I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my friends say they’d rather work anywhere over a corporate job. For many millennials, corporate companies have long had a bad rap. We remember well our parents’ groans and gripes about their dictatorial bosses and distant coworkers.

Seventy five percent of millennials believe corporate businesses are focused on their own agendas instead of improving society.

What millennials really want out of work is to make an impact. Nine in ten seek to benefit society with their skills, and one in two would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant working for a company that matched their values.

As millennials shoulder the workforce, we’re setting a new standard for ethical, transparent, and sustainable business practices. Take Uber, for example, whose peer-to-peer rideshare app is bringing communities closer and empowering workers to pilot their own schedules.

For companies that want to thrive in the 21st century, adapting to this new way is a necessity.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, I spoke with one millennial founder whose value-centered company is becoming a favorite among millennials.

Meet Rafael Museri, the founder of Selina, a hospitality group that hosts co-working and co-playing spaces in destination locations around the world. Selina is on a mission to become a major hotel chain, displacing industry giants like Hilton. Currently, they have 20 operating Selinas and 15 additional under development and they expect to end 2018 with 50-60 operating (globally) and 15-20 under development.

What makes Selina so attractive to millennials? Museri says it’s Selina’s values. The Jerusalem-born founder has cultivated an atmosphere of equality that makes travelers of all backgrounds feel at home.

Below, Museri shares five practices he’s convinced set Selina apart. If you’re looking to uplevel your company, consider integrating some of these tips in order to resonate more with millennials.

Treat All Of Your Clients Equally. While most services tend to treat higher-paying customers better than lower-paying ones, Selina treats all of its customers equally. Guests cohabit the same common areas independently of how much they paid for a room, and there’s nothing that distinguishes smaller rooms from larger rooms; each of the doors are marked exactly the same. For Museri, shared humanity is the great equalizer. No matter if guests pay $5 a night or $300 a night, they are all treated equally.

“Traditionally they break up 2, 3, 4, and 5 stars based on how much you can afford and that’s how they treat you,” says Museri. “At Selina, it’s not about who you are and how much money you have.”

Cater Your Products To Individuals. Part of what’s made Selina such a hit is its due diligence in conducting market research. Museri says, “We traveled to 140 different hostels around the world and asked travelers to share their experiences with us. We collected data about travelers, their interests, and the changes they wanted to see. It’s all about data, all about market research, all about trends. We always prefer to spend more on the market research side and feel confident in our vision.”

In order to strike a chord with millennials, you’ve got to talk to them. Narrow your target market down to a very specific niche and develop services that are uniquely tailored to their needs.

Create A Community. Millennials value relationships and experiences. They wanted to feel bonded with others who share similar values as them. Your company is more than just your product or service, it’s why you do what you do. What are your core values? What do your customers have in common?

Consider creating a mission statement that reflects your values. Express these values in your community, either in your digital content or at in-person gatherings. Your values will act as cohesive glue for your community and generate loyalty.

Museri says, “I think one of the main reasons communities are exist are they make people feel more comfortable; they let people know there are others who share the same values as them. I traveled the world via bicycle across India, Europe, and South America seeing and experiencing different types of communities. It made me very interested in understanding how the world was connected.”

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the trend that everyone’s talking about right now—cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin jumped to a record $20k last week, which means if you’d have bought $100 of Bitcoin seven years ago, you’d be sitting on $75M right now.

While some are saying cryptocurrencies are bound to collapse, others believe it’s the beginning of a blockchain revolution. With so many different reports, it can be hard to make sense of the cryptocurrency landscape.

One thing’s for certain—Bitcoin is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many promising blockchain projects sprouting up with millennials leading the way. From 24-year-old Vitalik Buterin who founded Ethereum, now the world’s second largest cryptocurrency to 26-year-old Justin Sun, who seeks to reinvent how digital creators get paid for their online content with TRON.

Our generation is shaping the biggest wave of innovation since the creation of the internet. And it’s just the beginning.

I wanted to get to the insider’s scoop on the blockchain world so I invited Mel Gelderman and David Hogardd, the founders of TokenCard to join me on the Unconventional Life Podcast this week.

These two twenty-somethings raised 16.7M in just 6 minutes during an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) crowdsale. TokenCard is a mobile app that works worldwide allowing token holders to use their digital assets in real-time, in the real world, as real money.

On the fence about cryptocurrency? Check out what these insiders had to say about getting involved.

1. Crypto Is The New Paradigm. Hogardd and Gelderman stress that there is an incredible amount of opportunity in the Blockchain space right now. “The barriers to entry are quite low. For people looking to do something interesting with their life, blockchain is such a staggeringly opportunity.” Hogardd says.

