Podcasts about ai artificial intelligence

Today we're putting AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the test with AI money expert Jeffrey Trull. He's founder of the blog and newsletter, Money Meets AI where he shares tested prompts for your money. He joins us to sort the genuinely useful from the wildly overhyped when it comes to AI. We expand our conversation into prompts, privacy, hallucinations, portfolio questions, Google vs. ChatGPT, paid vs. free tools, and where AI can actually save real time for DIYers. Along the way, Bill wrestles with the tradeoff between efficiency and original thought, Jackie pushes the "AI as thought partner" framing, and Jeffrey stresses that it's great for lower-risk questions but terrible as your all-knowing financial planner.  This episode covers: Where AI is genuinely useful for DIY personal finance Why prompts matter, but perfection is overrated Using AI to review insurance, contracts, and 401(k) plan docs Google vs. ChatGPT vs. Claude for money questions Paid vs. free AI tools and when subscriptions are worth it AI "hallucinations" and how to fact-check outputs Privacy concerns when uploading financial documents Why AI should be a thought partner, not your financial planner Agentic AI, AI shopping assistants, and what may be coming next   ====================   DEALS & DISCOUNTS FROM OUR TRUSTED PARTNERS   MONARCH MONEY The modern way to manage money! Monarch will change the way you organize your financial life. Track, budget, plan, and do more with your money – together. Get 50% off the first year using this link and entering code: CATCHINGUP50   For a full list of current deals and discounts from our partners, sponsors and affiliates, click here: catchinguptofi.com/our-partners    SUPPORT  THE  SHOW

How to Achieve Outsized Outcomes with a Small B2B Marketing Team With the rapid advancement of AI, machine learning, shifting market dynamics, and more competition entering the ecosystem all the time, B2B marketers are confronted with more challenges than ever before. Teams are constantly facing the challenges of tightened budgets and even tighter deadlines. With this in mind, how can small B2B marketing teams achieve more with less and still deliver exceptional outcomes? That's why we're talking to Jordan Buning (Principal and Senior Account Executive, ddm marketing + communications), who shares insights and practical strategies on how to achieve outsized outcomes with a small B2B marketing team. During our conversation, Jordan discussed how teams can navigate market uncertainty and how AI has impacted efficiency. He emphasized the importance of revenue and pipeline metrics to demonstrate the financial contribution that marketing makes to the bottom line. Jordan also stressed the need for small B2B marketing teams to optimize campaigns, avoiding pitfalls like chasing immediate results at the expense of long-term success, and maintain continuous alignment with sales. He advocated for a platform approach over fragmented campaigns, regular metrics evaluation, and a focus on precision over volume. https://youtu.be/31Qts7vadLI Topics discussed in episode: [03:15] Why leadership often views marketing as an expendable variable rather than a core driver of the bottom line. [14:36] Jordan explains how to avoid “strategy whiplash” and over-reliance on performance tactics. [21:20] Discover why right-place, right-time messaging is non-negotiable, especially when it comes to appealing to the buying committee. [28:08] Instead of quarterly campaigns, build a core messaging “soundboard” that provides consistency and longevity. [33:36] Jordan walks through a 3-phase (90-day roadmap) approach consisting of diagnosing, activating, and doubling down to show ROI within one business quarter. [37:14] Why you must lead with pipeline contribution and opportunity creation rate when presenting to the board. [41:32] Why marketing belongs in every part of the organization, from customer experience and billing to employee engagement, not just lead generation. Companies and links mentioned: Jordan Buning on LinkedIn  ddm marketing + communications  Transcript Christian Klepp, Jordan Buning Jordan Buning  00:00 I think you know, the things that probably made this conversation happen in the first place are probably the first metrics you got to have. So it’s probably has something to do with revenue, and probably secondly, has to do with how quality they think the pipeline is filled with opportunities. Your initial metrics that would say this is working or not working. Really have to start there. And it may be two or three steps removed from some of the, you know, inside marketing measurements that that might be there, but at the end of the day, that’s what will kind of matter to them. And so what is, you know, the pipeline contribution looking like? What kind of opportunity creation rate is happening, revenue influence, those, those kinds of things, I think are components that that matter when we talk about revenue and pipeline is, are we actually contributing to the financial success of the organization. Christian Klepp  00:57 With the rapid advancement of AI (Artificial Intelligence) machine learning, changing market dynamics, market uncertainty and more competition entering the ecosystem all the time. B2B Marketers are confronted with more challenges than ever before. Another one of those challenges includes tightened budgets and even tighter deadlines. With this in mind, how can B2B Marketing teams achieve more with less and still deliver exceptional outcomes. Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers on the mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today I’ll be talking to Jordan Buning, who will be answering this question. He’s the principal and Senior Account Executive at DDM Marketing and Communications who’s committed to doing great things with incredible people inside and outside the company. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B Marketers Mission is. Okay? Mr. Jordan Buning, welcome to the show, sir. Jordan Buning  01:48 Thank you. Appreciate you having me. Christian Klepp  01:50 Really looking for this conversation, Jordan. Not like man, I should have recorded the last couple of conversations that we had that, in itself, should have been the episode already, right? But I’m, I’m really looking forward to this conversation. You know, I had a great chat with your colleague, Joanne. And you know, we’re going to talk about a topic today that you and I both know it. It keeps coming up, and you ask 50 people out there, and they’ll give you 50 different answers to this question, right? So let’s, let’s just dive right in. I’m going to say you’re on a mission to help B2B companies deliver high impact marketing campaigns that drive measurable results. But I’d like to focus on this following topic for today’s conversation, and we’ve got plenty to unpack from this one, how small marketing teams can optimize campaigns to reduce waste and achieve outsized outcomes, probably I should highlight bold italic, underline that outsized outcomes, because that one’s going to be the interesting one. Let’s kick off the conversation with the following question, so I’m happy to repeat so why do you think many B2B organizations are spending less on their marketing efforts and shortening the timelines in which teams need to deliver results? And based on those constraints in your experience, where have you seen many marketing teams struggle? Jordan Buning  03:15 But you’re right. There’s a there’s a lot there, and trying to consolidate all of my thoughts down is a unique challenge. But, you know, I think part of it is not that marketing is losing importance sometimes in various circumstances, be it budgetary otherwise, but it’s more about the pressure of reshaping how it gets evaluated. There is a lag, I think in terms of how a lot of individuals perceive the importance in the in the contribution that marketing makes to the organization’s goals and ultimately to its bottom line. So if it’s disconnected, it becomes a variable, and a variable that, while maybe nobody is really wishing for, it sometimes becomes minimized or expendable, and therefore it’s really kind of a big push. And there’s certainly a variety of things that may be driving that. It could be their own, economic uncertainties, their market has changed. Therefore they’re making their adjustments. They’re managing risk. When they’re doing some of those kinds of things they may not necessarily see again that relationship between what they’re attributing to the bottom line. They may have measurements that are not aligned to show performance and not that it isn’t but they don’t have the data that’s that’s doing that and or they may even have a lag. They may have a lot of information, but it’s historical data, and present realities may be slightly different, and they don’t really have a way to connect to it. And then you’ve got a lot of other circumstances, like shift towards more immediate revenue. They may be saying, well, let’s just push out, let’s, let’s push more on. The sales side of this. Let’s work with partners, and let’s have them facilitate the process, and we’re going to get out of the sales and marketing role. Maybe what they say is, we’re going to park acquisition and we’re going to really go after account expansion. So those, those are all things that could be driving all of this. Then you throw in things like AI, where they might say, you know, it looks like there’s a lot of great tools out there. Why don’t we use more of those? Let’s use that to fill the gap where we maybe don’t have the resources that we once had. So those all become drivers in the whole situation. And somewhere in between is reality. One other thing, maybe, you know, a lot of organizations, depending on where they are, probably got where they were without maybe marketing being one of the primary drivers. Maybe they had a great engineering solution. They’re a great production organization, and maybe even a great selling organization. But marketing hasn’t been something that has necessarily been invested in as great they got there in their minds through other things. And so there’s suddenly a shift in terms of how to reconcile the value that marketing is contributing to the whole thing. And so it’s both an opportunity and a challenge. Obviously, in the moment, it’s it’s difficult and it’s painful. But those are, those are some of the circumstances that are kind of going on then based on constraints, where do we think marketing teams struggle? I had to remind myself of the question, so I wrote it down. If I were to zoom zoom out, I think the core struggle is, is somewhat capability and capacity. But it’s really kind of more the issue of time horizon that they might be running into, depending on what the issues are that are getting brought up. There could be a bit of a strategy whiplash where, you know, they had a plan, and the best laid plan has gone to waste, and there’s suddenly kind of a push towards a very different effort. And so the investment now is getting either tabled or stalled and and suddenly they’re they’re wanting to switch horses and go to a different direction. And obviously, from a marketing standpoint, that fear is great. We’ve got lots of activity. We’re doing a bunch of other things. We feel good about that. The other side of it is there’s a cost to losing that momentum of where you were going before. And how do you how do you kind of reconcile that? And then, how do you avoid continuing to have strategy change after strategy change along the way? Those are the things that really could create constraints out of very small marketing teams, maybe a team of one, maybe an outsourced resource, those things all get really kind of challenging, over reliance on performance, metrics and tactics. So you know, specifically, getting into things that seem to have the most immediate ROI, let’s just go after the search campaign conversions. Let’s go after some other things that are low funnel without maybe reconciling the understanding that you’re you’re doing that sometimes at the expense of the things that that that initiate things into the funnel as well, and so, you know, maybe creating a bit of a short term bump, but at the expense of long term success as well. So that’s a challenge. Confusion with sales, sales and marketing forever being sometimes perceived as opposing parties. So you know, again, I think this, this idea of we just need better leads, we just need more quality, whatever, faster kind of a thing, as opposed to, let’s, let’s be very team minded and intentional in terms of working together. Measurement paralysis, that’s a that’s another one that can happen where everybody’s got data, and you’re overwhelmed with that data, and you get so focused looking into rear view mirror, you’re losing track of the direction you’re supposed to be going all along. And then you get into some things like short term wins versus long term growth, and a very inconsistent narrative in terms of what you’re trying to talk about. And so, you know, I think those are, those are all kind of contributing factors that some organizations really have to wrestle with is it’s great to be responsive and reactive to real circumstances, and everybody knows how to hold a plan loosely. But what are the trade offs in being able to shift from having a strategy and then and then suddenly realizing there needs to be an adjustment. They get very eager and excited about creating a lot of energy. That energy is great, but that energy may not be harnessed in such a way that it’s actually going anywhere. So you’re feeling good about the activity and the responsiveness, but you might be trading one problem. Problem for another if you don’t have that clarity together as a team. And so I think it’s this, this thing that often we all talk about of like, go slow to go fast, is really an opportunity that that is presenting itself in a situation like that, like, before we move off of the solve this problem in a particular way, let’s pause and make sure we all know what we’re trying to do here and being able to accomplish that. Christian Klepp  10:25 Absolutely, absolutely. Thanks for sharing all of that that was a lot like within the past couple of minutes. I wanted to go back to something like you touched on it a little bit in the beginning, but it’s certainly been my experience, and I’m curious to see how it’s been over on your end. Do you think that a lot of these constraints, I mean, certainly a lot of it has to do with market dynamics, and, as you said, like the introduction of AI and machine learning? But do you also feel, I mean, we’re talking about B2B here, right? And a lot of these big companies, whether it’s in health care or manufacturing or chemicals or whatever. When you have a meeting, you know, you have these this meeting with senior management or the board of directors, marketing is not always the first thing that comes to mind. And I say that with a heavy heart being a marketer, but you know, you got to face the music, right? That’s the reality of it. Do you feel that a lot of times, especially with small marketing teams, the reason why they’re they’re having to navigate these challenges is because people within the organization, A don’t quite understand what marketing is, and B, they don’t quite understand why they should care. Jordan Buning  11:41 Yes, I definitely would agree with you. And I think it’s, it’s sometimes an educational problem, and sometimes it’s a self imposed problem, right, you know? And I think, I think on the to your point, it can be perceived as it looks easy, or, you know, it’s easy to get educated or feel knowledgeable about it’s, it’s viewed, sometimes more, as a an art form and very subjective, as opposed to a science and driven based on actual performance activities and and good strategy. And then, I think the marketers ourselves, sometimes unintentionally, have done that to ourselves. We’ve we’ve gotten very excited about a lot of things, maybe trends that are happening. Maybe we are just tied to the thrill of a great creative hook or message or whatever, and we miss the connectivity to the business itself. And you know, with that in mind, you just become an outer ring in some of the core things that the organization is doing and and, you know, the other part of it is sometimes your role could get perceived just as as responsible for help getting leads, as opposed to, hey, marketing’s responsibility is to be a part of probably a lot of the ecosystem. Not only do we help acquire, we help keep. We help create an experience. We help create an experience for our employees and so on and so forth. So, you know, I think, I think there’s, there’s shared responsibility, sometimes, certainly, a world that’s evolving. I think it’s getting better. I think, I think marketing has developed a more present seat in the C suite and leadership conversations, which is, which is positive, plenty of runway to go yet. But then there’s, there’s marketing themselves making sure that, hey, these things that we do, are they aligned and connected to all of the things that are happening that the organization cares about, are their goals, our goals, as opposed to, hey, we’ll just increase likes and shares and so on. Those are all good numbers for marketing. Maybe they don’t equate to the business, and therefore we sometimes shut ourselves outside of that conversation, as opposed to, you know, maybe how they perceive us. Christian Klepp  14:08 Absolutely, absolutely. I had another Golden Apple for you, but I’m gonna, like, save that one for later on in the conversation, moving on to the next question, just based on everything that you’ve said, and, you know, we are talking about how smaller teams can optimize campaigns, what are some of these key pitfalls you would say they need to avoid and to keep it constructive, we also need to talk about what they should be doing instead. Jordan Buning  14:36 You know, one of the things as I thought about that question was, really, you know, we often look at as a capacity. Are we just running a few people ragged? And there could be some truth to that. But I think the greater risk would be just, are we going about it in all the wrong ways? Right? There is a sense of urgency. We go running out of the room. We want to help. So, but by by nature of our activity and or the group’s conversation that we’re having, we actually could unintentionally just be creating an added level of chaos to the chaos that’s there. And so some of those pitfalls could be chasing immediate pipeline and ignoring the long term gain, and so you know, it’s it’s a both end strategy that we’re trying to educate on and maintain is, hey, how do we make sure we answer the bell on some of the more immediate issues that are going on, but that we also don’t do it at the expense of the long term importance and success of this organization as well. Another one is constant strategic repositioning, if what we do is go after some of the more immediate things, and that could be looking like a sale or a sale price, or something else that’s commodifies the product and service that they offer, that might get them a bump in the moment, but is that the identity that the organization and its products really want to be known for, and so it it may do damage to its long term narrative, depending on how some of the messaging comes out at that time as well. I think there’s a risk of over complicating what you’re trying to do. And I think that’s something that’s stuck in my mind. I’m, I’m probably, by nature, an over simplifier, or a simplifier, I should say. And I think there’s a, there’s a risk of of throwing a lot of things on the menu, looking at them as, like, 1000 bets. And you know, at least one of these bets is going to turn into something so, you know, it’s it feels like good activity. People feel good that there’s a response that’s happening. But it may be such a scatter, and it may so minimize the level of effort on a variety of different things, you know that it just minimizes the challenge that’s going on. And I think indirectly, in doing that, you also may broaden the gap and divide between yourself and marketing and some of the other groups, including sales. So hey, we’re going to go do this thing, and we feel really good about it. Maybe it even does the thing that we think it should do. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really satiate some of the other drivers and motivators that they have. And so suddenly you’ve really got this, this growing divide, as opposed to a closing divide in terms of what’s going on. And so, you know, I think those all become kind of risks in this whole thing. And then, you know, maybe, maybe the last thing being taking risks on things you haven’t done before. So suddenly it’s, well, let’s, let’s try this technology solution. Let’s, let’s, let AI do a thing for us, or whatever. And when it’s most critical, you’re moving away from the things that you can believe in and trust the most, and you’re throwing a few Hail Mary sound down the field, it could be a risk that is of too great for the organization, as opposed to, hey, what are some fundamental things that we can really hone in on? What is maybe more how we narrow our efforts into much more focused activities and energies, and what are our best executions. So, you know, I think, I think with the best of intentions, and I’m sure I’m as guilty as anybody at times in my past of, let’s create a lot of activity potentially. You know, that’s the pressure you’re feeling. The real answer may be, how do we stop enough to create clarity? Really reset our pathway to what we need to accomplish, and then what’s the most, smartest and most effective way to get there? Christian Klepp  18:48 Absolutely, absolutely. I almost feel like sometimes us, marketers were guilty of like, okay, let’s just, let’s just try everything, or, or, some teams, and, you know, I’ve certainly worked with some of them in the past, they get pressure, and especially in B2B, they get pressure from higher ups saying, Well, you know, I saw something on Sunday, you know, like there was this video. So why don’t we do a why don’t we do a video, right? Why don’t we, why don’t we get on tiktok? And I had a briefing, and I shall not disclose the name of the client, but I we had a briefing many years ago where a client said, um, we want you to create a viral video for us, and to which I said, like, with all due respect that you don’t get to decice that.. Jordan Buning  19:34 Yeah, let’s, let’s make magic, right? Christian Klepp  19:36 Let’s make magic. And I can say, I can say, with confidence, we, walked away from that and said, you know, we can’t help you. We walked away from that. And, you know, unscathed. Jordan Buning  19:47 It’s the hardest thing to do sometimes, right? But it is wise at times to recognize that. Christian Klepp  19:53 Well and I’m sure you’ll agree, you’ll agree with me when I say this. I mean, like, you know, we’ve, we’ve been in this business for a bit, but. Um, it’s sometimes necessary to tell the client that, okay, you’re, you’re asking us to do something for you, and I’m gonna, like, disagree with what you’re asking us to do, because we believe, to our core that that’s not in your best interest, right? And it’s and it’s and it’s difficult to have that conversation. I’m sure you’ve had many of them, right? Jordan Buning  20:24 Sure, but you’re, but you’re right. It’s, you know, you’re paying for our candor, yeah. And I think you know, the risk would be, you know, arrogance. But I think for the most part, I think with with the relationship that you’re trying to build and forecasting that at times, that that can be a healthy thing too, and even if it’s a little challenging or impassioned, hopefully there’s a there’s a point where you can reconcile some of those things. But I agree with you, there’s there’s a time and a place. Christian Klepp  20:54 There’s a time and a place. Absolutely, this next question is going to sound a little bit like table stakes to you, but man, I have worked with a lot of teams where that wasn’t very clear. The importance of having a deep