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Marketing

MarketingMindset

I just needed a kick in the butt

There comes a time in all out lives when we just need a kick in the butt. That' why I have a personal business coach. I have been getting mentored by Sandi Krakowski for the last 3 years. Most of our interaction has been in a group environment. But there are times when I have had the honour of one-on-one attention. Today was one of those times. It's one thing to have a relationship with someone and be open enough with them to admit your successes and failures. When that person is a friend, the boundaries for feedback are very different than what they are for a professional coach. Especially when that person has decades of experience building up the type of business you dream of having. If you've never had a professional coach in business, the only thing I can say is- change that! Having someone who you have empowered to speak into your life because you trust them as a friend is one thing. But as a coach, it is quite another altogether. A friend is concerned about the friendship. A coach is concerned about you achieving all you can. As such, there are things a coach will say to you that a friend (at least a good one), probably never would, because they would be concerned about hurting your feelings with "too much truth". Not a coach :) Such was the case today with my coach. You see, I had the need to have my butt kicked regarding an area in my business that I had let slip. The fact is, a good coach can kick you in the butt with love, while at the same time,…
John
December 18, 2017
Client CommunicationClient CommunicationMarketingMindsetRelationships

You CAN enjoy the entrepreneur roller coaster!

https://vimeo.com/216588462 Being an entrepreneur has it's ups and downs. But, with the proper mindset, you can enjoy the entrepreneur roller coaster! It's not about how tough you are. It simply comes down to how committed you are to serving the needs of others. Once you can get that picture clear in your mind, the stress and anxiety of being an entrepreneur will lift. The problem is usually us. Not our clients. It's how we perceive things as reality that often sets the course for how our journey will turn out. The last thing anyone wants to be around is a negative person. But dealing with the ups and downs of the unknown variables of the entrepreneurial can be overwhelming, even for the most seasoned veterans of us. The fact is, believe it or not, it's the unpredictability to the journey that you love. That's right. The very thing you hate sometimes about the unknown variables of being an entrepreneur are the very things that keep you hooked on the possibility to achieving your dream. Because vision is timeless. And it's yours. Decide who it is you want to serve and "voila", the stress of the unknown will melt away. That's what my good friend discovered when he called me with a cloud over his head. Seems he was experiencing the downward spiral of the roller coaster. When I picked up the phone, I knew something was wrong. Us entrepreneurs have a sense about these things. Anyway, it turned out that my entrepreneur buddy had got sucked into the belief that he may have made a big mistake pursuing this entrepreneur thing. It happens. But when I reminded him of the…
John
May 8, 2017
Client CommunicationMarketingMindset

I Have A Dream

I have a dream. Perhaps one of the most famous quotes in modern history. It also envelopes a hope we all have. Of realizing dreams. Of knowing today could be the day. Dreams give us the ability to hold onto the idea of what is possible. They don't even need to be our own. The hope that someone can provide by simply declaring and sharing their dreams is what separates our existence from all living creatures. We have the ability to communicate truth. Or destruction. Or fear. But the dreams we have for those beyond ourselves are the dreams that have the greatest impact on mankind. Sure we all have dreams that are focused on our goals. On our hopes and how they effect oue lives and those we love. Having dreams is sometimes the only thing that keeps us going through the daily grind of life. In a life that can sometimes seem like its sucking the wind out of us in our daily grind, dreams of what could be for our lives can be the only hope for many of us. But there is something about thinking bigger than ourselves and casting a vision that can effect others that really separates the big dreamers from the little ones. Dr Martin Luther King Jr was one of those big dreamers. He understood the unifying force that having a dream that was bigger than himself would have on the world and those within it. He understood that having big dreams meant believing what seemed impossible and calling it out into being a reality. He also understood that dreaming big could cost him everything he had- even his life. That's how…
John
January 16, 2017
Client CommunicationMarketingMindsetUncategorized

Why Your New Year’s Resolution Won’t Work

https://youtu.be/lQ6-nCLeDsI?t=4s I just love that video. The whole theme is about why your New Year's Resolution won't work. It says a lot about our motivation for change and our inability to do so. The real problem is not in our abilities though. Ironically, it's our desire to change that's part of the problem. It's not that setting goals is wrong in and of itself. The problem is in the way in which we set goals. Most of us can easily see the big picture of what we want to achieve. In the video spoof, its all about losing weight as part of our New Year's resolution. The fact is, many of us set the weight loss goal at a number that requires a long time to get there in a healthy manner. That goal, in essence, becomes too big for our minds to be able to execute in a realistic way. The problem is not in setting the goal in and of itself. Of course we should set goals. Setting goals for attaining healthy objectives is a good thing. The real problem is our inability to break that goal down into manageable, realistic "mini goals" to ensure we are successful. That becomes a real problem in achieving the desired objective, or "New Year's Resolution" and why so many of us fail when we set them. The way our brains are wired causes us to literally freeze up and not follow through on accomplishing the bigger goal when we are confronted with obstacles along the way to achieving the goal we had planned. Just like the video spoof, we get easily deterred by the smell of Mickey Dee fries when we…
John
January 11, 2017
MarketingMindset

Technology- Friend or Foe?

Like As I write this post at midnight, I have to admit I am blurry eyed, frustrated and to say the least- pissed. At myself, technology and the fact I didn't get to ride my bike when the sun was shining today. I have been working on a project all day today that forced me into the technical aspects of web design and technology, which, I have to admit, doesn't really turn me on. As an entrepreneur who loves to create, today was like being caged. I literally felt myself pacing and my body temperature rising with the internal rage of someone looking to escape. But how? The problem needed to be solved. Welcome to running your own business. I know that technology has it's ability to drive my business to the heights of efficiency and utopian ideals of a cash flow machine that spits out dollar bills into my bank account. But today, my creativity in the process gave way to the absolute horror of what Go Daddy termed a "Permalink Break". If you have ever been involved in website development, to the ears of a marketing guy, it's the equivalent of "which colour wire do I cut" so that the bomb doesn't go off in your face! Not a good moment. But you know what's really cool about this whole thing? I ended up dealing with a really great support person (i.e. had the patience of a saint), who was able to talk me off the ceiling. No easy feat after several mind numbing hours of coding, widgets, menus...blah, blah, blah. The result? Problem fixed. Thanks James from Go Daddy. You rock dude. Not only that, I got…
John
November 3, 2016
Client CommunicationMarketing

Solve your client’s problem by changing your message

If life were consistent, nothing would change. It may seem a little contradictory, but in order to stay relevant to your message, you are going to need to adapt it to the changing times we are in. Watch this video and get some practical tips on how you can keep you message relevant, interesting, easy to understand and provide a ton of value to your ideal client. https://youtu.be/vP9Av_K2nCU
John
October 24, 2016