Michael Schaecher tweeted me today “Sounds like an experiment worthy of a blog post…’Lessons learned about not using email on my BlackBerry for a _____’ ” after sharing with him that I deleted my email accounts on my blackberry in order to focus on a project for the week. I starred at my cell today like I didn’t know if it was the red or green cord that would trigger the bomb when I cut it. Finally I thought of Jason Calacanis’s recent email list controversy where he shared he was deleting his Facebook account. He explained deactivating was an option as well and isn’t the same as deleting if his peers want to follow suit. You could reactivate it at any time and your facebook profile will be as you left it. Phew. So I thought, why not deactivate my Blackberry emails and focus on results, friends, reading and maybe getting a foot massage at my favorite place on Westwood Blvd. Wish me luck! I’m already getting the jitters.
He emphasized how vital it is to not only observe the page views per month and what users are doing on your site, (as we all have become accustomed to doing) BUT rather first pay special attention to the discovery process that brought them to your site.
So I went into YouTube and was absolutely SHOCKED when on a recent test video out of 41 views 37! were from a mobile device. The numbers are small but it is definitely something I am taking note of to pay attention to moving forward.
This is success. A clear and defined plan with specific (timeline and financial) measurable goals to track success. Hallelujah
Mr. Lütke determined before the competition that it would have to inspire at least 600 new accounts to be successful. New customers, he figured, would spend a minimum of $24 a month for six months to compete, translating to at least $86,400 in revenue for Shopify…So far, Shopify has signed up more than 1,000 new Web stores, already exceeding the expectations of Mr. Lütke, who expects 50 to 100 more participants to sign up by May 1.
While chatting with my friend Jason this week he said “…by the way I’m launching a Twitter Game Show site tomorrow called “Find That Tweet“. I think you’ll like it.” Just wish I thought of it! How clever. We were talking about how he used to hide cash for twitter users, like Tony Hawk ended up doing with skate decks. The official launch day was yesterday and I was hooked!!! All I needed to do was find a tweet after watching video clues and I win money. The coolest part is he set it up so when I tweet it out a link is created in my tweet via his system and if someone clicks and starts playing and they win I get some money from them winning too! Crazy sick and so super smart plus a ton of fun.
I get A LOT of emails, tweets, Facebook messages, LinkedIn requests and phone calls looking to connect with me for my resources and/or partnerships. I’m excited to share the wealth and see those around me succeed. If I believe in you, not just your product, I typically find a mutually beneficial opportunity to connect someone to. As the years go on the requests are multiplying in order to run my company effectively of course I need to be careful with my time managment. Jason Fried of 37 Signals blocks out specific weekly phone hours to connect with customers, business education seekers and fans. So as of late after receiving a request I respond with the questions, “What goal are you looking to achieve….how can I help?” And people seem to not know how to react. I am not looking or expecting anything in return and that just seems confusing to most. This is probably why the basic utility of social media seems so complicated. It is indeed basic. You listen to your audience and what their interests are and then you offer resource or insights based on their interest. That’s it. Pretty simple right? Or am I the one missing something…. I welcome your feedback.
This week I am reading “Getting Real” by 37 Signals AMAZING insights and perspective on how to manage time and build an effective organization. It’s been sitting on my desk for about a year to read. I wish I picked it up sooner. It’s that good.
I just had to blog about this… Tactical Corsets . What else would I wear NYE to protect myself from all the midnight chaos…. I first saw the Lovely Amanda Coolong demonstrating what a Tactical Corset is at Bar Camp LA. Talk about events not to have been missed in 2009. I’ll let the video speak for the fashion statement itself.
My friend Gaby just launched a book and needs your support to be on the best seller list. It is actually a book we could all use (though it is a bit geared toward women) and one that would be a great present. A guide to happiness is a perfect start to the new year. She is an amazing speaker and even my friends who are cynics agree with what she says and appreciates her guidance
ADD MORE ~ing TO YOUR LIFE – A Hip Guide to Happiness By Gabrielle Bernstein
My friend, motivational speaker and author Gabrielle Bernstein is bringing happy back with the launch of her book ADD MORE ~ing TO YOUR LIFE: A Hip Guide to Happiness. This fiery, transformational book provides a new formula for a life you’re psyched to wake up for. Gabrielle honed her approach from personal experience – she put the brakes on her unfulfilling and empty fast-paced New York lifestyle and looked within to find ~ing, a method for clearing the mind and opening a pathway for inner guidance.
You can become a glass-half full kind of person with Gabrielle’s “~ing Equation.” It’s a thirty-day adventurous repetition of physical activity, positive affirmations and creative visualization that will bulldoze your negative thought patterns to create constructive change and move you forward. From releasing romantic illusions to stretching beyond your fears, the ~ing Equation can be applied to an infinite number of areas to reach serenity and set yourself free. For more information about this book visit www.addmoreing.com. To buy the book today visit http://www.addmoreing.com/buy-book
Gabrielle wanted me to tell you… “THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. I AM ON A MISSION TO SPREAD A HEALING MESSAGE. I TRULY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!
ShoeBoxed and Pre Planning on an index card – no joke. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
Shoeboxed is the Netflix for receipts and business cards. I do my hustle thing, getting sh*t done, place the receipts and business cards in a big shiny blue Postage Prepaid envelope and wahla a few days later I get the most amazing organization of accounting and contacts I have EVER seen. I know too. I meet A LOT of people. I used to have my assistant scan everything using Neat Receipts. Even bought their super Desktop machine. But still with all the scanning errors it was costing me to have someone go through every contact and piece of paper for accuracy. Then through the golden gates of resources I met the owner of ShoeBoxed at SXSW. It took me close to a year to actually start using the system. My ego was probably stuck on the $500 bucks I spent on Neat Receipts when I could have been spending only 10 bucks a month with ShoeBoxed and no assistant cost!!! I am telling you. If you run a business, meet people and don’t use Shoe Boxed you are just simply crazy. You want to be wasting time.
And those simple plain boring INDEX cards are a goldmine of productivity. Don’t believe me? Just look at the famous GTD (Getting Things Done) blog . Yea I was going crazy keeping 10 to do lists on dry erase boards in my office, house, sticky notes, JOTT express, RTM (Remember the Milk) until a friend who seems to get EVERYTHING done said I just write it all on an index card the night before for that day and order them in sequence of priority after I’m done writing each task. “Come on… that’s it?” I said. He informed me that keeping multiple to do lists devalues each one and by having to open a to do list in a computer makes it not so accessible. So with an index card in his pocket at all times he just crosses off each task as they are completed. Then at the end of the day he transfers anything not done to the new index card for the following day and rips up the one for that day. And let me tell you ITS BEEN WORKING!!! I complete just about everything. Only difference. I think I’ll start burning each card when I’m done. Lots more fun
WHERE’S WALDO? Finding Social Influencers & Decreasing Your Costs panel co produced by me, Espree Devora of ZexSports and Sabrina Hayat of Graffy Inc brought in over 11,000 viewers online via Tech Zulu on Thursday night. I am really proud of this event because we brought together a a group of panelists who have proven results in the online space and were ready to share their secrets how to find and connect with influencers in order to be successful marketing online.
The conversation was centered around Influencers online and using them in your social media campaign:
- Who are they?
- How do you find them?
- How do you approach them to talk about what you’re selling?
- How do you measure your success?
- And how do you handle negative feedback from these influencers?
It was one of the best panels I have listened to so far. Everybody had lots of energy, they definitely knew what they were talking about and provided great insights to people that don’t know much about social media.
Here is a quick recap for those who missed it! Let’s get back to the questions above:
- Who are they? Influencers are the people who create compelling content to others. Their feedback shapes others’ opinion on a product, service, and so on.
- How do you find them? This takes time. Use sites such as Google Blog. When looking at potential Influencers, you have to evaluate factors such as number of subscribers, number of followers, friends, and content of whatever social media platform they use (FB, Twitter, Youtube, Blogs, etc.). You also cannot forgot those “Hidden Influencers”, who might not come as Influencers at first because they run a smaller blog or have fewer followers, but actually provides content to quality people that have a larger network of “friends”, “followers”, “subscribers”, etc. Basically they act as connectors to bigger Influencers.
- How do you approach them to talk about what you’re selling? The “pitch” needs to be extremely authentic and personal. You cannot be pushy and expect the Influencer to talk about your product, service, etc. First, do you homework. Go over the Influencer’s blog, content, interests, etc. to capture information that will help you connect with them. So use this information in your pitch, so when the Influencer reads it, first, he is stoked you actually pay attention and care about what he does, and second, you provide him with information that is relevant and compelling to him/her/
- How do you measure your success? The panelists agreed that positive feedback is extremely valuable. bigMETHOD, a social media agency, compares social media campaign success to advertorial and show the added value of positive comments by an Influencer speaking to a large audience of Followers and other Influencers. There are also a large number of tools out there that helps you track your social media campaign results. Google Analytics has been brought a few times as being an essential.
- And how do you handle negative feedback from these influencers? After pitching a blogger, if he ends up talking poorly about your product or service, don’t get mad, write him back thanking him for his feedback and indicating him that you took note of his comments and will do your best at making the necessary changes to improve the product or service. They typically appreciate the open and honest communication and might write something nice about you.
