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how to make friends online

Finding REAL Relationships in a Digital Age: How to Make Friends Online with Felicia Slattery (AoL 096)

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Relationships today are so much different than they used to be.

I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but it seems that so many people rely on social media to interact with other people. Personally, I’d rather have a good conversation with someone – I think these podcasts show proof of that!

The problem is with relying on social media, texting, and whatever else you want to put in the blank… these communications are usually fairly short and from what I can tell, surface level communication.

Meaning, they’re not very deep.

Growing up, I remember that everyone knew everyone in their neighborhood. This was common all over the place.

That said, I’m glad that people like today’s guest exist in helping people create better relationships in their lives.

Felicia Slattery is on a mission to bring people closer together. In her upcoming book, she tackles how people can create REAL relationships in their everyday life.

In today’s conversation, Veronica and I find out from her what REAL relationships are, the dos and don’ts of social media, and what are some ways that creatives can be more engaging with their followers.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What was it like growing up around Chicago? 12:02
  • How did Felicia get started in speaking? 13:45
  • When did Felecia realize that she wanted to help people build better relationships? 17:02
  • How can people stop talking at each other and build better relationships? 21:12
  • What are REAL relationships? 26:16
  • How can we be more mindful in our lives to get more REAL relationships? 33:47
  • How can someone get more comfortable with doing LIVE videos? 38:06
  • What are things not to do on social media so you’re not being irritating? 44:14
  • What are some of the ways to get more engagement out of different social media platforms? 1:01:07
  • What’s the future hold for Felicia? 1:03:52
  • What are Felicia’s favorite 3 books? 1:06:31
  • Something under $100 that has changed her life? 1:08:32
  • What advice do you hear parents giving advice to children that she says is bs? 1:09:18
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 1:14:15
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

How to Write a Speech in 5 Minutes:

Networking at a Picnic:

Funny Outtakes with Joel Comm:

Felicia on her Success Rituals:

 

how to make friends online

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

business partnership

A Quick Guide to Forming a Productive Business Partnership

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Last week, I got the great news that AMS was finally a licensing company.

The news officially went live on the net via this post on Endurance Sportswire.

We’re licensing our Viking Dash series to a company in California known as Spectrum Sports Management. They are known for doing fun and unique runs. Viking seems like a great match for them!

That said, as a board, we didn’t jump to this decision quickly. We had a list we used to make sure we found exactly who we needed to help further this brand.

Because partnering is no easy task. It needs to be treated with care in who you’re choosing – you have to be particular with whom you’re bringing on or negotiating a contract – such as a license – with.

So in today’s post, we’ll be looking at some of the things you should consider in partnering with others in a new business venture.

 

Matching Values

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that when people are building romantic relationships, many people do so with someone they don’t share values with. I know for me, I had a list of 100 some traits and qualities I was looking for when I met and started dating Maria.

She hit on a good number of them. In retrospect, I’m pretty happy I made that list. Thanks LTD for the giving me the idea! 😉

The same thing should be done when looking for a partner in building a business. You need to have a list of qualities that you believe are important in someone who’s essentially going to be another spouse of yours in many ways. Your business is the baby in this situation.

So just like if you were dating, you need to be asking certain questions to find out if you align. However, I wouldn’t go doing it in an office – that just has interview written all over it.

No, instead I’d opt for something informal where you’re just getting to know each other. For me and Maria, we had tons of coffee “dates” where we would just chat and find out more about each other.

Same thing can be done when starting a business.

 

Ideas for Questions:

“Date” questions for a potential co-founder should get to not only find out about their character, but also their business savvy.

Here’s a few examples that I’d ask when seeing if someone lines up with your believes:

  • What do you want out of a business?
  • What do you like about this particular idea?
  • Where you see this business going?
  • Where do you see your role in 2, 3, or 5 years?
  • How do you find good employees when you’re ready for that step?
  • What are you expectations of an employee?
  • What are you expectations of me?
  • Is there anything that I should know about your family that might cause periodic issues with your ability to help with the business?
  • How do you feel about the business contributing to nonprofit or political causes?

 

Complementary Skills and Personality

When I was searching for my wife, I knew that I wanted someone that was intelligent but I also knew that this person had to have a complementary skill set.

