Having a CRM system doesn’t mean you no longer have to pick up the phone!

 

  In many types of businesses a salesman is required to close sales. This is not only true for big ticket items like cars and airplanes, but a myriad of different types of businesses too numerous to be named.

Even for most of the items on your grocery store shelves, a salesman probably was involved to get the supermarket manager or chain, interested enough to provide shelf space for that particular product at some point in time. Even though new automation marketing may provide prospect data and up to the minute d detailed information on how your prospects interact on your website, this information alone will usually not close the sale.

 

This is quite obvious basic information, of course, but no company with a CRM system (Customer Relationship Management) software should be unclear that the CRM software is merely a tool to provide additional data for the salesperson, and to help find the prospects who are ready, willing, and able to buy at the current time.

 

Face to face visits, (when possible), phone calls, Skype calls, webinar events, presentations, etc. are where sales are made. Everything else is just background to the actual sale. Sometimes the amount of data can be a little distracting, but keeping all eyes on the prize should prevent this.

 

The relationship between the salesman and the customer is the most critical one a business has, and all the advertising in the world, cannot substitute for the personal relationship that exists there.

 

Sales and marketing managers also need to make sure that this fundamental level of contact with the customer is taken care of. Tracking calls, visits, and all of these one-to-one connections with prospects is just as critical as the detailed information you receive from a CRM, if not of greater importance. CRM systems, once costly propositions restricted to entrerprise-level companies are now highly affordable, even for the smallest business.

 

For more information, click the link below. click here —-> Affordable Automation for Everyone  

Related articles

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

A Different Job Interview

I spent an interesting morning yesterday at the National Water sports Centre Holme Pierrepont. I had applied for work there and I was invited for a practical assessment. Unfortunately the weather system which resulted in the snow storm which shut down the East coast of the USA, was  passing
over the UK, so the winds were high with rain in the north.

There were a number of no shows so what had been planned to last a day only covered the morning as only one other person attended. We ended up only doing one practical test of building a raft and assembled a raft using four barrels, two long poles as six short and thinner poles and numerous ropes. We took our time and after 30 minutes built a passable raft, capable of carry four people. We were then made aware of possible safety issues where  limbs could become trapped. Three instructors them demonstrated a different design using four Barrels, the two long poles and just four ropes built in 5mins and once again pointing out areas to watch when assembling and using rafts.

The winds were still strong, above the limits of normal operations so no further tests were possible  but we were taken on a tour around the site viewing the Rowing course, Assault course challenge, E-combat, Sky trail, mini golf, Laser Tag and Segways. I was impressed with the Sky trail from a  safety point of view as users are permanently attached  to a track from start to finish and even toddlers can use a mini version, We also viewed the extensive sailing and canoeing equipment, safety boats, White Water area and Wake boarding set-up.

We finished up with checking our certificates and discussing work opportunities. One question  came to light was my lack of formal certification  versus years of experience. Which has the most value, ideally you need both. Rules and regulations in the UK require valid certificates, however no training can cover all eventualities and this  is where experience comes into play. The question for potential employers is it worth to spend time and money in training up experienced people or do they accept only those with certification.

I now have to wait a few weeks, as they have another weekend assessment to complete, before they will invite selected candidates for a more formal interview.

This afternoon, I continue my School Governor training, having been elected in December, I need to learn  more about how the education system works in the UK.

 

David Ogden
Helping Peaple Help themselves
Markethive,com/david-ogden

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

European Refugee Crisis

European Refugee Crisis.

There seems to be little action taking place to resolve the situation and now they are talking of changing the rules laid down in the Dublin Agreement, which states that those seeking asylum in Europe need to apply in the first country they reach,

The rules have worked fine for years, however numbers have increased including large numbers of economic migrants who have swelled the numbers and do not qualify for asylum. Last year Germany announced it would accept anyone who reached it border and this effectively destroyed any form of control, causing millions of people to cross from Turkey to Greece and North Africa to Italy, Malta and France, many without documents. European countries were eventually forced to temporary close their borders as they could not cope.

Germany has now admitted that it cannot cope with the 1.1 million refugees and in it fact does not even know where over half of them are because they only registered names and country of origin before allowing them to travel to the area of Germany they wished to live in to apply for Asylum and it is possible that some may have left Germany for other countries.