This week I wanted to connect my external VGA monitor to my new Mac Book. I googled what cord I needed and quickly found it was called Mini DVI. Perfect right. So I went to the APPLE store. Dealt with finding a parking spot in busy LA, ran into the store before closing time, grabbed a Mini DVI and double checked with the cashier that I got the right connector. So excited to get that second screen set up I rushed back to the office ready to pull an exciting dual screen all nighter. To my dismay it was the wrong cord. Apparently the lovely Mister Apple changed the cord to something called a “Display Mini DVI” and it was 10 dollars more. Umm way to make some extra bucks Apple. So just a heads up for everyone who purchased the new mac book last October and the one that launched this week Apple now uses this new cord.
Even with all this fiascal. Once you go MAC you don’t go back.
Up late working and if you are reading this straight away obviously you must be up working late too. Thought I’d pass on this Search Engine Marketing goodie I stumbled across. Has beginning, intermediate and advanced search engine optimization tips. I happen to learn a lot faster with videos so I’m pretty excited I found these.
Fear is built to prevent us from being HURT. But IRONICALLY, it’s our FEAR of <insert your fear> that actually HURTS US, while ACTUALLY acting (or taking action) HELPS US.
The reason that we feel fear is that it is our way of psychologically preventing ourselves from having a self-image crash…our ego can’t stand the punishment.
We have to see things AS THEY ARE, and therefore FREE OURSELVES of the threat to our self-image, since we understand that there is no CORRELATION between our self-image and reality.
The more that we acknowledge where we’ve deluded ourselves for the sole sake of preserving a FALSE self-image, the more we can IMPROVE ourselves in the REAL WORLD, and not just IN OUR HEADS.
3) …and just press “endorse this story“ on the left hand side
Thank you!!! It means A LOT to us.
A bit about the Women in Action Sports Organization:
Women in Action Sports (WIAS) provides a platform for women athletes and entrepreneurs to engage, prosper and accomplish individual goals in a male-dominated industry of Action Sports. This is an organization formed by professional female athletes and business entrepreneurs for women who are currently in the Action Sports industry, fellow professional athletes and those aspiring for new opportunities.
There is strength in numbers when we’re united in a common goal and your individual membership and participation is an important component. No matter what your background or level of experience, with guidance from fellow successful women leaders and experts goals can be achieved. We provide quality events, seminars and other activities.
Money Money Money… I see no lack in this “recession”. Its all about connectivity and knowing what opportunities are out there. I am still in disbelief I missed Ford’s Fiesta Movement for a free car, fuel included! But have no fear new doors of opportunity are always opening. AMEX and NBC partnered to give $100,000 grant to an inspiring small business. Pretty cool. Also nice to see a lot of the applicants are brick and mortar. Good to know a world offline still exists Go here to Shine a Light for a chance for the grant to be yours.
Register here on The Perfect Pitch submission page in order to qualify for a chance to present your company to high level investors and potentially get funded. (Details and guidelines listed below ~Deadline September 8th)
Just the chance to win free airfare to Los Angeles, 2 night stay at the Ritz Carlson, VIP to the conference and present to Sir Richard Branson himself is worth a quick submission.
This is your ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME opportunity to pitch your business idea to Sir Richard Branson and a conference full of venture capitalists, angel investors and influential entrepreneurs.
Are you seeking capital or business partners for a new business? The Perfect Pitch 2009 will introduce your business to hundreds of accredited investors and entrepreneurs.
Plus, the Top 3 submissions will each win the following package:
2 VIP Tickets to The Perfect Pitch 2009
Airfare to Los Angeles for the conference
2-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton
Opportunity to present LIVE to The Perfect Pitch 2009 audience, including Sir Richard Branson
How does it work?
Submit your pitch ONLINE – a pitch may include a written description, photos and video about your BUSINESS or IDEA
Deadline for submissions is September 8th, 2009
Judges will review all pitches – Top 3 win prizes and an invitation to pitch LIVE to Richard Branson and the conference audience
Our judges represent over $9 Billion in funds, including executives from August Capital, Baroda Ventures, Cal Cap Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Qualcomm Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners, Santa Monica Capital Partners, Tech Coast Angels and Price Waterhouse Coopers.
By submitting a pitch, you are not required give up any rights to your idea.
If you are afraid of someone “stealing your idea,” then describe your business but withhold the critical details. A fundable business usually has new technology/design or an entrepreneur with special skills or relationships to make the business succeed. You should be able to explain your business without sharing the secret recipe.
If you are seeking capital, only investors and your invited guests can view your pitch. YOUR PITCH WILL NOT BE PUBLIC.
Top 10 will be announced on September 21st, 2009
Top 3 will be announced on October 12th, 2009
All pitches will be seen by accredited investors, so every pitch has a chance to GET FUNDED.
What is a pitch?
A pitch is a one-minute video or a short written description that compels investors to take a closer look at your business. It is not a full business plan. KEEP IT SHORT. A good pitch grabs attention and explains the following:
What your business is
The customer need it fulfills
The market size
How you are better than the competition
The strengths of you and your team
An interesting fact or juicy bit of information that leaves investors wanting more!
How are pitches evaluated?
Pitches will be evaluated on clarity, viability, consumer need, growth potential, marketing strategy, team capability, scalability and competitive advantages. Each judge will also have personal preferences and other criteria for determining the best pitch.
Applicants who submit Top 10 pitches will be asked to provide more information to help judges determine the Top 3.
Yes. All applicants will be required to pay an application fee of $60. This assures us that you are serious about your business. Also, we will provide you with a professional review, including tips on how to improve your pitch and find investors.
To encourage and assist applicants, we have assembled a welcome package with these valuable offers from our promotional partners:
Investor Resources and Pitch Center access from PerfectBusiness – $99 value
10% off Logo Design Guru services
$50 Gift Certificate from LegalZoom
How can I submit a pitch?
To submit a pitch, you must become a member of PerfectBusiness.com. It’s free to join. Simply fill out the form above (or login). Then proceed to create your pitch.
Next, we will walk you through 5 simple steps to create your pitch. Follow our helpful tips along the way.
My new friend @Ribeezie direct messaged me, (also known as “DM”), on Twitter this morning and told me to “Now bring back some of that good stuff and share ” about Zappos Insights inaugural conference. Zappos, a billion dollar online commerce destination, is known for their leadership in customer service. Insights was created as an educational forum to guide entrepreneurs to successfully attain milestones. It was a privilege to be a part of their LIVE event, a revolution in leadership and corporate happiness. One of the speakers at the event, social media maven Brian Solis, said it perfectly, “In the end we’re measured by our actions, not our words.”
Three huge takes aways from the event that will transform the productivity and efficiency in our organizations.
Share….Stop self promoting and start listening. Share information that you know delivers value because you have been listening. Whether it be employees, personal relationships, twitter followers or facebook friends. The way to effectively intrigue people to take action is fueled by being inspired.
Discover your foundation before you start building.… The most crucial component in determining success in a company and in your personal development is first discovering what matters to you most.; Your core values. It starts with you, outside of your professional life. The business owner behind closed doors. When you look in the mirror what do you see? Integrity, Transparency, Adventure… Deceit…? In order to grow we must be honest with ourselves. It is so clear to me now that if I had taken the time to discover, write down, and share my core values with my team it would have reduced management, increased productivity and complimented my company vision. But instead I found ego was something in my company that created road blocks for our success. What’s interesting is ego is so far from my personal values. If I had taken the time to write down what’s important to me, I would have quickly discovered my team mate strayed from our core values and that situation could have been remedied with eloquence and efficiency.
3. Half of the world is searching for the other half of the world, but don’t know how to find them. Brian Solis emphasizes that before even planning an online marketing strategy establish your identity. Most brands don’t even strategize, they just jump on a band wagon. But lets say you are developing a strategy, before that DISCOVER your identity that you plan to communicate in this strategy. I LOVE that Brian reinforced this. I hadn’t even thought of charting out my brand identity before planning. I figured my identity is obvious. Surf brand means you’re a surfer right? No, not necessarily. You must establish your brand to stand for something. A Cause. Something bigger and selflLESS than selling a pair of board shorts.
A few years ago I snuck into an event in Miami, Florida where Jane Pauley was interviewing Sir Richard Branson. Amidst my work today I found the notes I took in 2005 and felt inspired. I thought I’d share them with you.
By the way, he’ll be in LA October 26th thanks to Dan and Luis at Perfect Business. Connect with me beforehand if you decide to go.
Human interaction is an art…
Branson is interested in “creating things I can be proud of.”
Success is easier with 300 businesses than it was with just a couple. It’s all survival in the beginning.
The secret to success is learning new things.
Spend 3-4 months learning everything about that new business…. ask yourself “how can I benefit others.”
Business is a way of life.
“A brand is only as good as my product… “In that sense customers will try the next thing I launch.”
Bring attention to your brand. One thing he does is creates crazy stunts.
“Companies that look after their people are companies that do well.”
Most important thing in working for a company is to ask yourself, ‘is anyone listening to me? am I being ignored?’
Employees first, customers second.
Create an idea I’d like to be a part of. BE the consumer.
“The best never disappears.”
Have a charitable organization, more than just a business.
Be attentive to employee concerns.
Master the art of delegation …”I’ve had 300 seperate companies and never had a company go bankrupt. Reputation is important.”
Give freedom and stake in the business to your team when starting a new company.
Customer Service is gold. Get out there and talk to your customers. Connect with them. Don’t stay behind a desk. Personalization.
The internet is the most powerful tool.
Use every resource possible. When he started the airline he says everyone thought he was crazy. Always try to protect the downside.
Lastly Branson said… he is still nervous… even now.
