The Social Strategy Podcast: Online Business | Social Media Strategy | Networking | Vernon Ross

First Timer! Was it your first time to a major conference like New Media Expo or NABShow?  I thought it would be interesting and very informative to get the perspective of a first time attendee to NMX and get her impressions of the event and share with us how to conference In full disclosure my next guest is actually in the field of booking conferences for a city in so she has a very unique perspective which I think you'll enjoy. Here are a few of the highlights: Why knowing the schedule ahead of time is vital to a positive conference experience If you should you try to attend every session. How social media can make networking easier and more enjoyable The number on after the conference thing you should do Here's what Tanadia learned at NMX 2015 Fresh off of the plane in Las Vegas but I don't get too excited because I didn’t visit the glitz and glimmer city to party or gamble away my life savings, I went to Vegas for something a little more exciting, the work famous New Media Expo Event. As a first timer I picked up a few expert tips  for you on how you can get the most out of a conference even if its your first time. Do’s and Dont’s for you First Conference  Do – Check the schedule ahead of time. Most conferees will post the scheduled events weeks even months ahead of the event. Take this time to plan the sessions you want to attend so that you can navigate like a boss when you get the the event. For NMX the schedule was posted a little late as a few days before so what I did was check in at the event grab a copy of the schedule the night before I did a light plan of what I wanted to attend for the next day. Don't– Feel like you MUST attend every session. NMX had a total of about 60+ sessions and thats about the average of most four day events. You don't have to go to EVERY single session. If you feel like you want to skip a session or two, thats ok. As long as you replace the session with something that is just as valuable  like networking with attendees. ( I would add the best networking I've done is in the halls during or between sessions.) Do Get Social: on of the best things about live events is the ability to actually meet people in person, If you are attending a conference with your peers, its amazing how much information you can gather from just one conversation with someone who is attending the same event. How do you do this if this is your first time? Simple. Before and during the event make sure to get on you social media platforms and let attendees know that you are a first timer. two things will happen. 1.People who have been to the event will want to meet you since you're a new face 2. First timers like yourself will want to meet you because they too are new the the event and would like to connect with people who are new like them. Before NMX I sent a tweet out that said. “Can’t wait to see what #NMX is all about. Where all my first timers at?” that tweet lead to me meeting so many people at NMX and I fit right in! Don't– Feel forced network; If you are not in the mood to meet new people, thats ok. I encourage you to make sure that you put yourself in situations that will allow you to be your best self. If networking is not your thing, try setting up you own private meet up event. Find a nearby restaurant  or lounge close to the event and invite only the people you feel comfortable around to meet up with you for a quick bite to eat. encourage them to bring at least one guest and BOOM there your go, your own privet meet up where you set the conditions all while meeting some really cool folks Do – Follow up- So you reached the last day of the event and you have learned so much and met some cool peeps. Now this is where you get a return on your investment with the follow up. After getting home and getting back in to the swing of things.

As you guys know I've been out and about with NMX / NAB (New Media Expo & National Association of Broadcasters) in Las Vegas.  What a crazy week full of surprises and awesome meetings.  I was one of the featured speakers at NMX and my session I have to say kicked off to a great start. One of the things I'm doing for NMX is posting a special episode from the attendee point of view so look out for that in the next couple of days.  For now enjoy this recorded episode from the show floor at NMX! Let's Snap Together             Featured Sponsor You can’t steal second base when your foot is still on the first is such a true quote.  If you're not learning then you're still on first base.  What will you do to win the game? Lynda.com is the place where you can start to change that and round the bases of growth with usable business knowledge that can have a direct impact on your career.  Starting today with a  free 10-day trial. Just go out to lynda.com/ross to get started today. Lynda it's used by millions of people around the world with over 3,000 courses on topics like web development, photography, visual design business courses and more. Friends of the Podcast To check out Spreaker for a free account or to take advantage or a 30 day broadcaster trial check out our “Friends of the Podcast” page for all the details. Disclosure: In the interest of full disclosure after my interview with Spreaker I agreed to help promote Spreaker.  I agreed because I love the platform.  Spreaker is a friend of the show and not a sponsor.  Meaning we have an agreement but there is not official sponsor relationship.     If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Strategy podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a rating, write a review and subscribe. And if you listen on Stitcher, please click here to rate and review this show Don't know how to leave a review watch this video: How to leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher

