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5 cool ideas for starting a team

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Assembling a team can be challenging when team members have different backgrounds, unique personal agendas, and unrelated methodologies.  If it is difficult to get busy people to sit at the same table, it can be much more challenging to get a team emotionally centered.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas to get teams started.


5 Cool Ideas for starting a team

1.  A meaningful quote can provide solidarity and purpose. 

We know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what is a word worth?  Well, a word can be invaluable if it helps center a team on a theme.  A special word can unify and educate.  Introduce a word every day and over time, people will increase their vocabularies.  Share a combination of words like a quote or a song lyric to cultivate passion and a sense of team spirit.

2.  Workers relate better when they learn about each other.

Elton Mayo, founder of the modern day Human Resources department, taught us that workers have a need to feel like they belong.  A sense of belonging sets the stage for employee retention, loyalty and a general sense of espirit d’corp.  Have team members share something about themselves that no one else knows.  This process is fun and builds rapport like no other exercise.

People will offer the most interesting information as they try to entertain and make each other laugh and think.  You can do this exercise every week for a month and it will never get old.

3.  Have a look at the past. 

Have everyone bring a childhood photo to work.  Scan the photos into a presentation and have fun guessing who is who.  Tell stories about the photos and enjoy each other as you discuss things that have nothing to do with work.  Then, get down to business.

4.  Group reading can establish work themes team and teach lessons. 

Many work groups participate in book clubs.  Team members come to work a half-hour early one day a week to discuss a book that everyone is reading.  Take turns having everyone recommend a book.

5.  Present one Cool Idea a day.

Get the ideas from my 5 Cool Ideas book series.  Use the books to present one cool idea or a 5 Cool Ideas topic before every meeting.  The idea should be related to the task at hand.  Ideas will spark other ideas.

———–

Michael Angelo Caruso team buildingThe above article is available for republication on your blog, website and in your newsletter.  Simply send a message stating your intent through Michael’s website.

Learn more about the 5 Cool Ideas books at www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com.

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Posted in Career development, Communication, Creativity, Customer Service, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Sales and Marketing, Self improvement, Selling, Success, Training | No Comments »

Why Google+ is better than Facebook

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Internet marketer, Michael Angelo Caruso, gives social media training.If you’ve ever complained that Facebook takes too much time or isn’t a high even return-on investment, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that Google+ is in many ways a better platform.  The bad news is that you want another social media account like you want another hole in your head.

But there are compelling reasons to get involved with G+ right away.


Let’s get this party started

Google is a rockin’ search engine, so it owns the playing field.  If we were all still kids, Google would own the playing field, the parking lot, the ball, and the air.

So, Google makes sure that G+ integrates across a number of Google products, including Google Buzz and Google Profiles.

Try this experiment.  If you have a fairly distinct name and you type it into Google, your Facebook page will probably rank fairly high.  But, if you have a Google profile, it will rank higher than your Facebook page.

Oh, and you probably have a Google profile even if you haven’t created one.  Why?  Because Google created one for you if you have a Gmail account.  When I discovered my unadorned Google profile a while back, it ranked higher than the Facebook that had been established for years!

Started in June 2011 as a test version, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds. Google+ notices are posted inside users’ Gmail inbox, so it’s 100% real-time Gmail deliverability.

When you write about a subject on Google+ and your circle friends Google that subject, your comments and links are displayed automatically on page one of Google. No back-linking, no on-site optimization, just free traffic!


Still not convinced to use Google+?

Bill Douglass (bill@wsiwebsalesnow.com), a marketing expert at WSI Web Sales Now, has written about Google+’s interesting features and benefits:

•    A focus on targeted sharing within subsets of a social group (or what Google calls ‘Circles’).

•    A section specifically for viewing, managing and editing multimedia. Google+ includes an image editor, privacy options and sharing features.

•    ’Hangouts’ is becoming very popular. Instead of directly asking a friend to join a group chat, users instead click ‘start a hangout’ and they’re instantly in a video chat-room alone. At the same time, a message goes out to their social circles, letting them know that their friend is ‘hanging out’ and that they are invited to join.


Google+ is a terrific for Internet marketing

Google+ 100KB Michael Angelo Caruso blogJust like with Facebook, you can create a business page after you create a personal profile page.  Businesses are beginning to see the value of Google+ with the new Pages feature.

