Tell me about money....

We have read hundreds of self development books, we have heard so many entrepreneur stories... Maybe we tried to be the entrepreneur couple of times... We are still trying to find something as web hunters.

We are looking for investors for our projects, the financial income is considered very seriously. We meet a rich, famous person and we feel the smell and “fear” of money at the same time. We want to improve our reputation on social media, we want to be a personal brand... all the roads lead us to money. “So what aobout money?” is the question remains behind at the end of the day. It is not possible to do something without money, that’s right but it is also not possible to reach the money source without doing some certain things. It is so hard even to see the light of a penny....

Egg comes from chicken or chicken comes from egg... That’s the story but not that hopeless... Let’s ask if we are doing the right things and can not make money... Is this the case?

- We can not really control our network. We do not know what we have talked with who lately, when we met face to face with our most important contacts, with whom we want to meet in 2009 and represent ourselves. We have so many contacts on social media networks but we don’t know who is useful, who can contribute and it is hard to decide.

- We are running BIG projects in BIG companies but we don’t run our lifetime project of becoming a personal brand seriously enough.

- We do not make effective time management.

- We are talking about numbers and statistics in our web sites anda blogs... We do not measure the real focus points.

- We dream of a sudden vertical promotion. We do not care about horizontal development, expertise... We are not patient enough, we give up too quick.

- We want applause, we want to be famous. But we don’t work enough. It is smarter to make money without working from this point of view. How many examples do you have around, if there is an example was this a lifetime experience or was it daily bread money only?

- We don’t play the game according to the locally translated universal rules. We stuck in the traditional sales and marketing rules.

- We decide our targets according to other people instead of ourselves.... Family, close friends, colleagues, bosses, criticizers etc. We can not say “sorry, this does not fit to my plan”.

- Starting from childhood we find ourselves in a competitive environment. That’s how our touchstone forms. We forget how we measure.... according to what, according to who, according to which concept, which model....

- We see everyone we meet as money, we attack them and we cause them to go away. We can’t see the opportunity, we don’t care enough and we’re missing it.

- We try to make ourselves accepted in the society with unlimited ambition and lack of manners. We are whimsical and appear with a lack of balance. Personal branding is, not this!

- There is no one to tell our mistakes face to face. We don’t do this ourselves either and the mistakes grow on and on. Besides we live in a “I know the best” manner.

- We are stubborn. The dose of modesty is always low. This has to be balanced.

- We do not learn the rules of our environment and business market. We always defend our own ways of doing business.

- We can not market ourselves successfully. Overdose or underestimate... Both does not work.

- We are drowned in a chaos of information and perception. We try to see the big picture via small mirrors in somebody’s hands. This is very difficult.

- We envy other people’s stories but we don’t care of our own story. It is even hard to remember chronologically. We do not remind ourselves our unconscious mistakes or conscious achievements. And we don’t tell our story to other people.

- We are too sensitive or too logical in decision making process.

- “They managed to do that” we always say for other people but we don’t learn how they attempt to do that. “He is born with a silver spoon in his mouth” we say but we don’t look how they manage to keep that silver spoon always up. Time deceives us and we always say “later”.

Did you notice that I’ve talked rarely on money? Let’s work 30% of these out properly and if we can not manage it then say it’s a matter of faith. And start again. I can not be considered as a successfull man in terms of money. But when you try to achieve some of the items above luck comes to your side. Can I earn more? Of course, why not! But I have to apply what I’ve read and written more. If I can not succeed, I start all over again reviewing my mistakes.

That’s how I talk of money, how do you talk about it?

Regards

Don’t blame me, I am questioning.....

Let’s say that you have a lot of registrations on many social webs. You have a blog or a web page, too. You communicate with so many people on the internet. So it is quite possible to say that your personal brand is very popular on social media. Very cool but I have somethings on my mind... I wonder a few things... Let me give an example:

You are aged between 25-40, you have one or two kids, you are working so hard, you are a manager but you still have your superiors up there, you have a very times to spend with your family at night. If we assume that you are an entrepreneur, after working so hard on new business connections, network connections, financial sources you come home consumed by business at the end of the day.

