Project: The Character Count

Say what you need to say in 140 Characters or less.

For those who can disregard grammar and the fine art of English or their language, this is easy.

For those who are born in the texting era, this is easy.

For those who have little to say and to a few people, this is easy.

But for those who have a vision, those who have a big dream, those who just have BIG, how do you break it down and feed it to the masses?

How do you take your business plan and make it digestible, believable, enjoyable, attainable and credible for those who have deemed your character count worth reading?

How do you wow

How to you capture

How do you keep it

How do you inspire

How do you excite

How do you create movement

How do you say what you need to say in 140 characters or less?

And how do you make those few words have a huge impact? How do you stand out and step it up?

If everyone has the same character count, it can too easily and too soon sound cliché.

So how do you character count and make it count?

Speak from the heart, write from the mind

Stay authentic, but be smart. Study who you are and who your target is. Since you cannot reach everyone, you cannot write for everyone. Do not just post for the sake of posting. Post for interaction. There is always a chance they will be hit or miss, but empty threats – posts that are either emotionally or mentally dry – are always a miss.

Be creative, stay classy

It is like Dr. Suess said, “Today you are you. That is truer than true.” Take advantage of that. Discover your tone, find what people retweet and talk about most and throw everything out the window. Just because you think it is funny does not mean it is.

Polish your punctuation

In the effort to preserve character count try not to compromise punctuation so you can add more letters. You may get to say more that way, but what you say may not mean the same.

Hashtag, you’re it

The entire purpose of those 140 characters is to create this chain link of connecting someone or something - turning breadcrumbs into bread pudding. But too much of anything is bad. And not enough can starve the reader. So learn: which ones will best fit your brand, your message and the ultimate goal? Hash it out mentally before you tag it.

Give credit where credit is due

You have the power to dedicate 140 to whoever deserves it most. And you have the power to do it without a microphone. It is all in the @ symbol. Shift + 2 goes a long way when you are making your characters count.

Brand your Bio

Do not copy and paste just because you can and because it will attract more followers.

One of the hardest things to do is maintain your brand in 140 characters. You would think it is easier to do considering you have less to mess up. But the tendency to unintentionally copy and paste becomes prevalent, and so we end up losing sight of who we are, as we try to write what people want to hear. We have a section where we get to explain who we are. Use it wisely and use every 140 character post write-up to back it up.

So the next time you are on Twitter, make sure you do not just count your characters, make your characters count.

-The Green Couch

Project: Unfabricated: The Live Event

One Couch. 16 stories. 19 people. Hundreds of followers, friends and lives touched.

However, it started with one story, one that two weeks from today will be told.

Dreamers, doers and thinkers – this is a heart-to-heart talk you do not want to miss. It is an exploratory look into the mindset of an entrepreneur’s process from failure to success.

• How do you take an idea and turn it into a business?

• How do you take a business and turn it into a brand?

• How do you take a brand and turn it into an inspiration?

• How do you inspire people when you feel uninspired? 

Laura Wallace would be the first to tell you that she is just like anyone else. That she has no special powers. That she has her ups and downs and downs and downs. That she catches colds and sometimes does not feel like getting out of bed. So that is why this is the heart-to-heart that matters most. Because it is real. Real people. Real conversation.

She cares about your life and your story and your passions and your purpose.

That even though she had no idea purchasing The Green Couch would play such a difference in her outlook in life, she cannot look at it any other way – she must help others speak, follow and fulfill their dreams. And this time she is doing it LIVE!

She is ready to spill her gutsy. Are your ears ready to catch it? Are you ready to accept the challenge to change the direction and go with your gutsy and follow your dreams? What is your couch telling you?

Come one, come all – January 27th is calling you!

-The Green Couch

Reserve Your Unfabricated Seat Here: Eventbrite

Project: Understanding Your Limitations

It has been one week since S. Truett Cathy, founder and longtime chairman of Chic-fil-A, passed away.

While many of us mourn his passing, he has left us with an astounding legacy and invaluable truths. The most prominent, I believe, is recognizing and acknowledging one’s limitations and humbly accepting them.

In Cathy’s case, he even self-deprecatingly integrated his into the scrumptious Chic-fil-A’s trademark slogan so that we may never forget it, though we never have realized it until now.

“We didn't invent the chicken, just the chicken sandwich.”

Not only did they acknowledge what came first (the chicken), they also gave credit where credit is due; two vital elements to success.

1)    Know that you are always borrowing a piece of someone else’s innovation.

2)    And then pay tribute to them.

