The Upside of Social Networking Addictions

I've been on Facebook now for almost a year, but my social media addiction started with twitter. I'd spend hours and hours laughing and tweeting...retweeting and laughing some more.

True story: The Boy (my son) once told me, "I wish I had the mom who worked at [previous employer] instead of the mom who works at twitter." Bless his heart, he thought twitter was my job!

Before migrating my addiction over to Facebook, I wanted to make sure I'd positioned myself on twitter. Not as someone who was there to self-promote, but to use it for what I believe it's truly meant for - taking online connections and turning them into real-life offline relationships. Twitter lead to the opportunity for me to speak to eWomen Network in Oakland, CA, as a result of meeting Ann Evanston online. It's been a couple of years since I sent my first tweet and I'm still amazed at the number of people who still miss the point. They continue to talk about only themselves, push their services and affiliate products, and blast sales pitches.

Now that I'm comfortable with using Facebok, I'm spending more time on twitter again. Last week I was on and happened to see a tweet announcing a chat for the upcoming Texas Conference for Women. The hashtag was #TexasWomen. I hadn't participated in tweetchat in a long time and decided to join the conversation. I was glad I did. Although I don't have plans to attend the 2010 conference, I had fun enteracting with the speakers and past conference attendees. That experience alone made me want to go to the live event and I've already put next week's chat on my calendar. I also gained a few more like-minded followers in the process.

I'm sitting in Starbucks writing this post and couldn't help but overhear two men talking about twitter. One guy was telling the other all the great benefits of being active on twitter and the other fellow was rebutting and saying what I've heard so many others say, "I just don't get it."

I'm not here to sell you on it one way or another. Not all social networking works for everyone and I don't subscribe to the belief that you have to be plugged into everything or you're not "doing it right". Find what works best for you and stick with it consistently.

Regardless to what you choose, remember this: Join the conversation - it's a dialogue. Forget about adding value and just show up and give it.

You can see my latest tweets over there to the right below my picture. If we haven't connected there yet, you can follow me at @iHiredMe.

Photo credit: xotoko

Feel the Fear, Have Doubts & Do it Anyway

I was searching for an image that depicted someone being afraid and despite feeling the fear, they chose to "do the thing " anyway. This photo is a good representation of not only that, but of how I personally feel at times.

More often than not, when I make up my mind to do something, I really don't have a clue how to go about doing it. I'm sometimes fearful, rarely have a comprehensive plan in place, am a bit worried about being judged or how the idea will be received by others, but yet and still I do it anyway. I give myself permission to have all of those conflicting emotions - the negative ones that usually hold others back from reaching forward into the unknown. In case you didn't know, that's what we're resisting. Moving outside of what's comfortable and into territory we've never explored.

If you only take away one thing from reading this, let it be the following: If what you're doing doesn't make you uneasy, it's probably not worth doing.

Complacency is akin to comfort. Comfort is related to stagnation. Stagnation mirrors conformity. None of which are breeding grounds for prosperity, growth, responsibility, or success.

I couldn't encourage you to dream big and then make it happen unless I was actually doing it myself. Well, I guess I could but I wouldn't be taken seriously and I certainly wouldn't be leading by example.

The point I'm trying to make here is simple. We experience a range of positive and negative emotions and thoughts. It's ok. What's not ok is when we become paralyzed by the negative - anything and everything from the distracting little voices in our heads to the very people in our circle of influence who shoot down our dreams for no reason other than they too have the same reservations but don't know how to manage and overcome them.

Tell the voices to shut up and get yourself some new friends. I suggest you do this sooner rather than later. The more you procrastinate the more it costs you. Wouldn't you rather have a small group of people who build you up and support you unconditionally rather than a large network of Naysaying Nellies?

Stop settling for less than you deserve because you're guided by fear and can't see beyond the seemingly impossible. Let your fears motivate you. Embrace them and allow yourself to evolve into someone you never imagined you could be.


Photo credit: Marlene Ford

The Unemployed Entrepreneur®: The Evolution Begins

 

This interview was done in March 2009 and was the second one I'd done with the local news. The first was a few months earlier in November 2008, where I shared my story about overcoming foreclosure. I didn't hire a PR firm and wouldn't have done so even if I could've afforded it. Instead, I sat down and taught myself how to pitch the media.

Media outlets report on newsworthy information and during this time, unemployment and the foreclosure crisis was in the news daily. Like millions of others, I'd been impacted by both.

