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Failure Story / The 13 Biggest Failures from Successful Entrepreneurs and What They’ve Learned

« on: December 18, 2018, 01:54:20 PM »

The 13 Biggest Failures from Successful Entrepreneurs and What They’ve Learned From Them

One of the great things about our focus on transparency at Buffer is that we get to help other people learn from our experiences.

  We love learning from others as well, and since we got so much out of our round-up of counter intuitive advice, we wanted to find out even more about what other people have learned from experience. This time, we wanted to learn about the darkest moments of successful and famous entrepreneurs and what their lesson has been.

  Without any further ado and in their own words, here are some of the biggest mistakes and lessons learned from 13 successful entrepreneurs.

1.“We wasted $1,000,000 on a company that never launched”
Hiten Shah, Co-Founder at KISSmetrics

  My co-founder and I spent $1,000,000 on a web hosting company that never launched. We were perfectionist so we built the best thing we could without even understanding what our customers cared about.
We have now learned to spend smart, optimize for learning and focus on customer delight.
  Hiten has since co-founded two wildly successful analytics companies with KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg.


2.“We built the website first and asked our customers about it later”
Robin Chase, Co-Founder of Zipcar
 
  Get to your customers as fast as possible & learn from them to build your product.
With my second company, GoLoco – social online ridesharing – we spent too much money on the website and software before engaging with our first customers. This meant that part of our learning was undoing our first guesses.

  Robin is the Founder and CEO of Buzzcar and also the founder and former CEO of Zipcar

3.“One of the biggest mistakes we’ve made at Moz was to build “big bang” projects”
Rand Fishkin – CEO of Moz and Co-Founder of Inbound.org

  One of the biggest mistakes we’ve made at Moz was to repeatedly build “big bang” projects that required many months of development time without much visibility into progress. It’s sad because it actually worked a number of times, before we fell flat on our faces with a recent project that started in Q4 of 2011, was initially supposed to roll out in July of 2012, and has now been delayed until (fingers crossed) September of 2013. Missing something you budget and plan for by more than a year is really bad news in the startup world.

  Don’t be like us – use agile development, have lots of visibility into progress, and keep your team accountable to each other.

  Rand Fishkin is the CEO of Moz and co-founder of Inbound.org

 

4.“I started too late. I toiled in a job I hated for a long time.”
Leo Babauta – Best-selling author

I started too late – because of fear of failure or a lack of belief in myself. I toiled in a job I hated for a long time, instead of starting a blog or building a business I loved.

Knowing what I know now, I’d have started a decade earlier. Not starting is the worst-case scenario.

Leo Babauta is a best-selling author and an entrepreneur

 
 

5.“I tried to do it all by myself”
Leo Laporte – Founder of the TWiT network

My biggest mistake was trying to do it all myself. As a founder I felt like I knew everything I needed to know about media, content, even the technology involved to reach my audience. And I did. I just didn’t know anything at all about making a viable business: finance, marketing, advertising, and human resources.

After a few years of rapid growth my company had stalled out, and I was spending more time fighting fires than I was doing the stuff I loved (and that made us money).

Hiring a business partner then giving her full scope to do her job felt a little like giving up my company but it was a vital step toward success.

Leo Laporte is the founder of the TWiT network and host of The Tech Guy and This Week in Tech

 

6.“If you’re not 100% excited, say no”
Tim Ferriss – NYT Best-selling author of 3 books

Committing to too many ‘cool’ opportunities and projects. I think it’s important, as Derek Sivers (founder of CDBaby) would say, to either say ‘Hell, yes!’ or a flat ‘no’ to things. They should be definitive and binary.

If you’re not 100% excited, it should be a decline.

‘Kinda cool’ will fill up your calendar and leave you wondering where the last year – or 10 – went.

Tim Ferriss is the best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek and an entrepreneur

 

7.“I’ve let growth exceed my own ability to fund my business”
Michael Hyatt – NYT best-selling author

In 1992, I made the mistake of borrowing money to fund my growing company. Unfortunately, I did not understand the difference between rapid growth (like cancer) and healthy growth (normal cellular reproduction). Eventually, our growth consumed our capital and the business failed. I learned an important lesson:

Never let growth exceed my own ability to fund it. If I am tempted to seek outside funding, it is a sign of a flawed business model.

Michael Hyatt is the New York Times Best-selling author of Platform and also a serial entrepreneur

8.“Spreading myself too thinly over too many projects”
Neil Patel – Co-Founder of KISSmetrics

One of the biggest lessons I learned was not to spread myself too thin. Like other entrepreneurs I love trying to do multiple things at once.

But once I learned to focus all of my time and energy into one business, I was able to make it grow faster than all of my previous businesses.

Neil Patel co-founded KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg

9. “I built a product without understanding the market or the users”
Sandi MacPherson – Editor-in-Chief, Quibb

Last year, I spent 6 months building a product I wouldn’t use very often, in a market I wasn’t familiar with, for users I didn’t understand – big mistake.

It made it extremely difficult to figure out why things were or weren’t working, and I ended up creating a product that no one wanted.

I could never become the product expert, which is what every founder/CEO needs to be.

