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Leveraging LinkedIn for Business: 11 Tips to Get More Social on the “Professional” Platform

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Ever since my interview of Mirna Bacun back in session 18, I’ve been a proponent of folks starting groups on LinkedIn if they thought that their clientele would sooner be found on there than on Facebook.

Another reason that you might want to start a group on there is that it has a few more functions than groups on Facebook have these days – including a digest of activity.

There’s other reasons, but you can find out more about that in my interview with Myr here.

In the meantime, everyone that does business online SHOULD have at least a profile on LinkedIn. You never know who’s going to run across your account – and frankly, you can share things over there just as easily as you can on Facebook.

In this post, which was originally posted back on September 30th, 2010, I went over how you can make your account easier to find for those looking to fill a position. Back then, I was still trying to get hired by a startup – so I wrote it in that perspective. Eventually, I did land a position through that old advice – but I think it’s time that this post get’s a bit of an update! – JC

What is LinkedIn, Really?

Since graduating, one thing has definitely been on my mind as I’ve been looking into professional networking: LinkedIn. To those of us not familiar with it, I’ll just say that it’s basically a Facebook for professionals. It has many features that Facebook has except without all the personal clutter that makes Facebook is known for.

Here’s a review of the new LinkedIn User Interface in 2017 by Paul Wilson to get you up to speed if you’ve never made an account on the platform before:

If you’re a professional or business owner and you DON’T have a LinkedIn account, then you might be missing out. Sure, you can make plenty of noise through having your own Facebook Group these days, but if not everyone uses Facebook for business – yet. So having an up-to-date account on LinkedIn pointing to your account on Facebook (if that’s where they can find you most often) might be the best solution.

Tips on Using LinkedIn

That being the case, here are a few things that you want to focus on when getting involved with LinkedIn:

1. Make sure you Create a 100% full Profile.

This includes getting 3 recommendations and a nice (professional) picture for yourself.

2. Use Keywords in your Profile.

For me I try to use terms related to online business development, brand development, and social media consulting. The more often you use particular keywords in your profile, the easier it is for LinkedIn’s search engine to find you. This makes it easier for others to find you if they look for that particular term.

3. Update your Profile Regularly.

Just like other social media platforms, people take interest in you if you post more frequently. One way to do this is by linking your profile to your other social media accounts. That way, whatever you post over there will be seen on LinkedIn. However, if you’re posting super personal information regularly, you might want to reconsider doing this. The best course of action is simply posting native material to LinkedIn.

4. Find and Participate in the Groups You Care About!

Just like groups on Facebook, Groups in LinkedIn can be a great place to meet liked minded individuals that can help you get to where you’re trying to get to in your career.

5. Add anyone you meet in Business and Life

Just like adding people to Facebook, don’t be afraid to ask them to be LinkedIn! Just like in Facebook, the more people you’re connected to, the better off you are in networking. Those are selective in whom they select to be part of their list aren’t doing themselves any favors. (When inviting them on LinkedIn, be sure to use a custom message.)

6. Get familiar with Browsing your Connections’ Connections.

You never know who knows the people you know. As David Anderson said, “You’re only one person away from having everything come true that you want in life.”

7. Start following particular companies that you might enjoy working with.

When you do this it will be announced to people in your network. Answering questions in groups does wonders to get you noticed as well.

8. Don’t be afraid to leave Recommendations for people.

In fact, when you leave recommendations for people – more often than not, they’ll return the favor. This makes you look hella awesome!

9.  Share What You Know

If you know something about a company such as an event or the fact that they’re hiring, let others know!

This is another way of building rapport with members of your network. What goes around, should come around!

10. Use that Search Feature!

On many websites this feature gets overlooked as it tends to be somewhat frustrating to use. Not the case at LinkedIn. Use it to find potential clients or groups that you want to work with.

11. Create Your Own Group

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, having your own group is a great way to develop a following. Myr was ahead of her time when she created her formula – so if building a following on LinkedIn is key to building your business – don’t hesitate and get educated!

Action Steps

With it’s update this past year, LinkedIn is stepping up its game. It functions more and more like Facebook, which, in general, makes it easier for people to navigate. Again, the big difference is that the audiences are completely different. Even though you can do business on Facebook, it’s still the exception and not the norm.

If you haven’t been on LinkedIn for awhile or feel you have to spend a lot of time there to make it worth your while – think again!

outgoing introvert

How an Outgoing Introvert Can Become a Leader

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Since 2011, I’ve been a John Maxwell Team member. And while I haven’t been able to use the skills directly that I have learned from the group, there’s definitely one thing that has serviced me.