A great mentor is a hard to come by so when you run into one you must take advantage. Wouldn't you agree? So would you take advantage of a mentor that teaches people how to become millionaires? Well we have a treat for you in this episode in Dr. Venus Opal Reese.  It's not secret that Dr. Venus had a very in her words “violent history” and ended up on the street at the really tender age of 16. However from there she's risen to amazing heights within 14 years with a 2nd Masters Degree and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.  Her speciality is creating millionaires and specifically creating black women millionaires. Did she pull herself up by her bootstraps?  No as she states, she was “Loved through it”  Are you curious on how that happened and who her hero was?  Click here to find out Some of the things we learn in this interview are: Self Esteem money  which based on self-esteem is an Internal evaluation of yourself based on your feelings, thoughts, and beliefs and even lived experiences.   Basically it’s you talking to you about how you feel about you.  This can get you to a certain level of wealth but not take you to millions.  Making that type of income takes a different approach. Self-Worth money in which you use more of a valuation method or an external assessment of an asset to a community group or market. This is about you understanding that you're a new market not a commodity. In addition I get personal in this episode go deeper into my background than you've ever heard before.  We talk about using your story and leading with your heart.  Dr. Venus demonstrates with my back story on how powerful sharing your journey has true power and can change your life and your business. Keep reading for some great quotes and how to get in touch with Dr. Venus Quotes From Dr. Venus * Survival Strategies that are keeping your ideas in place so that you are safe. * Don’t make money on you skill. Make money on you story. * Align yourself with people who believe what you believe and not what you do. * Pimping your pain for profit. * Your million dollar money maker is not located in your brain it’s located in your pain, were life broke your heart. * Price, package and position yourself you never have to worry about money again. * People don't want your skill they want your heart. * If you want to make money you have to heal your heart. To Connect with Dr. Venus: Links Mentioned in the Episode: Defyimpossible.com/gift – A very generous $497 dollar gift from Dr. Venus to help you get started on your journey to making millions. Exclusive from her Get Money Training – Bringing in New Money with the Skills you Already have. BlackWomenMillionaires.com – 16 of the world’s most accomplished, authentic, and accessible sisters to reveal their private internal transformations (as well as some top tips) so YOU can discover what it REALLY takes to make millions, reach millions, and serve millions. Forbes Article – What Do Black Women Millionaires Do Diffe...

There are so many options when it comes to hosting a podcast that it can be hard for a podcaster or someone starting in podcasting to determine which one to choose. I looked into Soundcloud used it a bit and although I'm sure it's a great platform I'm just not that crazy about it so I started looking around at what was available.  That's when I discovered the Spreaker platform. In getting setup I tried their free account of course and had a few questions which were answered promptly answered by Community Manager Anna Piazza.   Spreaker is there to help podcasters create and promote their podcast with their complete distribution platform. Spreaker sets the stage for artists and hosts, allowing them to broadcast their shows, tracks, and playlists to listeners all over the world. Anna looks after the community that consists of over 2 million users and her tasks involve answering queries, responding to emails, writing blogs and interacting with the community on social media, so she was perfect to interview and find out more about the platform. Here are the highlights of my conversation with Anna: * SoundCloud versus Spreaker in terms of features, additional options in uploading and distribution of content, storage, variety of plans, and analytics. * How Anna got involved with Spreaker in 2011 when the company officially launched, * Spreaker and iHeartRadio’s integration of platforms, the approval process podcasters need to go through and what it takes to be featured. * How tracking, analytics and ranking work in Spreakers’ platform and the tight and active community within Spreaker. * What to set up to get ready for your podcast guests, how to schedule announcements, and the option to upload your shows for future publication. * How much artwork plays into their editorial decisions on who to feature in the front page. * Their plans in building customized apps specifically for each show and your options in terms of monetizing the app and which platform to be on, * Adding additional pages to the app you built in Spreakers and what can make your pages look great. Insights: * Artwork is an important thing to consider when you are putting together a podcast so it should not be taken for granted. Did you know that artwork is also one of the deciding factors that's rumored to weight heavy on where you show up in the iTunes directory.  Getting noticed in any podcast directory is vital to the success of any podcast so it's important that you don't cut corners on artwork.  There are several options when it comes to creating quality artwork.  Of course there's photoshop but there are a ton of free options as well. Canva is one of the easiest platforms out and I use them all the time when I'm doing something simple. However for a professional look I would recommend using a service like 99 Desgins for quality artwork that can help you stand out. Links Mentioned in the Episode: * Anna’s Email Address * Spreaker’s Facebook Page * Spreaker Twitter Account * Spreaker on YouTube * Canva.com – Easy to Creat Quality Graphics To check out Spreaker for a free account or to take advantage or a 30 day broadcaster trial check out our “