Sandi MacPherson is the Editor-in-Chief of Quibb

 
10. “I made the big mistake of being a ‘parallel entrepreneur'”
Dharmesh Shah – Co-Founder and CTO of HubSpot

Here’s my biggest mistake: After having bootstrapped a reasonably successful software company ($10M+ in revenue) I mistakenly thought—Hey, I’ve got a team in place, the company doesn’t really need me, and I’m sort of bored and want to do something new. So, I made the big mistake of being a “parallel entrepreneur”. Trying to head up two different startups at the same time.

This was a huge mistake at many different levels. Turns out, startups are an all-consuming thing. You can’t be all-consumed by two companies at the same time – it just doesn’t work.

My original startup team (the team I had recruited personally) felt abandoned. My new startup (the one I angel-funded) didn’t feel enough pressure to find product market fit and get revenues.

So, my advice: Don’t do what I did. Don’t ever, ever, ever try to ride two horses at the same time.

It does’t work, and you’re going both a disservice. Even with complete, total focus, most startups fail – to divide interests across them basically guarantees failure.

Dharmesh Shah is a Co-Founder and CTO at HubSpot

 

11. “Protect your company culture”
Derek Sivers – Founder of CD Baby

Protect your internal culture, no matter what.

Once it turns nasty, it never goes back. Fire a rotten apple immediately.

Note from Belle: Derek wrote a great blog post about this which expands on how he felt after having issues with his company’s culture. Here’s a little snippet:

I cut two chapters out of my book because they were too nasty. They vented all the awful details about how my terrible employees staged a mutiny to try to get rid of me, and corrupted the culture of the company into a festering pool of entitlement, focused only on their benefits instead of our clients.

Afterwards, I spent a few years still mad at those evil brats for what they did. So, like anyone feeling victimized and wronged, I needed to vent – to tell my side of the story. Or so I thought.

So do you want to know the real reason I cut those chapters? I realized it was all my fault.

I let the culture of the company get corrupted.

I ignored problems instead of nipping them in the bud.

Derek Sivers is a best-selling author and entrepreneur

 
12. “I put myself before Facebook, it cost me $100,000,000”
Noah Kagan – Chief Sumo, AppSumo

When I got fired from Facebook, it was my entire life. My social circle, my validation, my identity and everything was tied to this company.

As the company grew, I wasn’t able to adapt. One of the reasons why was that I was selfish.I wanted attention, I put myself before Facebook. I hosted events at the office, published things on this blog to get attention and used the brand more than I added to it.

Lesson learned: The BEST way to get famous is make amazing stuff. That’s it. Not blogging, networking, etc.

Noah Kagan is Chief Sumo of AppSumo

 

 

13. “People really are everything in business”
Jesse Jacobs – Founder, Samovar Tea Lounge

One thing I’ve learned over 12 years running Samovar Tea Lounge is the importance of having the right people on your team.

It’s worth the extra effort to find the right investors, employees, and vendors who believe in your company’s mission and passionately desire to contribute to it – not just those who want to punch the clock or get their share of profits. People really are everything in business, and the people you align yourself with will either buoy you up or weigh you down.

Jesse founded Samovar Tea Lounges with the mission to enrich people’s lives

Source: https://blog.bufferapp.com/failure-entrepreneur-12-successful-entrepreneurs-tell-us-the-biggest-lessons-theyve-learned#

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Linkedin / The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers

« on: December 18, 2018, 01:02:21 PM »

The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers

  When you’re not looking for a job, it can be easy to ignore your LinkedIn profile. Sure, you add people you meet at networking events as contacts and accept requests as they come in, but everything else? Eh, you’ll get to it when you need to.

  While we definitely don’t recommend this approach (hey, the recruiter from your dream company finding you and offering you a job? It could happen), we get that there are times you need a total LinkedIn overhaul. And for those times? We’ve got you covered with our list of these 31 best LinkedIn profile tips.

  Here, we’ve compiled everything you need to know—from crafting a stunning summary to selling your accomplishments, projects, and skills—in one place. Read on for expert-backed ways to make your profile seriously shine—and start getting noticed by recruiters.

1. Put in the Time to Make it Awesome

  Simply put, the more complete your profile, the better the odds that recruiters will find you in the first place. So, completeness is important from that standpoint. It’s also important after a recruiter has found you and decided to click on your profile: He or she wants to know what your skills are, where you’ve worked, and what people think of you. So, don’t get lazy—fill out every single section of your profile. The good news? LinkedIn will actually measure the “completeness” of your profile as you work and offer suggestions on how to make it stronger.

2. Get a Custom URL

  It’s much easier to publicize your profile with a customized URL (ideally linkedin.com/yourname), rather than the clunky combination of numbers that LinkedIn automatically assigns when you sign up. How to get one? On the Edit Profile screen, at the bottom of the gray window that shows your basic information, you’ll see a Public Profile URL. Click “Edit” next to the URL, and specify what you’d like your address to be. When you’re finished, click Set Custom URL.

3. Choose a Great Photo

  Choose a clear, friendly, and appropriately professional image, and pop that baby up there. Not sure what “appropriately professional” means? Take a look around at what the people in your target company, industry sector, or business level are wearing. Match that. (Pro tip: “If you can show yourself in action, do it,” says a blogger who experimented with multiple LinkedIn photos to see which garnered the most attention.) “A photo can go a long way to convey passion, energy, charisma, empathy, and other soft skills that are hard to write about.”

