A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about what Fantasy Football is teaching me about business. The set-up was that I started the year 2-4, in 9th place, and was ready to write-off the season until my bro-in-law reminded me that in his championship season, he’d started 1-4-1 and in dead last.
With the lessons I learned since, which apply to business as much as they do to Fantasy Football, I made the playoffs. And now, I’m happy to report that, like my brother-in-law before me, I won the league this year. (That’s the screenshot of the league page with my team, “Zorak’s Swarm,” in 1st. If you look at the scores on the right, you’ll see how close it was - I won by just 4/10ths of a point. The Chicago/Green Bay game last week was a white-knuckle affair for me.)
In the grand scheme of things, Fantasy Football is a trifling thing. A multi-billion-dollar industry to be sure, but for people like me, really just a fun hobby for a few weeks out of the year.
What’s made it truly valuable for me, though, is not letting it be “just” a hobby. It’s mining the experience for the wisdom I can use in everyday life and business.
This is what I know for sure: If you listen, if you stay conscious and present, you will find the answers you need for any challenge you face, no matter what they may be, in the course of your daily life.The answers are there. Personally, I’ve had trouble with this concept in the past. And with the go-go-go world we live in constantly driving us to keep moving, get faster, don’t look back, and move on to the next thing, it can seem very hard to slow down and be receptive.
2008 has brought much bigger challenges than starting Fantasy Football with a losing record. And there have been more times than I care to admit when I’ve thought about giving up, or said as much out loud to Lani.
I can take my own advice, though, and not make things harder than they have to be. I can take Lani’s advice and not try to force things that haven’t been working. Instead, I can step back and listen. I can learn the truth about what works for me and what doesn’t. And I can own it and live it once and for all.
If that’s advice you can use, too, then I encourage you to join me in taking it to heart, and living it today.
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on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 12:20 pm and is filed under Lessons Learned.
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Just a friendly reminder to get on the Twitter train sooner rather than later, if you haven’t done so already.
If you’ve been resisting it, or you’re annoyed because you think it’s just another time-sucking nuisance, or you’re stuck in “I just don’t get it” humbug, it’s OK. Yes, Twitter can be a powerful tool for your biz, but aspects of it ARE silly, and you’re probably not going to see any gigantor results any time soon.
On the other hand…
It’ll take you five minutes (maybe 10-15, if you like to poke around, are patiently tentative, or are of the mindset that whatever you put up there live is your defining moment in cyberspace, to be either applauded or poo-pooed by millions of people just waiting to judge your every move). Once you’re in, you can start to see how it could work for your biz. Everyone’s using it differently, and most everyone doesn’t know what they’re doing, either (even if the claim they most certainly do!).
I’ll be writing a more informative article on the subject soon, but for now, just get started. It’s a good, safe, easy way to get into the social marketing party. If you plan on being in business for the next couple of years or decades, you’re going to have to start somewhere.
Start with Twitter.
Al and I are stumbling around it, making some cool connections, experimenting with different ways to use it for ourselves, clients, and niche interests. (And yes, it’s already proven to bring new revenue into our biz.) Last night we launched another account to see if we can use it to accelerate a real estate sale in 2009. We’ll let you know how it goes, if it proves to be effective in any way.
Anyway, I got their “Welcoming you to Twitter!” email, and i thought it couldn’t hurt to post it here, just in case you’re a Twitter tire kicker and want a sneak peek at what the Twit peeps themselves have to say to their rapidly increasing membership. Hope it’s of some use to you!
Hello, new Twitter-er!
Using Twitter is going to change the way you think about staying in touch with friends and family. Did you know you can send and receive Twitter updates via mobile texting, instant message, or the web? To do that, you’ll want to visit your settings page (and you’ll want to invite some friends).
The New York Times calls Twitter “one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet.” TIME Magazine says, “Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app,” and Newsweek noted that “Suddenly, it seems as though all the world’s a-twitter.” What will you think? http://twitter.com
This entry was posted
on Saturday, December 20th, 2008 at 11:04 pm and is filed under Social Marketing.
