Author & “Nametag Guy” Scott Ginsberg to host St. Louis Writing Marathon!

Inspired by Natalie Godlberg’s Writing Down the Bones, this December I’ll be hosting the first (of many, hopefully…)

St. Louis Writing Marathon!

WHO: Anyone who needs to write.

WHAT: For $20, you get a quiet place where you can quietly write, all day, with no distractions.

WHERE: The Clayton Center, St. Louis, MO.

WHY: Because writing is the basis of all wealth.

More details here!

Frankly, I don’t care if six people show up.

Because WE’LL still get to write all day🙂

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What did you write today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the list called, “10 Reasons You’re NOT Blogging Yet,” send an email to me, and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Been writing that book for 14 years?

Bummer. Perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


How to preserve your learning

Fantastic! You’ve just learned something new.

The next step is to preserve it.

So, here are the four things you need to do:

FIRST: Preserve your learning by evaluating it.

After all, we learn not from our experiences but from intelligent reflection upon those experiences.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*What else is like this?
*What did I just learn from this experience?
*How does this fit into my theory of the universe?
*Does this statement give me any insight about myself?
*How can the basic concept be applied to different areas?
*What went right/wrong/perfectly about what just happened?

SECOND: Preserve your learning by writing it down.

After all, if you don’t write it down, it never happened.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*How can I blog about this?
*What folder does this go into?
*What journal does this go into?
*How can I make writing a part of this?
*What list can I immediately make this into?
*What are the various ways I can recycle this intellectual property?

THIRD: Preserve your learning by teaching it to others.

After all, you learn something most effectively the moment you teach it to someone else.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*How can I teach this to others?
*Who else needs to know about this?
*What’s the Universal Human Emotion/Experience?
*Through which medium can I best teach this idea to others?
*Now that I’ve written about this, what else does this make possible?
*If everyone did exactly what I said, what would their world look like?

FINALLY: Preserve your learning by leveraging it.

After all, killing two stones with one bird is always the best business practice.

So, ask yourself these questions:

*Where can I use this?
*What else can be made from this?
*How can I make this last forever?
*How many different ways can I leverage this?
*How can I use this to add more value to myself?
*How can this mistake quickly be made into something good?

REMEMBER: Evaluate. Write. Teach. Leverage.

Preserve your learning today!

LET ME ASK THIS…
What’s your content management system?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called “17 Ways to become a Thought Leader,” send an email to [email protected] and I’ll gladly hook you up!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Still haven’t written your book yet?

Perhaps a friendly kick in the butt will help 😉

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


26 Secrets to Publishing a List Everybody Wants to Read, Download and Link To

1. Start off by giving yourself an idea quotient. The bigger the better.

2. Don’t think. Just write.

3. Find a really important item on your list and repeat it a few times. At first, people will think you made a mistake; but eventually they’ll get the point.

4. Make your title absurdly LOOOOOOOOOOOONG.

5. Make your title ridiculously generic.

6. Make your title totally hilarious.

7. Make your title completely unarguable (see the title of this list as an example)

8. REMEMBER: The more items you have on your list, the more often you can throw one random item in just for the hell of it. (Kind of like this!)

9. Make your list long, but make your sentences short.

10. Double-space your list if the sentences are long.

11. Single-space your list if the sentences are short.

12. In the title of your list, use unexpected numbers like 31, 87 and 62. It sounds cooler, more credible and more human. (As if all lists magically ended up with 50 items every time.) Bah!

13. Find a really important item on your list and repeat it a few times. At first, people will think you made a mistake; but eventually they’ll get the point.

14. Do a Consecutive Repeated Item with more emphasis on the second example.

15. Do a Consecutive Repeated Item with more emphasis on the second example. SERIOUSLY. I’m not going to say it again. Gosh!

16. Dance with language. Screw grammar, punctuation, “rules of writing” and all of that other 11th grade literary bullshit. It’s just a list, man. It ain’t gonna win a Pulitzer. Let it go.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

17. Make yourself – as the writer – disappear. Write conversationally so readers forget that they’re reading.

18. Read lists written by some of the great list makers: Seth Godin, Tom Peters, Jeffrey Gitomer.

19. Don’t force it. No need to get the entire list done in one sitting. Add a few items here, a few items there. Save your unfinished lists in a folder and publish them when they feel ready.

