The EO Blog

EO Celebrates 36 Years of Connecting and Empowering Entrepreneurs

15 September, 2023

Happy Birthday, EO!

On 17 September 2023, EO marks its 36th anniversary as the world’s premier, purpose-built organization designed with a mission to empower entrepreneurs from every sector, culture and industry. EO was created by a small group of young business owners, led by Verne Harnish, as a community of entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. Today, we are an evolving catalyst that provides not only inspiration but also the tools and strategies entrepreneurs seek to unlock their full potential and drive the world forward.

Since 1987, EO has evolved from a groundbreaking concept into a thriving network with over 18,000 members in 220 chapters across 76 countries worldwide.

We’ve learned a lot in our 36 years, some lessons came easily; others, with more challenge. But like all 36-year-olds, we’re old enough to appreciate the wisdom of our journey to this point, but still young enough to experiment, adapt, grow and keep charging ahead. So we rounded up some insights from a group of famous faces who also have 36 candles on their birthday cakes this year, and whose advice echoes EO’s core values. Happy birthday to all of us!

Together We Grow

In EO, we are committed to each other’s growth and well-being, propelling each other to new heights both personally and professionally. We build deep human connections across rooms, cities, countries and continents. Our community is inclusive, and we value the kaleidoscope of diversity stemming from different cultures, backgrounds, religions and experiences. Diversity is our superpower, and EO is the secret sauce that binds us together and makes us unstoppable.

“I’m lucky to be part of a team who help to make me look good, and they deserve as much of the credit for my success as I do for the hard work we have all put in on the training ground.” — Lionel Messi, Argentinian soccer player

“Don’t pretend to know everything. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of veteran actors, and I soak up lessons from them like a sponge.” — Michael B. Jordan, American movie actor

“I look at where I’m at today and realize that most of my success is owed to the mentors that was in my life.” — Kendrick Lamar, American rap artist

Trust and Respect

In EO, our fundamental perspective is that each of us is unique and equal. We listen with open minds, open hearts, and deep appreciation. We are eager to uncover every ounce of wisdom and perspective generated by different viewpoints, which helps erase our inherent blind spots. We accept that there are things we don’t know, and we welcome the opportunity to learn exponentially from those with different life experiences from our own. Through trust and respect, we create a safe space where you can always be your complete, authentic self.

“I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.” — Elliot Page, Canadian movie actor (Juno, Inception)

“Never let success get to your head and never let failure get to your heart.” — Drake, Canadian rap artist

“I was dating a guy once who spoke rudely to a taxi driver. I got out of the cab and walked home. Treat people with respect. I’ve waited tables, and that’s why I just exceedingly overtip. It’s exhausting work.” — Kesha, American-born pop singer

“You should never make fun of something that a person can’t change about themselves.”
― Phil Lester, English YouTube sensation and vlogger

“Be yourself. Unapologetically.” — Kesha

Thirst for Learning

In EO, insatiable curiosity is a common trait — high-level learning is a driving force behind why entrepreneurs choose EO. In our lifelong quest for growth, we challenge status quos, try new things, and embrace new ideas and perspectives. It’s in our DNA to remain curious, push boundaries and shatter limits because within us is an unquenchable thirst to learn.

“My father always said, ‘Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf’ — so I make sure I read.” — Emilia Clarke, English television actress

“I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection.” — Drake

“I have many years to get better and better, and that has to be my ambition. The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player.” — Lionel Messi

Think Big, Be Bold

In EO, innovation is our North Star. We are fearless, we take risks and see opportunity in every challenge. EO members are on a mission to make the world a better place — for our teams, families, communities, and for humankind. We think big; we are bold. We know entrepreneurship can (and will) turn the wheels of progress and make a difference beyond ourselves. As visionaries, we cannot rest until we make a positive impact through our work.

“It’s never too late to realize what you want in your life, and it’s never wrong to fight for it.” — Drake

“You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” — Lionel Messi

“I like to be part of the change I want to see in the world. Not being afraid of criticism is actually a big advantage.” — Ronda Rousey, American mixed martial arts fighter

As we celebrate EO’s journey of entrepreneurial empowerment and innovation, our birthday wish is that more of you, our members, partners and friends, find new ways to unlock your fuller potential so that together, we can move the world forward through the unique talents and passions that individually drive us. We’ll keep thinking big, being bold, and making a lasting impact on the world.

Happy 36th, EO!

Interested in becoming a member of EO? Find details and apply.

Quotes that appear in this post were sourced from Quote Fancy and Brainy Quote. For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: EO News Inspirational Legacy members

Tags: Drake Elliot Page Emilia Clarke entrepreneurs' organization Kesha Lionel Messi Michael B. Jordan Ronda Rousey verne harnish

How to Use Video Effectively at Each Stage of Your Inbound Marketing Funnel

13 September, 2023

Using video content as part of your digital marketing strategy can be very profitable. But do keep in mind there are many different types of videos, and they are all designed and optimized to accomplish different goals.

Educational videos, whiteboard animations, video explainers — each popular type of marketing video brings something unique to the table, and it’s critical to use the right tool at the right time to get the results you want!

So, how can you determine which video is best for your strategy’s needs? Read on, and you’ll learn all about it.

Best Video Types for Top-of-Funnel Marketing

At the start of the funnel, you are focused on generating brand and product awareness to improve lead generation. At this point, since you need to capture your audience’s attention, your videos are best kept short and should have a broad scope in terms of subject matter.

Brand Videos

Brand videos are all about providing a memorable first impression to potential leads, so they hold a lot of power at the start of a marketing funnel.

By effectively introducing your brand (like this), what your specialty is, and most importantly, how people can continue to engage with you, you can pique your viewer’s interest quickly and establish a strong, positive image that informs their future interactions with your company.

Developing brand videos that touch upon your clients’ issues or needs is a great way to get them hooked on what else you’ve got to say. It can make a casual viewer think, “Wait, that’s something that could be helpful for me!” and have them stick around long enough to start a relationship with your brand.

Short Social Media Videos

These are short pieces designed to captivate your audience with a funny, out-of-the-norm take on a topic they care about. Since people are constantly bombarded with content, being innovative and crafting a video that stands out is often a good idea for social media. For example, a lot of companies jump on relevant TikTok trends to educate their audiences with short content that resonates.

Leveraging entertaining, short social media content is a fantastic way to nurture not only awareness but also brand recall. When viewers progress into the next stage of the funnel, they’re bound to remember the brand that made them laugh with a funny video (like this one) instead of a generic ad.

