Give and Take [Podcast]
Do you ever think about the hierarchy of success and see what the secret ingredients are to achieve it? Well, here are the obvious 3.
- Hard work
- Talent
- Luck/Fate/Divine Appointments
But, there is the 4th ingredient – our success depends heavily on how you approach your interactions with other people. You have a choice in every interaction…do you try to claim value as much as you can from that person or do you try to contribute value to that person without worrying about what you receive in return.
Are you a giver? Or are you a taker? Listen to our latest podcast episode of Make it Matter to find out who you are and what you can do to shift your thinking for success.
References from the podcast:
- Amazon link to the book Give and Take https://amzn.to/2SZhePI
- Give to the charity we care deeply about https://boscurrent.wpengine.com/give
Also, let us know what you think by commenting on this post or click on this link to talk to us. https://boscurrent.wpengine.com/feedback
The One Where We Get in a Fight with Another Podcast [Podcast]
The fight is on.
We’re not going to name names, but it all started when I was listening to another podcast and they said they HATE when business owners talk about people they work with as “family” – they claim your one responsibility to co-workers is to grow your business because everyone wins when you make a profit.
Today we will present our counterpoint to people who believe that work relationships shouldn’t be family, and argue that actually that position is what’s wrong with American business today.
If treating people like family is wrong, we don’t wanna be right!
Links to movies and TED Talk we reference:
- Ender’s Game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SRizeR4MmU
- Little Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AST2-4db4ic
- It’s a Wonderful Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAtE1cGb1BM
- Just Mercy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQbeG5yW78
- Bryan Stevenson TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice?language=en
Are you a frequent podcast listener?
If you are, you can find us at the links below, please make sure to subscribe and share. We would also love to hear from you, so, just leave us a comment on the iTunes review or contact us here directly. In the meantime, thank you so much for being here and remember to always MAKE IT MATTER.
Also, let us know what you think by commenting on this post or click on this link to talk to us. https://boscurrent.wpengine.com/feedback
2020 Vision
Someone complained the other day about seeing way too many puns out there about having the perfect vision for the year 2020. So, you know what we say to that? We say, “here’s to the perfect vision for the year 2020!”. We know everyone goes into January with big dreams of making this the best year ever…and we do too! That’s a good thing. Don’t be cynical – let’s get our hopes up again, this is our year!
We are going to share 3 words for 2020 that can help you have the best year ever. Let’s unpack it together and get ready to be inspired, energized and excited for this year to unfold. It’s up to you. So, let’s make it matter.
Here’s our latest podcast episode #5
Are you a frequent podcast listener?
If you are, you can find us at the links below, please make sure to subscribe and share. We would also love to hear from you, so, just leave us a comment on the iTunes review or contact us here directly. In the meantime, thank you so much for being here and remember to always MAKE IT MATTER.
Don’t Let Busy-ness Kill Your Business [Podcast]
The world we live in is in a massive rush, and we don’t have to know you to say: You’re too busy. It may sound counterintuitive or even Impossible, but the hurry has to stop.
At BOS Media Group, we believe in making your business more personal, but this CANNOT happen in a rush. Hurrying will threaten your most important relationships and undermine the creative thinking that supports your most fruitful work. You have to SLOW DOWN.
But how? Well, we have some thoughts…3 actually. And we even have a test you can take to see if your life if too distracted, rushed or preoccupied. And if it is, we believe you are settling for the mediocre version of your life or your business. So, check out this episode to see how we can help guide you to live better, fuller and more engaged. So, you ready?
Also, are you a frequent podcast listener?
If you are, you can find us at the links below, please make sure to subscribe and share. We would also love to hear from you, so, just leave us a comment on the iTunes review or contact us here directly. In the meantime, thank you so much for being here and remember to always MAKE IT MATTER.
References:
- Read Solitude and Leadership: http://bit.ly/37H6rzc
- Book 1: An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling https://amzn.to/2R2a7Vs
- Book 2: The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg https://amzn.to/2T6OvKi
Finding Your Sweet Spot [Podcast]
Have you ever been in the ocean in the middle of nowhere, completely stranded, not knowing where to go and you are just letting the current and the wind take you? Me neither. LOL. That would be really scary and if I did survive it, it would be a storyline for a good movie.
Anyway, my thought is that if you are ever headed for a long voyage, it’s important to first know where you are going, second, know where you are right now and third, who you are. But even more importantly, make sure where you are going is fully aligned with who you are and what really matters to you.