understanding of who your target groups are, and I’m gonna say plural, because it’s never, it’s never just one group and B2B, and an understanding of their of their buyer’s journey. All right, talk to us about that. Jordan Buning  21:20 Yeah, I think, I think there’s a variety of things that really popped up as I thought about that particular category and there to your point, it’s a complex group. And yet, I think this is also really a time where precision is important, when you start looking at urgent shifts and that kind of a thing. And so not to eliminate groups, necessarily, but hey, if we need to prioritize, how do we, how do we prioritize some of these things along the way? And one of the other things that was tied to this as well as I think sometimes when the client feels a sense of urgency, there can be pressure on the time it takes to to be clear about some of these things. And one of the things is challenged us to do is, hey, we’re not going to skip that step, but maybe we can come up with, uh, you know, not a strategy that takes weeks and months, but maybe we just need to develop a sprint session together, and that’s really forced us to be a little more streamlined ourselves. Don’t skip the step, but let’s make sure we have a smart way of creating some clarity around those things. And so that’s a little bit of a learning curve that we’ve we’ve worked our way through is, hey, sometimes you get, you know, the strategy is the project, and a lot of times the strategy is necessary component to get to the goals and the outcomes that they have. And so one of the things that I first jotted down was this idea of precision beats volume. And so it’s this, Hey, how do we create clarity in terms of where’s our best best focus, best energy? How do we target where the real pain is to get the best value? How do we prioritize high propensity accounts and opportunities and those kinds of things along the way. So that was kind of step one. Let’s make sure we’ve got some clear clarity around the focus of that. And then don’t confuse the buying committee as well. To your point, it’s like you could have leadership C suite. You’re going to have probably a finance person involved. You might have procurement. You might have the end user. Those are all very different drivers and motives in that whole thing. And so I think making sure we have clear lanes on some of that, so we don’t muddy this into such a chaotic thing, we forget that they have to want this product along the way. So I think there’s, there’s importance to that. And again, a lot of times that comes back to that early stage of a sprint. How do you then align messaging to decision stages? You know, I think we all wrestle with this, this whole thing. They’re gonna love it as soon as they hear it. Christian Klepp  23:58 Oh yeah, Jordan Buning  23:59 Right away. And, you know, I think, I think that’s important. Back to your, your buyer’s journey conversation again, to kind of say, hey, how do we, how do we move through a series of stages of experience, where first they they become aware of it, then they learn to engage with it and be well informed about what it can do. See reinforcement, see the data that supports it, and those things happen in timely phases. And so this right place, right time, right message component is critical to a lot of the sequencing that happens. And you know, we’re all guilty of periodically thinking this will be a one call, close type of interaction, when, in reality, the decision making is probably going the other direction over time. They’re risk averse. They’re not going to make wild decisions. They’re probably going to have multiple players of approval. They’re going to have other players in consideration often. In as well. And that’s just a reality that I think the world has to be more and more prepared for as we lose expertise and knowledge, as people retire and those kinds of things, people are going to go to the internet and these other places to begin the research process all over again. And so it will, it will take a very different approach to being able to do that. And then a few other things that I noted is, you know, again, just continuing to to build that sales and marketing alignment. What are the who is that primary audience? Does everybody agree? Do we all see the journey the same? Are we? Are we hitting that prospect with the right things at the right time, and then how do we make sure that we’re continuing to protect long term equity, and what we’re trying to do as well? So, you know, it’s it’ll continue to stay fairly important, and so even as the process may becomes faster in some of these situations, because the circumstances demand it. Skipping the steps is probably the way to get off off track. And so really kind of helping everybody stay focused, stay purposeful, be clear on the targets are still things that I think are Immutables in making changes. Christian Klepp  26:17 Yeah, absolutely, you know, and I have this conversation with marketers a lot like, I always highly encourage them, like, you know, have you sat have you sat in on sales calls back in the day, when I was starting out, I had to go out into the field with the sales people, right as an observer, so I’m just like the fly on the wall there, right, but listening to the way that they would present the company’s products and solutions to the prospect, how they would handle the objections and the concerns and whatnot of the of the of said prospect, and if there was an issue there. Okay, so how can we, how can we address that? Because it’s not always necessarily the salesperson’s fault, per se, right? And it’s, it’s that whole concept of, like, the way that we’re going to make this work is if we do it together, right? And having that good relationship, or having that close relationship with the sales people, I think, is a vital component of that, right? Because otherwise, like, like you said, it’s going to be, it’s going to be like, everything is in silos, and marketing is gonna, like, develop all these, these messages in isolation, and it’s not gonna work. Jordan Buning  27:26 Doesn’t say anything, you know, or whatever they might observe about the materials. But you’re right. I think if it’s more of a partnership and mutual education of the other I think there’s, there’s a lot more potential for for exponential outcomes as opposed to siloed solutions? Christian Klepp  27:43 Yep, absolutely. All right, I’m going to ask you two sets of questions here, and there’s plenty to unpack, so just take a deep breath, right? Because, um, this next question is about how small teams can leverage constraints to drive that clarity, that alignment and focused execution. So what are the steps that they need to take? What are some of those critical components that they need to throw into the mix? Jordan Buning  28:08 A few things that we’ve already talked about, but I think are worth repeating. You know, as far as key steps for small groups, I think ruthlessly defining who I think it can become much easier to start focusing on yourselves. And, you know, navel gazing, if you will. And so I think continuing to really think about, who is that ideal client? What do they need? What’s the problem we’re solving is really important. And that’s really the second one of clarify the core problem. You know, what urgent, high values thing are we really focused on, especially if the pressure is on right now, right who is it? What’s the context? How do we, how do we make sure that we’re really focused on them in terms of what we do, and then, what are the most important priorities that surround that? And again, I think really just making sure we narrow in, we don’t, we don’t dilute but, but we do focus. And so I think there is going to be even a necessary conversation that might say, hey, you know, we, we have an opportunity of, you know, this broad audience group, but who is our best and strongest environment, what are the best efforts that we can put forward towards helping them and supporting them? Then I said, Build one narrative platform. Not many campaigns. I think we’ve come out of a world at times where, hey, we do quarterly campaigns or whatever kind of a thing. And so, you know, we look, use it, use it like Kleenex, and kind of move to another one and another one. And I think in the era that we’re in, because of the diversity of tools, and therefore the types of interactions that people have, building more of a platform of, Hey, what is. This offering that we have, how does it align to the individual? What are the core individual messages that we have? It still gives you a lot of latitude for mixing some of those pillars and those messages together. I quite often will illustrate to clients that as we’re developing positioning and different pillars. I almost look at it like a soundboard in a recording studio where, hey, you’ve got all these knobs and buttons to push, and depending on the application and the moment of interaction and those kinds of things, we can turn up and turn down those core components and create a lot of different attributes and experiences around that whole thing, but there’s still the same core things. And so if anybody feels like, you know, as we narrow a little bit, that it’s going to get boring, I think it’s actually just the opposite. It creates a much richer experience, but it’s all much more coordinated as well. So I think that’s, I think that’s very much an opportunity, is make sure there’s a there’s a platform approach creates a lot more consistency, a lot more longevity, and therefore a lot more opportunity to stick over time with the audience that you’re trying to reach. And then, I think you know metrics, as we, as we continue to talk about metrics, make sure that we have a shared way to evaluate what we’re doing, and is it, is it working? And there’s, there’s a lot of different metrics that can go into that. And then I think it’s, you know, keep, keep the cycle tight. Once things are are in the marketplace, how do we continue to be able to circle back with regularity to say, What? What is this getting us? Is this doing the thing? And is it? Is it a thing we can reinvest in, or it is an adjustment that we can work our way through, but continuing to be able to do that in as close to real time as you can, so that that you’re working together, you know, you’d hate to kind of disappear for 90 days, show back up and then say, hey, look, it didn’t work, or vice versa. And I think it just allows, again, a much more team minded approach to being able to do this, or at least being able to share status and that kind of a thing, depending on what’s going on. Yeah. Christian Klepp  32:15 Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, especially as marketers, you never want to give people the impression that you’re that you’re running an art studio here, you know, you lock yourself up there for two weeks, and then I’m, you know, I’m working on my masterpiece. It’s not quite done yet, right? Yeah, it’s, it really needs, does need to be a two way street. Because, you know, you can attest to this. And I’ve, you know, I’ve gone through plenty of campaigns as well, where it almost becomes this, this weekly check in, sometimes, depending on the client, right? Sometimes it’s bi weekly, right? But okay, so this is how it’s going. This is, this is the progress so far. This is where we’re seeing some obstacles, and this is how we’re planning to address those, right? So, so it’s continuously evolving. It’s, it’s, I think you brought it up earlier. It’s an ecosystem. Yeah, yeah. Very much, very much. I agree, yeah. All right, so here comes the question of the hour. So with the reality of tight budgets and even tighter deadlines, marketing teams need to be more resourceful and agile. So this is one of those like, what would you do situations, right? So, Jordan, if you had a smaller marketing team and the senior management only gave you 90 days to deliver results, what would you do? So talk us through the process and what approach you would use, what initiatives you’d implement? Jordan Buning  33:37 Well, somewhat similar to our own process, we have something we call the DDM way, and in the first phase of that starts with listening and understanding. And so I had written down a phase for this that would be diagnose and focus in a situation like this. Again, I think this goes slow to go fast, mindset where you can kind of identify the best path, analyze the pipeline and have those conversations and get aligned with sales. I think those are the core components that have to be there. Or I think you’re going to continue to be battling the execution side of things down the road. And so I think phase one is very foundational, of really diagnose focus. Phase two, I said, activate, you know, your focus revenue engine. So precision, precision over scale, I think, is really the thing that you’ve heard me say a number of times is, you know, who are we targeting? Is it almost account based, focused or something similar? You know, what strengthen our conversion assets? We’ve been talking a little bit about that in terms of, what are those best tools? Are they case studies? Are they white papers? Are they various other sheets that need to get created, then building that platform, you know, and again, it may get executed as a campaign still, but you know, your platform has has more of a longer life. To it, and then optimize the channels that you’re using and really making sure you’re doing all the right things that are there. And then, I think, once you’ve got it in the market, the last phase of this whole thing is double down and then optimize or amplify at that point. So we’re big believers in terms of setting up some some things that you can see regular metrics and performance on. And then we usually will talk with our clients as well about, hey, what are the things we need to talk about if we’re going to make a change? And what are the things you should be expecting us just to go ahead and make adjustments on the fly that are supportive. And usually, if there are shifts in terms of approach or message or something we need to talk if it’s hey, let’s, let’s move our mixture of maybe a media placement or something like that within the budget we already have. Those are things they might expect us to go after and really make sure, you know, we’re keeping this thing optimized. And sometimes I respectfully describe our resources on the on the media side, is it’s almost like day traders. The tools are there. We should be paying attention on a regular basis, looking at performance and then optimizing for them, when and where we can along the way. And that’s the beauty of some of the digital tools that are out there. There’s, there’s always risks in over adjusting or or over manipulating, but I think there’s very much an opportunity for us to stay very up on on how everything is performing. Christian Klepp  36:31 Fantastic, fantastic. So, all right, so we’ve got we’ve got the clarity, we’ve got the alignment, we’ve got the understanding of the target audience, and there and the buyer’s journey. And now you’ve laid out your plan for the 90 days, and now the board is going to say, well, you know, that’s all well and good, Jordan, but we need to see the ROI, right? What are we? What are we spending money on here? And I’m sure you’ve had that conversation before, because I’ve certainly have. And then what? So what I’m getting at here is like, what kind of metrics should these marketing teams be paying attention to to prove that whatever it is they’re implementing is working? Jordan Buning  37:14 Yeah, I think you know, the things that probably made this conversation happen in the first place are probably the first metrics you got to have. So it’s probably has something to do with revenue, and probably secondly, has to do with how quality they think the pipeline is filled with opportunities. And so I think you know, your initial metrics that would say this is working or not working, really have to start there. And and it may be two or three steps removed from some of the, you know, inside marketing measurements that that might be there, but at the end of the day, that’s what will kind of matter to them. And so what is, you know, the pipeline contribution looking like? What kind of opportunity creation rate is happening, revenue, influence, those, those kinds of things, I think are components that that matter when we talk about revenue and pipeline is, are we actually contributing to the financial success of the organization? Then you can start dropping down and get closer and closer into some of your more specialty focused areas and that kind of a thing. I think then you get into stage, convergence leads to opportunities. Opportunities to proposals. Proposals closed one. I think, you know, those, those are very traditional funnels, and those are great, great things to have. I think those, those ladder up to some of the other things that we previously talked about, sales cycle length, maybe another one, win rates. Those are all really great things between sales and marketing to be able to say these things are starting to actually work. And then you get into things like efficiency rates and those kinds of things. Now you’re getting into probably platform specific performances, cost per opportunities, cost per clicks, cost, you know, so on and so forth. You’re probably getting into more marketing specific measurements. You could get all the way over to the brand side and start talking about, you know, messaging and market signals that you’re creating as well. Those are probably inside in your world. And there may be some ahas that you can really push, push back up to say, hey, giving you some forecasting here. Here’s what’s happening. People are starting to respond in this way to these particular messages. This is something that should be on our watch list, because it could be an opportunity. It could be a threat, you know, and a way it goes there as well. So it’s, it’s, it’s important to probably keep those things connected. But I think we have a tendency, and I know it’s we’ve been as guilty as anybody somewhere in our past, where you start from the bottom and you work your way up, and so you dazzle them with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) information and search statistics and social media information, and you have some. Be probably drumming their fingers across the table, kind of going, we’re bleeding money, or whatever the story could be, this isn’t meeting the conversation that we need to have. And so I think we need to start and meet them, and then be able to work our way down. And I think then, then the marketing connectivity, also, one of the things you and I talked about at the beginning will start to come back to them like, Oh, these guys understand what we’re motivated to do, and they’re now starting to contribute to the solutions that we’re trying to accomplish here. We’re on to something now. We’re a team. We’re not We’re not adversaries, trying to trying to find out who’s responsible for success or lack of so. Christian Klepp  40:42 Absolutely, absolutely, and yeah, like you said, it boils down to, like, revenue and pipeline contribution, right? Like, yeah, everything else after that is probably secondary. Jordan Buning  40:56 Well and again, we love to kind of show people some really neat things, but it’s, it’s kind of like, you know, if you just told me about barometric pressure, as opposed to, is it going to be stormy or is it going to be sunny today? It’s like, you know, you you need something that you can do something with, and I think you have to look at that leadership group with that in mind from a marketing standpoint. Christian Klepp  41:18 So that’s it. Okay, here comes the soapbox question. So a status quo in your area of expertise that you passionately disagree with, and why? Jordan Buning  41:32 Yeah, there’s, there was a couple different thoughts that were coming through my mind. And I think you know this idea that marketing exists just to, just to facilitate leads for a couple of different reasons. I think, I think it’s a means to an end that I think is, is a little limiting. It confuses the activity with the impact a little bit more. I think, you know, that’s that’s an element of something that, again, I’ll use the magic word of ecosystem. It’s a contributing ingredient, as opposed to something that’s done in isolation. And so, you know, certainly kind of wrestle with that a little bit more. I think the more we talk about it just being a responsibility to generate leads, the more we don’t leave room for the things that we know are critical ingredients, like brand you know, like the experience of working with the organization and or using the product. Those kinds of things could could really derail if all we have is all we want to do is acquire. That’s your only job. And you know, I think there’s a lot of organizations that are starting to realize we do a lot of work in healthcare. So that’s an example close to my mind where, you know, you can do a lot of work acquiring, but if we don’t do a great job of great giving them a great experience, even down to billing, especially in healthcare world, there, there is, there is, just, as you know, greater likelihood we’re going to need twice as many leads and opportunities if we keep losing them on the back end. And so I think marketing plays a more and more significant role in a number of fronts in terms of creating those experiences so that the not just the buyer’s journey, but the customer experience are accounted for in those things. And so it’s, I think it’s, it’s a it’s a good thing. We need to be responsible for that role. Certainly, if we don’t grow, there’s, there’s consequences. So we want to contribute to generating leads and generating new business. But I think it we need to be, hey, is marketing accounted for in a lot of the different components of of our organization? I think that’s a that’s a much more holistic mindset that organizations are doing more and more, you know, to their credit, yeah. So certainly don’t need to pick on them or anything like that. I think, I think the world is evolving just as much as the marketing discipline itself is absolutely, Christian Klepp  44:03 I mean, it’s, it’s very multifaceted, right? Like in, in every, in every aspect, right? So it’s, it’s, it’s, yeah, perhaps a certain part of it is lead jump, but there’s so much more than that. Jordan Buning  44:16 Yeah, I agree. There’s so many things, definitely you could, could label in there. But I think that’s, that’s probably the one is, is to be a more active participant in in everything the organization is doing is should be expected as much as they should be included. Christian Klepp  44:34 Absolutely, absolutely, and also just to build on what you build on what you said, especially ever since I started out my career in marketing, it’s to get people, and this is part of the reason why I started the show. It’s to get people to understand people in a non marketing role, to understand that marketing does have a strategic role, right? And just because perhaps they don’t understand. And that right now, that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Jordan Buning  45:04 Totally agree. Christian Klepp  45:07 Jordan, this has been a great conversation. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your expertise and experience with the listeners. Please, quick introduction to yourself and how folks out there can get in touch with you. Jordan Buning  45:16 Sure. I’m Jordan Buning from DDM Marketing and Communications. Officially, I’m considered the visionary of the organization, if you know EOS, but also involved very heavily on sales and strategy with a lot of our clients. You can reach DDM at teamddm.com or my email address is jordanb@teamddm.com. Christian Klepp  45:39 Fantastic, fantastic. And we’ll be sure to drop all that information in the show notes when the episode comes up. Sounds great once again. Jordan, thanks so much for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Jordan Buning  45:54 Thank you. Appreciate it. Christian Klepp  45:54 All right. Thanks. Bye for now.

