This year has been a pretty big one for me personally…and it’s not stopping. As if it wasn’t exciting enough, I’m honored to have been chosen to speak at this year’s Blog Indiana on Saturday, August 21 at 4pm. (IT building in room 162…IUPUI’s campus in Indianapolis.)

That’s right. Bring it.

My presentation is on ghosting aka ghost blogging. I’ve entitled it “The Art of the Ghost” because that’s what I do, and that’s what I know. Now I want to share. Despite the controversy over the subject matter…the unauthenticated accusations (missed those rules again), I’ve been blessed, having made a great business, Linzstar Inc., by writing for other people and managing their social media. My clients are all over the world, in very different industries, the best of the best in those industries, and I love all of them. No, I mean, I REALLY do. This is one of the most satisfying occupations for someone who loves to blog and loves social media.

This will be my first time presenting at a blogging conference. I’m kinda nervous, yes, but I’ve got some great speaking gigs under my belt, which include undergraduate classes, graduate classes, and a high school. The presentation will be super laid back and conversational…as most of you know, that’s how I do it. A couple of things that will be discussed:

• How I got into ghost blogging
• Industries that are grateful for what I do
• Questions to ask / Conversations to have with clients to really tell their story
• The editing clipboard
• Ethics / Honesty
• How I use blogging and social media platforms to market online
• Having the confidence to be a social media rock star

I think this is going to be great. I’d love to see you there. So, here’s the deal: I get to give my readers and the people who are attending the conference a 10% discount off the tickets. They can be purchased on the Blog Indiana 2010 website…HERE. Just enter in the code “SPEAKTOME10” to get the 10% off!

Sweet. Okay. Questions? Comments? Looking forward to seeing you if I know you, and meeting you if we’ve not yet met. Cheers!

Photo credits to the talented peeps over at Metromix Indy, Michelle Pemberton, Jonathan Boho, and Frank Espich

Okay. I have like three blogs I’m working on. They all tie in together. So, this is the first. I feel totally compelled to just take a moment and lift up two people in my life who affect me in some way everyday, whether it’s through a tweet, a blog, a phone call, or a coaching session. It’s just the way it happens. One I am only in contact with online. The other is my beloved business coach and dear friend. (No, they are not clients.)

I have gone through tremendous changes this past year, but the bulk of my growth personally and professionally was because I got committed to a coaching situation. Ever since I began coaching with Deseri Garcia, Founder and Pres of Vida Aventura, things began to change for me.

At the end of March, Amber Naslund wrote of post on the Power of Definitive Affirmations.

Man, it hit home. Then I got excited because she was nailing it and writing about it. She is by far one of my favorite writers. She takes chances. She calls it like it is. She uses her voice, and I get her. I learn from her. There are only five blogs I receive in email. Hers is one of them.

Back to Deseri: I have recently learned in a very real way that I manifest my future. Not you, not my clients, not the music my band creates, not my work, not the jack that cut me off in traffic. ME.

Deseri taught me how to get very real about being intentional, writing down clear goals, and taught me the POWER of definitive affirmations and meditation. Which, BTW I have my affirmations saved to my desktop and read them aloud at least once a day. And also on my desktop is Gaping Void’s “Moronic” cartoon because it reminds me that my dreams are so outrageous and crazy, but it really doesn’t matter. I keep pushing toward them. (Oh the little things that make me smile.)

I can’t believe…or wait…I CAN believe how when you begin to CHANGE the way you think, how you believe, and what you focus on, life begins to happen. Doors open. This is life-changing stuff! This is why I got so excited by Amber’s words:

We are cynical creatures, many of us. We look at things in terms of what we don’t want to have happen, where we don’t want to go, who we don’t want to associate with, and so on. Avoidance of the negative in hopes that the positive will emerge.

Much more rarely do we get really, painfully, brazenly specific about what it is we DO want.

And I mean specific.

Not “better work-life balance.” Screw that. That tells me nothing about what I need to do in order to achieve it.

I just want to jump up and down.