4. Write a Headline That Rocks

  Your headline doesn’t have to be your job title and company—in fact, especially if you’re looking for jobs, it shouldn’t be. Instead, use that space to succinctly showcase your specialty, value proposition, or your “so what?” The more specific you can be about what sets you apart from the competition, the better.

Read More: Does Your LinkedIn Headline Suck?

5. Use Your Target Job Descriptions to Your Advantage

  Take a look at the job descriptions of the positions you’re after, and dump them into a word cloud tool like Wordle. See those words that stand out? They’re likely what recruiters are searching for when they’re looking for people like you. Make sure those words and phrases are sprinkled throughout your summary and experience.

6. Don’t Waste the Summary Space

  “Ideally, your summary should be around 3–5 short paragraphs long, preferably with a bulleted section in the middle. It should walk the reader through your work passions, key skills, unique qualifications, and a list of the various industries you’ve had exposure to over the years.” Career Horizons

7. Use Numbers Right Up Front

  “Much like the rest of your resume, you’ll want to highlight past results in your summary. When possible, include numbers and case studies that prove success. Social media consultant and speaker Wayne Breitbarth, for example, quickly establishes credibility with his audience by stating in his summary’s second sentence: ‘I have helped more than 40,000 businesspeople—from entry level to CEO—understand how to effectively use LinkedIn.’ Never underestimate the power of a few key stats to impress a reader.” American Express OPEN Forum

8. Be Warm and Welcoming

  “The summary section is your primo opportunity to showcase the good stuff about you, with your target audience in mind. Give ’em a little chance to get to know you. So what do you think the first impression is going to be if you craft your summary like some long, pompous speech? Or worse, craft it in the third person? They’re going to think you’re pretentious. And it’s going to be hard for that reviewer to get a feel for your personality and style. Be you here. Keep the brand message in line with all of your other professional marketing materials, but realize that LinkedIn is a platform designed for interaction.” JobJenny

9. Avoid Buzzwords Like the Plague

  What do the words responsible, creative, effective, analytical, strategic, patient, expert, organizational, driven, and innovative have in common? They’re some of the most overused buzzwords on all of LinkedIn. Come on—we know you can be more creative!

10. Treat Your Profile Like Your Resume

  Your resume isn’t just a list of job duties (or, at least, it shouldn’t be)—it’s a place to highlight your best accomplishments. Same goes for your LinkedIn profile: Make sure your experience section is fleshed out with bullet points that describe what you did, how well you did it, and who it impacted.

11. But Use the First Person

  You shouldn’t use the first person on your resume, but it’s actually fine to do so on LinkedIn (think “I’m a passionate development officer who raised $400,000 for cancer charities last year,” not (“Jackie Stevens is a passionate development officer...”).

12. Get Personal

  “Your profile is not a resume or CV. Write as if you are having a conversation with someone. Inject your personality. Let people know your values and passions. In your summary, discuss what you do outside of work. You want people to want to know you.” Forbes

13. Show Your Achievements

  Recruiters spend countless hours scouring LinkedIn in search of the high performers. And when they find them, they contact said high performers. Knowing this, you’ll serve yourself well to market yourself as a high performer in your summary and experience section (think action words, accomplishments, talking about times you’ve been promoted or hand-picked for projects).

14. Include a Current Job Entry, Even When Unemployed

  “If you've only listed the past positions you’ve held in the experience section but show nothing current, you’ll probably get missed in most searches. Why? Because most recruiting professionals exclusively use the current title box to search for candidates; otherwise they’d have to sort through thousands of candidates who held a certain role (for example, graphic designer) as far back as 20 or more years ago. The simple workaround, if you’re unemployed, is to create a dummy job listing in the current section that includes the job title(s) you're targeting—‘Full-Time Student/Financial Analyst in Training’—followed by a phrase like ‘In Transition’ or ‘Seeking New Opportunity’ in the Company Name box." University of Washington

15. Add Multimedia to Your Summary

  “A picture truly is worth a 1,000 words, especially when it comes to showcasing your work. LinkedIn lets you add photos, videos, and slideshow presentations to your profile summary. So instead of just talking about your work, you can show examples. Or show yourself in action. Or share a presentation. Click ‘Edit profile,’ scroll down to your summary, then click on the box symbol, then ‘add file.’” Business Insider

16. And Your Work Experiences

  You can do the same thing for each of your work experiences. So, use this to your advantage: Add your company websites, projects you’ve worked on, articles you’ve drafted, or anything else that can provide a more multimedia look at your work.

17. Add Projects, Volunteer Experiences, or Languages

  Do you speak Mandarin? Have a project management certification? Volunteer for Dress for Success every weekend? Adding these “additional” profile features (listed on the left when you’re editing your profile) is a great way to showcase your unique skills and experiences and stand out from the crowd.

18. Request One LinkedIn Recommendation a Month

  When someone says, “You did a great job on that project!” ask him or her to take a snapshot of that success by writing a recommendation on LinkedIn. And don’t be afraid to specify what you’d like the recommender to focus on. Getting generic recommendations that say, “Lea was great to work with” aren’t very helpful—but something specific, like “Lea’s contributions on the project enabled us to increase forecasted savings by 5% over our original plan” will really showcase your strengths.

