Web and TV personality. Bestselling author. International Speaker. Award winning CEO of The Marketing Zen Group – a global online marketing company. Shama is the face of today’s digital world, and represents the best her generation has to offer. She has aptly been dubbed the “master millennial of the universe” and “an online marketing shaman” by Fast Company.com.
Shama is author of the best-selling book, “The Zen of Social Marketing,” and is an oft-quoted social media expert. Shama has been featured by Business Week, Dallas Morning News, Entrepreneur, Fast company, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, the Wall Street Journal and hundreds of blogs and social media outlets. She’s also an accomplished international speaker and hosts her own Web TV show, Shama.TV. The show addresses new media marketing topics, trends, people and relevant perspectives. She also hosts Tech Zen with Shama and Socially Sound with Shama on CW 33.
Shama formed The Marketing Zen Group in 2009. Since then, the company has grown, includes 25 employees and clients that range from publicly held, Fortune 1000 companies to privately held small businesses and non-profit organizations. The company serves clients worldwide, including companies in Europe, Asia and Central and South Americas. Since its start in 2009, the company has grown at an average of 400%
She holds a Masters degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, and prides herself in being a constant learner. In 2009, Business Week honored Shama as one of the Top 25 under 25 entrepreneurs in North America. In 2010, Shama won the prestigious Technology Titan Emerging Company CEO award. In 2011, Entrepreneur Magazine featured her as one of four Super Sonic Youth, dubbing her a “Zen Master of Marketing.”
When not working directly with her clients or shooting her shows for the media, Shama travels the world speaking on business, entrepreneurship, and technology. The 2nd edition of her best-selling book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, is due out this March.
2. Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
Absolutely! My education at the University of Texas at Austin was tremendously helpful. Not just the courses, but the professors who truly cared about each student’s success.
3. What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that Idea?
After 18 companies refused to hire me because they didn’t feel social media had a real shot in the business world. This was 2008. I started my own company in 2009. It started out as a social media consulting company, but we transitioned to a full service web marketing company shortly after realizing that clients demanded more.
4. As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
I’ve certainly learned to be a lot more objective, and move at my own pace. In business and in life, you have to find what works for you. Other people’s solutions may not work for you.
5. What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
That my book, The Zen of Social Media Marketing, was so well received. Being an author has been so challenging and rewarding at the same time. The 2nd edition will be out in a few weeks.
You Might Also Be Interested In:
Top 5 Social Media Books to read in 2012
Maximizing Social Media with Founder of Windmill Networking – Neal Schaffer
8 Basics for Creating a Social Media Strategy
6. What advice can you offer to your readers?
Learn to be an editor at heart. Don’t believe your first idea is your best idea. Be open to change.
7. What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from?
I love watching movies (in the theater with popcorn!), reading historical fiction novels, and playing with my dog. I find inspiration in books, movies, and insightful people.
8. What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
I love Skype! It is the backbone of our company.
9. Who would you like to see featured here and why?
Scott Gerber – Founder of The Young Entrepreneur Council. He is doing so much to foster youth entrepreneurship.
Ways to Connect with Shama:
Facebook: Facebook.com/ShamaKabani
Twitter: @Shama
Website: www.MarketingZen.com | www.Shama.Tv
From: http://www.moomkin.com/shama-kabani/
1/22/12
1/12/12
Top 5 Social Media Books to read in 2012.
Social media has evolved in the last couple of years and every successful and aspiring entrepreneur needs to stay on top of all the latest developments in social media. There is a plethora of free information available on the web and many respectable social media bloggers put out quality content. But nothing beats the good-ol’ fashioned book packed with valuable tips and information to get up to speed on all things Social Media.
Here is a roundup of top books on social media that you should consider reading in 2012 (according to Moomkin):
1. Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone by Mitch Joel.
The author explains the six degrees of interconnectedness to the digital world and effective ways to capitalize on your social media connections to build brand awareness and recognition. The book contains numerous case studies that make this social media guide interesting to read. This is one of the most comprehensive social media books you should read in 2012.
2. Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing: An Unofficial, Practical Guide to Selling & Developing B2B Business on LinkedIn by Neal Schaffer.
LinkedIn is rather underrated yet powerful social media tool that professionals can utilize to grow their business, propel their careers and create valuable connections. Neal creates an insightful guide for maximizing LinkedIn beyond just the job search. After reading the book, the reader will be armed with valuable tips on how to develop their business using LinkedIn. Maximizing LinkedIn should be an every day reference for every entrepreneur and business professional.
3. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks) by Dave Kerpen.
The author does an excellent job in portraying the value of “word of mouth” marketing and how Social Media takes that marketing concept to another level. Every business owner will benefit from Likeable Social Media to increase their sales, satisfy the customers and build a recognized brand using Social Media.
You Might Be Also Interested In:
6 Ways to Build Your Brand using LinkedIn
8 Basics for Creating a Social Media Strategy
4. The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue by Shama Kabani.
Improper use and awareness of Social Media marketing benefits can lead to frustration. Kabani succeeds in revealing all of the benefits of using Social Media and teach the readers the “zen” of this growing marketing concept.
5. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko.
The “bible” is a comprehensive look into the use of social media by corporations, small companies and individual entrepreneurs. The books is packed with detailed reflections on current social media trends and covers major tools and tactics for effective use of Social Media.