That being said, my amazing coach was just featured in the IBJ (Indianapolis Business Journal). I’m sharing this with you because she is one of the most powerful women I know. She embodies integrity. She is the epitome of “calm in the storm.”  Here is Tawn Parent’s story on her:

Forget the couch and the remote control—Deseri Garcia gets her dose of athletics live and in person.

The Indianapolis consultant spends her weekends “adventure racing,” which can mean running, biking, rappelling and kayaking, among other sports. Some events last 38 hours.

What’s the appeal of something so grueling?

“It’s discovering that you can push beyond what you’ve done before,” said Garcia, 44. “It gives me courage to push boundaries in other areas—business or relationships.”

Believing that this strategy might pay off for others as well, Garcia five years ago launched Vida Aventura (“adventurous life,” in Spanish). The local firm uses obstacle courses, scavenger hunts, trust games and other nontraditional activities to build teams and develop leaders.

Her clients range from small businesses to Clarian Health and Cummins Inc. She uses hundreds of activities, depending on the size of the group and their goals. She is certified by the Association for Challenge Course Technology.

Christopher Overstreet met Garcia two years ago when she was president of Rainmakers, a local networking organization. He hired her to lead team-building exercises for his Indianapolis marketingfirm, Xiik. His staff had been having trouble communicating, so he brought in his employees from other cities for a half-day workshop with Garcia, and immediately noticed results.

“It was amazing,” Overstreet said. “People were able to talk to each other better, collaborate more. It was a phenomenal change that I noticed.”

He has since hired her for another workshop with employees on goal setting, and for some one-on-one coaching for himself. He said he has been impressed with Garcia’s ability to lead people out of their comfort zones. One employee was so moved by her own success in letting go during a challenging exercise and trusting her co-workers that she broke down crying. It was a turning point for her.

Garcia said she strives for such “Aha!” moments. Through team-building exercises, people sometimes become newly aware of their own qualities, she said. For example, an employee who rushes through instructions and fails at a group exercise may realize he needs to slow down at work.

“It’s about creating analogies for learning,” Garcia said.

This isn’t all feel-good, fuzzy stuff, she added. It affects the bottom line. Contented employees usually work harder, improve profitability and hang around longer, saving companies the expenses of turnover.

Garcia said the 20 years she spent working in business development at local companies Langham and Roadway Express gave her experience in workplace dynamics that she now puts to work through Vida Aventura.

“I went through a leadership development workshop about five years ago and fell in love with coaching and doing facilitation work,” Garcia recalled. “I discovered it was my passion.”

She runs the company out of her Broad Ripple home. She is the only employee, although she frequently contracts with other facilitators when she works with large groups. She hopes her company will eventually grow large enough to take on more employees. She said she misses the camaraderie of working in a larger setting, although she doesn’t miss the drama.

Last year, Vida Aventura brought in less than $150,000. That was a challenge, Garcia said. But as the economy improves, she hopes to reach $250,000 to $500,000 in revenue in the next couple of years.

This year has started off strong, she said. Many companies that have shed staff are looking to reignite those who remain, she said.

She hopes to branch into culinary team-building as well as increase “destination-based” work—taking client groups to interesting places, both here and abroad. For example, she led a “Survivor”-type activity with Cummins employees from all over the world in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Garcia said she doesn’t think being a woman and a minority has hurt her business success. She follows the example of former boss Cathy Langham, CEO of Langham, a transportation and logistics company. “Cathy Langham made [being a woman] a non-issue,” Garcia said. For her part, Langham praised Garcia’s listening skills, her tenacity and her ease with people.

“Deseri is a warm, dynamic person,” said Langham, who has known Garcia for 15 years. “It’s easy for her to meet people and they like her. They continue to like her as the relationship grows. That’s a stand-out strength in my mind. She’s got a great energy and great personality. She’s in the right career.”

Garcia’s love of teamwork sprang from her experience with fellow athletes in adventure racing, which she stumbled into 10 years ago after a lifetime of various athletic pursuits. She started with roller speed skating as she grew up in Fort Wayne, the child of a Cuban father and an Irish-German mother. At Ball State University, she took up lacrosse and running, and began tackling marathons. She’s a 15-year veteran of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

Garcia said she exercises four to six times a week, mostly to improve her health and vitality, but also to keep balance in her life. But she doesn’t expect her clients to share her penchant for extreme sports.

