ThriveAMERICA

A meditation on thriving in this economy and beyond.

“Networking in Atlanta“ Presents: ThriveAMERICA.

Produced by Blank Stage Productions, ThriveAMERICA attracts top business leaders willing to share their experience, strength and hope so that we may all learn how to thrive in this economy. We recently asked business leader Brandon Miltsch of Firewolf and Networking in Atlanta to visit the set and discuss ways a business leader can thrive in this economy and beyond. Here, he shares with us his Five To Thrive , 5 ways to thrive in today’s ever changing economy:

1. Have fun. Have fun. Enjoy your job and your life.  Live everyday to the fullest and you will attract like minded people.

2. Networking. Go to networking events. Meet new people and branch out. You will build new relationships as well as a great database and you will consistently find more and more people that you can help.

3. Follow Up. After a meeting, follow up and add a personal touch. Send an email; check out a website. This will allow people to see that you care and are willing to take the time to learn more about them. It is a great start to a business relationship.

4. Be adventurous. Don’t stay in your comfort zone.  Be adventurous and take risks because it will change everything for you and that’s when the best things will happen.

5. Helping others. Reach out to your community. Don’t become too busy. You will meet incredible people and show a great example of strong leadership.

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Brandon Miltsch (dot) com

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More About Networking in Atlanta:
Networking In Atlanta gathers prominent business professionals within the Atlanta area. There are twelve networking events in a year: one every first Wednesday of each month. These venues are created to maximize the business potential in Atlanta, while building a solid sense of community.

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First Wednesday of Every Month

Networking In Atlanta is an Atlanta based business that throws several networking events each year in Atlanta. These events are not your typical “Networking Events.” The energy is high and the goal is to generate as much new business as possible. These events are only for qualified guests that are serious about helping others locally. To be added to our guest list please e-mail Brandon Miltsch (e-mail below) with a short description of yourself and your business. Describe the “Perfect Lead” for you and your business in this e-mail. Stay Tuned For Our Next Event In Atlanta!

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Brandon’s Full Bio:

Brandon’s unusual gift for sales, the Internet and entrepreneurship was honed at an early age. During high school, he started and ran two businesses simultaneously —a car valet and a car detailing operation — while also earning a prestigious first-place DECA State Award for Business Excellence. Later he gained business and management skills at Northwood University. In class after class, he heard how important the Internet is to businesses of all sizes, even more so in a down economy. But little did he know back then that he would be doing a lot more than just learning about the Internet. That’s because Brandon wasn’t satisfied with just learning about it he wanted to live and breathe the new world of the Internet all by himself in the real world of a day-in, day-out business.

So, Brandon found time to become a top selling sales consultant for a few of today’s fastest growing online companies. He started selling for Ameritech and learned what businesses really needed to get onto the Internet. It all started to make sense and soon Brandon wanted to go deeper by offering broad-based Internet solutions that could literally run a business of any size and generate revenues from around the world.

That’s when he joined Verio – an NTT Communications Company. They’re one of those quiet industry leaders — most people have never heard of them. In fact, Verio is the country’s largest provider of website hosting and high-speed Internet access for business. At first Brandon was a little surprised at just how rigorous Verio’s training wastotally on par with the coursework at Northwood. But the thing he really didn’t expect was Verio’s approach. He was expecting to learn tips and tricks to selling web hosting, but what he got was an education in how to help a customer’s business grow. No theory at all — just a lot of business problem-solving from an Internet perspective.

The best part, though, was the reaction he got from the people he called. Since he didn’t act like a salesman, they didn’t feel like they were being sold to. Instead, he served as a personal Internet expert and consultant that had this incredibly vast array of technology and expertise at his disposal. He found out where they want their business to go and then showed them what Verio could do to help them get there faster.

His clients seemed to love having someone who could cut through the technical stuff and explain exactly how their business would benefit from the services that seemed to fit them best. He tuned the service mix to answer every issue the client put on the table, and then adjusted the tuning as the client grew. And grew and grew.

