Writing and Sharing Helps me Grow

January 18, 2015 by Raul Colon

The way I solve many of my personal and business issues is writing. The other way is sharing my knowledge

For some reason in 2014 I did not write as much as I would like.

I spent a lot of time reading as I set a goal I had to quit as the year approached of reading 52 books.

This year my commitment is with writing more and hitting publish as part of my three words commitment.

Sharing what I Know

At the end of the year I was able to start training folks on what I have learned in managing digital marketing and social media. It was a pilot for a series of workshops and courses I will be creating and finishing this year.

First Workshop of 2015

The first workshop of 2015 is an in person group training for a group no larger than 8 people. I am sharing some of the best insight of what I have learned over the 7 years running online efforts.

I will be giving a 3 hour workshop in San Juan. In the next few weeks I will create an online version of this course as I mold it for your needs.

I invite you to join me in this group workshop where you will definitely get some insight in how we work with clients like Uncle Gussy’s.

How part of our efforts have gotten Uncle Gussy’s featured on the Food Network, Travel Channel, and even Snapple’s national campaign by connecting with people online and offline.

Will you join me?

Find Out More

For those of you that subscribe to our newsletters feel free to check your inbox where you get a promo code on this course. You are still in time to subscribe.

Medalla Beer, From Missed Opportunity to Promoting Vandalism

January 22, 2014 by Raul Colon

For me Old San Juan has always been an escape to walk on the streets that our ancestors built while living in the present. When you visit Old San Juan, the images of cobblestone streets gets imprinted in the minds of those that and it could be a great memory to take back home to those who have never visited the island.

That said I wish I could say I was shocked by the poor decision Medalla Light beer made by choosing a sad situation where Old San Juan’s streets were vandalized to grab some attention to their brand.

A Quick Recap

This past weekend as the San Sebastian Festival took place in Old San Juan, hundreds of thousands drank and partied; some used the excuse that the event has cultural value.

Initially the theme of the festival was aligned towards promoting culture but over the years greed took over. Companies and individuals who benefit from this event are tied to liquor and beer sales. The festival in my opinion is about being loud, getting crazy, and according to Medalla leaving your footprint behind by vandalizing.

No Longer a Fan of the Festival

The past year and half I have gotten closer to some of the merchants of Old San Juan. Some are neighbors and close friends and I know the struggles they have in the maintenance of architectural history under strict standards while trying to run a business in one of the least small business friendly places in the world, the island of Puerto Rico. In short, Old San Juan merchants perform a juggling act with little or no support from the local government.

Preparing for a Disaster

You would think a festival would give these merchants a breath of fresh air by bringing new business and some extra cash. The opposite happens and preparing for the festival is more like preparing for a natural disaster.

Every merchant I know closes down for safety and security reasons. They try to cut their losses short by not opening for those days and not having any major loss caused by the crowds.

I was even amazed that, my favorite beer garden, La Taberna Lúpulo decided to close down because the crowd that arrives at San Sebastian is not interested in enjoying high quality beer.

Is Medalla Talking to their Audience?

Based on how much profit Medalla probably made, you really can’t blame them if they are just thinking of their bottom line and trying to reach the audience that makes them profitable. Those who buy their beer in large quantities, get inebriated and also find themselves vandalizing the streets of Old San Juan.

UPDATE: As of 7:11 PM of January 22, 2014 In a typical traditional public relations move they deleted the image without an apology or further explanation.

A Missed Opportunity

With the high volume of sales Medalla does during that specific week tied to steep tax incentives the least they could do is give back.

If the image posted would have mentioned that it’s of their interest to protect our island’s assets, they could have donated and created a fund to fix part of the destruction. The brand would have looked like a HERO instead of a ZERO!

I still think they have time to flip this around especially after implying they were part of the destruction and being proud of of this with their picture and ad .

The Message Does Not Surprise Me

But then again the message does not surprise me because one, it’s normal for beer companies to communicate online without thinking about the consequences and two they might be drinking so much Medalla they were probably drunk when they posted the status.

What are your thoughts?

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?

