Becky Robinson's Blog, page 54

Featured On Friday: #WITour2016

I have to say, being part of a virtual team is AWESOME. Not only do I get all the benefits from working from home (from as far as Israel!), but I don’t necessarily miss out on the personal interactions that come from a traditional shared work environment because of Weaving Influence’s collaborative nature. WI is not only a team, its a community, and I am grateful for that.

Needless to say, I was still a bit envious of those team members that were able to get together over the past few weeks in Atlanta, and was very excited to hear about all of the connections made at the Berrett-Koehler marketing workshop in San Francisco where Becky spoke to an outstanding group of authors and marketing professionals.

Here, I have compiled some thoughts from team members who were a part of the in-person 2016 Weaving Influence tour (#WITour2016!).

It was so wonderful to meet some of the team members I work with on a daily basis in person. It was like seeing celebrities or unicorns or fairies… They really do exist! –Whitney Heins, PR Director

Working in a virtual team doesn’t mean you don’t have strong support and collaboration with your co-workers, but it is different.  When we get the opportunity to get together in person, it feels almost like a reunion–even if it’s the first time we’re meeting in person.  The value of these get-togethers is that they deepen our connections with one another and truly solidify our feeling of community.  Meeting with clients in person has the same effect-we get to connect on a deeper level and I think the work is better for it. I wouldn’t trade my virtual job, but I love moments for in-person connection. The balance is what makes successful partnerships and teams. –Christy Kirk, Director of Social Strategy

We have the good fortune to work on a virtual team, which gives us a great deal of flexibility. Thanks to technology, we “see” each other (over video conferences, for example) frequently. When I met Kylah, Whitney, and Christy in person (I had met Becky before), it was an uncanny combination of “this doesn’t feel like a first meeting” and “it’s so great to FINALLY MEET YOU!” There is a special power in looking someone in the eyes (and breaking bread with them, which we did our fair share of on this trip), and I am so grateful that Weaving Influence encouraged us to leave our keyboards and headsets behind in order to spend time together “in real life.” – Paula Kiger, Community Manager

Even though you may meet with and work with a person via video calls, email and chat every day, there’s something about that face to face meeting in real life and sharing real space that can’t be replicated in the virtual world. I was so grateful to have gotten the chance to officially meet co-workers and clients alike in Atlanta. –Kylah Frazier, Project Manager

Becky with our client Charles Vogl

It’s always invigorating to meet face to face with those we work with, especially so in a virtual company such as ours. My wife and I just happened to be passing through Atlanta at the same time as other team members and we met for dinner. Even just a few minutes of face time makes a considerable difference. –John Marcello, Web Developer

“In addition to loving the chance to connect with team and clients face to face, I enjoyed the deep learning and conversation at the BK Workshop.” –Becky Robinson, CEO

I’m still waiting for #WITourMiddleEast. Until then, I can live vicariously through my teammates.

Have a fantastic Friday! I hope you take some time this weekend to connect with friends and loved ones in person.

 

Going Back to School on Storytelling

It’s back to school season! And, recently I found myself going back to school of sorts when I stumbled upon some old public relations textbooks. Thumbing through them, I thought—“Geez, if I wrote like this, readers would fall asleep halfway through the lede!”

Much has changed since I went to school: the media landscape has widened and shifted; yet while the number of outlets seem to multiply at an exponential rate, the number of top-tier outlets remains the same. Instead, they’re just more people and organizations clambering for coverage in them.

And audiences today are able to consume news at any moment in time—but for shorter spurts. They’re less likely to read long features. Stories tend to be under 700 words and are simplistic and pithy.

Yet even with these changes, the core job of a public relations professional has stayed the same.

We are storytellers.

But the way we tell stories to grab the attention of news generators and consumers is different.

So, in the spirit of the back-to-school season, I’m going back to school on how to hook media and their audiences—and thought you’d like to tag along.

First things first, though. There has and always will be only two main ways to grab attention: 1) Make a story either with fresh content, research, op-eds, events, or content marketing/creation; or 2) follow a story by offering expertise or a different angle to a news event.

Without doing this, your hopes of being written or talked about is just that—hopes.

