Do you want to make a difference?  Do want to contribute to society, provide more value to your business/occupation, to your community, to the society as a whole?

I suggest paying attention to the metaphor of the ant. 

The Army Ant

It is amazing that one of the smallest of God’s creature can become one of His Greatest teachers.  The lessons the ant teaches us can be summarized this way:

A – Attitude of Initiative

Ants don’t need a commander to tell them to get started.

N – Nature of Integrity

Ants work faithfully and need no outside accountability to keep them doing right.

T – Thirst for Industry

Ants work hard and will replace their anthill when it gets ruined.

S – Source of Insight

Ants store provisions in the summer. 

If we consider and learn from the ways and the life of the ant, we can grow wiser.
Summarized by John Maxwell from Proverbs 6:6-8

Decorations are peaking out of every nook and cranny.

Festive times with your ole grandpa and granny.

Cinnamon and spices in the air.

Christmas trees and lights brighten the sky.
Family and friends gather with gifts under trees.
Sharing, caring and laughter are near.

Decorations are nice but fade with the time and sometimes I have to reflect and ask

Great short video on understanding your power. 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest is fear is that we are powerful beyond measure!

Being focus on a goal is one thing.  Understanding your true power is another!  Thanks @CurtMaly for this reminder!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Wow.  How fast does Social Media change?  It changes everyday and I work on keeping up but honestly it isn’t my “job” to do so nor do I focus on providing social media marketing advice or consulting.

Therefore, knowing everything about everything is completely impossible. 

I want and encourage all social media enthusiasts, real estate investors, brokers, consultants and friends to understand what is happening with Facebook.  You will want to check this out!  (Even if you still think that Facebook isn’t something that can be a “life-changer” for you or your business.

Thanks to @CShanes of the 24/7 Entrepreneur for putting together this great post!

Click below to see and hear the goods!

http://the247entrepreneur.com/news/the-social-network/

Foursquare, launched in 2009, is a hot mobile social media platform self-described as a “friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.” 

So far Foursquare has been very successful with

• Individual users
• Media outlets, such as The New York Times and The History Channel
• B2C (Business to Consumer) companies, like Starbucks and McDonald’s

But B2B companies have yet to embrace Foursquare. Many see it as having limited utility and aren’t quite sure how to leverage it, so they don’t see it as a viable business application.

So are there ways B2B companies can use Foursquare to reach new customers or promote their brand? Let’s get creative and look at some of the ways B2B companies can follow the lead of other Foursquare adopters to market their products or services.

Using Foursquare to Promote Events and Tradeshows

Early adopters have already been using Foursquare successfully to promote events and tradeshows. Back in January, Intel partnered with Foursquare during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and offered unique badges and freebies for check-ins. Foursquare hasn’t introduced the event function on mobile applications yet, but B2B companies can follow simple steps to implement it.

• Start by creating a new profile for your event.
• Then, add the venue and event description.
• Use the “Tip” function to broadcast event updates, incentives, and nearby meetings and venues to event participants.
• Encourage check-ins, engage participants and reward them.

Also, don’t forget to flag the venue as closed after the event is over.

Integration with Other Social Media Platforms

B2B companies can also effectively integrate Foursquare with other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to synergize marketing efforts and enhance end-user experience. By linking Foursquare to Facebook and Twitter, check-ins can be shared across platforms. B2B companies can host social gatherings, such as lectures and meet-ups, where savvy social media users will check in at the event venue on Foursquare, send out real-time event updates on Twitter, and share event photos on Facebook, which may even prompt their friends and followers to also become supporters of the company. These marketing efforts will all help with building brand awareness and generating leads.

Targeting Search Engine Results

Bing Maps has integrated Foursquare data for users to view quick venue tips and mayorships. Google and other search engines are sure to be developing their own location-based features too. Foursquare mapping and commenting features really benefit B2C companies, especially retailers with storefronts.  B2B companies can also benefit by adding company locations and listing company events, venues, trainings, seminars, etc. on Foursquare.

Location-based platforms are changing the overall search picture. Search engines will likely integrate real-time location-based data into search results, as they’ve done with universal search elements and real-time social updates. Companies with more check-ins and tips from engaged fans will rank higher in the blended search results. It’s very possible companies will be able to leverage Foursquare to boost their SEO efforts through brand engagement signals, much like what has happened with Facebook and Twitter.

Tracking Sales Team Performance 

Another way B2B companies can use Foursquare is as a sales management tool. B2B companies can use the mobile networking platform to track sales and sales performance metrics and to offer incentives to its sales staff. For example, the sales person who works hardest and collects the most check-ins could earn a reward. What’s more, the sales team could possibly identify potential leads and grab personal data about the leads by tracking their check-in behaviors on Foursquare.

However, this brings up proprietary data issues. Sales people probably don’t want competitors to know where they have been and who they’ve had sales calls with. The solution would be to launch a private version of Foursquare with custom applications. With a custom version, B2B companies can set restrictions and allow only current employees into the account. Check-in updates from the sales team would be shared internally and could even be available to only the management team. And management could send out real-time lead information to the sales force.