No matter how many accreditations, degrees, master degrees and Ph.D.’s you pursue and achieve, when you hang these on your office walls, you will never have an opportunity to invent the chicken. You have to understand your limitations.

Living 93 years, Cathy’s seen, implemented and endeavored to incorporate many financial and innovative practices in his business, thus influencing the general and mainstream culture. Not everything succeeded. And for every failure we may have seen come across the menu board, how many more have come across Chic-fil-A’s board of directors – but at one point or time, they learned their limitations.

So ask yourself:

1)    What’s your chicken?

2)    What’s your chicken sandwich?

3)    How are you going to market a cow to make others eat more of that chicken sandwich?

4)    What invaluable truth will be part of your company legacy?

While it seemed S. Truett Cathy ate, slept and breathed his company we, too, need to take a moment to evaluate and prioritize, we need to ask ourselves, how important is our business? Then maybe, just maybe, that chicken sandwich will taste a little better, and the chicken will not taste so bitter.

-The Green Couch Project

Project: It Takes Gutsy To Be A Good Leader, Part II

For every good leader I can reference, you can point out 2.5 misleading pop culture leaders and five poor examples that you have encountered in life. It is true, isn’t it? I mean, you probably have pulled out your trusty finger calculators as we speak trying to configure whether or not that is true. (Which is why I created my statistical number under 10 as, yes, I often find myself resorting to using my fingers.)

For me, these numbers are quite correct – and not just because I generated this statistical factoid off the top of my head. As much as I love you, Michael Gary Scott; The Office, NBC your leadership qualities are unorthodox and sorely lacking.

If you are going to be a leader you might as well do it right, and do it right on the first try right? Unfortunately, it is not always that easy. That is probably one of the first lessons a leader will learn: The lesson of humility. So while you are down there in your humble stance, here are a few other ways your employees are seeking out for you to…

•    Lead By Example, Not By Exclaiming:

Start by being in the presence of your employees. The mentality of being the first one there, the last to leave is an honest approach to setting a standard of showing up to work and investing in a company with heart and soul. A good leader is never too afraid to get their hands "dirty." They never ask of their employee what they would not do. You celebrate the accomplishments; offer constructive criticism when others would offer destructive criticism. In essence, they will show, not tell. That is leading.

•    Lead By Pushing, Not Pulling:

Sometimes you have to get behind your people. There are times your team will not believe in themselves. So if you are pulling them along they cannot see where they are going. You have to get behind them and their dream to help them see and understand their purpose and their power. So sometimes a little kick in the rear is good for the morale!

•    Lead By Logic, Not Leverage:

There are moments when it is easier to speak down to people. You are an authority figure, probably have a higher salary figure (if you are cutting their paycheck you should know this) and in the presence of others it is human nature to want to show your dominance and achievements by exuding the charm of a slightly egotistical superior. It is in all of us. Whether we are taller, older, excel academically or athletically - it is how we cope. However, a leader respects the intelligence of their "inferiors" (and I use that term for illustrative purposes) instead of using their superiority as leverage; as a mechanism; a method of manipulation to “motivate” others into doing what needs doing, they use logic. Sit down, have systematic conversations, have performance reviews and find a way to understand each other.

•    Lead By Confidence, Not Cowardice:

There will be conflict, and there will be rivalry, there will be times you have to downsize, and there will be times you have to fire without the reason of downsizing. Leadership is about short and long term decisions. It is about living the mission statement and trusting yourself and your instincts. Those around you will take their cue from you and as a leader you cannot hide behind the excuse of, “I want to hear what your thoughts are on this," so as not to have to make an executive decision. It is about responsibility, taking a vision and confidently and effectively delegating and putting it into action. 

So will you? Will you put your vision into action?

It takes gutsy to be a good leader. Do you have what it takes?

-The Green Couch

Project: Part of The Special Opps

They’re the elite, perform strategic operations, have the advantage of their superior’s support and the element of surprise and yet they are practically self-reliant. They are unconventional, can overcome innumerable obstacles and have undergone and surpassed both physical and intelligent hurdles.

They are the special operation task force. And they mean business.

They take calculated risks. And they have taught me there’s a big difference between taking chances and being a risk taker.

Characteristics of taking chances:

Being blindingly and obsessively passionate with end results. Being inconsiderate of your surroundings – not taking into account the welfare of your family, friends, associates and employees. Gambling away your investor’s collateral. Jumping into business ventures without taking time to research. Desperate. Done.