19. But Make Them Strategic

  “Make a strategic plan for your recommendations,” says Nicole Williams, LinkedIn’s career expert. “Approach different people and suggest particular skills or experiences you would like them to highlight.”

20. Don’t Be Afraid to Pick Which Recommendations You Show

  Let’s be honest, not every LinkedIn recommendation you receive is beautifully written or even relevant to your professional success. Luckily, the platform now sends you recommendations before they go public, and you can decide to add them to your profile, dismiss them, or simply allow them to languish in their pending status. You can also manage recommendations that are already on your profile by clicking the “Edit” icon on that section and toggling to “Show” or “Hide” each one. If it’s close but not quite right, you can also request revisions from the person who wrote it.

21. Manage Your Endorsements

  Endorsements can be a great way to show off your skills—as long as your profile isn’t overloaded with too many to really send the right message. The secret to making them work for you is keeping your skills updated: As you transition between careers, develop new skills, or take on new responsibilities, drop outdated skills from your profile and add the ones you really want to be known for. Now, when connections land on your page, they’ll only see the most relevant skills.

22. Update Your Status

  Just like on Facebook, you can update your LinkedIn status as often as you wish. So, do! Update it professionally and strategically (share the article you just wrote, not what you ate for lunch today), ideally once a week. Your entire network will see your updates, both in their news feeds and in the weekly LinkedIn network updates emails they receive.

23. Become an Author

  All users can write and publish their work on the platform. Share your perspective about what’s going on in your field, weigh in on a recent industry development, or show off your skills as a writer. It’s a great way to get noticed.

24. Or Add Your Blog

  If you have a WordPress blog, consider using a plugin such as Social Media Auto Publish or WP LinkedIn Auto Publish to automatically publish your new posts to LinkedIn.

25. Be a Groupie

  LinkedIn Groups are an incredible resource—and they can do wonders for your job search. By joining groups relevant to your profession or industry, you’ll show that you’re engaged in your field. But more importantly, you’ll instantly be connected to people and part of relevant discussions in your field—kind of like an ongoing, online networking event.

26. Have at Least 50 Connections

  Having 50 or fewer connections on LinkedIn tells recruiters one of three things: 1) You are a recluse who knows very few people, 2) You’re paranoid about connecting with others, or 3) Technology and social media are scary to you. None of these are good. We’re certainly not suggesting you need to be one of those weirdos who wears your “abnormally large number of connections” like a badge of honor, but you really should have at least 50-100 people with whom you’re connected as a starting point.

27. But Don’t Add People You Don’t Know

  If enough people reject your request and say they don't know you, LinkedIn can shut down your account.

28. Don’t Go Overboard

  With all the bells and whistles LinkedIn has to offer, and without being limited by the 8.5x11" confines of your resume, it can be tempting to, well, go nuts. And while details are good, there’s certainly a thing as too much. Step back, take a look at your profile, and see how it looks to an outside person. Is it enticing—or overwhelming? Edit accordingly.

29. Keep Your Job Search Under Wraps

  “Many people don't realize that LinkedIn does have privacy settings—for a reason. ‘When you're out looking for a new job, and are actively engaged in your current job, you want to be discreet,” [Nicole] Williams explains. ‘A telltale sign to an employer that you’re leaving is that you overhaul your profile, connect with recruiters, and have an influx of new people. You can tailor your settings so that your boss doesn’t see that you’re looking for opportunities.’ The privacy settings are easy to find: Just sign in, and then select ‘settings’ from the drop-down menu, where your name appears in the upper right-hand corner.” LearnVest

30. Make Sure People Can Find You

  Don’t forget to add your email address (or blog, or Twitter handle, or anywhere else you’d like to be found) to the contact information section of your resume. You’d be surprised how many people leave this off!

31. Be Excited

  At the end of the day, the most exciting people to hire are the people who are the most excited about what they do. So, make sure your LinkedIn profile shows your enthusiasm. Join and participate in groups related to your field of expertise. Use your status line to announce stuff you’re doing related to your field. Share interesting articles or news. Connect with the leaders in your industry. Fly your cheerleader flag.

       Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-31-best-linkedin-profile-tips-for-job-seekers

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Networking & Events / 5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of A Networking Event

« on: December 18, 2018, 12:37:02 PM »

5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of A Networking Event

  Have you ever taken the time to analyze how you are spending your work-related time and the business results that come from what you do?

  Many people forget to think about networking as work-related, scheduled time. They often go to a networking event if, and only if, it fits into their schedule or what's left of their open time. They attend, socialize and walk away with no results. In the end, they may have had fun; however, they might believe that these events are not worth going to if they are expecting business from them. Have you ever felt this way?

  Change your thinking to change your results!

  Let's have a paradigm shift. What if you planned your networking into your work hours? What if you went to the event with a work-related mindset, looking to make new relationships and build on old ones that could formulate into business growth? What if you were crystal clear with your goals and desired outcomes for the event? For example, you may want to meet two new people and set three one-on-one (kneecap-to-kneecap) appointments with people who you speak to at the event. Would you have different results?

  Follow these steps in order to make your networking events productive for your business:

1.Be clear about your goals and desired outcomes:


  Start with the end in mind. Know what you want to get out of the event before you walk into the room. Set a goal for how many people you will meet, how many appointments you will set, how many business cards you will collect and/or who you will reconnect with.