If you want to begin learning the skills check out blockgeeks.com for technical tutorials and instruction on understanding cryptocurrency and the blockchain.

2. Here’s How To Get Started. While Hogardd and Gelderman believe that TokenCard will be the easiest point of entry for someone looking to get started with cryptocurrencies, their project won’t be released for another 6 months.

Alternatively, the best option right now is to sign up on Coinbase. They have an incredibly user-friendly interface that even beginners can learn to use quickly. One downside is your options are limited compared to the more complex cryptocurrency exchanges. Right now on Coinbase you can buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and most recently Bitcoin Cash

3. Crypto Is Just The Beginning. Hogardd and Geldermann are betting big on the trend of tokenization. They see a future where anything that has value will be “tokenized.”

This could mean that one day with TokenCard you’ll be able to hold any number of assets including cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, something physical like gold, shares of company like Apple stock, or even a fraction of the Mona Lisa.

“We don’t think you even need to hold dollars or pounds in the future we think people will literally be spending with their Mona Lisa tokens or with their gold or with their Apple stock, only what they want to hold not what they think they need to hold simply because it’s the only thing that’s accepted. People will literally be able to walk into McDonalds and pay with their Mona Lisa tokens and that’s why we created this company,” Gelderman says

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Fail. Gelderman and Hogardd say they’ve always sought out the cutting edge because it makes them feel alive. The prospect of doing something new and exciting can fill you with a deep sense of purpose.

The problem with doing something new is that there isn’t a playbook. If you’re considering getting involved in this space, you’re going to make mistakes. The crypto market can seem unpredictable but there’s no denying that in the long-term it’s been steadily rising to exponential proportions.

If you do decide to invest in cryptocurrency, you have to notice the opportunities in front of you and be willing to take a chance. Sitting on the sidelines might protect you from failure but it robs you from the chance to capitalize on this opportunity.

5. Beware The FOMO-FUD Cycle. There is a ton of news and information being published 24/7 about cryptocurrency. How do you make sense of it all?

It’s important to know that the newscycle switches between spreading FOMO and FUD. FOMO is the fear of missing out that causes people to jump in and invest. FUD is the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that gets spread around prompting people to jump ship and sell.

People who have been paying attention to cryptos know that this FOMO-FUD cycle is common so they aren’t as easily swayed.

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I can’t tell you how many times my Dad used to ask me about what exactly it was again that I was doing for a living.

Coming from the “black and white” world of accounting on Wall Street, he wasn’t satisfied with my answer that didn’t fit neatly into a box like lawyer, doctor, or teacher. As the founder of an online community, I was proud of my work and wanted badly to convey to my Dad what I was up to—but he always seemed to respond with a blank stare followed by defeated resignation.

What I’m finding is that I’m not the only one having this problem. In fact, the majority of the millennials I talk to today are opting for work that’s not clearly defined.

The millennial worker today wears many hats—whether that’s copywriter, marketer, sales strategist, or bookkeeper. We’re adaptive to the shifting demands of a fast-paced work environment and the skills we need to learn are often just a Google search away.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, I interviewed one millennial woman who’s on the leading edge of nontraditional work and thriving.

Meet Tash Price, the business developer and manager of Engine House VFX, an award-winning UK-based 2-D, 3-D, CGI and VFX animation studio who has served clientele like BBC and Sony. Engine House VFX covers a wide range of projects within advertising, gaming, architectural visualization and film. Their work has been featured online, on TV, at events, and in films and games.

“You’ll get into the conversation of what you do for a living and you’ll say animation and people can’t quite seem to grasp it. They’ll quickly move on and they seem confused by it because it’s not the standard job role,” Price says.

But according to Price, the conversation doesn’t have to stop there. Rather than moving on, you can educate others about what you do in a way that promotes connection and redefines what it means to work in the 21st century.

I spoke with a number of other millennials who are finding fulfillment in nontraditional job roles, and here’s what they had to say:

1. Job Titles Don’t Reflect Lifestyle. In the past, jobs were much less integrated than they are today. Going to work meant punching in a time card at on office for a designated number of hours. Today, technology enables millennials to work seamlessly from their devices so that being “on” and “off” the clock is less rigid and more fused with lifestyle. Eric Termuende, an entrepreneur, speaker, and the author of Rethink Work, says, “With the capabilities of technology increasing so quickly, the ability to work form more places, using more devices, longer hours every day makes the job less about the seemingly limited title, and more about the holistic experience. In many cases, the title doesn’t encompass the life Millennials are living as a result of the job (or jobs) they are doing.”

Price’s animation studio is embodying this new “integrated” work model. ”Instead of having hundreds of people sitting behind a cubicle we have a small core team and we work with lots of freelancers who are based all over the world. It means everyone gets the lifestyle they want and we can hand-pick the artists we want for the job. We’ve got people working in Turkey, Sweden, Iran, the US, the Netherlands, Japan,” she says.