What Social Media books do you have on your reading list for 2012? Share your suggestions below.
[Tags: social media books, social media marketing, social media books for 2012, best social media books.]
From: http://ping.fm/inGx2
Here is a roundup of top books on social media that you should consider reading in 2012 (according to Moomkin):
1. Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone by Mitch Joel.
The author explains the six degrees of interconnectedness to the digital world and effective ways to capitalize on your social media connections to build brand awareness and recognition. The book contains numerous case studies that make this social media guide interesting to read. This is one of the most comprehensive social media books you should read in 2012.
2. Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing: An Unofficial, Practical Guide to Selling & Developing B2B Business on LinkedIn by Neal Schaffer.
LinkedIn is rather underrated yet powerful social media tool that professionals can utilize to grow their business, propel their careers and create valuable connections. Neal creates an insightful guide for maximizing LinkedIn beyond just the job search. After reading the book, the reader will be armed with valuable tips on how to develop their business using LinkedIn. Maximizing LinkedIn should be an every day reference for every entrepreneur and business professional.
3. Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (And Other Social Networks) by Dave Kerpen.
The author does an excellent job in portraying the value of “word of mouth” marketing and how Social Media takes that marketing concept to another level. Every business owner will benefit from Likeable Social Media to increase their sales, satisfy the customers and build a recognized brand using Social Media.
You Might Be Also Interested In:
6 Ways to Build Your Brand using LinkedIn
8 Basics for Creating a Social Media Strategy
4. The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue by Shama Kabani.
Improper use and awareness of Social Media marketing benefits can lead to frustration. Kabani succeeds in revealing all of the benefits of using Social Media and teach the readers the “zen” of this growing marketing concept.
5. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success by Lon Safko.
The “bible” is a comprehensive look into the use of social media by corporations, small companies and individual entrepreneurs. The books is packed with detailed reflections on current social media trends and covers major tools and tactics for effective use of Social Media.
What Social Media books do you have on your reading list for 2012? Share your suggestions below.
[Tags: social media books, social media marketing, social media books for 2012, best social media books.]
From: http://ping.fm/inGx2
1/8/12
Creating awesome videos with Founder of Grumo Media - Miguel Hernandez.
“Life is too short not to take risks” – Miguel Hernandez.
Grumo Media produces fun, concise, and effective explanatory videos for startups and recently some big companies too! Clients include Walmart, Microsoft, Ashton Kutcher, Hipmunk.com, inDinero.com, Olo.com, Buy4.com, PadMapper.com, and many more. Grumo’s magic consists on taking any concept, however complex it may be, and make it easy to understand for the masses.
Check Grumo’s videos at http://grumomedia.com
Follow Grumo on Twitter.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
The best education I have ever got was working as a door to door salesman when I was 20 years old.
I lasted only 4 months but got to talk to about 12 thousand different people, knock on thousands of doors, learn to deal with rejection and the value of persistence. Being persistent and welcoming rejection are the best two lessons any entrepreneur can learn. A typical door to door salesman gets 90% rejection. On a typical day 90 people will slam their door on your face but 10 will buy whatever you are selling. Learning the power of numbers is the key to learning to overcome the fear of rejection. They way I learn to deal with it was thinking that every rejection was taking me one step closer to the next sale. When you think that way you learn to embrace rejection because you know you need it in order to succeed. For more on this approach you can read an article I wrote on the subject of success here.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that Idea?
There was no AHA moment. Some people have AHA moments. My AHA moment has been a process that has taken an entire lifetime. A few lucky ones know what they what to do with their lives from the beginning, a even fewer lucky ones become actually good enough at what they love that they can make a career out of it. I belong to the 99% of the population sector that never had a clear idea of what to do with my life. I guess the only thing that separates me from my fellow clueless group is that I’ve been always determined to do three things: 1. Always do whatever I want. 2. Never stop trying new things 3. Never settle doing something I am not completely happy doing. Because, like most people I never was sure what to so I have ended up doing many things, from door-to-door salesman, to laser cutting machine programmer, to music video director, to mechanical designer, 3D animator to shooting comedy porn in Mallorca, web developer, inventor, and more recently entrepreneur. I must say the most fun is the latter one, being an entrepreneur, building a company from zero, with no resources to a profitable business is the most fulfilling of all my attempts at figuring out what to do.
I think I am going to stick with that one for a while ;)
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
Luckily I love mistakes because I look at them as learning opportunities and because like anyone that has taking many risks I’ve made many.
The biggest mistake I made for many years was not believing on myself enough to have taken even more risks at a younger age.
Because I was very shy and afraid of trying things I think I missed out on many opportunities to learn and accumulate more experience earlier.
The other big mistake I made was spending 1.5 years building a product I was not passionate about. It was an online project management service that I programmed from scratch and went nowhere, got zero customers, made me broke. The lesson learn is never, never choose to do something you are really passionate about and if you do make sure not to spend 1.5 years doing it. Because even if it is successful, do you really want to be dedicating your life and soul to something you don’t really believe in? In a sense I am very happy that first startup was an utter failure because it lead way to me starting Grumo Media.
What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
Definitely building a successful company in less than a year. After my previous failures seeing money in the bank from real world happy customers was the most amazing thing in the world.
What advice can you offer to your readers?
Life is too short not to take risks and follow your passion. And if you don’t know what your passion is, I’ve been there and wrote an article about how I went about finding my true passion here.