Order Impact Equation Now…

Too Much Noise, Not Enough Engagement!

April 4, 2012 by Raul Colon

One of the reasons I see many small businesses and entrepreneurs failing is because they don’t have enough healthy relationships or connections. I have seen some cases where we see how someone has an awesome product or service but not many people know about it.

With so many ways to connect many people still fail to get the word out on their current efforts.

Too Much Noise

These new emerging technologies can help you in connecting with others. As with any other resource, if you are just looking for a quick solution to getting your business going and doing too much self-promotion, you end up making lots of noise that can scare away your potential customers.

I see it more times than I would like when people just grab a twitter account, facebook page, or their blog and all they do is create noise. Not only do they miss out on opportunities but can scare away those that might be able to use and promote their services in the future.

I am writing less lately because I have been working on a few projects like helping @mark_hayward build a local 140Conf Community with the goal of setting Puerto Rico as a 140 Conference destination. The other reason I am writing less is to be able to capture your attention when I think I have something relevant to say.

Connect with People

RIMG0263-1024x768 Too Much Noise, Not Enough Engagement! — Listening to Jeff Pulver share his story #140conf Meet Up Puerto Rico

On many occasions I see how the conversation of many individuals will stay at just saying, “Hello.” I see individuals that make their rounds and try to touch base with someone with the key purpose of just mentioning them. I sometimes fall into the same trap that I want to converse with someone and end up just saying hi instead of taking the time in listening to what that person is up too.

For me Google Plus is a better platform for creating conversation. It might be also the type of people who are heavy users of Google Plus go the extra mile in connecting and listening. I have been able to connect in a deeper way with those I have interacted with on Google+.

It all comes down to focusing on quality connections and not the numbers. So many people miss out on getting to know people a lot better because their approach on these platforms is to get lots of followers, friends, likes, to get circled the most, or in the worst of scenarios they just want to push their services and products.

Learn from the True Connectors

I have seen a good mix of people with many followers like @chrisbrogan and @jeffpulver who have reached those numbers because it is natural for them to connect with people. They connect with people to help and share their knowledge. In these cases there is a purpose in doing social good over having large numbers of contacts on these platforms.

I met Chris because he took the opportunity to get to know me better on one of my visits to Boston. Every time I see Chris interacting in real life with people I realize that he truly takes the time to engage with those around him.

The same with @jeffpulver. Jeff takes the time to connect with people and hear what they are saying. They both have a good balance of interacting with big amounts of contacts.

Overall these new technologies are what we make out of them. If you want to have more twitter followers and win a popularity contest go for it (but don’t complain about how the platform did not work out for you).

I rather take the approach of sharing interesting things that might resonate with you. I rather mention how I was amazed at the great work the folks at Seriously Creative are doing and keep you up to date on the newest projects from my friends at Puerto Rico Indie.

What do you get out of these social platforms and emerging technologies?

Any victories you want to share or new projects. I want to hear about them. I want to look for a way that we can all create a virtual business-networking hub.

What do you think? How can we make this happen?

One Year as a Dad & Quick but long Recap of 2011

December 28, 2011 by Raul Colon

I started 2011 as a new Father. Today is my daughter’s first Birthday and my first year as a Dad.

My daughter has brought a new sense of purpose into my life and although 2011 being a very crappy year for business and many other aspects I was able to keep on moving forwards thanks to the motivation that just one smile can bring me.

Becoming a Dad was a bit surreal at the beginning but a very pleasant experience I will cherish in the years to come. I look back many years ago when I never thought of becoming a Dad I had other things in my head that I felt where a priority over creating a family. Looking back I am glad that I waited until the moment finally happened because I don’t feel that it could have happened in a better moment.

2011 A Year of implementing what I learned

Since 2008 I have been reinventing myself consistently from a failed job board project we had locally to other attempts to get into newer businesses. 2011 was filled with many obstacles in many aspects of my life. Business was terrible and I literally survived the whole year out of savings from what I made in 2010 but those savings made me enjoy almost every moment of my daughter’s first year, which I consider priceless.

