2011 October

What I Learned from Another Birthday!

October 18, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

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Yesterday was my 56th birthday! I had planned a quiet day to just enjoy the fall weather we are having and to relax my way into a new year of life. While the day was a great one, I learned three valuable lessons from another birthday:

I learned that, on your birthday, you are really no different than you were the day before, just another day older. I woke up with the same mindset, the same desires, the same passions, and the same determination to make a dent in the universe!
I learned that, on your birthday, the rest of the world does not take the day off to celebrate! Throughout the course of the day, I had to take care of clients and their needs, handle problems that cropped up, and generally get involved in things that did not involve celebrating my birthday!
I learned that, on your birthday, taking a day off of life is awesome! While the world didn’t stop and I had to spend time on things other than celebrating, the day was in its entirety as great success with lots of fun and love from both family and friends. It was a great day and I am so thankful for being able to celebrate another year of my great life!

So, as you work your way through the rigors of life, don’t forget that even if the world doesn’t have the capacity to stop to celebrate your birthday, that it is your God given right to do just that! Happy birthday to all and to all a good night.

Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Success Traits Tagged With: Birthday, Celebrity, God, Holidays, Recreation

Changing the Face of Business

October 11, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

One of the most difficult things for me to do is to change! I enjoy my routine. Yet, I have also come to understand that without change there is no growth and without growth there is stagnation. (Not a good word for a successful business!) So, I set out to change, to learn, to grow no matter how hard it seems to be.

However, I don’t want to do all this changing and growing alone, so I have come up with a little experiment that I want others to join with me. The experiment involves changing the face of business as we know it. I am speaking particularly about how business is conducted in the online, social media world.

When the business community invaded the online world and specifically the world of social media, we did so with the same bluster and bravado (and junk mail I might add) as our entrance into all other types of media. Suddenly every email, every website, every blog post, every tweet was an advertisement for some product and/or service that I didn’t know I wanted or needed.

Businesses are being swept into such tactics by the promise of a worldwide audience and the thought that if just .01% of all their posts become sales then they would be rich beyond imagination. So the posts come, the tweets are made and the email offers are non-stop. It is so bad now that I am ready to shut it all off and actually talk to my clients in person again (what a concept!)

Thinking about this makes my head spin! So, I have decided to do an experiment. The goal of this experiment is “changing the face of business.” The way that the experiment works is that I want to establish a business relationship (more about what that means later) with 100 people. This relationship will be one of mutual respect, and one of mutual benefit, driven by the sense of value that such a relationship can bring to all involved. I am not looking for people who necessarily want to sell me something, but want to know who you are, what you do, and how you bring value to your customers/clients. I want to share my value with you as well. Then, if we need something from the other, we would certainly feel comfortable hiring the other and/or recommending each other to our spheres of influence. No pressure, no hype, and no more quotes from dead people just to fill our twitter stream (my pet peeve!)

If this is something that might strike your fancy, you can check out my new twitter account @dwellmanonline. It is a social/business place where I talk business, root for the Cardinals, and talk with my business partners. This experiment will last as long as it has value to all involved. If you get too salesy I will let you know, if I get too salesy please let me know (PM’s please, not news stream flaming.)

In the end, I hope to find that changing the face of business is not only possible but also rewarding personally and professionally!

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Business, Change, Changing, Customer, Face of Business, Facebook, Online Communities, Social Media, Social Media Today, Social network, Social Networking, Twitter

Monday’s Question – What are you willing to do to change the course of history?

October 10, 2011 by Dave Wellman 2 Comments

With the death of Steve Jobs this past week, I am reminded of his comment that he wanted his life to “make a dent in the universe.” I think that, in many ways, he did just that. But now that he is gone, who will step up? Who will be the next visionary to make a dent in the universe?

Maybe, it’s time to be you! Maybe instead of just getting by it’s time for us all to look at this world through the visionary eyes that make us unique people and choose to follow our dreams. Maybe, at least in my own “world,” I should step up and look for ways to change the course of history.

