Austin Linchpins Group Blog Feed

trade your expectations for appreciation.

Thu, 24 May 2012 20:55:00 +0000

“Trade your expectation for your appreciation and your whole world changes with it.” -Bishop TD Jakes I heard this one night on Oprah’s life Class and then reality sunk in. I got the lesson in a deep way. It was if my internal radar was scanning all my life experiences for which this [...]

Your heart is full of stories. Tell them to the world.

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:00:07 +0000

Guess what, guess what?! It’s the very last day to get the World-Changing Writing Workshop for the early bird registration price! Early birds get $100 off! Exclamation points! If you’re not sure what the fuss is all about, we’re happy to tell you all about the Very Big Dream behind the workshop. We even made [...]

How can a sensitive, world-changing writer market without feeling slimy?

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:00:34 +0000

Tara Swiger is one of our bonus speakers for the World-Changing Writing Workshop! She’ll be talking about how to market your heart-stuff without feeling all slimy. Today, she’s sharing the secret to writing about your work for your perfect people. You make something lovely, something full of heart, full of soul. Whether it’s your writing, [...]

Writing from the heart is hard. This helps.

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:30:32 +0000

Stop reading this blog post. If you have no interest in writing, stop reading this blog post now. If you have no interest in reaching others – if you’re content to write in your journal for you and only you – stop reading this blog post now. If you’re not interested in changing the world, [...]

How do You Really want to Feel while you work?

Tue, 22 May 2012 02:15:03 +0000

Until you understand how you really want to feel you are running in the dark. Believe me it hurts. When you know how you want to feel then you can work backwards to reach this goal. I struggled with my work happiness for the longest time because I thought that no one listened to my ideas, which was [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

West Coast Second Floor Penthouse

Sun, 20 May 2012 10:30:52 +0000

I’ve traded in my big city place for the two-story farmhouse in Oregon this summer. And I won’t be blogging much from this site till I return to New York. However I am keeping everyone updated on the progress of GOLIAD UPRISING (premieres June 21st in Austin) and the daily adventures on the farm through [...]

One week left of early bird registration for the World-Changing Writing Workshop!

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:30:05 +0000

Do you long to get your words out of your heart and into the world? What would it take to make that longing into a reality? What if these world-changing writers taught you how to make it happen? There’s only one week left of early bird registration for the World-Changing Writing Workshop. Last year, this [...]

Work is Killing You and 10 Ways to Stop It From Happening!

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:39:43 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Gus Zambrano. Every morning, you awaken to a new day and you launch into your familiar routines as you hustle to meet your daily obligations. Ideally, your work excites you, energizes you, and brings joy to your life. If your work brings you more stress and fatigue than [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Write from the heart and find your voice

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:48 +0000

Ali Luke is on a virtual book tour for her novel, Lycopolis, and she wants to talk to you about the importance of writing what you love in your own voice. Important stuff! Do you feel like you haven’t quite found your writing voice? There are plenty of technically good writers whose words seem to [...]

Registration for the 3rd Annual World-Changing Writing Workshop is open!

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Today’s the day! The World-Changing Writing Workshop is open for registration, and woo are we excited! This is our third year – we started back in 2010 with a grand idea and a whole lot of hopes, and we’ve helped hundreds of writers each year get their words out of their hearts and into the [...]

The Greatest Start-up Book Ever?

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:22:00 +0000

I've read dozens, maybe almost a hundred books on start-ups. I've loved many of them, but none of them really seemed like 'science' to me, more like opinion. After reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, I now understand what I've been missing! I really do feel like The Lean Startup is the greatest start-up book ever.. and here is why you MUST READ THIS BOOK NOW! It teaches entrepreneurs the "Scientific Method" for building a startup.It teaches entrepreneurs...

Can you RECEIVE it?