The new Google+ brand Pages look similar to Google+ Profiles, except for the little square icon that indicates that it’s a Page rather than a Profile.

Users can add brands to their circles, check out their information, and browse their photos. When users add a brand to their circles, it helps increase that brand’s follower count.

Here’s what you need to know about starting a business page on Google+:

•    Before you can create a Google+ Page for your business, you need a Google+ Profile. The ‘You+’ link on your Gmail dashboard will direct you to the Profile creation page.

•    Choose a category to begin. Local businesses is good for smaller, less well-known businesses. Product or brand would work for companies and larger known businesses. Company, institution, or organization is mainly for businesses that don’t directly sell something, mostly not-for-profits.

•    Personalize your page with a photo/logo and tagline. You can continue with an introduction, information, and contact information, and finish with a photo strip of five different photos.

•    For your business Page, you can create circles (networks), start posting information and news through your feed. You can also add your Google+ Page details to your existing website and share it via other networks.


Google+ is a lot of fun, too!

If you have your own website or online business, an efficient social profile Page using  Google+ will let you explore a whole new world of social media marketing, that is not only fun, but easy and profitable.

•    Google+ posts sent to “public” rank fairly well in Google search results. Merging Google properties into Google+ and integrating it with the search engines has a tremendous impact on where your company appears in search engine results pages (SERPs).

•    You can manage circles-distribute clients into specific categories and share different posts, news or deals with different circles accordingly. This is a great way to connect with fans and share information with clients.

•    ”Hangouts” is another great way to engage your customers and colleagues. It’s a high quality video chat that allows you to interact with your fans face to face. This interaction will allow you to get to know them, answer questions as well as get live product/service feedback. Businesses can also use “Hangouts” for video conferencing, to push live events and seminars to customers.

•    Use the Google+ badge to promote your site and your Google+ page. Google+ badge links your website with your Google+ page and lets others know you’re here. When a visitor likes your site and clicks the icon they will be taken directly to your Google+ page and will be able to share and follow your posts.

•    Google+ Direct allows people to simply enter a ‘+’ before your company name when searching on Google and get directly to your Google+ page.

•    The +1 button on Google+ is an ideal way to have customers spread the word about your business and its presence on Google+.  You can also connect your +1′s from your website to your +1′s on your Google+ page. People tend to trust recommendations from people they already know.

•    ”Ripples” is a Google+ tool that allows you to watch your posts and information as they travel across social networks.  You can easily determine who is sharing your content and who is paying attention to it.

•    With “analytics,” you can get information about your page’s followers, visitors, and the general traffic and social activity around your business.


Google+ is a game-changer

Google+ for business is unique in that it has blurred the lines between personal social networks such as Facebook, and business networks like LinkedIn.

Linkedin, by the way, has long been associated as one of the “Big Three” social media platforms.  As of last week, Infusionsoft (my CRM and a major player in the industry) announced that it’s social media integration will include a new Big Three:  Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  Linkedin is being left out of the picture, at least for now.

I’m making Google+ an important part of my Internet marketing activity.  See you there!

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Posted in Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Marketing, Personal Development, Sales and Marketing, Social Media, Success | No Comments »

Raise $10K+ for your fave charity without selling a single raffle ticket

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

michael angelo caruso seminar fundraiser danville rotary $13,535 check Almost everyone has favorite charity.

It can be a service group such as Rotary or Kiwanis.  It can be a national organization such as the American Cancer Society or even a local church.

So far, I’ve raised over $150,000 for Rotary clubs, Chambers of Commerce, and other charities by speaking at seminar fundraisers.

The concept is remarkably simple and you don’t have to sell a single raffle ticket (yawn).

In a nutshell, I will waive my speaking fee in lieu of a small stipend/travel expenses of about $500.

You must agree to put a minimum of 200 people in the room and allow me to soft-sell information products related to the program topic.

When those people pay about $30 a piece for my half-day program on leadership, your efforts will gross $6,000.  Tack on a half-dozen corporate sponsors and the total dollars raised looks closer to $10,000!


The proven formula

Michael Angelo Caruso Rotary seminar fundraiser PortsmouthI created a how-to manual that explains the nuts and bolts of this arrangement and how this success formula can work for you.

There is a 100-day promotion schedule, during which time, you and your team will receive encouragement, solutions to various marketing conundrums, and top-notch marketing tips, including Internet marketing strategies for using social media, etc.