Here’s where his career got really interesting and rewarding. Anyone can start a site. And a lot of companies can host your site. But how the site makes money for you and how you create the traffic to the site is what his career goal was all about. He set out to expand his expertise and did just that when he launched his own successful Internet brand, which became the culmination of his hard work and dedication when it was acquired by FireWolf http://firewolf.com/ , today’s leader in Revolutionary Marketing.

As a result, Brandon now has the collective alliance of all his former employers and colleagues to offer more powerful Internet solutions. As you can probably imagine, Brandon’s favorite aspect is dealing with people who are willing to launch an idea, develop it into a website and generate income from around the world. For Brandon it’s exciting to have an opportunity to dive right in and help turn things around, one business at a time. For his clients, it’s a proven Internet expert delivering proven results.

If you’ve ever participated in one of his workshops, you’ve gotten a real good idea how Brandon helps identify hidden sale opportunities and builds a plan that can find new customers to drive new profitable revenues. You come out of those sessions with a new perspective: how to increase powerful sales, how to structure your sales plan and how to tap into powerful Internet opportunities.

Brandon has the rare combination of professionalism, enthusiasm, sales and Internet skills needed to expand any firm’s natural and geographic limitations. He understands sales, and he understands what’s needed to become successful in today’s new world of the Internet. His most impressive asset might just be his can-do attitude and he’s a hands-on — never shy about making a sales call for one of his clients.

And that is just the overview. Brandon’s welcomes the opportunity to discuss your needs in greater detail and to propose a best-fit solution for building your business without busting your budget.
B@BrandonMiltsch.com
1.877.FIREWOLF ext.712
585.267.6122

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Brent Brooks | Brent owns and operates Blank Stage Productions, an independent film production company. Blank Stage is home to “The Blank Page” a screenwriting group and “Under Budget” a producer’s network. Brent has directed three indie films to date, THE GALLON CHALLENGE, ART OF SUICIDE and BETWEEN LOVE & A HARD PLACE.

Visit: http://www.blankstageproductions.com

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ThriveAMERICA is internet video blog show and my personal journey to help you thrive in this economy.  We asked Brandon Miltsch, owner of Firewolf, to come as a guest on ThriveAMERICA to share his experience, strength and hope.  Press the comment ICON next to the main video player above and tell us what you think.

I don’t know why my interview went so well with Brandon, oh yea I do, because he has a passion for what he does. Of any guest he has been the most appreciative of his experience on the show. I have a feeling Brandon is going to do some great things here in Atlanta, and will help a lot of people with not only through Firewolf services but being a major resource for the rest of us. PLEASE check out this awesome cause Brandon supports: Brenden Smiles.

Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

* Brandon’s BRAND NEW website: Brand Miltsch DOT com

Taxation Tales!

More Taxation Tales at Pro@ctive CPA.  Want a FREE business tax assessment?  Mention where you saw the video, and email:  Mark Wyssbrod, mark(at)pro-active-cpa.com

Videos produced by Blank Stage Productions.

Interested in advertising or being a guest on ThriveAMERICA , please email interest to: info(at)blankstageproductions.com

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ThriveAMERICA is internet video blog show and my personal journey to help you thrive in this economy. We asked David Cohen, owner of Equation Arts, to come as a guest on ThriveAMERICA to share his experience, strength and hope. Press the comment ICON next to the main video player above and tell us what you think.

It was great having such a brilliant man on ThriveAMERICA talk about branding and I thought shared some powerful ways to for small business to brand themselves.

See ImprovAstorm’s at Blank Stage Studios!

Taxation Tales!

More Taxation Tales at Pro@ctive CPA. Want a FREE business tax assessment? Mention where you saw the video, and email: Mark Wyssbrod, mark(at)pro-active-cpa.com

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Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

Videos produced by Blank Stage Productions.

Interested in advertising or being a guest on ThriveAMERICA , please email interest to: info(at)blankstageproductions.com

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My time with Kal was truly rewarding.  Kal spoke with conviction about his business building principals and what is helping his mortgage business thrive in this economy.  At times I was simply  speechless with my interview with Kal.