Immigrant are increasingly being accused of causing problems in countries they are living in including Germany and Sweden, probably the worse case being in Calais where some 150 broke through security fences and 50 of them boarded a ferry bound for the UK. They complain about living conditions in the “Jungle” camps both in Calais and Dunkirk but are unlikely to use new facilities under construction by the French Government at Dunkirk as they fear they will become internment camps.

The truth is that many immigrants will not be granted asylum as they are merely economic migrants and not refugees whose lives are in danger. Law and order has broken down what is need is for refugees to be able to register as asylum seekers either before they travel to Europe or on arrival. There needs to be a way to fast track applications, rejecting those who are economic migrant who should apply for visa's in the normal way

UK Asylum – If someone is at risk of being persecuted in their own country, they may go abroad and ask for asylum in another country. Granting ‘asylum’ means giving someone permission to remain in another country because of that risk of persecution.

In legal terms, a person who has asked for asylum in the UK and is waiting for a decision on that claim is called an asylum seeker. Someone who has received a positive decision on his or her asylum claim is called a refugee.

Although some asylum seekers might enter the UK illegally, once they have applied for asylum they are no longer ‘illegal’. Anyone seeking protection is entitled to stay in the UK while awaiting a decision on their asylum claim.

The right to claim asylum is in international law. Governments are obliged to provide protection to people who meet the criteria for asylum. The UK has signed these international laws and they are part of UK legislation.

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

Blogging Tips in MarketHive and Elsewhere

For all you budding Bloggers here in MarketHive. Once you have posted your article, display the post and use the Share buttons to send it around the Internet … Use StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn etc.. I also use Buffer, as it allows me to share it once and then it sends it Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn all at the same time. I mention this as I see many posts with 0 views and this means that you have not even shared it once to your own social media accounts.
 
 
 
How to Blog Almost Every Day
  1. Read something new every day. …
  2. Talk with people every day. …
  3. Write down titles and topic ideas in a notepad file. …
  4. Maintain a healthy bookmarking and revisiting habit. …
  5. Find 20-40 minutes in every day to sit still and type.
  6. Follow an easy framework. …
  7. Get the post up fast, not perfect.

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they show at the top of the page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive

markethive.com


Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

I would actually bring this to a party and/or social gathering

I would actually bring this to a party and/or social gathering
Super Easy Mexican Crockpot Casserole

This is a follow up to my last blog post “Fairly Easy Chickpea, Lentil, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole” as this week I made “Super Easy Mexican Crockpot Casserole” by Alexis.  Below is her recipe which I copied from her website.
 
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup long-grain brown rice
  • 2½ cups vegetable broth
  • 1-15oz can black beans, drained
  • ¾ cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup frozen corn (I used Trader Joe's roasted corn)
  • 1 large bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1¼ tsp cumin
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese (or more, to taste)
  • Avocado, for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place all ingredients except cheese and avocado in a 5-qt crockpot. Cook on high (covered) for about 2½ hours, or until rice is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Turn off crock-pot. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with diced avocado and more salsa on top.
NOTES
Adapted from my Super Easy Chickpea, Broccoli and Brown Rice Crockpot Casserole
 
I recently bought measuring spoons and a measuring cup to do these recipes.  I did everything listed above.  I substituted one 15 oz. package of Fig Food Co. Black Beans instead of a can as it has less sodium.  I also used pink Himalayan salt instead of regular salt.

It took me exactly three hours to cooks this in my crockpot.  Below is my three hours later picture.

The title of this blog post is “I would actually bring this to a party and/or social gathering.”  I am impressed how well it came out.  I can see myself bringing this to a Super Bowl or a work place gathering.  It would be interesting to hear what others thought of it.  I am proud of myself for making this.  Below was my lunch this past Monday and it was just recipe alone.

While cooking the recipe I used the leftover vegetable broth and made Quinoa.  I don’t want to toss anything away.  It cooked well and added the leftover salsa to it.  I put this in a separate container and added this to my lunch Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  It was a good combination however I would only feel comfortable sharing with others what I had on Monday.

Next week, a recipe that came with my crockpot.  This Sunday I will make Vegetable Curry.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
e-mail: alan@internetguy.ws
 
 

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

The MarketHive RSS WordPress Plugin

markethive wordpress pluginThe MarketHive RSS WordPress Plugin

This plugin uses the "Really Simple Syndication" system, a file format that is incorporated by Internet users in their websites to allow for 'web syndication', making their web content available in a format that can be universally understood by other people.