With this in mind, here are 9 ways to frame stories so that they grab attention of the media and their audiences:

Be useful. Readers today gravitate to stories that promise them something that’s easy to read and simple to do.
Be immediate. Words like daily, now, today, immediately get reads.
Tell secrets. Words like secrets, habits, tricks, tips, and characteristics catch people’s eyes.
Pique curiosity. Keep them guessing in the headline.
Leverage your experience. Promote the information you have that audiences can’t find elsewhere.
Name drop. Use big names seen in the top headlines.
Cite weird numbers. Think 35, 19, 11. These tend to get clicks.
Talk big price tags. Big dollar amounts also pique interest.
Be universal. Share lessons that can benefit anyone.

The media will also want to know what value your story will have for their audiences. So when thinking of your story, ask yourself why people should care and what makes it unique or new. Then leverage that and share your story!

 

Image credit: ValeriaMoschet

Featured on Friday: #FindYourVoice as a Leader @voiceasaleader

As a blogger and book author, I’ve spent a lot of time considering the ripples of influence. For instance: if I spend 30 minutes writing a blog post, that post may be read by someone across the country, who may then take the truths I’ve shared and use them to encourage another friend, who may then make adjustments in their life for the better… (etc., etc., etc.). Of course, not every post has that sort of influence spiral; but the point is, I must consider ahead of time what I want my impact to be since, as they say: if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!

And it’s the same for everyone. Whether you’re a writer or a CEO or a stay-at-home parent, you need to own your individual impact. We each need to take time to figure out what we hope to accomplish in our unique roles, determine the values we want to uphold, and then take strategic steps to accomplish that. Philip Larsen, author of the newly released Find Your Voice as a Leader, offers an effective five-step strategy to help us each maximize our potential as leaders — whether you’re leading at home or in the boardroom.

Meet Paul Larsen

Paul N. Larsen, MA, CPPC, is a Certified Professional Performance Coach and an experienced leadership consultant and speaker. He has over 30 years’ business experience with executive and senior-level responsibilities within small and large companies, including being the Chief Human Resources Officer for a $3 billion organization. Paul partners with industry-wide leaders and teams from Fortune 100, start-up, and high-tech environments to find their unique leadership “VOICE” and create compelling and purposeful outcomes for their organizations. He has a proven track record with organizations such as SAP, Electronic Arts Twitter, and Walmart. Read more at www.paulnlarsen.com, and connect with him on Twitter @voiceasaleader.

Discover How to Find Your Voice as a Leader

“Offering concrete steps and guidance to develop greater self awareness, this book shows you what being authentic really means and how to work on being your best self. It equips you with the tools and skills necessary to be the catalyst of positive change your organization needs.“

—Susan Friedmann, CSP, International bestselling author of ‘Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market.’

Are leaders born or made? Research says only 10-15 percent are natural born leaders. And Paul Larsen, top executive coach and business consultant, agrees. That’s why he’s authored Find Your VOICE as a Leader, a book poised to help leaders in all aspects of life find their voice and make an impact.

Through his common-sense V-O-I-C-E model, readers can follow five simple steps to uncover their leadership brand and put it into action. The model has been used successfully by leaders within organizations such as Twitter and Walmart.

Finding your V-O-I-C-E means:

Discovering your core Values. What’s really important to you?
Creating a compelling vision to obtain the Outcomes you want. Is your vision congruent with your values?
Building relationships with Influence and credibility. How do you engage with people to achieve your outcomes?
Making decisions that reveal your Courage and confidence to take a stand. Where do you need to step outside your comfort zone to be the leader you want to be?
Communicating your overall Expression for lasting impact. How can you express your leadership brand?

Check out what some of our Buzz Builders have to say about Find Your Voice…

“For anyone beginning their leadership journey or those who may have lost their effective leadership way, Find Your Voice will be helpful tool. . . . The ’10 steps to lead courageously’ and the ‘6 phrases a leader should never use’ are sections every leader should read periodically to make certain bad habits haven’t seeped into their interactions.” {Read the rest of Jane Perdue‘s review on Amazon.}
“Find Your Voice as a Leader by Paul N. Larsen is my dream book for seasoned and new up and coming leaders. I wish I had this book when I was just starting out in the world . . . It was a welcoming journey through building, influencing, and standing up for leadership – my leadership. Again, this book is a gift to anyone who has wandered off the leadership path or is a young leader. So many young people would benefit from learning about being leaders the ‘right’ way not by watching those that ‘think’ that they are leaders. I strongly encourage you to pick Paul N Larsen’s book today and start your own leadership journey or mentoring someone close to you!” {See what else Lisa Kosak shares in her Amazon review.}

Support the Launch

First of all – if you haven’t already – buy the book! (Amazon: US | Canada | UK | Australia)
Then leave a review – we love reviews, and can never see enough of them show up on Amazon!
Write about it on your blog and send us the link so we can share it.
Share the graphics & send the tweets from the book site through your social channels.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf for others to find.

