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Episode 49: Just Show Up! | Photographer Chris Carlson from the Associated Press

Chris Carlson has done photography in more than 40 different countries covering some of the world’s greatest sporting and political events. He’s been involved in the business a long time but attributes his consistency and reliability to be one of the keys to his success. Learn how to just show up in Episode 49 of the Defining Success Podcast.

Chris Carlson has been a staff photographer at the AP in Southern California for the past 6 years, Prior to that, he has been on the staff of the Orange County Register where he shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage. During his career, he has been on assignment in over 40 countries.

Chris’s family was in the newspaper business. Early on he realized his spelling was so bad that the only way he could stay in the newspaper business was by becoming a photographer. Like any field you get into, you have to hone your craft. Chris was very lucky to work with people who were very skilled. Many people took Chris under his wing and helped develop him into a world class photographer.

When Chris started in photography, there was a huge delay between the time he took a picture and the time he had it developed. In some cases it was several hours. Now, photographers know very quickly whether or not they have shot something great or not and they have the ability to take more if they are not happy with what they’ve shot. Twenty years ago photographers were not as lucky because if they took bad shots, they would not be able to recognize this until hours later and in some cases this meant the opportunity was gone for good.

In photojournalism, they have deadlines and now the deadlines have sped up excessively.

One thing that Chris thinks many people in photography may not realize is the way that professional photographers are able to effectively use lighting to create a better picture. The average person would be able to look at a picture and say it’s beautiful, but the professional photographer would be able to understand why the picture looks beautiful. A good photographer can take any situation and make it look like it was shot with photo studio lighting.

Some people get into journalism because they want to get into the world. Chris got into journalism because he wanted to see the world. Being a photographer has given Chris the opportunity to see how the world has unfolded before him.

One of the best assignments Chris ever had was the 2007 U.S. Open where Tiger Woods won in a 19 hole playoff and watching him make a put on the 18th hole to force a playoff was probably the most exciting thing he had ever seen. Watching the crowd react and watching Tiger’s reaction and seeing how competitive that day was was amazing. And he felt very fortunate that photography was the vehicle that gave him the opportunity to witness the experience in person.

A lot of pressure comes from being a photographer. Chris works hard to capture special moments, but sometimes many factors can contribute to the missing of a moment which can be lost and gone forever if he doesn’t capture it as it’s happening. The stress of capturing these events can be a burden. Over time the stress of having to capture that one moment can weigh on you a bit.

Chris attributes his success to luck, good decisions, hard work and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, something happens that you couldn’t plan for and in his case he feels very lucky. Somebody once told Chris that a key to success is just showing up. If you show up and do work you’re already ahead of your competition. He looks at his colleagues that are very successful, he sees that it’s because they have a very strong work ethic.

One of the biggest mistake Chris has made was that he didn’t know if he enjoyed it enough in his time. He wonders if when he retires if he’s going to say that he enjoyed it enough while he was doing it.

Working at the Associated Press, Chris feels fortunate that they cover big stories and the one event Chris wants to go to that he hasn’t yet is the Masters Golf Tournament. Every year Chris covers the Kraft-Nabisco women’s golf tournament events which conflicts with the Masters, but he hopes he can make it to the Masters.

Chris has done countless brush fires, earthquakes, civil unrest. He was on the presidential campaign with President Obama and he’s done the Iowa Caucus and recommends that if anyone has an interest in politics that they should visit Iowa during that time because they are all very knowledgeable about politics.

If you’re interested in becoming a photographer you need to decide what kind of photography you’d like to do and then position yourself to be able to do that. Sometimes it means starting at the high school level and hone your skills to build up to the big time. Photography is incredibly competitive and in order to be successful you must love photography and if you have a good work-ethic, you’ll have a chance to be a good photographer.

When they started introducing digital cameras, your competition grew and the ability to make a living in photography is a lot tougher than it used to be.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What does it take to make a great picture?
How important do you think being reliable is to business?
Would people say you just show up?

Links to Great Stuff:

AP Images – “AP Images gives you access to the world’s largest collections of historical and contemporary photographs, so you have all the imagery you need, right when you need it. AP’s timely, powerful and informative images cover topics ranging from breaking news and sports to business, entertainment, weather, fashion, travel, royalty-free, rights-managed, microstock and more. You can purchase the images you need immediately on our site or set up a subscription service with your sales representative. And with our new API delivery method, you get images in a more flexible, fast and reliable way, within your own interface. AP’s Assignment & Publicity Services is also ready to assist you with start-to-finish planning, execution and distribution for all your promotional needs.”

The International Center of Photography – “The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to the practice and understanding of photography and the reproduced image in all its forms. Through our exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach, we offer an open forum for dialogue about the role images play in our culture. Since our founding, we have presented more than 500 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image within our comprehensive educational facilities and archive.”

MSNBC – Pictures of the Week – “NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and visually engaging stories on your platform of choice. NBC News Digital features world-class brands including NBCNews.com, tv.msnbc.com, TODAY.com, theGrio.com, NBCLatino.com, NBCPolitics.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Rock Center, Dateline, Newsvine, Breaking News, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these respective properties. We provide something for every news consumer with our comprehensive offerings that deliver the best in breaking news, segments from your favorite NBC News shows, live video coverage, original journalism, lifestyle features, commentary and local updates. NBC News Digital reaches an audience of more than 58 million unique visitors who generate more than 1.2 billion page views and 140 million online video streams each month.”

New York Times – Lens Blog – “Photography, Visual and Video Journalism.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is balancing my career, my family life, my social life and my future.”
“I got into journalism because I wanted to see the world.”
“The one thing that separates amateur photographers from professional photographers is the way they handle light.”
“Photography is about capturing the moment.”

Special Requests:

Engage with us on Facebook, Twitter and leave reviews on the Defining Success Podcast in iTunes.

Episode 48: Tap Into an Existing Audience | Shark Tank Podcast Host – TJ Hale

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In Episode 48 of the Defining Success Podcast, TJ Hale, host of the Shark Tank Podcast shares how he got the idea for starting his podcast and why he decided to name his show the Shark Tank Podcast. Learn how you can tap into an existing audience to build a larger audience faster in this episode.

TJ Hale

TJ Hale is host of the Shark Tank Podcast. The Shark Tank Podcast is a place where you can come and listen to entrepreneurs tell the whole scoop. Details regarding their business, what really happened on the show, failures, setbacks, big wins, and in some cases what its like partnering with a multi-millionaire/billionaire investor.

TJ Hale was a commercial real estate broker and did some really big deals in the real estate business and when the economy changed he changed he knew he needed to change directions. He then moved into the tech arena and as he was working in the tech business, a good friend of his was experimenting with some online marketing. His friend continued to come up with ideas, but they never lasted very long and TJ kept making fun of him for his many failed ventures and his friend challenged him, asking him to give it a try. They then decided to hold each other accountable.

TJ began by doing research and learned that he thought he was best suited for podcasting. He then Googled how to do a podcast and decided to start the Shark Tank Podcast with its built-in audience and became very successful early on. By learning how to tap into an existing audience, TJ set himself up for success.

The Shark Tank Podcast was chosen by TJ because he knew that any online venture would take time before he could be seen as an expert . . . unless he could tap into an existing audience. He knew that by tapping into the audience of the Shark Tank he could be successful from the beginning.

TJ has learned a lot since he started his podcast. One of the things he’s been most amazed by is the willingness of people to provide information and to be helpful. One story he recalls comes from Cliff Ravenscraft who discusses about a podcast he started around the T.V. Show Lost. The first season he invited some friends over to watch the show and the next season he had to rent out a hotel ballroom in order to meet the demand for a viewing party. TJ likes talking to people and there is something about podcasting that he had a large enough impact that people were willing to buy a plane ticket to fly out to attend his viewing parties.

One thing TJ would change about his progress so far would be getting involved in Facebook. Early on he was very anti-Facebook, but he quickly learned that it was a great tool to connect with his listeners. TJ didn’t start on Facebook until a month ago and he’s glad he did because it changed his whole universe.

If you’re a beginning business person you need to talk to experts. Social media makes it so easy to connect with people.

TJ came from a family that was very skeptical and many people who are using social media are using it in a very sales promotional way which is not how social media should be used, but it turns many people off. When done the right way, social media can have tremendous benefits to any business.

The Shark Tank Podcast started it during Season 4 and this is the first season that he’s been able to interview people as soon as they’ve come off their show. He’s able to ask a lot of great questions to entrepreneurs about their experiences on the show.

The podcast features Shark Tank entrepreneurs and many people who are successful in the Shark Tank of life. The key to success is to continue striving right at the time of success. We focus on many of the negatives and the whole goal is to make us people of significance and not of success.

