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true fans

Making It Start To Work by Identifying Your True Fans

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In part of last week’s post, I mentioned that if we’re going to be involved in digital marketing, we need to be aware of who our Raving or True Fans are.

The question was asked, how do you find who those people are?

This is a great question. So good, in fact, that I’m going to make this post all about answering that question.

 

What Makes a True Fan?

So real quick, if you’re not familiar with the phrase “True Fan”, let’s fix that real quick.

A True Fan is basically someone that will go out of their way to be involved in your work.

They’re the ones that, if you’re speaking for example, will travel 150-200 miles to hear you talk.

They will open up and read your emails.

True Fans are those that tell others about you all the time.

And, they’re the ones who self identify themselves as fans of your work.

So, really, these folks are people that believe in what you’re doing and want to be a part of it in anyway they can.

 

How Does Someone Become a True Fan?

A person becomes a true fan of yours when they feel that they’re engaged in what you’re doing.

That word “engaged” is the key.

How do you build engagement? One person at a time.

If someone takes the time to comment on a blog post, or emails you, or does anything else to reach out to you, answer them. And I don’t mean answer them with a “Oh, thanks!” sort of response. I mean give them a paragraph or two that brings them in further.

A better response to a compliment instead of “Oh, thanks!” would be “Oh, hey <sender>! Thanks for reaching out. Yeah, that <whatever they’re complimenting on> is so important to me. I’m glad you found some value in it! What’s your thoughts on <insert related topic>?”

If they respond, great! Keep going down that path with them.

One thing that I’ve found which has helped me is by finding out how I can add more value to them.

I mean, they might not become a True Fan in the end (we can’t control that) but if they respond, then we might have better insights of helping your real True Fans.

Always seek to improve others lives by letting them have a part in your work. Whether it’s through your art, products, or other services, find out what they want – don’t guess if you can help it.

 

Identifying True Fans

Active True Fans

So, we’ve gone over what true fans are and how people can become one. But how do you identify them?

Well, for one, I think you should know that there are two types of true fans. The first group is a bit more active in following your work. For example, they always share, comment on, or like posts on social media. They always open your emails. If you attend conferences, they’ll definitely come and talk to you.

Usually these folks make it abundantly clear that they’re listening to you.

They’re the ones who you can count on and they’re relatively easy to identify.

Do you know a few folks like this? Make note of their names, their likes and dislikes, and their contact info. Heck if you’re just starting out, perhaps a Google spreadsheet might be useful!

Keep engaging with them and finding more and more ways to add value to these folks.

Passive True Fans

Not all true fans are outspoken as those that I would call active. There’s a more passive variety that you might only hear from time to time or not at all.

But, they’re still engaging with your stuff on another level. They might buy all your products, or they’re telling their friends about what you do.

Many times these same people don’t have the time to follow all of your posts on social media or read all of your emails. Perhaps they’re busy in their own world.

The thing is you have no idea that they’re out there because they don’t usually self identify.

So how do you find this group of fans?

The number one easiest way is to give them the opportunity to raise their hand and say they are a true fan.

Perhaps this might be a special landing page for a separate email list that will allow them to get special news as MVP’s. Sure, you might be getting your active true fans in the list as well, but it’s easier to communicate with them then as well!

Also, consider a special Facebook Group (like I have for the AoL Podcast here). Just make sure that whatever you create, that you don’t leave it on automation too long. I’ve seen some groups start well and then the leader disappears after setting it on auto-pilot with another group member.

I’m sure there’s other ideas, but these are the ones that I use.

 

Action Steps

The key takeaway that I want you to get this week is for you to start building engagement. Only then can you build products and give services that you know people want.

Here’s the strategy in short:

Reach out and add value.

Find out who engages back with you readily and regularly.

And offer them extra value to become True Fans (MVPs?).

Let me know below how you you’ve reached out to your true fans below!

 

P.S. I didn’t speak too much about Twitter. But you can use tools like friendorfollow.com to see who’s following you. Or, if you want more functionality, check out Commun.it.