Choosing over accepting

To a certain extent business was not as good as in 2010 because I decided to move on from some things I use to do and other factors also played into me looking into new revenue sources. The fact that I want to spend as much time with my daughter made me be a bit more picky on which projects I would want to launch and which ones I would pass on to colleagues, competitors, and friends.

Quality over Quantity

I am very intense in everything I do and something I have been convincing myself over these past 18 months is the importance of quality over quantity when it relates to blogging, personal life, relationships and many other aspects of my personal and business goals. I have been a lot quicker in making decisions of leaving things behind when I see the quality of something is not going where I want it to be helping me focus more on quality in what I deliver.

I still need to continue improving how I incline towards quality instead of quantity but 2011 really helped me set a good baseline.

As a way of looking back and learning at my accomplishments and my failures I want to go ahead and go over key events in 2011 that I thought where critical to a year of lots of lessons.

January

I wrote a post on how creating content is similar to preparing Onion Rings. 5 Reasons Why Homemade Onion Rings Are Like Original Content?
Was able to create a relationship with ETurboNews regarding a post they wrote on Puerto Rico Tourism in which they were right on the money. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company failed greatly at representing us and too this day they still made some promises in which they did not follow through with.

February

Launched Veglatino where anyone interested in learning about the vegetarian lifestyle from the perspective of a few Latinos who share their experiences, recipes, and related posts on what being vegetarian and Latino is all about. More info @veglatino.
I proclaimed my love of Monday’s (I Fell In love with Monday! Why haven’t you?)
I made a pledged to Stop Texting while I drive thanks to @thebrandbuilder sharing a video with me. I have improved greatly at this bad habit but something I am still working on.
Another Failure of the Puerto Rican Tourism Company.

March

A lot of people related and enjoyed this post on Community Building vs. Growing Your Ego
My first time at South by Southwest where I got to meet many awesome people like Guy Kawasaki, Gary Vaynerchuk, Hugh Macleod, Nicole Simon, and even got a glimpse of one of my favorite boxers when I was a kid Mike Tyson. A week full of lifetime memories. https://raulcolon.net/category/events/sxswi/
I dropped and broke my iPad 2 days after buying it in Austin during SXSW Updated : iPad 2 Very Fragile to this day the most read post on my blog.
Ordered my first batch of @meet_meme business cards, which have helped me connect greatly throughout the year and also helped me win a Digital Camera, which I will be reviewing soon.
I met Joseph Harrell Movie producer and ex Marine which got me up to date on the Movie Happy New year Happy New Year #SXSW #Film!
I was mentioned by E-Turbo News creating awareness of the current animal abuse issues we have on the island.

April

Turned 31 and receive my first gift from my daughter with the help of her awesome mom Lucy. Happy Birthday Daddy!
Interviewed Mario Gonzalez Lafuente, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company for Eturbonews on addressing major tourism issues in Puerto Rico. Mr. Gonzalez made some promises on April 14^th that I am still waiting to hear from his staff.
Was mentioned and thanked in the best book on Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard.
I spoke at Hispanicize 2011 where I spoke at two sessions and moderated two more. Most importantly was able to visit LA for the first time and spend time with my good friend @toxic_lunch. Going to Universal Studios and my second visit to Disneyland.
In LA had the privilege to meet in person my good friend Jacqueline Carly.

May

Interviewed Felipe Lyon regional manager from Group on Puerto Rico Group on Puerto Rico Interview with Felipe Lyon
Got invited to Best Buy Technology Show thanks to Meeting Ana Grace from Best Buy at SXSWi. Began a very unique relationship with Otterbox, which has only gotten better as the days go by.
I created a series on Online Privacy please TMI (Too Much Information) Being Shared in Social Media.
Tried to simplify the main question I like to ask in this blog how can I help you?
Celebrated one year of this blog

June

I lost my admiration for Barack Obama after his lame 4 hour visit to the island acting like any other politician @barackobama’s Visit: As American as Arroz Con Gandules
Read an awesome book on small business blogging by my good friend Mark Hayward. Problogger’s Guide to Blogging For Your Business
Launched Papaheroes.com along my good friend Rick Lipsett and Lucy Feliciano.
Wrote a post against how our local government is trying to trying to censor bloggers Our Representative in Congress Pierluisi Censors Blogger!.
I started my Morning Pages recommended by my good friend and business mentor Joe Sorge.
The folks at Sears Latino where annoyed at my criticism and ended up leaving nasty messages on my blog. Later apologizing for the child like behavior via email.