Why Authority Now Matters More Than Visibility in B2B Content With AI making it easier than ever to create content, B2B buyers are drowning in a sea of digital noise. To rise about the generic, “AI-slop”, the new differentiator is no longer only visibility, but the ability to convey authentic brand authority. More often than not, it is the perceived credibility and depth of a brand's messaging that decides whether B2B companies are shortlisted or ignored by well-informed decision makers. So how can B2B companies build a solid thought leadership strategy that creates trust and sets them apart from competitors? That's why we're talking to Jamie Thomson (Copywriter and Founder, Brand New Copy), who shares his expertise and insights on why authority now matters more than visibility in B2B content. During our conversation, Jamie emphasized that true authority is built through consistent communication and unique insights rather than controversial stances. He criticized the over-reliance on AI for content ideation and encouraged businesses to focus on their unique selling points and authentic company culture. Jamie stressed the need for documented brand positioning and strategic messaging to build credibility across all channels. He also underscored the value of thought leadership and social proof in signalling authority, and suggested that businesses should invest in understanding and documenting their positioning for success in the long run. https://youtu.be/k4H-0M5ZL7g Topics discussed in episode: [02:47] The end of easy visibility: Why AI overviews and shifting algorithms mean you can no longer control traffic through traditional SEO alone. [07:09] Redefining authority: Authority isn’t about being controversial or loud; it is built through the consistency of your message and brand voice. [13:31] Chasing the right metrics: Why “visibility for visibility’s sake” is a vanity metric, and how to tie your content strategy to actual business outcomes.  [19:39] The credibility anchor: How being consistent with your own unique data and statistics keeps your brand from becoming an “average” forgettable competitor.  [21:42] Messaging for committees: A simple 3-step formula to establish messaging that resonates with human decision-makers, even in complex B2B environments. [27:35] Signaling authority: Practical ways to use “social proof” and unique data to back up your claims in proposals and on your website.  [31:18] Future-proofing your brand: Why documenting your positioning today is the only way to maintain longevity over the next decade. Companies and links mentioned: Jamie Thomson on LinkedIn  Brand New Copy  Copywriting Course at Brand New Copy Transcript Jamie Thomson, Christian Klepp Jamie Thomson  00:00 You know, maybe it’s a personality thing, but like, I’m not particularly controversial in my marketing and I do think people take that stance, like we are the young upstarts, or we are going to make a point of disagreeing with this company so that we can get engagement, whether they believe what their sort of stance are taking or not. It’s, it’s almost that sort of strategy of, there’s no such thing as bad press, and it’s probably effective short term and that’s why people are doing it. But if you’re looking to build a sort of a future proof business, comes back to that idea of authority being a bit consistency, unless your whole strategy is to be controversial, it’s more of a short term gain tactic. I think strategy is even a strong word. I think it’s a tactic. Christian Klepp  00:48 With AI making it easier than ever to create content, B2B, buyers are drowning in a sea of digital noise. To rise above this noise, the new differentiator needs to be delivered through authority. More often than not, it’s the credibility of a brand’s messaging that decides whether they’re shortlisted or ignored. So how can B2B companies leverage this and build their credibility? Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers on the Mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today, I’ll be talking to Jamie Thomson, who will be answering this question. He’s an award winning copywriter and founder of Brand New Copy who puts strategy at the center of the process to define what the copy should achieve. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B Marketers Mission is. Okay, and off we go. Mr. Jamie Thomson, welcome to the show, sir. Jamie Thomson  01:34 Hi, Christian. It’s good to speak to you again. Thanks for having me on. Christian Klepp  01:38 Great to have you here. I mean, we had such a dynamite conversation. Like, a few weeks ago, I should have, like, hit record on that conversation too, right? Like, yeah, absolutely, Jamie, I’m really looking forward to this conversation because, you know, one of the things that you’re going to talk about today is, like, near and dear to me as somebody that also dabbles in the world of copywriting for B2B, but um, so here we go, right? So Jamie, you’re on a mission. I’m going to say, to help B2B companies to define their messaging, strengthen their positioning and communicate with authority across every channel. So this is really serious stuff here. Okay, so for this conversation, I’d like to focus on the topic of why authority now matters more than visibility and B2B, right? So I’d like to kick off the conversation with two questions, right? And I’m happy to repeat them. First question is, why do you believe authority is important, especially in an age where AI is creeping into B2B content and everything else. And where do you see a lot of B2B brands falling flat with the authority piece? Jamie Thomson  02:47 Yeah, so I think, I think authority is more important now than ever has been because, like you said, because there’s a lot of like, LLMs (Large Language Models) now kind of doing a lot of the marketing work that was maybe, you know, handled by humans before. I think that you know, sort of the sort of background context to this is that, you know, as Marketers, we don’t have as much control over the visibility of our content as we used to like Google, for example. You now have AI (Artificial Intelligence) overviews. So even if you get to like position one in Google, you’re still at the bottom of the page. Because you’ve got your AI overviews, you have sponsored results, and then there’s the organic listings underneath. And even if you’re position one, you’re still at the bottom of the page earlier. As a result, website traffic has reduced, and people aren’t getting the same kind of like traffic numbers that they used to on LinkedIn as well, like the way that the algorithms are sort of working nowadays. There doesn’t really seem to be any regular reason as to which posts perform well, it seems to be the sort of casual, off the cuff posts that seem to seem to get a lot of attention. There is a genuinely useful, you know, thought leadership stuff has kind of been pushed to the back burner a little bit. So I think authority is important because we don’t have as much control over visibility as we used to, and I think it’s the genuinely useful content that is the stuff that’s going to get shared, whether or not the algorithms are going to push that. So if you have produced a piece of content that has, like, really unique data points that is genuinely useful to other businesses, and it’s get shared online. It’s going to get shared internally between companies, and it’ll get linked to as well. And again, like to answer your second question, and where do a lot of sort of B2B brands like sort of miss the mark? I think. I think the main thing is that they’re the content that they’re producing isn’t genuinely useful. They are a lot of brands across industries that are kind of seeing the same thing as their competitors. And I don’t know for sure, but I have a sort of inclination that is down to LLMs, because they’re kind of relying on like chatGPT for their ideas. They’re asking chatGPT to give them ideas for content. And, you know, chatGPT, it can give you the output, but it can’t give you the input. You know, it’s a technology of averages. So if you’re looking to LLMs for ideation, it’s going to give you the average of what everyone else in industry is saying. So it’s important that your businesses are really doubling down on their ideation and things that make them unique as a company, like their unique selling points, their value propositions, their company culture. You know, the people behind the business, that’s kind of what makes a company’s culture and chatGPT, llms, they don’t really have any first hand experience of that, and it’s such a nuanced thing that you’re never going to get like effective results if you’re asking LLMs for the ideas in the first place. If you’re using it for execution, to help guide style and tone a little bit, then that’s fair enough. But, yeah, it’s important that brands are sort of really doubling down on the ideation. You know, that’s that, I think, just genuine, unique insights that people are actually going to be interested in reading. Christian Klepp  06:38 Absolutely, I had a couple of follow up questions for you there. I mean, this is great stuff. This might sound like overly, like simplified. I mean, for lack of a better description, but like, just, let’s clear the air here a little bit. Define, from your experience and your own interpretation, define authority, because that also gets thrown around very loosely, I feel almost as, almost as much as the term you’ve got to add value. I mean, like, you know, what does that actually mean, right? Jamie Thomson  07:09 Yeah, yeah. So to me, authority is about a brand communicating their messages in a consistent way, whether that is the actual content of the messages or the way that they actually communicate it, in terms of brand tone of voice. So authority, to me, is about consistency, more than it is about being emphatic or controversial or overly confident. It’s more about consistency and how they communicate their messages to their audience. Christian Klepp  07:44 You brought up something there, and I’m going to throw out another question, because I you find this a lot on LinkedIn, at least from my experience, that people put out a lot of pieces. I’m going to just dare to say under the guise of authority, but what it actually is like, just an extremely contrarian point of view. And it’s almost like, you know, I’ve got a I’ve got to just put my thoughts out there, because I want my voice to be heard. But it’s not necessarily authority. It’s just like disagreeing with the status quo. What’s your take on that? Jamie Thomson  08:15 Yeah, I mean, to me, that’s, that’s kind of it’s almost performance marketing. It’s just performing, if it’s like visibility for visibility’s sake, you know, maybe it’s a personality thing, but like, I am not particularly controversial in my marketing, and I do think people take that stance like we are the young upstarts, or we are going to make a point of disagreeing with this company so that we can get engagement. You know, whether they believe what their sort of stance are taking or not, it’s it’s almost that sort of strategy of, there’s no such thing as bad press, and it’s probably effective short term, and that’s why people are doing it. But you know, if you’re looking to build a sort of a future proof business, it comes back to that idea of authority, being about consistency, unless your whole strategy is to be controversial. It’s more of a short term gain tactic. I think strategy is even a strong word. I think it’s a tactic. It’s not really magic. Christian Klepp  09:19 Yeah, yeah, I love that. You said it was performance, performance marketing. You know, it almost feels like they’re, they’re, they’re playing the algorithm, or they’re trying to, like, just get more engagement. And it’s true, like, whether they actually believe what they’re saying or not, at least they’re getting more eyeballs on all look what this guy said, Yeah. Jamie Thomson  09:38 I mean, you see it in so many different ways. Like, a lot of the time, it’s with job postings as well, like, especially for for consulting season freelancers, you see, like you have a potential opening for a freelance position, you know, comment below if you know anyone that would be interested. Then again, I don’t know for sure, but I seems very performative to me. Has that company actually reached out to people directly about the job? Have they advertised on job sites, or are they just posting about it as a potential opportunity for the sake of engagement, knowing that people will be replying and tagging other people? And yeah, it’s that kind of a short term tactic. Christian Klepp  10:22 Exactly, exactly, before we go on to the next question, I have one final follow up for you on this topic, right? Like so where, where do you do you believe that sometimes things go awry with brands because a it’s about time and speed. They need to get something out quickly. They needed the day before yesterday. And hurry up and let’s, let’s get some, let’s get some volume out there. Let’s get plenty of content out there, right? So one, that’s one thing. The second thing is, do you feel that they missed the mark? Also? Because they, I’m just gonna say it, they just generally don’t understand who the target audience is. Jamie Thomson  11:03 Yeah, I think you’re writing both accounts there. I mean, you know yourself Christian, how long it takes to produce a good piece of content. It takes research. It’s not something that you can kind of write in half a day. So I do think that’s part of it. There’s that sort of pressure of always having to be seen. And so, yeah, I think, I think people are putting stuff out. A lot of businesses put stuff out either because it’s trending, because they see other people are doing it, or because they have, you know, they’ve asked an early lens for topic ideas as a technology of averages, it’s going to give you ideas that are already out there. So yeah, I think that’s definitely part of it. And then the second part, I think you’re totally bang on with that as well. I think a lot of people just don’t really understand what their positioning is in the industry. I say people, I’m talking about businesses, but at the end of the day, it’s still people that you’re talking to, like even though it’s B2B is business to business, the people making the decisions are still human beings, so your content needs to resonate with them. And I think people now have this kind of detector of when something is has been genuinely thought out. You know, thoughtful content is it’s kind of becoming few and far between because of like LLMs and because people can produce things quickly, and it’s kind of content for content sake. So yeah, I think people just don’t understand their positioning in industry and what their values are, and what stands they’re taking really, kind of just jumping from, you know, from one topic to the next, hoping that something is going to go viral, you know, which I guess they’re hoping will then lead to some sort of business outcome, ie, sales. But the stuff that makes the sales is the stuff that really, that had to be kind of properly thought out, in my opinion. Christian Klepp  13:06 Yes, oh yeah. Imagine that, wow, properly thought out. Absolutely, absolutely. I’m glad you brought that up, because that’s a great segue into the next question about key pitfalls, right? When we’re talking about like a brand building its credibility and authority. What are some of the key pitfalls that B2B Marketers and their companies need to look out for, and what should they be doing instead? Jamie Thomson  13:31 Yeah, I mean, I think that the key, one of the key pitfalls that I see as the whole visibility for visibility’s sake, you know, it’s, it’s kind of a vanity metric, in a way that so, like, you’ve made this piece of content and it’s been made 1000 times, or you’ve made the post and it’s been linked by 200 people, you know, and unless that is tied to a business outcome, it’s, it’s just visibility for visibility’s sake. And so one of the key pitfalls is, I think a lot of companies don’t tie their content strategy to their business outcomes enough. They’re kind of chasing engagement because it looks good in reports, so it’s good to stakeholders. But the reality is, unless that content has resulted in an inquiry or a product sale. You know, how successful has it really been? If it was just like a one off, let’s try this, unless it’s part of our strategy, but it’s a one off and it hasn’t really resulted in a sale or an inquiry, then can we deem it to be successful? And that’s up for the business to decide. But think that’s a common pitfall. And I think the second one for me is just what we said before about trends like I see a lot of because I work with businesses across a few different industries, mostly finance, technology, energy and sort of sustainability, and I see a lot of businesses jumping on trends in terms of the things that they’re talking about, like their messaging. It’s almost like one person has started talking about it, and they’re keeping an eye on their competitors, and they think, well, we need to keep up with that. So we need to have an opinion on this as well. And I mean, there’s a time and a place for jumping on trends, especially if it’s something if it’s something that there is an expectation on that company to respond to, like a world event, but it needs to be part of their overall strategy for it to be effective. Otherwise, it’s just, it’s just reactive. It’s kind of fire fighting. It’s, it’s not really cementing any like real foundation for the future. So yeah, those would be my two common pitfalls that I see. Christian Klepp  15:50 You’ll excuse me if I’m grinning here, but you’re the point you brought up just reminded me of a client that I worked with many years ago. I’m not going to say who it is to protect their identities, but they, part of the briefing was that they asked us to come up with a viral video, okay? And to which I said, you know, respectfully, respectfully, you don’t get to decide if your video is viral. That’s something that the market decides and and believe it or not, Jamie, it was in fact, it was in fact, a B2B campaign. So that that already in itself, made me scratch my head a little bit at the brief, yeah. And it was one of those moments where, okay, well, why are we why are we doing this, what are we hoping to achieve? What’s the outcome? And how is that exactly? How does that tie in, like you said to your business goals, right? And they basically said, Well, everybody’s, you know, something to the effect of all everybody’s doing one so, you know, we think, we think it’ll be good to do this as well. And I think those are one of those moments in my agency, days where we were very confident that we will be okay if we walked away from that project, and we did, we just said, like, Sorry, can’t help you, right? Because I just even in my my wildest dreams, I could not imagine how we would have been able to pull that off, not from a production perspective. Because, you know, if you want to make a video, that’s there’s many ways to do that. I didn’t know how to pull it off from a marketing, distribution perspective. You know what I mean, like, Jamie Thomson  17:37 that’s stuff that’s kind of out with your control as an agency, as the creator of the content, or even as a business like you said, viral videos are meant to be it’s not really something that’s meant to be manufactured. It’s like a bit of a yeah, there’s just too many anomalies that needs to come together for something to go viral. So it’s a very difficult thing to manufacture without, of course, like paying for views or that kind of thing. You know, I’m a big, I’m a big sort advocate of it. Sometimes what you don’t say that is as important as what you do see, you know, you don’t need to be everything to everybody all the time, Christian Klepp  18:21 Especially in B2B. Jamie Thomson  18:22 Yes. Christian Klepp  18:25 Can you just imagine? I mean, you mentioned a couple of industries now, finance, tech and energy. Can you imagine if you had an energy client now that was also trying to reach out to finance people? Jamie Thomson  18:33 Yeah, yeah. That’s the thing. It’s like, yeah. Businesses need to understand their audience and but more importantly, they also need to understand their positioning in industry, like, what is? What are they known as in the energy sector? Are they the scrappy upstarts? Are they the established, like an international company, who are respected because, because all these things influence the way that they communicate and and the way that they speak to their audience as well. And you know, if a viral video fits that strategy, then I guess, fair enough, if you can try and manufacture but more often than not, I would say it’s more about being consistent, sticking to the plan. It’s an expensive gamble. It is an expensive gamble. Christian Klepp  19:22 Expensive gamble. Yes, all right, in our previous conversation, you talked about, you know, it’s the credibility of a brand’s messaging that decides whether they’re shortlisted or ignored. Could you elaborate on that? Jamie Thomson  19:39 Yeah, I think, I think the sort of credibility anchor comes from the consistency side of things. If you are consistently communicating your messages in a way that is also consistent with brand voice. Then you are more likely to be remembered by people like I think there’s a marketing statistic that that says the average consumer. I know we’re talking about business to business, but people, in general, the average like consumer. They need 12 touch points in order to like for that to result in a sale for a business. And so that could be like, they need to see the same message 12 times before it really hits home, or before they realize that’s something that they need. I’d imagine it’s probably even higher on social media, where people are consistent with schooling. But given that sort of like 12 touch point, like the sort of demonstrates the need for how consistent you need to be in order to have the credibility. And if you’re not being consistent and you’re just saying the same thing as everybody else, then you are essentially becoming like an average brand like everybody else, and that’s forgettable, whereas, you know, the companies that are really sort of digging deep into their own data and their statistics and the signals that we are seeing in the industry that only they have access to, that they can make known in their communications, then those are the ones that are ultimately going to be remembered. Christian Klepp  21:14 Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely. And on that note, if you could just walk us through how you think B2B. Marketers can use that messaging and copywriting to establish credibility, especially in the B2B context. We’re always talking about decision makers or buying committees, so we’re not always we’re not just talking about one person, right. We’re talking about, as the name suggests, a committee, so a group of people, right? Yeah. Jamie Thomson  21:42 And I mean, the way that I sort of generally do it is with clients. I host a workshop, and like during that workshop, we would first of all establish their messaging. So what is it that the business wants to see in the first place? And then we work out, like priorities, what messages are the most important for the specific channels that the business uses. And then you look at like more on the execution side of things like the tone of voice and the style and that kind of thing. But you know, businesses can do this themselves in house, following like a sort of simple three step like formula, essentially just deciding what they want to say, ie, their messages, which messages are the most important and how do they want to communicate? It like with the last part on the execution, that’s where LLMs can be useful, checking grammar, working things from notes, using it like to proof. But the initial idea needs to come from the business. So yeah, I think by following that process, it makes the ultimate like the sort of final content, appear more thoughtful, and people do pick up on that, like that. There’s a reason that reports and statistics and like white papers do well for generating leads. It’s because they’re they are genuinely useful. They’re thought leadership pieces, as opposed to just one person’s opinion, who is maybe the same as someone else’s or the opposite controversy for controversy sake? Yeah, people can really tell when, like, a piece of content has had a lot of thought into it businesses, notice that it’s just that’s the kind of content that resonates with people, like I said before, like, even, even though it’s business to the business, you’re still communicating to people, regardless of who the target audience is and the industry and the demographics, it’s still a person that’s making the decisions as to whether they’re going to use that company’s services or buy their products. Christian Klepp  23:54 Absolutely, absolutely. And I think another thing that can also be kind of fun to do in B2B, especially with white papers and reports, and what have you is to extract some of those, like nuggets, right? Extract some of those, some of that data. And I’m just gonna throw one of them out there, right? Like many years ago, we worked with a company that did the produced steel. And I can’t remember how much steel they produce, but they said, you know, we produce enough steel that can, you know, it’s enough to, you know, we can wrap the you can, you can wrap around the Earth four times, right, something along that line, right? Or, or even, even at home, like with a with a consumer product, so we have the plastic wrap, and it actually says on the packaging that this can cover an entire football field, right? Just facts where it’s almost like, did you know, or hey, by the way, right? And then you can get into something more serious too, because we, you know, we’re dealing with reports like that as well. Like, you know, last year, last year, most retail brands invested about month. 30% more on AI. And if you’re in the industry, you might be like, Yeah, I kind of knew that they were investing in AI, but all 30% more of their budget. What exactly are they investing in? And, yeah, that’s, that’s why you should download the reports. Jamie Thomson  25:20 Lots of information in the way that you presented to the public, it becomes interesting. And like, as you know yourself, that’s kind of the job of a copywriter, is to simplify that complex information. Like, you know that the fact that, like, the plastic wrapped around the world four times, like, that’s quite viable. I can visualize that as a consumer, and I think, oh, that’s that’s be cool. But if you just came through the cold, hard stats within context, or that’s sort of like visual with it, it doesn’t really mean much to me. And yeah, that’s kind of the job as communicators. And sort of B2B is to simplify that complex information. Look for the nuggets, and if you have a generally useful report that can be enough to give you, like, months worth of content, like on social media and sort of thought leadership articles, just like expanding on an idea within that report. So yeah, like, it might take a bit of investment up front, initially, to get the data, and get the process for gathering that data and getting the methodology in place. But once, once you’ve done that, and you’ve written the report, and it’s out there that gives you content for potentially months. Christian Klepp  26:32 Absolutely, absolutely. And I think that’s one of the challenges of a copywriter, right? Like, how do you there’s this expression in North America, like, how do you get more juice out of the squeeze, right? So, how do you stretch that? Give it, give it more longevity, right? Beyond, beyond. Well, here’s the report, off you go, right? Like, just like you said, like, stretch it out for you in like, months. You know, have more ammunition for, like, social, media content, you know, promotional content, perhaps even something on the website, something along that line, yeah. Jamie Thomson  27:07 I said, so the strategy has the words, if you have the strategy in place, then that stuff will follow, because you’ll have thought about it before the report was even published. So. Christian Klepp  27:18 Yep. Jamie Thomson  27:19 Yeah. Christian Klepp  27:19 Yep, absolutely, okay. I mean, on the topic of authority, give us some practical techniques for signaling authority across websites, campaigns and proposals. And I know this isn’t a one sentence answer, off you go. Jamie Thomson  27:35 Yeah.I think the first thing that comes to mind is taking a stance. And I don’t mean being controversial, but I mean having a clear idea of where the company stands in the industry, like what their positioning is. That in itself, is a useful technique. It’s not something that you can, like achieve overnight, but like with a workshop with someone and getting it all documented, that can give you a clearer sense of purpose as a business. I also think demonstrating, demonstrating expertise, like through thought leadership, content is a really useful technique for signaling authority. You know, if you know as a company, you may not even realize it, but you have access to data that other companies don’t. That in itself is unique, even if you don’t have as much data, or if your data says something different from your competitors, it’s still your day and it’s still useful. And that’s the kind of thing that can be turned into thought leadership content. You know, we’ve discovered that 50% of x, you know, prefers this. That kind of like insight driven. Like content is the stuff that generally performs well because people are naturally drawn to it and they find it genuinely useful. Yeah, I think it’s just that kind of idea of like social proof, like showing that you know what you’re talking about as a business, rather than simply telling people, because that’s what, that’s what, like LLM content tends to do. It makes vague claims that anybody can make, but you know, the proof is in the pudding, that the businesses that actually demonstrate their expertise are the ones that get remembered. And so yeah, that kind of comes through thought leadership stuff, which is data driven, even if as simple as, like social proof, like providing evidence of a case study that you have written with a client, or, like a business outcome that is a signal of authority that shows that you can back up. All the claims that you’re making in your messaging. Yeah, yeah, those would be my kind of, like, top two practical tips. Christian Klepp  30:12 Absolutely. Well, you’ve laid it out so beautifully. It sounds, it sounds, you know, on the from the outset, like, very easy to do, but we all know that. You know, in reality, it’s, it’s, it’s much more, much more challenging, right? Jamie, I know that you’re, you know you’re, you’re an award winning copywriter, and you’re not a sage, and your job is not to prophesy, but I’m gonna have to ask you to, like, assume that role for a second. All right, looking like just down the road with everything that’s going on now, and, you know, we’ve talked about AI and LLMs and whatnot. Perhaps some practical advice, as we’re now at, you know, at the time of this recording, at the beginning of 2026 what are some advice that you would give B2B companies who are saying like, yes, we would love to build our credibility, but AI and LLMs, you know that all seems to be creeping into everything that we do. Give us some advice on how to deal with that moving forward. Jamie Thomson  31:18 Yeah, that’s a good question. I think my sort of advice would be to take the time to understand your positioning and to document it. So, you know, it’s that kind of the way that the sort of marketing is going and the way that the industry is evolving. I do think the businesses that are going to like be here in the next 10 years are going to have that like longevity, are the ones that are kind of investing the time and now to understanding where they are positioned in their industry and where they want to be positioned in 10 years time. But crucially, like having it documented so that it’s being used consistently across the business you know from from sending internal emails to writing reports for the public. So from a practical point of view, that’s things like understanding like the business values and how the work the company is doing is a reflection of those values, and how that’s communicated to people. If it’s like a business that’s selling a product, like, what are the unique selling points of the product? What are the benefits to the end users? And how are we seeing that? You know, because in a lot of B2B industries, I think the sort of the strategy of competing on features is becoming a bit redundant. As technology improves. It’s quite difficult for companies to be able to claim unique features, because everybody can has access to the same tools. And so really, what if you flat that on its head, and you kind of look at look at it from the customer’s point of view, whether the customer choose one company over another that’s essentially got the same product or service that’s going to come down to like brand ability, and how much the company is able to like, empathize with the target audience, if they can really understand what their pain points are, then that business is ultimately going to choose that service over another, and that that comes down to, like, having it all documented, you may have, like, an intuition about what these things are, but as your business evolves, your intuition about these things will change and you’ll get scope creep, or you’ll want to jump on trends. If you do have it documented as an internal process, you’re more likely to stick to it in the future. And if you do get to the point that you want to change your positioning in industry, because you’ve maybe you’ve had more success than anticipated, or something in the market has changed, then that in itself should be a process. You should go back to the drawing board and look at what processes you have documented, and think what needs to be changed here before you are reactively moving in a different direction. That would be my advice to put my kind of like futurist cap on that’s, that’s what I would say.   Christian Klepp  34:23 Yeah, yeah. Well, that’s some pretty that’s some pretty solid advice. And, you know, thanks for sharing that. I totally agree. People have to understand their positioning in the market. Most importantly, also, they have to document it. It’s, it’s amazing how many companies I’ve worked with that don’t document that kind of, I wouldn’t call it a projection, but it’s almost like, okay, the positioning, what you know, and their vision, like, where do they what do they aspire to become? Right? I know that sounds like more individualistic, but you can, you can, you know, you can put that into the context of organization as well. Like, what do you aspire to become in 10 years and 20 years? Where’s this business going to go? Jamie Thomson  35:06 Absolutely, that’s it. Like something doing my own business with clients. Like, if someone asks me if someone’s going if a company is going through a rebrand and they need their website rewritten to reflect the new positioning, like, the first thing I suggest is, well, let’s get a workshop work out what you want to say. I’ll create a messaging guide for you, and I’ll create a total voice guide for you. And then sometimes you get a push back and you say, Well, why do we need that? I guess the answer is, well, I could rewrite your website. I could make it up as I go along, if you want, but not going to be anywhere near effect as effective as it would be if we have all this kind of important stuff documented in the first place, like, you need to have a structure, you have a plan, you have a strategy before the sort of the execution happens. And if you do the first part, well then, like, the actual execution of it, whether we’re talking about writing or or any other sort of like campaign that last 20% almost. It’s just like the icing on the cake, because when you get there, you already know what you want to see, how you want to see it, just kind of need to get, don’t get the content down, whether you’re whether it’s filming, whether it’s from heads key fingers to keyboard, that sort of 20% kind of comes a lot easier when there’s a plan, when there’s a structure in there from the start. Christian Klepp  36:29 Absolutely, absolutely. Jamie, this has been an incredible conversation. Thank you so much for coming on and for sharing your expertise and experience with the listeners. Please, quick introduction to yourself and how people out there can get in touch with you. And for those that are listening to the audio version of this recording, Jamie and I are actually color coordinated today. Jamie Thomson  36:53 We were emailing each other before making sure that we were. Christian Klepp  36:58 That’s it. That’s it. That’s it. Jamie Thomson  37:01 Thanks very much for having me on Christian like I said, like, I have listened to the podcast and myself over the over the past few months, and I’ve resonated with a lot of the sort of content that, like your your other guests have been putting out there. So yeah, it’s like, really a privilege to be on it. And yeah, like people can get in touch with me. Well, just explain who I am. I mean, my name is Jamie, and I’m a strategic copywriter and messaging strategist. And I run a copywriting studio called Brand New Copy, and I have done since 2013 and I help brands establish their messaging and their tone of voice through workshops and deliverables like thought leadership, articles, white papers, annual reports, website copywriting. And I also provide training to businesses, agencies and other copywriters. And I have a flagship course called the Brand New Copywriting course, which opposite the strategy behind copywriting. So yeah, if you wanted to get in touch with me, the best way would be through email, which is Jamie Thomson at brandnewcopy.com Christian Klepp  38:13 Fantastic, fantastic. And we’ll be sure to drop those links in the show notes when this episode is published. So once again, Jamie, thanks so much for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Jamie Thomson  38:22 Thanks, Christian. Christian Klepp  38:24 All right. Bye for now.

