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IAM2371 – Essential for Success in Franchise Journey: Lead Generation

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 06:16:55 -0500

Gresham Harkless shares his journey from working in youth sports to founding a digital marketing business.

Gresham highlights that marketing, particularly lead generation, is essential to growing any business.

He discusses how he realized the potential of digital marketing and how it provided a foundational skill set that could lead to numerous other opportunities.

Gresham mentions the high cost of leads in his industry, indicating a gap in the market that presents an opportunity for innovation.

He encourages entrepreneurs to explore marketing and advertising to identify and exploit industry gaps.

He emphasizes that consistent content creation and strategic use of different platforms can help businesses better serve their clients and candidates.

Moreover, Gresham underscores the importance of understanding marketing fundamentals, especially in lead generation, to drive business success.

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Transcription:

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Intro 00:01

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:30

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO Podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this.

Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out.

I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the, from the first couple of videos that have been created.

But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing.

The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self.

So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[restrict paid=”true”]

So I was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, saying all the things. But really the thing that I wanted to kind of focus on the most that I'm excited about as far as, like an opportunity, is just around this idea of marketing and advertising, which every business has to do.

I'll wind the clock and tell you a little bit more about why I chose to go into digital marketing. So I had basically a youth sports kind of camp where we went on site to help basically preschoolers do sports and activities, just stay active.

We did even things like karate. So I worked in that franchise. I started out as just a instructor. I ended up becoming an area manager.

And then from an area manager, I actually left that position because I didn't think it was stable. And I came back because I didn't. The other position I took wasn't stable.

So I talked with the leadership there and they said, hey, everything's great. You come back, you can still crush it and do all the things.

And I was laid off about three months later. So needless to say, that sparked a lot of the entrepreneurial spirit within me. There's nothing like that accidental entrepreneur that you hear a lot about.

And I talk with a lot on podcast. But anyways, the reason I bring all that up is to give you a little bit more context because I had relationships with some of the preschoolers.

I was laid off and I said, okay, let me just go in on the things that I want to do. So I started to do a lot of freelance writing.

I started, decided to do everything from being an adjunct professor to teaching at some of these schools.

I had probably about 45 or so kids that were in the program. And I also started the digital marketing company. So I did all these things all at the same time.

But I would constantly be exhausted just from doing too much and really being stretched in so many different ways. So I was kind of faced with the opportunity to.

Well, I faced with the hard decision of choosing a lane. And the lane that I chose was a digital marketing business.

The reason I chose it is because I felt like it was so foundational it will be able to open up doors to many other opportunities. Ten years, 11 years later, this is where I'm at.

And this is where I see the franchise brokering as such a big opportunity because one of the things that came up so many times is basically generation and also a content creation, which is more of the organic creation, the organic opportunity to be able to inform the clients you want to work with.

And even the phrase of within the conference of the leadership saying, we are a media company and that's something that I've been preaching for years and years and years is that every business is a media, business is a media company.

And if you approach that, you step into that, it's going to set you up. So the reason I bring that up and I want you to drill down a little bit more about on that and about that is because as you are starting a business you have to really, I think learn those basic foundational things.

And you can learn all the things. But I'm really biased where I feel like marketing is something that is one of the most core and important things.

Marketing and Sales probably right there. Marketing is basically the opportunity for you to get leads that you can sell.

Sales is of course an important part because you have to not just market things, you have to actually have them convert to paying clients or paying candidates or whatever phrase you might use.

But I think that, and one of the things I've been doing is, you know, listening to Alex Hormozi's book on leads and $100M Leads and it really talks around what I've even seen throughout this process.

Like we have like basically like an eight or nine step process of someone that is going to going through the process to become a franchisee.

But that first part is all around leads. You can't take the next steps unless you have leads and opportunities.

So when I hear this over and over again and I see what's happening where people are paying for leads, 50 to $150 per lead, it tells you a where the industry is and that's where I see the biggest gap in opportunity.

And one of the things that I encourage you to do is define what those gaps and opportunities might be within your organization.

I think a lot of it sometimes is marketing and advertising related, whether it be using a different platform that somebody else isn't using in the way that you're going to use it, or just going about things in a different way.

But look for marketing advertising as one of those big gaps for you to be able to execute. And that's as I go through this process, I'm looking, I'm mining the content, I'm seeing what people are doing and I'm finding gaps that we can create content or something more to be able to leverage and serve our clients and candidates that we want to work with.

So just think about it, find the gap, look at that marketing advertising because you will need it for your business. Leads are going to help to build a foundation towards where you want to be.

So see how you can leverage that as much as possible to be successful. So that's it. Made it in the five minutes. And hopefully I have a little bit more to say about that.

Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. And of course, looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 06:45

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast, powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Don't forget to schedule your complimentary digital marketing consultation at Blue16Media.com. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

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Title: Transcript - Sun, 26 Jan 2025 13:12:08 GMT

Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2025 13:12:08 GMT, Duration: [00:07:16.24]

[00:00:01.52] - Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

[00:00:30.60] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gretch from the IM CEO Podcast, and this is a special episode of our IM CEO podcast. And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise. We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that, but just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this. Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of fba, the Franchise Brokers association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out. I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the. From the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this. So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Grass signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:01:56.68] - Gresham Harkless

All right, so I did a video already where I drilled down a little bit more around the eight things. I had to do it really fast. I'm using this tool. I only have five minutes, really, to try to get everything in. So I was boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, saying all the things. But really the thing that I wanted to kind of focus on the most that I'm excited about as far as, like an opportunity, is just around this idea of marketing and advertising, which every business has to do. I'll wind the clock and tell you a little bit more about why I chose to go into digital marketing. So I had basically a youth sports kind of camp where we went on site to help basically preschoolers do sports and activities, just stay active. We did even things like karate. So I worked in that franchise. I started out as just a instructor. I ended up becoming an area manager. And then from an area manager, I actually left that position because I didn't think it was stable. And I came back because I didn't. The other position I took wasn't stable. So I talked with the leadership there and they said, hey, you know, everything's great. You come back, you can still crush it and do all the things. And I was laid off about three months later. So needless to say, that sparked a lot of the entrepreneurial spirit within me. There's nothing like that accidental entrepreneur that you hear a lot about. And I talk with a lot on podcast. But anyways, the reason I bring all that up is to give you a little bit more context because I had relationships with some of the preschoolers. I was laid off and I said, okay, let me just go in on the things that I want to do. So I started to do a lot of freelance writing. I started, decided to. To do everything from being an adjunct professor to teaching at some of these schools. I had probably about 45 or so kids that were in the program. And I also started the digital marketing company. So I did all these things all at the same time. But I would constantly be exhausted just from doing too much and really being stretched in so many different ways. So I was kind of faced with the opportunity to. Well, I faced with the hard decision of choosing a lane. And the lane that I chose was a digital marketing business. The reason I chose it is because I felt like it was so foundational it will be able to open up doors to many other opportunities. Ten years, 11 years later, this is where I'm at. And this is where I see the franchise brokering as such a big opportunity because one of the things that came up so many times is basically generation and also a content creation, which is more of the organic creation, the organic opportunity to be able to inform the clients you want to work with. And even the phrase of within the conference of the leadership saying, we are a media company and that's something that I've been preaching for years and years and years is that every business is a media, business is a media company. And if you approach that, you step into that, it's going to set you up. So the reason I bring that up and I want you to drill down a little bit more about on that and about that is because as you are starting a business you have to really, I think learn those basic foundational things. And you know, you can learn all the things. But I'm really biased where I feel like marketing is something that is one of the most core and important things. Marketing and sales probably right there. Marketing is basically the opportunity for you to get leads that you can sell. Sales is of course an important part because you have to not just market things, you have to actually have them convert to paying clients or paying candidates or whatever phrase you might use. But I think that, and one of the things I've been doing is, you know, listening to Alex Harozy's book on leads and $100 million leads and it really talks around what I've even seen throughout this process. Like we have like basically like an eight or nine step process of someone that is going to going through the process to become a franchisee.

IAM2370 – Founder and CEO Transforms Data Into Actionable Insights for the Public Adjusting Industry

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 06:16:54 -0500

Ted Patestos founder of Tiger Adjusters, a company focused on transforming data into actionable insights for the public adjusting industry.

Ted has developed systems and invested in technology platforms like Claim Machine, which provides leads based on weather data, helping roofers, restoration companies, and public adjusters increase their efficiency.

Ted has also made significant contributions to the industry by creating Tiger Adjusters—a franchise with a vision to redefine public adjusting.

He highlights their commitment to providing hands-on support to franchisees, helping them navigate challenges, and ensuring they’re set up for profitability.

He references Carl Jung’s idea that “real life starts at 40” and suggests that the first few decades of life are primarily about gaining experience and wisdom.

Ted encourages entrepreneurs to be patient and trust that challenges will eventually contribute to their long-term success.

Website: Tiger Adjusters

LinkedIn: Theodore “Ted” Patestos

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Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Ted Patestos Teaser 00:00

Now, I think we've built like a really, really great franchise offering. And what we're selling to you is an opportunity to say, hey, come into this built out system, right?

Where we've learned, we've experienced all the follies, we've learned kind of all the nuances and the pitfalls.

And our commitment or obligation to a franchisee is to guide you through that so that you don't have those so that we can get you fast and quick to profitability.

Intro 00:25

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:52

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Ted Patestos. Ted, excited to have you on the show.

Ted Patestos 01:00

Hey, Gresh, how's it going, man? Nice to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:03

Yeah, super excited to have you on Ted, and of course, even more excited to talk about all the awesome things that you're doing.

But of course, before we do that, I want to read a little bit more about Ted so you can hear about some of those awesome things.

And Theodore Patestos, or Ted, is to transform data into action and leverage it for policyholder advocacy.

He's contributed to the public adjusting industry by increasing value to consumers and adjusters alike, developing systems, methodologies, and investing in various software platforms that reduce claim friction.

One such technology is Claim Machine, which utilizes weather data to give public adjusters, roofers, restoration companies, and home service businesses leads on impacted properties, increasing their efficiency in sales.

In 2023, Ted brought on a fellow insurance claim expert and leaders to create Tiger Adjusters with the goal of developing an effective, affordable franchise that nationally defines the public adjusting industry with innovative excellence.

And since establishing Tiger Adjusters, he has recovered. They have recovered over millions of dollars in settlements for hundreds of client claims.

And one of the things that we were talking about before we hopped on is Ted was saying so much about how a lot of what they do is for those people that want to advocate so your first responders, those people that are really trying to make the world a better place, which is why I love everything that they're doing.

He is also a former member of the Army National Guard with an honorable discharge. And Ted also trained as an army medic and a signal support system specialist.

He's 40 under 40 in the Houston Business Journal, and he also is the winner of the Franchise Young Conferences Shark Tank pitch event. So, Ted, you're doing awesome things. Excited to have you on. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Ted Patestos 02:42

I'm ready to go. Gresh whenever you got. Whenever we can move forward, we're good to go.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 02:46

Okay, let's do it then. So to kind of kick everything off, let's rewind the clock a little bit, hear a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

Ted Patestos 02:53

I think a lot of people kind of, they come up with, like, what you just read through right now. It sounds like the copywriters that we hired did a really fantastic job, kind of judging it up a little bit as well, I like to call it.

I can promise you it wasn't that fancy when we started and how I got into entrepreneurship, to be honest with you, I think I always had the bug for entrepreneur.

But, with this business, I think it started until 2019. Before that, I was in the corporate space. And to be frank, I left the corporate space because my last boss was just such an asshole, man.

He was just super toxic. And so the environment just wasn't, I mean, I wasn't digging the vibes. Like, it'd be on going to work every day.

And I was working Monday through Saturday as a project coordinator for a multifamily acquisition firm.

And, it got to the point after maybe a year or so where I'm walking into work every day, I'm like, I got anxiety, because this guy was just off the walls. And it was just the money it was solid.

It was a corporate salary. Money was showing up every two weeks, but it just wasn't worth the grind.

And so, I actually left, and I ended up going to a co working space and with like $7,000 in savings and said, I'm gonna start a business, and then ended up linking up with one of my co founders, Stuart Severino.

He just by happenstance was at that co working space. And we vibed and we started a business called Predictive Solutions.

It was a martech business. I've got a background in geographic information systems, like lead generation, demand generation.

And so we linked up, and Stu's got a really heavy background in Martech. So we. We decided that we wanted to start, like, a marketing technology company to focus on lead generation.

And this was at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020. And so we started selling leads to contractors like roofers and public adjusters and plumbers and, people in that space.

And then all of a sudden, wham, like, Covid happened, right? We were doing really well with the lead sales Covid hit. We were like, oh, man, what are we going to do?Like, we're making pivots.

And so a couple of our clients from the public adjusting space reached out to us and said, hey, like, the leaves work really well.

We want to do some fee splits with you, but we weren't legally allowed to do that without the public adjuster licenses.

And so we went. We got the license. I actually got the wrong license, to be honest with you. I got the wrong license when I first started.

And I went and worked for Allstate for, like, three weeks to kind of learn the back side of the business came back out.

And then me and Stu, I live in Houston, and this was on the back end of that year's storm season. So me and Stu got in the car, we drove out to Beaumont, Texas, which is, like, right on the border with Louisiana out in East Texas.

And, we posted up in, like, a Red Roof Inn, just calling, just picking up the phone, calling our own leads.

Stu's at the door. It was a pretty rundown motel, so Stu's at the door with the pistol. Just make it.

We want to stay safe, and all joking aside, but it worked out really well. We got a lot of signed contracts, and the business kind of took off from there.

So, it was not what I call a linear path. It wasn't a straight line. There was a lot of hustle involved and a lot of luck.

Gresham Harkless 06:33

Yeah, absolutely. I appreciate you so much in sharing that. So I want to drill down a little bit more, hear a little bit more on what you landing on with Tiger Adjusters.

Could you take us through a little bit more on, like, how you're making that in impact, what you all are doing there to kind of support the people that you're working with.

Ted Patestos 06:48

And so if you're doing. If you cross over into franchising and you haven't invested and taken the time to set that up the right way, then you're actually running afoul of legal compliance mechanisms.

And that's not how we run things over here. So then we made the decisions, my partners and I, to do the rebrand, we rebranded into Tiger Adjusters. We went down the franchise road.

We invested super, super heavy into operational support and trainings like online proprietary modules, building out processes and protocols and operations manuals, et cetera, to really be able to kind of set the foundation to support future franchisees before we ever started attempting to sell franchises.

And so beyond those sort of what I'll call like pillars of support, which most franchise systems will have, we kind of try and take it a step further, right?

So not everybody's going to come in with, super sophisticated or well developed, developed, business fundamentals, right.

And so I actually look at myself and some of my other partners like, three or four years ago, would I have sold a frame today, if we were setting up some barriers, like, would I have sold myself a franchise?

Probably not, right? Or some of my other partners, but, not to tout our own horns, but we're pretty good operators and so wanted to make sure that when future franchisees are coming into the system, we've got those pillars of support that just about every other system should or does have.

But then we go above and beyond, right? So things like, you know, marketing segmentation plans for their territories, right?

Reaching out into those territories and setting up B2B referral relationships, as folks are going through, their training and on boarding when they purchase a new franchise, working on the back end, processing.

So when they sign in our business, when they're signing claims, jumping in because we've got a scalable system, on the back end with the tech and everything.

So we're able to jump in to that individual's operations at the unit level and say, hey, you're having some challenges with these claims.

This is paper that we're going to turn into money once they get processed and help these consumers, and we're able to jump in remotely from anywhere around the country and assist in getting those, brought to the finish line.

And so I think those sorts of support mechanisms are super important. I got, I'll put, I'll tell you this, like, we, I think, built a really, really phenomenal service business and now I think we've built like a really, really great franchise offering and what we're selling to you is an opportunity to say, hey, come into this built out system, right?

Where we've learned, we've experienced all the follies, we've learned, kind of all the nuances and the pitfalls.

And our commitment or obligation to a franchisee is to guide you through that so that you don't have those so that we can get you fast and quick to profitability.

Gresham Harkless 09:48

Right. Absolutely. And, obviously sorry to hear that, you went through those challenges and so I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

So this could be like an app, a book or a habit that you have, but what's something you lean on that makes you more effective and efficient?

Ted Patestos 10:05

I mean, I hate to be kind of a cliche, but I'm a heavy ChatGPT user and I don't use it in the same way I think that a lot of people use it.

So, we don't use it for copy. As an example, like we have, we've got folks that do copywriting. And there's a reason for that.

I'll throw this out there. Is that the way that Google, Google, the Google algorithm weights artificial intelligence copy? The words on a page, it weights it, it deranks it a little bit so we keep that authentic.

But I actually use it to set up conversations with an objection. So there's actually a term, it's called prolapsis, which it's the Latin word for, or phrase for the anticipation of an objection. Right.

And so what I like to use chat for is, I'll go in there and I, I'll gain. I will game out different scenarios on ChatGPT to help guide my decision making.

And I'll ask ChatGPT to create objections, whether it's for a sales process or it might be for maybe governance. Right.

For cap table governance and things like that, and kind of have like this, ebb and flow within the conversation of chat.

And if I can't beat chat, then I've either I got to figure out a better strategy. Right. And so,I use it to kind of help refine my decision making a little bit.

Gresham Harkless 11:35

Yeah, that's huge. And so what would you consider to be a little bit more what I call a CEO nugget? So this could be like a word of wisdom or piece of advice.

I like to say it might be something you would tell a franchisee if they were thinking about the business or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self this.

Ted Patestos 11:52

I think it's Carl Jung. But he said something along the lines of real life starts at 40 and everything up until 40, you're just doing research.

And so if I had to go back in time and tell my younger self something, I probably tell myself, like, hey, chill out, it's gonna be okay, play it slow, learn as much as possible, refine your skills, understand that some of life's challenges are to your benefit in the long run, and just kind of go with the flow.

Because I think when, at least for me, younger and kind of coming up, you're so eager to be successful, you're so eager to get out there.

And then sometimes what. At least in my experience, what ends up happening, when you're in those 20s and, kind of early to late 20s, you're running as fast as you possibly can and you're making mistakes that you didn't have to make along the way. So, yeah, you're not gonna beat the clock. Nobody's making it out alive.

Gresham Harkless 12:56

Yeah, absolutely. If you run into my younger self as well, Ted, tell him that as well. So what would you consider to be your answer for my absolute favorite question, which is the definition, what it means to be a CEO?

Our goal is to have different, quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So, Ted, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Ted Patestos 13:12

I can tell you it's not half as much fun as I thought it was gonna be based on what I saw on social media.

I think for me, it's what it really means is that at the end of the day, it's, I'm accountable and responsible to other people. Right?

So I spend my day working with my team members on the leadership team and then folks that aren't on the leadership team in the admin roles and then speaking to franchisees and then speaking to consumers at the unit level.

And at the end of the day, I'm here to serve every single one of those people. Right. It's just in a different way. Right.

So what that boils down to is that my daily, it consists of me engaging with people that I have a responsibility to, and then every once in a while, some problem gets thrown out there that I'm responsible to solve that nobody else is in a position to solve.

And if it was an easy enough problem for somebody else to solve, it would have already got solved before it got to me.

So, I think that that's been my experience as a CEO, Right. I mean, you're just constantly at a place where you're engaging with folks that you have responsibility to and you're solving problems that only you are in a position to solve.

And that means that every day showing up matters. Right. I had a trip recently. My wife and I took a trip to Europe and there was an issue that we, the company had that I had to deal with.

And so because of the time difference, I ended up on the phone, until like 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning.

We were gone for almost three weeks, but I ended up on the phone till 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, for probably seven to 10 days of that period. Right.

And that's not, it's not a good look if anybody's married. It was not, wasn't an ideal situation, but it was the reality. Right.

And nobody else was in a position to kind of do that. And so, it just, it requires that attentiveness to the business.

Gresham Harkless 15:23

Yeah, I love that accountability, that responsibility. And always joke and say that every entrepreneur, CEO, business owner is part time firefighter.

So you sometimes you have to put those fires out and those fires don't wait sometimes for you, you have to go and, attend to them as much as you can. So I truly love that definition and perspective and of course I appreciate your time even more.

So what I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know and of course, how best people can get a hold of you, find about all the awesome things you and the team are working on.

Ted Patestos 15:54

I can be reached at tedtigeradjusters.com and if you go at tigeradjusters.com onto our team page, you'll find an opportunity to book on my calendar. So you can do it right on the website there.

Gresham Harkless 16:08

Absolutely. Well, I truly appreciate that, Ted. Of course, to make it even easier, we're going to have the links and information in the show notes as well too, so that everybody can reach out to you, find out about all the awesome things that you all are doing.

Ted Patestos 16:17

All right, have a great rest of the day. All right, Gresham, Thanks. You too.

Out

IAM2369 – Founder and CEO Educates Men About Skincare Simple Routines

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 06:16:43 -0500

Kelly Thornton founded Purchase Point LLC, a design and strategy company with offices in the U.S., London, and Taiwan.

Kelly's third company, Tiege Hanley, launched in 2016. This e-commerce platform focuses on simplifying men's skincare.

The brand's success stems from educating men on skincare, offering simple routines tailored to different skin concerns, and focusing on convenience.

Kelly discusses the importance of vision and creativity as key strengths for entrepreneurs, recognizing that transitioning from a startup to a growth company requires a different skill set.

Kelly shares a unique habit where instead of writing a to-do list for the day, he sets meetings as milestones and works towards meeting those deadlines.

LinkedIn: Kelly Thornton

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Kelly Thornton Teaser 00:00

If you have bumps and blemishes, we want you to use a facial scrub to help really exfoliate your skin whether or not you're a shaver or not shaven dude.

We want you to use like, if you're an older guy like me and I look like shit because I get sleep last night, but you want to use like an eye cream.

So these are the things that we're talking to guys about all the time. We're creating routines for them to follow. Simple routines.

Intro 00:26

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:54

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Kelly Thornton. Kelly, excited to have you on the show.

Kelly Thornton 01:01

Yeah, I'm psyched. Let's do this.

Gresham Harkless 01:02

Absolutely. I'm super about everything that Kelly's doing. I know we're gonna have a phenomenal interview.

But of course, before we do that, I want to read a little bit more about Kelly so you can hear about some of the awesome things that he's doing.

After a successful 19 year career in the throes of corporate America, he left the industry to begin his second company, Purchase Point LLC, an in store design and strategy company with offices in U.S. London and Taiwan.

Through his experience at Purchase Point, he was inspired by the rapidly growing men's care industry and he founded his third company, Tiege Hanley Inc. in 2016.

Tiege is an e commerce company, the mission of helping men look and feel amazing. And with the help of Aaron Marino, a YouTuber with over 6 million followers, and Rob Hoxie, the business has evolved organically with over 500,000 customers globally and over 100 million monthly of revenue in lifetime sales.

Under Kelly's leadership, Tiege Hanley has shipped over 1.5 million boxes and serves over 350,000 customers globally, which is amazing and I love one of the things is that he started entrepreneurship at a very young age with a house painting business, which was actually super cool.

The money he took, he actually financed his college tuition at the University of Connecticut. So, Kelly, excited to have you on the show. You ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Kelly Thornton 02:17

Yeah, but I don't know who you were just speaking about, because that guy sounds awesome.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 02:22

Exactly. That's why we have him here right now. So there we go.

Kelly Thornton 02:25

Let's do this, man. I mean, it's you don't think about all the things that you've. You've accomplished. Right.

You're just thinking about how can I be the best CEO entrepreneur I can be today and how can I kick some more ass tomorrow and the next day? But thank you for that warm welcome.

Gresham Harkless 02:45

Yeah, absolutely. It's so much easier to read it. I'm sure it's a lot harder to do all the hard work, but one of my favorite quotes, I think Tom Brady always said is his favorite super bowl is always the next Super Bowl.

It kind of sounds like you have that same DNA, so to speak. So I guess to kick everything off, let's rewind the clock. Hear a little bit more on how you got started. What I call your CEO story.

Kelly Thornton 03:05

Yeah. I mean, where do you want to go to? I was fortunate. I grew up in Maryland. We were talking about that. We have that in common. Where the demons near each other in the same. Same other country. I think, like, early on, I was very motivated by work. I was.

Gresham Harkless 03:25

You were.

Kelly Thornton 03:25

We're in review season right now. Gresh. We've kind of almost finished the 40 people that we have.

Everybody does reviews here at the company. We're about 40, 43. And, it really gives you a chance to reflect on what you've. What you've accomplished over the last six months.

We do H1 interviews and H2 interviews, full year interviews in December. And a woman came in and I was talking to her earlier, and she said, I just, I'm a hard worker. I really like working hard.

So I think I relate to that. Like, I was always very early on, very, very interested in work. I know you're a sports guy.

I kind of like, look at work as. As a sport. I get up every day to live my life, be in the arena and try to kick ass every day.

So that started early on in my. In my life, so. And that's been in part of my DNA for the last 40 years of my career.

Gresham Harkless 04:30

Yeah. And so I would love to hear more about that company. Could you take us through a little bit more on how you're serving Your clients and how you're, and what you're thinking is down the pike as well too.

Kelly Thornton 04:39

Yeah, well, I like the concept of having a direct relationship with consumers. So I came out of a purchase point where we were helping companies like Unilever and Procter and Gamble and Pfizer and Bear.

And these companies think about how they communicate to consumers in their retail journey. And I was really thinking, boy, dudes just don't like to shop and we don't definitely don't like to shop about our skin care.

We don't say like, hey, the bears are playing the commanders and then the game's over. Let's run down to like Nordstrom and see what's, see what's new in this, in the skincare aisle.

That just does not happen amongst us guys. So I was like, well, we gotta, we gotta like educate guys on how important it is.

Take care of skin care, prevent melanoma, use something that's going to give you some SPS protection, moisturize your skin. The benefit to long term benefits, like women have known this forever.

It was just like, guys, we're like Neanderthals. It took us forever to figure out that if you actually take care of yourself, it makes a difference.

So I started Tiege Hanley with Aaron Marino, who you mentioned. He's a YouTube influencer, he's been on Shark Tank a couple of times.

He speaks everything, he talks all the time about what it's like to be a guy, and like, how do you take care of yourself?

How do you prepare for an interview, why you shouldn't, shouldn't, should or shouldn't wear certain type of fashion? How important are push ups in your workout routine? These type of things.

And I reached out to Aaron because he was very, very much like around my mindset of like helping dudes be as amazing as they can be.

And he agreed to partner with me. It was, it was a brilliant move. I mean and like you said, in hindsight it was much more brilliant than it, than it was even at the time.

But he brought millions and millions of guys into the conversation right away. The conversation the Te family wanted to have, which is how do we, how do we help guys think about these things that we're talking about?

So that was very fortuitous because it was really an opportunity for Aaron to use his microphone to get out and talk about these concepts.

And then Rob Hoxie is a guy who, I, it was again fortuitous situation because he had been in technology and was at Motorola and was with a tech company that was purchased a few years before from RIM, the original BlackBerry company, before Apple really dominated it was RIM and BlackBerry that was, everybody in business used and he had some free time.

So he got involved to support us from a technology standpoint and was really doing our back end technology.

Aaron was selling and I was just kind of trying to operate the business and we went from, zero sales to in few months, a million dollars in sales, 3 million, 5 million, 7 million, 10 million, 12, 15, 18, 20.

I mean it just kept on going. And so it's been, it's been a great run. I mean we're just really, really, we're really fortunate to built a great company of really, really, really good products.

And we have tons of dudes that are like benefiting from the quality of our product and health, having healthy routines.

So it's been awesome. The white space that we went after is, is the routine space, right? So it's not just enough to wash your face, although it's really, really important.

We want, a dude to wash his face, but we want him to do it again at night when he brushes his teeth in the morning and night and put a moisturizer on.

And if you have bumps and blemishes, we want you to use a facial scrub to help really exfoliate your skin whether or not you're a shaver or not shaven dude.

We want you to use like, if you're an older guy like me and I look like shit because I can't sleep last night, but you want to use like an eye cream.

So these are the things that we're talking to guys about all the time. We're creating routines for them to follow, simple routines.

Gresham Harkless 08:49

I almost wonder if this is part of like your secret sauce. The ability to be able to kind of see those, what seems like, pillar type of connections, relationships and opportunities and to see how there is an opportunity there and to bring all those things together, understand that, hey, the conversation is not happening.

But it's necessary and also have these two like people that are going to be integral to the business and the growth of the business. Do you feel like your ability to see all that, is that part of what you feel is like your secret sauce?

Kelly Thornton 09:17

Yeah, I don't know if that, that in itself is. But that is certainly one part of it. I think like many entrepreneurs have really great vision, like really, really, really great vision.

It's usually one of their strengths. Their vision and their creativity and their passion is usually, is usually a key strength.

And usually, one of the things that got them started, got them to where they, they were in the first place.

The question is, can you perpetuate that vision as your company goes from being, a startup into a growth company and beyond? And it's super hard. Completely different skill sets.

Gresham Harkless 10:01

Yeah, absolutely. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

So this could be like an Apple book or even a habit that you have. What's something you lean on that makes you more effective and efficient?

Kelly Thornton 10:13

It comes down to time management, which is super difficult. And I think the only way that you can be really good at time management is to have, of course, I'm going to say this, but to have really good routine, really good routine leads to good time management.

Good time management, right, allows you to maximize your time in the arena every day. So that's the biggest hack.

I will give you a specific related to that. I learned this several years ago and I, I've been following it, which is like instead of writing down specifically your to do list for today, when you have something to do, set up a meeting that's going to be the culmination of that, of that.

Because it usually involves more than one person. Right. It's not just something I'm doing for myself, it's something I'm doing for you.

And I promised you Gresh, that I would have a financial report done on the analysis of our UK shipment by next week.

And so what I'll do is I'll set that up, set that meeting up for next week, set that timeline, set that meeting up, and then I'll work towards making sure that I've, that I'm delivering upon that thing by next Tuesday.

So I run my calendar. I run my to do list off of my calendar if that makes sense. I mean, it's kind of the opposite of how a lot of people run their to do list.

They do their to do list and then they set up a calendar to go after it. I run my calendar first and then I might to do list against it, to support it.

Gresham Harkless 11:54

Absolutely. So what would you consider to be a little bit more what I Like to call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice.

I like to say it might be something you would tell to your favorite client, or if you hopped into a time machine, you might tell your younger.

Kelly Thornton 12:07

Business self a CEO nugget. Man, it's so overplayed, but so critical. You hire great people. You hire great people. Okay, that is so effing hard. It is so hard. I mean, it is so hard.

You hire great people. When you hire great people, they will build great teams. Great people build great teams.

What do great teams do? Great teams build great companies. I mean, it's, it's so it's overplayed. Hiring is the most important thing that a CEO does.

But it is so true. And it's so hard. I have hired, I've interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people. I've hired hundreds of people in my career.

I've gotten it wrong, probably more than I've gotten it right. I'm getting, definitely better at it. But when you bring in the right talent to your organization, it makes your whole life easier.

Gresham Harkless 13:29

Yeah. So how would you define my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO?

And our goal is to have different, quote-unquote, CEOs on the show. So, Kelly, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Kelly Thornton 13:38

It means somebody who is hanging up the Christmas decorations, cleaning the coffee machine, vacuuming, hiring the best talent, having people cry on your shoulder, experience the journey with people.

It's about making your people the best people that you could possibly can. I mean, your job as a CEO is to.

Is to help every single person in the organization be the best version of themselves possible. And it's to create that vision that we just talked about, hire those people.

And obviously there's a huge financial component. You have to keep the wheels on the bus and you have to keep the pay all the bills and have enough cash in the business. And. Yeah, I mean, that's a long answer, honestly, but that's what it's all about.

Gresham Harkless 14:29

Absolutely. Well, Kelly, truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time even more.

So what I wanted to do now is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know.

And of course, how best people can get a hold of you. Find about all the awesome things your team is working on.

Kelly Thornton 14:44

I think it's almost impossible to be a well rounded CEO, without somebody who's supporting you in every step of the way.

So without that, without an incredible, in my opinion, my house, not, in my opinion, my house. It's called a CFO, Chief Family Officer.

Without that chief family officer, I would not have done three companies. I would not have had three companies. I would not have sold millions and millions of dollars worth of skin care around world.

I would not be anywhere close to where I'm at right now without my CFO. Don't marry crazy.

Gresham Harkless 15:25

There you go. I absolutely love that Kelly. And for people that want to get a hold and find out about all the awesome things you're doing, what's the best way for them to do that?

Kelly Thornton 15:31

Yeah, follow me on LinkedIn. Kelly Thornton and I'm pretty easy to find if you just type in and I'm Kelly K E L L E Y. I'm super easy to find.

Gresham Harkless 15:42

Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Kelly Thornton 15:43

And by the way, reach out. Gresh. I'm sorry to interrupt you.

Gresham Harkless 15:47

No, go for it.

Kelly Thornton 15:47

If anybody has any questions or need, has any, please reach out to me. I do. I will get back to you. I'm not talking about the sales guys out there. I love you guys. But anybody that has a legit question that I can help you with, I'm more than happy to try to answer the best of my ability.

Gresham Harkless 16:05

Yeah, no, I appreciate you so much for that. And of course we're going to make it easier by having the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you and find out about all the awesome things that you all are doing. I mean, I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Kelly Thornton 6:16

Nice to meet you.

Outro 16:17

Thank y

IAM2368 – Award-winning Technical Writer, Voice Talent and Speaker Inspires People Using Her Voice

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:16:33 -0500

Daree Allen is an award-winning technical writer, authorpreneur, voice talent speaker, life coach, and podcaster.

Daree is the author of three books, including What's Wrong with Me? She shares her stories about self-esteem, media influence, premarital sex, and family and personal relationships, and advises teens about it all.

She highlights the importance of not only mastering the craft but also learning the business side, including marketing.

Daree believes her unique background—combining professional experience in speaking, writing, healthcare, and personal experiences as a single mom and young widow—helps her stand out.

Daree explains the importance of showcasing personal and professional aspects of one's life to build a strong, relatable brand.

Website: Daree Allen Voiceover

LinkedIn: Daree Allen Voiceover LLC

Facebook: Daree Allen

Instagram: dareeallen

Previous Episode: iam221-award-winning-technical-writer-voice-talent-and-speaker-inspires-people-using-her-voice

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Daree Allen Teaser 00:00

Did some speaking and mentoring for teenage girls and youth. And then that like kind of birthed the idea for my book and things like that.

And I had some of those self doubts and things that I just mentioned, but I pursued it. I actually am a really good writer and I'm like trained in it. I went to school for it. It's something that's innate and I enhanced it.

Intro 00:24

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:51

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Daree Allen of Daree Allen Voiceover LLC. Daree, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Daree Allen 01:02

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 01:04

No problem. I'm super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Daree so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing.

And as an award-winning technical writer, authorpreneur, voice talent speaker, life coach and podcaster, Daree Allen enjoys inspiring people and using her voice for good.

Daree is the author of three books, including what's Wrong with Me? In which she shares her stories about self esteem, media influence, premarital sex, family and personal relationships, and gives advice to teens about it all.

Her latest book, ending the Blame Game, discusses relationship advice for black couples based on interviews with numerous black men, coaches and therapists.

When Daree is not reading, traveling, jumping into a line dance or on social media, she enjoys spending time with her beautiful daughter, Kaya. Daree, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Daree Allen 01:57

For sure.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Gresham Harkless 01:58

Awesome. Let's do it. So the first question I had was to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Daree Allen 02:06

Yeah, yeah. Gresham, I am a serial entrepreneur and so this is just like the latest and hopefully the last venture because when you're creative the ideas just keep coming and you want to do everything.

I know you were probably reading that first sentence of my bio. Like, dang. Like, okay, she's like 12 things.

Like, when you think of a multi hyphenate, you think of about four things not like that many, but they're all related, so it's okay.

But, literally for years, like over 10 years ago, I remember friends and other people listening to me speak.

And, whether I was speaking at an event or just talking to them and they're like, I really like your speaking voice.

You should be on the radio or something. You should be doing voiceovers, you should be doing this and that.

And at the time, my daughter was very young. She was probably four or five at the time. And so I was a single parent.

I was taking care of her, I was writing books, I was doing different projects, and I just didn't want to add something else to my plate.