“You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to work with me,” she said with a laugh.

Both Deseri and Amber deserve every ounce of success they manifest. So, I guess this is a “thank you” to these gals.  Read Amber’s blog. Work with Deseri. They’re out there making a difference. Intentionally.

I began to write this post last week after hearing some disturbing things. Then I read Kyle Lacy’s post on a Checklist of 25 Reasons Not to Hire a Social Media Consultant.  In light of the mood I was in, I decided to play very loud music with my band and ride the weekend out to gather my thoughts. So, here goes.

I don’t know about you, but I thrive on lifting people up, especially those who are in the same industry as me. It really bothers me when I hear someone is undermining the work of others when it pertains to social media. In short, it is downright WRONG to go to a company who is working with a social media consultant/manager/ghost tweeter…whatever title one gives them self, and say “So and so is not qualified to be doing your social media.” (Note: this was not said about me, rather someone I care about and respect.)

It just makes me wonder what gives someone the right to say such things. For anyone who thinks they’re holier than thou when it comes to social media and how it should be done, I really think it’s time to consider whether or not you’re on a high horse. How do you know what people are doing in their spare time to sharpen their skills and learn what’s new in this industry?  How do you know what books or blogs they are reading to get a better understanding?  Social media marketing is one of the fastest growing industries. And you don’t have to have everything figured out perfectly in order to be an effective contribution to a company that is getting started.

For the most part, I agree with Lacy’s post, but there are parts I would argue. (Note 2: Kyle has taught me so much over the years and has been a supporter of Linzstar Inc. This is not a post attacking him. He has been a major contribution to so many things.) I just think that rather than titling his post, A Checklist of 25 Reasons NOT to Hire a Social Media Consultant (especially since that is part of what he does), it should have been “A Checklist of Things to Consider BEFORE You Hire a Social Media Consultant.”  You can read his entire post here.

The following is what I would argue:

5. They will “grow your following” and “run your Twitter account”

That’s part of why you hire them. To do those things! If your social media person is not actively working on spreading the word and inviting people to come in, then what’s the point? If someone does this for a living then he/she should be focused on quality AND quantity.

6. Their blog is less than six months old with no comments.

Disagree – unless you are a blogger or a writer. There are talented communication folks out there that get social media and can help spread a message and call to action without being a great writer. What’s most important is that the person is READING blogs about social media and doing everything in their power to serve their clients. You don’t always have to be a blogger. I know quite a few people who do a great job and don’t have a blog. I also know some bloggers and people in the industry that have clients that aren’t really happy with their work. So, let’s keep this in perspective. Education and knowledge are keys here.

8. Have they taught a class before on social media? Even a webinar?

You CAN be a great social media marketer without having taught a class or webinar. (Thank God I have a couple under my belt so I’M not judged…phew) – Please sense my sarcasm…

The point here is that not everyone goes for the same opportunities, and not every social media marketer is a good speaker. Rather, ask them if they’ve GONE to classes on social media or WATCHED webinars pertaining to social media. Again…let’s go back to education.

11. They blog at least once a week or more

I’m pretty sure I covered this above.

19. Ask them about Radian6 and CoTweet.

Okay, not every company is ready to use major measuring tools, and there are alternatives to CoTweet. If I were a company hiring a social media consultant, I would be much more interested in them reading Radian6’s blog, specifically, Amber Naslund’s blog.

20. How long have they been using Twitter?

Haha! I totally had to put this in because I just thought it was funny. I definitely agree with this one.  Probably not too smart to hire someone who is a newbie to this area…unless you’re a social media company hiring an intern with the intent of teaching them how to use the social tools they’ve not yet experienced. (We ALL started somewhere.) On the flipside…there ARE people out there that dive in and just GET it. Sometimes you have to give people chances.