Starting July 1, many people having trouble repaying their federally guaranteed student loans might be able to choose a new, more lenient payment plan.
The program, called income-based repayment, will be available to more people and almost always result in smaller monthly payments than an existing program for stressed borrowers called income-contingent repayment. The new program sets monthly payments based on adjusted gross income and family size. Unpaid principal and interest is generally added to your loan amount. Any debt remaining is wiped out after 25 years – or after 10 years if you work in the public or nonprofit sector.
If you are unemployed, low-income or have a very large debt, you could qualify. “People who need advanced degrees to get low-paying jobs” are prime candidates, says Edie Irons, a spokeswoman for the Project on Student Debt.
There is no income limit. Even people making $100,000 could qualify if they owe more than they earn in a year.
The payment cap works like this: If you earn less than 150 percent of the poverty level for your family size, your payment will be zero. If you earn more, your monthly loan payment will be capped at 15 percent of your annual income that exceeds 150 percent of the poverty level, divided by 12.
For example, a single person earning less than $16,245 a year – that’s 150 percent of the poverty level – would pay nothing, no matter how big the debt. (The poverty level is slightly higher in Alaska and Hawaii.)
A single person who earns $30,000 a year would pay no more than about $172 per month.
If your payment under this formula is less than what you pay under a standard 10-year repayment schedule, you will qualify for income-based repayment, assuming your loans qualify.
The new payment plan is available on Stafford student loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) and Grad PLUS loans. These government-guaranteed loans are issued by the Department of Education under its direct lending program and by banks and other lenders such as Sallie Mae under the Federal Family Education Loan program. Consolidated Stafford and Grad Plus loans also qualify, as long as they were not combined with Parent PLUS loans. Loans in default do not qualify.
The new plan is not available for Parent PLUS loans or private loans, which are also issued by banks and other lenders.
To see if your loan qualifies, check with your lender.
If your payment is reduced, any unpaid principal and interest is added to your loan balance, but the accrued interest does not compound. However, if you have a subsidized Stafford loan, the government will pay unpaid interest for up to three consecutive years.
Loan forgiveness
If you repay under the new plan for 25 years and meet certain other requirements, any remaining debt will be extinguished. “If your payment is zero, that still counts toward loan forgiveness,” Irons says. The forgiven debt will be taxed as income, unless Congress passes a bill that would exempt it.
If you work for 10 years in a public sector or nonprofit job, remaining debt could be wiped out after 10 years. This forgiven debt will not be taxed as income.
Your payment will be adjusted each year to account for changes in your income and family size. If your income rises, your payment will rise, but it will never be more than what you would pay under a standard 10-year repayment schedule.
If your income reaches that point but you would rather not pay under the 10-year schedule, you could switch to a different repayment plan.
The main downside of the new program: “Like any plan where you pay less than the full amount, you could end up paying more interest over time,” Irons says.
Although the Obama administration is trying to simplify student aid, the new program – approved in 2007 – makes loan repayment even more complicated. The options include forbearance; unemployment or economic hardship deferments; and standard, graduated, extended, income-contingent, income-sensitive and income-based repayment.
“It’s hard to know what to do. There are not enough places to go for help,” Irons says.
If you graduated in May or June, you won’t have to begin making payments until November or December.
Public or nonprofit jobs
Although it’s very hard to generalize, Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.com, recommends that people in public or nonprofit jobs enter or switch into income-based repayment.
People facing a financial hardship they know will be temporary – such as a maternity leave – should consider an economic hardship deferment. People with a longer-term need should consider extended or income-based repayment, he says.
My Mom always says half of the world is looking for the other half of the world, but don’t know where to find them. I guess that is the “interwebs” definition of finding one another – SEO. I just installed this simple wordtracker plug in I found via Jeremy Morgan from Hash Marketing who has made in his goal to find the most quality SEO tweets.
Here’s an article written by Chris Garret, a professional blogger (whom I don’t know) demonstrating how to best utilize the plug in tool. He wrote the popular book “Pro Blogger” which was recommended to me by my someone I do know and adore, Blog World founder Rick Calvert.
I read “The Alchemist” when I was 14 and it was then that I began to make my way of life - ‘if you believe in something with all your heart and it is backed by good, the whole universe will conspire to bring you the tools you need to achieve that dream.’
Define your core competency (What’s one thing you are really good at?)
Explore what your dream professional lifestyle would be (… to be in a music studio? marketing brainstorm sessions? attending networking events? cooking? working on cars?…)
Consider the possibility that your work CAN be your passion
Now think up where what you are good at meets what excites you
So for me, what I am good at is networking/connecting/giving and what excites me is business. The structure and growth of an organization is mind blowing. Effectively orchestrating people, skill sets and innovation really makes a powerful impact on the economy, individual dreams and the good for humanity. For me, that is true magic.
I apply this by looking within my own company to focus on partnerships that would be mutually beneficial between people and companies in order to compliment the growth of my business and the businesses I work with.
What’s key is to maintain positivity
What we focus on expands. So lets consider the “possibility” of “positivity” in order to find solutions when it seems as though none exist. At times like these, with our world in flux, it’s hard to keep your head high. I know some of you are worried about losing your jobs or have already. Banks have gone bust. The atmosphere is deteriorating. But will all these dark thoughts lead to more light?
Implementation
It’s up to you to make your dream life happen. No one is going to do it for you.
Keep a quality team surrounding you
The people who surround you, define you. So in order to reach your desired goals you need a team to keep you strong and support you along the way. It’s not easy going after a planted seed before it has begun to grow and you can’t yet physically see it. So one by one start to chose teammates who embody the qualities you desire and make those people your silent mentors and partners in your success. Maybe one person is amazing at finances and another is great at understanding the investment world and a third is an expert in legal and a fourth is an entrepreneur in the same industry you want to pursue. It’s important all these people maintain a positive attitude and can be your support during the hard times.
Giving back
And remember its not a one way relationship. It’s just as important to give back, as it is to believe and to implement. The energy and productivity that stimulate from giving back is magnetic. If you don’t believe me just read “Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and David Mann. This book was given to me by a wonderful woman who attended one of my seminars and said that she felt moved to gift the book to me. Thank you Gretchen.
Lastly, it takes work to live the dream. Don’t be fooled. In order to become an “overnight success” you need to work at it for a while.
Halifax News Net We started with nothing but an open mind
By Lori McKay – The Weekly News
Opening your own business can be a challenge. But at 15, Phil Duffenais of Cole Harbour has decided to give it a go. The Grade 10 Auburn Drive student had been cutting his neighbours’ lawns for the past three years, and this spring he decided to make it a full-fledged business. He started DC Lawn Services and opened it through the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks. “I have three employees under my belt, we are paying them competitive wages, we pay taxes, and we started with nothing but an open mind,” Duffenais said in an email.
He was granted a small loan of $2,500 through the Students in Business program, and he made the cash go a long way. He bought a few lawn mowers and everything else he might need for lawn maintenance, including a truck to transport his equipment.
“It’s not the easiest thing to get a loan when you’re 15, and I’d like other youth to know that there are opportunities like this out there. Maybe some other kid might decide to start up a business, too. They wouldn’t be our competition, there’s lots of work out there,” he said.
Duffenais isn’t old enough to get a driver’s licence yet, so he brought on his friend Evan Cunningham, 16, to work with him. Cunningham is also set to become co-owner of the business next season.
Before this spring, Cunningham had never cut a lawn before, but says he is getting his fill now. They are currently working six hours most days after school and 14 hours per day on the weekends.?After they get caught up and school is out for the summer, Duffenais said they should be able to go down to five hours a day and only on weekdays. Duffenais said next year he’d like to get another crew going with a few guys and another truck.
“But we’re focused on getting a handle on this season first,” he admitted.
At the moment, DC Lawn Services has 35 full-time clients and are on track to make between $25,000 and $35,000 (before expenses) over the summer.
In addition to mowing lawns, the company also does gardening, mulching and lawn makeovers. “We do everything from planting trees and edging to laying sod,” said Duffenais.
The young entrepreneurs have high hopes for the business and are still looking for new properties in Dartmouth, Cole Harbour and Eastern Passage.
lmckay@hfxnews.ca
For information, call 222-5023 or visit www.DCLawnServices.com.
I discovered the value of delegating somewhere between reading Four Quandrants by Robert Kiyosaki and The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. Kiyosaki explained the differences between someone self employed and a business owner (see image below). That if a good business owner leaves their company the productivity maintains. A key owner injects advancement in the organization, not maintenance. Then in Ferriss’s book he shares that when he stopped being so hands on and started trusting a team by delegating, his company actually increased revenue and he had more time to do other things. If each owner of McDonalds had to be in daily attendance Mickey Dees wouldn’t be known for the effective automated hamburger franchise it is today. That being said, each day I think of ways to delegate. This isn’t to be lazy. Not at all. Delegating enables me to scale my businesses more efficiently. I try to find a common theme in my various ventures that will allow the same team to mimic their core competencies in each project so that I don’t need to find a new team each time I start something new. Needless to say, its very exciting and allows a lot more time for me to focus on my own core competencies. After all, there is only so much you can do if you try to do everything yourself.