This is a limited offer, since I only do about six of these pro-bono events per year.


What you should do next

If you’re interested in this unique fundraising opportunity, here’s what you should do next:

1)  Read the short, how-to article on how to host a seminar fundraiser.

2)  Meet with your team to explain the offer and determine their level of interest

3)  Contact me to say “hi” and to inquire about specific event dates

4)  Make plans to have you and your fundraising team members attend my free call on Mondays at 4 PM ET.  Just have them call into my teleconference bridge line at 218-339-3600 using access code 686134*

Remember that when you sell raffle tickets, only a few people get to “win.”  When you hold a seminar fundraiser, everyone wins.  I hope we get the opportunity to work together!

-Michael Angelo Caruso, Royal Oak, Michigan

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Posted in Career development, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Problem Solving, Rotary, Sales and Marketing, Social Media, Speaking, Success | No Comments »

Happy New You!

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Welcome to 2012–let’s get motivated!

Pleasure before business–Happy New Year to you and your family! I hope 2011 was a fantastic year and that you have lots of good things to look forward to in 2012.

How many times have you exchanged the phrase “Happy New Year” in the last few days?

It turns out that those three words are much more than a passive wish for a good twelve months.

“Happy New Year” is really about the promise of a better future. Some people make specific promises called New Year’s resolutions. I’ve made an audacious and very public New Year’s resolution and have posted it on my blog.

Go “public” with your own resolution by leaving a comment.

Of course, the New Year is ultimately an opportunity for a new you.

Starting now, you, me, everyone has a chance to be more successful and experience even more happiness.

Take 100 seconds to watch this inspirational video.  Click the graphic below to watch the short clip below.

Let me know what you think or simply pay it forward by sharing this YouTube video on your Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Happy New You! (“Click the pic” to watch the video.)

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Posted in Blogging, Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Self improvement, Social Media, Success | No Comments »

5 Cool Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Michael Angelo Caruso blogNote:  Feel free to repurpose in your newsletter or on your newsletter/blog.  Just provide attribution and provide the following link for your readers:
From www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com

Anytime is a good time for resolutions.  The most successful resolutions offer anticipation of reward or the avoidance of pain.  Freud wrote that pleasure and pain are terrific motivators.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas for New Year’s resolutions.

1.  Be purposeful in everything you do.  
You can become much more efficient by striving for purpose in your daily activities. Do you just eat lunch or do you enrich relationships while you eat?  What purpose do those two sitcoms serve you every night?   What is the purpose of eating that bag of chips?  More importantly, what types of consequences await you now that you’ve indulged?  Be purposeful in everything you do.  Walk with purpose and people will be more likely to respect your time.

2.  Resolve not to be mediocre.
Use the freshness of the new year as an excuse for avoiding mediocrity.  This can be a challenging task because industry markets products and services to the lowest common denominator.  Junk food is marketed to the lowest common denominator.  Fast food, for example, is produced cheaply and sold cheaply.  Sitcom television is geared toward the masses.  The people who produce sitcoms even provide a laugh track so that you’ll know when most people laugh.  Give yourself an upgrade.  Resolve to distance yourself from the lowest common denominator.

3.  Schedule your exercise.
Exercise is more effective when it is regular and systematic.  It can be difficult to schedule exercise unless time is pre-committed.  I’ve inserted 40 push-ups and 100 sit-ups into my Power Hour, my first 60 minutes of consciousness.

4.  Mend fences and help others resolve issues.
The New Year is the perfect time to mend a broken relationship.  Call, or better yet, visit the person you want to make peace with.  Use this exact wording: “I feel bad about what’s happened between us and want to take responsibility for everything.  I’m sorry about the past and I’m going to be a better person for you in the future.”  Whether the other party accepts your apology, rebuffs you or otherwise tries to continue the conversation, do not pursue the topic.  Allow them to respond, then gracefully end the meeting or phone call.  Give the person time to think about what you said.  Monitor feedback and if things don’t improve after you’ve apologized, consider replacing the relationship.

5.  Service clubs are life-long resolutions.
Rotary logo michael angelo caruso blogViktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, wrote that life’s meaning comes from serving a cause greater than oneself.  Rotary, Optimist International and the Big Brother/Big Sister organizations have helped me achieve meaning in my life.  These types of service clubs give back to the community while helping members feel better about themselves.  If you want to feel better about yourself, do something for someone else.  Happy New Year and Happy New You!

