Here is the audio version of the post, thank you so much for listening.
There is so much awesomeness happening on Instagram, thus my obsession with the platform and writing about it. One of my obsessions at the moment, well, not just at the moment but every day, is the bad ass barbers of Instagram. I am so freaking inspired by how they create awesome each day, so here is my take on what they are doing right and how you can learn from them to help you create more awesome in your biz.
1. Culture
Culture is everything. And the barber community has nailed it. They work together, play together, celebrate their communities, and use the same language. They have a shared passion and work ethic. They live their culture. And it shows.
2. Brand Identity + Messaging
This is the one area that continues to blow my mind. The look, feel, sounds and sights are so insanely consistent. From logos, to colors, to fonts, words, sounds, styles, shapes, tools, merch, storytelling via content, and most importantly, culture, these bad ass barbers not only understand branding, it is clear they value and respect how it can create awesome in their business.
3. Engagement
As my biz hero Gary Vee says, “Best marketing strategy ever? Care.” And these barbers care. The reason I know this is based on their engagement on Instagram. They listen, they respond, they give shout outs, they love and support each other, they build relationships and in turn, they have tens of thousands of passionate followers.
4. Generosity
These bad ass barbers are collectively very generous with their lives and minds. They share tips, offer education, host events and more. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”
5. Passion
Well, this one goes without saying. However, what I will say is many of us may say we are passionate, but does it show through our online and offline presence? Can it be felt through a screen and through the stories we tell from the content we share?
Generation C, the connected customer, as defined by the genius Brian Solis, is passionate about shared experiences. About stories, about culture, about going behind the scenes. And these bad ass barbers get that. Do you?
If you want to learn how to create more awesome on Instagram, follow these bad-asses, I do, and I am so grateful they exist.
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
It seems simple enough. Yet, the lack of it seems to be an epidemic, and it can also be a competitive advantage. What am I speaking of? Caring.
Here are some ways to show we care…
1. Show up for ourselves, our family, team + community
2. Respond
To phone calls
To texts
To emails
To social shout outs
3. Be on time (and end on time)
4. Respect others time
5. Do what we say we are going to do
6. Be honest
7. Make eye contact
8. Be authentic
9. Keep our promises
10. Own our mistakes
Many of us are guilty of using the “busy” excuse. And that is exactly what it is, an excuse. We choose where to put our time and energy. If it matters, we will not be too busy.
I wonder what would happen if we were honest and instead of saying “OMG, I am so sorry, I got too busy”, we said, “You know what, you and your issue, or our meeting, or that phone call, or that email was just not very important to me.” Would we be more accountable to each other if we were forced to be honest? Something to think about.
If you find yourself saying I just can’t keep up with all my emails, Facebook messages, etc. than maybe you need to look at your systems, processes and resources. If you want to create an awesome business, caring (not saying you care, but showing you care) is one of the best ways to create an awesome business.
In the world of time management, is it time that manages us or us who manage time? Who decides what we say yes to and what we say no to?
Life happens, things come up, oversights happen, but when it becomes the norm, and not the exception, it’s a problem. If you want to build trust, relationships, and a business, it’s time to admit there’s a problem and make a decision to change it.
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
So let me set the scene. It’s a Tuesday morning. I am just returning home from my early morning Pilates class. I see cops. A crew of them, in the lobby of my building.
Nothing seems strange, so I go about my morning. Walk the dogs, make myself another Americano, and catch up on Facebook and Instagram.
Having just hired Ashely, my newest awesomeness creator, she was to meet me at the Passion Squared Loft at 9am. I get a text at 8:50 (love people who are on time, and by on time I mean early) saying “I am here, but the cops just escorted me out of the lobby.” OMG I said, I will be right down. Thinking we can grab a quick ice tea at Coffee Bean (yes, I am cheating on Starbucks cause I am obsessed with Coffee Bean’s ice and their straws match my hair color). But to my surprise, as I walked out to get her, I saw cops, and my street being closed down. The cop said, “you can go to Coffee Bean, but you will not be able to come back.” So we headed back upstairs and got to work.
This is when things got nuts. We heard siren after siren, and started looking out the window of my 9th floor loft. Still having NO idea WTF was happening in my building.