Bad examples, don’t you think? So how do you think you will manage to surf on Friendfeed, Twitter, Xing, Linkedin etc., write on your blog, communicate with your network throughout the day and sometimes meet those virtual faces personally while working so hard? Besides you will read, search and take some trainings about your job. Let everyone comment on this intensive dilemma in his own way. We advice you “do this, do that, struggle for your own personal brand”. No guys, please don’t blame me business gurus, social media specialists etc., I am not telling this way. I am questioning... Here’s what I say and a few suggestions:

- You will position your personal brand on the internet, you will advertise yourself but that does not mean that you = internet, it should not be. If this is the case, it means that you are missing so many things in real life.

- You envy to be a marketing speacilist, digital media expert, a software screwball and show off with so many web 2.0, 3.0 etc..... No way. If you don’t choose your job according to your capabilities deciphered in your genes you won’t be able to achieve anything in your life. And being an expert, being a brand on an issue is not possible only by writing a few words on your blog or attending a few conferences.

- You’ve hanged on internet, mobile world, new enterprise areas, structures like Silicon Valley etc. Haven’t you? You will see that these things are not easy in life conditions unless you know and plan your financial sources well. If you take people who have inherited from family as examples I have to say, I’m sorry for you. But I also admit that what we faced in life is the result of our choice of working for secure monthly salaries instead of being courage enough to take risks for an enterprise.

- What did you do to enhance your social web for the last six months? How many of the people you have met virtually on the net became real faces for you? How many of them did you see? Did you evaluate the win-win business opportunities? You have searched many internet pages, what is the added value for you? Or was it more fun to chat or gossip? Is that what social network mean for you?

- Did you share your know-how, your experiences with your family and people around you? Did you contribute anything to life?

- Did you realize that even though everybody is talking about sharing, working or doing something together, supporting each other only selfishness has the leading role? Did you see that commercial benefits eat ethic rules?

- Did you understand that we always talk about “yourself” while talking about personal branding, did you get the human touch on the subject? Did you have an action plan for 2009 while discovering the business world but searching for “yourself” first?

- Although you have read so many books, you have met so many precious people, did you realize your excuses,what you have missed in your life by giving in only because you are lazy?

- You have started to run by envying internet geeks and world of celebrities, haven’t you? What if you are climbing the wrong ladder? Did anybody remind you that?

- Technology, science, internet, mobile communication etc.are only tools for you... or did they become your aim?

Whatever you write on your notebook, try to erase, “reset” sometimes. Look what you have in your heart and mind cup... Reorganize them. Let your life be lighter, more simple, more striking, more controlled and more focused.

Best regards

Entrepreneurs, discover your personal brand first ...

“It makes no sense to discuss why... It’s like an obstinate disease like you never get well but it has a very deep sense of satisfaction.”

If you agree with this line it means that you are an entrepreneur. Fine...but you are a human being first....rich or poor... million dollar investor or leading a crowded staff, it doesn’t matter. “How am I perceived as a personal brand?”, this is the first thing you should ask to yourself. If you have a regular sense to ask this question to yourself then you have a great chance to be successfull. Let’s see the reasons why...

Entrepreneurs are mostly ambitios people and if we are talking about an overdose ambition that can not be controlled, the result will most probably be a disaster. Besides Mediterraneans like us combine this ambitious nature with hastiness. You can imagine the results of this perfect combination... As a result of these kind of habits, the first attempts as entreprenurs usually stay as a bittersweet memory. At this very point it’s the life itself , in other words it’s “us” that we have missed.

Let’s go on with an overview;

- Aged between 25-40 (apologies for younger and older ones)

- 95% have to continue to their existing carrier

- Most of them do not have an extra money for an extra 6 months of living without salaries

- They have the ideas, they have the desire but most probably there is no sign of a business plan

- They have a very little experience


We can make the list longer but enough for now... I wonder if my entrepreneur fella has ever asked himself the questions below for a trasnformation as a personal brand....

- The most important question, do I have to make this attempt now? Or is it the garage tales of my 20 years age makes me think that I have to do this!

- Am I capable enough to have an attempt in this issue? If not am I experienced enough to manage the ones who have the know-how on the issue? How much leadership is running on my veins?