I think that a lot of times when we think about starting a business, we get overwhelmed thinking about everything we have to do.

And I just really wanted each thing that I got into to be done very well. I wanted it to be excellent. I didn't want it to be half done.

I didn't, want it to be like, oh, okay, you could tell she made this, or you could tell she did this. Like, I really wanted to be professional and quality and something that I could be proud of myself.

Even if I didn't like make the New York Times bestseller list or show up on Good Morning America, I would know that I did real quality work.

And so, I started my business because I am multi talented, but I wanted, this creative outlet. I wanted that flexibility to do for myself. And it's fun. The things that I do, to me, are fun. I enjoy it. It's not work.

Gresham Harkless 04:04

Absolutely. And I wanted to ask you because I know you touched on this a little bit. I know a lot of people sometimes, I always say, don't let the perfect get in the way of the possible.

So how do you balance between actually taking action? So sometimes there's some that don't actually jump out and do those things and they just always wanted to be perfect, but they never, ever launch.

Daree Allen 04:22

Yeah, I think that you have to get started. What you're talking about is sort of also been referred to as analysis paralysis.

You're reading blogs, you're reading books, you're talking to people, you're absorbing all this information to the point where you're paralyzed, you're not doing anything because you get so consumed with things.

And you start comparing what this guru is doing and what that guru is doing. And when I say the word guru, I'm not just talking about somebody big that you know, has been on Oprah show or something.

I'm talking about anybody that does something really well that you perceive as a guru, that person could just be a few steps ahead of you in reality you don't know.

And so what I say is, a lot of times people will say, I want to start this business and I want to get started, but there's so many people out there doing the same thing.

And I don't know if I could really reach this standard or do something like this over here, what I seen on Facebook or what I see it on Instagram.

And what I have to say to that is, you have to do something. Just start. You will differentiate yourself because you are you.

And even if you and another person are doing the exact same thing, you're gonna do things in the way that you only you can do it because you have your own flavor that you spent on it.

And so every now and then you have that self doubt that comes in and says, I don't even know, like, whether it's starting like you just asked or like midway when you're launching or after you've launched.

And it's like, yeah, keep going, because there's only you. That doesn't matter whether you're doing things that I'm doing.

The podcast, there's a million podcasts, voiceovers, there's a million people doing that, life coaching, there's a million people doing that, but there's only one me and there's only one you.

So there's something in your experience that makes you unique. And I know we're going to talk about that a little bit, but that should not.

Looking at other people should not keep you from doing what you know is in your heart to do. And if it hurts, then stop looking at so much of what everyone else is doing and focus in on what you need to do.

Gresham Harkless 06:23

Exactly, yeah. I absolutely love that. And I know we touched on a little bit how you're. I don't even know the number that I was going to say triple threat, but it's beyond that because you're doing so many different things and I love it.

Could you tell us a little bit more about like what you're doing with your voiceover and everything and how you've been able to build that?

Daree Allen 06:39

Sure, sure. So basically I started off in the beginning with speaking. I did some speaking and mentoring for teenage girls and youth.

And then that like kind of birthed the idea for my book and things like that. And I Had some of those self doubts and things that I just meant.

But I pursued it. I actually am a really good writer and I'm like trained in it. I went to school for it. It's something that's innate and I enhanced it.

So that was helpful. But anybody with knowledge can write a book. It was just a little bit easier for me because I actually like writing and I know everyone doesn't, but my business started because I like writing and I like speaking.

And it just took some time for me to finish the projects that I was doing before I started the Daree Allen voiceover company.

And so I basically went to a really large conference about doing voiceovers. And I learned as much as I possibly could.

I thought about exactly what areas I wanted to be in because there's a lot of areas. There's commercials, there's different kinds of web videos, there's audiobooks, there's e-learning, there's films and documentaries, there's nonprofit and corporate videos.

There's so many things that people need a voiceover for. And so I had to think about where am I best suited? What do people want to hire me for? What do I enjoy doing and learn as much as I could.

But I didn't just stop with the reading and the going to conferences and networking and the learning.

I had to go ahead and do the training and then hang out my shingle. I think it's very important that you learn and then you train and then you do. You don't just read, read, read, read, read, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, and then not do.

So that's really how I got started was I just went to a conference, I got some personal coaching and training because I knew that there were a lot of things I didn't know and just try to perfect my craft and then learn a lot of the business and marketing side because we're all business owners.

So working for yourself, no matter what it is that you want to do that you are doing, chances are you probably have to do your own marketing or you have to hire someone to do it if you're going to make money.

It's one thing to say you're an entrepreneur, but if you're not making any money, then you are a hobbyist.

So, and there's nothing wrong with being a hobbyist because that's how you figure out what you like and what you enjoy and whether or not it's sustainable.

But don't say you're an entrepreneur. What I call myself as an Authorpreneur. Don't call yourself that if you're not going to do anything that will help you market yourself and make money.

Gresham Harkless 09:14

Absolutely. Yeah. And I know you touched on this a little bit and about kind of like your flavor, what makes you unique, and how we can all find that ourselves.

So I wanted to ask you a little bit more. Could you tell us what I call, like, your secret sauce? What you feel kind of distinguishes you and your organization now?

Daree Allen 09:27

My secret sauce, I would say. Well, it's not going to be secret now, because I'm telling you, but I know that was corny.

So I have a background in it. I just also. Not only did I do my 100th episode, but even bigger. I just had my 20th anniversary at my company a couple of weeks ago.

It's been 20 years that I've been with my company, and I mean, there have been so many corporate America. There's been so many mergers and acquisitions.

I don't know how I survived. There's, like, almost nobody else that I started with that's still around.

And when I started at this company, I had just gotten out of school less than two months before, so this was my first job, and I'm still here after 20 years and also have this company on the side that I have.

So my background in it is one thing. Definitely that's very helpful, especially with my e-learning. I also was a nurse's aide for a while while I was in college.

So I have a lot of background with healthcare, and that is also an asset. I've done a lot of public speaking at conferences and youth and different things.

So, of course, anytime you know how to speak or anytime you know how to write, any industry, that's an asset.

So when you put that together, I feel like that qualifies me for some things. On the business side, on the personal and human side, I'm a single mom, I'm a black woman.

Recently, about less than a year ago, I was widowed, so I'm a young widow. And, those things color my experience as well.

So when you add the personal and the professional, my married name is a Spanish name that a lot of people can't pronounce, so I just go by Daree Allen.

There's a lot of things that make me unique and interesting, and when you find those things that make you unique and interesting and you bring those to the forefront, you can't assume that if someone Googles you, they're going to find out everything they need to know.

You need to toot your own horn. You need to let people know about some of your accomplishments and some things you've done, because if it's relevant, there might be something.

Even if it's not that person that's going to hire you or what have you, they might know somebody that knows somebody that's interested in those things.

So I feel like we should not kind of like hide or dim our light because, we feel like it's impolite to brag.

I mean, there's certain kinds of bragging that really you shouldn't do. But what I'm talking about here is big yourself up.

Be proud of your accomplishments. The things that make you you and things that happen to you in life are relevant in the business world.

Gresham Harkless 11:53

Absolutely, Absolutely. And I'm super sorry to hear about your husband, your late husband. I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

And this might be an Apple book or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Daree Allen 12:06

Oh, yeah. I think that it's hard to, like, go to just one, but if I did, just the one app I would say that I use every single day is called Evernote. It's free.

You could use it on any device. I personally have one of the paid versions because I have a lot of devices and a lot of storage needs.

And I also like using the Asana app, which also has a free version that is very robust, lots of features in the free version. I use Google Calendar every day.

And I also use an app that is not free, but it's very close to free. It's called TextExpander, and that is something that I use to.

So I don't have to copy and paste tons of text when I'm emailing or responding to people or doing different proposals or pitches. I use a TextExpander to kind of like create a template.

And, I could save all these different things as snippets and use them in my business communications. I use them both for my corporate job and for my voiceover work as well.

Gresham Harkless 13:11

And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Daree Allen 13:19

Oh, man. I'll say this because I have thrown a lot of different ideas out there. All these different things that I've talked about so far, I didn't do all of these things at once.

Like, it's like that now, but it's built up over time. Taking it back to 2008, that's when I started Toastmasters. That's when I really learned, like, the fine tuning of speaking in public.

That was over 10 years ago. I didn't write my first manuscript until 2011. I created a self publishing course from it, but that was a few years later.

I got my light coaching certification later. Everything is like incremental. It's not like you hear and see all these things out there in social media or in front of you and you're like, wow.

And you get overwhelmed. Like, I can't do that. Yes, you can. You just go one step at a time. These things happen over time.

And so with the hard knocks along the way, that's life and it happens. So take your time. Don't pressure yourself to have to do everything at once that you want to do.

Be patient and don't believe the hype that you're behind in life. There's a very common, pervasive thought with men and women that, I should be farther along by now.

I should have done this and this and this by now, and maybe there's some truth to that. But beating yourself over the head and saying that you've missed out on something, that's not the right thing to believe.

Just take one step at a time. And like me and Gresh have been saying for the last few minutes, don't get stuck there.

Gresham Harkless 14:45

Do absolutely, absolutely. Action is everything. And I wanted to ask you now my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote, CEOs on this show. So, Daree, I wanted to ask you, what does being a CEO means?

Daree Allen 14:58

I'm going to make this brief, and I know you don't believe that, but I am. There's three words I could sum it up. Being a CEO to me means flexibility, freedom, and most of all, purpose. Flexibility, freedom and purpose.

Gresham Harkless 15:13

Awesome. I absolutely love that. And so I appreciate you. I wanted to pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additiona

IAM2367 – CEO and Serial Entrepreneur Behind an App That Lets You Make Wills and Trusts On Your Phone

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:16:20 -0500

Dave Hanley is a serial entrepreneur, with successful ventures, including the social media marketing agency Banyan Branch, which was acquired by Deloitte, and Shelfari, a social network for readers that Amazon acquired.

Dave started Tomorrow after feeling uninspired in his role at Deloitte. Tomorrow aims to help young families become financially stable by providing an easy-to-use app to create wills, choose guardians for their children, and even add life insurance—all for free.

He discusses the importance of intentionality in business decisions, having learned from past successes and failures.

Dave underscores the importance of personal growth and thoughtful leadership in life and business.

Website: Ethos Life

LinkedIn: Dave Hanley

Previous Episode: iam220-ceo-and-serial-entrepreneur-behind-an-app-that-lets-you-makes-wills-and-trusts-on-your-phone

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Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Dave Hanley Teaser 00:00

There's a few things like saving for college, saving for retirement, getting out of debt, appropriately, that I really wanted to figure out how to get young people to do.

And so where we began with is an app that you download for your phone, Android and iOS that you download it, you can make a will completely for free, no strings attached. It's completely social experience.

So together you add your kids and you make decisions together, like who's going to watch your kids if something happens to you and who's going to be in charge of your will and making sure that all of your decisions are handled.

Take pictures of things around your house, give those away. All of that is completely free and no strings attached.

Intro 00:33

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:00

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today.

I have Dave Hanley of Tomorrow, and what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Dave so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing.

And Dave Hanley is the CEO of Tomorrow, whose Tomorrow app provides wills and trusts that you can make on your phone.

Dave is a serial entrepreneur with successful exits to Amazon and Deloitte, and has had a career spanning industries as diverse as microcredit, banking, social media marketing, digital music, and financial technology.

Dave founded the Banyan branch, acquired by Deloitte in 2013, a leading social media marketing agency.

He also led product development for the Rhapsody music service and joined Rhapsody colleagues to build a social network for readers called Shelfari, which was acquired by Amazon in 2008.

Dave is a Fulbright Scholar, World Economic Forum, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, and recognized entrepreneurial innovator at TechCrunch, Disrupt, Money20/20 and south by Southwest. Dave, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Dave Hanley 02:02

I am.

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Gresham Harkless 02:04

Awesome, awesome, awesome. So the first question I had was to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story and what led you to start your business.

Dave Hanley 02:11

Yeah, so as you read in my bio. Yeah. Well, you did good job. That was the long version. Clearly I've done this before, but, there actually came a moment.

So after, Banyan was a great run building what at one point was the largest pure play social media agency.

And we sold it to, one of the largest consulting firms in the world, became a partner there. It was nice making multiples of per year than I'd ever made before.

But I really, really wasn't enjoying it. Right. Being a consultant wasn't what I'd always dreamed about being.

And so a dear friend of mine saw me and said, actually told me I was asleep and that I didn't have that same spark of creativity that I had had across the other ventures.

And so she sent me a couple of books to read and one of them was the Artist's Way, which a lot of people have done, millions of people have done this, but it's basically a like a 12 week self directed course in creativity where you end up writing and writing and writing.

And what came out of that was ideas for a half dozen different companies, one of which I really fell in love with, which was the kernel that became Tomorrow, and then really went through a process of understanding, okay, I built and sold a couple of companies.

I've done a lot of things wrong and what do I want to do right and what do I want to keep doing right that I did right before?

And so I really set out to be really intentional with what I've done at Tomorrow. And it's been quite a journey so far.

Gresham Harkless 03:34

Yeah, it definitely sounds like it. And you've had a lot of, great experience and sounds like, ups and downs, great successes, which is always, what we kind of measure.

And then we always look at our friends to be able to kind of redirect us because often they know exactly who you are, what you should be doing.

So because we're so close to it, sometimes we need those people on the outside to kind of say, hey, you should be doing X, Y and Z.

Dave Hanley 03:56

Oh, absolutely. Shortly after we got the company launched, I started spending time with Kara Buhenig, who was, he's an investor.

He was one of the first investors in Credit Karma and he came to us, he came to me and said, hey Dave, I love what you're doing.

You're the first thing since Credit Karma I've seen that reminds me of Credit Karma and I'd love to just start spending time together.

So he phone calls, we'd spend time together live. And now he's on my board and I can tell you that.

So he's not actually not a direct investor in Tomorrow, he's just an independent board. Board Member.

But that guy can tell me that my baby's ugly and I'll just, like, lean in. Like, tell me more. He's super, super familiar with data, is willing to go deep, goes all the way in.

But there's something about the relationship that he's built with me where I am desirous to hear his criticism, ideas, redirection, and having him, as well as a collection of others around me that can do that really has.

That was actually a big shift for me because otherwise, I don't want to hear anything negative. I want to plow forward. And, of course, plowing forward doesn't always take you in the right direction.

Gresham Harkless 05:02

Yeah. And it goes to being able to build that team and to have all those great minds around you, so you're able to hit and charge forward in your goals and hit every mark that you want to hit, but at the same time, you're able to lean on and glean from, like, all these experts that you have around you.

So that's definitely great that you've been able to do that. And I wanted to drill down a little bit deeper and hear about Tomorrow. Could you tell us a little bit more about what you're doing from that standpoint?

Dave Hanley 05:24

You bet. So Tomorrow was born out of this concept that we really wanted to help young families become more financially stable. Right.

And so when we looked at the things that, like, you go to a restaurant, you see the couple got a couple of young kids, the things they're not doing, nobody has a will, nobody has life insurance.

Basically, 80% of young families have neither one of those. And so there's a few things like saving for college, saving for retirement, getting out of debt, appropriately, that I really wanted to figure out how to get young people to do.

And so where we began with is an app that you download for your phone, Android and iOS that you download it, you can make a will completely for free, no strings attached.

It's completely social experience. So you invite your significant another to join Tomorrow, together you add your kids, and you make decisions together, like who's going to watch your kids if something happens to you.

And who's going to be in charge of your will and making sure that all of your decisions are handled.

Take pictures of things around your house, give those away. All of that is completely free and no strings attached.

And then a small percentage of our users decide that they want to buy life insurance. We're the licensed broker. We make that money. That's how we actually function as a business.

And then you're going to see more and more from Tomorrow that you'll see more and more free products coming in and then more and more financial and other products that people need to get their lives on track.

Gresham Harkless 06:40

That's awesome. And I love that you made it kind of like a social and gamification, I guess, type of experience where you're able to, do something that's so important and you're able to not only do it for yourself, but you're also able to bring on your significant other.

Your kids have all that kind of wrapped in. Because so many people, especially younger people, sometimes don't take into account the end.

I mean, we all have an end. So being able to kind of set that up before that actually happens, which a lot of people don't actually do.

Dave Hanley 07:04

Yeah, exactly. And then hopefully part of it is if you learn what a guardian does, you watch this video that explains landmark video.

This is what a guardian does. They love your kids and they look after them in the way that you would want them to.

And then you start typing in the name of someone who might make a good guardian. We pull that contact from your phone and then tee up a message that you can send to them that's saying, hey, I'm getting my act together.

And part of that is picking out guardians for Mia and Max. And I think that you would make a great guardian. If it came down to it, would you be willing to be on the list of potential guardians?

And then that person can say, oh, wow, yes. They come in, they join Tomorrow, and then they can start doing the same thing.

So you actually can inspire other people to do that as well, which is about how, one in three of our users actually come in through that.

Gresham Harkless 07:47

Nice, nice. Through kind of organic outreach. Just because people know it's so important.

Dave Hanley 07:51

Yeah, we all know it's important. It's been on some checklist at some point, oh, I should really do that.

And then, but then the urgency isn't there. We're good at getting car insurance because we're not allowed to buy or lease a car, get a car loan or lease without it, or rent or buy a house without homeowner's insurance.

But, there's no one who's there telling you, you really need life insurance, you really need a will. You have to find that on your own. And so we're trying to make it as easy as possible.

Gresham Harkless 08:16

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, I definitely appreciate you for doing that. And now I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce.

And this could be for you or your organization, but this is what you feel kind of sets you apart, makes you unique.

Dave Hanley 08:27

For me or for tomorrow?

Gresham Harkless 08:28

It could be for either or.

Dave Hanley 08:30

So for Tomorrow, where we really, I think, have. Where we stand out among everyone who's ever tried to do anything, estate planning, which wills and trusts, or even really around financial, is that we've actually created the context to actually make it social.

So that you're actually engaging with your spouse or significant other against common goals. You are the vast majority of people who are assigned to be guardians in America, no one's even told them that that could actually be a possibility.

And so we're actually trying to create these important conversations now. And, that's something that we.

That we do that no one else has ever done. And then really just making it visual. So you download the app, it's completely free.

Just use it, check it out, and you'll see that, you've never done this before, and so it might feel overwhelming and you don't want to get it wrong.

And we walk you through it. It's very visual. It's enjoyable, actually, to do. And then in the end, you get documents that are legal in your state that you just can print and sign and get going.

Gresham Harkless 09:25

Yeah, that's definitely huge. And, like, I've always felt like you can definitely correct me if I'm wrong a lot of times, what can prohibit people or hurt people or sometimes, like, family members that pass away that don't have living will or trust or all those things in place.

And then it's such a financial burden on other family members because they have to figure out how to take care of things.

Sometimes goes into, I guess, escrow is it. Escrow is the right word, but it goes someplace where you don't have as much control as you can have if you would have took these steps earlier.

Dave Hanley 09:52

So, yeah, so there's a probate is the priority related. So probate court can be a challenge. Now, there are laws that make sure that things go where the state wants them to go.

But if you there is whole groups of people that are completely vulnerable. So if you're in a relationship with someone for years and years even, and that person, if you're not married, that person actually has no rights to your assets, no rights to any of your decisions.

So if you're in a relationship, you're living with someone, you need to have a will really almost more than anyone other than a single parent, you must have a will, otherwise your significant other will have nothing.

If anything happens to you, most is as a single parent. So as a single parent, especially if you're sole custody, if anything happens to you, there is no plan in place for who's going to watch your kids.

So that person that you want that's most in line with your beliefs is probably not going to be the person that the state chooses, because literally, the state will just look among who shows up.

It could be the loudest aunt or uncle whose political or religious views do not reflect your own. Whatever it is, they're going to show up.

And states can say, well, this person's willing to do it, and they're going to give your child to that person.

So having a will in place really for any parent, but especially a single parent, is critical. Otherwise, now we have, right now, in Tomorrow, we've had hundreds of thousands of children that have been protected using the app and saved from that those scenarios.

Gresham Harkless 11:15

Yeah. And it's definitely huge. I'm a big believer, and I always say to myself, control what you can control, no matter at what level.

So being able to take those steps so that if your son or daughter is young and something happens to you, you're able to at least control that to some degree. And taking these simple steps is a big way to do that.

Dave Hanley 11:31

Yeah, I mean, it'll take you five to ten minutes to do it on the Tomorrow app. So riding the back of the Uber, whatever it is, commercials during one TV show, you can literally get knocked this all out.

Gresham Harkless 11:41

Exactly, exactly. Well, I love how you made it so simple and easy and seamless for people to be able to do that.

And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but it's something that makes you more effective and efficient.

Dave Hanley 11:55

So I already talked about the Artist's Way, which I think is a great book to check out. One of the things that comes as a CEO is you have a backlog of to dos. Right.

So you have all these things that, you need to do big and small and otherwise. And I've always found that anytime I create a to do list, it is like a thousand things long, and then I get overwhelmed, and then I don't do any of it, and then I just throw it out and start all over again.

And so the app that I love, it's this, it's the most basic of app, it's actually called Todoist. And so Todoist, basically you set, oh, I need to do this thing, but I'm going to do it on Thursday.

And then as soon as you say I'm going to do it on Thursday, it disappears. So I'm only ever looking at the things I'm actually going to do today.

And you drag and drop and I ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And then I get things done and then I can bounce my whole day and then not worry about the fact that I also have a backlog of 60 things I'm going to do over the next few days.

It allows me to be a little more decisive and strategic about what I'm doing. And so it's, it's just a simple app, there's an app for your phone, there's an app for your computer.

But that's one that, has actually probably saved me more personal anguish and has allowed me to not go to bed at 2am trying to crank through more of my to do list.

Gresham Harkless 13:04

And now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. And this is a word of wisdom or piece of advice or if you can hop into a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Dave Hanley 13:14

For me, I really think that the number one most important thing that you can give to your team and to your investors is your own personal happiness.

And so the most important way to do that is not to look exogenously, don't look outside yourself, but loo

IAM2366 – Unveiling the Franchise Broker Odyssey

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 06:16:13 -0500

Gresham Harkless is celebrating his 2nd anniversary and has traveled a lot recently.

Gresham attended a conference with around 200 brands and had the chance to meet with seasoned brokers.

He absorbed much valuable information about what successful brokers do, their mindsets, and how they approach the business.

Gresham emphasizes the importance of becoming skilled at lead generation while keeping marketing costs low.

He believes content creation will play a big role in generating leads and is something he plans to experiment with.

Gresham suggests focusing on learning one or two brands per month and doing deep dives into those brands to truly understand them.

Gresham considers collaborating with others and possibly bringing in additional agents or partners to share the workload, noting that you don’t need to do everything yourself.

Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com

Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise

Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment

Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:01

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:28

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO Podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this.

Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out.

I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the, from the first couple of videos that have been created.

But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing.

The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self.

So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here. And this is day 20 of the franchise brokerage journey. And again, just day to day, it's just kind of the same things. It's not anything too exciting, I would say.

But, one of the big things that I actually had some time to do. First and foremost, it's my two year anniversary, so I'm actually at an AirBnB. I've been traveling for like the last like two or three weeks.

So just been in different places, haven't really, settled down as much as I would like, I would say.

[restrict paid=”true”]

But, it's just time to do the training, go to the conference, have the baby shower, do all the things, all the personal things that play a big part.

But one of the really cool things that I like, especially around doing a business like this, is that you do have a little bit more flexibility because as long as there's Internet then I can pretty much do what I need to do.

It's not quite the same, but at the same time I try to have a little bit more of a consistent kind of morning routine.

My quote-unquote star time that I'm able to dedicate towards being able to do the things that I need to.

But with that being said, I finally got a little bit of time just to kind of take a breath from conference.

Once I got back from conference, it was like go, go, go. Had meeting, meeting, meeting. And I didn't get a chance to really like let go of some things from conference.

Just things that I really had. I don't know if epiphanies is such a strong word, but when you're around different brands, and we were around probably about maybe 200 or so brands, I think I made 70 to 80 of them, just going through everything, doing workouts in a different place, not sleeping as well, just all those things were happening.

But also being around some of the other brokers, hearing a little bit more around the more seasoned, successful brokers, what they do, why they do it, kind of the DNA from there was really, really good.

So I had eight things that I probably was going to try to just run through, as far as like things I wanted to take away from the conference.

Also one of the cool things too is I am in a Facebook group with about franchising and someone anonymously posted that they wanted to know people's experience as far as being a broker.

So I actually spoke with that gentleman yesterday. He reached out to me, had a quick phone call while he was driving around and he kind of just asked me a little bit more like what my was because I just got out of training on what that looks like.

So a lot of I, a lot of what I talked about with him I wanted to also share here because I think the first thing that really came for me and this was literally off the top of my head when I was talking with him.

I hadn't got a chance to fully like digest everything. I got a little bit of time today, but I'm writing down these eight things was super helpful.

So I'm going to run through the eight things. I might do a deeper dive on each of them, but I want to just touch on each and every one of them.

This is from conference, but also from the validation calls. Just all those things that I kind of see as are the opportunities and things that I see that are in my superpowers to be able to kind of hopefully execute on.

Number one is lead generation. Get good at lead generation. Keeping your costs low. That's something that came up at conference. The cost of advertising and marketing is always going to be increasing.

So you want to find either new and innovative ways or you want to try to organically be able to build that opportunity.

I think this is right up the alley of what we do. So we want to really get good at lead generation. In the brokerage world you can buy leads in any business.

You can basically set up marketing and have an outside marketing company. But obviously we're able to do that internally. So we really want to get extremely good at that.

That's the number one thing that I think is right up our alley. The next thing is content creation. Being able to experiment with that also with leads is going to be huge overall.

But getting good at content creation is going to be one of those big things that's going to be huge too.

Number three, I said there's a lot of different brands so I don't to focus on learning all the brands. Like I said, I talked to about 80 of them. You really want to get good at maybe one to two per month.

So maybe 24 per year. I've heard two per per week. But even with me having my business just have to be realistic about what that time looks like.

So get good at 1 to 2 per month maybe and do. And when I say deep, I mean I mean doing a deep dive on these specific brands.

Number four, AI is here. Use it to for content but also use it for any efficiencies within business just to be more effective and efficient and really be at the forefront of that.

Number five, look into co-workering. I said the phrase you can have an entire. An entire watermelon are part of a grape or entire grape or part of a watermelon.

And that's something that I definitely want to focus on is like I don't have to have it all and do it all.

I could also find people number five looking at co working, maybe long term bringing in other agents which is part of the organization I'm with and 6 my skill set fits nicely. Seven there's a big push around resales that I want to look into and number eight layoffs are actually good for business.

So those are the eight things that I'm going to start leaning. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help. And of course looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 06:41

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast, powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Want to level up your business even more? Read blogs, listen to podcasts and watch videos at CBNation.co.

Also check out our I AM CEO Facebook group. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

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Title: Transcript - Sat, 25 Jan 2025 14:02:29 GMT

Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2025 14:02:29 GMT, Duration: [00:07:17.20]

[00:00:01.52] - Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

[00:00:28.85] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the IM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our IM CEO podcast. And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise. We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show, notes related to that. But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this. Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of fba, the Franchise Brokers association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out. I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this. So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building. Continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of day.

[00:01:54.43] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here. And this is day 20 of the franchise brokerage journey. And again, just, you know, day to day, it's just kind of the same things. It's not anything too exciting, I would say. But, you know, one of the big things that I actually had some time to do. First and foremost, it's my two year anniversary, so I'm actually at an Airbnb. I've been traveling for like the last like two or three weeks. So just been in different places, haven't really, you know, settled down as much as I would like, I would say. But you know, it's just time to do the training, go to the conference, you know, have the baby shower, do all the things, all the personal things that, you know, play a big part. But one of the really cool things that I like, especially around doing a business like this, is that you do have a little bit more flexibility because as long as there's Internet then I can pretty much do what I need to do. It's not quite the same, but at the same time I try to have a little bit more of a consistent kind of morning routine. My quote unquote star time that I'm able to dedicate towards being able to do the things that I need to. But with that being said, I finally got a little bit of time just to kind of take a breath from conference. Once I got back from conference, it was like go, go, go. Had meeting, meeting, meeting. And I didn't get a chance to really like let go of some things from conference. Just things that I really had. I don't know if epiphanies is such a strong word, but you know, when you're around different brands, and we were around probably about maybe 200 or so brands, I think I made 70 to 80 of them, just going through everything, you know, doing workouts in a different place, not sleeping as well, just all those things were happening. But also being around some of the other brokers, hearing a little bit more around the more seasoned, successful brokers, what they do, why they do it, kind of the DNA from there was really, really good. So I had eight things that I probably was going to try to just run through, you know, as far as like things I wanted to take away from the conference Also one of the cool things too is I am in a Facebook group with about franchising and someone anonymously posted that they wanted to know people's experience as far as being a broker. So I actually spoke with that gentleman yesterday. He reached out to me, had a quick phone call while he was driving around and he kind of just asked me a little bit more like what my was because I just got out of training on what that looks like. So a lot of I, a lot of what I talked about with him I wanted to also share here because I think the first Thing that really came for me and this was literally off the top of my head when I was talking with him. I hadn't got a chance to fully like digest everything. I got a little bit of time today, but I'm writing down these eight things was super helpful. So I'm going to run through the eight things. I might do a deeper dive on each of them, but I want to just touch on each and every one of them. This is from conference, but also from the validation calls. Just all those things that I kind of see as are the opportunities and things that I see that are in my superpowers to be able to kind of hopefully execute on. Number one is lead generation. Get good at lead generation. Keeping your costs low. That's something that came up at conference. The cost of advertising and marketing is always going to be increasing. So you want to find either new and innovative ways or you want to try to organically be able to build that opportunity. I think this is right up the alley of what we do. So we want to really get good at lead generation. In the brokerage world you can buy leads in any business. You can basically set up marketing and have an outside marketing company. But obviously we're able to do that internally. So we really want to get extremely good at that. That's the number one thing that I think is right up our alley. The next thing is content creation. Being able to experim

IAM2365 – Unveiling the Secrets of a Podcast Journey

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 06:16:22 -0500

Gresham Harkless shares insights on his journey toward becoming a broker, emphasizing the importance of moving forward even when you're not fully ready.

He explains that while there were many reasons to wait for a “perfect” time—such as team transitions, personal life changes, and financial considerations.

Gresham emphasizes that there's no perfect time to begin; the key is to act now. He draws inspiration from the quote, “The best time to plant a tree was yesterday; the next best time is today.”

Gresham advocates for taking small, low-risk steps, such as recording a first video, researching ideas, or having conversations with potential partners.

In addition, he believes that the key to success is taking messy, imperfect action, as it generates insights that can't be gained from inaction.

Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com

Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise

Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment

Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:01

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:28

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO Podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this.

Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out.

I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the, from the first couple of videos that have been created.

But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing.

The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self.

So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

It is day 18 or 19 of this journey to be a broker, and one of the biggest things that has kind of come up and I tried to do a recording yesterday, midday.

Of course, it didn't work out because I had technical issues. I had calls coming in and all those things.

So as we know, doing business things will happen. As the quote, I think it says, we make plans and God laughs just because it's always in his hand and his power.

So with that being said, one of the big things I wanted to talk about yesterday was just how you move before you're ready.

And I was actually meeting with my fellow classmates who went through the training together, training mates, I guess you could call them, and we went through the program together.

But one of the things that I talked about, and another one of my training mates said that too, was that you move before you're ready. You try to move before you're ready.

Everything's not going to be perfect, everything's not going to be ideal. You just try to move. And the idea is that the earlier you move, the more you'll be able to iterate, the more you'll be able to get better.

So one of the things that came up for me is that, honestly, I feel like probably a better time for me to start everything would have been maybe in the March or April, which we're talking about four or five months from now.

And the reason I say that is because I felt like there were so many things, so many reasons not to start today, not to start when I did, I should say.

Some of them being bringing on new team members for the marketing company, some of them being like having a baby on the way, some of it being like having to start and then stop again when these things happen.

Or maybe I should kick it off at the beginning of the year, or maybe this is not quite the amount of revenue that I want.

But I kind of adopted this mentality of like, hey, I'm just going to continue to move before I'm ready and see how these things are just going to go and just hold faith that these things are going to ultimately work out.

More than anything else. I've been excited about, getting to take these steps and getting to continue to kind of be better.

One of the big things that I really wanted to do and really wanted to focus on was just reminding people that there's never a perfect time.

[restrict paid=”true”]

The perfect time is now. What is I think there's a quote, the best day to plant a tree is today or plant a seed today. I think it's a tree.

Is today the next best or the best day to plant a tree was yesterday or some yesterday. The next best day is today.

So do what you have to do today. As you probably know, I'm the king of butchering quotes. But the really big concept and idea that I really wanted to hammer home is I always say on the podcast that success is much more like a plate of spaghetti.

So when we start to tap into that, we start to realize that it is truly about iterating, truly about getting better.

Success is not a linear path, it's not a straight line. Often the people that have made the most successes have failed the most. They've tried the most, they've experimented the most.

And I had some really good calls yesterday around this idea, have a guest that's coming back on the show.

We talked a lot around experimentation and how if you really look at yourself as a scientist and we embrace that, we embrace that mentality, it's going to allow us to have the levity of trying new things and frankly have the levity around, quote, unquote, failing, not doing things right.

And I think that's really where the power is, that's really where the freedom is. Because you just end up being like the kid where you're trying out different things or the scientists or the artists or whatever it might be.

You get to try out those different things to get to where you want to be. So I think that's a really powerful place to be because in this world and in this time, there's such complex problems that need to be solved and there needs to be people that have that range of experiences.

I always talk about the book called Range that are able to kind of lean on different varied experiences to be able to solve the problems of tomorrow.

So when we talk about moving before you're ready, what you want to try to do is move, but you also want to try to do it in a, a low risk situation as much as possible.

So it could be doing your first video around your podcast journey or your, or your franchise broker journey or whatever journey you are on right now.

It could be researching some ideas, it could be having a talk with a broker about starting a business.

It could be just putting out a survey. Whatever it is, there's a small movement that you could take, but move now and figure out how to iterate from there.

And I think that's one of the big journeys, that big things of the journey that I wish that I knew more about.

And what I wanted to capture is like, I'm doing this before I'm ready, I'm doing it before it's polished.

And that's why you should definitely do the same because you're going to get more from the data of what worked or what didn't than from not doing anything at all.

So make sure that you continue to take action and make sure that action is definitely messy. Please let me know if there's anything I could do to help. And of course, looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 06:46

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast, powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Check out the latest and greatest apps, books and habits to level up your business at CEOhacks.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

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Title: Transcript - Sun, 19 Jan 2025 16:05:33 GMT

Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2025 16:05:33 GMT, Duration: [00:07:21.04]

[00:00:01.52] - Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

[00:00:28.28] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gretch from the IM CEO Podcast, and this is a special episode of our I Am CEO podcast. And this is actually gonna be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise. We're also gonna do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show, notes related to that, but just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this. Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of fba, the Franchise Brokers association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out. I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this. So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building. Continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Grass signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of day.