I know there’s just some things that I have no interest in doing or am simply not good at. I was talking to Albert about this in a recent Ascension Council meeting and mentioned that there are some things that Maria does 100x better than me – or cares about things that I don’t:

  • Making the bed everyday
  • Laundry
  • Tidying up

Albert and I both prefer organized chaos – but that’s because we’re both idea guys. Our wives seem to be more of the executor types.

In a business situation, you need to be looking for this at all different levels – but it’s especially true at the cofounder level.

As John Maxwell says, “Take advantage of your strengths, and hire for your weaknesses”. Well in this case, you’re not hiring – you’re partnering! It’s going to be even more important here.

  • So if you’re broke, you need someone that has money.
  • Are you good at creating? Then you’re going to need a marketer.
  • If you’re good at design, then perhaps your partner needs to be good at writing code.
  • Are you a strong Dominant (D) personality? Then you’re going to need someone who’s supportive. Or if you’re a the Calculative (C) type, you’ll need someone who’s Imaginary (I).

Of course there’s examples out there where having two or more founders have similar skills, it’s not often the case. The more well rounded the leadership is, the better this thing is going to have!

 

Start with the End in Mind

Earlier I wanted you to make sure you asked questions that were pertaining to the future of the business. The reason for this is that if you do end up doing well with the business, then there might come a time where you’re thinking of an Exit Strategy.

The Exit Strategy needs to be in stone at the beginning. The business you and your partner(s) are building – are you going to hold onto it as a lifestyle building business? Or are you going to build it and sell the right of the business if a bidder comes along with a ton of money?

Or, perhaps another case is that you need money to keep the thing going – you consider starting to sell stocks vs “keeping it in the family”. Are either of you the type that wants the opposite of what the other wants?

This is stuff you want to consider.

 

Background Check

When Maria and I were dating, she asked me a ton of background check questions. Did I have kids? Was I a convict? Did I have chicken pox? Well… maybe not that last one – but you get the idea!

Anyway, you want to do the same for your future business partner as well.

Find out the answers to these questions:

  • Does the candidate move from project to project without getting anything done?
  • Have they ever owned a business themselves or ever been part of a successful one?
  • Have they ever had financial issues?
  • Do other people get a bad vibe from them?

 

Just remember that no one is perfect and sometimes troubled pasts make a person that much more committed to what they’re doing now with their life. Sometimes people actually learn from their mistakes. If they have had a spotted background, see what they’ve learned from it.

 

Take Them for a Test Drive!

Well, not literally, of course. But if you’ve never worked with this person before now, you need to see what they’re like with other projects.

In the dating world, you can continue to date. I know for Maria and I we just felt like we were long lost friends. Really, the only thing we ever have quarrels about are our dogkids and whether or not they were sleeping on the bed recently or not. I imagine that in the future, when we do conflict, it’ll probably be about the kids!

In business, you want to have this trial time as well – even if it’s with friends you’ve had forever.

Start a working relationship and see how things go in smaller projects. Find out if they’re as committed as you’d like. Are they flaky about time? Do they even have the same vision as you? Maybe they’re just too naive about certain things that might drive you crazy?

These issues can mount up over time and you should know about them first before you build something on a larger scale with them!

When you believe it’s time to move to the next level, make sure you get a founders’ partnership agreement. It should include things like:

 

  • The contribution and obligations to the company of each party
  • How long a party must be with the company to vest in percentages of their promised ownership
  • Whether partners can be fired or bought out and under what conditions
  • What voting percentages are required to validate any of these actions
  • Any other issues unique to the business

 

If a partner is reluctant to put something as big as this agreement in writing, then there’s a big red flag there.

I mean, it’s like going without a prenuptial agreement in a marriage after you already have a fortune. It just doesn’t make sense!

 

A Special Note About Friends as Business Partners:

One of the original people involved in AMS was recently in a lawsuit with us. Needless to say, he’s no longer considered a friend after what he did and wasting the time of all parties involved.

The thing is – you can’t predict what’s going to happen down the line.

So here’s a few tips with this.

You need to realize that if you do decide to get in business with friends, that things can potentially go south and the friendship will more than likely go that way too.

Don’t ever go into business with family or friends just because they’re family or friends. Again, make sure you take time to test them out first. Just because you know someone as a friend, doesn’t mean you know them as a business person.

If a friend screws up bad once and promises that they’ll correct their ways, you can give them a second chance – you still like them as a friend. A great way to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to draft a secondary “social” contract with them saying what they’ll do to make up for how they screwed up. Another part of that new contract needs to mention what will happen if they do screw up again. Let them help make it so they believe it’s fair punishment as well.

