Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US community members!
We’re so grateful for everyone who reads, comments, shares, and participates in the Successful Blog. Here’s a little music to set the mood…
Have a wonderful day wherever you are!
Here is a good place for a call to action.
by Rosemary
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US community members!
We’re so grateful for everyone who reads, comments, shares, and participates in the Successful Blog. Here’s a little music to set the mood…
Have a wonderful day wherever you are!
by Jane Boyd
In Anything You Put Your Mind To, Liz uncovers one of the great secrets of success in both business and life: the potential of narrative to forge one’s own path. People underestimate storytelling, but its power is infinite: the stories we tell ourselves constitute our reality.
With verve and clarity, Anything You Put Your Mind To brings home the importance of reconnecting with our stories, and demonstrates how anyone can follow Liz’s lead and bring direction back to their self-narratives. The verities of this book–that the roads to every kind of both success and failure start inside our own heads–are striking, challenging, but ultimately liberating. Liz’s account is searingly honest and her writing is compelling and lyrical. I loved how she skillfully manifests the clamoring forces we all internally wrestle with on a daily basis. Larry and the dog, the central characters of the book, are rendered with the weight and force of a fable. Every last word is heavy with the power of Liz’s personal investment in her vision. No one else could have written this book.
Anything You Put Your Mind To will benefit anyone who wants to tell themselves better stories; that is, anyone who wants to change their life. Knowing which of our narratives to discard, which to alter, which to champion–this is the road to so much of what we call prosperity. This book is rich with the hard-won wisdom of one who has walked this road, and returned to tell the tale. Start reading. Now.
— AJ Leon, Founder of Misfit and author of The Life and Times of a Remarkable Misfit
There is no one like Liz Strauss. Liz is living insight, jumping over boundaries. Conversations with Liz are legendary for dizzying changes in perspective, unexpected connections, and bright ideas. This book is like a conversation with Liz, only portable. And more intense.
— Becky McCray, Entrepreneur and author of Small Town Rules
Liz Strauss is a world-renowned storyteller, so it is only fitting that she would use stories as both the framework and roadmap to help you to achieve success and everything that you want out of life. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a busy professional, or someone who’s just asking, “what’s next,” Liz’s unique, humorous, and insightful parable provides the perfect inspiration.
— Carol Roth, Billion-dollar dealmaker, Judge on TBS’s America’s Greatest Makers, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Entrepreneur Equation
Liz Strauss shares stories that illuminate who she is and at the same time will help you understand who you can become. This book will twist, bend, and batter your reality and that’s a good thing. All of us need to make great leaps in our mind, and yours will start when you read the first chapter.
— Tim Sanders, Author of Love Is the Killer App: How To Win Business and Influence Friends
It would have been easy for Liz Strauss to pump out a business book. Or an inspirational book about conquering cancer. Or a series of ebooks on social media marketing.
Instead of taking the expected path, Liz zigged when she might have zagged. She’s written a beautiful, jaw-droppingly original story that calls to mind Og Mandino, or perhaps Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Her unique and incisive perspective shines through, hitting the reader right between the eyes by becoming fully vulnerable. If you’ve ever caught yourself “hiding in your thoughts,” looking for human connection, or seeking to be understood, this book will become a treasured keepsake.
You’ll understand what I mean when you read it. And you must read it.
— Rosemary O’Neill, Co-Founder, Social Strata
“Wouldn’t that be cool?” Whenever I’d hear Liz Strauss utter those words, I knew I had just been given a gift from a dear friend–a tiny but yet oh so significant tidbit of wisdom that had been processed, analyzed, and delivered from one of the most brilliant minds I have, or will, ever encounter. So it was with great anticipation and pleasure that I dove into Liz’s new book, Anything You Put Your Mind To.
It’s a book that reveals the emotional and personal heart of this “65th Crayon”–a poignant and unflinching glimpse into a fertile and wondrous imagination, revealing rich textures of insight, wonder, and in the end, many simple truths we can take with us to guide and instruct our own lives.
She takes us on this personal journey with her “time machine”–a rich musical and lyrical accompaniment, a library of touching stories from her childhood, and two special friends–Larry and the dog.
