Listening to Chris Brogan’s advice landed me a Sweet Deal

November 18, 2014 by Raul Colon

I have been building projects and business for over 20 years. For a bit over 12 years I have been helping others with setting up businesses or getting them ready to build one.

Although I have years of experience building my own projects I do a better job at helping other with their project.

So one person I go to for help is my buddy Chris Brogan and when he has an event or webinar I make sure I don’t miss it.

Lots of Value in Each Event

Chris usually shares a lot of knowledge that can be found accessed for free on his blog.

When Chris decides to charge for something I can guarantee you will get lots of value from it.

Last week I was able to solve a major issue in my business thanks to some knowledge I acquired on a webinar by Chris Brogan.

While listening to Chris Brogan’s webinar “Get Back on the Path” he mentioned the importance of following back.

I realized on occasions I might give up on a lead because they have not replied back. Chris mentioned how we have to offer our services continuously and increase the opportunity for us to close a sale.

Applying what I learned

I have continued following up with those who in the past I would have given up on. As a result of that I was able to either get a no or a specific date to follow up again.

The Benefits of Chris Brogan’s Webinars

Most importantly i also landed a pretty sweet deal with a one of our favorite clients thanks to that follow up.

The knowledge I gained on the last two webinars I listened from Chris will help us during what I consider my low season.

Even Though I have worked with Chris in the past and he is only an email away from any question I have.

I always learn and get hassle free advice I can apply when I watch him speak either in a live event or via a webinar.

Today, Chris is offering a webinar where he will share knowledge on how to plan for Success.

I am going to be joining him get some great insight from someone who equips owners and has been a strong business mentor of mine.

So please enroll for tomorrow’s webinar.

Will you join us?

Helping those with Reading Difficulty

April 10, 2014 by Raul Colon

For the past few months the Limonade team has been working with Donna and Kate from The Reading Network, a new startup which is focused on helping kids with reading difficulties.

This is the first official global client for Limonade thanks to the help of our Strategic Business Partner Chris Brogan ,who referred Donna so we could help her initially with Digital Marketing and the business processes that tie into new digital tools.

Donna has an awesome story and vast experience in education but most importantly she wants to find new ways to help kids with learning differences in the subject of Reading and Dyslexia.

Launch of the Website

Donna launched the new website a few weeks ago and as everyone who has a business website, we are looking to connect The Reading Network with those that need online tutoring for kids or even themselves to improve their reading .

Do you know Anyone that Might Benefit from these Services?

Having difficulties is nothing to be ashamed of and we need to embrace how we learn differently from others.

We would appreciate if you could share with your contacts, on Twitter or Facebook , how The Reading Network can be of help and work One-to-One with your child.

If you have anyone specifically you want to send this to, send a private email about how their services will help.

What projects are you working on?

Friends, Food Trucks, and Family

February 5, 2014 by Raul Colon

The previous week I spent most of my time connecting with old friends and family. My main objective was understanding what is the best way to approach a few new opportunities that have been presented to me.

Nice hotel, Good Vegan Food, and Even Better Friends

My week started flying off to Boston where I would arrive at my favorite hotel the Colonnade and have lunch with fellow misfit Nelson DeWitt who was nice enough to pick me up at the hotel and take us to the the Red Lentil where the vegan food was awesome.

Later on in the day I was able to catch up with my good friend Rob Hatch and finally meet the awesome Ron Hood from Owner Inc. for dinner. Both Ron and Rob are two awesome fathers who I consider my parenting mentors. Rob’s background working with children has always been helpful to understand Daniela’s growth. Ron Hood is a super creative dad, most of the experiences he creates around his daughter will make a you and me get emotional.

That same evening my good friend Lois picked me up at the hotel and drove us to the Microsoft N.E.R.D. center where my friend Chris Brogan was going to talk a bit about mastering the digital channel and what would happen on Tuesday at his event. It was great getting to see and spend time with Lois. It makes me see how similar we are when it comes to certain personality traits.

I also had the opportunity to meet the great Dave Cutler in person after many years of tweeting and exchanging ideas online.

Mastering the Digital Channel

Tuesday came along and I was able to spend the full day along some very brilliant people who were asking Chris Brogan and Rob Hatch questions on how the online business eco systems work.

One of the highlights of my visit to Boston was getting the privilege to meet Tina Lynch who I met online while working on a project with Chris and Rob for a business partner in England.

During the second half of the event I was able to have my brother Javier who is working on a new project listen to Chris and Rob which gave him a fresh perspective on how he sees business. After a long but very productive two days in Boston we drove down to Connecticut where Javier and I got to plan out our next few days and chat about the value we got from going to Chris and Rob’s event.

Visiting Nicko & the Uncle Gussy’s Team

We took the Metro north from Bridgeport to Grand Central as I would do every day while working at KPMG’s New York Office.

Once we arrived I was puzzled a bit by how after 8 years I did not quite remember the quickest route to 345 park avenue. After some walking on the very cold streets of New York City we got to Uncle Gussy’s food truck where Nicko was waiting for us to take pictures and do some work inside the food truck.

Seeing the culture of how a food truck operates behind the scenes help me gain even more respect for the great job Nicko and his team do every day. Being able to find a blend of getting the best quality food out in a timely manner while keeping food costs down is truly a performance.

To my amazement people were standing in freezing temperatures to get their favorite Greek Food from Uncle Gussy’s Food Truck. Confirming Nicko’s has the right formula by keeping his customers happy and coming for more even in harsh weather.

My Ex-KPMG and KPMG Family

I also had the opportunity to meet up with Amit and Ajay. Both of them worked with me at KPMG and left to other opportunities. I also was able to see some friends like Synthia and Abid who are still working at the firm. Walking into the office made me realize how much things have changed since I left about 8 years ago.

It was an very interesting two days working in New York City that ended in a meeting where Nicko was nice enough to get us in front of his friend who is a successful entrepreneur.

We hopped back on the Metro North back to Bridgeport while discussing ideas and ways to work on Javier’s new venture.

It was a week filled with lots of research, meeting new friends, getting to hug old friends, and analyzing the best approach of the new opportunities we are going after.

I will be writing up a bit more on our new family venture in my newsletter which I share on Sunday’s (when I have something of value to share). If you want to find out more feel free to sign up.

PS: Special thanks to Nicko, Chris, and Rob for making this trip possible in many ways.

Cool Video Book Review: Impact Equation #ImpactEQ

October 26, 2012 by Raul Colon

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…

Visualizing the Impact Equation

October 24, 2012 by Raul Colon

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 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

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?