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:52:21 +0000

How do you receive love in your life? Praise? Recognition? Joy? Transformation? Yesterday I received one of the most beautiful testimonials from a client and friend. I was having one of those days where I was surfing my own edges —questioning everything—all my choices (yes, I have those moments too! –although they are [...]

Monday Morning Departure

Mon, 07 May 2012 10:51:24 +0000

Early morning in Atlanta, and everyone is asleep on MARTA. I’m heading to the airport for the flight back to New York. Made some great friends at Outlantacon this weekend. Tomorrow will be a quick day of meetings, then flying to Oregon Wednesday morning. Anyone else traveling this week?

7 reasons to Fail Early & Cheaply

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:11:00 +0000

Since everyone knows 19 out of 20 start-ups will fail... why not fail as soon as you can and as cheaply as you can? In fact, recent evidence suggests that the #1 reason start-ups fail is trying to scale up too quickly/too soon. Here are 7 reasons to FAIL as quickly as possible, and as cheaply as possible: Whenever you fail, you almost always learn more than if you succeed... especially if you start out with the goal of learning/deciding if a hypothesis will work.If you can fail...

Jet Setting

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:43:43 +0000

My sister, who takes frequently vacations to Hawaii, Europe and all over North America, not to mention last year’s Alaskan cruise or the weekend in the Bahamas, writes me acknowledging I’ve become “quite the jetsetter.” I will gladly admit that this hour in first class would appear to be lavish, but the upgrade was a [...]

Know how you plan to grow!

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:34:00 +0000

Here's the deal. If you have a business, and you don't have a plan for how to grow.. you are already failing. You need to at least have a hypothesis by which you believe you can achieve SCALE-ABLE GROWTH. And there is not reason to not grow.. here are the top strategies.. the key is always test ("Is your strategy working?"): you will grow by viral behaviour. Once you get a boost of new players, you will auto-grow because your virality is above 1.0.you will...

are you a fire starter?

Thu, 03 May 2012 17:00:52 +0000

Being genuine is the foundation of integrity–often inconvenient and not always painless–but the only way to go if you’re here to really, truly, fully live. - Danielle LaPorte, The Fire Starter Sessions It is with great anticipation that I share the praise -a Hell ya!- for Danielle’s Laporte’s new book, The Fire Starter Sessions: A [...]

Why is “falling in friend” hazardous to your heart?

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:40 +0000

I’ve been playing the Sims 3 again, in the evenings, to clear my head and chill me out enough to sleep. (Yes, I play a life-sim to relax. I’m weird. Known issue.) I’m also reading “Finding Your Way in a Wild New World” by Martha Beck. Turns out, these two things are related. Curious? Watch [...]

6 Easy to Apply Tips to Giving an Effective Presentation

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:24:39 +0000

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Julie Bradlow. Back in the 1980’s, it was common for interviewers to ask the now-cliched question: “What’s your greatest weakness?” The first time someone asked me this, I immediately quipped, “Chocolate.” While that was, and still is, true, I later learned that one is supposed [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

My Little Welsh Home

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:20:02 +0000

This is a cut from the video recorded at September’s North American Festival of Wales Concert Banquet, courtesy of Josh Miller. The wonderful pianist is Alan Thomas, and “My Little Welsh Home” is a piece by W. S. Gwynn Williams.

How to Ask for Help at Work

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:03:29 +0000

Have you ever seen a young kid struggle to build up a tower of blocks only to have them fall at the same point every time? He seems to think if he can just find the right angle or go slower he’ll get past his previous height. Only to get more and more frustrated. He looks [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Are you feeling stuck with no way out?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:17 +0000

It has come to my attention that many people don’t actually know how I ended up with a disability. Not to mention how I’m doing with accepting said disability. So, in my new grand tradition, in as much as a tradition can be new, I made you a video (07:24)! Click here to watch it! [...]

victim or creator? you choose.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:57:22 +0000

” The Highest form of intelligence is to be able to see yourself without judgement.” -Deepak Chopra And it is judgement that keeps us identified with a victimized perspective. This is not to say that there aren’t unjust experiences that happen to people. We all have at one point of another been the subject [...]