As an entrepreneur, as a business owner, or as an employee, are you not sure? Are you just drifting? Then, this will be a great episode for you. We hope this episode inspires and brings clarity and purpose to what you do.
To summarize, you don’t need to look for answers in a business book…let your life speak. Your story will teach you to say no to distractions and Yes to the most fruitful way to work.
Here’s a great article for your reference:
Great article for reference: https://hbr.org/2005/01/whats-your-story
You Are More Than a Brand [Podcast]
“So, what’s your story?”
That might be the most important question for business owners and entrepreneurs to answer. It will help you set priorities, give customers a clear understanding of your identity, and when you feel lost, it will be the North Star to guide you home.
Remember that you are the writer here. You can decide to what parts of the story to give weight to, and the moments you want to highlight. However, don’t feel like you need to hide the difficult parts – every great story has conflict, and people connect with you based on the challenges you’ve overcome, as long as you’re able to connect the dots clearly.
Your story matters. The good and the bad, the changes and the core level non-negotiables that you are willing to fight for. Don’t just go to work and do your job day after day – remember who you are! The more you stay aligned to that, the more other people will be inspired to join in and do business with you.
Hope you enjoy our podcast. If you are a normal podcaster, you can find us here. Please subscribe and share. Thanks so much!!
Be More Human [Podcast]
Have you ever heard this saying? “Hey, it’s nothing personal, it’s just business.”
Well, let’s start by saying, at BOS Media Group, we believe everything is personal. Famous quote by Meg Ryan in the movie You Got Mail, she states, “whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.” I believe that’s what differentiates us, and we love this. And what a great topic to start off our very first episode of our podcast. That’s right, our podcast. We are calling it Make It Matter. Why that title for a marketing agency podcast? Because, we believe that for entrepreneurs and business owners like you, what we do is much more than a daily grind. Our goal through this podcast is to give you strategies that will allow your work to have more impact and meaning. And we want to give you resources to help you share your story with the world.
In this first episode of Make it Matter, we will introduce you to who we are and will help you understand some of the relational aspects of the business.
We truly believe that business is personal. The more human you are, the better for your business. Bots and algorithms will never be able to match real human connection – let that be the heart of what you bring to your work.
You can listen to our episode directly from here.
Bottom line: BOS Media is here to make you more human:
- More human type of content
- More human connection to everyone you work with
- More human way of treating customers
Hope you enjoy our podcast. If you are a normal podcaster, you can find us here. Please subscribe and share. Thanks so much!!
How do I write an About Me page for a Website?
How I got to know a stranger very quickly…
He seemed pretty cool. Young, hip, athletic-looking dude…probably in his 30’s. His golf swing looked ok, not great, but nevertheless, he was put into our group of 3 to make the complete foursome. This means that he came to the golf course alone…on a Thursday afternoon. Instead of getting prepared for the best round of my life and figuring out my game strategy to destroy my friends on a bet of $1 per hole, I was somewhat curious about our new fourth person. Let’s call him Nick…because, that was his name. After a quick introduction and a handshake, we were off to the first tee.
After struggling through a couple of holes, we had plenty of opportunities to chat. If you play golf, you know there is a lot of downtime for conversation. So, besides the standard surface level talk (weather, current events, blood type), I went straight for the kill. “So Nick, what’s your story?” Warning: this is not always the best conversation starter. You’ll need some warm-up time and gauge the level of openness for deeper conversation. And honestly, he was ready, and I was genuinely interested.
Well, you guessed it, he shared about his work, his marriage, and his kid, and how he loves being a dad and how he’s teaching his 4-year-old how to play golf. He talked about the college he went to and the engineering degree he received, his current job and he told funny stories about the industry he’s in and all the inside jokes about it. We became buds.
Why do I need to change my traditional “about me” page on my website?
Because you are not telling a story. You list accomplishments and the history of where you have been, what you have done and who you have worked with. Sometimes, you list your hobbies…something like “I enjoy playing music on my ukulele on weekends and I love to read romance novels”…boooooring.
Why tell a story?
Thanks for asking. Humans love stories. We emotionally connect, we easily remember and we pay attention to stories. We are just built that way. Don’t take my word for it, there is actually scientific research done on this that shows the importance of not just having an “about me” page with a story but creating an entire brand on storytelling. Check it out here to see some awesome examples.
So, how do I write an engaging story about me?
Story writing is an art. There are many different forms and strategies in writing but the structure is very similar. It goes something like this:
- There’s a conflict or a situation (The Setup)
- There’s a confrontation (The New Situation)
- There’s a journey (The Progress)
- There’s a resolution (The Showdown)
- There’s a transformation (The Change)
Example of a typical, non-story and boring “About Me” page.