It’s a great way to network and meet all kinds of interesting people who have chosen to make John’s work part of their arsenal of ways they can help people.

In this post (which was one that I made soon after I was “officially certified” as a member of the team), I talk about what it takes for someone who isn’t traditionally considered a typical “people person” (an introvert) to become a leader.

Funny enough, it’s not as hard as you’d think!

-JC

Growing Up an Outgoing Introvert

Us introverts, we’re an interesting bunch. We like to think deep and hard about things and, for the most part, we like people – but we don’t want to deal with them all day.

At least that’s what the classical definition would say about us.

Growing up I was an only child – so I don’t know if my introversion was nature or nurtured.

But one thing has always been the same. I was always outgoing. Talking with just about anyone – when needed.

Usually it was about things I had learned that might apply in their life. I never was one for casual talk – so many times I jumped right into the middle of the conversation. (Yeah… about that!)

Be it knowledge I had learned about technology, art, through TV shows, in college, or now in business, I’ve wanted to help where I could.

One movie that I recently watched and totally connected with me was The King’s Speech. I guess you could say it’s the inspiration for this post.

If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the trailer:

Make it a Commitment

So the basis of the movie is about George VI being a leader of a country and having to address the company on radio. The problem is, he was essentially scared of his own shadow.

But he had to do what he was going to do (learn to give a proper speech and not fumble all over it) and so he set out on getting comfortable with that shadow.

He committed to his task.

The first thing you need to do is start by realizing that this is something you’re going to want to do. It’s one thing to say “Oh, I’m going to be successful because lots of people are going to pay attention to what I have to say”, but it’s quite another actually getting to that point.

Becoming a leader, whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert doesn’t happen by chance. You have to make an effort to get there.

 

Improve Your Interpersonal Skills

Art of Charm has been one of my favorite podcasts for a long time because I feel that the host, Jordan Harbinger, is an introvert in disguise. On his show he talks about a number of issues that us introverts have to learn about because we don’t naturally have skills to deal with them.

In his story, he says that he learned that the fastest way to get what you want in life is being a relationship builder. For many of us introverts, we have no idea that this is an actual skill we can use to our own benefit because we’re either too preoccupied by building our own skillsets or we’re just straight out grinding away hoping that our break (whatever that looks like) will come.

So learn to initiate conversation and when you do, pay attention and listen. Instead of thinking about what you’re going to say next or cutting them off in mid paragraph (or mid thought!!), let them say what they need to. Pauses are only awkward if you make them. 😉

Also, remember as an introvert, you probably have great empathy and understanding of others. If a conflict in your group arises, do the opposite of what you’d naturally want to do (avoid the situation) and deal with it.

Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

 

Get Comfortable Taking Small Risks

One thing that I’ve had to get better at over time is getting better at getting out of my comfort zone. As introverts, our comfort zone is fairly small.

We’re used to hanging out with our close friends and family. But when we go beyond that, we start to panic a bit. We need to get over that. (I did by making 100 cold calls a week at one point!)

We love being as perfect and professional as possible at work. It prevents us from being recognized or sticking out too much. That’s something else you’re going to have to get over. Learn how to suggest and implement bold yet carefully researched actions. Sometimes those actions might not work out – but at least we learn from the failure and make it better next time!

Here’s the thing: leaders stick out. That’s what makes them a leader. If they’re a good leader, they’re going to be leading others from the front!

 

Rely on What You Know

If you’re like most introverts, you’re probably a geek in something. Whether it’s technology or some form of creative work, you need to use that to your advantage.

For me, I’m a tech geek – I have been for most of my life. I’ve always been the guy that my friends and family would go to for help with their gadgets and computers – either to help them figure something out or “help them” fix it.

Therefore, growing up talking to them through AoL Instant Messenger about how to do something became commonplace. Maybe the same is true for you?

Heck – I got to a point where some things were so common for me to describe that I’d make documents describing how to do things just in case I had to show someone else.

Today I do similar work through platforms like Slack, Facebook Messenger, and Google Docs to keep it all straight!

Maybe there’s a few platforms you’re already comfortable with so you can use it to make yourself more effective?

 

Develop Your Three Layers Of Confidence

Many people talk about faking it until you make it. But the truth is, that could be really bad advice for some people. Another piece of potentially bad advice? Oh, just act yourself! Yeah, sometimes acting yourself isn’t going to work in all situations. Sometimes you have to act a certain way with one group of people but if you’re with another group, you’d act completely different.

