Author: Jules Schroeder

Why People Buy You And Not Your Business

Have you ever wondered what makes one artist or business successful and not the other, especially if the two are seemingly identical, or have a similar look and sound? What is it about the one that gets more views and traction while the other stays stagnant?

A little over a year ago, I created my first music video. It had been finished for an entire month before I finally decided to post it to YouTube. I was terrified. I felt like I was exposing one of my biggest vulnerabilities, my voice, for people to judge under a microscope. But, one day, I got the courage to show the world. I posted it to YouTube and then to Facebook, and then shutdown the computer and walked away. Almost 24 hours later, I logged back in and I was astonished. It had over 4,000 views, hundreds of likes on my facebook post, tons of shares, and almost 100 comments.

People came out of the woodwork to tell me they saw my video. The number one comment from my network: “I had no idea you sang.”

For years I never wanted anyone in my professional network to see that part of me. I was worried that sharing my art and creative self-expression would reveal “too much” about me personally- that people would judge me, get the wrong impression, and turn away. In retrospect it’s actually comical because the opposite turned out to be true. My voice became a gateway for people to connect to me and “feel me” faster.

Now, my singing has become my secret weapon in relating with people, especially in business.

Located in Boulder, CO, Michael Grab, a professional stone balancer and the founder of Gravity Glue, has also found this to be true.

Michael and I caught up recently on this podcast episode where he shares about his craft and how he has built his business by leading with himself.

Since Michael quit his 9-to-5 in 2011 to pursue Gravity Glue full-time, he has gradually accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. He shares that when he started his Facebook page, his only agenda was to “share my daily photos with whoever wanted to look, I never went through friends lists inviting every friend, or paying for sponsorships or promoted posts, I just made the page and posted a photo each day.”

Now Michael travels the world balancing stones as his form of art, he does it at many notable events and venues, including the World Economic Forum. He is one of only a few people in the world who does what he does, which is why he can charge $5,000 for a seven-minute performance, even when just last year the Boulder police were trying to kick him out of the creek for stacking too many rocks.

As Michael says, “I pretty much just get paid to be me.”

Michael’s willingness to keep going day after day without attachment to what people think or what will happen next in his journey has attributed to his success. He has spent countless hours practicing his art and has been unwilling to compromise on his personal values. The way he sees it is, most people “focus too much on a business model and not enough about the creative process.” Instead, he lets the internet do the marketing for him in helping his photos and videos go viral.

In this information age where there are infinite options and choices, it can become increasingly challenging to separate yourself and to stand out. It is easy to obsess over the “bells and whistles” like a perfect website, or multi-thousand dollar ad budget, or the right professional photos, social media strategy, promotional offers, etc.

Michael’s willingness to keep going day after day without attachment to what people think or what will happen next in his journey has attributed to his success. He has spent countless hours practicing his art and has been unwilling to compromise on his personal values. The way he sees it is, most people “focus too much on a business model and not enough about the creative process.” Instead, he lets the internet do the marketing for him in helping his photos and videos go viral.

In this information age where there are infinite options and choices, it can become increasingly challenging to separate yourself and to stand out. It is easy to obsess over the “bells and whistles” like a perfect website, or multi-thousand dollar ad budget, or the right professional photos, social media strategy, promotional offers, etc.

This article was originally published on Forbes

February 28, 2018
3 Reasons Why Every Millennial Should Lead By Example

Yesterday, on the Brussels’ metro, my sister Mary and I talked about what leadership means to her. My sister is from the states, but she’s living in Belgium for the next three years studying at a world-famous circus school. She spends her life training 10 hours a day, practicing handstands, and juggling hula-hoops with her feet. For Mary, leaving her life in Chicago to move across the world was a price she was willing to pay to pursue a path she feels destined to take.

Since leaving the U.S., dozens of people in Mary’s community have reached out to tell her that she’s been an inspiration to them. Incidentally, Mary created a ripple effect for others to take action in pursuing their passions in their own lives.

Mary says leadership is “being a living embodiment of the work you feel called to do, even if the vehicle to get there hasn’t been created. That means recognizing that you have the power to say how your life goes. Even if it seems uncertain or scary, you keep going.”

For the first time, being a leader is no longer optional. Success is no longer guaranteed by following the traditional system. Instead, for the millennial generation, success comes by choosing yourself first and by choosing to create meaningful relationships.

One example of this is Gerard Adams, the cofounder of Elite Daily, an online news publication for millennials. Gerard decided to turn his 19-year-old intern into the CEO of the company and, together, and with his two other cofounders, they grew Elite Daily to a site with 80 million monthly readers in just three years. Last year, Daily Mail acquired it for $50 million.

Listen to this week’s podcast episode where Gerard shares the secret behind how he did it.