What do you think? What are you willing to do to change the course of history?

Filed Under: Entrepreneurialism, Monday Questions Tagged With: Apple, Change the world, History, IPod, Leader, Step up, Steve Jobs, United States, Visionary

Saturday Update – 6

October 8, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

This week has bee a very sad one for the Boomer generation. One of our greatest visionaries lost a long battle with cancer. Hope you enjoy the video and choose to be the best person you can be in this stage of your life!

What do you think? Leave your comments and let’s get a conversation started!

Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Saturday Update Tagged With: 2012, Baby boomer, Business Preparations, Conditions and Diseases, Generations and Age Groups, Organizations, People, Social Entrepreneurship, Steve Jobs, Worldview

The Loss of a Great Boomer

October 6, 2011 by Dave Wellman 2 Comments

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Today our generation is suffering the loss of one of our own. At 56, Steve Jobs is gone too soon! I have read a lot about Steve and have watched (particularly in the last two years) the unique way in which he lived and ran his company.

I have heard him tell the story about the education he received after leaving college. I have heard him tell the graduating class at Stanford to never settle. I have seen the gleam in his eye as he described new functions/products in his keynote addresses. He has been an inspiration to me and knowing that I will not hear any new things from him makes me very sad.

The most important thing that I ever heard said of him was when said that he wanted to make a dent in the universe. He certainly did that and I for one am inspired to follow suit. We have suffered a great loss, but as Steve said, death is the greatest innovation. It clears out the old and makes place for the new. I can’t wait to see who steps up and accepts the challenge of greatness in the next generation.

Goodbye Steve, you represent the greatness of our generation and those of us remaining here want to represent like you did in these most difficult times!

Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers Tagged With: Apple, Baby boomer, History, Stanford, Stanford University, Steve, Steve Jobs, United States

YouTube Scares Me!

October 5, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

Camera Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Handycam Camcorder

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The second largest search tool on the internet is YouTube and yet most businesses don’t even have a YouTube Channel. When asked why, people say things like “YouTube scares me – or – I don’t want to be on a video – YouTube isn’t for serious businesses!”

The truth of the matter is that as businesses we need to get past things like this and embrace the possibilities that video offers. Getting found online involves making use of every avenue available. With a computer, a video camera, and a free YouTube account (along with a relatively short learning curve) you can make yourself known in this area of the internet world as well.

Let me try and help you with five thoughts about using YouTube to make your online presence soar:

YouTube makes it easy to create, upload, and promote your videos. The process is very simple and if you are at all creative it can be fun as well! I have a friend online who says that he does all his videos in one take and no editing. It can certainly be that simple and should be (at least in the beginning.)
Do a search on YouTube for the name of your industry (Real Estate, Insurance, Speakers, Car Sales, etc.) See what shows up and watch these videos. You will notice that most of the are not professionally done and that they are getting views anyway. You will also find that nearly every industry has people making videos. People searching online for your industry will likely find these folks before they find you.
Study the videos that are industry specific and find out what is being said, what is being taught, what is being done badly and then improve upon them or create innovations that will set yourself apart from them.
Don’t be discouraged. Just like everything in social media, it takes time to be recognized. Stay at it, set a schedule and make videos. As people begin to watch, your message will be heard and you will gain position in your industry.
Make your first video!

Don’t let “YouTube scares me!” be your excuse to keep you from one of the most powerful tools available to you?

Filed Under: Social Media, YouTube Tagged With: Business, Social Media, Video, Video Sharing, Web Applications, YouTube

When Should You Start Working on Your Second Career?

October 4, 2011 by Dave Wellman 4 Comments

I had a wonderful conversation this morning with someone I just met today. She and a friend have partnered together to create a very successful non-profit that any aspiring entrepreneur would be proud of. As we talked, she said that as far as the planning and preparations were concerned, she and her partner had to treat the formation of their non-profit just like anyone starting a for profit venture.