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Segment 2

WORK & PLAY

We just don’t like to work.  There is always something you like to do outside of work, a hobby for example.  I like to socialize.  I am out all the time.  I think to myself, how can I do revenue generating activities all the time.  Actually, it is not as hard as you may think.  I made match books with my name and my phone number.  I got 20,000 of them made for about $500. Most places let me put them out on the bar, they needed them.  For 2 years everyone in the city pointed me out, I was branded. I found away to go out and about and market myself.  You don’t hit the social scenes?  What If you like the beach then make beach balls with your company logo on them.  If you like golfing, host a golfing event.  If you can work without feeling like your working you might be onto something.

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NICHE MARKET

I am 26, and I am around my niche market.  What I learned is the banks were not focusing on this specific demographic.  There was no banker they could really relate to.  They did not feel comfortable with this. This demographic has been very successful and I have worked hard to break down this uneasiness.  I produced niche marketing to appeal to this demographic.  Don’t be scared to go after that market you are in right now.   Join your local groups, and attend social events.  This can reap for you.

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SELF PROMOTE

Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.  People are worried that they may come across cocky when bringing up what it is they do.  To some extent this can be true.  Figure out a way to make in known what it is that you do in a way that is not so.  Think of some jokes.  Wear a wacky t-shirt for example.  When you leave an event everyone there should at least KNOW what is that you do.

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Segment 3

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WORK THE WEEKEND

Work Friday nights and over the weekends.  Your customer is available then.  When you are working 9-5, so is your customer and they won’t be ready to make certain buying decisions because they are to busy.  You’re creating that winning conversation. Your competition is not working then.  You have that edge.  You need to be there when your customers needs you.

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ADVERTISE EFFECTIVELY

You are going to be approached about traditional advertising.  You have to look at the benefit for that cost.  You have to look outside the box.  For $4,000 you could get a magazine ad that will touch a fanbase one time.  Go gorilla.  Don’t go the traditional route.  You could make a series of videos for the same cost.  I spent $500 and made 2500 matchbooks with my name and contact info.

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POWERS of the INTERNET

I do what I can to get on the internet. The viral commercials I did with you.  We did a farce of a sex hotline, a total comedy joke, it went viral.  We put it on YouTube. Myspace and beyond.  It created a worldwide phenomenon, I was on BBC, La Times, and MS NBC to name a few.  So many people have seen it and called me.  You can focus on your newspaper ads but are you going to adapt?  The market is changing. How can you CREATE a marketing opportunity?

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Kal Wayman’s Internet Sensation…

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SLIGHTLY FAMOUS

How are going to stick out from your competition.  If you are one of the guys in the yellow pages hoping to get a call because you are local, more power to you.  You need to always be thinking, how to market yourself better.  You need to stick out from your competition and I think become slightly famous in your industry.

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Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

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Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

WELCOME!

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We asked Charles Fellingham founder of QAlias (google him) and bona fide Frank Sinatra impersonator to come as a guest on ThriveAMERICA to share his experience, strength and hope so that others might learn from his sharing. Below represents a very basic summery of the interview so you might find what you need and move on.  Comment below on what may have learned from the show.  Beside the video player is the comment icon.

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Note: Normally the rules for my guests are not to discuss there own business until the end of the show.  However what Charles and his services provide I feel is a powerful tool and trumps this rule. QAlias is a paid service businesses can use to control your personal branding.

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QALIAS

QAlais is a way where you can be found the best way on the internet.  Our service gives you a 3 page website.  Here is the story. I was doing a training session for a large accounting firm.  I mentioned who I was and everyone there goggled me and I sort of lost control of the seminar. This spawned QAlaias.  They wanted to see who I was online.  So I went home and figured out if there was a service like this. There wasn’t.  So we created a critical path to success.  QAlias give you a online personal brochure you can to others.

Accountant’s Fairy Tale!

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GOOGLE ME NOW, OR GOOGLE ME LATER

It used to be we had a choice on the internet.  We don’t have a choice anymore.  There is information about us out there on the internet that we just can’t control.  So with QAlias you can control what is being said about you.  With QAlias it graduates the other websites you own or want to bring up in the organic google rankings. Google wants you to find what you are looking for.

