Blog - Nolan Webster

9 Key Ideas To Make Your Event A Successful One

Nolan Webster — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 15:14:31 +0000

There are many factors that make an event successful, however, there are just nine listed here that will make your event a definite success. You will have to pay attention to all details of the event and make sure that you stay on top of things for the event to really take off.

First, you need to make sure that you plan everything. You should plan for the best, worst, and expected scenes. When you do this you end up having all your bases covered. You have backup plans to help you with your problems and you also don't have time to panic because you've planned that well. You need to make sure that you look at everything. What's the worst that can happen? Always plan for the worst, because you never know.

While you are planning, make sure that you stay organized. The worst thing that you can do is throw all your beautiful plans in one big pile and expect to find things at last minute or lose vital information. To stay organized you need to keep all your contracts and important information in a binder. When you keep things in the bind you know exactly where everything is and what you need to do at all times. However, bind the papers. When you bind the papers you are more likely to not lose all the information in some accident. Also, make sure you have it on you at all times so that you can immediately put things in the binder.

To start the party off on the right foot, you need to make sure that you pick the right venue, theme, and everything else. When it comes to the right venue, you need to make sure that all your guests can come to the place without ease and that it is appropriate for the event. You don't want to have a ball at a hunting lodge, or maybe you do, it just depends on what you want the night to say. Right from the start you can have a perfect event by selecting the perfect place to hold the event.

Once you have picked out your location you can then begin to plan the event. The first thing that you need to plan when it comes to the event is the theme. Make sure that your theme is exactly what you are going for. You need to use your theme to help coordinate all the other details of the event and the theme will help you in making some very important decisions. In fact, the theme is everything. It is the first thing that you should define.

Once you have the theme you can then think about the party or event. There are two important factors of every event, they just so happen to be the food and drinks. You will want to make sure that you form a contract with some of the best caters in the area to ensure that your party or event ends splendidly. Also, you should know that this is so important that it can literally make or break your event. With bad food comes bad ratings and you're sure thing for failure. Once you have booked the caters and sampled everything you will feel more confident. Also, think about the drinks. You may not want to offer a cash bar or open bar. They both can be expensive in their own ways, however, if you limit your bar you can make it seem like an open bar, but you can limit your budget.

Once you have the food and drinks planned you can move onto entertainment. You will want something that will keep your guests entertained and be educational and fun. You can have a band or singer to help entertain. If you are a charity, you should make sure that you inform your audience about the cause and the importance of their help, most of all, donations.

To help you with everything you need to have good venders. Venders are what make the party. You should always be kind to your suppliers because you never know when you will need them the most. Don't be surprised if mistreated vendors breech contract and not even show up. You'll look ridiculous not having a dinner minutes before the dinner.

Finally, you should think about how you can do all of this and still keep your cool. You may want to hire an assistant or have someone help you with all 'the to do' lists. However, you may find that you don't trust anyone to be responsibly enough, but you should at least give people a try.

4 Ways To Ensure That Your Event Will Go As Planned

Nolan Webster — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 18:16:29 +0000

When you are trying to plan a great event, you want to everything perfect so that it all goes as planned. This may not always be easy and in fact you will have to work hard at it to make sure that it does go the way that you are hoping. You should not get all worked up about your event. As long as you have the right materials and the work ethic to do it, you will have a great and successful time.

There are four ways to ensure that your event will just as you have planned. You will first want to make a budget. Once you know how much you can afford to spend on this special occasion, you will then be able to plan out all that you have to spend on your purchases. This will give you some kind of start so that you can follow through on it. It is very important to stick to your budget so that you are not forced to go over and have to find ways to pay the extra cost.

Once you have the budget in place you will want to make a list. This is the second way to ensure that everything goes as planned. Once you have the list of all the materials and things that you need to plan out, you will then be on your way to making the most of your special occasion. You will want to figure out the different things that you will need and then go from there. This will be the best way to make sure that you are getting good deals on all the things that you are in need of.

Make sure that you are checking things off of your list as they are done. You will want to do this so that you are not forgetting to take care of something and this will help you leave nothing undone. You will find that planning out the event will go a lot easier and quicker when you have a great plan to move on with. This will be a very good way to stay organized and on track.

The third way to ensure that your event goes as planned is to make sure that you have a lot of help. You do not want to take on all the challenges of running an event yourself. You want to have as much help as you can so that you are able to make the most of your special day. You want to have friends help you out as much as possible as well as even hiring some extra hands to get everything done for you.

They will also be able to keep an eye on things at the event. They can watch over and make sure that all is running smoothly and if there is a problem, they can try and fix it before you even find out about it. This will be a great help and also take some of the stress off of you when the time comes.

The fourth way to make sure that you are succeeding with your planned event is to have a lot of patience. You do not want to get yourself worked up too much. You want to make sure that you are calm and collected so that you can handle any problems that may come up at the event. You will feel better and be able to relax when you are in control of the situation. This is something that a lot of people do not do and they will find that they have no fun at their own party.

You did all this planning and hard work and you should be able to enjoy it as much as you can. Calm down and have patience. Things are going to go wrong and there is nothing that you can do about it. All you can do is work through it and hope for the best.

5 Pitfalls To Avoid When Planning Your Next Event

Nolan Webster — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 18:15:02 +0000

When it comes to planning an event, it can be rough. You not only have to worry about all the details that are major, but you have to deal with all the little things. You may find that there are some reoccurring problems that you have when you plan events. Each problem that you run into should teach you some kind of lesson for the next event.

The first thing that you should avoid when it comes to planning your next event is getting overwhelmed with details. If the event is getting bigger and bigger and you've seem to lost control over things, you need to get backup. It's hard to plan an event, especially if it is a very important event. You have to plan where you are going to have the event, the theme, the decorations, the food, the caters, the supplies, and the budget. You need to make sure that you stay within a budget, but get everything done. This is when you need an assistant.

If you don't have an assistant you will have an emotional breakdown and it could ruin the event. Depending on your personality, the breakdown can be crucial. This is way you need an assistant. Don't get overwhelmed with things. When it comes to using an assistant you can leave them the minor things like fetching, fixing, decorating, and all the small details that you should never worry about.

The second pitfall that you need to avoid is the bar and food. If you are going to have a catered dinner or event, you need to make sure that you have a written contact upon hiring. The contract needs to state the money, the food, and basically what you expect from the amount of money that you are paying. Even put the times when they need to show up in the contract or you may end up with irresponsible caters. You need to make sure that the food looks and taste good. You don't want to have people looking at you with disappointment.

The third pitfall to avoid has to deal with contracts. Get a contract written for everything. It can be on a tablecloth, if you must. Just make sure that you have it in writing what you are paying them, why you are paying them, what you expect from them, and the day and times that they need to show up with the goods. If you don't, you will end up having someone come to you saying that they overbooked or they have increased the costs.

The fourth pitfall to avoid is bankruptcy. Make sure that you set a budget for your event. The way to successfully set budget is to set a least and the most amounts. For example, you can pay at least $5,000 for the party, but you can go to $7,000. Then you aim for the average, so you would like to have a $6,000 party. If you set your budget like that you know exactly if you need to cut the corners or if you can expand somewhere on the party. You will also be more successful if you set yourself some limits. You'll be more likely to be under budget.

The fifth and final pitfall to avoid, is relaxing too far in advance. A lot of people will plan an event so far ahead that they think that they can take it easy the day before or even the day of the party or event. You need to realize that when you find extra time to relax, make some phone calls. Make sure that everyone is on the same page so that when the day comes you don't run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. You can take the day of the event with an relaxed pace because you were on top of things the day before.

Different Types of Creativity

Nolan Webster — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:09:20 +0000

One of the most desired traits that improves results in almost any role is the ability to be creative. Creativity is important from birth through all stages of life. It plays a role in living, problem-solving, and in playing.

The idea of creativity is a very complex topic with a lot of different opinions. Regardless of the type of creativity someone possesses, there are two factors within the four creativity types that you should be aware of. Every single type of creativity must include originality and functionality. This merely means that the idea must be unique, and it also must work. Energetic and intelligent people have the discipline to work toward creativity rather than wait for it to happen spontaneously.

Let's look at a few different types of creativity to help explain the concept of creativity.

1. Deliberate and Cognitive

People who have deliberate creative characteristics tend to have a lot of knowledge about a topic, which enables them to create actionable steps to get something done. They are good at research, problem-solving, and investigation. They make great scientists who like to do experiments to discover new facts.

2. Deliberate and Emotional

Often, sensitive and emotional people like to have quiet time to reflect on the choices they need to make or the problems they want to solve. They tend to be logical in decision making, but they lead with their emotions first. They tend to experience a lot of exciting "aha" moments that they like to go with. They can get distracted when emotions are low and need alone time to focus their mind.

3. Spontaneous and Cognitive

Another type of person who often acts on the "aha" moment is the person who has spontaneous and cognitive creativity. This type of creativity happens when the conscious mind stops working. It requires the ability to relax and think, and then act right away on the thinking. This type of person needs a lot of alone time as well as easy access to the right tools.

4. Spontaneous and Emotional

Artists, musicians, painters, and writers often experience epiphanies as they do their work. They find scientific breakthroughs, discover new religious ideas, and develop philosophical arguments during these moments. Some writers also call this "flow." It's that time when you're working on something, and it just starts coming naturally without much effort.