  Be there with a purpose in mind. Just like in life, if you know what you want, you can achieve it.

2.Talk to people and meet new people:

  It can be dangerous to go to a networking event with someone you already know. It is easy to only talk to the people you came with. Break away from the comfort zone of the people you know. Meet someone new, and start a new relationship. Grow your network. Your income is directly related to the size of your network.

  When meeting new people at an event, what can you talk about? Ask about them. People love to talk about themselves and often do not have people who are willing to listen. Here are some great conversation topics to consider for when you meet someone for the first time:

• Where are you from originally?

• What brought you here? Why did you decide to attend tonight?

• What do you do? How long have you been doing that? What made you decide to be in your line of work?

• What keeps you doing what you do? What do you love about it?

• If you could alter or change anything about what you're doing or how you are choosing to do it, what would you change?

• Do you work on a team or alone?

• What business goals or projects are you currently working on?

• What do you like to do when you're not working?

• Do you have any kids? How old are they? What schools do they go to? (This is a good topic if you live near each other and may have kids in the same school.)

• If they mention anything about being married, you can ask about their spouse or how long they have been married.

• Find out if they have someone in your field who they already work with.

  When you ask questions, make sure you listen to the answers. You may find similarities that you can talk about. You may also find out that they have a need or a problem that you can help solve. If you connect well with them, you may be able to set your one-on-one appointment before the event is over.

  It all starts with building the relationship. People will do business with people they know, like and trust.

3.Become a card collector rather than a card giver:

  How many times have you been given a card and then thrown it away or lost it? No one wants a card that they didn't ask for, so don't get in the habit of pushing your card into other people's hands. By getting their card, it puts you in control of the follow-up. Now, the key is to actually follow up.

4.Have a structured follow-up plan that works:

  This should be a plan that you can replicate over and over again after the event is over. You may want to consider things like connecting on social media, adding them to a customer relationship manager (CRM) drip email campaign, sending a card and texting them.

  Ask for an appointment. At the appointment, ask for their business.

5.Have fun and be yourself:

  Always be authentic. Find the people who like you for who you are instead of trying to be someone you're not. You can only fake it for so long, so just start out being authentically you.

  By following these steps, I have grown my business exponentially. I meet lots of new people and it has gone from being scary to network to being fun. I used to dread networking events and now I look forward to them. I challenge you to go into your next networking event with a purpose. Follow these five steps and see what happens. Please reach out to me and share your results. I'd love to hear from you.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/08/17/five-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-networking-event/#2386202f58e8

4

Instagram / Your Ultimate Guide to Using Instagram for Personal Branding

« on: December 17, 2018, 04:43:59 PM »

Your Ultimate Guide to Using Instagram for Personal Branding

  You use social media, right? But how often do you think about how it can help your career?
Probably not often. Take Instagram—I certainly never considered using it for anything other than sharing my favorite vacation photos. And yet it can be an incredibly helpful resource for building my personal brand as a professional writer.

  To learn more about how to actually brand myself on Instagram, I reached out to two Muse career coaches who also have stellar Instagram profiles (and know how to use them)—Jena Viviano and Emily Liou.

  “If you’ve never used Instagram, I would highly recommend it, especially for those folks in the creative fields. In today’s day and age, Instagram is becoming a modern-day portfolio,” says Viviano.

  It also builds credibility for those who are looking to pursue roles in marketing, social media, or even just the tech space:

 “Hiring managers are going to look for candidates that can ‘walk the talk.’ If they’re trusting you to grow their accounts and their engagement, they want to see you have a social media strategy of your own,” adds Liou.
So how do you build up a presence that shows you in the best possible light?

Step 1: Figure Out Your Goal

  Like any other personal branding effort, you need to understand what your goals are. Is it a medium for sharing your work? Highlighting your expertise? Building a network? The clearer your message, the easier it’ll be to craft your profile accordingly.
Liou suggests looking to others for ideas—influencers, companies, executives you admire, even brands: “What accounts do you feel drawn in by? What do you enjoy about their posts or profile? Use this as inspiration to guide you in the way you want to look at your profile long-term and with big picture lenses on.”

  Or, she advises, “explore what three adjectives you want your personal brand to be defined by, and use these as guidelines to determine if what you’re posting in images and words is aligned or not. For example, my three personal branding adjectives are fun, positive, and career expert. In every post I upload, I make sure that the image and caption can be described with one of these three adjectives, if not all three!”
How should you approach Instagram compared to other platforms? The first, more obvious advice is that it’s a visual platform. With this in mind, you’ll want to have a strategy in place for sharing your expertise via photos, video, and short text.
  But this also allows you more creative freedom: “When people visit, they should be able to understand you on a more personal level compared to a LinkedIn profile. This is an opportunity to display your personality and share your passions, interests, opinions, and joys in life,” states Liou.

Step 2: Refine Your Profile

  Before you add any content, you’ll want to set up your profile for success.

And that means writing a clear bio that includes:

• Your full name (if your handle isn’t clear)

• Your job title and location

• Your current and former companies (“Tag where you’ve worked in your bio! I have ‘Corporate alum’ with each of my employer alma mater’s tagged,” adds Viviano)

• Links to your personal website or other social profiles

• Any other important information or hashtags about your expertise or brand

  “While employers and recruiters still primarily search for talent using LinkedIn, there is a keyword search function on Instagram so if you want to be found, you can sprinkle in keywords that you want to be recognized for,” adds Liou. (To make yourself even easier to find? Make your profile public.)