How do you find creative joy?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:42 +0000

Three lovely ladies – Susannah Conway, Marianne Elliott, and Jen Louden – have put together an incredible project called The Creative Joy Retreat, a dreamy five-day intensive where you get in touch with your deep passion for everything you create. It’s all about connecting with yourself and your art, so you know I love it! [...]

what do you want?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:14:31 +0000

“You can not go into your destiny if you are holding on to your history.” - Bishop TD. Jakes Do you know what you want? Most people I have found do not know what they want. Or they know what they want and they don’t believe for whatever reason that they deserve it [...]

12-Hour Track: See You Soon

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:53:15 +0000

This song was music therapy for me, and I wrote it about a month ago. The first few lines were in my head as I woke up, and it was finished before I went to bed. Words and ukulele are both mine. Disposable Friend was most enjoyable because the conflicted emotions that spawned it had [...]

What can you do when there’s no going back?

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:00:10 +0000

During my process of accepting my disability, the number one thing I’ve been saying is “I just want to go back to the way things were.” Oh, dear. Really? Yes. I’ve been saying that. But there is no going back. There’s never any going back. So, what can we do when we feel like going [...]

One More Train

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:38:40 +0000

They held the Coast Starlight for us. And now I’m settling into the lounge for the 90 minutes to Albany. We’re heading south, following the river, slowly gaining elevation. In Salem. Arrived safely in Sweet Home.

Columbia River

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:54:58 +0000

After a smoker’s stop in Pasco we’re rolling like a bat out of hell. Cowboy stretching his legs in Pasco. The next three hours will be along the Columbia River. This is my new buddy, Jennifer, who boarded in Richmond, VA on Sunday and we’ve been riding in the same car the past four days. [...]

Eastern Washington State

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:30:12 +0000

Wednesday morning, 4am. I’m awake. We’re sitting in a siding waiting to meet a freight train coming toward us. We’ve been here awhile. It’s just one sleeper car, two coaches and the lounge car behind an engine. A dinky little train in the huge Washington savannah. If I could see us, we’d look lost. Best [...]

The Rockies

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:27:26 +0000

It’s 6:10 Tuesday evening and we’re leaving Cut Bank, MT and continuing our climb to the mountains. Which is not to say we’re in the mountains, cause we ain’t. You know I could have taken one prairie picture and it would have referenced the whole day. I should make a movie for these people: the [...]

Rolling West on the High Plains

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:22:14 +0000

This post was written during the day, Tuesday, starting in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. I never got a t-mobile connection on the prairie which is why this post was written through the day. I understand why building a transcontinental railroad up here in the 1880′s was feasible. This land is nearly flat for hundreds of [...]

La Crosse

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:54:59 +0000

We crossed the La Crosse River in La Crosse, WI and entered Minnesota. I have a delightful seat mate til Minneapolis, and then might be alone for the night. We’ll see. Anyway, she’s doing graduate work in anesthesiology and has lived all over the country. Winona Station and sun down.

Wisconsin

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:50:55 +0000

In Wisconsin Dells,.and nearing sunset.

celebrate your ‘failures’.

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:52:01 +0000

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill Last week I enjoyed attending some of the RISE events in Austin for Entrepreneurs. Local filmmaker Robert Rodriguez gave the keynote and I have been gloriously inspired ever since. What most moved me about Rodriguez was his entrepreneurial [...]

Social Network Posts... Work.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:31:00 +0000

This week Buddy Media sent an email to their subscribers with advice on how to make good Social Network Posts... Two interesting nuggets here: 1.) Email Marketing works... I opened it, read it, and liked it. 2.) The advice is right on target. Post short messages, use full URLs, ask for a call to action, and post outside business hours. In fact, their findings: 20% higher engagement when posting off-hours, is perhaps conservative, (I've seen 75%-100% higher...