Discovering, Creating and Sharing is one of the best ways to communicate the story of your brand. Wouldn't you agree? For this episode I really wanted to connect you with a master storyteller.  Someone that knows how to not just tell a good business story or talk about a brand but a storyteller that could hold your interesting with any subject. I had the pleasure of connecting with master Matthew Turner he's is a brand storyteller,podcast host, entertainer, and published author of fiction and non-fiction book.  We discuss his current project The Successful Mistake. Here are the highlights of my conversation with Matthew: * What inspired him to come up The Successful Mistake and how the entire process started. * Why Matthew took the plunge in leaving his corporate job, about his ‘wandering in the wilderness’ phase, and how he found his way. * The origin of Turndog and his vision of the Turndog empire, * Skills and the mindset of being a good storyteller and why it can sometimes be hard for brands to tell their stories, * The challenges that Matthew has gone through in getting a story together such as his version of the writer’s block. * The different methods in publishing including and his personal preference, self-publishing, and the new ‘hybrid’ publishing concept of crowdfunding. Quotes and tweetables in this episode: * You need to give people enough opportunity to make mistakes otherwise you run the risk of never allowing them to fulfil their potential. * Sell it even before you even make it. * Intention plus storytelling will send you down a good path. Matthew is a believer that stories are the catalyst to 21st century success and that through his innovative take on Brand Development   Links Mentioned in the Episode: Check out Matthew's Publisher – https://publishizer.com/the-successful-mistake/ Matthew's Post on Copy Blogger – http://www.copyblogger.com/crowd-publish-content/ To Connect with Matthew Online: Featured Sponsor You can’t steal second base when your foot is still on the first is such a true quote.  If you're not learning then you're still on first base.  What will you do to win the game? Lynda.com is the place where you can start to change that and round the bases of growth with usable business knowledge that can have a direct impact on your career.  Starting today with a  free 10-day trial. Just go out to lynda.com/ross to get started today. Lynda it's used by millions of people around the world with over 3,000 courses on topics like web development, photography, visual design business courses and more.       If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Strategy podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a rating, write a review and subscribe. And

Life is about what you learn and how you share that learning with others.  Wouldn't you agree? That quote David Pottruck speaks volumes about the type of leader David is and the principles he teaches at the Wharton Business School's Center for Leadership and Change Management. It's not often that I get to talk with a Titan of industry.   When I learned that opportunity was being offered and I would have the honor of featuring David on the podcast I wondered how his vast experience would actually translate into something small business owners could use. Days later I received his book STACKING THE DECK, How to Lead Breakthrough Change Against Any Odds and once I opened and began to thumb through it was apparent the information in this work would not only be beneficial to my audience but have a direct impact on my business.  As entrepreneurs we have to lead our clients through change, our teams through change and even our spouses have to deal with change in our business. We dig deep into those very issues in our time together. Here are some highlights of my conversation with David: We discussed two types of fears: * Fear and resistance from the people involved with your business or in your organization and the right steps you need to take get your people’s buy in. * Your own fear of making a mistake and how to conquer them through strategies such as making noble failures. – Very interesting concept here so listen to the podcast for details. * David’s process of piloting, which he calls ‘sneakaware,’ meaning you have to get to the market quickly and test the waters first if before you find out that nobody wants your product, * The difference and impact of slowing down your internal clock and giving your teams time to think and share their thoughts can make in making them accept change. * The difference between motivation and inspiration. * How problems can give us competitive advantage amongst other companies and how he never stops learning to continuously improve himself. * His recommended regimens for entrepreneurs for self-development including writing your goals down, keeping fit and holding yourself accountable. Quotes that David mentioned in this interview: * Life is about what you learn and how you share that learnings with others. * You can’t steal second base when your foot is still on the first. * Look at change through the lens of the employees. * Showing respect, participatively listening to what others has to say will grant immense buy in. More background info on David David is also the Chairman of HighTower Advisors, a $35 billion wealth management firm that he helped launch in 2008. He serves on the Corporate Board of Directors at Intel, and is the Chairman of the Board of CorpU, a leadership development organization that integrates social media, cloud computing, and mobile technologies help employees grow their skills and achieve greater success. David served as the President and CEO of The Charles Schwab Corporation until 2004. He has been named one of the “Top 15 CEOs” by Worth; “CEO of the Year” by Information Week; “Executive of the Year” by the San Francisco Business Times; and “CEO of the Year” by Morningstar. He is the co-author with Terry Pearce of the best-selling CLICKS AND MORTAR: Passion Driven Growth in an Internet Driven World. He is a Senior Fellow and adjunct faculty member at the Wharton Business School's Center for Leadership and Change Management. In 2010 and again in 2012, he was Wharton San Francisco's highest-rated faculty member and receiv...

