)
- Click on the arrow at the bottom of this post to listen now!
- Because I have not had a chance to load all of my shows to this blog, you can listen to hundreds of interviews from 2005 to 2010, each one as relevant today as it was when I recorded it, at my Indie Business Radio site.
Question: What makeover tips resonate most with you? Are you considering giving your business a marketing makeover? Or have you done so?
HOW TO: Give Your Business An Extreme Marketing Makeover (Audio Podcast) Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
