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