SOBCon

SOBCon Chicago Revisited: Rick Turoczy on Positioning

terry — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:54:30 +0000

Photo by Steve Hall

We’re pleased to present a series of videos from the recent SOBCon Chicago 2012 – this first edition features Rick Turoczy talking about business positioning. Rick, who lives in Portland, is the editor of the popular startup site @siliconflorist and is the co-founder of @PIEpdx. the Portland Incubator Experiment. His key takeaway:

“There is no weak position, there’s only weak positioning. There’s always opportunity no matter what position you’re in”

Enjoy the rest of Rick’s wisdom and experience, and if you want more, don’t miss SOBCon NW in Portland this September – yes, Rick (and PIE) will be there.

Getting to Point B: Catherine Morgan to Guest Host May 17 #SOBCon Chat on Successful Career Transitions & Business Pivots

Phil — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:56:43 +0000

With the economy still in a state of flux, there are surely a lot of folks that are thinking about career transition, and some are making that leap from employment to entrepreneurship. Those who already have their own businesses may be trying to execute a graceful business pivot. Seems like everyone is in transition! You won’t want to miss our May 17 SOBCon chat, guest hosted by career transition and entrepreneur coach Catherine Morgan of Point A to Point B Transitions Inc.

Catherine works with individuals out of professional services, financial services or technology who are in career transition or are looking to establish and grow their own successful consulting or coaching practices. She has been helping people get to their Point B for more than 15 years.

We’ll be asking Catherine to answer these questions to launch our discussion on making successful career transitions:

How do you know if you should make a career move or just re-energize your current job/business?
Are there techniques for figuring out what the right next step might be?
What are some ideal first steps to making a major change in your job/business?
What are some common mistakes people make in transition?
Any advice to those who haven’t made a career change in many years, but want to?

Make 2012 the year you start working toward Point B in your career. Mark your calendar for the SOBCon Twitter chat on May 17 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. CDT.

Business on the Move – Literally – (Our next #SOBCon chat)

Phil — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:34 +0000

So many of us are constantly on the move as we go from meetings to conferences to offices…many spend more time on the road than they do at “home.” Even while traveling, we stay connected to our business, keep on top of strategies and tasks and continue to move towards our professional goals. Bradley Gauthier will be joining us on April 19th to discuss how you can: stay productive while traveling, be more effective at using technology and continue to move your business forward while you are on the go.

Bradley has he been a serial entrepreneur for 13 years. Starting with a tech handyman firm, then building a successful website design firm during dot.com era, and then another successful Internet marketing firm, he had built what most entrepreneurs would see as a successful business. But he realized that these ventures were also sucking the life out of him. So in early 2011, Bradley said goodbye to it all, giving away most all of his possessions, and pursued a life of travel. All while building an education software company with the goal of improving the lives of others for current and future generations. He is now living the life of a Digital Nomad.

As a serial entrepreneur and a digital nomad, Bradley is the perfect person to share insights of building and maintaining a business on the move.

We’re sure you have a lot of questions for him. But specifically we’ll be focusing on these on the chat:

How do you prepare for business while traveling? What are the necessities?
What are your top tips for effectively using technology, especially while on the go?
How do you insure that your productivity continues while traveling?
How do you sustain your team’s productivity when you are traveling?
Are there apps or tools that you would recommend?

Ready to know more about becoming a Digital Nomad? Join us for the SOBCon Twitter chat on April 19th at 1pm ET.

Thanks To Our 2012 SOBCon Sponsors

Phil — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:30:43 +0000

We are very excited to have 3 amazing core sponsors for SOBCon 2012:

GoToMeeting allows you to host an online meeting with up to 15 people – so you can do more and travel less. Using our web conferencing tool, you can share any application on your computer in real time. Attendees join meetings in seconds.

At Dex One®, we care about small business success. It’s why we provide smart, searchable advertising, free marketing consultations, and expert online resources—all designed to help local businesses like yours get found and chosen by new customers.

Mojaba(tm) is a mobile-web publishing platform for creative agencies to build stunning mobile websites for their clients.

Thanks to our sponsors!

Please visit our sponsors because without them SOBCon wouldn’t be possible!

Book Marketing Expert Liz Marshall to Guest Host March 15 #SOBCon Chat on Getting Your First (or Next) Book Published

Phil — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:45:41 +0000

Is 2012 the year you FINALLY get your book published and message out to the world? That’s a big step in your business and career, especially with ALL the different publishing options and all the ways you can package, publish and promote your idea. But how do you know when the timing is right? And, how do you know the right path for YOU – and your message, your business and your goals? If you’re even *considering* publishing your message or book this year, you do not want to miss our Sobcon Twitter chat on March 15. We’re bringing in book marketing strategist, Liz Marshall, as our guest host to answer some of those burning questions about how to successfully publish and stand out in a noisy marketplace.

When you ask Elizabeth Marshall about the secret to spreading your message and selling books, she’ll tell you it all comes back to one thing: relationships. (Well, relationships and a compelling idea message to share.) Which is no surprise when you take a peek at how she’s grown her own business and brand.

Whether it’s hosting virtual book tour calls for bestselling authors, such as Keith Ferrazzi, Seth Godin, Carol Roth, Les McKeown and Michael Port, through her AuthorTeleseminars.com brand or designing creative marketing campaigns for up-and-coming thought leaders, she draws on the deep connections she’s made over the years to make it all happen.

As a result of her relationship with Michael Port, she co-authored The Contrarian Effect, which was named the #9 Best Business Book of 2008 by the Amazon.com Editorial Board and Best Sales Book for 2008 by 1-800-CEO-READ. And, in partnership with renowned publishing strategist, Janet Goldstein, she launched Book Breakthrough NYC, an annual live event each July for authors and messengers who want to transform their message into a book and a movement.

