10. May 2011 by Frank Goad.

I’m writing out of guilt. You see, I advise all my clients to blog for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that websites with blogs get as much as sixty-per-cent more hits. So, if I’m going to harp on them to do it, I must practice what I preach.

I don’t know about you, but I can usually find something to write about even if it is - paraphrasing Jerry Seinfeld’s description of his series - “A (blog) about nothing.”  On the other hand, it proves that the creative process comes about sometimes simply because you engage in it.

Speaking of creativity, do me a favor: Never, ever say to me that you’re not creative. The problem is that the word itself has been equated with art, and art has nothing to do with it. The definition of creativity (mine, really) is that: A.  You are being creative if you take two or more things and combine them in a way that you believe has never been done to accomplish a goal, or; B. You are solving a problem in a way that is novel to you.

The important thing is that you’re doing something you’ve never done before, or doing things in a way you’ve not done them. Just because someone else might have thought of the same answer/solution/combination/etc. before you does not negate your own creativity. If you didn’t know about it before doing it, that counts.

Art is only one of many avenues of creativity. I know some damned creative accountants and a few carpenters that can create masterpieces from scrap lumber. I’ve met farmers whose creativity kept them from bankruptcy while all those around them found their spread up for auction. I’ve known moms whose sheer industrial-strength creativity kept their family together, fed, clothed and housed.

I grew up in the country down on the Kentucky-Tennessee border in a farming and logging town of 3,500 people. Many of those folks lived in tiny houses or tar paper shacks out on some gravel road miles from town. They were often the most creative folks I knew. They eked out an honorable living with barely a penny to their name and held their heads high.

My family was middle-class and, if something broke or wore out, we paid someone to fix it, or we bought a replacement. They had to find a way to mend it or build another from whatever they could find because paying someone or buying another was often simply out of the question. Many had barely a sixth-grade education, but had a practical knowledge that was a Ph.D. in life. As they say, “A country boy will survive.”

Creative? Of course you are. You just have to believe it.

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7. December 2010 by Frank Goad.

Watch this video and see if you don’t feel blessed, fortified and stronger.

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2. December 2010 by Frank Goad.

Lexington, Kentucky, is truly blessed to have Ronnie Bastin as our police chief. I’ve know him for around twenty years and he has always been an outstanding man. We met not long after he was promoted to sergeant and, even then, you could tell that he was going to have a great career. Bastin is intelligent, thoughtful and a born leader.

He graciously agreed to be my subject for the Business Lexington “Quick Biz Bites” videos that I do. During the interview, he said something that I think crystallizes the attitude a true leader has. He said, “It kind of gets under my skin when I hear someone say that they ‘… have thirty people working for them.’ When people ask me how many I have working for me, I say that ‘I work for over four hundred people.’” He recognizes the responsibility he has to his staff, his managers and the city of Lexington and is quite humble about it.

He is working hard to train his squads to know what great leadership looks like and leads by example. The department’s progress is outstanding. We should all be grateful to have a man with such sterling character leading the people who guard our town. Thank you, chief.

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12. August 2010 by Frank Goad.

I’m the last person on Earth that should be talking to everyone about balance, which is precisely why I’m doing it. In a little over three weeks, I’ve worked on three benefits, one of which was the Almira Fawn Benefit concert at the Kentucky Theatre, August 3rd. (By the way, it was an amazing two hours of music by some who are legends - or nearly so around here - and by some who are legends-in-the-making.) I’m proud of the work I’ve done, but now I have to finish it. It’s 2:00AM, and I’m bug-eyed at everything that’s piled up.

Part of it is timing, meaning summer is when a lot of benefits happen. The trouble is, by doing so many in such a short time (I’m trying to wade through around 1,200 pictures alone and edit a two-hour video) has put me behind in everything, paying clients included. So, what’s my point?

