Monster Questions: How To Start & Grow A Business

“In whatever you do, you’re not going to stand out unless you think big and have ideas that are truly original. That comes from tapping into your own creativity, not obsessing over what everyone else is doing.” —Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal   Do you find yourself looking at other people for approval, for inspiration, for validation? I've found myself doing this in business.    Listen to this episode for tips and takeaways on how you can step up to stand out in your own confidence.    What's your original, creative idea? What makes you unique? 

Whether you like it or not, your brand has its place in a hierarchy among millions of other companies.    The good news is you don't have to concern yourself with how high or low you are in this hierarchy.   All you have to do is recognize and embrace it. If you don't, your brand's eCommerce revenue will continually drop

“I want every little girl who’s been told she’s bossy to be told again she has leadership skills.” — Sheryl Sandberg, COO at Facebook   Dead on. All the daughters of the world - let's call them leaders, give them confidence, support their dreams and decisions.    I get it, nobody likes to be told what to do, but let's reframe how we label and support girls and women to grow into leaders.   Do you see this in our society? 

Growing your small business is hard.    Competition is stiff, and there will be times you'll find yourself having to do everything just to stay afloat  It just comes with the territory.  But there are 3 specific areas you can focus on that will significantly impact how your small business grows.  One of those areas is you  Listen to this episode to learn how you can begin scaling your small business today.  

“Fearlessness is not the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of fear. It’s about getting up one more time than we fall down.” —Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post   We can't let fear paralyze us.  Calculated risks and failures are a part of our lives. They are the parts we must embrace. They are the parts we have to learn from, get up and grow because of.    Make sure you follow my podcast to the show for more episodes like this!

We don't give a sh!t about 99.9999% of the cold emails we get. So face it, most people don't care about your cold email either.   It CAN work though. How?    You have to understand someone's mindset when they open your cold email. It will NOT work if you go in firing off your sales pitch right off the bat.    They don't need your sh!t. You have to catch that one person who does, so quantity matters here, too.    Join me in this podcast to flush out real tips on how to make cold outreach work for you. It can work when it's done right.    Enjoy this podcast and follow to see more Marketing by John.

"When a man gives his opinion, he’s a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she’s a bitch." - Bette Davis   I'll say it again - women are more powerful than men. Negative opinions can be received in many forms. Feedback and opinions from males are excused when feedback and opinion from women are not.    Let's talk about chicken sh*t men, too, while we are at it. Watch the quick video for my take on Bette Davis' words.    Enjoy this podcast!

Are you using social proof to YOUR advantage?   We are naturally drawn to and interested in what others are interested in. Lucky for you, you can make this happen for your brand with some creativity and effort.    Pack your platform! Get creative with ways to show people that other people are loving your stuff - the social proof that they need to jump on board with your brand.    Want to know more? Tap the play button and enjoy another episode of Marketing by John

In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln   Whatever it is that you are doing and spending your life doing, make sure it's making the impact you desire.    Thrill-seeking, traveling, building communities - it's different for everyone, but the key here is that you have to inject the vigor into your life as you live it. It can't be done as an afterthought once your years are behind you.   Enjoy this podcast!

Join me in a quick case study on a 50-year-old brand coming out of nowhere to become a lifestyle brand that's everywhere.    Traeger Grills focused on attaching their brand to the lifestyle that people want, specifically that their customers want.   They locked arms with ambassadors in spaces they know their customers are interested in - like hunting, camping, racing.   It's an example of spending your budget on influencers with a specific, intentional call-to-action directing potential customers to one place.  Can this type of strategy work for your brand's marketing goals?  You won't know until you set some goals and map out possible paths to get you there.    Enjoy the podcast!

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. –Confucius   Let's clear our minds and truly consider what it is that makes us happy.   Life is simple. Do those things.    We complicate our world and sometimes the voices and influences coming at us cloud our path to happiness. Boil it back down to simple.   Make sure you like and follow this show for more episodes like this! Enjoy this podcast!

When you want people to embrace your brand, what you are selling, what you are passionate about, you need to build a community. Sounds great.  How do you do it?    Listen to this podcast for my tips on four ways to build your brand's community.  Be intentional and real.  You have to stretch your reach beyond email, beyond a static social media post.    Enjoy this episode on the building blocks for building your community.  Follow this podcast to be sure to see more tips from John.

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking. -Marcus Aurelius   We see external sources to find happiness all the time, but it's not the car or the house or the clothes.   Everyone's source of happiness is different. And, that answer is the only one that matters. You do you.   Find out the two reasons that drive me to be successful as an entrepreneur.   ▶️ Leave me a review if you like this podcast. Enjoy this podcast!

Bitcoin, Bitwage, Cryptocurrency, NFTs...say what now?  Hey, we are all learning this stuff. Even if you don't use it yet, it's good to understand it because it's coming into marketing like a freight train.  Let's nerd out a little and explore the things people are exchanging NFTs (Non-fungible Tokens) for, like digital Formula 1 cars and sneaker art.    It's a fascinating world to lean into because our world is effing changing.    Love to hear your comments on NFTs and cryptocurrencies.  So, please comment and follow to see more episodes while you're at it.

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced. - Soren Kierkegaard Metaphorical firefighter - good skill to have, yes. But we have to be careful that putting out fires isn't the driving force of how we live our lives. Life is much more than seeing it through the lens of the problems there are to solve. Let love and relationships and success have a place, too. ▶️ Leave me a review if you like this podcast. Enjoy this podcast!

With one of the worst ROIs in modern marketing, why are people still using banner ads?   They used to be useful, and they used to perform back in their day, but the tide has shifted. Nobody is clicking banner ads anymore. They interrupt your experience and end up annoying us most every time. It's on my list if I had to name the worst way to spend marketing dollars.    Watch the video to walk through why banner ads need to go out of your marketing plan, and how to adjust to make better use of that spend.    Enjoy this episode and be sure to follow for more of John's Marketing tips.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters. -Audrey Hepburn We get so wrapped up and have anxiety every day. Instead of worrying as much about the job you think you want, shift your thinking to focus on what you'll be proud of looking back on your life. Following a dream, spending time with the right people - know what you'll regret so you'll truly be happy. Enjoy this podcast!

Have you tackled your marketing strategy 2021 yet? As technology is making it easier to get digital marketing content out the door, expectations for high-production quality content is getting lower. This is great news for those of us working on marketing strategy for small businesses. Watch this video for tips on marketing strategies you can get started on TODAY to hit your 2021 goals. Enjoy this episode!

Well-behaved women seldom make history." - Laurel Thatcher Ulrich We see females supporting each other in social groups, in business, even in the VC world. More of this!! Watch for my message to women on being bold. ▶️ Leave me a review if you like this podcast. 

The quickest way to grow your brand - content creation.   This doesn't mean you have to love or feel natural being on every single social media platform. I get it, but what you should do is choose at least 1 or 2 and own those. LinkedIn or Clubhouse? Awesome. Instagram and YouTube? Go for it.   Enjoy this video exploring how to embrace creating content. Here's to your next step in engaging content that moves your audience...and moves your brand.