Blake Mycoskie

Have you noticed that some of the most successful business people are also the most generous? Take Blake Mycoskie, Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, Inc. You’ve seen him in Time Magazine, on The Amazing Race, AT& T commercials, and featured on TED. TOMS’ simple promise is to give a pair of new shoes to children in need around the world with every pair sold, revolutionizing the way consumers shop. Over 140,000 pairs of shoes have been given so far, and we are still counting.

What began more than 30 years ago as Tony Robbins’ individual effort to feed families in need, has now grown into the International Basket Brigade, providing baskets of food and household items for more than 2 million people annually in countries all over the world. Throughout the Thanksgiving and holiday season, International Basket Brigade volunteers deliver food, clothing, and hope to those who need it most.

These are only two examples of entrepreneurs who incorporate giving or applying the universal law of reciprocity  into their business plans. There are many more. Tony says, “Everyone has the need to contribute. It is one of the six human needs. If you give from your heart, it will come back to you tenfold.”

My question to you is: What are you giving?

I agree with Tony in that we all have a need to contribute. I also believe that we have a social responsibility to contribute… a calling, if you will. We are all blessed with a certain DNA, choc full of inherent gifts that we alone are “supposed” to give away. I believe this with all my heart. The cool thing about giving, is that you get so much back in return in the way of spiritual fulfillment.

On a practical and financial level, you also win by giving! In business, when we give away our best information, people grow to know, like and trust us, and when they are ready to buy, they will buy from us. Internet marketing genius and all-around great guy, Frank Kern says, “Selling stuff is easy. All you gotta do is give away stuff that makes people happy …and then sell stuff that makes ‘em even happier.”

Bottom line is this: Business success begins with giving. Success in life begins with giving. I would urge you to take a look at your current business plan and see how you can implement giving in your daily business practice. It does not matter how big your contribution is. What matters is that you expand your mindset and your business plan to include giving in a way that helps another. When you do this, I can guarantee you that your bottom line will take care of itself.

Now, go buy a pair of TOMS shoes and put a new pair of shoes on a kid’s feet or make a contribution to Tony’s Foundation and feed a family. It’ll make you feel GOOD… pass it on.

Keeping the world a friendly place,
Charlene Murphy
STUDIOmurphy

Over 360 million people are actively using Facebook these days. Most of us are using Facebook responsibly to connect with friends, family and as a business publicity tool. However, as trends show, the hackers, spammers and opportunists are following suit. Lucky for us, the folks behind Facebook are protective of us and they work diligently to keep Facebook safe.

Just the same, let’s not make identity theft easy for anyone. There are a few simple ways to safeguard our identities while using Facebook. For starters, you can control what people know about you by editing your personal profile. The most obvious information to conceal includes your birthday and your address.

To edit your birthday information, go to your Profile Page. Directly under your picture, you’ll see “Edit My Profile.” Click that to open your personal information. Under the “Basic Information” tab, you can opt to show your full birthday, only the day and month, or not at all. I choose to show the day and month, so that I show up in people’s birthday reminders. I do not show the year, and recommend that you don’t either.

You can also edit the information box that appears under your profile picture to include your birthday or not. Just click on the pencil icon to make your changes.

Next, edit your “Contact Information” tab to make yourself as available as you feel safe with. Personally, I think my email address, website and city is enough information.

Go through the rest of the tabs on your profile page to make sure you are happy with the information listed that you’re sharing with the world… and don’t forget to save your changes!

Let’s keep Facebook friendly (and safe)!
Charlene

www.STUDIOmurphy.com

I love social media marketing. It is the first time in history where everyone has the free opportunity of a global audience. It’s really amazing when you stop to think about how that impacts us all. For the entrepreneur and small business owner, it means that we have as much voice and opportunity as the big players of yesterday. The playing field has been leveled. For the consumer, it means we can be choosy shoppers and savvy buyers with a world market at our fingertips.

Facebook is my favorite social media tool for business by far. Do you know that over 360 million people are actively using Facebook? It has become a social and business hub for many. It’s cool that we can connect with so many like-minded people around the world. Facebook has indeed made our planet smaller!

Another thing I appreciate about Facebook is that it is a “gated community” of sorts. There are Facebook staff out there monitoring us to make sure we behave and use good form while connecting with others. I for one totally appreciate that. It’s one place I don’t have to worry about spammers… too much anyway.

Wherever an opportunity for business exists, there will always be those who just don’t get it and end up violating the rules by pushing their agendas. They end up killing the joy for the rest of us. Twitter is a great example of that. There is an art to social media and once you know it, agenda pushing becomes obsolete. Sharing is the name of the game… and meeting people, building relationships…

So with that, Facebook users everywhere, in an effort to keep Facebook friendly, I have a request of you. When you reach out to “friend” me or anyone else, there is a little link in the friend request box that reads “Add a personal message.”