One of the coolest things that has come about because of the Shark Tank Podcast is that there are now numerous projects starting up to help small business owners. They are now trying to do community level Shark Tank events called the Guppy Tank and they’re doing all sorts of similar shows with many local people involved in the show. The compounding effect on small business is incredible.

There is a lot of great info to help people start a podcast because there are a lot of unknowns. If you plan on starting a podcast, you need a good microphone, but the rest you can do very inexpensively.

TJ Hale

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What existing audiences are available that you could tap into for your business?
What Facebook pages do you think are done extremely well?
What’s the best power connection you’ve made through social media?

Links to Great Stuff:

The Shark Tank Podcast – TJ Hale is the host of the Shark Tank Podcast. Shark Tank is the best reality show on T.V. & a great way for entrepreneurs to get valuable insight from extremely successful sharks. TJ helps take the Shark Tank experience to take the next level on the Shark Tank Podcast.
Cliff Ravenscraft – My goal is to help you create valuable and engaging podcasts that are so compelling that people will want to engage with you and your brand. Allow me to help you save hours, weeks, months or even years of research. Having the correct equipment and using it in the right way determines not only the quality of your podcasts, but how well your podcast converts listeners into subscribers and creates an engaged community.

Success Quotes:

“Success is that I’m the one who determines my own level of control in my life and I don’t surrender that to anyone else.”
“The nice thing about a podcast is that people do trust you.”
“If you’re thinking about doing something, just go out and do it. The worst that can happen is you screw up. Big deal.”
“If you want to be someone who is not just successful but also significant you’re going to put the time in offering value before you get anything in return.”
“You’re best thinking got you to where you are today.”
“People have great ideas all day long. It’s the one they choose to execute and how they choose to execute them that determines their success.”
“So many people are using social media the wrong way it gave me a bad taste in my mouth. It’s been incredibly valuable using it the right way.”
“I didn’t start on Facebook until a month ago . . . it’s changed my whole universe.”
“You’re offering it for free . . . you’re not selling it. You become someone they trust and like to associate with.”
“You’re someone they’re willing to put in their ears while they’re blasting their pecs at the gym.”
“If you’re going to start an online venture, it’s going to take you a while to become established as an expert if you don’t already have that customer base built-in.”
“In the Google Age you can teach yourself to do just about anything.”

Shark Tank Podcast

Episode 46: Real-Time Marketing | Author David Meerman Scott

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David Meerman Scott is a marketing strategist, advisor to emerging companies, best-selling author of eight books including three national best-sellers, and a professional speaker on topics including marketing, leadership, and social media. In Episode 46 of the Defining Success Podcast, David shares his ideas on real-time marketing and how you can use real-time marketing to help your business grow.

David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott wrote the New Rules of Marketing and PR and he’s helping businesses understand how the marketing world has shifted to giving and receiving instant feedback so you can be found online. In Episode 46 of the Defining Success Podcast, David Meerman Scott talks about Real-Time Marketing and its implication for the future.

David’s first job was at a Wall Street Street Bond Trading desk which he hated. He then began selling economic services to traders and he learned that he was really doing more marketing than he was selling. He then got a job in marketing for a company called Knight Ridder and he’s been a marketer ever since.

In 2002, David Meerman Scott worked for the News Edge Corporation was acquired by Thompson-Reuters and he was an officer and was asked to leave because they didn’t need the management team going forward and it gave him an opportunity to see what he wanted to do moving forward. At 39, he realized he could do some consulting on his own and in 2005, his second book was called Cashing in With Content and his most well-known book is the New Rules of Marketing and PR which has sold 300,000 copies.

Since 2007, David has been earning his income on the speaking market. He drifted from one point to another. David wasn’t afraid to do things that others said would be a mistake. And these events all worked out great for him. In 2002 when David decided to start his own thing and many people looked down on people who started their own businesses because it was seen as if you couldn’t find a real job.

Each of the things that paid off the most were risks that Scott took.

The old rules of marketing and PR were that you either had to buy attention for your business or yourself in the form of advertising, you had to convince media outlets to write about you or you had to reach customers individually through direct selling. The new rules of marketing and PR is the idea that on the web there are millions of people who are looking for things online to buy or do and they go to search engines or they ask their friends, colleagues and social networks. The organizations and the people that create the best content will be the ones that show up in search engines and the more likely friends are to share them.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR Fourth Edition

The New Rules of Marketing and PR is about how to create content. World Wide Rave is another book by David Meerman Scott and in the last year, David has made his book completely free, and to get it search for World Wide Rave. David wrote another book called Real-Time Marketing and PR. When people are making purchasing decisions, they are doing it right now and his book is designed to show how to engage people in real-time. Most companies and organizations are focused on campaign marketing and most companies are doing that exclusively.

The idea of marketing is switching it around from doing it when a business is ready to when the customers are ready. News Jacking is the art and science of turning your ideas into a news story. It provides really cool ideas on how you can create something that people will see because you’re piggy-backing off of a breaking news story.

David gives 35 speeches a year all over the world. This month, David is traveling to Cairo and Cutter and he’ll be gone for six days. In November, he’s traveling to Buenos Aires and Istanbul.

The biggest mistake David sees companies make is that they talk about themselves way too much. And that doesn’t work in today’s world.

It’s very important to create content on the web. To have a great website, to have real-time content around that website, whether it’s a blog or YouTube videos and it’s important to put yourself out there on the web and through social networking.

Facebook has only been open since 2007. Twitter has only been around since 2007. It’s important for businesses to understand what this means for them and their future.

David Meerman Scott

Engaging Discussion Questions:

Do you interact with your customers in Real-Time?
Are you creating content on the web? If so, how?

Links to Great Stuff:

David Meerman Scott – “David’s book The New Rules of Marketing & PR opened people’s eyes to the new realities of marketing and public relations on the Web. Six months on the BusinessWeek bestseller list and published in 26 languages from Bulgarian to Vietnamese, New Rules, now in its 4th edition, is a modern business classic. Scott’s popular blog and hundreds of speaking engagements around the world give him a singular perspective on how businesses are implementing new strategies to reach buyers.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is creating a path that allows you to enjoy life.”
“Social media is about engaging people.”
“Social media is about listening.”
“Social media is about sharing the content you create elsewhere.”
“The way that people are solving other people’s problems on the web.”
“No matter what you’re doing you’re gaining incredible knowledge, you’re learning and interacting with people.”
“Everything that I’ve done all pointed me to where I am now so I don’t have any regrets.”
“Create the content that will be valuable to the people you’re trying to reach.”
“You need to be helpful on the web that will be beneficial to people.”
“The New Rules of Marketing and PR is the idea that on the web there are millions of people who are looking for things online to buy.”
“It’s the organizations and the people that create the best content that generate the higher search engine results and promoted in social networks.”
“The New Rules of Marketing and PR is that the better your content is the more attention you drive to yourself and to your business.”
“If you’re blogging, creating videos and active on social networks than you’re more likely to get noticed than someone who isn’t.”
“I enjoy helping people and being able to interact with people and share ideas.”
“I wasn’t scared to do things that people actually told me were a mistake.”

Special Requests:

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, of by leaving reviews on our iTunes page! Find us anywhere by searching for the Defining Success Podcast!

Sushant Misra from TrepTalks.com Interviewed Me!

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I was recently interviewed by Sushant Misra from TrepTalks.com.

Sushant Misra

“Sushant Misra is an entrepreneurship evangelist, accomplished serial entrepreneur, dynamic speaker, published author, syndicated columnist, and philanthropist. Sushant is best known for founding and hosting Trep Talks, a web based video interview show featuring successful digital entrepreneurs. Sushant is also an experienced eCommerce professional. He is the founder of Yogamatstore.com and has helped Canadian retail giant Hudson’s Bay grow their eCommerce business. Sushant is a seasoned Yoga and Energy practitioner and has lived in 4 countries on 3 continents. – See more at: http://treptalks.com/about/#sthash.0lOJivHD.dpuf”

I had a great time being interviewed by Sushant as he asked me how I made the decision to get into business for myself and my progression as a business owner to where I am at today. Sushant has interviewed many successful entrepreneurs, including Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Work Week.

I’d love for you to check out the interview and leave your feedback for Sushant and share your thoughts on the article with us on the Defining Success Podcast Facebook page!

Check out TrepTalks.com, tell Sushant Zeb sent you and listen to my interview with Sushant titled, How A High School History Teacher Started A Successful Social Media Business? – Zeb Welborn

“Zeb Welborn is the President of Welborn Social Media and The Tutoring Solution. He helps passionate business owners become successful by harnessing the power of the Internet to reach more potential customers and develop stronger relationships with current customers. Zeb is also the founder and host of Defining Success Podcast.