Calling for Volunteers to Help with Work Happy Now

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:39:40 +0000

I need your help. As you probably know I’ve had Work Happy Now up and running since 2008. It’s been an amazing resource for myself and my readers. Many of you don’t know I was laid off last year, so I’ve been working hard on my marketing company Party Biz Connect, soon to be Domino Connection. [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Learn Quickly the Cost of Acquiring a Customer

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:15:00 +0000

One of the most common advice I give to aspiring entrepreneurs about their business plans is to Learn as fast as possible the true cost of acquiring a customer. Why? It tells you quickly how viable your business is AND helps you to focus your message. One of the easiest ways to do this is to run a test ad campaign with several simple landing pages. Can you convince some (hopefully targeted) web traffic to convert into interest? Can you convince them to become a buyer?...

are you wild at heart?

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:01:35 +0000

“If you are truly wild at heart…you will fight for your dreams.” – the good witch in Wild at Heart What do you think of when you hear the word….WILD? Do you cringe? Does it freak you out? Or to you get fired up with excitement and enthusiasm for mystery, and the organic journey of [...]

Make Sticky Products & Sticky Marketing

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:09:00 +0000

I'm fascinated by Marketing. It's super hard. That's why I love it. Please, make my job easier... make products that stick! This book is a good place to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Now, this is a marketing book, but it contains ideas that product people should know... Since you product folks may not read it... here's an interpretation for you: 1. Products need to solve a problem people have, a need, or a desire for something...

why paint?

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:15:10 +0000

“To live a truly creative life, we must give up our fear of being wrong”. – Joseph Chilton Pearce Hello beautiful Creative Ones! WOW, it has been a full year so far for Fire Tree! Lots of exciting new opportunities, twist and turns… just like the thrill of staring a new painting as [...]

Redefining Marketing: Marketing is science buried inside Art.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Marketing has never been about Advertising. This is not really a redefinition of Marketing, as much as it is a reminder of what Marketing has always been. Advertising is a tiny, often outsourced, part of Marketing. It is the least of what we do. True Marketing starts with the People. It is an understanding of the customer -> how they think, what they like, how they shop, their demographics, their psychographics, and as much data about the customer as can...

remarkable beyond measure. TEDxAustin

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:47:08 +0000

We had so much fun contributing a live intuitive painting studio for BEYOND MEASURE the theme for this year’s TEDxAustin on February 11th at The Austin Music Hall. Attendees were invited to paint in between the TED talks that have been curated on ‘ideas worth spreading’. Naturally we felt like [...]

Skeptical About Fake Social Marketing

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:57:00 +0000

Fake Social Marketing = the kind of contrived, half-hearted attention you try to garner by having a Fanpage or Twitter follower... but it serves no purpose other then as a huge mega-phone. You are just saying nothing to people who don't care. Real Social Marketing = when you have people that *actually* care... and that you have an interactive conversation with those people, and actually listen and react to what is said. I am skeptical of the value of "Fake Social Marketing". I think it...

freedom or dependence?

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:24:58 +0000

Which do you choose? As an empath and an intuitive it is easy for me to asses what other people need… where their blocks are and what strategies will serve them the best in their next level of growth. This is one of my gifts. I feel it instantaneously and my experience and training allows [...]

Timeboxing To Avoid Procrastination

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:54:24 +0000

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jon Rhodes Timeboxing is a clever little technique that I have been intuitively using for years before I even knew it had name. It is great for helping those who are working for themselves to avoid procrastination and get things done. In a nutshell, it is giving yourself a [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Real Time

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:13:20 +0000

There’s something about real time that makes it extremely important to me. I’ve thought about (and even tried) writing batches of posts, something I’m fully capable of doing. When I do it, my brain bursts with ideas… but that only continues for as long as I write a batch of posts, every day. When a few [...]