AI - Artificial Intelligence, the False Prophet, and the AntiChrist: In this fascinating episode, Steve welcomes Pastor Eric from Sound the Shofar Messianic Ministries to discuss the role of AI in Biblical prophecy. Frightening stuff! Find Pastor Eric online: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123168699032724Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

The complex world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has now taken a hard right with the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence). It's no longer enough to be one of the top options when someone Google searches a keyword you have attribution to. In this Quick Hit, you'll hear from Dave Burnett, Founder of AOK Marketing. He helps you acquire more loyal customers. Catch the full episode here

Welcome to Episode 159 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing Welcome to Episode #159 of “Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing” In this episode,the topic is “Artificial Intelligence: Have You Embraced This Tool?” I love AI and began learning how to use it at the beginning of 2023. Many people are fearful of AI and imagine that it will be negative for the world. Now I write books and create courses using artificial intelligence and can’t imagine living without it. Where do you stand on this topic that has become so controversial? Would you be open to me interviewing you about this? I am sharing a live session of my “Really Simple Authority Blogging” ongoing training course with you and know you will benefit from the marketing strategies I am sharing and teaching here. Be sure to connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com or on X at https://x.com/ConnieGreen so I may serve you in the areas where my help could make a huge difference in your results. I’m going to share with you how much fun I’m having with creating simple courses using AI (Artificial Intelligence) in about 30 minutes. I know you can do the same thing. Keep it simple, and add the short course you create to a page on your existing website/blog. In this episode I’m discussing how to use keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) to grow your business. Your prospects and future clients, customers, and colleagues are waiting to connect with you, but if they can’t find you online it will never happen. Make it simple for your target audience to find you by using the keywords and phrases they are most likely to be searching for on Google, Bing, and the other search engines. The Power and Gift of Change”- We are all changing throughout each day, and I think we must embrace this change in order to grow and move forward. Changing can take many forms, and if you look back through your life you will come to understand that you are not the same person you were even a year ago. Here is a quote about this you may resonate with… “Growth lives outside the comfort zone. If it feels uncomfortable, you’re probably doing it right.” ~ Marie Forleo I believe that our businesses are based on the concept of serving others. When you start on online (or even a brick and mortar) business, your goal is to serve others with what you know and to benefit in multiple ways, including by earning an excellent income. I’m sharing several examples in this podcast about my own and experiences with clients over the years. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This morning I was reading the message written by outgoing Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In it, he stated that his “parting prescription” for the American people is to cultivate a strong sense of community to help themselves and others. He added, “Relationships, service, and purpose are the time-tested triad of fulfillment that stands in contrast to wealth, fame, and power which define the modern-day triad of success.” Here are some other questions I want you to ask yourself: What is your commitment to yourself and to others close to you? Why are you focused on the things that are taking up your time? When will you begin to focus on goals that will allow you to create and leave a legacy? Whom do you trust to get you there? Perhaps my “Monthly Mentoring Program” is right for you. Motivation and Inspiration: What It Takes to Get Your Spark Back” During 2024 I went through a period where I wasn’t as motivated as I had been accustomed to being for many years. This gave me time to explore why I was feeling this way and to hopefully learn something that would help others. My inspiration to do all of the things I love in my business, including writing, creating, marketing, and mentoring was waning and I wasn’t sure why. Within a couple of months I was back on track and this is what I learned… Life isn’t easy, but then it isn’t supposed to be. Being challenged in so many ways on a regular basis makes us stronger and perhaps more appreciative and grateful for what we already have and what we know we can achieve if we believe in ourselves and have even one other person who knows we are special and tells us that as often as possible. Marie Forleo wrote a book titled “Everything Is Figureoutable” – https://ConnieLoves.me/FigureOutAble – Her precept is that if you’re having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you haven’t yet installed the one belief that changes everything. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com and want to hear from you on this topic, or on anything else. “Merging Your Life with Your Business” as a strategy. We aren’t creating a business we need a vacation from. Instead, we’re creating a “lifestyle by design” where we have the time and financial freedom to live in a way that few people are able to, and with choices around everything we do. If you’ve met me in person, heard me on my podcast, or read any of my books, you know that I am a very positive person. No matter what situation or circumstances arises, I truly believe there will always be a positive outcome on the horizon, and sooner rather than later. But I wasn’t always this way. This is a journey that continues… My first year online was 2006, and very quickly I connected with people I’m still part of a Mastermind with in Austin, Texas. I was invited to speak at an event there a couple of years later. It was hosted by Joe Vitale and Mendhi Audlin was also there. She shared a concept she had come up with that she calls “What If… UP!” The premise is that there is truly a silver lining in everything negative that occurs. I liken this to Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. My precept and general rule for life is that we can achieve anything we want and feel that we deserve. Others want to help us to achieve our goals, but many times we get in their way by telling ourselves stories that aren’t true. Mendhi’s precept aligns with mine, and a year or so after I first met her she published a book on this… “What If It All Goes Right?: Creating a New World of Peace, Prosperity & Possibility” by Mendhi Audlin reveals the secret to turning possibilities into a tangible reality. It works! https://ConnieLoves.me/WhatIfUp I’m discussing the importance of being willing to “Better Your Best” during this new year, as well as recommending that this be the year you finally embrace AI – Artificial Intelligence – for your business. I have been a student of and someone who uses AI almost daily since February of 2022, and I’m learning from experts Andy O”Bryan and Denise Wakeman in their ongoing AI Success Club. Asking “How Are You Defining Success?” Creating a business as an entrepreneur allows you to live a lifestyle by design, with both time freedom and financial freedom. Think about how you want to live each day and then take action to make it happen. Over the years I’ve changed many things, while others have remained the same. Instead of making changes just for the sake of change, think about what you could change up and what makes sense to remain at least mostly the same. Years ago, I used to put together my blog posts on a single topic, like copywriting or list building or creation digital products into a simple document that I referred to as a ‘Focus Guide’ and gave them away to my list and to my prospects. Each of these documents contained resources and an ‘About the Author’ page that helped me to build my credibility, visibility, and profitability. For the first time ever, I am recommending that you write a book about yourself, your niche topic, and how you serve others. I first did this in 2009 and now I have written and published twenty-eight full-length, non-fiction books on the topics of entrepreneurship, personal, development, and authorship. Life can be messy. Are their ways you can keep moving forward when your personal life is turning upside down? Yes! Finding joy in helping and serving others, as well as compartmentalizing what is currently going on in your life are just two of the ways to deal with change and situations outside of your control. I recommend that you choose two social media platforms to use for the sole purpose of helping your prospects find and connect with you online. My favorite is X – formerly known as Twitter, and I also use LinkedIn and YouTube as my favorite social media sites to grow my business. Please connect with me on these sites and let me know how I may best serve you as you build and grow your profitable business. Is your list of what you are willing to do longer than your list of what you don’t want to do? I recommend a mile-long “to-do” list and a daily schedule of no more than four things that you will work on each day in your business. Find a mentor who believes in you and get started with creating a lifestyle by design that you want and deserve. I’m recommending James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” – https://ConnieLoves.me/AtomicHabits – as a book to help you alleviate your fears. We all have hopes, dreams, goals, and fears regarding our life experiences. I have found that if we build up our confidence and have faith that everything will turn out in a way that will be beneficial to all, we can continue to move forward without negative effects. Having an online business requires confidence. These are some questions to ask yourself: Who will you serve? What are your prospects pain points? What’s your idea? How will it be created, and then delivered? How will you sell it online? Creating a simple product or online course is the beginning of living a lifestyle by design. Reach out to me any time at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to know more about getting started as an online entrepreneur. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My first online course back in 2006 was a simple one with three audio trainings and a workbook. Then, I began creating more sophisticated, but not more complicated courses. I’ve used the “Really Simple” branding for many courses at least 25 times, as well as using other terms and phrases based on the keywords I am optimizing for with each new course. Having your own online course on a topic you want to become known for will give you leverage to grow your business exponentially over time. It’s interesting to me that we as humans sometimes take things for granted that later on we know we should have appreciated in the moment. What I’m referring to here is having an online business you can run from home, or from anywhere in the world. There’s a window of opportunity that isn’t always open, and right now this window is wide open to everyone. A lot of it depends upon economic factors. I almost went back to graduate school two years ago to study economics, but decided against it because of the film and television writing I’m pursuing, but that’s a story for another time. Someone I work closely with had posted this quote from Richard Branson the other day: “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” This does NOT apply to online business, but instead refers to starting a physical, brick and mortar business. I know several people in both of my cities who borrowed against their homes, cashed out retirement savings, and sold family heirlooms to start businesses in the community, only to go bankrupt a couple of years later. What I’m saying here is that this is the time to get your online business off the ground and up and running profitably. It’s so inexpensive in comparison, and the biggest expense I incur is what I pay mentors to guide me in the right direction. Yes, I still have a mentor and recommend you do as well. This isn’t coaching, but instead a personal relationship you’ll build over time that could lead to strategic alliance partnerships and lifelong friendships. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you want to know more about mentoring with me. The four widely accepted learning modalities (or modes) are known by the acronym VARK: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, Kinesthetic. They are sometimes inaccurately referred to as “learning styles” which implies that each learner has a “style” of learning that should be maximized in all learning situations. Focusing on consistency, productivity, and creativity makes sense for all online entrepreneurs in 2024. I’m also sharing some effective and time-proven strategies with you here that will make a difference in your business, as well as in your personal life experience. Each day I focus on writing, creating, marketing, and teaching/learning/mentoring. My writing began as short and simple blog posts and blossomed into more than twenty-five full-length books. My writing is my oeuvre, my body of work that is my legacy to family, friends, colleagues, and those who follow me. During 2023 I wrote and published more than 400 thousand words. This breaks down to one full-length book, Self-Directed: Inspire, Motivate, and Empower Yourself to the Greatness That Lies Within; the current book on marketing that is more than halfway written; 8 short reports on topics of interest to the people I work with online; one hundred thirty-eight blog posts on three different blogs I maintain; and 382 email messages to my online community. These are  practical strategies for effective time management, emphasizing the importance of creating a balance between work and personal life. Achieving work-life harmony requires effective time management strategies that allow you to balance professional and personal responsibilities. Here are some strategies to help you manage your time more efficiently: 1. Set Clear Priorities: Identify your most important tasks and priorities for both work and personal life. Focus on what truly matters and allocate time accordingly. 2. Use a Time Management System: Choose a time management system that works for you, whether it’s a digital tool like Todoist or Trello, or a physical planner. Organize tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. Schedules vs To-Do Lists 3. Prioritize Tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Prioritize tasks based on these categories. 4. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them during specific time blocks. This reduces the mental load of switching between different types of activities. 5. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time to different activities. This includes work tasks, personal commitments, and breaks. Stick to the schedule as much as possible. 6. Learn to Say No: Be selective about taking on new commitments. Saying no when necessary helps you avoid over-committing and allows you to focus on your existing priorities. 7. Delegate When Possible: Delegate tasks that others can handle. This applies to both professional and personal responsibilities. It’s okay to ask for help. 8. Practice the Two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and becoming overwhelming. 9. Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can reduce efficiency and increase stress. Complete one task before moving on to the next. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You’re starting a conversation with your emails, and building a relationship with your prospects, customers, and clients over time. I’ve been online as an entrepreneur, marketer, and writer since 2006, and while much has changed, I believe that more has remained the same. Here, I’m discussing how we marketed in those early days, and why email marketing still remains top of mind. Most recently, I’ve co-hosted an Advanced Email Marketing Conference with Ellen Finkelstein. In April of 2023, I hosted my latest live marketing event in Los Angeles, and more recently I’ve hosted my Santa Barbara Retreat for those I mentor and teach. But like everyone else, I began by attending live events, and eventually virtual events in order to find my voice, connect with other like-minded people, and learn more about building and growing my online business. Guerilla marketing is a way to drive publicity and, as a result, brand awareness by promoting using unconventional methods designed to evoke surprise, wonder, or shock. Guerrilla marketing is the creating use of novel or unconventional methods in order to boost sales or attract interest in a brand or business. These methods are often low- or no-cost and involve the widespread use of more personal interactions or through viral social media messaging. This marketing method has increased in popularity with the rise of ubiquitous mobile and connected technologies that can amplify messaging and focus on target groups of consumers. Some consumers may be more attracted by guerrilla marketing campaigns as they may be more interesting and daring, while others may be turned off because of the perceived “disruptive” aspects of this style of marketing. Please subscribe and leave me a review. And connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com. Find out more about me HERE. Becoming an online entrepreneur was the best decision I ever made. I’ve been online since 2006 and now help others all over the world to do the same or something similar. We all have times where we are feeling a little down, lost, or confused. Life isn’t easy, and no one makes it out alive! These are my recommendations for how to get back on track and feeling more happy and optimistic about your future… Write! Whether you’re already a writer or are just beginning to think about sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others, writing makes sense. I write every single day and publish much of my writing as blog posts, short reports, and full-length books. Writing opens your mind to what you want in the future, by allowing you to explore the past through your memories. You can also retell and reframe your stories in a way that will serve you going forward. Start a new project! I usually create products and courses as new projects, but this can also manifest as something you build or create with your hands. I have family members on two continents that love to put together complex jigsaw puzzles. They look forward to these as a new project on a regular basis. Volunteer! Before I started my online business, I promised myself I would volunteer my time and donate money to charitable causes… as soon as I had the time and the money to do so. Once I had my own business, I realized that I had some time and a little money to do this all along. Spend time with new people! As a part of the volunteering I now do regularly, I’ve spent time with very young children, veterans, women starting over after being in a domestic violence situation, and more. This work continues to make a difference in my life. As you can see, there are many ways to get back to your “Why?” and I hope this has been helpful to you. What’s the best niche topic to cover in your blog? I know you don’t what to hear me say “It depends.” so I won’t. Lean in, and I’ll share the very best niche for you, and it’s one that is also the most profitable, will feel more like you’re just having fun, will never go out of style, and will be the one that has absolutely zero competition. Which niche topic and target audience could it possibly be? I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. I learned when I began online 17 years ago that the best niche for anyone is the one that makes your heart sing and is probably a topic you take for granted. I had been teaching school for twenty years and my students were mostly Spanish and Tagalog native speakers. I told them if they wrote just a few sentences every single day – weekends, holidays, and school breaks included – their writing would improve. Those who followed my advice excelled, while those who didn’t floundered. During all those years, I seldom wrote anything unless it was required for my work as a teacher or for my part-time work in real estate. Fast forward to 2006, and I realized not only that I needed to write in order to succeed online, but also that what I’d done with my students would apply here as well. My niche for the next eighteen months was around helping others to write, publish, market, and sell eBooks. I wrote one on real estate farming – choosing and area close to home to connect with people who may need your services – as an example and sold it on my website. Back then, you had to sell eBooks on your own websites, as Amazon had not yet entered the world of self-publishing. My niche and website became “eBook writing and marketing secrets” and this topic took me to six figures. I was learning right along with the people who were learning and buying from me. I then moved that site over to https://ConnieRagenGreen.com to make a name for myself and to branch out to other topics. The bottom line is that you must begin by sharing what you already know something about and love. Blogging is the direct path to the visibility, credibility, and profitability you wish to have in your business. In my business, every idea begins as a blog post. This is where I think and research and brainstorm what’s on my mind in the very beginning. The blog post is ground zero for what could, and many times does become a product, course or program. Blog posts, while based on your idea, can be created with original content, private label (PLR) rights content, guest content, or curated content. While I immediately share my published posts on social media as “micro content” you’ll want to wait at least 24 hours before syndicating your content on Medium. I also teach this syndication strategy in my popular and ongoing Syndication Optimization training program. Next up in your content creation and content marketing strategy is a short report, which you may sell online or give away as a lead magnet. I teach all of this in my Really Simple Short Reports training. This is what we refer to as “cornerstone” content that is extremely valuable. The final step is creating “authority content” by publishing your writing as a Kindle or paperback book to increase your visibility and build your reputation as an expert on your topic. I typically discuss time management and productivity in regards to entrepreneurs, marketers, and authors, and I’ve even co-authored a bestselling book on this topic, entitled “Time Management Strategies for Entrepreneurs: How to Manage Your Time to Increase Your Bottom Line” where we outline in great details the steps you may take to reach a level of optimal productivity and time management as an entrepreneur. But what about everyone else? Doesn’t every person deserve to live the lifestyle they want and deserve, where they enjoy financial freedom and the time to enjoy every moment to the fullest? Of course they do, and that’s what I’m sharing during this podcast. When I began online as a new entrepreneur in 2006, I realized immediately I would need help with technology and graphics, as these were the areas where I had no experience or talent. I bartered for these services for the first year or so, and then began to put together a team of people to support me so my business could grow. When I look back over my lifetime, I see that I have always had a team supporting me, whether it was while I worked as a classroom teacher, or in real estate as a broker and residential appraiser. Even while I was growing up, I was surrounded by people who supported me, from family, friends and neighbors to teachers, clergy, and people in the community. Put together your team and watch your business grow exponentially! When it comes to your visibility as an entrepreneur, where may we find you to see what you’re doing? This expert status comes from your writing, videos and audios, and your social media presence on the most active platforms for your target audience. My three popular and active blogs are at ConnieRagenGreen.com, HugeProfitsTinyList.com, and at MondayMorningMellow.com. Credibility is about what you already know and what you are learning. We all started our online businesses as adults, so we brought our knowledge and experiences with us. It made sense for me to help people write, market, and publish eBooks in the beginning, because I had worked as a classroom teacher for twenty years prior to coming online, and was learning about marketing and self-publishing. Profitability means that you must ask “What’s for sale?” every day in your business. Create your own simple products and courses, recommend others with affiliate marketing, and look into buying the resale rights to sell other people’s products as your own like I continue to do in my own business. The final part of this information on your expert status as an entrepreneur includes productivity, consistency, and attention to detail. Get everything in place as quickly as possible, and your online business is sure to grow exponentially! During my first couple of years online, beginning in 2007 I connected with mentors Alex Mandossian and Raymond Aaron. When I inquired as to what they were doing together as strategic alliance partners, they gave me a brief explanation and told me that I was not yet ready to move up to this level. Over the next two years they helped me to grow and elevate my business and my mindset as an online entrepreneur so that I could connect with others in this way. Seek out the people and groups you wish to be involved with and show them that you have moved past tactics and on to strategies. It will make all the difference and as you uplevel everything you’re doing online in your business, your free time and disposable income will increase exponentially! When I work with people in my Incubator Mastermind Mentoring program, the goal is to move them into position to become a strategic alliance partner with me and others to share their message in a bigger way. WHY did you choose the career you started your working life with? WHY did you get married, have children, and move into your first home? WHY did you make the conscious decision to leave your career at some point and start your business? WHY do you want to be an author or entrepreneur, or coach? WHY do you get up every single day and do the work required to become more successful on an ongoing basis? Everyone must have a WHY and there are no right or wrong answers here. But if you find yourself unmotivated to work or if you find yourself procrastinating on projects, then it's time to re-examine the main reason for your business. Name Your Reason – or Your WHY – for Starting a Business Focusing on your WHY can help motivate you, so write down your reason for starting a business on a regular basis. Did you want to fill your free time? Did you want to earn some play money or contribute to the family finances? Did you want to pay the medical bills of an aging parent or a sick child? Did you want to pay for your child's higher education or private school tuition? In my case, my answer to “what's your why?” was always around having enough income to live life on my terms. Over time, I came to the realization that every choice I was making, and each time I could not do something that had meaning for me, was all related to me needing to earn a paycheck or a commission from the classroom teaching and real estate work I was involved with each day. I missed just about every family event, vacation, and other activities because I was working 60 or more hours a week in order to cover my bills and other expenses. I wasn't angry or resentful because I believed that I didn't deserve to have a better life during those decades. This all changed in 2005 when I began reading books and attending events based on self improvement and personal development principles. Writing these reasons down – no matter what they are because every person's WHY will be different – should help motivate you to work hard. You should feel driven to make your business a success. You should be willing to tackle things outside your comfort zone because you know the end result will help your business. If you're not feeling motivated, then you need to dig deeper. I worked closely with a woman who was struggling to make her online business become profitable, and she continued to tell me that she had no problems or struggles in her life, currently or during her younger years. Then, one day she told me about her granddaughter who had passed away at age twelve and the floodgates opened. We got to the bottom of things, she discovered her why, and her business grew by leaps and bounds, almost overnight! Be Open and Willing to Examine Your Inner Feelings Life is fluid and ever-changing so it stands to reason that your WHY would change over time as well. Even if you started your business because you didn't know what to do once your kids were in full day school, you can change that WHY to something more meaningful now. A mentor once shared with me that she started a service business because she was a single mom and needed to earn money to survive. She was responsible for lodging, food, and clothing for herself and her child. She didn't have anyone to rely on except herself. THIS is enough to make you cry and to hustle for work, knowing that if she wasn't working, she wasn't eating. What are you passionate about that will get you hustling? Are you passionate about a cause or charity that can benefit from your financial assistance? Do you need to pull yourself up out of financial despair? Don't be afraid to own that reason and fight for your business. This is how you will continue to get closer to understanding and recognizing the answer to “what's your why?” Don't be Afraid to Switch Business Gears to Discover Your “Why” One of my mentees admitted to me early on that even though she has been in a service business for over ten years, that she hadn't been motivated to create any classes or products as a source of passive income. She blamed her indecision on a lack of new ideas and a feeling and belief that everything she knew had already been said and done, but I questioned if it was because she didn't feel attached to her particular niche of online marketing. After some more discussion, she agreed and has since modified her services that align better with what she enjoys. I still suggested that she explore a deeper WHY but this is a step in the right direction. Plenty of businesses add or subtract products or services or modify their mission statement. If something about your business doesn't feel right, don't be afraid to make changes. I'm bestselling author and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green, and now I can confidently answer the question “What's your why?” with enthusiasm and conviction. My “why” is around the concept of helping others to achieve their goals and dreams with writing and having a profitable online business so they may follow their dreams and passions without having to do work that doesn't make their heart sing or worry about meeting all of their financial obligations with grace and ease. You can double your productivity and be success with a business, or with anything you choose to accomplish in your life, if you are willing to implement what you learn and take decisive action on a consistent basis. Many people come to me to learn how to successful and profitable as an online entrepreneur. But some of them end up saying “I already know that” and moving on to something else. I know that I am able to do more than I ever thought would be possible in my life because I am willing to learn, implement, course correct, ask questions, take massive action and keep moving forward with consistency. Others may be smarter or more knowledgeable, but if they hesitate to take action they will not achieve the results they are hoping for in their business or with anything else. As long as you are specific and intentional with what you want to achieve, you can do it all as an entrepreneur, just not all at once. And we must throw perfection out the window. I have a new saying… The more perfecter your goal, the less purfeckt your results. “Everything we do in our lives is preparing us for something that will arise in the future, even though we don’t yet know what that will be.” ~ Connie Ragen Green Our stories are the fabric of our life. A story sets you apart from everyone else, makes you unique and memorable, and is all you have when it's all said and done. When I was a young child a neighbor girl, seven or eight years old at the time, interrupted my mother in the middle of a story she was telling to ask, “Why do you have so many stories?” My mother hardly skipped a beat, informing the girl that “You'll have stories too, when you get older.” On that evening a part of me became a storyteller in training. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I was telling stories about everything from what I did in school that day to what happened in the neighborhood. I wore my storyteller's hat with pride and now I see that this one aspect of my life was preparing me for what I now do in my business and derive great joy from every single day. The word “praestabilis” is from the Latin and means outstanding, excellent, and extraordinary and this is the goal for you as you make your way in the online world. It took me until age 50 to step into the light and live an empowered life. I achieved this by leaving a job – classroom teaching – and a career as a real estate broker and appraiser to come online as an entrepreneur. I have no regrets about waiting so long, as everything unfolds once we are open to receiving it. There are three top strategies to help you move closer to an empowered life and they include… Writing – Every day, I want you to write! This includes blog posts, outlines, emails to your prospects, clients, and potential joint venture partners. Also, write short reports and white papers to show others who you are and what you know. Finally, write a book to solidify your expertise in your niche, and follow that up with additional books over time. Writing is crucial to our process of standing out from the crowd by sharing what we know and believe. Reach out to me if you’re interested in coming aboard for my “10 Week Author” program. Recent posts on my three blogs are at: “Broken Compass Stories We Tell Ourselves” – https://mondaymorningmellow.com/broken-compass-story/ “The eBook That Changed My Life” – https://hugeprofitstinylist.com/ebook-that-changed-my-life/ “Marketing Secrets from Creative Sources” – https://connieragengreen.com/marketing-secrets-from-creative-sources/ Speaking – I was the reluctant speaker, but once I got past my fears and insecurities you can’t get the microphone away from me. Speak about yourself and your topic to anyone who will listen. I began by speaking at my Rotary Club and I continue to recommend service organizations as a way to break in to speaking. Now I speak all over the world, in person and virtually on a variety of topics. Masterminding – Connecting with others for the sole purpose of reaching your full potential is crucial to life success. Find a Mastermind group to join, or start your own by inviting thought leaders to connect with you in this way. I have a group called the Incubator Mastermind that may be of interest to you. Hopefully, you can see that what I’m sharing with on each podcast will make a difference for you as you build and grow your business as an entrepreneur, author, and marketer. Make sure to think of marketing as a priority and get into the habit of sharing your best ideas and resources with the people who are on their way to becoming your raving fans! I’m always just an email away at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to connect with me. I promise to help you keep it simple while you grow your online business. Get started with your own eBook empire by learning how to write an eBook from the person who continues to guide me along this lucrative journey. Take a look at How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook…in as Little as 7 Days from expert and author Jim Edwards. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you as I share my beliefs, perceptions, and experiences as an author, online entrepreneur, and marketing strategist with you. Marketing has become the joy of my life as I continue to learn, grow, and share concepts with others. I'm bestselling author, marketing strategist, and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 159 first appeared on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 159 appeared first on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.