For more information about Zeb Welborn, visit Welborn Social Media, or email him directly – Zeb@WelbornSocialMedia.com“

Episode 42: Engagement vs. Automation | Rick Mulready from the Inside Social Media Podcast

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In Episode 42 of the Defining Success Podcast, Rick Mulready shares his thoughts and ideas on social media for small and medium-sized businesses. During our conversation we discuss the pros and cons of engagement and automation. We also discuss the power of social media and how building genuine, authentic relationships can help grow any business.

Rick Mulready

Rick Mulready is the host of the Inside Social Media Podcast. His podcast is a place to learn secrets, insights and strategies from heads of social media for some of the most powerful brands in the world.

Rick has been in the Internet marketing world for 12 years. He spent 5 years at AOL in Virginia. He moved to the West Coast after that and spent 2 years at Yahoo as an advertiser. After Yahoo, he went to Vibrant Media and then he went to Funny or Die and went back to Vibrant. While Rick was at Funny or Die, he saw that there was a minimum spend that people had to invest in order to advertise, but it left a lot of small businesses out. At that time Rick saw Facebook starting to grow and he began to see the opportunities that small business could have in Facebook. He jumped into Facebook advertising and taught himself everything he could about it.

During a flight, Rick was listening to a podcast with Gary Vaynerchuk who recommended two publications, Advertising Age, so you can get the big brand perspective and TechMe.com so you can get the perspective of what’s going on in the tech world. Rick then saw that there was an opportunity to reach out to big brand companies and help share what big brands were doing in social media with small businesses.

Rick Mulready

The whole purpose of Rick’s podcast comes from a Tony Robbins quote where he finds someone who’s doing something successful and then copy what they’re doing. Rick has been able to show his listeners what big brands are doing and how they can apply that to their small business.

Rick built up a large safety net, and had a lot of planning. The job that Rick was doing paid really well, but he wasn’t happy, so he saved up a lot of money and made the jump to running the podcast. He is working with clients showing them how they can achieve their business goals through social media.

As an advertiser, Rick didn’t like the way the advertising industry was set up because no matter how hard you worked you always were striving to meet new goals which Rick found very taxing.

Rick loves Twitter because it allows Rick to have quick conversations with people he wants to have conversations with. It also allows Rick to listen to conversations that are going on in the social media world where he can jump in, engage and add value wherever he can. Rick does enjoy Facebook advertising more than he loves Facebook itself.

Too many people don’t understand Facebook advertising and there is a great opportunity to reach out to highly targeted customers if you can understand and grasp how Facebook advertising works.

A common mistake many people make in social media is that they go out there and they start yelling. Another common mistake is that people spread themselves too thin, get overwhelmed and then say social media doesn’t work.

Rick recommends finding one or two platforms that you love using and then stick with those and really dive in and engage deeply. If you can do that you’ll soon see immense benefits in your business.

Rick says that some businesses may not even need social media and it may not be the best platform for them to get their business goals. He recommends that businesses first establish goals and then determining the best course of action to reach their goals. The explanation starts with what is your goal and then work backwards.

There are two trends that are really important. Listening and engaging with you customers and using social media as an opportunity to serve your customers. A lot of brands get it really well and many do not. Rick says that in the future, location based social media marketing will take place, meaning that when you arrive at a destination, deals and discounts will be sent to people’s smart phones in an attempt to drive business. Another trends that Rick sees is these short videos which can be used to tell a story for a business.

Rick says that the people who are automating their message are missing the point of social media. One of the big problems people who jump onto social media face is dealing with automation vs. engagement. The point of social media is to develop genuine relationships designed to lead to sales, and not to continually blast your sales message. People do business with people they know, like and trust. Show them they can know, like and trust you by authentically engaging with them.

When working with a business, Rick starts to figure out their goals and if social media can help them achieve their goals, you have to know what social media platform would be the best for them. Learn your target market, figure out their goal and then learn how to be there.

The podcast has been working very well for Rick Mulready and the podcast was something he never thought he would be doing. He’s always loved interviewing people and he still doesn’t know much about it, but a lot of people pushed him to start it. And Rick understands that the podcast is a great way to connect with people.

The first episodes Rick launched were with the social media managers of Ford, McDonald’s and City. He loves doing interviews and gets pumped up after he has an interview with people.

Rick Mulready

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What is your favorite social media platform?
What do you think of Vine and Instagram videos?
What is the best way to connect with potential customers on social media?

Links to Great Stuff:

Inside Social Media Podcast – “Through this blog and my podcast Inside Social Media, I give you inside access to heads of social media from the most successful brands in the world, as well as the smartest social media influencers around.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is having control of your time and being able to set how you spend that time.”
“If you’re automating your message and not really having that personalized conversation with people, they pick up on that very quickly.”
“Remember that it’s just as easy to unfollow someone in social media as it is to follow them and to remember that.”
“I like Twitter because it allows me to engage with my target audience and my customers the best.”
“Too many people get on social media and just start shouting.”

New Client! Greenskeeper.org Facebook Page

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We’re very excited to announce that we were recently hired by Greenskeeper.org to help manage the Greenskeeper.org Facebook page.

Greenskeeper.org

After appearing as a guest on the Defining Success Podcast, Johnny and I have become great friends and are even working on a book together on how golf courses can use the Internet to reach more golfers and encourage more golfers to play at their golf course more often.

Johnny is the owner of Greenskeeper.org, a website made for golfers with an almost unlimited amount of features that golfers can use to enhance their enjoyment of the game. Golfers can post scores, review golf courses, learn of golf course conditions and interact with others in the Greenskeeper.org community.

The members who use the site regularly refer to themselves as GKers and even have regular golf outings where GKers can interact, get to know each other and play some golf. As a lover of golf and promoter of the game, I am extremely excited to be working with Johnny to help more people interact in the GK community, reach more golfers and give golfers a better experience when they do decide to get out and play.

Johnny Hakim

Many of you may remember Johnny Hakim as our guest in the 35th episode of the Defining Success Podcast. His episode was titled, Episode 35: Making Your Customers a Part of Your Business | Johnny Hakim from Greenskeeper.org where he talked about how he’s been able to build a community around Greenskeeper.org and get more members active and involved in the GK Community.

We’re really excited to be managing the Greenskeeper.org Facebook page and encourage all of you to visit the page, like it, and interact with other GKers.

If you have any questions about how we can help you reach more customers, encourage customers to buy more and build a strong online presence for your business, please visit Welborn Media or contact me by email – Zeb@WelbornMedia.com

Episode 34: The Stages of Acceptance for a New Technology | Warren Whitlock from Social Media Radio

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Warren Whitlock discusses the stages of acceptance of a new technology. Most people when they get their hands on new technology experience three different stages in adopting the new technology. The first stage is labeling the new technology as useless. The second stage is using the new technology as just a sales tool. And the third stage is wondering how you ever lived without this new technology. Learn more about social media, Warren Whitlock and how adopting new technologies can help your business grow.

Warren Whitlock

Warren Whitlock is a digital business development strategist. He wrote the first book on Twitter and mobile marketing and the best-selling “Profitable Social Media: Business Results Without Playing Games.” He’s the host of Social Media Radio, a speaker on social media and was named one of Forbes’ Top 10 Social Media Power Influencer’s of 2013. And he is the Producer of Billions Rising.

When Warren was learning how to sell, he learned that business was different that what he was taught. Warren learned what he learned about business from Zig Ziglar, who taught others to get what they wanted by helping others get what they wanted.

Warren got started in the online world since 1981 and has been working on the Internet ever since. Warren got started with social media writing blogs which is a two-way conversation. Mass media is on the decline because people don’t want messages pushed on them. They want to interact and connect with the businesses or subjects that interests them and social media allows them the opportunity to do that.

When I’ve started to say I don’t have time to keep up with this stuff, but when he’s incorporated new strategies to his business he’s found that his business has run better.

Email is Warren’s favorite tool of communication. He uses all sorts of tools to reach out to each other and it doesn’t matter what tool he uses to connect with others, but the important thing is establishing genuine connections with each other.

Warren Whitlock wrote the book Twitter Revolution because in early 2008 he saw Twitter as a standout because there weren’t any books on Twitter and so he decided to create the book to discuss the coming Twitter Revolution.

Warren Whitlock

The guys that invented blogging and sold it to Google were ready to go do something else and they started talking about texts that people could all get at the same time. Most businesses want their discussions to be public because they can demonstrate that they care about the best interests of their customers.

The three stages of Twitter acceptance: the first stage is what do I care what somebody else had for breakfast, the second stage is how am I going to monetize this and how am I going to blast this out, and the third stage is how did I get along without it. When you think about phones, computers or any other technology the acceptance of these new technologies have pretty much been the same.

The biggest secret to social media is understanding that it’s a two-way conversation. People want to do business with people they know, like and trust.

A popular trend right now is to talk about the visual web. No one would ever ask to put your logo or your face on a business listing. But business has become a lot more social. Personal branding is extremely important and putting your picture out to give people an opportunity has really shifted as more and more business owners are realizing its importance.

