Today’s post is about kindness. Yes, I said kindness. Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘what does kindness have to do with entrepreneurship?’ I say, ‘a lot.’ To illustrate what I mean, I’m going to use two examples from experiences I had this week.
First example: What NOT To Do.
Company: Rainsoft.
Rainsoft provides water softener devices to residences.
My parent’s bought a Rainsoft water filtration system for their house. Rainsoft installed the system and everything was fine, until their “customer service” gestapo started calling EVERY OTHER DAY. Not cool. Not only does this company NOT get that it is unkind to not trust your own customers (conversation goes like this: “hi, this is so and so from Rainsoft, we’re going to be in your area and wanted to bring you some salt (to replenish…which they already did, and they don’t go through it very fast at all. Like twice a year speed.) “uh, we already got some thanks.” Two days later…same phone call, different customer service rep. Same problem.) I feel like calling them and giving their manager a piece of my mind, but instead I’m talking trash online, too bad Rainsoft. Let’s see if they ever find my post and do any damage control. I doubt it.
Lesson: Don’t be mean to your customers, especially in bad times, you will NOT be pleased with the results.
Now, what you should do…
Second example: What To Do.
Company: Starbucks
Actually, it’s not Starbucks, but rather an employee of Starbucks, who serves coffee at a Barnes & Noble store I go to on occasion. This server knew what drink I wanted (after having served me a few days earlier, one time). No prompting. She just knew. And started making it before I even paid (I’m in line behind someone who was taking their sweet time to order, “um… I think I’ll have … um…”). Knowing what I wanted made my day. (Forget needing to remember my name, remember my face and my favorite drink and I’m good!) Not only that, she also made sure to offer me a fresh cookie (when her somewhat oblivious coworker was trying to get me the silly one I asked for after seeing it the window case. (Hey, I like my chewy cookies!) So, fresh coffee, fresh cookie, with a smile, and feeling like despite the weather, I’ve had a good day. That’s service. That’s kindness.
The kindness revolution is an idea I have for businesses. “Be nice, it’s good for you!” You never know if I was a traveling off-duty executive who happened to see your kindness and give you a promotion or hire you (from my competitor)! Or, to contrast, if I got another complaint about your poor phone manners, I’d fire you, or talk trash about you online – where you can’t erase it…or even find it, haha.
Kindness is between people, but companies that are smart know that their first-line staff are their ambassadors – and treat them with respect. And train them well. They teach them to be kind, to show respect for their customers, and serve them well.
So, thank you Starbucks coffee server lady, you made my day. And when I get a chance I’ll do the same for someone else.
What about you? Who’s been kind to you in a business setting? Did you return the favor? Why not spread good cheer all year by practicing daily kindnesses in your work life, and your personal life. Then watch the wonderful things that happen, even if its that you know that you made someones day/week.
This is the first in a series (of how many parts I have not yet decided) that will together compose my first book review.
Now you may ask, “Why are you doing a book review, aren’t there a million of these out there already?” Good question! Well, yes, there are a great many book reviews out there. But, that doesn’t mean that we all read the same book. Now that you’re confused, let me explain.
My Reading Philosophy
I subscribe to the idea that we see the world as we are. What I mean by that is that we see what we want to see, not what actually is. Humans have a great proclivity to filter information for what they want to find. Let me explain.
A Quick Example
My lucky number is 19 (I will explain how that happened in another post in the misty-eyed future, for now, just follow along). When I told my family that my lucky number is 19, we started to see it everywhere! It became a kind of family inside joke. We’d see it and say, “19…see!” (Today’s post for example…posted on the 19th..see! Hehe.)
But, this is an example of how humans filter information for the result they want. Instead of really looking at all the numbers that are seen in daily life, my family and I chose to look for a specific number. And we found it everywhere after that! If we had not chosen to look for it, we would not have noticed anything special about the number of occurrences of the number 19.
Got It?
So, now that you understand what I mean about finding what you’re looking for (I hope), let’s get back to the subject of today’s post, namely, the book review. Ok, what I would like you to do now is pretend that I’m right. I know, that’s a stretch for some of you who think you’re right. Well, you’re not. At least not right now. Anyway, suppose that you do indeed see the world as you are, not as it is. That means that if you are open-minded you see the world openly, and if you are close-minded, you see the world that way.