What fuels you?

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:09:54 +0000

The thing that fuels me is interacting with and helping people, real time. For some reason, this is easy to forget! Not all projects involve a great deal of human interaction, and I honestly don't think I realized before how important it was for me to reconnect on a regular basis to something moving, breathing & human. I found some clarity on this when I told Larah that I needed a pickmeup, and it didn't have to be a specific kind of work or brainstorming... all I needed was the...

How to reach bloggers. Just ask!

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Recently, a representative from jooble-us.com (a job site aggregation, which helps people find jobs), contacted me and asked to post about it on my Blog. (Done). What was really interesting was the method of the message.... I actually think this might be a robot! (filling in my most recent 2 posts, the url of my blog, and my Zodiac Sign automatically!)! So, if a freaking ROBOT can get me to post about their site on my blog... you can easily do it too... just ask!...

Yes, YOU have Superpowers Now Let’s Use Them

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:04:45 +0000

I’m getting very tired of people not believing in their superpowers. It’s why I hate the word strengths. It’s the most overused word in business today. We focus on things we are good at instead of doing work that we care about. You may crunch numbers because you are good at it. You may sell toner because [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Keep Learning, But Fail First

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:00:57 +0000

The Actionable Books interview of which I speak: Seth Godin, "Fail or You're Fired". And brace yourself, because I'm about to make a (hopefully balanced) argument against buying that next infoproduct... And the many other things of which I als

Fully Invested (100% of your you)

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:13:22 +0000

I was still pretty sleepy when I recorded this, but it had to be done. (And that "all I have" comment at the end? Total bullshit. I got re-inspired 20 minutes later and made another video. I'll post it in a few days.) Links to people I mention

Flush the Junk

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:44:25 +0000

I have two ways to clear my mind when I need to focus on a big launch coming up. I… Meditate. Write something just for the fun of it. (i.e. poetry, short story, etc) I did both today. The meditation allows me to settle my thoughts so they are crystal clear. The writing then comes easy. The words flow out [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

A Marketing Basic: Speak & Write Plainly!

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:23:00 +0000

Speak Plainly. Seems obvious, but us marketers often get into the habit of "word-smithing" till the text on the page is unrecognizable by normal humans (and worse, by our target customers). Writing regular Facebook or Twitter updates for your company SHOULD be part of a solid Marketing campaign (try our own tool to help: http://postontime.com... but keep the writing simple. Here are a few examples to avoid, and better alternatives. Don't say user: "Users can now log in...

Business Clarity

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:58:23 +0000

Finding my business clarity has taken me a lot of time. I’m on my 8th blog and I’m just now figuring out what I love to learn, talk about, and teach. It’s this slow forward progress that has made all the difference. If I would have been stubborn I wouldn’t have created a company that was flexible [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Trust Agents

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:25:26 +0000

If you're interested in community engagement, connection-making and marketing for real people, Trust Agents is a must-read. I admit it: We were late to the game reading Trust Agents, which is downright shameful because it's such a useful, insightful book. If you look at Connectors and wonder how the hell they do what they do -- and if you want to be successful in online business? Uh, yeah. Pick this one up. I was discussing it with Bob Poole, because he's one of my greatest Connectors --...

What platform do you need?

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:36:14 +0000

Right now, an enormous part of my mission is to give you a platform to communicate with the world. So... what kind of platform do you need? If you're listening, comment.

Research Brief: how to write "engaging" Social Posts on Facebook and Twitter

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:29:00 +0000

According to eMarketer.com's recent study, having a picture and a clear call to action (e.g. request for likes or comments) leads to the most engaging social posts: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008677. My own research by running social campaigns for 6 Fanpages simultaneously has led me to agree with this, except for 1 additional comment: Keep it short! Keeping your posts short, and varying the time of their postings (possibly using my companies own tool: postontime.com)...

