Debbie Bolduc of Franklin Savings Bank first brought this story to my attention back in October 2009, and it quickly made its way into our presentations as a powerful example of how building a dedicated tribe through social media has tremendous, far-reaching, and even unexpected benefits.
Short summary: In September of 2009, Vermont’s Rock Art Brewery got a cease-and-desist letter from Monster Energy Drinks (subsidiary of the multi-billion-dollar Hansen’s Natural Beverages). They wanted Rock Art to stop using “The Vermonster” as the name of one of its microbrewed beers. Rock Art found out they could fight it in court and have a good chance to win, but it would likely bankrupt the comparatively small-pocketed company in the process.
A month and a half after receiving the C&D letter, thanks to thousands of people joining a Monster boycott movement on Facebook and nearly 2 million tweets on Twitter about it (which also got the attention of one of their US Senators), Monster dropped the case. Or, as CNN succinctly puts it, “Matt [Nadeau, Rock Art's owner] used social media to publicize his plight and settled the dispute amicably.”
Yes, that’s right - this social media groundswell also led to television coverage on major news outlets, including this piece last week on CNN. And the best news - as you’ll hear at the end of the report - is that Nadeau leveraged the power of his tribe to create real change in how small businesses like his, yours, and ours can protect their trademarks.
Heard the news about Twitter? It’s yet another password hack, but it’s not really their fault. (Really!)
Since some of the things I’ve read required me to read them two and three time to understand what was up, and since I had a client ask me whether they should be worried about their account, I thought I’d share with you a very simple explanation for this latest Twitter security breach, and plan of action for you, in 6 easy points:
1. Some file-sharing websites/forums (also called “torrent” sites) have turned out to be hacker scams, thought out over the long-term. Hackers built online forums and sold them to unsuspecting folks, secretly keeping the ability to access complete lists of usernames and passwords for themselves.
2. As a sweeping generalization, people like to use the same username and password across all their different logins anywhere on the Internet whenever possible (from your newsletters to online banking to web-based email to Twitter).
3. When these hacker-compromised forums get popular and get enough users, there’s enough reason for hackers to go back in, pull the lists of usernames and passwords, and use them for nefarious purposes.
4. One of those nefarious purposes was to break into Twitter accounts - likely to send spam, scam people for more confidential information, et cetera.
5. So if you use file-sharing forums, or software like BitTorrent, and you want to keep using it, then you’ll need to change your password for Twitter (and would be advised to do it in every other online venue you use that requires a password).
6. And if not, then you don’t have to worry about it for the short term…but do consider the idea of changing passwords more frequently and (to be REALLY safe) use different passwords for different sites where possible, so they’re not repeated across websites/forums.
Some folks like to do their “Year-in-Review” stuff during the last week of December. Me, I prefer the first week of January. Hey, how can you review your year’s performance when you’ve got a few days left, anyway?
So I was doing a little analysis on the numbers and, if you don’t mind, I’ve got something to crow about:
13% of our revenue last year came from leveraged or passive sources.
Thirteen percent! That’s the best we’ve ever done in that area.
Thing is, since 2006, we’ve been listening to various folks preaching the gospel of leveraged revenue - traditionally including workshops, speaking engagements, teleclasses, mastermind programs, and so forth - and passive revenue from information product sales and affiliate commissions.
Getting over the 10% mark is pretty significant for us. It’s funny, too, considering that 2009 was such a topsy-turvy year in the business world, and this is one of the results we’re seeing. (It’s a safe bet Melanie Benson Strick’s CEO Factor event from April plays a part in this result. You can see a few videos we recorded during the event on our YouTube Channel, “A-Ha!” TV.)
We had our eggs in too few baskets in 2008, and when the recession hit, it gave us a good punch. Our 2009 numbers were down from 2008, but I’m happy to say we’re a six-figure business for the third year in a row, and that’s a great feeling.
So, I’d like to encourage you to look at your business and ask yourself:
1. How could I share what I know to help people in a group setting?
2. How could I record what I know - in text, audio, video, what have you - to help people without me being there?
3. How could I help more people by letting them know these options exist for them - and are often less expensive than working with me one-on-one?
Because here’s what I know: Businesses are made of people, and people still need help. They’re also still being careful with their money, so they may be looking for ways to learn what you know without breaking the bank.
And if you don’t offer those kinds of low-cost, low-risk options…well, aren’t you selling your audience short?
I was leaving a voicemail the other day, for the head of a non-profit. They’re considering a proposal from us, and I gave my contact there a ring to check in.
You know how sometimes when you’re leaving a message, and you get surprised by what comes out of your mouth? Well, it happened to me, and though I don’t remember exactly what I said, it was something along the lines of:
“I want to help you make a confident decision, and whether it’s ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ doesn’t matter to me.”
Now, in one small sense, that was a lie.
I’ve spent time in meetings with this non-profit, talking about their current situation and their goals for the future. I’ve talked about them with Lani, and started thinking far enough down the strategy road to give them a proposal that’ll work within the resources they have. I like the people, I like the mission, and most importantly, I believe in them.