[00:01:54.20] - Gresham Harkless

It is day 18 or 19 of this journey to be a broker, and one of the biggest things that has kind of come up and I tried to do a recording yesterday, midday. Of course, it didn't work out because I had technical issues. I had calls coming in and all those things. So as we know, doing business Things will happen. As the quote, I think it says, we make plans and God laughs just because it's always in his hand and his power. So with that being said, one of the big things I wanted to talk about yesterday was just how you move before you're ready. And I was actually meeting with my fellow classmates who went through the training together, training mates, I guess you could call them, and we went through the program together. But one of the things that I talked about, and another one of my training mates said that too, was that you move before you're ready. You try to move before you're ready. Everything's not going to be perfect, everything's not going to be ideal. You just try to move. And the idea is that the earlier you move, the more you'll be able to iterate, the more you'll be able to get better. So one of the things that came up for me is that, honestly, I feel like probably a better time for me to start everything would have been maybe in the March or April, which we're talking about four or five months from now. And the reason I say that is because I felt like there were so many things, so many reasons not to start today, not to start when I did, I should say. Some of them being bringing on new team members for the marketing company, some of them being like having a baby on the way, some of it being like having to start and then stop again when these things happen. Or maybe I should kick it off at the beginning of the year, or maybe this is not quite the amount of revenue that I want, but I kind of adopted this mentality of like, hey, I'm just going to continue to move before I'm ready and see how these things are just going to go and just hold faith that these things are going to ultimately work out. More than anything else. I've been excited about, you know, getting to take these steps and getting to continue to kind of be better. One of the big things that I really wanted to do and really wanted to focus on was just reminding people that there's never a perfect time. The perfect time is now. What is a. I think there's a quote, the best day to plant a tree is today or plant a seed today. I think it's a tree. Is today the next best or the best day to plant a tree was yesterday or some yesterday. The next best day is today. So do what you have to do today. As you probably know, I'm the king of butchering quotes. But the really big concept and idea that I really wanted to hammer home is I always say on the podcast that success is much more like a plate of spaghetti. So when we start to tap into that, we start to realize that it is truly about iterating, truly about getting better. Success is not a linear path, it's not a straight line. Often the people that have made the most successes have failed the most. They've tried the most, they've experimented the most. And I had some really good calls yesterday around this idea, have a guest that's coming back on the show. We talked a lot around experimentation and how if you really look at yourself as a scientist and we embrace that, we embrace that mentality, it's going to allow us to have the levity of trying new things and frankly have the levity around, quote, unquote, failing, not doing things right. And I think that's really where the power is, that's really where the freedom is. Because you just end up being like the kid where you're trying out different things or the scientists or the artists or whatever it might be. You get to try out those different things to get to where you want to be. So I think that's a really powerful place to be because in this world and in this time, there's such complex problems that need to be solved and there needs to be people that have that range of experiences. I always talk about the book called Range that are able to kind of lean on different varied experiences to be able to solve the problems of tomorrow. So when we talk about moving before you're ready, what you want to try to do is move, but you also want to try to do it in a, a low risk situation as much as possible. So it could be, you know, doing your first video a

The Power of Social Media: A Guide for Businesses

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 09:16:06 -0500

For most businesses, social media offers incredible opportunities to reach customers, grow brand awareness, and increase sales. With billions of people scrolling daily, having an effective social media marketing strategy isn’t just an option; it’s essential.

If you’re ready to unlock the power of social media and take your business to the next level, Blue16 Media can help! Our team of experts specializes in creating tailored strategies that deliver real results. Contact us today to get started!

Why Your Business Needs Social Media Marketing

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn allow businesses to connect directly with their audience. Imagine being able to talk to your customers, hear their needs, and share your story all in one place.

That’s the power of social media!

To make this a reality, businesses need a clear plan to make the most of their social media presence.

When used effectively, social media can:

Help you understand your audience better.

Make your business more accessible.

Offer a space to showcase your products and services creatively.

With the right strategy, you build meaningful relationships that turn followers into loyal customers.

Building a Social Media Strategy That Works

A good strategy starts with understanding your goals.

i) Do you want more people to know about your business?

ii) Are you trying to sell a product?

iii) Do you want to position yourself as an industry leader?

Once you know your purpose, you can choose the right platforms that align with your audience and goals.

Facebook: The All-in-One Platform

Facebook is perfect for sharing updates, photos, and videos. Businesses can create posts that inform, entertain, or inspire their audience. Use Facebook Ads to reach more people and promote special offers. Its powerful analytics tools also allow you to measure the success of your campaigns, so you can refine your approach over time.

LinkedIn: The Professional Network

LinkedIn is a must for connecting with other professionals and building business partnerships. Share blog posts, company updates, and achievements to stand out. LinkedIn is also great for personal branding. Your leadership team can share insights and expertise to showcase the human side of your company.

Instagram: Visual Storytelling

If your brand loves pictures and videos, Instagram is the place to shine. Create eye-catching posts, Stories, and Reels to show off your products. Use hashtags strategically to help people discover your business.

Collaborating with influencers can also give your brand a boost on Instagram.

Other Platforms to Explore

Don’t forget TikTok, Pinterest, or Twitter. Each platform has its strengths. TikTok, for example, is excellent for short, engaging videos, while Pinterest is perfect for showcasing products with high-quality images.

Experiment to find out which ones work best for your business.

The Key to Success: Consistency and Engagement

Social media isn’t just about posting content. It’s about starting conversations. Reply to comments, share customer reviews, and post regularly. This keeps your audience engaged and shows them you care.

Building consistency requires planning. Use tools like content calendars to organize your posts and ensure your messaging aligns with your brand. Engaging with followers also involves responding to messages quickly and showing appreciation for their feedback.

How Social Media Drives Results

Using creative campaigns and engaging content can capture attention and keep your brand top-of-mind. The results will be;

Boosted website traffic as users click on links in your posts.

Increased brand visibility through shares, likes, and comments.

More sales as your audience becomes more familiar with your offerings.

The power of social media lies in its ability to connect businesses and people like never before. By using Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other platforms, you can grow your audience, build trust, and boost sales.

Social media isn’t just a trend; it’s a powerful tool that can transform your business. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your strategy, taking action today can make all the difference.

How Blue16 Media Can Help

Blue16 Media is a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses expand their online presence.

Our services include website design and support, social media management, and cutting-edge search engine optimization (SEO) services to keep your organization or company ahead of the curve.

For more information or inquiries, contact us today at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314, or by filling out the contact form on our website.

The post The Power of Social Media: A Guide for Businesses appeared first on .

IAM2364 – A Day of Homecoming Reflections

Sat, 01 Feb 2025 06:16:47 -0500

Gresham Harkless reflects on his 17th day in his franchise broker journey, returning home after attending a training conference.

Despite enjoying the conference and the beautiful setting, Gresham emphasizes that home is where his heart is.

He shares that the conference provided a wealth of information from various brands and training sessions, which he plans to review and reflect on more thoroughly over the weekend.

Gresh also mentions that top brokers follow the same processes learned in training, dispelling the idea of “secret strategies.”

Furthermore, he reflects on his growth, including meeting new people, forming a potential collaboration for a podcast, and being recognized for his efforts by others.

Blue Star Franchise: http://bluestarfranchise.com

Browse the Franchise Inventory: https://bluestarfranchise.com/franchise

Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment

Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – http://franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:01

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:28

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And this is a special episode of our I AM CEO Podcast.

And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise.

We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that.

But just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this.

Because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of FBA, the Franchise Brokers Association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out.

I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises.

But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there.

So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the, from the first couple of videos that have been created.

But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this.

So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing.

The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self.

So make sure to run your own race, because nobody can run your race like you. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here and I am back at home as day, I believe, 17 on this franchise broker journey and I'm back from training.

Super excited to be back at this new life. My son on the way as well too. It just feels good to be back home, to be honest with you. I loved getting at the conference. Definitely beautiful place.

But they say home is where the heart is. That's definitely where my heart is. So I come back with a lot of information.

So hopefully planning out may not get a chance today or tomorrow to be able to kind of decompress but I hope to do that on Saturday.

One of the things that I did is I took all my notes that I compiled and I put them into a little bit more of, I basically put them into ChatGPT how to clean up my notes and then I had a kind of summary of everything I should know and remember from training.

So I hope to of do that a little bit more of a decompress of like all the things because there's so many different brands that we met, there's so much tips.

But some of the things that I really, they made me feel a lot more confident. I think going into this is like I spoke with Amanda Vargas who's one of the trainers, one of the million dollar brokers for issues with FBA.

She basically said that, it really comes down to just kind of working those things and doing the things that you need to to successful.

And one of the consistent things I heard from the two top brokers who are on the same brokerage, one, that they really do the same process that we all learned, which I thought was really empowering to know.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Because I think so many times you're like there's some secrets, there's some trade secrets and of course there are things that people will test out and people will do that you start to hear in these side conversations a little bit more that aren't really a part of the training per se.

But you start to test out and figure out. But the biggest thing I remember when I was going through validation, one of the big things that someone told me was that he wished that he would have tested out more things in the six months.

So I think I'm just going to really, really fanatically test out things. That's when I'm going to have like a bunch of different ideas.

And I feel like a lot of my overwhelm came not so much from. It was definitely the information. Don't get me wrong, I meant like 40 to 50 brands at least.

We took classes of courses and met people and trying to remember people's names and where they're from and just all those things, it's just like overwhelming.

But I think what became very apparent to me is that there's a tremendous opportunity around franchising, around content creation, around that being a media company, of course it is.

There's so much opportunity that I think that's here and with technology, with AI and things like that, that it's. It's pretty remarkable, I think, to see those things are going to come about.

So just like I told my classmate, like, I'm going to be really focused on content creation. I think everything that seems like it's an opportunity, like, even the two top brokers, one of the things that they said that they wanted to focus on was doing a lot more marketing themselves.

So that was really cool. One sidebar is they had raffles throughout the entire day. So everybody was winning something.

One of the things that was really touching because, like, you always want to leave with, like, a win, and you always want to celebrate that win, no matter how small that win might.

So my win was going to just be going to conference. You're getting to meet a few people. I have, maybe a co-collaborator with a podcast that I've met while working out and playing pickleball, which is something else that I learned and I had never done before.

So you get to do all these different experiences, but even just getting a chance to win the raffle and from authority brands, and they also mentioned that I had impressed some of the people on the team, so.

And even, some people had say, hey, you've impressed some people. So I've heard that a few times.

So that gives you that confidence, that gives you that win. My old self is really hard on myself. And don't get me wrong, I'm still hard on myself.

I would just say, hey, but I haven't sold anything, I haven't done anything. And even, like, going on the stage, I didn't feel like I had earned the right to go on the stage, so to speak.

So I wanted to make sure that I earned that right. Even as they took the group picture, I said, hey, as much as I want to take this group picture and everybody come on stage, I want to come on stage because I have earned in some form, shape or fashion capacity the ability to come on that stage.

I'm not looking for a free ride. I'm not looking for handouts. I'm actually looking to roll up my sleeves and do the work.

So I'm excited about getting the opportunity to do the work. I'm even more excited that the opportunity I see is, I think, in alignment with the opportunity that a lot of people are really seizing.

So, look forward to continuing to kind of work. Looking forward to getting this information out and then hopefully helping people to start businesses. That's ultimately what I want to do.

Please let me know if there's anything I could do to help. And of course, looking forward to giving you more and more updates.

Outro 06:50

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast, powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and everywhere you listen to podcasts. Subscribe and leave us a five star rating. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

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Title: Transcript - Sun, 19 Jan 2025 15:05:05 GMT

Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2025 15:05:05 GMT, Duration: [00:07:30.43]

[00:00:01.52] - Intro

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

[00:00:28.96] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gretch from the IM CEO Podcast and this is a special episode of our IM CEO podcast. And this is actually going to be a snippet of a snippet, so to speak. I'm just doing an intro because I've been starting to document my journey into starting what is now called Blue Star Franchise. We're also going to do a kind of sub site within CB Nation called Franchise CEO. So you'll see some links in the show notes related to that, but just wanted to give you a little bit more insight, give you a little bit more color in some of the aspects of why I'm actually doing this because one of the things I was doing as I was going through training to start up this new business was realizing and hearing from the founder of fba, the Franchise Brokers association, that it'd be really cool to document your journey going through and building this out. I think it's something that would be super helpful, obviously, for people that are looking for and thinking about starting franchises. But frankly, if you're starting anything, any type of business, I think it's really cool to kind of just even see the journey and how it's been going from there. So I'm going to share a few of those snippets from the first couple of videos that have been created. But definitely, of course, subscribe to our YouTube, check out a lot more where I figure out exactly where we're going to post this. So I'll have that information that's available to you. But regardless, if you're a builder, continue to keep building, continue to do your thing. The world definitely needs exactly what you're trying to build and needs you to be your unique self. So make sure to run your own race because nobody can run your race like you. This is Grass signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of day.

[00:01:54.73] - Gresham Harkless

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh here and I am back at home as day, I believe, 17 on this franchise broker journey and I'm back from training. Super excited to be back at this new life. My son, son on the way as well too. It just feels good to be back home, to be Honest with you. I loved, you know, getting at the conference. Definitely beautiful place. But they say home is where the heart is. That's definitely where my heart is. So I come back with a lot of information. So hopefully planning out may not get a chance today or tomorrow to be able to kind of decompress but I hope to do that on Saturday. One of the things that I did is I took all my notes that I compiled and I put them into a little bit more of a. I basically put them into a, a into chatgpt how to clean up my notes and then I had a kind of summary of everything I should know and remember from training. So I hope to of do that a little bit more of a decompress of like all the things because there's so many different brands that we met, there's so much tips. But some of the things that I really, they made me feel a lot more confident. I think going into this is like I spoke with Amanda Vargas who's one of the trainers, one of the million dollar brokers for issues with fba. She basically said that, you know, it really comes down to, you know, you just kind of working those things and doing the things that you need to to successful. And one of the consistent things I heard from the two top brokers who are on the same brokerage, one, you know, that they, they really, they really do the same process that we all learned, which I thought was really empowering to know because I think so many times you're like there's some secrets, there's some trade secrets and of course there are things that people will test out and people will do that you start to hear in these side conversations a little bit more that aren't really a part of the training per se, but you start to test out and figure out. But the biggest thing I remember when I was going through validation, one of the big things that someone told me was that he wished that he would have tested out more things in the six in the six months. So I think I'm just going to really, really fanatically test out things. That's when I'm going to have like a bunch of different ideas. And I feel like a lot of my overwhelm came not so much from. It was definitely the information. Don't get me wrong, I meant like 40 to 50 brands at least. We took classes of courses and met people and trying to remember people's names and where they're from and just all those things, it's just like overwhelming. But I think what became very Apparent to me is that there's a tremendous opportunity around franchising, around content creation, around that being a media company, you know, of course it is. There's so much opportunity that I think that's here and with technology, with AI and things like that, that it's. It's pretty remarkable, I think, to see those things are going to come about. So just like I told my classmate, like, I'm going to be really focused on content creation. I think everything that seems like it's an opportunity, like, even the two top brokers, one of the things that they said that they wanted to focus on was doing a lot more marketing themselves. So that was really cool. One sidebar is they had raffles throughout the entire day. So everybody was winning something. One of the things that was really touching because, like, you always want to leave with, like, a win, and you always want to celebrate that win, no matter how small that win might. So my win was going to just be going to conference. You're getting to meet a few people. I have, you know, maybe a co collaborator with a podcast that I've met while working out and playing pickleball, which is something else that I learned and I had never done before. So you get to do all these different experiences, but even just getting a chance to win the raffle and from authority brands, and they also mentioned that I had impressed some of the people on the team, so. And even, you know, some people had say, hey, you've impressed some people. So I've heard that a few times. So that gives you that confidence, that gives you that win. My old self is really hard on myself. And don't get me wrong, I'm still hard on myself. I would just say, hey, but I haven't sold anything

IAM2363 – Founder Helps Business Owners Build Network Connections, Collaborations and Get Clients

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 06:16:20 -0500

In this episode, we have Toni Harris Taylor also known as the “Networking Queen” and “Coach That Connects,” who is a dynamic speaker, coach, and the founder of Global Multicultural Franchise Connectors (MFC).

Toni reflects on a life-changing experience she had 10 years ago when she was in a coma, which she views as a turning point in her life.

Toni shares a powerful analogy that while some people may physically be “awake,” they’re often “sleeping” through life.

Toni emphasizes collaboration over competition, reflecting a mindset rooted in abundance.

She advocates for people to make bold decisions and take drastic steps to change their habits, even in small ways.

In addition, Toni highlights her mantra: “Show up, be up, follow up to blow up.” Visibility, energy, and consistency in following up are key to long-term success in business.

Website: Toni Harris Taylor

LinkedIn: Toni Harris Taylor

Instagram: toniharristaylor

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Toni Harris Taylor Teaser 00:00

Successful entrepreneur, you might want to franchise your business to scale and build wealth. So educating how do I get my business ready to franchise number two, the obvious entrepreneur your and we all want multiple streams of income.

Your next business might be a franchise that complements your primary business so you can buy into a franchise.

Intro 00:29

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:56

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have an awesome guest back on the show today. I have Toni Harris Taylor. Toni, excited to have you back on the show.

Toni Harris Taylor 01:04

Thank you for having me back on the show. When I am a repeat guest, I think I might have done something right the first time.

Gresham Harkless 01:11

Yeah, absolutely. We invite you back again and again and again because you provided so much value.

So you did a lot of right things. You've been doing lots of right things. And of course before we jump into like having that great conversation about what you've been working on, I want to read a little bit more about Toni so you can hear about those awesome things.

And Toni Harris Taylor, also known as the networking queen and the coach that connects. Toni is a dynamic intercontinental speaker and marketing and sales coach, 13 time author and the founder and executive director of Global Multicultural Franchise Connectors where she's on a mission to educate and connect minorities with franchising opportunities.

And Toni was a guest on episode number 1324 of our podcast. We had a phenomenal interview. And one of the things I saw that she recently posted that she really had a huge life altering moment in her life and she was actually in a coma.

And I think she said basically on her post that what could have been the end of my story became the turning point that led me to discover my true purpose.

And she has a phenomenal story, also has a documentary that I was checking out as well too. And yes, I love that.

And one of the things that I really loved is that her mom was one of the really big reasons that that seed was planted into all the awesome things she's doing.

And one of the powerful things that she asked is like what is the worst that can happen? So Toni, excited to have you back on. Are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Toni Harris Taylor 02:32

I am ready. And thank you for checking out my stuff. You put stuff out there and you think nobody's watching and people are watching.

[restrict paid=”true”]

So there is a lesson in that alone. Don't be afraid to show up. And then you never know who sees it.

And it happens all the time. And that's why I post it. But yeah, 10 years ago today I was sleeping.

Gresham Harkless 02:59

Yeah.

Toni Harris Taylor 03:00

And I'm grateful to be wide awake now. I said something to my friend and it just hit her. She's like, that's it, Toni. I didn't know I was sleeping until I woke up. Right.

So how many of us are sleeping in life? We may be awake, but we're really sleeping. And then when you get woke, it's like you realize you were sleeping. And so let's talk about it all.

Gresham Harkless 03:35

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's such a powerful thing. And I think so many times when we go through our life and business, I hear that a lot around entrepreneurship.

When people start businesses or do things, sometimes it's that first dollar that says, wait a minute, I can make money this way, I can do this this way.

And I love that sleeping and how it is such an analogy. Obviously it happened for you literally. But I think it's such an analogy for so many times and ways that we can kind of operate through our lives.

Toni Harris Taylor 03:58

Absolutely. And so I'm here to wake people up.

Gresham Harkless 04:02

Yeah. Wake up and show up and show out for sure. So I guess let's rewind the clock here a little bit more on what you've been working on. A little bit more you're coming of age story, what I call your CEO story.

Toni Harris Taylor 04:12

So I am currently working on some really big things. But you need to know my story. And so I am a franchise owner with Network in Action.

I entered the franchise space five years ago by accident when I thought of franchising. It was chicken burgers, subway and retail stores.

It was not part time home based complimentary brands that could complement what I loved and what I was already doing.

And when I was introduced to Network in Action, it really. Well, what really opened my eyes is when I started networking in the franchise space.

So I've been to 10 franchise events in three years and consistently there are not enough brown people in the room.

And I mean brown people of all culture. And so for example to. In June 2024 I went to a conference in Atlanta. Stay there. Atlanta. There were 400 attendees at this conference. Two and a half blacks.

Gresham Harkless 05:32

Oh wow, two.

Toni Harris Taylor 05:33

I was one, two and a half. And I was like, that's. And someone at the conference, I asked her, she's a CEO of a brand. And she was saying how proud she was that women have come a long way in franchising.

And I asked the question, what do I need to do to make this room look like the rest of America? And she said, if you can't get a seat at the table, then you create your own table.

So this month, January 2025, me and people in my network are launching the Multicultural Franchise Connectors 501C3 to educate people of color and women about franchising. And I'm excited about that.

Gresham Harkless 06:30

Yeah, absolutely. So I wanted to drill down more. What are you hoping to make that impact? What is the organization going to look?

Toni Harris Taylor 06:38

Yes. So it's a national organ, probably a global organization because I'm a global networker. I have relationships in the Philippines and Africa and all over the US and so.

But starting in the United States, what the plan is, is to talk to entrepreneurs, people who already get it and they already know how hard it is to start a business from scratch.

So there's four paths for this MFC Multicultural Franchise Connectors. I'm now going to call it MFC from here.

So four paths to MFC. Number one, successful entrepreneur, you might want to franchise your business to scale and build wealth. So educating, how do I get my business ready to franchise?

Number two, the obvious entrepreneur, your. And we all want multiple streams of income. Your next business might be a franchise that complements your primary business so you can buy into a franchise.

Number three, successful entrepreneur, you want to supply your services to franchising. And number four, okay, you're not an entrepreneur, but did you know you could be a executive or have a career in a franchise headquarters?

And so those are the four paths for MFC to bring awareness, education, resources, connections. My big goal, Gresham, is in by 2027, maybe probably sooner to start giving some money to those who want to buy into a franchise to help seed them to get their self going.

Gresham Harkless 08:32

Nice. I absolutely love that. So do you feel like that's part of what I would like to call your secret sauce?

And the secret sauce can be for yourself, the organization, or a combination of both. But I feel like you have this very collaborative spirit and that, I feel like it's rooted in abundance where it's not either or is both and better.

And figuring out that there is a tremendous amount of opportunity, we can go further if we work together. Do you feel like that's part of like your secret sauce.

Toni Harris Taylor 08:58

Yes. I do not believe in scarcity. I believe in abundance. I believe we're better together that I don't.

I believe in collaboration. So even if you do something similar to what I do, how can we collaborate and extend our reach further?

I am having my viral networking conference January 16th through 18th. Yes, that's a plug. There is a virtual option, so theviralnetworkingconference.com please go check it out.

But that's the definition of going viral. You can't go viral by yourself. Right. So you need who's in your life to be able to go viral.

And I do think it's my secret sauce because I've hired a lot of coaches. So I'm also a marketing and sales coach.

And that's what drastic results is. I've hired a lot of coaches. They do not connect me to their network the way I connect my clients.

They don't take me with them. I have a client. She and I went to the Philippines this year. We went to the Dominican Republic this year. I'm like, come with, let's go. And that is my secret sauce. Nobody is the coach that connects like me.

Gresham Harkless 10:20

That's awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

So this could be like an Apple book or even a habit that you have. But what's something you lean on that makes you more effective and efficient?

Toni Harris Taylor 10:31

So the remarkable has been my secret sauce because I've got all these folders, all these notes. I'm a note taker and I'm a to do list doer. And remarkable has been just got the right name.

So this is my hack and I use it religiously. It goes everywhere with me. And I would tell people, spend the $500 for it. Buy the accessories on Amazon, but spend the $500 for the tablet. It's been awesome.

Gresham Harkless 11:10

Yeah. What would you consider to be a little bit more what I like to call a CEO nugget? So this could be a word of wisdom or piece of advice. I like to say it might be something you would tell your favorite client or if you hopped into a time machine you might tell your younger business self.

Toni Harris Taylor 11:20

Always be drastic. It starts with being drastic. Now, sometimes the small things are drastic. Okay, so drastic does not mean you're jumping off a cliff.

But drastic means you are writing things down when they hit your head because that's not your habit.

So anytime you're changing a habit. It's drastic. So that's the first thing. Then the second thing is my life success formula.

And I put it in a book. Show up, be up, follow up to blow up. So at the beginning you said I have, I posted about my coma.

I have a documentary. I have a lot of content out there and that's my way of showing up. I have closed so much business just because I've been highly visible.

So for you introverts who are watching and listening, you please don't let us extroverts make all the money. Stop using introvertness as an excuse.

And I actually don't think I'm an extrovert because there are times I don't have any. I don't want to talk, I don't want to go, I don't want to show up.

So I think I'm an ambivert more so than am I. Definitely not an introvert. But you gotta show up for your own success.

And it starts with the D in drastic. You have to make a decision to show up. Decide to show up and do whatever it takes to be in the room.

How could I have started MFC if I hadn't been to 10 events and had the experience of not seeing us?

So show up, have great energy, be up. People are attracted to energy. So be up, have something to contribute, and don't be afraid to open your mouth.

And then how do you look when you show up? You don't know what's going on on the bottom up here, but from the top I am dressed.

I happen to be going out after this. You show up even when it's virtual. And then they say the fortune is one and the follow up, I say the fortune is lost in the lack of follow up.

You do show up, you do be up and then you don't follow up. Man, get out of here. Show up, be up, follow up. It'll change your life.

Gresham Harkless 14:07

Nice. I absolutely love that. I love that you put that in the book. So I wanted to ask you now one of my absolute favorite questions, which is the definition of what it means to be CEO.

Our goal is to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So, Toni, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Toni Harris Taylor 14:20

Being a CEO means that I get to impact the world and leave my voice of dry in my following of drastic steppers show.

And I know, if I wasn't a CEO of my own business, I couldn't use that word. I wouldn't be able to use my methodology. So it really is about impacting my community.

Gresham Harkless 14:54

That's so powerful. And I think we were talking about the why and so many times we get caught on our products and services, the things that we do, but our why ends up being a huge thing.

And usually it's I believe a lot of times in that impact. That impact could be in so many different ways as you talked about, like being introduced to the net, to the franchise and open up so many opportunities and now you launch an MFC.

So all these things happening creates that impact and I think if we understand that the the ultimate foundation of what we're trying to do, it really puts everything I think in alignment and makes it support one another.

Toni Harris Taylor 15:27

Absolutely. So I'm grateful, very grateful.

Gresham Harkless 15:31

Absolutely. Well, we're grateful as well too. And what I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know.

And of course how best people can get a hold of you find about MFC, your books, all the awesome things that you're working on.

Toni Harris Taylor 15:45

Thank you. So I want to say thank you again for the opportunity to share. You can contact me at toniharristaylor.com you can get on my calendar at MeetwithToniHarrisTaylor.com and follow me on all the socials.

Just look up my name. Check out the viral networking conference.com that is going. It's a life changing event and it's very intimate. Only 40 people in the room. Or you can come online.

Gresham Harkless 16:17

Absolutely. Well I appreciate that so much Toni. Of course we're going to have the links and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you.

Toni Harris Taylor 16:25

Thank you.

Outro 16:26

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by CBNation and Blue16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Check out the latest and greatest apps, books and habits to level up your business at CEOhacks.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

LinkedIn: Ann-Marie Christell

Instagram: sereneflow_

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Ann-Marie Christell Teaser 00:00

Started working as a hairstylist and I think the passion for doing hair has been so much around the connections that I have with my clients and a hairstylist just don't do hair.

We are a shoulder to cry on. We are that person that they tell everything to because daring you gay to create these amazing relationships with people.

Intro 00:30

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:57

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I have an awesome guest on the show today. I have Ann-Marie Christell. Ann-Marie, excited to have you on the show.

Ann-Marie Christell 01:05

Thank you for having me. It's super fun to be here.

Gresham Harkless 01:08

Yes, I'm super excited to have you on and talk about all the awesome things you're doing. I know we're going to have a phenomenal conversation.

And of course before we do that, I want to read a little bit more about Ann-Marie so you can hear about some of the awesome things she's been working on.

Ann-Marie is the founder of Serene Flow. She's a hairstylist business educator who helps hairstylists grow their hairstyling business with sustainable principles so that they can have a thriving hairstyling business with ease.

So some some fun facts about Ann-Marie. She has never been an employee all of her adult life. She's been working on her own companies and she has over 26 years working as a hairstylist.

And on the side she also ran and runs a successful e commerce store. And now for the past five years, she has helped several hundred of hairstylists move away from stress into running their dream hairstyling business with ease.

And she believes that it is equally as important to work as much on your mental health as and mindset as growing your business because you need to have a balance of both.

And I absolutely love that. Everything that Ann-Marie is working on, I was listening to her podcast as well too and always excited to have fellow podcasters on the show.

And I think so many times we don't realize that whenever we're running the business we have to understand that part as well as of course, understanding the craft that we're doing.

So I love that she covers that on her podcast. And even more than that the fact that she hasn't had a business since she was in adult years, I think she has entrepreneurship, it sounds like in her vein.

And it's something that imagine a love, maybe even an addiction at times. So super excited to have you on. Ann-Marie, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

Ann-Marie Christell 02:35

Yeah, I'm super excited to just be here. And yes, I think it's an addiction. Sometimes I actually dream about having someone to tell me what to do, but I understand that I'm too creative and I have too many ideas.

[restrict paid=”true”]

And my husband, that actually works a bit in my business as well. He has to stop me. He's like, can we just finish one thing and not like jump to the next thing or the next thing?

Because I'm already like 10 years ahead and I haven't even finished what I'm doing at this very moment. So that's just how I work as a person.

Gresham Harkless 03:18

Yeah, that makes so much sense. I absolutely love that. It's so funny. My wife is very much so like that. It's like, you've come home. These are, we are your people.

Because that's exactly like how I think about things is like, what's the next thing? The next thing, the next thing?

Well, let's just have your breakfast and your coffee first and so that you can kind of get things going from there.

So I guess to kick everything off, I wanted to rewind the clock, hear a little bit more on how you got started, what I call your CEO story.

Ann-Marie Christell 03:45

So when I was 19, I went to a hair school in London. I'm originally born in Sweden and I went to hair school in London.

It transformed my life. I thought that I was going to. I got specialized in hair extensions super early and I thought I was going to do like that for fun.

And after a few years I had to like, you know, cut my hair, get a real job, do something that, like, I thought that you were supposed to do.

But what ended up happening is very early on, and this is back in like ‘99. My then boyfriend at the time was a web designer.

So he actually built a website for me. And this was very like back in ‘99, having a website was not normal.

Gresham Harkless 04:42

That's a huge thing. Yeah.

Ann-Marie Christell 04:43

Being a hairstylist, having a website, that was just unheard of. We were a few. So just because I so early on really understood to utilize the internet to promote myself and build a brand around my business, then everything shifted and I got fully booked and I still haven't got a real job yet.

And this is many, many, many years later. And for me, I started working as a hairstylist and I think the passion for doing hair has been so much around the connections that I have with my clients.

And a hairstylist just don't do hair. We are a shoulder to cry on. We are that person that they tell everything to because there you get to create these amazing relationships with people that are just mind blowing.

And I've had clients that have come to me for over 20 years, and that really creates this special bond with people that I probably would never hang out with these people otherwise, but I see them as my close friends.

Gresham Harkless 06:10

So nice. I absolutely love that. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more and hear a little bit more on how you work with and serve your clients.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that? And of course, we'd love to hear more about your podcast and what you're talking about as well there too.

Ann-Marie Christell 06:23

I just made a huge life change, Me and my, so I used to live in Stockholm, Sweden, and I had a salon and me and my husband decided, and we've been dreaming about this for a very long time.

So we actually packed up all of our lives and moved to the south of France in Provence. And this has been a huge dream of ours.

But now we were actually like, okay, we're jumping, we're doing this. So there is a lot of change going on in our lives.

And as I talked to you about earlier, we're renovating a house, we're learning French, we're doing all of that.

But business wise, I have some of my dear clients that I cannot let go of. So I go back to Sweden every three months, take care of some of my hair clients because I love them dearly and I know that they need me, so I'm there supporting them.

And then I have the digital aspect of my business as a coach or hairstylist. And at this very moment, I have a membership where I help hairstylists learn marketing and use social media to attract their dream clients, but do so in a balanced way.

So I help them find a system that actually works for them and plan things ahead of time and really not overwork themselves, because that is something that is.

There is this hustle mentality in the hairstylist world that I want to remove. I want to get people to find a more holistic way of approaching their business so that they actually have energy to have fun afterward.

So I work online with that. But the plan is to see if we can start to host regular retreats here in Provence because the energy is really special.

And we're going to see if we can find any place where we can work and host retreats in. So I'm taking in that aspect into my business as well, because I think it's so important that we can work online, but we can also meet in the real world and have those deeper connections and so on.

Gresham Harkless 09:07

Yeah, that's such a huge thing. And I'm almost curious if that's part of what I like to call your secret sauce.

It could be for yourself, the business or combination of both. But is it that ability to kind of understand that?

I think so many times when we do life or our products and services, whatever it is, we lose sight of why we're doing the thing that we're doing.

And it sounds like you're very rooted in understanding that and realizing that, even as you said with your clients, you get to figure out a system that works for them and figuring out that there is a better way.

Do you feel like that's kind of like what sets you apart and makes you unique?

Ann-Marie Christell 09:40

I can see things within people that they are not even possible to see themselves. I can pick up on things and I have a way of even if someone is super happy and smiley and la, la, la. Sometimes I'm like, so there's nothing going on.

And I'm not afraid to have those conversations. And those are really important, me being a coach, helping people to really be heard and seen and not forcing anything.

But I have this ability to just draw that out of people. And I think that is one of the things that I'm not afraid to have tough conversations.

I'm not afraid to hold the space for people and so on. And I think that might be the thing that is my secret sauce.

Gresham Harkless 10:47

Yeah, I love that. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack.

So this could be like an app, a book, or even a habit that you have, but what's something you lean on that makes you more effective and efficient?

Ann-Marie Christell 10:59

Schedule out all my social media for, like, I plan out one month ahead, so I record things one day, I write all the captions and all of that during one day, and then I schedule things out.

Usually I schedule one week ahead out because things can shift a bit in the schedule depending on the podcast and so on what else that I'm doing.

But that actually helps me show up on social consistently and also tracking the numbers of what is working now and shifting because the algorithm is always changing and you always have to rediscover what it is that you're doing.

But planning things out and not use social media as personal entertainment. I use it as a tool. Otherwise I will be there for hours and I won't do any work because I can get so sucked in.

So I have to have like I do this and I do that and then I do. And I think that that is probably what people say the most is they struggle with their own attention. Spam. And how many times do we pick up that phone every day? It's a struggle.

Gresham Harkless 12:23

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And it's such a big thing. And would you consider that to be a CEO nugget? So this is a little bit more word of wisdom or piece of advice.

I like to say it might be something you would tell your favorite client or talk about on your podcast or maybe if you hopped in the time machine, you might tell your younger business self.

Ann-Marie Christell 12:41

The real thing that I would want to advise myself and other people as well is actually schedule in time where you don't do things with digital devices like take a walk outside, don't bring your phone.

It's okay to bring your dog or friend or your family member, but don't bring any digital devices and actually make room for being bored.

Because it's when we are not feeding ourselves with impressions all the time that we get the best aha moment. That's when the ideas are coming.

But if you're not cultivating a space for the ideas to come, they won't come. And usually if you're thinking of that, I will just go to Google to find my next good idea that's someone else's idea.

And you have so much wisdom from just living your life that if you're just willing to listen within, you can create something amazing for whatever business that is that you're doing.

Gresham Harkless 13:57

Yeah, I love that nugget. And so what would you consider to be your answer to one of my absolute favorite questions, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO.

Our goal is to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Ann-Marie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Ann-Marie Christell 14:12

I think what it means to me is to be able to cultivate an idea and turning that into a business and drive that idea and have others follow and just become as passionate about the idea as well. Both the people that you're working with.

Gresham Harkless 14:34

But also clients truly appreciate that definition. Of course, I appreciate your time even more. So what I wanted to do now was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional that you can let our readers and listeners know.

And of course, how best people can get hold of you find about the podcast, all the awesome things that you're working on.

Ann-Marie Christell 14:51

My podcast is The Sustainable Hair Stylist Podcast. You can find it on any podcast platforms and so on.

I also have a website, it's serene-flow.com. I have loads of fun things going on there and I'm just passionate about getting people to find their little spark and really take that forward.

So even if you're not a hairstylist and you feel inspired by what I'm saying, don't hesitate to reach out. You can also find me at Instagram, @SereneFlow.

Gresham Harkless 15:37

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Thank you so much, Ann-Marie. Of course, to make that even easier, we're gonna have the links and information in the show notes as well too.

But I absolutely love everything that we talked about, you're working on. And I love that you kind of left us with that little spark because those little sparks become huge things that we are able to guard them, cultivate them, and see them come to fruition.

So thank you so much for reminding us how important that is to kind of pay attention to the human part, but pay attention to that little spark so that it does, make the impact that it could.

So I appreciate you, appreciate your time and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

Ann-Marie Christell 16:07

Well, thank you for having me. It was super fun chatting with you.