What makes those groups different is more than likely you’re own confidence. With your friends, you’re going to seem very outgoing and be mistaken for an extrovert.

But if you’re at a networking meeting or drawn into give a speech, you might seem like a fish out of water.

You need to develop your three layers of confidence:

  1. Surface
  2. Lifestyle
  3. Core

Here’s a video from Matthew Hussey on what these actually mean:

Update: And, if you’d like, here’s a recent talk of his at a Lewis Howes’ event going a bit deeper with the topic:

Share Your Vision Early On:

If you’re already in a leadership position, make sure you share your vision with those that are following (or simply engaging with) you from time to time.

You don’t want to surprise your group with what you really wanted when the project is going or even worse, when it’s about to be complete.

They say that a man without vision shall perish – well, the same could be said for a group of people as well. You plan with the end in mind, make sure you bring your group members in on what the plan is and, better yet, involve them in making the plans as well so you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting!

Action Steps:

So what’s next? Well, I’d start with what Matthew talks about in that video – work on your three levels of confidence whatever that looks like to you. You need to start practicing the person you want to be like so you’re actually them!

After that, if you’re not already in a leader position, plug into a group that you actually enjoy building and helping with. The more you put into the group, the more likely you’re going to get a leadership position through that group.

At that point, whatever else you’re doing will be recognized as well. And you might have your own followers at that point, too!

good rapport

5 Strategies to Build Good Rapport (Originally posted 10.5.2010)

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In the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be digging through the blog’s archive and doing some cleanup. Some posts I’ll be taking out all together while other ones I’ll be making more SEO friendly.

There comes a point where this kind of work needs to be done. Some call it taking inventory, others call it clipping the branches. Todd Tresidder calls it “Content Auditing”.

The point being is that there’s nearly 300 posts in the blog at this point and some it is relevant while there’s plenty that isn’t. I need to yank out what isn’t relevant anymore and re-release the good stuff!

So let’s get started! – JC

Being Technically Gifted

Many of us technical types (especially those of us who studied STEM majors in college) tend to have some sort of social anxiety. This is especially noticeable in the Big Bang Theory. All of the men have some sort of social issue.

I think that’s why it’s been one of my favorite shows over the years. I can relate directly with the characters – especially Sheldon and Leonard.

Many times I find myself being as ignorant about social situations as Sheldon. But other times, like Leonard, I make efforts to get out of my comfort bubble. To me, it’s very interesting to notice the differences between the two of them. Because other than Leonard’s people skills and his development of them, he and Sheldon are definitely 2 peas in the same pod.

One of the main differences that I see between the two of them is that Leonard can and does attempt to build rapport with people. A great example of this is when he went out of his way to welcome Penny in when she first came to their apartment complex. He could have done this or done the comfortable thing and simply hung out with the guys. Many technically inclined guys would have opted to stick with what they knew instead of greeting the pretty girl. In the geek world, we’re all scared of talking to the opposite sex.

Through the life of the show, he definitely seems to be the glue amongst among the girls and guys and this is a great quality to have. And really, to me, that’s what having good rapport is all about!

 

Matching and Mirroring to Build Rapport

So how do you build rapport? Well, the answer, sadly, isn’t just “be yourself”.

If that was the answer, you probably wouldn’t be asking the question in the first place, right? If being yourself has made you feel more alienated every time you do it, then there has to be some sort of unspoken rules.

Well, here are some tips on what to focus on the next time you’re attempting to get to know and build connections with some people. And for me, they all have to do with matching what those you’re talking to are doing.

 

1. Match Posture / Physiology

This is pretty simple. And you’ve probably heard about this one before. But this is a big part of that “body language” that you hear so much about. Imitate and match body posture and movements when you can with people you’re talking with.

If they’re moving their arms about to be more visual in describing something. Match that. If they’re being stoic – match that. If they’re smiling while talking – you guessed it, MATCH THAT! They’ll find you less likely as someone who’s a potential threat because they’ll believe that you’re in the moment with them. Treat them like a good friend and they might end up as one.

 

2. Match Rhythmic Movements

Yet another part of body language. Rhythmic movements are a finer aspect of moving. This is what dance is all about. It’s also why music is often a topic when people are getting to know each other. Saying that you enjoy several types of music suggests that you are open to different beats and different kind of people.