Somebody said we’ve reached a saturation point with mobile phones and it’s going to continue to change. And technology will keep changing extremely fast. Database marketing is also going to be critical as most businesses work on developing relationships with their customers.

The Billions Rising Project is about self-reliance. Being able to take care of yourself and take responsibility for your own self is not a selfish thing. If you want to be able to help someone you have to be standing on higher ground.

Warren Whitlock

Engaging Discussion Questions:

Where do you think the future of technology is going?
What inventions or changes in the way we live are going to impact us the most in the next 5 years.
What social media tool do you like to use the most?

Links to Great Stuff:

Warren Whitlock – “Warren helps businesses transform to a new way of doing business using social media and online marketing and promotion to attract the right audience from the 2 billion people using the Internet. His breakthrough strategies to integrate mobile marketing, public relations and and lead generation with conversions to return on investment for lifetime value has helped hundreds businesses achieve rapid and continuing results from their marketing process.”

Twitter Revolution – “Warren is the author of the first book ever written about the social media platform, Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online. The revolution is underway. The power of social media lies with the people who use tools like Twitter.com. You decide how to use your power, and Warren’s book helps you make that decision effectively.”

Profitable Social Media – “Warren’s also the author of Profitable Social Media: Business Results Without Playing Games. Social media can be profitable if you go in with an open mind, a plan, and listen to your audience! It’s the old market cliché, many markets are an inch wide, and a mile deep. Without profits, social media and your business are just a hobby.”

Success Quotes:

“Failure and success are just data.”
“We are all people trying to connect with other people and share stories.”
“What can I do to help someone get ahead and treat them as if they are equal.”
“If you’re small, this is your time because in the next 5 or 10 years you can create a billion dollar company because these dinosaurs will be going away.”
“The biggest secret to social media is figuring out this is a two-way conversation and do business with people that they know, like and trust.”
“The idea of two-way conversations is with us.”
“If you’re not going to be dead, you need to learn how to use the computer.”
“More important than the answer to the question is the answering of the question.”
“Marketing of the future is to find the people you resonate with and doing a lot more with that.”
“If you can tell the difference between work and play, you’re not doing it right.”
“All media is becoming social.”

Special Requests:

Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter to get updates on upcoming guests and news about the Defining Success Podcast.
Sign up for the Welborn Media Newsletter to learn how you can use the options available over the Internet to help grow your business, reach more customers and encourage your customers to buy more.

Episode 25: Build Your Reputation with Online Recommendations | Beau Hodson from Transparent Mortgage

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Teaser:Beau Hodson has been in the mortgage industry and has seen many ups and downs and has been able to whether the storm. He started Transparent Mortgage and has implemented strategies designed to increase his reputation online. He’s been able to get customers to give him positive reviews on Yelp, TrustLink, Google Places, Facebook and various other review sites to show that he was a well-respected mortgage professional who can help you achieve your dream of financing a home or helping you during the re-financing process.

Recap:

Beau Hodson has been the mortgage profession for more than 10 years and is the founder and Senior Mortgage Adviser at Transparent Mortgage. He has earned degrees in finanec and business and has a diverse background as a financial adviser and mortgage professional. He has worked for Luxury Mortgage, Bank of America and Impac Funding.

Transparent Mortgage

Beau fell into the mortgage industry when he graduated college. At the time he graduated college it was a perfect time in the mortgage industry and things were booming. It’s a completely different experience today in the mortgage industry than it was pre-housing market crash. Beau spent his first two years auditing closed loans and became a mortgage broker after a couple of years. Nowadays it’s about being a professional.

In this case, Beau thinks of the client to see what’s best for them and providing them the information to make the right decision and then there is a lot of execution involved and at at the start it’s about getting to know a client and doing what is best for them. Beau is self employed and runs his own business so he has a lot more flexibility to work for the customer.

Beau had to make a lot of changes to make him more successful. It was hard for Beau to learn how to do things in the current economic environment. Sometimes Beau questioned his commitment to change, but he eventually decided that he wanted to adapt, stay in the industry and thrive.

In the fall of 2011, Beau had had a tough year and he had to decide whether he was going to give it up or do it his own way. And now, he’s happy he decided to start Transparent Mortgage and stay in the mortgage industry.

The mortgage loan process is complicated, but Beau really helps to educate his customers about the process. He then works to get loans for the customer and do what’s best for the customer.

In 2008, 2009 and 2010 Beau had a lot of time to think about what was missing and what was needed in the mortgage process. Beau thinks what people wants the most in the mortgage industry is transparency. Beau likes to give real straight information to his customers. He also felt the need to give his customers the opportunity to be updated on the process of the transaction. Beau makes sure that he communicates properly with his clients to make sure they know what is going on with their loan.

When Beau started Transparent Mortgage he realized that there weren’t a lot of reviews online and Beau wanted to lead the industry in online recommendations as an independent mortgage broker. He doesn’t know any customers that operate based on reviews and he wanted people to go online and see what people are saying about him for themselves.

Beau said it’s been a process getting online recommendations. Beau learned early on that when he began asking for people to give him reviews online it helped make him a better business owner for his customers. He then began thinking of ways he could improve his business to make his customers happier.

A lot of problems arise in any business and clients understand that, but it’s the way you communicate those problems to your customers that will determine whether they leave you happy or not.

Beau has learned a lot as a business owner. One of Beau’s biggest problems was spending too much time setting up his website, his logo and he spent too much time working on the website and the logo and the more you do, it doesn’t really improve your business. He thinks he would have spent a lot less time making his website perfect and would have just made it good so that he could have focused on his business.

Beau advises anyone looking to buy a home to do your due diligence and to get pre-qualified. Buying homes is very competitive in today’s climate. There’s an inventory shortage and more and more people are buying homes. It’s still very difficult to qualify for a mortgage. The only way you can get into a home is to get pre-approved for a loan.

Beau says the forecast is good in the mortgage industry and more people appear to be putting their houses for sale. He is nervous about the economy, but he thinks houses are good right now and he feels housing prices will be stable and doesn’t see the mortgage process getting easier anytime soon. People can buy houses now, but they have to do the work to get them done.

Engaging Discussions:

Do you plan on buying or selling a home?
How important do you think online reviews are?

Links to Great Stuff:

Transparent Mortgage – “Transparent Mortgage is a new vision of a mortgage company built upon a commitment to raise the industry standards for client care, open access to information, and social and ethical responsibility. It is our belief that the best way to achieve this is through transparency. A true and real commitment to transparency in the mortgage industry today is both a bold and unprecedented course of action.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is effort and being engaged in your work on a day-to-day basis . . . and you have to enjoy it.”
“If you’re not prepared and pre-approved you might miss out on getting your house.”
“When we work with people we like and people who like us we’re happier for it.”
“You learn that the client understands that there are things that are beyond your control.”
“I think a lot of people are afraid to ask for reviews.”
“When you make the commitment to a customer and you’re expecting a review you start thinking about the transaction differently.”
“If the client calls me and asks me what’s going on, it’s too late.”

Special Requests:

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Beau Hodson and Zeb Welborn

Episode 23: The Impact of One | Alejandro Reyes from the Get Internet Famous Podcast

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Thank you for visiting the Defining Success Podcast. Please download, subscribe and rate our podcast on iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-success-podcast/id619459909 Thanks for listening!

Alejandro Reyes

Teaser:

Alejandro Reyes grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. His life was filled with struggle, but he did have one thing going for him . . . a supportive grandmother who would pray for him every day to succeed. Alejandro is now the host of the Get Internet Famous Podcast, author of the book, Get Internet Famous and has experienced success in a variety of different capacities. Learn from Alejandro in Episode 23 of the Defining Success Podcast.

Recap:

Alejandro Reyes wants to help you get famous. Not the TMZ or Kardashian kind of famous, but the kind of famous that will offer you influence and impact to grow your income. He is also the host of the Get Internet Famous Podcast and author of Get Internet Famous: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Platform, Growing Your Influence and Changing the World.

Alejandro got into marketing online in 1999. The only reason he started his business online was because he didn’t have a car and needed to figure out a way to make money. He heard Bill Gates say that by 2010, half of all sales would occur online and so he sought out to see how he could grow his business online.

In 2003 and 2004 Alejandro learned how to drive traffic to websites using MySpace and in 2006 he built his first six figure business online and he didn’t work very hard to make that happen. Because of his success he wanted to help people learn how to use the online skills to grow their businesses. In 2008 he came out with a coaching program and he had a belief that everyone was going to become a social media guru.

He worked offline and started running workshops in Sacramento to help local businesses use social media and the Internet to reach more customers. He was featured on almost every major news outlet in Sacramento and developed quite a following.