In this episode, we share a panoply of voices speaking out about the dangers of AI - Artificial Intelligence - and this insane boom in water-and-power-hungry data centers throughout the U.S. We engage with Steven J. Kung, an advocate against the construction of a massive data center in Monterey Park, California. Steven, a writer and director, shares his insights on the environmental implications, air pollution, blight, industrializing the landscape, in addition to the excessive water consumption and energy demands. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url We also hear from Stanford professor and renewable energy expert Mark Jacobson, who discusses sustainable alternatives for powering data centers. Tech journalist Paris Marx weighs in from the 2025 Bioneers Conference on the social and political implications of this data center bubble economy. For some positive news, legislators in New York introduced the strongest data center moratorium proposal thus far [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/06/new-york-democrats-propose-sweeping-pause-on-data-center-construction-00768090]. The bill would pause data center construction for three years while appropriate regulations are drafted. Moreover, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders suggests a national moratorium on this data center building boom. Join us as we explore the grassroots movement to protect local communities and the fight for environmental justice. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Resources/Articles: True Cost of AI with Paris Marx - Bioneers: https://bioneers.org/the-true-cost-of-ai-water-energy-and-a-warming-planet-ztvz2507/ Stopping a Data Center in Monterey Park https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/california-monterey-park-stop-datacenter-construction Steven J. Kung is a proud Chinese American resident of Monterey Park who lives 1,300 feet from the proposed data center site. He is a writer-director who co-founded the grassroots activist group No Data Center Monterey Park [https://www.nodatacentermpk.org/]. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 278

It's Monday, February 16th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims killed 300: How you can help! The Muslims continue to kill Catholics and Protestants in Nigeria, Africa. On February 10th, suspected Fulani Muslim militants killed more than 100 people in the Southern Taraba State, and injured thousands more, reports International Christian Concern. Armed attackers arrived in the early morning hours, when residents were asleep, unleashing gunfire and setting homes, churches, and harvested crops ablaze. And on February 3rd, Muslims killed over two hundred people in remote villages in Kwara, Katsina and Benue States, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Many of the victims were found with their hands bound behind their backs and their throats cut. The dead included women and children. Judd Saul, Founder of Equipping the Persecuted, wrote, “Entire villages in the Middle Belt have been attacked. Pastors targeted. Families burned out of their homes. Survivors are now fleeing with nothing — grieving, wounded, and traumatized.” He added, “While the killing continues, something significant is finally happening in Washington, DC. After six years of relentless advocacy, briefings, intelligence reports, and meetings, legislation has now been introduced to protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria.” Republican Congressmen Riley Moore of West Virginia and Chris Smith of New Jersey introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026. Rep. Smith said, “Now that President Trump has rightly redesignated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,' the United States has a responsibility to do its due diligence in ensuring that the Nigerian government is taking the proper steps to address and punish the systemic violence against Christians and non-radical Muslims by Islamist extremists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists.” Call your Representative today at 202-225-3121. Ask him or her to co-sponsor the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to get a live operator who will connect you to the Rep.'s office. If it's after hours, just leave a voicemail with your name, phone number and the name of the bill. That number again is 202-225-3121. And prayerfully consider sending a much-need donation to Equipping the Persecuted that works with Nigerian Christians on the ground. The website is www.EquippingThePersecuted.org Assemblies of God pastor accused of sexual abuse for 20 years Pastor Rod Loy, who leads First Assembly of God in Little Rock, Arkansas has stepped aside from his role. He will face an investigation following a recent lawsuit from a former member who claims he sexually abused her for 20 years, beginning when she was 16, reports The Christian Post. Loy's church was ranked as the third-largest Assemblies of God congregation in the United States, with more than 16,500 members in 2017. It also helped to plant more than 1,350 churches in 63 nations. The claims of abuse are detailed in a civil lawsuit filed by 45-year-old Suzanne Lander in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas, on January 26. The lawsuit claims, “Defendant Loy exploited his position as a trusted spiritual leader to systematically groom, manipulate, and sexually abuse a vulnerable sixteen-year-old girl who had survived years of parental sexual abuse and trafficking, [He] used religious teachings and scripture to convince Plaintiff that God wanted her to submit to his sexual demands, telling her repeatedly that performing sexual acts pleased God and made her better in God's eyes.” Lander alleges that “only months” after she began attending the church as a teenager in 1996, Loy, who was then serving as executive pastor, “initiated sexual abuse.” Lander alleged that Loy told her that God wanted her to please him sexually and shockingly used Scriptures like Hebrews 13:17 to get her to comply. It says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” The lawsuit alleges that Loy's abuse of Lander spanned from 1996 to 2016, including while she was married. Matthew 18:6 says, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in Me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Pastor Loy, age 59, denies all the allegations, reports HelpingSurvivors.org. And the church reported that the investigation found no evidence to substantiate the allegations. Church leaders further emphasized that both Pastor Loy and the board “vehemently deny these claims” and are preparing to defend themselves in court. Father not allowed to opt 5-year-old son out of LGBT propaganda A Massachusetts judge has ruled that a father cannot pull his 5-year-old son out of kindergarten lessons that promote homosexual propaganda, reports Fox News. Last Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor issued a memorandum ruling in favor of Lexington Public Schools regarding two books in the kindergarten curriculum. Judge Saylor said the two disputed books, Pink Is for Boys and Except When They Don't, do not fall under the opt-out provision because they focus on gender stereotypes rather than explicit themes. Isaiah 5:20 declares, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” Gloria Gaither offers a sobering warning to Christian music industry And finally, Christian songwriter Gloria Gaither addressed a roomful of young people in the Christian music industry, reports GodTube.com. Listen. GAITHER: “I don't know what's next. I'm scared about AI [Artificial Intelligence]. You are here as a guardian of the real. That's what we're trusting you to do. And we're going to die and leave that to you. And I want you all to know that we understand the value of you, and especially because we have no idea how to do what you are doing to make 10 billion hits on whatever streams those are. “It doesn't matter. That technology is going to change. You're going to be antiquated too, but your heart is not going to be antiquated.” Together with her husband Bill, they've written 700 songs. Mrs. Gaither addressed the Christian song writers in the room and offered a sober warning. GLORIA GAITHER: “I am 83.” BILL GAITHER: “A good looking 83.” (laughter) GLORIA GAITHER: “I still believe that if I write a song and I shoot it into the air, I have no idea where it's going to land and what life it's going to change. But we've been doing this long enough to get the letters back from Australia and South Africa, and all over the planet, that said, ‘That arrow landed in my heart.' “I believe in art. When everybody is arguing, and all the debates are done and the news is turned off, art will still speak. And it will bring together people that think they hate each other. Movies do it, but nothing does it like a song. Nothing. It is distilled into three minutes of total power. Trust me. And, if you have a gift for making that, be a good steward of it because that power is dangerous in the wrong hands.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, February 16th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

In a world where AI (Artificial Intelligence) is reshaping trades and blue-collar jobs faster than most realize, the real game-changer isn't just tech—it's the "other AI": Authentic Influence. "Change is hard only for the unready" (Cy Wakeman), and those ready to thrive aren't waiting for promotions or titles; they're building trust-based influence from the front lines through character, competency, and action. As John C. Maxwell says, "People who want to be effective are willing to do what others won't"—and that willingness earns resources, promotions, and the ability to make a real impact. Discover how developing Authentic Influence (trust earned, not demanded) makes you indispensable, boosts your value, accelerates career options, and helps you lead 360°—with or without a formal position—in manufacturing, trades, warehouses, and beyond. Don't get left behind by the tech wave; rise above it by becoming the high-impact player leaders can't afford to lose. Visit BlueCollarLeadership.com and start building your Authentic Influence today!  #BlueCollarLeadership #AuthenticInfluence #Leadership #AIinTrades #PersonalDevelopment #SkilledTrades

身為窗業職人第三代，吳律謙在責任與傳承之間，走出屬於自己的道路。 1991年，祖父吳連發以木作窗門起家，接著父親吳定旺開發出台灣最早的氣密窗「松鶴氣密窗」，但吳律謙因父親驟逝，於26歲繼承家業，面對傳統產業對年輕接班人的質疑，他沒有急於改變，而是先深入了解公司現況，再逐步建立屬於自己的經營方向。 他成立鈞匠事業部，帶領團隊投入高規格水密窗研發，歷經5年反覆測試與技術突破，成功打造水密性達2000pa的「風光Ai窗」，超越國際標準，並通過國家級認證。 不同於傳統產業既有形象，吳律謙在購物中心裡的門市打造一個風雨實驗室，也嘗試跨界合作，將鋁窗斷面元素融入時裝設計與藝術展示，希望讓消費者不只認識功能，更理解產品背後的工藝精神與品牌理念。 本集金句： 蘋果的英文是Apple Intelligence蘋果智慧，那我們的Ai是Artificer Intelligence造物者智慧，而現在很紅的AI，叫做Artificial Intelligence人工智慧，我們是研發型的企業，所以是窗的造物者，也有可以跟感測器，比如說一氧化碳、雨滴感測，可以設定環境的需求去開窗關窗，另外我們還有研發立面發電，讓窗戶可以替你發電，自給自足，就不一定要用到台電的電。 #吳律謙 #風光Ai窗 #三代傳承 #立面發電 #職人 #永續 #環保 風光Ai窗Artificer Intelligence Window https://www.aiw.com.tw/ @風光Ai窗 Artificer Intelligence Window https://www.facebook.com/aiw.com.tw/ #寶島聯播網 #寶島有意思 ---寶島有意思 準時放送--- 19：00~~~> 北部-寶島新聲 FM98.5 嘉義-嘉義之音FM91.3 高雄-主人電台FM96.9 21：00~~~> 中部-大千電台 FM99.1 ---------- 寶島有意思》挖掘台灣有意思的在地人、事、物。 寶島聯播網》以「本土電台」為品牌定位，用心傳承台灣在地文化，傳遞台語流行音樂之美。https://www.baodaoradio.com.tw/ 寶島好康商城》堅持提供高品質、安心、實惠的好康產品。https://www.bodogo.com.tw/ 加入會員，支持節目： https://clw4248xv113d01wg7s4h2xnr.firstory.io/join 留言告訴我你對這一集的想法： Powered by Firstory Hosting