(Note: If you decide to use Commun.it – do so while knowing that some of the functions in it might be somewhat annoying to certain individuals. While I was playing with it, I got on certain people’s radars in a way that wasn’t necessarily the best way!)

Then, send some messages to those who are fans of you (they’re only following you) or you’re following each other. Let them know about your MVP list or group.

 

 

 

How to Grow Your Network and Start Setting Up Meetings TODAY

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Networking is vital to building your reach as a creator. Whether you’re starting a nonprofit, a business, or just wanting to build awareness of whatever else you might be doing, you’re going to have grow your network.

In this post, I’m going to share with you how you can start meeting like minded people today. This is the first step in building key relationships to help expand your community, audience, and/or business.

 

Get Started Locally

Many people in business are used to going to networking meetings in their local area. BNI, Toastmasters, and the Rotary are just a clubs you can meet other business owners. The great part about these particular clubs is that they’re everywhere.

There are a couple of places where you start looking for groups with similar interests to yours: meetup.com & eventbrite.com. The events that you might find might not be down the street, but they’ll be worth the drive.

For example, when I was first getting my feet wet when it came to entrepreneurship here in Indy, I would go to 3+ meetings a month where entrepreneurs could get together and discuss the newest and coolest things.

After a while, what I came to find out, especially here in Indy, was that I would tend to see the same people each week.

That’s great if what you’re looking to do is build solid foundational relationships. In fact, you might need to start there. However, after a while, the same people can only help you get your reach so far.

You need to keep meeting new people.

When you start feeling the itch to expand, it’s time to change things up.

 

Getting Out Of Your Town

Going to Conventions

For most industries, the way to meet people has been to gather in places where the leaders of the industries would gather. Conventions have been a part of history for a very long time. Maybe not to the extent that they are today, but they’ve been there.

When people think of conventions, they might think of something like Comic Con or CES. (Both are two that I want to check out before too long.)

I’ve been to my fair share of conventions. When the second trilogy of the Star Wars movies was coming out, I went to a Star Wars convention here in Indy called Celebration. A couple of years later, I went to a few trade shows, and then I started going to a series of business conventions.

Going to events like these – especially to those that you have a deep interest in topics discussed there – is one of the best feelings you can feel. I’m not sure how to entirely describe the feeling, but the best way that I can describe it is like going to a toy store (Toys ‘R Us for me) when you were in middle school.

You understand what it means to be there and there’s just so much potential of what could be.

The big difference between going to a toy store and going to a convention is that when you go to a convention, there’s other people there who are like you. They might have an audience already and doing what you want to do or they might be at your same level and have a missing piece to what you’re wanting to start.

Either way, conventions are a quick way to find people that understand you, think like you, and believe in what you’re doing as a creator.

 

Social Media:

While nothing can really replace the feeling of going to a convention, you can come close to the after effects (connecting with people) if you learn how to network on social media.

There’s a reason why you can max out your friends list on Facebook at 5000 people. Facebook really doesn’t expect you to really have that many deep relationships. However, they know there will be types of people who want to have as many connections as they can. Whether that’s for business or just for the heck of it, Facebook lets you do it.

So, if you’re a business owner or some other type of creator who wants to get their work known, don’t be afraid to network on Facebook.

For the last couple of years, ever since you had to pay for your page’s posts to reach more than 5% of your audience, groups have been making a huge comeback.

Luckily for you, there’s groups of all kinds.

If you want to build relationships outside of your town, you can start today. Just open up Facebook, search for something you’re interested in, find a group that looks somewhat alive, and then add value to the conversation.

Do that upwards of 20 some times (over a month) and people will know you provide value. Keep doing it over a few months, and you might actually start getting traction in that group as being a figure who knows what they’re talking about!

grow your networkAs Claude Errera of HBO said in session 72 of the podcast, It basically comes down to showing up.

As you’re engaging in those groups, feel free to add people as friends if they seem like they’re cool. Chances are they’ll accept and you can carry the conversation on outside of the group.

 

Making It Happen

Eventually you’re going to want to meet with people in person. Whether that’s face to face or through something like Skype, you’ll need to find a time to meet up with someone that you’ve started engaging with.