22. If they are still using an @aol.com, @aim.com, @comcast.net, or @att.net email. Fail them.

Hmmm…not sure if this is fail criteria…

Everything else is spot on if you’re a company looking to hire a social media consultant. It’s also important to remember that everyone makes mistakes. This goes with ANY area of life. In social media, the kicker will be that those mistakes will most likely be silly mistakes…spelling, a missed word, a grammatical error…it happens to everyone. I’ve done it, I’m sure you have.  (There’s probably some in this post.) Patience is important, and social media is not the “be all, end all.” It is only a part of the whole.

You know, DOING is learning. For those of us who do this type of marketing for a living, rather than hate on others who are in our field, we should be helping them and encouraging them. It’s not going to go away. And for companies who hire social media folks to help them, it’s because they are hard pressed for time but want to be out there!

Oh, and for that person who doesn’t even have a social media company, that was hating on my peer, puuhhleeease. We’re a community here.  Can we please stick together?

Not that I want to open up with a cheesy line from a film or anything, but as I’d been thinking about what I wanted to write about today, what keeps coming up over and over and over again, is: “If you build it, they will come.” The popular line taken from 1989 hit film, Field of Dreams…starring Kevin Costner, is something that often comes to mind when I am wondering about an idea, thinking about what to say, putting something out there…whatever.

I’m a big dreamer/thinker. I believe people can do anything they want to if they put true intention behind it. I’ve been that way my entire life. I’ve heard people say I’m crazy, or unrealistic, and I’ve always thought to myself, “They have no idea who they’re dealing with,” or “It must be so sad to be so closed-minded and un-ambitious.” The list could go on, but I’m sure you get the point. This could tie into one of my favorite quotes by Oscar Wilde: “Those who live within their means suffer from lack of imagination.”

I look at social media the same way. I believe HUGE things can happen when small or large businesses begin to build with social media. The key word here: BUILD.

Here we are, in a time where anything that anyone wants to say, any message that one wants to put out there, any video, song, book…you name it, there is a platform available in the social sphere to do it.

I will never understand why some still question the power of social media. Some still question what type of “ROI” they will get. I really don’t know if a number can be placed on building relationships or building a tribe.  It’s like getting the cart before the horse.  I mean, yes, there is legitimacy in when a CMO or COO needs to see the bottom line raise as marketing dollars are being spent. But these things don’t happen overnight. It takes time, commitment, and belief.

My career started as a marketing director for a small business here in Indianapolis. Someone introduced me to a social media platform where I could blog. I’m not one of those people who was on the “cutting edge” of blogging for years and years.

It was when I began blogging about the company I worked for, and really started to fall in love with social media…meeting people, getting meetings because what I was writing about placed some value on the company, that it showed me that through writing and building relationship, there was a community of supporters.  I am now able to do what I LOVE for a living, and there is nothing better than that.

I was (still am) a marketer who is looking for new ways to get my company’s message out, and now, the companies who hire me.

I have a business that is based in social media. I have experienced firsthand, the growth that can occur in a business sense, by being involved in an online community, be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, and the many others that are available.  But I also understand that no amount can be placed on the relationships that I’ve been able to build which have taken me to the different levels of growth. How are you building today?

I need to open this up by saying how humbled I was yesterday by the amount of emails, direct messages, phone calls, and texts that came in to see how I was doing in light of some things that were said about my profession and business.  I want to thank you all for your support and love. My community lifted me up and for that, I am entirely grateful.

When I decided to write about what I do for a living last week in my blog, there were no defenses up. It was not a post defending my profession at all; it was simply one to inform you on how I run my particular business. It was to inform you of how I work one-on-one with my clients to package THEIR message. This was a direct-result post following a national magazine interview on the subject of ghost blogging. This, however, has not been the beginning of the debate. A few months back, Jason Falls interviewed me for an article he was doing on the same subject entitled, The Ethics, or Lack Thereof, of Ghost blogging. I would like to mention a few things from this article as well as a quote by me.

“Doug Karr, an outstanding Internet marketing consultant and social media thinker in his own right, wrote in reaction to my aforementioned talk, “Ghostblogging isn’t a dirty word nor is it a dirty profession, it’s an incredible one. A great ghostblogger investigates the source and accurately writes the posts on behalf of them.” He continues, “As long as the premise of those blog posts are your message, why would anyone care that someone else typed it up?”