As she talked, she said that they worked for months in their research and planning. This before they would even speak openly about what they were planning. And of course in those nine months of research and planning, no money was made to compensate them or their charity.

That said, the question comes to mind, “When should you start working on your second career?” The simple answer is, “Way before you need it to make you any money!”

The more educated and responsible answer would likely have three aspects:

You need to start while you are still making an income from your first career (or your non-retirement career for you well traveled Boomers.) These ladies put nine months of research and planning in before they ever decided to make the leap.
You need to give yourself sufficient time to begin to show the kind of income you have decided is necessary in order to leave your current career for your retirement career. Don’t let one or two good months allow you to leave that regular paycheck too soon. Create and show consistency before you leave.
You need to take stock of the time requirements for your retirement career. If you are going to have to spend more time than you would like to create the kind of income you are looking for, you might want to re-think your choice. The worse thing that you can do is to create a business that you hate and have to live off the income from that business for the remainder of your life!

My program teaches a two year retirement model. The first year falls under the category of education, research, and preparation, while the second year includes the launch, branding, client building, and systems tweaking. In this two year period, profits will come at a premium, but by taking right amount of time to create and grow your second career, you will be more comfortably able to leave your current career for a relaxing and productive retirement life!

Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Retirement, Second Career Tagged With: Business, Career, Employment, Income, Non-profit organization, Research, Retirement, Second Career

Tell the Truth and Tell it Fast!

October 3, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

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I watched a great interview done by one of the men that I respect most online (Mark Schaefer). Mark was interviewing Amy Howell of Howell Marketing Strategies. (See the interview here!) Mark and Amy were talking about the changes that have occurred in the world of Public Relations with the onset of social media. The point that struck me the most was that Amy said because of the speed at which things occur online these days you, as a business owner must, “tell the truth and tell it fast!”

I couldn’t agree more with Amy’s assessment of the online business climate. Tell the truth and tell it fast ought to be a mantra that is driven home in every business small, medium, or large in our world today. Not only does this kind of transparency avert bigger problems down the road, but it also helps you become more real to your clients today.

There are three things that make telling the truth and telling it quickly stand out to me (and I would suspect to a lot of others as well):

Telling the truth in a crisis acknowledges your humanity and your fallibility. I have worked with businesses in the past who, for whatever reason, would not acknowledge an error when it was obvious that one had occurred. (Several auto repair shops will go unnamed at this time!)
Telling the truth, quickly shows clients that you are on top of your business and that your companies reputation is important to you. This level of importance gives current and prospective clients the confidence that you will do all that is necessary to protect your reputation by protecting theirs as well.
Telling the truth, even when you are to blame, makes it difficult for even your staunchest critic to cause long-term damage to you or your company. While every mistake causes short term damage to a client and/or those that they can influence, acknowledging the mistake and fixing the problem can also make for loyal customers and a life-time of referrals from someone who could have been a critic for life.

My thanks again to Mark Schaefer and Amy Howell for stirring my thoughts with this great interview. You can follow Mark (@markwschaefer) on Amy (@howellmarketing) on Twitter.

What do you think about this kind of transparency? Has it helped your business in the past? What do you think now?

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Amy Howell, Blog, Business, Howell Marketing Strategies, Mark, Mark Schaefer, Public Relations, Social Media, Twitter, YouTube

Monday’s Question – Fourth Quarter Training

October 3, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

Well, the fourth quarter of 2011 started in earnest today. My Monday question for this week is a simple one: “What kind of training are you going to get this quarter that will move your business forward in the new year?”

It seems as though there are more avenues of study than there are either time or desire to learn. Every business owner must makes choices and this is a very important one as you move into another year that, at this time, is forecasted to be as shaky as the one we are finishing up now.

So, I’m just wondering what choice you will make, what training are you going to be spending your valuable resources on in this fourth quarter that will make your business stronger and more profitable in the coming year?