What's the worst experience you've ever had at work? My guess is it was pretty bad right? The sad part is that too many of us have bad stories about work.  In this episode is author Chris Reimer addresses this very issues  in his first book Happywork. Here are the highlights of my conversation with Chris: * Handling working with challenging people and how powerful negativity can also be. * Chris’ background from graduating with a degree in Accounting, being unhappy with his chosen line of work at that time until he cooked up the idea for Rizzo tees and using social media to promote this t-shirt business until finally finding something which resonated to him and led him to pursue a career change to inspire more people. * Why leaders should pay attention to the little things, such as caring for your employees, as it can produce incalculable ROIs in the process, * The three sections of the Happywork agreement: Respect for the work process, Respect for each other, and Respect for business goal #1: Happiness, * How he leverages on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram in getting his message out and his assessment of how each platform is doing currently, We really get into a great conversation about social media at [53:10] minutes in so make sure to check out that part of the interview.   Awesome Tweetable Quotes: * We have all those tactics with regard to making our businesses better available to us at all times. What don’t we always have? Happiness, fulfillment and joy. This is a human tragedy. * They feel like the business needs to survive no matter what. I would contend that as every single human being working in a business is more important than the business. * Let’s care about great work and let’s create a workplace where it’s easy to care. * We’re all in this together no matter wherever strata where are in at work. To echo Chris’ points, we must learn to hit the balance between managing the business and our people as profit is not the end all and the be all of being an entrepreneur. Success is not solely spelled with dollar signs, it is measured with the lives you touch. Haven't ordered the book yet?  Don't worry I've got you covered Buy it loca at Left Bank Books: http://www.left-bank.com/book/9780768405316 To Connect with Chis Online: Featured Sponsor When you think about adding value and being a great employee or an awesome boss have you considered improving your skills?  Learning is the best way to keep yourself sharp and offer the best of yourself in everything you do. I think Lynda.com is just what you've been looking for.  When you're looking to add value to what you bring to the table try starting with a  free 10-day trial and skill up today.  Just go out to lynda.com/ross to start your trial today. If you've never heard of Lynda it's used by millions of people around the world and has over 3,000 courses on topics like web development, photography, visual design etc.  It also has business courses and even coursed like Excel, WordPress, and Photoshop.