In essence, the Plugin is a 'mini database' that contains headlines and descriptions (a summary or a line or two of the full article) of your web content, including hyperlinks that enable users to link back to the full article of their choice.

Websites that use the MarketHive Plugin – that is, websites that contain MarketHive generated 'feeds' (articles or postings) – typically have colorful graphics and YouTube links to indicate to users that the specific web content is available in the associated feeds.

The graphics in the plugin may be hyperlinked or not and the MarketHive Plugin is now being adopted and used by more website owners and publishers.

Today, numerous resources are now available that aid Internet surfers (and even beginners as well) on how to set up and use MarketHive. After joining MarketHive, the RSS Plugin is available and your feeds can now be added to your website. The simple process does not involve a lot of time or any money or technical ability. Listed below are some simple and basic steps that you might want to follow:

1. Have your web content and/or news in MarketHive available now in RSS feed format on your website.

Sample: See:  An RSS Feed I have used

2. Take note of your MarketHive username as this enables the feed.

3. Install the MarketHive RSS WordPress Plugin and configure it as a Widget on your own website.

4. Having created for your website, next comes the task of publishing your web content and news and having them displayed on other sites and headline viewers. You can also add posts your MarketHive friends are making and have them posing on your MarketHive WordPress Plugin.

5. Click on the "MarketHive Setting” in the Settings Menu of WordPress. This will generate the feed for your web content.

6. Allows users to have control over the information that they wish to view or receive, as they can remove a feed of their choosing any time they want to.

Aside from these benefits, using the Plugin is a useful way for people who conduct their business in the Internet, particularly in Internet or Online Marketing. The Plugin can be an effective marketing tool for your website, especially in the following fields:

· E-mail marketing and publishing

· Search engine marketing and optimization

· Business blogging · Internet advertising

· Digital public relations

· Branding and e-commerce

In addition, the Plugin can 'power' your website, providing you with the following:

· Valuable, updated, and relevant resources for site visitors and potential clients – The Plugin is ideal for websites that contain (and syndicate) a lot of information that has to be changed or updated regularly.

· Search engine optimization for the website. · Increased traffic for the website – your website can 'harvest' and display information from other sites, driving more traffic to your own website.

· A reliable way to have your web content delivered to Internet users and potential clients – The Plugin ensures that your site is viewed by the people who are interested in the posts without having them blocked and 'cleaned' by ISPs or Spam filters.

These are just some of the advantages that MarketHive RSS WordPress Plugin can give your website (and your business). The possibilities are endless, as more and more comes up almost every day.

Do not be left behind – take the advantage of the marketing and publishing power of the MarketHive Plugin.

Article:

Brian Walters Contact me:

Skype: tuneup_bj

MarketHive

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

Why Lawyers Become Bad Leaders

Why Lawyers Become Bad Leaders
Or…Stop putting lawyers into political leadership, Congress, Senate, Presidency!

Lawyers rank low in terms of perception as being honest and ethical, yet make up a majority of US presidents and half of Congress. Does the study of the law result in bad leaders?

There is also a mismatch between the traits associated with leaders and those associated with lawyers. Although what constitutes effective leadership depends on context, certain qualities are rated as important across an array of situations. The best-documented characteristics cluster in five categories: vision, values (integrity, honesty, an ethic of service), personal skills (self-awareness, self-control), interpersonal skills (social awareness, empathy, persuasion), and technical competence (knowledge, preparation, judgment).

Not all of those qualities are characteristic of lawyers. For example, they tend to be above average in their skepticism, competitiveness, autonomy, sense of urgency, and orientation to achievement. Skepticism, the tendency to be argumentative, cynical, and judgmental, can get in the way of what President George H.W. Bush famously dismissed as the ”vision thing.” The need to ”get things done” urgently can lead to impatience, intolerance, and a failure to listen. Competitiveness and desires for autonomy and achievement can make lawyers self-absorbed, controlling, and combative.

Lawyers also rank lower than the general population in interpersonal sensitivity and resilience­—their difficulty in accepting criticism. Lacking ”soft” interpersonal skills, they tend to devalue them and see no reason to acquire them.