That said, people with ADD/ADHD might have problems with this. So if you feel anxiety at a dance and/or when other people are displaying and enjoying rhythmic movements and you wonder what it’s all about, you might want to look into Rhythmic Movement Training.

Reasons for lacking this ability could be as simple as having an ear infection when you were exploring it when you were growing up. Like anything else, it’s never too late to learn this new life skill.

3. Match Tone, Tempo & Volume of Voice

Ah yeah, the problem that Raj has around attractive women. As you should probably know, language is not just about body movements – it’s also about verbal communication. And just because most of your language is done nonverbally, it doesn’t mean you should disregard training of the voice when engaging with people. Matching your voice tone (pitch – high or low), tempo (speed – fast or slow), and volume with those that you are talking with is just as important as learning how to use the same movements.

4. Match Breathing

Possibly not the most obvious thing to think about when you’re learning how to build rapport with people. But it’s definitely another thing to consider. Become aware of the other person’s rate of breathing. If they are breathing slowly, then slow your breathing down to the same rate. People who are in rapport with each other tend to breath in the same rhythm. This can be very beneficial to you if you’re trying to calm someone down or crank them up. For an experiment of sorts, you can try this one with babies or children. If the baby or child is upset, their rate of breathing will be fast. First match your breathing rate to theirs. Do this for thirty seconds or so. Then start to slow your breathing down. The child’s breathing will also slow down, enabling them to calm down. If their breathing doesn’t slow down, just match theirs again for longer and then repeat the exercise.

5. Match Process (VAK) Words

This one I’ve never really considered until recently. But process words or words that help paint pictures visually, audibly, or kinetically are key in conversations – just as much as correct body language is. If someone is describing something visually, don’t speak in audible terms. Join them in visual description and understanding. If they’re describing something kinetically and suggesting that they “felt” something was right, join them by saying “Yeah, I felt the same way!” not “Yeah, I hear what you’re saying there.” When you’re using the same process words, there is definitely a different type of tone that you’re matching.

Action Steps:

The next time you’re attempting to be friendly with someone and want to set them at ease from the beginning, try and match their behavior.

Go to their level.

If you would like to know more about matching others and why and how this all works, one subject you might want to look into is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). However it’s power goes well beyond building rapport.

Here’s a video illustrating more about it and how it can enrich your own professional and personal life:

Again, I’d love to hear from you about your experiences in building rapport. What has worked for you and what hasn’t?

business partnership

A Quick Guide to Forming a Productive Business Partnership

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Last week, I got the great news that AMS was finally a licensing company.

The news officially went live on the net via this post on Endurance Sportswire.

We’re licensing our Viking Dash series to a company in California known as Spectrum Sports Management. They are known for doing fun and unique runs. Viking seems like a great match for them!

That said, as a board, we didn’t jump to this decision quickly. We had a list we used to make sure we found exactly who we needed to help further this brand.

Because partnering is no easy task. It needs to be treated with care in who you’re choosing – you have to be particular with whom you’re bringing on or negotiating a contract – such as a license – with.

So in today’s post, we’ll be looking at some of the things you should consider in partnering with others in a new business venture.

 

Matching Values

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that when people are building romantic relationships, many people do so with someone they don’t share values with. I know for me, I had a list of 100 some traits and qualities I was looking for when I met and started dating Maria.

She hit on a good number of them. In retrospect, I’m pretty happy I made that list. Thanks LTD for the giving me the idea! 😉

The same thing should be done when looking for a partner in building a business. You need to have a list of qualities that you believe are important in someone who’s essentially going to be another spouse of yours in many ways. Your business is the baby in this situation.

So just like if you were dating, you need to be asking certain questions to find out if you align. However, I wouldn’t go doing it in an office – that just has interview written all over it.

No, instead I’d opt for something informal where you’re just getting to know each other. For me and Maria, we had tons of coffee “dates” where we would just chat and find out more about each other.

Same thing can be done when starting a business.

 

Ideas for Questions:

“Date” questions for a potential co-founder should get to not only find out about their character, but also their business savvy.

Here’s a few examples that I’d ask when seeing if someone lines up with your believes:

  • What do you want out of a business?
  • What do you like about this particular idea?
  • Where you see this business going?
  • Where do you see your role in 2, 3, or 5 years?
  • How do you find good employees when you’re ready for that step?
  • What are you expectations of an employee?
  • What are you expectations of me?
  • Is there anything that I should know about your family that might cause periodic issues with your ability to help with the business?
  • How do you feel about the business contributing to nonprofit or political causes?