 

The Heart of An Author’s Online Influence

As our CEO Becky Robinson likes to say, your website is the only place online that you really control online. For that reason, we consider it the essential foundation for building stable and influential thought leadership in your field.

For authors, having a website that effectively communicates with your readers and potential readers about who you are will help to build community around your book(s), engage your readership, and encourage sales of your books and other services.

There are a few different types of ways we help our authors develop “home bases” for their messages.

Custom Author Website

As the web projects manager, these are my favorite types of sites to work on, mainly because of how much the author’s unique personality and perspective shines through in a custom designed and developed site. What differentiates a custom site from a simpler templated site (see below) is the scope and complexity of the design and development. Well-made custom sites will feature:

Unique design. A custom site will be designed with your perspective in mind. The more your “home on the web” can serve as a reflection of your personality, the more your site’s visitors will feel connected to you as an individual. Additionally, many clients will have their site designed in accordance with their existing brand to maintain consistency across the digital and printed spheres, a result not as easily accomplished when using a templated website.
Custom pages and features. Typically, the site map will include key pages such as About, Book, Blog, Services, and Contact, though the specifics of your site map and the layout and content of each individual page depends entirely on your personal goals for the site. Some clients require special additional features such as an online store for products, a message board, events calendar, a press page, or a unique display of videos and/or articles, all of which can be seamlessly integrated into a custom site.
Adaptable/scalable structure. When you opt to invest in a custom site, you are setting yourself up for easier integration of updates and changes to your website in the future.

Some examples of custom sites by Weaving Influence include: giantleapconsulting.com, williamhigh.com, johnperkins.org.

A custom site also gives your audience a chance to connect with you on a personal level—and can serve as a primary driver for your other business offerings such as speaking, consulting, and training.

Templated Author Website

A simpler and more straightforward option, the templated site is a great choice for authors who want to maintain a blog and space for people to learn about their work without investing the resources or time associated with a custom site.

A well-executed templated site will feature:

Clear and simple navigation. If using a templated site, your sitemap may be simpler and smaller than with a custom site, but can still contain all of the key pages that you need for your personal brand. As opposed to a custom-designed homepage, your homepage may be your blog page. This allows visitors to your site to immediately engage with your content by reading your posts, commenting, etc.
A modern, clean look. You will still have the ability to customize colors and add custom images to make your templated site your own! A benefit of using a template is that users can often easily add/change images themselves with little to no knowledge of coding.

Check out Becky Robinson’s site—it’s built on a template and looks fantastic!

Book Microsite

A book microsite is essentially a one-page site that is designed to share important information about your book. We have a specific formula for what information can go into a microsite, so customization is minimal. The main benefit of a microsite is that it allows readers to quickly learn about your book, learn about you, and learn how they can buy the book and share about the book with their friends. A book microsite is an incredible tool for book launches (note: as an alternative to a microsite, some authors opt for a Book page on their author website that contains elements from the microsite).

A book microsite includes:

Navigation at the top of the page.
Custom banner graphic.
Option to download a sample chapter.
Share graphics.
Tweets.
Other ways to learn about author, book, purchasing.

Some examples of book microsites include: chessnotcheckers.com, leadlikecaesar.com, the-secret-book.com.

Whatever type of site you decide is best for showcasing your book and other work to the world, make sure that it includes:

Easy Navigation – clear, intuitive menus with obvious buttons for clicking.
Mobile Responsiveness – easily viewable in all formats – iPhone, tablet, Kindle, etc.
Tracking of Metrics – to find out how people come to the site (i.e., by typing in the URL, searching, or via link or referral) so visitors can be turned into regular guests.

 

Interested in learning how we can help you develop your home online? Contact us to get started!