Another problem arises from what researchers call the ”paradox of power.” Individuals reach top positions because of a need for personal achievement, so they often don’t focus on helping others achieve. If left unchecked, the ambition, self-confidence, and self-centeredness that often propel lawyers to leadership roles may sabotage their performance once they get there.

If you're a lawyer, you've heard it before: Americans don't much like you!

A recent Gallup poll finds that less than a fifth of Americans rate lawyers highly or very highly

in honesty and ethical standards, above members of Congress and car salesmen. According to a Pew Research Center poll, honesty is the most important leadership trait.

Although honesty is not a characteristic commonly associated with lawyers, Americans place lawyers in leadership roles  in much higher percentages than other countries do. According to one study, only one nation, Colombia, has  a higher share of lawyers in the national legislature. The legal profession has  supplied a majority of U.S. presidents, and in recent decades, almost half of the members of Congress. Although they account for just 0.4 percent of the population, lawyers are well represented as governors, state legislators, judges, prosecutors, and heads of corporate, government, and nonprofit organizations.

What explains that paradox?

The distinctive influence of American lawyers reflects several factors. First, the centrality of law in American culture. The country's longstanding tendency to frame questions of social policy and morality in legal terms has  elevated lawyers to positions of authority. As de Tocqueville famously noted, "In America there are no nobles or literary men, and the people is apt to mistrust the wealthy; lawyers consequently form the highest political class  and the most cultivated circle of society."

Because lawyers functioned, in de Tocqueville's words, as the "American aristocracy," many upwardly mobile individuals who  aspired to public influence chose law as their career. As law became associated with positions of influence, those who  were  interested in leadership increasingly saw it as the occupation of choice. President Woodrow Wilson captured prevailing wisdom when he noted: "The  profession I chose was politics; the profession I entered was the law. I entered one because I thought it would lead  to the other."

Law and politics are what researchers call "convergent professions" because they require similar functions; skills in investigation, drafting, procedure, and oral advocacy work to the advantage of lawyers who  seek public office.

It is ironic, then, that the occupation most responsible for producing America's leaders has focused so little attention on that role.

Rarely have lawyers received training for governance. Although leadership development is now a $60-billion worldwide industry, it is largely  missing in legal education. Even the minority of law schools that include fostering leadership among their objectives rarely offer courses in the subject. Only a fifth of large  law firms have formal leadership-development programs. An Amazon search yields  some 74,000 leadership books, but only a handful focusing on lawyers.

Two reasons the occupation that produces so many of the nation's leaders has  done so little to prepare them may  be that the field  of leadership studies has  only recently emerged, and that its reputation has  been tarnished by pop publications. "Leadership lite" includes classics such as Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun and Toy Box

Leadership: Leadership Lessons From the Toys You Loved  as a Child.

Another obstacle to preparing leaders is the assumption that great ones are born, not made. Yet contemporary research suggests that most leadership skills are acquired. And decades of experience with leadership development indicates that its major capabilities can be learned. In effect, as James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner note in The Truth About Leadership, "the best leaders are the best learners."

There is also a mismatch between the traits associated with leaders and those associated with lawyers. Although what constitutes effective leadership depends on context, certain qualities are rated as important across an array of situations. The best-documented characteristics cluster in five categories: vision, values (integrity, honesty, an ethic of service), personal skills (self- awareness, self-control), interpersonal skills (social awareness, empathy, persuasion), and technical competence (knowledge, preparation, judgment).

Not all of those qualities are characteristic of lawyers. For example, they tend to be above average in their skepticism, competitiveness, autonomy, sense of urgency, and orientation to achievement. Skepticism, the tendency to be argumentative, cynical, and judgmental, can get in the way of what President George H.W. Bush  famously dismissed as the "vision thing." The need to "get things done" urgently can lead  to impatience, intolerance, and a failure to listen. Competitiveness and desires for autonomy and achievement can make lawyers self-absorbed, controlling, and combative.

Lawyers also rank lower  than the general population in interpersonal sensitivity and resilience— their difficulty in accepting criticism. Lacking "soft" interpersonal skills, they tend to devalue them and see no reason to acquire them.

Another problem arises from what researchers call the "paradox of power." Individuals reach top positions because of a need for personal achievement, so they often don't focus on helping others achieve. If left unchecked, the ambition, self-confidence, and self-centeredness that often propel lawyers to leadership roles  may  sabotage their performance once they get there.