 

Complementary Skills and Personality

When I was searching for my wife, I knew that I wanted someone that was intelligent but I also knew that this person had to have a complementary skill set.

I know there’s just some things that I have no interest in doing or am simply not good at. I was talking to Albert about this in a recent Ascension Council meeting and mentioned that there are some things that Maria does 100x better than me – or cares about things that I don’t:

  • Making the bed everyday
  • Laundry
  • Tidying up

Albert and I both prefer organized chaos – but that’s because we’re both idea guys. Our wives seem to be more of the executor types.

In a business situation, you need to be looking for this at all different levels – but it’s especially true at the cofounder level.

As John Maxwell says, “Take advantage of your strengths, and hire for your weaknesses”. Well in this case, you’re not hiring – you’re partnering! It’s going to be even more important here.

  • So if you’re broke, you need someone that has money.
  • Are you good at creating? Then you’re going to need a marketer.
  • If you’re good at design, then perhaps your partner needs to be good at writing code.
  • Are you a strong Dominant (D) personality? Then you’re going to need someone who’s supportive. Or if you’re a the Calculative (C) type, you’ll need someone who’s Imaginary (I).

Of course there’s examples out there where having two or more founders have similar skills, it’s not often the case. The more well rounded the leadership is, the better this thing is going to have!

 

Start with the End in Mind

Earlier I wanted you to make sure you asked questions that were pertaining to the future of the business. The reason for this is that if you do end up doing well with the business, then there might come a time where you’re thinking of an Exit Strategy.

The Exit Strategy needs to be in stone at the beginning. The business you and your partner(s) are building – are you going to hold onto it as a lifestyle building business? Or are you going to build it and sell the right of the business if a bidder comes along with a ton of money?

Or, perhaps another case is that you need money to keep the thing going – you consider starting to sell stocks vs “keeping it in the family”. Are either of you the type that wants the opposite of what the other wants?

This is stuff you want to consider.

 

Background Check

When Maria and I were dating, she asked me a ton of background check questions. Did I have kids? Was I a convict? Did I have chicken pox? Well… maybe not that last one – but you get the idea!

Anyway, you want to do the same for your future business partner as well.

Find out the answers to these questions:

  • Does the candidate move from project to project without getting anything done?
  • Have they ever owned a business themselves or ever been part of a successful one?
  • Have they ever had financial issues?
  • Do other people get a bad vibe from them?

 

Just remember that no one is perfect and sometimes troubled pasts make a person that much more committed to what they’re doing now with their life. Sometimes people actually learn from their mistakes. If they have had a spotted background, see what they’ve learned from it.

 

Take Them for a Test Drive!

Well, not literally, of course. But if you’ve never worked with this person before now, you need to see what they’re like with other projects.

In the dating world, you can continue to date. I know for Maria and I we just felt like we were long lost friends. Really, the only thing we ever have quarrels about are our dogkids and whether or not they were sleeping on the bed recently or not. I imagine that in the future, when we do conflict, it’ll probably be about the kids!

In business, you want to have this trial time as well – even if it’s with friends you’ve had forever.

Start a working relationship and see how things go in smaller projects. Find out if they’re as committed as you’d like. Are they flaky about time? Do they even have the same vision as you? Maybe they’re just too naive about certain things that might drive you crazy?

These issues can mount up over time and you should know about them first before you build something on a larger scale with them!

When you believe it’s time to move to the next level, make sure you get a founders’ partnership agreement. It should include things like:

 

  • The contribution and obligations to the company of each party
  • How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership
  • Whether partners can be fired or bought out and under what conditions
  • What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions
  • Any other issues unique to the business

 

If a partner is reluctant to put something as big as this agreement in writing, then there’s a big red flag there.

I mean, it’s like going without a prenuptial agreement in a marriage after you already have a fortune. It just doesn’t make sense!

 

A Special Note About Friends as Business Partners:

One of the original people involved in AMS was recently in a lawsuit with us. Needless to say, he’s no longer considered a friend after what he did and wasting the time of all parties involved.

The thing is – you can’t predict what’s going to happen down the line.

So here’s a few tips with this.

You need to realize that if you do decide to get in business with friends, that things can potentially go south and the friendship will more than likely go that way too.

Don’t ever go into business with family or friends just because they’re family or friends. Again, make sure you take time to test them out first. Just because you know someone as a friend, doesn’t mean you know them as a business person.