So what did we do? What everyone does today, we took to Twitter. And Instagram. And sure enough, we found out exactly what was happening. There was an alleged felony fugitive on the 5th floor. A resident. Who may or may not have been armed. Who was served with a warrant and refused to surrender. So for 8 hours, we waited, with the SWAT team, Bomb Squad, LAPD and LAFD. It was a real life standoff. Like on TV. IN MY BUILDING!
But that is not the point of this blog. The point is where we went for information. How much we relied on the social web, and not news stations (online or off), no, they knew pretty much noting.
It was Twitter, and Instagram, connecting with both official and unofficial tweets and Instagrams. It was about finding and sharing experiences using hashtags such as #DTLA and #LAPD. That’s how it works now. We have access to 24/7 LIVE information, as it happens, thanks to the social web.
So what does that mean for your business? A few things. You can continue to have a “standoff” with the social + digital web. Choosing not to engage on YELP because there are crazy’s on there, or choosing not to engage with an online booking platform like Schedulicity because of fear of losing control of your schedule (which you don’t BTW), or choosing not to find time to Instagram, or Facebook for your business. You can choose to not do any of those things, just as long as you know, each day you wait is a day closer to becoming an irrelevant, un-discoverable business.
Johnny_snips is booked a month out, he’s young and just getting started. AndrewDoesHair delivers a ton of awesome education and launched an awesome product ADH Dry. Larisadoll is passionate about sharing her beautiful, creative colors and can’t take a new client until August 2015. These are just three of several examples of incredibly talented & focused hairdressers who are passionate about building community and engaging on Instagram. They create a ton of value. They care.
The world has changed. Business has changed. The choice you need to make is if you will change too. The choice, as always, is yours.
PS: A BIG shout out of thanks to the LAPD and LAFD, they were amazing. The suspect surrendered peacefully and all is well in the world. And to my new awesomeness creator at Passion Squared, Ashley, thank you for being so amazing on your first day. You rock!
Here is the audio of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
After recording the Masters Series interview with Winn Claybaugh, a question he asked has been heavy on my mind. The question was “Who did I write my book for?” In between all the laughs, and tears of that interview, it really made me think.
While that would seem like such a simple question, it made me think about why I felt compelled to write the book in the first place, and what I was hoping the book would be in the hearts and minds of those who read it.
The message I was trying to communication was that the world wants us to live our purpose. And to me, that means following our heart. By writing down my journey and sharing it, it helped me get more honest and clear about what it takes to live an authentic life.
But the simplicity of that is what many times gets people confused. It is not an easy path to take; it’s actually the most difficult. Because in following our heart, we live on the edges of the society, we seek meaningful relationships and projects, we care deeply, and almost so much it hurts at times. We are seen many times as crazy, which you know, we are. We get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We embrace uncertainly. We are driven by our passions.
However, that does not mean that we are not thinking. We are thinking, actually more in many cases than those who choose to walk through life following someone else’s heart. We are strategic. We crystal clear in what feels awesome and what does not.
So why did I write my book? To challenge the seekers like myself, to open up a dialogue about living our purpose, to push those on the edge, and to share the experience and tools of my journey, in hopes of helping others live an awesomely authentic life.
Following our hearts is simple, but it requires we bring our brains with us, and that my friends, is the most awesome combination of all.
Love + Awesomeness-
Nina
PS: A big shout out of thanks to my friend Winn for the opportunity to share my story. And to all who have invested in my book and are on the path to authentic awesomeness, thank you, I am so grateful for you.
Click here to hear my interview with Winn Claybaugh. To purchase my book, in either ebook, audio book or a printed and signed copy, click here.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Dr. Seuss
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One of the most common questions I get asked about Instagram is about how to share your beautiful images to your Facebook biz page. The question came up again on a recent webinar along with a request for a step by step. So a BIG shout out to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post.
Here we go….
Step One
Log in to Instagram, go to your profile page and click on the little wheel thing in the upper right hand side of the page.
Step Two
Click on Share Settings
Step Three
Click on your name. It should show the name of your Personal Page that is connected to your Business Page. If you have not yet connected your Instagram to your Facebook personal page, it will ask you if you want to connect, etc. Do that. Then click on your name.
Step Four
If you manage one business page, that page name will appear and you simply select that page. If you manage more than one business page, select the business you want to SHARE your Instagrams to. Step Five
Start sharing your awesomeness!
Thank you again to Brenda and Dawnette for inspiring this post. Are you sharing your awesomeness on Instagram? Let’s connect! You can follow me @passionsquared
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening.