Picture this.  You're in a head on crash at over 150 miles per hour. You bleed out, your heart stops and you die. After six minutes and by some miracle the paramedics are able to revive you.  What would you do next? Hal Elrod experienced this tragedy and after coming out of the medically induced coma he was told that he will never walk again and had permanent brain damage.  However Hal amazed not only his doctors but the world by taking his first step only three weeks later. Hal has not only come back from the brink of death but has excelled as one of the top corporate and college speakers in the US, a hall of fame business achiever, an ultra-marathon runner, a life and business and coach.  He's also  the bestselling author of The Miracle Morning and Taking Life Head On!  I'm sure you're asking so Vern, it's a great story but what does this have to do with social media or business? Here's the thing!  Hal just had an article published on Entrepreneur.com titled 7.1 Steps to create multiple streams of Income so guess what we're going to talk about how to build those streams of income in detail Here are the highlights: * Facing yet another rock bottom when he lost all his income when the economy crashed and where he became emotionally, physically and spiritually depressed and was in the worst shape in his life. * The six months of downward spiral that followed which became the circumstance on which The Miracle Morning took shape and which ultimately skyrocketed his life back to success. * How his miracle mornings brought him more revenue by gaining his confidence, clarity and strategy, * Studying sales and marketing to get referrals and learning how to approach clients, and how he got over his own fear of doing a live event. * His streams of income and how they feed each other, how to use the law of contrast to your advantage. *  Hal’s tips on how you can build your own business by establishing financial security and clarifying your own unique value. * Writing a book to position yourself as an expert, for you to be able to charge higher fees, and use it as a marketing piece. Notable Quotes: * Everything I have ever done, I try to see it as what’s possible for all of us,  and anything that someone else has ever done, I see it as evidence of what’s possible for me. (This applies to you too) * Your level of success will seldom exceed your personal development because success is something you attract by the person you become. * * Whatever product or business you sell, stop getting better at that because you are probably already good enough or better than most people, but you got to be a master of sales and marketing. This is where all your energy should go. * When you commit, the how reveals itself. Resources Mentioned in this episode: Miracle Morning – MiracleMorning.com Hal's Live Event – http://bestyeareverblueprint.com/ Virtual Freedom – My Interview with Chris Ducker Miracle Morning Community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/MyTMMCommunity/ Find Hal Online:

What's it take to win a Silver Medal in the Pan-Am games? Wouldn't you agree that athletes at the Olympic level have an unstoppable drive and will to win beyond that of most people? Fabienne is that example and translates that passion, drive and determination she developed from being a professional athlete into her very successful online business and podcast aptly named Marketing to Crush Your Competitors. Raised by immigrant parents from Haiti Fabienne is an example of what hard work and living life on your own terms truly means.  You're going to love her journey and come away feeling motivated to get in gear. Here are the highlights with my conversation with Fabienne: * Her life as an online marketer and as an athlete including when she got into handball and how she fell in love with the sport, * How her background in sports shaped her approach in business and in life in general, * Her transition from being a physical therapist to achieving big things by becoming an entrepreneur and using marketing as her vehicle to succeed, * Her interest in radio, how she started in podcasting and the value and opportunities this platform can bring including establishing great contacts with influencers in your market, sharing valuable content to your listeners, and simply having friends, * Her views on the methods used to get download numbers and sponsorships in podcasting, * How the idea for her business summit came about and the goals she want to achieve in this endeavor including helping three charities, and * Her heritage, how her family settled and thrived in Canada and her experiences spending two years in Denmark. Quotes that Fabienne mentioned in this episode: * When you push to get somewhere, you can do it. * In being a part of a team, yes you have to work towards the same goal, but you also have your own qualities that make you step up. * You can have the best business in the world but if you don’t know about marketing, forget it, nobody will know about you. * When you give without thinking what you’ll get back, it comes back to you. Fabienne mixes business with zeal and purpose and it is simply heartwarming how she makes herself a channel of blessings for others. Looking forward for the community’s support for her upcoming business summit and it's noble efforts to raise money for some great charities. Links Mentioned in the Show: Online Business Summit:  http://smallbusinessonlinesummit.com One Drop : http://www.onedrop.org/en/default.aspx Find Fabienne Online: Featured Sponsor We all know that Self-Development is important to our future success and something we just don't spend enough time on right? Maybe you made a resolution to learn something new like Pinterest for your business or finally take up web development but it's already February and you didn't get started yet. Like me you wonder where has the time gone? Well Lynda.com is going to help you jump start your year and finally get started with developing and taking time for yourself with a free 10-day trial.  Just go out to lynda.com/ross to start your trial today. If you've never heard of Lynda it's used by millions of people ...