 

The Traditional Method:

When you’re looking to meetup with someone you’ve met outside of the usual events or groups you engage in, you might have an idea to send them an email to meet up. You send a few back and forth and you come up with a date and time to get together.

Then, you’re probably going to record it somewhere – unless you have a really good memory.

If you’re a busy person and have lots of meetings, or just like to keep track of things in a calendar, you might use one on your phone, computer, or perhaps online. For me, I use Google calendar for just about everything these days.

It wasn’t always that way. When I had a very repetitive schedule, I had no reason to use one.

Funny enough, I only started using a calendar when I had to start booking guests to interview on my podcast.

And now, I’ll just say it’s easier to write things down in a calendar then it is to try to remember all the events I have to be at or write them down on random pieces of paper.

A quick note: Always get the person’s email that you’re booking a meeting with. That way you can invite them through Google Calendar. This acts as sort of a confirmation that you’re actually putting it in your calendar. If they weren’t already, they’ll take you more seriously this way.

 

Automate It:

Since many podcasters have guests on their show like me, they have to set recording sessions on a regular basis.

Having to send multiple emails or messages and writing down the agreed upon date can take up a fair amount of time – especially if it’s repeated over and over.

To help gain back some of that time, there have been a few tools created over the years which can make this process much easier.

  • Calendly.com If you’re a host and you have a set schedule each week, then Calendly could definitely become one of your favorite tools. All you do is connect it to your Google calendar and let it know what types and length of meetings you’re wanting to do.
    After that, it will give you a link to share with people you want to meet with. Once you give it to them, they choose a time and you don’t have to have a trail of emails. Again, pretty handy if you have a set schedule each week!

 

  • Doodle.com This tool is one of my favorites because I have co-hosts who I work into the show whenever possible. It’s a solution for for more than 2 people.
    Instead of connecting this to your calendar, you manually pick a few dates and times you’re available to meet. Then, you share a poll with the other people you’re interested in meeting with. They vote on the times that they can get together and if a time has everyone match, that’s the one you choose to get together on.

There are other tools that are very similar to Calendly and Doodle, but I haven’t used them, so I can’t readily tell you the difference. Both of these do what I want them to do when needed!

 

Action Steps

Back in 2010 when I first started on my journey, groups on Facebook (or LinkedIn for that matter) weren’t as common as they are today. There’s literally no reason why you can’t start building your network today.

Here’s a few steps for you if you haven’t been leveraging Facebook to it’s fullest potential.

  1. Clean up your profile. Make it look like it’s a run by someone who cares about how they present themselves to the world. If it’s easier to start another “professional” account, then do that instead. Make sure it’s filled out so that you appear as if you’re real.
  2. Add 5 groups that you think are in your realm of expertise.
  3. Look for conversations you can add value to and do it. Don’t force yourself onto conversation you know nothing about. 😉
  4. After a couple of days of engagement, feel free to add up to five people from the group. If they ask you about a new account (provided you made one in step 1), let them know the truth – you’re original profile is too cool for the group! 🙂

Anyhow, hope that helps you build out your network guys. Let me know if you’re struggling. Remember, the more friends you have that are building the same types of things you are, the faster you all will get to where you’re going.

 

Bonus Video on Booking Yourself Solid:

If you want to set up more potential client meetings, head on over to Fizzle and check out the course by Book Yourself Solid guru Jason Billows.

Here’s an interview of him with Paul McManus to give you a taste of what he’s about:

Entrepreneur vs Employee

The Entrepreneur vs Employee Mindset: How We Must Think Different

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With the beginning of a New Year, comes new beginnings. One of my new beginnings that I’ll be starting is to write blog posts per month based on a particular theme. Not only will this help me curate material, but it will be a bit more organized for you guys.

I thought we’d start this month focusing on getting started and implementation of your new creation.

 

Using the Word Entrepreneur:

The first thing that we should focus on is that this: if you’re looking to create a lifestyle based on something you like to do and/or create, then you’re going to realize you are technically an entrepreneur.

The term entrepreneur simply means this:

a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

Many folks get hung up on that word business.