Now, to the task at hand. This book review will seek to give a factual representation of the book. Along with this, you will get my thoughts on it. This is how I see the book at this time. I may think differently about it tomorrow. Or the next day, or next month, or next year. I won’t know, and neither will you know how you’ll feel about it at any time in the future.
So, now that you understand the context, my present opinion, and the viewpoint that I’m bringing to the table, you can see that even though there are millions of people reviewing a book, we’ll all come to slightly (or dramatically, depending on the person!) different views of the book.
Absorb, Then Filter
I say all of this to get you in the mindset to absorb, then filter. Here’s what I mean. Absorb the material first, then filter for what is useful to you, not the other way around. The reason for this is that you may miss out on valuable information, knowledge, or wisdom if you skip along without understanding what you’re reading.
Ok, let’s dig into the book a bit now. Remember, I’ll be posting the other parts of this series later, for now, we’re going to absorb only an introductory overview and a few key highlights.
The first thing you need to do when reading a book, any book, is look at the Table of Contents. You do this to preview the material. This gives you a strategic or bird’s-eye view of it. Then you can dive into the subject matter, or if pressed for time, you can skim the Table of Contents (or TOC for those of you abbreviation freaks). You can also sometimes get a feel for what the material will cover. But, remember, we’re just absorbing now. Filtering comes later.
Outline
Chapter One: Passion Is Everything
Three Rules
Love Your Family
Work Superhard
Live Your Passion
What You Need to Know
The Game Has Changed
No Excuses
This Means You
It’s Up to You
Turn Water Into Wine
Chapter Two: Success Is in Your DNA
You Gotta Be You
Coming to America
Rise of the Entrepreneur
My Real Business
By the Time
Learning the Trade
Changing the Wine World
Chapter Three: Build Your Personal Brand
Building My Brand
Opportunity Lies In Transparency
Trust Your Own Palate
Word of Mouth On Steroids
Everybody’s Doing It
Chapter Four: A Whole New World
Plan Your Future Now
If You’re Not
Chapter Five: Create Great Content
Know Your Stuff
Tell A Story
Don’t Lie To Yourself
Choose Your Medium Carefully
The Lure and the Lasso
Chapter Six: Choose Your Platform
The Must-Haves
WordPress and Tumblr
Call-To-Action Buttons
Share Functions
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
YouTube and/or Viddler
UStream.TV
Word-Of-Mouth Power Moves
Differentiate Yourself
Chapter Seven: Keep It Real … Very Real
Authenticity
Invest In the Important Stuff
Hustle
Patience
Chapter Eight: Create Community: Digging Your Internet Trench
Capture
The Power of One
Next Steps
Chapter Nine: The Best Marketing Strategy Ever
Chapter Ten: Make the World Listen
A Few Additional Steps
Chapter Eleven: Start Monetizing
Advertising
Speaking Engagements
Affiliate Programs
Retail
Articles
Seminars
Books and TV
Consulting
Advertising Redux
Create Some Hoopla
Chapter Twelve: Roll with It
Be Ready to Adapt
Put Out Fires
Shape Your Story
Trendspotting
Chapter Thirteen: Legacy Is Greater Than Currency
Conclusion: The Time Is Now, the Message Is Forever
Appendix A: Did You Forget Anything?
Identify Your Passion
Create 50 Blog Topics
Ask Yourself:
Am I sure my passion is what I think it is?
Can I talk about it better than anyone else?
Name Your Personal Brand
Buy Your User Name
Choose Your Medium
Start a Blog
Hire a Designer
Include Connect, Call-to-Action, Share Functions, and Business Invites
Create a Facebook Fan Page
Sign-up For Content Distributors (Ping.fm, TubeMogul, Twitter, Facebook)
Post Your Content
Create Community by Commenting
Use Twitter Search to Find People Talking About Your Topic
Use Google Blog Search to Find More Blogs On Your Topic
Join Facebook Fan Pages and Groups Relating To Your Topic
Reach Out To Advertisers and Begin Monetizing
Appendix B: Five Business Ideas I Won’t Get to – They’re Yours
The QVC of the Internet
A Tea Blog
The Sports Center of the Web
Online Book Reviews
PepsiLandHousPlace.com
Now Some Quotes
The next thing to do after previewing the TOC, is to read, and then look for quotes that stuck in your mind. (I will only give a few in this installment, so as not to overload you.) You can use what stuck in your mind as a springboard for what you want to get out of the book’s contents. Think highlights reel (for you sports buffs).