Patrice Washington, my first three-time guest, has become my first official co-host for the year 2015. Patrice is the financial voice of the Steve Harvey Morning Show, is a nationally recognized featured columnist, television commentator, #1 bestselling author, speaker and leading authority on personal finance and entrepreneurship. Today Patrice launched her third book Real Money Answers for Men – The Ultimate Playbook for Financial Success on the Steve Harvey Morning Show. Check out what Steve Had the Say about Patrice   [ez_box title=”The PlayBook You've Been Waiting For” color=”green”] “Fellas, this is the playbook you've been waiting for. Patrice C. Washington is America's Rising Star in personal finance. I've personally watched her grow from her college days into a brilliant business woman who isn't afraid to share her own financial success and failures in order to help others. Make no mistake about it, this young woman is here to change lives and provide Real Money Answers so EVERYONE can win the money game.” – Steve Harvey” [/ez_box] Here are the highlights of my conversation with Patrice: * Our discussion about what motivates a man to make money, how men handle business, relationships, and what can prevent some men from pursuing their dreams of entrepreneurship. * The practical tips cover like fixing your relationships first to see results in your financial journey and empowering the hustle in people to motivate them to want more in life. * The warning signs and red flags of a financially irresponsible person so you can choose wisely and insights on where some of these behaviors may have originated * Pushing for a paradigm shift on the mindset of communities when it comes to money such as having the perception that money is evil and that having money can give you a ticket to act in ways which are not respectable, * Her advice for young men on how to build a healthy financial foundation.  Here's a hint it has to do with mentors. * For couples, the value of treating your partnership as a team and erasing the ‘his and mine’ mindset when it comes to money. * What being the CEO of your Life, taking control, taking responsibility, and owning your failures is key to your personal growth. And so much  Quotes that Patrice mentioned in this episode: * Information without implementation is useless. * If you don’t get your relationships in order, it doesn’t matter how well you invest or how much you save as you will still end up in the same place: broke. * A real need inspires real motivation. * Everybody works so hard to be respected but they are not acting respectable. Its how you show up in the world and what you do for other people that makes you respectable. * It’s hard to become what you don’t see. If you don’t have an immediate example around you, it’s still your job to look for one. If you can’t find it, create it. * Vision is seeing things that don’t exist but having that foresight to know it is possible and just holding on and believing in that. * Be okay with learning what you need to learn to have the success that you want to have. * No matter where you have been through financially and no matter what you will go through, if you can’t let go of the blame, the shame and the complaining, you’ll never be able to find progress again. Patrice has continued to amaze me with the success of her endeavors so I urge you to listen to the entire interview and not to miss out on her book available now. Share your takeaways by leaving your thoughts in the comments below. Where to Find Patrice Online:

Between the Clouds and the Dirt.  That's what my latest guest Gary Vaynerchuk  has been saying, it's where he's spending his time and perfecting his craft and of course for this episode we talk about his InstaGram game for 2015. Gary is always on the hustle and with him it's not just something he post on social media to be cute or to day he's at work.  He's actually hustling and crushing it.  So much so that our interview was done with him in JFK International Airport about to board a plane. There has to be something said about a guy that would turn down an interview with The Wall Street Journal to jump on my podcast because he gave his word. A few things you will take away in this episode: * Where small business owners should be spending their time * What Between the Clouds and the Dirt actually means * How to go for the ask on Instagram * The perfect strategy for posting content on Instagram * How many #HashTags are too many answered And so much more… Here's what just happened by Gary choosing to talk with me and not the WSJ Was I more important than the WSJ?  No of course not but the good will and karma that comes from taking 10 minutes to chat with me about Instagram to my audience is how you over deliver a solid Jab.  (Check out NYT Best Seller Jab Jab Jab Right Hook ) This is what true engagement is really about.  It's about big brands and personalities count in that equation.  Taking the time to respond back to and interact with their fans. Also spending the time to support fledging brands that support and communicate to their fans. The value this adds for Gary is that I'll be talking about this for a very long time to anyone and everyone that's willing to listen to the story.  I'm going to talk about it from the stage when I present and anytime I talk about getting guest for a podcast I'll mention it because it shows that Gary is a down to earth guy that understand its the “dirt” work that pays dividends for your brand. Want to know more about Between the Clouds and the Dirt: Where to Find Gary Online: Other Sites Mentioned: An interesting video site that Gary is using – 5by.com    If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Strategy podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a rating, write a review and subscribe. And if you listen on Stitcher, please click here to rate and review this show Don't know how to leave a review watch this video: How to leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher Featured Artist: Singleton Singleton was so generous to give me permission to use their music on this podcast so make sure to check them out. Also like them on Facebook: Like Singleton on Facebook  

Guys this is just a quick one to let you know that right now at least for the next day I just can't do an episode.  I lost a very dear friend just over a week ago.  We had been friends for over 30 years and were highschool buddies. The services are tomorrow so I'm just not in a space to deliver to you what you've come to expect from the podcast. So in two days you guys are going to have some awesome stuff coming your way and the rest of the month is going to be exciting but right now I just can't. Until the next episode.