- Are my dreams my real targets and are they written somewhere? How many people ever “realy”criticized me on these targets?

- How many books have I read, how many people have I met, how many places have I visited all through my life? What is my capacity for an intellectual communication?

- Do I have the ability to communicate? Have I ever heard the book “Never Eat Alone”? If yes have I read it and where am I ranking, how much points did I get?

- If I have professional life of 10-15 years, what kind of a social network have I set?

- How many real friends do I have who will try to help me in circumstances like unemployment or simply being broke?

- Where do I stand in social media in the world of Internet? How did I express myself?

- How is my ability to talk, to write? What can I say about my body language?

- Can I explain myself with one or two lines as an elevator speech?

- Do I only trust my creative ideas or am I good and fast at application level as well?

- How many times did I financially collapsed in my private life...like credit cards? What is my financial plan now?

- As the last one, what people think when they hear my name?

This is a very long list. And it is a fact that most of the answers will be far away from being positive. Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean that you can be an entrepreneur if only you have the perfect conditions. But you can not fix a broken car on the road, you have to check the car beforehand.

1- Bring forth your strengths which can contribute to your attempt.... Talking to the crowd, creative solutions, good writing.... You will discover new strengths of yours which you have never realized and you will improve.

2- Never close yourself.... Get on the stage and talk about yourself and your attempt. Social media is more than enough for this step.

3- Never ignore your personal life and your family. Do not spend all your time for your project, you have to keep up for a healthy and happy mind. An obsessive approach will be a comlete disaster.

4- Be open, talk about yourself in a modest way. It is important to give the right information.

5- Consult, ask for good advice, ask and search.

6- Don’t think that you are the center of gravity. On the contrary you will be the one turning around so many things. When you face yourself you will see that most of your attempts are unnecessary. Give up following the people, events that detain you.

7- Forget about burning the bridges. Shape up yourself in a way that makes other people burn the bridges.

8- Follow the commercial opportunities instead of intriguing environments.

9- Be prepared for the worst scenario but never speak of it. Keep your crisis management as plan B.

10- Never forget that the only thing matters is your life at the end of the day. Nothing is more precious than your own life. You yourself is your most important project. Make your first marketing plan for yourself.

Read continuosly. Work on great entrepreneurs, CEOs, leaders... see their way of thinking, decision making. Avoid the “I said it and it will happen, I talk with my money, I have it and I will do it” mentality. There are so many articles on the Internet about this issue. Read them, take notes and write yourself even your faults.

Remember “you are the brand...!”

Asking a visiting card to university student!

The year 1996, in the department of International Relations at the Uludağ University,I was preparing my thesis which was about “Customs Union”. While making source research, needless to say that I found myself in Ankara. I had got an appointment from a professor from Bilkent. At same time I wanted to collect some source document from the library of certain some institutes.

I went to my appointment at Bilkent, met with professor and got some informations. While I was leaving with thanks, he asked me :“could I have your personal visiting card?”. I replied him : “Sir But, I am still student, which personal visiting card?” in a stunned and shocked manner. He gave me a lesson of personal branding by telling “No, you have to learn how to present yourself, give something to the people, who you meet , to remind you, please prepare your thesis, put your personal card in dossier and sent it to me”.

No matter how amusing it was for me and my friends, I did as the same as he had told me. And I used those cards in many places. Now, I certainly believe the advice of this precious professor. Yes, a university stundent needs to have a personal card.

Personal branding is not only for CEOs. If we don’t consider our childhoods, we have to present our brand value at all phase of our life. Let’s look, what can a university student do about this subject.

- First of all you must finish her school. It is important for the conditions of everywhere. Though, graduation is not enough.

- If you have an opportunity, you have to make post graduate abroad or in your country.

- No matter in which conditions you are in, you have to learn foreign language before university finishes. If you know second foreign language in the level of intermediate, it is much better.

- You mustn’t spend time in social networks for only to find new friends. You have to keep in touch with the people with whom you can improve her ability and who can help your in business life.

- You must have a visiting card on which your branch or interest and experince is written. You can add social network addesses too.

- You must choose someone as a mentor from your social network or a professor from her school. As you know, lots of decisions which belong to young ages, can come across after 20- 30 years.

