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Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

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Book Review – Everything That Remains

June 19, 2014 by Raul Colon

everything-that-remains Book Review - Everything That Remains

One year ago, after my first visit to this cool town up north called Fargo, the first thing I did was read Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Lifeir?t=cis02-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0615648223 Book Review - Everything That Remains by the Minimalists.

After getting lots of positive and great energy from Misfit Con, the book by Joshua and Ryan was a perfect fit to start making much needed changes in my life.

On my flight from Chicago to Miami, I accidentally spilled Ginger Ale on my Macbook Pro and in an attempt to save it, I decided to put the computer away and started reading their book.

At the end of my travel day, I’d not only read the book, but I had taken notes on points I wanted to work on. My first minimalist exercise came as early as my laptop dying and it took me a couple of days to replace it during a complicated financial moment.

My First Minimalism Exercises

As a Developer, if you don’t have a laptop you can not work and that presents a huge obstacle for your business. Finding a way to get work done without a laptop was a creative challenge and one that I took head on.

My second exercise was getting rid of everything I did not need from clothes, gadgets, and many other devices which served no purpose. We donated and recycled all the things we did not immediately need. We put things in plastic bins and we start recycling and donating about every six months or when someone asks us for children’s clothes and toys.

My One Year as a Minimalist

Fast forward a year later and in the second Misfit conference I got to hear, speak, and chat with Joshua and Ryan. It was great to thank them for the guide they created and tell them how I changed certain aspects of my life by simplifying it with less clutter.

It was an even better treat that I also got their latest book on minimalism titled, Everything that Remains.

Following the tradition of reading Joshua and Ryan’s book after leaving the Misfit Conference, minus the laptop fiasco, I sat down and read the book.

As I read more of the back story of Joshua and Ryan’s journey, I realized I could relate with them in many ways. One point that was similar to my life experience, was leaving a life where I had more financial security but I was giving away my most precious asset, my time.

Funny enough that one of Joshua’s minimalist experiments was tied to him losing his laptop because he spilled liquid over it and how he was able to manage without a laptop for over a month.

JFM-Misfitconference-Fargo-2014 Book Review - Everything That Remains

Those Three Words That Create Clutter

The main takeaway from this book ties in with a conversation I had with Joshua after his speech at the Misfit Conference and it was about  how I overpacked going to the conference especially since it was my first family trip.

Joshua mentioned how we use the three words, “Just In Case,” to justify overpacking or pretty much keeping stuff we really don’t need.

JFM-Misfitconference-Fargo-2014-1 Book Review - Everything That Remains

Practical Style of Writing

What I love about reading Joshua and Ryan’s book are the practical tips that you can execute and apply immediately.

To battle the “just in case” excuse to keep things, Joshua gives us the advice of using his 20/20 rule. If he can replace any item in under $20 and under 20 minutes from his current location, he does not keep the item.  Let’s say you’re keeping an extra 5 usb cables just in case you need them and you  are walking distance  from a store that can sell you one for $10, you get rid of the 5 cables.

Continue Seeking a more Meaningful Life

After finishing my second book on minimalism, I recommend it to anyone who is seeking to get more meaning out of life. In the next few weeks I will put into practice a few lessons I learned on minimalism thanks to Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalistsir?t=cis02-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1938793188 Book Review - Everything That Remains.

Two Books I have Read from Joshua and Ryan


Filed Under: Book Reviews, Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Joshua, Joshua Fields, Meaningful Life, Minimalism, Minimalist Program, Ryan Nicodemus

Book Review: Amazing Things Can Happen

December 9, 2012 by Raul Colon

RIMG0175-1024x768 Book Review: Amazing Things Can Happen

I became a fan of C.C. Chapman when I watched him speak in Boston in September of 2010 while at the Inbound Marketing Summit and later on read the book he co-wrote with my other friend Ann Handley “Content Rules“.  This book inspired one of the most read posts where I used some of C.C. Lessons and compared them to the preparation of Homemade Onion Rings.

I have interacted with C.C. since then at least once a year in Austin during SXSWi.

A few weeks ago on twitter I read of how C.C. Chapman’s new book “Amazing Things Can Happen” was available for the Kindle earlier than expected.

I went ahead and bought a kindle version immediately and quickly was immersed in this awesome guide of how to approach life.

I find that Amazing Things Can Happen is a Quick read with lots of lessons that nurture your thoughts into living a better quality life. C.C. Chapman gives us multiple exercises that can help us in business and personal aspects of life.

I also really enjoyed how C.C. Chapman focused on the importance of how we need to use our environments as a classroom and most importantly change them often.

Some key points in the book that grabbed my attention was the fact that kindness and listening are not taught in classrooms and how critical they are to succeed.