We’re sure you have a lot of questions for someone with Liz’s background and experience. Here’s a few of the potential juicy topics and themes we’ll be discussing on the chat:

How do you know when it’s right to pursue your publishing dreams?
With all the different publishing options, how do you know which one is right for YOU?
Once you’ve made the decision to get your message out, what are suggested first steps towards getting your book done?
Can I still be successful with my book even if I self publish? Even if I have a shoestring budget?
Pros and cons of traditional publishing vs.self publishing? Print vs Digital?
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see first-time authors make?
When it comes to marketing your book, what strategies really work? Which ones don’t?
When is the right time to start marketing my message and book?

Along with these questions, she’s sure to share some thoughts about the art and science of powerful connections, including a fresh, up-to-the-moment perspective on how to make a greater impact with your thought leadership and message.

Make 2012 the year YOU get published. Don’t miss the #SOBCon Twitter chat on March 15, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST.

Jesse Petersen Loves #SOBCon

Phil — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:00:24 +0000

Recently we caught up with Jesse Petersen, head honcho of Petersen Media Group, to ask him how his business has benefited from SOBCon. What follows are Jesse’s unedited words.

Thinking back on it, SOBCon was something that “just happened.” I had just started on the blogging scene back in 2006 when I came across a blog called Successful Online Blogging. I started reading about blogging both as a hobby and a source of income. Before I knew it, I had left some comments that got some replies from some of the regulars on the site. Today, those people: Liz, Chris, Phil, Terry, Barry, and Steve are among my closest online friends and have become “real life” friends through SOBCon.

Little did I know it at the first SOBCon in 2007, but these people would be catalysts to starting and successfully running my own business doing what I love to do most: help people in need. Their needs met my skills and the rest is history. Without the exponential word of mouth marketing that arises from these many quality relationships over the years, I would not still be in business, ever expanding and deepening my network that consists of both dear friends and valued clients.

The people at SOBCon are what make me different each year; they make you change your thought processes and way of viewing your online world through world-class presentations and round-table workshops. Toss in deliberate social networking events to mingle and learn from each other, and you have no option but to change for the better.

If you don’t want genuine interactions with people who care about you as a person, then you’re fine sitting at home or the office. However, if that is something you’ve never experienced but yearn to, you owe it to yourself to come. You’ll never be the same. Oh, and don’t worry if you’re an introvert! So am I — shuffle on over to me and we’ll strike up a conversation a couple of hours later.

Learn more about Jesse Petersen by visiting Petersen Media Group or check him out on Twitter @jpetersen.

SOBCon Chicago 2011

dragon — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:24:56 +0000

The New Leadership and Loyalty Business

SOBCon Chicago 2011 featured six models and masterminds workshops, four up-close, interactive conversations with business leaders, and four special presentations – all focused on the new online and offline leadership and loyalty business. We capped it off with a give-back event on Sunday. And, we gave away a GM car to Mark Horvath! SOBCon Chicago 2011 Speakers included:

Learn to Use Video to Help Your Clients “See the Real Me” During #Sobcon Chat on January 19th, 2012 w/ @erlmedia

Phil — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:52:27 +0000

Finding the “right” business professional can be challenging and often frustrating. When was the last time you were handed a list of names by an insurance company and told to randomly pick a doctor? What was it like when a friend referred you to an attorney and they were completely incompatible? How frustrating was it to look through webpage after webpage of the same text and image of consultants talking about themselves and not what matters to you?

Successful relationships start with trust, rapport, and a connection with what clients care about. The first few moments of an initial interaction is critical. People consider not only skills and credentials, but also your personality, style, approach, and the willingness to educate them on what matters most. And video is the new gateway to more and more successful client and business relationships.

Video marketing pro Yasmin Nguyen of IAMERL.com (@erlmedia) helps people tell their story with video in a way that’s “Engaging, Relevant, and Local” (yes, that’s was ERL is). For our January #Sobcon chat on January 19th, 2012, Yasmin will be sharing his video storytelling expertise with us. Here are some of the questions we’ll be discussing:

Why is video the marketing medium of choice for the future?
What are some of the biggest concerns people have about using video for marketing?
What material should be included in a marketing video?
How should you prepare for making your first video?
How should video be integrated into your overall marketing strategy?

With over 3 billion views of video on YouTube EVERY DAY and its growing integration into online search, business professionals can no longer ignore video as part of their marketing strategy. Join us for the chat by following and using the #sobcon hashtag on Twitter from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. CST on January 19th, 2012.

What Is SOBCon, And Why Is It Different Than Any Other Conference?

Starbucker — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:15:08 +0000

Hi all, Starbucker here. Recently I had a chance to sit down in Portland with SOBCon alum and video maestro Yasmin Nguyen to talk about the event. We chatted about what made SOBCon different than any other event – here’s the video:

Stay tuned for the announcement of our program and speaker list for SOBCon 2012 Chicago, May 4-6
Register for the event NOW and reserve your seat before it’s sold out!

Fine-tune Operations with Customer Feedback (feat. @Starbucker) #sobcon

Phil — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:29:56 +0000

Join SOBCon co-founder Terry “Starbucker” St. Marie for our next webinar on Friday, December 16, 10 AM (PST) / 1 PM (EST). Terry will be sharing his insights into fine-tuning operations with customer feedback in a session titled “Process Whisperers: Use Customers to Turbo-Charge Your Business.”

No matter the size of your business, you always face the classic dilemma of delivering a high-quality product at a manageable cost. While internal data and insight can be helpful, the solutions you need may come from an unexpected source: your customers.

Register today for this complimentary webinar and learn from Terry’s vast experience as a leader responsible for the customer experience.

Sponsored by our friends at Go To Webinar.