Find it whatever it is, whatever it takes and hopefully you won’t have any of these 5 regrets
What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from? This is where you let loose and tell us all your secrets :)
Fun and work are one thing for me. So for fun I work so when I die I may regret having worked too much but at least I will be able to say I had fun doing it.
My inspiration comes from observing, reading, talking to friends, and thinking. I do a lot of thinking and day dreaming. I am continuously thinking of new ideas for startups, products, inventions. Unfortunately some much thinking gets me in trouble sometimes, specially with my wife. She will be talking to me an 5 seconds later I get this gaze in my eyes.. I am not listening to her anymore, I am back in my own world of thoughts solving the problems of the world. It is hard to unplug from it some times, oops!
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
Favorite Gadgets: iPhone, MacBookPro, iPad
Software: Chrome, TextMate (coding), After Effects (animating), Final Cut(Editing), OmniGraffle (diagramming), Audacity (Audio), ScreenFlow (screen recording), Transmit (FTP client)
Web Aps: Gmail, Google Reader, Google Docs, HootSuite (social media dashboard), Summify (daily news summaries)
Websites: Mixergy.com, KhanAcademy.org, Ted.com, VideoCopilot.net
Shows: MythBusters, Dexter, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfield
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
W. Brett Wilson (Dragon’s Den), Andrew Warner (Mixergy), Andrew Kramer (VideoCopilot), Ben Kaufman (Quirky), Richard Branson (Virgin), Dean Kamen (SegWay), My Dad (Miguel co-creator)
Ways to Connect with Miguel:
Twitter: @grumomigs
Website: http://grumomedia.com
From: http://www.moomkin.com/grumo-miguel-hernandez/
Grumo Media produces fun, concise, and effective explanatory videos for startups and recently some big companies too! Clients include Walmart, Microsoft, Ashton Kutcher, Hipmunk.com, inDinero.com, Olo.com, Buy4.com, PadMapper.com, and many more. Grumo’s magic consists on taking any concept, however complex it may be, and make it easy to understand for the masses.
Check Grumo’s videos at http://grumomedia.com
Follow Grumo on Twitter.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
The best education I have ever got was working as a door to door salesman when I was 20 years old.
I lasted only 4 months but got to talk to about 12 thousand different people, knock on thousands of doors, learn to deal with rejection and the value of persistence. Being persistent and welcoming rejection are the best two lessons any entrepreneur can learn. A typical door to door salesman gets 90% rejection. On a typical day 90 people will slam their door on your face but 10 will buy whatever you are selling. Learning the power of numbers is the key to learning to overcome the fear of rejection. They way I learn to deal with it was thinking that every rejection was taking me one step closer to the next sale. When you think that way you learn to embrace rejection because you know you need it in order to succeed. For more on this approach you can read an article I wrote on the subject of success here.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that Idea?
There was no AHA moment. Some people have AHA moments. My AHA moment has been a process that has taken an entire lifetime. A few lucky ones know what they what to do with their lives from the beginning, a even fewer lucky ones become actually good enough at what they love that they can make a career out of it. I belong to the 99% of the population sector that never had a clear idea of what to do with my life. I guess the only thing that separates me from my fellow clueless group is that I’ve been always determined to do three things: 1. Always do whatever I want. 2. Never stop trying new things 3. Never settle doing something I am not completely happy doing. Because, like most people I never was sure what to so I have ended up doing many things, from door-to-door salesman, to laser cutting machine programmer, to music video director, to mechanical designer, 3D animator to shooting comedy porn in Mallorca, web developer, inventor, and more recently entrepreneur. I must say the most fun is the latter one, being an entrepreneur, building a company from zero, with no resources to a profitable business is the most fulfilling of all my attempts at figuring out what to do.
I think I am going to stick with that one for a while ;)
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
Luckily I love mistakes because I look at them as learning opportunities and because like anyone that has taking many risks I’ve made many.
The biggest mistake I made for many years was not believing on myself enough to have taken even more risks at a younger age.
Because I was very shy and afraid of trying things I think I missed out on many opportunities to learn and accumulate more experience earlier.
The other big mistake I made was spending 1.5 years building a product I was not passionate about. It was an online project management service that I programmed from scratch and went nowhere, got zero customers, made me broke. The lesson learn is never, never choose to do something you are really passionate about and if you do make sure not to spend 1.5 years doing it. Because even if it is successful, do you really want to be dedicating your life and soul to something you don’t really believe in? In a sense I am very happy that first startup was an utter failure because it lead way to me starting Grumo Media.
What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
Definitely building a successful company in less than a year. After my previous failures seeing money in the bank from real world happy customers was the most amazing thing in the world.
What advice can you offer to your readers?
Life is too short not to take risks and follow your passion. And if you don’t know what your passion is, I’ve been there and wrote an article about how I went about finding my true passion here.
Find it whatever it is, whatever it takes and hopefully you won’t have any of these 5 regrets
What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from? This is where you let loose and tell us all your secrets :)
Fun and work are one thing for me. So for fun I work so when I die I may regret having worked too much but at least I will be able to say I had fun doing it.
My inspiration comes from observing, reading, talking to friends, and thinking. I do a lot of thinking and day dreaming. I am continuously thinking of new ideas for startups, products, inventions. Unfortunately some much thinking gets me in trouble sometimes, specially with my wife. She will be talking to me an 5 seconds later I get this gaze in my eyes.. I am not listening to her anymore, I am back in my own world of thoughts solving the problems of the world. It is hard to unplug from it some times, oops!