2. Job Titles Act As Constraints. Today’s millennial workers may have bigger ambitions than previous generations. Just a few decades ago, only a marginal percent of American workers held a college degree, and the majority of women preferred to stay at home.

As millennials tackle a host of global issues, both men and women are rising to the occasion with a shift towards businesses that do social justice. 92% of millennials believe businesses should be measured by more than profit. Undra Robinson, a millennial entrepreneur, says “Millennials believe our potential in life is limitless and want to change the world, and job titles only add constraints. They are polar opposites.”

3. Millennials Aren’t Motivated By Job Titles. On average, millennials would be willing to give up $7,600 in salary every year to work at a job that provided a better environment for them. While prestige was a key motivation for workers in the past, millennials are more interested in finding work that aligns with their values.

Jamie Molnar, the founder of Your Blissed Out Life, says, “What I find most interesting about the millennial generation is their demand for two core values in the workplace: authenticity and freedom. If these core values are not present, millennials will leave. For them, work is an extension of the self and therefore must fit within their approach to life.”

4. Job Titles Inhibit Expression. For millennials, finding meaningful work is about applying one’s innate gifts to the marketplace. Many millennials like myself identify as being multi-passionate, and we don’t want to just “pick one” thing at the expense of our other skillsets. I’m not “just” a speaker; I’m also a musician, singer, poet, and businesswoman.

Ana Wood, the founder of Try Love On, says, “Freedom is the name of the game for Millennials. We require the freedom to be expressed in all of our gifts, to innovate by weaving them together, to act spontaneously on our inspiration, to collaborate with others doing the same.”

5. Job Titles Are An Incomplete Measure Of ‘Success.’ Whitney Cox, the owner of a dance studio in Colombia says, “You can have it all in the material realm but it makes no difference if your spiritual realm and purpose are not engaged as well. I think millennials define success this way, which is hugely different than generations before. The definition of success is broader now, and it involves mind, body, soul and purpose.”

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This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

I’m what you call “late” to the Instagram bandwagon.

I just created my first account a few weeks ago and I’m beginning to see why so many millennials are obsessed. Not only have I been getting more engagement with Instagram than Facebook, Twitter, or other social platforms, but it’s also helping my business.

In today’s digital world, having a big Instagram following is akin to having a prestigious resume—it’s an instant credibility boost.

Just the other day my friend Virginia Salas Kastilio, the CEO of a media firm, posted to Facebook a job offering for a speaker at an all-expenses-paid event on a private island. The only criteria? A minimum social following of 100k+.

As my friend Zach Benson put it, “When you’re at a networking event and the person you exchange business cards with sees you have a following, of everyone else they meet, they’re gonna remember you.”

Benson is himself an Instagram connoisseur, the CEO and founder of the Instagram management agency Assistagram, which has served high-end clients like The Ritz Carlton and The Four Seasons. Benson has engineered viral Instagram campaigns and boasts the ability to reliably build massive accounts from scratch in a short period of time. In the past year alone, he’s stayed at over one hundred exotic hotels for free in exchange for exposure to his Instagram travel network of 12M+. Not to mention, he’s also a professional dancer and a TEDx speaker.

For the average person, building a following on Instagram might seem like a daunting task. But to Benson, it’s all a matter of simple algorithms.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Benson shares his method for building Instagram followings fast, and leveraging your following to travel the world for free. Below, learn from Benson how easy Instagram can be and how you can enjoy its travel benefits.

1. Join An Alliance. One of Instagram’s algorithms for ranking content is based on how many comments a photo or video gets soon after being posted. Benson says you can boost your photo’s visibility exponentially by combining forces with a team. Every time you or one of the members of your “alliance” posts a new photo, ensure that each person comments on the photo immediately, because a post’s first ten minutes are the most crucial for gaining traction and determining how extensively it’ll reach beyond your current following. Aim to form teams of 15+ people and it’ll help your photos perform optimally.

2. Follow The Golden Rule. According to Benson, “content is (and will always be) king.” Quality content should always be your first priority, so dedicate yourself to taking high quality, vibrant photos and pairing them with engaging captions or a call to action. For best results, coordinate your content to adhere to a complementary color scheme so that when your followers scroll through your feed, your body of photos reflects your “signature” style and is visually beautiful.

For inspiration, consider modeling your profile after top Instagrammers’ feeds. Take note of the kinds of color palettes they’re using and their content ratios between photo, text, and video

3. Hashtag Smart. Instagram allows you to see how many users have used a particular hashtag before adding it to your post. While it’s tempting to use hashtags that have been used millions of times, it’s not very effective. These hashtags are highly competitive, meaning you’re unlikely to rank among the top. Instead, use hashtags that have been used between 100k-900k times. If you’re unsure of which hashtags to use, Benson suggests digging through the posts of the top influencers in your niche and using the hashtags they’re using. Make sure to max out your hashtags—you can use up to 30.

