» 2010

“Are Tribes Dead, Or Is A New Day Dawning?”

RIP Tribes?
After all the rush and hubbub about marketing syndication tribes, are they already starting to fizzle out? After all, internet marketers by the hundreds joined tribes last year and early this year, sometimes several tribes. Syndication and traffic was the pot of gold they sought. But one-by-one many a tribe member lost momentum and their enthusiasm for syndicating waned. Oh there were some cool automation tools that came along and still have a lot of people excited, for a while anyway. But all-in-all the interest level in syndication has peaked. So are tribes dead? Are tribes too 2009?

Tribes Revisited
Before you pack up your laptop and delete your tribe’s group from your Skype contacts, think about why you joined a tribe in the first place. Was it to get traffic? Sure it was. Was it to meet new potential JV partners? You bet it was. And it was also to learn from best practices, to build a panel of advisors who could help you trouble-shoot your business, and to bring a bit more warmth into a technology focused profession! So before you give up on tribes, ask yourself whether they delivered any of these other benefits!

In my case tribes have more than delivered. My website traffic grew. My panel of advisors was formed. I met friends who have become JV partners. And I’ve had a lot of fun along the way.

The Death of Syndicating
I recommend we re-purpose our tribes. Syndication and backlinks are great, but if you’re going to invest time and energy into a tribe, don’t you deserve to receive more than a bunch of backlinks? Syndicating is the moral equivalent of factory work. The fact is, syndicating can be virtually automated now. Tribes are much too valuable to relegate to mere syndication drudgery!

Getting More Out of Tribes
I can understand why some people are dubious about tribes. After all there have been enough people who looked at tribes as little more than an arcade game. . . put in an hour of syndicating and get 10 hours of backlink play in return. People joined multiple tribes, and frankly, some people abused their privileges with tribes.

My tribe is The Daily Crushers. From the outset we did things a bit differently. For one thing we attracted people who wanted something different. In fact our recruiting slogans were “World Domination” and “Change the World Into a Better Place”. One thing we did differently was to form permanent small satellite tribes, called mini-tribes. Each mini-tribe was essentially a permanent tribe licensed to use the Daily Crusher name.

Because we created stable groups, relationships grew strong and deep. Trust was developed and three of our seven tribes actually started joint ventures and began developing their own products to be marketed by the greater membership. Infrastructure began to go into place such as affiliate tools and webinar software to support the entrepreneurial efforts of these tribes. And we noticed something else. Syndication was no longer the focus. Lifelong friendships and business partnerships were born.

“Tribe 2.0”: The Awesomeness of Tribes in the Future!
But if you’re a cynic and wonder whether tribes have a place in 2010 and beyond, I’ve got an idea that might just turn the tide for you. I call it “Tribe 2.0”. In my vision of the tribes of the future, the tribe becomes much more customized to your needs and focused on helping you become a success. We’re probably dropping syndication all together! In a word tribes are getting PERSONAL.

“Tribe 2.0” is a re-purposed and seriously improved version of the original. In “Tribe 2.0” we strip the requirement for syndication as a condition of membership. Instead of syndicating or promoting each other’s business, tribe members are going to be supported and mentored by the tribe. “Tribe 2.0” will have as its core purpose to grow the members’ skill levels and help them become crazy-successful in their business!

Incubator for Masterminds
“Tribes 2.0”builds on these experiences. I believe “Tribe 2.0” will become a mastermind incubation movement. Tribe members will be able to rely upon their trusted tribemates to help them build their businesses and thrive. I propose to completely change the mission of tribes to specifically focus on each member’s businesses. In “Tribe 2.0” members will work together to set meaningful business goals. They will hold each other accountable for achieving those goals and their commitments along the way. Members can brainstorm together. They can help each other with ideas, recommendations, and if necessary, labor. Checklists and benchmarks can be created to help assure that each member’s business is achieving all it can. Folks, that’s what masterminds do. That’s what “Tribe 2.0” will do. But “Tribe 2.0” will do it with all the options open for lifelong friendships, business partnerships and joint ventures, large groups of people joining together to share overhead costs like GoToWebinar accounts, Nanacast subscriptions and other support tools.

Oh, tribes can still syndicate if they want to. And tribes can develop products if they want to. But from now on tribe members can be assured that somebody’s in their corner to help assure that their business is a success and that they meet their objectives. And yes, in that corner will be tribemate lifelong friends!

So are tribes dead? No. They have only just begun! If you’re not in a tribe, join one. It’s one of the smartest business decisions you can make.