I am so excited! Tonight my company is hosting a panel on ROI Based Online Brand Engagement for the action sports industry. A bunch of you were bummed that you lived out of town so my friends at Tech Zulu are sponsoring a live stream! Woo hoo. At 7pm PST tonight go here: http://techzulu.com/live.html You’ll be able to ask questions online. I am honored viral video genius Dave Lehre who created “MySpace: The Movie” and “Facebook: The Movie” will be moderating. He’s been on 20/20, in GQ, Esquire, Rolling Stone. So cool! The panelists are the founders of bigMethod and possibly a guest panelist if I can get him to break away from training for an upcoming competition
I have stumbled upon Wordpress heaven. Blog oh Blog and Best Word Press Themes . I recently switched from wordpress.COM to wordpress.ORG… A lot of you don’t get what the difference is. Basically Wordpress.ORG allows way more customization and flexibility.
You do need to know a wee little bit of coding, so for that I found this free 7 day blogging course done by an amazing 20 year old entrepreneur from England. I’ve been raving about this guys blog like crazy called Income Diary. In the first day of the course it shows you step by step how to easily set up a wordpress.ORG blog.
And its absolutley crazy how far we have come on this foreign powerhouse called the internet where a website for your business is the same must as having a business card. So for business presence check out the top 20 wordpress theme for small businesses. So cool! I just can’t believe all these tools and designs are absolutley free. But its all about knowing they exist right. Right now I am on the hunt for a more social theme myself. Keep on the look out for my soon to be blog make over.
A lot of you ask me to quickly teach you social media. It’s not as quick as its perceived to be. Gary Vaynerchuk himself says if you dedicate an hour then you get an hour’s worth of results. If you dedicate 11 hours then you receive 11 hours worth of results. But its not just being on these social networks. It’s knowing how to use them so that fans, members, consumers, engage with you in order to in end create stronger ROI than your current marketing and advertising efforts. Which social platforms are right for you and your brand. Do you jump on Twitter because everyone seems to be on it… Not necessarily.
So it’s Saturday. Why I’m in the office – because I won’t take no for an answer and so in order to have more leverage when speaking with clients I need more content. But you know me and everything I do needs to be useful so today I created the “Resource Report“. The show is for you. I want to share what resources I’ve discovered to be more effective at a fraction of the cost and save you all the time and anguish I spent trying to figure it out. My first webisode aired today. Please let me know what you think. It covered managing voicemail. I discussed the different options I’ve tried out from Jott to Google Voice and how they worked for me. Just let me know the various topics you’d like me to address and I will make a segment about it.
So as most of you know I am a big fan of Los Angeles office space BlankSpaces. Jerome, the owner, who is now a friend of mine, is also a great entrepreneur and innovator. I discovered BlankSpaces when it first opened because I heard it was designed by a guy who worked for the firm which had designed the Google offices. Turns out that was Jerome. Of course I was excited to check it out. Anything related to Google must be smart and outside the box. Here are some pics.
Shortly thereafter I started attending their informative panels and events. Eventually I was even on a panel for “Future of Online Content”. Everyone there was always quality and resourceful. In fact being a part of the BlankSpaces community is how I gradually found myself in my beloved LA Tech community.
The best part is everyone who works there makes money off of one another. It’s really cool, especially in our eccentric economy. One person will get a project and sometimes that project needs an additional specialty so instead of calling around you have a whole team of great people sitting there next to you each day.
I talked to Jerome this morning about maybe offering a dollar the first month to just try it out because if you are anything like me it is uncomfortable to commit to something when you are not sure if it works for you. He said he would do it. I am stoked he said he would do it. Let me know what you think of the place. Here’s a recent review in the Huffington Post.
Entrepreneurs are taking steps to rejuvenate our economy. If we want to see change we must be change. And once again believe anything is possible just as we did when we were kids and didn’t know any other way.
These last few weeks have been really tough for me. I miss being in a relationship, spending time with girlfriends, traveling. I’ve given up just about every ounce of personal life I’ve had over the last decade for the freedom of being an entrepreneur.
Truly there is nothing more rewarding than knowing I have the power to turn a dream, a speckle of a thought, into an oasis. There is so much magic in seeing my dreams come to fruition. And the fact that my teammates get to see their dreams come true in tandem with mine.
With that being said it leaves me little time to, well, be me. The me that’s hidden behind my company. Light hearted. Adventurous. Romantic. Vulnerable. Scared.
In being a part of the LA tech community I have not only found new friends who (like my childhood friends) accept the sacrifices I make, but these new friendships can empathize as well. They are risk takers and business owners themselves. They know what it is like to have your employees be dependent on you, to have everything on the line from leveraging real estate and lines of credit, to spending all your savings, to have pressures from venture capitalists and the complexities of legal contracts. They know what it is to hire and fire. To strategize knowing failure is no option. They know what it is to lose friendships and have family question your life. They know what it is to feel alone just the same as they know the joy it is to have your company featured in a periodical or TV show. They know what it is to close a major deal. They know what it is to be Magic.
I have the blessing of having all these wonderful people in my “neighborhood” to see at any time… I just want to say thank you.
For a little LA Tech smiles and gossip check out Lalawag and for some of the most down to earth and informative business upstart videos go to Mixergy.
This morning after my meeting with Matt Helt and Dave Nelson of Secret Penguin, Matt sent me this link to Chris Rikli’s blog post titled Five People I Wish I’d Met at Big Omaha. (If you missed Big Omaha, well that just sucks. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. More on the Big O later.) Seeing that Chris wrote I was one of 5 people he’d like to meet who he missed at Big Omaha was incredibly flattering. After all, I simply do the best I can each day. Nothing different than anyone else does as an entrepreneur. Then when I saw I was grouped with these absolutely incredible and courageous business men, Matt Helt from Secret Penguin, Zac Triemert from Lucky Bucket Brewery, Charles Hull from Archrival I wasn’t only flattered but overwhelmingly gracious.
Big Omaha to me was about self discovery, defining our brand, attention to detail, unity and courage. Realizing that we each have our own entrepreneurial style and that is okay. To be true to our core strengths and find partners/team mates to compliment our weaknesses. That we must support one another to succeed farther and faster. And especially the courage to understand that the journey isn’t easy, but one we are blessed to forge ahead on. We can achieve anything we set our minds and bodies to do.
At one point there was discussion addressing segregation between men and women in business. It’s true that the numbers are not on an equal plane of women immersed in technology, business, (and action sports). But if there is anything I have learned after being a real estate investor, raising money for my business, and working in action sports, all “male dominated” spaces is that any dream we desire is within our reach to achieve, we just need to grab it. Men and Women alike. I don’t buy that men have the power to hold women back. Maybe the way society was structured in the past that was true, but not now. The only person that can hold anyone back is ourselves. It’s an exciting time to forge ahead as a business owner. I am manifesting my own destiny, are you?
I want to thank Chris Rikli for connecting with me and share his post. > Click here
No client wants to see art work they want to see ROI. Everyone these days is a social media expert. Bah Humbug. All I want to see – All investors want to see – All clients want to see = ROI, Metrics and Analytics. Thats’ it. Everything else is the cherry on top. So next time you present the pretty website you want to build and how amazing you are at sending tweets, remember to start with exactly how much money all that fun activity is going to make.
I am absolutely exhilarated to to be visiting the Zappos headquarters tomorrow in Vegas. My company team has been vigorously studying the phenomenal Zappos culture which we do our best to emulate each day. I have personally been a fan of Zappos since about 2002 after discovering the site was the fastest loading site on the web. Being the geek that I am I was fascinated and had to know how they did it. I think their upload time was under 3 seconds and with a homepage full of graphics. Completely impressive.
and now Dave Days who I stumbled across today. 14 Million hits and counting!
What made me want to blog about him though, his quote under his photo, “F college, make a YouTube account.” LOVE IT. It’s not that I don’t support education. I have a college degree. But what I encourage is NOT WAITING to pursue what you are passionate about. Going to college, not going to college. You shouldn’t wait to go after your dreams. I only wish I had more friends like Dave and Dave in high school so we could have conquered the world together.
This post is dedicated to Panda for taking the risk and going after your dreams. Just remember to appreciate the people who help you along the way.
Last night I realized that in loving my team as much as I love my company I don’t love myself enough. What does that mean. If they get upset I say how can I fix it and immediately blame myself for allowing any moment of discomfort to take place. If there is a decision to be made I am perpetually afraid I am not going to make the best one because haven’t I made so many mistakes in the past. But of course I have! Because I am a true entrepreneur, a risk taker. If I weren’t I wouldn’t be in business and definitely not for 10 years strong. So last night as I started to doze off I had a moment of clarity. That a firm decision is better than no decision at all even if it ends up being a mistake. People respect confidence and authority. And there is no way that I single handedly can or even need to prevent every issue before it arises. I am not perfect, nor is my staff. But it is about understanding one another. Providing them a leader to follow. And doing the best we can. A teammate isn’t about being their equal. It is about being what the team needs. A male friend of mine said he was autocratic with his staff because he didn’t have time to be friendly. His approach is command and control from above, no power in the masses. Maybe that polar opposite style isn’t the way for me. Each business owner is entitled to their own methodologies. But without a doubt my staff needs to start seeing the leader and the executive in me rather than the girl next door. Because truth be it if people walk all over me its because they think they can, no matter it be consciously or unconsciously. Both equate to the same results. I’m ready to start the day a new woman a new company.