A case  study in the limitations of lawyers as leaders involves the role of Ted  Olson and David Boies in bringing the federal case  challenging California's ban on same-sex marriages. The case  arose after California voters narrowly passed Proposition 8, amending the state Constitution to limit marriage to unions between a man and a woman. Olson and Boies,  two of the nation's most accomplished lawyers, were  hired by a political strategist and a Hollywood producer to challenge Prop 8. Boies  and Olson knew that leaders of gay-rights organizations were  opposed to a federal challenge but did  not consult them before filing suit.

In justifying their decision to proceed, Olson told The New Yorker, "There are millions of people in this country who  would like to be married—in California, in Arkansas, wherever. Some couple is going to go to some lawyer, and that lawyer is going to bring the case. And that case  could be the case  that goes  to the Supreme Court. So, if there's going to be a case, let it be us. Because we will staff it—we've got 15, 20 lawyers working on this case, and we have the resources to do it, and we have the experience in the Supreme Court."

It was hardly a disinterested decision. Olson and Boies  clearly had something to gain from being lead  counsel in a case  of such prominence. Many gay-rights leaders were  furious, and a joint statement by the American Civil Liberties Union and eight prominent gay-rights organizations condemned the lawsuit. The odds of success were  weak because the "Supreme Court typically does not get too far ahead of either public opinion or the law in the majority of states," the statement said. "We lost the right to marry in California at the ballot box. That's where we need to win it back."

The controversy over Boies  and Olson's actions continued once the federal trial judge in the case issued an order specifying topics for the parties to consider. He identified a wide  range of matters in which gay-rights groups had expertise, and three of them attempted to join the lawsuit as interveners. Boies  and Olson blocked those efforts, in order to retain exclusive control over the litigation.

They got lucky.  The sympathetic trial judge issued a factually well-supported ruling that California's ban on same-sex marriage violated the U.S. Constitution. Then California's governor and attorney general declined to appeal the ruling, leaving the defense of Prop 8 in the hands of activists who  had put it on the ballot. That paved the way for the Supreme Court to rule  that the

activists lacked standing to challenge the lower  court's ruling. The result was to let the decision overturning Prop 8 stand, and to grant same-sex couples the right to marry in California, while avoiding a decision on the constitutional question.

Although the outcome was a happy one, there is much to dislike about the process by which it was achieved.

Boies  and Olson pursued a high-risk strategy against the advice of groups that had the greatest expertise and stake in the outcome. Most observers believe that a low-risk strategy of challenging Prop 8 at the ballot box would have been successful, as polls  suggested that California voters had changed their views on the ban. Such a strategy would have exposed the gay-rights movement to less risk of an adverse Supreme Court precedent while  accomplishing the same result.

That is not to deny the accomplishments of Boies  and Olson as litigators, the advantages of having a prominent conservative like Olson supporting gay marriage, or the social commitments that underpinned their actions. But it is to underscore the difference between effective lawyers and effective leaders.

A quality of successful leadership is the capacity to work collaboratively. The most-effective leaders are those who  can see past their own ambitions and desire for limelight. In Peter Drucker's phrase, accomplished leaders "think and say 'we.'" Enduring legacies are left by those who  transcend personal needs and consult widely  in pursuit of common values.

 

Deborah L. Rhode is a professor of law at Stanford University and director of its Center on the Legal Profession. Her most recent book, Lawyers as Leaders, was published by Oxford University Press.

How Entrepreneurs and Lawyers Think Differently


Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

8 Ways To Diversify Your Freelance Income

Want more stability in your financial life? Here's how freelancers can create a more reliable income through diversification.

growing an income

Perhaps whoever coined the phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket" was a freelancer, because, well, that's one of the biggest financial mistakes freelancers make. If you make all your freelance income from one client, what's going to happen when that client loses their funding? Certainly nothing good. But, if you make your freelance income from ten clients, when one client loses funding, you'll only be out looking to replace ten percent of your income.

There's more than one way to put your income into separate "baskets"–here are eight ways that freelancers can diversify their income for a more reliable paycheck.