Most of us have a benevolent streak in us and, whether we’re trying to help a family member, our church, a civic organization, a club, old folks, whatever, when we over-commit ourselves, we’re cheating everyone. This came home to roost in a harsh way with me this week, so this blog post is a bit of a cautionary tale. I was so distracted, I forgot something critical and caused my wife some genuine anguish. How? I was very tired and trying to keep way too many balls in the air, and I wasn’t doing anything well.

So, let my harsh experience be your wake-up call. Stop and look at how you’re scheduling yourself. That we in this country over-schedule ourselves is no secret; that we accept it is the problem. In our mad rush to be successful or respected or popular or simply feel that we’ve accomplished something, it’s easy to forget that we can try too hard and act without first reconciling the costs with the benefits. Again, I’m pointing the finger squarely at Frank.

What to do? Simply this: Schedule some time off for yourself. Of all the things we have in this life, time is the one commodity that cannot be replenished. Use it wisely. Use it with friends and family because their happiness and love are the only things that really matter.

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25. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

This post is about your 80/20 and something much more valuable in your life. Most of you know the old saw about 80% of your business coming from 20% of your customers or clients. This is about your having a larger, more loyal 20% and getting benefits worth far more than the coins they give you.

A Lexington millionaire I knew (who, despite being twenty years my senior, often kicked my butt on the racquetball court) said he became rich by spending an hour a day doing one thing: Calling his best customers regularly just to say “Hi.” He explained that, “People do business with folks they know, like and trust. Without building a relationship, they can’t know, like or trust you. It’s up to you to reach out to them. After all, the most popular people are the ones who go out of their way to be friendly. That’s why they’re popular - they make everyone else feel genuinely important.”

He said to avoid long calls to show respect for their time, and that leaving a message just to say “Hello” was often just as beneficial. After you’ve called a few times, they’ll welcome your call because they’ll know you only want to check in. Some will look forward to the call the way we look forward to a birthday card (and you can collect birth dates, too, as you call).

Creating friendships is a natural part of business that is often overlooked. Regularly reaching out as a friend to the people who are your best customers benefits both sides of the equation; it’s about win-win, so show the 20% some love. You don’t have to send gifts, just call to say “Hi,” ask about their family and so on. The more you do this the better you know them, and you’ll become familiar with folks you never expected to become friends with. For those folks who aren’t in your 20%, maybe it’s because they have no reason to think of you; call and give them one.

To be effective and to show folks you are genuinely interested in them requires consistency. One method to keep on track with this year-after-year is to take your address book (physical or electronic) and create a spreadsheet with everyone on it. Then divide them up into twelve groups to call in twelve months. Call them some time that month, but don’t wait ’til month’s end because most folks are busy then. Better still, call at least twice a year.

What to say when you call? Tell them about something cool that’s coming up before anyone else knows. Ask how you can help without asking for a sale, or call about an event they might be interested in (a charity fun run/walk, a bake sale, a Big Lebowski bowling event, etc.). Maybe asking for an opinion (vs. professional advice) on something you’re involved with outside their specialty; this avoids looking like you’re trying to poach free service. Maybe you meet for coffee or rendezvous at a meeting or event. Whatever works for you.

You can keep it strictly to business, too. Check on their account or orders or whatever as a pretense to call. Or, call and explain that you do this occasionally just to see how your business is doing in their eyes (you should do that in any case). If they haven’t ordered in awhile, calling just to say “Hi” is even more important. Sure, Facebook is cool and easy, but one-to-one contact between two humans is much more powerful than a poke or a wall post. Do this in addition to social media to multiply its effect and bridge the time between calls.

If you do this year-in and year-out, you’ll get a lot more than sales. You’ll get the satisfaction of helping someone else and the one thing that makes life its richest: Friends.

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24. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

If you are in business for yourself or own a business, you have to be promoting yourself all the time. There is increasing competition for an ever-shrinking pool of business. It’s tougher today than a decade ago if for no other reason than advertising and marketing is so fractured. As I’ve written before, these days, it comes down to time or money. That is, if you don’t have the money to do a big, sustained advertising campaign, then you have to invest the time to do it yourself.