ThriveAMERICA is produced by Blank Stage Productions

WEIGH IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It is all about personal branding.  There are SO many social communities out there.  So you have to choose wisely.  Make sure you write a robust bio. Your bio is very important. You need to a Taj Mahal online.  Get a great picture or head shot produced, pay for it.  People want to see your creditability online and they will search for you, seek you out, they will google your name.  You have to MANAGE your time online.  Create awareness online but follow the social media rules. Don’t piss anyone off, be a resource to others and listen.

TWITTER

Some people on Twitter are just trying to get as many followers as possible, spammers. Get followers and follow those that are aligned with you and your values.  Get incredible insight from the comments and direction of other leaders in your industry and beyond.  Marketing now is more about having a dialogue with your target market, a conversation with your gate openers and a relationship with your customers.

GOOGLE PROFILES

We knew they were coming out with Google profiles.  Google profiles show up on the bottom of the page.  Not a whole of links. Google does have new free service for personal branding, it is free and it is good but not a great differentiator.  You want to differentiate yourself.

UNIVERSAL SYNCHRONICITY

If you have an idea for a business, that is keeping you up at night then odds are so are a lot of other people.  Have you heard of universal synchronicity?  If you have a great idea, odds are 10,000 people are having the same thought, at the exact same time. Most people will not act on it, maybe only one.  It is these people that act on it that can thrive. Get passionate about it then gather the resources or the right people around you to make that happen.  Make a list of six people that can impact or empower your business.  With QAlias we flow charted out the time, resources, people, money knowledge AND pulled all that together and my team and I created a critical path for success.

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST BUSINESS BLUNDER

I am having so much fun with this start-up business, more then then I may have ever had.  I wonder how many brilliant ideas I have had in my life I did not take action on.   Not anymore.   I was in corporate America much of my life and in the corporate rut, and I wish I made the decision to be an entrepreneur a lot sooner.

HOW CAN WE THRIVE IN THIS ECONOMY?

Be fearless.  It is the time to get fearless about creating the best personal brand for yourself.  Right now your online creditability is crucial. Find out what is being said about you online.  Call in some experts to discover what is being said about you online, have them critique it, even call me I will help you with this. Know what is being said about you online.  Build your online personal Taj Mahal, and don’t allow yourself to get over-whelmed. A good place to start is a killer bio and a smoking headshot.

“I Did It My Way” – Frank Sinatra

Videos produced by Blank Stage Productions.

Interested in advertising or being a guest on ThriveAMERICA , please email interest to: info(at)blankstageproductions.com

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Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

We asked Lisa Blackstone of Horse and Rider Club to come as a guest on ThriveAMERICA to share her experience, strength and hope so that other business owners might learn a new business building principal. Below represents a very basic summery of the interview so you might find what you need and move on. Be sure to comment on what you may have learned from this segment or list examples of how you might apply these principals in your business. Beside the video player is the comment icon.

Sit Tight. Blog Coming Soon.

THE PASSION
I grew up around horses.  Loved them, but felt like it was making an old lady out of me.  I went to practice law, but found I was just not as passionate about it. I just kept coming back to my passion.  All the various life lessons that being around horses taught me.  My accountable, setting and achieving goals.

HOW DO YOU CROSS
For my law practice I was going too a lot of networking marketing events, and doing well but I had a fatal flaw.  I was meeting a lot of people but I was not following with them. I found myself at a video blogging workshop.  There I learned how to use video to follow up with my leads. It was not easy learning the technology.  I was using the video by creating current content that really affected people, earning their trust and it lead me to be thought of as an expert in this field.  One day I walked into a local coffee shop and three people pointed me out, that I did not know, and referred to my blog and I thought to myself “this is really working!” I have had a lot of people come to me and ask to be on my list.

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EXPERT ADVICE
You have to stay current with the latest technologies.  If you are a business owner you have to keep up with this coming generation.  You have to know how they are communicating.  I started to going to more internet marketing seminars.  One stands out, his name is Armand Moran. He is a internet marketing genius.  he put on a 3 day seminar and invited other guests to come on to speak.  I went to six total seminars.   I learned a lot for the speakers but even more from my peers and those in the audience.  Things are changing every day, and there I met some very key people.