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It sounds ridiculous, I admit. But last week, Allen and I made the bold decision that $12 was a bargain for one hour and 45 minutes of mid-day shut-eye.
We had been pulling weird hours already, trying to fit in a chunk of time before our 6 year old went off to his first grade world, and then again after our 14-month-old had his bath and went to sleep. Of course, there was the working chunk in between, too.
On a Wednesday — which was not an unusual Wednesday in the course of our Married-With-Biz life — we found ourselves spinning wheels, bleary-eyed, and simply lacking steam of any kind. To look at Allen was to see some version of Forrest Gump on valium, and I know I didn’t look much different.
The clock had just struck 2:00pm. Our youngest son, Declan, was in daycare, which he goes to 2-3 times/week. Our oldest son, Joe, was due to get out of school at 3:05, and one of us usually picks him up from school at that time, or else gets him at 3:25 at the bus stop.
Did I mention we had been putting in crazy hours?
Anyway, we had a bold insight. What if we called the occasional after-school sitter, and had her pick Joe up from school…simply so we could squeeze in a much-needed - *gulp* - NAP???
In some parenting circles, this is nothing short of blasphemy. For the guilt-ridden (like me), this is a ticket to The Bad Parent Hall of Shame. However, that day, I simply didn’t care. Sometimes, you just have to throw in the towel. We had arrived at said time.
Those of us who own our own businesses sometimes forget to take advantage of the “perks.” Maybe it’s because of the unshakable residue of our former 9-5 lives, or the voices of friends, family, and associates who’ve openly shared their views of what a good work ethic looks like, how napping in the middle of the work week is LAZY…
Or maybe it’s because of our own fears of inadequacy. Often we’re beholden to the idea that if we don’t constantly push ourselves during our limited windows of opportunity (i.e. when the kids aren’t pulling at our legs, when laundry and dinner and household amusements aren’t tugging at our attentions), we’ll sink like a lead lemming with cinder blocks on its feet. After all, if WE don’t suck it up, take up the slack, make things happen, inspire opportunities, invent miracles, dig our heels in and crank up the heat, who will?
Unfortunately, that merciless, can-do/must-do/go-go-go attitude catches up to us. It’s downright exhausting.
Fortunately, turns out the perfect antidote takes one hour and 45 minutes, and costs just 12 bucks.
For those of you feeling sloggy and groggy these days, wrapping up your 2008, prepping for your 2009, beautifying presents, playing Santa, spreading holiday cheer to everyone in our contacts list, heed the words of the late, great Janis Joplin and “Get it while you can.” Give yourself the gift of a $12 nap. It’s the fastest, cheapest way to feel merry, bright, and mighty again…and it may even remind you of the oft-forgotten blessings of owning your own biz.
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on Saturday, December 20th, 2008 at 10:33 am and is filed under Married - With Business.
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Disclaimer first - I’m digging social media. I’ve dipped my toes into Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (connect with me on them via the sidebar links), and I’m ready to start swimming out into the deep water in 2009.
So when I say that people should stop making a big deal about “Social Media Marketing Strategy,” I’m referring more to the “Strategy” aspect of that phrase.
I’ve been talking to clients and allies recently, and hearing things like, “I need a social media strategy, but I don’t know what that looks like.”
Here’s the sneaky little secret: Social media - whether it’s networking, bookmarking, photosharing, microblogging, or what have you - is just a tool.
That’s right, I said it. LinkedIn is just a tool. Twitter is a tool. Facebook calls itself a “social utility.” How tool-like can you get?
Of course, they’re AWESOME tools - the relationship-building equivalent of a Leatherman, or even Steelgrip Starkey’s “All-Purpose Power Tool.”
They’re also made for specific uses. They’re not straight-up sales tools like, say, direct mail. They’re for building audiences, relationships, trust, street cred, expert status, visibility, education opportunities, lead generation, and anything that helps a prospect take the next, low-risk step in a deeper relationship with you.
If anything in that list is something you need to grow your business - and since your audience is adopting social media more deeply and broadly than ever - then social media tools should be a part of your broader marketing strategy.
