by Kirby Hasseman
My youngest daughter Jade is getting ready to start her Senior Year. As a parent, this is an exciting, bittersweet, scary, fun and surreal time.
Yes. All of those. As many of you know, it’s also the time when you have to start talking about “what’s next.” With that in mind, there are the obligatory college visits, discussions about the future, and the ACT test. This is the test, of course, that helps colleges and universities decide whether your kid is good enough to pay for the opportunity to attend their school. If you think you detect a hint of negativity about the process, you are right.
Unfortunately, on the first time out, Jade felt the same way.
She was not sure what she wanted to do. She did NOT want to take this test. She did not want to get up early. She was pretty much “all out” on the whole process. Her results showed it. She did not do well on the test. But as is nearly always the case, the failure is not nearly as important as the response to it. Jade went back to work.
First, she adopted a better attitude about the whole process. That is SO important. Studies tell you that when you have a positive attitude, your brain functions better. So that alone might have helped. But that was not all. She also started working with a coach. Elaine Smith worked with her over 5 sessions. Not only did she give Jade tips and tricks for attacking the test, but (maybe more importantly) she gave her the confidence that she could do well.
She studied. She worked on it . She had a better attitude. Her results showed it.
I am very proud to report that Jade’s overall score went up quite a bit. Several sections of the test went up even more. It’s great news. But to me, this is not the best part of the story. The reality (as I see it) is that this is just one standardized test. It’s one of those things that seems important in the moment. But it’s not. Not really.
What IS important is that Jade learned how life works. When you try something new, you might do poorly. You almost certainly will do poorly if your attitude sucks. But if you learn from it. You readjust your attitude. You work on it. You get a coach. You will get better. Now THAT is a lesson I can get behind.
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by Kirby Hasseman
The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast is back! Our goal here is to attack 2018 with a vengeance! The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast will provide some inspiration, motivation and education to make it happen! Consider this your 10 minute “kick in the pants” to get your week started off right! Today on the podcast I talk about the difference between being a “doer” and being a “leader.” I love being a person who gets thing done. I am proud of it. But what do you do when you are put in charge of other people? Are the skills the same? The answer…no. Thanks for listening and digging in here on the DMJ Podcast every week! And a specific and proud shout out to NewPointe Community Church for their work (and leadership) on this great project. You can learn more about the church here. Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP Newsletter here. Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Sticher, Soundcloud…or where ever you listen to podcasts!
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s easy somedays to say “I just don’t have time.” I was at a work event all day yesterday. I am leaving early to do manual labor today. I don’t have something pre-planned or pre-written. On a day like today it would be easy (and fair) today “I don’t have time to write a blog.” We all have days like this. But…I have time to do something. It might not be the normal length. It might not be my best work. But if it always has to be perfect, there is no way to keep it up. Sometimes “done” is better than “perfect.” So whether it’s a sales call, a piece of content, or a work out, you might still have time to do “something.” Do that. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter today!
by Kirby Hasseman
Yesterday was my 22nd Anniversary…and my wife got me these shoes. These shoes represent the best kind of gift. They were something that I really wanted, but I had decided that I was not going to buy for myself. So I was really excited when she (quite thoughtfully) surprised me with them. In addition, these shoes represent a lot of what I believe in. Gary Vee’s Shoes: These are the new Gary Vee 003. Gary Vaynerchuk teamed up with K-Swiss to create these shoes, designed for entrepreneurs. If you are regular reader of this blog, you have seen me mention Gary Vaynerchuk…like I did here. Gary has become legendary in the content creation and entrepreneurial world. The short story goes like this: He took over his family’s liquor store and grew it from $3 Million to $60 Million in 5 years. He did it on the back of Youtube and Twitter. Then he left the family business to create VaynerMedia where they work as a digital ad agency with huge businesses to do advertising on line. So what does this mean to you? Why should you care about my shoes? I am glad you asked. 
Gary Vaynerchuk is sold wine…not fashion. Then he left that business and created a Digital Media Agency. He did not create a shoe company. So, why then, is he able to work with K-Swiss and create his own shoe line? Maybe more importantly, how is he able to sell out of them? Why are people buying them, then re-selling them on E-Bay? (Seriously…it’s happening). He is doing it because he has a large and passionate audience. He has a platform. He is an influencer. Over time, Gary has created content and added value…through content. (His Youtube channel is here). Day after day. Year after year. He has taken the time to “Give First” (I talk about this concept here) over and over again. So that when he decides to “ask” people are lined up to buy. So when we talk about creating value online, this is why. It’s about creating value so that you can create an audience. If you have a passionate audience, then you get to decide what to do next. This sort of thing does not happen overnight. It’s hard work. It may seem unreasonable. But in my estimation, it’s worth it. Now for those of us that are willing to grind, it’s time to get back after it. For those that are not, enjoy the view. Oh…and thanks to my wife for awesome anniversary gift. She really is the best. Speaking of value, we are trying to create it for you every day. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, sign up here for our VIP Newsletter. We deliver this value to you each week via email.
by Kirby Hasseman
Delivering Marketing Joy is one of the pieces of content that I am most proud. Why? Probably because it was one of the first consistent pieces I produced…and it helped put me on the map.
Now, nearly 250 episodes later, it’s still rolling. As you might expect from a journey like this, I have learned a lot from Delivering Marketing Joy. But what can it teach you? Here are a few lessons I am proud to share.
Don’t Listen To The Voice: I have talked about this before here, but it’s worth mentioning again. The hardest voice to overcome when starting something like this is the one in your own head. For Delivering Marketing Joy, I had to overcome the voice telling me that no one wanted to talk to me on an interview show. Who was I? I am so glad I pushed through that. Most people were more than willing (and generous) to spend the time.
Share Platforms: One of the reasons I think the show worked (early on) was because I was sharing platforms with other people in the industry as I grew my own. In my first episode I talked with Mark Graham. He was already an influencer in the industry, so I was able to leverage his audience too! Obviously, the goal is to provide value. So by sharing platforms you get to share the goods with more people.
Stay With It: When I was about 20 or so episodes into the show, I was kind of tired. I was proud of how many shows I had done…but I did not know whether it was worth it to continue. Insert Seth Godin. I got the chance to interview him (with Mark Graham) and Seth mentioned that he had seen the show! Wow! Then he said something I will never forget. “Stick with it. In 3 years you will be glad you did.” At the time I did not have the next episode lined up! But I did keep it up. And Seth even agreed to be my guest when I got to Episode 100. Watch that here.
Be Consistent: This is something I preach a lot…because I think it really matters. If you want to build an audience (and I am still working on it), you need to be consistent. It’s important to the audience. But I think it’s important to you too. It sets a deadline. Otherwise, it becomes really easy to “just miss one.”
Start With A Few in the Bank: This leads nicely to Start with a few “in the bank.” When I started DMJ, I heard that the average web show never makes it to Episode 5. I have no idea if that was true. But I was obsessed with starting with 5 shows done! That bank of episodes gave me some confidence and gave me time to get more going!
Don’t Worry About the Metrics (at first): It’s not about creating a “viral video.” It’s about creating value. Way too many people get really focused on the numbers too early on. It’s a recipe for frustration. You are (likely) not going to have a big audience at first…so the numbers are not going to be impressive. That’s fine. It will build. Plus, I have found that despite the numbers, you never know who is watching. Keep focusing on the value…the numbers will take care of themselves. Delivering Marketing Joy is a weekly class for me. I learn something all the time. But these are just a few lessons that I am reminded of as I look back.
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