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Posted in Career development, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Self improvement, Success | No Comments »

My best New Year’s resolution can be yours, too

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

michael angelo caruso merry go round blogJanuary 1st has come around again.

I’ve made a lot of New Year’s resolutions in my life.  Kept a lot of them, too.

One year, I resolved to eat more legumes so I could shift some of my protein intake from red meat to vegetables.

One year, I promised myself to introduce more people to each other.

I don’t pay attention to people who don’t believe in NY resolutions.  Some feel compelled to give me a lecture about how one can make a resolution anytime of the year.  This is true, but people who make this type of comment are usually not people who are not well known for being in self-improvement mode.

This year, I’m committing to perhaps my best resolution ever.

This self-promise is challenging, but feasible.  It will impact every area of my life and although this special New Year’s Resolution is customized just for me, I’m excited to share it because almost anyone can adopt this resolution.

My 2012 New Year’s Resolution is to double my income, double my time off, double my philanthropy, and double my exercise.  As I explain my plans to accomplish these things, you may find yourself thinking, “Heck, I can do that, too!”


Double my time off

This might seem difficult, but it’s probably the easiest of the four components to my New Year’s resolution.  The reason?  I work hard.  I work every day for at least a few hours.  My plan in 2012 is to take one two-week vacation, two one-week vacations, a half-dozen long weekends, and only work every other Sunday.  I feel better already!

 

Double my exercise

michael angelo caruso workoutAgain this is quite doable when you understand my current regime, which is to workout four days a week for about 15 minutes.  I’ve been very fortunate to maintain the same body weight (165 lbs.) for my entire adult life, so exercise has never been about keeping the weight off.  But, at this stage in my life, I know it’s important to keep my heart rate high for extended periods of time.

All I have to do is stay on the treadmill a little longer and lift a few more weights to double my exercise in 2012.  The benefits are guaranteed to help me feel even better and be evident to all!


Double my income

michael angelo caruso speaker michigan walsh collegeI’ve doubled my year-to-year income twice in my life, but this time will be a bit more challenging because I made some pretty good coin in 2011. Here are some ideas I have for doubling my revenue in 2012.  You can double your income, to; I’ll teach you how on January 10.

As a professional speaker, I make money by leaving home, so travel will have to increase.  I already have many fun biz trips being planned, including northern Michigan, Nashville, Tulsa, Phoenix, Vegas, and Bangkok!  And that’s just January through June!

Another key component to a 100% increase in revenue will be various joint ventures that will produce quality information products and events.  I spent the latter part of 2011 producing two long-form DVDs that will be released in 2012:  Present Like a Pro (live at Walsh College) and a DVD on Internet marketing, featuring search guru, Russ Cuthrell.

I will also be starting a membership site that will offer terrific content for only $10 to $20 per month.

Finally, my new affiliate program will pay people like you money for introducing me to new customers.  You might ask how paying out thousands of dollars in affiliate commissions will help me double my revenue?  It’s because I will gladly pay a 25 to 50% commission on what’s called, “found revenue.”

Contact me if you are interested in earning some passive revenue as an affiliate.  I’ll even provide free training!

 

Double my philanthropy

Rotary Michael Angelo Caruso blogAs I get a little older, I find it very gratifying to “give back.”  Joining Rotary is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.   This great service organization is almost finished eradicating the world of polio.  Bill gates has given over $250 million to Rotary, so we are recognized philanthropic organization with lots of cachet.

My specific give-backs in 2012 will involve both money and time.  The check writing will be easy if I double my revenue, as planned.  On July 1, I will become President of the Rotary Club of Troy, Michigan.  My time commitment to this important position has already increased as I ramp up for the top leadership position.


Want to play with me?

You can have fun with a similar New Year’s Resolution!  You don’t have to commit to improving in all four areas.  You don’t have to double anything; a modest 20% uptick is a fantastic goal.  Let me know if you resolve to do something special in 2012 and I’ll be happy to provide encouragement.

Meanwhile, I’ll be posting progress reports and status updates throughout the year here on my blog, as well as my social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+.