How to Fix Boring Brand Podcasts If we're going to be perfectly honest, many branded podcasts are either boring or they sound just like a recycled commercial. To win the hearts and minds of your B2B target audience, you must move beyond generic corporate messaging and create high-quality content that addresses your listeners' needs. So how can brands produce engaging content that will resonate with their audiences, and what strategic role does B2B storytelling play?That's why we're talking to Jen Moss (Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, JAR Podcast Solutions), who shared her expertise and strategic insights on how to fix boring brand podcasts. During our conversation, Jen discussed the importance of creating engaging brand podcasts that build trust and loyalty. She explained why B2B podcasts should go beyond product promotion and focus on deeper stories and societal issues. Jen also highlighted the need for creative courage, proper planning, rigorous pre-production, and engagement with the audience. She advised against rushing into production without proper ideation and marketing budget. Jen also underscored the power of authentic B2B storytelling and cautioned against relying too heavily on AI for content creation. https://youtu.be/sVlsvotzFEE Topics discussed in episode: [02:22] The definition of a successful brand podcast: It shouldn’t just be a CEO talking about products, but rather a way to facilitate deeper conversations on industry issues.  [05:12] Why brands need “creative courage” to stand out in a saturated market, including experimenting with fiction or narrative formats.  [08:32] How to tell a good B2B story by focusing on “beats,” high stakes, and the transparent struggle rather than just the solution.  [17:28] The top pitfalls in podcasting: Failing to budget for marketing, ignoring audience analytics, and drop-off rates.  [29:25] A real-world example of how Genome BC used human storytelling to make complex scientific topics accessible and engaging.  [37:40] Why using AI purely for speed and volume is a mistake, and why the mission of podcasting should be connection, not efficiency. Companies and links mentioned: Jen Moss on LinkedIn  JAR Podcast Solution  Genome BC Bumper Ira Glass Cory Doctorow Nice Genes! Podcast Another Round Podcast Hot Ones Podcast Transcript Christian Klepp, Jen Moss Jen Moss  00:00 Podcasting, especially audio podcasting, I will say, is a sacred space between the ears. You are literally whispering in people’s ears if they don’t like what they’re hearing, if they start to feel like you’re shilling to them, they will yank out the earbuds and it’s game over for you. Christian Klepp  00:17 If we’re going to be perfectly honest, many brand podcasts are either boring or they just sound like a commercial. To win the hearts and minds of your target audience, you need to create content that serves your listeners and is something they actually want to hear. So how can you achieve that? And what role does B2B Marketing play in producing successful brand podcasts? Welcome to this episode of the B2B Marketers in the Mission podcast, and I’m your host, Christian Klepp, today I’ll be talking to Jen Moss, who will be answering that question. She is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of JAR Podcast Solutions, which helps create quality podcasts that earn trust. Tune in to find out more about what this B2B Marketers Mission is, okay, and I’m gonna say, Jen Moss, welcome to the show. Jen Moss  01:05 Thank you so much for having me. Christian Klepp  01:07 Great to have you on. We’ve had such a fantastic conversation before. I hit record. I probably should have recorded this earlier, but in any case, Jen Moss  01:14 Yes, if anyone needs any parenting tips, we got your back. Christian Klepp  01:18 Absolutely, absolutely that that book is coming out soon on Amazon. I’m just kidding, But Jen, really looking forward to this conversation, because, man, we are going to cover a topic which, you know, might rock the boat a little bit, but it’s all, you know, constructive, and you know, it’s all for the sake of growing in a positive way, right? Jen Moss  01:35 I think so, Christian Klepp  01:36 At least I like to think so. Jen Moss  01:38 That is the goal. Christian Klepp  01:39 Absolutely, absolutely, all right, so here it comes. So Jen, you’re on a mission to help brands craft story first, podcasts that earn trust, build loyalty and connect deeply with the audiences that matter most. So for today’s conversation, I’d like to zero in on the following topic. Here comes how to fix boring brand podcasts. I know we’ve got a ton to talk about, but let’s kick off this conversation with two questions, and I’m happy to repeat them. So what is it about brand podcasting that you wish more people understood? And number two is, where do most brand podcasts go wrong. Jen Moss  02:22 Okay, so those are both great questions, so that what is a branded podcast is probably a good place to start. A lot of people might think that it’s, you know, the CEO of a company talking about their products and services ad nauseam. And if you happen to want to buy those products and services, maybe you would listen to it, because you could get more information, like, kind of an informational, almost transactional thing. I think that’s what a lot of people imagine when they hear the words branded podcast. However, that there’s a lot more to branded podcasting than that, and a lot of the smarter sort of, I would say, savvy brands, the ones with kind of sophisticated marketing campaigns that are multifaceted, are looking at podcasting as a way to tell deeper stories, engage with conversations that are ongoing in society that really matter so, sort of a chance for the brand to show its stripes a little bit, and an opportunity to offer something to a target audience that is sort of like a kind of a gift. You know, like we’re going to give you something of value that you actually will benefit from or enjoy, learn something from, be emotionally moved by, you know, hear a good story, and it’ll be in an area that the brand cares about, that that kind of ticks the boxes in terms of, like, what are the brand’s values, but is not specifically, and this is very important, is not specifically related to the brand’s products and services, per se. So it’s more like, okay, the brand maybe exists in a certain wider industry, and there’s an issue in that industry that keeps coming up, or a new technology that’s affecting everything, something like that, something that needs to be talked about. And so they’ll, they’ll set out to kind of facilitate those kinds of conversations through their podcasts. And a branded podcast doesn’t need to be just a one on one interview. It could be, it could be a fiction podcast if you were feeling extra frisky and creative that day, you know, if you wanted to do something fun, like I had a conversation with a solar company not that long ago, and we actually pitched them a fiction podcast about a world powered by sun. And because we thought the opportunity for a solar panel company to sponsor a fiction podcast about a world powered by sun like sci-fi would be, would be exciting and different. Christian Klepp  05:11 How did that go? Jen Moss  05:12 Yeah, well, we didn’t end up getting that job because they didn’t have the creative courage to do it. And so this is, this is the kind of conversation that I’m always on with brands is like, have the creative courage to do something that’s a little out of the ordinary because there’s 500 million podcasts or whatever, so you’ve got to stand out. And so you’ve got to think about how to stand out, and one of the best ways to do that is to do something different that hasn’t been done before. For example, there is a great branded fiction podcast called Murder in HR, and it’s by an online HR platform company. And, you know, like, it’s just a scripted fiction true, true crime. It’s not really true because it’s scripted fiction podcast. But, you know, it’s kind of different and fun. So, so there’s stuff like that. There’s, you know what we would call narrative podcasting, which is a mixture of script and clip, where you’re kind of combining on scene recordings with interview tape, with narration, and kind of thoughtfully braiding all those things together, like an NPR (National Public Radio) storytelling experience or a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) storytelling experience. So there’s all of that that can be part of branded podcasting, and so I just frankly think it’s kind of lazy when brands just decide that they’re going to talk about themselves indefinitely in a podcast. If I want to learn about a brand, I and buy something from them, I’ll go to their website. But if the brand wants to win hearts and minds and raise awareness and build trust and kind of operate on that deeper level to widen their impact. That’s where a podcast, and sponsoring a podcast, or getting behind the production of a podcast can really help. So that’s, I mean, I guess that kind of answers your second question, where do brands go wrong? And it’s usually with just doing the obvious, doing the thing that they think is the most direct route to a customer. And with podcasting, I try to remind people there is a difference between a customer and an audience. A customer is someone who already, at least wants to know more about your product and is thinking of buying maybe they’ve bought from you before. An audience may include those customers, but it may include other people as well who have a wider array of interests and are not yet, do not yet know that they need to buy a new pair of running shoes, but then the next time they need a new pair of running shoes, they may think of you because of that excellent podcast they listen to where you had all those celebrities on talking about the things that motivate them to push harder and go faster, right? So it’s just sort of, it’s a little bit of a roundabout way of winning customers by winning hearts and minds is how I would describe it. Christian Klepp  08:03 Yeah, winning hearts and minds. I like that. Now. That was a great way to open up this conversation. And thanks for sharing that I had two follow up questions for you. So let’s start with, you know, people loving to hear a good story, so let’s, let’s, let’s take a step back, because remember, the audience of this podcast. They’re mostly B2B Marketers. So from a B2B context, what would you how would you define what a good story is? Jen Moss  08:32 Yeah, that’s a great question. So I mean, a good story is told beat by beat, this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened. And here’s the lesson we took from it. Is one of the ways that it has been boiled down, I believe, by Ira Glass, you know, icon of podcasting. So I think you know thinking about even with B2B storytelling, if you’re telling a story that’s based in your industry, and you’re trying to position yourselves as thought leaders in that space. And let’s say you’re interviewing someone who is another company that sells a particular product, and you’re talking to them about a case study, instead of saying, like, what is the product and how does it work, try saying, tell us a story about a problem that someone was having. Start with the stakes, like, what would have happened if they didn’t solve that problem, what was at stake, then build to like how that problem got solved, and perhaps the product or service was involved, right, right? But build to how the problem was solved, so that there’s a bit of an arc from A to B to C to D, so that you start with a problem, work towards a solution. And and make sure to take the time to identify the stakes, like, what would have happened if it didn’t work. Where did it go wrong along the way? Where were the points where you thought, this is not going to work worse? We’re we’re hooped, you know, make sure that when you are telling stories, you’re actually telling the whole story, not just the win, not like we solved it this way, this way and this way. And aren’t we great? Nobody cares. That’s just bragging, and it comes across very badly in podcasting, podcasting, especially audio podcasting, I will say, is a sacred space between the ears. You are literally whispering in people’s ears. If they don’t like what they’re hearing, if they start to feel like you’re shilling to them, they will yank out the earbuds and it’s game over for you, right? They’ll go look at something else or go walk their dog, right? So you really have to just really focus in on the beat by beat. How are you going to hold attention throughout? You can also use sound design to support the tension arc of the story. And don’t be afraid to show the tough stuff, the hard stuff, the stuff that didn’t work, the stuff that even makes you look a bit foolish. We tried this as a brand. It didn’t work. We failed, but what we learned from that was this, right, if you can be a little bit transparent and a little bit more real, you will win hearts and minds, like I said, and if you want, if you can’t do that, people have a nose for BS, and they will smell it, and they will not take you as seriously. So it’s like a sacred duty to tell the truth, which is, which is challenging in a branded space where it’s all about spin and messaging and stuff like that. But the more you can do that, the more credible your content will be. Christian Klepp  11:56 Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah, on that topic, the ones I love the most, of the guys that say, like, you know, I, um, I lost my job and I moved to my parents basement, and now I’m making multiple six figures, all within the span of 12 months. Jen Moss  12:10 I mean, amazing, amazing. Not true, but also, at least they understand the tension arc. Christian Klepp  12:17 Yes, that’s certainly one way of looking at it, yeah, second follow up question. And I love this, like, creative courage, right? Jen Moss  12:28 Yeah. Christian Klepp  12:29 Not many people have it, if we’re going to be perfectly honest, right? Jen Moss  12:32 Yeah, I’m realizing that. I’m realizing that the older I get, the more I realize how rare it actually is creative courage. Yeah. Christian Klepp  12:40 Here’s the thing, like, Why do you think that that’s so prevalent, even in in the podcast space? Is it because it’s it because it’s it’s the unknown that people are worried about, like, what if it doesn’t work? Jen Moss  12:50 Yeah, if you think about podcasting, especially in a branded space, but really in any space, yeah, it’s a vulnerable act. You’re putting yourself out there, you’re putting your brand out there, you’re putting your stories out there, you’re putting your company out there. You’re putting, in some cases, your job on the line, right, by spending budget on this thing, right? So the so the stakes are real for the people involved, and it’s tricky, because striving for perfection right out of the gate is possibly a mistake. I think that podcasting has always been kind of an organic form where it evolves over time. You’ve got to study the audience data and see whether what you’re doing is actually resonating with your audience, and if it’s not, you’ve got to be prepared to pivot and change and adapt the storytelling, the timing, the pacing, the music, all of those things have to be a little bit up for grabs if the audience isn’t resonating. So I do think, I do think there’s that to consider, yeah. Christian Klepp  13:53 And I suppose people’s tastes very right, like, what people find is creative is very can be very subjective. Jen Moss  14:01 The creative bravery thing is tricky because of all the reasons I listed, but also because you’re right. It means different things to different people, like for a bank or some sort of finance institution or a pharma company in a very heavily regulated industry, to be like creatively brave in their storytelling is pretty difficult. It’s been, it’s been compared to putting up a tent in the rain, right? Trying to be creative in a corporate environment, putting up a tent in the rain with your spouse is one way to think about Christian Klepp  14:34 Putting up a tent in the rain with your spouse. And there’s a T-Rex sitting… Jen Moss  14:38 Graded by a bunch of Russian judges, yeah. Christian Klepp  14:42 Absolutely. Jen Moss  14:43 Yeah. It’s tricky, and so to maintain the principles of creativity within that environment is hard. So the principles of creativity include brainstorming, ideation, adaptation, experimentation, so trial and trial and error a little bit, and eventually, you through that process, that iterative process, you arrive at a really great finished work of art, hopefully. But those people who have not been through the creative process and trusted a bunch of you know flaky writers with their with their goals before, and I say that as a flaky writer, it’s it can be hard to trust the creative process if you’re not used to going through it. So if you are working in an industry where everything is about quarterly planning, everything is planned down to the minutia. List, list, list, bullet point, bullet point, bullet point, check, check, check, box. And then somebody’s coming in and saying, Well, what about if we explored this? And let’s discuss, Let’s hypothetically explore this topic. You know, there are personality types out there, and a lot of them are working in corporate jobs who are just like, No, I don’t know how to do that. I don’t trust it, and it totally freaks me out. So that kind of I would call it, like floating the creative balloon and batting it around for a while before you make a decision. Trying to create room for that process to happen before you launch your podcast is quite important, and giving proper space and time to that creative process is something that I think the more corporate and kind of button down podcasting becomes, the more I’m seeing that we have to fight that, because we have to be accountable with our timelines. We have to be accountable with our messaging. We have to be accountable with all this stuff. So that’s all very important. Brand safety matters. But if you don’t allow space for that creative ideation phase, and I would, I would argue, frankly, ongoing space within your process, then you will not rise the balloon as high as you could. You could probably still do something that is regularly released and has decent sound quality. So check, check, but is it going to win hearts and minds of audiences? Is it going to stand out 500 million other podcasts? No, it is not. Yeah. So that’s why it matters. Christian Klepp  17:17 Absolutely, absolutely. Moving on to key pitfalls to avoid. What are they and what should folks be doing instead? Jen Moss  17:28 I mean, there’s so there’s so many pitfalls. I don’t know where to start … Christian Klepp  17:32 Try to condense them into like, maybe, like the five, the top five that you’ve seen. Jen Moss  17:36 Well, let’s look at maybe, let’s look at the phases of doing a podcast, pre-production, production and post-production. So in pre-production, I think the big pitfalls are failing to allow time and space for creative ideation, rushing into it without proper consideration. I think failing to set aside budget to market your podcast can be a mistake, and I think budget for marketing is quite important because, well, we’ll get into that in post production, but one of the important ways for people to find podcasts is through ads on other podcasts, and that costs money. So there’s a little aspect of a pay to play nature that kind of creeps into podcasting. I think it’s important to be realistic about that. It’s not the only way to promote a podcast. There’s many good, organic ways, but if you can reserve some budget for marketing, I think it’s a good idea to do so. And yeah, I would say in pre-production, failure to think big and kind of have embraced blue sky thinking early on, what could this podcast be? Who is it for? Right? Those are very important questions. So at JAR, we have a system. We call the JAR system. It’s job, audience, result, and in pre production, that’s where we really focus on job and audience. What is the job of the podcast? Why are you doing it? Who is the audience? Who is it for? What do they need? Where do they hang out? Are they on audio platforms? Are they on video platforms? Are they YouTubers? Like, what you know? Who are you talking to, and why? Is very important. So job and audience, and then with production, once you get into that big phase. That’s where I think, I sort of say it’s like, point your skis and go, but also bend your knees, because things are going to come up and so, for example, I always recommend having three or four possible guests lined up to service an episode. Because if the first one that you’re going after falls through due to timing and unavailability in your production timeline, an amateur podcaster would just be like, well, that’s okay. I’ll wait till October, when you’re free, whereas I’m saying, no, no. So if you want to do a podcast on this topic, and it’s important to do it now because timeliness matters, then you need to have a couple of other options that are backup options for that guest if they’re unavailable, so things like that. So prepping backups to your backups for your guests is a really good idea so that you can keep your production moving forward and stay focused on the ideas that you’re you’ve determined to explore. So making a plan and then doing your best to stick to it, I think, but keeping your knees bent critically within that plan. Some people have said, Well, is it kind of like you write like a podcast Bible? And I’m like, No, it’s more of a pirate code, but you do need to have a code like there needs to be a plan going forward, but it can change. And then post production, I think the biggest thing is people fail to study their analytics, or fail to understand and interpret their analytics. So if you’re not looking at your audience data, then you’re not getting the most out of that those analytics platforms. So you should be looking at your Spotify data. You should be looking at your apple, podcast data, your YouTube data, the data from your hosting platform. At JAR, we use a company called Bumper. They’re a Canadian company that does a really nice job of pulling together a dashboard which shares a lot of valuable information about about how your podcast is performing. So you can actually see things like, Oh, I made a 30 minute podcast, but everyone’s dropping off at 21 minutes. I wonder why. So either make it really much more interesting at the 21 minute mark, or make a shorter podcast. That’s what the audience data is telling you, right? So being receptive and flexible, keeping your knees bent throughout is very important, and then using that data to feed back into the creative cycle, so that it becomes this circular process of testing and learning, studying the results, making changes, and you’re gradually honing your podcast into something that your audience really, really responds to. So that’s those are the pitfalls that we try to steer people through and around. Christian Klepp  22:08 That is a great list. And you probably, for those that are listening to the audio version of this, I was, I was nodding the whole time, but, um, one of the things that I would add in there, which I’ve seen happen, and it’s happened to me, and I’m not gonna say who it is, but like, you know, one of the things that they immediately did after having me as a guest on is they pushed me into a follow up call, which big surprise was a was a sales pitch. It’s like, Thank you for being on our show. By the way. Would you like to buy some advertising space in our magazine? Would you like to exhibit in our, you know, upcoming event. You know, for small business, you know, we only charge $10,000 you know, it’s not that much. It’s like, Jen Moss  22:47 For a lot of small businesses, that is a lot, right? Christian Klepp  22:50 Exactly. Jen Moss  22:50 It’s kind of like, to me, if you think of it like dating, you want to play a little bit cool, like, it’s great. You can think of a podcast as a networking tool, absolutely, but it’s you have to just not be like Johnny obvious about it, like, maybe, maybe wait a few months and then reach out and say, Hey, we’re having a special promotion, and we’re you people who have been on our show get a reduced rate or something like that. Sure. Christian Klepp  23:19 Yeah, exactly. Jen Moss  23:20 Or just trust the universe. You could also try that, which would be, I had a great you like you and I had a great connection on this podcast. We chat very well. We even talked before the recording about parenting. So, like, we kind of click. So like, if there were ever anything that we could help each other with, I’m sure we would at least be somewhat amenable to it, and maybe that’s enough. Maybe that’s enough, right? Christian Klepp  23:45 Yeah, probably, probably. Jen Moss  23:46 Yeah. So I think yes, it’s an opportunity to network, but it is also in the same way that yeah, between people’s ears is a sacred space. Also when someone comes on your show as an unpaid guest, which most podcasts? I think it’s worth pointing out that most podcast guests are unpaid, so they’re doing that out of the sort of the free desire of exchange of ideas, right? And so respecting that in and of itself is very important. And this is why podcasting has risen to such heights is because it is really grounded in that kind of authentic communication, where people are really trying to figure stuff out together, that’s it, and it’s wonderful, and it’s amazing. And so you got to respect that. You got to let that be enough sometimes Christian Klepp  24:36 Absolutely, absolutely, wow. So you’ve kind of touched on this already, but in our previous conversation, you mentioned that in podcasting, and this does this is not unique to just the B2B space alone, but like in podcasting in general, the story comes first, not the product or the promo. So please elaborate on that. Jen Moss  24:58 No one is going to listen a 30 minute ad, right? It’s just not gonna happen. As soon as they detect the fact that you’re selling, they’re gone. If you want to have some follow up product information in your show notes, or, you know, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that, but you could, I suppose, or on your website, great. But the purpose of a podcast is not necessarily that sort of bottom of funnel sales. The purpose of a podcast is, is, it’s a top of funnel engagement opportunity, right? So you’re really, you’re you can build trust, you can build awareness, you can reach new people, and the way you do that is by being relevant and authentic and telling good stories in a way that holds attention. So my own background is from, you know, years of working in radio, documentary storytelling and things like that, I really learned how every, every piece of the story matters. You really have to break down the story arc. Like I said. You got to examine the stakes. You got to think about pacing. All of these things are critical and a funny thing too that I’ve learned I also teach creative writing, and one of the things that one of the lessons that I share with my students, is that the more specific you are in your storytelling, the more it will resonate universally. So through the specific example comes the universal ‘aha' moment. Whereas if you go in with a bunch of like, I’m like, I’m doing right now, if you go in with a bunch of principles, like, here’s what you got to do, and here’s, here’s the rules, and you should follow these rules, 10 Steps to heaven. Kind of, kind of formulas that might work in a, in a sort of, like a bullet point list on the internet, but in podcasting, that doesn’t really work. It’s, it’s more of a, it’s more of a like, I mean, they say the devil is in the details, but I actually think so are the angels like you really like, if I were to tell you a story about a time I worked with a client, let me think of a real example, Like, okay, Genome, BC (Bristish Columbia) is a client of ours. They are a non-profit here in British Columbia in Canada, and they are dedicated to promoting Genomic Science, and specifically they’re promoting the ability of Genomic Science to solve big problems that the world is facing, okay, like global warming type level problems, right? So that’s great. So how do we tell that story? How do we tell that specifically, we could have a bunch of egg heads on to talk about their research, and we do, we have, it’s a science podcast. We have lots of eggheads, and they’re great, you know, but we have to balance that with like people who are impacted by the issues that the science is trying to address. So we did a piece recently about an episode about genetic testing for, you know, heart problems and things like that, and how we with the study of the human genome, we know with the study of the human genome, we now know so much more about about how to spot those problems almost before they happen, because of your genetic predisposition to certain problems. So we told that story by finding a high schooler who had had a heart attack because of a genetic problem that he didn’t know about. And we told that story beat by beat. I was on the field. This happened. My parents got a call. We talked to his parents, we interviewed everybody. They all told the story about the time the son had the heart attack. They all told it separately in their own way, and we intercut it into this really tense, like, you know, exciting, really piece of storytelling. Then we brought on the scientists to talk about the power of genomic testing and genetic testing and genetic awareness around these health issues, but we first establish why it matters, and it matters because it affects people’s lives. So if you’re doing storytelling and you can connect your ideas to something that’s real, then you’re going to you kind of, you win, you win the storytelling day. Christian Klepp  29:27 Oh, that’s an that’s an excellent example. And, and I hear you, the easier path would have been to just invite the scientists on, or whoever it was, and they go on and talk about all of their research, and Jen Moss  29:39 Which is amazing stuff. But I don’t know if you’ve interviewed any scientists. Lately. They can be a little dry, they can be a little dense and hard to listen to. Christian Klepp  29:47 I’ve interviewed I’m associate professors. Does that count? Jen Moss  29:52 Yeah, it does. Yeah. People get very granular, right when they’re studying a very specific interest, like that, and that’s what makes them so incredible at their jobs, and I have huge respect for these scientists and and for our host, who is a scientist, credibility also matters with with your core target audience. So it’s not like we de emphasize the science, we just frame the science with important storytelling that helps the wider audience understand why this matters. So if you think about your core target audience, and then you think about people who are just adjacent to that, what would it take those people, the ones who are kind of peering over the fence at your brand, you know, or at your topic? So we say that that particular show for Genome BC, it’s for scientists and for the science curious sort of thing. And so we try to remember the science curious folk when we’re doing our storytelling. It doesn’t mean that we dumb it down. It means that we open our arms and we try to write it in a way that’s inclusive to a slightly wider audience, while still delivering excellent, groundbreaking, scientific insight that is timely and relevant. It’s a hard line to walk. Actually. Christian Klepp  31:07 It is. Jen Moss  31:07 It takes a lot of skill and it takes a lot of attention, but if you get it right, you know that show, that show, is winning every award we enter. Christian Klepp  31:17 Wow, yeah, remind me what the name of the show was again. Jen Moss  31:20 Oh, it’s called Nice Genes, like G-E-N-E-S yes, yeah. And then they have a short form one called Genes Shorts. Christian Klepp  31:27 Genes shorts, okay? Because why not? All right, Jen Moss  31:30 Because why not. Trying to have a little fun. So what’s gonna stand out? Right? We thought, you know, Nice Genes!, exclamation mark. That’ll stand out. Christian Klepp  31:38 Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, Jen, you’ve given us plenty of insights already and some actionable tips, but just imagine that there’s somebody out there that’s listening to the show and they’re like, gosh, you know what we are exactly in this situation right now. What advice would you give them? Like, maybe, like, three to five things they can take action on right now that they can help launch a podcast that is not boring and that doesn’t sound like PR (Public Relations). Jen Moss  32:06 So probably the best thing you could do is do a little bit of like light competitive research. So have a look at what other podcasts are in your space, in your topic area, right? And check out this. This is going to sound mean, but check out what’s wrong with them. Like, actually go and listen to as many of them as you can. Maybe give yourself a week to do that and make make a point of listening to five a day for a week. And then you’ll start to see, okay, the vast majority of these, they don’t have good sound quality, like the host doesn’t have a proper microphone. Or the vast majority of these, the lighting is terrible, or the vast majority of these, they’re asking the same questions over and over again, and, oh, I saw that guest on three different podcasts, right? So if that’s happening, then ask yourself the next logical question, which is, how can we be different? How can we find our own kind of quadrant to step into? How can we rewrite the book here and do something unexpected that still meets our values, that still targets the right audience, but does it in a way that is going to just shake things up a little bit and challenge people’s expectations of us and and our own expectations of ourselves. So don’t take the lowest hanging fruit, at least until you’ve considered some of the other options. And it may be that you’re like, No, I actually really want to do a straight interview podcast, because I really want to have deep conversations with people like this, like this podcast does, and that’s great, but then you know, like you’ve chosen that for a reason, like you’ve you’ve given it due consideration. And then within that, even within a if you’re planning to do a straight ahead interview podcast, is there’s no shame in that. But even thinking about, like, what would make your interview podcast different? So it’s the it. Could you describe it at a cocktail party as, like, it’s the one where they blank, blank, blank, right? Could you describe it in one sentence, and is it going to be memorable that sentence? There was a show I used to watch years ago and listen to where, what was it called? It was called Another Round, and it was one of the first shows where they would drink and podcast, but they would do a ton of Political Research, these two journalists, and then they would interview someone, while getting increasingly sloshed, the guest and the two hosts, and they would get increasingly sloshed, and the questions would become more and more but, I mean, they were very successful. They had, they were on WNYC. They had Hillary Clinton on when she was running for president. So, like, it this, this is the kind of thing I’m saying. Like, I’m not saying everyone should drink in podcasts. Us. No, let’s be clear. That’s not my message. Yeah, my message is, what makes your podcast, what makes you distinct in the way you’re delivering your podcast? What is your framing device? What is the lens that you’re bringing to it? Christian Klepp  35:12 Yeah, right, yeah. No, no, I hear you. I hear you. Jen Moss  35:15 Yeah. So I think those would be my biggest pieces of advice. Is just to spend the time trying to, trying to position yourself differently. Christian Klepp  35:25 No, fantastic, fantastic. It reminds me of, I think the show was called in the Hot Seat, and it was by a cyber security firm, and they were, they were bringing in somebody that was, and I didn’t actually realize there was such a role, but this is the person that’s actually responsible for negotiating with cyber criminals. Jen Moss  35:45 Whoa, that’s I’m immediately interested. Christian Klepp  35:48 That’s a pretty intense job, right? So, yeah, when they have all that ransomware and what have you right? So this is the guy that negotiates like, release all our release all our data, right? So anyways, the host asks him the questions, and with every question, they’re basically eating chicken wings with a different type of hot sauce. Jen Moss  36:10 Oh, yeah, yeah. Christian Klepp  36:11 And the more intense question, yeah, Jen Moss  36:14 Hot ones, yeah, yeah, yeah. Christian Klepp  36:15 The more intense the question gets, the hotter the sauce becomes. Jen Moss  36:19 Yes. That’s a great show. It’s they have all kinds of interesting people on it, and it’s interesting to watch people’s reactions shift as they get more and more overwhelmed by heat. Yeah. So that’s another super example of a framing device. I mean, arguably, that one’s a bit of a gimmick. Christian Klepp  36:36 Sure. Jen Moss  36:37 You don’t necessarily need to do something that obvious. It might be something like, on this show, we always ask a certain question, or we’re always trying to get at sort of, I would call it like, the the underlying idea of this show is we’re always trying to expose this concept, like, maybe you’re trying to prove that work life balance is important, and that’s your overarching goal, and that’s the lens that you bring to your to your all of your conversations that you have. So every time you’re able to, you bring up that theme in some way and explore it with a new guest. So just whatever it is, whatever the lens is, or the device that you’re framing with, it’s just important to be intentional about that? Christian Klepp  37:21 Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. All right, Jen, I have a feeling that you’ve been on your soapbox this whole time, but please just stay up there a while longer, while I ask you this question. All right, and a status quo in your area of expertise that you passionately disagree with and why? Jen Moss  37:40 Okay, well, right now there’s, am I allowed to mention the AI (Artificial Intelligence) please? Christian Klepp  37:49 Absolutely. Jen Moss  37:49 Okay. Well, right now there’s a lot of discussion around AI driven content, and one of the ways that it’s being sort of sold to people in the industry is that it will allow you to put out more content quicker. And I can see lots of advantages to AI in the production pipeline. For example, it can be helpful with research if you’re as long as you double fact check it. It can be helpful with correcting certain things in editing. You know, if a host mispronounces a word, or you need to do like, you need to remove some background noise. AI tools can be really, really helpful. So I’m not knocking ai i i teach it. For example, I teach creative writing for new media, and I’m very interested. I’m currently building an AI VR (Virtual Reality) poetry machine with some students. So, you know, I spent a lot of time thinking about AI, and I like it and hate it. It’s a double edged sword. But what I don’t agree with is that we should be measuring the efficacy of a tool based on how fast and how often it allows us to put out content. I just don’t think that an onslaught of mediocre content is what people want. I think it’s killing the internet. Corey Doctorow would say he would call it the in shittification of the internet. And it is already, it is already happening, right? He got check it out. He’s got a book out. Christian Klepp  39:22 Okay. Jen Moss  39:22 And so that’s, you know, that’s what I worry about, is that it’s becoming like a big content hose. And so then I actually believe that the way forward, in order to actually have your message heard and received by your intended audience is to really hold on to that authenticity piece. I would rather see people do things less often, but do them better and remember that quality matters. And if we can’t remember that, then the internet is just going to be a bunch of bots talking to each other, and it’s just stupid. I just think it’s stupid. So that’s the that’s, that’s, if you know, not to put too fine a point on it, podcasting is, is not about efficiency. It’s about communication. It’s about connection. It’s about contact. It’s about humans talking to humans. And if it’s, if you fail to recognize that it’s sort of at your peril, you know, Christian Klepp  40:23 Absolutely, absolutely. And I mean, it goes back to the point you were making at the beginning of this conversation. I mean, if you want to create a show that stands out and that’s different, right, then you probably shouldn’t be churning out vanilla content, right? Using AI. Jen Moss  40:39 Doesn’t work. Christian Klepp  40:39 That’s not the way to do it, right? Jen Moss  40:41 Go ahead, but no one will listen to it. So you’ll be able to be like, Look, I I tick, tick, tick. I put out this many episodes, or this many social media clips, or whatever it is. But what’s what are your consumption rates like? Are the right? Are the right people finding your content? Are they engaging with you? Is it moving the needle for you in terms of your goals, the job of the podcast? Like these are all the things that people really need to consider before they sort of hop on the AI bus, I think. And again, I’m not a Luddite, yeah. I use AI daily despite its rather terrifying environmental impact, yeah, yeah, but it’s become almost a ubiquitous tool that’s difficult to avoid in our line of work. But I do think that some people are really taking it too far, and it’s because they’re misunderstood. They’re misunderstanding the mission. The mission is not volume and efficiency. The mission is connection. Christian Klepp  41:41 Absolutely, absolutely Jen, wow. What a conversation. Well, at the very least this episode is not boring, right? Jen Moss  41:50 Like, I mean, I don’t know, ask my ask my 20 something daughter. Christian Klepp  41:58 Different strokes are different folks, I’m gonna say, but thank thank you so much for coming on and for sharing your expertise and experience with the listeners. So please, a quick introduction to yourself and how folks out there can get in touch. Jen Moss  42:09 with you. Oh, so the best way to get in touch with me would probably be through the JAR podcasts website, jarpodcasts.com and I’m also just Jen@jarpodcasts.com. Christian Klepp  42:22 Fantastic, fantastic. Once again. Jen Moss, thank you for your time. Take care, stay safe and talk to you soon. Jen Moss  42:29 Awesome. Thank you. Okay. Christian Klepp  42:30 Bye, for now. Jen Moss  42:31 Bye.