Step 3: Curate Your Content

  “The number one rule I give to every single one of my clients is if you don’t want your future employer or boss to see it, don’t post it,” says Viviano.

  This goes for any current content you have on your profile. If you’re worried about past photos either you’ve posted or others have tagged you in, you can always archive or hide them.

  To keep your posts interesting, consider using a graphic design tool like Canva or one of these apps. And, don’t forget the power of a good filter.

  Also, take advantage of the Stories feature—this can be a great way to share live events, quick snippets of your expertise, or yourself in action: “For example, as a career coach, anytime I speak at an event I might have someone record a 15 second clip of my speech and make sure to highlight the story so people can know I speak at events or provide workshops on career advice,” says Liou.

  Finally, consider sharing other people’s posts that are aligned with your brand or might inspire your followers. Just make sure to give credit where it’s due.

Step 4: Build Out Your Connections

  Following others isn’t just an easy way to get your profile in front of the right people—it’s also a great way to keep in contact with and track the trajectory of those you admire.

  “If there are companies you really admire, follow them. It’s a great way to engage and stay informed of the company’s updates and events. It’s also a great way to share in interviews that you have a genuine interest and have knowledge beyond just what you read on their homepage,” says Liou.

  And, adds Viviano, don’t be afraid to make a personal connection: “A lot of them have corporate culture accounts so you can see what a day-in-the-life is actually like. If you have a solid profile that speaks to your profession, I would recommend reaching out to their handle (perhaps by DM or tagging them). It’s likely that the person managing that account is either an employer branding specialist or in recruiting, so it may be a path of least resistance to get noticed. Remember, the whole job search process is ‘How do you stand out from the competition’—reaching out via Instagram may be one way to do that.”

  One final tip: Like archiving inappropriate photos, you may want to consider unfollowing those who may make you look bad: “If you’re following people who can be seen as controversial, you don’t want to be seen as guilty by association,” states Lious.

Step 5: Monitor Your Account

  Having a good personal brand requires a consistent effort, meaning more than just logging in and liking posts.

  “If you want to be a pro, consider posting one post a day or once a week at the very minimum,” says Liou. “You can use free apps like Plann to help you automate your scheduling if you find yourself not having time to update often.”

It doesn’t have to be a science, but by keeping your profile updated and active you show you’re a savvy social media professional who doesn’t let their projects fall to the wayside.

  While you might think of Instagram as a place to show off your vacations, pets, and selfies, it offers plenty of opportunity for you to showcase your work and who you are. Graphic designers can show off their latest products in a visually-appealing way, content creators can share new posts by linking to their website, digital marketers can make it clear they know how to engage an audience, salespeople can make it obvious that they know how to make anything look appealing, and the average professional can use it to boost their likability and hire ability.

   So it may be worth logging on for more than just that latest dog meme.

5

Linkedin / How to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation That Works for You

« on: December 17, 2018, 04:13:01 PM »

How to Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation That Works for You

  We all know the benefits of a robust LinkedIn profile. It attracts the right kind of attention from recruiters and hiring managers, it helps you build a strong, reliable network, and it’s a convenient and easy way to showcase your work, skill set, and passions.

  One more thing? It’s the perfect place to show off all the great things people have to say about you. In fact, your LinkedIn recommendations can be a huge selling point for those who might be looking to hire you. After all, nothing makes you look better than praise from an important client, an old boss, or a close colleague.

What does asking for a proper recommendation on LinkedIn entail? Let’s get to it.



When Should You Ask for a LinkedIn Recommendation?

  The short answer is you can ask for one anytime. But, as Muse Career Coach and HR expert Christie Artis says, “no matter what timing you choose, the context you provide is key.”

“If you are truly on top of it, you can ask for recommendations throughout the year. For example, let’s say you’ve just finished a big, successful project with co-workers and clients. You can ask for a recommendation then. Provide them context that you’re always collecting feedback and would greatly appreciate theirs via a LinkedIn recommendation,” Artis says.

  That said, it’s not always easy to be on top of this. So, she recommends taking advantage of key check-in and feedback points—for example, your next review cycle—to request a recommendation.

  Many people also tend to reach out for recommendations when they’re leaving a job. If that’s the case, “it’s best to ask right away while you are still fresh in people’s minds. It is easier to get a review when it’s easier for people to write one,” says Artis.

  Finally, she warns, take into consideration what asking for a recommendation may look like to an outside party. When it’s out of the blue, “it can make people think you are getting ready to leave, so be cautious.” Consider who you request it from and when, and don't forget to provide context.

Who Should You Ask?

  Artis suggests that you get a variety of voices, including but not limited to senior leaders you’ve worked with or who are familiar with the work you’ve done, your current and previous managers, immediate team members, and clients.

“This will give anyone reading your recommendations a well-rounded view of how you show up with different audiences and the ability to see you have senior-level advocates,” she adds.

  Of course, you want this person to be able to give you a glowing review. But you also want them to be able to speak to specific things you’ve done and your particular work ethic and passions. A short and vague response is almost as useless as having no recommendation, so be sure you can trust them to be thorough and thoughtful.

