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Tag: business

A call could change your life

I can guarantee it WILL change the life of others.

For the next 48 hours, I’m offering a special incentive. Those who donate a minimum of $100 to the Light Campaign will receive a free one hour phone session with yours truly.

Things we can talk about:

You can stalk my LinkedIn profile to see other skills and endorsements I’ve received from clients I’ve worked with.

At the risk of sounding like a marketer, I will tell you this IS a special offer, worth far more in value. You have the opportunity to help yourself, help a community, and feel good about it.

You have until Friday, March 7 at 2pm EST to take advantage. I can’t guarantee I’ll do this again, but I thought it would be a fun way to get the solar project the help it needs. To get started, pledge a minimum of $100 on the indiegogo page, and you’ll be contacted for scheduling. Your free call is good through April 8, 2014, so let’s get moving.

I hope to speak with many of you.

3 steps to writing anything important

Marketing collateral, an investor pitch, your Best Man’s speech, donor thank you notes, a love letter… writing is everywhere and often holds weight of daunting implications. The mere act of putting pen to page can result in temporary paralysis. To alleviate some of this stress, I’ve outlined basic steps to push your writing forward.

Think about WHO will be reading (or hearing) it.

You want your writing to be applicable. This is hard to do if you aren’t thinking about who’s on the receiving end.

Think about WHAT you’re trying to say.

What you want to say may look different than what actually ends up on the page. By making your intentions clear, you’ll throw an anchor into the oceanic waters of words and ground your writing as you begin.

WHY are you writing in the first place?

Why should I believe what you’re saying? Why do you care? Why should I? Give me facts and show me proof why you are who you say you are, why I should listen, why your message matters.

If you remember nothing else, take this with you:

who

what

why

I stopped trying.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, as it is completely counterintuitive to me.

The moment I stopped trying and quit everything is when things became clear.

I’m not saying I don’t have challenges and that life is always easy, but my day-to-day isn’t filled with as much strife. There’s less struggle as I move about the world.

I think of how difficult momentum seemed in the past. Once I landed back into the grooves of authenticity, people began to take notice. It’s then that I raised money for a few scholarships, attracted over 30k views on Medium, and found myself speaking on HuffPost (look at 13:30).

I’m not doing anything drastically different. I’m simply living my life by letting passion lead the way.

I’m wondering if this principle has worked for you, too.

What if WORKING HARD didn’t equal SUCCESS? What if you stepped out of the car, allowed your excitement to take the wheel, and put frustration, anxiety, and white-knuckle-decision-making in the backseat? What if by relaxing, you allowed your “best self” to emerge?

If you’re having to work really hard to make something right, I’m wondering if it’s right in the first place.

Tweet me. I want to hear what you think.

Conversations that matter, organizing, and impresarios: A dinner event in March

Everyone knows bringing people together in meaningful ways has value. But what does that mean? And how do you build environments that get people to be authentic and real?

Questions I hear:

  • How do you move beyond “What do you do?” at networking events?
  • How important is a guest list, really?
  • Does the environment matter?
  • Can you prevent people from dishing out business cards like candy on Halloween?
  • Is it possible to focus discussion and achieve set goals without appearing forced or insincere?

The answers to these questions are gold and will save you mega dollars on event planners, facilitators and consultants — while increasing YOUR worth to your network and clients.

We are all looking for tribes, searching for people who can help us. There is real value in those able to make these connections. You don’t have to wait or hire someone. You can make this your passion, too.

I’m organizing a special event for impresarios (and for those who might not yet know they are one).

This private gathering will be held in one of my favorite NYC spots, a hidden room home to one of my very first dinners where I [nervously] invited friends and colleagues from different industries to share warm food and life wisdom.

I’ve timed the event so those attending Seth’s workshop can finish up before traveling downtown to hatch ideas with others looking to make waves. And have a tasty meal, too. We will be talking about how to organize, host, and prepare for some of the challenges you might encounter as you plan events of your own. You may even meet the right person to help make your project happen.

Attendance is limited (15-20 people), and dinner is provided. Early ($180) and regular ($275) invites will be extended. Applications for early invitations can be found here.

Bonus: In addition to our evening together, you will be able to opt into a private online community where you can meet others who have dined at our table over the years.

Have questions? Contact Michelle.

A coffee riddle

Which costs more?

Coffee #1

Before you reach the counter, a wide grin flashes at the sight of your arrival. You’re greeted, “Hello! How are you, sister?”  and asked if you’ll have your usual order — black coffee with sugar, no milk.
As your coffee is prepared, you settle in at the table overlooking the outdoor market. There are three additional chairs surrounding the table; sometimes you’re joined by others. Today you’ve brought a newspaper along, but your eyes dart from its pages to the women buying fresh vegetables and men catching up on local gossip.
A small porcelain cup is carried on a saucer and placed in front of you. The woman asks about your day, your family, your friends. When you’re ready to leave, a friendly “See you again soon!” accompanies your change.

Coffee #2

You wait in a line of patrons nervously checking cellphones and eagerly scanning a large billboard of beverage choices. At the front of the queue, the cashier grumbles for orders. “What can I get you?”
After you hand over payment, you step aside to wait in an additional line for your black coffee. Collecting your paper cup, you advance to a separate counter to retrieve sugar packets for your brew. Though you’d like to sit, all tables are full — some occupied by lone individuals — and you decide to leave, having hardly made eye contact or uttered more than a few words.

Which coffee would you pay more for?

Successful businesses offer an experience, a connection. They provide moments that allow the customer to step away from “life” just long enough to return changed (or inspired) in some way.
Note: The coffee described in the first scenario actually costs much, much less than the second; $0.20 USD compared to $1.78 USD. Write me if you’d like to learn more.

Traits of true leaders

From small projects to antiquated institutions, organized groups benefit greatly from strong, reliable leadership. Yet despite the undeniable need for talented management, the skills and traits of effective leaders aren’t necessarily easy to find.
I’ve watched organizations as varied as religious institutions (think monasteries and churches), start-ups, small companies, government entities, and educational programs struggle beneath the weight of inept leadership. Whether you’re starting a business, building a corporation, or strengthening your family, look for ways to foster the following traits within your team:
Leadership Trait #1: Observation
True leaders aren’t necessarily the loudest in the room, but their actions speak volumes. They are constantly observing and gathering information from their immediate environments, looking for parallels and connections with “the bigger picture.” They consult a variety of sources to collect data and remain in contact with each level of their tribe.
Leadership Trait #2: Humility
True leaders recognize the talents of those around them. Instead of feeling jealousy or insecurity, they look for ways to encourage, delegate, and provide opportunities for the growth and development of their affiliates. Prudent leaders find — and create — ways to make their contingents better.
Leadership Trait #3: Foresight
You may walk by an empty store and wonder why it closed. A leader sees the vacant lot and envisions what might be. Leaders aren’t restricted by thinking only of what is best for today; they consider the long run and what might happen ten years from now.
Leadership Trait #4: Empowerment
Leaders foster a sense of ownership and commitment from their team through trust, responsibility, and reward. By handing off significant tasks — duties in which failure has actual consequence — leaders demonstrate trust in their squad. And with the gift of responsibility comes loyalty and dedication in return. Rewarding a job “well done” establishes feedback loops that promote respect and build work ethic within teams.