Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, everybody,
and welcome to today's episode
of the NeverPeak Project Podcast.
In this podcast, we're gonna be going over
six key takeaways that I gained
from the small business expo
that I attended last week in San Francisco.
It was about an eight to 10 hour event.
I met hundreds of different people.
I met her incredible stories,
and I attended a whole bunch of workshops,
and my intention with this episode
is to really just bring those six key takeaways
to the forefront so that you guys can take those
and put them into your business, your nonprofit,
your organization, and really just increase your impact
and really help make a difference in those that you serve.
So go ahead and sit back, relax, and let's dive in.
I'm starting off with number one.
And guys, tip number one is for all of you
introverted entrepreneurs out there.
I've kind of described myself as a extroverted,
introverted, introverted, extrovert.
I feel like I'm kind of on the cusp,
so when I saw that this was a workshop
that was gonna be presented at the Small Business Expo,
I knew that I had to attend
just to be sure that I can up my skills a little bit,
meet a few people, and just see
what the presenter had to say.
And this workshop was put on by Jerome Dees Jr.
of Dees Partners.
I'll be sure to link everybody,
all the presenters' information into the show notes
so that you can check them out,
see what else they have to say,
and just really dive deeper on some of the material
that we're covering today.
And Jerome's first tip for introverted entrepreneurs
at networking events is to have a goal outside of sales.
Now, if you're anything like me,
feeling like you're going to a conference,
you don't wanna feel like you're selling the entire time.
You don't wanna feel like you're,
like, what is it, when you have salesman's breath,
when you kind of just,
you can just tell that people know
that's all you're trying to do.
And when you go to these events,
you also don't wanna be sold to.
And that's really what Jerome hit on
during the beginning of this section,
is know that nobody likes being sold to,
nobody likes feeling that pressure,
nobody likes, I don't know,
just feeling like they're on that entire time.
Now, he says that you should definitely know
about your product, you should know about your business.
You should be able to explain it clearly and effectively
to those that you talk to.
But he said, perhaps focus on something
a little bit different.
Maybe have a goal of hand out 30 business cards,
to have a conversation with 10 different people,
or just get to know a few people,
learn about 10 other businesses,
have something external that by default,
as a byproduct of that goal,
you will have the opportunity to get your name out there,
that you can talk about your cause and the mission
and the people that you're working to serve.
And moving into tip number two, guys,
it's gonna be a little bit of a two-parter.
There's two steps for tip number two,
but really it's just about getting engagement
on social media and using these networking events
as a way to create content.
So the first thing you're going to do,
step one is take pictures of the event.
Take selfies with the workshop coordinators,
take photos of the event.
Just really document what is going on
at the event that you're attending,
whether it's networking, a presentation, a workshop,
just really any way for you to say,
hey, I was here, this is what I was doing.
And remember Gary V's tip, which is to document,
don't create, don't focus on creating
this beautiful piece of artwork, this beautiful content
that's gonna get a million shares.
Just focus on your experience and what you took away
from the presentation, the workshop,
or the people that were around you.
So the very first step, document it.
And step number two is to post about it.
Post it on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,
whatever your platform of choice is.
In this case, we're gonna be talking specifically
about LinkedIn.
So all you're going to do is take the content
that you documented during your time at the event,
post it on LinkedIn.
Give a quick recap, talk a little bit about your highlights,
what your favorite parts were,
but then tag the people that are in the photos,
tag the workshop presenters, tag the speakers.
Really just, I don't know,
everybody that you can, tag them in it.
One, it helps you create a network
because you're probably gonna have to follow them.
You're probably gonna have to connect with them.
And it kind of gives a face to the name
so that you're not just in the sea of people
that they met throughout the day.
You're going a step beyond, right?
And then step number two, with step two,
is tag the location.
So in this case,
we were at the South San Francisco Conference Center.
Tag them, tag the event host,
which is Small Business Expo,
and then tag for extra special credit,
tag a local restaurant that you went to,
or a coffee shop, or something else that you did in the area.