Best Video Types for Middle of Funnel Marketing

When leads are in the middle of the funnel, they want more information about their problem and the solutions you offer to solve it.

Research is the key feature of this stage, so give your audience content that allows them to explore pain points and learn how your business can help address them.

Animated Explainers

Animated explainers (like this one) have become a staple in most video agencies’ arsenal since the style is designed to hook viewers right off the bat.

Explainers leverage animation and storytelling to describe the solutions your audience is looking for, while also subtly prompting viewers to take action. In 90 seconds or less, you cover three main points: What your products or services are, why they’re useful for your viewers, and why they’re better than the competition — and that makes them perfect for the consideration stage of your marketing funnel.

Product Videos

These pieces allow viewers to see exactly what your product is all about. Its features, how it works, and why it’s the best option they can choose. This example from Apple is about as good as it gets!

Well-crafted product videos are the perfect tool to show what characteristics and details make your products ideal for your audience’s needs and help you overcome some of the limitations of selling through digital platforms.

Instead of making your audience rely solely on your word, you want your audience to see for themselves. These videos give you ample room to do just that.

Best Video Types for Bottom of Funnel Marketing

Eventually, the most qualified leads progress down to the bottom of the funnel. At this stage, they’re considering your brand as the potential solution to their problem, but they may still have some doubts or need an extra nudge.

In short, your digital marketing content for this stage should focus on showcasing what makes your brand their best option.

Testimonial Videos

Testimonials are a vote of confidence for your brand, making them really hard to beat at this stage of a funnel. What could be better than another person recounting their experience with your products or how your services were exactly what they needed? Check out this EO video that leverages testimonials.

Testimonials are also great to help clear any doubts your leads may still have at this stage, and hearing another human share their real-life experience is as persuasive as it gets.

FAQ Videos

FAQ videos allow you to answer questions your core audience could ask about your business and what you offer. Especially those that are keeping them from committing to a purchase or whatever action your campaign is going for.

Additionally, you’re one step ahead of the game when you make a FAQ video. Instead of making potential customers waste time writing their doubts in an email or message, they can just watch your video then go right ahead with their purchase.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! Whether it is an animated explainer or a testimonial, using video to leverage your marketing strategy brings a lot to the table.

Now that you know the basic types of video available for your business, the next step is to choose your favorite ones and start crafting your next marketing pieces.

Contributed to EO by Victor Blasco, an audiovisual designer, video marketing expert, and founder/CEO of the explainer video production company Yum Yum Videos. Besides running the business, he’s a lifelong student of Chinese philosophy and a passionate geek for all things sci-fi. He has also shared his expertise with EO on How To Leverage Video Content To Enhance Internal Communications and 5 key elements of effective whiteboard videos and How to use creative videos to transform email marketing from basic to bustling and Audience Research 101: The key to creating marketing videos that convert.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Best Practices PR/MARKETING Video

Tags: best practices entrepreneurs' organization marketing Victor Blasco Yum Yum Videos Yumyum videos

Sisterhood of Success: Female Founders Share Insights on Thriving Together

8 September, 2023

We asked six members of EO to share the number one thing they’ve learned from another inspiring woman in business. Here’s what they said.

Stop multitasking, stop comparing and stop being quiet.

Stop multitasking. Many people think multitasking is a skill that women are naturally good at, but eventually working as an entrepreneur at a million miles an hour will take its toll. Stop multitasking and instead, do one thing. Be more present. Enjoy each activity.

Stop comparing. When we compare ourselves to other people, whether it is physically or how big one’s business is, it never leaves us with a feeling of being enough. Be aware that you are on your own journey. Honor that journey and be happy for others more successful than you. Help them celebrate.

Stop being quiet. Make noise about things that matter to you. When your values are challenged, do something about it. Don’t just shut up. Think about it. Express your view in a calm and professional way. The other person may or may not get it, but do the part that is within your circle of influence.

— Shivani Gupta, EO Queensland, multi-business founder, author, speaker and coach

Profit from profit

My big learning from EO Malaysia member Fong Leng Wong is: Profit from profit. As business owners, we often have a huge amount of wealth tied up within our businesses, but don’t form the habit of creating other income streams and forms of wealth, such as investments outside our businesses.

As female entrepreneurs, we are independent-minded and innovative, and this advice is critical for securing our future and the future of our families. When women have more money, not only is there gender equality and economic growth, but there’s also stronger and healthier communities for our children and generations to come. This advice inspires me every day.”

— Sarah Bartholomeusz, EO Adelaide, principal at You Legal

Find female mentors and community

Without the guidance of other female mentors, Be Fit Food would not be where it is today. My first female mentor was the incredible Janine Allis, founder of Boost Juice. She provided me with so much advice on business strategy, business channels and HR. The best advice she ever gave me, though, was to join the EO to build my leadership skills and my support network. Through the EO, I have met so many incredible female entrepreneurs, including the former female president in EO, founder of Cupcake Central and League of Extraordinary Women, Sheryl Thai.

EO empowers me to share my business journey with other like-minded entrepreneurs and get their experience when I’m seeking solutions in my business.

— Kate Save, EO Melbourne, Founder of Be Fit Food

It’s OK to take up space

I’m a single mum and started my business at the same time I separated from the father of my three children after 14 years. I knew nothing about running a business and had no management experience. My overwhelming subconscious desire to forget about the reality of my personal life breaking down, combined with my ability to learn very quickly and the need to financially provide for all my kids, helped me to propel my business into what it is today. I have never worked so hard in all my life, but the rewards and personal growth have been worth every bit.

About a year and a half after starting my business, I joined EO and was quickly invited onto the board of directors where I sat with a woman who is so unapologetically herself. She is assertive, asks questions and stands up for what she believes in. As women, we are often socialized to “shrink ourselves”. I have always liked people that go against the grain.

I have learned that it’s not just OK to take up space, it’s necessary in the path to believing that my voice is valid.

— Sian Williams, EO Adelaide, Founder and CEO of Here2Home

Expect the unexpected, and run with it

As a female entrepreneur, I’m constantly made aware that I’m part of a minority, but that’s not always a bad thing. I believe we are moving into a new era. I hope we keep pushing boundaries and moving forward to become a generation of empowered female leaders for the next generation — for our daughters.

Through Women of EO, I’ve met so many inspiring women and learned to be supportive, open, vulnerable and to constantly seek knowledge. I have come to see that female leaders carry so much more in their work, in addition to the many juggling home life and family relations.

