He thought (and hoped) it was just a bad dream.  Little Johnny just wanted to find a job, but he got lost in a universe cluttered with a million new job boards. He woke up, it wasn’t just a dream, as 25,000 will go live this week. While I have never claimed to be a “jobs” SEO [...]

He thought (and hoped) it was just a bad dream.  Little Johnny just wanted to find a job, but he got lost in a universe cluttered with a million new job boards. He woke up, it wasn’t just a dream, as 25,000 will go live this week. While I have never claimed to be a “jobs” SEO [...]

Today, I spoke to Michael E. Gerber, who is the founder of E-Myth Worldwide. Gerber is the author of 13 business books, including the mega-bestseller The E-Myth Revisited. In this interview, he talks about how his brand is described by himself and the media, as well as why small businesses fail.

How would you describe your personal brand?

At INC Magazine they call me, “The World’s #1 Small Business Guru.” At HarperCollins they call me “One of the world’s foremost business thought leaders.” If you were to ask my readers, or any of our over 70,000 business clients, they would say “You transformed my life!” As far as I’m concerned, I’m a guy who learned a significant lesson about why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it, and have been avidly teaching it ever since. You wear a hat a lot. Is that on purpose? Yes, it’s both fun, and my respect for G-d.

What would you recommend to someone who works for a company, but wants to start a business?

I would say, start right now!

Do you have tips for entrepreneurs who have an idea but don’t know how to execute on it?

Yes, learn how.

On your main website, michaelegerber.com, you have a video of yourself speaking about your offerings. What led you to do this?

I love to speak, I’m called to do it, and the guys who produced the video created the technology to make it possible on my website.

Why do most small businesses fail?

For the absence of an entrepreneur. Thus, The E-Myth (The Entrepreneurial Myth). Most business owners are technicians suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure, who believe that knowing how to do the work they know how to create a business that does that work, and, unfortunately for most, they don’t. The rest of the story is truly tragic. They go to work IN their business, rather than ON their business and create a job for themselves…which quickly becomes the worst job in the world.

——-
Michael E. Gerber is the founder of E-Myth Worldwide, the coaching, training and education firm he created in 1977 to transform the development of small businesses worldwide. Now approaching its 32nd year, Michael E. Gerber’s extraordinary work has achieved stunning results by transforming more than 65,000 businesses in over 145 countries, translated in 29 languages and use in 118 universities in the world. Gerber is the author of 13 business books, including the mega-bestseller The E-Myth Revisited. His revolutionary perspective has become the gold standard for small business development throughout the world, becoming what INC Magazine calls him: “The World’s #1 Small Business Guru,” and one of Business Week’s bestselling authors of past decades. Michael E. Gerber has founded eleven new ventures in the last four years. His latest book is called The Most Successful Small Business In The World.

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Here are a selection of tweets from January 2010:

