Thoughts from an 8pm Warrior

Most 8pm Warriors I know are stimulated enough.  Growing, hiring, expanding, and moving forward is what we do.

What’s holding many of us back is concern about the changing landscape and the potential risks involved.

I’m not an expert in all industries, but I know from experience with real estate and healthcare that government regulations are holding back significant progress.  More questions are being asked, fewer answers are provided.

Confusion is a killer.

• Will the government add more regulations or spook the markets?
• Will we get taxed more for certain activities?
• Should we hire now or wait to see what happens with healthcare insurance mandates?
• Can the government even make necessary changes?
• Will it take me three years to get my patent approved?  (hopefully fixed now)

The economy will grow when there are more answers, less questions, and comfort with where government is headed.

Do you agree?

Have a great night,

Aaron@Biebert

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The world is moving too fast to waste time proving that your instincts are right.

If you’ve had success, go with your gut!

It’s always true that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Unfortunately, some people require proof of the fire when we can all smell the smoke.

It’s not smart.

Whether it’s Triberr, Klout, or the next big thing, great leaders and entrepreneurs trust their instincts and move full speed ahead.

That’s what Steve Jobs did, and we all know how that turned out.

Don’t wait for the fire.  It will be too late!

Have a great night!

Aaron@Biebert

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Want to hire someone to connect with clients on social media sites?  Use social media to test candidates while getting feedback from your clients!

You might be surprised by what you find…

It’s official. The first half of my crowdsourced “Twintterview” (Twitter Interview) experiment is completed and here’s a brief summary of how it went:

• 1100 position page visits
• 15  pre-screened candidates
• 7 days of twinnterviews
• 3 final candidates
• 1 easy choice

I offered the social media manager position to Nathan Nommensen, a recent graduate of one of the best business schools in the Midwest, and he accepted it.

Along the way, I developed some principles I wanted to share with job seekers who may face a similar twintterview process:

1. Respond quickly, don’t make the process difficult
2. Don’t be afraid to show initiative and enthusiasm
3. Don’t reschedule your live interview (if you need the position, act like it)
4. Check your public social media profiles for crude, distasteful pictures
5. Be different, catch my attention
6. Be personal

In my mind, the perfect candidate would already understand what was needed, quickly answer the question “How can I help you”, stand out in the crowd, and use real life skills to move the discussion to the next level with a coffee, lunch, or even a beer. Most of all, they would be intelligent, likable, and personal while answering my tough questions.

Many leaders prefer to hire “people people” with real life skills, but don’t always know how to test for it.  Through this process, I was able to find someone in one week, with limited impact on my busy schedule, and a guarantee they are qualified.  I highly recommend you try this.  (Comment below if you have questions on how to set it up)

How did the crowdsource part of it turn out?

Almost 100 people were eager to offer feedback in private, but there were a handful that offered public observations and helped steer the discussions.  Here are some examples:

“I’m digging Nathan. He seems the most natural & engaging. Everyone else was trying too hard, tweeting at you; he’s tweeting w/ u.”

Tiffany Kummer

 

“I’m very intrigued. Count me in. I like Nathan. But would like to see more from Jacki. Still reading abt the others”

Celinda Appleby

 

“Great! A fascinating process to observe @Biebert. After gauging enthusiasm, online personality, drive for greatness, I chose @NathanNommensen“

Andrew Syiek

Now on to the second stage.  How will this turn out when it counts?  Will this be the right addition to help increase viewership of these two startup productions.

Stay tuned!

Have a great night,

Aaron@Biebert

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This is a different take on why Google+ matters.

To me, it’s not about the features, Facebook, or anything else out there.  It’s about you.

Since my initial Google+ introduction and invitation on Wednesday, I’ve been researching, discussing, and thinking about how it can be utilized by businesses and leaders.  My goal was to write a definitive post on why Google+ matters and why my fellow 8pm Warriors should get on it. 

Unfortunately, the more I researched, the more I realized it wasn’t the features that mattered.  There was a bigger reason to join…

There are many “Top Reasons to Try Google+” lists out there already, but given that both Facebook and Google have plans to continue changing things (Facebook adds Skype next week), these lists will be obsolete in a couple months, if not weeks.