We sometimes forget on creating experiences around our services and/or products where people come back

  • Time and Money should not be obstacles or excuses.
  • Reminding us that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.
  • The reason we should be like ducks. You really have to get a copy to understand this one.

This book is full of Amazing advice that can lead you to Amazing Things. If you feel like you need a small boost of energy to move forward with a project or a critical decision in your life don’t hesitate and order the book!

Other Reviews of the Book of People I Admire: 

  • AMAZING THINGS WILL INDEED HAPPEN by @ajleon

 

 

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, C.C. Chapman, Content Rules

Cool Video Book Review: Impact Equation #ImpactEQ

October 26, 2012 by Raul Colon

Screen-Shot-2012-10-26-at-8.11.29-AM Cool Video Book Review: Impact Equation #ImpactEQ

Video Review of Chris Brogan and Julien Smith book Impact Equation

As I planned last night to create a book review on the Impact Equation after publishing a more detailed review on this blog I found this video book review created by Keith Nerdin on the book the Impact Equation by my friends Julien Smith and Chris Brogan.

It only made me think on the fact that I needed to get more creative when it comes to reviewing book and sharing my thoughts on my experiences.

Order Impact Equation Now…

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Featured Tagged With: Book Reviews, Chris Brogan, Impact Equation, Julien Smith, Video

Visualizing the Impact Equation

October 24, 2012 by Raul Colon

IMG_4962-1024x753 Visualizing the Impact Equation

A book that covers online communications and starts with the phrase:

“Ceci n’est pas un social networking book”

Is a book I definitely want to read!

Before I continue writing about this great book that helps us understand how communicate and create relationships with current emerging technologies, I want to explain that I am a big fan and admirer of Chris Brogan and Julien Smith.

I also have had the privilege to work with Chris in the past on projects for Human Business Works (My company is a Strategic Partner). I also had the privilege to finally meet Julien Smith this year at SXSW and we also tend to like the same type of shoes.

RIMG0177-1024x768 Visualizing the Impact Equation
Me & Julien Smith

Both of these individuals have taught the online communities they belong too how to create healthy  relationships (business and personal).

Having read Trust Agents a few years ago, I appreciate how they continued some concepts into the current environment of online communications in 2012.

Their new book,  The Impact Equationir?t=cis02-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1591844908 Visualizing the Impact Equation (Affiliate Link), measures how we create relationships by creating an  impact in the way people see and perceive things.

Explanation of Impact

Chris and Julien explain the purpose of the book in the first pages mentioning that the Impact Equation is about considering the person at the other end of a relationship.

Considering what would make a difference to that individual who connected with an idea and how they would perceive it.

Impact Equation Formula

The formula they shared with us in the book is IMPACT = C * R * E * A * T * E.

The letters stand for Contrast, Reach, Exposure, Articulation, Trust, and Echo. I would go into explaining a bit more how each of these elements work from my perspective and how they complement each other to create Impact but it would be a much longer post.

I recommend for you to pre-order the The Impact Equation book which will give you a deeper understanding including neat exercises that will help you put what you learn into practice.

Unconventional Business Advice from Chris Brogan and Julien Smith

What resonated with me was how Julien and Chris explained their unorthodox approach at providing unconventional business advice. For those of you stuck into the Business as Usual way of doing things, feel free to skip this book.  If you want to take a look at new ways of doing things, understanding how the online eco-system of business works, then I recommend you order a copy and give one away to each of those key stakeholder of the business you work in or own.

You Don’t Need Permission

When you are searching to find yourself and follow your dreams, you don’t need anyone’s permission. There is emphasis on the idea that everyone has a chance to get heard with these new business models.

Community of Wealth = Cheerleader + Mentors

It also speaks of the wealth of having a community supporting you. This motivates me to continue working as hard as I can in my own small business while having cheerleaders such as Gabriel Pagan, Margie Clayman, Chris Brogan, Rob Hatch, Mark Hayward, Robbie Vorhaus, Nando Caban, Nomar Duran and Lucilla Feliciano.

It’s about how much you are willing to work.

Using emerging technologies levels the playing field by focusing on quality, commitment, and results in order for businesses to deliver.  Having money is critical but this alone will not drive your business.

On occasions I see individuals with capital to start a business but lacking drive and commitment. These new platforms of communication will help you with overcoming many obstacles if you put forth the effort and commit to them.

Staying Visible

Contrast is the Unique Selling Proposition as Chris and Julien explain it. When you become too similar you become invisible.  I have spent the past year working on new business models. I try to work differently from rest of the people offering what can seem to be similar services to ours. By being different we stand out from the crowd. By being visible we increase the probability of working with customers that have similar interests to ours.