Jason goes onto say,

“I know what Doug is shooting for here, but there’s a big difference in someone who takes dictation and writes for you. I would stipulate that if the named author is actively involved in writing the piece — dictating outlines, emphasizing points to cover and actively editing the document — I have much less of an issue and would consider the writer a copywriter/editor rather than a ghost writer.”

Similarly, Lindsay Manfredi of Linzstar, who blogs for several clients and bills herself as a ghost blogger, told me this:

“I don’t encourage my clients to hide, I am simply assisting in the bigger picture. Ultimately, it’s their ideas that are being blogged. And I also have clients who write their own, give it to me to edit and expand on, and then post away to the community they are marketing. Everyone is different, and everyone has a say. At least that is how I operate my business.”

Back to Jason:

“Still, there are some fantastic and talented writers out there not only writing materials for companies and their executives, but selling their wares as “ghost blogging,” or “ghost writing.” They are honest, ethical, genuine people earning a living loaning their talents to those who don’t have the aforementioned time, acumen or intelligence to compose pieces for their audiences.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, as a ghost writer, I work with my clients. I always will. I am not just handed someone’s blog admin and told to “go for it.” I hold my clients accountable to sending me ideas and points, and I create the content around it. Once again, THEIR content.

Chris Brogan wrote a piece today in his newsletter about authenticity. He says the following:

“Authenticity and transparency mean being clear about what matters to you, being clear about your intentions, being open about what you’re asking of your clients, your employees, everyone in the circle around you. There are times when matters are meant to be handled in private.

There are many circumstances that don’t belong in the bright light of the public, not least of all on the internet. Examples can be anything from helping an employee find drug treatment solutions, to loaning money to a struggling entrepreneur. There are many situations that deserve to be kept between the parties that matter.

Authenticity isn’t about raw, open exposure. In my mind, it’s about presenting the story the way it is. It’s about being clear about goals. It’s about sharing all sides of the equation, and it’s about trying to be consistent.”

I have always been, and will always be clear in what it is I do. I built my business brand around me and my passion of music. Kyle Lacy and his company, Brandswag, helped me with branding and web design. When I came into corporate Indianapolis over two years ago, I was completely freaked out on whether or not folks would accept me because of my nearly full sleeves. Here I am, this tattooed girl, who plays in a rock band, and has this grand idea to incorporate rock n’ roll into business. Hence, social media rock star.  Indianapolis…the people and the businesses here have been amazing, accepting, and so gracious. I love this city.

At the end of the day, I have a beautiful, 5-year-old daughter to support, a community to lift up, a business to run, and music to create. I will not stop doing what I do because I am extremely passionate about it. After all, “all we have are our love and our guts, baby.”

Opening title credited to “Traffic,” by the band Bitch and Animal

There has been so much “controversy” and discussion over this whole idea of “GHOST BLOGGING.” In my opinion, it’s quite ridiculous. The things us “ghost bloggers” hear from social media purist?

• It’s not being truly authentic
• It’s not ethical
• It’s not real if it’s not from the actual person

Well,  just for the record, does it really matter? I kind of think the above ideas are BS. Here’s why:  What I offer is a service to those who understand the value of good content (message) to create relationships and brand value via the web. I also understand the value of a good social media strategy to get that message out. It’s not being inauthentic at all. It’s being an online marketer in many ways. I help companies piece together what they have to say. It’s not always right the first time. They approve it or I make changes to make the message clearer. It’s not rocket science, it’s a SERVICE. I just happen to love writing. I also happen to love seeing others succeed and grow by a process I’m part of. I mean, how awesome is it that I get to do something I love to do? And make money at it?

Let’s put some things into perspective. Who do you think writes Obama’s speeches? NOT HIM! Tell me, does that fact make the message any less real? Is Obama “inauthentic” because he has bigger things to do (like run a country), rather, he doesn’t have time to just sit around and write great speeches?  My buddy, Erik Deckers, also a ghostblogger, made mention that “No one complains that Ford doesn’t make their own car commercials.”

