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

I support causes by supporting individuals.

Early Morning near the Beach

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rauls-photography-watermark-3-4 Early Morning near the Beach

10 years ago my daily routine was waking up at 3:45am getting into a car and driving for 90 minutes to beat traffic and get my workout out of the way.

Then I trade the long car ride for a similar train ride. The latter was more pleasant and kept me more productive. I still rose early in the morning so I could make it to work before everyone else.

I thought that by getting there early I would be able to get an advantage on any projects that had to completed.

With time I have learn to appreciate sleeping in. My office is just feet away from my bedroom. Today I woke up earlier than usual and I decided to go for a walk as the sun was rising.

The sun, runners, walkers, and a few individuals enjoying the Atlantic in November greeted me.

I took a few pictures and realize how I had already started my day by creating.

So what was the first thing you did after waking up this morning? Was it productive?

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My Thoughts on the Image

It’s ok to not be Normal… II

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website-newyorkcity-1 It’s ok to not be Normal… II

When you think differently from those that surround you.

When you are not scared to let people know what you think.

When you are transparent and people know where you stand.

When you’re a Misfit and the world is a bit more like the LEGO Movie’s masses.

When Toxic People don’t have enough to do and they want to bring you into their little games to drain your energy.

When you love what you do and others are just focused on money and material things.

When you walk into a business meeting with conservative people in vibram fivefinger footwear.

When following your dreams can mean having to overdraft your bank account to get groceries and feed your family.

When you decide to go into foreclosure , and let go of the house you worked hard to buy , because you were tired of the life of being a slave to debt.

When you decide to buy everything cash and not buy anything on credit.

When you decide to not eat meat because it just makes sense to your health, the environment, and those around you.

When you quit on something you worked hard and realized you could spend your energy elsewhere.

When you keep on going even when others tell you there is no future in what you are doing.

When life keeps on knocking you down and you get up.

When you put your life at risk seeking peace and a better environment for others.

When you put the mute button on many that want you to live a normal life.

When you play by your own rules and risk more than many would be willing to risk.

When you leave a comfortable income source to make sure you make the most with your daughter.

When you decide to move forward and minimize the impact of any negative vibes around you.

When you pick yourself and keep on moving.

Then you might not be normal. 

PS: But it sures feel like you’re free. 

Explaining How I Make a Living

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2/11/IMG_5163.jpg”>IMG_5163-1024x763 Explaining How I Make a Living

One of my biggest challenges I have is trying to explain to others how I make a living. Others constantly are selling themselves to the point where they are spamming people online and offline. When I want to explain what I do, I worry that I don’t cross that thin line of sharing things vs. pushing my thoughts onto others.

Always be selling

Something I try to do with people that I think might be interested in the services I offer is to sell them on how I can bring value into their lives. My good friend Chris Brogan reminds me often in his newsletter and his blog to always be selling.

Too Much Info

My biggest struggle is finding a balance to not give them more information than what they can absorb. I like explaining things in detail which can work against me if I’m not careful.

For the past few months I have been trying to put together my elevator pitch. Getting that 30-second explanation of what I do for a living right.

My objective is having potential clients understand how I am different from competitors. I want my unique value proposition in helping future clients make the decision to hire me.

Looking into what I do I realize that I mainly do these 5 things:

  • Develop Clean & Functional Websites
  • Coach others on how to improve Online Communications
  • Create and Mirror Your Business Model Online
  • Disrupt “Business as Usual” Thinking
  • Simplify Complex Business Processes into practical and sustainable ones.
I need your Help!

As I look into these 5 items I need to synchronize them in a way where others can clearly understand what I am offering.

When you look at those five items what do you understand?

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you see them?

 

Valuable Interruptions vs. Long Lasting Memories

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IMG_5309-1024x762 Valuable Interruptions vs. Long Lasting Memories

Interruptions are something many people try to stay away from. After my daughter was born I would say my way of dealing with interruptions has changed greatly.

I personally see them as a pause in the momentum; we have to be able to enjoy the most important things in life a bit more.

Dolphins Near the Beach

A few days ago while I was working on my latest project and Lucy was getting my daughter ready to go for their daily beach walk I received an interruption.

My friend Melvin was walking on the beach to the gym and got a glimpse of a dolphin. He immediately notified me so I could also enjoy the neat visit from such beautiful creatures.

Check it Off the Bucket List

All my life I have been waiting for that moment of watching a dolphin in his natural habitat. When I was a kid, I watched Flipper reruns on Nickelodeon.

Being vegan and against having dolphins in captivity, I have to say getting to see one in its natural habitat was an experience I will never forget.

After I saw the dolphin I shared a quick update on Facebook where Melvin reminded me of the importance of those short moments in life in which a few seconds make a big difference.

Those few seconds will be stored in your memory for the rest of your life.

The Interruption was Very Important

What I was doing was not as important as I would have thought. I was able to finish it in record time due to the fact that watching the dolphins cleared my mind and helped me focus more on my work.

Sometimes we forget to stop and enjoy our surroundings. We spend time watching TV and other people’s lives on reality TV shows when we are missing out on our own lives.

Next time you get interrupted and you think there is something better to do, Go against those inner demons trying to stop you from enjoying life.

As I finished writing the draft of this post I was waiting for my favorite morning interruption creator to wake up.

My beautiful daughter is a daily interruption I look forward to having and I stop everything for her.

I hope your day has at least one interruption that ends in giving you joy! If not let me know and I can interrupt you with some ideas on how to make it better.

Any interruptions where you realize the interruption was more valuable than that you where doing?

Visualizing the Impact Equation

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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…