From my mentor, Jane Bianchini, I’ve learnt so many things, both about business and about myself. I’ve learnt how to slice the equity pie for VC investors, and gained so much insight about the still male-dominated tech world from this successful tech business veteran. Male-dominated industries can feel like smoke and mirrors sometimes, so having an experienced female mentor with years, if not decades of knowledge ahead of you is truly vital.

— Emilya Colliver, EO Sydney, founder and managing director of Art Pharmacy and Sugar Glider Digital

Find community, even if it’s not in your industry

As a female business owner in a heavily male-dominated industry, I thought I had to “go it alone.” However, since joining EO Sydney in 2012, I’ve had the pleasure of being surrounded by inspirational women who have not only had my back, but supported me on the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and inspired me to be “more”.

What I’ve learned from other women is that they’re community-oriented, values-based and brilliant at supporting each other in the good times and the bad. And that a network of empowered women is supportive and, in the challenging world of business, necessary.

Let’s keep our focus on the end goal, which is to get 50–50 equality in entrepreneurship and pave the way for our children and future generations of leaders. Women need to raise each other up, collaborate and support each other to make a difference. They need to realize that competing isn’t the answer and that we are most successful when surrounded with an army of strong, supportive women.

— Kim Liddell, EO Sydney, founder and managing director of Non Destructive Excavations Australia

Contributed to EO by Karen Farr, chapter manager for EO Adelaide, who is also the owner and director of Executive Office Limited, which provides admin support across all operations for membership organizations.

This post first appeared on CEO Magazine and is reposted here with permission from the author.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Best Practices WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: Emilya Colliver entrepreneurs' organization EO Adelaide eo melbourne EO Queensland eo sydney kate save Kim Liddell Sarah Bartholomeusz Shivani Gupta Sian Williams

How to Master Media Relations to Strengthen Your Brand’s Image and Impact

6 September, 2023

Public relations sounds so easy in theory. Send compelling content to publications and journalists, and watch the leads roll in. However, if you’ve been in the marketing world for over a day, you know how hard it can be to get media attention, especially online.

The digital world is filled with noise. You’re not only competing for target audience attention with businesses in your industry but with businesses around the globe. As cited by BuzzSumo, a 2022 Cision survey of journalists found that nearly eight out of 10 received over 100 pitches weekly. That’s a lot of information to sift through! Fractl notes that 57% of publications receive as many as 500 submissions weekly. Again, that’s a barrage of incoming email messages, DMs, and phone calls to evaluate.

That’s the reality of modern media relations, and it explains why getting traction for your organization can seem tough as nails. Yet, it doesn’t mean you can’t move forward with a few strategies to rise above the chatter and get your brand noticed by media professionals. Taking pragmatic steps can allow you to get more bang for your PR buck.

1. Know the reason behind every PR campaign.

A good way to fail at PR is to start blanketing pitches to media people or to mass email generic press releases. Each of your PR campaigns deserves to be thoughtfully mapped out. This helps you understand (and be able to answer) the “Why?” behind what you’re doing.

A thoughtfully planned roadmap allows you to make sure you’re targeting the right outlets and professionals. It also keeps you on track regarding sending content and following up. Nothing could be more valuable to your PR success than documenting every initiative and sharing the documentation with applicable team members.

2. Think of PR as story-sharing.

Often, press releases have little oomph. Your job is to find the nugget of interest in whatever you’re trying to compel a media publication to reprint. For instance, let’s say your company just won an award. That’s great, but why should a journalist care? Connecting your award to something irresistible increases your odds of getting some hits.

Remember that this isn’t your grandparent’s PR world. Journalists need content that’s bite-sized, relevant, and sticky. They’re actively looking for something that stands out. Ensure you’re truthful and consistent so your narratives have honesty and interest.

3. Mix up your PR content types.

While sending out PR items in text form — media releases, case studies, and reports — is fairly standard, things are changing. Many PR pros are experimenting with other forms of content, such as videos, audio files, and infographics. You’ll need to research your target media outlets to see whether they accept these alternative forms of pitches, of course. If they do, make sure that your content aligns with what they are currently publishing.

For example, if you plan to try a video media pitch, explore your preferred outlets first. Do they even have video content on their sites? If yes, find out what kinds of videos they post most frequently. Task your team with figuring out all these odds and ends before reaching out to a journalist or contact person. That way, you won’t waste anyone’s time.

4. Lean into data and analytics to pinpoint what’s working.

According to a 2021 Business2Community article, nearly one-quarter of all communications department pros struggle with using metrics. Perhaps you feel the same way, particularly when measuring your PR efforts. To be sure, some PR goals can be complex and harder to track with data than others. Nevertheless, most can be attached to KPIs.

Let’s say your latest PR campaign involves getting a press release around your brand’s newest mascot published. You can measure the percentage of outlets that pick up the story, the number of people who use backlinks to visit your page from those mentions, and other pertinent data points. A robust CRM or other system can make this happen automatically, allowing you to create real-time reports to evaluate ur daily progress.

Above all else, building relationships with media publications and experts will naturally take time. But you can start creating stronger connections by leveraging strategies to help your PR approaches become more appealing and rewarding.

Contributed to EO by Mike Szczesny, the owner and vice president of EDCO Awards & Specialties, a dedicated supplier of employee recognition products, unique trophies, branded merchandise, and athletic awards. Szczesny takes pride in EDCO’s ability to help companies go the extra mile in expressing gratitude and appreciation to their employees. He resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: general Media PR/MARKETING Public Relations

Tags: EDCO Awards EDCO Awards & Specialties entrepreneurs' organization Mike Szczesny

4 Ways to Leverage Podcasting to Grow Your Business

1 September, 2023

When I first launched my podcast, The Fractional C-Suite Retreat, I had no idea what would come from it. The actual process of making a podcast is surprisingly straightforward. The three key ingredients: a computer to record the podcast, a good microphone to capture your voice, and a software program to edit your audio. (Some say a fourth requirement is an attractive voice … but if I made it, so can you.)

The hardest part of podcasting? It’s nothing related to sound engineering or fancy marketing strategies. It’s the ability to find that bedrock idea that ties it all together.

A unique angle is critical — and with the rapid growth of podcasts as a media form built for communities, going niche and specific is key. However, the most important element I’ve learned throughout my podcasting experience: identifying a purpose for the podcast you want to launch.

Podcasting is an exercise in longevity. Identifying a big mission or purpose — the reason why you started this thing in the first place — will propel you forward on the days you feel too busy or too low on energy. Most likely your purpose lies in the audience you strive to inspire or the feeling you get when you are deep in discussion with a guest. Financial gains will come, but lead generation and monetary ROI cannot be the primary motivators (money alone is never a sustainable driver for anything, I’ve learned).