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
Favorite Gadgets: iPhone, MacBookPro, iPad
Software: Chrome, TextMate (coding), After Effects (animating), Final Cut(Editing), OmniGraffle (diagramming), Audacity (Audio), ScreenFlow (screen recording), Transmit (FTP client)
Web Aps: Gmail, Google Reader, Google Docs, HootSuite (social media dashboard), Summify (daily news summaries)
Websites: Mixergy.com, KhanAcademy.org, Ted.com, VideoCopilot.net
Shows: MythBusters, Dexter, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfield
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
W. Brett Wilson (Dragon’s Den), Andrew Warner (Mixergy), Andrew Kramer (VideoCopilot), Ben Kaufman (Quirky), Richard Branson (Virgin), Dean Kamen (SegWay), My Dad (Miguel co-creator)
Ways to Connect with Miguel:
Twitter: @grumomigs
Website: http://grumomedia.com
From: http://www.moomkin.com/grumo-miguel-hernandez/
12/1/11
Recommending Gifts through Social Media with Founder of GiveEmThis - Zack Oates.
“If it feels right, do it; if it doesn’t, don’t” – Zack Oates.
GiveEmThis.com is a personalized gift engine that analyzes your friends’ social media to recommend gifts! It is the creation of Imply Labs and is free to use. Basically, it changes Facebook and Twitter data into gift ideas from Amazon.com
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
I am the founder of Imply Labs and inventor of GiveEmThis.com. I received a BA in Advertising from Brigham Young University and it has been a huge help! While in school, we were able to learn from working on real projects and worked with go-to-market strategies. As a startup, there is ONLY go-to-market strategies! It has been a huge help.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that Idea?
I was helping a friend start his company and there were a lot of things that really bothered me about it. It was not something that consumers really needed. After looking into the space of social media more, I realized, through much research, that people were having a hard time organizing all of their social media AND wanted help finding gift ideas. I thought of combining the two and developed GiveEmThis.com.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
One mistake I made was waiting to bring on the right people. If you can find people who are innovative, good communicators and dependable, then get them involved in a vesting schedule! I waited too long to do that and could have been further along. Now when I see talent, I keep talent!
What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
The day after we launched we were featured in Mashable! It was a PR move that I had been working on for 8 months and it was incredible to actually see us on the front page of Mashable! It was so cool and it was then that I realized that if we keep doing the right thing, we are on a winning path!
What advice can you offer to your readers?
Follow your soul. As an entrepreneur, you cannot always afford to make fully knowledgeable decisions. You need to act based on the information that you have, and since it is often so lacking, you need to trust your instinct. Mitigate with as much research and advice from others as possible, but in the end, you are the one to act. If it feels right, do it; if it doesn’t, don’t. Very simple…but then again, isn’t everything important? So follow your soul–mine hasn’t led me astray yet!
What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from?
My favorite place to be when I’m not at work is in the hot tub or sauna with friends! I am president of the unofficial “Hot Tub Club” and we have a blast trying out hot tubs and sneaking into different apartment complexes to find new ones! When I’m not at work and NOT in bodies of hot water, you can be sure to find me throwing parties or writing on my dating blog, EasterCloset.com
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
For sure, GiveEmThis.com! But I also really love the android app called GTasks. Keeps me up to speed on all my thousands of ToDo’s and syncs them with my gmail. I also use words with friends to help me stay sane, hence more productive.
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
Courage to Hope, because they are support victims of domestic violence in Ukraine and they are much needed! I can get you in contact with them (heck, I started the organization and still run it!) I would also like to see John Bradshaw of Silicone Slopes features. He has done some amazing things for the tech world.
Ways to Connect with Zack:
@zoates
http://ping.fm/zPPdy
www.EasterCloset.com
www.ImplyLabs.com
www.GiveEmThis.com
From: http://ping.fm/M5xf5
GiveEmThis.com is a personalized gift engine that analyzes your friends’ social media to recommend gifts! It is the creation of Imply Labs and is free to use. Basically, it changes Facebook and Twitter data into gift ideas from Amazon.com
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
I am the founder of Imply Labs and inventor of GiveEmThis.com. I received a BA in Advertising from Brigham Young University and it has been a huge help! While in school, we were able to learn from working on real projects and worked with go-to-market strategies. As a startup, there is ONLY go-to-market strategies! It has been a huge help.
What was the “break point” or an AHA moment in your career that made you decide to start what you’re currently doing & how did you come up with that Idea?
I was helping a friend start his company and there were a lot of things that really bothered me about it. It was not something that consumers really needed. After looking into the space of social media more, I realized, through much research, that people were having a hard time organizing all of their social media AND wanted help finding gift ideas. I thought of combining the two and developed GiveEmThis.com.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you made and what did you learn?
One mistake I made was waiting to bring on the right people. If you can find people who are innovative, good communicators and dependable, then get them involved in a vesting schedule! I waited too long to do that and could have been further along. Now when I see talent, I keep talent!
What is one accomplishment that you are extremely proud of?
The day after we launched we were featured in Mashable! It was a PR move that I had been working on for 8 months and it was incredible to actually see us on the front page of Mashable! It was so cool and it was then that I realized that if we keep doing the right thing, we are on a winning path!
