“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it! Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Howard Thurman
Justin Bieber “came alive” on YouTube, the ultimate video platform to share and engage (and engage he did!). We are blown away by his historic rise to fame – and the important role that YouTube and Twitter played in making “Bieber Fever” part of pop music history.
The documentary “Never Say Never” is a powerful lesson in the power of the social web with a huge serving of inspiration on top. Gordon has seen it once and Nina seven times (are you laughing right about now?) Is it because we are big Bieber fans? Maybe…well Nina is for sure, but more importantly we are fans of YouTube which has forever changed the way we consume and share video.
Second only to Google in number of daily searches, here’s a few stats that show the power of this social platform:
· Over 4 billion videos are viewed a day
· Over 800 million unique users visit YouTube each month
· Over 3 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube
· More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years
· 500 years of YouTube video are watched every day on Facebook, and over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute
· 100 million people take a social action on YouTube (likes, shares, comments, etc) every week
In 2008, Justin Bieber was discovered by Scooter Braun, who found him on YouTube. As of today, Justin Bieber has over 2.3 BILLION views and over 1.3 MILLION subscribers on YouTube alone.
Now that you understand our love of Justin Bieber, we hope you will watch Never Say Never. We highly recommend it as an inspiring social web lesson we can all learn from.
Most importantly, we believe in the creativity of our community – and view YouTube as the new PLATFORM from which artists can share, engage and empower with a 24/7 audience of fellow professionals and consumers. Ask what makes you come alive, go do it, and remember, never say never.
“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.”
Eric Qualman
Why the Social Web? Because just like your salons, its about people.
Today, “90% of consumers trust peer recommendations” (what we know as word of mouth, referrals and long considered the key in driving traffic and growing our business). And if the social web is “Word of Mouth on Steroids”, then we believe you will want to be there, in a authentic & meaningful way.
Competition for clients has never been greater – and social web provides individuals and businesses with powerful (and affordable) tools, platforms and programs that level the relationship & engagement playing field between very large companies, the very small (and all in-between).
As the social revolution continues and the reach grows exponentially, the social web is becoming increasingly “local”. Yelp, Foursquare, and now Facebook (even more so by way of Timeline) are leveraging their massive consumer reach to better serve the needs of consumers locally while helping small businesses tap into where most buying power lives -within a few miles of home -and your salon.
Said best by Jay Baer (Social Media Speaker, Author, and Coach) and we believe this to be true- “Focus on how to be social, not do social”.
Welcome to Passion Squared – the Blog.
We are Nina and Gordon, two kindred yet unlikely to connect souls who have come together out of our shared passion for hairdressers, any and all who work in salons and spas, and the larger business we all call “beauty”. What started as a casual discussion long ago has turned into our ultimate passion project, Passion Squared.
(y)Our Blog
This is (y)our 24/7 resource – a place for us to share (y)Our favorite empowering stories and best practices to help you GROW. Inspired opportunities to GIVE back to our communities (professionally and personally) to make a difference in the world around us. To connect with role models and everyday HEROES. Sharing some big WOW’s, those often unexpected “OMG’s” that can make (y)Our days. This is also a place to share important online resources – a growing list of inspired websites and blogs as well as “must have” information from (y)Our world of beauty.
OUR Thanks
Without the collective YOU, there would be no Passion Squared – and for that (and so much more!), we thank you. We are honored and excited to be a part of your world and look forward to sharing ours with you – in other words, we cant wait to play, be inspired and empowered together.
“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid of only standing still.”
Chinese Proverb
To that end, this is where we’ll share our favorite connections, stories, best practices and education to help you grow -in your career, business, art and life.