 

Action Steps:

If in the future you find yourself negotiating partnerships, make sure you give it some deep thought. A business is a baby and if it has multiple parents, it needs them to work together and not fight about little things all the time or one getting the short end of the stick.

When you have great partnerships from the beginning, anything is possible. However, that said, if you have to carry dead weight – then it’s going to be twice as hard.

Have you had a partnership that worked extremely well or fell apart? Have any questions or comments about this post?

Let me know below!

 

working relationships

There’s Something Brewing Here! – What Strong Working Relationships Can Do For Your Brand with Sean Webster (AoL 093)

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Relationships are made and broken on the values of the people in those relationships.

For some, a simple misunderstanding can break a weak bond. Whereas if you know people at a deeper level, then you know who they really are and what they’re about. That kind of relationship can pay dividends in the long run.

I know for me, I’ve always had a close group of friends – and then there was everyone else. It wasn’t just “treat everyone the same”. No, I’ve always had my inner group because those were the folks that would understand me the most at that point and if I ever needed help, it’d be available – and visa versa.

If you don’t have that inner group when it comes to business, then you’re essentially working for yourself by yourself.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Today’s guest, Sean Webster, is what I would call a catalyst for craft brewers in Indiana.

Having started his business in 2016, he’s been making a pretty big strides in his business simply because he understands where his clients are coming from. He understands their stories and why they make the product they do.

While Sean applies his skillset to the brewing industry, I think it’s important to realize it should be applied anywhere.

In this session, Albert and I ask Sean about this skillset of his and how he’s been able to build his business around it. How he identifies as someone that really knows the art of creating good brews, how his business actually functions, and how his core values fit into his daily routine.

Success looks different to different people. You might not know that if your career only involved formal education and getting a job upon graduation. In fact, if you’ve gone that traditional route, you might believe that those who have the most money or the most fame might be considered the most successful.

I believe that this model simply doesn’t fit in today’s new world. Sure, I might say that a majority of people still believe that to be considered successful, it just happens to you – but I and many other creators would say that success comes with achieving what you set out to do – whatever that might look like.

If you like craft brews, good ideas, and collaboration, then you’ll like hearing from Sean!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What’s Sean been up to since session 4? 10:32
  • What’s Sean’s take on the podcasting world now that he’s been on a few? 15:58
  • As someone who’s been a bartender in the past, how does he identify as a mixologist? 22:14
  • Why’s it important to have distinguishable beers. 28:29
  • Is there any places making mead in Indiana? 32:34
  • What’s the working process of Monon Beverage? 34:28
  • How does having core values fit into a his business’ daily routine? 44:44
  • What’s the future for Monon Beverage Brokers look like? 51:45
  • What are 3 movies he recommends to other creatives? 56:24
  • Hardest thing he’s had to say no to? 57:49
  • Something Sean wishes was still a thing? 59:39
  • What’s something that all high school students must know? 1:02:01
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 1:04:02
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Moonlight Meadery “Fling”, “Smoulder”, and “Kurt’s Apple Pie” Review:

Sean at A Better You Wellness:

Blind Pig Confessions Podcast Episode 80:

Sean Webster on Indiana on Tap:

working relationships working relationships working relationshipsworking relationships

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

become famous

19 Ways to Add Value to Influencers So You Can Become “Famous” Yourself (Starting Today!)

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Imagine if you were more popular in whatever it was you had a passion for. Whether you’re a band member, an artist, or a CEO of a baby company, having more followers on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. is a good thing. Especially if those followers are engaged with you.

But how exactly do you do you get to be more popular.

Here’s one answer: build real relationships with people who are already where you want to be.

In this post, we’re looking at a list that was composed by Primoz Bozic in how you can add value to influencers.

We’ll look at how exactly you can build real relationships online (and offline) with some of your favorite influencers so you can have more impact in the communities and people that you’re wanting to serve.

Or as they call it in the entertainment world – you’ll be more famous.

Hopefully this list will help you out just like it’s helped out tons of other people throughout the web.

Engage with Their Content and Community

If you’ve been studying how to build awareness of your brand online for any amount of time, you know there’s a tons of mega Facebook groups that you can choose to be a part of. I mentioned 6 of them that I’ve been frequenting for awhile now. But there’s tons more out there. Which ones you join depend on what you’re aiming to do and who you want to take notice of you.