Cookie Monster
CEO of Cookie Crumb Inc.
Cookie Monster spent the last 52 years in television starting from general foods commercial and eventually landing a role in Sesame Street where he served as a passionate, cookie eating monster. As a CEO of Cookie Crumb Inc., manufacturing the most “nutritious” yet “delicious” cookies in the world, he is committed to utilizing only the most advanced techniques which ensure personalized care and flavors for every cookie eating client that wants to stay healthy and eat cookies. His devotion to every detail has resulted in thousands of pounds lost all over the world.
Education: None whatsoever
Hobbies: You guessed it, eating cookies
Example of a story-style “About Me” page.
Cookie Monster
CEO of Cookie Crumb Inc.
I had no idea that my love and passion for cookies would eventually lead to a disturbance in the American culture for my contribution to a childhood obesity epidemic. After realizing my negative influence and impact, I knew I had to make a change. This deep revelation lead me to my new found purpose in making a difference in the world through healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.
After years of research and exploration with the determination to discover the solution, I’ve founded the Cookie Crumb Inc. Cookie Crumb Inc. only offers cookies that are “nutritious” yet “delicious” by using the most advanced techniques in manufacturing and natural ingredients that will help you lose the pounds you need.
This new product has been transforming lives all around the globe resulting in thousands of pounds lost.
Education: None whatsoever
Hobbies: You guessed it, eating cookies
Breaking it down:
Do you agree that second “About Me” is easier to follow, easier to remember, more engaging and says more about the Cookie Monster’s character? What does all that equal? Trust. Trust is the main factor on why a customer will choose a service or a product.
Following the simple story structure above, I rewrote the Cookie Monster’s bio.
- The conflict or a situation (The Setup): I had no idea that my love and passion for cookies would eventually lead to a disturbance in the American culture for my contribution to a childhood obesity epidemic.
- The confrontation (The New Situation): After realizing my negative influence and impact, I knew I had to make a change. This deep revelation lead me to my new found purpose in making a difference in the world through healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.
- The journey (The Progress): After years of research and exploration with the determination to discover the solution, I’ve founded the Cookie Crumb Inc.
- The resolution (The Showdown): Cookie Crumb Inc. only offers cookies that are “nutritious” yet “delicious” by using the most advanced techniques in manufacturing and natural ingredients that will help you lose the pounds you need.
- The transformation (The Change): This new product has been transforming lives all around the globe resulting in thousands of pounds lost all over the world.
Again, there are many strategies and structures in writing a story, but I truly believe if you rewrite yours to reflect your own story and genuinely share what you do and why you do it, you’ll be surprised by the impact that will make in your company and brand.
So, what’s your story?
Go Big or Go Home
It’s 3 am. I’ve been thinking about this workshop for over a month now and I am about 3/4 way through preparing to teach it. I know it’s a subject that WILL help the small business owner, entrepreneur and dreamer alike, and I’ve had a feeling it was going to be a big hit. And it was, because it sold out in less than a week after just one registration post on my Facebook page. Well…sold out meaning, sign ups were full.I made $0 dollars. LOL. It’s a free workshop.
What sets you apart from anyone else? What makes you unique? Who are you? What is your promise? How are you achieving it? I ask these questions to clients that we work with in developing their brand. According the Seth Godin’s blog on “Small is the new Big“, all these questions can be summed up in one simple question; “what is your BIG?” For public companies, their BIG is the growth. For example, their BIG might be 10% growth year after year to infinity. This keeps the shareholders happy, keeps the doors open, the economy pumping and everyone making a profit. Their market to the masses and their ability to create products and services are at the highest performance rate with efficiency…that’s what they do. For us, we can’t even begin to compete with that. But we CAN offer something big companies won’t do that will add even more value. Our small is our BIG.
Okay, back to “It’s 3 am.” It’s a lot of pressure trying to prepare for a group of intelligent, talented and creative people from all different backgrounds…people with new incredible business ideas, people switching to a new industry, people with current successful businesses just wanting to do it better, people starting and running non-profits from an idea that birthed from their own pain and passion. I feel the pressure from my own doubts. “What could they possibly learn from me?” “How am I going to present this information so that it’s engaging and easy to follow?” “Is this even going to help them in their own entrepreneurial journey?” “Why am I offering this for free?” “How will this help me and my business?” I’ve poured a lot of time and energy into this workshop and according to my ROI calculation, a CFO from a public company would advise me to stop.