 

Image credit: kpgolfpro

Featured on Friday: Honoring the Life of Kathy Cramer

A few years ago, we launched a book for visionary thought leader Dr. Kathy Cramer — best-selling author, speaker, psychologist, business consultant, executive coach, and founder of The Cramer Institute in St. Louis, MO.

Today, we are grieved to share that she recently passed away after a short battle with cancer.

Kathy’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the world of leadership. She dedicated her life to the development of Asset-Based Thinking, a way of looking at the world that helps leaders, influencers, and their teams make small shifts in thinking to produce extraordinary impact. She was passionate about showing leaders how to move beyond the status quo and operate in the upper ranges of their potential.

Kathy’s key phrase, “Lead Positive,” has had a lasting impact on thought leadership, and her best-selling book by the same name was selected as one of Inc.’s top 10 books of 2014. Her other best-selling books include the Change The Way You See series, The Coach’s Guide To Asset-Based Thinking, and When Faster Harder Smarter Is Not Enough.

Will you help us honor her life and continue her legacy? Here are a few ideas:

Read the tribute from Legacy.com (and sign the guestbook).
Buy her book on Amazon and discover how to Lead Positive.
Visit her website for more leadership insight.

“What you do as a leader is contagious. Lead positive!” – Kathy Cramer  tweet this

 

Three Tips to Bring Your Team Out of a Slump

This post is part of our 2016 Team Buzz Builder Guest Blogger series. Today we are pleased to introduce you to Sonia Di Maulo, Author and Founder of Harvest Performance.

When you’re in a Slump,

you’re not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done.

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

After 10 straight losses, the team was getting desperate. You could feel the hopelessness once they lost the lead, made an error or struck out. Every unsuccessful action (or successful action by the other team) brought their energy and positive outlook down. It was thick. Everyone could sense it. No one said a word.

As a baseball team of young teens, they knew something was wrong. They felt defeat before the first pitch was thrown. Until…one of them decided that they could do it. And do it they did. The time for action was now.

Whether on the field or in the office, slumps can take a toll on productivity, effectiveness and performance.  Here are three tips to bring your team out of a slump.

1.  Act and turn it around!

“If you wait, all that happens is you get older.” — Larry McMurtry

If your team is sluggish and dragging their feet, the most important thing you can do is the opposite. Pick up the energy. As a leader, your energy can turn things around. Be aware of the current state of things and then bring hope, gratitude, and positive energy into the mix. It’s contagious if it’s done authentically and is a powerful way to break the slump.

Our baseball team had one such leader. He decided that this game would be different. His positive energy persevered. He chanted and encouraged, and the hope started to spread. Two chanted, then three, then four and soon the players were in the game in a way they had never known before. No more errors were made. They were in sync. There was a connection. And it was powerful as it spread.

2.  Take a step back!

Looking at a problem too intently can make it hard to see the solution. Take a step back to observe, without wanting to look for solutions. Become solution-agnostic. When you stop looking to solve the problem and you become an objective observer, it’s easier to see the improvement opportunities.

Back to our baseball team: Parents are often these objective observers, removed from the details of the strategy. One parent was able to identify quick gaps, when no one else could. These observations were shared and the practices and strategy was adjusted every so slightly which gave those boys a significant boost.  Small changes can sometimes influence great improvements.

3.  Be daring!

It’s time to bring out those crazy ideas. At this point, it’s time to mix things up. Solicit crazy ideas and get the team into the action. Shake up the rhythm and encourage out-of-the-box innovative thinking. Doing this as a team and implementing these ideas can bring a team together in ways you could not imagine.

Hugs! The boys starting hugging each other and high-fiving after every good play.  One boy (who had a hard time connecting with the group) started dancing while at third base to taunt the pitcher… and it worked (he even got respect from the group after that)! The coaches changed the batting line-up and started the game strong. A feeling that they were all in this together was created and they understood that passion was at the core of this slumped team.

Getting out of a slump is not based on a single act… but a series of actions that transform low energy into confident actions. Believing in every contributor’s abilities and verbalizing this belief will boost individual sparks. These sparks will then connect to cause a strong flame.

Acting from a place of heart will always prevail and victory will be yours.