How Do You Make the Ask?

   Be courteous and professional, make it super easy for them to say yes, and pay it forward.

“You can acknowledge that you recognize they are busy and offer to write a draft that they can edit (or ignore all together). You can also offer to provide a recommendation in return and ask for specific things they’d like you to include in your recommendation to them,” suggests Artis. (Here’s a template to help you write an amazing LinkedIn recommendation.)

  When you go to write your email to this person, “give them context about what you are looking for within the recommendation. For example, are you switching jobs from a financial analyst to project manager? Then, ask for specific feedback around key skills required of a project manager,” says Artis.

  What does that look like? Here are a couple email templates you can try. Or, if you’re connected on LinkedIn and want to make it super easy for the person, use the “Ask to Be Recommended” button at the bottom of your profile and copy and paste these into the note:



EMAIL TEMPLATE #1

If You’re Asking Someone You Currently Work With…
Hi [Name],

I hope you’re having a great week!

I want to let you know how much I enjoy working with you, as well as how much I value your insights and feedback. I’ve especially enjoyed collaborating with you on [project you worked on together].

I have a small request for you. I aim to keep my LinkedIn profile updated to provide an accurate picture of my skills and experiences. With that in mind, I’d love if you could write me a LinkedIn recommendation that highlights my skills in [area] and [area].

I’d be happy to write you a recommendation in return. Just let me know if there’s something specific you’d like me to call attention to.

Would you feel comfortable writing a recommendation of this kind for me? Of course, no pressure either way.

All the best,
[Your Name]


EMAIL TEMPLATE #2

If You’re Asking Someone You Used to Work With…
Hi [Name],

I hope all is well with you! [Some small talk or friendly question.]

I’m touching base to make a small request of you. I’m currently [job searching/looking to move on from my current role as X into Y] and want to keep my LinkedIn profile updated for recruiters.

I really enjoyed working with you at [Company], and I especially appreciate [feedback/advice/experience you got from them]. As a result, I thought you’d be a great fit to write me a short LinkedIn recommendation highlighting my skills in [area] and [area]. If you’re willing, I’m happy to send over additional information to make writing one easier for you.

Also, I’m more than happy to return the favor and write you a recommendation. Just let me know if there’s something specific you’d like me to emphasize.

Would you feel comfortable writing a recommendation of this kind for me? Of course, no pressure either way.

Let’s catch up soon!
[Your Name]


   See? Making the ask isn’t all that difficult! All it takes is one short email to ask a professional contact for a recommendation, and you’re well on your way to crafting a LinkedIn profile that truly speaks to your expertise and reputation.

Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-ask-for-a-recommendation-on-linkedin

6

Branding / This Is How to Know if Your Personal Brand Is in Good Shape

« on: December 17, 2018, 03:38:28 PM »

This Is How to Know if Your Personal Brand Is in Good Shape

OK, so you know by now that building your personal brand can help you have a thriving career, right? Yet, it’s so easy to put it on the backburner like scheduling a doctor’s appointment.
(I mean, who gets excited about anything that includes the words “checkup” or “exam”?)
I get it. But you can’t deny the benefits: Nurturing it puts you on the path to your dream career, and neglecting it keeps you stagnant, or worse, stuck in a toxic environment.
So, let me ask you a question. Do you know if your personal brand is healthy or if it needs some work?
Here’s how to put your brand to the test (and check out our quick quiz below to see where you stand!).

You Need a Tune-up if: Your Social Media Is Solely Personal

If you mostly share updates about hanging out with your friends, the delicious meal and drinks you had for brunch, or daily rants, you’re missing the opportunity to build your personal brand.
Sure, you may use social media to decompress and forget about things like work, but you never know if a recruiter or colleague is checking out your profile (plus, what if your posts are TMI and hurt your reputation?).
Try mixing in interesting articles related to your field, and hide anything that could put you in a bad place professionally. This way, your social media activity includes a variety of topics and only compliments your personal brand.

You’re in Good Shape if: Your Social Media Is a Mix of Your Personal and Professional Life

On the other hand, if you manage your online reputation by using it as an opportunity to share your personal interests and support your career goals—say, trading off Twitter posts about your productivity habits and your latest vacation—that’s a good balance.
The key is to use social media to show you’re an expert in your industry and back up the strengths you highlight on your LinkedIn profile and at work. You always want to be consistent and walk the walk, even if it’s on casual platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
Note: You don’t have to use every platform for your professional life. It’s OK if you want to keep some things private and for friends only. Just be sure you have at least one that’s public and professional, whether it’s a personal website or a separate Twitter account just for work stuff.

You Need a Tune-up if: You’re Missing an Online Bio

If your online Bio consist of your job title, current employer, and years of experience and that’s it, it’s not doing your personal brand any justice (and you don’t make it clear what makes you different from the next person).
You’re more than a role and cliché words like “proven leader,” “enthusiastic,” and “team player.” Think about how you’re different from professionals with similar experience and focus on those traits, so there’s no confusion about the value you add.