Regardless of the type of creativity you have, your workers have, or your students have, you can work with all types by remembering that people express creativity in different ways. Creativity is not all about art. It can be about living life, exploring the scientific world, and so much more. You don't have to allow any definitions to hold you back from bringing more creativity into your life and the lives around you.

How to Motivate and Inspire Your Team

Nolan Webster — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 15:51:34 +0000

Want to motivate your team and get them to work better and faster?

Then you should just offer them bonuses for working harder and faster right? Or introduce the threat of punishment for those who take too long?

Wrong!

When you introduce penalties and rewards, you encourage faster, sloppier work that is more likely to lead to mistakes. What’s more, is that you encourage people to step on each other to get to the top. And you stifle creativity!

So what do you do instead?

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

The problem is that both of these solutions involve extrinsic motivation. That means that the motivation is coming from elsewhere; that the activity is not rewarding in itself. This means that the team will simply want to finish fast and go home!

Conversely though, if you can make it so that the activity itself is rewarding, then you’ll find they naturally work harder of their own volition.

So how do you create this change?

Ownership

One solution is to give your team some degree of ownership over what they are doing and to give them credit for their rewards. A good way to do that? To put their name on what they create!

There is a big reason behind why this works and that is that it gives them a sense of pride in their work. That in turn makes the work rewarding and this is their project. If it goes well, then they can brag about it. And if they can brag about it, then it will benefit them.

At the same time, it’s also important to give your team some degree of control over what they are doing. That means making sure that they can make decisions if they need to and take the necessary responsibility that comes with that. Once again, this makes the project feel more like it is really “theirs“ and it makes them much happier to work longer hours as a result.

Of course there are other ways you can make work fun too! Introducing lots of breaks, changing the working environment and even gamifying certain aspects can all make a big difference to the way that your team work and behave and so give it a go!

The Biggest Tip

But the biggest tip of all? Make sure you have the right people on your team in the first place. Some people just won’t find what you’re doing exciting. And they’re the wrong people for your organization!

Using Creativity To Problem Solve At Work

Nolan Webster — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:10:14 +0000

We all encounter problems at work and in life. It can be stressful to find yourself in the middle of a problem without a solution. There are ways to solve most problems though if you know when, where, how, and what to look for in creating a solution.

Creative problem solving is the process of solving problems with a view of the issue in more than one way. It’s a necessary skill in the workplace but many people don’t naturally have the instinct for it. That’s why using the tools and techniques outlined in this article will help you.

Begin by identifying and defining the problem, wish or goal. What is the real problem? What’s wrong or lacking? What do you want to achieve or have happen? Look at the underlying reason for the problem. Is it a simple thing or is there something going on causing the problem? Remember, the solution is not to treat the symptom. Address the problem and fix it instead of putting a bandage on the problem.

Gather Data - Gather the information you need to solve the problem. What data do you need to know? Sort the facts, opinions and fiction. Do you have a clear idea of what the problem is? Examine the problem from every side and from different perspectives or views. View what has already been done to deal with the issue.

Generate Ideas and Solutions - Brainstorm ways to fix the problem. You must bypass the fears and blocks that keep creative solutions from forming. Use creativity when thinking of ways to solve the problem, goal or situation. Think outside the normal way of doing things when looking for a solution. Other ways to come up with ideas are to use random stimulation by gathering ideas from a randomly chosen word.

Try It on For Size - Putting yourself in another’s shoes is another idea generator. What would other people do in your situation? Another option for idea generation is to take a break, then come back to it with a new perspective. Realistically evaluate all the ideas before setting up an action plan. Don’t go with the first solution before thoroughly checking out all the ideas.

Step It Up - Turn the solution into actionable steps. After you generate ideas and lay them all out, decide on which course of action you will take that works best for the needs of the problem. Then create actionable steps on how to do it. Don’t be afraid to come back and re-write or re-evaluate your solutions if you need to adapt or the situation changes.

Creative problem solving means you must look at the problem in an unconventional way. It should entail evaluating the problem you are trying to solve, gathering all the information you need to evaluate a solution, brainstorming and creativity to find solutions and turning those solutions into actionable steps.

Useful Tricks to Improve Creative Thinking

Nolan Webster — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:49:59 +0000

There might be times you find yourself lacking in creativity. The cause for your lack of creativity can be for different reasons. It could be you haven’t been using your creative muscles regularly and they’ve become hidden. There are many tricks you can use to improve your creative thinking.

One of the best ways to keep yourself inspired to create every day is to have rituals in place that you use regularly and routinely. Having routines that inspire you conditions your brain to tap into your creativity easily. Some examples of a ritual might be to

· Read in the morning.

· Listen to music every day.

· Meditating for 5 minutes.

· Deep breathe throughout the day.

Creating something every day, even if you only have 5 or 10 minutes to do so, keeps your creativity alive and inspired. You don’t have to create a masterpiece. Write a short article. Draw mind maps in meetings. Develop new product ideas. Creatively re-arrange and organize your files. Take photographs of the sunset.

Take breaks often. Especially when you feel stuck with a problem and can’t find the solution. Taking breaks allows your mind to focus on something else while getting inspiration. It’s also good to take a break from all the digital chatter in our lives regularly. Get outside and unplug at least once a week, preferably daily, to build your creative thinking muscle.

Whenever you feel inspired, make a list of those ideas in a small notebook or note app in your phone. Use these ideas as launching pads for new ways of doing things, new products or whatever inspires you.

Have fun regularly. Go out with friends or colleagues for some time away from the routines that are keeping your stuck. Laughing, good conversation and bouncing ideas off each other builds and inspires your creativity while helping you relax and have fun.

Use the “Three Ifs” to ask clever questions to inspire your thoughts on a concept. Build your creative thinking by asking questions like these:

1. What would happen if I change it (the object, system, etc.)?

2. What would I change or improve about it if I wanted to use it in 10 years?

3. What would I do if I had a one-million-dollar investment to improve it?

These questions or ones like them, can be powerful tools to help you think differently. Repeatedly use the three questions test in all types of the situations. Ideas will begin to flow and enable you to think more creatively.

Take advantage of the peak hours that you feel most productive and creative when you need to find a solution. Some people are more creative during times of emotional stress. Whatever that time is, use it to let your creative juices flow. Put on some music, surround yourself with inspiring things and just be creative.

Interact with creative and inspiring people on a regular basis to get fresh ideas and perspectives. These interactions and exchange of ideas can help you re-focus on the creative ideas that work best for you and help you narrow down your options.

Finally, don’t be afraid to take risks to improve your creative thinking. When you avoid taking risks you end up suppressing your ideas. Risks give you permission to think outside the box and embrace your creative ideas. Some people are more creative than others, naturally. But everyone can be a creative thinker. Build your creativity in ways that help you be inspired and creative all the time.

Things To Avoid If You Want To Think Creatively

Nolan Webster — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:43:44 +0000

We’re all busy. Busy is a part of everyone’s over full lives. We have overflowing email in-boxes, cram too many meetings into our day, spend hours trying to keep up with social media. But being busy simply means we don’t have priorities set up right. And being busy means our creativity suffers.

Our creative powers become stagnant when we are busy. Creativity is what helps us manifest our ideas, use it to solve problems so our projects succeed or come up with easier ways to do things.

There are things we do, habits we have, that are zapping our creativity. These habits drain us and put our goals out of reach. With a few changes in your behavior, you can begin tapping into your creativity.

Bad Medicine

Look at all the things you put into your body. Those things that help you cope every day. Do they really help? This can be anything you eat that you get some sort of effect from. This can be processed or junk food, sugar or caffeine from coffee to drugs, alcohol or smoking. When we’re at our peak, our creative selves are more prevalent. Be honest with what goes into your body. Is it helping or hindering?

Social Media

Social media is an important part of how we connect with others and cultivate relationship for our work. It’s also a big attention stealer. Our attention is vital to our lives and for creativity. Limit how much time you spend on social media. Be aware of how it makes you feel and how it affects your creativity.

Email

Email in-boxes are inundated with more and more emails every day. Checking our email is one of the biggest killers of energy and momentum in our lives. Set a specific time to read, respond and delete emails to make better use of more time and energy.

Overworking

It’s easy to overdo work and get burnt out. We push ourselves to the limit. Then our energy slags and we lose sleep. Instead, when possible, set limits on how long you work. Learn how to be consistent, outsource, get help or whatever is necessary to not over work yourself. “Sprints” are fine but only occasionally, but make sure you don’t let your rest suffer.

Doing the Wrong Work

One thing that destroys your creativity is doing the wrong work. When you spend too much time on things that don’t matter or that don’t come naturally to you, you begin to become stagnant, overworked and less creative. Instead delegate, outsource or avoid tasks that are part of your weakness. Playing to your strengths allows you to embrace your creativity.

Choosing the First Solution

When you go with the first solution, you are just recalling or settling. This keeps you from being motivated to try alternative ideas. When faced with a problem, take the time to explore different solutions. Is there a better one, more efficient one, easier one?

Changing your habits that are restricting your creativity can change the way you tap into your creativity. Doing away with these habits frees energy, time, and mental awareness letting you be open to new ideas and thoughts.

The 5 Steps In The Creative Process

Nolan Webster — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:36:05 +0000

When you look at creative work, you might be amazed at how simple they are, their beauty and their effectiveness. You might wonder how they came up with the idea. How can you use that creative process in your work and life?

Creativity is not magic. It’s a mixture of influence, imitation and your own interpretation. It can be more predominate in some people, but everyone can train themselves to be more creative. It’s not just restricted to art or music or inventors. It comes down to training yourself in the creative process.