Last night I was blown away by what Christina Suwa can pull off in only 3 weeks of planning. Most people take at least a year to plan an event and still get poor attendance and/or poor coverage. Not Christina. Media poured in to cover the sardine packed event with just enough room to savor the delicious treats as appetizers passed by regularly throughout the night prepared by Bravo’s “Top Chef” Stefan Richter. Tasty beverages provided by big names like Hansen promoting their new tea and Nestle showing off their new beauty in a bottle drink GLOWELLE. Then for a little Me Time, beautifully wrapped gift bags filled with Neutrogena face wash and POP eye liner. Wearing my new cool silver eye liner now. Paint Lab (2912 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA) is a perfect date joint to express creativity – be it novice or pro any person who wants to splash some color onto canvas is welcome. Live music was perfect. JETT vodka provided the spark in our Cranberry juice replacing my Madras with a drink called Jett Fuel. I just can’t say enough good things about this awesome event. To top it off the support Venice Magazine shares with their community is unstoppable. Apparently they assisted in spreading the good word about Paint Labs opening and treated each guest to their magazine. I’m definitely now a fan if I wasn’t before. Christina is a must for any event if you want your big soiree to be orchestrated to perfection.
From Christina after reading this post… Thank you so much for your kind words, but I must say that I cannot take credit for pulling off this entire event myself. I had the support of numerous people, including Paige Petrone from Venice Magazine who was instrumental in securing our drink sponsors and providing me with fantastic leads on different vendors. Kelly Albright helped with securing the entertainment and lighting. And I’ve had the incredible support of PAINT:LAB’s owners/partners Oana Bogdan and Melanie Cote. It is because of this fabulous team of people that I can say we pulled off an incredibly successful and fun event!
Are you the next Picasso?
HIRE Top Chef Stefan Richter - his food is heaven in your mouth. No joke!
So I stayed up all night researching Twitter tools after attending So Cal Action Sports event with big wigs in tech like Chris Brogan and in Action Sports, Oakley, Sheckler, Draven and then after a morning cat nap I cooked up some delicious food and decided on a beer. Boddingtons Pub Ale it was. The team was already at my office which is only a block away since I moved so I thought why not hang with them while I eat and take the beer to go. I foregoed paper bagging it and hoped no cop would harass me for walking around with an open bottle. It looks like it could be a Monster Energy drink anyway right?! I thought Ah Ha! Why don’t I cut through the alley and dodge any truly public areas making for a drama free afternoon. I saw this building across the street from my office and thought maybe they have a door that I can cut through to the other side. Boddingtons in hand on the right with my cabbage hamburger concoction on the left I ask the reception if she’d mind. I say “Who doesn’t like a beer with their meal. Just don’t wanna get busted you know.” And then as I make my way to the pearly white gates Snoop Dogg says “What’s going on”. Ha! Not kidding. And I nod, freak in my head and say whats up back. So cool. And was I excited to share with my awesome team.
PS Thanks @Valerotti for leaving the beer in my fridge!
Snoop Dogg's Twizzle - Fo Shizzle
This could be a Monster Energy drink, couldn't it??
I just discovered the most amazing Twitter gadget EVER. I love it! Such a great integration. Specially with my professional email where I utilize Google Apps. Twitter Gadget for Gmail is AMAZING . WATCH THIS DEMO!
There is so much I want to say about Ian’s book “JUGGLE! Rethink Work Reclaim Life” but I am in the middle of juggling so I am limited on time This book taught me how to clearly see my core competency and even better how to capitalize off of it. We are all very hectic in our social media injected, family loved, professionally swamped lives. How do we swim through it all? Ian teaches us that …
Remember we are an athlete; Make ME time, drink plenty of water, eat well and get proper sleep.
I think just about the first thing I sacrificed when becoming a business owner was food, showers and sleep. Ha!
Keep lists and break them down into projects in order to increase efficiency.
All I have to say is JOTT, http://jott.com. Best list system I have found to date. My 3 computers are in sync and I have everything broken down by project. They also have a cool iPhone app. Sadly I don’t use iPhone but I do text in notes sometimes. Just today I signed up to have my voicemails transribed into email/texts.
Most important – become a Juggler. Define your passion which does need to be in line with what you are best at.
For me it’s connecting people. Most introductions I make the people connected end up capitalizing off projects together.
So with that I have already reorganized my list broken them down into specific projects, worked out this morning, ate my vegetables, showered and I think I’ll change my business card to “Connector”.
This May 2009 will be just about the coolest conference yet – Big Omaha. The best of the best in social media, online content and business tech will be in attendance. Gary Vaynerchuk who I can’t stop writing about has mastered the momentum of online content. Adriana Gascoigne banded together Girls in Tech throughout the US and overseas being featured in periodicals like Fast Company for her leadership and social media expertise at powerhouse Hi5. Business modeling extraordinaire Jason Fried from 37 Signals. If you have yet to read how 37 Signals maintains laser focus on business development go there now to enhance your skills. Threadless founder Jeffrey Kalmikoff made selling retail online viral and community based. Matt Mullenweg who is behind the development of WordPress – just about the most unbelievable blogging platform ever. And no established business and technology event would be complete without the talented Shira Lazar hosting the extravaganza. This star studded cast are all flying to Omaha this May and so should we. I know I am. If you missed South by Southwest don’t make the same mistake twice.This May 2009 will be just about the coolest conference yet – Big Omaha. The best of the best in social media, online content and business tech will be in attendance. Gary Vaynerchuk who I can’t stop writing about has mastered the momentum of online content. Adriana Gascoigne banded together Girls in Tech throughout the US and overseas being featured in periodicals like Fast Company for her leadership and social media expertise at powerhouse Hi5. Business modeling extraordinaire Jason Fried from 37 Signals. If you have yet to read how 37 Signals maintains laser focus on business development go there now to enhance your skills. Threadless founder Jeffrey Kalmikoff made selling retail online viral and community based. Matt Mullenweg who is behind the development of WordPress – just about the most unbelievable blogging platform ever. And no established business and technology event would be complete without the talented Shira Lazar hosting the extravaganza. This star studded cast are all flying to Omaha this May and so should we. I know I am. If you missed South by Southwest don’t make the same mistake twice.
Don't risk feeling left out again like you did not attending SXSW in Austin last week
Okay so this week at South by Southwest I went to “Getting Things Done the Simple Way” taught by John Zeratsky. I was not going to miss it. I rolled out of bed forgoed brushing my teeth or an awesome Austin shower to rush to the panel in order to achieve the treasure hunt of eliminating my email count and all my “contacters” feeling victory in receiving attention to their email. I mean if Tony Hsieh, CEO of the greatest customer service company ever Zappos.com and one of the most attentive entrepreneurs I’ve meet Gary Vaynerchuk can resend to 1000 plus emails a day, well then so can I! So I will keep you posted on what system I figure out works for me so I can “put a little Zappos in my day,” BUT in the meanwhile watch this. A little treat from Gary Vee and my tech crush Kevin Rose. (Who doesn’t crush on Kevin Rose?)
I will be the first to admit while it didn’t take me a long time to sign up and start networking with friends on Twitter, it has taken me a long time to understand the true power of the website. When I first started using it I saw it as a networking and communication tool. The more I come to use it and the more I watch people from all walks of life using it I am starting to see why Twitter may possibly be the most important website since Google. To help you understand my logic I want to start with some thoughts on Google.
I think it is safe to say most everyone believes Google is currently the most important website on the internet. When I say important I mean the one that has effected how we use the internet the most thus far. Before it came out we were all satisfied with Yahoo, DogPile and other engines and then Google came a long and it got some grass roots buzz, it was the cool new minimalistic search engine that had surprisingly good results with a clean interface. Soon everyone that was savvy enough to know they could choose the search engine they retrieved info from, chose Google. Google didn’t enhance search, Google popularized search. Yes search was around before Google but people didn’t stop using the Yellow Pages and the Phone book and every other method of finding information until Google.
Enter Twitter -
Even among Google, Google Blog Search, RSS Readers, Blogs, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, FaceBook etc. there is still room in our already thin attention span for a site like Twitter. Like Google, Twitter is simple, straight forward and extremely easy to use. I don’t look at Twitter as a micro-blogging service I look at as a literal representation (both through information and networking) as to how small this planet really is. Short 140 character messages isn’t what Twitter is but how it is carried out. Twitter is becoming a behemoth of instant information with the ability to follow up with and talk to the person providing that information. Sure you could say that is the same thing as blogs, but most of what is said in blogs can and is starting to be said through 140 characters and you can digest more info from more people that way. I replaced my RSS reader with Twitter in fall of last year, I have seriously logged in to my Reader less then 10 times since September to read blogs when it used to be a daily occurrence. If someone asked, “what is Google not doing well on the web?” Twitter would be at the top of my list. Twitter is a Real Time engine with personal and live feedback.
#Twitter #Search -
Part of the long term stability I see with Twitter is from search.twitter.com. Anything I need to know about something that is happening right now or has happened in the last 12 hours I use Twitter search for. I used to search through Google Blogsearch, Digg, Delicious, Youtube to get breaking news but now I am alerted to it so quick through someones update, and I can go to Twitter search and get hundreds if not thousands of snippets of info and links seconds/minutes after it is happening. Everyone knows about Twitter and the Hudson River, Mumbai attacks etc. You can’t get that from Google. What takes Google minutes or hours to show you takes Twitter seconds. Google Organizes others content, Twitter creates and organizes its own content. When Jon Stewart ripped Jim Cramer a “new one” I found out about it live from people watching in Eastern time and I was able to go set my TIVO for MST and watch it that night. Before Twitter it would of been a Youtube clip submitted to Digg, Reddit or SU the next day. Danny Sullivan mentioned a similar experience during his keynotes at Omniture Summit and SMX West 09 about an earth quake that hit SoCal, he had tweeted about it and started to get replies and see results with information within minutes. There is no other site on the web that has this capability, and I don’t mean as in software but in software powered by a large and growing organic user base.