But I don’t. Because it’s 3 am, and I feel more energized than ever. I feel that I am in my element being useful, resourceful, relevant, and intentional. I feel this information I am about to share can motivate and help others to do well. And in helping others do well and helping others reach their dream, won’t it help me to fulfill mine? Yes! It will!.
This is my BIG. It won’t make sense in a P&L report, but it’s my BIG in the relationships I make and the lightbulbs that I help turn on and the inspiration and encouragement that I offer. So, what is your BIG? What is the unique piece of your business and culture you can call your own? What value can you continue to offer in exchange for your trust and your authenticity?
It’s 3 am, and I am more awake than ever! Let’s go BIG or go home.
What a 10-Year-Old Taught Me About Overcoming Fear
We finally parked and started down the muddy trail. The first few hundred yards were mostly downhill which made it difficult to stay upright as my feet were slipping and sliding every which way. I was hanging on to the exposed roots from trees for stabilization and focusing on making sure everyone was doing ok. We saw a few hikers on their way back up the hill. As I made eye contact with one of them, I asked if it was worth all this suffering. “Oh yeah,” he exclaimed, “you are almost there; it will be amazing!” Hmmm, I thought, a word to the wise, don’t hype up the experience someone is about to have; you’ll create an unreasonable expectation and it will lead to disappointment. Feeling a bit annoyed yet still hopeful, we continued.
We eventually arrived at our destination. Our final climb was across the large area of lava rocks. As we stood and looked down, we finally saw what we’d been looking for. The fierce and powerful ocean waves smashing into the rocks beneath us and slowly losing its anger, with water then gently flowing between rocks into a cove creating a large pool of crystal clear, calm perfection. They named this spot “Queen’s Bath” and it met the hype and every ounce of my expectation….I thought to myself, this is what family vacationing is all about…exploration, adventure and finally…relaxation.
We climbed down and took full advantage of this body of water with our snorkeling gear and just enjoyed the beauty as we sat back and watched everyone around us do the same. Several people were jumping into the water from a ledge about 15 feet above the natural pool where we were swimming. We couldn’t help notice this little girl on the ledge, as well, trying to muster the courage to make the jump. She was looking down at us, and we were close enough to see the fear in her eyes. Her body language also made it obvious, and she spoke the words that would continue to paralyze her current state of being… “I can’t!”
Her father stood right next to her, holding her, then letting his hands go, he said, “you can do this honey…jump!” She said “no!”even more terrified, and he would continue to encourage her. She would then stand there in silence, studying the water beneath her…one…two…three!!! …then, nothing. Just fear. She was frozen, unable to make the decision, unable to conquer the situation she got herself into. This went on for what seemed like forever. People below were starting to not pay attention anymore and went about their own business…we pretty much gave up on her too. No more words of encouragement, yelling, counting down, even simple reassurance of her safety would rid her of her fear. She had seen others do it all day but she was still paralyzed. What would it take to get rid of her fear?
My wife of much wisdom, watching this event unfold with me said, “you do know that as entertaining as this is, it’s gonna get a bit annoying once she jumps right?” Why? I asked. “Because, once she jumps, she’s going to realize it’s not that scary…then guess what she’s going to do the rest of the day? She’s going to run and climb over to the ledge, and jump again, then you know what she’s going to do after that? Run and climb to the ledge, and jump again, and again and again. My wife is so smart, because that’s EXACTLY what happened. Finally after her initial jump, for the next 1/2 hour she must have jumped into the Queen’s Bath while screaming with glee 20+ times over. Oh my.
The crazy thing is that no matter what was said, yelled, whispered and/or encouraged, the fear NEVER left her. The fear only left when she jumped. The fear left when she finally took action. When she leaped into the air, then free-falling 15 feet, then splashing into the water, then as she lifted her head out of the water…something crazy happened….everything changed. She overcame her fear. I saw it happen right before my eyes. I saw someone that conquered their own fear and took a blind leap. I saw someone, a 10-year-old, look into the eyes of her own fear, laughed and shout out to the world with glee..”Wheeeeeeeee!!!” Over and over again.
I am reminded of my own fear and my transformation as I continue to move forward in my entrepreneurial journey. I am often stopped in my own tracks, paralyzed in fear of where my next decision will take me. Then I will be reminded of what a 10-year-old taught me about fear. Fear will remain until I take action. Fear will remain until I leap into the air. Fear will remain until I free-fall into the body of water and come out refreshed, alive and fearless, laughing and shouting out to the world with glee…”Wheeeeeeeee!!!” What is your current fear? Are you ready to jump?