Just really as a way to say thank you
because everybody loves to be acknowledged.
Everybody loves to kind of see,
hey, like other people found what I did valuable,
and they're willing to share it with their network.
And the reason for that, one,
I think it just helps you a lot in terms of retention
and learning for your own personal development,
and you're sharing it with your network, providing value,
but also those people that you shared that content about
when you tag them, they'll be notified,
and there's a chance that when they interact
with your content, it will show you to their audience.
And this is something that Alex Hermosy mentioned before,
where people will create content about things that he said
or things that he's done, and he likes it, he comments it,
he reposts it, shares it, whatever,
and then his entire audience will see that content.
And that's how a smaller creator can,
I hate to say it this way,
but a smaller creator can take advantage
of this bigger creator's network
and their presence on LinkedIn.
So document, share, tag, and interact with people
that comment on those posts as well.
And the next workshop that I attended
was Profit with Purpose.
And this one was put on by Anne Scotland
from Focus Meta Mindset, Inc.
And honestly, guys, this was probably one
of my favorite presentations from throughout the day.
And the reason for that is I finally learned
the shorter word to describe the people
that I wanna serve with my coaching practice.
So Anne, thank you so much for putting on this presentation
and for really just bringing it
to the forefront of my mind.
And that term is a social entrepreneur
or a socialpreneur for short.
So really, what a socialpreneur does
is they are able to use their business,
the entity that they created,
as a way to create more good in the world.
Now let me explain.
There's a few different ways
that somebody can be a socialpreneur.
And when I explain these three things,
I think it's all going to come together
and make sense for you.
There are three main categories
that you do one, two, or three of these.
You just have to hit one.
And you're considered a socialpreneur.
And the first one is that your business
solves a humanitarian or environmental issue.
Two, that you're able to create jobs
for underserved communities,
such as ex-cons or impoverished communities.
And three is donating a specific portion of profits
to causes that you believe in.
And really to break those three things down,
I think that there are three main examples
to give for each of those.
So for example, in terms of solving a humanitarian
or environmental issue with their business,
the one that comes to mind for me the quickest
is Tony's Choco Lonely.
Now if you've ever been to REI or a fancier grocery store,
or I mean even just on social media seeing their ads,
I'm sure you've seen Tony's Choco Lonely.
There's these nice brightly colored bars
and they're pretty wrapped.
They have cute little sayings on them.
But really what their mission is
is to create a 100% slave labor free cocoa trade.
And they're doing that by supporting local farmers,
by paying their wages,
and just really bringing an awareness
to that issue as a whole.
Now they could have just been
like any other chocolate company
and just get the cheapest products
and just make the chocolate, make it taste good,
say we're the best because we taste good.
But what they're really doing is bringing an issue
that a lot of people didn't even know was prevalent
to the forefront and they're working to solve it
through their business, through their partners.
So in terms of solving a humanitarian
or environmental issue, Tony's Choco Lonely,
from my own experience and what I've seen,
is one of the pinnacles of that aspect.
And the second way for somebody to be considered
a socialpreneur is to hire or serve
underprivileged communities.
So for example, first one that came to mind for me
on this one is Dave's Killer Bread.
And the cool thing about Dave's Killer Bread,
which I've seen them in a whole bunch
of different grocery stores,
but they are what is called a second chance employer.
So they really do pride themselves on hiring
those that have a criminal background
in order to give them a second chance.
Now most companies, they see whatever is on somebody's
record and they might think twice about hiring them.
Whereas with Dave's Killer Bread,
their whole purpose and focus is about giving these people,
these communities a chance to rebuild their lives
and really come out on top in terms of fixing their mistakes
and really just creating a life
that they really wanna make for themselves.
So that's the second way that somebody
can be considered a socialpreneur.
And the third way for somebody to be considered
a socialpreneur is to donate a specific portion
of their profits to environmental or humanitarian causes.