Outro 16:11

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast, powered by CBNation and Blue16Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

Subscribe and leave us a five star rating. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

IAMCEO Podcast Transcript

Email

Reflect on the Past Year

To set effective goals, start by analyzing last year’s performance. Did you meet your targets? Which strategies delivered the best results? By taking a closer look at your metrics, such as website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement, you can uncover valuable insights. This reflection isn’t just about identifying success; it’s also about spotting missed opportunities and areas for growth.

Understanding your past efforts will provide a foundation for setting realistic and achievable new year marketing goals. For example, if social media engagement grew steadily but conversions lagged, your strategy might need a sharper focus on nurturing leads rather than merely attracting followers.

Define Clear, Measurable Goals

Once you understand last year’s performance, it’s time to set your sights on the future. The most effective marketing goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Vague aspirations like “grow my audience” won’t cut it. Instead, aim for something tangible, such as “increase website traffic by 25% in the first quarter” or “boost email click-through rates by 15% by June.”

When crafting your new year marketing goals, break them into short-term and long-term objectives. This approach keeps you motivated while providing a clear roadmap. If you’re launching a new product, for instance, a short-term goal might involve growing pre-launch awareness, while a long-term objective focuses on customer retention.

Adjust Your Strategies for the New Year

New goals often require new approaches. If last year’s strategies felt stagnant, it’s time to shake things up. Start by revisiting your target audience. Have their preferences, needs, or behaviors changed? Keep a close eye on industry trends and competitor strategies to ensure you’re staying ahead of the curve.

Consider incorporating emerging tools and platforms into your strategy. For example, video marketing and interactive content are continuing to dominate the digital landscape. If these weren’t part of your plan last year, adding them now could significantly enhance engagement and conversions.

Stay Consistent, Yet Flexible

While it’s essential to have a structured plan, flexibility is equally important. The digital marketing world is ever-changing, and unexpected challenges can arise. Whether it’s a sudden algorithm update or shifting consumer behavior, staying adaptable allows you to refine your strategies and still meet your new year marketing goals.

Consistency, however, should remain a cornerstone of your efforts. Regularly update your blog, post engaging content on social media, and interact with your audience. These consistent touchpoints build trust and keep your brand top of mind.

Celebrate Small Wins Along the Way

Setting ambitious new year marketing goals is great, but don’t forget to celebrate progress, no matter how small. Each milestone reached is a step toward your larger objectives. Recognizing these achievements not only keeps morale high but also provides a sense of accomplishment that fuels continued efforts.

This year is your chance to take control of your digital marketing success. By reflecting on last year’s performance, setting SMART goals, and adjusting strategies to match the current landscape, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your new year marketing goals. Start the year with a clear vision, and let your marketing strategy pave the way for measurable success.

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Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 5. OPERATIONS / LEGAL

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:09:20 -0500

In this episode, Gresham discusses pillar number 5 and the process of drilling down into the various business pillars. He mentions that they have taken the insights and hacks from over 1600 episodes and condensed them into 16 themes, which they now refer to as pillars.

Gresham emphasizes the importance of identifying and focusing on a single pillar that can drive growth in business. He discusses the importance of focusing on various pillars in business, including entrepreneurship, strategy, products/services, people, operations/legal, visibility, finance, and technology. They emphasize the significance of understanding operations and legal aspects in structuring a business.

In addition, Gresham highlights the benefits of systematizing tasks and operations for a better working environment for both the team and clients.

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

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Intro 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and this is a special I AM CEO Podcast because we're gonna be focusing on the 8 business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy taking a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600+ episodes we did at the I AM CEO Podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the 8 pillars that can help you level up your business.

And, really, what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate, and this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're gonna put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh here, and this is the episode where we drill down a lot more on pillar number 5. And there's many different pillars in business. If you just listened to this, we took the 1600+ episodes. We drilled down into that. Had hundreds of hacks, hundreds of nuggets that we accrued from each of the episodes. We took those. They became the 16 themes, which we originally called pillars, but they actually became themes. And then we really want to drill down on those 8 pillars. The reason that we chose 8 pillars is because we started to do a little bit more homework and research into business in general, but also into the things that were consistently coming up when we were doing these interviews.

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And we thought that these pillars were gonna be a little bit more foundational, not necessarily because they tell you all the things about business, but because they're very over encompassing. So that if you could potentially focus on maybe one pillar for a year, you could potentially see a lot of growth if you select the correct pillar. But it's also important to understand how interconnected they are because as you focus on one, you're deciding not to focus on another potentially. And if you decide to split your time between both, then understand you're not going to see the potential growth if you can find and identify the quote unquote one thing or the one pillar that could, really drill things, drive things forward even more.

So with that being said, we're gonna focus on and drill down into pillar number 5 with this operation/legal. It was just operations and then that legal part is obviously a huge part of business and entrepreneurship. So we wanted to make sure that it was under something that was one of the core parts of business, sometimes the quote unquote less sexy part of business. The business the part of business that is extremely important, but also is something that, maybe doesn't get the airplay, the fascination. You don't see a lot of TikToks that are around the legal part of business or the operations.

Although, they are very sexy if you're running a very strong business. So keep in mind that as I drill down a little bit more into this specific pillar, we wanna keep in mind that there are many other pillars, 8 other or seven other pillars, 8 total, that you want to make sure that you're focusing on. And those pillars, I'm gonna go down the line. Entrepreneurship and journey is gonna be your 1^st one. Strategy is gonna be your 2^nd one. The 3^rd one's going to be offering/your products and services. Number 4 is people in the human part of business. Number 5, we're gonna talk about a little bit more today, which is operations/legal. Then we're gonna drill down a little bit more into visibility.

Then number 7 is gonna be financial. And then finally, we're gonna cap everything off with technology. So understanding operations and legal part is really gonna be how you're structuring your business and what that looks like, how things are moving along. Now one of the most exciting things you can you can have is you start out with your idea. You realize that, okay, I have this business idea. I have this problem, this opportunity that I wanna serve, and you strategize around it. You figure out exactly how you're going to make that happen, and then you produce the idea or the concept, or maybe you get to test out your product and service.

And then you understand that this is how we're going to serve that human part of what we're doing. And you start to do that one time, two time, three times. You start to do that at a certain level. And then you realize you need operations because it's essentially going to be the engine that's going to allow you to serve the clients that you're working with. And so you really wanna understand the fundamentals of operations and systems and what they that looks like. Of course, you wanted to make sure that you're operating and optimizing those processes and systems.

And, obviously, we're gonna drill down a little bit more into pillar 8 around technology. But for a lot of businesses, not necessarily all businesses, technology is gonna play a huge role. So I think it's important to mention that, of course, because that could be one of the most impactful things, I think. And that's one of the reasons that it went from 7 to 8 pillars largely because of the the impact of technology. So know that automation, a lot of technological tools, things like project management software, all these things gonna play a really big part in terms of understanding exactly how to keep the trains moving, how to keep the trains moving consistently, and how to make sure that there's less spillage, for lack of a better term, and there's that same experience that you're providing throughout the entire journey for a client or customer, but also internally for your team.

How do you make sure that the business doesn't revolve around one person? It's gonna be your operations. It's gonna be your systems. It's gonna be those SOPs, those things you put in place to make sure that you are consistently growing the business into where it ultimately needs to be. So keep in mind that this flows over many different aspects of running a business, everything from supply chain management and those best practices to, like I mentioned, the legal considerations, understanding the way that you incorporate your business or actually even incorporating your business, how you, create, that structure and and what that looks like.

And we're gonna drill down a little bit more to the financial piece and and pillar number 7. But know that a lot of times the structure that you're creating does impact the financial aspect of your business, the amount of revenue that you're bringing in, and kind of, like, what that's going to look like. But also making sure that you're you're fully protected and what that looks like. And a lot of times when you hear attorneys, and by no means am I an attorney, but they'll talk a lot around making sure that you have your trademark, your patents, all those things in place.

Also know that it's probably I don't even know if it's more important, but I know it's also important to make sure that you're enforcing those trademarks and those patents because people can infringe upon them. And you wanna make sure that you're setting yourself up as much as possible to succeed. So make sure you have all those things that are in place, understanding business law, having any compliance checklists or things that you need to get done, agreements and contracts and templates, having those template templates, but also making sure that you're structuring those so that even if you're having conversations with someone that is extremely close, a friend, a relative, that you have a contract in place is going to be extremely important.

No matter who you're communicating with because or you're coming to agreement with might be a better way to say that because you wanna make sure that you're protected and that person's name is protected as well too. So know that's a big part as well too. Risk management strategies is another big part, of course, like I mentioned a little bit. Supply chain management is gonna be a really big part. So keep in mind that we have this offering, this product and servicing that you're doing to to make that impact. How are you, from an operation standpoint, going to ensure that that experience is going to happen?

No operations all can often speak to the idea of bringing on new clients or customers. But there could be operations around every single aspect of business, and often we don't realize that even those of us that provide custom products and services have certain aspects of what we do to be operations. And what I wanted to do is draw that a little bit deeper. We talked a little bit around the last pillar of the human part of the people part of business. Understand, like, how powerful it has been, hearing over and over again the power of morning routines. That it doesn't necessarily mean that there's a specific way that you have to do your morning routine, but just to be able to set yourself up for success is going to be huge.

And the reason I bring that up here is because when you're thinking about operations, of course, think about your business, but also consider hiring. Also consider how you're marketing your business or what the process is when there's a high rate client. All those things can be operations and SOPs that are put in place to make sure there is that somewhat consistent experience for everyone. But keep in mind that you also can create the operations in your life as well too. And when we talk about filling up your cup, when we talk about making sure your oxygen mask is on, as an individual and as a leader, understanding that human part, know that the operations and what you do on a regular basis also plays a really good part of through that too.

So with that being said, that's pillar number 5. Your operations, your legal part is gonna be such a big thing. Many people will argue while it's the least sec one of the least sexiest things, and maybe financial can give it a run for its money for a lot of people if you're talking about accounting and things like that. But keep in mind, it's the thing that might really open up that opportunity for you to scale the processes, the systems, the operations. Having those things in place can really take things to an entirely different level.

So this is, Gresh signing out. Remember, your operations are huge personally, professionally, and all the things that you're doing. So as we drill down more and more and more and provide more content in our community and, of course, in our library around what and how to improve your processes and your operations. Know that there's a lot of CEO hacks that help out with that, whether it's project management software. Just know that it sometimes could be one of the biggest things that you can lean into that's actually going to give you more time. And it allows you to sometimes invest that time by having to create processes, systems, operations.

But in the long run, it ends up creating those, consistent practices that allow you to be able to not work as much on or in the business as you are maybe presently and to focus more on working on the business. So think about what things can I systematize, what things can I create operations for, because it's only going to to create a a better environment, for you and the people that, you're impacting? And that's talking about your team, but also your clients as well.

Outro 10:11

Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these 8 pillars to show you as a builder how you can leverage these 8 pillars and really level up there so it helps you level up your business and organization.

So hope you enjoyed this episode, and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on their episode, and, of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well too. This is Gresh signing out. Hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 4. PEOPLE = HUMAN PART OF BUSINESS

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:06:45 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh delves into the eight foundational pillars that can help elevate your business.

Derived from over 1600 episodes and copious insights from CEOs, these pillars were condensed from 16 themes into a course aiming to boost business success rates.

This episode specifically highlights the fourth pillar: People and the Human Part of Business.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of recognizing the human element in business, touching on aspects such as recruitment, talent management, and maintaining a conducive environment for both employees and strategic partners.

He also underscores the necessity of self-care for entrepreneurs to avoid burnout and ensure sustained success.

The discussion aims to remind listeners that balancing the needs of the business and its people is crucial for long-term growth and impact.

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Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy and take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight pillars that can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course in that library of content and information, we're going to put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here. And now we are talking about pillar number four people slash the human part of business. And I often say over and over again in episodes, you never want to forget about the human part of business.

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And if you're just listening to this, we're going through the eight pillars of of business really that I've gleaned from doing over 1600 episodes. Again, we took the 1600 episodes, 1600 plus episodes, and they became hundreds of CEO hacks and CEO nuggets and information we've learned from CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners. And then it drilled down into the 16, what I called pillars then, but it's now the themes.

The themes that were consistent around business and one of them is, don't forget about the human part of business. And that is what brought us to the eight pillars. The eight pillars are really those foundational elements that are going to help you to level up within your organization.

And what I want to do with each of these episodes is drill down a little bit further into each of these eight pillars, not to give you a, all the information because you can consistently learn about each of these pillars. And these pillars aren't definitely separated. They aren't siloed. They are very much so interconnected.

But sometimes if you have the opportunity to really focus on one, it could be and have that dramatic impact upon your business. So with this one, we're going to focus on. People in the human part, that's pillar number four.

So just give you a little bit more of a recap. If you haven't listened before, the first pillar was entrepreneurship and focusing on the journey. The second one was strategy. The third was your offering or your product or service.

The fourth is going to be people slash the human part, which is what we're going to talk about today. Then we're going to talk in. A little bit more about operations slash the legal side. Number six, we're going to go into visibility seven financial. We're going to close everything out with the biggest one, I think. And one of the most impactful ones I think is technology.

So with each of these different pillars, we're going to draw down more and more and more so you can learn more about what it's like. To be a CEO entrepreneur and business owner and how you can make that impact into your business and what that looks like.

So one of the biggest things that we often hear, but sometimes we don't internalize entirely is understanding the human part of business. And the reason I wanna say human, rather than people who can often hear about human capital, you hear about how important it's to make sure that you're bringing on the right people, you're creating an environment for them to excel and for them to succeed.

But we often forget about the human part. When we're talking about the clients that we want to connect with, we just want to take our product to service and just tell them this is what they need. And this is why they need it without actually having that connection, that interaction, that communication that comes from even some of the other pillars, the marketing, the sales, the visibility part.

We often just say, okay, this is what we are great at. This is what we've created. This is why it's cool. And forget about That human part and how we're actually connecting with the people that we ultimately want to serve. So that's one of the really big things we want to try to take into account as we're thinking about that human part.

But we, of course, want to keep in mind that recruitment, talent acquisition, making sure that we're getting the right people are the right butts in the right seat is going to be something that's very important. And then when we get them there, are they engaged? Are they staying? Are they growing? Just all that about creating a great environment for the people that are close to you.

But also know that the people part does include people that you're connected with. So yeah, That's everything about building a strong team. The team we often think means employees or sometimes contractors, but the team also means strategic relationships. It also means mentors. It also means consultants that you might have or board members or whatever it might be that are going to be those.

human parts that are pouring into your business. So make sure that you're keeping that in mind. Leadership and management also play a really big part in this as well as far as like being able to create that environment and that culture for you to succeed. But understand that, that could be one of your most impactful aspects of your business by getting the right people.

You can really level up your organization, but sometimes not getting the right people can actually have the opposite effect as well, too. So It's so important to forget about that human part and to not forget about that human part and to keep that in mind and understand how important the talent the resources, the people that are in place are going to be in terms of helping you to grow.

Now, one of the things that I haven't really drilled down on one of the themes that we had, one of those 16 themes was not forgetting about the I and team or realizing that there is no I and team. And that was very important because as you start to grow, you want to make sure you're creating an environment, a culture where everybody's going to have that opportunity to really excel.

And you're putting the greater good for lack of a better term above your individual goods. And that's for everybody that's on the team. So you want to definitely create that environment. One of the other themes that we had is that There is an I in WIN and so when you're trying to create that environment in order for you to succeed and excel, it's so important for you to not forget about the you not forget that you also are a human and you also are important to be able to help the business to excel.

So putting your oxygen mask on first. Specially for those people that really grasp and really understand that entrepreneurship part about serving and being able to support people. It's so important to not forget about that human part because you don't want to get into a place where your business is not going to have the opportunity to accelerate and make the impact it could because you're facing burnout.

Or because You haven't created a great environment for yourself to excel because you're not doing the things that will allow you to continue to run the marathon that is entrepreneurship.

So all those things are very much focused on you realizing that you're a human as well. So it doesn't mean necessarily that you're Always going to necessarily put yourself first, but I think it's very important for those people that may be skewed more towards givers that give tremendously from everything that they do.

They're always thinking about others to really start to think a little bit more creatively on how you're giving to start to think a little bit more creative on that, how you can create a win, lose or lose win, but how can you create win, win, win, win, win scenarios for your team.

And keep in mind one of those Wins is going to be you making sure your cup is full, making sure you have your oxygen mask on and making sure that you are making that impact. So definitely don't forget about the human part of a business. And of course, we're drilling down more and more and more into our community and the library and all the information that we're providing so that you can learn more and more and more on what that looks like and how you can make that impact.

But keep in mind that I really struggled with if I wanted to put this first, because I think it's something that we will gloss over, especially ourselves more than anything else. So as people that are givers know that you can, you can, you can serve others and you can also serve yourself. And don't forget by serving people, by serving humans, you also are human as well, too.

So do not forget about yourself. So this is Gresh signing out. This is pillar number four people slash the human part of business. So don't forget that and make sure that you are keeping that top of mind. As I mentioned, you can visit everything on our site cbnation.co/pillars to find out more about the pillars and all the awesome things that we're creating around that.

But keep in mind that These things can help you to level up in your business. And we're going to draw down more and more and more into each of those other pillars. So stay tuned.

Outro 08:07

Hello, hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode. And definitely please check out the show notes. So you can learn more about the pillar.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[/restrict]

The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 4. PEOPLE = HUMAN PART OF BUSINESS appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 3. OFFERING – PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:03:37 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh dives deep into the eight essential business pillars derived from over 1600 episodes and 16 key themes, which now became 8 business pillars.

The episode focuses on understanding and enhancing your business offering, highlighting the importance of seeing your product or service as a means of providing impactful transformations to clients.

Gresh outlines the crucial business foundations such as strategy, people, operations, visibility, finance, and technology, emphasizing their interconnectedness and how they help improve business success rates.

Additionally, he stresses the significance of understanding the entire customer journey and the value you bring to their lives.

This episode is a precursor to a more detailed course aimed at helping businesses level up.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy and take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight pillars that can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course. And that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:37

What is your offering? How are you making an impact into the lives of people or even organizations. That's what this pillar kind of really drills down. So if you listen into previous episodes, we talked about entrepreneurship and journey. We talked about strategy right now we're drilling down into offering or your product or service.

[restrict paid=”true”]

I'm going to go more into. Pillar number four, which is people slash the human part. Number five is going to be operations slash legal. Then we're going to go into number six, which is visibility seven financial, and then eight is technology.

So going into each of these aspects of business and each of these foundations, it's not anything more than being able to arm people with a little bit more insight and information to the complexity of business, not necessarily how.

All the different aspects are siloed, but actually how they're very much so intertwined and how you want to have greater awareness around all those things, because they're very much so, interconnected and they depend on one another. Just, if you want to check out CEO hack, check out this book called Range.

And the kind of idea behind it is that the people that are able to have a range of different experiences and perspectives are going to be able to solve the problems of tomorrow. And it's often because there is a world where everything is becoming so much more specialized. You hear it so many times and even us with our digital marketing company.

We going back and forth about whether or not we should specialize on a specific industry. And there's pros and cons of each. A lot of it dials into exactly what we talked about in the previous pillar, which is around strategy. What is the strategy of the business? Like, how do you define success?

What does success look like? And that could be different things for different people. But because it didn't necessarily align with our strategy, that wasn't something that I necessarily wanted to do and nothing that we felt very strongly compelled to do.

But, what we wanted to draw down is really start to understand why you're doing the things that you're doing. Often when people start businesses, when they have that napkin and they're writing down the ideas they're learning more about entrepreneurship.

When they're going into the strategy of what exactly you're doing, they find themselves saying, okay, now how do I do this? How do I package this? And that's really what the offering is like, what are you offering To potential clients and customers so that you can make the impact in their lives and their businesses, or what transformation are you ultimately trying to achieve?

Now, we're going to drill down a little bit more into the next pillar on the next episode, which is the human part of business. But what I really wanted to do is make sure that you understand that a lot of times people want these things to lead to some types of type of transformation. Often your product and service that you're talking about is not the thing that you're actually offering.

Usually it's something else. If you are a fitness trainer, while you're trying to help people lose weight, gain muscle whatever that might be. And however, we're so often like looking at that, if you're, doing nutrition planning or you're planning or you're doing meal prep or something along those lines, you're typically not doing the thing that you think that you're doing.

What you're doing is you're providing some type of transformation. So what is this transformation? This transformation for the fitness coach could be helping people to feel more Life within who they are so that it could positively impact their wives, their spouses, it could be their sons and daughters to help them to show up better at work.

All these things could be results of being able to provide that transformation. But the big thing is that you want to really start to drill down on the impact that you're making. And a lot of times you do that by not just saying I provide nutrition planning or I do meal prep or I potentially add a debt to your house or I fix leaky pipes so that you don't have to have issues.

You're providing some type of transformation. The key is like, how do you dial into that? How you tap into that? So, of course, generally speaking, you're going to talk about your products and services and what exactly you do, because at the end of the day, you want to make sure. That you are able to find the people that you're able to serve.

If somebody has a leaky pipe, it doesn't make sense for you to maybe say, okay, I don't want to talk about your leaky pipe. I want to talk about how we're providing transformation in your house. No, not necessarily, not in that case. Exactly. So what you want to understand that these are ways that you are able to have a communication with clients, but it also is a way for you to understand exactly what you're doing and the impact that you're making.

The problem that you're ultimately because what you're doing when people call you is you're providing them peace of mind, that peace of mind is allowing them to work on other aspects of their business is allowing them to spend more time with their spouse, their Children is giving them an opportunity to not have to worry about that aspect of the business so they can work on other things.

So are you saving them time? Are you giving them the mental piece that they're ultimately achieving. These are things that you want to make sure that you are communicating because that's ultimately what you're doing while you are definitely, obviously, of course, fixing that pipe while you are, of course, helping people to lose weight.

Understand that you're allowing that person to be able to be confident enough to walk into their boss's office or virtually walk into their boss's office and ask for a raise. That confidence is something that you will see pours into each aspect of their life because things are not siloed.

So you want to dread out more and more and more and understand that human part, which of course I'm going to dive into and delve down a little bit later.

But know that this is going to be all around your product and service and the offering that you're providing. So make sure you define exactly what that is and what that looks like.

A lot of times because we're in digital marketing, we will ask, actually ask clients to rank their services as far as like the ones that are making the most impact, what drives in the most revenue for you.

Because often when you have a better understanding of not just one aspect of what you're providing, but the catalog of what you're providing. You're able to understand if one is more valuable than another per se, or if something is maybe a little bit more experimental. So maybe you're testing or trying something out.

Or maybe you paid attention to clients or your product and service offerings going to be evolving, changing, and improving. So you want to pay attention to those things and know that it can evolve and change. And definitely, of course, give you a space and time to be able to test those things out.

And of course, to be able to improve those. And you want to, of course, be able to have those conversations with clients and customers, but know that it comes back to you. Like, how are you solving that problem? This is, you had a problem, you understood in entrepreneurship, it's all around problem-solving.

This is how you package it. This is how you let people know. These are my coaching services. This is my public speaking business, or potentially this is how exactly I'm providing coaching services. HVAC services, or potentially I am that plumber and I'm going to come through and provide emergency support, or we're going to be on the offensive and we're actually going to help you before you have to call us.

Or going to be on call if you have any tech issues, or you want to redesign your website, or you're trying to get more business through Google ads, whatever that might be. It might be packaged in different ways, but no, this is a transformation that you're provided just Don't forget about that human part, because that's going to come through and everything that you're doing.

But also know that you want to make sure of course that you're providing the product or service, but you want to really dial into the full journey of your potential client and customer. And now this touches a little bit more on that visibility piece, but know that. As you understand more about that journey that they're going through, you're going to be able to serve them even better because that's what happens at the end of the day.

Product and service services for you to serve. So no, this is offering as a way for you to serve. So if you understand that before someone calls or reaches out to a fitness instructor, that maybe your ideal client and customers have a little bit of. apprehension or even fear around health, wellness, and fitness is going to change the way that you position yourself.

It may even change your offering may even change what you call your offering. You might not want to call it a bootcamp if you're dealing with people that haven't gone through that process, but maybe you do want to do that because you want to really hammer home that the transformation that you're going to provide, we're going to bootcamp, we're going to make this, we're going to make, we're going to get you into the way that you need to, so that you can have that transformation in your life.

You just want to understand each of those aspects and understand what that process looks like before the person calls, when the person's, when you're serving that client, whether it be one time or on a continual basis, and they didn't even have to end after the end. And after that, and after that, and after that.

Just think about these apps that you might have on your phone when you're getting a message from Starbucks that there's a potential sale. And I don't, I don't go to Starbucks that much, so I'm not sure if there's actually sales. I'm sure there are, but you're getting points. So maybe you're 25 points away from getting a free local frappuccino or whatever that might be here with drink a choice.

The point being is that you have a really good idea on what that journey looks like and how that journey extends beyond when they're buying your potential products and services. So again, the more you can understand what that offering is, the more you can provide more value and value doesn't always have to mean your product service.

As we'll talk on, talk about a little bit later. And in each of the pillars, you can provide value with the visibility that you're sharing the things that you're doing, the way that you're getting in front of your clients and customers. So just know and understand that that whole kind of customer journey and make sure that you're able to see and evaluate how you're able to provide value according to that journey.

But that's pillar number three you're offering product to service. Of course, we're going to drill down more into each of the other eight seven, eight total. Pillars and see how that could potentially help you out with your business. But my goal here is just to give you a little bit more of an idea on what that looks like and how you could potentially provide that impact.

And of course, us be able to position and drill down on the content that you're listening to. So that it. We'll help support each of these aspects. So you can know exactly what you're looking for. And of course you can check out our community that we're relaunching so that you can draw down a little bit more on each of those aspects and what that looks like.

So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day. Don't forget you are providing service to people that you ultimately want to work with. Think about how you're able to solve that problem, how you're able to make their day better.

And then that's going to allow you to be where they're searching for and think of you when they're trying to do that. Thanks. And I'll talk to you soon.

OUTRO 11:11

Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps to level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode Definitely please check out the show notes. So you can learn more about the pillar.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[/restrict]

The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 3. OFFERING – PRODUCTS/SERVICES appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 2. STRATEGY

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:17:56 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh dives into the critical pillar of ‘strategy' as part of an eight-pillar framework for successful business development.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of having a strategy to turn ideas into actionable plans and achieve business goals.

He outlines the entire set of eight business pillars—entrepreneurship, strategy, product/service offering, people, operations/legal, visibility, finance, and technology—offering a high-level overview of each.

Gresh also discusses the significance of market understanding, SMART goals, and KPIs to improve execution and achieve long-term success. Tune in to learn how to leverage these pillars and elevate your business from a builder to a luminary.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy kind of take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight business pillars. That can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up.

So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

All right. So for this next episode, I'm going to focus on the pillar of strategy. So you've gone through the first pillar, you have entrepreneurship and the journey. You understand a little bit about strategy, which I'm going to talk about today.

Then we'll go a little bit more into your offering your product or service. Number four is going to be the people, the human part of business. Number five is going to be operation slash legal side. Number six is going to be visibility. Seven financial eight is technology.

So I just want to give you a quick recap about each of the different pillars as I go down and delve a little bit deeper into those. Of course, I'm always looking for feedback. If you feel like a pillar is missing or something that should be nestled into something, please definitely do this.

But this is just going to be a quick high level overview of the strategy pillar. And the reason that strategy is so important is because there's a quote vision without action is merely a dream.

[restrict paid=”true”]

And one of the things that I think sets really entrepreneurial people apart is it's not necessarily coming up with the idea. And even me, when I started my business I Remember one of the jobs that I left one of my bosses said that you're definitely an ideas person. And I took it and I still take it as Hey, I'm more than an ideas person.

I'm an execution person. So I've been trying to really focus on execution, but know that I am an ideas person. I have breakout room. A tremendous amount of ideas. I can't even execute on all the ideas that I have. So that's why it's so important that you have that strategy in place so that you know this is exactly how you're going to execute on what those things actually are.

And I think that is what's going to separate people because you can have ideas. You can literally go into Technology, which is another pillar in all these different tools and softwares that are coming about with A. I. But even things that have existed before to help you to develop what those ideas are going to be.

The question is, how are you going to execute it? And execution is all around the strategy. The strategy is basically, I think, creating a clear Idea of how exactly you're going to reach the goals and aspirations that you have within your business. So think about things such as developing a strategy, developing a business plan.

Even though there's obviously a lot of. Pros and cons of being able to create a business plan. Just know how important it is to create a plan so that you increase your likelihood of success. There's even statistics that say the more time that you spend writing down your goals or writing down your vision is going to increase the likelihood of that success happen.

Know that many things, go into that you're planning process where you're trying to understand exactly where you want to be. 1 of the big things that I talk about a lot around when I say everybody is a media company, when you go through that course and understand exactly what that looks like.

You understand that I often say that you can have the exact same business as somebody else, which you might execute it in a completely different way largely because you have different goals and different aspirations.

Somebody that has a digital marketing business that wants to drive home, thousands of clients is going to look at it differently from someone that wants to have maybe just a solo business and be a solopreneur and just do a lot of consulting to other entrepreneurs and business owners versus somebody else that doesn't really want to do anything but of course, and just teach all their information.

So each of these three people have similar businesses, similar ideas, but they're executing completely different ways.

So your strategy is going to be a hugely important thing. And the big thing about strategies, I think a lot of times people will downplay the importance of being able to take steps ahead and plan what that is. Don't get me wrong. You're not going to necessarily have all the things in place, which is why there's a big argument about the business plan.

Why having the 30 40 plus Page business plan. A lot of people scarf it because you get books like the lead startup by Eric Ries . I always forget how to say his name. It talks so much around putting something out there essentially. Doing it in a minimum viable product and MVP so that you can get market feedback from that market feedback.

You go from there. So my thing about strategy is not necessarily the same strategy has to be long and extensive, but you want to actually have a plan in place.

So going back to that first pillar, what problem are you solving? Thinking about what that problem is, how you're going to actually solve them and what you want your business and organization to look like is going to be the next progression along the journey of being able to do that.

If you don't have an idea about what exactly that's going to look like, then that's going to leave you at a disadvantage. So. Know you can always kind of look into different things like your competitors and get an idea of exactly what they're doing to get in a better idea.

Sometimes the biggest, opportunity and I think honestly, this goes a little bit into the visibility piece that pillar, but it's not understanding exactly what's out there in the market because when you're trying to solve the problem, sometimes part of your strategy is going to be understanding what's out there.

Not necessarily so that. You can pay attention to your competition because I always say if you're running on a race, you can't lose, but so that you're able to get a better understanding of what you're doing is sometimes the best way to understand what you're doing is to understand what's out there because that's going to open up your doors and opportunity to understand what is your quote unquote secret sauce, the thing that you feel like sets you apart and makes you meet.

But it doesn't necessarily make sense to say, Hey, I'm going to create it. A social media site that is going to have groups that's going to have pages that's going to basically be large in the countries. And I'm going to call it book face or something along those lines. Something like that might actually exist.

So you want to make sure that you're paying attention to what's out there, not necessarily so that you can emulate what's out there, but so that you can say, okay, this might exist, but where is it?

Kind of falling short. Is it falling short in the way that it's marketed in the way that it's executed in its strategy in and of itself? Is it not serving the right clients? You start to have all these conversations, but that's where, understanding that the market understanding what's out there is such a big thing.

And anytime you want to create any goals, you want to make sure that the smart goals those smart goals are going to help you to increase your likelihood of success. And you want to make sure that KPIs that are with it as well. So those KPIs are gonna be ways that you determine what success is. That says it could be number of employees.

It could be your your market penetration. It could be your revenue. It could be your total annual revenue, whatever it might be. You just want to make sure that you outline exactly what that is so that you can go about execute upon that strategy and continue to monitor those results.

So again, the strategy part is not something that. You should gloss over, which is why I wanted to make sure that it was the second thing that I touched about because I think so many times we fall in love with the ideas that we have the ideas we're writing down on the napkin. Exactly what our vision is.

And we're taking that idea and we're running with it. But how do we run with it? Run with it without a strategy, even if your strategy is just to say, let me put it out there and see what happens that in of itself is a strategy. I think it goes along the lines, although it's more technical upon the the framework of the lead startup where you're testing out, just see if the market thinks it's of any value, but know that strategy plays a really big part.

And a lot of times we will hear from people, especially on the show that talk a lot around where your business is ultimately trying to go what that looks like. Succession planning, those things. Are you setting up your business to sell? Are you setting up your business to hand down to your family?

What does that look like? All those things become a part of your strategy and it ends up being really, really extensive because it's ultimately deals. I think with where you are and ultimately where you want to try to go and everything in between that. But know that it can definitely be written in pencil.

It doesn't have to be written in. Ink or a permanent marker, you get to take those steps to see that come to fruition. So that's one of the big things around strategy. So again we're drilling down into each of the different business pillars. You're gonna see a lot of our content that's going to delve into that.

You can, of course, join our community. We're relaunching our community. So you'll be able to check that out to hear a little bit more about what it is that That we're doing and why we're doing it. But again, a lot of it is to increase that likelihood of success as much as it's great to listen to these episodes and hear all the things my goal was really to say, okay, if you're trying to increase your likelihood of success and you realize that you don't have a strategy, maybe you focus more on this pillar so that you can increase your likelihood of success, or maybe you understand.

That some other aspect or some other pillar is going to be more important for your business. And it's not to say that you do all the things. You just want to be aware of all the things very similarly to, I say, like going to the grocery store, figuring out what the ingredients are. You want to know all the aspects of business so that you can increase your likelihood of success even though you're not going to be focusing on.

Every single aspect. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I'm looking forward to, delve in a little bit deeper into each of the different pillars.

Outro 09:24

Hello, hello, this is Grash again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to Laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[/restrict]

The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 2. STRATEGY appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP and the JOURNEY

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:15:47 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh shares valuable insights into the importance of building a media company and leveraging other media platforms to support business growth.

He introduces the concept of the Eight Business Pillars, derived from over 1600 podcast episodes, which include entrepreneurship, strategy, offerings, people, operations, visibility, finances, and technology.

This episode focuses on the entrepreneurship pillar, exploring the journey of entrepreneurship, the misconceptions of overnight success, and the importance of problem-solving.

Gresh emphasizes resilience, passion, and continuous learning as critical components for navigating the entrepreneurial path. Tune in to understand how these pillars are interconnected and essential for elevating your business and personal growth.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy kind of take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight business pillars. That can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up.

So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcasts.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh and I am here with a special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. These next few episodes, we're going to focus on the eight pillars in business and give you a little bit more of a insight into each of these eight pillars, what they'll look like. Why? We've even created to that.

But basically fast forward or rewind actually into one of the previous episodes, you get an idea of what those eight pillars are. But one of the things, if you're just listening to this, solo, I wanted to give you an idea of what those eight pillars are. Where those eight pillars came from just to give you a little bit more of a recap is we took the 1600 episodes, came up with about 16 or so themes. Those themes became 8 pillars.

8 pillar is exactly what we wanted to structure a lot of the content around to be able to level up your business, your organization and all the awesome things that you're doing. So what are those eight pillars? What pillar am I going to focus on today 8 pillars.

[restrict paid=”true”]

Are going to be entrepreneurship journey the journey of entrepreneurship, strategy, your offering slash your product or service, people slash the human part of business operations slash legal visibility, which is marketing, sales, advertising, all of those aspects, your financial piece. And then, of course, the big 1 that I added on because I wanted it to be 7, but end up being 8 was technology.

And the one that I'm going to focus on today is going to be a lot around entrepreneurship. I literally just completed a, an interview, which you should hear coming out live in about about 60 days or so.

We talked a lot around the secret to overnight success. It takes a 10 or 15 years. So, there is not a kind of magic bullet that you have with your business. No matter what people might tell you, this is the only thing that you need that's going to completely change your business. The reality is that even with each of these pillars, you start to realize that you can maybe not focus on all the different aspects at the same time.

So you have to maybe pick one, maybe two, just to focus on during a short period of time to be able to get more traction in your business, more opportunity to grow. But. I think that goes back to entrepreneurship and the journey, the secret to the overnight success. It takes 10 or 15 years. What that means is it's not necessarily always instant.