For me, there is only one simple reason that you as a leader need to join Google+ and it goes to the heart of leadership itself:

Leaders must lead, not follow.

When there is a new frontier and a new opportunity to be a pioneer, leaders must lead.  They cannot wait for the rest of the world to decide if something is successful or not, they must beat the gold rush.  Being a first mover matters.  Slow leaders aren’t leaders at all in a modern era…they are followers.

I’m going to explain myself below.  However, if you’re still trying to figure out if Facebook is a fad, I don’t recommend reading any further.  I will be wasting your time.

Instead, I recommend reading this first:  Time for Sleeping Leaders to Awake

If you haven’t clicked off yet, I’ll assume you agree that the world has changed and social media isn’t a fad, but rather a fundamental and permanent shift in the way much of the world relates to the people and brands in their life.

I’m confident that social media isn’t going away, and neither is Google+.

Here’s why Google+ is here to stay:

I know that Google has screwed up several new attempts at social networking in the past (i.e. Buzz, Wave, Health, etc.), but this time it will be different.  If there is one thing that I’ve learned during my time reviewing the site and testing the features, it’s that they’ve finally figured out a way to bring all of their pieces of the social puzzle together.  Even though they aren’t all fully functional (i.e. Youtube for video and Picasa for pictures), it’s all but certain they will be soon.

Also, it’s going to be an effective alternative to Facebook.  Too many people dislike Facebook for whatever reason, and too many of us already use most of the pieces of the Google+ package (YouTube, Gmail, Picasa, Android, Google News, Google Chat, etc.).

Since we’re using most of it anyway, especially if you have an Android phone, it’ll be smart and easy to bring it all together into one social package, even if it isn’t your primary network.  That’s why Google+ will survive and may thrive.

You’re already using it!

Looking for more reasons why it’s a safe bet?  Read more here

Leaders need to try Google+ sooner, not later:

Let me start with my Facebook story.

Remember when most people thought Facebook was just a college kid thing?

I joined Facebook right when it opened to non-college students and immediately began building a network of healthcare people as part of the Clear Medical Network initiative.  Our goal was to prepare for a world of severe medical personnel shortages.

With that first-mover advantage, our team was able to build communities that served over 43,000 segmented groups of people.  Not only is that an asset for the future, but it helped us weather the job market crisis better than most of our competitors who are no longer in business.

Leaders starting now are way behind.  It’s so hard to build Facebook page communities now without expensive giveaways and advertising.  It’s a mature platform.

At the beginning, all it cost us was time.  Now with valuation of $100 per person, the network may be worth over $4,000,000 and growing as the demand for nurses and doctors moves towards a critical point.  All with no giveaways or advertising.

Why?  Because we were pioneers.

Lessons from the Pioneers

There are some things we can all learn from early adopters of tools like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+

New platforms are like frontiers.  There are risks, hazards, a journey, and rewards.

Interactions with pioneers are closer, more intimate.  It’s easier to make meaningful connections as most early adopters help each other discover the new world.

Consequently, early adopters have the advantage of forming larger and tighter groups of people.  If you are in a people business, this is something you need to be thinking about.

Where’s the Return on Investment?

Assuming you’ve agreed with me up to this point, you are still probably wondering where does the return on investment come from if you’re not in the business of social media specifically.

Here is where I see the ROI:

Brand pages are coming soon (think Facebook pages)

We all know how valuable they are to a business now.  This will be similar.  The sooner you get on, the better.  I guarantee your competitors will be there.  I will.

It will help with Social Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Part of Google+ includes a social bookmarking module that tracks the use of the new Google +1 social search system.  I believe that it will encourage users to use the +1 system and that future upgrades of Google+ will tie this feature in with the business pages.  If you learn the system now, you’ll be in a much stronger position to benefit from these SEO benefits as they arrive.

Good old fashion networking

I think it’s safe to assume that there is a certain ROI in simply expanding one’s network and ability to reach new people.  This is a new tool for that.