Stop Ordering Yourself Around

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:03:23 +0000

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mike Bundrant of iNLP. “Do it, Mike! Just do it! Stop your whining and get off your butt!” This is how I used to motivate myself. I carried around an inner high school football coach to bark at me whenever he thought I was slacking. The problem was, I [...] Download the Free eBook Work Happy the Google Way * Post from: Work Happy Now!

Top Tips for Social Network Marketing!

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:58:00 +0000

My top tips for Social Network Marketing are very simple: * full details and white-paper here Acquire lots of fans. (try a Karmaback Sweepstakes to help!)Engage fans with REGULAR and ENGAGING posts.Convert fans into customers by making them unique/special offers (only for fans). It is nice when the marketing industry in general agrees with you! Check out "Involver's" top tips as well (note: matches mine very...

Marketers want to better measure Social

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Ever wanted to know exactly what Social Network Marketing is doing for you? You are not alone. According to eMarketer.com measuring social effectiveness is of paramount concern. My question is what do you want to measure? Respond to me here or by email to harlan@karmaback.com Karmaback builds tools to improve Social Marketing effectivness... tell me what you want us to measure, and if we're not doing it already, we will be!

PostOnTime lets you post to Facebook and Twitter while you are away.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:23:00 +0000

If you are "into" social network marketing like I am, then you already know that posting to your Facebook and Twitter page on a consistent (and constant) basis is vital to keeping your Fans and Followers active and growing. A daily or twice daily post is not at all too much. However, knowing and doing are 2 different things. My company, Karmaback, has just launched PostOnTime to make the doing part of posting to Facebook and Twitter on a regular basis MUCH...

90% of Sweepstakes entrants are interested in buying the product.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:15:00 +0000

According to http://www.sweepstakestoday.com, 90% of Sweepstakes entrants are interested in buying the product. Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8786147.htm That means that if you get 1000 entries to your sweepstakes, 900 of them are actually considering BUYING your product. Those numbers are hard to deny... why aren't you running branded sweepstakes on your Facebook, Twitter, and Web pages? Karmaback makes it extremely easy to setup a branded and...

How to Build Community from Scratch

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:40:04 +0000

Since I began to truly recognize the value of community marketing and associated projects, the demand on my time as "community catalyst" -- Charlie Gilkey's term -- has managed to completely overrun my schedule. No, you're not crazy; that specific set of skills isn't yet represented on Ideaschema's website, primarily because I was overbooked before I managed to get it written up. Whoops! One gap has eluded my understanding until very recently, though, and it's this: How can I help someone who...

Engineers should NOT start a business.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:24:00 +0000

I'll say it again, Engineers should NOT start a business... unless they are prepared to run a business. So many people I meet are hungry to "have no boss" and "work on what they want", that they forget that to start a business is to run a business. If you are not willing to "work on stuff that needs doing", then starting a business is probably a very bad idea. Consider the ideal case. You are an engineer. You love doing engineering. You start a business that is just consulting your...

Referral Marketing and League of Legends

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:26:00 +0000

First, if you love PC games... or even just like them... you HAVE to try this Free downloadable game: League of Legends. It is really an amazing game, and it's free. How easy is that. Best of all, if you use MY track-able link: http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4e80eb3ecc45f219796048 then, I get bonuses for you joining and could even earn the right to "design my own character"! What was that? A perfect example of referral marketing in action. In...

We Are All Weird

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:04:12 +0000

Seth Godin has a new book out. We weren't kidding about the 11,000 copies. As of this note, there are already only 9,300 left. Go get yours.

Marketing is WAY harder than Engineering

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:57:00 +0000

I've written on this topic before, but I just thought it would be worth a mention again. I do think Marketing is harder/more challenging than Engineering, and I'm starting to think I understand why... Marketers have to figure out "what" to build... Engineers figure out how to build it.Marketers have to choose what to say, and when to say it... Engineers get to stay quiet in public.Marketers have to figure out why something isn't selling well... Engineers get to work on the next...