DRIVING TRAFFIC
When you are building a website.  You have two full time jobs, you have to build the site, build the content such as copy, video and graphics.  The other job is learning how to drive traffic to the site.  I went to a lot of seminars and learned for their expertise, but one product stood out.  Market samurai.  This is a product that helps you focus on good keywords.  Words that your target audience are typing into google and words your competition are using.  You have to narrow your search and this product helps you do that.  So I came up with 30 words that I thought made sense, so what i did was use those keywords and bought there URL’s.  THEN – I used a product called Wordpress Direct.  A powerful tool.   This product goes and searches relative content you can use in your blog.

WRITE ARTICLES
Write article for ezine articles.  Once they publish you, you are well on your way to getting attention to yur site.  You have this articles, and these blogs out there with link back’s to your mother site.  Go look for market samurai and wordpress direct online.

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ThriveAMERICA is produced by Blank Stage Productions

Top Views on ThriveAMERICA | Click on Thumbnail to View the Interview

These past guests, in order of standings, are getting the most views for their past appearances on ThriveAMERICA. Click on their picture and see why!

We asked Dee Doanes: Jigsaw Marketing and Services to come as a guest on ThriveAMERICA to share her experience, strength and hope so that other business owners might learn a new business building principal. Below represents a very basic summery of the interview so you might find what you need and move on. Be sure to comment on what you may have learned from this segment or list examples of how you might apply these principals in your business. Beside the video player is the comment icon.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND VIRAL MARKETING

Social media can bring your company up to speed, and fast.  Just look at the Obama campaign and see what they did.  This really put him on the map by reaching a powerful demographic. He used social media with great, great results, so you have to stay current with the social technologies. Most people will use social media destinations like facebook and LinkedIn.  Look at Dell, they set up a facebook page and they addressed much of their customer issues on their facebook site.  They used facebook as a strategy to improve their product and speak directly to their target audience.    So how can you use facebook as a strategy?  Set up a blog, a fanpage, post customer reviews, the list goes on… Don’t be annoying but be attractive.  Use video and pictures of you and your team in action.  Show that you are fun and easy to work with and that you get the job done.

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Check out Dee’s profile on Facebook and Linkedin.

USING SEO AND SEM EFFECTIVELY

SEO and SEM work hand in hand and deal with how you are letting Google know  about your website. So SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the science of using the right keywords to describe your website, very key.  You could have this BEAUTIFUL website but no one will come if Google can’t find it.  Google uses robots to look for WORDS not beauty.   It is really important to use the right words to make sure your customers find you.  You should have two paragraphs on your website and no more then 30 keywords in your source code.  More then then this then Google will penalize you and your site will be viewed as spam.  I am guilty of this and have used too many keywords even on this site.  Can I go back and correct this, clean up the code? Yes you can.  If you can’t do it yoursefl find a good website developer or SEO expert. Google has tools that will help you pick the right words for your website.

SEM MARKETING
List your website with online directories.  Go to Merchant Circle and Kudzu for example, these are called back links.  Links that are driving people back to your website.

E BOOK
This is something anyone can do and free to do, it is not a paperback book but used in the end as a PDF format staged on your website. Put all your ideas on paper, you can then hire a ghost writer to help you.  A great way to promote yourself and your business.  A good tip would be to give away a free sample of the book, to get them intrigued.

More info: E Books

HOW CAN WE THRIVE IN THIS ECONOMY?
People are spending money more selectively.  So you have to think of creative ways to get into that wallet. You have to stand out!  Join groups, go to seminars, educate yourself, start your own group, and/ or network with people. You have to have passion for your work and your industry. Give correct information, present it in a creative way and you will get business and get referred to others. We need more people like you!

WORKING WITH DEE
I prefer face to face meetings, 404.856.9188 is my number jsawmarketing@gmail.com is my email.

ThriveAMERICA is produced by Blank Stage Productions