The creative process is different for everyone yet has the same basic 5 steps. Each step will be different depending on the person, job, industry, creative medium or other factors. It might take days, weeks or months to get an outcome. The creative process is not predictable or linear.

1. Preparation. The preparation stage is where you gather as much information as possible. You begin becoming immersed with the material. Research is done in this step. Look at the audience, research the brand, gather information and inspiration from other sources.

For example, if you are a writer, this step is the researching facts and reading other works in the same area. If you’re an entrepreneur you’re researching your audience needs and the demand.

2. Incubation. This is the step that will take time. It’s where the magic happens. After you absorb the information from step one, you begin to examine concepts, look at them in different ways and experiment on how the fit together. This step is when ideas are marinating in your mind. It can be consciously while you are brainstorming or subconsciously. You may have to step away from the problem to do something else that energized and excites you before you come back to it.

3. Illumination. This is the “Aha!” moment, the lightbulb moment, the “Eureka!” moment when the perfect idea hits you. It’s the breakthrough moment. It’s often unexpected. It happens many times when you are doing a completely unrelated activity. When this moment hits, grab your notebook or sketchbook and jot it down before it gets lost in your brain.

4. Evaluation. This is the reasoning stage. It’s the hard part where you look at all your ideas and narrow them down to the ones that will work and the ones that won’t. For each idea or solution ask:

· Is it worth pursuing?

· Is it new enough or has it been many times before?

· Are there changes I could make?

· What do my colleagues, superiors, client think of the idea?

5. Implementation. This is the stage where the work gets done. It’s where the idea is turned into the final product. It’s where things like your skill, knowledge, experiences and the work all come together to create the solution. The final draft. The artist’s finished piece. The businessperson’s product.

Creativity doesn’t have a definitive process, yet it does have general steps in each stage of the process. Use the 5 step process in your work and daily life to help you solve problems, come up with new products and be more creative in your life.

10 Ways to Develop Creativity

Nolan Webster — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 17:56:03 +0000

Creativity is something we all use in some form, but many believe they aren’t creative. But the creative mind can be developed. The best way to do that is through practice. The more you do the things, regularly, that flex your creative muscle, the more you will develop a natural ability to be creative.

Developing your creative muscles helps reduce stress and improve your problem-solving ability. Begin with these 10 steps to develop and enhance your creativity.

1. Be mindful and observe what others are doing around you. The way we see our surroundings and our environment helps build our creativity. Notice and appreciate everything and everyone around you. This opens your mind to new possibilities while helping you build on collection of experiences to draw from for inspiration.

2. Be willing to take risks in order to develop your creative skills. While you will fail, you will be boosting your creativity and building skills you can use later.

3. Every time you make progress with using your creativity, you are building your confidence. Reward yourself for your creativity.

4. When you approach a problem remember there are multiple solutions. Look for a variety of solutions instead of going with your first one. This helps build problem solving skills and your creative thinking skills.

5. Start to keep a creativity journal. Use it to keep track of your creative process and any ideas you come up with. Go back and reflect on what you have accomplished. Use it to try to find other solutions to any problems you may have solved already.

6. Use a mind map or flow chart to connect ideas and look for creative answers to any questions you are facing. For the mind map, write down the central topic or word then link the related ideas around the center word. This gives you a visual for seeing ideas and how they are linked. The flow chart can be used to track what needs to happen when in a project or event. They can also be used to visualize the final product and what needs to happen to get to that finished product.

7. Develop your creativity by changing your environment. This can as simple as clearing your desk, painting your walls or moving your furniture. Or you can try taking your laptop to work in a different setting such as a restaurant or park.

8. Fight your fear of failing. If you fear you will make a huge mistake or fail when you try doing something new, it can keep you paralyzed from being creative. Mistakes are always going to happen. The trick is to not give up and to learn from them.

9. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Do this on a regular basis to develop your creativity. Changing things and doing things outside your comfort zone boosts creativity. Start with something small if you aren’t ready to rock climb a mountain cliff.

10. Take time to daydream and let your mind wander. Daydreaming leads to creative problem-solving while boosting your creative thinking. As it wanders, your mind accesses memories and emotions as well as those random bits of knowledge you’ve forgotten. Focus on the area you are wanting inspiration in.

Practice is key when it comes to developing your creativity. If you don’t do your activities, regularly, whether they are mental or physical, your creativity fades. There are many ways to develop your creativity. Just find the ones that work for you.

How to See the Future as a Leader: Like You Have a Crystal Ball!

Nolan Webster — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 22:46:46 +0000

A leader must wear many hats.

Sometimes a leader must be a ruler who makes the final judgement. Sometimes a leader needs to keep the team calm. And sometimes, a leader must be the one to solve arguments and disputes.

One of the most important jobs of an effective leader of all though, is to effectively see the future. In other words, a leader must be able to anticipate what is just around the corner and predict what challenges and changes will face their organization. This is absolutely crucial, because it is what will allow them to create a more resilient business and to weather any storm. Moreover, it is what will allow them to take advantage of changes in the market and truly flourish rather than just survive.

So how do you do it?

Financial Modeling

One answer is to use financial modelling. This is an accounting from strategy that can be useful in all manner of leadership roles, even including leading the household!

The idea is essentially that youíre going to look at the situation your business is in financially and then try to predict how that might change. To do this, you will look at your overheads and your income. How many customers do you have? How much of your sales is profit? What else are you spending money on? How long until you pay off your loans?

This then allows you to make a graph, your financial model, and you can use that in order to plot the future predictions for your earnings. This might be a sharp incline, or it might be a steady plateaux. It may be that it takes a while for you to breakeven.

Either way though, this information now allows you to budget for the future, knowing how much spare cash youíll have at any given time. Moreovoer, it lets you create imaginary scenarios ñ seeing how your business would survive an increase in rent for example. If the answer is ëit wouldnítí, then you need to change your numbers or set out contingency plans!

Resilience

Resilience means that a business is able to stand up to all kinds of changes. There are many ways you can make your business more resilient but the best include increasing the number of products or revenue streams you have, having money saved in the bank and paying off all outstanding loans and debts.

How to Motivate and Inspire Your Team

Nolan Webster — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 22:44:39 +0000

Want to motivate your team and get them to work better and faster?

Then you should just offer them bonuses for working harder and faster right? Or introduce the threat of punishment for those who take too long?

Wrong!

When you introduce penalties and rewards, you encourage faster, sloppier work that is more likely to lead to mistakes. Whatís more, is that you encourage people to step on each other to get to the top. And you stifle creativity!

So what do you do instead?

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

Conversely though, if you can make it so that the activity itself is rewarding, then youíll find they naturally work harder of their own volition.

So how do you create this change?

Ownership

One solution is to give your team some degree of ownership over what they are doing and to give them credit for their rewards. A good way to do that? To put their name on what they create!

There is a big reason behind why this works and that is that it gives them a sense of pride in their work. That in turn makes the work rewarding, this is their project. If it goes well, then they can brag about it. And if they can brag about it, then it will benefit them.

At the same time, itís also important to give your team some degree of control over what they are doing. That means making sure that they can make decisions if they need to and take the necessary responsibility that comes with that. Once again, this makes the project feel more like it is really ëtheirsí and it makes them much happier to work longer hours as a result.

The Biggest Tip

But the biggest tip of all? Make sure you have the right people on your team in the first place. Some people just wonít find what youíre doing exciting. And theyíre the wrong people for your organization!

How to Give Correct Instructions

Nolan Webster — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 22:42:23 +0000

The way you give instructions is going to be one of the most important defining features of you as a leader. Because ultimately, this is what will make up the majority of your job! As a leader, you are going to be spending most of your day-to-day asking people to do things and then checking they are done correctly.

But in order to do this well, you need to know how to give instructions and how to ensure the best outcome. Here is what you need to do.

Be Clear and Precise

The first and most important thing you need to do, is to be clear and precise. The reason for this is that you need to be able to prevent mistakes and misunderstandings. If you give unclear instructions, then that will lead to your team either needing to ask for more information and clarification from you or to them making mistakes that lead to big problems and possibly lose you money.

This means that the good leader is also a good communicator by default. If you’re not a good communicator, train yourself to be!

Explain the Why

What’s even more important though, is that you explain the why in what you are asking people to do. In fact, better yet is to ask people to achieve a certain result, tell them why and give no instruction on how.

This first of all makes you a more hands-off leader and less of a micromanager. People like this because it gives more work satisfaction and makes them feel trusted.

Moreover though, explaining the what and why more than the how is going to allow your team to be flexible where necessary.

Letís say for example that you tell your staff they need to print 500 fliers and deliver them around the neighbourhood. What happens if then the printers break? Or if the roads are snowed off? Now your team will either be stuck, or theyíll come to you to ask for direction.

Instead, tell your team they need to get 500 adverts out in the local area. This now opens up many contingency plans and other options. They could maybe outsource the flier creation to a printing company for instance, or they might use email instead or advertise in the town hall.

Either way, they have now achieved the same thing quicker and with more satisfaction because they havenít had to ask your permission for every slight deviation in the plan!

HOW ARE ENTERTAINERS DEALING WITH COVID-19?

Nolan Webster — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:52:14 +0000

I was fortunate enough to contribute to this article. Here's the link to the original post: https://specialguestapp.com/how-are-entertainers-dealing-with-covid-19/

Hope you enjoy.