I brought up Erik because I was just interviewed on Friday by a writer from Entrepreneur Magazine and he was also. The writer is doing a piece that will be out in February about the rise and hype behind ghostwriting/ghostblogging….why folks hire them, what’s in it for them, whether or not it’s ethical, how I carry out the  process personally….those kinds of things.  My answers to him?

• Folks hire ghostwriters because they are shifting their ideals. With the rise of popularity with social media platforms and building business based on relationships and trust, they understand the need to give their customers helpful and useful content. However, the issue many folks are running across is that it’s time consuming.  That being said, just for the record, my clients create the ideas, I create the content around those ideas to help tell their story.
• Another reason I may be hired? The person who hired me doesn’t have a strong writing style. In other words, they suck at writing and will be the first to admit it. Or some are actually GOOD writers, they just don’t have the discipline to do it on the regular basis they would like to. I am hired to keep them accountable as well as make sure their blog awesome. (Because I like to make things awesome.)
• Another reason…they don’t have time to fully understand “all this social media stuff” (I’ve heard it, and it’s OKAY!) That’s why they hire people like me! Social media is the space I play in, I love it, and I am more than happy to assist companies with their strategy. Some have me carry the strategy out, for others, I teach and they have someone in-house carry it out.  Either way, I do my best to help strategize and educate.

I don’t just write ghost-write blogs either. I have assisted on an e-book, and I am currently assisting on another book project.  There are some companies that have me blog on their behalf. If you’ve not checked out McGruff Safeguard, that is a blog I write for focusing on keeping children and teens safe online.

Bottom line, I don’t find ghostwriting unethical or inauthentic. I find it helpful and useful…which are the exact goals the companies who hire me intend to be with their clients and customers.  In my next post, I’m going to piece a bit together on the process of understanding the folks I work for.  In the meantime, I would be totally open to a healthy conversation on your views and thoughts on ghost blogging.

What do you think would happen to your business if you treated everyone of the clients you served as if they were God?  Do you think it would impact where your business goes…how big you grow…how people view you?

Nick Carter, creator of AddressTwo, which in my opinion is one of the coolest freaking CRMs around, addressed these questions at the Hullabaloo. This was a speaker-driven event Carter  put on in Indianapolis last week  featuring CJ McClanahan,  Hazel Walker, Kyle Lacy, Nicole Bickett, Jack Klemeyer, and Nick Carter himself. 

However, this blog is not about the CRM he built, even though it is a rockin, useful tool. Rather, this blog is about principle. It is about outstanding customer service and loyalty, and as a result, comes a product with integrity that will explode because of the foundation that lies beneath it.

When you have someone completely present at the time of interaction, someone who goes above and beyond to give you what you need and in turn makes you feel served, how do you view them?  Nick Carter built his company around serving. He made the decision to make every customer feel as if he were working only for them.  He chose to serve his clients as if he were serving his God. When his customers had an idea, he integrated it. It cost them nothing more. In turn, this service expanded upon what his product is today. You could say his product is customer-made, and grows daily.

By serving, he created. By giving, people shared.  When people share, companies grow from 10 to 10,000 and beyond.

Nick Carter truly inspired me to look at how I was serving my clients. What can we do better? How can we better serve so others can see the passion behind what we do?

You know, I’ve never understood those folks who constantly draw a line between work life and personal life. I am not referring to bringing a crappy day home with you and taking it out on your family…which by the way, happens quite often and is really NOT cool. What I AM referring to is your relationship to your co-workers and supers, and if you’re in a leadership position, the relationship with those you manage. It’s like some people can be so leery to create meaningful relationships because that’s not what you’re “supposed” to do at work.

I’m a lover. I just want to get that out there. I love so many things. I love my family, I love to work out, I love food. I just love. It’s very easy for me to make friends and refer to them as my best friend because I open up. This in turn gives permission for them to open up. I’ve had people say, “How can you have so many best friends?” Well…I love my friends. My life would not be the same without them. My world revolves around the relationships I create.  I create thriving relationships because it’s important to me.