Final Notes:

I’ve tried almost every social network out there, including Google’s other social platform called Orkut, and my gut is telling me this has real staying power.  Of course I could be wrong, but that shouldn’t be a reason not to follow my gut.

Nevertheless, this is a new frontier and I feel like a pioneer.

Join me.

Have a great night,

Aaron@Biebert
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If you still need an invite to Google+, I’m inviting fellow 8pm Warriors from the email subscriber list as I am able. Subscribe to “Thoughts from an 8pm Warrior” via email by clicking here.

Meet Robert Caruso, a social media thought leader and the Founder/CEO of Social Resolve LLC and BundlePost.com.

He is a frequent blogger and social media consultant to numerous agencies and companies.  With three patents on internet technologies and another recently filed, Robert is a startup veteran and a true 8pm Warrior.

Over the time I’ve known Robert, I’ve been amazed at his knowledge and passionate pursuit of his goals.  With the launch of his latest venture at the end of the month, I asked Robert to be this week’s 8pm Warrior of the Week.  When we talked, I asked him to share his goals, his action plan, ways our community can help, and any advice he has for other 8pm Warriors.

Here’s what he said:

Aspirations:

I am passionate about internet related technology and how it connects with social media.  Like most of us who risk everything to create something great, I do appreciate the potential rewards that go with it.  However, my ultimate goals are to inspire and lead the social media movement and use my success to help care for orphans and widows all over the world.

When I am not working 18 hr days on my latest startup venture, my time is consumed with my children.  I look forward to more world travel with them and being the best dad I can be.

Action Plan:

Right now, I have a single focus, BundlePost.  As a serial entrepreneur, this is not my first barbeque. The tech world has change a great deal since the 90’s and having a solid business model, defendable technology, a huge market (and potential revenue) is the norm, not the exception anymore.  So I’m putting a lot of time and effort into the front, and it is paying off.

On February 28, we will be launching Bundle Post technology to the world.  The system was designed to dramatically reduce the human resource back office requirements of managing social media programs.  The technology not only allows users to database thousands of social media content posts (either theirs or their clients), but also automates the searching, reviewing, scheduling and posting of content that is interesting to your audience.

We created Bundle Post due to a gap in technology that exists between management technology (like HootSuite) and back-office functions like content management and preparation.  Most are spending 80% of their time doing non-social functions and only 20% engaging and building relationships.  If social media is to move ahead, I believe that this has to change!

I think Bundle Post will lead that change.

Ways to Help Robert:

Right now, we are very fortunate to be at the place where investment, development and operations are well in hand.  However, the biggest thing we could use help with is publicity.  Your tweets, Facebook posts, or reblogs about this game changing technology we are bringing to market would be highly appreciated.

Advice:

Here are some tips I would give to other 8pm Warriors working on startups:

• Do one thing and do it very well.
• Find holes in the market that need filling and find a way to fill them.
• Don’t chase investment money with an unproven idea.  Prove it first and get revenue flowing quickly.
• Control the vision and the company early on by keeping your team small.
• Don’t take advice from people who haven’t done it.
• Do whatever it takes to make it happen!

If you have any questions for Robert, post them as a comment here on the blog or on the 8pm Warriors Facebook Forum.

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We’ll be featuring his material all week on the 8pm Warrior twitter feed and facebook forum.  However, here are some other ways to connect with Robert:

Twitter:  @fondalo and @BundlePost

About.me:  About.me/robertcaruso

Blog:  BundlePost.Wordpress.com

Company:  BundlePost.com

I’m wondering if I need a new name for this blog.

After reading a blog posted on Sunday by one of my readers (Anna), I am seriously considering a name change.  What she wrote made me embarrassed to call myself an 8pm Warrior.

What sparked this?

In a previous post, I asked the question “Is Multi Level Marketing (MLM) a good opportunity?”  Apparently, this topic is hotter than I imagined.  One reader even commented that they thought “8pm Warrior” referred to the time of evening when these Multi Level Marketing people like Amway, Market America,  or similar groups get together and talk about their fake businesses.