With the Covid-19 disease still ravaging many parts of the world, it has become more difficult than ever for entertainers to make a living. Performing on stage or anywhere else in front of any kind of audience obviously requires bringing people together, and that is exactly what must be avoided for the time being to slow the spread of the deadly virus.

The quandary for entertainers then becomes: how to make a living when there are no live audiences for whom to perform. As we have seen, however, entertainers have been getting creative with the settings where they perform their art. Of course, that creativity is born out of the necessities of the times, but from the individuals we have interviewed for this post, we have learned these changes could prove fortuitous for entertainers in the end.

Let’s learn more about how entertainers are dealing with Covid-19.

Enjoying More Time to Create

Mr. Stacey A. Giulianti, Esq. told us: “Our child, 14-year-old music producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Daniel – who goes by ‘Kill the Kitty’ – hasn’t played a local show since last year. However, with all this free time, he’s been able to write many more songs than usual, as well as experiment with various instruments and sound design.”

It is understandable that artists would want to utilize their forced time off to work on and improve their craft. In other cases, entertainers are releasing new music during their days of Covid-19 quarantine. We spoke with Sherri Thompson about the artist Cecily. Thompson said this: “Cecily is known for her agile soprano and honest lyrics. Her current album Awakening Pt. 1was named “Best New Soul on Bandcamp” by the Bandcamp editorial team, who praised her ability to blend top-notch songwriting with thoughtful self-reflection.”

Professional musician and singer-songwriter Alissa Musto has also made good use of her free time during the public shutdown caused by Covid-19. “I realized my best way to spend this time was to work on projects and material that I never get to work on when I’m on the road. I’ll never have this sort of time to create without distractions or pressure to get back to performing. I’ve been concentrating on finishing material for a new album, updating my social media and promotional material, self-taping auditions from home, collaborating virtually with other artists, and pursuing other creative outlets. There is always room for practice and improvement. While I’m not profiting from these things, I think they will make me more competitive in my field when live performances resume. While the entertainment industry has been hit particularly hard and will take longer to recover than other industries, artists (I think) are in a fortunate position; we have the ability to create something out of nothing and to channel energy and emotions into art.”

Meanwhile, Michael the Metropolitan Cowboy Coleman, artistic director of See Your Shadow Songwriting, expressed his own struggles during the shutdown of the entertainment industry: “The Covid-19 restrictions have had a significant impact on See Your Shadow as we had to suspend production on some of our projects and delay the launch of our television platform. However, the downtime has allowed us to focus on other elements of our brand. Plus, with everybody at home, we have been able to connect with folks and expand our network, so the restrictions have been both a blessing and a curse.”

Obviously, when we speak about entertainers struggling to work during Covid-19, we don’t mean just singers. Actors have it rough, as well. Rachel Kylian told us: “I am an actor in Los Angeles, and all productions have shut down since March 2020. However, I have participated in many acting challenges. I have been auditioning for many projects and am expecting to go back to work very soon.”

Performing Online

Far and away, however, the most popular new outlet for entertainers during Covid-19 has been performing for audiences online, usually over Zoom calls. This has managed to accomplish many things at once: giving the artists an outlet to express themselves as they normally would on a stage while keeping audiences and road crews distant and safe from close human contact.

For this article, we spoke with many performers who have been forced to begin leveraging Zoom and social media to proliferate their art. Willie Greer, the founder of The Product Analyst, told us: “As I have noticed, the entertainment industry puts efforts to observe health protocols and social distancing measures for safety so they can still continue their jobs of serving their audiences and driving the economy. Some theater companies have decided to stream online so the netizens can still watch and connect with them to let them know that the arts are still operating despite the crisis.”

Dawn Jones of Pressed Fresh PR fully supports the new institution of online entertainment: “The entertainment industries are pivoting to be more inclusive of audiences at home. Virtual events have become a regular thing that I think we will see continue in some form into the future- even when restrictions are lifted. It’s providing musicians a way to connect with fans all over the world in an intimate way right from their homes.”

While the Zoom format has worked wonders almost across the board for many entertainers, the struggles have continued for some. Ryan Neufeld of Vegas Improv Power told us: “We helped run a local Las Vegas theater that just had its 5th anniversary. We taught classes and had shows in improv comedy, clown, sketch comedy, and mime. Unfortunately, with rent being as high as it is, the theater was forced to shut down. A few of us from the theater have pushed forward with a new business that brought improv classes back in an online format for now. After watching the difficult transition many improv shows were having in virtual settings, we tweaked our curriculum, content, and delivery to embrace the Zoom environment rather than trying to force old methods.”

Ryan Neufeld’s statement shows that Zoom has not been a catch-all solution for actors and singers. Performers have sometimes had to modify their approach to the arts but ultimately, as in Neufeld’s case, have shown it is possible to come out stronger.

To that end, magician/mentalist Nolan Webster got into some more details about how he has fared working with online shows. “Entertainers over the past few months have had to adapt to the new landscape known as the virtual stage. Many in the entertainment industry are learning very quickly how to produce content and shows for the online venue. DJs are playing their music for groups online, comedians are doing shows with no audience, and from a personal point, I have developed and been performing Zoom magic shows. Going online has forced many, including myself, to find new material or revisit old material that is conducive for online, learn how to use Zoom, and change marketing strategies to promote online shows. Learning about lighting, USB microphones, blocking, and other TV-style production techniques have become the new normal for most performers. After adapting and adjusting, the final piece is being able to make a living with online shows. Finding the right price for shows is a hot topic, and selling tickets online is a new frontier. Educating customers on what a “virtual Zoom show” looks and feels like and the value in that is the biggest hurdle for some performers and entertainers.”

One of the greatest online-performance success stories we have heard came from Mark Weiser of Shake, Rattle & Roll Pianos. He told us that “Prior to Covid-19, we were playing an average of 20 to 25 shows per week, from coast to coast. Overnight, that number dropped to zero. We had been running a sold-out show in Times Square every Saturday night for 10 years, but that had to be canceled when Broadway shut down. As a result, we have moved our entire operation online, performing live stream shows on Saturday nights. The upside has been that a virtual room has no occupancy limit, and we’ve now done 15 Saturday night shows, drawing thousands of viewers from all over the world. Our fans from every metropolitan center, who have never met one another, have now become friends through the virtual attendance of our shows. Our shows that normally ran three hours now top five hours because no one wants them to end.”

When we speak about the entertainment industry, we aren’t referencing singers and actors exclusively. Radio broadcasters and journalists have also become exasperated at how to continue their day-to-day jobs in the wake of Covid-19. Music journalist Jaime Rodriguez of Jrod Concerts: The Podcast, said: “Since March alone, we have been doing quick video interviews with artists with new records or catching up with music industry folks people should know, or musical legends.”

On the other side of entertainment, journalism are the performers, who often rely on interviews for more exposure. Actor Emily Pokora responded to us: “Over the past few months, I’ve had films and TV series put on hold but have picked up work taping my lines for a new web series that was pieced together with other actors to make the episode with everyone independently working. I’ve also been in a music video shot at home the same way. I continue to do self-taped auditions, attend Zoom acting and stand-up comedy classes, as well as gain publicity through Skype and podcast interviews from home.”

Struggles Are Still Real

Despite the success that many entertainers have had with Zoom performances, the online platform has not been a saving grace for everyone. In particular cases, the Covid-19 shutdown has thrown serious wrenches into operations.

Comic performer Angie McMahon stated: “I am a performer in Chicago where I also teach sketch comedy writing, stand up, and storytelling at The Second City. Because theaters and comedy clubs have been closed and we don’t have a very good idea as to when they will be able to re-open safely, a lot of shows have taken to going online. But it is especially hard for a comedy to translate in a Zoom call where the response is silence and a chat is scrolling alongside your face while people have random side conversations. So I created a Virtual Interactive Live Streaming Comedy Game Show called Wisecrackin.’”

In Angie’s case, the response to comedy not translating well to Zoom resulted in a successful adaptation into another format. In other cases, those efforts to adapt have not gone as well. Bob Lord, CEO of PARMA Recordings, said: “In the United States performance sector, unfortunately, there is generally a passive, wait-it-out posture. Some organizations like the big symphony

orchestras simply do not have other ways to deal with it – they can try to diversify their revenue streams, but those are big ships and hard to turn, especially when the primary business model has been donations and grants for so long.” Regarding online performances, Bob said: “If the virus continues to be resurgent and there is no accompanying relief in terms of unemployment, can audiences be expected to continue to engage in what is, in the eyes of at most, a non-essential service when their own pocketbooks are depleted? Will there be disposable income for the average worker that can be allocated to entertainment?”

Other stories include that of freelance musician Greg Hagger, who works mostly in London’s West End theater district. He stated: “I currently have no opportunity to play live, so I am looking at building my online educational work. This has been a free model up, but I am trying to now release free content.”

Some actors, meanwhile, also have it rough at the moment. Actor, writer, and filmmaker Raeden Greer expressed: “Since Covid-19 has effectively brought film/TV productions to a halt, I’ve been living off residuals and picking up extra money filming corporate videos (with social distancing and masks).”

Others in the entertainment industry simply must remain hopeful for what is to come.

Book Your Online Entertainment Now with Special Guest App

Times are tough for live entertainers in just about every sector, from actors to musicians to comedians and journalists. Thankfully, online audiences have answered the call in many cases, truly responding to the advent of Zoom concerts and comedy shows. It certainly isn’t always where the performers are comfortable, but adaptation has allowed entertainers to thrive under these new circumstances.