20. Alphabetizing your lists has several advantages. First, it’s easy for readers to pace. Second, it leaves the distribution of list items up to chance, which, often times, comes out better. Thirdly, it makes those anal, OCD folks (like yours truly) quite happy.

21. Shorter sentences win. They get read. They get remembered. That’s it.

22. Links are a good idea, just not too many. A confused mind never buys.

23. Make your list an open loop. Encourage readers to add their thoughts, thereby expanding and enhancing your list. REMEMBER: Just because you post it on your blog, doesn’t mean it’s done. In fact, a good list is never done.

24. Find a really important item on your list and repeat it a few times. At first, people will think you made a mistake; but eventually they’ll get the point.

25. Although the number of items on your list is (usually) irrelevant, numbers like 99, 100 and 101 seem to work really well.

26. Spice it up. If your list item is rather long, use a bold, italicized, underlined or ALL CAPS subheading to make the architecture more digestible. See, your writing needs to B-R-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-A-T-H-E more. Like a Norah Jones vocal melody or a Tom Morello guitar solo.

Got it?

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are the characteristics of a killer list?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
If you’d like (yet another) list called “43 Reasons to Organize Your Content with Lists,” you know the drill. Send an email to [email protected] and I’ll deliver the goodies.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Enjoy this post?

If so, perhaps I could help on a more personal, one-on-one basis.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


“So, how many copies have you sold?”

I get that question a lot.

And I’m not sure why.

I guess when (some) people meet an author, that’s the first piece of information they’d like to know.

Maybe it’s curiosity. Maybe it’s an accountability measure.

Or, maybe some people are just SO annoyingly attached to numbers that they simply REFUSE to stamp your creative passport until they’ve been given scientific evidence of your success.

Either way, I’ve never really liked that question.

Which is why I usually answer it the same way every time:

“I have no idea how many copies I’ve sold.”

Now, interestingly, some people are REALLY surprised when they hear that answer come from an author.

Like Marty, the guy I met in Starbucks yesterday. Apparently he’d read an article in our local paper about one of my books.

So, naturally, he just HAD to ask.

And when I offered my standard answer, here’s how he responded:

First, he furrowed his brow.
Next, he chuckled slightly.
Then, he asked:

“Well, Scott 
 I mean, shouldn’t YOU – as a small business owner – um, like, KNOW how many copies you’ve sold?”

“Well, that depends,” I replied.

“First of all, you’re operating on the assumption that ‘number of copies sold’ is how I measure my success as an writer 
 which it isn’t.

See, for me, success (as a writer) is a function of a few questions:

1. Am I having fun while writing?
2. Are people enjoying my writing?
3. Is my writing contributing to the world?
4. By writing, am I validating my existence as a human being?

If so, great! That means I’m successful. No matter how many copies I’ve sold. It’s about detaching yourself from numbers and outcomes.”

Marty nodded in agreement.

But then (as I stood taller on my author’s soapbox!) I expanded on my answer.

“Also,” I continued, “‘number of copies sold’ is basically an irrelevant statistic IF you practice the philosophy that your book isn’t really a book.”

“Hmm,” he replied. “What do you mean?”

“Well, here are two examples:

First of all, sometimes a book is nothing more than a really expensive marketing tool for your business.

Because you KNOW that writing a book adds value for your existing clients, and also delivers value to attract new clients.”

Marty nodded.

“Now, that doesn’t mean ‘write a book with ZERO substance that does nothing more than cross-sell your other products and services for 130 pages,’” I clarified.

“Ha! Riiiiight
” Marty chuckled.

“Because a lot of authors do that,” I said.

“But that’s not what it’s about. It simply means reframing your definition of the word ‘book.’ I mean, I could certainly call my printer and a get a rough number; then again, I give away so many free books, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to know how many copies I’ve sold!”

“Got it,” he replied.

“Now, here’s my second example of ‘a book not being a book,” I said.

“See, other times, is book is nothing more than a tool for enhancing credibility, legitimacy and expertise. After all, when I started my company, I was 22 years old! Do you really think ANYBODY would have taken me seriously if I didn’t have a book?”

“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Marty replied.

“So, anyway, that’s my long-winded answer to your question. Sorry for the rant!” I laughed.

“Nah, that’s cool!” Marty said.

“Yeah,” I concluded, “I guess there’s just a common misconception when it comes to the topic of ‘number of copies sold.’”

“Well, thanks for explaining it to me. I guess I never thought of it that way,” Marty admitted.