What Ideas are better Creative or Business?

Part of a chapter is dedicated to the importance of driving your business via creative and business decisions that align to your overall goals. Finding a purpose in both type of ideas will help you understand the importance in analyzing both. It also explains at a high level that each one is driven depending by the objectives you want to reach.

Visualizing the Book

I was privileged enough to get an Advanced Uncorrected Proof copy.  When we look at text we might miss out on visualizing the problem that a business book is trying help you solve.

Chris and Julien had a unique way to help me visualize some ideas in the book. They created a competition, where readers took pictures of images and embedded a book quote with it.

By using textography on pictures taken with my iPhone and Camera, I was able to take a few pictures and align them to quotes in the book. I also tagged them on twitter with the Hashtag #ImpactEQ

IMG_5006-300x225 Visualizing the Impact Equation IMG_4965-300x221 Visualizing the Impact Equation

IMG_5015-300x225 Visualizing the Impact Equation IMG_5002-300x225 Visualizing the Impact Equation

IMG_5193-300x225 Visualizing the Impact Equation IMG_5063-300x223 Visualizing the Impact Equation

An Experience

As with Trust Agents, Chris and Julien created an experience for their readers. The book is out this week and I can already imagine the types of experiments Chris and Julien will attempt to make the book even more functional.

So far I am very thankful for the privilege of receiving an advanced copy and getting to see first hand the great knowledge Chris and Julien have to share.

When are you ordering your copy?

Order Impact Equation Now…

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Business, Community, Featured, Professional Development, Reviews, Social Media Tagged With: Book Reviews, Business, Chris Brogan, Community, Community Building, Goals, Julien Smith, Online Community, Small Business, Social Media, Trust Agents, Work Life Balance

Small Town Rules

June 13, 2012 by Raul Colon

RIMG0557-1024x768 Small Town Rules

My first trip to SXSW Interactive conference, I attended a session that put the spotlight on the advantages a small town entrepreneur had in a bad economy.

I made it a priority to go to this session because I learn and value the information that Becky McCray’s imparts via her blog.

While sitting in the audience I noticed it was different to other sessions. Before the session started, Becky and Barry Moltz interacted with the audience. They also started the session by having everyone introduce themselves to the attendees.

The perspective I got from that session confirmed once again key similarities of how most places in Puerto Rico have a small town mentality. Before leaving the session, Becky gave me a small Bottle of My favorite Liquor, Jack Daniel’s with her Business Card. It was a great way to make her business card stand out.

When I found out the duo where launching a book, I quickly added it to my need to read list.

Video Review

After reading “Small Town Rules” I have to say I was able to dig deeper into the conversations started in Becky’s multiple blog posts and in the session the day I met her at SXSWi.

I also learned many key elements of having a productive small town mentality.

Small Town Rules starts off by explaining why small town entrepreneurs have an advantage over other entrepreneurs. They mention how having a first understanding of managing multiple lines of income, thinking long term, maintaining frugality, creating communities, and most importantly building local connections will give any entrepreneur or business an advantage.

Many of the lessons learned, I have set in my short term goals which will positively impact my future goals.

Becky and Barry do a great job explaining how the shifts in the economy, technology, and society are impacting many aspects of the economy.

Planning for Zero

The lesson I got the most value from the book was how Small Town Entrepreneurs plan for Zero. The reason I survived after 4 years on my own is because I got better at planning for Zero. My last big project ended in August of 2010. I planned for Zero and I have been able to keep my family and business afloat for all these months. Know when people ask me how I have been able to stay afloat I can reference “Small Town Rules”.

Breaking away from some myths

A myth mentioned in small town rules is how some managers think that sales will follow marketing efforts. It is explained as the rain following the plow; I see this mistake way too often. The book focuses on the fact that to get results you need to establish and nurture healthy relationships.

I highly recommend “Small Town Rules”. Let the 7 key tips in “Small Town Rules” serve as a guide to any executive or entrepreneur.

What are the Small Town Rules?

source → http://smalltownrules.com/media/

The Change in the Economy

Rule 1. Plan for zero. There will be tough years ahead.

Rule 2. Spend creative brainpower before spending dollars.

Rule 3. Multiply lines of income to diversify your risk.

The Change in Technology

Rule 4. Work anywhere, anywhen through technology.

Rule 5. Treat customers like community.

The Change in Society

Rule 6. Be proud of being small.

Rule 7. Build your local connections.

As I revamp my business, I will keep Small Town Rules nearby to help me tweak my business model.

If you strive to become a better citizen with the purpose of improving your community reading this book is a must.

Buy the Book

(Affiliate link below)

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Featured, Small Business Tagged With: Book Reviews, Small Business, Small Town Rules

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