Gerard says, “Leaders create leaders.” He believes we all have a story to tell, we all have something to offer each other and something to help each other grow. His mission is to help others cultivate their passion and motivate their spirit.

He has spent the last 12 months committed to this mission. He’s traveled the globe in search of today’s leaders so that he can share their stories with the world. By showcasing examples of leaders leading people, he believes others will turn around and lead in their own life too. Gerard is sharing the first of these stories in his web video series, “Leaders Create Leaders,” which launches tomorrow.

Gerard believes this generation can and will be the best generation of all time. If you want to own your own business, launch an app, travel, become an artist, you can starting today. Millennials are a generation of entrepreneurs whether you are working for yourself or a company. The way he sees it is “every entrepreneur has their moment when they go from being an admirer to a leader.” Making that transition is vital in navigating the world today.

Here are three reasons leadership is the most important skill you can master:

Reason #1: Your Success Depends on It. We are no longer rewarded for following the system. In today’s working world, you must learn to think for yourself. By taking initiative, you can become an entrepreneur of your life. In fact, you must. As Gerard says, it is “0% luck, 100% hustle.” The model is changing; you will thrive only when you cultivate the ability to step outside that past prescriptive model for a life and business. Success is the reward for those with the ability to recognize that there is no longer a set route — you create it.

Reason #2: We Live in a Relationship Economy. People are the new currency. “Return on Relationship” or ROR has become the new ROI. In order to achieve success, you must learn how to cultivate relationships and empower the people around you. The key to empowering others is to first lead by example. Learn the 5 Ways To Profit From Growing Your Personal Network and hone the skills that you might not yet..

Reason #3 The World Needs You. In 2016, we are faced with global problems with an urgency like never before. With 7 billion people on the planet, the earth’s resources are under immense strain. For the first time in history, a small group of everyday leaders can make a difference in the lives of billions of people. Mastering how to lead is crucial now. Will you become a leader among them?

To win a free 1 hour consulting session with Gerard Adams to take a deep dive into your vision, strategy, and mindset subscribe to the podcast here and then enter to win by following this link. Gerard has made this offer exclusively to Unconventional Life readers and listeners.

This Article was originally published on Forbes.

February 28, 2018
What Digital Nomads Know That You Don’t (Yet)

It’s 9:26 p.m and I’m just getting started on work today. I’ve spent the last 48 hours skiing in 2 feet of deep powder. It’s like Christmas on a Tuesday.

For the past few days, I have been anticipating the snow storm, reorganizing my schedule and plans around its arrival. No need to call in sick or take off work, prioritizing a strong internet connection and securing my friend’s condo for a few nights, was all that was in order.

This is what my life looks like. I work from my computer wherever and whenever I have wifi. I choose to be on the move constantly, travelling to as many places and experiencing as many things as I can. A few weeks ago, I was hiking a glacier in Iceland. Today, I was skiing in Colorado. In a few days, I’ll board a plane to see my sister in Belgium.

I’m a digital nomad, or as Vice refers to it, “a certain breed of travelers who have given up permanent homes for the chance to see the world, constantly on the move…in the age of remote employees, full-time freelancers, and entire industries that take place not in an office but on the internet, they’ve found a way to do it without sacrificing regular income.”

Digital nomads are redefining what making a living looks like. You no longer have to sacrifice personal happiness for a paycheck, or wait to travel until after you’ve retired. New digital nomads are popping up daily, like Shannon O’Donnell, National Geographic’s Traveler Of The Year and Founder of the blog A Little Adrift.

Shannon left her life in Los Angeles in 2008 with a one-way ticket to Australia.

Listen to Shannon’s podcast episode where she shares her story, detailing how to get paid to travel the world.

When Shannon left for Australia, she hadn’t been planning or saving money in preparation. It was a spur-of-the moment decision. She had a little money set aside, a part-time online freelancing gig, and an idea to start a blog to chronicle her journey.

Seven years, a thriving blog, and 55 countries later and she is still going.

Every day, through online community, Shannon lives her dream of telling stories. Through Grassroots Volunteering — a sister site she started as a way to connect travelers to local causes and communities — she gives a voice to the people and cultures she immerses herself in that often remain silent in the media.

Shannon shares, “What differentiates me from many round the world and gap-year travelers is that I worked the entire time. In the past seven years, I have only truly taken two long breaks from my SEO consulting work, my freelance online work, and the weekly upkeep on my blog.”

For Shannon, and for so many other digital nomads, there is no separation between life and work. Instead of planning a “vacation,” work becomes an extension of your self-expression. There is no difference between working at home in an office or working out of a coffee shop in Mexico.

As Software Recruiter, Nicole Tucker says, “If you’re a pro and you’re holding to your deadlines you can probably do it from anywhere.”