7 Comments

admin, June 14th 2010 | Tags: Daily Crushers!, mastermind, syndication, tribe, tribe 2.0
Posted in Uncategorized

Training Newbies Need To Grab

My readers know that I don’t use my blog to promote affiliate products, but occasionally I don’t mind recommending a product that is going to actually help someone. Myu friend Melissa Ann Mitchell has created a training series to help newbie Internet marketers actually put their business together with her direct consultation. As an enticement for them to hear about the training, she’s put together a free 10-Video, 7-Day training course. I’m not an affiliate for her, but I know this course is going to help some folks, so I recommend you go grab it at . Check out this video I made to give you a good idea of what to expect from the course. I watched all the videos and think it’s great.

3 Comments

admin, May 16th 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized

Next Top Spiritual Author – Scott Brandon Hoffman

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Every once in a while do you get an urge to do something that you KNOW you’ll regret later? Maybe something a little ridiculous, or even a LOT ridiculous? My thought is that most of us take life way too seriously and need to enjoy the moment. And this blog, in fact this video in particular, is exactly about one such moment. My friend Pat McIntosh and I wanted to promote our friend and mentor for a book award. In fact he is being considered for the honor of the “Next Top Spiritual Author”. This is a situation where the public goes online and votes for an author.

So Pat and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give ol’ Scott a helping hand! You see, you’ve just got to know that Scott Brandon Hoffman is not like most spiritual book authors. The first thing is he’s a comedian; and a wacky one – just the kind I think RULES! Sure he hangs out with Deepak Chopra, but he also hangs out with Gary Vaynerchuk, and entertainment types in Hollywood… you get the idea.

To get a real idea of Scott, you need to visit http://HumanSuitBook.com and watch his book trailer. Incidentally, while you’re there, vote for him. Really, please vote for him.

So Pat and I decided we’d pull one on Scott. If you just watched the book trailer, you know that one of Scott’s favorite self-descriptions is, “It’s like Oprah and Letterman had a kid”. So here’s the little video that Pat and I did to promote our buddy. See what you think. And next time you get that inkling to do something ridiculous, go ahead and do it. And if you really want to live on the edge, post it on your blog for the world to see! Here’s the video.

4 Comments

admin, April 28th 2010 | Tags: Next Top Spiritual Author, Pat McIntosh, Ridiculous, Scott Brandon Hoffman
Posted in Living on the Edge

No Worries Kids!

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Do you remember the simple days? You know, when you were a kid and the biggest challenge you faced was whether you could get in 10 more minutes of playing with your friends before your mom called you in for supper? THOSE were the days my friend. And somehow that supper always seemed like a feast! Unless there was spinach or broccoli, and then it was torture. But usually it was fantastic! So my question to you is why is it any different now?

Sure you’ve got a mortgage, maybe some kids of your own, and other payments to make. So you go to work or earn money somehow to pay that. But really, what makes our lives seem so different now? Why does everything seem so busy, so important? It could be that you’re not living life on your own terms. So what you’re doing is modeling your entire life after the 10 minutes surrounding when your mom would call you in for supper!

Maybe, just maybe, you ought to think about what made the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of life so great when you were a kid. I don’t mean to sound simplistic. The fact is that there are pressures on us as adults, parents, employees and contributing members of society. I’m not suggesting that you become reckless or irresponsible, quite the contrary. What I recommend is that you reach back into your memory and explore how it felt to be carefree as a kid. Then with that feeling in mind, look for times during the day that you can return to that feeling of “no worries”.

Some people might point out that this is just meditation. Well, that’s fine with me. And if I’m lucky, somebody’s going to call me in for supper too!

11 Comments

admin, April 26th 2010 | Posted in Meditations

Effective Leadership: Character Is Required for Effective Leadership

Effective leadership is not an accident; rather it is the result of carefully culturing the qualities of leadership into your own personality and ethos. Character is one such quality, and it’s a biggie. I don’t have to remind you of the Enron scandal and the mortgage and banking debacles. Character is the guts to go with your convictions. Character is the true heart of authenticity and being real. Because character is all about whom you are, and what you stand for.

In The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, John C. Maxwell explains that character is at the heart of our development as human beings, not just as leaders. Each day we make hundreds of choices, and some are at the crossroads of character and compromise. And each time we choose character, regardless of the consequence or reward, we grow deeper and stronger as people and leaders.