And the very first one that came to mind for me on this one,
you're gonna start sensing a pattern
in the types of brands that I consume.
But the one that comes to mind for me on this one
is Cold-Blooded Caffeine Company.
Now Cold-Blooded Caffeine Company is a sponsor
for my Walk Across America.
I'm an affiliate of them, just to clarify.
But the reason that I wanted to sign up with them
is because they are hugely impactful
and involved in the reptile community.
Now Cold-Blooded Caffeine Company, of course,
insinuates snakes and lizards
and all the creepy crawlies, right?
They're a coffee company that looks for ethically sourced
high quality coffee beans from across the globe.
And the reason that they started in the first place
is that Trey, one of the owners,
realized that the same countries
that were producing coffee that he loved
were where the animals that he bred in his facility
were endemic to, that's where they came from.
And he kind of started looking into it
and realized there were all these different issues
with deforestation and just really environmental concerns
that are being caused by the coffee industry.
So he said, I'm gonna start a coffee company,
really focus on the animals,
really focus on the natural habitats
that these critters come from.
And it just so happens that critters and coffee
come from the same place that he loves.
So why not find a way to protect them
and bring this awareness to the marketplace?
And what they're able to do is they're able to donate,
I believe it's 5% of their proceeds from the coffee sales
to the Rainforest Alliance.
It helps them prevent deforestation
and just really protect the environments
that these animals are coming from.
So I've seen that those are three examples.
Let me know, send me an email in the comments, whatever,
which one of these three areas you serve as a socialpreneur
or which one of these three areas that you want to look into.
Fourth takeaway is from a presentation
called Foundations of Success, which was all about values.
And this one was put on by Stacey Harris
of 13 Miles Consulting.
And what Stacey really harbored in on this
is that by defining your core values
for yourself as an individual
and for your organization as a whole,
you'll be able to attract those
that resonate with those messages.
And whether it is you value accountability,
communication, truthfulness, trustworthiness,
whatever it is that you value,
being able to share that with your audience,
share that with your employees and stakeholders and partners,
you'll be able to really create an environment
where you're able to consistently live within those values.
And personally for me, being able to identify my core values
has helped me make better decisions in my business,
helped me make better decisions on what I wanted to focus on
with my walk across the country.
So this one really just solidified everything
that I already believed in.
Something that she shared near the end of the presentation
that really resonated with me
that I want to share with you is,
well, that's great, is, you know,
I post these values on my website, et cetera, et cetera,
but what if it turns some people off?
They don't want to work with me because of these values.
They don't want to interact with me,
they don't want to see what I have to offer.
And those are very valid questions and concerns.
But there's a metaphor that she shared that I loved,
and it was, when you're looking for a good pair of shoes,
you're gonna find some that fit great,
and you're gonna find some that aren't a great fit.
And that's okay, because if you try to force the ones
that aren't a good fit,
all you're going to do is end up with blisters.
And the last two were from Carlos Gill from GetResponse
in his keynote address about using AI in your marketing.
Carlos shared a story from one of the businesses
that he started during COVID called Outlaw Mass,
which was just a mass company that folks wore
to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
And he and his business partner,
in a way that I would describe it,
did a little bit of guerrilla marketing with it.
They didn't spend a whole lot on any marketing,
they didn't have a marketing budget,
they didn't spend money on fancy ads or partnerships.
What they would do is they would,
the two of them go to frontline workers,
they would pass out masks,
and they would record them passing out those masks
and the genuine human responses and reactions
that those people had.
And they really focused on that community,
on the people they were serving,
not necessarily the product.
The product was secondary in the content they were making.
They were really focusing on the people.
And that was something that he said
throughout the presentation,
was focus on the people, not the product.
What is the outcome?
What is the experience people will have?
But he was really just saying
that there's so many opportunities to get this content.
And they were able to make hundreds of thousands of dollars
from these masks.