Quote, The First
On technology as a tool:
“You can pimp your ride, but that doesn’t change…how you travel in your car” (page 12).
My thoughts:
This is an excellent metaphor for how technological tools can be viewed. It helps us to visualize what to do with technology. Technology is not the car, it is the rims, the tires, the spoiler, etc. In other words, it is not the most important thing – the content (the engine!) is.
Quote, The Second
On monetizing your passion:
“Can you think of at least 50 blog topics that you’re amped to write about? That’s about the minimum number of posts you’ll need to give yourself enough time to get a feel for the situation.
That said, I’m convinced that if something is your true passion you can find 500 things – 500 interesting things – to say about it” (page 50).
My thoughts:
Wow! So, I’m just starting out with blogging and social media and this both excited me and scared me. I was excited because I thought, ‘great, now I know a number to shoot for when I’m looking to become an expert in my niche.’ Then I thought, ‘yikes, I’ve got about a year or more of hardcore blogging to do to get to that point!’ And then the next thought was ‘can I pull it off?’ ‘Can I last that long?’ Only time will tell, but this is a great target to shoot for.
Quote, The Third
On analytics:
“It’s not about how many viewers you have, it’s about how passionate they are” (page 80).
My thoughts:
As a new blogger, I’m very happy to hear this, because, frankly, it’s depressing being a ‘new kid on the block’ and feeling like, ‘ok, when is my traffic supposed to pickup?’ In other words, Gary gives me permission to worry less about quantity, and encourages me to focus more on quality.
That’s all for part one. Stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
So, now that I’ve gotten my blog up and running, I thought it would be a good time to decide what my blog is all about and why you should read it.
My blog’s official title is: “The Quest for an Entrepreneurial Voice in Gen-Y: Building an HR Management Consulting & Publishing Empire = Really Hard Work.” (Whew, what a mouthful). Ok, so, what does that mean? Let’s break it down and find out.
“The Quest for an Entrepreneurial Voice“
This is the main idea of my blog. A search for my voice. A search for my entrepreneurial voice. Because if you can’t define yourself and what you’re looking for, you will never find it. Mainly, the thrust of my argument is this: Find Your Voice. Let’s break down further the elements of my main idea:
Quest
This is a somewhat romantic word. I like romantic ideas, so this fits me nicely. You don’t just merely search for something, you quest for it; meaning that you put great effort into finding it.
Think King Arthur and the Knights of the Round-table.
Knight (photo by d4rr3ll)
They go on a Quest for the Holy Grail. They fight dragons, sorcerers, and sometimes each other, but in the end they reach the prize for which they have laboriously sought. That’s the idea here. I don’t just want to look for my voice. I want to quest for it. This implies a passionate search despite trials and woes. Now on to the next idea.
Entrepreneurial
This too has become a rather romantic word. But, this word is more realistic in tone. This is the pragmatic side. An entrepreneur is someone who risks resources to achieve a goal, usually a profit from a business venture. Entrepreneurs risk their reputation, their money, and their time to say, “I have a better idea, and I can prove it.”
The rubber meets the road when the world says, “Ok. Prove it.” Everyone then waits in silence, arms folded in skepticism, and waits for the entrepreneur to prove it. Some succeed. Some don’t.
The good ones, fail seven times, and then try the eighth time. The bad ones fail once and go home to their mommy crying about how unfair the world is and how everyone should love them automatically.
Cry Baby (photo by bbaunach)
Whiners don’t last long as entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs do one very important thing that others do not: They accept 100% responsibility for their life, actions, and words. If you can’t handle that, you won’t cut it as an entrepreneur. The Entrepreneurial spirit is this: apply the 100% responsibility rule to everything.
Bad grades? Take responsibility for your bad study habits.
Bad mood? Take responsibility for your emotions.
Bad date? Take responsibility for your bad manners, your bad hygiene, etc.
Overweight? Take responsibility for your health by exercising and eating right.
Get the idea? Applying the entrepreneurial spirit to your daily life is what I really want to learn and teach about on this blog.