What advice can you offer to your readers?
Follow your soul. As an entrepreneur, you cannot always afford to make fully knowledgeable decisions. You need to act based on the information that you have, and since it is often so lacking, you need to trust your instinct. Mitigate with as much research and advice from others as possible, but in the end, you are the one to act. If it feels right, do it; if it doesn’t, don’t. Very simple…but then again, isn’t everything important? So follow your soul–mine hasn’t led me astray yet!
What do you do for fun & where do you get your Inspiration from?
My favorite place to be when I’m not at work is in the hot tub or sauna with friends! I am president of the unofficial “Hot Tub Club” and we have a blast trying out hot tubs and sneaking into different apartment complexes to find new ones! When I’m not at work and NOT in bodies of hot water, you can be sure to find me throwing parties or writing on my dating blog, EasterCloset.com
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
For sure, GiveEmThis.com! But I also really love the android app called GTasks. Keeps me up to speed on all my thousands of ToDo’s and syncs them with my gmail. I also use words with friends to help me stay sane, hence more productive.
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
Courage to Hope, because they are support victims of domestic violence in Ukraine and they are much needed! I can get you in contact with them (heck, I started the organization and still run it!) I would also like to see John Bradshaw of Silicone Slopes features. He has done some amazing things for the tech world.
Ways to Connect with Zack:
@zoates
http://ping.fm/zPPdy
www.EasterCloset.com
www.ImplyLabs.com
www.GiveEmThis.com
From: http://ping.fm/M5xf5
11/21/11
Thanksgiving to Your Success
Can you imagine — one more amazing year at the finish line! Thanksgiving is the first festive sign of the upcoming and always highly anticipated Holiday Season. Amidst of all the hassle and cheer that every end of the year brings, somehow we need to find the time to reflect back, in order to transition to even a brighter future. Granted, we shouldn’t have waited for this particular holiday to show our gratitude to everyone who we need to thank, but if you are one of those professionals, who simply bulldoze through life with no breaks on, this is your perfect chance to stop and express your gratitude to everyone and anyone, with no grudges to hold back.
So, take a breath, think in retrospect of all the great and not-so-great actions from the whole year behind you that in some way impacted the lives of others. What could make you complete, are your acts of gratitude, apology and acknowledgement of those who play various roles in your professional and personal lives.
1. Measure your Achievements in More Than Dollar Signs.
You would say, “But Cash is king!” On a contrary, a cliché like “The best things are free,” is a perfect rebuttal in this case. What have you accomplished this year that is outside anything that is associated with your financial gain?
2. Learn from Your Challenges
Mistakes and failures are indispensable elements of our lives, if learnt from strategically. The obstacles expose your weaknesses to hone on; the people you could put your trust in; weed out ‘the flakes and fakes,’ as I call them, whom you should not waste your life on.
3. Set Higher Goals for the Coming Year
Your achievements are the true tests of what you are capable of. Don’t sell yourself short by setting goals that are easy to achieve. Continue to ask more of yourself – this way you will continue to amaze yourself of how much higher you are able to reach.
4. Celebrate your Milestones
By the same token, it is not impartial to beat yourself up for the failures and unachieved goals. Look back, celebrate your accomplishments, and reward yourself!
5. Give Thanks to Those Who Made it All Happen!
Most importantly, you didn’t reach the top of the mountain alone! To get to where you are now, you must have a strong support system built around you. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to show your sincere gratitude to the ones whom you could lean on, unconditionally rely on, put your trust in, and who consistently execute all of the behind-the-scene, down-and-dirty legwork to make YOU a success story in all aspects of your life!
Do you have someone to thank? I bet you don’t have to look very far….
From: http://ping.fm/2q4Et
So, take a breath, think in retrospect of all the great and not-so-great actions from the whole year behind you that in some way impacted the lives of others. What could make you complete, are your acts of gratitude, apology and acknowledgement of those who play various roles in your professional and personal lives.
1. Measure your Achievements in More Than Dollar Signs.
You would say, “But Cash is king!” On a contrary, a cliché like “The best things are free,” is a perfect rebuttal in this case. What have you accomplished this year that is outside anything that is associated with your financial gain?
2. Learn from Your Challenges
Mistakes and failures are indispensable elements of our lives, if learnt from strategically. The obstacles expose your weaknesses to hone on; the people you could put your trust in; weed out ‘the flakes and fakes,’ as I call them, whom you should not waste your life on.
3. Set Higher Goals for the Coming Year
Your achievements are the true tests of what you are capable of. Don’t sell yourself short by setting goals that are easy to achieve. Continue to ask more of yourself – this way you will continue to amaze yourself of how much higher you are able to reach.
4. Celebrate your Milestones
By the same token, it is not impartial to beat yourself up for the failures and unachieved goals. Look back, celebrate your accomplishments, and reward yourself!
5. Give Thanks to Those Who Made it All Happen!
Most importantly, you didn’t reach the top of the mountain alone! To get to where you are now, you must have a strong support system built around you. Thanksgiving is a perfect time to show your sincere gratitude to the ones whom you could lean on, unconditionally rely on, put your trust in, and who consistently execute all of the behind-the-scene, down-and-dirty legwork to make YOU a success story in all aspects of your life!
Do you have someone to thank? I bet you don’t have to look very far….
