Take a look at our December newsletter!
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PROFITABLE CONNECTIONS
December 2021
Building a Brand Means Building Relationships 2021 in Review
When looking back at your year in 2021, what do you think of first? There have probably been some big life events, both good and bad. There have probably also been new connections and relationships that have become more important in your personal life and business. In the podcasting world, we’re so grateful that meeting amazing new people is the norm. 2021 was an especially big year for us because we finally met people we’d been trying to connect with for years! For example, John Corcoran finally got an interview with the founder of Kinko’s, Paul Orfalea, and discovered that he started Kinko’s in a 100-square-foot office very close to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where John went to college. Learning how Paul turned his tiny office into a global brand with 1,000 offices and $2 billion in sales was incredibly inspiring. Similarly, Jeremy has always aspired to interview Alvy Ray Smith, the co-founder of Pixar, and emailed him over nine years ago — they’ve corresponded back and forth ever since. Much of the delay for Alvy’s appearance was because he wanted to appear on the podcast after his book was finished. Initially, he thought it’d only take a year; however, the book ended up taking nine years to finish. They never lost touch and laughed about it together when Alvy finally joined Jeremy on the podcast this year. (His book, “A Biography of the Pixel,” is out now!)
Some of the most important relationships you make aren’t always with famous individuals, though. We end up working with a number of our podcast guests, who are service providers or business owners, both personally and professionally. John recently interviewed Katty Douraghy, owner of Artisan Creative, a staffing and recruiting agency for digital, creative, and marketing talent. They had an insightful conversation about both growing Artisan Creative and her memoir, “The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope.” After the interview, the EO forum John belongs to hired Katty to facilitate a retreat. Podcasts have also allowed us to reconnect with and give exposure to longtime friends. For John, that’s Andrei Cherny, a friend from his days working in the White House over 25 years ago. He became John’s recent podcast guest after Andrei started a new mission-driven fintech company called Aspiration. While reflecting on the past year and years past, what amazes us most is how having a podcast gives us a new lens on opportunity and connection. In 2021, Jeremy discovered a new love for kombucha, especially Wild Tonic kombucha — so, one day, he decided to take a picture of the bottle he was drinking and email the address listed on the label. In the email, he expressed just how much he loved their product and asked if he could host an interview with someone from the brand for his podcast. Not only did they happily accept, but they also sent Jeremy a case of kombucha and gave him an open invitation to their main headquarters for a tour of their facility. 2021 was a huge year for us as podcast hosts, entrepreneurs, and people. Our podcast guests had a big part in making this year so memorable, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thanks for reading, and we’ll chat next year. Dr. Jeremy Weisz & John Corcoran
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How This Bookstore Became a Hub for Its Community Engage More Customers in 2022
In the age of Amazon, investing in a brick-and-mortar bookstore might seem ludicrous. But that’s exactly what Christin Evans and her husband Praveen Madan did in 2007, and since then, they have turned two historic San Francisco bookstores into community pillars and social movements. Their not-so-little print-based business is faring much better than one would expect in this digital world, and their secret is right in their community.
you. So, Christin and Praveen founded Kepler’s Literacy Foundation, which is focused on creating and promoting literacy programs, and bought GiftLit, a subscription- based book gifting company. By doing both of these things, Christin and Praveen are encouraging readership, engagement, and local advocacy. They are essentially generating customers (and doing some good, too)!
Now, It’s Your Turn!
How Did They Do It?
You may not be battling Amazon or promoting literacy, but you can use the ideas that made The Booksmith and Kepler’s essential to their communities and transform the way you engage your customers. For instance, a dentist can host a workshop for young parents who are concerned about how to teach their children best oral health practices and also create a curriculum for classrooms across the region to promote oral wellness. In doing so, they create an active community around their business as more than just a dental office — they become more essential to the next generation of oral health.
The couple purchased The Booksmith in 2007, and Christin left a corporate job to oversee the daily operations of the store. From the very beginning, she knew they had to engage with their customers and encourage them to actually visit The Booksmith. As a result, the couple was able to purchase another bookseller, Kepler’s Books & Magazines. 1. They started with the space. Christin knew her store had something that big booksellers or online retailers didn’t have: a community. The Booksmith and Kepler’s could tailor their customer experience to what locals wanted and turn their bookstores into miniature community centers. It helped the community view their stores as essential rather than just available. 2. Then, they hosted events. There is something for everyone at the store. Those who love happy hour but want to read can enjoy Silent Reads, where participants simply come to the store, read, and enjoy cocktails. Other events include mom groups, music nights, and — of course — book clubs. The community always has a reason to visit The Booksmith and Kepler’s because it invites them to stay engaged.