Let’s take a look at Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Right after your physiological and security needs, is your need to belong in a group, then to feel validated while IN the group. It’s just human nature.  When you are with a group of people for 40 hours a week (granted we are talking about the “normal” work week), I would think it’s pretty darn important to treat those people with love and respect.  Who wants to be in anything other than a nurturing environment? It sucks!

When people love where they work and who they work for, amazing things can happen with and within an organization.  When I was an intern my senior year of college, I absolutely loved my boss. I still do to this day. We are great friends.  But my intern experience was so fulfilling because of the environment we created…the relationship we created.  I loved her. I wanted to work smart for her, almost to make her “proud.” Even when we disagreed on things, I never felt “disposable.” Think of all the people out there who DO feel disposable. Humans were not meant to feel that way.

I guess something we all need to ask ourselves…is your environment thriving or toxic? (We can apply this to SO many areas of our life.) We CREATE our experiences. Sure, others play a part in the scene, but they are only the supporting actors. You are the star. What are you creating? And what needs to change?

I just dropped off my 5 year old (almost 6) to Kindergarten. We’ve been having a few issues as she has had to adjust to an environment consisting almost entirely of learning, from a preschool where life was all play. Last week when I picked her up, she said it was “too long” and “borin” (yes, I left off the ‘g’ because that is exactly how she says it.) She has become somewhat impatient, easily irritated by her classmates, and hit a little girl the other day because of these things. (Lovely, I know.)

It made me think of the way we do life, and then it made me think of the way we do business. People are so programmed to do what they usually do. I mean, we are all somewhat resistant to change. Even people like me who kind of thrive on it, still have our times when it’s not so cool. I mean, I always button my shirt from the top down. I always put my right sock on before my left. I always put my mascara on my right eye first, even though my eyeliner is still wet because for some reason, I do the opposite with it. Just random, everyday things that we do without thinking.

Now, for business…I was really excited to have a meeting the other day with someone from a magazine which I won’t mention the name. The thing is, this is a guy whose background is radio, print, magazine, and advertising… all of which are hurting right now. This corporation has been doing things the same way year after year after year, and they are feeling the impact because of this. He gets that they need to move to an extended platform in regard to social media. He gets that the audience of the magazine needs to be broadened (at least for folks like me to be interested as a 30 something small business owner…and there are LOTS of us), and he also gets that they are dying as a magazine. Unless change happens and happens fast, that’s exactly what will happen. All I really heard in the meeting was resistance…because the publisher won’t do this, the editor won’t do that, we’ve always done things like this… (I could go on, but I’ll stop at these.)

In Seth Godin’s blog today, Competing with the singleminded, he nails it on the head when he says, “You want to do the new thing, but of course you must do it in a measured, rational way…Which is great, unless your competition doesn’t agree.”

Corporations know they need to move to a more engaging platform because, quite frankly, it’s in their face on a daily basis. But some are just too formed to one idea to consider something else. Business is changing every day. Just because it’s always worked for you in the past, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you today. Just as my daughter must learn that preschool is now over, and I could probably change the way I do things to make my life smoother, corporations must change to a platform of REAL in order to survive. Communication is key. Don’t be afraid of change. Survival is about evolution.

Trust

But back to Mr. MacLeod’s freaking awesome, ‘getable’ book…He touches on so many things but stripping down to the basics of business, he discusses TRUST. I want to share with you what he says:

“Regardless of how the world changes, regardless of what new technologies, business models, and social architectures are coming down the pike, the one thing “The New Realities” cannot take away from you is trust.”

Easy. Simple. Stripped down…Why do you take your child to the sitter you choose? Why do you choose to do business with someone? Why do you heed someone’s advice? Why did you hire the marketing company you hired to handle your business?

I have seen the reputation of companies go down the tubes because of this word that carries massive weight. Word of mouth carries, I know you have heard. If you are not following up with your customers, if you are not coming through on what you promise, if you are not up to par in your standards and ethics, people WILL see, no matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished.

At the end of the day, it is the follow through on your word that will make you thrive personally and in your business. NEVER forget this.