Work with multiple clients. If you happen to land a client large enough to pay your entire salary, it may not be the best idea to work only with that client. Keep a few other clients on the side so that if something does happen, you're not wondering how to pay for groceries. The more clients you have, the more reliable your income will be—just make sure you can manage them all. Along the same lines, freelancers should continually be marketing their services so there's a potential client to contact when a current one falls through.

Write a blog. Whatever it is that you do, you can earn a little extra side money by sharing your first-hand knowledge. One way to do that is through blogging. While creating a successful blog takes time and effort, it's a good way to add an extra income source. And if worse comes to worse and you don't make any money from your blog, you at least have a great website to show potential clients that you know your stuff.

Write an eBook. Many bloggers expand their income through eBooks. While a blog earns money through advertising, eBooks are ad-free and earn income through the sale of the book itself. Many readers prefer getting their information through eBooks because the form is much easier to use and typically offers more information than a typical blog.

Teach a class. Another way to earn extra income by sharing the knowledge you have of your field is through teaching a class. While you can go the old fashioned way and actually teach a local class, you could also teach online for an even farther reach. Using a platform like Udemy or Open Learning, creating an online class is easier than you may think. There is a big time investment involved—though if you already have material like a blog or eBook on the same topic to work with, it's much easier to get set up with an online class.

Sell a digital product. There are many more possibilities of diversifying your income without selling an eBook. If your expertise lies in graphic design, for example, you could create and sell graphics such as clipart or templates for businesses to use for marketing materials. There are a lot of possibilities here, including stock photos and templates for different software programs.

Sell physical goods. While it takes a bit more of a financial risk, you could also sell physical products, ideally related to your area of expertise. Graphic designers and photographers, for example, could sell their designs on t-shirts and other items through a company such as Cafepress. If you created an eBook, you could could sell a physical copy too.

Use affiliate links. Many online stores pay for the links that send them traffic, it's called affiliate linking. If you have a blog or social media network with a large following, you could earn a little extra by using affiliate links. Popular sites with affiliate links are Rakuten Affiliate (formerly LinkShare) and Amazon Associates, though there are many more.

Expand your services. Having a niche area is a great way to show that you are an expert, instead of the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none kind of freelancer. But there is such a thing as being too narrow. One way to diversify your income is to start offering more than one service, ideally, something that's similar to your primary focus. For example, if you are a copywriter specializing in blog posts, it's an easy step to also start offering landing page content or e-mail marketing. The best way to expand is to offer another service that caters to the same business as the first. If your target audience for your first service is businesses, but for the second is families, it will be tough to market properly. Instead, try adding a service that your current and past clients might consider adding.

Freelancing, and the unpredictable income that comes with it, can be pretty scary. A great way to lessen the fear and create more stability is by adding other revenue sources. The first and biggest way is to work with a wider number of clients. But, by offering things like a blog, an ebook, online courses, digital or physical products, affiliate links or additional services, you can create a more reliable income that comes from a variety of sources.

What do you think? Have you ever worked for free? How did it turn out?

If you believe that my message is worth spreading, please use the share buttons if they are visible on this page.

Stephen Hodgkiss
Chief Engineer at MarketHive
markethive.com


Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

What can we learn from Lewis Burns about being an entrepreneur?

Lewis Burns is an artist, musician, teacher, philanthropist, and many more hats I am sure, but I do not know him personally.  We just connected recently on LinkedIn.

eigen foto

eigen foto (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]

From his LinkedIn profile, it states,

"Lewis Burns is a Talbragar-Wiradjuri man born in Dubbo, NSW. He has been learning about his Aboriginal culture for as long as he can remember. He continues to practice and respect these life skills each day and still learns and grows from this ancient knowledge.

Lewis' love of his heritage is evident when you speak with him, and depicted even more in his Aboriginal crafts, traditional dancing, didgeridoo performances, mural paintings and teaching. He is very dedicated to sharing what he knows with others to help keep these customs alive. Lewis paints in traditional Aboriginal and contemporary styles.

He has exhibited and performed both within Australia and overseas with his handcrafted didgeridoos. Each piece of Lewis' artwork tells a story…..a story that will live on forever through the generations, as the artwork is handed down from one family to another"

So what can we learn about being an entrepreneur from him? 