Special Guest App is here to help with that. We link up performers with their audiences online. Now, during the age of Covid-19, we are as happy to help as we have ever been. Book your live entertainment now through us.

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46+ Experts Share How They Use LinkedIn to Generate Business Leads Since The Lockdown

Nolan Webster — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 14:29:36 +0000

I was lucking enough to be able to contribute to the below article, so I wanted to share it. Enjoy.

If you have ever wondered what it would feel like to acquire qualified, ready-to-buy leads on LinkedIn, this article is for you.

While it is a long read, it is packed full with actionable, easy-to-use strategies and tips you can use immediately to generate leads on LinkedIn.

Ask any marketer, business owner, or entrepreneur you know – their biggest worry going forward after the lockdown.

The likely answer you will receive is:

“How to keep their business going until things return to normal.”

The thing is, to ‘keep their business going’ they need Sales. Revenue. Healthy Cash flow.

And, sales is tied to generating quality leads.

The more quality leads a business generates. The higher the chances of making a sale.

In this piece, we seek to the answer question: how can small businesses generate quality leads using LinkedIn?

To answer the question, we turned to 46+ experts to learn their strategies on using LinkedIn to generate quality leads. This blog post covers what they had to say.

Interestingly, majority of the respondents believed nurturing relationships, getting prospects to trust you (or your brand), and genuinely showing you care are crucial elements to making the sale.

The insights shared in this blog post can be adapted to both B2B and B2C settings.

To make the blog post easy to navigate, we have grouped the ideas into themes. They are:

Humanize Your Interactions

Even before the pandemic, one effective way to make your LinkedIn connections like and trust you is to be authentic. The crisis, however, has heightened this need.

Many of our experts agreed that Covid has made them become more human and empathetic in their interactions on LinkedIn.

Nick Minicucci of Immensity Music said, “My number one tips is ‘empathy’. The music industry is facing a lot of challenges, not to mention [what the] world is facing right now. You don’t know what your prospects are going through. Be humble and empathetic in your messaging and you will stand out.”

Burton Kelso of Call Iintegral Now agrees, “My number one go-to trick when using LinkedIn is to always be human and to humanize my interactions with my connections.”

Burton further shares, “Creating posts that reach to people during this COVID-19 pandemic and taking the time to wish people happy birthday goes a long way as far as developing relationships on the social media platform.

Too often people are worried about trying to push their product or services on people. The real trick is to continue to get people to know, like and trust you when interacting on LinkedIn.”

Timo Wilson of ASAP Credit believes one way to humanize interactions on LinkedIn is by shifting focus on sales to being a helpful brand.

“Nowadays, it is not a battle of who’s selling more product but a battle of survival wherein every one of us is a participant. The main goal of this battle is to survive, live, and have hope for the future ahead.”

“So instead of focusing on sales, why not focus on being a helpful brand that aims to help other people. By doing this, you are having an edge over other companies that focus only on sales.”

David Walter of Electrician Mentor agrees it is time to forget about focusing on generating sales.

“When it comes to generating leads, using LinkedIn is a great opportunity. And in normal circumstances focusing on sales generation would be a great idea. But guess what? We have a pandemic to deal with. Therefore, the sales-driven strategy literally goes out the window.”

David further shares, “What you need to do is to shift your efforts to market your business towards the features and benefits it offers. And, then finding ways to save money for your consumers. Your blog posts should never be overly-salesy in these trying times. Trust me, once things settle down, they’ll appreciate that and hopefully regard you with a bit of loyalty.”

It’s also about matching the prevailing tone on the platform, adds April Sciacchitano of Mix + shine Marketing

“Quarantine changed everything about the tone on LinkedIn. People were more honest than ever about the work from home struggle, parenting while working and how they cope with uncertainty.”

Sciacchitano continues, “Stop giving advice on LinkedIn, and start getting real. There are a lot of people showcasing expertise on LinkedIn, but very few nurturing trust.”

Worried ‘getting real’ could affect your expert voice? Sciacchitano has some advice for you: “Ask for help with something. Be open about a struggle, and celebrate with your LinkedIn following.”

Sometimes, all you need is to be your authentic self in today’s world of social distancing and spam connections.

Creighton Wong of Exponential Clients believes “people are craving authentic personal interactions more than ever. LinkedIn members are smarter and they can see your Buy My Sh*t messages from a mile away…and they won’t buy. They will run!”

Instead, “Take the time to actually read someone’s profile and find one commonality that you can compliment them on. Start a conversation. Add some value first. Don’t sell. If appropriate take the conversation offline.”

“With all the crazy technology of today, selling is still an H2H (Human-to-human) relationship.”

Make LinkedIn Algorithm Work for You

It’s tempting to want to automate posting on LinkedIn and just hands off. The platform, thankfully, does not work that way.

If you want to improve your content reach organically, you will have to stay active on the site.

No wonder, some of our experts believed staying active on LinkedIn, organically engaging with others are sure ways to boost your brand’s visibility.

Rick Denton of Execution For Customer Experience had this to say, “Engage with LinkedIn. Don’t just lurk…Engage. This means 4-5 actual comments (greater than 8 words) per day. Regular posting of your own content. Doing so elevates your status in the LinkedIn algorithm, improving your visibility for potential clients to see you.”

Marcus Anwar of OhMy.ca suggests, “Spending a little bit of time every working day. Believe it or not about 15 minutes a day is all you need. The biggest mistake individuals make is spending long hours for a few days straight then they stop. But remember if you want to generate good leads consistency is key to your success.”

Petra Odak of Better Proposals shares his company’s process on LinkedIn. “We’re more active than ever – commenting, helping, creating content, advising current and potential customers and just being out there and present.”

Jane Kovalkova of Chanty agrees leaving relevant comments and liking other people’s posts is the first step before adding them as a connection.

“Start off with comments and likes first before adding someone as a connection and directly trying to sell them something. Of course, this approach does not allow the use of automation or bots, so I strongly recommend going the manual way.”

Kovalkova continues “Find people you want to sell to. Interact with their content, add them as a connection and slowly work your way to a sales pitch. If you just go straight for the sale, you’ll lose their interest before they even finishing reading the first sentence.”

Optimize Your LinkedIn Headline

Your LinkedIn profile and Headline are often the two things people check to learn more about you.

Including keywords that are relevant to your niche, products and services in your headline is a great way to help others learn about what you do and what you are about.

It is also an excellent way to improve your visibility on the platform as LinkedIn uses the copy on headlines to show relevant results to users.

Nikola Roza of Nikola Roza said, “My #1 tip for using LinkedIn as a lead generation tool is to treat it as a search engine and then act accordingly.”

Nikola further explains: “Hyper-optimize your profile for keywords that you want to be found for and then let LinkedIn and [even] Google (make your profile public so that it shows up on Google’s SERPs) and time work in your favor.”

A simple hack to include several relevant keywords without appearing spammy is “to beef up your Skills and Endorsements sections of the profile. Remember those are all keyphrases people type in LinkedIn’s internal search engine. Optimize your profile and you will get found more often.”

Jayson DeMers of Email Analytics shares, “[optimized LinkedIn headline] is essentially a free mini-advertisement that shows up in people’s feeds when you post a comment or create a LinkedIn post.”

“Think of it as your 5-word elevator pitch. Once you’ve optimized your headline, simply interact and engage with people on LinkedIn. That activity will show up in other people’s newsfeeds, alongside your 5-word elevator pitch, gaining you free exposure and marketing through LinkedIn.”

Use Sales Navigator to Find Ideal Leads

LinkedIn has many useful features but none is as powerful as the Sales Navigator when it comes to drilling down on prospects based on job titles and size of company.

When you are looking to contact prospects directly, Sales Navigator can help you find your ideal leads.

Shaheer Khan of Statehood Marketing believes one way to contact the people you want to connect with on LinkedIn even when you don’t have any connections with them yet is through the Sales Navigator.

“If you want to land high ticket clients, you have to reach out to them, not the other way around. One of the ways of doing this is using LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator.”

“Sales nav[igator] allows you to reach out to people without having a connection. It also enables you to create lists of people who have your ideal lead criteria. For us, Sales navigator is the number one tool when it comes to high ticket lead generation.”

Paul Sullivan of BiasDigital shares his company’s workflow that enabled them generate over 300 leads in the first 10 weeks of COVID using the Sales Navigator.

“Be upfront about why you want to connect and work out what your sequence is to build rapport and drive the conversation where you would like it to go.

Paul was generous to share the workflow with us. Use the link below to download Paul’s workflow for LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

DOWNLOAD PAUL’S WORKFLOW

Direct Messaging Brands

Straight-to-the-point, direct messaging can also work, especially, if you are in the B2B space.

Some of our experts use this strategy and agree direct messaging can help you see significant results in the number of leads you bring in on LinkedIn.

Dancho Dimkov of BizzBee Solutions uses direct messaging on LinkedIn. “As a B2B marketing agency, we are using LinkedIn Cold outreach for several years. During the coronavirus crisis, we experienced an increase in demand as companies lost all the physical ways of generating leads – networking events, physical meetings, exhibitions – and had to switch to a digital approach fast.”

Joe Karasin of Karasin PPC agrees that direct messaging on LinkedIn works. “When quarantines started, offering direct, one-to-one coaching for Google Ads was a very powerful tool that enabled me to generate business leads.”