Fake business…

I don’t know if I was candid enough in my first post (probably too nice).  However, now that I’ve revisited the issue, here are some clear thoughts on the matter in plain English:

1)      It is not a business if you never plan to make a profit (or if 99% of people who do the same thing will lose money).  That is called a hobby…much like owning a boat, gardening, or building miniature model ships inside glass bottles.

2)      If by chance, someone makes money doing this sort of hobby; it does not legitimize this business model.  Even though a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, finding the nut on accident does not qualify the squirrel as a bona fide nut business owner (however, MLM’s might qualify).

3)      You are not a business owner because you sell yourself products.

4)      You are also not a business owner if you use your strong emotional connections with family or close friends to sell overpriced products.  That is called misguided, annoying, and destructive in the long run.

5)      It does not mean you own a business if you dress up and pay thousands of dollars to hear speakers tell you about their dreams coming true.  Their dreams came true when you paid to hear about their dreams coming true and signed up for the snake oil they were selling.

(Side note, MLM’s do prove that speaking for a living is a real business)

6)      You are not an 8pm Warrior just because every Wednesday night at 8pm you bring yourself and others to a hotel conference room to play a childish game of “Dress Up” or “Pretend”.

My two kids dress up and “play house”, but that doesn’t mean they own a house.

Real businesses add value.  Real business owners must offer something more than dreams.

Have a real night,

Aaron@Biebert

Further Reading:

Less than 1% chance of success

Demographic Groups that Amway Targets

“I’ve got a business opportunity to talk to you about.”

I’ve learned to hate that phrase…

Years ago I promised myself that I would always listen to anyone who wanted to discuss a business opportunity, without exception.  There had been several times when leaders ignored an opportunity I brought to them, and one time I started a successful business to take advantage of the idea myself.  They missed out.

I don’t want to make the same mistake myself some day.

And so I find myself regularly approached by eager 8pm Warriors looking to tell me about their “big opportunity”.  Unfortunately, it’s usually Muli-Level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing like Amway, Quixstar, or Market America.

I still respectfully listen to the pitch for a while, but I usually end up stopping them with a earnest plea to do something profitable with their passion.  After all, they just wasted their gas, money on samples, marketing materials, and time.

Today, when I read Robert Vander Roest’s blog post “Is MLM a Scam?”, I felt compelled to share my thoughts with more than just the poor guy who came to visit.  Here they are…

Because I deeply understand and appreciate the motivations for finding a way to make dreams come true, I’m going to offer some respectful, but pointed advice for people looking to be successful through MLM:

Don’t do it.

You can make more money with your time.  99% of people who try MLM’s lose money.

There are people with billions of dollars to invest, and you can watch them to see what sort of business is a wise investment. However, I’ve never seen a successful entrepreneur decide to join an MLM, and they have larger reputations and more resources to make it work.

Why?  Because, recruiting recruiters to recruit more recruiters isn’t a real business, and neither is buying product from yourself to make money.

Hear me out.

If any part of your “opportunity” includes buying from yourself while recruiting distributors to recruit distributors, and you don’t work for a recruiting firm or HR department of a wildly successful startup, you need to be skeptical.  Think about what it means to recruit just four levels of 18 people recruiting 18 people…etc.

You —> an eager, talented 8pm Warrior

18 —–>  your closest friends who believed in you

324 —–>   their closest friends who heard you were an 8pm Warrior

5,832

104,976 —–>   more people than the population of Green Bay, Boulder, or Berkeley

If you are talented and passionate enough to be the patriarch of an organization the size of a mid sized American city (without losing anyone along the way), I’d like to personally introduce you to some very wealthy investors that would make your dreams come true for accomplishing a similar task with a real business model.

Need more facts?  Check out Dr. Jon Taylor’s research on the topic

The bottom line is that you can find similar “products” online somewhere for cheaper.  Save your money and find a way to use your 8pm Warrior passion to sell something that people want…leaving you with your money, your pride, and most importantly, your relationships.

Don’t just be passionate, be proud of what you do!

Have a proud night,

Aaron@Biebert