- Let’s say that web page is difficult, but at least you must have a blog. Just keeping a journal is enough. Absolutely you have lots of different things to write!

- Rich or poor, it doesn’t make any difference. Somehow you must work part-time. Or you must be occupied with amateur commerce. You will not start from scratch to her business life. All the experiences which is written in CV is very important at first job appointments!

- You must attend conferences, competitions, journeys and the other activities. Of course, not disregarding the lessons.

- If you don't read books, compulsorily you must have this habituation. This habituation is more difficult after 40 years.

- You must examine and make more researches about recent history. You must ask, interrogate and mustn’t beleive everything. You must learn to approach information suspiciously.

- Except the curriculum you must have 4 year plan.

- You must add to her lifestyle differences and beauties. In business life, conducting time in stress is more difficult.

- You must know sharing his/her knowledge and experince with low-class or high school students.

These items don’t finish in writing. Dear friends, don’t spend 4-5 year of your lives only studying your lessons. It’s a real pity. Don’t suit only the curriculum. Interrogate your aims, your life position while you are in those lecture theaters. Make plan, consult, learn and needless to say work. Be prapared for communication and troubles with people.

With my success wishes and my best regards.

Tweetup Istanbul // Guy Kawasaki

İstanbul Tweetup meeting was very special for us.

Kawasaki came to Turkey for Retail Days 08.

Thanks Guy, for your spare time.

e-book for this weekend

Rajesh Setty’s e-book is about personal branding at the business world..
eBook: Personal Branding for Technology Professionals
It is awesome !

Setty’s first book was Life Beyond Code, http://www.lifebeyondcode.com
Nowadays, he is prapering new book. “Brandtastic!”.
I took information that will be published early next year.

We are waiting impatiently.

Never eat alone !

Keith Ferrazi's book which is called "never eat alone" is written for the youth who wants to be successful in the capitalist system. The book, briefly, tells about how to establish good relations with successful people to be successful. Keith, by the way, climbed up to Hollywood's Category A people list from Washington's dark corridors. Again, he succeded to enter among "40 people under 40 years" in the list of "Tomorrow's Global Leaders" by Davos WorldEconomy.

Ferrazi says, only, he helped his friends to establish relations with other friends without expecting any response. He carries out some principles while doing this. First, he keeps urgent, not his desires but the successful people's who wants to establish relation. He doesn't account "What did I give, What did I get at response?

"In time one people come and some people go from his relationship list. He calls people not only when they need help but everytime and he helps them. Keith, by the time, saw that every successful work is offered hmself automatically.

One's friends and associates are important

Keith, by the way, met the people who has the largest circumference. Among these people there are Katherine, Graham, Bill Clinton, Vernon Jordan and DalaiLama. Also Dale Carnegie's book which is translated into Turkish "making friends and effecting people" has took its place among oldies. Your circumference is your only wealth. Nearly everybody agrees this idea. But very little people do what they must do. In fact, the only thing which must be done is to be a trustable friend and a friend which he feels yourself behind when he has a trouble.

But you should give this service to the selected people. And think that this service is given by your company to the other selected companies. What will the result be?

First you must come to the level that you can establish relations with selected people. Then establish relations with the people which causes people to become closer friends. Develop a character which is interesting and different for mothers. Be closer to the powerful people. Make your circumference larger but take the more powerful people into your system. In that case, you will see that many powerful people will want to be closer to you. Finally you are successful. Wait, success will come to you.

Fight is because of that

Constitute your own consultants committee. But don't give information about their duties to the people who takes place in this committee. Like Clinton does, take private notes about every people you meet. So far your circumference will reach to 5000 people which will immediately answer your phone. You must establish this circumference before you need. You can't go to any party with empty hands. For big success, a big preparation is needed. At every door you knock, there will be someone who won't get you in. He, too, should know that you won't want to eat anything by yourself. Never be the card deliverer. Be in the game. Show interest to the people's health, wealth and children. But finally you must create a property to sell. Without this although they want to give, they will have nothing for you. Isn't the fight is because of the ones who wants to eat the cheese alone?

*** Writer: Yaman Törüner, Milliyet Newspaper in Turkey, 27.09.2008