Sandwich Tweets - Tweeting about the homemade panini you made or about the Audi test drive you just took is just as vital to Twitter as live excerpts from members of Congress during the State of the Union. If I wanted a new recipe to make for my wife I would useTwitter in that quest. I am in the market right now for a new car and I have used Twitter to find and reach out to those driving what I am interested in to get real live feedback. You can go to CitySearch or Amazon to see reviews on a product or company, but you can go to Twitter to see less biased reviews and you can talk to the person making those reviews and ask specific questions.
No More Red tape – Twitter will replace a lot of media outlets or at least steal a lot of share from them. The way companies can communicate and react to customers via Twitter is Gods great gift to customer communication and loyalty. Before Twitter and partly due to sites like Digg Comcast was the Cable provider ran by Lucifer himself, now because of the outreach that Comcast has utilized via Twitter it is on its way to Saint Hood. Dell has similar experiences. Twitter is finally helping companies be agile who without it were stiff and slow. Social media and blogging in the large corporate space has always been hindered by Red Tape, Twitter forces companies to break that Red Tape. Large companies put review and approval processes before publishing blogs, can you imagine if tweets had to go through legal first? Not going to happen, Twitter forces companies to put someone capable and trusted at the helm as it cannot be regulated it like other mediums.
Twitter Tipping point –
Twitter is mainstream, the nature of Twitter allows every user to utilize its power in their own way, if you are a stay at home mom, CNN, Ashton Kutcher, Jimmy Fallon, small business owner, or the President of the United States you can use Twitter to better your objectives no matter what they may be. This is why it is Mainstream and why it isn’t going to stop, and you think there are a lot of people on there now? I guarantee you that in less than 6 months the user base will nearly double, and instead of people with 400k followers we will have people with over 1M followers. Before Twitter where else would you be able to talk to Shaq or get a late night link to a live streamed jam session by Shawn Ptwitty Combs. People that have influence on Twitter will have influence on the world especially in media. If I was hiring in any kind of business that needed media/marketing presence and I had two nearly identical resumes on my desk and one applicant had no twitter account and the other had 15,000 followers who do you think I am going to hire?
Embrace or be Replaced –
Every company needs to embrace and leverage Twitter before Twitter replaces them. Twitter is already been said to take a chunk out of Job sitesit could do the same to Social Sites, classifieds, dating sites, search engines, aggregators, and so on. FaceBook knows that Twitter is their biggest threat, and it is carving out a strong hold as the most powerful Real Time Search Engine that Google cannot Duplicate.
Conclusion –
There will be a new media darling in a year just as Digg was before Twitter, but Twitter will take on its own role and it isn’t going anywhere. Soon pretty much anyone with an internet connection will be using Twitter if not to tweet but to find Real Time information. In my opinion it is the most influential and important site since Google.
All I have to say is WOW. Today has been magic. I started my day not worrying about my flight time knowing on Southwest if you get to the airport within a reasonable hour from your original time of departure they’ll do their best to put you on the next flight. So I casually wake up at 9:30am for my 10:55am flight. And how could I not experience the lush Austin water hit my skin one last time in the shower. Around 10:15 I accept nope not gonna make that 10:55, but it will be fine. And boy I wasn’t kidding. First Ian Sanders, author of “JUGGLE! Rethink Your Work, Reclaim Your Life” went out of his way to leave me a copy of this book which the Radisson kindly delivered to me. I am really excited to read it on this flight. Not only am I in desperate need of balance as my leaning tower is consistently tilting toward work but it has a fabulous book cover and endorsement by the “It” ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi. Next I go downstairs to hail a cab to the airport and I ask this women if she would like to share the ride. She says she has a car and offers me a lift. Turns out she’s in charge of customer relations for one of my favorite companies, NetFlix. Talk about customer service So we shared a fun conversation about when luck meets opportunity in business. And if you just persevere lucky will eventually strike. Then as if things weren’t already going perfect Southwest said no problem to getting on their 11:15 flight as I stood at the check in at 11am! Lastly and the reason I am able to right this now – um hello. SOUTHWEST LAUNCHED WI-FI > today! Can you believe it. I believe it’s all because I started my day with a positive attitude and just “let go” and let fate happen. To add a cherry on top this wonderful loving couple offered me a window sit on the packed flight so that they could sit next to one another. All I have to say is WOW. If there is only one conference you go to make it South by Southwest.
Oh and PS LOVE my MAC Book – wait have I already mentioned that.
So I have been playing with QIK. It allows me to live stream anything straight from my web cam or phone. But who cares if I’m at the airport, or if I can’t decide what to eat for lunch. I like to write with intention. My purpose in The Billionaire Girl blog is to be useful. To offer genuine insight on the real experiences, trials and tribulations in being an entrepreneur. Toying with random life casting felt well lame. Like the value of sitting and watching an MTV “scripted” reality show. Just I don’t have any savvy script to spruce up my content. Here’s a popular life caster, iJustine. You tell me what you think. I’m going to keep toying with it, but if I don’t find my voice in life casting I think just because it exists doesn’t necessarily mean I should be doing it.
Arrived in Austin, Texas today for SXSW Interactive. Maybe I’ll get some decent life casting done while I’m here. I wonder if it would be valuable for you all to see the industry’s best up close and personal.
Lorrie Thomas from Web Marketing Therapy is GREAT! Met her tonight at a SMARTYS event held at my favorite place Blank Spaces. Tonight Lorrie prescribed me her “Chill Pills” AWESOME. You see the bottle is empty so those delicious teeny chocolates definitely got me in the sweetest direction once again. It is a breath of fresh air when a marketing “expert” these days is actually INNOVATIVE. Ha!
So I love my Blackberry. Well it’s a love hate relationship really. I wish we didn’t have cell phones at all. But since we do and land lines are becoming a thing of the past why not have the most effective tool. Some of you prefer iPhones. I prefer Blackberry. But I must admit when it come to simplicity of use iPhones take the lead. I just can’t stand the touch screen. Anyway for you Crackberries out there here are a couple tricks that took me all night to find.
How to STOP receiving SENT messages in your email – argh!: Click here for the solution. (Insert Huge Happy Face)
and… to respond to my monstrosity of emails overtaking my inbox with my voice – JOTT, (www.jott.com) . So affordable and so great! (Thank you Jerome at BlankSpaces for recommending this life saving software) And sure its not perfect. A typo here. A typo there. But hey at least I tended to that contact and have extra time for beach volley ball. I mean do we really want to spend all our hours behind some form of technology rather than living?
Voice activated emails
For you Google App users like me you can only use Jott through the Blackberry mail system so you will need to configure your account onto your phone but that’s when the tip above comes in handy.
And for TMobile fans. T Mobile just launched the Unlimited Loyalty Plan lowering your bill to $50 bucks.
Lastly, Google updated their mobile apps to include a tracking system on the map app. Yup now if you really want to stir up some drama in your life with that ex you just “can’t seem to get rid of “ just add him/her on your map app
Google Updated Mobile Apps
Now for a big sad face. I didn’t realize new google sync syncs your email address book with your phone. I wasn’t prepared for this and now I have all this junk in my phone book. SUCKS. Anyone know how to undo? And no I was not clever enough to back up my phone before I started playing with all the new additions. Where is the “Time Machine” like they have on MACs.
Don’t judge a book by its cover. I used to be a yacht stewardess and some of the wealthiest people you would never know. Grease stained jeans, sandals, ripped tee shirt and the ability to have any dream they desired. Tonight I was in a situation where I was judged. You never know who you are talking to, who that is person is connected to and for you start ups which Simple Simon may end up being your next investor. Even a popular blogger who has the power to express any opinion pro or con. Luckily my mother always said, if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all. Well as long as you’re not KIIS that is…
This morning my new roommate posted a Happy Birthday message on my bathroom door I got to wake up to. It made my day. And reminded me of so many great and important life lessons.
1) How we choose to start our day sets the tone for that day. Every entrepreneur should be a leader and to deliver the right message to your team but in order to do so it must start with the entrepreneur embodying power and positivity.
2) Sometimes a consumer or client just wants to be acknowledged. Whatever the situation or even better non situation, expressing random thoughts of gratitude aka acknowledgment could stimulate them feeling good about choosing your company to work with or purchase from and a desire to do business with you again.
3) Lastly, sometimes as entrepreneurs we get caught up in being so focused on our businesses we forget to have a life outside of work. That’s me. And I am so lucky that I took a leap and moved out of a rural area to the city to be closer to friends and then to open the door and meet this incredible roommate of mine. It’s just the perfect birthday gift.
You guys decide. Here are the sequence of messages:
Would you think you are the winner if you received these?
"Keep trying"
"Congratulations!"
"Sorry, winner selected"
Thank you everyone for your support on Facebook, Twitter, your emails…. So my attorney contacted KIIS FM on my behalf after they didn’t show care while talking to me.
And here’s a paragraph from the KIIS response to this situation: (By the way I am more than happy to share the full email at request. Just don’t want to crowd the screen.)
Ms. Devora is not a winner in this contest and it is clear that she knows she is not a winner…… (Yea since you guys have told me you made an internal mistake I can see that you are not honoring the winning message. That’s no secret. But the screams of excitement when I received the winning message and having witnesses seeing me texting in suspense hoping I would win. Plus staying up the whole night waiting for the “call you soon” phone call. That can not be faked.)