From: http://ping.fm/2q4Et
11/19/11
5 Main Marketing Tactics to Dominate Your Business Sector
Aside from payroll, the majority our business investments get channeled into marketing and advertising. The volatility of the world economy not only puts our business strategies on red alerts across the board, but also forces us to stay focused and search for original out-of-the-box solutions to create a buzz that keeps ringing and attracting more bees. Regardless of the size of your business, there is a number of key strategic tactics to keep in mind in order to continuously receive return on your marketing investments. Below are some of the pillars that you could start building on in order to target a better, broader, and more loyal customer base.
1. Be a student of your target market.
Considering the fact that you are already a professional in the product or service that you are offering, to study your target market should become your next full-time job, your way of life. Not only is it crucial to correctly identify your target market, learning who else could fall into your target range could be another way to think outside of that marketing cube. Why do my customers choose my product/service? What attracts them to me above all others in the market? What are their lifestyles, demographics, interests? What can keep them focused on my product? And the biggest one yet – What Is Next?
2. Keep your customer engaged
Some of the probing questions in my previous point could be answered by constantly keeping your customers engaged in your marketing strategies. Interactive search for further continuous improvement on your product/service is one of the most effective recipes for success. Surveys, feedbacks, trend analysis, predictive analytics, or simple conversations with your customer are some of the most engaging and less costly techniques to proactively study your market sector.
3. Simple messages but redundant
Some of the most elementary advertising techniques with very few words and convoluted messages are the most successful in the market. Keeping your customer out of confusion, re-thinking, wasting time, wasting money, are the most significant points to think about before you invest any more money into your next campaign. Simplicity in combination with redundancy, would take you further along in your marketing game, than any other combination of factors. After all, repetition of some simple concept sinks in our human minds faster and for longer period of time, than some complicated concept and only repeated once. This is a simple human nature, so remember to capitalize on it!
4. Keep your ear to the ground
Even when you are not at work, around your business ideas, around your customers, keep your ears to the ground for more ways to retain your present customer base and attract new ones. Ideas are everywhere; learn to get inspired in all situations! Be a marketing vampire—suck the living day out of the world around you – nature, people, technology, empty spaces.
5. Patience is a virtue
You are pretty sure that you’ve hit the goldmine after you’ve launched that advertising campaign. You are so sure you couldn’t sleep all night, waiting to get back to your business the next day, anticipating that the phones are going to be ringing off the hook, your customers are lining up outside three times around the block. You are anxious to reap those rewards immediately! Before this utopian scenario gets to your head, I need to burst your bubble for the sake of aligning you with the brutal reality of marketing effectiveness. Success doesn’t happen overnight in most of our reality, especially in the advertising world. Your customer loyalty gets built gradually, one ad at a time, one success story at a time! Build up your patience! After all, you’ve done the hardest part—threw your innovation at the wall, now it’s time sit back and watch what sticks!
What are some of your marketing strategies that keep your customer around for a while?
From: http://ping.fm/QnUU7
1. Be a student of your target market.
Considering the fact that you are already a professional in the product or service that you are offering, to study your target market should become your next full-time job, your way of life. Not only is it crucial to correctly identify your target market, learning who else could fall into your target range could be another way to think outside of that marketing cube. Why do my customers choose my product/service? What attracts them to me above all others in the market? What are their lifestyles, demographics, interests? What can keep them focused on my product? And the biggest one yet – What Is Next?
2. Keep your customer engaged
Some of the probing questions in my previous point could be answered by constantly keeping your customers engaged in your marketing strategies. Interactive search for further continuous improvement on your product/service is one of the most effective recipes for success. Surveys, feedbacks, trend analysis, predictive analytics, or simple conversations with your customer are some of the most engaging and less costly techniques to proactively study your market sector.
3. Simple messages but redundant
Some of the most elementary advertising techniques with very few words and convoluted messages are the most successful in the market. Keeping your customer out of confusion, re-thinking, wasting time, wasting money, are the most significant points to think about before you invest any more money into your next campaign. Simplicity in combination with redundancy, would take you further along in your marketing game, than any other combination of factors. After all, repetition of some simple concept sinks in our human minds faster and for longer period of time, than some complicated concept and only repeated once. This is a simple human nature, so remember to capitalize on it!
4. Keep your ear to the ground
Even when you are not at work, around your business ideas, around your customers, keep your ears to the ground for more ways to retain your present customer base and attract new ones. Ideas are everywhere; learn to get inspired in all situations! Be a marketing vampire—suck the living day out of the world around you – nature, people, technology, empty spaces.
5. Patience is a virtue
You are pretty sure that you’ve hit the goldmine after you’ve launched that advertising campaign. You are so sure you couldn’t sleep all night, waiting to get back to your business the next day, anticipating that the phones are going to be ringing off the hook, your customers are lining up outside three times around the block. You are anxious to reap those rewards immediately! Before this utopian scenario gets to your head, I need to burst your bubble for the sake of aligning you with the brutal reality of marketing effectiveness. Success doesn’t happen overnight in most of our reality, especially in the advertising world. Your customer loyalty gets built gradually, one ad at a time, one success story at a time! Build up your patience! After all, you’ve done the hardest part—threw your innovation at the wall, now it’s time sit back and watch what sticks!
What are some of your marketing strategies that keep your customer around for a while?