It's been such a great year and I'm looking forward to an even bigger and bolder 2015!  Please enjoy the most popular episodes of the podcast from the past year which also happen to be some of the ones that impacted my business and my life the most. So much happened in podcasting for me and so many others like Podcast Movement and FinCon.  In addition to that I launched a pretty cool mastermind and I'm in the process of actually finishing my second book thanks to Jared Easly staying on my butt and issuing a 10 day challenge.   I'm speaking at New Media Expo in Vegas in April and a few other events I'll be announcing soon. Thank you so much for making the podcast a success in 2014! Enjoy and see you in the New Year! Best of 2014 Podcast Below: A Year of Greatness with Patrice Washington Ep30 Book the Money Maven:  http://bookthemoneymaven.com Chris Brogan Freaks, Weirdos and Entrepreneurship Ep21 Chris Brogan's Book and Site: The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth – Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits and World Dominators Eliminate Negative Self-Talk with Shauna Mackenzie Ep24 Shauna Mackenzie on the Web: BestKeptSelf.com  Farnoosh Torabi on Why She Makes More Ep37 Farnoosh on the Web: Farnoosh.tv YouTube Domination with Chris Cerrone Ep16 Cerrone Show: http://www.cerroneshow.com/ Virtual Crash How Chris Ducker Found Freedom Through Outsourcing Ep33 Chris Ducker's Website: http://chrisducker.com Target Fixation and the True Mind Movement with Andrew Warner of Mixergy Ep 08 Mixergy on the Web: Mixergy.com  The Confidence to Quit with John Lee Dumas Ep 19 Entrepreneur on Fire: http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/   

Hope is only lost when you stop looking for it. In these desperate times it's vital to our success as business owners or aspiring business owners to maintain hope for a better tomorrow both for their business, their community and for the world. If you take a look at the situation in Ferguson, MO with the number of businesses that were vandalized, and burned to the ground it could be difficult to have hope these small businesses would ever want to come back and rebuild.  Hope. Hope that together we can rebuild a stronger community.  Hope that together we can heal a community by supporting those local businesses.  Hope that because of the attention this situation received that relations between the police and the entire community they serve will improve. It's easy to be disappointed in the outcomes of situations like this but it's even more difficult to be grateful despite the situation.  Being grateful can assist you with maintaining hope that this situation will improve and that with effort and a lot of hard work this community, this city and this country will become even stronger and better than it is right now. Even in the wake of all this disaster we still have much to be thankful for and much to be hopeful for. [ez_box title=”Help Us Spread the Word” color=”grey”] If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Strategy podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a rating, write a review and subscribe. And if you listen on Stitcher, please click here to rate and review this show [/ez_box] Don't know how to leave a review watch this video: How to leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher Featured Artist: Singleton Singleton was so generous to give me permission to use their music on this podcast so make sure to check them out. Also like them on Facebook: Like Singleton on Facebook

                        Showing courage in any situation can be a hard thing to do.  Would you agree? Would you be willing to lose friends that couldn't support your journey to improve yourself? I had a conversation with a good friend today on Facebook who shared how she's lost so many people that she thought were friends once she started on her journey of self-improvement.   I found it interesting and of course sad that she's had to deal with that. How would that make you feel? Here's what I've experienced in my journey and what I shared today.  People will have an issue with you when you're living past their expectations of you.  Meaning that some have a hard time seeing you in a way they can't see themselves.  Change is also difficult for people close to you to deal with when it comes to watching you become more and realize your greatness. Choosing life on your own terms takes courage.  Refusing to live the life that others want for you can also be difficult to break away from but also requires courage. So the question I leave you with today is this:  How can you inspire more courage in your life every day? Let me know your answers in the comments below, via twitter or on Facebook.   [ez_box title=”Help Us Spread the Word” color=”grey”] If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Strategy podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a rating, write a review and subscribe. And if you listen on Stitcher, please click here to rate and review this show [/ez_box] Don't know how to leave a review watch this video: How to leave a review on iTunes or Stitcher Music featured in the episode: The Fear  – by Ben Howard you can find it on itunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-fear/id467632453?i=467632469 (Non- Affiliate Link)