The fact that Ms. Devora spent so much time and effort trying to guess a future winning word does not mitigate the fact that she did not follow the contest rules as posted. The rules are clear. The Text For A Trip word is revealed each and every hour and KIIS FM never revealed the word “Branson” – and we have airchecks of every word revealed as part of this contest to prove this point. We also have the text records that we received from Ms. Devora (based upon the cell phone number that she gave us via email) that supports our contention that she entered the contest and attempted to be a winner on at least two occasions and then she apparently attempted to try another word, apparently at random, to win the contest.
Let’s get something straight, I have NEVER entered any sort of radio contest and don’t have a clue as to how they function other than I heard the DJ say text a word to a specific number so I did and I kept getting “Try Again” messages until I received the “Congratulations” message and then in disbelief I tried again and it said “Sorry we have our winner”. And I thought to myself OMG I actually am the winner. That’s when the screams of excitement started. SO Mister KIIS FM I am not psychic. I only played your game to be with my hero on my birthday. And whether your systems made an error or not how can you possibly feel okay allowing any listener the joy of winning something so important only to have a tech glitch. The thing is that even if the DJ messed up and said the keyword by mistake, just the fact that I received a winning message should be reason to care.
And no I wasn’t offered any sort of consolation prize for playing.
For those of you who don’t know I won a trip two nights ago through KIIS FM in Los Angeles. See the winning photo on yesterday’s post. The next day they called to tell me opps they made an error. How can anyone get away with saying I’m a winner and then take it back. Its not concert tickets. Its a trip with my hero, Branson, on the best airline in the world.
Then in this social media world I of course share the joy after “winning” so you can imagine how embarrassing it is to say to my friends, family and acquaintances “opps”.
I talk again and again about where the value really lies in social media. Business people think they’ll monetize off the plentiful numbers but have yet to find a model that does so effectively. After this whole experience its more than apparent that the power in social media is a power for and by the people. When we get duped by corporations we are told to trust like Clear Channel and KIIS FM we finally have a way outside Consumer Reports to stand up for ourselves and scream that this just isn’t right.
I’m thinking about throwing my own contest. Maybe I’ll ask Tony Hawk to fly Virgin with his number one fan. And we’ll do the contest right. I just hope that at the end of all this Virgin tells KIIS to screw off just like they have expressed to me.
Richard Branson is my hero. Everyone who knows me knows that. So you can imagine the volume of my screaming excitement when I won a trip to Australia on the inaugural Virgin Australia flight this Friday out of LAX. And on my birthday weekend! What better of a dream could have come true. Now KIIS is saying they made an error. “An Error!”
So they just called back and said opps our system messed up. Can you believe it!!!!! I go on saying how this is not how Virgin handles business. Why I love VIRGIN is their care for customer service and their code of ethics. KIIS FM’s response QUOTE “This is the KIIS FM contest, we’re doing the contest, not VIRGIN” … “WHAT!!!!!” I told them, “What am I supposed to think when I read a message that says …
From: 41027
Sent: Feb 25, 2009 12:40 AM
Subject: KIISFM: Congrts ur textr 102!
KIISFM: Congrts ur textr 102! You’ll b flyin VAustralia THIS FRI for a 4 day/3 nite trip 2 Sydney Australia. We’ll contact u @ this # soon”
Are you freaking kidding me!!!! And I grew up in LA so I trusted KIIS. Why would I think they would dupe me. Branson please make right of this strange situation and make my birthday dream come true.
Twitter raises 35 million this week in addition to what they already have. Woo hoo. No business plan, no monetization model. Now that’s setting an example. Here I thought Bart Simpson was a bad influence. Go Start Up go. Take the money and run to Switzerland. When did being a business stop being about making money and start being about raising money?
This week was tech mania. Woodstock watch out because LA was transformed. Tech Paintball, Tech Zulu anniversary, Twiist Up 5 and Twestival. Nuts! Gave me plenty of excuses to get out of the house and shmooze with my newfound besties. I ran into Richard from PR Newswire and made the comment that Twitter is the new press release. It is. Consumers, you and me, want to purchase based on our friends’ feedback rather than what we read in an “official” review. And twitter is just that. We follow those we want to hear from, both friends and associates. We trust their opinions. It’s cool. And now the business and friend world has merged with such fluidity that instead of once saying “MySpace me” it’s now “Follow Me”. The transformations in today’s PR world are fantastic. Filled with more truth and opportunity for discovery.
Considering this blog was always intended to be a positive resource for business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs and just plain and simple geeks I’ve altered the title a bit. It was called “I’m Gonna Get Funded Damnit” as a satire to all those people who are overly concerned with raising money rather than making money. Lets forgo business models and focus on fundraising! – What! Hello, businesses are here to do two things; Solve a problem and make money – Done. So I changed the name to something a bit more mystical. Seeing that so many people search the term “golden ticket” maybe that’s what we’re all looking for. But don’t you see the Golden Ticket is within us all if we just forge ahead and trust our instinct. Sometimes it may be scary and other times exhilarating, but if we never try how will we know if we would have succeeded. Okay, enough with the Gandhi talk. Hope you find the tips, tools and perspective you need from this blog and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
So I stumbled upon BLVD Status today when I was reading a 5 Ones report. All I have to say is AWESOME. Too much to say about this new and improved web analytics tool so I’ll let SEO Master Chris Bennett say it for me here on 97th Floor. Can’t wait to try it out! Maybe this puts us one step close to monetizing our social media traffic but first understanding what interests them.
Be sure not to miss Twiist Up coming up in February here in my hometown of Los Angeles. I am excited. I must admit I only just discovered this nerd party recently and apparently it is approaching suaree number 5. Boo hoo that I missed the past 4. Think tech, meets rockband meets a fantasy Skittles commercials sprinked with start up on top. Its late. Even this geek girl needs her rest. I will wake up to my beloved 5 hour energy drink in the morning but for now its media decks, filing searching the web and finally those ZZZZZZZZ. Oh and Mark, “The Cobra Snake” look at you getting retro in the geek world.
Yea it takes guts glory and perseverance to own a business. Do you have what it takes? I know I do. Remember when you are magic your world is magic. Negativity just promotes more darkness. If we all have a choice (even though it feels as though we don’t ) what would you choose? Each day I make a conscious effort to find the light. To embrace all opportunity. There is always a way. But if you don’t look, you will never see the open door.
Today I am fascinated with “24 hours at sundance” . I am just exhilarated to be involeved in the technology side of my industry. It’s a roller coaster ride and people who don’t understand it are going to miss out on all the fun.
Last night I went to the Knitting Factory in LA for the Diggnation Meet Up. It was a blast. As you may have seen on my Tweets all the guys were super nice. The experience was one not to miss. The crowd’s energy was wild and passionate. The guys were ridiculously funny and candid. They really do make you feel like you are their best friend, welcoming you into their home; Diggnation. Jay from Digg news did an interview with me so maybe they’ll air it. If you Digg boys stumble upon this post I do hope you digg it. Just THANK YOU for a truly fun night from your Geek Girl.
A woman is assertive and to the point, she’s a bitch. A woman is friendly and cares, she’s a pushover. Where’s the fine line for a kind hearted person who expects goals to be met and in return wants to cater to a fun and flexible work environment. Can that even exist? Does a leader always need to also be the asshole? And how can you simply enjoy the rapport with a co worker and not have it become a friendship? Or is it okay to be friends as long as those people are mature professionals? Almost all people who have worked for me I have genuinely enjoyed their personalities and getting to know who they are. I have to say that if I would have never gotten to know some of these people I would have really missed out. So where’s the fine line?
When my very good friend Spencer exposed me to my equivalent of porn – tech webisodes, and then put the gran daddy of em all on my iTunes, “This Week in Tech” with with regular guests like Jason Calacanis and Kevin Rose I started drooling. Best part is its nickname “TWiT“. Love it! Think of a cross between hanging out at Cheers and chatting it up at CES. I just can’t get enough of my geeky heart throbs.
Starting, growing and building a business is not an easy feat. Can we wake up whenever and take any random ol day off, SURE, if we want our business to go no where. Most business owners work 80 plus hour weeks and have “homework” when we leave the office. Last night I finished at 3am, started back up again at 9am and am closing my night down early at 11pm.
But being an entrepreneur is the best thing that could have ever happened to me, or did I select this life… who cares who choose who, the fact is I have purpose each morning when I wake up. My imagination turns into reality and with that reality I provide opportunity to enable others to live out their dreams. And I have to say, though many days are trying, seeing that my thoughts, my fantasies, manifested success not only for myself but those who surround me – Now that’s true magic.
Here is a site. I know the owner so I can say first hand he cares. It’s very useful if you want to start examining your desires to be an entrepreneur. www.perfectbusiness.com
All sites to mark what you like and why you like it. I just don’t know. So far for me Delicious is out. Not into it. I feel like I should read technorati more and StumbleUpon is easier to make your mark with the firefox add on and Digg captcha slows me down too much. What do you guys think?
As for me; I’m onto web company number 3 and plan to power network my way through this recession and continue to build a billion dollar organization.
Secrets to their Successhas been very helpful over the past decade. I can’t believe how consistently raw and straight forward it always is.
Not kidding. Reading these people’s candid interviews on how they made their money online and the tools they used to do it has taught me so much over the years and helped me apply the same tactics. And the interviews are kept up weekly so I am constantly reading the most up to date information of what works.