Voice
This is a tricky word. We all have a voice already. I talk a lot. That’s my voice right? Well, sort of, but not exactly. The sense of the word I’m using is the one in which your words, actions, and attitude are aligned. You find your voice when you discover your intelligence, your humor, your spirituality, your sexuality, your individuality, your conscience.
Your voice develops over time. It takes nurturing, like a rose.
Red Rose (photo by alfaneque)
It feels and becomes a natural extension of your personality, part of what makes you unique in the world. Your voice is a matter of saying, “I am like this, I am not like that.” I hope that makes sense. But, if not, that’s why I’m doing this in the first place, so that I get better and better at saying that so most people will understand me!
“In Gen-Y”
As in “Generation-Y.” This is the context for my blog. This means that I’m looking to find my voice from among the millions of other voices calling out for attention in my generation.
I want to speak to other Gen-Y’ers, yet also relate my generation’s experiences and viewpoints to those who are not part of my generation – and listen to their views. It does no generation any good to ignore or put down the others. That only causes harmful divisions among people; which is why Gen-Y spends a lot of time caring about what everyone thinks and wants to give everyone a seat at the table. Most of the time.
There are exceptions, we’re not that fond of extremists – of any kind, and we have to work at giving those people a seat at the table as well. No one is perfect, but we can decide to respect each human being as such and give attention to their views. Those you disagree with are often your best teachers. They are called “Sandpaper Mentors” – people you learn from despite your reactions to them.
“Building an HR Management Consulting & Publishing Empire”
This is where the fun begins for me. I had to think of what I would really enjoy doing whether I was paid to do it or not. So, I decided that since I love reading, teaching, and helping that I would combine them into a career field that I have some experience in and have enjoyed: HR.
HR, or Human Resources, is the business field that coordinates people at companies. They make sure you get paid, get fair treatment, and they train you. Some do an amazing job, and others destroy companies. It’s like any other field.
I want to do my part to help be a positive voice and thought leader in this field. I think that I can contribute a great deal and I’m eager to prove it. Let’s look at the elements of this vision:
Building
This is one of my favorite activities. I don’t know if you know this, but one of the techniques used by HR to help you determine your passion in life is by asking you what you liked doing as a child. I liked building things.
My favorite building projects were Legos. I love Legos.
I would spend hours painstakingly assembling my buildings. I thought I should be an Architect when I grew up. That is until I met mathematics. I was taught early on in life that I was not good at mathematics. So much for Architecture! (We can talk about that in another post.) Moving on.
Building things then extended to events, file systems, interior design, and many other projects. I simply love creating something new, structurally beautiful, that is orderly and grand. I want to translate that into my career by building a company from the ground up. Now let’s look at the context for that building project.
HR
Human Resources. Dilbert jokingly has Catbert, Evil Human Resources director running Dilbert’s company into crazy situations. Some say that being an HR person is like trying to herd cats. I would agree. But, despite this, I like people. And no, I’m not trying to be a tyrant, like Catbert, but actually the opposite.
Catbert (photo by AndWat)
I think that every company should have great HR people who are helpful and intelligent. And many are. They tirelessly work their butts off behind the scenes and only get noticed if something goes wrong, which is thankfully not that frequently. At least at the good companies. Unfortunately, as with any profession, there are bad HR practitioners. I want to get rid of them.
I want to train the mediocre ones to get better, and encourage the great ones to stay the course and get even better. I love the strategic nature of HR and want to apply that knowledge to the field within HR called OD&T – Organization Development & Training.
OD develops ways to improve an organization, and Training gets you from where you are to where you want to be. That’s the fun part to me. Building the solutions to the problems that impede progress for a company. Fixing those problems and seeing the joy that it brings to people as they realize that the status quo is not the only way to do business is such a wonderful and rewarding experience.
Management Consulting
This is the field within the Business Services industry (which includes accountants and other advisors) that handles consultations to management, basically an advisor on how to do something or how to fix something within a company from management’s viewpoint.
The company I want to develop would be an OD&T HR Management Consulting firm. In other words, one that fixes problems, teaches employees and managers to go from where they are to where they want to be and does this all within the strategic scope, or umbrella of HR.
Publishing
I also want part of my business to include a publishing component. I want to make quality materials available to businesses, especially small businesses who get loads of materials, but only some that are of a high enough quality and are written in an appropriately brief, concise, and helpful way so as to really help them.