“No problem. In fact, thank YOU for asking! I think I might go home and write a blog post about our conversation.”

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
As a writer, how do you measure your success?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a list called, “100 People (Not) To Listen To,” send an email to [email protected], and I WILL listen to your request 😉

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Not a consultant, coach or therapist.

I’m just someone who listens and challenges your thinking so you can grow your business.

Rent Scott’s Brain today!


10 Reasons Why You’re Not Blogging Yet

After speaking last week at the St. Louis Business Expo, a lot of people came up to me afterward with questions about blogging.

Naturally, those questions came with a fair amount of reasons for NOT blogging.

All of which were the work of the notorious Bloggie Man.

So, that inspired me to write this list…

10 Reasons Why You’re NOT Blogging Yet

1. You don’t know how.
That’s cool – you can learn the basics in about 20 minutes. Or you could read Naked Conversations and The Cluetrain Manifesto for a more philosophical approach.

The rest you’ll figure out as you go along. Don’t be stopped by not knowing how, or else you’ve NEVER start.

2. You’re scared of technology.
Oh, get over yourself. There are 50 million blogs already out there and 80,000 new blogs popping up everyday! If your nine year-old daughter can do it, so can you. Don’t be held hostage by the generation gap.

Suck it up. Education is the key. Just ask questions, poke around the blogosphere and give it a try. You’ve got VERY little to lose.

3. You have writer’s block.
Bullshit. There’s no such thing as writer’s blocl. Writing is an extension of thinking. You don’t have writer’s block, you have THINKER’S block.

So, try taking some time to just THINK, every single day. You’ll be amazed at what you come up with.

4. You have no discipline.
According to Naked Conversations, 50% of most blogs are abandoned in the first few months. And why? Because people don’t have the discipline to keep up with them.

So, what’s stopping you? Kids? School? Job? Time?

And are you coming up with a “good story” as to why you can’t blog, or it REALLY a valid reason?

REMEMBER: Leo Tolstoy had 13 kids when he wrote War & Peace. What’s YOUR excuse?

5. You have no patience.
Here’s the reality: nobody is going to read, know about, care about or even comment on your blog for at least 3-6 months. And that’s if you post every single day.

SO: Are you willing to stick it out? Are you willing to (not) be validated for a long time?

Sure, it’s a blow to your ego, but it will also grow your patience, stamina and stick-to-it-ive-ness. And it will be worth it. (Eventually.) At the lowest common denominator, at least you’ll have all those great posts and a LOT of practice.

6. You don’t want put out unready or unfinished material.
That’s understandable. The Perfection Trap is common for a LOT of writers. So, here’s my suggestion: post it unfinished. Let the world be your editor.

Sure, not everyone who comments or contributes will give you GOLD, but you never know. There are some smart folks out there. Especially if you position your post in a way that elicits comments, shared stories and contributions.

Consider having a Call to Action at the end of each entry. (See the bottom of this post for a good example.)

7. You think you have to be really insightful and profound.
Nope. I make a living writing about my observations of the world through the lens of WEARING A DAMN NAMETAG 😉 Not exactly Shakespeare.

REMEMBER: Your everyday life is what people will relate to. You don’t have to say anything big and profound.

8. You don’t get it.
Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. Writing is the basis of all wealth. (Got that?)

9. You are afraid to stick yourself out there.
Fine. Consider these three suggestions.

ONE: Channel your fear into your writing. Creativity is about being uncomfortable.

TWO: If you’re scared that your stuff is too personal, consider blogging anonymously. That will give you a few small victories, which will boost your confidence. (Heck, I blogged anonymously for 6 months before I ever DARED to put my real name on anything!) And now, 5 years later, my blog is one of the Top 100 Business Blogs on the Web. Coincidence?

THREE: It’s ironic, but the more personal your writing is, the more people will identify with it. And by “more people” I mean “higher numbers of people” AND “more identification.”

10. You don’t think anybody will read your stuff.
You’re right. Nobody WILL read your stuff 
 IF YOU NEVER POST IT. Look, the Internet is a pretty big place. And there’s a market for just about everything. So, just post anyway. You’ll be amazed.

My philosophy is, “Whatever you have to say, there’s probably 1000 people somewhere on the Internet who agree with you.”

– – –

No more excuses. The Bloggie Man shall not prevail!

Start your blog TODAY.

Right now.

Seriously, stop reading this post and GO!!!!