Last summer, Alejandro’s wife applied for a nursing school in Seattle, was accepted and within three weeks Alejandro sold his business and took a job in Seattle working for the same school his wife was attending so she could attend school for next to nothing. But Alejandro wanted to do more so he re-launched his brand online, Get Internet Famous and he’s been able to connect with old friends.

The inspiration for Get Internet Famous came from an article Alejandro read in Wired magazine which basically said that anyone can get Internet famous. The article helped him understand that there was an opportunity for him to get out of his poor lot in life. He wanted to inspire people who have buried their passions and wanted to help them get it out. He thought that if he could help people unleash their passions he could help change the world for the better.

Alejandro attributes his success to the prayers of his grandmother. Alejandro grew up around drugs and alcohol within his family. His family was broke and they felt dysfunctional. His grandma would continually pray for Alejandro and encouraged him to pursue his dreams. Alejandro says his grandma was the most successful person he knew. Even though she had no money, she was rich because everyone loved her, she was lively and always happy.

One thing Alejandro mentioned was that sometimes there are people in your life that help you and support you and that sometimes you owe it to those people to go on and do great things, and to not be complacent.

Getting Internet Famous has nothing to do with marketing. You have to have passion. If you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. It would be something you would do regardless of whether or not you got paid to do it. You have to also be good at what you’re passionate about. You have to be gifted and have some expertise at what you’re passionate about. In order to become great at what you do, you have to work really, really hard to be good at what you do. When you’re willing to work really hard you can start to come up with your messaging.

Alejandro suggests asking 5 to 10 friends who have your best interest in mind. Once you ask 5 to 10 people what you’re passionate about and then find out if you’re good at what your passion might be.

Alejandro Reyes started using Snippet to write Get Internet Famous and then he decided to start his own podcast right at the same time. He basically re-launched AlejandroReyes.com, but wanted to make it more about the other customers. Alejandro says, your personality gets you to stand out online.

Alejandro Reyes

Email is the first thing people check in the morning is and almost everyone sees emails more likely than Facebook, Twitter or any other platform. It takes between six and seven encounters before people make a decision to purchase.

A huge opportunity exists for people to create offline connections with people they meet in the online world. By connecting with people you meet online you can establish long-lasting fruitful relationships with people online, enhance your credibility and become an expert.

Alejandro thinks he’s made lots of mistakes, but the two biggest that came to mind for him was not generating an email list quickly enough and not spending enough time with his family when he first started his business.

Alejandro thinks he’s helping change the world by helping others make a difference by helping them create a larger audience to have a larger impact.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What would you be doing whether you got paid to do it or not?
Do you work hard for yourself or for others?

Links to Great Stuff:

Get Internet Famous – Alejandro Reyes has been helping entrepreneurs & companies with online marketing for over 10 years. He plans on sharing guest interviews, insights and inspiration to help you grow your business and change the world.
Wired Magazine – “Wired (stylized as WIRED) is a full-color monthly American magazine and online periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics.”
Gary Vaynerchuk – “Meet Gary Vaynerchuk, a 36 year old New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author who is also a self-trained wine and social media expert. From a young age, it was clear that Gary was a businessman. At 8-years-old he was operating seven lemonade stands in his neighborhood and by 10 he had moved onto selling baseball cards at local malls. In high school while working at his family owned liquor store, Gary started reading The Wine Spectator and wine books, and realized collecting wine offered an allure similar to his previous hobby of collecting baseball cards. With a wealth of knowledge and an entrepreneurial spirit, Gary spent every weekend of his college years at his parents’ wine store. Recognizing the importance of e-commerce in 1997, Gary launched Winelibrary.com and helped grow his family business significantly from $3 million to $45 million by 2005.”
Snippet – Like Twitter for books, we limit the word count to 1,000 words max per chapter (unlimited chapters). So, in essence, we’re between a tweet and an e-book. Now as a writer, you can get new ideas to market faster, share expertise, test new book ideas, create companion pieces, or tell entirely new stories—all in less time.

Success Quotes:

John Wooden “Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”
Zig Ziglar “If you help enough people achieve their dreams, along the way you will achieve theirs as well.”
“Do what you’re passionate about, love what you do, and serve people with a crazy enthusiasm.”
“If your personal life is out of order, your personal brand will suck.”
“Email marketing is the biggest opportunity in marketing online right now.”
“What would you be doing whether you got paid to do it or not?”
“When you marry your passion and your gifts, that’s where the magic happens.”
“The soul purpose of getting known online has everything to do with the people that you serve.”
“How do you stand out and pierce through all the noise?”
“We owe it to people sometimes to be the best version of ourselves.”

Special Requests:

Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode 21: Networking Secrets for Entrepreneurs | Esther Kiss from EstherKiss.com

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Esther Kiss helps entrepreneurs build better businesses. She considers herself to be a mentor and has a lot of advice for entrepreneurs on how they can build their business, reach more customers and make more money. The key to getting what you want, explains Esther, is giving yourself to others. By helping others you will receive benefits and, in turn, become successful

Esther Kiss

Recap

Esther Kiss, from EstherKiss.com, mentors entrepreneurs. She helps experts and service providers generate a steady flow of ideal clients and helps to convert leads more effectively than ever before. In short, she will show you how to get more clients and make more money in your business.

Esther has an extensive background in business. She grew up in a small family that had a lot of investments in hotels, real estate, and trading and shipping companies. Esther lost a lot of her investments in the stock market and so she started her own business to teach others how to speak Hungarian. She was able to package her business in a way to have only the people who are very committed and had enough time to learn Hungarian. She was able to get them pre-paid and paying triple the market value.

She then realized that her expertise would be perfect in a business coaching context.

Esther than got a job at the Beverly Hills Lingual Institute to show that she has some credibility in the industry. It gave her the credentials to show that she could do it. She reached out to her circle to ask if people knew anyone who was interested in learning Hungarian and her business blossomed from there.

In the interview, Esther provides lots of valuable tips on time management for entrepreneurs. She encourages all of you to write down what you do on a daily basis literally to the minute because in order to manage your time effectively, you need to know where you’re spending your time. Do the highest revenue generating activities and then you will be better at time management. You should divide your time into three categories: flex time is devoted towards the day-to-day operations of your business, focus time is focused on long-term projects like your marketing campaigns and the third is your free time which is the rest of your life.

If you want to do a better job at networking, see who the decision makers are at a company and see who they know. If you know someone who might be connected to someone you’re trying to get a hold of then reach out to that person and see if they can connect you. Another great tool entrepreneurs can use when networking is to be a giver, because people will think you’re a nice guy.

Esther says there are a variety of different ways to figure out who the decision makers are and there’s a lot of different tools to figure out who those decision makers are. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ are great tools to figure out who the decision makers are, but you can also view the website or get access to information online about who you’re trying to reach.

Many entrepreneurs struggle because they are able to make a certain amount of income but they are never able to cross the hump to live a more comfortable lifestyle. Esther helps entrepreneurs by delving into their business to find ways to make their business more efficient and reach out to others for a higher potential profit.

Many business owners go for low income sales and focus on volume, but Esther recommends entrepreneurs target the customers that are willing to invest more and more often.

Esther Kiss at the Emmy’s

Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to be like everyone else while they think they are making themself unique. If you’re doing what everyone else is doing, you’re getting followers, but it doesn’t necessarily mean your making money. Esther recommends having a system that works and that when you turn it on you know you’ll be able to get customers.

Esther considers herself to be a business mentor. Coaching typically involves spending a lot of time with a person to help them come to their own conclusions. Esther than gives entrepreneurs shortcuts to come to their own conclusions.

Esther considers herself to be very logical and analytical. She focuses much more on results and numbers and she tries to help find her business produce results. Esther is also very strong at connecting with others.

Willpower is an app that will not let you go onto certain websites for a particular amount of time. These external tools can help, but it really comes to your own willpower that will determine your success.

Spend an hour a day looking for referral or promotional partners. If you’re a marketing coach you would be interested in working with a website designer or a PR Director.

If you’re not able to say exactly what they are interested in you will not be successful in business.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

How important do you think giving is in business?
What traits do you look for in a business coach?
How do you network?

Links to Great Stuff:

EstherKiss.com – “Esther loves teaching her creative business & marketing strategies, mentoring entrepreneurs to help them get more high paying clients.”
Beverly Hills Lingual Institute – “The Beverly Hills Lingual Institute is your best choice for learning a language in Los Angeles and Orange County. Offering language classes in over 25 languages with the most comprehensive schedule of classes available, we are Southern California’s Premier Language School.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is having the confidence and ability to building what you want from scratch.”
“If you come from a place of wanting to help and serve rather than selling something to them . . . you build more confidence and leads because every person will have a great experience.”
“Tune in to the core desire of your ideal client, pinpoint it and speak to their highest need.”
“Entrepreneurs are usually very excited and energetic in trying new things.”
“Most entrepreneurs have entrepreneurial ADD where they start a million projects and none of them get finished.”
“Be very clear about the results you can get for people.”

