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January is the perfect time for focusing on making real change in our wealth, family, and career. Health too, but for so many people, that resolve only lasts about two weeks!
So let’s talk today about wealth. Here’s the most common question I’m getting:
“How do I earn more money?”
Well, you know my broad answer: Success through relationships. Whatever it is you want to do, build the network of relationships that will make it happen, and success will be yours.
But I also want to introduce you to someone who’s more directly focused on how to generate new income. He’s a New York Times best-selling author, he writes for over 300,000 people every month, and I think he’s the sharpest mind on helping you earn more money -- ethically and using the skills you already have.
His name is Ramit Sethi and I asked him to put together something special for you -- including a 67-page e-book on earning more money in 2011, available through this link.
Now, here’s Ramit:
Earning more via freelancing isn’t just for writers and designers. And it’s not only about “trading your time for money.”
Begin by thinking of how your skills can solve other people’s problems right now. Write down the top three skills you have that can solve other people’s real problems today.
I have a framework called the “Pay Certainty” technique, which helps you determine whether
people are willing and able to pay for the service you can offer with those skills.
Introducing The "Pay Certainty" Framework
The problem with having so many ideas is you're just not sure which one will pay off. And nobody wants to spend 9 months pursuing a futile idea -- only to discover you've made $0.46 in Adsense money -- so we get stuck before we even start.
When you apply the "Pay Certainty" Framework, you can quickly "score" ideas to see if they have any real possibility of ever paying off -- BEFORE you ever spend any time developing them.
To hear how it works, click through to the rest of the post on the blog. Or, click here to get Ramit’s great e-book, “Finding Your First Profitable Idea” and other free resources.
Whether you know it or not, you are creating a brand for yourself online. If you haven’t given any thought to what you put on the Internet this may sound like bad news. As the proverb goes, “in crisis lies opportunity.” You can start right now to shape your online brand so that your best foot is forward – all the time.
Kate-Madonna Hindes’ RMA Masterclass is the ultimate beginner’s guide to getting the real you across online. Small business professionals and solopreneurs, this one is especially terrific for you.
Here are three tips from Kate-Madonna to help cultivate an authentic virtual presence that screams, Connect with me!
Humanize: People don’t want to read a ‘how to.’ They want to read opinions and hear about experiences and passions. Bring your own voice.
Resonate: Once you find your audience, never stop adapting your material. This is your platform to broadcast WHO you are.
Originate: A successful presence is original and filled with anecdotes and wit. The only thing that sets you apart? YOU.
Question: How often do you Google yourself, and are you happy with what you find? If not, how are you fixing it?
The thought of being obligated to another hundred or so people—sending birthday cards, dinner invites, and all that stuff that we do for those close to us—seems outlandishly taxing.
Only, for some, it’s not. These people are super-connectors. People like me who maintain contact with thousands of people. The key, however, is not only that we know thousands of people but that we know thousands of people in many different worlds, and we know them well enough to give them a call.
So here’s the good news for those of you who aren’t so aggressively social: Once you become friendly with a super-connector, you’re only two degrees away from the thousands of different people we know.
Connectors can be found in every imaginable profession, but I’m going to focus on seven professions where they most commonly congregate. Each of these kinds of connectors provides me with a link to an entire world of people, ideas, and information that, in a very significant way, has made my own life a little more fun, helped my career along, or made the businesses I worked for more successful.
1. Restaurateurs
Being a true-blue connector is a requisite for most people who own restaurants. The success of their enterprise depends on a core group of regulars who see the restaurant as a home away from home. And it’s quite easy to get to know a restaurateur: Become a regular.
2. Headhunters
Recruiters. Job-placement counselors. Search executives. They are like gatekeepers. Instead of answering to one executive, however, the really successful ones may answer to hundreds of executives in the field in which they recruit. Headhunters are professional matchmakers, earning their wage by introducing job candidates to companies that are hiring.
Can anyone contact a headhunter? To be honest, headhunters prefer to be the one contacting you. But if you’re careful about not trying to sell yourself and instead offering them access to your network, they’ll be receptive
3. Lobbyists
Well informed, persuasive, and self-confident, lobbyists are generally impressive networkers. By virtue of their job, they are intimately familiar with the ways of large organizations and how local and national government work. They are almost uniformly passionate people whose goal is to sway politicians to vote on legislation in a way that favors the interest they represent.
How do they work? Lobbyists will often host cocktail parties and dinner get-togethers, allowing them to interact with politicians—and their opponents—in a casual atmosphere. Their more grassroots efforts involve long hours spent on the phone and in writing letters, trying to rouse the community to get involved behind an issue. All of which makes them a rather easy group to please. Can you hold an event for them? Volunteer your services? Refer other volunteers to their cause? Introduce them to potential clients?
4. Fundraisers
“Follow the money” are words fundraisers live by. They know where it is, what it will take to get it, and most important, who’s most likely to give it away. As a result, fundraisers, whether they work for a political organization, university, or nonprofit group, tend to know absolutely everybody.