  1. Be honest – Be proud of who you are, where you have come from, and be true to yourself.  Lewis Burns exudes his heritage in everything he does.    
  2. Be original  – Lewis Burns certainly has this covered.  He has an abundance of originality. His art shows a careful study and beautiful reflection of his obvious love of animals, and the natural environment. In this age of copy-cat Internet marketing and hype, Lewis truly stands out.
  3. Be ubiqitous.  Lewis is everywhere.  He is on LinkedIn.  He has a Facebook page for his business, Red Earth Gallery.  He is on Twitter, and Instagram. I invited him to MarketHive, (a new social network for entrepreneurs, membership by invitation only), and he joined right away.
  4. Be conscientious – Be a philanthropist as much as you can.  Give of your time and talents to less fortunate and disadvantaged groups.  Lewis shows boys at a local juvenile detention center how to make and play didgeridoos.
  5. Be a teacher – whatever your special talent and skill, learn to teach it to others to pass on your knowledge. In Lewis case, I think wherever he is, and whatever he does, he is teaching his love of his culture, his heritage, and his love of all things.

So, my suggestion for all new or experienced entrepreneurs is to purchase a didgeridoo from Lewis Burns, (they are extraordinarily beautiful), and one of his online courses on how to play it.  Then try to emulate him in everything you do, from your daily marketing, to your respect for your fellow man, and nature, and the divine in all things.

You will be a better person, and a better entrepreneur for it, and this world will also be a better place in which to live.

Note: See more on Lewis Burns on the social networks, and his website at:

http://lewisburns.com/

English: Various types of Didgeridoo. Top: A t...

English: Various types of Didgeridoo. Top: A traditionally crafted and decorated didgeridoo. Middle: A bamboo souvenir didgeridoo. Bottom: An undecorated traditionally crafted didgeridoo. Photo taken by myself in July 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

English: A demonstration of Australian musical...

English: A demonstration of Australian musical instrument 'didgeridoo' during 'December Night' celebration at Balboa Park in San Diego, California in 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member

Fairly Easy Chickpea, Lentil, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole

Fairly Easy Chickpea, Lentil, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole

When I received my crockpot one of the first things I did was search “easy crockpot recipes”.  I immediately found “SUPER EASY CHICKPEA, BROWN RICE & BROCCOLI CROCKPOT CASSEROLE” by Alexis. 

According to her website she is a “Registered Dietitian and whole foods enthusiast”.  I love her site and I will try this weekend her “Super Easy Mexican Crockpot Casserole” and later “Slow Cooker Curried Butternut Chili”. Easy instructions as I do not like complicated.

Below is her recipe for Super Easy Chickpea, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup long-grain brown rice
  • 2½ cups vegetable broth
  • 1-15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
  • 1-12 oz. package of frozen broccoli
  • ½ medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1-5.3 oz. container plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more, to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place rice, vegetable broth, chickpeas, broccoli, onion, garlic and salt in a 5 qt. slow cooker. Cook on high (covered) for 2 to 2½ hours, or until rice is cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  2. Turn off crock-pot. Stir in Greek yogurt and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I have never met Alexis but would like to thank her for the above recipe.  Seriously I would not have been able to figure out alone how well the ingredients worked with each other.  It has given me ideas and I give credit where credit is due.

This was the second time I made this recipe.  In both cases the cooking time was precisely three hours.  This time I used one 15 oz. package of Fig Food Co. Chickpeas instead of a can as it has less sodium.  I also used pink Himalayan salt instead of regular salt.

I have a tendency to mix brown rice and lentils together.  I decided to use the left over vegetable broth to make lentils.  I use Daily Pantry Medley of Lentils.  The instructions calls for two cups of water to cook the lentils in, I had exactly two cups of leftover vegetable broth.  It took longer for the liquid to absorb but it worked.

After three hours when the Super Easy Chickpea, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole was completed I added the lentils above into the crockpot for another 30 minutes.  I then turned off the crockpot and stirred in the yogurt and cheese.  Below is a picture of “Fairly Easy Chickpea, Lentil, Brown Rice & Broccoli Crockpot Casserole.”

The original recipe makes for four servings, I wanted more for the work week.  The lentils made it happen and I was glad to use up the leftover vegetable broth.

All the best,

Alan
Alan Zibluk
http://alanzibluk.com
e-mail: alan@internetguy.ws

PS:  I was here before Dr. Oz.

 

 

Alan Zibluk – Markethive Founding Member