4. Monitor The Health Of Your Account. Benson says there’s several common behaviors can damage the health of your account that you should avoid at all costs. When you do these behaviors, they trigger Instagram’s algorithms for lowering your engagement and your potential to gain new followers. These behaviors include posting inconsistently, changing your display picture or username, using an automated posting tool, and doing too many actions (like mass-liking photos or following new accounts).

5. Partner With Brands. Once you have built a sizeable Instagram following (at least 50k+ followers), you can approach hotels with offers to expose them to your audience in exchange for a free stay; Benson regularly scores VIP reservations at luxury hotels. “If you have a big Instagram account you can use that account to pretty much get anything for free, because big brands want to pay you for exposure” Benson says. 

6. Speak Their Language. According to Benson, hotels have a huge gap in their content and marketing needs, which makes it a perfect opportunity for Instagram influencers to fulfill. Offerings that will appeal to them include photos, videos, blog posts, article features, graphic design, SEO, and website design. Learn these skills and reach out to them via email to propose a trade.

7. Differentiate Yourself. Remember, big hotels get dozens of email offerings a day, so it’s crucial to differentiate yourself. “I usually say ‘VIP Reservation’ in the subject line, and then I got straight into my accomplishments. Explain why your offering is different than others and explain what you can do for them,” Benson says.

For more extensive information, consider downloading top Instagrammers’ free guides, which you can usually access in their bios when you visit their profile page. 
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This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

Searching for a job isn’t always a whole lot of fun—according to the BLS, the average person spends up to ten weeks before landing a new job, and that intervening time can be tense as savings drain and expenses pile up.

Millennials have been dubbed the “job hopping” generation, with six in ten perpetually open to new job opportunities. What this means is that competition for jobs is stiff, and if you want to secure a job with better prospects, you’ll need to really stand out.

How do you do that?

Take it from one millennial whose full-time job is amplifying others’ visibility and crafting a compelling reputation. He has an impressive track record, including rocketing one client to stardom in a matter of months.

Meet Julian Petroulas, the 25-year-old founder of Over Agency, a boutique management and marketing agency focused on the development of unique artists on a worldwide scale. Before Over Agency, the serial entrepreneur founded and sold a successful festival promotions company and a subscription tech company. Petroulas has worked with top talent, including Timmy Trumpet, a multi-platinum EDM artist, and William Singe, a singer who boasts a social media following of 6M+ as well as 1B+ video views.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Petroulas shares tactful strategies that enabled him to expand his visibility and create a powerful online presence. Below, learn how you can apply Petroulas’ advice to convey your strengths and increase your visibility to prospective employers and secure your next great job.

1. Leverage Your Local Community.

Never underestimate the power of your local community. Petroulas said he was able to get the ball rolling on his way to building a personal reputation with the help of his hometown in Australia. You can be proactive about making connections and expanding your influence by attending local events that interest you. Check out Facebook and Meetup events to see who’s going and network with similar others. You never know who might have connections with the employer you’re intending to reach, or conversely, who might be able to link you up with a job opportunity you never knew you really wanted.

When Petroulas was first starting out, he says all of his connections in his hometown were completely grassroots. As a 15-year-old (over a decade ago), he didn’t have access to the networking apps or social technology that we do today. His strategy was printing and passing out homemade flyers—and yet, it was tremendously effective in getting his name out and what he credits to selling out his events. Face-to-face connections can be powerful, so start being proactive today.

2. Represent Yourself On Social Media.

Petroulas says talent can go to waste if you don’t represent yourself to your potential. Case in point—William Singe had just 5k followers on social media when Petroulas began working with him. “He was already so talented, he just needed to be marketed properly” reflects Petroula. “I think that’s what it comes down to most of the time.” If talent is half the battle, the other half is taking advantage of social platforms to maximize your reach.

93% of prospective employers view your social media profiles before making a hiring decision (not to mention 55% of them reconsider hiring, usually to a candidate’s detriment, based on what they find) so take care to represent yourself online in a professional light, showcasing your strengths and talents.

3. Enlist A Support Team.

What was the secret behind Singe’s posting strategy that amplified his following to 5M? Petroulas says he hired a professional photographer to take photos of Singe and—get this—even an entourage of professional writers to caption his social media posts. “People started to remember the posts because they had that something that grabbed your attention straight away. Captions are a big thing; just one little one-liner can change the engagement so much “ says Petroula. Consider enlisting a team to help you uplevel your online content.