Most of the larger names out there these days – especially if they’re interested in building their audience on Facebook – will have a group as well as their main website.

Join these groups. I’d start with 1 to 3 so you can spend some actual time in them because you have some work to do.

 

Help Others in their Communities

So let’s say you’re freshly entered into a group in Facebook, what’s the first thing you’re going to do? I’m going to guess you’re either going to read other people’s posts OR you’re going to be watching the videos they have in there.

But after you’ve done that, then what?

Well, someone who wasn’t trying to build social capital would probably just move on to something else.

However, you want to start adding value and there’s a few ways to do that:

 

1. Start by giving insightful comments on other people’s posts.

Make people aware of you by helping other students in these communities get what they want – engagement or answers to their questions. If you have something of value to let others know, go for it!

 

2. Write useful posts in their communities.

You can talk about how much the group has helped you, how much certain people have helped you, or simply say “Hey, this is something that I’ve been asked quite a bit about and I thought I’d make a post of it.”

Heck, you might even ask a question or two yourself to get engagement going!

 

3. Let them know you’re using their advice.

One of the the many things that I’ve learned over the years from Ramit Sethi is what he calls the “Close the Loop” technique. Basically this means that if someone says to do something (directly or indirectly) that you want to let them know how it went.

 

4. Share their content with others.

Let other people you about this amazing influencer! But be sure to give the post or share some context. I used to share so much stuff without actually titling it. When I asked about the post later, I’d find out they hadn’t read it yet – even though it pertained directly to their current problem!

Eventually I learned that if I wanted people to engage with things I share, I had to give the post a little bit of context to set the tone.

 

5. Host Meetups They’d be Proud of.

If you’re really interested in a certain community and want to have other people share in that awesomeness as well – host a meetup! For the first two years I was in Fizzle, I hosted a local meetup here in Indy. Met a lot of cool people that wanted to start their own business that way – and proud to say that many of them have become successful!

 

 

Use Their Paid Products

You’ll be noticed if you actively show someone you’re interested in what they’re selling. If you’re interested in being friends with someone, it helps by showing your appreciation in buying their work. Nothing says you’re serious to learn more from a person than if you actually buy a course, book, or other product.

Sure, an expert might have thousands of fans who have bought their stuff, but this is good to have on your social capital checklist.

 

6. Study their art, work, or content.

It’s one thing to actually buy a book, a course, or go to a live event, but it’s another to actually take the time to thoroughly understand what they’re trying to convey in their work. For example, most of us are guilty of having books on our shelves we haven’t gotten to.

If you want to have a chance with getting on influencer’s radar, it really helps if you have bought their stuff, learned it, and applied it to what you’re doing!

 

7. Send them a written testimonial for their product.

This doesn’t necessarily mean send them a snail mail – but they definitely want to know that their product is working. So CLOSE THAT LOOP!

Heck, if you do this, you might even get featured on one of their pages as someone who’s tried it AND all of their traffic who has seen that testimonial might think about visiting your site!

 

8. Send them a video testimonial.

What might work even better for you is sending them a video testimonial. Videos take a bit more time to produce and frankly, names and faces stick better than words. If you want to make more of an impact with your influencer and do something only a fraction of their audience is going to do on their own, send them a video testimonial.

 

9. Leave a review wherever you can.

Whatever testimonials you send the influencer, make sure you reuse that information in way that you can post it around the web as a review.

Anymore you can write a leave videos for reviews on Amazon – so go to town on there if a book really helped you move forward.

 

Appreciate those who have Helped You.

This is one that should go without saying – but it’s something that so many people forget to do.

 

10. Post a thank you note in the group or on a site.

After you’ve been in a group for awhile, make sure you appreciate those that have helped you get better at whatever it is that group is helping you with. You’re more than likely make someone’s day AND you’ll probably make a better friend in doing so.

 

11. Send them an email letting them know how you feel.

Most things that come in the email these days are ads, ads, and more ads. It’s nice to see something come in your inbox that you didn’t expect AND it’s like “You’re most awesomest person ever!”. I’m sure if you got one of these, your first action would be to print it out.

Well, do that for other people if they’ve been a help to you.

 

12. Send a written snail mail note to them.

Why write out a note on paper when you can send an email or post something on Facebook?