That word has several meanings.

When I use it, I think of definition 1:

an occupation, profession, or trade

Or more to the point – what we’re more concerned about here at New Inceptions – definition 3:

a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.

So just to set one thing finally straight. If you are creating something and building a lifestyle from the fruits of that creation, then you are an entrepreneur. It might not be a startup entrepreneur, or you might be doing it on your own (which makes you a solopreneur), but you are an entrepreneur. Personally, I’m a lifestyle entrepreneur and really, I always have wanted to be one.

 

Entrepreneurs Think Different

Do you remember the ad campaign of Apple’s back in the 90’s? It was called “Think Different”. Here’s one of their ads:

That campaign gave me shivers. It just made me smile everytime I saw it. It still does.

The majority of the folks in those commercials were entrepreneurs.

Sure, you had people like Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein in it – and while we don’t think of them as typical entrepreneurs, they were. They were what we call thought leaders. Which is one of the 10 archetypes of online business.

But how do they actually Think Different?

 

Differences in an Entrepreneur and Employee Mindset:

Most people in the world are employees if they’re not an entrepreneur. They have to make a living somehow, right?

And the truth is that you can be an employee at all levels – anywhere from a janitor to a scientist or government worker.

The same thing can be said about being an entrepreneur – from your neighborhood mechanic to your local startup business owner, all the way to your Steve Jobs and Elon Musk types of the world.

That said, each of the two groups thinks differently.

Here’s how:

 

Full Responsibility vs Limited Responsibility:

As a business owner, the buck stops with you. If anything goes wrong, it’s ultimately something you have to deal with. For example, if you have employees and your company doesn’t make as much as you would have liked, then you’ll pay them first and you get whatever is left.

On the other hand, if you have success, you’re going to be happier with it as the business is your baby. If you get a big client or land on a big show as a guest, you’re going to be happier about it than your employees might.

 

Emotion Scale:

Entrepreneur vs Employee

Taking responsibility into account, your emotions are going to be a bit more up and down as the business owner.

Keeping with the previous example, if you have employees and you won’t be able to pay them, you might feel really bad if you have to let some of them go. The more employees you have to let go, the worse you’re going to feel.

That said, if you’re suddenly interviewed by a big show host or get a big time client, you’re going to feel the high side of that emotion as well.

As an employee, your emotions don’t vary as much because your life isn’t going to change over time as much – even if you’re suddenly looking at having to get a new job. You’ll have unemployment income as you transfer – so it’s just a matter of getting that new job.

On the other hand, the greatest joy someone might have as an employee is the day they learn they got a new job.

 

Constant Uncertainty vs Constant Stability

As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly struggling to make sure you have money to cover your overhead and make profits to potentially build your company and pay yourself.

There’s ways to mitigate that struggle, but in the great scheme of things – your control of it is as likely as you controlling the weather.

Sure, you can plan for the market to act a certain way, but if there’s a sudden change in technology that makes your company obsolete or someone ends up doing something better than you do, then you’re going to have to figure out how to change course quickly.

Otherwise you’re going to go the way of Circuit City, Blockbuster, and other companies that are no longer around

On the employee side, your contract with your employer basically states that your wage stays the same no matter what. Well, I take that back. You might actually get a bonus. Point being is that you have a safety net.

Many people who have chosen to be an employee have done so because of this stability factor alone.

 

Value Economy vs Time Economy

The reason why Circuit City, Blockbuster, and other big companies have had to shrink is because they’re not valued by the market as much as they once were.

As an entrepreneur, this is the world you live in. You’re thinking about how you can bring more and more value to your audience and/or customers. You do this through selling better products and/or services. The more value you give, the more income you get.

As an employee, you’re not selling services or products – you’re selling yourself. You’re trading your actual time for money.

You only have so much time you can trade away so if you want more money as employee, the more of a specialist you want to be so there’s a need for your skills. That’s why it makes sense for those who want to be employees to go to college – especially if they want to focus in something that is in a STEM field.

 

Take Action

So now that you have this new perspective, think about it a bit before you jump into one or the other.