And without spending a whole lot of money on marketing
or really any at all, besides the gas,
to get from place to place and the initial masks themselves,
is honestly extremely impressive.
And in this part of the presentation,
he also really just hit on the importance of,
there's a huge difference between visibility and engagement.
Now, if they were just getting a ton of views,
but no sales, no comments, no interactions,
that doesn't really help with anything.
Whereas if they're getting a ton of interaction,
they're getting a lot of engagement,
they're really building a community in the comments.
That's what you wanna focus on as a business owner,
as a movement maker, as the leader of whatever cause it is
that you're a part of, right?
Is making sure that you are creating content that engages.
And the last tip that he shared was to cast a deeper net,
not a wider one.
He was really just stressing the importance of,
it's not always about meeting every single person
at a conference, not really just having a mini conversation
with everybody, but really focusing
on a few deep conversations
and deep relationships with folks.
Because you can have a very surface level interaction
with a whole lot of people.
But if you wanna create, I don't know,
partners in your business,
you want to create relationships,
you really need to focus in on those people.
And a tip that he gave to really just, I don't know,
hone in and wrap this entire thing up is a,
what do you do when you leave this convention?
And what he suggested was to take all the business cards
that we got throughout the day and take a photo of them
and upload them to ChatGPT.
And what you do is you upload those photos to ChatGPT
and you ask it to create an Excel sheet for you
with everybody's name, phone number, title, business,
and email, and then just do follow-ups.
And the reason I love that so much is when it comes
to sending emails to people with their business cards,
I am terrible at transcribing at times.
I will put a period where there's not one,
I will mistake an I for an L, whatever.
But by having ChatGPT do it, it saved me some time,
it prevented me from having an excuse
of not wanting to transcribe everything out,
and it only took a few extra minutes.
And the reason for that is you met them
during the convention, you hopefully had a good conversation
with them at the expo or at the networking events,
you did a follow-up with them, which I am, what,
three, four days post-event at the time of recording this,
I have personally not gotten a single follow-up email
from everybody that I have met,
but I have sent an email to everybody
that I interacted with, that I shook hands with,
that I got one of their business cards.
And really the email that I sent,
I wasn't selling anything, I wasn't pitching anything,
I have my website or workshops in my email signature
that I have to everybody that I send.
Really all it was was, hey, insert name,
it was really nice meeting you,
and I remember a lot of those conversations,
so I just put something,
I hope that your trip next week is great,
I hope that the rest of the day was great,
I hope you got to get X out of this.
Really just kind of taking notes
throughout the presentation and throughout the day.
And really, I, and something else that I did
throughout the day was I actually did take notes
in my notebook.
So every time I met someone during speed networking,
I would jot down the name, a few things about them
and their business, I would take notes
during the presentations, during the workshops,
and that was just really to remember
at the end of the day everybody that I met.
And that's something that I started doing on my walk,
is try to take as detailed of notes as possible
throughout the day, so that you remember names
and just what people do.
So that format is basically just,
hey, great meeting you, enter something personal,
I'd love to connect with you further,
let me know if you'd like to chat more, have a great day.
Nothing crazy, nothing too special,
just hey, thanks for your time, I'll talk to you soon.
And that really wraps up these six tips for today's episode.
Now if you go to the show notes,
you'll be able to claim your free gift
for Listen to Me Yap for the last half hour.
And what that is, is it's just a PDF
that has the six key takeaways from the day.
And I'm going to list the extra contact info
for the people that I referenced
and the people that I got these tips from,
so you can check them out as well,
give them some love, follow them on socials,
like their posts, interact,
and it's just my way of saying thank you
for listening to today's episode.
And that's really all I got for today.
If you have any questions, comments, emotional outbursts,
always let me know in the comments
or shoot me an email at ranger at
withinrangecoaching.com.
And remember to have fun, stay safe, be yourself,
and to everyday wake up and make the decision to never quit.
I'll see you all next week.