Karasin further shared the results of his efforts so far: “Within three months, I was able to obtain 17 new clients out of a total of 31 one-on-one sessions. A conversion rate of 54%. I used a customized message that didn’t come across as spammy and only used direct messages to offer the session.”

Laurie Green of EL ROAD said they also use direct messaging on LinkedIn.

“I have been using LinkedIn by direct messaging brands in my field. I have picked up a few new brands to participate in our new virtual demo program since we are unable to do in-store food & beverage demos at the moment.”

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to send direct messages to brands you’d like to work with in your niche.

The trick, however, is to appear non-spammy. Tell them why you’d like to work with them. Be helpful and keep an eye on building relationships.

Share Compelling Content

LinkedIn has evolved into one of the leading publishing platforms where brands showcase their expertise and thought leadership by sharing timely, helpful, and relevant content.

An overwhelming majority of our experts agree posting consistently on LinkedIn is a sure-fire way to attract the attention of your ideal clients.

Christopher Prasad of JookSMS uses content publishing to generate leads on LinkedIn.

“Writing something that is both engaging and compelling to your circle in the industry is just the right way to get more people to notice you and more clients walking through the door. Being active on any social media will help you grow, and this goes for LinkedIn too.”

Prasad further shared why people hesitate to post more on LinkedIn.

“I think a lot of people are afraid to post on there because it looks unprofessional if it isn’t something directly related to their business. But you have to remember, some people use LinkedIn to learn more about the industry, and you can be one of the people they are listening to.”

It is not just enough to share content on LinkedIn though. Martin Seeley of Mattress Next Day believes content that generates leads on LinkedIn is tactical and actionable.

“Be very explicit on who you create this content for. Make sure it gets in front of the right people. If you do not know who your prospect is, you will waste time and opportunity as your content will get lost in the irrelevant feed.”

Seeley shared examples of actionable content and how to create them:

“Guides, tips and tricks, tutorials, webinars, Trend reports, statistics, insights, case studies and success stories from your past customers are examples of actionable content to share.

Focus on creating long-form (2000 – 3000 words) content as it performs better on the platform and generates more shares than shorter content.

Search LinkedIn topics and hashtags to see what’s trending in your industry and which content resonates with your target audience. You can also use BuzzSumo to get content ideas.

Pick a topic, take the content, improve it, and implement it into your strategy.”

This resonates with Werner Jorgensen of Heat Xperts who agrees that identifying content gaps in your niche and serving first are necessary elements to becoming an authority.

“Covid has hit many niches badly. In the post-covid time victims would be striving to come out of that loss. It is and would be a time to serve them instead of bragging about your skills. Identify your audience new pain points and the gap in existing content, and address their needs effectively.”

Once you can consistently meet your audience needs, Jorgensen believes “You would be serving them a new thing and emerge as an authoritative figure for them so your content would get more engagement. Once your posts start performing well, you will be getting a good number of qualitative leads soon.”

Sharing your story and how your company is helping others is a powerful strategy to attraction the attention of key people says Neal Taparia of solitaired.

“I have over 500 [LinkedIn] connections, and naturally it’s hard to stay in touch with everyone. LinkedIn is an excellent platform to reach people you know at scale and give them information on what your company is doing, to spark ideas on how you might help them.

Oftentimes, with updates, it’s about reaching the right people at the right time, so you can increase the chances of doing this by providing regular updates.”

Taparia shared how this strategy has helped him land important partnership for his company:

“For example, with my new gaming initiative, we partnered with a popular newsletter called The Morning Brew to create a custom solitaire game and drive awareness of their podcast guests. I shared the collaboration on my LinkedIn.

I also asked if we can help anyone else out through games and marketing. Six people reached out to me as a result and now we’re working on collaboration for them. When they’re live, I’ll repeat the process which will hopefully drive more leads.”

Alita Harvey-Rodriquez of MI Academy believes sharing content that is hyper-targeted is important for success on LinkedIn.

“When marketing to B2B employees through LinkedIn you need to be hyper-targeted. You are not merely looking at the industry or size of business, you want to refine your target down to ‘Job Title’.

Why? Well, within any business there is a small selection of roles that have buying influence. They’re often not your Developers or Marketing Assistants, nor are they always CEOs or upper management.”

Alita further explained how to identify who you should be targeting you’re your content.

“Rather than casting your net far and wide, you need to know who is at the helm at the ship and ultimately who will be making the final purchasing decision.

They are your mid-tier roles who are leading teams and looking for new innovative ways to increase profit margins, transform the team and elevate their status within the business.

Consider their pain points and personalise the content for them. What matters to their team?

How can you help them feel more confident and competent in their role?

What will make their boss happy? It’s all about understanding the mindset of those who are driving the buying conversation.”

To see results with your content strategy on LinkedIn, Kristina Azarenko of Marketing Syrup advices posting consistently on the platform.

“Make sure that you’re consistent with your posting. The cycle between learning that you exist and reaching out to work with you can be quite long. Just don’t give up as people are watching even if you think they’re not.”

Laura Tien of Workit Spaces shares the organic strategy they use to increase content reach.

“One trick we tend to implement is sharing company posts on our personal accounts. When someone likes your post, it shows up to all their connections as well. We can easily get a post to get thousands of impressions compared to a few hundred when we post only on the company account.”

The payoff of effective content marketing on LinkedIn is huge. As Caroline Leach of The Carrelle Company, recently found out:

“This strategy [sharing content consistently on LinkedIn] helps develop strong relationships and attract people to you through inbound marketing. When people come to you, they’re already interested in purchasing your services.”

Seek New Opportunities to Expand Your Network

LinkedIn has powerful lead generation features that are only accessible to premium users. However, being mindful of the connections you make and using every opportunity to expand on these networks can help you generate qualified leads using your free LinkedIn account.

Our experts agree constantly expanding your connections on LinkedIn can help you discover people who might need what you offer.

Samantha Moss of Romantific shares: “Observe and connect with the connections of your existing connections. This is because they probably have shared interests, so they are more likely to be interested in the same things.”

Moss went on: “Join groups. This is an easier way to discover people who have the same interests as you and your existing clients. By joining a group, you expose yourself to like-minded people who have a high chance of becoming your clients.”

David Tile of Article Writing Co agrees: “One trick I find helpful is making sure to identify the right decision makers to connect with. It only takes a little bit of research to identify the relevant contacts.”

Tile explains how to find the right people: “You can go to the People Tab of your target business’s LinkedIn page and scroll down to find people’s job titles. You can also see if you have mutual connections with anyone at the company and reach out to them first, as it’s always better to start with someone you know.”

Sending connection requests to LinkedIn’s suggested contacts is a trick Kent Lewis of Anvil Media Inc. relies on to expand his network.

“For the past 10 years, I’ve visited the My Network section on LinkedIn (browser and app) and made connection requests to LinkedIn’s suggested contacts that I feel are relevant to my business and career.

Specifically, I’m most interested in connecting with CMO and VP Marketing positions at companies. The result is that I have over 19,000 connections on LinkedIn, which translates to qualified prospects based on employer and job titles I have 1st degree connections and can communicate via messaging without a premium account.

Once or twice a year, I reach out to key contacts to check in and it usually results in a few qualified leads and new clients.”

Ask Connections for Referrals

Sometimes, all you need to do to generate leads for your company is to ask for referrals. Straight up asking for referrals from your connections is one way you can get qualified leads post-covid.

Cyrus Vanover of Frugal Budgeter believes people are more open to responding when you request for referral than when you ask for a sale.

“After you’ve made a connection, send a thanks for connecting message to that person and ask them if they could refer you to anyone who is looking for help with what you do. You would be surprised how well this works.

Most people don’t like to be asked for work directly, but asking for a referral is different. People really do like to be helpful, and many people on LinkedIn will refer you to people in their networks who need your services. It happens all the time.”

Personalize Every Request to Connect

People want to feel you took the time to know them before sending them a request to connect. Or, at the very least, send them a message along with the connection request why you want to connect.

Some of our experts believe a personalized connection request often sets the tone for the relationship moving forward.

Jason Davis of Inspire360 shares: “I have a lot of success using LinkedIn as a lead generation platform. While many people use InMail, I choose a different route. I spend time finding executives who are the perfect fit to work with my company and send them a personalized LinkedIn connection request.”

Davis adds, “Once they accept me, I send them an authentic message that spells out exactly how I think we can work together and why I think they are a good fit. The key is to get very specific about details involving their business and why it makes sense.”

Roberto Torres of Turrem agrees, ”Add a personalized note to you request to connect. Your note should include something you noticed or read on their profile and be authentic. Don’t sell!”

Torres shares the note template they often use: “Here is an example that I use.

Remember, it’s an invitation to see their posts in your feed, not a request to sell them something. You are genuinely a fan of theirs because you saw their profile and now want to read more.

Ariel Lim of Ariel-lim.com advices to keep your connection request simple. “As for your connection request, keep it simple. I experimented a bunch and the one that says “looking forward to connecting with you” and a “PS: if you have questions, let me know” at the bottom works as I get more conversations.”

Maryna Shkvorets of Marynashkvorets says adding a disarming question along with the connection request can help open doors for you.

“I heavily rely on LinkedIn for my communication consulting career. Whenever I send out a cold connection request, I give a little blurb about why I’m connecting and always end with, ‘Are you open to connect?’”