The results and impact a podcast creates far outweigh the challenges. The benefits are so significant that I believe every entrepreneur, leader or fractional professional should consider incorporating a podcast into their business model. The reasons are straightforward.

Branding and marketing

When I first started my podcast in November 2021, I knew I wanted it to support the latest business I was building (yorCMO: a fractional CMO company). I was quickly getting fascinated with the fractional model of work — and I wanted a platform to share my excitement for it while speaking directly to the audience my business was targeting.

A podcast is a marketing channel – and it can be a key part of a strategic marketing mix. But there was one small difference:

The podcast wasn’t a Facebook ad being spread across the internet by a faceless corporate brand. The podcast was me: my voice, my thoughts, the types of guests I felt excited about speaking to. It was my brand.

What came out was: The Fractional C-Suite Retreat podcast

The concept is simple: a show meant for an executive audience to listen to while unwinding and learning about various issues affecting the C-suite. I had always loved (still do) reading, listening to a podcast or writing over a cigar in my backyard after a long day. I figured other busy leaders might already be doing the same thing I did, and they might want to join in my cigar-fueled audio retreat.

While branding the podcast, I was able to brand my company and myself at the same time to my listeners. Talking about shared experiences with my guests makes listeners associate certain feelings with me and, by extension, the company I founded. The podcast began to act as a supporting pillar of my corporate brand’s marketing and my own personal brand’s marketing.

What’s more: a steady flow of episodes started to fuel content for social media accounts.

From a branding perspective, a podcast can be invaluable: it can create valuable online engagement for your brand(s) while giving you marketing content for your other channels.

Audience connection and authoritative presence

The name of the podcasting game? Creating personal connection in today’s disconnected world.

Podcasting establishes a more direct connection to your audience. While blogs and posts on social media are used to connect with your audience, podcasting has a unique place in the social media landscape. Your audience hears your voice and mannerisms in ways that texts cannot compete with.

Do podcasts for a long enough time, and you will have an audience who simply loves listening to your (and your guests’) thoughts. If your voice is an authentic one, and if you hold back from the temptation to make everything “perfect,” your audience will see you as an authoritative figure on your core topic; they’ll get to know you, and feel you understand them; and inadvertently they’ll develop a sense of trust.

The goal isn’t to be a “thought leader”; it’s to be an unfiltered, interesting, reliable lighthouse standing out in a crowded sea of voices guiding your audience home. Be the lighthouse!

New avenues for online presence

Whether for your corporate brand or for your personal brand (or both, if they are interconnected), a podcast is a smart way to reach audiences outside of your immediate industry or network.

Podcasting helps your business reach an audience disconnected from but adjacent to all your other marketing channels. Traditional marketing rhetoric tells us to be on “every” social media platform — but more often than not we end up focusing on one platform above the rest (likely a smarter strategy). Most commonly, it’s the one where the biggest concentration of our target audience is found.

Podcasting is, in some ways, natively disconnected from a singular social media platform – which means it creates opportunities to reach people you have never met, known about, or marketed to.

According to the Infinite Dial 2023 survey by Edison Research on digital media consumer behavior in the United States, 42% of the US population listens to podcasts monthly. In 2012, this percentage was only 14%.

It’s a rapidly-growing segment — one that is diversifying in terms of appeal. The same survey notes that podcast listeners’ demographics (gender, ethnicity, and age) are diversifying just as rapidly. The interest in podcasts is not only an American phenomenon: Latin America and Asia Pacific, for example, have seen remarkable growth.

The point: podcasting creates new avenues for new exposure to new audiences — and despite what seems like a “crowded” podcasting market, in some ways it’s still in its infancy as a channel to reach and inspire audiences.

Building a learned community

Nothing beats honest intellectual conversations.

A main (and understated) benefit of podcasting: Getting to have conversations with smart, interesting people. I’ve had many wonderful guests of various backgrounds on my podcast, from whom I learned so much about different facets of business. One week I am talking to a world-class expert about modern-day marketing; another week on company culture; the next about the future of work.

Beyond concepts related to my core topic (executive business leadership issues), I’ve learned so much about psychology, philosophy, health, strategic thinking, relationship-building, and much more. The guests I’ve had on my podcast continuously remind me and my audience that no matter how experienced you may be in your field of expertise, there are always new things to learn.

Moreover, the simple act of hosting guests on a weekly podcast builds a sense of community: I’ve expanded my network and audiences exponentially; built real relationships I will hold onto; and have received messages on how I’ve inspired others to achieve their goals. Even if a podcast is by default a one-way conversation, a community gets created where people can exchange, learn and grow. It’s remarkable, really.

Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or a C-level leader, I believe podcasting can help your business grow.

My suggestion: Give it a try. Start with a mission and purpose— and who knows where the podcasting journey can take you from there?

Contributed to EO by Joseph Frost, an EO Nebraska member, who is a decentralized entrepreneur, university professor of entrepreneurship, public speaker, and a four-time founder. He is the founder of Guided Outsourcing, a people-centric outsourcing business, and YorCMO, the first decentralized leadership marketing system. Joe has written about reasons to decentralize your leadership team, strategies to lead globally distributed teams and how technology empowers distributed teams to build culture.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: BUSINESS GROWTH PR/MARKETING

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization EO Nebraska EO US Central Joseph Frost yorCMO

7 EO Members Get Candid About How They Define Failure

30 August, 2023

Contributed by Kym Huynh, an EO Melbourne member, EO Global Communications Committee member, and co-founder of WeTeachMe. Kym is fascinated by entrepreneurs and their journeys, so he asked EO members from various chapters to share their experiences. Read his earlier posts on how EO members define success, the impact of core values, lessons learned from their best and worst partnerships, the best advice they’ve ever received and nine lessons learned from early entrepreneurial projects.

When asked, “What is failure in its greatest sense? What did you learn?” Here’s what EO members shared.

Failure means not taking that risk at all

Failure to me doesn’t mean taking a risk and not achieving the desired outcome. Failure to me means not taking that risk at all.

When you embrace risk, you have the opportunity of learning something invaluable about yourself (or others).

Failure, therefore, is knowing that you had the opportunity to move forward or fix a problem, but not taking the steps to do so.

— Adam Massaro, partner at Akerman LLP

Failure is not living your days the way you want to live your life

To look back on life (at any age) and realize you have more money than friends, more regrets than adventures, or more hate than love might all singularly qualify as failure. From my perspective, the culmination of all three might be the trifecta of failure in the game of life.

