Steve Jobs: Secrets of Life

Steve jobs explaining why we need to believe that we can change things if we really want to.

Remember if you die having made enemies, then you probably stood for something.

What do you stand for?

Linchpin by Seth Godin Audiobook

Lessons From a Country Music Duo to Make Your Business 'Big & Rich'

Every entrepreneur starts their business with dreams of becoming big and rich. This column is about what you can learn from a different kind of Big & Rich, as in the country music duo. On Thursday night I attended their concert in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine.

What I got wasn't just a concert, it was an experience filled with some great lessons for entrepreneurs. The questions I’m about to ask you are the same questions I asked myself about my brand as I reflected on my experience at the concert.

Their performance actually began the night before the concert. When Big Kenny and John Rich arrived in Maine, their first stop was at a popular club in town where they unexpectedly showed up and bought the entire bar a double round of Crown Royal shots. Not simply a nice gesture, but also built-in guerilla marketing that’s congruent with their brand. This move was straight out of the lyrics from their song "Save a Horse." 

I buy the bar a double round of Crown and everybody's getting down.

They don’t just sing about it, they do it. Their generosity reinforced their brand message, won them some new fans and got people on social media talking about the upcoming show.

As an entrepreneur, you’re also in the marketing business first and then you’re performing your job. Is your marketing creating a buzz in a way that reinforces exactly what your brand is about? What is something unconventional and thought-provoking you can do to harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing?

The week before their Maine show I went online and watched Big & Rich perform at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix live via Yahoo Screen. Suffice it to say, Comerica was a significantly larger venue with a much bigger audience, which clearly made it a bigger (and richer) payday for the duo.

But what we got was every bit as much of a performance. They brought the same level of energy and quality to their performance in small town Maine as they did in big city Phoenix. What a great lesson for entrepreneurs. We should be putting forth as much energy and effort into every interaction, big or small.

Today more than ever before, customers have an almost insatiable appetite for quality and service. Do you treat your smaller clients with the same level of service excellence as your key accounts? If not, someone else will.

I’ve attended hundreds of country concerts. Name the artist and I’ve probably seen them, twice. On Thursday I learned you don’t just attend a Big & Rich concert, you experience Big & Rich. They take audience engagement to a whole new level in three ways:

1. Personal connection

Between songs, they told jokes and shared personal stories about how they met, got their start and how Kenny’s inspiration for writing the song “Last Dollar” was literally being down to his last dollar in Vegas in 2002. Through these conversations they made the audience laugh, cry and think.

Sharing personal stories can help you connect with your audience too. Do your clients know why you do what you do or how you got started and some of your stumbling blocks? It will ratchet up the respect and admiration they have for your brand.

2. Sharing the spotlight

The duo literally shared the spotlight with everyone, taking turns complimenting each other and their band members, and frequently shining the spotlight on the crowd to sing along. At one point, they asked everyone in the audience who served in the military to rise for a standing ovation, then handed the mic to a U.S. Navy veteran in the front row and asked him to speak about his service.

They didn’t just paint the picture -- they painted the audience into the picture and let us help paint the picture that night. Your job is incredibly similar to theirs in that regard. Want to be a more compelling communicator? Share the spotlight by painting your prospects into the picture, then let them help paint the picture.

3. Details amplify

Lots of performers play the guitar, but how many have it outlined with rhinestones so the guy in the worst seat in the house can see it sparkle just as well as the girl in the front row? There are lots of distractions at a concert. The lights dancing off the rhinestones on the guitars keeps you focused on the artists.

How do you keep your clients' attention? How many artists use their guitars as cue cards to elicit a desired response from their audience? The only ones I’ve ever seen do it were on Thursday night. The duo used guitars with different messages in big letters on the blank space on the back of it. Instructions such as “Scream” and “Louder.” When they wanted the audience to scream louder they flipped over their guitars and held them up. Why? Because energy is contagious. They took something that was already going on and amplified it.

Energy is contagious in your business too. How do you accentuate your audience’s response? Details of any customer experience impact the emotional connection people have with your brand. The back of your business card, your apparel and your company vehicle are great blank spaces you can use to amplify your message and shine brighter.

The biggest lesson was gained from one simple question. They don’t ask you if you’re having a great time, they ask if you’re having a “Big & Rich time.” A Big & Rich time is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s a feeling.

You’re not selling a product or service, you’re selling an experience. That’s your competitive advantage. Anyone can copy your product, but they can’t duplicate the value in the unique experience only you can provide. What experience does your brand provide? Compare your answer to that question to how your fans would actually describe it.

Instead of thinking of what you do as a job, think of it as a performance. Your business is just like performing music. It’s about connecting with your audience of customers and employees. Each of our performances leaves a mark on our respective markets. Is it strong or weak? Positive or negative?

Like great musicians, great entrepreneurs leave a powerful, positive mark on their market.

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5 Things to Do Every Day in 2015 to Be a Better Entrepreneur

When you are an entrepreneur, there is always something to do when it comes to starting and running a business. As chief cook and bottle washer, the challenge is to prioritize how you spend your hours in a workday.

For the new year, my goal is to be better at prioritizing my time. Below are a few tried-and-true actions, plus a few new ones, I plan to implement every day in 2015. Maybe you can use them, too.

1. Take time to focus on the day.

It's hard to stay focused once the day gets started, so it is key to schedule a few minutes a day to just be quiet and focus on what needs to be done. Take time out to unplug and be still. I find that quiet time in the morning is a good way to start the day. I took up yoga a few years ago and find that hot yoga is a great way to still my mind and focus. While this works for me, other people meditate or make time to pray.

2. Review your goals of the day.

Think about and commit to paper or document digitally the goals you want to accomplish that day or in the next week. I'm a big believer in creating a to-do list. My team starts with a list I call "The Week Ahead" where I outline the things to be accomplished for the week. Once it is down on paper or on screen, it serves as a guide to be followed and checked throughout the week.
Find the system that works to help you be more organized. Jotting notes on a Post-it is one way, but there are many electronic organizer options. If you're still into pen and paper, there are book organizers that you can use your for your to-do list. As you complete each task, mark it off the list. It's a great way to see how much progress you make in a day, a week or a month.
Next, have an in-person meeting, phone call or Skype session each morning with your team to set the mood for what needs to be accomplished that day.

3. Stay up to date on your industry.

While it is important to stay up to date on current events around the world, it is just as important to stay up to date on the current events in your industry. Read at least one article pertaining to your business. Follow a publication on Twitter so that its latest information comes up on your timeline. Subscribe to your industry's publication, so if you don't get to read it online, you will get it in the mail.

4. Use social media.

Check your website and all your social media buttons daily and make sure they are operating properly. Nothing is worse than a potential client trying to find you online and your site is down. If you have a blog, try to write anywhere from two to three times a week. This is a way for your customers to know your brand.
Read other people's blogs, and if you like what you read, then share it on different social-media platforms. Social media is an excellent way to promote and market your business and reach people both domestically and internationally. If you don't know how to use social media, then consider hiring an individual or company to create a strategy and manage your brand's social media.

5. Connect and reconnect to your network.

With everyone concentrating on staying connected via social media, it is good every once in a while to pick up the phone and say hello. Spend a few minutes on the phone setting up a time to meet for coffee or lunch. If you've been to conferences, met a few people and collected business cards, then reach out to those people again.
I joined contactually.com, a customer-relationship management (CRM) program, almost two years ago and promised to use it every day. It currently integrates Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with my contact profile, so I can reach out and follow up with folks easier. I haven't used it every day, but I plan to in 2015.

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