Be brave. Bring home the win.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Sonia Di Maulo MA, CRP, is a Global Leadership Performance Strategist specializing in conflict resolution for teams. She is Founder of Harvest Performance and Author of the Ken Blanchard approved book, The Apple in the Orchard. Sonia helps leaders grow their influence using living systems thinking principles. She is a proud mom of two and appreciates yoga, dark chocolate and family time. Connect with her at sonia@harvestperformance.ca.

 

Image Credit: 123rf/tomwang

50 Shades of Public Relations: How to Measure the Value of PR

How do you answer when people ask you what you do? Do you have an elevator pitch? Do you feel as if you can accurately communicate the significance of your work?

When I was a TV anchor and reporter, there was no need to explain what I did. People already knew—or assumed they knew—what my day entailed. Since I’ve made the switch to public relations, I’ve found it a lot harder to explain my career and its impact.

This has to do in part to the difficulty of actually measuring PR’s value. The profession takes a lot of effort and requires tremendous patience to see a payoff. And most likely, that payoff doesn’t appear in black and white but in shades of grey. There isn’t an easy way to draw a line between a story that ran and the number of increased book sales, for example.

Still, there are some ways to get an idea of the value of your earned media. Here are some methods:

Use Online Tools: Create alerts for yourself, your business or book, and specific keywords in search engines like Google or Yahoo! for free. This will allow you to monitor what people are saying about you and where. It’s also wise to create keywords about your competitors and industry to track what’s going on in your business space. One drawback to using search engines, however, is that they don’t capture broadcast coverage unless the video and script are posted online.

Sign up for a Clipping Service: Clipping services like Cision or Critical Mention scan thousands of media outlets and deliver reports that capture all types of coverage, including broadcast and social media. Some will even report on the tone of the coverage. (If you have been a PR client with Weaving Influence, then you’ve likely seen an example of these reports following a press release distribution.) They’re fast and efficient, but — a word of warning — they include everything; so if someone has the same name as you do, you’ll get their news too.

Run an Advertising Value Equivalency: Now that you have an idea of who covered you and how, you can run something called an “advertising value equivalency” (AVE).  AVE assesses the value of an article by weighing it against the cost of related advertising space. The dollar figure is based on the publication’s rate card. For example, a large front-page ad is generally more expensive than a small mid-publication ad. However, this method isn’t perfect for a number of reasons. First, it fails to recognize the tone of the news. Second, it’s only really useful for traditional media. It fails to recognize the power of influencers —those all-important, well-connected content creators who carry great clout amongst niche audiences (like Team Buzz Builder).

Unlike being an on-camera reporter, PR professionals work behind-the-scenes to create results. Their subtle art can’t be measured by quantitative data alone. But by keeping track of who is talking about you and how, you’ll have a better idea of PR’s influence on your brand and business.

 

Image Credit: deyangeorgiev / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured On Friday: The #remarkablepodcast by @TheKEGroup

Over the past month or so, we have been making some exciting updates to the Lead Change Group, a division of the Weaving Influence that boasts one of the most highly trafficked leadership blogs on the web. We are so proud to support this fantastic community of thought leaders with new initiatives, including the creation of a sponsorship program which allows us to partner with top individuals and organizations to expand our community and reach.

This July, we are officially launching the Lead Change Sponsor program with fellow Lead Changer and long-time friend of Weaving Influence, Kevin Eikenberry. For the rest of the month, the LCG will be celebrating Kevin’s new podcast, The Remarkable Leadership Podcast, which features some of Leadership’s top voices today.

The Remarkable Leadership Podcast

In the podcast, Kevin hand-picks and speaks with guests who will share powerful advice and stories thatvwill help leaders see the world differently, lead more confidently and make a bigger difference for those they lead. He’s got a great lineup of experts and practitioners including Jim Kouzes, Jon Gordon, Dave Kerpen, Tim Sanders, Bob Burg and so many others.

Here’s how you can listen in & learn more:

Dive in with the inaugural episode, Learning Leadership with Jim Kouzes and subscribe to stay up to date!
Learn more about the podcast on the RemarkablePodcast.com website.
Don’t forget to check out Kevin’s amazing work by visiting his website.

 We are so excited to support the #remarkablepodcast through our sponsorship program.  Contact us to learn how you can become a sponsor!

Pokémon Go: A New Category of Social Media?