And even for those people, that it isn't. And when they do start a business and it ends up happening or ballooning or, doing some phenomenal numbers within the year, it's, a lot of times because some of the other aspects may be a little bit more developed than they might seem.

So, for example, a lot of times you'll hear around people that have built new businesses, but they've had the previous experience. So when they're building the new business, they're not isolated from that experience that they had before. So all this means is that you should really understand what you're getting into when you're talking about entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, I believe at the heart is around problem solving. And so when you're really starting to solve the problems, you realize it doesn't always happen as quickly as you want it to happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that you can't solve the problem. Sometimes it's so many other aspects that you need to take care of.

If you're bootstrapping the business, maybe the financial aspect is not exactly where you want it to be. But Maybe you have an idea on what the solution might be, but maybe there's not an actual market for it.

So that's where it's so important to really understand entrepreneurship, what that journey looks like, because a lot of it is going to require, I think a lot of quote, unquote, failing a lot of mistakes, a lot of things, not necessarily going the way that you want them to go, but that resilience, the grit is going to be such a huge thing because as you start to do that, Delve into each of these aspects of business, you'll start to realize that they're not isolated.

They're actually fully intertwined. But the reality is that if you don't have an idea that when you hit a roadblock, when you hit a setback, that it's not the end of the world, that some of the most successful people, I would probably even got to say all of the most successful people have had some type of speed bump, potholes, something that has happened that was not expected within their business.

So the really big thing that I want to get across, and we're going to drill down course, more and more on is to understand that entrepreneurship is definitely not linear. It's not a straight path. It's not a straight line, and it doesn't happen at the snap of your fingers.

So once you start to understand that, I think it gives you a little bit more of a awareness around what you're getting into. It gives you awareness around the mistakes, the things that don't go the way that you want to go and being even opportunities to learn. And one of the things that I've even brought up a lot of times during the episodes is that there's a story. Sarah Blakely tells a lot around why she looks at failure in a completely different way.

And the reason is because her dad used to actually high five her. If she made some type of mistake during the day, or if she has some type of failure, she did something that was outside the realm of what and how she defined success as a, as a young lady, as a young, as a young girl.

So what you start to realize is it changed the way that she looked at failure. So when she went around to starting Spanx, she already had imprinted in her a foundation that really celebrated failure because knowing that failure was not final, but it was a way and path that was very intertwined with success. You need it to have the favorites. You have the success. So that's one of the really big things that you want to take away.

More than, anything else. Loads of CEO nuggets that, of course, that we've had on our podcast, but just know that the essence of entrepreneurship is all around problem solving. It doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have that to reach success. But I think a lot of people that get into entrepreneurship and business are trying to solve problems.

They're trying to make an impact. That might be looked at from a revenue standpoint, X amount of clients, X amount of, revenue that you want to achieve. But when you start to drill that down, it's like, how many people are you helping? How many people are ultimately impacting? I think that, that's the heart of entrepreneurship and understanding that journey is not always just about.

Are you able to create a better mousetrap? But does anybody else know about this mousetrap? Does the visibility part play such a big part? So, as you will hear during each of these episodes, I'll go a little bit more in depth around all the other aspects, all the other pillars, but know that entrepreneurship, I think it's definitely the essence of business.

I think, honestly, it's one of the essences of life because when you approach life with the mentality that you're going to solve the problem, you're not asking or seeing the world as this is how it is. You're seeing the world within opportunity of ways that you can change. You just have to determine if it's It's going to be worthwhile to go on that path and pursue and invest the resources to be able to solve whatever the problems might be.

And that's where a lot of times you'll hear people saying you want to be passionate about business. Do you need to be passionate about the business that you're in? Absolutely not. But the reason that you. Considering the passion about it, you probably want to be passionate about it because it's so hard and so difficult.

It's so draining. So that when you hit those roadblocks, when you hit those speed bumps, when you don't have any more gas that's in the tank, so to speak, you're going to be pulling upon that passion to get you through those challenging times. So you're more likely to stick with it. And have a stick to it.

If you are passionate about than if you're not. So that's one of the really big things I wanted to get across. When you're looking at this pillar, of course, you can definitely check out our site to hear a little bit more about each of those pillars. And, of course, be able to join the community where we're going to be delving down deeper into each of these different pillars.

And especially, of course, entrepreneurship and demystifying what that looks like and what that is, but doing it in a way that I think is going to be a lot more enjoyable than it would have been if you had gone through it. So while you're going through this path of entrepreneurship, I salute you for doing it.

I commend you for taking that step, but please keep in mind. That just because you're hitting roadblocks, you're hitting speed bumps, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing it wrong. Now, don't get me wrong. You could absolutely be taking in some data and information to be able to pivot and change, but so many people throw in a towel because they say that I'm not good enough.

I'm not cut out for this. And in reality, I don't know anybody is. I think you just develop the ability to be able to sustain this. You have a strong why that's going to fuel you more. The motivation is there to keep you up and going because even the mental, the emotional, financial all those challenges that you go through.

It's going to be an opportunity for you to develop yourself as much as you're developing your business. You're also developing yourself as you're going through those journeys. So the trials and tribulations are not there just to create Roblox success. Actually, it allows you the opportunity to develop that endurance and be able to go past the path that you ultimately thought you could.

So with that being said, this is Gresh signing out. Remember, this is the first pillar, entrepreneurship and the journey. Make sure you understand the journey that you're getting in, understand ultimately what you're doing, which is problem-solving. So there's going to be loads and loads of information that we'll have within our community.

But make sure that you of course, check out the other pillars, check out some of the information that we're providing and remember the journey that you're in and I wish you the best towards your success.

Outro 09:34

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there. So it helps to level up your business and organization. So I hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes.

So you can learn more about the pillar, this is Gresh signing out. Hope you'll have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP and the JOURNEY appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the Psychology of Failure and the Importance of Persistence

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:12:53 -0500

Gresham discusses the unexpected power of a ‘fail wall' and the lessons learned from failure, emphasizing the importance of embracing failure as part of the path to success.

Gresham and Anatolii discuss the psychology of failure, the fear of failure, and the importance of persistence in the face of setbacks.

Gresh highlights the common mistakes in media marketing and SEO, emphasizing the importance of aligning strategy and understanding the tools used for optimization.

Business Pillar: Entrepreneurship/Journey

Episode Link: Embracing the Media Company Mindset

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Gresham Harkless Intro 00:01

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you can do is be on somebody else's media company. So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast and I wanted to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the eight business pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content, a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing.

So make sure of course that you subscribe to our podcast, but of course you take some time out, check out the show notes and subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well too. And get to learn about some of those eight business pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up. So you can go from builder to architect to a course at Rockstar and Luminary. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this I AM CEO special episode.

Anatolii Ulitovskyi 00:49

You have an incredible, special, amazing job to do. You have the business.

Gresham Harkless 00:55

Yeah, absolutely. I moved here about a year or so ago, so it definitely wasn't set up as it is now. But obviously I have a lot of sound proofing around here, but I also have a dry erase paint that's here. So it allows me brainstorm a lot, but actually I'll tilt this over a little bit to the right. You can actually see I have, and it's hard to see, but when I was doing the dry erase paint, I actually got to the bottom of the can and it was all supposed to be white. But I was like, I just wanted to do certain parts of the wall. And I said, you know what, I got this here, so let me just keep using it.

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And what happened is it ended up turning yellow. So that corner I actually call my fail wall. And it's one of the most powerful things that wasn't supposed to happen, but ended up happening. So I ended up putting a bunch of quotes about failure, about how failure is not final, about like how when a baby falls down, no one tells the baby, hey, you're not built to walk. So stop walking, just crawl for the rest of your life. Just all of those things. So I'm addicted to quotes. I have so much brainstorming things up, but I really think that fail wall that's in the corner that you might see some of those quotes is probably one of the most unexpected things that happen that end up being really powerful for me to see on a daily basis.

And I think too, it just reminds me a lot of the process of marketing or the process of business and the process of life at that, how it doesn't necessarily always go the way that you want it to go, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's worse. And I think that a lot of times you can be set up for success by just, I say a lot of times don't get attached to the how, get attached to the why. So just how things are done may not go exactly how you want them to go. But if you have a strong why, you know, you're doing this for X, Y, and Z reason, then regardless of what the how ends of being then you're still going to be able to set out and and manifest your why.

Anatolii Ulitovskyi 02:38

You remind me Jackie Lanil once he said about failure, failing he told that when he starts something new any new project business he always fails always because we start from generic strategies, best practices, then we need to adapt to learn from failure to go ahead. But I see when content creators give up, most content creators give up by recording the second episode of podcast, to write the second article, I don't know, because they can't get results from the first one.

I have no idea how to do it. Next time, even Mr. Beast, many other great influencers, they spend time. Gary Vee shared that he spent 7 years on Twitter to create content from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. every single day. He avoided parties, many other things, and was consistent with that. Can you tell about failure for you? What kind of failing you can meet? Because in my times, in my life, I made a lot of mistakes. I keep doing that, but I love learning from them. So describe your understanding of failure and how not to give up and go ahead.

Gresham Harkless 03:50

Yeah, I think this might be a whole different episode if we talk about failure and just like the psychology and why we're so like afraid to fail, which that sounds that it didn't make sense like you're afraid to fail so we net we don't you know try at all and I think that we have such a misconception on what failure is and it's been a process for me and continues to be a process was part of like why I have this big wall up of like really understanding that failure is not the opposite of winning. It's not the opposite of success. It's not the opposite of where you want to be. It's actually part of the process.

And it's taken me a really long time to get to understand that. And I always say if I could jump into a time machine, that's exactly what I would tell myself is that failure is actually the path. That's actually the opportunity. That's actually setting you up for success. And if you embrace that, you embrace the learning and you try to fail, fail in a way that's not catastrophic, which often the failures that we have built up in our head are catastrophic. We think if we post that post on TikTok and it gets 0 followers or even 0 likes or 0 views that we have failed at life and we have failed at business and we have to put out a business up and all these things.

But in reality, a lot of it is not that. What separates those people is really just stepping in and going further. And Sarah Blakely, who founded Spanx, I read and listened to an interview that she said that when she was young, her dad would always ask her, how was your day? And of course she always wanted to say, hey, this went well. And I did XYZ, and A, B, and C. So he started to ask her like how she failed every day. And every time she would mention how she failed, he would give her a high five. And it completely changed the way that she looked at failure. So I think that hearing those stories and hearing like the true path to success that your Shaquille O'Neal's, your J.K. Rowling's, who got rejected so many times before she wrote Harry Potter.

Like all those people failed so much and that's what led them to success. It helps you know that, hey, failure is not this terrible thing that we feel like it be. Don't get me wrong. Everybody wants to succeed with everything that they do. But one of the reasons that success is, and I think success and how we define it varies, but success is so powerful, is because there's so many people that fail and they just stop. But really the opportunity is to fail and keep going and learn from it. And then you continue to lean your way to success. A super long answer, but hopefully that helped how I think about failure.

Anatolii Ulitovskyi 06:21

Yeah, nice. Yeah, I remember when I read a book, Dale Carnegie wrote this book about stop worrying. And he shared the story about a guy who lost a job, was disappointed a lot, and after meeting another guy who didn't have legs, without legs, but this man without legs told him, wow, it's a nice day, sunny day, I love it. And after that, he changed completely his mindset about failing. If you have legs, if you have health, if you have hands, you have enough to overcome all obstacles, it's boring, just go ahead. I love it, I agree with that. Gresh, I wanna ask about mistakes, common mistakes in media marketing, in SEO. Can you list mistakes that you can see that marketers still do and your way how to find a much better way.

Gresham Harkless 07:19

Yeah. I think that a lot of it we touched on a little bit, I think in terms of going to see what keywords you want to rank for is not niching down from there. Because if we're talking about the most competitive keywords, we're talking about your titles, tag and meta description and getting really technical from that standpoint, not having those set up, but it's not just saying that Yoast or whatever plugin that you might use gives me a green light. So that means that I have my SEO set up correctly. There's a lot of strategy around like SEO and a lot of that strategy, even with AI tools and all these technological softwares that we have in the SAS tools that we can leverage, I think is only as good as the questions that you ask, the prompts that you put in. You hear that a lot around ChatGPT.

ChatGPT can be an incredibly powerful tool if you ask the right questions. But I think a lot of people think they're just going to sit down and the questions, at least not yet, it's not going to pull the questions, you know, from what you're looking for. But you start to, to realize that your ability to be able to know exactly what your strategy is, it's going to set you up for success more than anything else. So when we're talking about your title tag meta description, yes, you want to of course make sure that you're within the amount of characters and you make sure that you have your alt tags set up for your images and all of those things are important, but it's only as important if you know exactly what you're wanting to rank for.

And I think that when, and you're honest about what that looks like, because if you're trying to rank for the most competitive keyword, as we talked about SEO, you can have everything in line, but you don't necessarily have everything in line because there's so many other considerations that you haven't thought of. So I think first and foremost is making sure that you understand what your strategy is and you're starting to look and be in a line with that strategy, not paying attention to what other people are doing, but just being aligned with that. The other big thing that I see a lot is, especially with COVID, you had a lot of organizations and businesses that were pivoting.

They might've rebranded their businesses. They might've also decided that they were going to start another business or another arm of those businesses. You can get some benefits, but a lot of times, if you're getting like a new domain, you're starting from, I usually say like building a new house. So you can get some benefits in terms of getting backlinks coming back from there, but overall, you have to understand that you're not gonna start from the same place that you started from an SEO standpoint, from a Google standpoint. So it's understanding that as much as possible, you wanna try to benefit the URL that you have, but also know if you're launching something new, that it, that in fact is probably going to be something new.

And there's of course different ways you can work through to try to improve that. But I think most people think that, okay, because I've been successful, because I have all these accomplishments on my bio, Google is going to know that. And when I launched this new business, it's going to be the exact same, but it's usually not where we're talking about the website or we're talking about even creating like a new social media handle and things like that. So I think from a very granular standpoint, it's understanding the whole kind of psychology and the way that these tools work, but it's also using the tools to support the mission and the strategy that you put in place and it ends up being a strategy that you can execute on. So hopefully that's somewhat helpful.

Anatolii Ulitovskyi 10:47

Yeah, nice, nice. Let's talk about AI. So it's hard to ignore this topic today. Impossible tomorrow. And you mentioned about writing prompts. You remind me Elon Musk, when he shared a screenshot after with the question that he asked on ChatGPT. And I read a few times this question to understand what Elon Musk want to get. So he wrote a unique prompt, a unique question, and I gave a unique answer. And it's what I see when people set up prompts, write an article, how to play guitar, how to lose weight, how to build muscles. You can get content that you can find on Google.

Even on Google, you can find much better content because I just rewrite existing content. So can you tell how to write these prompts? How to create unique prompts that Elon Musk did before? He did it before criticizing AI and signed this letter with my thousand other companies to procrastinate the process. And it's interesting after that, he decided to buy expensive equipment to develop this technology on Twitter. So Elon Musk can change his mind fast. It's his attitude. And yeah, let us know about writing these prompts.

Gresham Harkless 12:07

Yeah, I think that one of the big things that you see around all different types of technology, whether we're talking about SEO or we're talking about social media, there's this hesitation or kind of fear, maybe since we were talking about fear around like how exactly to do that. And when we're thinking about AI, I feel like it's a lot of the similar things and insane things. I think We're just scratching the surface on what it could potentially be. And AI has been around, if you really think about it, from being able to take information and synthesize that information very quickly.

So it's been around for some time. I think it's just become obviously a lot popular with chat GPT and writing college essays and taking GMAT tests and all these tests and passing them. I think people are starting to see, oh, wow, this can be pretty powerful. So I answer that question in much the same way that I would for most technology tools is that the technology is getting advanced enough to where you can end up having conversations with it. So I think some of the best prompts and I think where things are moving is that you're able to ask very specific questions.

The questions that you might ask in your dining room or you might ask in your board room where it's very specific. That's I think where you're going to see AI continue to improve. So not just asking, hey, I want to, I want to prompt for my meal prep for the rest of the week or for the rest of the month. It's asking questions along the lines of, hey, I'm 178 pounds and I want to increase and bulk up to 200 pounds. What types of things should I eat Monday through Friday so that I can continue to kind of increase my weight. And oh, by the way, I wanna work out 3 or 4 times a week too.

And I think when we start to get a little bit more specific on what that looks like, and just like you're having a conversation with your personal trainer that you might use or your friend that you're chatting with, I think that's really where the power of it is. But I think it's still somewhat of a, there's a gap between understanding the totality of who you are, understanding if you have certain health conditions and you didn't put it there, or even just taking the output that you received and making sure that it is actually something that you can achieve or is logical and things like that.

So I think, again, so many times we think that it's human and technology. These are on two ends of the spectrum, but I think the opportunity is really where these things are hand in hand. So it's thinking that specificity, but also being able to think, use that creativity to say, okay, this does work or this doesn't work. Hey, I'm actually allergic to shrimp. So I can't eat that. And I forgot to input that. So just things like that. So I think it goes hand in hand, just like a good game of like Batman or tennis, where you go back and forth with AI and you ultimately just have conversations.

So I think there's, of course, If you've been on any type of social media, you've probably seen a million props that you could buy for $20. But I think that we're going more and more towards understanding that it's at the heart of it having a conversation and having the prompt be exactly like you were talking with your best friend.

Gresham Harkless 15:12

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoy that special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there so it helps to level up your business and organization.

So hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on, their episode, and of course learn more, a little bit more about us as well too. This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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The post Understanding the Psychology of Failure and the Importance of Persistence appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Holiday SEO Magic: Optimizing Your Website for Festive Success

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 09:16:21 -0500

The holiday season is a time of joy, giving, and, of course, increased online shopping. As a business owner, you want to make sure your website is ready to capture the holiday cheer and convert it into sales. Holiday SEO is the key to unlocking this festive potential. By optimizing your website for holiday-related keywords, creating engaging content, and implementing technical SEO best practices, you can attract more visitors, boost conversions, and spread holiday cheer.

Understanding Holiday SEO

Holiday SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for holiday-related keywords. This involves a combination of on-page and off-page SEO techniques.

On-Page SEO for the Holidays

Fine-tune your website’s content and structure to ensure it resonates with holiday shoppers. From keyword-rich titles to visually appealing and optimized imagery, every element counts toward creating an immersive user experience.

Keyword Research

The first step to successful holiday SEO is keyword research. Identify relevant keywords and phrases that people are likely to search for during the holiday season. For example, if you sell Christmas decorations, you might target keywords like “Christmas decorations,” “holiday decorations,” “Christmas ornaments,” and “holiday gift ideas.”

Optimize Your Content

Title Tags: Incorporate your primary keyword into your title tags. For example, “Holiday Gift Ideas: Your Ultimate Guide to Festive Shopping.”

Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions that include your target keyword. For example, “Discover the perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list. Shop our curated selection of unique and affordable items.”

Header Tags: Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to structure your content and highlight important keywords. For example, your H1 could be “Holiday Gift Ideas,” and your H2s could be “Gifts for Her,” “Gifts for Him,” and “Gifts for Kids.”

Body Content: Naturally integrate your keywords into your body content. Write high-quality, informative, and engaging content that provides value to your readers.

Image Optimization: Optimize your images with relevant file names and alt text that include your keywords.

Off-Page SEO for the Holidays

Boost your site’s credibility and reach with a strong off-page strategy. Building quality links and leveraging social media can amplify your holiday content, attracting new visitors to your website.

Link Building: Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to improve your website’s authority. Consider guest posting on relevant holiday-themed blogs or partnering with other businesses for cross-promotions.

Social Media Marketing: Promote your holiday content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Use relevant hashtags to increase visibility and engagement.

Technical SEO for the Holidays

Behind every seamless holiday shopping experience is robust technical optimization. Ensure your website performs flawlessly on mobile devices, loads quickly, and maintains a secure environment for holiday shoppers.

Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as many people shop on their smartphones and tablets during the holidays.

Page Speed: Optimize your website’s loading speed to provide a seamless user experience.

Secure Website: Use HTTPS to encrypt your website’s traffic and protect your visitors’ information.

XML Sitemap: Create an XML sitemap to help search engines crawl and index your website’s pages.

Holiday SEO Tips

Preparation and adaptability are key to staying ahead of the competition. By planning early, embracing creativity, and tracking performance, you can refine your strategy and reap the rewards of holiday-driven success.

Plan Ahead: Start planning your holiday SEO strategy well in advance.

Be Creative: Create unique and engaging holiday content that stands out from the competition.

Track Your Performance: Use analytics tools to monitor your website’s performance and make data-driven decisions.

Adapt to Trends: Stay up-to-date with the latest holiday trends and adjust your strategy accordingly.

By following these holiday SEO tips, you can optimize your website for festive success and attract more holiday shoppers to your online store. Remember, the key to successful holiday SEO is to provide value to your audience and create a seamless shopping experience.

How Blue16 Media Can Help

Blue16 Media is a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses expand their online presence.

Our services include website design and support, social media management, and cutting-edge search engine optimization (SEO) services to keep your organization or company ahead of the curve.

For more information or inquiries, contact us today at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314, or by filling out the contact form on our website.

The post Holiday SEO Magic: Optimizing Your Website for Festive Success appeared first on .

Understanding Your Target Market and Setting Goals for Your Content Marketing Efforts

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 04:58:49 -0500

On this episode, Gresh discusses the importance of building a media company and how to leverage content to grow your business. He shares valuable insights on understanding your target market and setting goals for your content marketing efforts.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of understanding your target market and their pain points.

He highlights the significance of setting clear goals for your content marketing strategy.

Additionally, Gresh explains the concept of the long tail in content marketing and how it can be used to target niche searches and drive more traffic to your website.

Business Pillar: Visibility

Episode Link: Relate Studios

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Gresham Harkless Intro 00:01

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast and I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you can do is be on somebody else's media company. So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast and I wanted to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the eight business pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content, a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing.

So make sure of course that you subscribe to our podcast, but of course you take some time out. Check out the show notes to subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well too, and get to learn about some of those eight business pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up. So you can go from builder to architect to a chorus at Rockstar and Luminary. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this I AM CEO special episode.

Juma Bannister 00:54

So tell us a little bit about what you do and how you help your clients make useful content.

Gresham Harkless 01:00

Yeah, absolutely. So we're all in the media business as I usually say. I say you are a media company. That's my whole kind of marketing philosophy. A lot of what we do is around like website design, support and SEO services. So we try to provide that foundational level. But as really well, SEO is very all encompassing of most things that you do in marketing, but I'm going back to that being a media company having that mentality, that mindset, it's all around understanding how you can create content for the people that you're trying to target.

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So way back when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, how I would build out the business, how I would try to distinguish myself. I'd already been building some things around CBNation, which is the content and information for entrepreneurs and business owners. And so I decided to just marry those two because I knew that entrepreneurs, CEOs, business owners are always trying to get their name and information out there. So I try to use content in terms of building that media company to try to connect, build relationships with the people that we're ultimately trying to serve.

Juma Bannister 02:01

Do people give you push back about the concept of being a media company?

Gresham Harkless 02:05

I think so in the sense of understanding like media in what that looks like. I think that's where the push back comes in, because automatically, whenever we hear the word media, we're thinking of something. The way that I really look at media is simply the creation of content. That content can be very broad. If you really think about it offline, when you're handing out your business card or you're talking with somebody, a networking event, to some degree, you're creating content. If you're online, obviously you can create blogs, podcasts, social media content. All those things are content.

So when I look at it, and as I've started to even evolve at how I looked at it, it's a lot broader than sometimes people think. And I think when people like redefine it and look at it from that perspective, they start to see that, hey, I am actually talking about my business, talking about my organization, talking about the things that I do on a regular basis. So if I started to look at that a little bit more with a broader scope, maybe then maybe I will understand that, hey, I am in the media business, whether I like social media or I don't like social media, I have a podcast or I have a blog or whatever that is, I'm always creating that content.

Juma Bannister 03:13

Yeah, so you create stuff for small to medium businesses And what you say to them is that whether you like it or not, you are a media company. It's something that you're just gonna have to accept and you have to put your content out there in order to market your business. And so this is something that you tell them. And is that something that they eventually get a hold of, or is it something that takes a while for people to understand how it will work for them?

Gresham Harkless 03:42

Yeah. Funny enough, Juma is different for everybody, but I feel like as we're moving more and more and more to the importance of content and as we're a lot of people call this the content golden age where because there's so many different ways you can create content. I think when we were talking about 10, 20 years ago, we didn't have the technology that we have in our back pocket right now, which is the smartphone. And now the ability to create content is so much easier. I think people have so much more comfortability, if that's even a word, at being able to do that.

So I think that along with people being a little bit more open to it and having the technology and having different tools, we talk about AI and things like that make it a little bit easier. I think it's becoming something more and more and more where you don't get as much push back, you don't get as much hesitation is something that needs to be done. And I think many more business owners and entrepreneurs and CEOs are stepping into that.

Juma Bannister 04:39

Yeah. And I think that's true. How do you explain how people can use their time efficiently in order to create that content?

Gresham Harkless 04:45

Yeah. I think speaking directly to what you said as well, too. I think what we're seeing is as people are able to create more and more content, it's also getting noisier. So I think also what's happening is there's a huge burgeoning of and growing of the personal brand, so to speak, where people don't want to just hear the content. They want to hear who's behind the content. They want to hear why you created it and so many things like that.

So to really answer your question, I think it's marrying those two parts and especially going into understanding exactly like who's going to be creating this content if you're going to be creating it or you're potentially having an agency or some somewhere in between you doing that. I think you really start out with just understanding like what are your superpowers? What are you comfortable with? What do you do sometimes naturally? If you prefer to speak and talk, maybe you're doing a podcast, maybe that's going to be like your foundational piece of content.

If you enjoy writing, maybe you're going to do a blog. If you enjoy being a little bit of both, maybe you're going to be on camera. So I think it's really understanding when you're thinking about time, you're honest about your time, but you're honest about what might be a quote unquote easier way to create at least that first piece of content. And if you're thinking about doing it yourself, think about what is coming a little bit more naturally and you can use that as a easier way to create content, spend less time and spend less of those resources.

Juma Bannister 06:03

So you're saying that everyone is different, not everyone will double down on the same type of content. And it's not a case of doing everything, it's a case of choosing something that works for you, yeah?

Gresham Harkless 06:14

Yeah, absolutely, play to your superpowers.

Juma Bannister 06:17

All right, that's a really great opening. I'm talking about becoming a media company. Let's move on to some of the more specific things about becoming a media company. And there's something that you see that you need to ask before you start with your marketing. There, I think there are three things, your goals, your target market and your resources. So tell us how those three things work in planning your marketing.

Gresham Harkless 06:41

Yeah, I think to start everything off is I think so many times we hear about all these different ways that we can create content that we can be our own media companies. I like to call them ingredients. So when you're going to the grocery store, you figure out what ingredients you're going to put into your cart, what are you going to use? And I think we can always rush into that. There's a new platform that we need to jump on. Do all the things and be active.

And while there's a space for that to be able to create, to test out and do those things, I think those three foundational questions are so huge because it's going to allow you to understand what ingredients you're going to use, why you're going to use them, and be a lot more strategic in your marketing, which I think doesn't happen a lot for people in general, but definitely even for us marketers as well too, is that we wanna try to test out those things.

We wanna try to be in those places, but are we really being strategic with how we're doing it? And really understanding first and foremost, as you said, who are you targeting? And there's a word avatar, and that's literally just painting the picture of the people that you're trying to target. You're talking about age, you're talking about gender, you're talking about location. All those things are gonna be important for your avatar, but really understand and try to delve down a little bit deeper into the things that keep them might be their goals and might be the things that like all those questions ask.

And I think that that first question is huge because you want to paint that picture of who you're targeting, not just the age and demographics and all those things, but also the intentions of what they have, what keeps them up at night, how and where is there essentially a gap in their life that they want to accomplish? Because when you start creating content and thinking about what ingredients, what platforms you're going to use, it's going to help you to make sure that you're drilling down on those people that you're targeting.

After that, you really wanna be clear on the goals that you have. If you have an e-commerce business versus you being a speaker versus you being an author, you're gonna have different goals for your marketing initiatives and what you're doing. Essentially, you're trying to sell an e-book because the e-book is going to give people an opportunity to join your your email list, because on your blog, you're sending out emails that are going to have affiliate links. That's going to be completely different from somebody that might have a new t-shirt line.

And is it trying to sell t-shirts and they want people to go to their website and actually buy those t-shirts or hats or whatever it might be. So it's just understanding what success means because the way that you focus on your marketing, the way you put that blend together is going to be different depending on that goals. And then we already touched on the most powerful question, which I think sometimes we're not as honest about how to answer that and what that looks like, which is the resources. And we're automatically thinking resources. It's all about money. How much money are we spending? What's the budget and all those things? But it's time and money as well too. If you're bootstrapping it, maybe you have more time than you have money.

And if you're a little bit further along on the journey, maybe you have more money than you have time or maybe that starts to transition as you grow get clients and customers and so on and so forth so you just want to be really clear on the resources where you are along that journey because when we're figuring out what ingredients we're gonna use whether we're figuring out we're gonna do a podcast versus having a blog, if you're going to be DIY in it, you're going to put a lot more sweat equity into it. So you don't want to start something that you're not going to be consistent with because at the end of the day, that's going to be 1 of the most powerful and big things that you want to make sure that you stay with.

Juma Bannister 10:16

Okay, great. That's a really great overview of target market goals and resources. Let's dive a little deeper into each of those areas. And I want to first start, I want to talk about goals, but I want to first start with target market, because I think that is something that people really struggle with. It's something that they don't know how to determine. They might say, who am I talking to really? And they don't know how they're gonna figure that out. The first question I wanna ask you is, how do you find out what keeps people up at night? What is, is there a method that you can use to discover that?

Gresham Harkless 10:50

Yeah, I think the best thing I usually say when you're thinking about target market, especially if you've been in business for a while, and let's just say you have one or even a handful of clients is really trying to understand from them what keeps them up at night. And I think the best way you can do that is figure out like how your solution probably helps that. Why do they become your client or customer?

So I think whenever you're trying to figure out your ideal clients really start to look internally and start to say, okay, this is the client that I want to work with and I want to have that person come through the door literally or the door virtually over and over again. And those things that usually keep us up at night is another way of saying like, what problems are they having? So when you start to understand that if you have those clients, what solution are you providing to that problem? And when you start to think about that, then you start to close the gap a little bit on what those things are.

And maybe when you start to create content and information start to figure out how you're going to do that you're thinking more solution based you're thinking more how can I be of value even for us one of the big things that I know that we help out with is visibility by having a podcast a blog all those things that helps out with visibility for the people that we're trying to serve? So thinking strategically about what that is and what that looks like. If you have a t-shirt line, what exactly are you doing to help to support the clients that you work with? Are there going to be inspirational teas that is going to help them going through a bad day. Just really think strategically about what that is. Are you a real estate agent? Are people looking for a place to buy? Do they want to enjoy home ownership?

Just have those ideas and those questions so you can really not just say, hey, this is what I do, but this is how I'm going to make your life better. This is how I'm going to improve your day to day operation, the way that you're, you know, walking through life, the way that you look at yourself, just all those things start to really think to the human part of how you're providing those solutions and really start to understand that because that's how you're ultimately going to not just sell your widget or sell the thing that you're providing, but actually provide true transformation. And that's what you ultimately want to do with your product or service.

Juma Bannister 12:57

Well, that's great. So I know goals is 1 big thing when it comes to creating content and when it comes to setting, where is your marketing going to take you? Tell us how you help clients set those goals or how clients are able to set goals for themselves.

Gresham Harkless 13:11

Yeah, I think the biggest misconception around marketing is that you snap your fingers, you put up a Facebook Ad, you do some SEO, you create a blog post and clients run in after that. And I think that's really big misconception around marketing. So I think it's trying to understand from clients what success looks like, have them paint that picture as much as possible. And then you try to figure out what goals can make that happen.

Specifically, like we work a lot with CEOs. So a lot of it is, of course you want to show up if people are typing in that most competitive keyword, but how can you strategically start to move towards that? So it's understanding what might be the quote unquote minor goals that help you to create that domino effect towards the major goal. And I think that's where you start asking those questions. You start to say, okay, if you're a plumber and you want to show up when there's a leak, is there something else that might be an indicator that you can start to get clients or customers for that will potentially turn into those bigger opportunities? Or is there a certain city outside of where you're located that's less competitive, but you can start to rank there.

And it's really just understanding and looking at it for more of a long-term focus so that you can create goals so that you can get those quote-unquote smaller wins so that it can lead to the bigger wins. And I think one of the beautiful things about digital marketing is there's literally opportunities everywhere and online there's opportunities everywhere. There's this concept in SEO called the long tail and the idea of the long tail is that those quote unquote small wins actually end up being more than the big, when you were ultimately searching for. So I think when we were talking with clients, we're trying to understand, have that picture painted, but also try to see how that can translate to an overall strategy to ultimately get to where they want to be.

Juma Bannister 14:59

Let's talk a little bit about what you just said about the long tail, because I know there's a terminology called long tail keywords that you can use. Is that what you're referring to? What is that about?

Gresham Harkless 15:10

Yeah, absolutely. There's a book I think was written back in the 90s, I believe, by Chris Anderson, I beli

Understanding Human Behavior and Leveraging on Technology to Widen Business Visibility

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 04:55:51 -0500

On this episode, Gresh emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions when using AI tools for content creation. He recommends using AI content writers like ChatGPT and Google Bard to streamline the content creation process.

Gresh sees AI as a tool that can free up time for more creative pursuits, allowing for greater focus on creativity and innovation. Gresh believes that SEO will continue to evolve, with a focus on understanding human behavior and leveraging technology to enhance search experiences.

Gresh shares his journey of building a media company and leveraging different streams of revenue, including digital marketing, podcasting, and affiliate marketing.

He emphasizes the importance of creating valuable resources and supporting community initiatives to drive business growth and impact.

Business Pillar: Visibility & Technology

Episode Link: We Rock Digital Marketing Amplified Podcast

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I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

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Gresham Harkless Intro 00:00

Hello, Hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast. And I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you can do is be on somebody else's media company. So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast. And I wanted to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the Eight Business Pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content, a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing.

So make sure of course that you subscribe to our podcast, but of course you take some time out. Check out the show notes to subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well, too, and get to learn about some of those Eight Business Pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up. So you can go from builder to architect to a course at Rockstar and Luminary. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this I AM CEO special episode.

Daniel Bisset 00:53

Are you using AI, Gresh, in any of your content creation? If so, what tools and how?

Gresham Harkless 00:55

I think what will be the big opportunity for marketers will be for people that are creating content and even leaders in general is how to synthesize that AI information, whether to make sure that you're asking the right questions for which is like very underrated to be able to say, okay, the AI is not going to go inside your brain, at least not yet, to figure out exactly what it is that you're trying to ask. It's going to have to have that information asked in a certain type of way.

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So I think that's probably the big opportunity is to be able to use the strategy and to leverage that. And it's good at everything. So we use it in different tools. We use AI content writers, of course, chat GPT and Google Bard, or of course, the biggest ones, that everyone's talking about because they're pretty much free to use to some degree. So you tested out some of those using everything from ad copy to actually looking at how blog posts are created and things like that. But I think once, if you assume that everybody's going to use AI, then it's always like, how do you go to extra mile?

And I think that's your mile is going to be coming back to those people that are able to synthesize that information and go a step further to provide a quote from this respective person only whatever that might be or what that looks like for the content is really like how you're gonna be able to go that extra mile.

Tricia Ulberg 02:18

How do you see this affecting your ability to write creative content? Do you think, feel like this is going to be something that you are going to work in tandem with your own style? Is that how you see that working?

Gresham Harkless02:30

Yeah, I think it's basically like a cheat code. It's gonna allow you to get past some of the things so that you can work on more of the creative things. I think I have this quote that I always say, the systems will set you free. And I think AI is one of those systems because I think it will allow the opportunity to be more creative because a lot of the nuts and bolts and things that we had to take more time or spend more energy on are moved to the side. So now you have a starter as far as what you want to create and then you get to add more creativity, you get to spend more energy there. So I definitely foresee myself and I think many others being able to use the AI tools that get started get a baseline maybe even kick around ideas and then you can tap in to your creativity from there.