But don’t get hung up on what a “Social Media Marketing Strategy” is or isn’t, what’s included or excluded. The fundamental questions are much the same as they are for traditional marketing, such as:
What’s my goal?
How will I measure success/progress toward that goal?
Is my audience there? (Or will they be?)
Is my competition there? (Or will they be?)
How much time and money am I budgeting for this?
Granted, the use of social media tools (the “execution,” if you will) is much different with traditional media than with social media, and you have to be prepared for that. But when it comes to strategy, per se, all you’re doing is deciding to add social media tools to your marketing mix.
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on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Social Marketing.
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Our pal (and one of our trusted mentors) Adam Urbanski is throwing a 90-minute teleseminar today at 1pm ET/10am PT. (That’s the unbuttoned Adam at right - Lani snapped this pic during a day-long Platinum Mastermind meeting.) Here’s the deal about the call, straight from Adam himself:
Over the past two months I hosted a number of teleseminars and asked participants to tell me about their most pressing marketing challenge.
By far the most frequently asked question I got was this:
“I’m NOT a guru, I don’t have a big list.
In fact, I just sell my services and don’t
have any info-products; How do I quickly
build my list and get more clients? I want
to know, step-by-step, how do I get started?”
And I’m finally going to answer this question!
Personally, considering you can save $79 by using this VIP code - PES128 - it’d be silly not to check it out. If you can’t make it, register and you’ll still get the audio and transcript out of it for your later learning pleasure.
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on Wednesday, December 17th, 2008 at 1:28 am and is filed under Dances With Gurus.
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In Week Six of our Fantasy Football league this year, I was 2-4, in 9th place out of 10, and already starting to think “Maybe next year…” thoughts.
Until my brother-in-law reminded me that back in 2006, he’d started his year with a 1-4-1 record, for a dead-last 10th place. It looked grim for him, too…and then he won six straight and 7 out of 8 to make the playoffs in 3rd place.
Not to mention the fact that he dominated in the playoffs and acutally won the league that year.
I took that to heart, and eight weeks later, I’m in the playoffs. I ended the regular season in 4th place, on a 6-2 run. Not as good as he did in ‘06, but good enough. (Of course, I’m actually playing him in the first round of the playoffs this week. He ended the season with the best record and the most points in the league this year, so I’ve still got challenges ahead.)
That said, I went on a walk with Lani the other day, and we got to talking about the parallels between business and fantasy football. My top three:
1. Know your numbers.Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm said this in a speech at the Entrepreneur Institute a couple years ago, and he’s so right on. I started watching the football stats a little closer and deeper, and started seeing patterns that helped me make different decisions about which players to sit and which to start.
2. Make quick and confident decisions. With fantasy football, you can agonize over which player to start under what circumstances, and the opportunities for “Monday morning quarterbacking” are endless. Ultimately, you have to have a core set of beliefs and values you rely on, so that when the decision time comes, you can act - you have a solid surface from which to make your leap. Besides, doing something is always better than doing nothing.
3. Take action in support of your belief. At 2-4, I wasn’t bothering to look for upgrades to my roster. I was holding on to some of my initial draft picks from the beginning of the season that hadn’t worked out at all. And sitting on the bench, they weren’t doing me any favors. Now, of the 15 players I started with, only six originals remain on my roster. I became the third most active player in terms of free agent pick-ups. In short, I believed it was possible for me to make the playoffs, and I acted as though I would.
This final week was a nail-biter, as it turned out. I was in a 5th place, must-win situation - plus, one guy (Andy) had to beat another guy (Tony) in a separate matchup, in order for me to make the playoffs. I did my part…but I had to wait until late Monday night for the results of the other matchup.
Going into Monday night, Tony was ahead. But Lani told her parents that night over the phone, “I don’t know a thing about how this all works, but I know Allen’s gonna make the playoffs.”
Turned out, Andy beat Tony - by less than six points. Less than six points made the difference between making the playoffs and, well, not.