Pokémon Go is taking over the world, and that’s not hyperbole. The game was released last Wednesday and since that time, it has become the top downloaded free app on both Apple and Android stores, is on more phones than Tinder, and is close to having the same number of daily users as Twitter. The app is so popular that servers have failed a few times under the volume of new accounts.

Pokémon Go has been credited with helping some people who suffer with depression and social anxiety, it’s helped increase traffic and sales for restaurants and small businesses, and it even has players exploring and learning about our national parks and monuments. So what exactly is this sorcery called Pokémon Go?

It’s a game developed by Niantic with the goal of getting people together in real life as they try to catch imaginary Pokémon. CEO John Hanke told Business Insider that the game is “intended to facilitate the real-life stuff. The reward is the encouragement and opportunity to go out and have new experiences.” And it’s working — just check out this massive gathering in California.

There are clear implications for the gaming world, but I think social media should sit up and listen too. While Pokémon Go is technically a game, it has a lot in common with our favorite social media platforms. Players can collect followers (in addition to Pokémon), they can chat, share photos and check-in with their real-life locations. Sound familiar? It’s like Facebook, Snap Chat and Foursquare collided with little monsters thrown in for good measure.

The enthusiastic embrace of the game is proof that people are hungry for a new way to communicate, to form community and be entertained. So what does this mean for social media? I don’t have the answers, but I’m intrigued by the question and am eager to see what innovative designers make of this phenomenon.

Pokémon Go’s lasting legacy could be a new category of social media that gets us to combine our screen time with real-life interaction, while building true community. That would be an app worth downloading.

In the meantime, there are Pokémon to catch. Has anyone seen a Pikachu?

 

Image credit: StartupStockPhotos

Big Time Onions – the Entrepreneur Version

There’s a colorful term coined by a Chicago Bulls announcer for a player attempting a 3-point shot: “big time onions.”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how entrepreneurs tend to have big time onions. It takes a special person to quit or reject a comfortable, safe job for someone else in favor of a scary, dangerous one for yourself. Some people get so addicted to this thrill that they leave a startup as soon as it’s established (or as soon as it’s clear that it’s failing), only to jump into another endeavor. Sometimes businesses are born out of necessity, and others for fun.

Lean In and many other books like it talk about how women seem to have a hard time making this leap, but I got curious about how race might impact someone’s courage when it comes to making this leap. So I set out to get answers in the form of an informal, unscientific poll from a few friends with side jobs: What is your heritage? Why did you start your side gig? Were you afraid?

One of my goals was to explore minority entrepreneurship, since black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. President Obama has addressed the issue directly and, according to the Senate Small Business Committee, minorities started more than half of new businesses enterprises in the last decade. This trend can’t be ignored, especially by leadership and business writers.

An interesting side issue that came up was the relationship between business and friendship. Often, encouragement from friends is integral to starting a business, or referrals are vital to keeping the business going. But sometimes, as you’ll read from Adrain’s story, the line between client and friend can get a little blurry.

Four business owners agreed to help me out. Here are some of their answers, edited for length and clarity. Two business owners are black, two are white; three are women; and one grew up overseas. Two are still working full-time and pursuing their ‘gig’ on the side, and two are blending an at-home business with parenting. All of them live in the Washington, DC, metro area.

I hope you enjoy musing over these responses as much as I did—and be sure to click over to the websites linked!

First, introductions. What is your racial and ethnic heritage? Do you have a history/heritage of small business owners in your family?

Adrain Moorer, home childcare provider: I am black American. I don’t refer to myself as African American because my mom’s grandmother was full Cherokee. I have my uncle who owns his own embroider shop, my aunt who owned her own laundry mat and beauty shop (she died 2 years ago). Another uncle owns his own restaurant.
Austin Graff , social media strategist: I am a Caucasian-American who grew up overseas in Russia/Kazakhstan and attended boarding school in Germany. My family/heritage is a unique blend of good-hearted blue-collar workers, missionaries, and a few small business owners.
La’Shawna Saint-Preux, travel agent: Black, non-Hispanic. I do have a history of small business owners. My grandfather owned a trucking business for decades, and my family members have done smaller ventures such as Avon.
Maria Keffler , writer: Caucasian, of predominantly German heritage. I can’t think of anyone [in my family] who started their own business, really. We’re kind of a safe-and-sane family. Work hard, save up, have insurance, retire comfortably. Fortunately my husband is doing those things, so I have the freedom to be a little riskier.