So if they say ‘No,’ it will matter to me. It’ll be a bummer, to say the least.
But in a larger sense, it was brazenly honest. It’s not the “Yes” or “No” that matters as much as the decision. The act of saying “Yes” or “No.”
How often do we go through our lives and businesses without making decisions? Avoiding decisions? Letting things exist at the status quo, even when the status quo is no good and getting worse?
Sometimes the act of deciding on a change seems more scary than not deciding. What if you make the wrong decision? (Which assumes there’s such a thing as a “right” or “wrong” decision, but that’s a whole different can of worms.) I’ve had that wrong decision feeling a lot in these, my first few years of entrepreneurship. With the new year starting, I’ve had a occasion to think back on this in the last 24 hours. Also, my in-laws unexpectedly took the kids overnight, so Lani and I had peace and quiet in the house.
Turns out - and I’m sorry to say I had to learn this the hard way, but maybe that was the only way I could learn it - the only “wrong” decision has been indecision.
Meanwhile, if you want to make the “right” decisions, then one of the best ways you can is to make more of them. The more you make, and the more you think about how you make them, the better you’re going to get at making them faster, more easily, and more confidently.
That’s one thing I’m learning right now, and one of the things I’m going to focus on is making decisions - faster, stronger, better.
How about you? What’s your take on decision making?
Today I’m sharing an article from a gal I had the good fortune to meet in person at Ali Brown’s Online Success Blueprint Workshop last November, Sherri Garrity.
As “Chief Corporate Fugitive” and President of Make It Count Communications, Sherri’s mission is to help non-profits improve their fundraising reach and results, and to “to empower anyone whose willing to take the first step to becoming a Corporate Fugitive.” (Don’t you just love it?!)
I found the article especially helpful because Allen and I have been talking a lot lately about how owning your own biz is the ultimate personal growth tool, which we first heard from James “The Info Product Guy” Roche.
Thanks for the article, Sherri, and good luck with your new jogging adventures!
This morning I celebrated a personal milestone. You see, although I am a fairly active person and like to golf, take dance class, and ride my bike I have never been “into” sports.
So you can imagine my family and friends’ surprise when I signed up to run at 5:30 a.m. a few times a week.
Today was the first day, and when I arrived I immediately sized up the other women in the group. I knew that a few of them were seasoned distance runners, from their conversation with the leader. About a third said they run regularly, for exercise, and the rest were like me, totally inexperienced and probably feeling a little unsure.
We started with a one kilometer run just to “warm up” followed by another four kilometers. I completed three and had to walk a portion of it.
All I was thinking was I didn’t want to finish last! When my shins started to feel like they were on fire, I was tempted to quit. Thoughts of “what were you thinking” came to mind. It would have been very easy to deke off the trail and drop in at my friend Wendy’s house.
But I didn’t, and instead of feeling like a loser, now I am celebrating the good feeling that I accomplished the first steps in what will be a longer and sometimes painful process. I was the last to finish, but not by much, and instead of feeling self conscious and comparing myself to those that did better than me, I crossed the end of the trail with a big smile for showing up and not quitting.
Originally, I was going to send out a different article today. But this experience got me thinking about how much our mindset and prior conditioning shows up when we are challenged, feeling less than competent, and getting out of our comfort zone.
Quitting a job and starting a business, and then growing and advancing it takes a lot of courage and determination.
We underestimate how much our self-labels and tendency to compare to others can undermine us.
Through coaching and working hard to improve my own skills, I realized that no one is born a wildly successful entrepreneur and that often feeling incompetent or uncomfortable is just a sign that you are encountering something you just haven’t learned how to do yet. [emphasis added :)]
Separating the label, for example, “I’m not an athlete”, or “I’m not a marketing person”, from the act of learning a new skill, is a perspective that has really helped me.
In business there are many skills we need to learn and master. Not all of them will come easily. Here are five tips:
Recognize but don’t be identified by your limitations - We all have things we are good at, and things we are not. The more in tune you are with your own weak spots, the more you can work with them instead of against them.
Know you are not the only one -Everyone struggles, although our individual struggles are different. If you don’t participate in a networking or mastermind group, or other forum, consider getting involved. It’s amazing how lifted up you can feel when you know that others are going through challenges too.
Stretch yourself - Putting yourself in situations where you are a little uncomfortable is how you grow. Doing the same things, the same way, is not going to get you different results. You have to be willing to try new things.
Make yourself accountable in the way that works for you - If you know you are less strong and therefore less likely to work on a certain aspect of your business, find a way to make sure you do. This is the number one reason that people hire coaches and join mastermind groups. The aspect of public commitment and a shared promise to show up is a very effective way to hold yourself accountable. Others may find they need a different form of support like setting goals and rewarding themselves for completion.
Change your attitude - If you can accept challenge and approach learning with an “I just don’t know how to do this yet” attitude, you can see that nothing is insurmountable. Put yourself in a position of power, rather than negatively labelling yourself. When you do something, focus on your achievement and celebrate ALL wins, no matter how seemingly small.
As for me, I am fairly sure I will not run a marathon, but I will succeed at my own goal. Coffee at 6:30 anyone?