LET ME ASK YA THIS

Why aren’t you blogging again?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS

If I still haven’t convinced you to start blogging, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll tell you how I made $150,000 from a single post.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Scared of the Bloggie Man?

Tune in to The Entrepreneur Channel on NametagTV.com!

Watch video lessons on blogging for bucks!

Writing is the Basis of All Wealth, Part 3

First, you write out a description of your perfect customer.
THAT will enable your Target Marketing Scanner to be on high alert.
Which will filter out the WRONG customers.
Which will make room to attract the RIGHT customers.
Which will enable you to focus your time and efforts on serving a specific niche.
Which will enable you to charge a higher fee, because people demand specialists.
Which will not only increase your bank account, but also earn you the FREEDOM to work according to your own pace and not have to kill yourself all the time.
Which will give you more free time to spend on non-work stuff.
Which will make you really, really happy.

Writing is the basis of all wealth.

Read part one and part two of this series!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What did YOU write today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the #1 way to avoid writer’s block, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll help you unblock yourself!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

Want that customer to return with three of his friends?

Tune in to The Frontline Channel on NametagTV.com!

Watch video lessons on delivering unforgettable service!

Writing is the Basis of All Wealth, Part 2

1. You start by posting a few dozen articles (better yet, a few HUNDRED articles!) on your website, blog or on www.ezinearticles.com.
2. Thousands of people will read and share them.
3. Which will boost your Google rankings.
4. Which will make YOU the easy-to-find, obvious expert on your niche topic.
5. Which will cause media outlets to contact you for interviews (since Google is how they find their experts.)
6. Then, your media appearances can then be leveraged into your marketing materials, i.e., “Featured on 20/20!” or “Quoted in The Wall Street Journal!
7. Which will boost your credibility.
8. Which will support a higher fee.
9. Which will increase your bank account.

Writing is the basis of all wealth.

Read part one and part three of this series!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What did you write today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the #1 way to overcome writer’s thinker’s block, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll help you unblock yourself!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

Tired of selling? Come to the St. Louis Business Expo and learn how to enable people to buy!

See Scott LIVE and a get a free copy of his new book, The Approachability Salesperson!

Writing is the Basis of All Wealth, Part 1

The more you write, the more material you have for your blog.
The more you blog, the more people will link to you.
The more people link to you, the greater your web presence becomes.
The greater your web presence becomes, the larger your WOM asset grows.
The larger your WOM asset grows, the more Google likes you.
The more Google likes you, the better your organic search rankings become.
The better your organic search rankings, the more mindshare you can create.
The more mindshare you create, the more you become That Guy.
The more you become That Guy; the more customers come to YOU pre-qualified.
The more customers that come to you pre-qualified, the lower your average sales cycle.
The lower your average sales cycle, the lower your marketing and client acquisition costs.
The lower your marketing and client acquisition costs, the more profit you can turn.

Writing is the basis of all wealth.

Read part two and part three and of this series!

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What did you write today?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For the #1 way to overcome writer’s thinker’s block, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll help you unblock yourself!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag

I’m not a consultant. Nor a Coach. However, you CAN rent my brain!

No systems. No formulas. Just someone who (actually) listens, asks KILLER questions and facilitates creative breakthroughs. Rent Scott’s Brain today!


How to become your own consultant

You probably don’t have the money to hire McKinsey.

But you still want to make your company more equitable, more profitable and more successful, right?

Cool.

Well then, if you’re willing to invest your time and mental energy (but not so much money!) consider this option:

What if you became your OWN consultant?

I know. It sounds impossible.

After all, the whole point of hiring a consultant is to bring someone ELSE into your company, right?

Well, to a certain extent, yes.

However, the word “consultant” stems from the Latin consultare, which means, “To deliberate or consider.”

And you don’t necessarily need some MBA in a suit to do that for you.

Now, sure, I believe in The Outsider Advantage. And I believe there are lots of AMAZING consultants out there.

Heck, I even have a consulting department myself.

But I also believe that successful entrepreneurs learn how to practice objective deliberation on their own.

Because (most of) the answers lie within.

– – –

So, even though it’s not the same thing as brining in some suit from a Fortune 500, your company still can reap the benefits from a little self-consulting.

Especially if you do it regularly.

NOTE: I’m not suggesting you abandon your relationships with mentors, advisors and other members of your professional support system. Nor am I suggesting that self-consulting is a replacement for that support system.