If a friend screws up bad once and promises that they’ll correct their ways, you can give them a second chance – you still like them as a friend. A great way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to draft a secondary “social” contract with them saying what they’ll do to make up for how they screwed up. Another part of that new contract needs to mention what will happen if they do screw up again. Let them help make it so they believe it’s fair punishment as well.

 

Action Steps:

If in the future you find yourself negotiating partnerships, make sure you give it some deep thought. A business is a baby and if it has multiple parents, it needs them to work together and not fight about little things all the time or one getting the short end of the stick.

When you have great partnerships from the beginning, anything is possible. However, that said, if you have to carry dead weight – then it’s going to be twice as hard.

Have you had a partnership that worked extremely well or fell apart? Have any questions or comments about this post?

Let me know below!

 

business practices

5 Business Practices You’re Probably Doing Wrong… and How to Fix Them

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The last couple of years have been a heck of an experience for me. I’ve been learning a ton. Many times through mistakes and many times much later than I would have liked to.

One thing that I’m glad I do regularly is reflect – specifically weekly, monthly, and yearly.

And since we’re just about to hit halfway through 2017 already (dannng!) I thought now would be a good time for me to hit you with a few things that either I’ve struggled with or business friends of mine have.

So here are 5 things you just might be doing wrong in your business:

 

You’re Not Prepared for Scaling

I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt here – and just say you’re a workaholic. Whether you’re still in a 9 to 5 and work on your business at night, or you’ve gone full entrepreneur mode and having no problems finding customers – there’s a really good chance you haven’t prepped for scaling.

What do I mean by that?

Well, for one, if you’re doing this thing on your own and have full blown superman syndrome – how do you plan on getting out of your own way?

Sure, you can hire help to do certain tasks – but what good is that help if they have to spend a year watching you do their work?

Wouldn’t it make sense to have systematized everything so you can hand over the reigns of particular job in a week to a month’s time and not worry about if it’ll come back right?

Start documenting what you’re doing on a regular basis so that when you are ready to hire someone, it’s much easier to do and you’re not completely saturated with work.

Here’s a good SPI Podcast session on this topic.

 

You Don’t Think You Need to Market Your Business

This weekend, I had to go to the vet. I asked one of them if they thought that they needed help with Facebook Advertising. Since this is something that I know a lot of businesses struggle with, and I’m just recently learning about it, I thought I’d reach out and see if they’d be open to simply testing the waters.

Their response to me was, “Oh, we have pretty good customer traffic as it is now. We’re always busy!”

That response kinda took me back a bit. I’ve never been the type to believe that the best way of working is to fill out all your working time with as many clients as possible.
Sure, it’s one way of measuring success – but I’ve always been a “pay me by the job not time” kind of guy.

If you’re this type of business owner, you might want to reconsider doing marketing – and what that actually means to you.

How are you doing when you reach out to customers you already have? Did you know that repeat customers are worth up to 10 times more than new customers? Is YOUR online presence consistent and up to date? If not, might be time to make that something you get help on.

 

If You Are Marketing Your Business, You’re Probably Not Using Social Media Correctly

Facebook is not LinkedIn and Twitter is not Instagram. All of these formats have different ways of engaging its users.

First off, if you want to get more out of social media – you’re going to have to figure out which platforms work for you. Trying to do more than 2 well isn’t really feasible as 1 person. So remember this before you spend anymore time on a platform you have no business on:

Here’s a short quick run down of each platform according to Luan Wise.

  • Facebook – Business to consumer and peer to peer content sharing.
  • Twitter – If your business is about ‘In the Moment’ news and topical discussion, Twitter is a great place for you. It’s all about trends here!
  • Google Plus – This is a great platform if you want people to find your products or services through SEO. (Not sure what SEO or backlinking is? Here’s a great resource.)
  • Instagram – Do you have an image-friendly business (like Laila’s?) or have quotable guests on a show? Then Instagram might be a good way to get your message out!
  • LinkedIn – If you’re looking to get your current business circle up to date on what you’re doing, LinkedIn is the way to go. However, don’t go adding everyone like you would on Facebook – LinkedIn isn’t meant for that.

Need more help here? Be sure to get Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Much of it still applies to today.

Your Business is Flying Under the Radar

Even if you’re a freelancer who barely gets any work, you should really consider giving your business some legitimacy.

First of all, make your business at least an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation). There’s a couple of reasons to do this.

  1. If your business ever gets sued, you can’t lose your personal assets if it’s incorporated.
  2. If you’re considering doing any kind of affiliate marketing work, there’s a good chance they’re going to ask you what your business name is and if you can’t prove that you actually own one, you might have some issues.