• Davos: Business Leadership for the 21st Century http://bit.ly/9JYV8g Good panel: Stephen Green, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Indra Nooyi, Eric Schmidt, Wang Jianzhou
• RT @tom_peters: Mega-success-tip: Master beginnings! Master endings! Never leave either to chance! (Applies equally to accountant and Broadway actress.)
• Mike Myatt: The myth of "When To Lead" http://tinyurl.com/ybhknqf >An important point!
• Not to be missed insights from @JohnBaldoni Check out his blogs: http://bit.ly/1J7hJT and http://bit.ly/a9dvcO
• Do you think people apply the same values in their private lives as they do in their professional lives? 22%=Yes / 62%=No @ Davos
• Personal Responsibility: It comes down to individual moral actors making micro-level decisions. Thomas Glocer @ Davos
• While many things are wrong systemically, I think we have a serious moral compass issue at the individual level. Thomas Glocer @ Davos
• Are we wise enough to learn frm these lessons & take them into our daily life as a check-list of our daily deeds? Yasuchika Hasegawa @ Davos
• Scott Elbin: Three Mantras to Keep Your Ego in Check http://bit.ly/aqiEdr
• Mike Henry Sr: Sources of Leadership http://bit.ly/aSBc7C
• RT @LeadToday: The only thing worse than training employees and losing them is not training them and keeping them. - Zig Ziglar
• Michael Roberto: What Happened to Toyota? http://ow.ly/11qV7
• Good Post: RT @mikemyatt: A closer look at leadership DNA...Do you have it? http://bit.ly/r0FrO
• RT @hulmevision: Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself | A. J. Heschel
• @davidrock101: 2nd NeuroLeadership Journal is out. Free intro paper outlining NeuroLeadership develpments in 09: http://bit.ly/cDharn (PDF)
• We usually aren't suffering because we can't solve our problems; we are suffering because we can't see our problems.
• I was grateful to be able to answer promptly. I said. “I don't know.” ~Mark Twain
• RT @toddsattersten: "If you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen" Conan closing final show as host of Tonight Show.
• @BillGates My new website is live check out thegatesnotes. Excited to share more about what I’m learning, hope you like it!
• Read: To Be or Not to Be? http://wp.me/pt5Ht-4a Being Intentional by @eschreyer
• RT @eschreyer: Leaders - demanding proof too soon could stifle innovation. Nice read from Business Week: http://bit.ly/59Jj1O
• Scott Elbin: How Coakley and Brown Pulled Defeat from the Jaws of Victory and Vice Versa: What Leaders Can Learn http://bit.ly/5wedHn
• FT: Master the mix of continuity and change http://bit.ly/8TACK4
• Scott Elbin: Six Qualities That Made Martin Luther King, Jr. a Great Speaker http://bit.ly/5jUv94
• Jerry de Gier: Are We Enjoying the Journey? http://bit.ly/4xc0NK
• Manias, panics and bubbles all have same characteristic: the absence of real leadership that takes a contrarians perspective. http://ow.ly/VR7c
• Wally Bock: Leadership Development: Crafting Your Personal Development Plan http://bit.ly/4rMYgg
• FT: A little knowledge is deadly dangerous: Organisations may already possess the information they need to avoid disaster. http://bit.ly/51njzl
• TEDxMcGill - Karl Moore on Postmodern Leadership http://bit.ly/6ZcxL3
• How To Keep Your Plates Spinning in 2010 http://bit.ly/6aYQZf
• @tom_peters: 2010 quote of the yr award, but also goes into dictionary as Definition #1 of "They just don't get it." http://bit.ly/5OhzkU
• @hulmevision: The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes | Marcel Proust
• Wally Bock: Becoming a Great Leader is Up to You http://bit.ly/4ywash
• Pliny the Younger on relationships: "We are paid in our own coin."
• 59 Seconds: The myth of the "Yale Goal Setting" Study http://bit.ly/7cnobt
• Terry Starbucker: A Leadership Checklist: 10 Things To Do Right Now To Make It A Great Year http://46xps.th8.us
• @Mark_Sanborn: Lessons at Decade's End http://bit.ly/7JXxWZ
• @rosasay: I once heard it said “hope has nothing to do with what is going on in the world.” So what, then, is it about? http://ow.ly/RZNt

See more on Twitter.

The 2010 Fortune 100 best companies to work list is here, and most are hiring.  How prevalent is social media becoming with these 100 companies? Nearly 40% contain links to groups, pages, and channels to connect on.  Check out KPMG’s branded YouTube channel as an example. Here are some additional stats related to this years top [...]

The 2010 Fortune 100 best companies to work list is here, and most are hiring.  How prevalent is social media becoming with these 100 companies? Nearly 40% contain links to groups, pages, and channels to connect on.  Check out KPMG’s branded YouTube channel as an example. Here are some additional stats related to this years top [...]

It appears my compadres to the north are getting a nasty snow storm this weekend.  Hang in there.  I’m sure Spring can’t arrive a day too soon for ya.

And I can guess that because I’ve been there.  I remember living in the snow belt prior to the invention of the Snuggie.  The gray skies and arctic winds.  Fortunately for me, I was working in hospitality at the time and was able to remain sane (and warm) by enjoying a brief tropical getaway.

Don’t feel you have to just sit at home, shivering in front of the fire.  Take a long weekend to someplace warm.  It doesn’t have to be pricey.  If you don’t know where to go…check out the “More Sun for Your Money” tips being posted on the HR Bartender’s Facebook page during the month of February.

No, I’m not getting anything out of this.  I just want to share with the community a little of my foodie / travel passion during a time when it might come in handy (plus, feel bad wearing shorts and flip flops while you guys are freezing.)

Cheers!

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I have the privilege of teaching an MBA course on social media and, out of 12 sessions total in the spring semester, I’m dedicating three to the topic of personal branding.