SECRETS TO THEIR SUCCESS:
Thank you to the Raw Deal Blog for this awesome resource. TEXT “ESPREE” TO 50500 to have my exclusive contact info sent right to your phone.
REPOST: Ever been out at the grocery store, in an airplane, or at a friends house for a small gathering and sparked a business conversation with someone that could be turned into $$$$ for you…then you reach in your pocket only to find you didn’t bring your business card with you? For you singles…how about the times you meet someone who that chemistry is sparking with and you have to split so fast that you don’t have time to do much more than say a “nice to meet you” and hand your business card…and you don’t have it?
I dream of days that I will be able to simply press a button on my phone that will send my vCard via to the cell phone of my choice. That doesn’t exist yet though. So for now, ID345, a Denver based company, has launched their website, www.contxts.com with a nifty little solution for this. May not be as easy and convenient as the vCard idea, but it definitely is moving toward that direction.
All you do is go to the site, register your info, and customize how you want the SMS message to appear when received. The site is fairly new, so most people who have signed up have been able to have the user ID be just their first name. Once you have your user ID and customized card saved, all you have to do is have whomever you want to have all your contact info to text your user ID, mine is “luisg” for example, to 50500 and the person will received a text that is your customized message.
In my case, mine is in the format:
Luis Guajardo
Title
Mobile
Company
Email
Company Website
I have used this a few times. As time goes on, I think I’ll become accustomed to using it a bit more. But what I use more is… I can text 50500 the cell phone number of a person I want to send my SMS Business Card and that number will recieve my info. The technology is not that sophisticated, rather this is more a product of a simple great idea. What will be interesting is to see what this company, or others that follow, comes up with to improve upon this idea. Perhaps we’ll one day see the WIFI vCard pass using a button on our cell phones!!
What’s interesting is that TechCruch, a well respected blog on the tech news around the world, wrote an article on the fact that we need to eliminate the paper business card (See Article). Personally, I try to avoid printing out everything possible. This is a world that is becoming more and more paperless. One argument I have to this simple SMS business card, is that this idea removes the creative component to the business card. As a business owner myself, and a designer, I spent a lot of time designing my logo to establish my brand. But the solution is simple, contxts should start allowing users to create a jpg image that can be uploaded and sent as a pic SMS text. I’ll be waiting for that upgrade in the next year or so guys!!
Check out http://twitter.alltop.com. Its pretty cool if your a Tweeter Head like me. I think I’ll make Twitter its own category on here. These twitter posts are getting to be a bit frequent. Gotta get my fix.
Brought to you by your very own Willy Wonka. Here is a comprehensive resource list from great affordable personal assistants to how to get your new web business off the ground (and not some dumb BS sales pitch, but what I have actually touched smelled and made love too JK) Yea, I’m kinda a business junkie. Anyway, here it is.
"I've got the golden ticket..."
I made it a “page” so it is always right there if you need it. I will finsh it later in the week. I’m exhausted right now.
So Guy Kawasaki posted on Twitter tonight this link to the Top Twitter Toolshttp://www.sociableblog.com/2008/12/29/top-twitter-tools-2009/. Great list. Personally I love micro blogging – it fun fast easy and candid. Anyone who knows me can tell you that being upfront is of of my best attributes. So yea I am a twitter freak. My favorite is Tweet Later but please tell everyone to stop creating auto messages thanking to follow them. It annoying and boring. Very solicity. Why not try being useful. Posting a helpful resource relevant to their expertise or something. Just enough with the automated thank yous.
So just got my nails done. I know I know – don’t judge me. I deserve a break. I even worked on Christmas But the nail technician was sharing how the “VIP”s get “special treatment. And I thought to myself, what makes a person VIP. Of course there are actors and musicians. But why do they really have the power. It’s not simply because of their wealth, (although that does help). It’s because they have the power to influence. That’s why they are chosen to represent causes and political parties. Check out how to be an influencer > you don’t need to be famous.
I never knew! Okay, iPhoto amazing. Apple makes everything so easy. And now I see how everything Google does just mimics Apple in order to bring simplicity for PC users. Man, how can I ever go back now.
There’s no going back now. iWeb, Spaces, iTunes radio, easily organize files, AND screen capture!!!! Thats my fave. Shhhhh don’t tell anyone this PC girl just converted. But sorry Apple folks. I’m still not too into the iPhone. The touch pad bothers me. I know what you’re thinking. It’s only time…. Hmmmmm
MINT.com is absolutely THE BEST tool I have ever discovered to manage my finances. It makes the dreadful task fun. I wish I had it when I was a teenager. I know that I would have had my shit a lot more together years ago if I had a tool like MINT. It is simple to use, comprehensive and effective. If you don’t try it you are wasting dollars being ignorant.
Just saw the movie MILK tonight. Wow. It reminded me a lot of the Obama election. The common theme both politicians urged their listeners was that the change was not in them, but in us all working together, united. “Yes we can” and “I want to recruit you” is about inspiring a movement driven by hope. HOPE for a better tomorrow is a powerful thing. Tim Ferriss said something like…”Obama isn’t going to fly into office in his super hero cape send an email and all will be okay.” It takes an army of people to create change. As business owners our ability to partner with causes we believe in and inspire change through our brands will make our shops not about the single purchase, but about the movement. Look at Tom’s shoes and learn. www.tomsshoes.com
I know people are going through really hard times, but as an entrepreneur I can’t help but be so excited. Right now is the true test to see how strong our businesses were built. Apple Google Virgin Air were all built when money was tight and people weren’t spending. This just forces us to build organizations that ” make an enormous and positive difference,’ as Branson says.
What’s up with the twitter crazy. It’s pop culture. Anyway if you are a Tweeter here is a little something for ya. Think of it as the Google Trend tool but only for Twitter – http://twist.flaptor.com
What if we all woke up tomorrow and switched to energy efficient lighting, turned off the light switch when it wasn’t needed, didn’t leave the water running and reused items rather than re buy? What if we all did these easy changes in unison? I could only imagine what may seem small would create a large impact. Maybe we have more control over our economic state than we believe we have. www.opportunitygreen.com
Just got back from the Bay Area and CEO Shanna Tellerman from Wild Pockets said it best for being an effective manager – stop reading business books and start reading pre schooler development books. Because quite frankly at the end of the day we can’t have all the toys we want to play with whenever we want and in order to alleviate frustration and encourage progression let’s go back to pre school.
Summit Web 2.0 has the leading experts in this crazy virtual world of social media speaking all under one roof in a jam packed three day technical journey. As I sit here in San Francisco’s luxurious Palace Hotel hoping to ease drop a savvy conversation between two “experts” I realize any disappoint experienced from not making the cut for an exclusive invitation to this event is simply not warranted. Here are all these “suits” with thick rolodexs and fancy words but still lies the billion dollar question – “How do these sites make any money”. They don’t know. If these experts did they’d be in Vegas living the life of surplus cash rather than here making sure everyone knows how expert they are. We all want that glorified 12-24 year old demographic. We want their parents cash. So why not just ask – “What will you spend on?” You listened to Ronald McDonald and still invest in a burger with Happy Meal smiles so what burger will you buy from me. Why not ask Mister Wallet, “What do you want to spend your ad dollars on?” Instead of finding all the ways to be viral so we all become this KMart no one shops at, (as sited in “The Purple Cow” by Seth Godin), why not start creating for the customer rather than fishing for one. Don’t feel too bad though, I mean the confernece does cost 4 grand a pop so, after all…someone is monetizing.
This should be a “how to” video rather than a gamers wet dream. So mainly people waste time away without thinking about their market, without setting goals and g-d forbid achieving a result. The guys at Mana Energy Potion have mastered the art of effective viral video marketing.
So this weekend I ditched Halloween to get up perky Saturday and speak at Realizing a Vision at Vanguard University with incredible women like Latina Media Dynamo Nely Galan, (Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice), who surpassed her reputation, former Entrepreneur Magazine editor Rieva Lesonsky, Tish & Snooky Bellomo founders of Manic Panic (which brings me back to my pink hair punk high school days), Style Network’s Finola Hughes and all sorts of other phenomenal business women. We got together to educate and inspire high school girls to go after their dreams and “realize their visions”. It was an amazing experience and I am thankful.
The top lesson for me that stood out was to “go toward the light”, so to speak, rather than stay in the dark. For instance, we all keep people in our lives who waste our energy or stay stuck in situations that drain us. Why? Why not just choose to recognize, detach and go back to smiling. I mean isn’t it really that easy when you just take a step back and examine with clarity rather than foggy “baggage” glasses. Anyway, that’s just my two cents. So I am making the change. I plan to be laughing a lot more and stressing a lot less.
Thank you to Tish and Snooky for your kick ass Venice Beach shop opening party that night. I love my green nails and pink hair extensions ! Your gift bags rocked and I am already wearing my new shirt. What a great way to start off the new liberated me.
Tim Ferriss once again brings clarity to our entrepreneurial life in his newest post about sanity. A big thank you to Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape, for clearly defining my mental state. the reaction from my business partner when he read this post – “For the most part, I could have written that blog post, and titled it my friend and partner Espree” Ha!
It's time to believe. I'm sick and tired of people making excuses for not going after their dreams. I'm going after mine and doing just fine. Crazy, sure. Manic, of course. Exhilarated, all the time. If you don't try then well... I am just sorry you missed out.
I welcome your feedback.
Anyone know how to undo? And no I was not clever enough to back up my phone before I started playing with all the new additions. Where is the 