I would also love to make books because, simply put: I love books! It is one of my passions that even if I never made a dime my whole life for it I would do it until the day I die. I want to build this component into my company as the communication arm for the philosophy that I plan to develop over time to help businesses succeed under any conditions and to do so in an ethically sound and environmentally friendly way.
Empire
I love this word. I say, “Boo” to those who despise empires.
Caesar (photo by ConspiracyofHappiness)
This word is great because it tells you that this group means business. The Roman Empire didn’t take any crap from anyone, and neither will my business. If you defy me, I might just hostile takeover your whole business and make you sorry you crossed me!
Ah, delusions of grandeur. Isn’t it great? Well, not to most people, but I like the imagery of being powerful and able to muster great strength for my operations. So, I like the idea of creating a business empire, something that withstands the test of time and proves that my worldview is valid and powerful.
Some people don’t like this kind of aggression, but I think it is necessary or you’ll get eaten alive in the business world. I don’t think that means that you should compromise your values, but I do think that if you think everything is going to be peachy keen, you’re sadly mistaken!
Also, Empire is a great way to remind oneself that everything fades and falls, and so is a powerful reminder that my work must always be done vigilantly and with great care for what will happen afterwards as a result of my thoughts, policies, actions, etc. Empires, whether nations or companies, are what built the world as we know it, for both good and ill. Remember, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, but those who remember it have a chance to improve upon the accomplishments of the past in order to make a more glorious future.
“=Really Hard Work”
This part was added by me as a nod to my humor, and also to remind me and everyone else that anything worth having in life is going to cost you. Dearly.
There is no such thing as a Free Lunch. It is a myth propagated to the masses to keep them from doing the real work necessary to fulfill their destined greatness.
Really
This is a really important part of the idea. It is like saying, “truly, truly, I say to you…” or “verily verily brothers…” It means that you’re going to have to work super hard! Word to your mother.
Hard
This is what it says. Hard. That does not translate into ‘sometimes,’ or ‘maybe,’ or ‘if I feel like it.’ It means consistent, persistent effort that requires sweat, blood, and tears. But the reward for such labor is so very sweet.
Those who labor hard have no insomnia, but rather are rewarded with sweet rest. Think of when you were a teenager and you had to mow the lawn. Remember how you felt afterwards, when the grass is all evenly cut, fresh-cut-grass-smell everywhere? All sweaty, but oh so satisfying!
Work
This is probably one of the most misunderstood words in the English language, and that’s saying something because we have quite a few of those!
Work is what you must do to take something from disorganized to organized. It is your physical, mental, spiritual, emotional effort exerted to produce something better than what existed before you started.
Some simply view this as a chore, a drudgery to be endured until the weekend comes and they can play instead.
Others, however, view it as a wonderful chance to make beautiful things from what is lying around here in this world. How you look at it determines your attitude toward a great deal of life.
Work is what you get paid to do. Do something that you love and it feels less burdensome. Do something that you hate and you are sure to find misery waiting for you. Finding your voice also means finding your vocation, literally in Latin vocare – ‘to call’ (voice or calling). When you find it you know it. If you haven’t, you also know it. Decide to see it as an opportunity to show the world what you’re made of and why you’re special, and the money will follow.
Let your passion speak to you of your purpose and people will begin to notice. Dave Ramsey, the personal finance guru and entrepreneur, says that a wonderful thing happens when you do something for someone else, they show their appreciation for your work with a thank you called a dollar bill.
Dollar Bill (photo by photos8.com)
How many thank you’s are you bringing in? How many do you want to bring in? Think about it and then take action to get to where you want to go. That’s what I’m doing. I’m starting by deciding where I want to go and then taking steps to get there. Won’t you join me?
Discussion Questions:
What are you passionate about?
What have you done lately to get you closer to where you want to go?
Do you agree with my views on work? If so, why? If not, why not?
Is there anything that I didn’t address that you think I should have? Or anything that you think I should have left out?
Hello Everyone, I’m finally publishing online! I know what you’re thinking… ‘why haven’t you?’ And I don’t have a good answer for you, so I’m not going to even try to make excuses for myself. So, the next thing you are probably wondering is: ‘Who are you?’ Well, my name is Ryan T. Browne (thus [...]