Why would I devote a full quarter of the class to one subject when there are so many other “cool” things like Twitter and video resumes to cover? The answer is simple.

Aside from a few – ahem – Facebook photos and incomplete LinkedIn profiles, most of my students don’t have a strong online presence yet.

In other words, they are blank slates…..bare billboards…….TV static.

While social media sites can give them a potentially powerful microphone, here’s the problem with just diving in and uploading content on day one.

Bare billboard + powerful microphone = more white noise on the web.

I don’t know about you, but I think the Internet has more than enough white noise as it is. Moreover, these students are in the process of looking for employment … and with sites like CAREEREALISM stating that there are now six job seekers for every one job available, I owe it to them to do what I can to prevent a “Fire, Ready, Aim” approach.

Step one – discovery

So here we are in Step One of the personal branding process, otherwise known as the discovery phase. It’s fitting to invoke the billboard reference above because my marketing background tells me that, like brands, billboards should state a clear message in six words or less.

Therefore, my challenge to students, and to you, is this: What is your message?

Creating a vision board

If you’re having a hard time figuring that out, creating a “vision board” will help. Here’s how it works:

1.) You purchase a piece of poster board or foamcore.
2.) You cut out words or images from magazines, websites, etc. that reflect something you want for yourself in the future
3.) You glue or spray mount the clippings together on the poster board

At the end of this process, you’ll have a visual representation of where you want to go in the next year or beyond. And while you should always put your goals on paper and reflect on them often, there’s just something different and uniquely motivating about coming face-to-face with them on your wall every day.

So if you’re a blank slate currently and you’d like to hone in on your brand or discover your message, try crafting a vision board. Worst case scenario is that you’ll have a neat piece of quasi-art to impress your friends. Ideally, though, you’ll discover what truly inspires you along the path to career success. Good luck!

Author:

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington @ msn.com.

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Today, I spoke to Brett Blumenthal, who is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting!, the founder of Sheer Balance, and a contributor to Shine from Yahoo!. In this interview, Brett talks about how she molded her personal brand with her corporate brand, how she decided on her career path, some ways to become a better performer at work, branding in the lifestyle sector and how she found her audience.

Brett, what is Sheer Balance and do you feel it has become synonymous with your own brand?

In 2007, I started Sheer Balance to be a resource for individuals who found it difficult to find balance in their everyday lives. I think true balance includes physical health (nutrition and fitness), mental health (stress management, relationships and work-life balance) and environmental health (how your personal environment impacts your health). It was built out of my passion for health, wellness and education, and as a result, I have poured every ounce of “me” into it. My brand has been interwoven into Sheer Balance from day one…and without me, the Sheer Balance brand would not have come to fruition. All of that said, I’m an individual with many interests and passions and I think Brett Blumenthal as a brand expands beyond Sheer Balance alone. As a result, I’m not sure I would use “synonymous” as much as “sub-brand” in describing the relationship of Sheer Balance to my brand.

How did you decide on your current career path? When did everything come together for you?

Dan, that is a great, yet very difficult question to answer. It was a very windy road getting me to where I am today. It all started when I was a freshman at Cornell: I discovered the mental and physical benefits of eating well and exercising. That led me to become an AFAA certified group fitness instructor. I went on to teach fitness classes for over ten years as a side “hobby” and job. My full-time career, however, included practicing both architecture and management consulting. I went on to get my MBA and focused in Spa Development and Brand Strategy.

My goal was to combine all of my interests into one career. After graduating from Business School, I did brand strategy for lifestyle clients (spas, hotels and resorts) and found that I wasn’t tapping into my real passion: wellness. That was how Sheer Balance began. It was, once again, a hobby. And it wasn’t until this past March when I was given the opportunity to focus on Sheer Balance full-time.

What are the top ways to better your health so you become a better performer at work?

I think people tend to forget the basics. I (and Sheer Balance) stand for simplifying things in your life. The more complicated you make things, the worse off you will be. First, it will be more difficult to put things into action and second, the less you will be motivated to do so. Simplification is the most important aspect to healthy living. This especially applies to eating…the more complicated you make healthy eating, the less likely you will be inclined to do so. That was what prompted me to write the book “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting! The book uses five extremely simple, fact-based rules to help you understand how to eat healthy. I take all of the fluff, the fads, the heresy, and throw them out the window. All of that “junk” is what people focus on, when instead, they should be focusing on very simple and basic information.