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Sherri Garrity is the Chief Corporate Fugitive and creator of the Five Keys Success System™ for ex-corporate employees and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to break free from the confines of their corporate experience and unlock their business potential for greater personal freedom and prosperity. The Corporate Fugitive system demystifies the business of setting up, managing, marketing and growing a successful entrepreneurial adventure. Visit www.corporatefugitive.com for free tips on how to unlock the business in you.
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on Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 9:43 am and is filed under Lessons Learned.
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Because it’s a fantastic view into the world of professional survey research, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the Gallup Panel when they offered it last year. (Note to Gallup - show a progress bar on your survey pages. They’re too long not to have them.)
Occasionally, they’ll send an email with a summary of some of their findings, and we thought this one was worth sharing:
During an ongoing assessment of Americans’ health and well-being, Gallup asks panelists to reflect on a list of nearly a dozen feelings they experienced a lot of the day before the survey. Of the nine feelings Gallup asks respondents to identify, panelists are most likely to report experiencing happiness (74%) during a lot of the previous day. Likewise, 71% of respondents say they experienced enjoyment.
About half of panelists say they felt stress (49%) and 42% say they experienced worry a lot of the day before the survey, whereas 30% say they felt physical pain and 21% were sad. Panelists are least likely to experience anger (16%), depression (16%), and fear (14%).
Considering how insistently our mainstream media is hammering the doom and gloom buttons, isn’t it great to know that, as a nation, we seem to be much happier than the nightly news suggests?
It’s not a Pollyanna thing - obviously, a lot of people are worried/stressed, and for good reasons - but there’s even more joy and good feeling present, and we’ve gotta start tapping into that more as a nation and a people.
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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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.
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on Thursday, December 11th, 2008 at 12:31 am and is filed under Lessons Learned.
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The folks atGo-to-Market Strategiesjust published an article with data compiled by one of their strategic partners about past recessions, and how businesses handled them based on whether they spent more or cut back on their marketing. No surprise - the businesses that ramped up their marketing efforts performed better, and gained market share.
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on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 10:14 am and is filed under Lessons Learned.
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After yesterday’s post, which ended in a frustrated Catch-22, my lovely wife and business partner Lani gave me a challenge.
(Side note: She was at the 6th Annual MicroCredit-NH Artist Exchange yesterday, connecting with artisans and checking out presentations by Nancy Clark of Glen Group, Jim Horne of Beacon Business Advantage, and Linda Faranas of Millenium Advertising.)
Here’s the refresher: If you don’t have the budget for marketing, and you don’t want to learn marketing because A) it’s not your specialty and B) you know as a business owner you should leave marketing to someone who knows how to do it, then you’re stuck.
So Lani challenged me to answer the question: How do you get unstuck?
Whether you go the Michael Gerber, E-Myth Revisited, employee-based model for your business, or you go the Timothy Ferriss, 4-Hour Workweek, totally-outsourced model, the answer is the same.
You have to start by doing it yourself. Period.
That means you have to do your own learning, purchase educational material, hire a coach/consultant, join a mastermind group, or some combination of these. You have to commit to this.
One of our mentors, Adam Urbanski, says (and I’m paraphrasing a bit) that if you’re a solo professional who sells a product, then, stop saying “You’re in the [product] business,” because it’s not that simple. The reality is that you’re in the business of marketing your product.
Gerber’s business planning acknowledges that, when you’re starting out, you’re doing everything. So he advises you create complete job descriptions and manuals for an employee’s duties. That means you have to know your own marketing cold, so when you get big enough to hire in-house marketing help, you can hand off the duties and know the person will be successful. Why? Because you already did it, and you know it works, and you documented it.
Ferriss lays out the process for building the outsourced model, but you have to do the research to find the product, you have to do the testing to make sure it’s viable, and you have to be able to give the proper direction and guidance to outsourcing firms or freelancers you hire to do the work down the road.
Bottom line: If you are a one-person shop, whether you’re selling a product or service, you have to learn how to market and sell your product or service. YOU. No one else.
And if that means you have to pay to learn, or pay to get coached, then get a budget together, set your expectations, put your money where your passion is, and take the leap. Because you’re not really “paying” - you’re investing with an expectation of return on your investment.
Take advertising as an analogy. Are you spending $100 on an ad, or are you investing $100 with the expectation of getting $500 in new business? That’s the only smart way to look at any marketing expenditure.
Sure, there aren’t any guarantees with marketing. There aren’t any guarantees with business, or with life. What is there, then? Numbers that can be tracked, and campaigns tested and tweaked, until you get the results you’re looking for.
for themselves.
Some folks like to do their “Year-in-Review” stuff during the last week of December. Me, I prefer the first week of January. Hey, how can you review your year’s performance when you’ve got a few days left, anyway?
Today I’m sharing an article from a gal I had the good fortune to meet in person at Ali Brown’s Online Success Blueprint Workshop last November, 
Because it’s a fantastic view into the world of professional survey research, I jumped at the chance to be a part of the Gallup Panel when they offered it last year. (Note to Gallup - show a progress bar on your survey pages. They’re too long not to have them.)