Special Requests

Send me an email if you need me for anything – Zeb@WelbornMedia.com
Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode 19: The Importance of Learning from Your Mistakes | Brian Roberts from In-Store Radio

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Brian Roberts, aka “The Voice,” is the announcer for the Defining Success Podcast, but he also manages his own business, In-Store Radio which are custom radio stations for retail locations. As an entrepreneur, Brian knows the value of learning from your mistakes and shares with us why making mistakes are some of the most important things you can do.

Brian Roberts

Recap:

Brian Roberts is the owner of In-Store Radio, which creates a customized radio station for retail and corporate locations. He also happens to be the voice you hear at the beginning of every podcast for the Defining Success Podcast.

Brian ran Goodwill Industries in Central Florida and at 33 Brian decided to come out to L.A. to become a rock star. His dreams as a rock star weren’t really working out and he knew that he wasn’t going to be able to keep his dreams and his family. Someone told Brian he had a great voice and suggested he be a voice actor.

The idea to run In-Store Radio came when he visited Walmart and Walgreen’s and listened to their customized radio station. He then began to think of the opportunity that he could create a customized radio station for smaller businesses and thus In-Store Radio began.

His association with Goodwill Industries got his business started and being somewhat of a computer geek, Brian was able to create a usable system for small businesses to have their own customized radio station inside their business locations. His love of computers, Goodwill and entrepreneurship helped him build the foundation for his business.

Brian was then able to set up a live radio stream into their business and as long as the location has access to the Internet they can get access to their customized radio station. Brian is trying to get into 1,000 locations by the end of the year.

A great success story Brian likes to share is that every year they had an event which never seemed to get a lot of visitors. The first year that they had Brian create a short advertisement and for the first year ever they sold out their tickets and the next year they increased ticket sales by 300% selling out again. For Goodwill Industries, Brian was able to encourage shoppers to donate and encouraged those who donated to become shoppers.

When talking about learning from your mistakes . . . Early on in his career, Brian offered a deal to a friend of his that was unsustainable. Once Brian realized he couldn’t deliver on the deal he offered his friend he told him he couldn’t do it and they re-negotiated. Brian felt awful, but he learned a valuable lesson that mistakes are acceptable and as long as you learn from your mistakes and move on that you can never fail. Learning from your mistakes is an important skill to have as an entrepreneur and business owner.

Brian has two children and Brian thinks it’s interesting that when his kids were younger they would constantly make mistakes and they were encouraged to do so, but that as they got older he became less willing to encourage his children when they made a mistake.

Brian’s mom was a teacher and he had a complex early on about asking teachers questions. And for his entire ninth grade year he was lost in Algebra and sometime during his junior year he finally raised his hand and said that he was completely lost and asked for help. The teacher helped him understand the material and afterwards many of his friends came to him saying they were having the same problems. It taught Brian a lesson that it was ok to ask questions because if you had a question, it was likely others had the same question as well.

Being an entrepreneur taught Brian that he can do pretty much anything he can put his mind to. It taught Brian that all along he had a unique gift that he could offer the world. Once he learned that he could make money as an entrepreneur it became very freeing.

Brian believes that he has certain talents and has developed particular skills. His singing ability has helped him become a successful voice actor. He was able to find the emotional connection in his writing just like he did when he was a singer. The computer has been invaluable to Brian’s success in business as well.

Procrastination and over-thinking got Brian in a lot of trouble early on in his business. The way Brian describes the way business should be done is “Ready, Fire, Aim.” Meaning that as an entrepreneur, it’s important to take action first and then analyze your results.

In-Store Radio

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What mistakes have you made?
What is the importance of learning from your mistakes?
Do you think “Ready, Fire, Aim” is a good strategy to use for entrepreneurs?

Links to Great Stuff:

In-Store Radio – Brian’s mission is to spread the “Good News” of not only Goodwill, but of ALL businesses throughout America and abroad through In-Store Radio. That mission will put a custom-designed and professionally-produced radio show into every retail store and waiting room around the globe.
Voice123.com/BrianRoberts – Brian’s voice is varied and strong. He has the ability to do all types of work from the “Classic Announcer” to “Young punk” and anywhere in between!
Goodwill Industries – “Goodwill® works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work.”
Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce – “The Chino Valley Chamber offers a wide variety of opportunities for members to market their businesses, a strong legislative action committee, and a commitment to the continuing education of a diverse workforce. For additional information, check out our convenient links to city websites, selected businesses and current projects.”

Success Quotes:

“Success is being happy . . . Nothing matters unless you’re happy.”
“I really love helping people accomplish things they didn’t know they could accomplish.”
“I was perfectly content being an employee and letting someone else tell me what I was worth until the fire was lit.”
“I’m completely unemployable . . . because there is no possible way I can survive working for someone else.”
“There are a lot of people who are bound up by their fear of looking silly that they pay this horrible price.”
“The more mistakes you make the more money you make.”
“What business owners do better than the people that don’t own businesses is make mistakes and are ok with making mistakes.”
“The reason entrepreneurs succeed where other people don’t succeed is because they understand that as long as they didn’t quit, they didn’t fail.”

Special Requests:

Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode 17: The Flexibility and Price of Being a Business Owner | Jennifer Davis from Scrapbook Expo

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Being a business owner has its perks but it also has its drawbacks. Jennifer talks about the flexibility her job has given her, but also discusses the amount of effort and time she’s spent building her business. In this episode you’ll also learn valuable tips on how to build a following on Facebook.

Scrapbook Expo

Recap:

Jennifer Davis is the owner of Scrapbook Expo, the premier scrapbook show; Weekly Scrapper, a blog for every day scrappers; and, Party Solutions, a party supply rental company. She’s also extremly knowledgeable when it comes to Facebook as she has been able to amass a following of close to 110,000 likes on her Scrapbook Expo Facebook page.

Jennifer’s scrapbooking business started out as a hobby and it gave her an opportunity to get out of her job which she hated. She started out as a vendor at a Scrapbook show she attended and saw what the owner of the conventions were able to do and she thought she could do it so she started her own Scrapbook Expo.

She was one of the first scrapbooking businesses to start a new show. She put on her first show in San Diego and now she puts on shows in 17 locations. In the late 1990’s it was real easy for Jennifer to get support for her Scrapbooking shows because they would choose a location and word of mouth was really the only marketing they needed.

Weekly Scrapper

When the economy started to go down hill it became a lot more difficult to attract customers and she resorted tto learning how to market for her business. She started doing print advertising, email marketing and she finally turned to social media marketing and does almost all of her marketing online.

At a Scrapbook Expo scrapbookers would have access to 100 different booths related to scrapbooking to shop at. They hold workshops all day to learn different techniques to scrapbooking. There is also scrapbooking crops which are held at the show where scrapbookers get together to scrap all weekend long. Ladies get an opportunity to get together, share ideas and have a great experience. Different groups like different activities. A lot of the people who attend the shows are groups of four or five women who make a weekend getaway of the Scrapbook Expo. They rent a hotel room, they shop together, they sign up for workshops and they participate in one of the crops.

There are also make and takes which are very popular which is where they can visit a booth and take part in a project where they create a finished product within 5 to 10 minutes.

Jennifer was very instrumental in my success as she’s been able to help me in a variety of different ways. We first came in contact when she put out an ad for a tutor and I helped to tutor her son, Nick. After which, she became my first client for my Internet marketing business as I helped to build the online Twitter presence for @ScrapbookExpo. My sister and I have been working for Scrapbook Expo ever since from social media marketing to email marketing to search engine optimization (SEO) to website design.

Jennifer also mentored me and made being an entrepreneur accessible to me. I had never met an entrepreneur before Jennifer and her help and guidance helped encourage me to this path for which I will forever be greatful.

Jennifer doesn’t use Facebook personally and it took her a long time to figure out how to use it for her business. She knew that Facebook fit in well for hobbies. And she learned how Facebook was used to market her business and has found it to be very successful. Scrapbook Expo now has almost 110,000 Facebook Likes and is growing daily. Jennifer has really mastered the art of Facebook and has learned that Facebook should rarely be used as a sales tool, but mostly to build an online community.

Because Scrapbook Expo has such a high user engagement Scrapbook Expo uses Facebook to get access to users email addresses. Last month they gave away 100 prize packages, but had to give them their email addresses to get an opportunity to win those prizes. Because they were so respected through their Facebook presence it was easy for their fans to give their email addresses and during their giveaway campaign they gathered over 10,000 email addresses. They then can use those email addresses to sell services or products to customers.