Another recommendation here – make sure you find an accountant for tax purposes.

Doing a 1040EZ through H&R Block online is one thing – but when you start looking to start keeping track of deductions and all of that… Get someone that knows how to do this.

In fact, this is probably the first “hire” you should DEFINITELY make for your business.

 

You’re Not Networking As Efficiently as You Could

There’s a saying I heard recently that keeps resonating with me. It goes something like…

“It’s not what you know, it’s not who you know. It’s who knows you.”

Here’s the thing. You need to know people. You need to be a connector. And frankly, if you’re not helping other people find business, then the favor isn’t going to get returned.

The more you help others get what they want, the more you’ll get back yourself. Karma is a real thing – especially in business.

Want to network more? First off network with me, other fans, and guests of the podcast here.

Be sure to check out Ascension Mentorship – I can introduce you to the founder Albert Winks if it sounds like something you’d like to know more about.

Get a book called “Coffee, Lunch, Coffee – a Practical Field Guide For Master Networking”. Find out more about this book via Joe Crane’s podcast, Veteran on the Move.

 

Action Steps

So, yes, these are just a handful of things that we all might do when we’re starting out in business. Maybe you have a few years under your belt and you never had the need to do one of these items.

Would it help?

That’s for you to think about.

Personally, I’ve implemented all of these with New Inceptions.

I have systems in place, I’m marketing (better and better all the time!), NI is legit, AND I’m networking.

How about you? What are some things that have bit you in the past before? Let me know!!

what to do when depressed

Surviving the Troughs of Life: What to Do When You’re Depressed with Anthony Hayes (AoL 087)

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Depression can be a heck of a struggle – and it can hit us at any time. For creatives, depression can be triggered by the simple feeling of being alone because no one understands what it is you’re trying to do. For a lot of people, though, it can set in from life not going the way we’d expect it to.

Personally, I went through depression 3 times in my first two years of college. I was used to being great in my academic studies and all of a sudden, I wasn’t. Eventually I found out that the cause of my depression was due to my major, and I switched soon thereafter.

For our guest, Anthony Hayes, he realized back in 2004 that he was chronically depressed himself. He set out on a mission to figure out how to not only get out of it, but then to not fall back into it ever again. Besides coming up with his M5 strategy, he also has written a book on the matter, and continues to help others with the problem.

Besides this mission, he’s the host of Me, Myself, and I Radio, and co-founder of the Facebook Community – Podcast Discovery Center.

Join us as we find out more about this journey of his and the purpose of his work that he does today.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How did Anthony realize that he was severely depressed? 9:55
  • How does he keep from entering into his troughs in life? 19:08
  • What was the purpose behind Anthony writing his book? 23:29
  • What’s Anthony’s podcast about and who should be listening? 27:13
  • What prompted Anthony to join Scott Doucet in creating the PDC? 33:25
  • What’s Anthony’s M5 Strategy and what effect they’ve had on his life? 39:27
  • What’s the big ambitions for Anthony in 2017? 47:10
  • 3 Top Favorite Books? 50:00
  • One thing he wishes was still a thing? 50:42
  • One gift that he likes giving others? 53:41
  • What’s one thing that all high school students must know? 54:25
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 54:46
  • … and MUCH more!

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

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Anthony on the Importance of Goals as a Podcaster:

Anthony on the topic of including descriptions in your podcasts:

Dr. Kasim Al-Mashat on How Meditation Redefines pain, happiness, and satisfaction:

Light Watkins on Debunking the 5 Most Common Meditation Myths:

what to do when depressed what to do when depressed what to do when depressed what to do when depressed

Thanks for Listening!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers!

learn new skills

2 Frameworks to Help You Learn New Skills and Improve Your Memory

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In general, entrepreneurs can be a picky bunch when it comes to using our 24 hours. Most of us have routines that we pride ourselves in having.

However, sometimes those routines get in the way of more efficient practices and routines that we don’t even know exist.

That’s why it’s important to keep learning. As solopreneurs, we need to keep learning about skills, mindsets, and interacting with others. It’s when we learn those better routines where we find ourselves being a superhero version of ourselves.

In this post, I’m going to share two frameworks that I recently heard on a podcast with Jim Kwik, founder of SuperHeroYou. Ironically, I’ve employed these frameworks in my own learning, but I wasn’t consciously aware of it! I guess it was just one of those situations where I was a unconsciously competent.