The Album In Question

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:11:41 +0000

This is a preliminary note until I can make a full update: Yes, I have a CD now! The album is a wonderful collaboration between myself and Marge Adler, a genius arranger and pianist in Cleveland. There’s a little more information about the CD here, but here’s the important part! If you want to be [...]

ALWAYS provide an "Easy Button" for your customers.

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:16:00 +0000

It doesn't matter what you sell, who you sell to, or how much you are charging. There should always be an "easy" button for your customers. In fact, the most basic, core functionality of your product should be so easy, it barely even needs a button. How do you do that, you ask? Well, simple. First, find the core functionality of your product. Knowing that can be a huge help! Second, make sure that the user can see (and use) the core functionality...

Video Games need more "bosses".

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:50:00 +0000

Do you remember the old Nintendo Days. Finally fighting Ganon in Zelda? All the "mini-bosses" in Metroid? Or the countless other timeless boss encounters? Or on PC, the "Doom" Demon Bosses? Probably you remember the feeling of excitement, accomplishment, dread, and relief that was part of the encounter. Where have all the boss encounters gone? Recently I have enjoyed playing Mass Effect 2 a ton... mostly because it has some decent Boss encounters here and...

Why do Social Marketing?

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:58:00 +0000

Social Marketing is more than just a buzzword. If you are not doing "basic" Social Marketing, you are missing out in a revolution of internet marketing; and failing to market where your customers live. This video explains (statistically) why the hype about Social Marketing is important... I'll summarize it: BECAUSE ALMOST EVERYONE IS THERE! e.g. almost your entire market is spending more and more of their time on social networks!!! Got it? Here are 3 levels of Social...

End Malaria

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:21:29 +0000

If you read no other post on this site, read this one. (Or jump straight to saving lives -- we won't complain!)

Austin Wildfires

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:10:57 +0000

I am honestly bewildered. I've spent the last week in Ohio, singing and then visiting with my family. Yesterday morning, I woke up to texts from sweethearts getting ready to evacuate and reports that there were wildfires raging all around Austin -

A glimpse of NAFOW 2011

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:49:34 +0000

My interview with the fascinating Gaabriel Becket, with whom I conversed about topics infinite and diverse after we serendipitously discovered one another in the NAFOW marketplace one lovely morning. Gaab’s original post is here.

Bigfoot Networks Acquisition

Harlan Tytus Beverly — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:33:00 +0000

I am super delighted to announce that a company I founded based on my own original idea (to build products that Fight Lag in Online Games) has been acquired by Qualcomm! Congratulation to the whole team, and THANK YOU to all my friends and family who helped Bigfoot Networks get here. http://www.anandtech.com/show/4726/qualcomm-atheros-acquires-bigfoot-networking It is a great ending to an amazing story of adventure, passion, and persistence. Founded in 2005, Bigfoot...

The Cleveland Festival

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:02:36 +0000

The Crown Plaza Hotel is the scene of this year’s North American Festival of Wales, where I’m singing at tomorrow’s concert banquet. It’s a lovely place to stay, and today I walked down to the pier. Lake Erie is stunning. People make casual jokes about Cleveland being Cleveland, grey or dreary or whatever it is [...]

On the Maes: Roy Noble & BBC Radio Wales

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:03:40 +0000

BBC Wales Interview Set by MeganElizabethMorris I just added a third Roy Noble interview to my SoundCloud set; the first is with Alan Upshall, the second with myself in 2009, and the third was recorded live on the Maes shortly after I competed in 2010. (Marty and his kilt make a surprise appearance.) ;} Enjoy!

The Tail-End of That Tale

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:21:37 +0000

I know that up until this point I enjoyed my retelling of the Wales adventures quite a bit. I love having the time to sink into a story and pull out all the little details. And I’m certain that, in part, my lapse has been about not having enough time. But mostly, it’s about winning. [...]