In this fascinating episode, Steve welcomes Pastor Eric from Sound the Shofar Messianic Ministries to discuss the role of AI in Biblical prophecy. Frightening stuff! Find Pastor Eric online: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123168699032724Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Enrollment is OPEN until Friday for the Vedic Astrology Mentorship at https://www.astrologymentorship.comThis is the recording of the live Become Your Own Astrologer workshop.We had a great time!This is only available here until FridayKey Takeaways & Timestamps00:00 — Opening Meditation & Intention Setting  The workshop begins with a grounding meditation to connect with the earth and sky, followed by setting a clear intention for what you want to gain from the session . 14:23 — How to Unlock Your Chart: The North Indian System Jeremy breaks down the visual components of the North Indian chart.  He clarifies that the Numbers represent the Signs (1 = Aries, 12 = Pisces), the Shapes represent the Houses (Top Center = 1st House), and the Letters represent the Grahas (Planets) . 27:30 — The 24-Degree Difference: Western vs. Vedic Astrology An explanation of why your signs might be different in Vedic Astrology.  Jeremy explains the "Precession of the Equinoxes," showing how Western astrology is based on seasons (Tropical) while Vedic is based on the actual astronomy (Sidereal), resulting in a roughly 24-degree difference . 34:58 — The 4 Aims of Life & The Need for "EI" A discussion on Dharma (Purpose), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desire), and Moksha (Liberation).  Jeremy discusses the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the increasing human need for EI (Experiential Intelligence) and genuine connection through astrology . 51:30 — Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Jeremy addresses common fears: "Who am I to call myself an astrologer?" or "I'm not intuitive."  He defines an astrologer simply as someone who studies celestial bodies and leads a "Head to Heart" visualization exercise to release these limiting beliefs . 01:02:40 — The 5 Levels of an Astrologer A breakdown of the five stages of growth:The Insta Astrologer: Shares memes, enjoys surface-level relatability . The Astrology Friend: Friends ask for advice; often feels overwhelmed by information overload . The Hobby Astrologer: Studies books and podcasts but struggles with confidence in interpretation . The Practitioner: Can read charts with ~80% accuracy but needs more consistency and feedback . The Experienced Astrologer: Embodies the "5 Vowels" (Accurate, Embodied, Intuitive, Observant, Uplifting) . 01:20:18 — The 7 Steps to Be Your Own Astrologer  A pyramid framework for growth, asking you to define who you are showing up as, your methods, and the new identity ("2026 You") you are moving toward . 01:32:39 — The 5 "I's" of Great Readings A framework for delivering insightful readings:Information: The birth data.Inquiry: The focus of the reading.Intellect: Interpreting the data/patterns.Intuition: The embodied experience.Integration: Processing the insights with the client . 01:41:40 — Interpreting the Big Three (Live Examples) Jeremy demonstrates how to interpret the Sun, Moon, and Ascendant using "Mad Libs" style sentences.  He analyzes real-life examples (like Beyoncé and Barack Obama) and audience members' charts to show how elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Air) manifest in personality . 01:51:25 — The Vedic Astrology Mentorship Details on the upcoming mentorship cohort. Jeremy outlines the three phases of the program: Experiencing Astrology, Making Accurate Predictions, and Giving Great Readings.  He covers the included software, community accountability, and certification . 02:02:50 — Q&A Session  Jeremy answers questions regarding payment plans, the accuracy of birth times, and software, and even introduces the "cats of astrology" with an audience member .