For me, I know I hate the idea of selling my time. I’d rather be paid by the job or by my value. Even when I had a job, I’d have a better work ethic than those around me and I often found myself being given more work to do. Not cool.

Also, I personally think that signing my income over to someone else is more risky than seeking my own income.

As I’ve mentioned before, working for one company for the rest of your life is a thing of the past. This is why I say people need to realize that it’s better for yourself to at least treat your career as a consultant would. That way when you’re forced to go to the next job, you’re not surprised.

For more information on this topic, you can listen to my conversation with Dr. Joe Albano here.

Generational Marketing: How to Connect with Millennials

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Last week we discussed how Millennials should and can become the next Greatest Generation.

Our generation is full of leaders. It’s just a matter of realizing whether you are one or… a victim.

Whether you’re part of the Hero Generation or the Lost Generation.

If you’re part of the Hero Generation and see yourself as a leader, then you’re going to have to build a following. You can’t be a leader if no one is following you!

So how do you build that following?

In today’s post we’re going to talk about that a bit. And hopefully, once you’re done with this post, you’ll have a little more idea of how to communicate more with other future leaders.

The Past Can Teach Us So Much

Last week I talked a bit about how the Greatest Generation is all about principles vs ego. They sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Whether it was for their families or for their country, in their heart, they knew their sacrifice was worth it.

This past weekend I was watching CBS Sunday Morning and there was a very pertinent story to all of this.

It was a story of a community coming together to put together an old B-29… to preserve history and give a tribute to those in their community who had done so much for the country.

If that isn’t a feel good story, I don’t know what is.

Find More Context by Seeking More Answers

If you had seen this video on Facebook or YouTube, there’s a number of things you could have done after viewing it. Many folks will watch this and think “Awww!” or “Cool.” and go on with life – continuing on with whatever they were doing or maybe watching another YouTube video.

If you’re like me, that video might actually stick with you a bit more. You might have wanted to get more context about it.

You might have wanted to find out more about the project and how it came together. Maybe find out more about how they pulled the B-29 out of desert, or maybe learn more about Witchita being a capital for producing the aircraft.

These are all big questions.

They’re all forms of “How was this done? If I was wanting to do something like this, how would WE do this?”.

Because really, from the it’s very beginning, the story of Doc, the B-29, was a product of a community.

Leaders are always asking questions that come in the form of “How can I get a group of people to do a certain activity? How can I call them into performing a certain action?

Connection is a Big Deal For Millennials

Comradery and a sense of being connected and contributing to the planet and having vulnerable intimate contexts to be celebrated and creative in is empowering for young leaders and people in general.

Can I also like be alone at times? Is that okay or do I not fit in? If you’re a millennial you couldn’t possibly enjoy solitude. What about the moments that I’m sitting on a mountain or swimming down the river alone. Appreciating life.

I have no interest in community. I’m not gonna be like “Oh thank goodness.” I have no interest in being part of a community without context, and also just because I want to be part of a community doesn’t mean I want it to define me. But then again maybe I’m just special.

When I was in college, I was part of several student run organizations. I got to see up close how much community and volunteerism meant to our generation.

If you’re identifying yourself as a leader, then you’re going to have to learn how to influence others.

In my last post I mentioned that you could study up on creating influence by reading books by John Maxwell. If you took that advice and clicked the link on the last post, you probably realized that there were TONS of books to read.

I’m sure some of them might have seemed interesting, but where do you get started? Which one is for the novice? Which one is a good intermediate option… and so on?

I have several recommendations – and I could tell you which one would make more sense for your particular situation. But I don’t know you – yet. (Feel free to say hi on Twitter!)

But there’s definitely an underlying thing you MUST know when reaching out to Millennials.

As adults, believe it or not, we are not egocentric. We’re all about helping each other while helping ourselves. That’s why the Sharing Economy has blossomed as much as it has.

But why is that?

Just like the Greatest Generation, it’s part of who we are.

The Pendulum Theory – We’re Now a We Society

Our millennial generation – which the Hero Generation is a part of – is part of a larger 40 year cycle.