Because no one does this anymore – seriously. If you truly want to stand out, I highly recommend you write a thank you and send it. It helps to know that they’re ok with it, but if you can’t find out – don’t be a weirdo. 🙂

 

13. Send a gift.

Depending on who the person is, they might actually be open to gifts as well. Selena Soo writes about how she sent ice cream John Lee Dumas here.

 

14. Thank them Publicly.

If you really want a fun way to make someone blush and make you good in the process, thank someone in public. You can do this as simply as posting on your wall how much you appreciate them and how much they’ve meant to you.

Simply Message Them

Another way that you can build rapport with influencers, and is probably my number one way to do things is to simply treat them as another human being. But be highly aware that they probably have less time to answer messages than you do.

So, if you choose to message them in regular conversation. Here’s a few pointers:

 

15. Keep your messages short and to the point – 15 lines at most.

Also, don’t ask for any favors. If you were randomly asked for a favor out of the blue from someone you didn’t know vs someone you did – which would you probably respond to? Here’s the thing – influencers know TONS of people. You need to know one of those folks first before you ask them for something.

 

16. Mark Messages “No Response Needed (NRN)” when Applicable.

Don’t waste the influencers time if you can avoid it. Instead of making them struggle to write something in response to a email comment or a simple message, it would be kind of you to let them know you’re not requiring anything from them. Ramit spoke of this in the same post as above. Pay attention to this post. 🙂

 

17. Talk to them about things Outside of their Expertise.

People are people and occasionally they’ll take time off from the work they’re known for, believe it or not! If they post something that isn’t related to their field, you’re totally allowed to comment on it as well. Is it funny, laugh with them. If it’s a big part of their life – embrace it like you’re one of their family. Be there for them because so many people are takers these days!

 

18. Mention them in your the Work you Produce.

Ok, so most of you probably think that I love Pat Flynn, Dane Maxwell, and the Fizzle crew. But the truth is that they were really instrumental in me getting comfortable enough to start doing this online business thing – more so than anyone else. For that, I’ll always be thankful.

What I did right there, you need to do that in your content as well. Don’t be afraid to mention your sources. No one knows everything – not even “the experts”. In fact, you’ll hear experts mention people they learn from more often than not. It makes them more real.

If you’ve never really mentioned someone in your content before, feel free to start with at least 5 paragraphs in how they’ve helped you. In my case, I made a post about Pat’s book here, had Dane Maxwell on my show as he’s starting his new career in music, and had a couple of the crew from Fizzle on the show as well (Steph and Barrett).

 

19. Introduce influencers to influencers.

Truth is this – if you can make good connections for others (notice I said “good”), then you’ll be remembered as someone that has those good connections.

Even if you strike out on one, two, or three – keep trying. As you keep going down your path, you’ll keep meeting more and more influential people and you’ll be able to make better matches for those around you.

 

Your Turn!

Remember, you don’t have to do every item on this list. Some might not actually apply to you, while others might take a little while to get started.

Start small – start with one. Pick whichever one(s) stand out – and start knocking them off the list.

You’ve already put this much time into your craft, now it’s time to capitalize.

Also, comment below and let me know if I’ve missed any ways to add value to influencers. If you already are one, I’d love to hear your perspective on this as well! Do you have any memorable stories of someone noticeably giving you value in a way that you really respected?

Look forward to hearing from you!!

 

Bonus

In this chat between Srini Rao and Jordan Harbinger, I was reminded not only who I wanted to be when I “grew up” (I listen to both of their shows pretty regularly), but I also was reminded why building your social capital with influencers is so important.

Great info if you got value out of this post:

Teenagers with Attitude: Learning About Today’s Teen Entrepreneurs with Easton Allred (AoL 089)

/by

Teenager entrepreneurs are blowing up around the internet these days. It’s crazy.  It’s not uncommon to hear of 14 year olds making thousands, if not millions, of dollars in their businesses.

For me growing up, this was never an option. Even when I was in Amway, you had to wait until you were 18 to officially start. As the internet has evolved over the last few years – you just see more and more kids and teens being and doing more so much earlier. Sometimes I feel blessed that I grew up in the 90’s which I consider the ultimate decade to be a kid, but then I see kids like today’s guest and it makes me think – would I have started my own business online when I was starting high school?

For today’s guest, it was a no brainer. Like me, he got started in an MLM, but soon found out that he wanted to be an online entrepreneur as well. Today he’s a motivational speaker as well as a podcast guest and will soon be an author.