It’s a hobby, it’s fun, it takes a couple hours out of my week and there may be a $300 prize in it for me in two weeks if I go all the way. Small stakes compared to being in business for yourself, I know.
But you can find useful life lessons anywhere you look for them.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, December 11th, 2008 at 12:31 am and is filed under Lessons Learned.
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Think it’s hard boiling your biz message, mission, and vision down to its core essence? Think it would be even harder to turn your value proposition into a Rodgers-and-Hammerstein-esque musical?
Try doing just that with the whole Prop 8 gay marriage conundrum. Just 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Wow.
No matter where you stand on the issue, you have to admit this “Funny or Die” Exclusive is a shining beacon in the world of stellar content creation.
Sure, they’ve got folks like Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris, Margaret Cho, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, and satirical musical genius Marc Shaiman on their creative team (not to mention access to A-List editors, producers, promoters, and equipment). But when you get past that teensy, weensy detail, here’s what they’ve got:
A Big Idea (i.e. message, mission, and vision - Jesus says: “choose Love instead of Hate”)
A short, 3-minute script sharing the Big Idea with humor, wit, and levity
A well-selected Content Catapult (i.e. viral video) to get that Big Idea OUT THERE to its Ideal Audience
The Burning Desire to share it — which supercedes all reservations and fear
That’s a winner of a formula right there, kids. Use it for any (or all) of your products, services, or brands in 2009, and revel in the results.
It’s official! We’ve publicly announced via Marketwire the launch of the 2009 “A-Ha!” Revenue & Results Mastermind Program for NH small business owners, solo-preneurs, and other marketing professionals. For these folks, it’s a chance to step out of marketing overwhelm and into a step-by-step curriculum that mixes 1-on-1 coaching, webinars, and the power of the “Master Mind,” which leverages the talents, knowledge and experience of other success-minded business owners.
LACONIA, NH–(Marketwire - December 2, 2008) - As 2009 approaches, NH business owners, consultants, and other solo-preneurs are all too aware of the current economic climate and the challenges it presents. While doom-and-gloom types are ready to throw in the towel, success-minded professionals are looking for innovation solutions to stay ahead of their competition, systematically drive leads into their business, and increase their cash flow with new, better, more dynamic products and services.
In response, Lani and Allen Voivod, the “Content Lovers” of Lakes-Region-based Epiphanies, Inc., today announced the opening of “The 2009 ‘A-Ha!’ Revenue & Results Mastermind Program.” The year-long think tank is a structured, ROI-focused solution designed for 10 forward-thinking NH entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other business and marketing professionals. Participation is on a “first in, first to win” basis, and those interested can learn more and reserve their seat at www.AhaNH.com.
“Now more than ever, lifestyle business owners have to step up their game,” says Lani. “Our Program delivers the information, support, accountability, and environment they need to thrive financially — and have some fun! — without working themselves ragged.”
The 12-month Program follows a step-by-step curriculum focusing on how to:
Discover and take advantage of the best online tools and resources available
Implement simple, proven, cost-effective social marketing strategies
Leverage their existing assets to increase visibility, connect emotionally with their prospects and clients
Create multiple income streams
“This type of business growth accelerator is the first of its kind in New England,” says Allen. “It features a combination of one-on-one coaching and consulting, group teleconferences, monthly ‘Lifestyle Lunches,’ face-to-face ‘Power Summits,’ and live ‘Mastermind Smackdowns’ fueled by the collective insights and experiences of the whole group.”
“More than anything, we want to help NH businesses boom and bloom in 2009 and beyond,” Lani adds. “We’ve spent so much of our own time, money, and resources learning from the best marketing and success minds in the country, we’re dying to share what we know so we can all comfortably live and love in this beautiful state of ours.”
To that end, Epiphanies, Inc. is offering a free e-Course with “the must-know tips and trends for the next 12 months” — which will also be related to the Program’s focus over each month of 2009. The course is called “The 12 Days of Biz Success,” and NH professionals can get it, along with more information about the Mastermind Program, at www.EpiphaniesInc.com/12days.
About Epiphanies, Inc.