Advertising today is a lot like megaphones:
• If you have a lot of money, you can buy a PA system and hire someone to run it for you. You can even hire someone to do the talking.
• If you have some money you can buy a large electronic megaphone that even has a horn or siren to get folks attention.
• If you don’t have any budget, you pick up the nearest thing that looks like a cheerleader’s megaphone and start running around and yelling. Hello Facebook, blogs, meetings, etc.

Most of us fall into category two or three. That means we have to find publicity wherever we can. Want to get some attention from the media and burnish your reputation? Do something for the community. Don’t just run out and have a bake sale - have a cause you believe in first. In this day and time, many agencies are going wanting due to thin budgets and thinner staffs and will welcome any help they can get.

No, this isn’t some cynical operation that you do because it’s good for business – you do it because people need help. Still, the glow from a charitable act will net you good will and you’ll make some new friends. Friends are about the most important asset for any business. Beyond that, will it make a lasting difference in one person’s life? Yes? Then that’s all you need to know.

Pick something you feel strongly about like cancer, autism, the environment, education, the arts, women’s rights, animal welfare, inner-city programs, youth in music (one of my favorites) or whatever pulls strongly at your heart. Write a mission statement that says what you want from the event, why you’re doing it, who it will help and how much you think it might help and how. Update the mission statement often as you’ll find new things as you go along – the ending will likely be different and better than you planned.

From this planning, you’ll have an idea of what you can raise or do for the event. Is the goal to raise money? Raise awareness? Get material or goods (e.g., pet food for the Humane Society)? The sponsoring agency will give you guidance as to what is most helpful. Plug this into your mission statement.

Once you’ve written down your goals and plans, then go to an organization who is usually attached to these causes (if there is one), share what you’ve written and see what kind of help they’ll give you. Try to find a co-sponsor who’ll help, too, before you go; many hands make for light(er) work.

Next, plan your event and pick a theme. Get help and figure what it’s going to cost, where to have it, etc. This is where an event planner comes in handy. You’ll have to think about everything from sanitation to seltzer water. Whatever the event, you’ll likely need at least a few months to plan and execute.

What event should you plan? That’s up to you and your planner. Stage a fishing or golf tournament, a picnic or barbecue, a pool party, cookware event, a gourmet hors d’oeuvres party, a wine tasting - something that helps folks walk away happy (and not just because of the wine). Since it will likely start with friends, you know what they like, so plan something you’re familiar with and it will be easier for you.

Then, build your list of people to invite and determine how many you realistically think will come. If you’re not sure, call a bunch of friends and ask them to see if they’d be interested. You might get a volunteer or two calling their friends. Check with the organization you’re doing it for as they’ll likely have an idea, too. If all your friends invite their friends, and their friends invite only half their friends, that could be a good number.

Then go back to your mission statement and use that to create your publicity plans and your press releases. It will inform everything and everyone about why you’re embarking on this madness. Try to find one person in the media (reporter, DJ, public relations agent, etc.) and get their advice and names of helpful folks. The agency you spoke with can usually help you with that.

After that, when you’re about three months out, send press releases out to all the media you can think of and follow up regularly with with new items (don’t rehash the old - make it new). Again, work with the sponsoring agency (if there is one involved) and get help on publicity from them - they might be able to  accomplish many times what you can. Keep calling and get help arranging for any publicity you can find. There’s no shame in attaching your company’s name and your co-sponsor’s to this whole thing. (Alltech has their name all over WEG, and rightfully so, thank you Dr. Lyons.)

This is just a snapshot and, realistically, doing any public event is tough. It doesn’t have to be something with thousands of folks. Sometimes small events with a unique or outrageous flavor get more attention - be creative.