When and why did you decide to launch your business?

Adrain: I decided to change career paths because I had recently moved to Virginia, didn’t really know anybody but my husband and I was about to have my third child; working at the police department as a 911 operator, third shift was not ideal with a new baby on the way. So I decided to stay home and people started to ask me to watch their children and the rest is history. Seven years later, I have a successful childcare business.
Austin: I love a good challenge and every new client brought a unique challenge to solve. I love to learn and that’s what still motivates me to do consulting work in addition to my full-time job at Honest Tea, America’s #1 organic bottled iced tea company.
La’Shawna: I first launched my business in January 2015, because I wanted to earn more money to travel, as well as to create a tax shelter to help me when filing my taxes.

If your goal is to be profitable, is the business bringing in profit yet?

Adrain: My goal was to get my child in school and make some extra money, and I am happy to say, it has fulfilled my every goal and more.
La’Shawna: The business did not bring in a profit for the first year, as I learned more about the industry. It has now started to bring in a small profit.
Maria: I don’t really have any outlay or capital, since my books are currently only digital, so every dollar I bring in is profit. But I’m nowhere near paying the rent or going out to dinner more than once a month (and also taking another person with me). But each year I do end up with a larger balance at the bottom of the spreadsheet than I did before, so I’m hopeful that trend will continue.

Has it been hard to find clients? What were your original expectations for finding clients — did you think clients would be plentiful, or were you nervous about finding them?

Adrain: I was nervous at first, but it’s been mostly word-of-mouth and the longevity of my clients. Learning the proper way to run a successful business and keeping friendship and business on two separate levels — which is hard sometimes when we both have a common goal that we love, the child.
Austin: It hasn’t, only because I am not doing my side business full-time. It’s all been word of mouth… if a client feels well served, they’ll refer you to their friends.
La’Shawna: It has been difficult to find new clients. Most clients are found through word-of-mouth, friends, and family members. It has been much easier to find clients than I had previously anticipated. Most clients see my personal travel experiences, and then ask for more information.
Maria: Yes, generating an audience is hard. There’s so much out there to read now, and so much of it is free, that it’s hard to get people to part with even a couple of dollars for a book from an author they’re not sure they’ll like.

Was there a network of people encouraging and supporting your launch, or did you strike out on your own? How long did you take to ‘weigh the options’ before doing so?

Austin: I struck out on my own; but I did have a network of friends, family, and other social media professionals who gave me advice, support, and even clients.
La’Shawna: There was definitely a network of people supporting my cause. I have almost given up on my business a few times due to time constraints, but they kept me motivated. I absolutely did weigh the options before starting the business, until I realized how beneficial it could be for me.
Maria: I feel very alone in this venture. Being unable to get a traditional publishing house or agent to take a chance on me led me to become an indie author, which has its benefits and drawbacks. One positive is that I get about 70% of the sale price of every book that’s purchased… but one of the drawbacks of indie publishing is I have no one on my side.

Do you consider yourself to be a bold person, willing to take on risks, or do you consider yourself a more cautious person, weighing risks before making a decision?

La’Shawna: I am definitely a bold person, who loves to take risks on a regular basis.
Austin: In small life decisions like skydiving or whitewater rafting, I am drawn to risk. I’ll do anything! However, in major life decisions like jobs, moving, etc,, I am very cautious.  Perhaps that’s why I am still doing a stable, full-time job on top of my side business.
Adrain: I’m dead smack in the middle… I will take a risk, but with caution.
Maria: I’m more of a cautious, think-it-through person… If I had to be the breadwinner for my family I certainly wouldn’t be pursuing a writing career, at least not primarily. I’d find a serious, reliable, 9-5 job that brought in a steady paycheck, and try to eke out some writing on the side.

What advice would you give to recent graduates (especially Generation Z) who are thinking about starting a business?

Adrain: Stop thinking the world owes you something, put down your cell phone, and work for what you want. You would be surprised to see what else is out there besides Twitter and Snapchat.
La’Shawna: Generation Z business owners should definitely market to their peers and use social media to market their business. Also, don’t be afraid to ask older business owners for advice or assistance.

Tell me something! Have you ever attempted something that required “big time onions”? If so, we’d love to hear your story!

 

Image credit: aravind91