Maxwell suggests that there are four things everyone should bear in mind about character:

Character Is More than Talk – Character runs at the core of our personality. He suggests that it determines who we are, which dictates what we see, which results in what we do. So character is at the heart of intention and action. It just doesn’t go deeper than that.

Talent Is a Gift, but Character Is a Choice – Maxwell tells us that character is not something we are born with; rather it is created through the choices we make. And I would add that the choices we make are created through the character we have chosen. The fact that we can chose to have sterling character is great. In fact, if you think about it, it’s downright empowering if you want to provide effective leadership.

Character Brings Lasting Success with People – Nobody wants to follow a leader who is flawed. Think of Bill Clinton and the Intern Scandal. It’s not like he killed someone, or necessarily ruined anyone’s life. But he lied to the public. And that was a choice he made at the crossroads of character and compromise. That compromise cost him a lot of leadership effectiveness.

Leaders Cannot Rise Above the Limitations of Their Character - Maxwell also tells us that weak character carries a high price. He cites The Success Syndrome by Steven Berglas, a Harvard Medical School psychologist whose work suggests that character is a foundational trait. The stronger the foundation, the higher a person can rise. But when the person reaches the limits of that foundation they will suffer from one of 4 “A’s”: Arrogance, feelings of aloneness, unhealthy adventure-seeking, and adultery. These are the signs that a person has pushed beyond the ability of their character. I can think of a few governors and a senator who have had one of those problems in the past few years. What a cost!

Effective leadership requires a strong foundation of character, so how is your character? Maxwell suggests four things to do to improve it. First, look for the cracks. Write down the recent choices you’ve made and whether or not you’ve compromised on what you know is right, or what you said you’d do. Second, identify any patterns in those compromises. Look for clues about your weaknesses by identifying patterns. Third, own the fault. You made the choices, so now you can follow through by apologizing, to yourself if nobody else was involved, or to others who were affected. This is a soul cleansing action. Now that you have a clean slate, the fourth action is to start rebuilding. Maxwell recommends creating a plan that will prevent any further compromises in your convictions.

And just so you know, I’ll be making my own plan too. Making compromises is human. We all do it. Owning up to them and doing something to prevent them in the future is a sign of true character! Keep building your character and providing effective leadership.

8 Comments

admin, April 6th 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized

Purpose for Life: What is it You Really Want?

What is your purpose for life; what is it you really want? Is that what you’re doing with your life? I think that I’m like a lot of other people; I grew up wanting things. I wanted the newest toys when I was a child; I wanted the things that other kids had. And when I was older I wanted a car. I wanted clothes like others had, later a cool job, a beautiful wife, a great house, and so on. I learned that money got me some of the things I liked, so I wanted money. And like other people sometimes I got what I wanted and sometimes I didn’t. But there was a catch to it all.

Usually, in fact almost always, two things happened when I got what I wanted. My interest in what I wanted diminished significantly once I got it, and always something else came up that I wanted and the whole cycle of “want and get” started over. And this cycle continued year after year.

At some point, if you’re lucky, you realize that wanting and getting are tremendous drains on your energy. And you begin to realize that there some things that you’d much rather have or that you’d passionately prefer to be doing with your life than “wanting and getting.” And if you’re like me, that’s when you realize that you’re locked in financially to a “wanting and getting” system you’ve created; to high paying jobs you don’t like, but that you’ve struggled to get to pay for “wanting and getting.” And you are trapped and begin a slow process of escaping the trap to live the real life you actually do want.

I wonder if a lot of people just stay right there. Or do they break free and change their direction? A film called “God and the Chocolate Ice Cream” by Nic Askew deals with wanting and getting. It uses an analogy of a visit to the bookstore. You pick out a stack of books that you want. Then sort them. First there are the ones you decide “no” you really don’t want much, then the ones that, “yes” you passionately do want, and the rest are those that “maybe” you want. The question is, what do you do with the three stacks of books?

Do you say “yes” to the “yes” stack, “no” to the “no” stack and “no” to the “maybe” stack? Or do you say “no” to your “yes” books, “yes” to your “no” books, and “yes & no” to your “maybe” books? Or just “maybe” to all of them? If you say “no” to your “yes” then are you denying yourself your passions? If you say “yes” to your “no” are you stuck in a rat race of want and get?

So I ask you, in your life, and in your business, are you aligned with your purpose for life? Or are you denying your passions and working for something that you really don’t want? Life is short. I say follow your passions. Don’t spend your energy and your life struggling to get what you really don’t want and to become who you really are not!