Characteristics of taking risks:

Someone who is courageous and who is willing to put aside materialistic and conventionally idealistic dreams in pursuit of selfless and worthwhile, fulfilling visions. Someone who is passionate about who they are, what they do and know what matters in life. They count the cost and are willing to come up short. Dreamer. Doer.

I was in the vicinity of a wise woman recently and heard her say,

“Another good sign of an entrepreneur – people think you’re crazy.”

It’s true. There’s a good kind of crazy and yet still that inner calling to be an entrepreneur is something that comes with its own set of code of ethics, rules and standards. As a risk taker, you will be presented with and will search and seek out many special opportunities. Be wise in how you choose them and what you do with them.

•    Will this help people?

•    Will this help the next generation?

•    Will this make people - make me - happy?

•    Does the purpose of the produce or service align with my character?

•    Is this part of my dream?

•    Will it be successful in more ways than just financially?

•    In 20 years will I still love it?

•    Is this a reflection of who I am?

•    Will this be another job or a joy?

•    Am I willing to fight for it?

•    Will I keep my day job too and stay up all night to sustain it?

•    If I cannot do it am I willing to learn?

•    If I were to fail, would I rebuild?

•    Am I in it for the money?

If the only question you answered confidently was the last one with a “heck yes!” then it’s time to reevaluate the status of an entrepreneur, a risk taker. The lifestyle isn’t as glamorous as you may think. People will think you are crazy. You see, an entrepreneur is a dreamer. A doer. You’re up all day. All night. There are times you hate it, times you want to quit. You think you’re alone; there are times you want to be left alone but you’ve been given a special opp - a special opportunity, that is - and you took the risk.

After the highs and the lows, the rewards are that much more meaningful, which we’ll see next week when we’ll learn that there is no such thing as an overnight success. No matter what media may tell us, we have an entrepreneur’s insight that tells us the battle that really happens between the hours of when you go to bed and when you arise refreshed.

Until then, refocus and remember why you do what you do,

-The Green Couch Project

Project: In The Know For On-The-Go Networking

You were given an in-depth course last week regarding networking etiquette. While we did not cover what to wear and whether the Donald Trump comb over (or would that be comb forward?) is a necessity to make an impressionable entrance for a business maneuver, you should now know the 5-Ups to networking. 

(As I write this, I realize there may just be a rather frivolous number 6 to the Line Up, and that is never to show up to a meeting with a 7-Up can.)

Regardless, the rules are simple: Stand Up, Follow-up, Keep Up, Show Up, Grow Up.

That may sound harsh when written out, but if you missed the last Project Blog, check it out before you continue on because today, as promised, we address three hotspots where you can successfully network.

We are going to approach formal and a few informal styles that will help give you that edge that keeps everyone talking. It is a venue where business cards are key and the touch keys on your cell phones, for just a few hours, can get a break.

Chamber of Commerce: a great place to get to know your community as a local business owner and to understand its needs. Become aware of those whom you can help, those who can help you grow and in turn understand and refine your target audience through insight from small mom and pop shops to the pros. This is a proactive way to get your voice heard not just for networking but on behalf of all enterprising dreams across the nation.

https://www.uschamber.com/members/join-chamber

BNI: (Business Networking International) a local business collaboration with global outreaches. Each chapter has a “one of each” motto. It is not a competition within your own niche. No two companies within the same regional chapter can represent the same field, or business. You send referrals to one another, demonstrate and elaborate upon the kind of clients for which you are looking. This professional atmosphere encourages entrepreneurs, helps them build long-term quality relationships and all through word-of-mouth.

http://www.bni.com/FindaChapter/tabid/53/Default.aspx

LinkedIn: you will not need your business card here, but this replicates your online business card, resumé and public profile. This is where you connect with colleagues and how you get endorsed. Yes, endorsed. It may not be the way Gatorade endorses star athletes, but it has the same affect for your job performance. People whom you have or do associate with can recognize your work and endorse you for those skills. That impact will lead to promotions, referrals and additional connections. So, maintain your LinkedIn account with relevant information to your field – for example dress for the job you want? Post material with that same mindset: This is not Facebook. So don’t post, How Southern Are You or What Disney Frozen Character Do You Most Resemble?

There’s over 300 million professionals that are logged in, the way we can link our name to hundreds if not thousands to them are unimaginable.

https://www.linkedin.com

We are always on-the-go, and now you are in the know. Networking is an entrepreneur’s ally. Getting someone to believe in your dream, to see just a glimpse of what you see, could just happen at or through one of these avenues.

-The Green Couch