But life comes at you fast and failure on a daily basis might not be so easy to spot in ourselves. I’d submit the argument that failure, much like success, accumulates over time. It accumulates in the seemingly small daily choices of life. Our diet and exercise (#YoungerNextYear), our reading and conversations (#CompoundEffect), and how we prioritize our most valuable asset, our attention (#Indistractable).

The uncomfortable truth is this: How we live our days is how we live our lives. Therefore, failure is not living your days the way you want to live your life.

— Arnie Malham, EO Nashville, founder, Better Book Club; author and speaker, Worth Doing Wrong

Failure is not living a life with intentionality

Failure is not living a life with intentionality but living a life by the conditioned state of your societal, cultural and familial influences. Failure is when you operate in a default mode and where you don’t fully live in the present and enjoy the wonder that is life.

— Finnian Kelly, EO US West Bridge, founder, Intentionality.com

No success in life can compensate for failure in the home

I am of the belief that no success in life can compensate for failure in the home.

The wonderful thing about life is that we have agency, i.e., that we have the ability to choose, to craft a vision or determine our destination, to make intentional decisions that move us closer to our vision or destination, to reflect, learn and course-correct as we go, and to hopefully one day be at a place where we are at peace with our past, content with our present, and hopeful for our future.

Therefore, I suggest that life is not chance, but premeditation.

And with the basis that no success in life can compensate for failure in the home, we have within us the ability to build connected and successful families by giving the following: love, dedication, patience, sacrifice, service, and commitment.

And P.S.: Having a successful family is infinitely more fun than having a successful business.

— Kym Huynh, EO Melbourne, founder of WeTeachMe and Executive Assistant Institute

Failure in its greatest sense is not trying

One hears a lot of gobbledygook about failure in nearly every business success story and inspirational speaking event. For example: “My failures taught me (insert-important-business-lesson),” or, “My failures made me the person I am today.”

In my opinion, failure in its greatest sense is not trying, not starting that business, not approaching your crush, and not giving your idea an honest try. The inaction is something you live with for the rest of your life and may be one of your greatest regrets when it’s too late.

— Randall Hartman, EO Colorado, founder of Groundwrk

If you are not failing, you are not growing

I like the quote by Richard Branson, “If you are not failing you are not growing.” I think this is particularly true for entrepreneurs.

I remember needing to close a loss-making business and lay off all the staff in my home town of Bristol when I was 28. It was a harsh lesson about what can happen if one gets things wrong, but I learned a huge amount in the process that made me stronger going forward.

— Richard J Bryan, EO Colorado, founder, The Bryan Group

Failure is to not be my best, to never discover my potential, and to let happiness elude me

The first is to not be the best to the people who I care about. So often we get distracted and stressed and take it out on those people who matter the most. Family and friends should not pick up the burden of the business.

The second is to never discover what my personal potential is. I am not talking about living to the standards of others but to live to ones that I myself define.

The third is to let happiness elude me in lieu of ego-driven activities.

— Ross Drakes, EO Johannesburg, founder of Nicework Communications

This post originally appeared on Kym Huynh’s Leadership Toolkit blog and is edited and reposted here with permission.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Lessons Learned

Tags: Arnie Malham entrepreneurs' organization eo colorado eo johannesburg eo melbourne eo nashville EO US West Bridge Finnian Kelley kym huynh Randall Hartman Richard J. Bryan Ross Drakes The Bryan Group weteachme

ChatGPT vs. Radical Authenticity in Personal Branding

25 August, 2023

As a personal branding expert, I have no choice but to advise you against using ChatGPT as your ghostwriter. Here’s why.

Looking to build your personal brand, but struggling with the time commitment required to write a LinkedIn post or, even worse, a lengthy thought leadership article? You are not alone. A fellow entrepreneur recently said to me: “I would rather have another C-section than sit down and write!” That is chuckle-worthy but relatable to so many of us, isn’t it?

Enter ChatGPT. As this chatbot continues to make waves across the digital world, becoming a hot topic of conversation both in boardrooms and in coffee shops across the globe, many entrepreneurs are seeing this impressive AI tool as the perfect solution to their content creation bottlenecks. The demand for this magical wand overwhelmed the servers, making them crash or simply unable to process the load. Suddenly, we are seeing many entrepreneurs churn out social media and blog posts at staggering speeds, thanking ChatGPT for providing the content they can simply copy + paste into their platforms of choice. Enter bad news. I decided to write this article at the risk of sounding like a Grinch who stole the proverbial Christmas, but I promise to offset the mood I may dampen with some practical advice.

The risks of using ChatGPT as your personal branding ghostwriter

As a personal branding expert, I have no choice but to advise you against using ChatGPT as your ghostwriter. Let me tell you why.

When it comes to creating content with the goal of building a compelling personal brand, your strategy must rest on at least one of the following three pillars:

Thought leadership
Opinion leadership
Experience sharing

Sometimes we curate and share someone else’s content (giving them credit, of course) or share something purely for entertainment purposes. The rest of the content we put out online, however, must reflect our thoughts, our opinion and our experiences.

This is where using ChatGPT can become problematic. When you “hack” the content creation process by copying and pasting its answers, you are leveraging someone else’s thoughts and opinions rather than your own. Why is it a problem? At best, your personal brand will feel unoriginal, uninspired and lacking the emotional connector that compels audiences. At worst, you will find yourself building a personal brand rooted in phoniness, thus foregoing what a personal brand should be rooted in: radical authenticity.

The “copy and paste” approach runs two other risks.

The first is the risk of misinforming your audience. According to ChatGPT itself, it can provide inaccurate or outdated information and can make mistakes. This was the risk we took when plagiarizing from a friend’s paper during school days, and it is the same risk we take today when plagiarizing from an AI tool.

The second risk is that a multitude of other entrepreneurs might have asked ChatGPT the exact same question that you asked and are creating a carbon copy post or article to yours. I give talks to entrepreneurs across the globe, and I know that we all complain about the noise and the repetitive “trash” (your words!) that we are inundated with online. Why add to it?