If creating your own schedule, working from anywhere around the world, and harmonizing work and play sound appealing, consider these tips for a nomadic existence:

Money is about experiences, not material things

Many people stress over the amount of money in their bank account. Whether your number is $500 or $5,000,000, it may never seem like enough. There will never be a “right time” to take that trip or vacation you’ve been wanting. Instead of buying a new TV or a new car, take yourself or your family on an experience that you can forever look back on. Money is a tool, you get to decide how to use it.

Honor the path you’re on, not someone else’s path

The work you do, the life your build, it should only look like the version of your life you want to live. Some digital nomads start from scratch on new, mobile career paths, others are able to tap into skills they honed in college. There is no “right” way to work as a digital nomad, only the way that works for you and your goals. As Shannon says, “what would it look like if you could create [your vision] from the ground up?”

You don’t have to sacrifice money for happiness

We have an unprecedented ability to craft our lives — the availability of internet access around the world means that we can find a way to balance those big goals in life with the need to earn an income as well. Don’t wait to read another blog post like the the “20 Brutally Honest Things Women Turning 40 Want All Women In Their 30s To Know” to regret not traveling or delaying your own happiness.

Opportunities exist everywhere

Shannon’s secret was to remain open to each new opportunity and not be stuck in the planning. “If you are only working towards this one idea you envisioned for the future then you miss all these other tiny pathways that may create something even bigger.” Part of that path is taking in lessons and information from everyone you meet. Whether you identify as a digital nomad, aspire to be one, or think the group of us is crazy, there are lessons to learn from every person and story.

If you want to win a free copy of Shannon’s book “The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook” subscribe to the podcast here then enter to win by following this link. Shannon has made this offer exclusively to Unconventional Life readers and listeners.

This article was originally published on Forbes.

February 28, 2018
5 Ways To Profit From Growing Your Personal Network

Over the last five years, my Dad has watched me attend one conference after another. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chicago, and Philadelphia, just to name a few. I have spent thousands of dollars on travel, event tickets, and important dinners to meet with and learn from influential industry leaders. And no matter how excited I am about what I learned, or who I met, my Dad always asks me the same question: “How is that going to translate into cash?”

Every time he says it, I could almost shake him. How does he not get it? How does he not see the value of these relationships? Even though it seems obvious to me, I know my Dad is not alone in his thinking. Historically, the path to cash has been very linear. Each person or relationship is seen like a transaction, serving a very distinct and clear purpose. Today, however, we are living in a relationship economy.

Ted Rubin, an industry leader in social marketing strategy and brand evangelism, calls this currency “Return On Relationship” (ROR). “ROR is the value that is accrued by a person or brand due to nurturing a relationship, whereas ROI is simple dollars and cents. ROR is the value (both perceived and real) that will accrue over time through loyalty, recommendations and sharing.”

Growing and building a network of relationships is essential, which is why Network Under 40’s founder, Darrah Brustein, has built a lifestyle and company out of connecting people.

I recently caught up with Darrah on this week’s podcast episode where she shares how to turn connections into cash.

Darrah says, “I can track most things that have happened in my life — both personally and professionally — back to a relationship I’ve had with someone. Once I met a man at a networking event and he asked to interview me on his podcast about my kids books. Several months later, he randomly wrote about Network Under 40 in Inc. Magazine which generated global interest that facilitated our expansion. You never know how you can help someone, as well as the power of their connections and influence.”

Darrah is on a mission to redefine the way people think about the word “networking.” In her opinion, “networking has become synonymous with selfishness, when at its root, I believe it’s about selflessness.”

To thrive in this relationship economy you have to be willing to give more value upfront than you are trying to receive. That is why the best time to cultivate relationships is when you have nothing to take–only something to offer–so that when your time comes to ask, you don’t appear self-serving. Some of the best business returns end up being the most random and you never know which connections will cash in at which time.

Want to know how to get rich from your network? Follow these 5 principles to abide by:

People are Human Beings. Look at each person beyond their perceived transactional value. See them for who they are, the interests they have, the types of things they like and speak to that. Ask them about their kids, where they want to travel, or a favorite movie they saw recently, get personal!
Be Authentic. Cultivate relationships with those with whom you naturally connect — with no self-serving agenda. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, you will find people want to help you more when they get to know the real you.