Both of these processes have allowed me to learn skills and new ideas quickly and retain them – I know it will be useful for you as well if you haven’t heard of them!

 

It Helps to be a FAST Learner

The first acronym which was shared in the interview was FAST. Since I’ve been a teacher in the past, I developed these habits for myself. But as mentioned, it’s cool to have them made into a framework to share with others.

 

The F in FAST stands for Forget

Now, you might be thinking, “isn’t forgetting the last thing we want to do in learning?”.

Well, sorta.

Here’s the thing. The forgetting that needs to take place is actually the perspective that we have on a given topic. We don’t want to approach something from a know-it-all perspective. Whatever we feel that we know of a given subject is going to get in the way.

This is precisely why most kids learn faster than adults. Most adults approach new topics from a point where they’re trying to relate it to information they already know about a given situation. They try to make sense of it and store each new piece they learn with something they already know.

Another thing we want to forget is limiting beliefs. Just because something might not have worked for you in the past doesn’t mean it can’t work for you in the future. Maybe you feel that you’re not worthy to receive success? Well forget that too. That’s not true. Especially if it’s in something that isn’t related to your physical abilities.

 

The A in FAST stands for Active

The next part to remember is that you need to be active with anything you’re learning. That’s why the courses that people like to take are the ones with workbooks. We might have hated those as we were growing up in classes, but there was some good intention there.

As you might know, I’m not a big fan of our current education system – the Prussian Education System. (I mentioned it in session 5 of the AoL podcast.) It simply isn’t preparing today’s students for where the world is at.

In a nutshell, this system teaches us how to take orders. We implemented it in the United States when the economy required more workers than leaders. I believe that today’s economy needs more leaders – not followers. More people taking initiative than people waiting to be told what to do. Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE.

 

The S in FAST stands for State

The next thing about learning quickly is that you have to be in the right state of mind and body. Not only do you have to be ready and open to learn, you also have to be in the right position.

The state your mind has to be in is one of curiosity. If you’re apprehensive about a subject, you’re really not going to understand it in the same way. Remember, approach the subject as a kid would – with wonder.

The state your body needs to be is one of attention. For example, if you were really into a movie, more than likely you’re going to be in a different position than if you were casually watching TV.

 

The T in FAST stands for Teaching

I listened to this podcast twice because I knew I wanted to share it with you guys. Because of that, I’m learning about it at a deeper level than I would have if I was just casually listening to it for myself.

If you really want to learn something thoroughly, learn it as if you’re going to teach it to someone else – like a best friend. Prepare for questions they might have by making notes to yourself and relating that new information to topics they might already be familiar with.

Remembering Through the MOM Framework

So, learning is one thing. But remembering is another.

Everyone can learn facts or new things (including names!) but unless you use the following items, you’re going to forget what you’ve learned.

 

The First M in MOM is for Motivation

You need a reason to remember what you’re learning. As they said in the chat, if you were promised $10,000 to remember someone’s name, you’re going to be able to remember their name even if you’re bad at remembering in names.

Since that’s pretty unrealistic in most cases, you’ll need to figure out what your motivation is to remember whatever you’re learning.

But just a tip – Dale Carnegie wrote that people love hearing their name. So when you are learning names, perhaps you should remember them. Especially if you’re a business owner. You don’t know if knowing someone will eventually land you a $10,000 deal – OR more!

 

The O in MOM is for Observation

One of the things that Brendon Burchard is really big in advising others to do is be present. Soak it all in, not only for others, but for yourself.

This works both ways because, for one, if you’re paying attention to your surroundings when you learn something or meet someone important, then you’re going to have more connection to that moment.

Also, if a person is present for others, they’ll remembered by the person they were conversing with. Why? Simply because most people are noticeably not paying attention to what’s being said – they’re either trying to think about how they’re respond or they’re focused on something else completely.

 

The Second M in MOM is for Mechanics

It’s ok to come up with your own acronyms – whatever works for you. The trick is to find a process or trick that works for different situations and practice it. Over and over. For instance, you won’t get better at memorizing names until you start practicing it.

 

Action Steps

I want you guys to apply these frameworks in your day to day lives. So the first thing I want you to do is listen to a conversation with Jim. I listened to him through Jordan Harbinger, but maybe you’d prefer to hear him talk with Lewis Howes.

If you’ve already started applying these frameworks in your life, I’d love to hear about your experiences below. What is something that you’ve applied one of these frameworks to? How’d it work out?