Posted in Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Self improvement, Success | 2 Comments »

9 things to do if your biz is slow during the holidays

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Michael Angelo Caruso holidayThe last three weeks in December can be deadly for many businesses because so many people shift their attention to the holidays.  Don’t they know you have a monthly nut!? lol

You can’t force people to buy if they don’t want to, but there are many clever ways to wring some cash from this dry month.  The holiday season also offers plenty of opportunities for you to evaluate your business and set yourself up for a successful first quarter.

Here are 9 things you can do to help your business during this slow period. Even if you succeed at only one, you’ll be ahead of the game in the New Year.


9 ways to make hay when the sun isn’t shining

1. Evaluate your virtual team and make changes if necessary.  Slowdowns are an excellent time to make decisions about changing or even creating a team.  Your virtual team can include web designers, lawyers, and graphics wizards—anyone who can lighten your workload, so you can focus on the big picture.

2. Learn how to get more business via your website.  Do a better job with this issue and next year’s slowdown won’t seem like such a big deal.  Would you like to generate business leads and sales 24-7? Then look at how your website could be working better for you. (Check out my many products to help you do this such as the Triple Your Income audio CDs and and Social Media for Business audio CDs.)

3. Revamp your newsletter or launch a fresh publication.  Nothing reminds prospects and customers about your great products and services like a quality newsletter that’s published on a regular basis.  January is an excellent month  to release your first issue!

4. Clean out that e-mail inbox once and for all!  The end of the year slowdown is a great time to get a handle on your inbox. Delete e-mails that are more than a few months old. Set up e-mail folders and color codes to help you stay more organized in the future.  If your software program allows, set “rules” to automatically sort incoming e-mails into those folders.

5. Clean up!   Put on your favorite music, start digging out from under the rubble.  Work with two strategies:  touch most stuff only once and make piles so that your mess will at least be a more organized mess if you run out of time.

6. Upgrade or clean up your computer.  The information in your computer is probably your most valuable asset, so take care of it! Upgrade your operating system, get rid of unnecessary files, archive old files to an external hard drive, add more disk space for all those downloads, and do system maintenance. Make sure your backup sytem is working.  Not sure how to go about this? Find a dependable computer expert you can add to your team.  (See #1.)

7. Let your clients know how much you are thankful for their business.  Whether you send holiday cards, mail thank-you notes or make personal phone calls, you’ll be surprised at how good you feel when you thank the people who have done business with you during the year.

8. Write down your 25 best accomplishments for this past year.  This simple exercise is extremely powerful.  Acknowledging all the amazing things you did this year is very motivating!

9. Actually enjoy the holidays!  The human race slows down during the holiday season.  Stop fighting the rhythm of life and join the crowd.  You’ll be glad you took this time to relax and so will your family.  In the past, I’ve tried to force business during the holiday, which probably made me seem desperate.

We business owners need to give ourselves a much-deserved rest.  Why not take it easy when everyone else does?


There!  Feel better, yet?

michael angelo caruso blog holidaysRemind yourself that the purpose of the holidays is to take a step back and appreciate what you have.  Use this valuable time to enjoy your family and friends, give back to others, and be good to yourself.  So take a walk in the snow, play an extra game or two with your kids, and plan a fun night out with your significant other.

You’ll be back to work before you know it.

Remember, there’s only one Christmas this year.

Posted in Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entertainment, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Success | No Comments »

Invite me to your celebrity dinner?

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Check out the fun dinner Larry King threw for his celeb friends. Then, check out my throw down to you and win a cool prize.


What’s Larry King’s doing in “retirement?”

Well, “The King” has a new gig.  He has celebrity friends over for dinner.  It’s all to promote his new television show.  CNN Presents: A Larry King Special: Dinner with the Kings airs at 8 p.m. ET Sunday.

The first episode features Conan O’Brien, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O’Neal, Seth MacFarlane, Jack Dorsey, Quincy Jones, and Russell Brand.  (You don’t recognize the name, “Jack Dorsey?”  He invented a little thing called “Twitter.”)

Larry King and his wife Shawn asked celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck to assemble a five course meal and the cool guests supplied the fun and laughs.

larry king

The first such dinner showcased Wolfgang’s classics, including Spago’s signature smoked salmon pizza with dill crème fraiche and caviar, mini burgers, sesame miso cones filled with spicy tuna tartare, and a whole wild king salmon the chefs filleted on-site in the Kings’ kitchen.


Let’s have our own celebrity dinner

Well, we can at least have fun making a guest list, right?