Lani & Allen Voivod, “The Content Lovers” of Epiphanies, Inc., help lifestyle entrepreneurs and million-dollar businesses “A-Ha Themselves!” in fun, innovative, and profitable ways through business masterminding, content leveraging, and social marketing & success strategies. To find out about their upcoming teleclasses, webinars, workshops, and events in their “Inciter” ezine, get their free “12 Days of Biz Success” e-Course, and learn more about the “2009 ‘A-Ha! Revenue & Results Mastermind Program,” go to www.EpiphaniesInc.com/12days.
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on Thursday, December 4th, 2008 at 2:25 pm and is filed under Press 'n Such.
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The stack of magazines has been piling up recently, but I finally made it down to the October 2008 issue of Wired, and read about the inside story of the launch of Google’s new web browser, Chrome.
The story itself is a great read, but what really jumped out at me was this:
From the beginning, the Chrome team hoped that its visual presentation would be so understated that people wouldn’t even think they were using a browser. The mantra became “Content, not chrome,” which is sort of weird given the name of the browser. (”We’ve learned to live with the irony,” Mark Larson says.)
They didn’t want to bowl people over with bells ‘n whistles. They did what they do best - keep it simple. And they realized that a Web browser is simply one more tool for delivering content - “information you share with your audience in any form, which (ideally!) provides a specific value or benefit to them.” (Presented more colorfully here.)
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on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 am and is filed under All About Content.
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LACONIA, NH - The economic news is making business coaches, consultants, and other solo-preneurs instinctively tighten their belts and watch their expenses closely. So even though they know the value of attending workshops and seminars, they get more selective about the business learning resources they pursue.
To help New Hampshire business owners and marketing professionals, Lakes-Region-based social marketing and success company Epiphanies, Inc. is offering a “$2,997 of Online Marketing Gold for 1/25th of the Cost” Workshop. It takes place Friday, December 5th, from 10am-4pm, in their offices at 831 Union Ave. Suite #9, in Laconia.
The tongue-in-cheek title refers to the cost of a ticket to self-made-millionaire marketer Ali Brown’s “Online Success Blueprint Workshop,” held in Los Angeles last month for nearly 500 entrepreneurs. Lani & Allen Voivod, co-owners and “Content Lovers” of Epiphanies, Inc., attended the event and will share highlights of what they learned with workshop attendees.
“You don’t have to miss out on learning the best, most effective tips and strategies for building a powerful, profitable business, online and off,” said Lani. “Let us share what we learned with you while it’s still fresh in our heads, for a fraction of the cost of the live event.”
Topics to be covered include (but aren’t limited to): Ezines and other communication tools, list-building, lead generation, teleseminars, social media, information products, and secrets of simple money-making websites.
The sign-up deadline is Thursday, December 4th at 2:59pm, and space is limited to 15 participants. The cost is $129, and attendees may bring one spouse, friend, or business partner for just $20 more. Register here. For questions, call Marketing Manager Lyn Toomey at 603-524-5248 or email lyn@epiphaniesinc.com.
About Epiphanies, Inc.
Lani & Allen Voivod, “The Content Lovers” of Epiphanies, Inc., help lifestyle entrepreneurs and million-dollar businesses “A-Ha Themselves!” in fun, innovative, and profitable ways through business masterminding, content leveraging, and social marketing & success strategies. To find out about their upcoming teleclasses, webinars, workshops, and events in their “Inciter” ezine, get their free “12 Days of Biz Success” e-Course, and learn about their “2009 ‘A-Ha! Revenue & Results Mastermind Program,” go to www.EpiphaniesInc.com/12days.
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on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Press 'n Such.
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With the lessons I learned since, which apply to business as much as they do to Fantasy Football, I made the playoffs. And now, I’m happy to report that, like my brother-in-law before me, I won the league this year. (That’s the screenshot of the league page with my team, “Zorak’s Swarm,” in 1st. If you look at the scores on the right, you’ll see how close it was - I won by just 4/10ths of a point. The Chicago/Green Bay game last week was a white-knuckle affair for me.)