— Terry St. Marie, Portland, Oregon
A seemingly simple awakening of personal growth–set in modern day. Readers will meet the woman who is an “everyman”: successful but unsure, loving yet controlling, happy and unbalanced, as well as righteously hypocritical. She is we.
The writer’s distinguished intelligence and prose tell us her story in a wax-on, wax-off parable that is rich with clever insights and self-deprecating humor, which beckons the reader to relate and then question our own place in this world. All this is accomplished with introduction of a mysterious character named Larry and his dog.
As a reader, I cherished each word and chapter. This is a book you take your time with because, just like the main character, you will have to stop, pause, and listen to your inner voice. That voice might be telling you to address your buried Freudian issues, learn self-love, as well as how to give and receive, before you can enjoy your success.
Anything You Put Your Mind To will become the contemporary life-lessons business allegory for the 2010s; just like The Alchemist and The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant were for the late 90s and early 2000s. I will regularly pick this book up, again and again, to reread chapters, especially Liz Strauss’ explanation of the “65th Crayon.” I highly recommend this book for anyone who thinks they might be stuck, or who thinks that they already “have it all,” or maybe they just want to reach further in their career.
—Jon-David, Author of 9 Amazon ebooks, and a world-leading social media expert in the Salon Industry
It doesn’t take long to recognize the truth behind Liz’s recommendation, “Be curious about everything.” In this dazzling, rippling adventure tale we are given the ride of a life. The secret ingredient propelling this story of stories is the thirst for knowledge driven by an unquenchable curiosity. Ever questing, Liz offers us a path to reflection and self-understanding both accessible and divorced from the step-driven, self-help of the past.
Through Liz’s passion, her vision, and her unbridled willingness to explore we are offered a model for making and remaking ourselves. For those who know Liz and her work, this is a welcome glimpse into “the Way of Liz” and offers revelations and surprises of all sorts. With wit she disarms and with wonder she instructs. All you have to do is keep up with this Alice in the wonderland that is her imagination.
— Andrew [Drew] Marshall, CEO, Primed Consulting, LLC
The best stories let you get lost in them and come out with new insights and actionable ideas; Liz creates that journey for you with this book. Liz has been an amazing friend and mentor for almost 10 years and I know that conversations with her can stretch your mind and open your eyes to opportunities you would have never seen otherwise. The sooner you read this book the sooner you can begin to live your new, exciting life stories.
—Mark J. Carter, Founder of ONE80 and creator of Idea Climbing™
In Anything You Put Your Mind To, master storyteller Liz Strauss hooks us into an adventure of remembering that we decide our future. We discover that by deciding the stories we believe about ourselves we decide our lives. Strauss offers a fresh energy and approach, bringing something new to the topic and keeping us engaged. Along the way, she offers snippets of insight and wisdom on the human condition that take us beyond the theme, helping us find “our own normal,” and making the experience memorable worth returning to again and again.
Alice, a quirky, intelligent, and outright funny book editor, who is on quest because her job isn’t working for her and she has “edited out” the rest of her life. She’s seeking out a new purpose by going “running” through her mind, revisiting stories she believes about herself to get her back to a life she wants to live. While running through her mind, she meets two strangers — a guy and his dog — who already seem to know exactly who she is. Who are they? How did they get in her mind? They join Alice’s quest, asking questions, lending support and compassion. Will these two, seemingly invented, characters give her the clarity she needs to find her way or send her on a trip through Wonderland? And where does the Lone Ranger fit in all of this?
Authored by Liz Strauss
Designed by eBookDesignWorks.com
Foreword by Jane Boyd
Drawings by Jackie Lea Shelley
Cover design or artwork by eBookDesignWorks.com
Consultant editor Richard Balkwill
General editor Jane Boyd
Edition: First Edition
Seems to be two camps when it comes to networking: Love it or hate it. But fact is, to bring your business to any level of success, you need to network. While networking online has offered us the opportunity to connect with people around the globe, nothing can replace real live, face-to-face meetings. In 2010, trendwatching.com identified “Mass Mingling” as a trend, showing how the online social revolution is fueling an increase in real-world meetups. (Article is a good read!) And since Sobcon is built on the principle of “Where the Virtual Meets Concrete,” we’ll be dedicating our June 16 Sobcon Twitter chat to discussing networking strategies.