How to leverage ChatGPT to build your personal brand

By now you might be thinking that I am passionately advocating against ChatGPT for content creation, but you couldn’t be more wrong. I believe it is a fantastic tool that can aid us in the exact same way that Google translate aids but does not replace the actual work a translator does. I leverage it personally and within my personal branding agency. As promised, here are four ideas for how you can leverage ChatGPT successfully:

If writing is not a strength of yours, use your gift of the spoken word instead. Ask yourself a question, and record yourself answering it. Take the recording, put it through a transcription software such as OtterAI, and then take the raw text and put it into ChatGPT. This way, you will be leveraging it to edit your thoughts, your opinions and your experiences without having to do any of the actual writing. The quality of writing might sound generic, but at least there will be nothing generic about the content itself.
Not sure what to write about? Use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas. Tell it that you are looking to write an article, specify the audience, define the overarching theme (it can be general), and ask it to give you 10 ideas. Choose the one that speaks to you, and refer to point No.1 for the steps to take.
ChatGPT is particularly useful for adding punchy opening lines or engaging closing sentences. Yes, it will typically end each closing paragraph with “in conclusion,” but that can be edited out. Specify the tone you want: professional or serious, funny or humorous, engaging or light-hearted, and ask for variations to select from.
Use it for article title ideation. I asked ChatGPT for five ideas for the title of this article and here is what it gave me:

“From Personal Branding to Plagiarism: The Risks of Relying on ChatGPT for Content Creation”
“ChatGPT: A Powerful Tool for Personal Branding or a Shortcut to Phoniness?”
“Leveraging ChatGPT for Personal Branding: Tips and Tricks from a Branding Expert”
“Radical Authenticity in Personal Branding: Why Copying and Pasting from ChatGPT Won’t Cut It”
“ChatGPT for Personal Branding: How to Use it Wisely Without Sacrificing Your Authentic Voice”

Those are five great options. I felt that they were long for my style and voice, so I asked ChatGPT to shorten the fourth option. The result is what I chose as the title of this article — an interesting, on-brand title that ChatGPT and I collaborated on for a speedy result.

I hope to see more entrepreneurs leverage tools like ChatGPT — but without sacrificing human intelligence for an artificial one. The concept of “radical authenticity” in personal branding is what resonates with all entrepreneurs. I hear it almost universally, no matter the city or country in which I am delivering a talk. Collectively, we seem to agree that “fake it till you make it” is outdated and unfortunate advice (I wrote about it here and received an overwhelming amount of feedback from you echoing this sentiment).

And yet, as we feel enamored with the impressiveness of this new tool, we suddenly forget that copying and pasting is the antithesis of authenticity. We have so much to share with the world, so many battlefield stories to tell and so many ways in which we can leverage our experience to pay it forward. Why reduce it all to the platitudes pre-generated for us, polluting the online platforms and running the risk of your readers uncovering that the posts and the articles under your name are not even yours at all?

Contributed to EO by Marina Byezhanova, an active member-leader within EO and a member of EO Canada Bridge chapter. An entrepreneur, global speaker and university instructor, she is on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs to stand out, speak up and be radically authentic. She is the co-founder of Brand of a Leader, the personal branding agency for entrepreneurs.

This article first appeared on Entrepreneur and is reposted here with the author’s permission.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Best Practices PR/MARKETING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: best practices Brand of a Leader ChatGPT entrepreneurs' organization EO Canada Bridge Marina Byezhanova personal brand personal branding

7 Ways to Tell Whether Your Digital Marketing Agency is an Asset

23 August, 2023

Designing a results-driven marketing strategy is an essential priority for business leaders who want to stay competitive. As Gartner noted in a 2022 report, about half of CEOs planned to push growth. And it’s impossible to expand or scale without a well-executed marketing plan.

But it can be tough to do it alone. That’s why so many companies — including 90% of smaller companies — outsource their most pressing marketing needs, like graphic design, copywriting, and video production.

But remember: Your strategy is only as good as the people executing it. No amount of “special sauce” add-ons, such as unique processes and proprietary technology, can overcome the limitations of a lackluster team.

So how can you judge the effectiveness of your agency partner? Look to your account manager.

4 Qualities of a Good Account Manager

From the start of your agency partnership, you’ll want to make sure you experience the following qualities of a good account manager.

First, your account manager’s communication should be clear and consistent. Your interactions with your account manager should be like clockwork. This regular cadence of communication lends peace of mind and ensures you and the agency are up to speed. It also ensures both sides are alerted to any problems. The best account managers run at problems, not from them. For example, when your account manager hears your article was turned down by a publication or your SEO strategy is lagging, they should tell you ASAP.

Second, your account manager should be inquisitive but consultative. You should be asked a lot of questions, but you shouldn’t be left with the burden of all the creative thinking. Your agency partner should bring ideas to the table for your input. If your account manager keeps asking, “What do you think we should do this month?” they are just a “yes person” and probably won’t contribute to pushing your business forward.

Third, your account manager should be a great listener — and honest. They should listen to your concerns and thoughtfully consider them, but they should also be willing to say when you’re wrong. This is incredibly healthy and productive as long as it’s done respectfully and tactfully.

Finally, your account manager shouldn’t take all the credit. The best account managers are proud of the talented individuals who are designing and deploying your Facebook ads or crafting the copy for your next landing page. Confident account managers give credit where credit is due and tell you who’s working on your projects. They’ll also allow you to speak to those individuals if it’s needed (though this should be rare to save you time and keep your workflow efficient).

3 Green Flags That You’ve Found a Great Agency Partner

Knowing the qualities that make a good account manager and actually seeing them play out in reality are two different things. That’s why I’ve outlined three “green flags” below. These scenarios indicate that your account manager — and, in turn, the agency — is a great fit for your business:

1. Your calls, texts and emails are acknowledged.

Few things make your heart sink faster than having an account manager who refuses to respond. You can only conclude that you’re being ghosted. And you’re hardly alone. A Harvard Business Review article notes that ghosting is on the rise — but it shouldn’t be tolerated.

You shouldn’t be relegated to just getting robotic monthly updates without any touchpoints in between. In this case, you’re being treated like a number, and that’s a bad way to ensure your marketing strategy is effective. Instead, you deserve some give and take. This doesn’t mean you can expect your account manager to work 24/7 and respond immediately. Getting a response within 48 business hours or less is reasonable.

2. You’re learning.

World-class account managers love to share insider details with clients. Having a better understanding of not only what’s happening, but also why it’s important puts you in a stronger position to make decisions. It also helps you better understand the customized strategy your digital marketing agency is executing on to reach your company’s goals.

At my company, we constantly strive to share knowledge when we collaborate on projects. Consider our content creation workflow with clients. We strategize together and have an open forum for brainstorming and knowledge sharing. Our objective is to help clients feel more comfortable with common terms and digital marketing tactics they might not have been familiar with before. At the same time, we tap into their profound experience to better understand them.