The customer service team could benefit in the same way. This would work like emailing or text-messaging, but with location features, which would be easier for two-way communication. To be more advanced, employees can view the updates and tips through a corporate email account with a simple connection. And every company and employee can have several Foursquare accounts for public, private and other use. In the future, a person’s online and mobile accounts will all be connected, but with advanced features to address privacy concerns.

Enhancing Corporate Culture and Community

B2B companies can use Foursquare to build community within the organization. Through checking in the corporate location, both management and employees will achieve stronger internal relations. Whoever checks in the most will become the mayor, and everybody has an equal opportunity to obtain the mayorship, not only the CEO. The mayorship can also be stolen by another employee. In the game-like process to grab mayorship, employees will gain a better bond, build morale and better internal relationships.

Employees might also check in together at a restaurant after work, or at the airport on a business trip. Internally, they win badges of swarm (50+ people are also checked in here) and jetsetter (5 airport check-ins). With a better sense of company unity, they can show clients and fans that they’re part of a great team with a strong corporate culture.

Partnering with Foursquare

Inspired by Twitter, Foursquare has opened its API to developers. There’s a potential for B2B companies, specifically software companies, to adopt a Foursquare component into their products through the API. Foursquarefox, a third-party Firefox plugin, enables you to check in and locate friends from your browser.

How do you see Foursquare as valuable business tool?  Look forward to hearing your thoughts…

Click here to view the embedded video.

So I get Forbes magazine in the mail for FREE…. (for some reason I have no clue why I get it but I am ok with that : )) and this month’s issue was about Forbes Top 100 Celebrity List.   This list talks about not only the income that these celebrities make but also ranks them as the most powerful. 

It got me thinking about the book the Go Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.  In this book the author talks about 5 Stratospheric Laws of Success and the Second Law is the Law of Compensation.

The Law of Compensation states that :  Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.

If we look at the what the Law of Compensation tells us and then look at how many people the below Celebrity base serves then in my opinion, these people do deserve the money that they receive in payment for what they provide in service. 

Kobe Bryant

Take Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers for example : 

The 2010 NBA Finals featured a rematch of 2008 with a renewal of the classic rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics and proved to be a smash hit in the ratings. With the historic rivalry between the two most successful teams in the league being the marquee matchup once again and the Finals going seven games for the first time since 2005, the series achieved a 10.6 rating and an average of 18.1 million viewers, the highest numbers since 2004. This was a 26% increase from 2009 and a 14% increase from 2008, the last time the Lakers and the Celtics met.  The deciding Game 7 garnered an 18.2 rating and a tally of 28.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched NBA game since Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, which had a 22.3 rating and drew 72 million viewers.  It just goes to show that when people provide massive value they get massive results.

To archive the original story directly from Forbes Magazine, click here:

See attached List on where your favorite Celebrity stacks up!

The Celebrity 100

OK so I have been very busy with you name it in working a business from the ground up and I honestly haven’t made time to blog lately but I am offically BACK!   I want to take a moment to talk about the difference between being proactive vs reactive and explain what I perceive are the benefits of having a proactive attitude.

•One of my favorite quotes is a quote by Michael Jordan, “Some people want it to happen, some people wish it could happen, others make it happen.”

Of course Michael Jordan wanted the ball at the end of the game, he wanted to be in a position to make things happen and win the game. I love sports related quotes because they can and do relate to everyone and every area of life, are you one those people that says I wish this or that would happen.  Or are you one those people that constantly desires and wants something to happen but never does anything about it. Finally do you make things happen, instead of just wishing and wanting. We all fall into one category or another.

This is where being proactive comes into play, you must begin to think, visualize and put a plan together to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.  Michael Jordan did not become the greatest basketball player ever over night, as a matter of fact when he started out in youth basketball he was not very good.  He came home and told his dad that he wanted to quit, and his dad said to him well Michael that’s fine quit but what did you learn today and Michael said ”I found out I hate to lose”.

So what do I do from here, how do I begin to take myself from just wishing and wanting to making things happen and can you be a Michael Jordon in your area of life? I submit that we can be the best at what we do and that we can have more success than failure if we would only plan for success. Simply put we must proactively plan to succeed and not just sit back and take whatever happens and then react to the situation.

•“Setting a goal is NOT the main thing, it is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.”  Tom Landry

The funny thing about goals are they become the things we talk about rather than the things we do. So we talk, wish and want but we don’t proactively go about achieving our goals. Often our sales staff will tell us that the main reason for their success is luck and I am always quick to point out that it’s not luck but it’s when preparation meets opportunity. Just as Michael Jordan had to practice and prepare to take that last second shot, we must proactively plan and prepare to succeed at whatever our goal might be.

To me the difference between proactive and reactive, is not being satisfied with what might happen or could happen but turning the odds in my favor and being prepared for success.

Are you prepared for success?

The social networking platform Ning announced a couple weeks ago that it was making some substantial changes to the company. The news, coming just one month after Jason Rosenthal replaced Gina Bianchini as CEO, was sour for both employees and for many users of the service. Ning will cut 70 jobs and will end free subscriptions to the site.

Rosenthal writes in the press release, “We will phase out our free service. Existing free networks will have the opportunity to either convert to paying for premium services, or transition off of Ning.”