I merely implore you to consider yourself as your company’s most valuable consultative resource.

That being said, let’s explore a list of five practices to help you become your own consultant.

1. Begin with objectivity. The primary value of hiring an outside consultant is BECAUSE she comes from The Outside. This means she has little or no bias. This means she can deliver independent thought. And this means she can recognize patterns immediately.

Obviously, this is a LOT harder to do when it’s just you. Especially since you’re so close to the situation.

So, your challenge is to operate on multiple planes of consciousness. To avoid emotional reactivity. To detach yourself so you can objectively and honestly consider your own criticism.

Kind of like Michael Gerber suggests in The E-Myth: “You need to be the creator, the manager and the technician 
 simultaneously.”

ASK YOURSELF: Are you willing to step back and examine your company’s challenges calmly and objectively?

2. U-NEED-2-READ. Every single day, spend at least fifteen minutes reading, annotating and studying books that facilitate self-exploration. Books that ask you questions. Books that challenge you. Books that make you sit back and think.

Consider these titles to get your success library started. I’ve personally had breakthrough moments of company knowledge with each one:

o The Aladdin Factor
o Flight Plan
o The Mentor’s Spirit
o Ordering Your Private World
o Questions that Work
o Thinking for a Change

Also, once you’ve marked up your books, the next step is to customize a personal system for transcribing your thoughts. I suggest recopying or summarizing your notes, keeping them in a folder – physically or virtually – and revisiting them regularly. This will keep those self-consultative thoughts fresh in your mind.

ASK YOURSELF: How many books did you read last month?

3. Ask the right questions. Questions are the basis of all knowledge, understanding and creativity. And if you want to be your own consultant, remember that questions are the answer.

So, I suggest doing three things.

First, consider 3-5 vital areas of your business. Everything from marketing to sales to blogging to managing employees.

Next, make a list of pointed, specific and penetrating questions that correspond to each “department.”

Then, ask away!

Now, each book mentioned in the previous example has a WEALTH of great questions. But, if you’re still not sure what to ask, no worries! Here are a few mini lists to get you started:

LEADERSHIP QUESTIONS
o How much are you promoting your own personal agenda?
o Can you clearly define what you are a steward of?
o Have you considered other alternatives to this value and explored them fully?

MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS
o How are you creating a non-threatening workplace?
o How are you creating a question-friendly atmosphere?
o How do you create an environment in the workplace that encourages the generation and application of your best ideas?

MARKETING QUESTIONS
o How are you allowing customers to participate in your brand?
o How are you building a following?
o How are you building a permission asset?

SALES QUESTIONS
o Are you using informational, value-added follow-up?
o Do you know where your leads are coming from?
o Are you spending more time educating potential customers on the benefits of your service, or telling them why you are better than the competition?

ENTREPRENEUR QUESTIONS
o What “little things” made a big impact on your business?
o What are the best people in your field doing?
o What are the most important things for you to work on that will grow your business the fastest?

4. Hit the page. If you are TRULY serious about becoming your own consultant, the most important practice you can undertake is writing. Especially since you’ve already been reading great books and asking great questions, writing is the logical next step!

“Yeah, but I’m not a writer,” you say.

Yes you are. Everyone is a writer. Writing is the basis of all wealth.

So, here are my three best suggestions for using the practice of writing to become your own consultant:

o Learn to do Morning Pages, the best writing/creativity exercise in the world!

o After asking your questions from example #3, put each your answers in writing. Store your document according to topic in a folder called, “Consulting Me.”

o For any other form of writing you do (as it pertains to consulting yourself), make lists. Lists for everything! And why? Well, consider these 43 reasons.

ASK YOURSELF: What did you write today?

5. Let everything mentor you. OK, we’ve talked about detachment, reading, questioning and writing as four effective practices to help you become your own consultant. For our final example, here’s another self-consultative exercise you can use throughout your day when you’re NOT reading, writing or questioning.

Let’s go back to that list of books for a sec. One in particular, The Mentor’s Spirit, has a FANTASTIC philosophy about self-consulting. Author Marsha Sinetar suggests that you “search out the mentor’s spirit in everyone and everything.” A few other great keepers from her book include:

o “Don’t be afraid of being a little unreasonable with yourself.”
o “Value silence for creative discovery and personal renewal.”
o “We grow by living with our questions, not by having all the answers.”
o “Search each current and particle of existence for truth.”