Figure Out How To Add Value. The more value you can add the higher your social currency becomes. Listen to what people need and help be the one to connect the dots for them. Every person is missing a “piece” to their puzzle, figure out the piece and when you need something you won’t be forgotten.
Keep In Touch. Always send a LinkedIn invitation with a personalized note after you’ve met someone or an email. This is a simple way to keep track of their latest job updates, birthday and other important things they might share. You can also add them on Facebook or social media so when they post something you can easily “like” it and remain a presence in their life.
Get Clear On Your Goals. When you are clear on what you need or the “pieces” you are looking for people can know how to contribute to you. Without having this clarity most people will not know how to help you. You will be surprised by how many people are willing and are just looking to you for the next step.
If you want to win a free copy of Darrah’s book “Finance Whiz Kids” subscribe to the podcast here then enter to win by following this link. Darrah has made this offer exclusively to Unconventional Life readers and listeners.

February 28, 2018
The Magic Formula Behind Going Viral On Reddit

Have you ever wondered why a photo of a cat or video of a dancing baby goes viral on the internet for no apparent reason? You may be at work, on Facebook, or talking with a friend when someone drops the line, “Hey, you gotta see this video.” Next thing you know, you and everyone you know are stopped dead in their tracks to watch its magnificent glory, only to leave you moments later wondering what just happened.

That kind of video is everywhere. No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape it. If you are like me, you may assume that these videos blow up by accident. That there is no magic formula for producing “viral” content.

Brian Swichkow, Adweek’s “reddit marketing expert,” thinks otherwise.

Brian built his business, Ghost Influence, an online community driving 7 million pageviews a day on Reddit, by cracking the formula behind how viral happens. His community, composed of people like you and me, is able to go into any market in any niche and make content go “viral.” According to Scott Stratten, the president of Un-Marketing, a “viral” moment happens when you achieve a “greater reach than your own. Viral isn’t a number, viral is simply going farther than you can reach.”

Some of his past wins include: making a girl on Tinder world-famous by generating 25 million impressions to her profile picture in 72 hours, creating an online app where users register to receive the most “absurd email to give in a bar”, generating 11,000 pageviews and 564 signups in the first 30 minutes, and building his ex-fiancé’s dog a YouTube channel with 6,800 subscribers and 3.8M views.

I caught up with Brian on this week’s podcast episode here, where he shares all of the details on how viral happens:

Brian’s journey started in 2013 when he decided to run eerily targeted facebook ads to prank his roommate… for three weeks. Every few days his roommate would log in and see an ad revealing intimate details that only someone like a girlfriend or his roommate would know. After his roommate was understandable super freaked out, Brian ran one last ad saying, “Ever feel like your roommate is creating Facebook ads targeted to a niche of just you?”

Notably one of the best pranks ever. After sharing the story with people, Brian decided to write this article as his first blog post to document the whole thing and posted it to Reddit. Seventy-two hours later it had garnered 450,000 views.

Not only was it a great story but it was also great content. Brian carefully dissected piece by piece how he did it so, if you are a marketer, like me, you could learn about Facebook ads from reading what he did, while being super entertained.

When I asked Brian his secret, he shared, “the key is to execute something unnecessarily well. You have to be committed to the joke or whatever you are doing. When I launched my ex-fiance’s dog’s YouTube channel, I never broke character once. Every time someone would comment I would respond only as the dog. When you do this, people pay attention and that is what makes you stand out.”

Since launching the facebook prank article Brian has become obsessed with learning how Reddit works and how viral happens. He has found that “the key is to better understand what communities deem to be of value and how you can be the one to create or deliver that to them. It’s a bit like language immersion. By breaking down the structure of the platform and the psychology of the message in an accessible manner you will quickly become fluent.”

Want Brian’s formula for making viral happen? Here’s how:

Step 1: Curate or Create Valuable Content

Reddit is a community platform where people follow topics that anyone can relate to. Unlike brand platforms like Facebook or Twitter, where someone subscribes to see all of your content, on Reddit if you don’t add relevant value to the conversation happening in the community (aka subreddit) you won’t get any traction.

Step 2: Speak The Native Language

Reddit is composed of over 9,000 communities (called ‘subreddits’) with each subreddit having its own dialect inside the community. Think about talking to people on the East coast versus the South. If you don’t say words like “soda or pop” you will seem like an outsider and create a barrier.

Step 3: Give Before You Receive

Think about Reddit like a relationship. You need to nurture it and let it grow before you ask for favor after favor. On Reddit before you share a post, make sure you are commenting, sharing your opinion, and adding value to the community before expecting something back in return.

Step 4: Don’t Do A Hit & Run

The most traction on Reddit comes from engaging in the comments and discussion happening after you post. It would be a tragedy to get the entire formula right, post in the right subreddit with the right language and then not engage with the people talking about it. You will leave thousands of potential views and traction on the table.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Rewards

Collect the traffic rewards from following the above framework that you can use over and over again to blow up content time and again.

If you want to win a free 1 hour consulting session with Brian ($1000 value) listen to the podcast for details. Then enter to win here. Brian has made this offer exclusively to Unconventional Life readers and listeners.

February 28, 2018