From: http://ping.fm/QnUU7
11/10/11
?Save Children?s Lives? with Aruzhan Sain, Founder of the Charitable Organization
Aruzhan Sain is one of Kazakhstan’s successful television executives of contemporary entertainment industry. For almost 20 years, her production center, Aruzhan and Co., has been well-known for its daily and weekly television shows, like “Taxi,” a licensed U.S. version of “Cash Cab;” “Warm-Up,” “Astrological Forecast,” “Cash at your Door;” also some culinary shows, like “Quick and Tasty” and “The Superstar Menu.” In addition, there is a program for young parents, called “Mom’s School,” as well as a charitable program “Save Children’s Lives”. Since its inception in 2007, this non-profit initiative has saved 331 children’s lives. For more information about this organization please visit www.detdom.kz and www.aruzhantv.kz.
What was the “breaking point” of your career that made you decide to do what you’re currently doing? When do you think your career officially started?
My career takes its roots from a tender age of 13 when I have decided to sell newspaper on weekends while in school. I’ve even asked my school’s Dean for a favor to allow me an optional class attendance on Fridays and Saturdays, in return of which, I had to excel in all of my grades. And boy, did I ever! Some teachers were not happy with this unconventional idea. My parents, on the other hand supported my choices. Gradually, I’ve started earning money, invaluable life experiences, gained independence, and contributed to the family budget. The delivery job was not easy! These events took place parallel to the end of the Soviet era.
Some other work experiences that have contributed to my diverse professional background were conducting private lessons is aerobics and ballet at age 14. I graduated my high school with High Honors, and was admitted to KazGU, Kazakhstan State University with no entrance exam. Having reached such major milestones at an early age, I felt fully equipped to jump-start on my new and exciting career move in Television that I love and enjoy till this day.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
Of course it did! I received a solid education, majoring in Ecology at KazGU. This major involves a thorough understanding and knowledgebase of diverse science disciplines, such as geography, math, physics, chemistry, biology, politics, demographics, to name a few. I am elated to know that this type of educational background had shaped me into who I am today. It provided with knowledge of the world from inside out, changed and broadened my outlook on the world and environment. To this date, I continue to apply the knowledge I received into the everyday life and my career.
How is it like to be a woman in your field?
I don’t find it applicable to talk about my career in terms of gender. I tend to think that as
long as you work hard and love what you do, the success will eventually come. No one but you is responsible for your professional development and success. Luckily, I have not experienced gender pressure in my career. I thrive on the fact that I create my own opportunities, and execute them accordingly, despite the pre-defined societal gender pressures.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you have made and what have you learnt?
People learn from their mistakes. You are very wise if you can learn from mistakes of others. I admit I made a lot of mistakes
, and that is fine. If you decide to create and work on something new, mistakes are inevitable. However, they should be admitted and taken as lessons learned. Mistakes can bring new opportunities. For instance, every time we watch a re-run of any show, we constantly find mistake, but then we learn from them. Some of my other entrepreneurial ideas did not work out, but I walked out from each failure with a pocketful of added wisdom.
What advice can you offer your readers?
Always dream and be determined! Do everything possible to make those dreams a reality! When we decided to start the show called “Warm-Up,” we had no experience whatsoever. Where do we find a director, a cameraman, space, outfits, and sponsors? How do we get it broadcasted? Step by step, surviving only on our dream and determination, we were able to fin
Do not be afraid of laborious and dirty jobs. It is the labor that evolved a human out a monkey. Zamira, my partner, and I have filmed under some challenging conditions. We started from a very bottom and were involved in any aspects of the business: from carrying equipment, washing dishes after the cooking show, and operating with no sleep. Today we understand our business inside out and it gives us a huge competitive advantage. Today we are the experts.d what we needed to create our very first television show. Watching it today, we laugh at all the mistakes we made back then.
How do you define success?
Success is finding a harmony and a balance in life. Professional success is when one wakes up and is happy to go to work every day and able to enjoy every minute of it. Personal success is when one is also happy to go back home after work.
Can you tell us more about your charity project “Save Children’s Lives?”
We started this project in 2007. Today we saved lives of over 300 children. It breaks my heart to talk to parents and see very sick children, but when we find help for these kids I feel better and stronger. Thanks to the financial and volunteer contributions of ordinary people we are able to treat and take care of these sick children.
How can people help?
Our website www.detdom.kz provides detailed information on how anyone can help. The popularity of our charity is getting not only people’s attention, but also our government’s. We work with Ministry of Health on trying to develop a more efficient health system for our kids with disease that cannot be treated in Kazakhstan yet. We would be thankful if some interested parties overseas could help us establish some communication channels with foreign hospitals, to get in touch with other charity organizations that can provide some help, and organize seminars for our doctors here.
Another huge project, “Kazakhstan without orphans” is also in the works. The idea is simple — to get our orphans adopted into loving homes. We are also in a great need for sponsors and contributions here. As soon as we get the legislation to finalize the legalities, we are going to work on our organization’s website.
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
My Nokia E7. It is great phone, but a little too sophisticated for me sometimes. I am still trying to get used to it. I use Skype for communication with people overseas.
I use my social media mainly for promoting the charity events, news, and updates. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with social media. But I am learning to find my balance in the ocean of information that social media brings with it.
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
Ermek Tursunov, Director of film, “Kelin.” Igor Gonopolskii, a film director. Ilya Autov, from Motor-roller group. Journalist, Tulegen Bautukenov. Alisher Yelikbaev, an influential blogger and activist. Slava Nerush, founder of Chesnok.kz. Actress, Bayan Esentaeva. Erzhan Suleimenov, Khabar TV Station. They are all volunteers of our charity and great individuals.