One can think of his cycle through the movements of a Pendulum – going back and forth between two extremes. The We and the Me.

We are currently heading towards the We extreme. We know this because for the longest time, people took refuge in having things simply to have them.

The Boomer generation is/was all about collections. Having certain things meant having certain status. It was all about Me.

You can’t blame them, though. Many of them and their parents came from a time of forced scarcity. While minimalism is something that many millennials subscribe to, it is a form of scarcity – and there lies yet another example of this cycle.

Anyhow, here’s some resources to further educate yourself on the movement of the Pendulum:

Michael Drew, Pendulum co-author, on TEDx:

Pendulum co-author Roy Williams on Glenn Beck (pt 1):

Pendulum co-author Roy Williams on Glenn Beck (pt 2):

Other Examples of the Ever Moving Pendulum

In Roy’s conversation with Glenn linked above, one of the things that he gets a chance to show towards the end of the conversation is how he’d change one of his most famous commercials from the late 80’s.

It’s really fascinating to see how you can do that.

Here’s a few more of his examples in how things have changed in popularity over the years:

This brings us to…

How Donald Trump Got Elected As President

One thing that has definitely been on many people’s minds since last week is the results of the election. Many people thought Hillary was going to win. But now they’re having to come to terms with Donald Trump becoming our next president.

Currently there’s tons of protests against the results – and it’s easy to understand. Trump is a prime example of the Me side of the pendulum swing.

Millennials who are completely “We” are going to fight that tooth and nail. Especially if they took what he said during the campaign litterally.

However, those same millennials are forgetting how he actually campaigned. He campaigned as part of being in the We. His slogan was “Make America Great Again”, and that completely spoke to those who feel like they’ve been forgotten for the last 8 years. He got elected not because what he was supposed to represent, but because of what could be representing. His supporters took the words he said seriously, not literally.

In fact, it seems to me that many “rust belt” counties that voted for Obama in 2012 voted for Trump in 2016.

And if those numbers aren’t enough for you, here’s what Trump means to many of his supporters from around the country:

Action Steps:

So, what to take from all of this?

Understand that whatever marketing tactics you learned about in 2006 don’t apply anymore.

If you really want to connect with millennials, think and talk to them as if you’re coming from a place where everyone needs to fight the good fight. They want camaraderie. They want to feel other people are with them. So it doesn’t make sense to focus on making one person stand above everyone else.

Make people feel like they’re part of something larger than what they already. If you can do that as if you’re starting a “movement”, you’ll have more success with that than not.

BONUS: If you want to check out the entire hour and a half footage of Doc, the B29 getting off the ground for the first time, here’s that footage.

JoeWoo Career Path

Joe “JoeWoo” Rychalsky: Helping Others Find Their Right Career Path by Being the Example (AoL 061)

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When it comes to getting started making a living on something you love to do, it can be hard to determine where to be begin. For many of us, we will have many interests and we’ll try to involve all of that into what we’re doing.

Depending on how exactly you do that, you can have one of two results. It can either differentiate you from the pack, or, what tends to happen most of the time, is that you spread yourself too thin when it comes to others understanding how you can help them.

So, the trick, is to fixate on one segment of your life like today’s guest, Joe “Woo” Rychalsky has done.

Joe has many interests that he could have pursued as a business. But he didn’t. Instead, he decided to take it upon himself to help others do something he wasn’t able to – find and fit into the right job and career for them.

Trying to find that niche that you can help others with can be tough, and there’s a lot riding on the decision we finally make. So, in this chat we’re going to help you make that decision by walking you through his story of becoming a coach and what all he has considered while making the decision to help others figure out their dream career.