Tricia Ulberg 03:11

Okay like that.

Daniel Bisset 03:12

So I've been using AI since it came out. I totally geeked out on it. I've got GPT Pro. I'm not going to lie. Totally. OK, yeah. All right. $29 a month. Hell yeah. Let's just see what I can do with this. And I've tested AutoGPT to see if it can basically run itself. And it does. It's neat to some degree. With content creation and the fact that we can take somebody's voice and use a tool to learn their voice and then recreate it we can take a tool to take somebody's face and then manipulate it. Where do we go from here as content creators?

Like the OG content creators, what in your opinion and I know here's the crystal ball aggression. It's all on you. You've got to get this right. No pressure. But how do we protect our clients' best interest? Yes, we can use ChatGPT, just like you're saying, to initiate a good article or tweak it or mold it. That's all well and good, but that's total short term. What's the long term game that we need to get in on the mindset right now to start advising our clients for two years from now? What do you think?

Gresham Harkless 04:37

Great question. Yeah, that's an awesome question. I almost wanna put that question in ChatGPT, to see what answer it might give. That might be the best thing, but I think that's the big part. It is just like asking the question of how you can work in tandem with all this technology two years down the line, 10 years down the line, not ignore it. And I think that even if we go far back, so many people said the internet was a fad or it wasn't gonna be a thing that we weren't gonna be using cell phones.

So there's always these technology shifts that are happening. And as a leader, as a leader of an organization especially, I think the thing that you wanna be able to ask is, how can I really leverage the strengths of these tools but at the same time not lose the creativity and opportunity to create something new? And there's this book called Range, which has been one of my favorite reads, because a lot of what he talks about doing is that the opportunity is not in fighting a lot of the kind of specialization of technology or things, but really understanding how you can collectively put together 5, 10, 20 different things and create new solutions from that.

So I think if I'm talking with anybody, I'm saying I don't necessarily know the exact answer, but I do know that you want to be able to look at all the things that are happening, look at the strengths of the technology of ChatGPT’s of the world and other technology tools and not just say, hey, this is taking my content writing away, but instead ask a question of how can I leverage this so that I can use this ability to write a piece of content a lot quicker and couple it with other aspects that are also changing simultaneously?

And I think the gift and the curse is that it doesn't provide you an exact answer, but that's where the opportunity is in the same vein. So if you're able to be okay with not having the exact answer, but still wanting to be able to experiment and be in that spirit, I think that's really where we're going to be in two years and definitely farther beyond that because things are changing so rapidly and you're not going to know the exact answer and that's not okay for everybody. But I think for people that it might be okay with and there's a great opportunity from them.

Tricia Ulberg 06:54

I agree.

Gresham Harkless 06:54

I don't know that answer.

Tricia Ulberg 06:56

Yeah, no that makes sense to me because it is new and it's going to be interesting to see how it changes the creative world. I'll be honest, when this is gonna be interesting to see how we can leverage AI technology to help us still be creative and create bigger and better things, you're right, it's not going away. It's a technology that's here to stay. And it's going to be interesting to see how we can utilize that and still keep the creative spirit, if that makes sense. But I do think that it's possible. I think we're going to figure out how to do that.

Daniel Bisset 07:28

So my question then is with right now, our search engines work one way and tomorrow they're going to be very different. And people aren't going to be going to Google and then following through to our websites. They're going to be getting all of the answers from the AI that scraped our website. So I feel, and Gresh, I'm totally, if Tricia is saying for you, I want y'all's opinions, but I feel like I'm not gonna use the cliche SEO is dead, but the way that we've been playing the content game necessarily has to change.

And I feel that the hesitation that you can hear in my voice, yeah, that could probably be programmed in while I'm thinking that that could be faked. I'm sure. But platforms like TikTok say, or YouTube where there's a pretty good chance, probably like a 90% chance or even 80% chance that that's a real human that's speaking the content as opposed to an AI fabricated version of a real human that's providing the content. I feel like this video format is going to take on an entirely new role in all that we're doing for our clients. What do you think about that, Gresh? Concur or totally disagree.

Gresham Harkless 08:59

Yeah. I had this conversation too, and when we were having the exact same AI kind of conversation around SEO kind of being dead. And I think you're absolutely right where you hit the nail on the head, where I think the way that we look at SEO is going to be completely different. And I always go back and I try to remind myself, And I think even as we're having these chat GPT, these AI conversations where it seems like the technology is taking over, I always try to remind myself that a lot of the data, the information, the technology is trying to replicate human activity.

And anytime we think about that, we don't want to lose sight of it being the reason that SEO works the way that it does is because Google is trying to predict exactly what you're going to search for. ChatGPT, the reason that they're able to collate a lot of that information is because they looked at how we as humans are searching for certain things and they find that information. So I really say all that to say that I think SEO of course is going to be completely different.

Some would argue it's completely different every minute that we're thinking of what we're going to try to search for. But I think that the desire for people to search is not going to go away. What we're optimizing is probably going to be different. And so I think SEO, as far as making sure like your website, your title tag, meta description, all those aspects are in place, is going to be completely different. But people are searching on TikTok as the younger generations are more likely to search on TikTok. I think that there is going to be an S per se for optimizing things that from that standpoint.

So I think the big thing is just really paying attention as much as possible to like what we as humans desire and especially things that we need and then trying to work backwards from there and hopefully leverage the technology. Maybe I'm being too optimistic and the computers will take over, but that's just how I try to remind myself is that I guess I just believe that the computers are going to be behind in some form, shape or fashion if we do that deep work and understand that human part. But who knows? I might be completely different singing the Jetson song in a year or two.

Tricia Ulberg 11:03

I'm with you. I agree with you.

Daniel Bisset11:06

I love what you said. And I don't think I've heard it put to me that way. But all these tools are emulating humans. So You can't take the human. So I think we will not always, but we will continue to trump the AI that's available. So we've talked about AI and content. Have you started using AI or have you been using AI in paid ad strategy at all?

Gresham Harkless 11:35

I haven't. We don't do as much paid ads as organic. However, I have been looking at different tools. So I definitely will be. That's definitely the truth.

Daniel Bisset 11:45

Yeah, I'm the same. Our focus has not been in the paid space for well over a year, really. And so I feel like that territory is going to be totally different by the time we re-enter. So you've got a lot of different, it's a media group, right? You've got a lot of different pieces in your very large puzzle. I'm curious about the strategy behind the diversification. Is it to have different revenue streams coming in, some of them more passive than others? And I see that you do a lot of work for nonprofits.

So kudos to you. We also do a lot of nonprofit work, so we appreciate seeing it and others as well. Can you give us the top 5 pieces of your puzzle and from a digital marketing, digital agency perspective, what's working best for you so that we could learn from you in that regard and others who might who might have access to this at a later point can take some notes and get some tips tricks and ideas.

Gresham Harkless 12:58

Yeah no I definitely appreciate that and I'm definitely like I mentioned you know before very much so a busybody so I have so many different interests and things that I really try to focus on. I think when I started my business, and this was 10 years ago, I fell into the digital marketing and really it was just like building websites. It was SEO at that time. And I think that's what really ended up being like the foundation of the things that I was hoping to do.

And as kind of time progressed, I really started to ask myself if I had unlimited revenue or in time to invest in something like where would I do that and that's where something I was already working on came into play so that's where the interviews I used to interviews and I still do CEOs entrepreneurs and business owners to find out like why they started their business advice that they had and at that time a lot of it was just around hoping that I would learn about business because I didn't really have that background.

I didn't really have that environment at that time to know even what you should do or things that you should think about. So that's where the CB Nation part came alive and I really started to realize that, hey, I heard podcasting is a thing. I have all these recorded interviews that I was turning into blog posts, so let me start a podcast. And it just organically happened from there. So those are definitely the 2 biggest parts to answer your question, the blue 16 and then the CB nation. And when I was asking that question of if I had the unlimited time, unlimited resources, where would I invest?

A lot of it came to, I would probably just create a lot of information that would help to serve the people that I'm trying to work with. And I would say I would buy an entrepreneur magazine. I would buy like this resource that's very, very important. And when I started to realize is that I had planted some seeds that was doing that to some degree. So I knew that still the digital marketing was still my kind of bread and butter, what kept the lights on for lack of a better term. And that's where I started to say, okay, if I could take this and maybe rebrand it into a resource that doesn't steer people away. If you don't want to work with us, don't visit our site.

I didn't want that feeling there, but I wanted to be able to say that we're help supporting this program or this sites or these community of sites. And that's just where everything took out. So I would say after that, like it was really the podcast. I had a weekly podcast that I ended up deciding to launch a daily podcast called the I AM CEO Podcast. And yeah, so I hit 1600 episodes and I said that if I could use this to maybe generate some opportunities for my digital marketing, let me try to do that.

So I really thought about, okay, this whole process that I'm going through on how to get guests, maybe I can offer them an SEO audit. So that's where I started to add little things there that could hopefully feed the other, the most foundational side of the business. But now I'm at the point where I'm looking at other different streams, affiliate marketing, I've done sponsored content, just different ways that I can continue to drive different streams of revenue.

But I think I always, like I mentioned, very optimistic, so I always say, what can I do to quote unquote take over the world? And that's like how I try to approach it. I usually bite off more than I can chew and try to find a way to nibble it on or try to readjust it and try to fit in as much as possible. So hopefully that answered your questions.

Tricia Ulberg 16:20

You sound like an entrepreneur. That's what you sound like.

Gresham Harkless Outro 16:23

Hello, Hello, this is Gresh again and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there. So it helps you level up your business and organization.

So hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guess it on their episode and of course learn more a little bit more about us as well too this is Gresh signing out I'll be up a phenomenal rest of day.

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Leveraging on Technology to Enhance Productivity and Efficiency

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 04:51:45 -0500

In this special episode, Gresh is on Meet The Experts by Bruce Huwitz, where he shares the importance of building and leveraging media company appearances.

Gresh delves into the concept of ‘CEO hacks'—tools, apps, books, and habits that enhance productivity and efficiency without resorting to shortcuts. He also discusses how to distinguish between beneficial habits and those that need change, and how to leverage AI responsibly for better business outcomes.

The episode covers the practical implementation of CEO hacks to streamline workflows, save time, and focus on core business goals.

Tune in to learn more about these hacks and the eight business pillars they support.

Business Pillar: Operations & Technology

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

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Gresham Harkless 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you can do is be on somebody else's media company.

So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast, and I wanted to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the Eight business pillars. We've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content, a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing. So make sure of course, that you subscribe to our podcast, but of course you take some time out, check out the show notes and subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well, too, and get to learn about some of those eight business. pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up.

So you can go from builder to architect to a course at rockstar and luminary. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this I AM CEO special episode.

Bruce Hurwitz 00:53

Explain what you mean by hacks.

Gresham Harkless 00:56

Yes, absolutely. So CEO hacks comes a lot from the life hacks that people have used in their life to get further along on their journey to where they want to be. Hack is not in the sense of being a hacker. It's in the sense of like, how you can find and shortcut opportunities to be more effective and efficient.

So I define CEO hacks as apps, books, habits, software, they might even be organizations, but they're different things that help you get further along along the journey.

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Help you to be more effective and efficient, help you to maximize the time that you have in your day, because just like probably many of your listeners, I've tried to get 25 or more hours out of a day. It doesn't happen as well. So it all depends on how you're leveraging the time that you have. So the CEO hacks are those tangible things that allow you to be able to do that more effectively and efficiently.

Bruce Hurwitz 01:40

Would you accept. The use of the term shortcuts.

Gresham Harkless 01:45

To some degree shortcuts. I think that the only thing I would say about shortcuts is even though I even use it is, I think the whole idea of a hack is that it enhances some of the things that you're doing. It's not necessarily cutting short. It's just maximizing.

So I think sometimes when you hear shortcut, you think that I'm going to do it easier. I'm not going to do it all the way or do it as effectively or do it completely. But in reality, you are, you're just enhancing sometimes the things that you're already doing.

Bruce Hurwitz 02:10

I like to tell people that everyone is a CEO. You are the CEO of your domain, of your fife. Them, if you're a, an executive assistant. You're in charge of the of your desk if you are a marketing director, you're in charge of your desk. Is there anything that we are going to discuss today? That would be solely within the domain or purview of this of a CEO.

Gresham Harkless 02:37

No, I don't think so. Just as you said. So, I think we could really look at CEO being more of a perspective or more mentality or even aspirational as I like to define it. So, if you are within any role, even if you're a mom or your dad, or your brother or sister, whatever it is, I think to some degree, taking ownership of the things that you have in front of you is really what I think is at the core of being a CEO.

Bruce Hurwitz 03:00

For obvious reasons.

I'm going to start with the question about books. Years ago, when I was at a nonprofit, we had a board retreat. Now, usually with a retreat, you go someplace else. We went into the boardroom. So it wasn't that that much of a retreat and the keynote speaker was a futurist.

And 1 of the 1st things he said was, he doesn't like the word retreat because you're not retreating. You're advancing blah, blah, blah. Okay. Everybody says that, but he gave us a bibliography of books and I bought them all and I read them and I found valuable information. But 1 of the things that I read afterwards was an article.

I don't remember where. Where they said there's a problem with business books, because whatever is the. The book, the juror, everybody jumps on the bad way. We got to do this. It's got to be done this way. And then 3 months later, another book comes out. That's the number 1 bestseller. Now we're going to do things that how do you avoid that?

Gresham Harkless 04:04

I think 1 of the biggest things, and this kind of goes back to, the idea of the, the CEO hacks is it's very similarly where, especially now, as we're having this conversation is a really huge thing that people are talking about. They're talking about, all the things that you can do or can't do the same thing as you were talking about with the books.

I think the way to avoid that is really to leverage the books are leveraged the software, whatever it is that we're talking about to support the things that you're already doing. I think so many times we get shiny object syndrome because we see a new thing that we feel like we need to read. We need to listen to.

We need to install whatever it is. It's something new and it's sexy. It's it's popular. It's trending whatever it is. That's attracting us to it. To it, but we often forget about the quote, unquote race that we're running quote, unquote thing that we're trying to execute on and improving that. So, I think the best way to approach that is really our approach going into these things is saying, okay, if I'm doing X, Y, and Z, and A, B, and C, why am I worried about W, O, P, and all these other things that are, that are sexy, that are, that are exciting that I want to do.

When they're not core to the race that I'm running. So I think the very biggest, the most impactful thing we could do is ask ourself, like, how can I improve the things that I'm doing on a daily basis? Does this new book help me to do that? Does the strategies that are presented in this book help me to do that?

If it doesn't, then maybe that's something you can kick to, another year or something like that. But at the end of the day, try to enhance the things that you're doing.

Bruce Hurwitz 05:32

You mentioned AI. Now with AI, people ask me, because I'm a professional writer, if I was going to use AI, and I said, absolutely not. Because when you have a new software coming up, and this happened to everybody who has ever bought a computer, has purchased a brand new, fresh out of the box, now figuratively, but used to be literally, a piece of software, the first thing that happens is you have to upload updates.

And then, They make all the corrections and a year later, you've got the software that doesn't have the bugs. So that was the 1st reason why I said no day. I was also concerned about ethical problems, copyright issues. I said, I want to get into it now. I'll use what I call RHI, real human intelligence. And that way, there are some, you have lawyers now using AI to submit briefs in court and the cases that are cited are phony.

In AI, as I'm sure, it's called hallucinations. I've caught quotations that didn't make any sense to me. I did a search for the book. Book didn't exist. In one case, I had the book. I double checked that it was the right edition, but it wasn't there. It didn't, so I, so I explained that the AI lies.

It's called hallucinations. How do you recommend CEOs work with AI? In a way that they will invo avoid embarrassments and lawsuits.

Gresham Harkless 07:13

That's a great question. And if it's okay Bruce, I'm gonna borrow from you. It's not a hallucination or anything. I'm gonna say that if you have AI mixed with our ai, that's really the great way to, to try to leverage ai.

I think, and it goes back to what I talked about and why I was hesitant to say the CEO hacks. Or these things that are out there are shortcuts. And I think when you have the mentality that it is going to be a shortcut, you will start to upload a prompt or say, you want X, Y and Z or this specific thing, or you want this specific quote, or you want this brief and you won't go through and do the part, which is actually to understand that you.

Need to be the person, or you need to have a person that is actually looking through this information. So, to answer your question, I think, really, the best way to use a lot of these tools is is like an intern really? Because you may not get exactly what the things are that you're looking for, but before it goes live, or before you send it out, or before you stand in court and speak about it or speak to it, whatever it might be.

You have at least done that human intelligence part and start to understand exactly what it's saying and make sure that it, again, is in support of the things that you're trying to do. And I think what's happening with AI is that people are really excited because they can literally write in two sentences or less than two sentences, and they can get pages and pages of content and information, but they're not really understanding if that content and information is supporting what they're doing.

Or, like you said, it's going to leave you in a place where you become that laughing stock. So, I think the best way to do it is to approach it a lot like it's an intern or a really, really intelligent intern, but an intern that does make mistakes and is not imperfect so that you can, at the end of the day, start to enhance the things that you're doing, not replace or take that shortcut towards it.

Bruce Hurwitz 08:55

I like that analogy to an intern. You can use my and I will use your deal when you wrote in, you mentioned 1 as 1 of the hacks habits. Now, I'm a big believer in habits, because if you form, if you establish a habit. You're also creating neural pathways in your brains and that in your brain, and that's the way you're going to do it.

So expand on that a bit. How, that a habit is something you want to keep, that it's good. But how do you know, it's not something that needs to be changed.

Gresham Harkless: I think that's a great question. And I think. 1st, we have to sometimes remember that we all have habits, whether or not their habits that you want or their habits or not, that's a whole different conversation.

But I think so many times, we'll hear or we'll see people that are really, dedicated in the gym or they're dedicated at work, or they're doing all the things that maybe we aspire to do. And we say that they have something that we don't, but we all have habits. Even if the habit is to start something and not continue, that in and of itself can be a habit.

So I think the first thing is to accept that and to understand that. And then I think you answered the simple question of, are you doing the things that you want to do to get to whatever that goal is? So whatever your goal might be, whether it be going to the gym, whether it might be getting that promotion, or it might be having a seven figure business.

Are you doing the things on a regular basis that can lead you to that? And if you're not, or if you're not achieving that, or you're not seeing the things that you hope to see, that's when you want to start to look at your habits, look at the things not that you're doing. Once a year, you want to look at things that you're doing on a daily basis and seeing what they're doing to get you to that place.

And that's why I think there's really, exciting ways that you can hack yourself. And I mean that in a different way now so that you can get to where you want to be. But I think it's so important to understand that. You can make those changes and we all have those habits.

It's just a matter of reengineering yourself and working backwards so that you can reach the goal that you want to reach.

Bruce Hurwitz 11:01

Now, I used to have habits for setting up appointments and posting on social media, and then it became too much for me. So I use Bookify for as my scheduling app. Yeah. And so for my social media posting was, so I think it's 3 months.

You can schedule them 3 months in advance and then forget about it.

Is that a good example of a habit being transferred to me? To an app.

Gresham Harkless 11:36

I think that is a perfect example of that. And that's exactly what I call the CEO hacks. Like the idea of giving somebody a scheduling link that is maybe booking something from a different time zone and you don't have to do the back and forth and that allows you to take that time and put it into your zone of genius.

That's the definition of the CEO hack being able to schedule social media posts again. It doesn't have the same impact as a lot of times. If you're posting natively. On these platforms, but again, you start to weigh, okay, I only have this much time and I, I really want to get this done. And I believe that getting this done is going to be impactful.

So why don't I schedule it ahead? So, using Zoho, using HootSuite there's lots of different platforms out there. Even Meta has different ways that you can schedule within its own its own site as well too. But again, being able to leverage. And maximize your time because it allows you more time to spend, spend in your zone of genius so that you don't have to worry about things that I do, which is often did I book at the right time?

Because I'm really bad as my own assistant and I often will show up an hour later, an hour early. If I don't have that booking link, you don't have to worry about those things because you let the software take care of it.

Bruce Hurwitz 12:46

I was speaking to a. Lady who was trying to book to be on the podcast and I said, you just go to the website and just put it in and she did it.

She apologized. She said that it was a bad day and I said, don't worry. You have nothing to apologize for and then I told her that when I become king of the world, the 1st thing I'm going to do is make a book. Every get rid of all the time zones. Everybody will be on the same time.

Okay, let's move on. You wrote that business, so that the whole idea is to increase effectiveness and efficiency with CEO hacks.

How do you create a hack? You got to think you need a solution.

Gresham Harkless 13:32

I think that there is sometimes not a very long, very quick way to do that. Because I think the CEO hack truly become a CEO hack when it's implemented and executed and it works in terms of your workflow. So, honestly, a lot of what I've experience.

Like, I use a different scheduling software. So I use Acuity for my scheduling. I tested out. Calendly tested out many things. And sometimes when you start to use these softwares, you realize that it does 1 thing that you wish that it didn't do or vice versa. You wish that it do that.

Whatever it is, you start to test out these different softwares, these hacks, these different things to be more effective and efficient. So I think it really goes to another level. Not when it's just, I think that's 1 of the. The kind of bridges that people have to cross over is because when you see and read all the benefits you hear or see a commercial, you're like, I could really use that.

But when you get that in front of you, you're putting that into your workflow. You're trying to execute it on it. It doesn't quite do exactly what you thought it would do. And that's where I think that. We want to try to bridge that gap towards the teaching people how to actually leverage this on a way to be more effective and efficient because a hack is to me, not so much a hack.

If it's just saying, laying there as a software is a hack when it's implemented to your workflow and you're able to really use it to help you to save that time. So it's all in the execution. It's all in how you're going to implement this into your workflow. And for a lot of people and a lot of organizations and personal individuals, even.

That's going to depend. So you sometimes just have to try it, implement it, do it on a very low risk, low cost way. And a lot of times, and then you're able to see if it works or if it doesn't work. And it actually is, save you that time.

Bruce Hurwitz 15:11

You've been providing us with a wealth of content and I thank you for that.

Gresham Harkless 15:18

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the podcast. I'm just, like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to. Laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there. So it helps you level up your business and organization.

So hope you enjoyed this episode. Definitely. Please check out the show notes. Learn more about the pillar. Learn more about the person that I guessed it on their episode. And of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well to this is Gresh signing out. Hope you'll have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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Understanding SEO Strategy, Widens Your Visibility

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 04:44:28 -0500

In this episode on The Pursuit of Badasserie Podcast, Gresh shares insights from his experience and emphasizes the importance of building and leveraging media companies and dives into discussing the eight essential business pillars.

Gresh recounts his journey into digital marketing and SEO, underscoring the significance of community, long-term strategy, and being open to opportunities.

The conversation also touches upon entrepreneurial spirit, the human aspect of marketing, and the value of being clear on goals, targeting, and resources.

Listeners are encouraged to chase their dreams and utilize the power of community and strategy in their business endeavors.

Episode Link: Understanding SEO Strategy with Gresham Harkless

Business Pillar: Visibility

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Gresham Harkless 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you can do is be on somebody else's media company.

So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast, and I wanted to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the Eight business pillars. We've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content, a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing.

So make sure of course, that you subscribe to our podcast, but of course you take some time out, check out the show notes, subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well, too, and get to learn about some of those eight business pillars.

pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up so you can go from builder to architect to, of course, a rock star and luminary. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoy this I AM CEO special episode.

Amanda Furgiuele 00:52

What really started that shift in towards what is considered now the more traditional digital marketing SEO world.

Gresham Harkless 01:00

Yeah, I think a lot of it happens sometimes when you aren't sure we were even talking about SEO not sure what to do. Sometimes you come across the right people or the right situations and it leads you in that direction, but I've always been interested in I always say I was tech geek and interested in websites, building things.

I built a computer when I was in high school, things like that. But what kind of led me to that was I started to. Quote and quote, study those things without knowing those things were any of any value. So I got laid off from, in the midst of a couple of years, got laid off from a job. I was going to get it off from another job, but it was an outside sales job.

So I was cold calling somebody so that they would buy advertising for the company that I work for. So I, talk to him. My way to get in the door was saying, Hey, your website's not really set up. You should do this. This not thinking. These things are of any value at all. Honestly.

So I sit down with him, have a conversation with him ask him, of course, if he wants to buy advertising, he, of course, doesn't want to buy advertising, but he gives me an endorsement and wants to be 1 of my 1st clients at the time for the SEO.

And so I'm able to work into that. So I wouldn't say that I was. aware of it. I would say that it was brought to me as something of value. I didn't see the value until I met him. I went to a networking event, met other people that were like, Oh, you know about this thing. And it just started to snowball from there.

So I wish I could say that I was the smartest person in the room, but I just was following whatever that that magnet was leaving.

Lynn Howard 02:24

I love that for several reasons. 1st of all, we don't have to be the smartest person in the room and it drives me crazy when people are saying that we do have to be.

And actually, you don't, you just have to be clever and be open and I love that maybe you weren't looking for it, but you were open to the opportunity and you were, you uncovered it because you were giving right and Amanda and I are big advocates of give, give, give to receive and you are actually navigating and we love sales.

We wrote a whole book on it, but you were giving to be able to navigate. Maybe we're doing that to get the sale, but it sounds and, reading your bio and reading about you that it comes natural for you and that really opened up the door. And then you're like, ooh, maybe this is bigger.

Gresham Harkless 03:08

Yeah, I would definitely echo that. You're absolutely right. Because I think that. I didn't really know what it was going to be, but I knew this is my superpower. So to speak, this is something I'm passionate about. This is something I could do to help. And then hopefully, things will come out from there.

I'm not sure what it's going to look like. I didn't know that. I probably wanted to start business at some point. Don't necessarily think I had the confidence, I think probably is the right word, but I think that as those things start to happen, I just started to try to help people out in whatever way I could, whatever talents or gifts or even things that I feel like I have experienced or known and then just try to share that along the way.

Lynn Howard 03:43

I think 10-year-old Gresh would just not agree with you. If you already saw news, your newsletters at 10 years old that's incredible. I love that. That's that young entrepreneurial I love that. And I actually, I do want to bring it back to that, because I was literally in a talk yesterday that I did for a rotary club.

I was talking about handwritten in writing out different things that I send postcards to. All the little kids and in my kind of girlfriends, families and stuff all across the world. And like, how beautiful that was. Cause I lived overseas as well. And we would send family letters back home.

Even though internet was a thing at that point, but still like to be able to get that handwritten or that even printed one about this is everything that's happening. So it looks like you definitely have that creativeness and then the entrepreneurial spirit. and cleverness way before you even understood it.

Now that you can bring it back to that point in time, that's really fabulous.

Gresham Harkless 04:40

Yeah, absolutely. I would say it's probably a little bit naive. It's hey you didn't even know you just doing it. When you're younger, you're just doing things. You don't think about, oh, I want to make a lot of money or I want to be successful.

I want to go viral or any of those things. You're just doing things from a passion standpoint.

Amanda Furgiuele 04:53

But I think that's one of the things I love about the entrepreneurial spirit at its core is that you do just do you do the thing. You don't get afraid of it. You don't question yourself so much. You just decide I'm going to do this and then you do it.

And that's, what little Gresh was doing?

Gresham Harkless 05:07

Yes.

Lynn Howard 05:08

That's right. So, you are all about blogs and podcasts and videos and you really leverage technology. So, if somebody's coming to you, like, where do you start with them? What's your process?

Gresham Harkless 05:22

Yeah, I think everything starts from a conversation.

I think so many times that I talk a lot around building a media company. And I usually compare that to going to the grocery store to cook your favorite dish. And I'd say a lot of times people go to the grocery store, they go hungry. They're jumping, dropping everything into their card, dropping all the ingredients, all the things, they all look good.

They all sound right, but they aren't necessarily essential to what you're trying to build. So a lot of what I try to do during that 1st conversation is just trying to understand what and where people are trying to go. I usually say that there's three main questions. I usually try to get as much information as possible.

And those are ongoing questions, which are around their goals. What does success look like? Does it mean selling more books? Does it mean selling t-shirts? Do you want to have more speaking engagements? All those things I think will tailor how you execute on your strategy. The next is who you're targeting.

Who are you actually, providing value for solutions for and helping. And then the next is honestly, just your resources, which usually can mean time or money. So, when I'm trying to have that 1st, initial conversation, I'm usually trying to get as much information around those. things because I believe that and I call all these marketing tools, all these things that we have out there ingredients.

I believe if you get clear on those questions when you're trying to figure out what the ingredients are for the thing, the recipe or the dish you're trying to make, you're going to be able to make sure that you're getting the ones that help support that. And I think a lot of times people don't necessarily go to it from that.

They hear the new fab and you hear the new thing that they need to be doing rather than saying, okay, this is where I want to go. So will this support me in terms of getting there?

Amanda Furgiuele 06:56

Yeah, it's all about strategy. It really is, you have to get clear on what your goal is. And you have to really put those strategical steps in place.

Otherwise, you're all over the place, and you're just putting eggs in every bucket that you see. You're putting some eggs in a drawer. There's some eggs over there next door. You've got to really focus in on what you're trying to achieve, and then go all into that thing and really strategize around it.

Otherwise, you're going to be all over the place.

Gresham Harkless 07:23

Absolutely.

Lynn Howard 07:24

I love that. And especially with you being on the digital side, marketing and SEO and all this other stuff, because you hear a lot of people in that world, like bright, shiny object. Oh, we can get you a million overnight. Blah, blah, blah. And you're like.

Bringing it back to the basics and the actual foundational structure that every business should be built upon for sustainability, for scalability, for really to survive, survivability at this point. And because otherwise it can be a success overnight, but it's not going to be long-term, right? You're selling an empty egg, a shell of an egg.

And I love that you bring it back to that. How is that navigating that with your new people? Because they're probably not used to hearing those questions. They just want to hear what are you going to give me?

Gresham Harkless 08:11

It is extremely difficult, and I think it's extremely difficult a lot of times, because there's so much misinformation out there.

And even people that are using, I don't know if I want to even call it salesmanship, but a lot of times, because we know that people want things yesterday, a lot of times, if you make those promises, make those proclamations, then that's going to attract people. But I just try to, Kind of march to the different drum and beat and not be true to those things.

But it can be sometimes difficult, but that's where a lot of times you start to attract the right people that will support those things. And I'm very transparent about SEO. Like, when you're picking all the ingredients, each of them have pros and cons. And I'm really I try to speak to the fact that SEO is generally speaking a long term marketing strategy.

If you think that you're going to get on page one on day one, then, you've been promised something that, that isn't probably going to happen. Of course, there's so many different considerations. If you're ranking page number two, then of course you can help improve that. But generally speaking. If you understand that it's a long-term marketing strategy, it's going to attract the right people.

And that's one of the reasons that I talk a lot around SEO because I've started to find over the years, over 10 years of doing this, that if I talk about long-term strategy, it will probably remove people that aren't interested in that and want that quick fix. And sometimes that helps me to attract the people that are actually going to be the right people that we can serve.

Amanda Furgiuele 09:38

Yeah, it's like stock market theory. So it's like when you're talking about financial advisor, you think, okay this is your stock market stuff. This is the stuff that you're investing in, but it's not going to pay off until For a while, because I've had some clients who literally we go over like a basic, very basic social media or SEO platform.

And then a week later how come I'm not ranked yet? I'm like it's been like, 5 days. I give it a minute. But yes, it's understanding where you're how long things are going to take. It really is an important concept.

Lynn Howard 10:06

Yeah, I do love that. We used to call it repelling. So, when you're actually speaking and truly who you are, what you represent in your purpose and being really clear about that, you'll actually repel those that are not your clients, which will save you so much time and energy and headache much later on down the road.

So, I love that. But yeah, talk a little bit about, like, how a little bit more about community and what how community can support you in your entrepreneurship in your marketing and every facet that you have your hands in.

Gresham Harkless 10:44

Yeah, I think community is huge. I think we're made to be in community in some different form, shape or fashion.

I think during the pandemic sometimes I won't say it. I think some people think it negatively affected. I think it evolved the way that we communicate and we do it in different ways. But funny enough with that cold call, I made that I was talking about when I got started that cold call. What's who?

Was to a BNI member who actually introduced me to BNI which is where I started my business. So I love BNI as well, too. And I'll say this so many times, I think we get into the the nuts and bolts of business, which is, of course, important. You want to make sure you have your, your P and L and your SEO's all those things in place.

But what really helped me, and when I talked about that confidence piece within my business was actually being in a BNI chapter because I didn't necessarily have that environment that was supporting me to start a business, but BNI allowed me on a weekly basis to be able to do that. And I can't say enough about the impact that it has.

So it speaks directly to the community. I think so many times when we don't have the confidence, we don't know what we want to do, or we have like really ambitious goals or things that we want to focus on, it's. We can go so much further if we go together, rather than by ourselves. And I think community speaks directly to that.

So I think if there's something that, someone might want to achieve they may feel a little doubt, may not be aware. If they can do that, find a community, tap into that community because you start acting, you start doing the things without, you have that naivety that I had when I was. in. I still sometimes have now because you're in the environment of people that are doing certain things that you want to do.

And I think that's the power of community. It just brings people together when you have a bad day, somebody else is having a great day when you have a great day, somebody else is having a bad day. So you start to go through things together and helps you get, I think, closer to at least the goal that you want to have.

Lynn Howard 12:31

I love that because a lot of people won't make this correlation, but marketing really is about people dynamics. It is about the numbers and the navigating and stuff. But really, if you actually boil it down to the human side, we're looking for some kind of connection to feel a part of something and that.

And I know that you do more than marketing. You have all the other stuff with SEO and stuff like that, but. To me, that adds in addition to everything else that you're doing. And I love that. I love that. You represent that. And I know you have a global team as well as Amanda and I do, and that it's something that's a core.

I would assume a core value from what I've read and understood of you of yours and we love that.

Gresham Harkless 13:09 Yeah, it's usually, I would say we forget about the people aspect of business and we forget about the people aspect of life. And that's really the, we talk about even if we go into the nitty-gritty of all of it, all it is really trying to understand how people are searching and the data analytics, all those things reflect that.

But it's at the core, like what people are. So I think that understanding, and that's why I said, that's one of my core questions, who are you targeting? You understand them and you continue to understand them. That's going to direct as SEO changes, as platform changes, all as life changes.

You start to be with your North Star to the people that you're trying to serve. And it's huge, but it's often overlooked.

Amanda Furgiuele 13:47

So if you could leave the audience with one last tidbit of things that you think about in their SEO website world, what would it be?

Gresham Harkless 13:54

I think one of my favorite quotes that I always go back and, this pertains to marketing, but also it's a life in business and everything is don't tell me that.

The sky's the limit when there's footprints on the moon, and I think there's so many times I listened to so many motivational things when I was getting started and talking about the community, of course, being around people. But now we have podcast books, blogs, videos that we can lean on to create that environment.

And I think 1 of the things that really stuck with me is that there was things that we're using right now that people laughed at. And then think we're possible. So when you have that dream, that aspiration, that goal, that invention, whatever it is, don't let people tell you that it's not possible. It might be hard.

It might take a lot of time, but don't feel like it's not possible because I truly believe that even if you don't get to quote unquote, the goal, whatever that is just the pursuit of it, just the journey towards it is sometimes the gift in and of itself. So just continue to chase those dreams, chase the things that you want to have.

And yeah. Make it a phenomenal day.

Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again. And I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes and learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guessed it on their episode. And of course, learn more, a little bit more about us as well, too. This is grass signing out.

I hope you have a

Thanksgiving for Your Website: Gratitude and Website SEO Best Practices

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 09:16:23 -0400

Think of your website as a digital storefront, open 24/7 to showcase your products or services to the world. That’s just how powerful it can be thus deserving of some appreciation.

As you go through the Thanksgiving season, express gratitude for your websites by focusing on how website SEO best practices can elevate their success. Key strategies are helpful to show the websites some love and watch them flourish in the search engine rankings.

The Importance of Website SEO Best Practices

To make a website stand out, it’s essential to implement website SEO best practices. They ensure your website is optimized for search engines like Google, making it easier for users to find you.