For our June chat, we’ve recruited a networking pro from our Chicago area Sobcon family, Sean McGinnis (@SeanMcGinnis), of 312 Digital. as our guest host. His extensive experience in a variety of fields — including law, marketing, and publishing — has required him to be a master connector. We think you’ll enjoy gaining new insights into the world of networking, both online and off.
Join Sean and our June moderator, Heidi Thorne (@HeidiThorne), for what is sure to be a lively and informative chat.
Chat Date/Time: Thursday, June 16, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.
Follow along on TweetChat at http://tweetchat.com/room/sobcon or on Twitter with #sobcon
On September 18th, at SOBCon Colorado, we announced a contest featuring our Colorado sponsor, Carlsen Resources.
A FREE trip to our flagship event, SOBCon 2011 in Chicago! (registration, 3 night’s hotel, air up to $750)
Propose, in 500 words or less, a Social Media strategy for Carlsen Resources.
Right now, aside from their website, they have no other Social Media presense or activity.
Post your proposal on your blog by October 31, 2010 (make sure you link it back to this post, and/or Tweet it with the #sobconCarlsen hashtag)
Update (10/19/10): Or, just e-mail it to sobevents@gmail.com
A team at Carlsen Resources will review and determine which proposal best suits their business. The SOBCon social media team will act in an advisory role only.
The 500-word limit INCLUDES text in any illustrations that are part of the proposal (graphs, charts, pictures, etc)
Click here to visit their website.
Founded in 1989, Carlsen Resources, Inc. is a premiere executive search firm in the ever-expanding arenas of cable television, global media and telecommunications. Carlsen offers an array of executive search, candidate assessment, workplace diversity, career development and HR services across a wide range of business disciplines.Carlsen Resources helps its clients grow their business using innovative techniques, over two decades of experience and the broadest network of quality professionals in the industry today.
Carlsen has developed a reputation for delivering superior client service with uncompromising integrity, attention to detail, and an always professional , yet uniquely personal approach to the science of executive placement.
We understand you’ve built your business and your contact list the traditional “analog” way, and most impressively at that (a list in the 10’s of thousands). How did you do this?
Ann:
It was one person and relationship at a time. We started with lower levels, and built relationships through a methodic process of staying in touch once a month through the phone, sending out birthday and all holiday greetings, and most of all, being there for them when the chips were down. Then it was “Rinse and repeat”. The database was 120 people when we started.
Sandy, tell us about Ann – describe her personality, and the values she brings to the company.
Sandy:
Ann is one of the smartest, most generous, and funniest people I’ve ever known. She is extremely hardworking & well read, has impeccable integrity, and is steadfast in her commitment to our clients. She has grown up with the industry so knows its history, evolution and people. She sets the tone and pace for the entire team.
We all take our work very seriously – strive to always under promise and over deliver. I have the utmost confidence in every last person on our team and the job they do each and every day. We measure our success by our clients’ success. We are constantly evaluating the process so that we are confident that we are doing the job better than anyone else. And we have a lot of fun while we do it.
And, I love this story despite all her successes– 5 years ago – 6 kittens were born under my house and something had happened to the mother. We bottle fed them for about 2 weeks before I had to go to what must have been my 5 year HS reunion. 🙂 When I told Ann that I was on my way to Petsmart to find a pet sitter she asked what was going on. To make a long story short – she and her kids bottle fed them while I was gone….and for the next month… AND 4 of the 6 never left her house again! Huge heart, wonderful person.
Let’s talk about the business itself. What is the “extraordinary value” Carlsen brings to their clients?
Sandy:
Our mission statement is to build enduring relationships to create great matches of opportunity and talent that grow businesses and careers. We know the people in the industry better than the competition and understand the business. And we make every effort to keep it that way.
Ann:
It’s high touch, caring about the person above all else, understanding the business from the inside out, and performance and results.
Lastly, can you describe why you are interested in using Social Media, and what you believe you can get out of it?