5. Public relations people
PR people spend their whole day calling, cajoling, pressuring, and begging journalists to cover their clients. The relationship between media and PR is an uneasy one, but at the end of the day, necessity brings them together like long-lost cousins. A good friend who works in PR can be your entrée into the world of media and, sometimes, celebrity.
6. Politicians Politicians at every level are inveterate networkers. They have to be. They shake hands, kiss babies, give speeches, and go to dinners, all in the name of gaining the trust of enough people to get elected. The stature of politicians is derived from their political power rather than their wealth. Anything you can do to help them gain power with voters, or exercise power in office, will go a long way to ensuring you a place in their inner circle.
7. Journalists
Journalists are powerful (the right exposure can make a company or turn a nobody into a somebody), needy (they’re always looking for a story), and relatively unknown (few have achieved enough celebrity to make them inaccessible).
These are seven different professions tailor-made for superconnectors. Reach out to some. And there are others—lawyers, brokers, etc. Become a part of their network and have them become a part of yours. Seek out ideas from people you don’t ordinarily talk to who inhabit professional worlds you don’t ordinarily travel in.
In one word: Connect. In four better words: Connect with the connectors.
Are we raising a nation of teenagers who r omg totally gr8 texters, but total dopes when it comes to managing face to face communication?
Your teenage child sends and receives 2,272 texts a month and spends 9 hours a week absorbed in social networking sites. According to this Wall Street Journal Online op-ed by an English professor at Emory, there’s major collateral damage: a rising generation who’s deaf and dumb when it comes to real-time interaction and the subtle language of nonverbal cues – tonality, facial expressions, posture, and the like. He’s concerned: His book is called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
The professor’s both wrong and dead right.
Jeopardizing our future? Wrong. There’s so much more to celebrate than to gripe about in the Digital Age. The online revolution has wildly expanded our opportunities to share, create, and do more of all the things that tribes have done since the dawn of time – and now at the speed of light. We’re getting more human every day. I’m excited, not afraid, to see what new competencies Gen-Y and Gen-Z bring into the culture.
Here’s where he’s right: While the desire for relationships is innate, building them requires a skill set – one that can and must be learned. I know it can be learned, because I’ve made a lot of money, and my clients a lot of money, by teaching them those very skills. Nonverbal communication is an important part of that skill set, and it’s entirely possible that the professor’s right in worrying that it’s not going to be your kid’s strong suit.
It’s up to you, as parents, to fill the gap in that skill set. Push them toward activities that will develop those abilities that they miss out on while glued to their PC. Here are six tips to kick start your thinking.
6 Tips for Raising a Relationship-Savvy Child - Video Summary
1. Don't be a hypocrite! If you, like the professor, are worried your kids aren't skilled communicators, make sure you’re skilled at their preferred modes of interaction. Technology-facilitated communication is likely to become more, not less, important in the future, so make sure that you’re not overly focused on what worked in the past – you know, back when you had to walk a mile in bare feet in snow to get to school.
2. Set the example: As parents, your social life shouldn’t take place entirely remotely from your children. You’re wasting an opportunity to share with them your own special recipe for the good life – warm times with close friends. So find time to entertain at home. Host a dinner or a holiday party. Without making your kids the center of attention, give them time to interact with guests and “play grown-up.”
3. Set the table: The reality of your life may not make daily family dinners possible – but certainly you can make shared meals happen several times a week. A study reported in the 2003 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that adolescents who frequently sat down to family meals had better grades, less depression, and were less likely to drink alcohol, smoke, or use marijuana than kids who ate with their families less than twice a week.
4. Take turns toasting: This is a must for special events, but also a great tradition even for casual Sunday night dinner. That way yours kids grow up watching and practicing impromptu “public” speaking – and learning to celebrate the small stuff.
5. Activities, activities, activities: Get your kid involved early on in an organization that promotes and rewards offline social interaction – think Boy or Girl Scouts, local theatre, sports clubs, or even a local nonprofit or political campaign. At a certain point, your kid will do what he wants to do, and unless you’re really lucky, it won’t involve the Glee Club. But if you’ve laid the foundation with years of marshmallow roasts and musical theatre, he’ll have the skills at the ready when he’s done being a disaffected teenager.
6. Enforce No Cell Phone/Blackberry family outings: Yes, your kids will hate you. And it you’re hooked on the Crackberry yourself, you’ll probably mean it when you say, “This is hurting me more than it’s hurting you.” But it’s good for everyone to take a break. For a few hours, anyway.
Those who are the best at building relationships will always have a competitive edge. Relationships drive success; everything we do in life is with and through other people. That’s not changing.
Now let's hear your take: How are you approaching these issues with your kids? Or maybe you're a teenager - are all these grownups worried about nothing?
It doesn’t usually take slipping someone a Ben Franklin to get behind the proverbial velvet rope. Focus instead on a keen eye and healthy dose of confidence.
In Never Eat Alone, I talk about managing gatekeepers by treating them well and respecting their power. But occasionally the “art” in managing the gatekeeper is less about relationship building and more about a glib tongue, a sharp suit, and a forward stare.