We’ll also talk about what you need to look for when choosing your own coach, and we briefly talk about his podcast entitled The JoeWoo Career and Life Show.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What gave Joe the mind of a creator. 6:41
  • Which parent did he strive to please growing up and how. 9:09
  • What went into Joe choosing his major in college? 11:52
  • How well did Joe survive as a square block in a circle hole? 14:13
  • Was realizing that he wanted to be a career coach a single moment or a series of moments? 15:18
  • What did it take for him to make the transition from working in the corporate world to becoming a career coach? 17:13
  • What kind of clients does Joe like working with? 24:04
  • What need is he solving with his courses? 27:11
  • What do people need to look for when searching for a coach that can help them with a particular issue? 29:31
  • What’s the difference between a therapist, a psychologist, and a coach? 31:14
  • How Joe knocks people out of patterns that he sees. 33:52
  • How does someone go about becoming a coach themselves if they’re interested? 35:38
  • What’s the purpose behind Joe’s podcast? 38:19
  • What’s Joe’s interview style? 45:05
  • What are some of the things that Joe’s looking forward to in 2016. 49:47
  • 3 of Joe’s Favorite Podcasts 51:53
  • What he would do as his 10 year old self if all his memories were intact? 52:27
  • What is something he believed as a 35 year old and doesn’t believe it anymore. 52:57
  • What is one thing that costs under $100 that changed his life? 53:43
  • What does it mean to live a life of abundance? 55:43
  • What are three steps that someone could take to change their career? 56:51
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Don’t Let Your Career Be Like Groundhog Day:

Why It’s Important to Prepare:

How to Store and Save Your Resume:

What Joe Got out of his Firewalk Instructor Training:

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

online content marketing

Felipe Frietag: Business Pivoting, Focus, and Online Content Marketing Done Right (AoL 057)

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Of course you’re worried about your business idea. Of course you don’t want to put all the time and effort into building a business only to realize there was a mistake built into the idea that will forever stunt it’s growth.

But how do you know if something that comes along is better than what you were already doing?

How do you know it’s time to put something that you poured into onto a shelf, say “It’s not working as well as I’d like.” and start doing something else?

In today’s session, content artist, Felipe Frietag talks about how he essentially stumbled onto the business he has today.

Even though that’s not what he started off doing. In fact, he started off as a trainer and coach.

We talk about his artwork, when he knew it was time to pivot, why he’s focused on providing his particular type of service, and what counts as good content marketing.

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

 

  • What’s a Brazilian education like and what was his experience with it? 7:22
  • What made him want to set out on his own? 10:16
  • What were some of his first attemps at creating his own business? 11:47
  • The first time he was inspired by hearing a story of a successful entrepreneur. 17:18
  • What gave him the idea that his drawings were something that was needed in market? 19:54
  • How long does it take for him to do one drawing and what’s the process like? 22:14
  • What kind of flexibility has he received by just focusing on one area of his business? 28:39
  • Why do people need content marketing in the first place? 30:27
  • What are some examples of bad content marketing? 33:38
  • What’s makes his drawings different than the “hand animations”? 41:26
  • How he believes he can leverage the success that he has with the drawings. 45:27
  • Who are his top 3 favorite influencers? 47:59
  • What are his top go to podcasts? 50:20
  • Something he believed as a 25 year old but now thinks is wrong and why? 54:00
  • What Felipe believes all high school students should start practicing. 55:44
  • What does “living a life of abundance” mean to him? 57:13
  • What are some steps that someone can take to find a business they should be working on if they’re struggling with one they currently have. 58:49
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Felipe’s Notes on SPI Podcast 224


Notes for GaryVee on scaling


GaryVee on long form content marketing


Brené Brown on Vulnerability

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

 

personal freedom

Are you a Brick or a Stone? Personal Freedom is A Decision

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This week I’m going to be releasing a very special interview of myself and Daniel’s. The guest is Dane Maxwell, formerly known as the guy who has helped numerous people build their own SaaS (Software as a Service) based businesses through a program called “The Foundation”.

If you’re not familiar with Dane, check him out on one of Pat’s “early” podcasts via this link. This interview was a game changer (and still is!) for many online entrepreneurs.

The election process is something that a lot of people take for granted. But in the US, we shouldn’t ever forget how many people have fought for what we have today.

Unfortunately, the powers that are in control in society – especially the media and the federal government – have led many of us to believe we’re only capable of what others say we are.

If you look at both sides of presidential ticket, one side says we need more protection from all the bad things in the world, while the other one says that we need protection from all the challenges that we might face in the world.