Do that.

Let people know how you have come to know them: through mutual friends, a common group, belong to the same network… anything that establishes you as a human reaching out. Otherwise, a friend request without a message doesn’t  feel friendly. In fact, it feels spammy. In most cases, unless we have 50 mutual friends, I ignore those friend requests.

Facebook is a wonderful place to build your professional platform as long as you remember this little rule: Relationships first, business second.

Let’s keep Facebook friendly

Peace-
Charlene

The first pillar to expert branding is becoming a published author. Your book is your passport to the land of expertise! It is your billboard, business card, reason to be interviewed and your on-going money maker.

What if I told you, that you could self-publish your book essentially for free? Your only cost is your proof, which is the same price you set for your book! What if I told you, that you didn’t need to purchase an inventory or deal with shipping… and that you receive a royalty check every month… and that your book is listed on Amazon for FREE.

Come to our October Meetup to learn the inside scoop of self-publishing on a shoestring. Your ideas about self-publishing will be turned upside down and you will be armed with everything you need to know to publish your book NOW and start selling it within 2 weeks of submission.

Forget the query letters and publisher rejection slips! Get published on YOUR terms.

When: Wednesday, October 7, 2009 8:30 AM

Price: $20.00 per person

Where:
Panera Bread Cafe
13th & Grant Street
Denver, CO 80201
303-830-7101

Please register at Expert Branding Academy Meetup

A few weeks ago, my son’s best friend came to live with us. The boys just started their freshman year at high school and Austin’s home life was quite volatile. Since he’s at our house quite a bit anyway, we decided to make it a permanent situation so that he can relax and focus on school.

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about living with two teenage boys. At the onset, I created a chore calendar for the boys and explained a few rules, so that we all knew what to expect from one another and keep a peaceful and productive household.

One of my rules is that the boys call me after school to check in. We discuss after school plans and set a time to be home for dinner… pretty basic stuff. Then after dinner, the boys do their homework and their daily chore.

Well, it seems Austin wasn’t quite used to rules and “forgot” to call me after school one day. He stayed out until 11:00 PM, which is the legal curfew, but not mine. He also “forgot” to do a chore or two. After being grounded for a couple days and forfeitting his allowance, he started to “get it.”

During this time of adjustment for all of us, our household felt a bit cold. I didn’t feel like I could relax much. In fact, I felt like “cop-mom” and didn’t like it much. So, one day while grocery shopping, I decided to get the boys a treat. I put a Hershey’s bar on their pillows for an after school surprise. I don’t keep candy in the house, so for me, this is a big deal. For the boys, not so much!

My son, who knows me well, went out of his way to thank me and gave me a big kiss. Austin said nothing. In fact, Austin rarely said much to me at all, and never a “thank you.”

I decided to let it go and released my expectations for any kind of gratitude from Austin. I knew that was my stuff and that motherhood can sometimes be a thankless job. “Get over it!” I told myself. I know enough to know that those expectations can be relationship killers and I’d rather keep the peace than build resentments.

But then came a miracle! Yesterday, I came home and found a Hershey’s bar on my night stand. It was from Austin…

This morning, while pondering all the things I’m grateful for and counting my successes, this one tops the charts. Success comes in all kinds of packages and sometimes when we’re so focused on our business success, we can miss the ones that really count.

Today, I’m grateful for Austin. His presence has commanded my maternal and parental attention that was slipping away, as my focus was primarily on business. I’m a better mother today because of him.

And the pendulum swings…

Charlene

As you know, the world is on Facebook with over 250 million active users. Never before have we had the opportunity of a global market at our fingertips, for FREE, I might add.

Facebook is growing at a staggering rate and many of us are using Facebook for business, which is completely appropriate. However, as we build our professional platforms, it’s important to mind our manners to best leverage the immense power of Facebook and keep it friendly.

Today, I want to talk about writing on other people’s walls. There are definite DOs and DON’Ts when it comes to this.

DO write on other people’s walls to thank them or to congratulate them or recognize an achievement, milestone or celebration. This is their wall and anything you write on it should be about them. All of their friends will be able to see what you’ve written and your post might inspire or remind them to congratulate their friend too!

DON’T write on other people’s walls to promote yourself! This is NOT the venue for that. Don’t post an event, your website link, affiliate link or anything about you. This is considered SPAMTASTIC and very bad form, which is terrible for your business in the long run.

The world is watching… give them your best and you can expect the best in return!

Express your brilliance!
Charlene Murphy
STUDIOmurphy