You’re in Good Shape if: It’s Clear What Makes You Different

A strong, robust online bio attracts new opportunities with little effort because your unique value is front and center. However, don’t forget to revisit it and make tweaks as needed so that you keep it fresh and compelling.
You Need a Tune-up if: You Don’t Have a Professional Profile Picture
You have seven seconds to make a great first impression. If your photo is unprofessional (a.k.a., a selfie, blurry, or includes other people or pets), it can hurt your personal brand.
Working with a professional photographer helps take your profile up a notch. But don’t worry if a professional headshot isn’t in the budget right now. Another option is to wear your best work outfit (at least from the top up!) and have someone you trust take a picture of you in front a simple background with good lighting.
You’re in Good Shape if: Your Photo’s Professional and Has Personality
If you’re all about showing your personality with a profile picture that’s appropriate, welcoming, and well-shot, you’re doing just fine. Just make sure you also keep it fresh and updated like your bio (every year or so should do the trick).

You Need a Tune-up if: You Don’t Have a Strong Point of View

Now don’t get me wrong, building your personal brand doesn’t mean being the loudest and most opinionated person in the room—that’s just obnoxious and we’re so not going for that.
But if you’re always staying quiet or don’t add your voice to the conversation, you might as well be invisible. People take notice when you genuinely engage with others and share your beliefs, so make sure your words count. This also means actually being active on your social media—don’t let your last post be from 2014.
Don’t talk about being passionate, show it.

You’re in Good Shape if: You Talk About What Makes You Passionate

Remember I talked about walking the walk? If you have a strong point of view when it comes to what drives your career and how your skills help organizations succeed, you are showing your passion.
Since your words reflect your personal brand, always ensure they add value and strategically align with the unique character traits you want to highlight (and aren’t offensive to others or unprofessional).


As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to keep your brand healthy (whether you’re experienced or just getting started). Now that you know where you stand, you have the prescription needed to ensure your personal brand is in tip-top shape and gets a passing grade.

Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/good-personal-brand-quiz

7

News Paper Articles / Starting a catfish farm at home with 200 fish in a 500 liter tank.

« on: December 17, 2018, 02:50:27 PM »

Starting a catfish farm at home with 200 fish in a 500 liter tank

8

Pricing / 10 Ways to Market Your Small Business on a Shoestring Budget

« on: December 11, 2018, 03:47:39 PM »

10 Ways to Market Your Small Business on a Shoestring Budget

1. Craft an elevator pitch
You should be marketing all the time — wherever you are. Therefore, you need a compelling elevator pitch.

Research shows the average attention span of an adult is about six to eight seconds. That’s all the time you have to grab someone’s attention.

If you successfully engage them, then you only have a little over a minute to really sell them on your product or service. Invest the time to craft a killer elevator pitch. The return on your investment will pay huge dividends in terms of creating business opportunities.

2. Leverage your community
You don’t have to think big when it comes to your marketing efforts. Think locally. What’s going on in your community?

Sponsor a Little League team or a 5k charity walk/run. Print bookmarks and leave them at the local library. Get to know your ideal customer and think about how and where they spend their time.

Then search for opportunities to get in front of your customer with your marketing message.

3. Collaborate
Put together a group of synergistic, non-competitive businesses in your area and agree to cross-promote.

You can use coupons, fliers, reciprocal website links, bundled promotions or social media platforms. By collaborating with each other, you can expand your customer base because you’ll be reaching new people.

4. Network
I’m a huge fan of networking. I don’t think there is any better way to build a business than to get out there, shake some hands, and get to know people.

Networking requires a time commitment and it doesn’t provide instant gratification, but a strong network is one of the greatest assets any business person can have.

5. Give a speech
A lot of people hate public speaking. However, there are many organizations looking for qualified, subject-matter experts who can present to their groups.

Take a deep breath and volunteer. You don’t have to be a pro as long as the information you share is helpful to the audience. And the upside — the more you do it the easier it gets. Plus, it positions you as a credible authority in your field.

6. Create buzz
I started my corporate career in the field of public relations and the business has changed significantly because of technology.

Today, a small business owner can accomplish a lot without hiring a professional firm. Subscribe to Help a Reporter Out. You can respond to reporters’ queries that are looking for story ideas and resources. Some are small media opportunities, but others are major media outlets that use this service too.

7. Ask for referrals
Don’t be shy about asking for customer referrals. The majority of people say they are willing to provide a referral if asked, but very few take the initiative to do it on their own.

Referrals make it easier to get in the door with new customers. If you aren’t asking for them, you are missing opportunities.

8. Build relationships
It is a lot less expensive to keep a customer than it is to get a new one. That’s why establishing strong relationships with your customer base is crucial. One of the ways you can do that is by keeping in touch with people through email marketing.

Ask customers for their email address when they visit your store or website. Then, make your communications informative, helpful and professional — something your customers will look forward to receiving.

9. Offer coupons
Coupons are a good way for many businesses to attract new customers. Research shows that people will go out of their way to use a coupon, proving that this method is successful in expanding your customer base.

Coupons can also generate return visits. For example, if you give a customer a coupon for a discount to use on future business, there’s a high probability they’ll be back.

10. Give it away
If someone has the opportunity to experience your product or service, chances are they will want to purchase more.

Don’t be afraid to give someone a free trial or a sample. In today’s economy, people are more comfortable purchasing something they have been able to experience first.

Source: https://blogs.constantcontact.com/market-your-small-business/#