July

The confusion of some of the Island residents in Puerto Rico on independence let me to write Colonial Sickness Causes Delusions on Celebrating Independence.
I opened my Google Plus account that I clearly use more than any other social network at the moment. Feel free to circle me or just say hi https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RaulColon
I realized Netflix had stole more than 700 dollars out of my account I still have not received a reimbursement by them.
Was able to unite a local influential bloggers at San Juan Marriott where I got paid for the effort and was able to have a great time with other bloggers I admire and respect.

August

I learned about Aromatherapy thanks to Ivelisse from Scentonality and a neat gift Lucy and I received.
I expressed my opinion on a so called Latino Influencer ” The United Latino Rebels and Misrepresentation of Being Latinos” for trying to act like an online bully behind the scenes. Apparently he needs to understand what transparency is and I got the support of many individuals that felt the same way I did. One of my most commented posts up to date.
Was invited to be present at another event by the San Juan Marriott using bloggers as a main source of bringing more people to their properly and Puerto RIco as Tourists.
I found out about Ommwriter the main application I write 98% of my blog posts in. Writing with less distractions thanks to Ommwriter
Realized that I have had a loyal customer for more than a decade. Very thankful for him! My Longest Standing Customer @RomualdoBaez
My favorite Airline @jetblue disappointed me till this day I have never received a message from them regarding this issue. Big Glitch in Communicating with my Favorite Airline
Turned Our CIMA IT Corporate website into a Bilingual One

September

Started the month with bad news on somebody I had admired greatly by mourning the loss of a Key Twitter Follower!
Went to Inbound Marketing Summit for the second year in a row and had the privilege to meet Rob Hatch in person. I also spent good quality time with my good friend and business partner Chris Brogan. A few days of many lessons thanks to my business partners Chris and Rob.
I got to stay at the Colonnade Hotel. A Bath Robe, Rubber Duckies & Unique Customer Experience at The Colonnade

October

Got News that my grandma America was diagnosed with Cancer at the late stages. Visited her in Connecticut she said goodbye to me giving me a very powerful message I will keep with me. It was the last time I saw her.
Spoke at ISACA International Latin Information Risk Management conference. Got upgraded to the presidential suite at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan, received a pair of Valuable Socks, & a Priceless Moment

November

I got the opportunity to be featured on Kitchen Table Talks on the Pulse as the Kitchen Table Company of the week. . The main topic was not giving up!
Published 8 Lessons From Bartending that help me run a Small Business post on my experiences as a bartender was shared by very influential people online
I invested my time with some Local Puerto Rico Artists which also invest their time in teaching art to underprivileged kids via de Sole Plus Converse Organization. Learning by Investing Time for a Good Cause @soleplus
I had a very uncomfortable experience with my bank I am still waiting on changes and a formal response from them. I asked the question, does @DoralBank & Other Banks Care About Customer Service? I still have not seen any improvement or interest to Doral fixing it.
Very happy that Vegetarian Friendly PF Changs chain set up a restaurant in my favorite mall in San Juan.

December

Grandma America lost her Battle with Cancer a few days before her Birthday.
A complete month of a lot of reflecting and rethinking everything and preparing to start 2012 on a better note. I have to say this month I created the least amount of content during the whole year.
Reminded people that spamming and sending unsolicited messages disguised as holiday greetings is still spamming. Thin Line between Holiday Wishes & Spam
Celebrated One year of being a dad and Daniela also celebrates her first birthday!
Created this long list reflecting on the complete year of posts and experiences that made 2011.

Thanks to all of you for supporting my efforts and reading this long post .

How did 2011 turn out for you? Please share in the comments area!