Sandy:
We KNOW we need to use it and it’s not like we’ve done nothing but we don’t have an overall strategy on how best to approach it. I’ve heard all the reasons TO use it and know that a traditional website is 90s technology…still good to have but not exactly cutting edge. The “reasons” for using it that are most compelling are that we could better communicate with our market – both to speak TO them and to hear FROM them. We learn more from feedback than anything else.
Ann:
We want to expand our reach among younger people. As AC (Ann) has gotten older, so have her contacts. The team is all about the same age, so we all have similar contact base. We need to cultivate the younger people who will be the decision-makers of the future. We want to stay relevant and on top of things.
Click here for a great interview with Ann Carlsen by The Cable Center.
We are pleased to support all of our SOBCon friends who are now part of the 2011 “Panel Picker” process for the popular interactive conference in Austin, South by Southwest, better known as SXSW.
Here is a list of panels up for vote that feature friends of SOBCon, including two to be hosted by SOBCon Co-Founders Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker. Please support ALL of these great people because we know they will “bring it” at the event.
Remember, voting ends on August 27th, so do it now. And if you have a panel and would like to add your name to this list, Tweet or DM us at @sobcon, or add a comment to this post.
Thanks, and let’s bring the spirit of SOBCon to SXSW!!
@lizstrauss @starbucker @caroljsroth Build, Buy, Partner: Time is Money
@starbucker @lizstrauss @caroljsroth From Jobbies to Businesses: Strategies for Irresistible Success
@ericlukazewski Confessions From Social Media Event Organizers
@JasonFalls Social Media: The Pink Collar Ghetto of Tech?
@renewabelle Making Sustainable Attainable: Energy Efficient Computing
@DaveMurr Have Fun to Increase Customer Engagement
@jeanniecw X Marks the Spot: Mapping The Customer Experience
@LisaPetrilli @judymartin8 Conquer Your Kryptonite: Superpowers Fueling Kick-Ass Business Deals
@LisaPetrilli @conniereece Resources Roulette: Winning Social Strategies for Shrinking Budgets
@ScottMonty @Schwen & @ShannonPaul Socially Regulated: Social Media in Regulated Industries
@jonathanfields Fear and the Art of Creation
@LucretiaPruitt @DaveTaylor Killing Clark Kent; When You Outgrow Your AlterEgo
@GlendaWH The untapped iPad Market: Is Your Site POUR?
@armano Why PR’s Future May Not Look Like PR
@BeckyMcCray Micro-Business Rapid-Response Success-Failure Q&A
@incslinger Converting Checkin’s to Cash: Why Location Marketing Matters
@SheilaS Tourism Catches On: Old Industry Meets New Media
@barrymoltz What We Can Learn from Small Town Entrepreneurs
@webby2001 Everything You Know About Social Media is Wrong
@unmarketing F U 2.0
@prebynski Leveraging Mobile Marketing Methods In My Strategy
@prebynski How To Get A Job Using Social Media
@dustinj Checking in with Successful Location-Based Campaigns
@technosailor Shattering Secrets with Social Media
@hardlynormal A Conversation About Social Change Through Social Media
@jeremywright Naked Dating: Finding Love in 140 Characters or Less
@tedmurphy Check-in, Get Paid: Rise of Cash-sponsored Social Media
@debworks Resistance is Futile! Assimilating Local Marketing
@CathyBrooks Who Are You And Why Should I Care?
Hi all – In anticipation of SOBCon Colorado on September 17 and 18, 2010, in Broomfield, our great friend and online guru Chris Garrett will be hosting a preview webinar on August 16th, 2010, from Noon to 1PM, EST.
His guests will include SOBCon Colorado speakers:
Liz Strauss (SOBCon Co-Founder)
Terry Starbucker (SOBCon Co-Founder)
Jonathan Fields
Shelly Kramer
Erika Napoletano
Sally Hogshead
We’ll be talking about the magic of SOBCon, the Colorado event, and how this “one-day business incubator” will give you a lot of tangible content from which you can learn, take home, and use in your busines.
And of course, we’ll be sharing some of our tips too!