3. You receive reports consistently.

Reports are essential to make sure your strategy is moving forward. Unfortunately, only 53% of most marketing decisions are based on analytics. If your account manager backs up strategic decisions with data, they’re a keeper.

Even if you don’t understand all the nuances of such reports, you should still receive them, and your account manager should explain them to you. It should be a huge concern if your account manager never sends you data-driven reports on at least a monthly or quarterly basis (depending on your contract). Without reports, you are in the dark as to what’s working and what’s not. You could be losing out on countless opportunities — and money, too.

You need a solid strategy to keep your business moving in the right direction. However, you can’t put your faith in just any digital marketing agency. One of the wisest ways to judge your agency’s fit is by reviewing your interactions with your account manager. When it’s green flags all the way, you’re more likely to enjoy smooth sailing — and success.

Contributed to EO by Kelsey Raymond, the COO of Intero Digital, a 350-person digital marketing agency that offers comprehensive, results-driven marketing solutions. Kelsey has over a decade of experience helping businesses achieve their growth goals through digital marketing strategies. She leads a team of experts in content marketing, PR, web design and development, Amazon marketing, social media, video, and graphic design.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: BUSINESS GROWTH PR/MARKETING STARTUP WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization Intero Digital Kelsey Raymond

Run Your Business for the Present

17 August, 2023

How Entrepreneurs Can Create Meaningful Impact through Philanthropy, Part II

A three-part series showing alternative paths to the traditional model of making a boatload of money at all costs and then giving it away. Read Part I: Run Your Non-Profit Like A Start-Up.

Contributed to EO by Brandon Hatton, an EO member in Miami and the founder and CEO of Conscious Wealth, which helps its clients live abundant, intentional lives. Brandon is on a quest to build a conscious wealth movement at scale, so he created Conscious Wealth Living to provide actionable tools for people to heal their relationship with money, facilitate healthy intergenerational dialogues about money, and overall help individuals and families find confidence in having enough money.

I wrote the book Conscious Wealth because I realized how hard it is for people to answer the question, “How much is enough?” As an advisor and family facilitator, I’ve had thousands of conversations about money, and they all revolve around that one question. Since joining EO, I’ve heard from entrepreneurs time and time again that they can’t stop working because it is in their blood. They’re not going after the next big exit, the next bell ringing or unicorn because they need the money; they feel a deep-seated need to keep working.

In this series, I’ll share the stories of three entrepreneurs who have quenched their entrepreneurial fire while doing some real good in the world. You’ll hear how they have found alignment in their work, life and society. And, while they still ask themselves the question, “How much is enough?”, it’s no longer in regard to money, but rather how much positive impact is enough for one lifetime.

Case study of Monish Budhrani, an EO Accelerator in EO South Florida

The path to ‘un-delayed’ gratification, an often-forgotten path

Going public. Creating a unicorn. Changing the world with a new technology. All of these things define a textbook entrepreneur, both in our minds and in the media. Although it is true that painstakingly planning the big exit for years, perhaps decades, and walking away with a pile of cash is the dream of many entrepreneurs, Monish Budhrani has other dreams. His brand of entrepreneurship, along with others like him, focuses on impact beyond the traditional models.

In a way, Monish rings the bell every day, but not the bell most entrepreneurs think of. He rings the Taco Bell in the same three-tier mall where his parents owned a shop during his formative years. Although not exactly sexy, the place feels like home as he meanders the mall corridors and navigates the guts of the building, greeting other shop owners as they shout: “Hey, Mo!”

What stands out the most to me about Monish is his lack of ego and unflinching focus on the present moment. Monish currently operates a Taco Bell, two Pandora jewelry stores, and a thriving Amazon delivery service. He enjoys running franchises because they provide him the freedom to work on the processes needed to run a business. Witnessing his first-generation Indian-American parents struggle to compete with larger jewelry chains, he understands the value in having a company arrange marketing, pricing, sourcing, logistics, computer systems—you name it. And the magic, he explains, is that when you let go of all of that, the only thing you have to focus on is your people.

Build people up

“So, to me, if I don’t have good employees, or if I don’t even have enough employees on a given day, my business does nothing,” Monish says. “I’m not worried about customers — they will come. The employees are, in fact, my customers!”

And with that simple logic, a company culture that truly builds people up is born. Turnover in Monish’s franchises is low but, even better, there are rags-to-riches stories that echo his own. Monish speaks with pride as he describes the eight-year journey of one of his most trusted leaders, who started at US$8.75 an hour and is now on track to make US$90K in another franchise. With low turnover, his companies are filled with internal hires earning more money, experience, and skills in a dignified work environment. All this leaves Monish with the ability to focus on the other parts of his life, including spending time with his family and his newborn, Om.

Be present in your company — and in your life

You see, Monish started as an auditor in the corporate world where he earned his chops in processes, accuracy, and consistency, but he still remembers the day he got chewed out by a work superior for a calculating error he did not commit. Today, he visits multiple stores a day, six days a week, and makes sure to spend time on the loading docks, taco line, and jewelry counters. He spends time with his employees because he cares about them and because it is in the act of loading a truck where he can see if processes are breaking down or what needs to happen to make his employees’ work easier (and more productive). I get the feeling his workers see him as a cross between a boss, a mentor, and a corny uncle.

“How much is enough?” I inquire.

Monish grins and gently explains, “I’ve never started a business with an exit goal in the future. I live for my family. I don’t want to miss basketball games, school ceremonies, or whatever because my business is not running efficiently. I also don’t want my employees to have to miss big birthdays or anniversaries. That’s what’s driving me right now.”

Uplift humanity in the present moment

To be clear, the traditional entrepreneur’s path of idea, struggle, and exit is valid, but it comes at a price. The glorification of this model glosses over the real toll it takes on the workers, the entrepreneurs, and their families. How many times have we seen a founder elated in the excitement of an exit only to be awakened to discord in the family, a sinking feeling of despair, and a frantic search for what is next?

Monish’s drive to create more time with his family as well as a nourishing working environment for his employees illustrates a beautiful path to prosperity and entrepreneurship that uplifts humanity in the present moment. He exemplifies how to build a sustainable business and create an impact! To be sure, this path has struggles, hard work, and costs beyond dollars and cents, but I find it a path of greater ease, prosperity, and an ‘un-delayed’ gratification – a path all too often forgotten.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Impact PEOPLE/STAFF WORK-LIFE INTEGRATION

Tags: accelerator Brandon Hatton Conscious Wealth Conscious Wealth Living entrepreneurs' organization EO Accelerator EO Miami EO South Florida Monish Budhrani

Why It’s Crucial to Go All In On Yourself As an Entrepreneur

16 August, 2023

In December 2022, my co-founder and I closed a friends and family seed round for Popsmith, raising US$1.53 million from 84 investors in under 45 days during arguably one of the worst times to raise money since 2008.