Don’t wait for customers to engage with you in 2022. Collaborate with your team and go to the customers instead.
3. Finally, they got involved. If you’re going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk! Customer
engagement should also include what you can do for your community — not just what your community can do for
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Rise25: Helping B2B Businesses Build Profitable Connections
This Month’s Featured ‘Smart Business Revolution’ Podcasts
Diana Chapman | “Eliminating Drama in the Workplace”
Jason Swenk | “How to Scale Up an Agency Business in an Economic Downturn” Jason Swenk is the host of the “Smart Agency Master Class Podcast,” where he interviews successful digital agency owners on how they built and grew their agencies. He started his career working for Arthur Anderson as a web developer before launching his own digital marketing agency. Apart from being a podcast
Diana Chapman is a founding partner of the Conscious Leadership Group and the co-author of the bestselling book, “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.” She has worked with over 1,000 different organization leaders and their teams to promote self-awareness and eliminate
host, he is also a creator, speaker, and advisor who is passionate about helping agency owners achieve more freedom.
drama in the workplace. Diana also co-leads a training school for coaches and is an experienced speaker. In this episode of the “Smart Business Revolution” podcast, Diana Chapman joins John Corcoran to talk about helping organizations and their teams eliminate drama in the workplace. Diana also explains why she formed the Conscious Leadership Group and how she has been working with clients during the pandemic. Special Shoutouts: A few notable people on Diana’s journey include Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, Dustin Moskovitz, and Justin Rosenstein.
In this episode of the “Smart Business
Revolution” podcast, John Corcoran sits down with
Jason Swenk to talk about his expert strategies for scaling agencies. Jason discusses how to succeed during a recession, the value of podcasting when scaling a business, and his tips for differentiating your brand from the competition.
Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode. SmartBusinessRevolution.com/ jason-swenk
Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode. SmartBusinessRevolution.com/ diana-chapman
“Becoming a Serially Successful Entrepreneur” With Paul Martino, Co-Founder of Bullpen Capital This Month’s Featured ‘Inspired Insider’ Podcasts
“Becoming an Athlete in Business” With Tracy Deforge, Shawn Springs, and Donte Whitner Tracy Deforge is the CEO and co-founder of The Players’ Impact, an elite community of professional athletes and entertainers. Shawn Springs is the CEO of Windpact, a materials data and technology company that grew from his 13 seasons playing in the NFL. Donte Whitner is an 11- year NFL veteran, three-time pro-bowler, eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft,
Paul Martino is the managing general partner and co-founder of Bullpen Capital. Before forming Bullpen in 2010, Paul was an active angel investor who invested in the first rounds of Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), uDemy, and more. He’s also an eight-time company founder, venture capitalist,
All-American at The Ohio State University, and NFL TV analyst. Listen to this episode of the “Inspired Insider” podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring Tracy Deforge, Shawn Springs, and Donte Whitner as they
movie producer, and now sports entertainment venue operator. Paul’s production company gave rise to the film “Inside Game,” which details the 2007 NBA betting scandal. Listen to this episode of the “Inspired Insider” podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, featuring Paul Martino as he walks through his journey as an eight-time founder and explains how he met and convinced Bill Campbell to come out of retirement — and become his coach.
discuss the truth behind being an athlete in business. They also share the professionals to vet, the mentors to keep, and the low and high points of the journey.
Special Shoutouts:
Special Shoutouts:
A few notable people on Tracy, Shawn, and Donte’s journey include Keith Wandell, Paul Allen, and Mike Millegan.
A few notable people on Paul’s journey include Alvy Ray Smith, Bill Campbell, and Randy Komisar.
Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode.
Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode. InspiredInsider.com/tracy-deforge- shawn-springs-and-donte-whitner- interview
InspiredInsider.com/ paul-martino-interview
Rise25 Podcast Spotlight
If you’ve seen the classic movie “Casablanca,” you might be surprised to learn the original version was more risqué that what was shown on theater screens. The night Rick and Ilsa shared in Paris was more, ahem, explicitly passionate, but those lines were dropped on the cutting room floor. And it wasn’t because of artistic choice. There was an industry standard of the time called the Hays Code (or officially, the Motion Picture Production Code). This now- forgotten list of rules predated today’s movie rating system and governed Hollywood from 1934 to 1968. It was intended to clean up the violent, drug-filled movie business much like The Little-Known Story of the Hays Code
“Get the Intel” Chad Gill Featuring: Today’s top business leaders “Blue Collar CEO” Ryan Redding Featuring: Experts in the home service industry “Key Insights Show” Scott Johnson Featuring: CEOs and business executives in the security industry
“Blatchford Coaching Systems” Dr. Bill and Christina Blatchford
Featuring: Thought leaders in the business of dentistry “Top Business Leaders Show” RISE25 Featuring: Founders, executives, and leaders across fields Check out the special "SpotOn Series" highlighting leaders in the restaurant industry
Prohibition — which preceded it — had been designed to clean up a drunken America.