The angle of the FOX 7 interview was to shed light on the upside of losing your job. I wanted people to know that unemployment wasn't the end of the world, but the beginning of reinventing yourself as someone you've always wanted to be or the opportunity to just try something new all together. Bottom line: it's gonna be whatever you make it - good or bad, but regardless -  it's not going to be easy. So since tough times were ahead (believe me, I've had my fair share between now and then), I decided to face them doing something I actually enjoyed and the idea of helping a few folks along the way excited me.

The Unemployed Entrepreneur® was born in May 2009 (I borrowed the money from my uncle to trademark the name).

So much has happened over the last couple of years and I've shared some of it here on my blog. I founded a women's entrepreneur group, started writing for Forbes, and recently became a radio host. And while I've been transparent about certain aspects of my life and business, I must admit that I haven't been that forthcoming in regards to the stuff that isn't so pleasant - the bad days, disappointments, and struggles.

From this point on, I'm really an open book. Not for the sake of airing my dirty laundry, but simply because life isn't always a cake walk and the challenges are also a part of the journey. I believe deep down in the innermost crevices of my heart that I'll reach all of my goals, my dreams will be fulfilled, and my brand will evolve into something bigger than I've even imagined for myself.

So many times we hear a person's story of trials and tribulations after they've made a name for themselves (Paula Deen and Tyler Perry immediately come to mind). We don't get the opportunity to experience it first hand as things are unfolding...until now.

This is my success story in the making. We'll find out how it ends together.

Marketing Fail: A Post for The Work at Home Woman

Who or what are you blaming for your marketing not getting results? There's one important factor to consider and it depends solely upon you. Read this post and let me know if you can relate to it:

The #1 Reason for Marketing Fail

The Guerilla Marketing Challenge

In August I made up my mind to focus more on my marketing efforts. I need to implement, execute, track, and measure. You know, all the stuff we're told to do, but somehow never really get around to because we're too busy being Administrative Assistants instead of  money-making business owners. My Action & Accountability group read Jay Conrad Levinson's book, Guerilla Marketing, and a member loaned me the workbook you see pictured here.

Over the next 30 plus days, I'll be reading and doing the exercises in the workbook. Notice I said, "30 plus days". While I would love nothing more than to complete an exercise each day, that's just not a realistic goal for me to set. I've done the Day 1 Action Steps which were relatively easy. I had to answer seven questions and complete sentences pertaining to my mindset and beliefs as they relate to marketing. The author told me to start a marketing journal and give it a name. Mine is appropriately titled Bad Ass Marketing Book ("My Marketing Journal" doesn't really fit my personality or mindset).  Day 2 is a bit more involved. I have to make a list of marketing goals, explain in detail my process for reaching those goals, as well as plan how I'll overcome any roadblocks that may get in the way of my goals. I'm giong to keep you updated on my progress, so be sure to subscribe to my blog. All you have to do is enter your email address in the box in the top right corner of this page and immediately confirm your subscription once the confirmation email is sent to you.

I'm going to leave you with Levinson's Four Things that Contribute to a Poor Marketing Mindset:

1. 
   
   Thinking in terms of "I make a good living" or "I'm comfortable and my numbers are fine." Complacency is your number-one enemy once competition steps in or a market turns. Not having the right marketing mindset will leave the company in a vulnerable state and a catch-up situation. Many times action comes too late and there is too much to recover from.
2. 
   
   Thinking in terms of "I already lead in my market." Sooner or later the competition will get stronger. There will be a new competitor in the market and/or there could be technology changes. Some industry factors are beyond your control. Lack of marketing mindset will put you at risk from those factors beyond your control.
3. 
   
   Thinking in terms of "I concentrate on the financials; marketing belongs to the marketing department." Marketing starts with the CEO, owner, or director. Taking on this responsibility requires the right marketing mindset. Growth and survival cannot happen without marketing, and marketing can't happen without the proper mindset.
4. 
   
   Lacking a competitive spirit, not having a killer instinct, and not playing to win. Vince Lombardi said that winning is not everything - it is the only thing. The same goes for marketing. Marketing is not a hobby. It is put in place to win customers and business, and winning customers requires a winning marketing mindset.

I challenge you to take the time to start your own marketing journal and commit to implementing and following through with what you write down. Before you start, you must be clear on your marketing mindset and identify specific measurable and attainable goals. Let me know what you come up with. Leave your feedback and comments below.