Shkvorets adds, “This little question, a call to action, leads the person on the other side to answer ‘Yes, I am’ rather than over-evaluate who you are or why you’re reaching out.”

Super-charge Your LinkedIn Campaigns with Complementary Add-ons

LinkedIn in and of itself has many features you can use to generate quality leads. However, when it comes to taking your campaigns to the next level, you may need complementary tools to help you.

Matt Scott of Termite Survey believes incorporating complementary plugins can make your LinkedIn campaigns much more efficient and effective.

“Using plug-ins can help you grow your network thus generating more leads. Here’s four worth checking out:

Rapportive creates your network by delivering customized LinkedIn invites straight from your inbox.

LinkedIn Link Revealer shows you just how huge all of your first tier links are in a network. Through there, connect with people moving in broad circles, and attempt to leverage their forum to support the products and services.

Headlinr will generate hundreds of common combos of headlines which include keywords you select automatically.

LinMailPro helps you to quickly identify and invite someone who has recently visited your profile — making execution of tip number one a lot simpler”

Use sponsored Updates to Increase Content Reach

Like most people, you want as many people as possible to see the content you share on LinkedIn.

Sponsored Updates is an efficient way to get many eyeballs on your content especially when you are new on the platform with fewer connections.

Carolyn Cairns of Creation Business Consultants shares: “Sponsored updates allow the user to enter the newsfeed of people who are going to find the content useful and valuable. Use visually appealing images to grab attention and make sure your headline answers the ‘what’s in it for me?’ question for the reader. Also, where possible, use famous friends on social media (like the CEO or a well-known brand advocate) as that can drive up engagement and click-through rates.”

Martin Seeley of Mattress Next Day agrees: “You can increase the reach [of your content] by using Sponsored Updates, if you know your target audience and your content is relevant to them.”

Seeley, however cautions that, “This feature is costly if your targeting is not accurate. You will get the best return on the investment if it resonates with the people who see it.”

Offer Freebies Where It Makes Sense

Offering freebies, whether it is a free ticket to a virtual show or ebook, is a proven strategy to get leads regardless of the platform, even on LinkedIn.

Our experts agree giving away free things can help you get in the doorway of your prospective clients.

Carley Johnson of Unzipped, shares: “Firstly, never engaged with a new connection without a personalized message. Build your relationship around helping them, giving away free advice and getting to know more about them, their knowledge and needs.

Always send a minimum of 7 messages before your first sales pitch. Following these 3 combined tips should lead to a stronger hit rate.”

Even for a magician, Nolan Webster of Nolanwebster.com offering free tickets to their virtual shows is proving to be an effective strategy to attract leads for their business.

“One strategy I use on LinkedIn is to offer free tickets to my LinkedIn connections. This allows me to showcase my show to those that could potentially hire me for their online meeting, happy hour, or post-covid gathering.

Webster further added that, “LinkedIn allows me to focus on those that can help promote my show and me, e.g. producers, event planners, directors, HR people, event coordinators, theater owners, etc.”

Use Often Ignored LinkedIn Features

While most people think LinkedIn is only a platform to create professional profiles – the site offers much more than that, especially, if you’re interested in generating quality leads.

There are often ignored built-in features one can take advantage of to acquire as much leads as they need for their business.

Matt Yako of Inner Circle Career Coaching LLC shares two of his go-to LinkedIn features he uses to generate leads for his coaching business.

“LinkedIn Profinders and Open for Business are two of LinkedIn’s features I use most for lead generation.”

Yako adds, “Profinder is built for freelancers to offer their services to Linkedin
users. Users can solicit bids on projects related to career coaching,
photography, graphic design, and even copywriting.

Freelancers and small businesses can become what the platform calls Profinder Pros. To become a Pro, a small business owner must apply and meet specific criteria related to their main Linkedin profile.

Now, this tool is built entirely to be a lead generator. Because of how useful it is, Pros do have to pay to use it by maintaining a LinkedIn Premium Business account. The current cost of this type of account is $59.99/mo. With the amount of leads it generates and the potential for customers it can really be worth the investment.”

Yako further explained what Open for Business is and how it works: “Open for Business is a new feature that not many people know about and that the LinkedIn team is still optimizing.

The overarching idea of Open for Business is to create business profiles and showcase business’ services for potential clients to find them. Think Yelp or Google My Business, but for LinkedIn.”

Yako adds, “The feature is currently free to businesses on LinkedIn and therefore should be part of every small business LinkedIn profile.”

Jacob J. Sapochnick of Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick says, they often use the “People You May Know” LinkedIn feature to connect with wide users on the platform.

“For me this feature is my most favorite in finding and generating leads. I can reach more people and I can research and investigate these people by using the platform.”

Blake Taylor of Synergy Business Brokers believes, taking the initiative to first write recommendations for key contacts is a strategic way of using LinkedIn Recommendation feature to build goodwill for your brand.

“People often wait for someone to write them a LinkedIn recommendation before they will write one for the other person. Rarely do people use LinkedIn Recommendations as the strategic tools they are.

Rather than waiting for a contact to send you a recommendation, take a few minutes each day to write and post recommendations for valued customers or key business partners.

Once approved the recommendation will show up in their profile. This fosters good will among your most important contacts and acts as an advertisement for your business. It will also lead to a return recommendation, a referral or both.”

Several experts including Konstantinos Tsilkos of PharMed uses LinkedIn Search feature to drill down on their audience.

“The search feature on LinkedIn can make the job easier by allowing marketers to choose their audience in minute detail. LinkedIn users tend to go into great depth about how they are, what they’re doing, where they’re doing and why they’re doing it. It’s a place where people are encouraged to brag about their professional accomplishments and aspirations. This makes it very easy to pick the target audience with laser-like precision.”

Use LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn has several great features that enable you acquire leads organically – without spending. However, if you run hyper-targeted, super-charged lead gen campaigns on LinkedIn, ads are a natural mix to your toolkit.

Peter Gardus of Latana, is one expert that relies on LinkedIn to generate B2B leads for their company.

“It is important for us that our CRM is not flooded with freemail email addresses such as Gmail or Hotmail. For this reason, we prefer bringing our prospects from LinkedIn to our landing pages to download our content pieces versus using lead gen ads. We use a third-party tool on our site that ensures that our forms only accept business email addresses.”

Gardus goes on, “Regarding the ad format, we recommend testing single image ads and InMail ads to promote your gated content pieces. These have worked well for us to drive downloads.

The quickest way to generate downloads for us was by using promoted content with a single image ad showcasing our latest reports.

InMail ads need more time, as some people only open these message ads 2-3 weeks after they have landed in their mailbox.

Once your overall website traffic becomes more solid, we recommend using InMail ads and the new Conversational ads for retargeting campaigns. These formats work well in converting visitors who left your landing page without completing the download.

After generating your new leads via these downloads, you can work on nurturing them to become customers using email marketing automation. We also rely on LinkedIn for our bottom-funnel-retargeting. Carousel and video ads focused on your product’s value proposition can work well to convert leads into customers over time.”

Dennis Vu of Ringblaze agrees creating highly targeted LinkedIn ads is an effective way to upsell existing customers.

“There is a large volume of data proving that it’s much easier to sell to an existing customer than find a new one. So, instead of offering your products to a cold audience, offer your existing customers something they can’t ignore.

Combine LinkedIn with email marketing and you’ll have great results with this strategy.”

John Howard of Coupon Lawn uses LinkedIn ads because that is where they professionals go.

“I chose LinkedIn instead of other high traffic social media platforms because LinkedIn is where the professionals go and when it comes to business, those that are in those levels have the purchasing power.”

Wrapping up

LinkedIn is no doubt an increasingly important platform for B2B lead generation.

As the majority of our experts shared, posting valuable content consistently on LinkedIn is the most effective way to build brand visibility, become an authority in your industry and ultimately acquire qualified leads.

Don’t have the time to create quality content for your business? Talk to us today let’s see how we can work together.

Download The Actionable One-year Business Plan Template

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3 ways Apple’s keynotes are like a magic show

Nolan Webster — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 18:39:16 +0000

A few days ago Apple held his annual WW DC. However, this year it was different due to COVID-19. This year it was pre-recorded and streamed. Despite that, I feel that they still had the same feeling that their live Apple Keynotes deliver. So how, you may be asking, is Apple‘s keynote like a magic show well let’s examine their show.

First, their show is well-rehearsed and well scripted. The best performers and the best magicians rehearse their shows until it is ingrained in the memory and write and rewrite scripts until they are flawless and get across their points. Apple’s writers do a great job of selling the products and services to those watching. The script is concise and on points. Everyone you see on stage knows where they need to be when they need to be there and rarely is it ever a mistake. Magicians spend hours rehearsing in front of a mirror, practicing in front of friends and family and then breaking in new material time and time again until it is perfected. For those of you out there, they give presentations, or sales pitches, or are you getting up in front of a group of investors, how well written is your script, if you even have one. How many times have you recorded yourself either on video or an audio and I’ve listened back to it to make sure it sounds good. Have you played the recordings for mentors and friends and family to see how they feel about it? Have you written the script to make sure it flows smoothly tells a story I can grasp the audience?

I feel that the best thing that Apple does journeys keynotes is it expires the consumer. Did your great job of telling the story of how well your life will be using your products and services. That’s how using their services and products you could be more creative, have an easier workflow, and be more productive. They sell aspiration. Magicians do the same thing is demonstrating things that are impossible so you the audience OK then dream of impossible things I know that perhaps they may be possible. Magicians try to inspire the audience and believe in impossible things. There are so many presentations I’ve seen with there is very little if any inspiring or aspiration designing them. If you’re trying to sell a product or service to a customer or maybe better be, are you able to have them envision themselves using the product and how easy or their life will be, can you tell that story.