Word of mouth is a huge benefit to using social media to promote Scrapbook Expo. Every customer who attends the show has the potential to reach dozens, and even hundreds of more people. If you can get one person to endorse you on social media you have the ability to reach more people.

Jennifer recommends not using social media to sell. Businesses who are failing in their use of social media is that they are not asking themselves what the customer wants. Businesses need to find out what the customer wants and they also need to be consistent.

Party Solutions

Jennifer also owns a party rental company, Party Solutions, and Scrapbook Expo started buying their own decor for the Scrapbook Expo and because they weren’t using their equipment throughout the whole year they figured they could rent out the equipment they had when it was not in use.

One of Jennifer’s mistakes in business was that she was not a good sales person. She was great at marketing and promotion but lacked in her ability to sale. At first, sales came easy, but after the recession hit she needed to learn how to sale or how to hire others who could sale. Now, Jennifer has hired sales people who are helping to grow her business and have more of an impact.

Currently, Jennifer has more than 100,000 emails of people who are interested in Scrapbooking and she’s currently marketing that list to advertisers.

Jennifer is very thankful for the flexibility that her business allows her. She says she works twice as hard as her wage working friends, but the results more than make up for it. As a single mother, being a business owner gave Jennifer the opportunity to take time off when she needed to in order to spend time with her son.

Discussion Questions:

What are you thankful for?
What is important to you?

Links to Great Stuff:

Scrapbook Expo – “Visit the Scrapbook Expo to find an Expo near you! Scrapbook Expo combines Scrapbooking, Paper Crafting and Stamping and offers YOU the crafter the most amazing crafting experience you’ll ever find.”
Weekly Scrapper – Interested in scrapbooking? Weekly Scrapper has regular updates on their blog providing tips and advice to scrapbookers all over the world.
Party Solutions – “Party Solutions has been part of the event planning industry since 1997. It is our goal to eliminate the stress in planning your next event.” If you’re holding an event contact Party Solutions for all your event and party needs.

Success Quotes:

“Success would be finding something that you enjoy and being able to turn a profit to support yourself.”
“If you make yourself an expert and you market yourself there’s a lot of opportunities and I see a lot of people who lack taking that first step.”
“The beauty of social media is it’s viral and word of mouth . . . is the best form of advertising.”
“The majority of what we post is useful posts that interest them as far as learning how to scrapbook.”
“On Facebook, if you have a hobby related business . . . it’s very easy to find and connect with other people who have that same interest.”
“You don’t go into business you grow into business.”

Special Requests:

If you’re interested in learning more about Scrapbooking or Scrapbook Expo, please visit Scrapbook Expo or Weekly Scrapper.
Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode #16: Taking Action on Your Great Idea | Steve Pennington from Complete Cambodia

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Steve Pennington came to us around nine months ago and I knew right away he was a man on a mission. His passion shined through in the way he talked about his new project. In just nine short months Steve built a website for his cause and traveled to Cambodia on two seperate occasions to help bring aid and remove landmines in Cambodia that were left over from the Vietnam War.

Steve Pennington from Complete Cambodia

Recap:

Steve Pennington is the founder of Complete Cambodia, an activist organization committed to creating a dialogue and raising funds to support landmine relief efforts in Cambodia putting an end to the continued casualties of the Vietnam War.

Steve has been an L.A. city firefighter for 12 years. He’s active in volunteering with the Best Day Foundation where they take special needs kids out to the beach. He’s also been a cadet post advisor, being a mentor to kids from 13 to 21.

One day Steve was running on a treadmill watching a television show with a bunch of guys who were doing crazy pranks and eating foods and he saw them blow something up and something about that visual stayed with him. Steve went online and researched landmines in Cambodia and what he found amazed him. Rather than just reading about it, he decided to do something and he decided to take action.

The first thing Steve wanted to do was to create awareness for the cause by sharing what he’s learned. Through friends Steve came to us and we developed his Complete Cambodia website. Once the website was built he knew that he had to actually go to Cambodia to have the kind of impact that he wanted to make.

The first trip Steve made to Cambodia was eye-opening. He spoke to the Mine Advisory Group which is actively removing mines in countries all over the globe and they invited Steve to join them. From the second he landed in Cambodia, he felt at peace and he knew it was a place that he needed to be. Everyone seemed friendly, happy and they loved everyone.

Complete Cambodia

Steve plans to head back to Cambodia this May and early June. He’s going to be helping to build schools and helping projects through their organization.

Steve has been in the mine fields in Cambodia when demining teams have found cluster munitions which were detonated in front of him. At some point, Steve hopes to be a paramedic to the demining team when he makes a trip to Cambodia.

Most of the mines that are in Cambodia came from the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian genocide, the Vietnamese would dig up old mines and place them in Cambodia, but most of the mines and explosives come from bombings at the hands of the United States during the Vietnam War.

The first thing Steve did was called Presents for Presence and he took 216 bags of goods to this village which contained little things to brighten up the day of those who received them.

Steve was given the opportunity to speak in front of one of these villages and he told them what he wanted to do in Cambodia. He told them that people from California cared enough to help them remove the mines. The village chief came to him and, in tears, told Steve how meaningful it was that Steve had come to help them with their problems.

Landmine Removal in Cambodia

One of the greatest moments Steve had was meeting Aki Ra, the mine ninja, CNN’s top 100 heroes, who has been demining in Cambodia for decades. Steve says he was demining with a pair of plyers, sandals and a stick when he first started.

Through Steve’s visit the first time he met Aki Ra and Bill Morris in L.A. and he’s become Steve’s hero. He funds an orphanage for landmine victims. They have a landmine museum. He still goes out for 26 day employments, still demining and Steve thinks he’s demined close to 50,000 mines by himself.

Through this process Steve has learned quite a bit about himself, the most important being that he knows that he can do anything. He had no idea what was in store for him when he first started his adventure, but the doors opened up once he made the decision to achieve something special.

We can create the lives for ourselves that we want. Opportunities will present themselves. If you can examine your own life and determine what’s important to you then it will be easier for your passion to present itself to you.

You may have no idea how you’re going to accomplish anything. But if you’re passionate about something you’re going to have an influence on people. People just want to help if you give them the opportunity to do so. Just striking up conversations about your goals and your missions, you never know who will be there to help you.

Each time that Steve has a conversation with someone he learns something that he can apply to Complete Cambodia and his efforts over there.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What are you doing to change the world?
What is your passion?
Are you willing to help Complete Cambodia?

Links to Great Stuff:

Complete Cambodia – “Complete Cambodia is an activist organization committed to creating a dialogue and raising funds to support landmine relief efforts in Cambodia putting an end to the continued casualties of the Vietnam War. Complete Cambodia Goals: Generate awareness about this forgotten problem in a country that is still impacted by our war; Support humanitarian programs that positively impact Cambodian communities most affected and the families of landmine victims; Raise funds to support and accelerate Cambodia’s demining efforts with new, advanced technologies.
Best Day Foundation – “Best Day is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit (Tax-ID: 26-2223078) based in Santa Cruz, CA. The organization helps kids with special needs build confidence and self-esteem through safe, fun-filled adventure activities including surfing, bodyboarding, kayaking, snow-tubing and more. Best Day is run by an experienced team and supported by generous sponsors who help keep the programs free for all. Our Best Day chapters make a big impact in their communities.”
Mine Advisory Group – “Humanitarian Mine Action is not just about landmines. In many current and former conflict zones unexploded bombs, rockets, missiles, mortars and grenades still pose a risk of detonation. These dangerious weapons still threaten community safety decades after they were dropped. Most importantly, MAG works closely with affected men, women, and children – finding out what their priorities are and developing a response that best helps them to rebuild their lives after conflict.”
Welborn Media – We helped design the website for Complete Cambodia. We encourage you to check it out and let us now what you think.

Success Quotes:

“You’re a successful person when you’re doing what you love.”
“Be open to anything.”
“If you have an idea, move on it.”
“Can you imagine a world where people actually acted on pure ideas?”
“If people were taking action on pure ideas, this would be a completely different world.”
“How many amazing things could have happened in this world already if we would have just taken a chance.”
“I can do anything.”
“There are still 3 to 5 million bombs left in the ground in Cambodia.”
“It’s a significant experience to see them detonate a cluster bomb.”
“Even under the circumstances for a group of people that could understandably complain about their circumstances . . . they don’t.”
“Complete Cambodia is founded on the support of others.”
“I really wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I was going to do something.”

Special Requests:

If you’re passionate and you want help with your great idea, email me directly at Zeb@WelbornMedia.com
Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode 9: Building an Online Golfing Community | Ken Lee from Bunkers Paradise

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Ken Lee is the Editor-in-Chief and Director of Social Media at Bunkers Paradise. Ken talks about how sometimes he tried to do too much too quickly and the importance of quality of quantity when posting on Facebook and Twitter. Learn how to build an online golfing community in Episode 9 of the Defining Success Podcast with Zeb Welborn.