I’ve founded several companies over the past 20 years, but this was my first time raising money. Over the years, I have learned a lot of important lessons as a member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Million Dollar Sellers and eCommerceFuel.

Arguably the most important lesson I learned is how critical it is to go all in on yourself as an entrepreneur. After all, if you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?

Working-class roots taught me grit

I come from an uneducated immigrant working-class family. We lived in Coney Island government-subsidized housing for the first few years of my life. My parents divorced when I was young, and we fell into poverty. We had no health insurance; we shopped with food stamps.

My mom was left to raise two young boys essentially on her own with very little support. She did everything she could to make ends meet — cutting hair during the week and making and selling jewelry at night and on weekends. I spent many late nights alongside her, piecing together earrings and pendants on a folding table in our tiny apartment. We would wake up pre-dawn every Sunday, drive to the local swap meet, set up our booth, and sell our goods until sundown. Talk about grit! She had it in spades, and I picked it up from her.

We were homeless for a stretch. My kid brother and I slept in sleeping bags on the floor of the hair salon where our mom worked while she took the couch. We showered twice a week at a local hostel. Meals were either fast food or cooked in a microwave.

I had a very low sense of self-worth growing up. I was overweight and debilitatingly shy. I had few friends and very little guidance. I was bullied and teased incessantly. I was largely ignored, which stung the most.

Bootstrapping by age 12

I learned self-reliance early. I discovered that I had a knack for business at a very young age. Looking back, it seems like entrepreneurship was my destiny.

I started selling gumballs at school when I was 12 years old. I traded sports cards, delivered pizza, worked in fast food restaurants, waited tables, sold used cars, flipped burgers, and ran a vending route. I put myself through school and was the first person in my family to earn a college degree (and a high school diploma).

Work became my salvation, and I slowly built myself up, mentally and financially.

I started Gumballs.com at 21 years old with $2,400 — my entire life’s savings at the time. My kid brother, Ron, gave me $1,700 to help out, nearly everything he had, and against my wishes. I cried when I got that check.

My initial financial goals were humble: I needed to make US$3,000 per month in profit, enough to cover my basic living expenses, including a $10 per day food budget and rent for the trailer where I lived at the time.

My goals — and my self-confidence — grew as my business grew; 100-hour workweeks were the norm. I set a lofty goal: To become a millionaire by age 30. I got there at age 26, yet I still felt I had more to prove to myself.

I went on to found a half-dozen additional businesses, all 100% bootstrapped and self-funded. Some failed; some succeeded. Life and business can beat you up. Developing a tough skin while maintaining a soft heart becomes essential.

Today, I am the culmination of a lifetime of learning, pain, therapy, self-exploration, coaching, failures and triumphs. Many men suffer from imposter syndrome, including myself. Through patience and grace, I slowly realized that I am no longer that scared little boy who everyone ignored, ill-fated to follow in my father’s footsteps and repeat his transgressions. I know now that I am a competent man, worthy of love and support, a person who gives back to his community and is capable of leading a team toward success.

Betting on myself

A few years ago, I divested myself of all of my businesses to go all-in on what would eventually become Popsmith, investing millions of my own capital.

I wouldn’t ask my friends and family to bet on something I’m not willing to make a big bet on myself.

People asked me, “Why raise money?” That’s a valid question. Between my own capital and debt, I didn’t need to raise money. I chose to do so, in part, to mitigate risk.

But the larger reason was that I was excited to have my closest friends and family alongside me on this journey. I wanted us to win together.

Can Popsmith fail? Definitely. Business is hard. A lot can go wrong.

But I believe deeply in the company, the incredible team we’re building, and in myself.

I think we’re stacking the odds heavily in our favor to win. And after my friends and family invested in my company — which literally brought tears of gratitude to my eyes — I can’t wait to prove to them how heavily invested I am in making our shared future a tremendous success!

Contributed to EO by Tal Moore, an EO Los Angeles member who is founder and CEO of Popsmith. A version of this post first appeared on Tal Moore’s LinkedIn page and is reposted here with permission.

For more insights and inspiration from today’s leading entrepreneurs, check out EO on Inc. and more articles from the EO blog.

Categories: Entrepreneurial Journey Inspirational

Tags: entrepreneurs' organization eo los angeles EO US West Popsmith Tal Moore

INSIGHTS FROM

LEADING ENTREPRENEURS

Categories

Tags

Search

Together We Grow

Trust and Respect

Thirst for Learning

Think Big, Be Bold

Best Video Types for Top-of-Funnel Marketing

Brand Videos

Short Social Media Videos

Best Video Types for Middle of Funnel Marketing

Animated Explainers

Product Videos

Best Video Types for Bottom of Funnel Marketing

Testimonial Videos

FAQ Videos

Wrapping Up

Stop multitasking, stop comparing and stop being quiet.

Profit from profit

Find female mentors and community

It’s OK to take up space

Expect the unexpected, and run with it

Find community, even if it’s not in your industry

1. Know the reason behind every PR campaign.

2. Think of PR as story-sharing.

3. Mix up your PR content types.

4. Lean into data and analytics to pinpoint what’s working.

Branding and marketing

Audience connection and authoritative presence

New avenues for online presence

Building a learned community

Failure means not taking that risk at all

Failure is not living your days the way you want to live your life

Failure is not living a life with intentionality

No success in life can compensate for failure in the home

Failure in its greatest sense is not trying

If you are not failing, you are not growing

Failure is to not be my best, to never discover my potential, and to let happiness elude me

As a personal branding expert, I have no choice but to advise you against using ChatGPT as your ghostwriter. Here’s why.

The risks of using ChatGPT as your personal branding ghostwriter

How to leverage ChatGPT to build your personal brand

4 Qualities of a Good Account Manager

3 Green Flags That You’ve Found a Great Agency Partner

1. Your calls, texts and emails are acknowledged.

2. You’re learning.

3. You receive reports consistently.

How Entrepreneurs Can Create Meaningful Impact through Philanthropy, Part II

Case study of Monish Budhrani, an EO Accelerator in EO South Florida

The path to ‘un-delayed’ gratification, an often-forgotten path

Build people up

Be present in your company — and in your life

Uplift humanity in the present moment

Working-class roots taught me grit

Bootstrapping by age 12

Betting on myself