Additionally, Apple does a great job of telling a story. As humans we love stories and we connect with them. Humans have stories that are hundreds and hundreds of years as a sole means of communicating. Apple just doesn’t tell the story just to fit the narrative, they take real-life examples and share them with the audience. People can tell the difference between made-up story windows perhaps written just for the presentation and a true-life story. Is there a story you can use to connect to your audience when giving your presentation, pitch, or lecture? Spending just a few minutes to develop a story can help to connect with your audience. Magicians use their tricks and props to help illustrate a story and hook the audience. If you get to see David Copperfield live, this point will completely resonate with you. The good magicians put in conflict, resolution, struggle, plot, etc… Are you telling a story in your presentation?

Abracadabra

Setting the stage

Nolan Webster — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 18:01:57 +0000

Some of you, at some point, will have to give a presentation, pitch an idea, or get up in front of a group of people. One of the greatest fears most propel have is public speaking.

Some of the best magicians realize that the stage extends far beyond the platform they stand on. A magician just doesn’t show up to the venue and perform then go home. They get there early to check the sight lines, audio, lighting, the views and sound from sitting in the back row versus sitting in the front row versus how things look sitting on the side. How many of you, whenever you get ready to give a presentation or a training class, get there early and make sure the lighting is OK, or see how the presentation would look?

The stage extends far beyond more than just the platform the performer stands on. To enhance the performance of the entertainer on stage, the experience begins as you enter the theater or the boardroom. It begins when you buy your tickets to the show or in your case, when you email out requesting a meeting, or when you send out the calendar invite. If you were to go see a Metallica concert or a Norah Jones concert, you would automatically tell that there’s a difference just by the way the stage is set. When people are getting ready to see your presentation or to hear your pitch, can they tell what kind of presentation this is going to be?

Before Apple’s WWDC it sends out invintations to a select few. There is press about what could possibly be in the keynote. And when you watch it, you see a well rehearsed keynote with the audio visual having been meticulously rehearsed.

While you may not be giving an Apple Keynote are you still giving your participants the same experience and level of dedication and attention. Set the stage to have them expect the type of meeting, training, or pitch you want them to have.

Abracadabra.

What the magician can teach us

Nolan Webster — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 17:46:02 +0000

As young children, we are inspired, and in awe by this person that can do seemingly incredible amazing things. For some reason, as we get older, those impossibilities turn into tricks for us to figure out and the magician is just a normal person with no special powers. The wonder of impossibilities gets lost as we get older. However, to be a magician we must continuously think of new and impossible things. We must use the tools around us in a way for the skeptics to again have that childlike wonder.

The magicians catchphrase abracadabra translates to “I create as I speak, “which means that the real magic comes from within the magician. The magician thinks about what the outcome is and focuses energy through the wand and makes it happen. We all have the ability within us to make what we want to happen. It starts with a thought and a plan to bring the dream to action. We all have magical abilities inside of us if we learn how to focus them. The magician gets an idea than through the creative process and finds a way to make the impossible possible. Many of us have projects or obstacles that seem impossible to complete. Some of us want to be high achievers, high earners, for the top in our field, and those goals seem unattainable. If a magician to make the Statue of Liberty disappear, can make a card that you picked and sign appear outside a window or tell you what you were thinking, then your goals are not impossible.

My goal is to teach you the techniques ideas and theories that magicians use to bring their crazy ideas to life so that you can use them to accomplish your own goals. Making your impossible projects dreams possible and to help you be more profitable, increase your sales, or maybe just get through a home project is my goal. You may be using some of these ideas and techniques are ready without even realizing it. Remember, the real power with magician lies within the tools around him, just helps to focus his energy on what he wants to accomplish.

What to expect when you're expecting...to hire a magician

Nolan Webster — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 20:52:58 +0000

This article is for those that haven’t hired a magician and are unsure of what to expect. Once you start shopping around and discover how prices vary you can get even more confused and overwhelmed.

Hiring a Magician can be a difficult and confusing process, which is why I am writing this.

With so much choice, it’s tempting to pick the cheapest. After all, spend less on entertainment and you have more for other costs such as your venue and the catering etc.

But (as with anything) opting for ‘cheap and cheerful’ can be a mistake.

That’s because when you hire a performer, you’re paying for more than a few tricks. Let me explain…

What a top-notch close-up magician actually does

A mentalist/magician should bring more than entertainment to your event.

When I show up at a private party or a corporate event, I need more than a few good magic tricks to give an amazing experience.

I’m here to not only entertain but to have you and your guests question if what I do is real or not. Leaving your guests with their dropped jaws, astonished expressions, and whispers of “How on earth did he do that?” And that means I need performance skills too.

Unless a performer can work an audience, mingle confidently, and respond to what’s happening in the moment, the magic and mystery won’t work. You can’t show up and rely on a trick or effect from a store or book. Mentalism/Magic doesn’t work that way because it’s reliant on audience interaction and engagement too.

That’s why personality is key.

You want someone who is personable and relevant. Someone who can slot into any conversation, immediately put guests at ease, and engage them with magic that gets them talking.

This is where my background comes in to play. My diverse experience includes being married with a family, a U. S. Marine, flair bartender, working in radio, DJ, obtaining an MBA in finance, business consulting, experience traveling, and more. All of these experiences allow me to fit in with your guests and engage confidently with them.

Magicians that can’t work a crowd and interact make the audience cringe and can make the magic and effect unimpressive and boring. Where exactly the opposite can happen, a performer with entertaining skills can turn a “simple” effect into something that draws applause.

Imagine how you’ll feel as the party host when word gets around that the entertainment is a little bit rubbish.

And that’s why I encourage you not to compromise on your entertainment. Instead, pay a fair price to get the confidence you need that your performer won’t let you down.

This is what you’re actually paying for

At first glance you may think you are paying for that one hour of performance, however, there any several other factors that go in to the performer’s fee. Travel time to and from your venue, buying props to use or refills of props for your event, the hours and hours and hours of practice that has been put in to the show and script.

You’re paying for more than a few tricks and this can sometimes be revealed in the price of the performer. . Let me break it down for you… this is what you get when you hire me:

Personality

I'm the guy who can mingle with anyone, ad-lib at ease, and make even the hardest to please party guest smile!

A Party Starter

Demonstrations and magic that adds to the atmosphere, creates a vibe and transforms the mood of any party, celebration, or event.

OMG moments!

A collection of relevant, jaw-dropping, spellbinding magic and myster that will wow your guests and leave them wondering how if what they just witnessed was real.

Shared experiences

For your guests that get people talking, laughing and smiling!

Memories

of an awesome experience that lasts long after your event has finished

Ice-breaker!

Entertainment that brings people together - even strangers

Awesome host!

The satisfaction that you're an awesome host because you took time to research and found the perfect performer.

Peace of mind!

...that your guests are being expertly entertained - so you can relax and enjoy the show too

Impressed guests!

there are never any clichés, cringes, or tackiness when I’m in the room

A bespoke experience!

every event is unique, which means every close-up show I perform is subtly different from the last

Experience

I've performed at thousands of event and I'm currently

That’s why a hiring a good Magician can costs more than $75-$150 per hour. It’s also the reason why you should ask more questions if you’re given a rock-bottom quote – so you can understand exactly what entertainment to expect from your investment.

How to tell if your chosen magician will be AWESOME:

Please don’t pick a performer on price alone. Remember, you’re paying for a lot more than a few magic tricks so you want to ensure you choose the right person for your event.

If you’ve got a short-list of people who’ve been recommended to (or you like the look of), I suggest you narrow it down with these three things before hiring:

1. Look at videos and photos – in particular, check out the guests’ reactions. Do they look impressed and amazed or are they bored and cringing?

2. Check out independent reviews – testimonials on 3rd party review sites such as Yelp, Google, Thumbtack, GigSalad, or GigMasters will give you a good insight as to what audiences really think.

3. Have a chat with the performer – and see that your instincts say about which one is right for you.

Starting Over

Nolan Webster — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 17:46:43 +0000

From my previous blog post, you aware that I have moved to the Chicago area. As new and exciting that may be, trying to build my cliental up from the beginning is stressful. It does, however, give me an opportunity to retarget my marketing and tweak my branding. There are services out there that performers can use, Thumbtack, Bark, and Gigmasters just to name a few. While those may be good to get notified who is looking for entertainment, the user is bombarded with requests and can be overwhelming for them. In addition to other entertainers willing to lowball prices, it can be hard to get a gig and get one that pays well. Building up word-of-mouth marketing will take some time and I need to be patient and enjoy the journey.

I am looking to move to theater and black box shows. The Chicago area offers plenty of venues, however most require deposits and/or splitting the ticket sales. Providing a deposit puts a lot of risk on the performer to get butts in seats. While I’m aware of the risk and it may take several months for a show to pick up steam, the reward of doing that type of show is, I feel, well worth it. This pivot requires focusing on different material and marketing to a different consumer. All of this is new and exciting. Even if I attempt this and it fails, at least I would have gain the knowledge and experience of getting a venue and producing a one person show.

My plan is post about my success/failure of starting my performing business in a new area. I would love to hear from anyone that has any ideas, thoughts, or suggestions.