But SEO goes beyond just about driving traffic; to driving the right traffic. People who land on your website should find it relevant, engaging, and user-friendly. This can only be achieved with a well-thought-out SEO strategy in place.

Ensure that your content is relevant to your target audience and over time, your ranking will improve to give you more visibility to potential customers.

Proper website SEO best practices also reduces bounce rates, keeps visitors on your page longer, and ultimately converts them into loyal clients.

3 valuable ways to show gratitude for your website

Understand Your Website Through Analytics

Just as understanding your customers is crucial for business success, so is understanding your website visitors vital for SEO. Here’s where website analytics come in. Tools like Google Analytics provide a wealth of data about your website’s performance.

You can see how many people visit your site, which pages they view, and for how long, which allows you to identify areas that are performing well and areas that need improvement.

For example, analytics might reveal that a particular landing page has a high bounce rate (visitors leaving quickly). This could indicate an issue with the page’s content, design, or user experience. By analyzing the data, you can make informed decisions to optimize the page and improve its performance.

Seek User Feedback

Another valuable way to show gratitude for your website is by actively seeking user feedback. This can be done through surveys, contact forms, or even social media interactions. User feedback provides invaluable insights into how visitors perceive your website.

Listening to user concerns and implementing suggested improvements is a way of telling them “thank you” for their time and feedback. A website that prioritizes user experience is an enjoyable place to visit and is likely to rank higher in search results. Search engines, after all, want to deliver the best user experience possible.

Continuous Improvement

SEO isn’t a one-time fix; it requires continuous improvement. Algorithms change, user behavior evolves, and the digital landscape is ever-shifting. This is why ongoing optimization is essential.

Revisit your keywords

Assess your competitors

Update your content to remain relevant

Ongoing website SEO best practices are a long-term strategy that adapt to changes in both the market and search engine algorithms.

Your website is a valuable asset, and applying website SEO best practices ensures that it continues to thrive. Leverage tools like analytics, listen to user feedback, and embrace continuous improvement to show gratitude for your website’s success and ensure it remains competitive in the digital landscape.

How Blue16 Media Can Help

Blue16 Media is a digital marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses expand their online presence.

Our services include website design and support, social media management, and cutting-edge search engine optimization (SEO) services to keep your organization or company ahead of the curve.

For more information or inquiries, contact us today at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314, or by filling out the contact form on our website.

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Halloween Website Design: Adding a Spooktacular Touch to Your Online Presence

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 09:16:33 -0400

Trick-or-treating and costume contests are often the first things that come to mind during Halloween, a fantastic opportunity to add a magic touch to your Halloween website design. While this doesn’t mean turning your professional site into a haunted house, you can incorporate subtle yet engaging elements that celebrate the season and capture the attention of your visitors.

Why Consider a Halloween Website Design?

There are several compelling reasons to embrace a Halloween website design:

Increased User Engagement: A touch of Halloween whimsy can make your website more visually interesting and capture user attention leading to visitors spending more time browsing your content and exploring your offerings.

Boost Brand Awareness: A festive website design sets you apart by showing your brand’s personality and willingness to have fun, potentially attracting new customers.

Improved Brand Recall: You’re more likely to be remembered by visitors and leave a lasting impression long after the season is over if you have a unique Halloween website design.

SEO Benefits: Including relevant Halloween keywords in your website content and meta descriptions can improve your search engine ranking in October, a time when user interest in Halloween-related searches peaks.

Seasonal Relevance:You demonstrate your brand’s awareness and engagement with current trends that help strengthen your connection with your audience to make your website more relevant and timely.

Striking the Perfect Balance: Spooky Yet Professional

The key to a successful Halloween website design lies in striking a balance between fun and professionalism. Here are some tips:

Consider your target audience and brand image by opting for a more subtle approach with festive colors like orange and purple or spooky fonts for a playful touch. If your brand allows, you can go bolder with Halloween-themed graphics or even a temporary Halloween-inspired logo.

Ensure your website remains easy to navigate and information is readily accessible and don’t let Halloween decorations compromise website functionality. Excessive animations or flashing elements that can be distracting or even disorienting for some users.

A large portion of your website traffic will likely come from mobile devices thus it’s important to make sure your Halloween website design translates seamlessly to smaller screens.

Keep your meta descriptions and title tags relevant to your core business offering, even with a seasonal twist to maintain SEO best practices.

While a festive design can be a great seasonal boost, plan to return to your standard website design after the season ends.

Incorporating a Halloween website design strategically so you capture the spirit of the season while strengthening your online presence. This approach can lead to increased user engagement, brand awareness, and even a boost in SEO during October. So, get creative, have fun, and let your website reflect the spooky spirit of Halloween!

How Blue16 Media Can Help

Ready to take your website to the next level with a captivating Halloween design?

Blue16 Media, a digital marketing agency specializing in website design and SEO, can help you create a spooktacular website that drives results.

For more information or inquiries, contact us today at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314, or by filling out the contact form on our website.

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Tips for SEO Optimization: Strategies for Improved Website Visibility in Fall

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 09:16:32 -0400

Fall is a prime time to revamp your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy and watch your website visibility flourish. SEO is the art and science of making your website more appealing to search engines like Google. The higher your website ranks in search results for relevant keywords, the more organic traffic you’ll attract, potentially leading to more leads and sales. So, how can you leverage the power of SEO this fall and propel your website to the top of search engine rankings? Here are some great tips for SEO optimization to consider:

Content is King (and Queen): Craft Compelling Content

High-quality, informative content is the cornerstone of any successful SEO strategy. Fall is a great time to create fresh, seasonally relevant content that resonates with your target audience. Think about topics that people might be searching for during this time of year. Are there fall-themed products or services you offer? Can you provide tips and advice related to your industry that aligns with the autumn season?

Do Keyword Research

Before diving headfirst into content creation, invest some time in keyword research. Identify relevant keywords and search terms that your target audience is likely to use when searching for information related to your business. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can be a valuable resource for this process. By incorporating these keywords strategically throughout your content, you’ll increase your website’s chances of ranking higher in search results for those specific terms.

Optimize for User Experience

A website that is difficult to navigate or slow to load will quickly deter visitors and send them scurrying back to the search results page. This fall, prioritize optimizing your website for a seamless user experience. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your website looks and functions flawlessly on all devices, especially smartphones and tablets.

Website Speed: A fast-loading website is crucial for keeping visitors engaged. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement.

Clear Navigation: Make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for by implementing a clear and intuitive navigation structure.

Build Trust and AuthorityThrough Backlinks

Building backlinks is one of the best tips for SEO optimization to consider this fall. Backlinks are essentially links from other websites that point back to your site. Search engines view backlinks as a sign of trust and authority, which can significantly improve your website’s ranking. Actively seek opportunities to build high-quality backlinks and you can achieve this by guest blogging on relevant industry websites, participating in online communities, or creating link-worthy content that others will naturally want to share.

Embrace Change and Innovation

Search engine algorithms are constantly updated, so it’s crucial to stay informed about the latest trends and best practices. Dedicate some time each fall to researching and implementing new SEO strategies. This proactive approach will ensure your website remains competitive and continues to rank highly in search results.

Fall into SEO Success with Blue16 Media

Here at Blue16 Media we have our team of SEO experts who can help you develop and implement a comprehensive strategy that will propel your website to the top of search engine rankings. We offer a range of services, from in-depth keyword research and content creation to technical SEO audits and backlink building.

Contact us today and let’s discuss a few simple yet effective tips for SEO optimization and how we can help your website experience a fall harvest of SEO success. Reach out to us by phone at (703) 555-0160, visit our website at blue16media.com, or stop by our office located at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314.

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Back-to-School Essentials: Website Design and SEO Tips for Success

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 09:16:50 -0400

The back-to-school season isn’t just for students and teachers. Businesses of all kinds can capitalize on this busy time by ensuring their website is optimized for the influx of online traffic. Whether you’re a retailer offering school supplies or a service provider catering to busy parents, a well-designed and SEO-friendly website is crucial for attracting new customers during this peak season. This blog post explores some website design and SEO tips to help your website thrive during the back-to-school rush.

Captivate with Design: Create a Frictionless User Experience

Fresh and Functional: First impressions matter in the digital world. A website with a clean, modern design and intuitive navigation is essential. Make sure your website is mobile-responsive, meaning it adapts seamlessly to desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Convenience is key for busy parents and students on the go.

Visual Storytelling: High-quality visuals can significantly enhance your website’s appeal. Use engaging images and videos that showcase your products, services, or the overall vibe of your brand. Think product photos, explainer videos, or customer testimonials—visuals that connect with your audience and tell a story.

Clear Information Hierarchy: Organize your website’s content in a logical and user-friendly way. Prioritize the information visitors need most, such as product descriptions, service details, or contact information. Use clear headlines, easy-to-read fonts, and ample white space to guide visitors through your website with ease.

SEO Strategies to Get you Found During Back-to-School Searches

Targeted Keywords: Identify keywords that your target audience is likely to use during back-to-school searches. This might include “[your product category] for back-to-school” or “[your service] for busy parents.” Integrate these keywords naturally throughout your website content, but avoid keyword stuffing, which can hurt your SEO ranking.

Local SEO Optimization (if applicable): If you have a brick-and-mortar location, optimize your website for local search. Claim your Google My Business listing and ensure your address, phone number, and website URL are accurate and consistent across all online platforms. Local SEO helps potential customers searching for businesses in your area discover your website.

Engaging Content is King: Create fresh, valuable content that caters to the back-to-school season. Blog posts about back-to-school tips, product guides, or special promotions can attract visitors and establish your website as a trusted resource.

Maintaining Momentum: Keep Your Website Updated and Secure

Regular Updates: Keep your website’s content fresh and up-to-date. This includes updating product listings, adding new blog posts, and highlighting seasonal promotions. A regularly updated website shows visitors that you’re active and engaged.

Security Measures: In today’s digital landscape, website security is paramount. Implement strong security measures to protect your website and your visitors’ data. This includes using a secure socket layer (SSL) certificate and keeping your website’s software up-to-date.

Performance Monitoring: Track your website’s performance using analytics tools. These tools provide valuable insights into how visitors interact with your website, which pages are most popular, and where visitors are coming from. Utilize this data to refine your website and content strategy for better results.

By following these website design and SEO tips, your website can become a powerful tool for attracting new customers during the back-to-school season.

How Blue16 Media Can Help

If you need help creating a captivating website or implementing winning SEO strategies, Blue16 Media can help. Our team of experts specializes in designing user-friendly websites and developing data-driven SEO campaigns to boost your online presence.

To discuss how we can help your website thrive throughout the back-to-school season and beyond, contact us today at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314, or by filling out the contact form on our website.

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Independence Day for Your Website: Achieving Freedom from Common SEO Challenges

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:16:08 -0400

Does your website feel trapped in a cycle of SEO challenges? You pour your heart and soul into content, but that coveted first-page ranking on Google remains elusive. It’s time to declare independence from these challenges and achieve true SEO freedom!

Just like the spirit of Independence Day, achieving SEO freedom is about taking control and charting your own course.

Here’s how to break free from the most common SEO roadblocks and watch your website rise to the top of the search results:

Conquering Content Challenges

One of the biggest SEO battles is creating content that Google loves and users devour. Here’s how to win this war:

Know Your Audience: Don’t fight a blind fight. Research your target audience and understand what kind of content they crave. What are their questions and pain points? Craft content that addresses them directly.

Quality over Quantity: Focus on creating in-depth, informative pieces that provide real value. Thin, repetitive content will only hold you back.

Optimize for Search Intent: Don’t just stuff keywords into your content. Understand the “why” behind user searches and tailor your content to answer their specific intent.

Breaking Free from Technical Issues

Technical SEO problems can be like hidden landmines, derailing your website’s ranking potential. Here’s how to disarm them:

Mobile Friendliness is Mandatory: In today’s mobile-first world, a website that’s not optimized for smartphones and tablets is doomed. Ensure your website offers a seamless user experience across all devices.

Speed Up Your Site: Website speed is a crucial ranking factor. Slow loading times frustrate users and send them bouncing. Invest in website optimization tools to ensure a fast and smooth browsing experience.

Embrace Clean Code: Behind the scenes, clean code structure is essential for search engines to effectively crawl and index your website. Regularly check for and address any technical SEO issues.

Building Backlinks: The Bridges to Success

Backlinks are like votes of confidence for your website. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the more Google perceives your authority and relevance. Here’s how to build strong bridges:

Create Link-Worthy Content: People naturally want to link to valuable and informative content. Focus on crafting resources that are so good that others can’t help but share them.

Guest Blogging: Become a guest contributor on high-authority websites in your niche. This allows you to showcase your expertise and earn valuable backlinks in the process.

Build Relationships: Networking with other industry players can lead to natural link-building opportunities. Engage in online communities, participate in forums, and build genuine connections.

Maintaining SEO Freedom: A Continuous Journey

SEO is not a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance and adaptation. Here are some tips for staying ahead of the curve:

Stay Updated on Algorithm Changes: Search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. Keep yourself informed about the latest SEO trends and best practices.

Monitor Your Performance: Track your website’s traffic, ranking, and user engagement through analytics tools. This data will help you identify areas for improvement.

Embrace Continuous Content Creation: Don’t let your content stagnate. Regularly publish fresh, relevant content to keep your website active and engaging.

Celebrate SEO Freedom with Blue16 Media

Don’t let SEO challenges hold your website back from achieving its full potential. At Blue16 Media, we’re a team of SEO specialists dedicated to helping businesses break free from ranking roadblocks.

We offer a comprehensive range of SEO services, from keyword research and content creation to technical SEO audits and backlink building strategies. Our goal is to empower your website to reach the top of the search results and achieve true SEO freedom.

Contact us today, and let’s celebrate your website’s independence! For more information or inquiries, fill out the contact form on our website or visit us at 2800 Eisenhower Ave, #220, Alexandria, VA 22314.

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Summer-Ready Websites: Optimization Tips for Increased Traffic

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 09:16:57 -0400

Summer brings a shift in consumer behavior with people searching online for ways to spend their free time, plan vacations, and enjoy the warm weather. Is your website ready to capitalize on this seasonal surge in traffic? Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity to attract new customers and boost your bottom line! In this post, we’ll explore the topic, “Summer-Ready Websites: Optimization Tips for Increased Traffic,” to ensure your online presence is summer-ready and attracts more visitors. By implementing these strategies, you can position your website for success and capture a slice of the summer spending pie.

SEO Techniques for a Summer Boost

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the foundation for attracting organic traffic to your website. By optimizing your website for relevant summer-related keywords, you increase your chances of appearing on the first page of search results when people are actively looking for what you offer.

Here’s how to leverage SEO for a summer traffic boost:

Identify Seasonal Keywords: Research keywords related to your industry and summer activities. For example, a travel agency might target keywords like “summer vacation destinations” or “beach getaways.” But don’t stop there! Look for long-tail keywords that are more specific and have lower competition. This could include “family-friendly summer vacation spots on the East Coast” or “affordable summer getaways for couples.”

Optimize Content and Meta Descriptions: Update your website content and meta descriptions to naturally incorporate these summer keywords. Don’t just stuff keywords in; focus on creating informative and engaging content that speaks directly to your target audience’s summer interests.

Local SEO for Summer Events: If your business caters to local customers, leverage location-based keywords and optimize your Google My Business listing. This is especially important for promoting summer events or seasonal services. Let’s say you own a restaurant with a charming patio. Target keywords like “best outdoor dining near me” or “patio brunch restaurants [your city]” and update your Google My Business listing with enticing photos and descriptions of your summer menu.

Mobile Friendliness: A Must-Have for Summer Browsing

Summer often means more on-the-go browsing. People are likely to be searching for summer activities and products on their smartphones or tablets. Imagine someone relaxing on the beach, phone in hand, looking for restaurants with outdoor seating. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, they’ll simply move on to your competitor. Here’s how to ensure your website is mobile-friendly:

Responsive Design: Make sure your website automatically adjusts its layout for optimal viewing on any device. A responsive design provides a seamless user experience for all visitors, regardless of their device.

Fast Loading Speeds: Nobody likes a slow website, especially on mobile data. Optimize your website for speed by compressing images, minimizing HTTP requests, and utilizing a reliable web hosting service. A slow website frustrates users and hurts your SEO ranking.

Content Strategies to Capture Summer Interest

Summer is a prime time to engage your audience with fresh, seasonal content. Here are some content strategies to capture summer interest and keep visitors coming back for more:

Summer-Themed Blog Posts: Create blog posts that cater to summer interests. This could include travel guides, recipes for outdoor entertaining, or DIY summer craft projects. Think beyond the obvious. For a clothing store, you could create a blog post on “Top 10 Summer Outfit Ideas for Every Occasion.”

Summer Promotions and Offers: Highlight summer sales, limited-time promotions, or special deals relevant to the season. Offer discounts on products perfect for summer fun or create special summer bundles.

Visual Appeal: Use high-quality images and videos that evoke summer vibes and capture attention. Showcase summer activities people can enjoy with your products or services.

By implementing these strategies discussed in this blog post, “Summer-Ready Websites: Optimization Tips for Increased Traffic,” you’ll be well-positioned to attract more traffic, generate leads, and boost your online presence throughout the summer season. Don’t wait! Take action today and watch your website blossom with summer success!

Make Your Website Shine This Summer

Don’t miss out on the summer traffic surge! If you need help optimizing your website for increased summer traffic, Blue16 Media can help.

We are a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, website design, and social media management. We can help you create a summer-ready website that attracts more visitors and converts them into customers.

Contact us today and let’s discuss how we can help your business thrive this summer!

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May Flowers: Growing Your Online Presence with SEO

Wed, 01 May 2024 09:16:13 -0400

Spring comes the vibrance of May flowers blooming across gardens and meadows. Just like these beautiful blossoms, your online presence can flourish with the right care and attention. A strong online presence is essential for any business or individual looking to be seen and heard.

But just as May flowers need sunlight, water, and fertile soil to thrive, your online presence requires specific strategies to blossom and attract visitors. Here’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO is the art and science of improving your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. The higher your website ranks, the more likely people are to find you organically, which translates to increased traffic and potential customers.

Planting the Seeds: Keyword Research is Key

The first step in cultivating a vibrant online presence is understanding your target audience and the keywords they use to search for information related to your niche. Keyword research is like planting the seeds for your SEO strategy. By identifying relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition, you can tailor your website’s content to attract the right visitors. Think of it as choosing the perfect flowers to plant in your garden—ones that will flourish and attract the desired pollinators (customers) seeking their beauty (your offerings).

There are many free and paid keyword research tools available online. Utilize these tools to discover high-performing keywords that naturally integrate with your brand message. Once you have a solid list of keywords, strategically weave them throughout your website content, including blog posts, product descriptions, and meta descriptions. Remember, keyword stuffing is a big no-no! Aim for a natural integration that enhances the user experience while signaling relevance to search engines.

Nurturing Growth: Content is King (and Queen)

High-quality content is the sunshine and water your online presence needs to flourish. Informative, engaging, and well-written content positions you as a thought leader in your field and keeps visitors coming back for more. Think of your content as the vibrant petals of your May flowers, attracting and delighting your audience.

Here are some tips for creating compelling content:

Focus on Solving Your Audience’s Problems: Address the pain points and needs of your target audience.

Provide Valuable Insights: Offer unique perspectives and fresh information within your niche.

Maintain Consistency: Regularly publish new content to keep your audience engaged and search engines interested.

Optimize for Readability: Use clear language, break up long text blocks with visuals, and format your content for easy scanning.

By consistently creating valuable content that incorporates relevant keywords, you establish yourself as a reliable source of information and build trust with your audience. This, in turn, sends positive signals to search engines, boosting your website’s ranking and online visibility.

Tending the Garden: Technical SEO Matters

While content is crucial, don’t neglect the technical aspects of your website. Just like a healthy soil base is essential for thriving May flowers, a well-structured website foundation is necessary for optimal SEO performance. Here are some technical SEO aspects to consider:

Website Speed: Ensure your website loads quickly to provide a positive user experience.

Mobile-Friendliness: In today’s mobile-first world, your website must be optimized for viewing on all devices.

Site Architecture: Organize your website content logically with clear navigation to make it easy for users and search engines to find relevant information.

Image Optimization: Use descriptive alt text for images to improve accessibility and search engine understanding.

By addressing these technical SEO factors, you create a user-friendly and search engine-friendly website that lays the groundwork for sustainable online growth.

Reap the Rewards

May flowers transform a barren landscape into a vibrant display of color, so does SEO transform your online presence by attracting new visitors, increasing brand awareness, and ultimately driving conversions. By following these strategies—keyword research, content creation, and technical SEO optimization—you can cultivate a thriving online garden and achieve long-term success in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient, consistent, and data-driven in your approach, and watch your online presence blossom like the beautiful May flowers that herald the arrival of spring.

How Blue16 Media Can Help

Has your website become a digital ghost town, barely receiving a trickle of visitors? Unlike May flowers, your online presence needs a little help to flourish.

This is where Blue16 Media comes in. We’re a digital marketing agency passionate about helping businesses bloom online. Just like we tend to the technical aspects of SEO, we can handle website design, social media management, and strategic content creation to make your online presence blossom.

Don’t let your online presence wilt! Let Blue16 Media be the sunshine and water your website craves. Contact us today or visit our office at 2800 Eisenhower Ave., #220, Alexandria, VA 22314 for a free consultation and watch your online garden come alive!

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Chat#111 – The Power of Putting Customers First [SPONSORED POST]

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:32:38 -0500

Gresham W. Harkless Jr. sits down with Jasmine Price of M & D Cleaning Services at Intelligent Office in Alexandria Virginia.

M&D Cleaning Service Provides top-notch commercial and janitorial services to businesses of all sizes. They specialize in creating pristine and hygienic environments that enhance productivity and leave a lasting impression.

Jasmine Price, born and raised in Northern Virginia, is the founder of a family-owned business established in 2014. The company was built upon a simple idea – the desire to assist people with cleaning and organization. Jasmine's passion for cleaning has flourished over the five years the business has been operating.

Throughout this time, Jasmine and her dedicated team have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know the most amazing customers in the DMV. The mission plan for Jasmine's business is centered around providing exceptional customer service. While acknowledging that they may not be perfect and could miss a few things, the commitment is to approach each space with the best customer service and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

Timestamps

Intelligent Office of Alexandria offers 23 private offices and three meeting rooms, two of which can be configured in many ways to meet your meeting or training needs.

Relevant Links:

Intelligent Office of Alexandria – https://www.intelligentoffice.com/virginia/alexandria

M&D Cleaning Services – https://manddcleaningservice.com/

DMV Resources – https://dmvceo.com/resources

BNI Chapter – https://dmvceo.com/resources/#franchisenetworking

Additional Resources:

Download our FREE CEO Hacks Guide and subscribe to our newsletter to help you be more effective and efficient – https://cbnation.co/newsletter/

Check out more CEO Hacks that help you be more effective and efficient – https://ceohack.co/

Freshdesk (An online cloud-based customer service software providing helpdesk support with all smart automations to get things done faster. – https://ceohack.co/refer/freshdesk

About Intelligent Office Alexandria

Discover the ideal workspace solutions with Intelligent Office Alexandria! Whether you're in need of a virtual receptionist, private office space, or a flexible conference room for hourly rental, our experienced and dedicated staff is here to help you achieve your business goals.

Intelligent Office of Alexandria boasts 23 private offices and three meeting rooms, two of which are customizable to suit various meeting or training requirements. Located in a Class A building, our facility offers complimentary surface parking, access to an on-site fitness center, high-speed internet, and more!

Explore our range of services, including:

Virtual Reception Services

Business Address

Mail Services

Arranged Access to Our Other Washington D.C. Intelligent Office Locations

Private Office Space for 1–5 People

Conference Room Rentals

Ongoing Professional Development Seminars

Elevate your business presence and functionality with Intelligent Office Alexandria – where your success is our priority!

This is a sponsored post.

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IAM1909 – CEO Leads Healthcare Innovations

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 22:31:32 -0500

Why it was selected for “CBNation Architects”:
In this episode of IAMCEO podcast, Gerry Miller, CEO of Cloudticity, discusses his extensive experience in the technology industry and how he leads healthcare innovations at Cloudticity.
Gerry Miller is a serial entrepreneur and healthcare fanatic with over 30 years in the technology sector. He has held multiple executive roles, including COO at ePrize, CTO at Microsoft's US Central Region, and Global Business Unit Leader at Microsoft overseeing General Motors. Gerry currently holds all five AWS certifications.
Cloudticity is a company that strives to revolutionize healthcare utilizing cloud technologies, enabling improved clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

16 Entrepreneurs Share Their Favorite CEO Hack/Resource That Makes Them Successful

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 12:16:51 -0500
As an entrepreneur, you have that gadget, habit, app, or book that makes your work easier, and motivates you to do more and that’s what we refer to as a CEO Hack. It helps you achieve maximum productivity and stick to your goals regardless of the hurdles you face as an entrepreneur. For instance, it […]

11 Entrepreneurs Share How They Incorporate Innovation Within Their Organization

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:16:29 -0400

Innovation lies at the heart of organizational growth and sustainability, playing a pivotal role in shaping a company's competitive edge in today's dynamic business landscape. Incorporating innovation within an organization demands a holistic approach that embraces creativity, technology, and a culture of continuous improvement. By fostering an environment that encourages curiosity and risk-taking, organizations can effectively nurture a mindset where novel ideas are not only welcomed but actively sought after.

We asked entrepreneurs, and business owners how they incorporate innovation within their organization. Here are the responses.

#1- By leading passion projects

Photo Credit: Ryan Stone

We're a creative organization, and we recognize that everyone in the team wants their own sense of creative freedom. To accommodate that, we offer the opportunity to lead on ‘passion projects' – projects that don't serve financial aims or adhere to client requirements. Instead, they are projects where we retain 100% of the creative freedom to innovate. The company invests both time and money in these projects and grants autonomy to the team member who kickstarted the project.

Thanks to Ryan Stone, Lambda Films!

#2- By encouraging curiosity and experimentation

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

It's not only vital to foster a culture that values innovation but also one that thrives on it. To do this, we've embraced an approach that encourages curiosity and experimentation across the board. It begins with providing our team with the resources and opportunities to explore new tools and ideas together. For instance, when we faced the challenge of establishing a seamless communication channel between our clients and their dedicated support agents, we harnessed our team's collective intelligence.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided!

#3- By encouraging creativity

Photo Credit: Paul Mario Vratusha

Incorporating innovation within my organization has been a journey filled with learning and adaptability. It's about fostering a culture that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. I've found that providing a safe space for my team to voice their ideas, no matter how unconventional, is crucial. I actively seek to stay updated with industry trends and emerging technologies. This helps me identify opportunities to integrate innovation. More than that, I believe in leading by example. I strive to model innovative thinking by constantly exploring new methods and ideas myself.

Thanks to Paul Mario Vratusha, D-Studio Consulting!

#4- By experimenting with different solutions

Photo Credit: Lily Stoyanov

At Transformify, we believe that innovation is the key to success in the digital era. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our platform, our services, and our impact on society. We foster a culture of innovation within our organization by encouraging our team members to share their ideas, experiment with different solutions, and learn from their failures. We also collaborate with other innovative organizations and partners to create synergies and leverage best practices.

Thanks to Lily Stoyanov, Transformify!

#5- By developing new ideas

Photo Credit: Priyanka Swamy

Innovation is at the heart of our business. We encourage our team to develop new ideas regularly and create an environment where everyone is encouraged to try new things. To implement innovation, we analyze industry trends, customer insights, and market research regularly. We invest in R&D to develop new products and enhance existing ones. We build relationships and collaborate with other companies in related industries to get new ideas and perspectives. We also like to keep our staff up-to-date with the latest tech and practices.

Thanks to Priyanka Swamy, Perfect Locks Hair Company!

#6- Using a diversification strategy

Photo Credit: Shannon Birthisel

IDL has embodied innovation and a full brand update and name change this year was a big step towards showcasing that to the staff, supporters, and clients. This name change from Idyll Wine Co to IDL in January 2023 cemented IDL's diversification strategy as they positioned themselves as more than just a winery. With a growing portfolio of cider, ready-to-drink spirit-based products, non-alcoholic products, and increased manufacturing capabilities the Idyll Wine Co. name no longer reflected the innovative, forward-thinking, and dynamic nature of their daily operations.

Thanks to Shannon Birthisel, IDL!

#7- Through various ways

Photo Credit: Andrew Chung

We incorporate innovation through several practices and initiatives at Bestcafedesigns dot com. In the space of weeks we translated an idea from thin air into a website with a global audience on cafe designs. This site is enjoyed by designers, and travelers and allows cafe operators a space to promote their cafe in a fun and new niche format. We used Upwork to identify tasks that could be outsourced and more promptly attended with specialist talent, that otherwise couldn’t have been executed by the original team.

Thanks to Andrew Chung, Bestcafedesigns.com!

#8- By empowering employees

Photo Crdit: Cort Adair

To foster innovation, we maintain a culture that encourages every team member to contribute innovative ideas and solutions. Our leadership philosophy emphasizes staying humble and continuously learning, recognizing that innovation can come from anyone, regardless of position. We also regularly assess market trends and conduct competitive analysis, allowing us to adapt swiftly. Embracing change and empowering our employees to contribute to our evolution have been central to our success.

Thanks to Cort Adair, ShirtMax!

#9- By pushing ourselves

Photo Credit: Thomas Samuels

One of the best ways for us to incorporate innovation into our company is to push ourselves with customer projects when the opportunity arises. Our job is to determine if it’s doable and help them make it happen if we can. This openness to new and exciting projects is a major way we’ve expanded our capabilities in the past, from working with LED video walls for booths to incorporating games like skee ball or mini golf into an exhibit. By working on these projects, we get new ideas for future work, learn how to streamline new processes for next time and refresh our portfolio with pieces that attract other innovative projects

Thanks to Thomas Samuels, Cardinal Expo!

#10- By embracing uncertainty

Photo Credit: Solomon Thimothy

To incorporate innovation into your organization, it's crucial to understand the distinction between invention and innovation. Embrace uncertainty and don't wait for a predefined map. Cultivate a culture of creativity and experimentation, dedicating a portion of your time and resources to testing new ideas. Consider establishing a dedicated R&D or “Labs” department, providing them the autonomy and resources to pioneer groundbreaking innovations. Encourage your team to think differently and foster an environment where trying new things and taking calculated risks is valued.

Thanks to Solomon Thimothy, Clickx!

#11- By teaching employees

Photo Credit: Andy LaPointe

We foster innovation within our gourmet food business by teaching our employees how important our gourmet food pr

Ready to tell your story? Podcast Day at Intelligent Office in Alexandria Virginia

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:15:31 -0400

Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 10am – 4pm

Location: Recording at Intelligent Office in Alexandria, VA

Details: For more information and to secure your 30-minute slot, call 703-224-8800

Availability is on a first-come-first-served basis

More Information: Want to tell your story? Blue16 Media will have LIVE podcast recordings for the I AM CEO Podcast at Intelligent Office of Alexandria on Wednesday, November 15 from 10am-4pm. You must sign up to participate for the limited slots. Sign up for a 30-minute slot to tell your story and talk about what you lean on to make your business more effective and efficient. The interviews will be around 15-25 minutes. Interviews will go live in early 2024. To reserve your slot, call Intelligent Office of Alexandria at 703-224-8800. Availability is on a first-come first-served basis.

8 Entrepreneurs Reveal How They Have Failed and What They’ve Learnt

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:16:51 -0400

In the face of failure, entrepreneurs come to recognize their transformative power, utilizing setbacks as a means for personal and professional advancement. It is through past challenges and errors that we grasp the significance of perseverance and flexibility, understanding that each stumble is an opportunity for growth. These experiences foster a deep sense of introspection, emphasizing the importance of embracing failure as a stepping stone towards success, showcasing resilience and determination to emerge stronger from adversity.

We asked entrepreneurs, and business owners how they have failed and what they have learnt. Here are some responses.

#1- Align with your power

Photo Credit: Jane Baker

I failed after achieving success, it happened because I forgot my own power, what really worked for me, who I really was, and what I really wanted. I ended up listening to too much noise around me and took paths that were really not the best ones for me. This mistake meant that slowly, I ended up going from success into struggle. The valuable lesson I learned is that everyone has their own unique superpowers, what is right for someone else is simply not always going to be right for you and it's more important to ensure the advice you‘re taking and acting upon is actually in alignment with you.

Thanks to Jane Baker, House Of Motorsport Brokerage!

#2- Don't be afraid to pivot

Photo Credit: Lily Stoyanov

I am an entrepreneur and CEO of Transformify, a platform that connects freelancers and businesses around the world. I have failed many times in my journey, but I have learned valuable lessons from each setback. Don't be afraid to pivot. You have to be flexible and willing to adapt to changing customer demands and feedback. Don't try to do everything yourself. You need to delegate tasks, outsource functions, and hire experts who can help you grow your business. Don't neglect your personal life. You need to find a balance between work and life and make time for yourself and your loved ones.

Thanks to Lily Stoyanov, Transformify Ltd!

#3- Be resilient and do market research

Photo Credit: Matt Little

One of the biggest mistakes I made was jumping in without doing enough research on a new market. I didn't realize how important it was to understand the local culture, and I made a product that didn't do what it was supposed to. Another mistake I made was hiring. It's about finding people who share your values and goals. These mistakes have taught me how to be resilient, how important it is to do your homework, and how to create a great team. Remember to embrace your mistakes because they're the key to success.

Thanks to Matt Little, Festoon House!

#4- Prioritize the fundamentals

Photo Credit: Tom Walls

Early on, I was so caught up in the excitement of the business – the creative and enjoyable aspects. What I failed to realize was that the behind-the-scenes operations are just as crucial. It's like trying to build a sandcastle without a solid foundation. The takeaway here was clear: prioritize the fundamentals of the business first. Establish a robust operational framework, and only then indulge in the more thrilling aspects without the looming concern of a structural collapse. Striking a balance between passion and pragmatism turned out to be the key to sustainable growth and success.

Thanks to Tom Walls, The Modern Back!

#5- Embrace the value of sales

Photo Credit: Namanh Hoang

I can confidently say I'm a seasoned startup failure. As funny as it sounds, it's something I'm proud of because I've learned tremendously from those experiences. Among these failures, one of the greatest I've had to overcome is undervaluing skills outside of my core competency. As a designer and engineer, it is common for me to undervalue sales. No matter how good your product is, you may need someone to convince people to buy into the idea. A good salesperson has the emotional quotient to craft and deliver messaging that resonates with different audiences. It's essential since capital funding is often the leading cause of startup failures.

Thanks to Namanh Hoang, Ask Nam!

#6- Partnerships should be a thoughtful decision

Photo Credit: Dmytro Sokhach

Stepping into various partnerships should be a thoughtful decision. I recall one partnership that cost me both time and money. The essence of any partnership is being on the same page and having that shared passion for the project. One partner I had was juggling work with me alongside another project, waiting to see which one took off faster. As a result, the quality of the work he promised to deliver wasn't up to the mark. We eventually had to shut the project down. That wavering partner, who couldn't make up his mind, is now working a regular job.

Thanks to Dmytro Sokhach, Editorial Link!

#7- Think through the details

Photo Credit: Julia Shih

When I started out, we decided to include hemp-based CBD in our formula. We didn't anticipate, that banks are federally regulated and wouldn't work with companies that sold CBD. Any credit card processing could only be done through small, less reputable processors. We had two processors who ran off with all of our transactions. My advice to those venturing out to start their own businesses is to really think through the details in that planning stage—do as much research as possible, and be aware of every aspect of your business that will affect you.

Thanks to Julia Shih, Body + Soul!

#8- Have a team of advisers

Photo Credit: Kraig Kleeman

At the inception of my first company, we accomplished the remarkable feat of soaring from zero revenue to an impressive $30 million in annual sales within just 4 years. During this rise, our most critical marketing partner began showing a keen interest in acquiring our company. This led to intense negotiations and seemingly endless due diligence. When considering the sale of your company, prioritize actively engaging potential acquiring partners and invest significant effort into fostering a competitive bidding environment. Additionally, ensure you have a team of advisors by your side.

Thanks to Kraig Kleeman, The New Workforce!