Plan a celebrity dinner for you, five famous people, and me.  Post the invitation list, the menu, and whatever else you think might impress me as a comment below or on one of my Facebook pages.

Cool Ideas book Michael Angelo CarusoThe most appealing guest list will get a copy of my 5 Cool Ideas book, 2nd edition and over-the-top kudos from yours truly.  Enter here or on my Facebook public figure page.

 


It’s the thought that counts

Michael Angelo Caruso blogOf course, this type of dream dinner will only be make believe, at least this time around.  But winner of this contest will win a cool prize and get some attention from me when I announce the results December 12 here and on my Facebook page.  Meanwhile, let’s have some fun considering the guest lists that are submitted.

Thanks in advance for the invitation.  Good luck!

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Posted in Communication, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Marketing, Sales and Marketing, Social Media | 1 Comment »

Meet the person who can make your year in 2012!

Sunday, December 4th, 2011

2012 Michael Angelo Caruso blogA single individual can make next year the best twelve months of your life.  That statement has a big emotional impact, but let’s look at this logically.

That “someone” is either a person you already know or someone you’ve yet to meet, right?

If it’s someone you know, one might argue that this person would have helped you already, so let’s assume that the magic is going to be courtesy of a new introduction.

If it’s someone you have yet to meet, you will either meet him/her on your own or someone will introduce you.  It’s hard for most people to make this kind of connection because we are creatures of habit and tend to see the same people week in and week out.

So it will be a lot easier if someone makes the introduction for you, right?

If someone is going to introduce you to a person who upgrades your life, you can increase your opportunities by hanging around with people that author Malcolm Gladwell refers to as “connectors.”  People like … me.


Special guests to speak at my MasterMind dinner

You’re invited to attend a special holiday dinner for my MasterMind group on Tuesday evening, December 13 in Troy, Michigan.

All of these meetings are worthwhile (we meet the second Tuesday of the month), but on December 13, I’ve invited several of my big shot friends to come talk about how they have become master networkers.  Join us at Tre Monti restaurant this month and you’ll get to have dinner with some bona fide celebrities!  I’ll introduce you to:

Rick Pinkowski Michael Angelo Caruso blogRick Pinkowski–Meet Michigan’s event impresario.  Rick throws some of the biggest and most successful parties in the D and is seriously plugged into the social scene.   “Pink” is a serious networking genius both online and “in real life.”  He’ll be sharing his fabulous strategies for networking on Facebook.

Melinda Ann Prince Michael Angelo Caruso blogMelinda Ann Prince–This media maven is everywhere.  Melinda brings a unique and natural energy to everything she does, including her extensive work in the broadcast communication industry.  Two seconds in Melinda’s presence is all it takes to realize that this lady can teach you about networking!

Peter Nielsen Michael Angelo Caruso blogPeter Nielsen–Our own local fitness guru is known around the world as a talented author and speaker, too!  Peter’s triumph from personal tragedy is the stuff of legends and an inspiration to everyone who hears it.  I’ll introduce you to Mr. Peter Nielsen and you will never forget him.  Bring your camera for this unique photo opportunity!

And my other MasterMinders–like-minded people who are improving their stations in life through personal and professional development.


And here’s a huge discount for you, too!

Purchase twelve such dinners in advance at a HUGE discount and receive a credit for dinners you can’t attend.  Save $181 using this program.  This offer ends soon so register now by clicking here.

You might want to bring your spouse, significant other or business partner to this dinner.  After all, if your life drastically improves in 2012, the person closest to you will also receive an upgrade.  A rising tide raises all ships and all that …


One night can improve all of 2012

Michael Angelo Caruso mastermind blogIt’s true!  Meeting the right person can change your life–especially if that person introduces you to more people who can improve your situation.

Stop in for dinner with us on Tuesday, December 13 and we’ll do our best to help you become a master at networking.

P.S.  Register online for this single dinner asap for only $40.  It’s $50 at the door.

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Posted in Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Funny, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Leadership, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Self improvement, Selling, Social Media, Speaking, Success | No Comments »

Top 10 excuses for not being great

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Top 10 Excuses For Not Being Great
from www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com

Michael Angelo Caruso and Oscar blog greatEveryone has the ability to be great.  In fact, greatness is probably the most natural of all achievements.  So why don’t more of us achieve greatness?  One reason is that we get in our own way.  Another reason is that we often don’t receive the right amount of encouragement.