ASK YOURSELF: How can I let this experience, person or thing mentor me?

– – –

REMEMBER: If you’re willing to invest your time and mental energy, acting as your own consulting CAN pay off BIG time.

It will increase your self-knowledge.
Which will increase your confidence.
Which will increase your company’s equity.
Which will increase your company’s profitability.

And you won’t even need to hire someone from McKinsey!

LET ME ASK YA THIS

How do serve as your own consultant?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS

For a copy of my Top 100 Self-Consultative Questions, send an email to [email protected] and I’ll send you the list for free!

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

How many unsolicited referrals did YOU get this week?

Tune in to The Sales Channel on NametagTV.com!

Watch video lessons on enabling customers to buy!

How to Kill Two Stones with One Bird, Part 1

THE essential word in entrepreneurship is leverage.

It means, “To increase the rate of return from an investment.”

And it’s not just something you do.

Leveraging is an attitude.

A lifestyle. A pattern of thinking. An approach to business.

Always thinking about what’s next.
Always creating with the end in mind.
Always transforming your thoughts to things.

AFTER ALL: Ideas are free. But execution is priceless.

That’s what makes entrepreneurs successful — they learn how to transform even the smallest events, situations, experiences or ideas into breakthroughs.

IN SHORT: They always kill two stones with one bird.

That’s right. You read it correctly. Two stones, one bird.

So, today will be the first in a series of posts about leveraging. I’ll do my best to write a new one (roughly) once a week.

NOTE: For future reference, you can keep up with this post series at www.twostonesonebird.com.

– – –

Now, in my experience, I’ve found leveraging to be a function of QREATIVITY; that is, asking yourself constant, creative questions.

So, here’s your list of Leverage Questions for today:

1. Where can you create the most leverage? This basic question lays a foundation of expansion and growth that will help you kill two stones with one bird with every idea, situation or experience.

Again, the word leverage means, “To increase the rate of return on an investment.” So, whether it’s an investment of time, energy, capital or attention, there’s always SOME way you can leverage it.

REMEMBER: Ideas mean NOTHING without leverage.

2. Are you recognizing when life is giving you a gift? Part of being the luckiest person you know realizing that you’ve been lucky. Paying attention. Plucking from the world around you. Noticing when opportunities are presenting themselves and immediately responding to them.

So, from ideas to people to situations, never forget to give thanks for all these great gifts life gives you! That way, life gives you more of them! See, the universe is participative. That which you appreciate appreciates.

REMEMBER: Success doesn’t come unpartnered. Recognize that you’re not alone and show appreciation for the gifts you’ve been given.

3. Are you saving your bad ideas for later? Bad doesn’t mean always “terrible.” It COULD simply mean “bad timing.”

Keep your unused ideas around, just in case. Revisit them regularly. You never know, something that sucked five years ago might be GOLD today!

REMEMBER: Even bad ideas have their place.

4. Did you buy the domain first? The word domain comes from the Latin dominium, which means “property.”

LESSON LEARNED: The minute you get a great idea, register the website.

Even if you’re totally broke.
Even if you’re not sure if your idea will work.
Even if you’re years away from the final product.

Buy the domain.

Websites are the new real estate.

REMEMBER: He who owns the domain owns the idea.

5. Did you google it first? Before you get too carried away with your new idea, you should probably google it first. Just to make sure someone else hasn’t already thought of it. Cheapest and most effective market research in the world!

REMEMBER: If it doesn’t exist on Google, it’s yours for the taking.

6. How can you do the work once and benefit many times? This is the key to duplication, multiplication and ultimately, replacing yourself.

You need to build a foundation.

Now, maybe that means writing. Or setting up systems. Or making a business process self-sufficient. Whatever you do, constantly ask yourself, “How can I do the work once and benefit many times?”

REMEMBER: Take yourself out of the equation.

7. How can you make this into your own? Because there’s nothing new under the sun, the key differentiator is process.

Delivery. Voice. Medium, not message.

That’s why you need to “notice things and give them names,” as Seth Godin explains.

Observe, watch, read, pluck and listen to your environment. Content is just BEGGING to be captured! You need to create names, designations and titles for the things you notice. They must be original, creative and consistent with the branding of your content and philosophies.

REMEMBER: Don’t copy, don’t imitate – put your own spin on it.

Read part two of this series!

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What’s your best Leverage Question?

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* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
[email protected]

…tomorrow NametagTV.com goes ON AIR!

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