To show you it works, here’s a field report, filmed at the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Convention in Orlando, on how I met Jack Welch.
Now, some tactical pointers – along with a qualification: Honesty IS the best policy – so choose your audacious moments with care and discretion.
1. Dress the part: Adapt for your particular venue, but in most business settings, a sharp, custom-fitted suit with a pressed shirt and tie is the best choice. A nice watch and polished shoes complete the look. And if you can’t afford a top brand, just get an imitation – who’s knows the difference?
2. Act the part: What role are you playing? If you’re at a conference, dress well and hold yourself like a speaker. Observe the VIPs (or those who have the same access as VIPs) in your environment and emulate them.
3. Plan your approach: Literally plan out the path you’re going to take to bypass the gatekeepers. You don’t want to be wandering around, attracting attention – people will ask if they can help you. Not good. You’re in control, and exactly where you’re supposed to be (right?), so make sure you walk with intent and direction.
4. Look forward and keep moving: Make as little eye contact as possible with people along the way and always keep moving forward. Eye contact is an invitation to ask you questions about what you’re doing and why you’re there. If someone does ask you a question, just point to your watch and keep walking.
5. Don’t be an ass: Be respectful and don’t get in the way of people trying to do their business. Also, be prepared to do yours. What that means – prepping the perfect elevator pitch, for example – depends on you.
…And if you’re stopped?
1. Retreat! – temporarily. Say “nevermind” and then try to find another entrance and a fresh gatekeeper.
2. Make intense eye contact (don’t break eye contact once made, don’t blink, and have a look of anticipation on your face) and insist you have something very important to deliver.
3. Abort mission – be prepared to recognize and humbly accept game over.
Good luck! I want to hear some success stories in the comments…
Hi, Ryan here, with some more interview footage from the tour.
Charley Timmins and Steve Bauer created their own Lifeline Group - or something like one, since they a) created it before WGYB came out and b) used a facilitator. As a refresher, a Lifeline Group is a concept Keith introduces in WGYB. It's a group of peers who meet regularly to help each other succeed at goals through generosity, vulnerability, candor, and accountability.
Charles and Steve began their with the intention of bettering themselves professionally, personally and spiritually. They have been meeting now for about one year.
Charley makes sure we know it’s no small feat to create one of these groups. “It’s hard work,” he says. But it’s also one of the most valuable and rewarding experiences he’s ever had in his professional career. Charley also urges the use of a facilitator. Keith doesn’t think a facilitator is required for peer groups - ultimately the idea is to depend on each other, and that everyone in the group is equally a facilitator - but he certainly recognizes the value one can offer. Having everyone read WGYB is another way to help launch the group!
Some tips from Charley:
1. A lifeline group is hard work – You need to constantly challenge each other to dig deeper and uncover your true passions, motivations and goals
2. Meet 2 times per month, 4 hours each time. We usually meet at a group member’s house.
3. Form your group with about 6 people
4. Use a facilitator to learn what questions to ask each other in order to “dive deep”
5. Choose a facilitator wisely – find a small business strategy consultant and test them out in a preliminary meeting to see if they know what questions to ask in order to get to the root of your organization’s vision and goals. If so, you have a good candidate for a Lifeline Group facilitator.
These are great tips from the field – thanks Charley. If you want Keith’s official methodology and guide on how form your own Lifeline Group, complete with minute-by-minute walkthroughs of your first few meetings, download the companion guide to Who’s Got Your Back here!
Yesterday I went to the coolest gym EVER in Dallas! (I talk about it in the video below.) It’s called Doug’s Gym. Doug is 78 years old, has never been to a doctor, and has been a free weight proponent his entire life – no weight machines in this gym. If I had to describe it myself, I’d say it looks like a cross between a gym and a homeless shelter.
I’m going back today and am recording a segment on “How to Outsource Your Workout,” special appearance by Doug himself! Man is a living legend.”
Who’s Got Your Back has been chosen as the New York Times #1 Bestseller!
I am so excited to receive this news. I’m so thrilled not because it’s my book that’s selling, but because people are making a choice – as individuals – to choose prosperity. We’re choosing to more forward, not backward. And it’s this positive influence that Who’s Got Your Back is having on people’s lives that warms my heart today.
So, thank you.
Thank you for choosing to have the Candor and Authenticity to create real relationships, not ones based on politics and politeness.
Thank you for choosing to hold each other accountable. We need to be there for each other. We must be there for each other to make sure we keep moving forward and not backward.
Thank you for all the little choices that you’re making that will soon turn into one big choice.
Thank you for letting down your guard and inviting people into your life. We can’t be afraid to share our dreams and claim them as our own anymore.
I leave you with a question: What is a choice you are going to make in order to be prosperous today? I suggest you choose to pick up the phone and invite an old friend to a long slow dinner. Share your dreams and aspirations. Always look forward, not backward. Reach out to one person today and make a difference in your life. And in theirs.
Who’s Got Your Back?
The thought of being obligated to another hundred or so people—sending birthday cards, dinner invites, and all that stuff that we do for those close to us—seems outlandishly taxing.