You’ve likely watched many movies and TV shows filmed under the restrictions of the Hays Code. For example, Mental Floss reports the code is the reason “I Love Lucy” never showed Lucy and Ricky sharing a bed or used the word “pregnant,” even when Lucy was expecting!
“Skunkworks by HalfSerious” Eric Bourget
Go subscribe on iTunes!
Featuring: Creative and innovative entrepreneurs
Think Better With Adam Grant’s ‘Think Again’
A Better Mindset for Growth
Think about the sting you feel when you are proven wrong. It hurts, doesn’t it?
we can speak and argue with conviction while actually engaging and listening to arguments as if
But what if it didn’t have to? Better yet, what if it shouldn’t?
Regardless of our attempts at humility, humans’ egos have inflated, and we are all conditioned to believe that being wrong somehow equates to being a bad person. However, renowned author and psychologist Adam Grant challenges this notion in his New York Times bestseller, “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.” With today’s divisive climate, Grant argues that we hold our beliefs up like a badge, illuminating them so brightly that we become blind to other truths or realities. Far too often, our mindsets focus on what is black and white, rather than understanding the gray nuances found in between. In “Think Again,” Grant’s third book, he argues that as rapidly as we get information in today’s digital world, we cannot be expected to fully know all of it. Being wrong is part of human nature, but as we gain more accessibility to information, we must be willing to do two things: rethink and unlearn. Grant challenges readers to stand in the discomfort of being wrong, celebrate that there is something new to learn, and challenge themselves to interact with those who propose a new way of thinking. By doing so, Grant asserts that
we are wrong. This allows us to learn, engage, and grow. In “Think Again,” Grant asks readers to consider better ways to approach their steadfast beliefs. Readers will find
amusement in Grant’s real-world examples of turning skeptics into believers within a variety of topics. And, through these examples, readers will discover new ways to listen so they can gain a greater understanding of the world around them.
You can pick up your copy of “Think Again” and other books by Grant from an independent book retailer or by visiting Amazon.com.
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Inside This Edition
1. 2. 3.
Looking Back on 2021, This Is Our Takeaway
3 Steps to Engaging More Customers in 2022
The Little-Known Story of the Hays Code
Embrace Being Wrong With Adam Grant’s Help
4.
4 Steps to a Better Lead Nurture Campaign
See Sales Grow
With 4 Lead Nurture Must-Do’s in 2022!
People want to do business with people they trust, and you can’t form a strong relationship after just one interaction. It takes time to build a connection with potential and current clients, and the more you put into these relationships, the more you will get out of them. When lead nurture is one of your top sales priorities, you land better sales, generate more customers, and create lasting partnerships that spawn referrals and more money spent.
time? Commit to the long game, and you will gain the right customers who are excited to work with you!
Use Multiple Techniques: In today’s digital age, you may believe email is the best way to put your message at the forefront of your prospects’ minds, but that’s the wrong approach. Your prospects get hundreds of emails every day — what’s going to make yours so special? (It probably won’t be.) You also have to target them with direct mail, phone calls, and freebies. Hit them on multiple levels, allowing your business to stand out from the crowd. Track: Once you make a sale, ask the customer what motivated them to buy from you. How did they hear about you? What platforms did they enjoy? This information can
If you’re ready to get started, don’t forget these four tips.
Automate: There’s no reason lead generation has to require extra work, even if it should be a top priority. Set up weekly or monthly email messages, newsletters, postcards, celebration cards, and coupons that directly put your information in your potential consumers’ hands. This constant drip
ensures you are always communicating with your leads without much effort.
help you track what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to invest properly in your lead generation campaign. Furthermore, track open rates, responses, and phone calls after you release a lead nurture message. This data is invaluable. Lead nurturing should be a big component of your business in 2022. We promise the effort will pay off!
Be Consistent: Far too many businesses give up after three or four lead generation tactics because they “haven’t seen a response.” Nurture takes time! You wouldn’t expect a newborn to walk — why are you expecting your prospects to invest after such a short
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