Through his podcast he aims to inspire other teens by hosting inspirational figures including entrepreneurs like Caleb Maddix (check out the show note extras), sports figures, and others to find out more about them.

In our conversation, we talk more about his beginnings, where he got the idea for the show, and what has him excited for the future.

If you know any teens struggling to find direction in their lives – perhaps it might be worth your while to have them check this interview out!

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • How has being a homeschooled student been a catapult in Easton’s success? 7:27
  • How does he balance his active sports life with his schooling and his business? 12:48
  • How does a homeschool student become part of a school team? 13:46
  • How did Easton become interested in starting his own business? 15:36
  • What caused him to pivot into motivational speaking? 17:41
  • Who have Easton’s mentors been as he’s been developing his podcast? 20:47
  • Where can someone find a mentor for themselves? 23:24
  • How can a teen help a friend of theirs find their own identity? 26:54
  • What are some steps that a person can take to achieve a goal? 29:07
  • What’s the book about that Easton is writing? 32:24
  • How did he write his book? 33:37
  • Anything else he’s excited about this next year? 35:35
  • Top 3 Favorite books he recommends to others? 36:18
  • Scientific Fact that he knows is real but still blows him away? 38:21
  • What is something that isn’t as bad that he initially thought it would be? 40:38
  • What’s a service that doesn’t exist that Easton would gladly pay for? 41:26
  • What does it meant to live a life of abundance? 42:04
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Intro to Fueled for Teens:

Basketball coach Nick Graham Interview:

Caleb Maddix Interview:

Interview with Casey Adams:

teen entrepreneurs
teen entrepreneurs
teen entrepreneurs
teen entrepreneurs

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

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A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

facebook groups list

6 Facebook Groups for Creative Entrepreneurs – My Facebook Groups List Revealed!

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When Facebook first started, it was mainly geared towards college students. Back then, it had features that reflected that fact. I remember there was one place where you could put in the classes you were taking – and let’s not forget that you could only register with .edu email accounts.

One feature that’s been there the entire time has been the ability to form groups. Over the years, these groups have changed from being a place to share interests, to being almost forgotten during the early Facebook Page days, to now being the new way for online marketers to build followings.

Today, those groups that are successful have turned into mega groups. I call them mega groups because they have over a thousand members.

I’d say that many of these mega groups are some of the best places to build relationships and build awareness of the existence of whatever you’re trying to do.

In this post, I want to share with you the mega groups that I’ve found to be the most valuable. Not only do they come without a hidden agenda, but they really do foster an atmosphere for you to build your own thing!

 

Smart Passive Income Community

If you guys know me, you know that Pat Flynn has been a huge influence in my business career. It was mainly because of him that I realized that there were other ways for everyday folks to build passive income streams outside of multi-level marketing.

At the time of this writing, his Facebook group (Smart Passive Income Community) is over 30,000 members. It was one of the first places that I started networking when I really started building New Inceptions and seeing what value I could add.

 

Podcast Discovery Center

Ok, so as a podcaster, I’ve been looking to be involved in groups that didn’t have an agenda. I first found my local group, Podcast Indy, but soon realized that I was one of the few business related podcasts in the group. Kinda hard to make guest appearances on other shows if they’re all talking about pop culture and geek related topics.

I knew I had to find another larger group.

That’s when I found the Podcast Discovery Center, also known as the PDC. Hosted by Scott Doucet (AoL Session 080) and Anthony Hayes (AoL Session 087), this place is a great resource for podcasters who want to jump in, hone their craft, and meet other podcasters in their niche.

It’s a really great place to build relationships with other folks who use podcasting as one of the ways to get their voice out onto the web too!

 

Millennial Entrepreneur Community

As I’ve been meeting other podcasters through the PDC, I met one in the business niche who had a fairly large following.

Arne Giske (AoL Session 084), host of the Millennial Entrepreneur Podcast and founder of the Millennial Entrepreneur Community, is pretty darn good at this group building thing. Not only has he given it a very laid back style where people have the opportunity to present their wares, but also a place to be open about your issues as an entrepreneur and any issues you might be having! A great community for beginners and veterans alike!

 

The Rising Tide Society

Another large group (The Rising Tide Society) I recently heard about was through Steph Crowder’s (AoL Session 034) new podcast, Courage and Clarity. In session 11 & 12, she spoke with Natalie Franke who is the founder of the group.