If you handle it well the rewards you’ll feel as an individual will be huge (food for the soul), the benefit to the community will be greater and, who knows, you could start an annual event that becomes legendary. You’ve heard of the Kentucky Derby, right?

Want some more ideas? Need help with marketing or advertising? Call me or use the contact form at the bottom of the page at the Frank Communications website.

Posted in delight, Success, Character, Branding, creativity, Frank Communications, Social Media, FrankyGee3, Frank Goad, building business, business relationships, PR, Frank, blessings, responsibilities, Public relations, "The Frankifesto", relationships, business, business plan, Marketing | Print | 1 Comment »

8. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

Before I started my business, I wrote Frank’s Business Manifesto (a.k.a. the Frankifesto). Written before my business plan, it is a statement of my thinking on the business and how I would run it. Without this, the business plan could have belonged to anyone. The manifesto informed the human side of my need to work for myself and created a behavioral and ethical standard that guides my dealings with friends and clients. It helped ensure that my heart, head and will were all in line together.

I’m sharing this in the hope that others will take the time to create one for themselves and refer to it often. This is a personal statement of what’s important in your work and life. If mine suits you, please, help yourself. Short or long, having one is akin to giving yourself a compass to navigate your career.

1. I believe I have creative talents and business skills sufficient to make a good living.
2. I will carefully choose trusted advisers because there are many who are well-meaning but blessed with far more opinions than knowledge or wisdom.
3. Despite the admonitions and warnings of others, even those who mean well, I will rely on my trusted advisers for feedback and honest criticism. This helps insulate me from those whose intentions are not favorable or honorable.
4. I will seek advice knowing that everyone needs help sometimes, and not asking is a larger sign of weakness.
5. I will also seek help because going it alone can be frustrating and unfruitful, and a little encouragement is priceless.
6. I have the requisite intelligence to understand the advice I seek and to apply it accordingly.
7. To be truly successful, I must help others succeed as well. This is my prime directive.
8. I have the requisite personal skills to network effectively and develop mutually beneficial relationships.
9. To be truly happy in my career, and in reflection on previous negative career choices, I will be true to those vocations that bring me joy.
10. By being joyful in my work, I will serve others well by finding ways to share that joy with them.
11. I am fortunate in that I have talent in several areas (as do most people), and will utilize them all to be useful to others and myself.
12. In keeping with today’s markets and the rapid pace of change, I will do two things: A. Combine my skills to take advantage of a wider range of opportunities (in keeping with my self description of being “A generalist in an age of specialists,”), and; B. Always consider ways to help others by utilizing whatever skills I can bring to bear (see no. 7).
13. I will be honest with myself and all those I deal with, else I will become irrelevant and perhaps shunned –  dishonesty is not an option.
14. In the face of lean times, adversity and downright bad luck, I will remain steadfast knowing that up and down cycles are inevitable.
15. During a down cycle I will display courage – if only to myself – because strength comes from within and self-employment is fraught with challenges.
16. I will give this endeavor my very best effort. Should my successes be insufficient to allow me to continue my self-employment, I will accept this with grace and dignity because I hereby acknowledge from the beginning that many can not survive on their own despite their best efforts; sometimes, things happen.
17. Whether successful or not, I will have succeeded in pursuing a worthy goal and will have displayed significant courage if only because I dared to strike out on my own, something far more people have neither the courage, desire or vision to do.
18. I will always remember that not having tried would be the biggest failure of all.

This became a bit of a litmus test: Was I really ready to work for myself, or did I need the safety and security of an employer, a regular check and benefits? The answer became obvious and now, Frank Communications is beginning to hum. The first three months were tough – doubts nagged me and seeing my bank account drift down made me quite uneasy at times. Now, the months of hard work are showing returns and I arise each morning excited about the day to come. It’s a lot of work, but the satisfaction of building my enterprise, creating new business relationships and having the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives is a huge return on my investment of time and energy.

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