By the way, there are varying degrees of greatness.  You may never win an Oscar, for example, but you may get to hold one.  :-)

Here are the top ten excuses for not being great, along with some quick  advice on how you can achieve greatness.


Top 10 excuses for not being great


1. You don’t know how.

Huh? You’re kidding, right? You don’t know how to do something? I have one word for you: Google.

Need a book? Your public library has thousands and you won’t have to wait in line because nobody goes there.

Need tutelage? Hire a coach.

Information is more accessible now than any other point in history and most of it is free. Get good at accessing what you need to know. It’s your ticket to greatness.


2. You don’t know the right people.

As with information, people are more accessible than ever before. Nearly anyone you need to know can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or YouTube.

Make yourself a little more available and you’re half way there.

The average person actually stops trying to be likable as he or she gets older. Most people on Facebook sign up about 145 friends and stop. Become a bit more psychologically attractive and you will connect with the right people.


3. You don’t have the money.

Dollar sign Michael Angelo Caruso blogThis is a math problem everyone can solve. There are two major ways that you can have more money.

The first way is to reduce expenses and save the extra money for whatever you’d like or need. Create a strict budget, and set aside a portion of your income. This may include sacrificing, a lost art among a society that strongly identifies with comfort.

The second way to have more money is to earn more. See “comfort” above. You can earn more by getting a better paying job, also known as “leaving your comfort zone.” Earning more often means working harder or at least applying yourself.

Would you like to double the amount of money you earn now? Get a second job! If you really want the money, you’ll do it.

One of the easiest ways to earn money is to proffer your intellectual property. You can do this by creating a short e-book that offers information on how to do something. You’re probably really good at something, right?

Tell others how to do it in a Word document, save the document to a .pdf that you can sell online and off. Sell ten e-books at $10 each and you’ll have an extra $100.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live or what the economical climate is like. Money is all around you. Go get it.


4. Someone else is already doing it.

Which came first, Copyblogger or Problogger? Groupon or Living Social? Dyson or Hoover? Yahoo or Hotmail?

You don’t know? Very few will people will care if you’re not first to market as long as your offering has a unique and worthwhile value.

A guy named Elisha Gray filed for a patent on a new invention called the telephone three hours after Alexander Graham Bell.

Count on it. Someone, somewhere is already doing what you’re doing. Work around them.


5. You’ll get to it later.

Maybe you’ll be great later. But history teaches us that life introduces all sorts of distractions in the game of life.

Face it, you’re only going to get busier.

Now is the time to put “greatness” on your calendar. Schedule it, then accomplish it. It’s called “greatness” partly because it’ll make you feel great!


6. You’re not ready for that level of success.

Success is a head game of sorts.

You’re trying to achieve something new, so how do you ever really know if you’re ready? What does “ready” even mean?

Stop making excuses and realize you’ll like life better when you’re in a better place.

Oh, you’re ready, trust me. And if greatness occurs and you’re not ready, you’ll get ready in a hurry.


7. There are too many obstacles.

This is true, but it’s not a good excuse for dodging greatness.

Heroes do things that others are unwilling or unable to do.

To find the treasure, you must be born into misfortune, get beat up by bad guys, be betrayed by your best friend, find love and lose it, and have a really bad accident.

And then, after you’re totally exhausted, you get to slay a dragon.

Hey, if being a hero was easy, everyone would do it.


8. You don’t have a (good) website.

A killer website is always useful for success and greatness. But if you don’t have one, you have options. If your current crappy website needs a redesign, hire someone to redesign it.

Meanwhile, you can promote, brand, and even sell from a free blog site. Post on other people’s blogs, but never promote yourself without permission. There are clever ways to sell on social media platforms.

Many people make money from affiliate marketing, which allows revenue to flow to you after you recommend products and services to your distribution list.

Website, schmebsite.


9. You’re too tired.

Being tired all the time is not normal.

Good health is important and certainly makes it easier to be great. Sufficient rest is part of good health. Go to bed earlier, if necessary, but establish a working rhythm that feels like success.


10. You’re just not confident enough.

There are two ways a human being comes into intelligence: genetic predisposition and learned behavior. Confidence is a learned behavior.

Listen to self-help programs and motivational messages. These total strangers will say things to you that your loved ones will not. It sounds implausible, but if you listen often enough to the right people, you will begin to believe there is greatness in you. And you know what? There is!

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