How have you failed? What did you learn? Tell us in the comments below. Don’t forget to join our #IamCEOCommunity.

IAM1904 – CEO Provides Access to Mental Health and Fitness Resources

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:37:32 -0400

Why it was selected for “CBNation Architects”:
In this episode of IAMCEO podcast, Corey Lewis, CEO and Founder of 1AND1 LIFE, shares his journey of promoting mental health and wellness, particularly among the African-American community.
Corey's platform, 1AND1 LIFE, is dedicated to curating and customizing content, tools, and products that address the lack of mental health and fitness resources available for African Americans, especially men. The content curated by Corey and his team seeks to define what mental health and wellness mean to the Black Community and aims to break the associated stigma.
Besides mental health advocacy, Corey is also passionate about performance

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

Monday Motivation: Decide What You Want. Make a Plan and Work on That…Every. Single. Day

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:16:38 -0400

This motivational video is to help CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners start the week off inspired to become great.

Here are some takeaways from the video:

It's not what you're capable of, it's what you're willing to do

Will is a powerful thing, what are you willing to do?

How can you be strong unless you were once weak?

Attack like you're trying to save the world

Resilience in life is the proper preparation

30 Entrepreneurs Share Essential Skills One Needs to be a CEO

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 12:16:16 -0400

There are skills one has to adapt to be an effective and efficient CEO. Anyone can be a CEO. “It’s within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO,” says Martha Stewart. The most common skills are decision-making, being the leader of the team, and communication. Some CEOs are born with these skills while others have to acquire them through consistent practice. As a CEO, you have to remind yourself it's not always about you and you should practice servant leadership.

We asked entrepreneurs what critical skills one must have to be a CEO and here are the awesome responses

#1- Three skills

Photo Credit: Mitch Chailland

The amalgamation of visionary leadership, adept decision-making, and interpersonal skills sets a CEO apart. A CEO or any individual in a leadership role, should inspire trust, foster collaboration, and create an environment where employees feel comfortable challenging themselves and taking risks, even if they don’t always work out. Moreover, adaptability is crucial, especially as the workforce continues to shift to more remote work. Ultimately, any leadership role demands a holistic approach where strategic planning meets human-focused leadership.

Thanks to Mitch Chailland, Online Optimism!

#2- Leading and delegating

Photo Credit: Thomas Samuels

Leading and delegating are two important skills that go hand in hand for a CEO. Plenty of business owners run into trouble when they lack the ability to delegate work effectively. They end up with too much on their plate, which can lead to delays, errors, inefficiencies, and lower quality. Or they micromanage their staff and risk losing or underutilizing their talent. At the same time, as you delegate more work you need to keep everyone on the same page, motivated, and following the same set of values. Strong leadership skills are necessary to set the tone for a company’s culture, inspire your team, and rally everyone around a common goal.

Thanks Thomas Samuels, Cardinal Expo!

#3- Confidence

Photo Credit: Shideh Kaviani

The most essential leadership skill for an entrepreneur is confidence. Confidence in yourself, in your business and in your team is imperative to operating a successful business. Your team members look up to you and will feed off the confidence you have in yourself. Your team will feed off the confidence you have in your business, and thus in the work that they are doing. Your team will feed off the confidence you instil in themselves, which will help them work at maximum motivation and morale.

Thanks to Shideh Kaviani, Naked Wardrobe!

#4- Problem solving skills

Photo Credit: Stephanie Venn-Watson

A CEO must have strong problem-solving skills to tackle any issues that may arise. Businesses will consistently face challenges as the company develops over time. Whether it's industry changes, employee retention or technology issues that are out of our control, it's important for CEOs to remain level-headed and determine a solution quickly and effectively. How a CEO responds to those challenges will determine a company’s success.

Thanks to Stephanie Venn-Watson, Fatty15!

#5- Effective leadership

Photo Credit: Steven Light

One essential skill needed to be a successful CEO is effective leadership. CEOs must inspire and guide their teams, set a clear vision, make strategic decisions, and lead by example. Strong leadership encompasses the ability to communicate a compelling vision, delegate tasks effectively, solve complex problems, and adapt to changing business environments. It also involves being empathetic, approachable, and able to motivate and align the organization toward common goals. Leadership is a cornerstone skill that underpins a CEO's ability to drive their company's success.

Thanks to Steven Light, Avenue B!

#6- Self-awareness

Photo Credit: Cheshtha Lakhchaura

One often overlooked but crucial skill for a CEO is self-awareness. It's about understanding yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, what drives you, and how you handle your feelings. Being self-aware is a game-changer for CEOs because it helps in making better decisions. When you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can make choices that align with your values. It's important to know yourself and build strong connections with your team. Listening is a goldmine for understanding what's happening. Staying humble, learning from mistakes, and staying super passionate about your business are must-haves.

Thanks to Cheshtha Lakhchaura, Gleexa!

#7- Setting a positive example

Photo Credit: Loren Howard

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I've learned that the ability to lead, inspire, and collaborate with a team is essential. CEOs must be visionaries, capable of not only creating a clear and inspiring vision for their company but also rallying their team around that vision. Leadership extends beyond decision-making; it's about setting a positive example, fostering a culture of innovation, and continuously striving for growth. So, for aspiring CEOs, honing your leadership abilities should be a top priority on your journey to success.

Thanks to Loren Howard, Prime Plus Mortgages!

#8- Collaboration

Photo Credit: Dr. Miles Beckett

CEO's must remain open to the idea of collaboration. While the initial dream could be to work entirely for yourself, call all the shots, and not share any of the profits, the truth is that you will probably need some help. Even if it's just a little bit of outsourcing, you eventually need to accept that you cannot always do everything alone. Be grateful to those who are willing to help and understand that team efforts can often expedite the progress of a business.

Thanks to Dr. Miles Beckett, Flossy!

#9- Building an outstanding team

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

Building an outstanding team is your ticket to success, and leaders who can both attract and keep top talent are like the magic wand of productivity. To unleash their full potential, you've got to create a team that's all in—one that's deeply committed to your organization's growth. And it's not just about wooing highly qualified candidates with perks like signing bonuses and competitive salaries. To keep those star players in your corner, you've got to build an environment where they're encouraged to shine their brightest because they believe wholeheartedly in your mission.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided!

#10- Leadership

Photo Credit: Johannes Larsson

Being a CEO is not just about being the boss. It's about leadership. The skills which I've developed as a solopreneur, have led me to becoming the CEO of a multi-million-dollar global business with only a team of 70 remote members in less than a decade. Soft skills such as communication, empathy and having a vision which your team believe in are essential for talent retention and loyalty. Then there are other skills such as effective delegation and team building, financial acumen, strategic thinking, and storytelling which will not only impact your leadership but also your bottom line.

Thanks to Johannes Larsson, Financer.com!

#11- Adaptability

Photo Credit: James Emery

As the co-founder and CEO of The Neighbours Cellar, a business that specializes in personalized wine gift boxes, I've found that adaptability, people management, and a keen eye for detail are essential skills for the role. Adaptability allows you to respond to market changes and customer demands effectively, especially in an industry as dynamic as e-commerce. People management is crucial, not just for leading your team but also for understanding customer needs and maintaining relationships with suppliers.

Thanks to James Emery, The Neighbours Cellar!

#12- Emotional intelligence

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

25 Entrepreneurs Explain Their Motivation to Grow Their Business

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:16:29 -0400

Being an entrepreneur or business owner has its share of ups and downs. While the downs can be pretty low the ups always seem to triumph for a true entrepreneur at heart. Milestones are what entrepreneurs and business owners work towards. Once you finally reach a certain point then reflection can truly begin. Finding the motivation in growing your business keeps it from becoming stale in the long run. No matter which part you love most, loving them all is equally as important.

We asked entrepreneurs and business owners what motivates them about growing their business and below are their replies.

#1- Empowering women to reach their potential

Photo Credit: Roopa Gulati

My motivation for growing “The Style and Mindset Connection” is deeply rooted in my passion for helping independent professional women reach their full potential. Many of these women have faced challenges that have affected their self-esteem and hindered their professional growth. By expanding my business, I can reach and empower more of these incredible women, helping them regain confidence, improve their mindset, and elevate their personal and professional lives. It's immensely rewarding to witness their transformation and see the positive impact it has on their productivity and results.

Thanks to Roopa Gulati, The Style and Mindset Connection!

#2- Passion and purpose

Photo Credit: Daniyal Sanaullah

Growing our business is driven by a deep passion for what we do. We started SocialSharings because we believe in the power of connecting people and businesses through social media. Every day, we see the positive impact our platform has on individuals and brands, and that's what keeps us going. The thrill of innovation and the desire to make a difference in the world through technology constantly fuels our drive. We also understand that growth brings opportunities for our team to learn and develop, which is incredibly motivating. Ultimately, our journey to grow SocialSharings is fueled by a combination of passion, purpose, and the pursuit of excellence.

Thanks to Daniyal Sanaullah, SocialSharings!

#3- Love of travel

Photo Credit: James Smith

First and foremost, I am motivated by a love of travel and a faith in the transformative powers of travel. Travel-Lingual was founded to make travel more accessible and rewarding for people of all backgrounds.In addition to passion, the need to innovate and make a difference is a major factor. In conclusion, I am driven by the outstanding individuals on my team. Their commitment, ingenuity, and collective vision motivate me to lead and expand Travel-Lingual into a global leader in the travel sector. Together, we are redefining the way people travel, and that is a journey that excites me daily.

Thanks to James Smith, Travel-Lingual!

#4- Independence and market share

Photo Credit: Percy Grunwald

When I started my business, there were several factors that I considered. The main reason for entrepreneurship is usually that people want to be their boss and avoid corporate slavery. When there is no profit sharing, the motivation to grow increases, regardless of the several challenges involved such as capital, the risks involved, and competition. Market share: My marketing team has successfully run some large-scale social media marketing campaigns which lead to great sales boosts. This gave me the motivation to grow my business.

Thanks to Percy Grunwald, hostingdata.com!

#5- Maximize impact

Photo Credit: Alex Freeburg

So, why do I want to grow my business? Simple — expand reach, maximize impact. My motivation is rooted in the knowledge that there are so many people out there who need legal guidance but are either unsure where to turn or hesitant due to the complexities of the legal system. When you can make the legal process more accessible and human, it's not just good business — it's socially responsible. Just like a lifebuoy in the open sea, legal help can be a lifesaver, and the more people we can throw that lifeline to, the better.

Thanks to Alex Freeburg, Freeburg Law!

#6- Passion for well-being of pets

Photo Credit: Mathew Coulton

First off, as the founder of “Gentle Dog Trainers,” I'm incredibly passionate about the well-being of our furry friends. This passion has driven me to create a platform where dog owners can find not just trainers, but compassionate professionals who understand the importance of positive reinforcement and empathy in training. It's a mission close to my heart, and it's what motivates me every day. Now, let's talk about what motivates other entrepreneurs and business owners to grow their businesses. Motivation can vary widely, but there are some common themes that resonate with many of us.

Thanks to Mathew Coulton, Gentle Dog Trainers!

#7- Enriching customer experiences

Photo Credit: Andy LaPointe

The motivation to grow our nationally award-winning gourmet food company, Traverse Bay Farms, is our ability to be a part of the life experience of countless people. We understand our customer buy our products for the special events and experiences in their lives. For example, our products are being enjoyed during birthday parties, graduations, engagement parties, baby showers, more. This means we aren't cherry juice concentrate in a bottle, we are helping our clients enjoy memorable moments in their lives.

Thanks to Andy LaPointe, Traverse Bay Farms!

#8- Empowering children and families

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

Every child deserves to thrive, no matter what challenges they face. Throughout my experience, I have seen firsthand the incredible strength and determination of families raising children with disabilities and learning differences. Our goal is to provide them with the tools and resources they need to navigate this unpredictable journey. This way, we can help parents and caregivers better understand and meet their children's specific needs, resulting in the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided.io!

#9- Passion and personal growth

Photo Credit: Tabatha Farnel

My motivation to grow my business stems from a combination of personal and professional factors. First and foremost, I'm driven by a passion for what I do. I'm driven to share my enthusiasm and make a positive impact in people's lives. This intrinsic motivation fuels my desire to expand and reach a broader audience. Additionally, I'm inspired by the opportunity for the learning and creativity that growth brings. Growing my business allows me to take on new challenges and continuously evolve both personally and professionally.

Thanks to Tabatha Farnel, Aroma Authority!

#10- Take on new challenges and continuously evolve

Photo Credit: Ankit Prakash

At the core, my motivation to grow my software product technology company isn't merely about revenue figures or market dominance. Think of it as cultivating a garden; each product we develop, each client we assist, and every retail, D2C ecommerce, and SaaS business I mentor, are seeds we're sowing. As these seeds flourish, they transform into flowers—representing innovation, solutions, and transformative impacts. Managing my AI and software products team directly, I've witnessed first-hand the ripple effect of empowering small, high-performing teams.

Thanks to Ankit Prakash, Sprout24!

#11- Fostering growth and innovation

Photo Credit: Christian Piller

Shrinkage includes inventory loss from other sources like returns fraud and human error. The current returns process has too many touchpoints where shrinkage can happen. The expansion of e-commerce should also bring about seeing returns as a strategic lever, similar to how companies used faster delivery to drive customer experience and revenue.

Thanks to Christian Piller, Pollen Returns!

#2- Envisioning a strategic direction

Photo Credit: Danielle Sabrina

I think that it is of paramount importance for a CEO to possess the ability to envision a strategic direction and be able to conceptualize the path required to realize that vision. Often underestimated, intuition serves as a vital resource for an effective CEO, allowing them to navigate situations characterized by limited data yet full of potentially lucrative opportunities. Another critical attribute for a CEO is an acute sense of self-awareness.

Thanks to Danielle Sabrina, Society22 PR!

#3- Investing both time and finance

Photo Credit: Jonathan Hussey

The biggest thing for me is to understand what you're undertaking before you start. Services like Shopify and BigCommerce have given many people the impression that eCommerce is an easy industry to succeed in. The reality is that eCommerce is not quick, easy, or cheap, and getting your store online is only a small part of the battle. You need to be prepared for hard work and to invest significantly both in time and financially if you expect to compete, and succeed. However, if you do manage to find success, the rewards can be significant.

Thanks to Jonathan Hussey, Developer Connection!

#4- Invest in content marketing

Photo Credit: Alex Nigmatulin

As entrepreneurs and business owners, one of our top tips for building a successful e-commerce venture is to invest in content marketing right from day one. While platforms like Instagram offer a great starting point, the key to differentiation lies in the age-old strategy of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By creating high-quality, engaging content on your website, you drive sustained traffic over the long term and establish yourself as a reliable player in the market.

Thanks to Alex Nigmatulin, PRNEWS.IO!

#5- Calculate stock reorder levels

Photo Credit: Dani Mechlowitz

When building an e-commerce business, it's essential to keep track of your inventory to avoid sell-out periods. In that initial growth phase, running out of stock can be detrimental and slow down the momentum of your business growth. As soon as you have 2-3 months' worth of sales data to work with, use a formula to calculate stock reorder levels to ensure you always have stock ready to go, especially if you're promoting your products on platforms known for viral content, like TikTok.

Thanks to Dani Mechlowitz, Delta Fulfilment!

#6- Hire an attorney and SEO expert

Photo Credit: Priscilla Christine

When establishing your business, there are several essential tips to keep in mind for long-term success. First and foremost, consider hiring an attorney to assist you in setting up your business structure, drafting contracts, and establishing store policies. I also suggest protecting your brand by trademarking your business name, ensuring it's uniquely yours. With an e-commerce business, it will be difficult to succeed without a strong online presence so you should prioritize SEO by either hiring an expert or researching how to optimize your digital efforts.

Thanks to Priscilla Christine, The Little Catholic!

#7- Differente from the competition

Photo Credit: Chris Gerbig

The key to success for a new e-commerce business owner would be to find something that differentiates from the competition. There has to be some sort of ‘angle’ or unique aspect of the business that allows the company to stand out. Think of it from the customer's perspective – Why should this customer shop from your store instead of the other stores selling this product? Without separating yourself from competitors, it will be more difficult to succeed in an already flooded market.

Thanks to Chris Gerbig, Pink Lily!

#8- Focusing on digital marketing and UX

Photo Credit: Todd Simon

For 60 years decades, my family’s 106-year-old business has provided at-home delivery services for gourmet meat lovers. These days, we have a strong e-commerce presence – focusing heavily on digital marketing and user experience, providing deals and promotions throughout the year on the Omaha Steaks website. Across these efforts, we strive to keep consumers engaged by offering tips from butchers, recipes from our chefs, and tutorials on how to prepare your food.

Thanks to Todd Simon, Omaha Steaks!

#9- Design a user-friendly e-commerce website

Photo Credit: Brian David Crane

Designing a fully functional and user-friendly e-commerce website is critical for an e-commerce business. A website is a digital storefront for customers to order and place products in their online shopping cart. The first step is to have a domain name that matches your business name. One can choose to build their online eCommerce shops on inclusive and pre-made e-commerce shopping software platforms like Woocommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, or Magento based on what suits their bandwidth and individual needs and how they will manage inventory and shipping orders.

Thanks to Brian David Crane, Caller Smart!

#10- Go offline

Photo Credit: Jane Harbison

An important part of growing an online business is going offline. There are many ways to do this, including going onto other people’s podcasts, talking at events, attending local Chamber of Commerce functions, talking about what you do at parties, and writing articles for other people’s publications like this one. But if you are an introvert, all this public speaking and networking may terrify you. There is one cheap and often forgotten way. It is to wear your business on a T-shirt.

Thanks to Jane Harbison, Jane Harbison Design!

#11- Optimize the online shopping cart

Photo Credit: Stephanie Venn-Watson

Losing customers during the checkout process is a major pain point for eCommerce merchants. Therefore, I recommend fully optimizing your online shopping cart to eliminate pain points. Ensure your checkout experience is fast and straightforward. Consider implementing a one-click buying option so customers can purchase items instantly. By eliminating a long and complicated payment process, shoppers are much more likely to complete their purchases.

Thanks to Stephanie Venn-Watson, fatty15!

#12- Focus on UX and website design

Photo Credit: Steven Light

Prioritize user experience (UX) and website design. A well-designed, user-friendly website can significantly impact your business‘s success. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-responsive to cater to a diverse audience. Implement clear product categorization, intuitive search functionality, and a streamlined checkout process. High-quality product images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews can also enhance the user experience.

Thanks to Steven Light, Avenue B!

#13- Pay attention to product pages

Photo Credit: Nikhil Jogia

When operating an e-commerce business, your product pages are your frontline sales team — only there's no room for negotiation. Every element on the page needs to be tuned to help convert visits into sales. I can't overemphasize the importance of high-quality images and thorough, easy-to-understand descriptions. We've found that this approach encourages customers to make purchases and establishes a level of trust that turns them into repeat clients.

Thanks to Nikhil Jogia, Jogia Diamonds!

#14- Blend technology and marketing

Photo Credit: James Emery

Building an e-commerce business like The Neighbours Cellar involves a blend of technology, marketing, and customer-centricity. First, invest in a reliable and scalable e-commerce platform that can adapt as your business grows; we opted for Shopify for its robustness and ease of use. Second, focus on digital marketing channels that align with your target audience—SEO, social media, and email marketing have been invaluable for us.

Thanks to James Emery, The Neighbours Cellar!

#15- Build customer loyalty

Photo Credit: Liz Raad

We can safely say that e-commerce is among the most common types of online business. And yet, it’s surprising how hesitant small businesses are to engage in loyalty programs. And that can make or break your customer retention, especially in the early stages. If you’re still building your customer base, you can offer referrals for expensive products/services or first-time buyer incentives – for example, a free gift or special discount with the second purchase.

Thanks to Liz Raad, eBusiness Institute!

#16- Focus on traffic-generating skill

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

Monday Motivation: You Must Come Back And Finish What You Started

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 09:16:14 -0400

This motivational video is to help CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners start the week off inspired to become great.

Here are some takeaways from the video:

Sorround yourself with people who will challenge you to grow

Control what you can control

There is a light within ourselves that can guide us forward during the darkest of times

The best version of yourself is yet to be revealed to the world

27 Entrepreneurs List Their Favorite Business Books

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 12:16:24 -0400

As musician Frank Zappa once said, “So many books, so little time.” For a business owner or budding entrepreneur, books can be a life preserver. Of course, valuable lessons often come from doing. Business lessons can be learned by trial and error and by putting yourself out on the line. But the same lessons can also be learned from a book. Reading about the errors and triumphs of other business leaders can prevent you from making mistakes and push you in the direction of success. Beyond lessons, a good business book can inspire you to lift your business to an even higher level.

Below is a selection of business books chosen as favorites by entrepreneurs and business owners.

#1- “Good to Great” by Jim Collins

Photo Credit: Vikas Kaushik

Collins' ideas on focused thinking, exacting action, and unshakable dedication to excellence have perfectly complemented my customer-focused mindset and TechAhead's quest for digital transformation expertise. “Good to Great” emphasizes the importance of consistent discipline, technology-enabled agility, and a team-driven strategy, just as TechAhead works to exceed client expectations through new mobile apps and digital solutions.

Thanks to Vikas Kaushik, TechAhead!

#2- “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek

Photo Credit: Mark Buskuhl

This great book by Simon Sinek tells the story of how leaders can inspire others to take action through a simple but powerful model, which he calls the Golden Circle. It focuses on understanding why we do things and how those reasons can become motivating forces for people. It also explains how our why can drive our success and help us achieve more. Sinek explains his theory by using real-life examples from some of the world's most successful companies, including Apple, Starbucks, and Google.

Thanks to Mark Buskuhl, Ninebird Properties!

#3- All You Need to Know About the Music Business

Photo Credit: Alyssa J. Devine

“All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by attorney Donald S. Passman provides practical insight for creatives with limited knowledge of business principles. The book begins by providing a 10,000-foot view of the music industry and the different considerations involved with hiring an attorney, accountant, and other business professionals. Passman uses plain language to describe the recent changes in the law (and standard business practices) that have affected and will continue to impact the music industry, such as streaming and the Music Modernization Act (MMA).

Thanks to Alyssa J. Devine, Purple Fox Legal!

#4- “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

Photo Credit: Nicholas Dragolea

My favorite business book is the classic “Think and Grow Rich” as it has been an essential cornerstone in my journey as an entrepreneur. Not a huge reader myself, it’s actually the only book that I found myself reading three times! Authored by Napoleon Hill, the book focuses on priceless business advice on positive thinking and overcoming adversity both in business and in personal life. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone whether in their teens, twenties, or later in life.

Thanks to Nicholas Dragolea, Fetched!

#5- “Playing to Win” by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin

Photo Credit: Corwin Smith

I recommend Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin as my go-to book. This book is the perfect example of strategic thinking. It is about identifying where you’re going to play in the marketplace, which customers you’re going to serve, and how you secure those customers. The book also teaches you that not all customers are good customers.

Thanks to Corwin Smith, Culture to Cash!

#6- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini

Photo Credit: Evan Tunis

This classic business book is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business owners. Written by Dr. Robert Cialdini, it provides insights into the psychology of persuasion and how to be an effective negotiator and leader. It covers topics such as understanding people's motivations, creating trust with clients and customers, and mastering the art of influence. This book has been praised by entrepreneurs and business owners for its engaging writing style, practical lessons, and insights into effective communication.

Thanks to Evan Tunis, Florida Healthcare Insurance!

#7- “One Little Spark” by Marty Sklar

Photo Credit: David Brewer

Without a doubt, one of my favorite business books is ‘One Little Spark’ by Marty Sklar, the former head of Imagineering at Disney. It’s a collection of anecdotes and personal stories that incorporate Mickey’s Ten Commandments and the Disney methodology into their narrative to help the reader understand how to implement and utilize them in their professional and personal lives. It was, is, and always will be indispensable to me and the way, my business, works

Thanks to David Brewer, Protect Line!

#8- “Hard Times Create Strong Men” by Stefan Aarnio

Photo Credit: Luke Lintz

Gen Z is extremely lazy. This idea immediately brings to mind insights from Stefan Aarnio’s book “Hard Times Create Strong Men”. He drew a comparison to a cycle, where challenging times give rise to individuals with resilience. These individuals then contribute to periods of prosperity. However, during these prosperous times, a certain complacency can set in, potentially leading to a generation that faces difficulties. His explanation of this cycle sheds light on the changes within our society.

Thanks to Luke Lintz, HighKey Enterprises LLC!

#9- “Making It In Real Estate” by John McNellis

Photo Credit: Jonathan Ayala

Making It In Real Estate by John McNellis is a great deep dive into real estate investment, ownership, and development. What I loved most about the book is how super real it is. If you're in this business you'll immediately recognize the wily developers of the 1980s and the overconfidant upstarts at the turn of the century. It provides you not only with hard-hitting facts about the industry but it's more importantly filled with personal anecdotes told by a natural storyteller, who paid his dues in this business.

Thanks to Jonathan Ayala, Hudson Condos!

#10- “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

Photo Credit: Karen Green

He presents nine principles of negotiation that might be counterintuitive such as never splitting the difference! which as a sales expert and former retail buyer, I totally agree with. If you are selling to someone and they start with a ridiculously low offer, splitting the difference between that and your reasonable offer is only going to lead to a lower-than-necessary result. There is loads more valuable advice just like this and is relevant whether you are seeking out new business or negotiating with suppliers.

Thanks to Karen Green, Buyerology!

#11- “Company of One” by Paul Jarvis

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

15 Entrepreneurs Share How They Use Social Media For Their Business

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:16:08 -0400

In today's digital age, harnessing the power of social media is paramount for business success. With a global audience at your fingertips, leveraging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn has become essential for brand visibility and customer engagement. There are myriad ways to effectively utilize social media to promote and grow your business.

We asked entrepreneurs, and business owners how they use social media for business. Here are some responses.

#1- Boosting content for targeted reach

Photo Credit: Marshal Davis

I have a dedicated budget solely for boosting high-performing content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. We identify these posts based on organic engagement metrics and then boost them to reach a wider but highly targeted audience. Once identified, these posts are boosted to extend their reach to a more targeted audience, thereby amplifying their impact. This is not a haphazard tactic but a well-thought-out strategy that is in line with our broader marketing goals. The result is a more engaged audience and a more effective social media campaign.

Thanks to Marshal Davis, Ascendly Marketing!

#2- For projecting my personality and philosophy

Photo Credit: Dielle Charon

I use social media for my business by selling through social media and connecting. My leads learn my personality in my stories and my philosophy and movement inside of posts and reels. They do not get free education from me, as that stays mostly inside my coaching container, but they see my philosophy and what I stand for and they know if this aligns with them!

Thanks to Dielle Charon, Dielle Charon Coaching!

#3- Establishing recognition and credibility

Photo Credit: Adrian Miller

IMHO social media is best used for establishing recognition and credibility as long as you don't throw out drivel, falsehoods, and posts that scream you're a loser looking for a lead. I advise content that has value, humor, and honesty, and will stand behind that advice every day!

Thanks to Adrian Miller, Adrian Miller Sales Training!

#4- To build brands

Photo Credit: Luke Lintz

I started my company in 2016, and we grew it through social media marketing, Instagram specifically. We realized that what we were really good at was marketing and building brands on social media. I believe you should focus on growing your social media channels because that’s what stays with you for the entire time you're running your business. We use social media now to cement ourselves as a brand, for outreach, marketing, advertising, and even pitching sometimes.

Thanks to Luke Lintz, High Key Agency!

#5- Sharing the journey

Photo Credit: Rhett Wiseman

I first gained notoriety and recognition for my knowledge of real estate investing when I began sharing my own journey of purchasing homes and zoning them for Section 8 rentals on his YouTube channel. As I became inundated with requests from people who aspire to learn from me on how they could create their own real estate empires, build out portfolios, create long-lasting passive income, and ‘be their own boss,’ I took the leap into coaching and created my one-of-a-kind coaching program that hand-holds my clients through every step of the process.

Thanks to Rhett Wiseman, Wiseman Advising LLC!

#6- For recruiting

Photo Credit: Garry West

For me, the day always starts on LinkedIn. I can always be sure to see a post from someone I know, there’s usually something that makes me laugh, and I check in on the news in my sector. Sure, we use the platform for recruiting, and it’s a great way to generate leads, but for me, it’s all about staying up to date, reading the latest opinion pieces, and taking part in webinars, when I get the time. I’ve been using LinkedIn since I started my business; it feels like my social media home!

Thanks to Garry West, Imagefix!

#7- Align content to niche

Photo Credit: Will Allred

First, align your content to your niche. We were the first to mix objective cold email data with the reader's perspective on LinkedIn. Second, be consistent. I was able to quickly attribute revenue to my posting because of our self-service offering. It took 18 months before growth started to compound. Third, seek to help before you optimize for the algorithm. People come to social media to learn or be entertained. Fourth, the magic is in the comments. Thoughtfully respond, and comment on other's posts in your space. This will open your posts to their and their followers' feeds.

Thanks to Will Allred, Lavender!

#8- Showcase business offerings and skillsets

Photo Credit: Vanessa James

I utilize social media as a tool to showcase my various business offerings and skillsets like voiceover, on-camera hosting, and brand collaborations. It's also a fantastic way to engage daily and build community with fellow creatives across the media landscape. As new apps and tools go live, it’s also a great way to review trends and see where and how my audience is connecting and meet them where they are. I shifted my mindset years ago on social always being a place to showcase my highlight reel and moved to a place where I could showcase my work.

Thanks to Vanessa James, Vanessa James Media!

#9- To craft relevant ad messages

Photo Credit: Brian David Crane

I use social media for my business to target hyper-specific audiences through social media ads who are interested in anti-phishing and digital security tools that can help them protect their privacy. With Facebook's ad targeting options, we are able to craft relevant messages that connect with different groups of potential customers based on their behaviors, interests, and demographics and pay according to the exact number of viewers we want to reach out to.

Thanks to Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc!

#10- Infuse our personality into videos

Photo Credit: Diane Howard

It's a great way to showcase our services and products, explaining how they can benefit our clients. But we also infuse our personality into these videos to stand out – after all, aesthetics and skincare should be enjoyable and relatable. It's about making our followers feel like they're part of a community that values self-care and confidence.

Thanks to Diane Howard, Esthetic Finesse!

#11- Regularly answer questions

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

Our caregiver support platform is designed specifically to assist parents of children with disabilities and learning differences. The proverb goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.” And we feel the same, which is why we are very active and reachable on our social channels. We're part of the disability community on Instagram, where we regularly answer questions. And we maintain a private community on Facebook, hosting frequent live chats. These are for Undivided members, as well as other parents raising kids with disabilities, to connect, share advice, and feel supported.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided!

#12- Repost photos from satisfied customers

Photo Credit: Andrew Meyer

Our entire business is based on sustainability. We’re a digital energy advisor that automatically lowers your electric rate and carbon footprint by switching your home or apartment to cheaper and cleaner energy sources. We do our part as well by employing a fully remote workforce. This cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions, consumption of fossil fuels and power, paper and plastic office supplies, and contributes to cleaner air. Lastly, we practice what we preach. Everyone at our company has found the right energy products and services for them. This not only saves them money but allows them to be more sustainable at the same time.

Thanks to Andrew Meyer, Arbor!

#2- Through commitment and innovation

Photo Credit: Ward Dilmore

Incorporating sustainability into my business, both as a business owner and entrepreneur, has been a journey of commitment and innovation. Here's how I've woven sustainability into the fabric of Petrus Landscape: my passion for sustainability stems from a personal connection to the environment. I've always believed that businesses can play a pivotal role in preserving the planet for future generations.

Thanks to Ward Dilmore, Petrus Landscaping!

#3- Using independent and carbon-neutral data centers

Photo Credit: Cuautemoc Weber

One of the most pertinent challenges across the blockchain landscape is figuring out how to chart a more sustainable trajectory going forward, due to the energy-intensive nature of many blockchain networks. Gateway.fm is the first truly decentralized blockchain infrastructure node provider, delivering reliable node infrastructure, best-in-class validators, and robust dev tooling support to help Web3 projects scale at pace. As part of this mission, we use independent and carbon-neutral data centers to minimize the environmental impact of operating blockchain nodes, contributing to a more sustainable and eco-friendly crypto ecosystem.

Thanks to Cuautemoc Weber, Gateway.fm!

#4- Having a strong environmental committee

Photo Credit: Mac Steer

One of the things that I try to do is make sure that my employees are engaged in our sustainability efforts. We have a strong environmental committee that meets regularly and works with me to identify new ways we can make our company more sustainable. We've implemented some great ideas from this committee, including using reusable cups instead of disposable ones at our office and offering a discount on your next purchase if you bring your own bag into our store.

Thanks to Mac Steer, Simify!

#5-Reducing carbon footprint

Photo Credit: Evan Tunis

We are working to make our business more sustainable by reducing our carbon footprint, minimizing waste, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. We are investing in solar power, improving insulation in our buildings, installing LED lights to reduce electricity consumption, and recycling materials whenever possible. We are also encouraging employees to carpool or take public transport when traveling for business purposes. Additionally, we have implemented a paperless system to reduce the amount of paper, ink, and other materials used in our operations.

Thanks to Evan Tunis, Florida Healthcare Insurance!

#6- Using UV-C air disinfection

Photo Credit: Jennifer Nuckles

The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of indoor air quality, as well as the archaic solutions that previously defined the market. But over the past few years, we’ve seen the emergence of a solution that is continuous, autonomous, disinfects air in real-time, and is sustainable and efficient: UV-C air disinfection. I believe sustainable air disinfection is the future. R-Zero is working to make our shared indoor spaces safer and more efficient, sustainable, and productive, through the use of this UV-C air disinfection technology.

Thanks to Jennifer Nuckles, R-Zero!

#7- Building a strong corporate culture

Photo Credit: Michael Podolsky

Organize your internal processes and build a corporate culture that is passed across all management levels. My team is my greatest asset, so I make sure that everyone is involved in the company’s goals, shares the same vision of success, and contributes to teamwork. We've built a culture that helps us pass the vision and values of the company across all management levels. Every employee is involved in teamwork and company goals. That is important for sustainability. We also have established standards for our services, especially among support specialists, all aimed at catering to the needs and expectations of our users and clients.

Thanks to Michael Podolsky, PissedConsumer.com!

#8- Driving sustainable apartment living

Photo Credit: Cameron Johnson

By offering living subscriptions that include all of the housewares, décor, furniture, and in-home tech that any apartment needs, we embrace the circular economy and save the equivalent of 30 trees per transaction. Our goal is to provide our users with a hassle and stress-free move but also to reduce the environmental impact associated with moving. Further, in addition to re-using as much of our inventory as we can for as long as we can, we also do our best to help our goods avoid landfills. Items that can no longer be deployed in users’ homes will be donated to homeless shelters, non-profits, and dog shelters (they love pillows and bedding) business.

Thanks to Cameron Johnson, Nickson Living!

#9- By sourcing eco-conscious vendors

Photo Credit: Marcy Kelman

As a US manufacturer of college diploma frames, we’re hyper-aware that wood and paper are two of our primary product components. That’s why we only source raw materials from eco-conscious vendors who are vetted for compliance with reforestation efforts. All of the renewable hardwoods for our frames are harvested and grown using environmentally responsible practices, and we carry a line of 100% recycled wood molding options. We'll only purchase our frame mats and backing boards from companies with proof of certification for sustainable forestry operations.

Thanks to Marcy Kelman, Church Hill Classics!

#10- Removal and recycling services of e-waste

Photo Credit: Josh Cohen

In a world saturated with materialism, the minimalist lifestyle stands as a beacon of simplicity, intentionality, and sustainability. By choosing quality over quantity and prioritizing meaningful experiences over possessions, individuals can create homes that are both clutter-free and eco-conscious. Entrepreneur Josh Cohen, Founder and President of The Junkluggers, exemplifies this approach through his pioneering work in the eco-friendly junk-removal industry.

Thanks to Josh Cohen, The Junkluggers!

#11- Using eco-friendly packaging

This motivational video is to help CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners start the week off inspired to become great.

Here are some takeaways from the video:

You are powerful more than you realize

You need a sustaining meaning that's deep and profound

To transistion, the thing you want must be greater than what you currently have

Stand up, dig in

Let those challenges raise you up