Either way you look at it, the Federal Government is trying to tell us we need more of it in our lives.

In return they’ll give us liberty to live a peaceful life and just keep doing what we’re doing.

But is it really so simple?

We’re All Stones Treated as Bricks

I recently heard an analogy about how the world is trying to make us copies of each other. Like we’re being made into bricks to be the infrastructure of this society. We all conform into a certain code of conduct.

And we do. Especially those of us who are products of higher forms of formal education.

It’s what our school system trains us to be. Teach to the test, not the individual.

Sure this is fair treatment, but is it the best treatment?

I don’t think so. Not everyone is the same naturally.

Instead of bricks, we’re more like stones. Some of us are big, some are small. Some have weird angles and yet others are made of different materials.

You can still build with stones… but not as easily as you can with bricks.

It’s easy to understand why working with brick might be more preferable by a craftsman (or in the real world, the top 1% of the top 1%). They want the easiest way to build something that has a strong structure.

But value of the end result isn’t going to be as high as if stones were used.

With bricks, you just place each one on top of each other until you have the form you want and put a roof on it. With stones, you have to strategically think about how each stone fits into the building.

Like Glenn, when I see a stone house, I admire the work that went into it.

Can You Be a Stone once You’ve been Trained as a Brick?

When it comes to people, I believe so. We’re never truly bricks. We’re just treated that way.

That’s really what New Inceptions is all about. Helping people who think they’re bricks “refind” their uniqueness. Their own perfect spot in the world.

When it comes to finding your spot, Dane wants us all to know about our individual worth and value. We are valued for who we are and our contributions to helping others.

You might have heard that he’s becoming a musician to get that message out. Further than he could with The Foundation.

His songs are meant to help people feel loved and appreciated for who they are. Here’s a glimpse:

I recommend subscribing to his newsletter to get the rest of his new songs.

But yes, it takes a lot of work to find what makes you unique and realize you’re a stone.

Exercising Your Personal Freedom

Here’s the deal. You, like me, or even Dane, are not defined by your past.

We don’t have to always be the person that everyone sees us as.

Perhaps society and your education would make you believe otherwise, but really your future does not rely on who you’ve been or what you currently think of myself.

Heck, just yesterday Maria let me know of a guy who killed himself over the pressures of what was going on in his life. From what I understand, he turned to alcohol and other means of blocking out the pain. And eventually it got to him. You really have to feel for his family and the grief that he caused them.

But yet, I’m sure he felt stuck.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

As Sandra Bellamy said in session 50 of the podcast, you need to embrace your quirkiness. Or as I would simply put it, you need to exercise your personal freedom.

How do you do that?

Well, besides what Sandra suggests, I’d become familiar familiar with the 5 Obstacles of Personal Freedom. Start with health because you can’t really help people if you don’t have the energy to.

With it being October of 2016, I want to make sure you’re aware of the fifth one.

You need to know what liberties are currently granted to you in your country. Essentially these are the rules that you have to play by.

If you’re like me, you’ll want to fight to keep things as free as they are. The more liberties governments gives their people, it’s usually done through taking away something else that we weren’t aware of.

Remember that the Constitution is all about what powers the government has – not what liberties it gives us. The government should work for us, not the other way around.

And currently it’s looking more and more like we’re bricks working for it.

Wrap Up

As you’re hearing this heavy pounding of political ads this month in the US, I want you to remember the difference between Personal Freedom and Personal Liberty.

Personal Liberty is the “playing field” that the outside world gives us. Personal Freedom is the freedom you give yourself to be the natural you in that space.

Familiarize yourself with which candidates talk about giving you more freedom. Not necessarily those who talk about “being fair”. Brick makers are usually the ones who talk about strong “education” and treating each other as “equals”.

With the internet, you can educate yourself. Educate yourself to be the best version of you and not what formal education teaches you is “important”.

Also, we shouldn’t judge people by what their demographics are. We should judge them based on their character and their actions – if at all. No one person is inherently better than the next.

Not a person who owns 16 profitable businesses or a person who has a spark of a dream.

Now, get out there and meet some other stones!