My top three recommendations for becoming a better performer at work are the following:

1. Rest: Get enough sleep…7 to 8 hours is ideal.
2. Nourish: People tend to skip meals or snacks at work. This depletes us of energy and negatively impacts our ability to focus. Eat well-balanced meals made with whole foods. Every meal should have some carbs (preferably vegetables or fruit), lean protein and healthy fats (monounsaturated or polyunsaturated – Omega-3s). Further, stay hydrated. Water helps to ward off tiredness, dehydration, head-aches, and other unproductive symptoms.
3. Move. I’m not saying go to the gym…I’m just saying move. Most of us sit at our desks all day, moving minimally. Take a walk at lunch. Walk to work if you can. Get up during the day and move around. Moving throughout the day will keep your metabolism boosted, will help you clear your mind and will give you a bit of energy to help you perform better.

Can you talk about your experience with branding in the spa, wellness and hospitality industries?

The lifestyle sector and branding ARE synonymous. Really. What successful hotel, spa, restaurant or fitness club doesn’t have a well-executed brand? It would be nearly impossible to find one. My branding work with the lifestyle sector included a lot of research and analysis to help clients best differentiate themselves through the experiences that we created for them. As you know, branding is about creating an experience. An experience that elicits an emotional response. I worked with hotel and resort clients, spa clients and restaurant clients to help them set the stage and effectively execute on the performance.

How did you go about finding your audience?

It was very organic. As a start-up, I did not have a lot of money to advertise. As a result, I spent a lot of time cultivating content partnerships with Divine Caroline, Intent and on an informal basis, Shine from Yahoo! This strategy has been tremendously successful…propelling my traffic up to 150,000 in some months. The internet is especially challenging, yet powerful, because it is extremely competitive, but you have an amazingly broad reach. When I first set out with Sheer Balance, I assumed I would attract mostly American women, in their 30s, who were well-educated. I was right. And I was wrong. I did attract those people, but I also attracted men and women across the globe at all different ages, and at many socio-economic levels.

It is fascinating how many people you can reach with a click of a button! Moving forward, however, I want to have a more direct and stronger impact with people. Since people learn differently (some learn best through reading, others through listening, others through watching and others through doing) I’m looking to take my brand and Sheer Balance into other media outlets. I wrote my book, “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting! as a way to speak to a new audience. I launched my radio show “GET REAL” with Brett Blumenthal through a collaboration of DivaToolbox and Talkshoe to gain an audience who prefers to listen. I’m going to start putting educational workshops/seminars together for those who learn by “doing.” And, I’m hoping, in 2010 to do more video and hopefully, link up with some opportunities in TV to get further exposure.

——–
Brett Blumenthal is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of “GET REAL” and STOP Dieting! She’s the founder of Sheer Balance, which started when she realized that many of her friends and colleagues constantly struggled with finding balance in their every day hectic lives. Brett has been in the wellness industry for over 15 years. Brett became certified as a group fitness instructor through AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America), and went on to teach for Cornell University, Gold’s Gym and Bally’s Total Fitness in New York. She taught all types of fitness classes and especially enjoyed helping her students understand fundamentals of nutrition, fitness and overall wellness. Brett writes for several online media companies, and has been featured on popular sites including: Yahoo!, Shine from Yahoo!, Divine Caroline, Intent and Gather. In 2008, Shine from Yahoo! named Brett “Woman of the Year” for her influential blogging and in 2009, Divine Caroline awarded Sheer Balance with their “Love this Site!” award within the Body and Soul Category.

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Have you made the leap and started your personal branding journey? Do you ever wonder if creating your personal brand is worth it? Can it create opportunity and even financial change? Can it happen to you?

It can. It will. If you begin.

Just like all of you, there was a day when I did not have a personal brand, a following, or a place to share my ideas with the world. My personal branding journey began near the end of 2008 when I realized I needed to began sharing my thoughts and ideas with the world.

It has been a fantastic journey that has brought some great opportunities that I would not have received unless I created my personal brand.

I put together a short audio clip for all of you that details my story and the success that has come my way because of my personal brand. I hope you find my story motivating, that it encourages you to build your personal brand, and stay the course.

Great things can and will happen if you do.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

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