Ken Lee from Bunkers Paradise

Recap:

Ken Lee has been involved in sports his entire life. Golf was something that his granparents got him into. They played golf together for 40 years and he watched them play as a young child. Ken loved playing all types of sports and while personally using social media he established contact with Gary Lee from Lakers Nation who had established Bunkers Paradise as a place for used golf clubs reviews. In 2012, Ken came aboard and changed the direction of Bunkers Paradise to make it an online golfing community and they use social media as a platform to build a strong social media community.

Ken’s vision for Bunkers Paradise was to create an online golfing community for anything and everything golf. “We live, learn, and love everything golf.” Any golfer from beginner to pro can connect and interact with us. They will learn news, the newest golf club releases, and they make it fun. They also want to help grow and appreciate the game.

Facebook and Twitter work well for Ken Lee to reach customers and clientele. Ken likes Twitter because there is quick and fast feedback. Facebook, to Ken, is an avenue to expose people to different articles, fun photos and an opportunity for other golfers to engage with one another.

One tip Ken would give for Facebook is to encourage people to interact with Facebook posts. If you write an article don’t just submit it, encourage people to discuss the article that you’ve written. That interaction will give you an opportunity to connect with other golfers.

On Twitter, Ken recommends implementing a strategy and they use it as a gateway for everything. Use introduction tweets to start discussions and then through the interaction start to develop relationships that can bring people to their Facebook page or to their website.

Social media is the reason why Ken Lee came on board with Bunkers Paradise and he says that it’s been the catalyst for the success of his business. What people don’t realize is that nowadays, people want instant feedback and any company can do that now. Anybody can utilize social media in a positive way.

As a result of social media, Bunkers Paradise has been in contact with hundreds of companies including Callaway Golf. Callaway golf has figured out that social media is huge for the game of golf. And they have struck up a strong relationship with Callaway through the social media presence Bunkers Paradise has established.

Ken feels he is a good communicator who interacts with people well in the community and people enjoy talking with him and engaging with Bunkers Paradise. They’re just a bunch of golfers who love this game. He interacts with people well and has fun while he’s doing it.

Sometimes, in the social media world you can push to fast and sometimes pushing too fast hurts your growth in terms of what you’re trying to accomplish. Ken’s trying to get Bunkers Paradise too big, too fast and he tends to think he should slow down sometimes and just enjoy the ride.

To Ken, success is different for each individual, but for the most part it’s setting up a goal and it’s not necessarily reaching a goal, but it’s a journey along the way that help people get to that goal. And whether you have failures or successes along the way, as long as you’re learning the entire time you’ll be successful. Ken considers himself successful because of the people he works and connects with on a daily basis.

Bunkers Paradise

Please connect with their Twitter @BunkersPGolf, search for Bunkers Paradise on Facebook and Instagram. You can also connect with Ken at @GolfingwithLee on Twitter. They will be giving away some prizes as they reach 6,000 Twitter followers.

Engaging Discussion Questions:

What is better to use for businesses, Facebook or Twitter?
Do you think moving too fast is a problem for some businesses?
How do you know how good a post is when you’re creating a Facebook or Twitter post?

Links to Great Stuff:

Bunkers Paradise – Bunkers Paradise is an online community for anything and everything golf. Ken Lee is the Editor-in-Chief and Director of Social Media for Bunkers Paradise.
Callaway Golf – Callaway Golf has figured out the importance of social media. Visit their website.
19th Hole Media – Although not mentioned in this podcast, I, Zeb Welborn have experienced a lot of success using social media at golf courses here in Southern California and recently started a new website with that goal, 19th Hole Media. Let us show you how we’ve been able to help golf courses grow using social media to build stronger relationships with current golfers and reach out to new golfers.
Welborn Media – Located in Chino, CA learn how we can use Internet marketing and social media to reach more customers.

Success Quotes:

“Social media has been our forum for success.”
“To get people to follow you, you have to tweet things that matter.”
“It’s not about quantity, it’s about the quality of the tweets.”

Special Requests:

Please tell anyone you know in the golf industry to visit – www.19thholemedia.com and contact me if they have any questions regarding how social media can help bring golfers to their golf course.
Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast.
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.

Episode #6: Blog Writing to Learn | Erin Klein from Kleinspiration

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Erin Klein discusses how she uses blog writing to make her a better educator, to continue her learning, to share her learning with others and to communicate with other leading educators and education professionals. Pay attention to how Erin has used her blog to make positive change in her community and her classroom.

Erin Klein from Kleinspiration

Recap:

Erin Klein has been a classroom teacher and has developed her own blog which has been successful in its own right.

Erin has taught 1st grade, junior high school and now 2nd grade and she loves it. She used a website for her classroom highlighting her students work and her website became so successful in her school that she got recognition by her district. And then was asked to give presentations to other teachers and she began to blog as a resource sharing site to share her students work and share resources with other teachers.

As a teacher, Erin feels that the blog helps her become a better teacher and gives her an opportunity to share, get feedback, and offers an opportunity for self reflection. She knows that maintaining her blog has helped her become a better teacher and by sharing she has helped other teachers become better.

A recent activity Erin Klein did in her classroom that she shared with others is “If Our Characters Had Instagram,” where students are encouraged to act as if they were a character and then encouraged to think of what types of pictures they would take and share on Instagram which has taken off and teachers all over the world have been downloading her If Our Characters Had Instagram lesson plan.

Erin uses Twitter and Facebook to connect with educators. She loves using Twitter more so than Facebook because, to her, Twitter is more of a professional outlet. She loves the ability Twitter gives her to connect with different types of educators all over the globe.

Blog writing is important for Erin because she uses it to share resources and reflect on what she’s doing in the classroom and it also gives her a way to connect with the parents as to what’s going on in the classroom.

One thing Erin didn’t expect when she began blogging is the amount of businesses that would contact her asking her to use their product in her classroom. Some products she’s recently used in her classroom is the Sifteo Cubes and the Sky Livescribe Interactive Pen, which she says her students love.

Erin would like to see a lot more student choice in the classroom, more teacher-driven content, more creativity, more student voice, more projects, more top-level blooms taxonomy, more mobile and technology apps (used less by particular district approved apps). Ideally, she would like to put the curriculum in the students hands and having them create it and teach each other. Putting teachers in a more facilitative role and putting the learning into students’ hands.

Learning is a priority to Erin as she’s always looking for opporunities to learn and grow. She encourages teachers to ask administrators for things and don’t take no as a final answer. If she feels something is in the best interest of her students then she wants to ask why and that new teachers are so often told no and that that kills the creative process. Erin does recommend being professional, but still challenging administrators to accomplish goals that she feels would be in the best interest of her students.

Erin equates success and happiness to each other. Monetary value doesn’t mean success. Many people she knows who some people would deem successful are often very unhappy. She thinks if people are happy doing something they love, regardless of money than they are successful.

Engaging Discussion Question(s):

Where do you see the future of education going?
Where would you like to see education going in the years to come?

Links to Great Stuff:

Kleinspiration – “Erin Klein the technology chairperson for the Michigan Reading Association, a national A Plus Workshop Presenter, SMART Technologies Exemplary Educator, Really Good Stuff Monthly Blogger, Edutopia Guest Blogger, Edudemic Guest Blogger and Magazine Contributor, National Writing Project member, and award-winning EduTech Blogger.Klein has most recently appeared in the Scholastic Instructor Magazine and co-authored Amazing Grades with experts from 13 countries around the world.”
If Our Characters Had Instagram – A lesson plan designed by Erin Klein which can be used in classrooms from Kindergarten to High School – If a character/historical figure had Instagram, what kinds of pictures would they take?
Sifteo Cubes – “Sifteo Cubes are a magical new interactive game system built on the timeless play patterns of legos, building blocks, and domino tiles.”
Sky Livescribe Interactive Pen – “Record everything you hear, say, write and draw. Wirelessly sync notes and audio to your personal Evernote^® account where you can replay, organize, search and share your interactive notes any time and anywhere.”
The Tutoring Solution’s Share Your Passion Scholarship – The Share Your Passion Essay Contest is open to all High School students. For students to be eligible for one of their scholarships they had to write an essay from the prompt: “What are you passionate about? Why are you passionate about it? How do you plan on using your passion to help others?”
Welborn Media
#EdChat – Join the Discussion on Twitter.

Success Quotes:

“Put the curriculum in the students hands and having them create it and teach each other.” – Erin Klein

Special Requets:

Share The Tutoring Solution’s Share Your Passion Scholarship with any passionate individual in grades K-12 who is willing to share what they are passionate about with others.
Download, review and subscribe to the Defining Success Podcast on iTunes.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter – @DSuccessPodcast.
Sign up for the Defining Success Podcast Newsletter.