From: http://ping.fm/Lz4RX
What was the “breaking point” of your career that made you decide to do what you’re currently doing? When do you think your career officially started?
My career takes its roots from a tender age of 13 when I have decided to sell newspaper on weekends while in school. I’ve even asked my school’s Dean for a favor to allow me an optional class attendance on Fridays and Saturdays, in return of which, I had to excel in all of my grades. And boy, did I ever! Some teachers were not happy with this unconventional idea. My parents, on the other hand supported my choices. Gradually, I’ve started earning money, invaluable life experiences, gained independence, and contributed to the family budget. The delivery job was not easy! These events took place parallel to the end of the Soviet era.
Some other work experiences that have contributed to my diverse professional background were conducting private lessons is aerobics and ballet at age 14. I graduated my high school with High Honors, and was admitted to KazGU, Kazakhstan State University with no entrance exam. Having reached such major milestones at an early age, I felt fully equipped to jump-start on my new and exciting career move in Television that I love and enjoy till this day.
Do you think the education you’ve invested in helped you on the road to success?
Of course it did! I received a solid education, majoring in Ecology at KazGU. This major involves a thorough understanding and knowledgebase of diverse science disciplines, such as geography, math, physics, chemistry, biology, politics, demographics, to name a few. I am elated to know that this type of educational background had shaped me into who I am today. It provided with knowledge of the world from inside out, changed and broadened my outlook on the world and environment. To this date, I continue to apply the knowledge I received into the everyday life and my career.
How is it like to be a woman in your field?
I don’t find it applicable to talk about my career in terms of gender. I tend to think that as
long as you work hard and love what you do, the success will eventually come. No one but you is responsible for your professional development and success. Luckily, I have not experienced gender pressure in my career. I thrive on the fact that I create my own opportunities, and execute them accordingly, despite the pre-defined societal gender pressures.
As a young professional, what were some of the mistakes that you have made and what have you learnt?
People learn from their mistakes. You are very wise if you can learn from mistakes of others. I admit I made a lot of mistakes
, and that is fine. If you decide to create and work on something new, mistakes are inevitable. However, they should be admitted and taken as lessons learned. Mistakes can bring new opportunities. For instance, every time we watch a re-run of any show, we constantly find mistake, but then we learn from them. Some of my other entrepreneurial ideas did not work out, but I walked out from each failure with a pocketful of added wisdom.
What advice can you offer your readers?
Always dream and be determined! Do everything possible to make those dreams a reality! When we decided to start the show called “Warm-Up,” we had no experience whatsoever. Where do we find a director, a cameraman, space, outfits, and sponsors? How do we get it broadcasted? Step by step, surviving only on our dream and determination, we were able to fin
Do not be afraid of laborious and dirty jobs. It is the labor that evolved a human out a monkey. Zamira, my partner, and I have filmed under some challenging conditions. We started from a very bottom and were involved in any aspects of the business: from carrying equipment, washing dishes after the cooking show, and operating with no sleep. Today we understand our business inside out and it gives us a huge competitive advantage. Today we are the experts.d what we needed to create our very first television show. Watching it today, we laugh at all the mistakes we made back then.
How do you define success?
Success is finding a harmony and a balance in life. Professional success is when one wakes up and is happy to go to work every day and able to enjoy every minute of it. Personal success is when one is also happy to go back home after work.
Can you tell us more about your charity project “Save Children’s Lives?”
We started this project in 2007. Today we saved lives of over 300 children. It breaks my heart to talk to parents and see very sick children, but when we find help for these kids I feel better and stronger. Thanks to the financial and volunteer contributions of ordinary people we are able to treat and take care of these sick children.
How can people help?
Our website www.detdom.kz provides detailed information on how anyone can help. The popularity of our charity is getting not only people’s attention, but also our government’s. We work with Ministry of Health on trying to develop a more efficient health system for our kids with disease that cannot be treated in Kazakhstan yet. We would be thankful if some interested parties overseas could help us establish some communication channels with foreign hospitals, to get in touch with other charity organizations that can provide some help, and organize seminars for our doctors here.
Another huge project, “Kazakhstan without orphans” is also in the works. The idea is simple — to get our orphans adopted into loving homes. We are also in a great need for sponsors and contributions here. As soon as we get the legislation to finalize the legalities, we are going to work on our organization’s website.
What is your favorite gadget(s), software(s), website(s) that makes your life easier and more productive?
My Nokia E7. It is great phone, but a little too sophisticated for me sometimes. I am still trying to get used to it. I use Skype for communication with people overseas.
I use my social media mainly for promoting the charity events, news, and updates. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with social media. But I am learning to find my balance in the ocean of information that social media brings with it.
Who would you like to see featured here and why?
Ermek Tursunov, Director of film, “Kelin.” Igor Gonopolskii, a film director. Ilya Autov, from Motor-roller group. Journalist, Tulegen Bautukenov. Alisher Yelikbaev, an influential blogger and activist. Slava Nerush, founder of Chesnok.kz. Actress, Bayan Esentaeva. Erzhan Suleimenov, Khabar TV Station. They are all volunteers of our charity and great individuals.
From: http://ping.fm/Lz4RX
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