Since Natalie made her business on photography, you can expect to see a lot of photographers in this one!

Shoot Videos That Sell

If your thing is more about video production, here’s a group that might interest you. When it comes to making great videos, there’s a couple of people that I’d recommend following. Their names are Caleb Wojcik and Travis Shields.

Now, Caleb I know from the Pat Flynn / Fizzle side of the online marketing world. He’s awesome at what he does and you can find his PAGE here.

However, since we’re talking about Facebook groups in this post, the group I’d recommend is Travis Shields’ Facebook group Shoot Videos that Sell.

I didn’t know about Travis until recently, but I have to say that I’m impressed by his work. He is currently Brendon Burchard’s video guy for his studio work. So obviously, he knows what he’s talking about if he’s been hired by one the biggest names in digital marketing!

Order of Man

If you’re a guy and you’re wanting to do more with your life, but you feel stuck in a rut – I have a group for you. Join Ryan Michler (AoL Session 82) and his group Order of Man.

Now while this group isn’t exactly geared towards entrepreneurship as a whole, I think it’s important that entrepreneurs know the material that’s covered in it. There’s a lot of truth spoken.

Ryan LOVES to live streaming in his car. But man, those car rides definitely have some deep thoughts. And if you like what you see there, he’s starting to do live events as well. The most recent one he brought in David Rachford (Aol Session 038) to help his guests get a better grip on yoga!

If you think you have to be a male to get anything out this group, you might surprised. Maria tends to get just as much out from Ryan’s talk as she has from Jordan Harbinger from the Art of Charm.

Action Steps

So there you have it, the 6 mega Facebook Groups that I check out on a regular basis.

I feel this should definitely get you started in meeting new people online if that’s a goal of yours. Also, if you’re looking for just some cool groups to get some ideas from – these work as well!

Do you have any favorite entrepreneurial mega groups that you belong to that I didn’t list? Let me know about them in the comments below!

 

gaming community

How a Gamer Built an Ideal Career by Building Gaming Community Sites with Franz Cavatorta (AoL 085)

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We gamers – we’re an interesting group. For that matter, so is the gaming community at large. Many of us join the ranks for social reasons or just because it’s a great past-time.

When I first started playing online games, I quickly developed friendships with folks that I had never met. But because we were on daily, we got to know each other. I still keep in touch with some of those peeps – nearly 20 years later (dang).

It’s very common to build those bonds.

However, sometimes we outgrow our needs for games – we realize that there’s more out there and many of us have to put down the games to achieve those new things.

I’ve had to do that myself, as well as today’s guest.

However, I wouldn’t say that we’ve quit gaming as a whole. I’d still rather play than watch TV.

And today’s guest, Franz Cavatorta, has gone to another level – he actually makes fellow gamers his clients if they need a website done for their clan, guild, or crew.

In today’s chat, Daniel (also a gamer) and I talk with Franz. We learn what inspired him to start this business and some of the experiences he’s gone through to get to the level he’s at today.

He also discusses some of the things that this lifestyle allows him to do – which, in itself, is a great reason to start.

If you’re a gamer and you’re looking for some options to be more constructive with your time, then you might be able to learn a thing or two from Franz. Perhaps it all starts with being part of a gaming community?

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What kind of video games has Franz enjoyed playing? 8:10
  • What’s Franz’ perspective of the gaming world? 11:54
  • What’s his current lifestyle like now? 14:26
  • How did he learn the skill set that utilizes to do his work? 16:56
  • How long did it take him to start building his own business after creating his first gaming community? 22:12
  • How did he go from specifically developing for ThemeForest to starting to take on clients? 34:31
  • What kind of new clients is Sky Warrior themes interested in pursuing now? 36:41
  • What’s the benefit of a gaming clan having their own website? 40:04
  • How does someone build a community around their awesome new site? 43:17
  • What’s in the future of Skywarrior Themes? 47:27
  • 3 Influencers that have helped Franz get to where he is today? 54:22
  • Hardest thing he’s ever had to say no to? 56:13
  • What is something he still wishes was a thing? 59:20
  • What’s a life skill that he’s amazed that people lack? 1:00:41
  • Secret to achieving personal freedom? 1:05:33
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Franz’ Kendo Action 1:

Franz’ Kendo Action 2:

Motorbiking Montage:

Airsoft Battle Footage:

gaming community
skywarrior
franz cavatorta
gaming community

Thanks for Listening!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!