Welcome to Episode 158 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing Welcome to Episode #158 of “Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing” In this episode,the topic is “Mapping Out the year 2026 in a custom, world-class learning curriculum… plus tools to keep me consistently motivated and in excellence all year. I highly recommend you do something similar for your life and business, and I’m sharing the details of exactly how to do it within this podcast. I am sharing a live session of my “Really Simple Authority Blogging” ongoing training course with you and know you will benefit from the marketing strategies I am sharing and teaching here. Be sure to connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com or on X at https://x.com/ConnieGreen so I may serve you in the areas where my help could make a huge difference in your results. I’m going to share with you how much fun I’m having with creating simple courses using AI (Artificial Intelligence) in about 30 minutes. I know you can do the same thing. Keep it simple, and add the short course you create to a page on your existing website/blog. In this episode I’m discussing how to use keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) to grow your business. Your prospects and future clients, customers, and colleagues are waiting to connect with you, but if they can’t find you online it will never happen. Make it simple for your target audience to find you by using the keywords and phrases they are most likely to be searching for on Google, Bing, and the other search engines. The Power and Gift of Change”- We are all changing throughout each day, and I think we must embrace this change in order to grow and move forward. Changing can take many forms, and if you look back through your life you will come to understand that you are not the same person you were even a year ago. Here is a quote about this you may resonate with… “Growth lives outside the comfort zone. If it feels uncomfortable, you’re probably doing it right.” ~ Marie Forleo I believe that our businesses are based on the concept of serving others. When you start on online (or even a brick and mortar) business, your goal is to serve others with what you know and to benefit in multiple ways, including by earning an excellent income. I’m sharing several examples in this podcast about my own and experiences with clients over the years. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This morning I was reading the message written by outgoing Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In it, he stated that his “parting prescription” for the American people is to cultivate a strong sense of community to help themselves and others. He added, “Relationships, service, and purpose are the time-tested triad of fulfillment that stands in contrast to wealth, fame, and power which define the modern-day triad of success.” Here are some other questions I want you to ask yourself: What is your commitment to yourself and to others close to you? Why are you focused on the things that are taking up your time? When will you begin to focus on goals that will allow you to create and leave a legacy? Whom do you trust to get you there? Perhaps my “Monthly Mentoring Program” is right for you. Motivation and Inspiration: What It Takes to Get Your Spark Back” During 2024 I went through a period where I wasn’t as motivated as I had been accustomed to being for many years. This gave me time to explore why I was feeling this way and to hopefully learn something that would help others. My inspiration to do all of the things I love in my business, including writing, creating, marketing, and mentoring was waning and I wasn’t sure why. Within a couple of months I was back on track and this is what I learned… Life isn’t easy, but then it isn’t supposed to be. Being challenged in so many ways on a regular basis makes us stronger and perhaps more appreciative and grateful for what we already have and what we know we can achieve if we believe in ourselves and have even one other person who knows we are special and tells us that as often as possible. Marie Forleo wrote a book titled “Everything Is Figureoutable” – https://ConnieLoves.me/FigureOutAble – Her precept is that if you’re having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you haven’t yet installed the one belief that changes everything. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com and want to hear from you on this topic, or on anything else. “Merging Your Life with Your Business” as a strategy. We aren’t creating a business we need a vacation from. Instead, we’re creating a “lifestyle by design” where we have the time and financial freedom to live in a way that few people are able to, and with choices around everything we do. If you’ve met me in person, heard me on my podcast, or read any of my books, you know that I am a very positive person. No matter what situation or circumstances arises, I truly believe there will always be a positive outcome on the horizon, and sooner rather than later. But I wasn’t always this way. This is a journey that continues… My first year online was 2006, and very quickly I connected with people I’m still part of a Mastermind with in Austin, Texas. I was invited to speak at an event there a couple of years later. It was hosted by Joe Vitale and Mendhi Audlin was also there. She shared a concept she had come up with that she calls “What If… UP!” The premise is that there is truly a silver lining in everything negative that occurs. I liken this to Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. My precept and general rule for life is that we can achieve anything we want and feel that we deserve. Others want to help us to achieve our goals, but many times we get in their way by telling ourselves stories that aren’t true. Mendhi’s precept aligns with mine, and a year or so after I first met her she published a book on this… “What If It All Goes Right?: Creating a New World of Peace, Prosperity & Possibility” by Mendhi Audlin reveals the secret to turning possibilities into a tangible reality. It works! https://ConnieLoves.me/WhatIfUp I’m discussing the importance of being willing to “Better Your Best” during this new year, as well as recommending that this be the year you finally embrace AI – Artificial Intelligence – for your business. I have been a student of and someone who uses AI almost daily since February of 2022, and I’m learning from experts Andy O”Bryan and Denise Wakeman in their ongoing AI Success Club. Asking “How Are You Defining Success?” Creating a business as an entrepreneur allows you to live a lifestyle by design, with both time freedom and financial freedom. Think about how you want to live each day and then take action to make it happen. Over the years I’ve changed many things, while others have remained the same. Instead of making changes just for the sake of change, think about what you could change up and what makes sense to remain at least mostly the same. Years ago, I used to put together my blog posts on a single topic, like copywriting or list building or creation digital products into a simple document that I referred to as a ‘Focus Guide’ and gave them away to my list and to my prospects. Each of these documents contained resources and an ‘About the Author’ page that helped me to build my credibility, visibility, and profitability. For the first time ever, I am recommending that you write a book about yourself, your niche topic, and how you serve others. I first did this in 2009 and now I have written and published twenty-eight full-length, non-fiction books on the topics of entrepreneurship, personal, development, and authorship. Life can be messy. Are their ways you can keep moving forward when your personal life is turning upside down? Yes! Finding joy in helping and serving others, as well as compartmentalizing what is currently going on in your life are just two of the ways to deal with change and situations outside of your control. I recommend that you choose two social media platforms to use for the sole purpose of helping your prospects find and connect with you online. My favorite is X – formerly known as Twitter, and I also use LinkedIn and YouTube as my favorite social media sites to grow my business. Please connect with me on these sites and let me know how I may best serve you as you build and grow your profitable business. Is your list of what you are willing to do longer than your list of what you don’t want to do? I recommend a mile-long “to-do” list and a daily schedule of no more than four things that you will work on each day in your business. Find a mentor who believes in you and get started with creating a lifestyle by design that you want and deserve. I’m recommending James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” – https://ConnieLoves.me/AtomicHabits – as a book to help you alleviate your fears. We all have hopes, dreams, goals, and fears regarding our life experiences. I have found that if we build up our confidence and have faith that everything will turn out in a way that will be beneficial to all, we can continue to move forward without negative effects. Having an online business requires confidence. These are some questions to ask yourself: Who will you serve? What are your prospects pain points? What’s your idea? How will it be created, and then delivered? How will you sell it online? Creating a simple product or online course is the beginning of living a lifestyle by design. Reach out to me any time at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to know more about getting started as an online entrepreneur. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My first online course back in 2006 was a simple one with three audio trainings and a workbook. Then, I began creating more sophisticated, but not more complicated courses. I’ve used the “Really Simple” branding for many courses at least 25 times, as well as using other terms and phrases based on the keywords I am optimizing for with each new course. Having your own online course on a topic you want to become known for will give you leverage to grow your business exponentially over time. It’s interesting to me that we as humans sometimes take things for granted that later on we know we should have appreciated in the moment. What I’m referring to here is having an online business you can run from home, or from anywhere in the world. There’s a window of opportunity that isn’t always open, and right now this window is wide open to everyone. A lot of it depends upon economic factors. I almost went back to graduate school two years ago to study economics, but decided against it because of the film and television writing I’m pursuing, but that’s a story for another time. Someone I work closely with had posted this quote from Richard Branson the other day: “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” This does NOT apply to online business, but instead refers to starting a physical, brick and mortar business. I know several people in both of my cities who borrowed against their homes, cashed out retirement savings, and sold family heirlooms to start businesses in the community, only to go bankrupt a couple of years later. What I’m saying here is that this is the time to get your online business off the ground and up and running profitably. It’s so inexpensive in comparison, and the biggest expense I incur is what I pay mentors to guide me in the right direction. Yes, I still have a mentor and recommend you do as well. This isn’t coaching, but instead a personal relationship you’ll build over time that could lead to strategic alliance partnerships and lifelong friendships. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you want to know more about mentoring with me. The four widely accepted learning modalities (or modes) are known by the acronym VARK: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, Kinesthetic. They are sometimes inaccurately referred to as “learning styles” which implies that each learner has a “style” of learning that should be maximized in all learning situations. Focusing on consistency, productivity, and creativity makes sense for all online entrepreneurs in 2024. I’m also sharing some effective and time-proven strategies with you here that will make a difference in your business, as well as in your personal life experience. Each day I focus on writing, creating, marketing, and teaching/learning/mentoring. My writing began as short and simple blog posts and blossomed into more than twenty-five full-length books. My writing is my oeuvre, my body of work that is my legacy to family, friends, colleagues, and those who follow me. During 2023 I wrote and published more than 400 thousand words. This breaks down to one full-length book, Self-Directed: Inspire, Motivate, and Empower Yourself to the Greatness That Lies Within; the current book on marketing that is more than halfway written; 8 short reports on topics of interest to the people I work with online; one hundred thirty-eight blog posts on three different blogs I maintain; and 382 email messages to my online community. These are  practical strategies for effective time management, emphasizing the importance of creating a balance between work and personal life. Achieving work-life harmony requires effective time management strategies that allow you to balance professional and personal responsibilities. Here are some strategies to help you manage your time more efficiently: 1. Set Clear Priorities: Identify your most important tasks and priorities for both work and personal life. Focus on what truly matters and allocate time accordingly. 2. Use a Time Management System: Choose a time management system that works for you, whether it’s a digital tool like Todoist or Trello, or a physical planner. Organize tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. Schedules vs To-Do Lists 3. Prioritize Tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Prioritize tasks based on these categories. 4. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them during specific time blocks. This reduces the mental load of switching between different types of activities. 5. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time to different activities. This includes work tasks, personal commitments, and breaks. Stick to the schedule as much as possible. 6. Learn to Say No: Be selective about taking on new commitments. Saying no when necessary helps you avoid over-committing and allows you to focus on your existing priorities. 7. Delegate When Possible: Delegate tasks that others can handle. This applies to both professional and personal responsibilities. It’s okay to ask for help. 8. Practice the Two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and becoming overwhelming. 9. Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can reduce efficiency and increase stress. Complete one task before moving on to the next. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You’re starting a conversation with your emails, and building a relationship with your prospects, customers, and clients over time. I’ve been online as an entrepreneur, marketer, and writer since 2006, and while much has changed, I believe that more has remained the same. Here, I’m discussing how we marketed in those early days, and why email marketing still remains top of mind. Most recently, I’ve co-hosted an Advanced Email Marketing Conference with Ellen Finkelstein. In April of 2023, I hosted my latest live marketing event in Los Angeles, and more recently I’ve hosted my Santa Barbara Retreat for those I mentor and teach. But like everyone else, I began by attending live events, and eventually virtual events in order to find my voice, connect with other like-minded people, and learn more about building and growing my online business. Guerilla marketing is a way to drive publicity and, as a result, brand awareness by promoting using unconventional methods designed to evoke surprise, wonder, or shock. Guerrilla marketing is the creating use of novel or unconventional methods in order to boost sales or attract interest in a brand or business. These methods are often low- or no-cost and involve the widespread use of more personal interactions or through viral social media messaging. This marketing method has increased in popularity with the rise of ubiquitous mobile and connected technologies that can amplify messaging and focus on target groups of consumers. Some consumers may be more attracted by guerrilla marketing campaigns as they may be more interesting and daring, while others may be turned off because of the perceived “disruptive” aspects of this style of marketing. Please subscribe and leave me a review. And connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com. Find out more about me HERE. Becoming an online entrepreneur was the best decision I ever made. I’ve been online since 2006 and now help others all over the world to do the same or something similar. We all have times where we are feeling a little down, lost, or confused. Life isn’t easy, and no one makes it out alive! These are my recommendations for how to get back on track and feeling more happy and optimistic about your future… Write! Whether you’re already a writer or are just beginning to think about sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others, writing makes sense. I write every single day and publish much of my writing as blog posts, short reports, and full-length books. Writing opens your mind to what you want in the future, by allowing you to explore the past through your memories. You can also retell and reframe your stories in a way that will serve you going forward. Start a new project! I usually create products and courses as new projects, but this can also manifest as something you build or create with your hands. I have family members on two continents that love to put together complex jigsaw puzzles. They look forward to these as a new project on a regular basis. Volunteer! Before I started my online business, I promised myself I would volunteer my time and donate money to charitable causes… as soon as I had the time and the money to do so. Once I had my own business, I realized that I had some time and a little money to do this all along. Spend time with new people! As a part of the volunteering I now do regularly, I’ve spent time with very young children, veterans, women starting over after being in a domestic violence situation, and more. This work continues to make a difference in my life. As you can see, there are many ways to get back to your “Why?” and I hope this has been helpful to you. What’s the best niche topic to cover in your blog? I know you don’t what to hear me say “It depends.” so I won’t. Lean in, and I’ll share the very best niche for you, and it’s one that is also the most profitable, will feel more like you’re just having fun, will never go out of style, and will be the one that has absolutely zero competition. Which niche topic and target audience could it possibly be? I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. I learned when I began online 17 years ago that the best niche for anyone is the one that makes your heart sing and is probably a topic you take for granted. I had been teaching school for twenty years and my students were mostly Spanish and Tagalog native speakers. I told them if they wrote just a few sentences every single day – weekends, holidays, and school breaks included – their writing would improve. Those who followed my advice excelled, while those who didn’t floundered. During all those years, I seldom wrote anything unless it was required for my work as a teacher or for my part-time work in real estate. Fast forward to 2006, and I realized not only that I needed to write in order to succeed online, but also that what I’d done with my students would apply here as well. My niche for the next eighteen months was around helping others to write, publish, market, and sell eBooks. I wrote one on real estate farming – choosing and area close to home to connect with people who may need your services – as an example and sold it on my website. Back then, you had to sell eBooks on your own websites, as Amazon had not yet entered the world of self-publishing. My niche and website became “eBook writing and marketing secrets” and this topic took me to six figures. I was learning right along with the people who were learning and buying from me. I then moved that site over to https://ConnieRagenGreen.com to make a name for myself and to branch out to other topics. The bottom line is that you must begin by sharing what you already know something about and love. Blogging is the direct path to the visibility, credibility, and profitability you wish to have in your business. In my business, every idea begins as a blog post. This is where I think and research and brainstorm what’s on my mind in the very beginning. The blog post is ground zero for what could, and many times does become a product, course or program. Blog posts, while based on your idea, can be created with original content, private label (PLR) rights content, guest content, or curated content. While I immediately share my published posts on social media as “micro content” you’ll want to wait at least 24 hours before syndicating your content on Medium. I also teach this syndication strategy in my popular and ongoing Syndication Optimization training program. Next up in your content creation and content marketing strategy is a short report, which you may sell online or give away as a lead magnet. I teach all of this in my Really Simple Short Reports training. This is what we refer to as “cornerstone” content that is extremely valuable. The final step is creating “authority content” by publishing your writing as a Kindle or paperback book to increase your visibility and build your reputation as an expert on your topic. I typically discuss time management and productivity in regards to entrepreneurs, marketers, and authors, and I’ve even co-authored a bestselling book on this topic, entitled “Time Management Strategies for Entrepreneurs: How to Manage Your Time to Increase Your Bottom Line” where we outline in great details the steps you may take to reach a level of optimal productivity and time management as an entrepreneur. But what about everyone else? Doesn’t every person deserve to live the lifestyle they want and deserve, where they enjoy financial freedom and the time to enjoy every moment to the fullest? Of course they do, and that’s what I’m sharing during this podcast. When I began online as a new entrepreneur in 2006, I realized immediately I would need help with technology and graphics, as these were the areas where I had no experience or talent. I bartered for these services for the first year or so, and then began to put together a team of people to support me so my business could grow. When I look back over my lifetime, I see that I have always had a team supporting me, whether it was while I worked as a classroom teacher, or in real estate as a broker and residential appraiser. Even while I was growing up, I was surrounded by people who supported me, from family, friends and neighbors to teachers, clergy, and people in the community. Put together your team and watch your business grow exponentially! When it comes to your visibility as an entrepreneur, where may we find you to see what you’re doing? This expert status comes from your writing, videos and audios, and your social media presence on the most active platforms for your target audience. My three popular and active blogs are at ConnieRagenGreen.com, HugeProfitsTinyList.com, and at MondayMorningMellow.com. Credibility is about what you already know and what you are learning. We all started our online businesses as adults, so we brought our knowledge and experiences with us. It made sense for me to help people write, market, and publish eBooks in the beginning, because I had worked as a classroom teacher for twenty years prior to coming online, and was learning about marketing and self-publishing. Profitability means that you must ask “What’s for sale?” every day in your business. Create your own simple products and courses, recommend others with affiliate marketing, and look into buying the resale rights to sell other people’s products as your own like I continue to do in my own business. The final part of this information on your expert status as an entrepreneur includes productivity, consistency, and attention to detail. Get everything in place as quickly as possible, and your online business is sure to grow exponentially! During my first couple of years online, beginning in 2007 I connected with mentors Alex Mandossian and Raymond Aaron. When I inquired as to what they were doing together as strategic alliance partners, they gave me a brief explanation and told me that I was not yet ready to move up to this level. Over the next two years they helped me to grow and elevate my business and my mindset as an online entrepreneur so that I could connect with others in this way. Seek out the people and groups you wish to be involved with and show them that you have moved past tactics and on to strategies. It will make all the difference and as you uplevel everything you’re doing online in your business, your free time and disposable income will increase exponentially! When I work with people in my Incubator Mastermind Mentoring program, the goal is to move them into position to become a strategic alliance partner with me and others to share their message in a bigger way. WHY did you choose the career you started your working life with? WHY did you get married, have children, and move into your first home? WHY did you make the conscious decision to leave your career at some point and start your business? WHY do you want to be an author or entrepreneur, or coach? WHY do you get up every single day and do the work required to become more successful on an ongoing basis? Everyone must have a WHY and there are no right or wrong answers here. But if you find yourself unmotivated to work or if you find yourself procrastinating on projects, then it's time to re-examine the main reason for your business. Name Your Reason – or Your WHY – for Starting a Business Focusing on your WHY can help motivate you, so write down your reason for starting a business on a regular basis. Did you want to fill your free time? Did you want to earn some play money or contribute to the family finances? Did you want to pay the medical bills of an aging parent or a sick child? Did you want to pay for your child's higher education or private school tuition? In my case, my answer to “what's your why?” was always around having enough income to live life on my terms. Over time, I came to the realization that every choice I was making, and each time I could not do something that had meaning for me, was all related to me needing to earn a paycheck or a commission from the classroom teaching and real estate work I was involved with each day. I missed just about every family event, vacation, and other activities because I was working 60 or more hours a week in order to cover my bills and other expenses. I wasn't angry or resentful because I believed that I didn't deserve to have a better life during those decades. This all changed in 2005 when I began reading books and attending events based on self improvement and personal development principles. Writing these reasons down – no matter what they are because every person's WHY will be different – should help motivate you to work hard. You should feel driven to make your business a success. You should be willing to tackle things outside your comfort zone because you know the end result will help your business. If you're not feeling motivated, then you need to dig deeper. I worked closely with a woman who was struggling to make her online business become profitable, and she continued to tell me that she had no problems or struggles in her life, currently or during her younger years. Then, one day she told me about her granddaughter who had passed away at age twelve and the floodgates opened. We got to the bottom of things, she discovered her why, and her business grew by leaps and bounds, almost overnight! Be Open and Willing to Examine Your Inner Feelings Life is fluid and ever-changing so it stands to reason that your WHY would change over time as well. Even if you started your business because you didn't know what to do once your kids were in full day school, you can change that WHY to something more meaningful now. A mentor once shared with me that she started a service business because she was a single mom and needed to earn money to survive. She was responsible for lodging, food, and clothing for herself and her child. She didn't have anyone to rely on except herself. THIS is enough to make you cry and to hustle for work, knowing that if she wasn't working, she wasn't eating. What are you passionate about that will get you hustling? Are you passionate about a cause or charity that can benefit from your financial assistance? Do you need to pull yourself up out of financial despair? Don't be afraid to own that reason and fight for your business. This is how you will continue to get closer to understanding and recognizing the answer to “what's your why?” Don't be Afraid to Switch Business Gears to Discover Your “Why” One of my mentees admitted to me early on that even though she has been in a service business for over ten years, that she hadn't been motivated to create any classes or products as a source of passive income. She blamed her indecision on a lack of new ideas and a feeling and belief that everything she knew had already been said and done, but I questioned if it was because she didn't feel attached to her particular niche of online marketing. After some more discussion, she agreed and has since modified her services that align better with what she enjoys. I still suggested that she explore a deeper WHY but this is a step in the right direction. Plenty of businesses add or subtract products or services or modify their mission statement. If something about your business doesn't feel right, don't be afraid to make changes. I'm bestselling author and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green, and now I can confidently answer the question “What's your why?” with enthusiasm and conviction. My “why” is around the concept of helping others to achieve their goals and dreams with writing and having a profitable online business so they may follow their dreams and passions without having to do work that doesn't make their heart sing or worry about meeting all of their financial obligations with grace and ease. You can double your productivity and be success with a business, or with anything you choose to accomplish in your life, if you are willing to implement what you learn and take decisive action on a consistent basis. Many people come to me to learn how to successful and profitable as an online entrepreneur. But some of them end up saying “I already know that” and moving on to something else. I know that I am able to do more than I ever thought would be possible in my life because I am willing to learn, implement, course correct, ask questions, take massive action and keep moving forward with consistency. Others may be smarter or more knowledgeable, but if they hesitate to take action they will not achieve the results they are hoping for in their business or with anything else. As long as you are specific and intentional with what you want to achieve, you can do it all as an entrepreneur, just not all at once. And we must throw perfection out the window. I have a new saying… The more perfecter your goal, the less purfeckt your results. “Everything we do in our lives is preparing us for something that will arise in the future, even though we don’t yet know what that will be.” ~ Connie Ragen Green Our stories are the fabric of our life. A story sets you apart from everyone else, makes you unique and memorable, and is all you have when it's all said and done. When I was a young child a neighbor girl, seven or eight years old at the time, interrupted my mother in the middle of a story she was telling to ask, “Why do you have so many stories?” My mother hardly skipped a beat, informing the girl that “You'll have stories too, when you get older.” On that evening a part of me became a storyteller in training. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I was telling stories about everything from what I did in school that day to what happened in the neighborhood. I wore my storyteller's hat with pride and now I see that this one aspect of my life was preparing me for what I now do in my business and derive great joy from every single day. The word “praestabilis” is from the Latin and means outstanding, excellent, and extraordinary and this is the goal for you as you make your way in the online world. It took me until age 50 to step into the light and live an empowered life. I achieved this by leaving a job – classroom teaching – and a career as a real estate broker and appraiser to come online as an entrepreneur. I have no regrets about waiting so long, as everything unfolds once we are open to receiving it. There are three top strategies to help you move closer to an empowered life and they include… Writing – Every day, I want you to write! This includes blog posts, outlines, emails to your prospects, clients, and potential joint venture partners. Also, write short reports and white papers to show others who you are and what you know. Finally, write a book to solidify your expertise in your niche, and follow that up with additional books over time. Writing is crucial to our process of standing out from the crowd by sharing what we know and believe. Reach out to me if you’re interested in coming aboard for my “10 Week Author” program. Recent posts on my three blogs are at: “Broken Compass Stories We Tell Ourselves” – https://mondaymorningmellow.com/broken-compass-story/ “The eBook That Changed My Life” – https://hugeprofitstinylist.com/ebook-that-changed-my-life/ “Marketing Secrets from Creative Sources” – https://connieragengreen.com/marketing-secrets-from-creative-sources/ Speaking – I was the reluctant speaker, but once I got past my fears and insecurities you can’t get the microphone away from me. Speak about yourself and your topic to anyone who will listen. I began by speaking at my Rotary Club and I continue to recommend service organizations as a way to break in to speaking. Now I speak all over the world, in person and virtually on a variety of topics. Masterminding – Connecting with others for the sole purpose of reaching your full potential is crucial to life success. Find a Mastermind group to join, or start your own by inviting thought leaders to connect with you in this way. I have a group called the Incubator Mastermind that may be of interest to you. Hopefully, you can see that what I’m sharing with on each podcast will make a difference for you as you build and grow your business as an entrepreneur, author, and marketer. Make sure to think of marketing as a priority and get into the habit of sharing your best ideas and resources with the people who are on their way to becoming your raving fans! I’m always just an email away at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to connect with me. I promise to help you keep it simple while you grow your online business. Get started with your own eBook empire by learning how to write an eBook from the person who continues to guide me along this lucrative journey. Take a look at How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook…in as Little as 7 Days from expert and author Jim Edwards. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you as I share my beliefs, perceptions, and experiences as an author, online entrepreneur, and marketing strategist with you. Marketing has become the joy of my life as I continue to learn, grow, and share concepts with others. I'm bestselling author, marketing strategist, and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 158 first appeared on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 158 appeared first on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.

Wem wird 2026 gehören: denen, die Geschwindigkeit in messbare Ergebnisse übersetzen, oder jenen, die am Status quo festhalten? Führende Stimmen aus Handel, Tech und Analyse zeigen, wie KI vom Trend zur Basis wird, Entscheidungen Resonanz erzeugen und wofür echte Verbindung zählt. Zwischen Aufbruch und Überforderung verdichten sich Chancen und Risiken zu einem neuen Spiel: Wenige gewinnen, viele verlieren, wenn Wandel nicht zur Praxis wird. Ein Panorama echter Prognosen für alle, die Zukunft gestalten wollen. Du erfährst... ...wie Technologie und KI 2026 Arbeitsalltag und persönliche Freiheit transformieren. ...welche neuen Standards das nächste Business-Level durch die Effekte von KI prägen. ...warum Live-Events in einer KI-geprägten Welt an Bedeutung gewinnen. __________________________ ||||| PERSONEN |||||

The world is changing so quickly that decided to talk about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Visibility topics I went over this year. On today's show, I looked at how AI can help you write a blog or develop a course or outline a speech or check the analytics of your website.

Science fiction movies force us to face a multitude of end-of-the-world scenarios. Whether the final curtain is dropped by rampaging aliens, killer rocks from space, or virus-infected zombies, these big screen glimpses of a dystopian future are as tantalizing as they are frightening. But one American city seems to be a favorite backdrop for stories of mass destruction. We speak with a cultural critic about why New York City is often the chosen setting for disaster films, and what dystopian fiction reveals about our shifting anxieties about humanity's future no matter where we live. Movies discussed include Deep Impact, Escape from New York, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Cloverfield, Deluge, Failsafe, The Day After Tomorrow, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Contagion, I Am Legend, and Seth's very own short film: The Turkey that Ate St. Louis Guest: Dan Saltzstein – Deputy Editor for Projects and Collaborations, New York Times Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, you'll hear an intro from me and then you'll be directed to a conversation between two people, talking about lessons I've shared on other podcast episodes related to how you can build your confidence.    In the spirit of full transparency, this podcast conversation is between two AI (Artificial Intelligence) generated voices but I must stress: they are ONLY generating content based on looking at my own podcast episodes. There is no information that you will hear in this episode that comes from anyone else's content or the general internet. This episode is a product of an AI related tool called Google Notebook LM.   Having said that, you will find an interview focused on sharing lessons I've shared on prior episodes all designed to help you build your confidence. The AI tool is just aggregating the lessons into one conversation.    I'd love it if you would send me a DM on Instagram letting me know what you thought of this format.    I recently wrote an e book with audio links to podcast interviews I had this year. You'll find a host of lessons for yoga teachers in here, along with the audio links:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/from-the-interview-chair-e-book/  

Science fiction movies force us to face a multitude of end-of-the-world scenarios. Whether the final curtain is dropped by rampaging aliens, killer rocks from space, or virus-infected zombies, these big screen glimpses of a dystopian future are as tantalizing as they are frightening. But one American city seems to be a favorite backdrop for stories of mass destruction. We speak with a cultural critic about why New York City is often the chosen setting for disaster films, and what dystopian fiction reveals about our shifting anxieties about humanity's future no matter where we live. Movies discussed include Deep Impact, Escape from New York, Planet of the Apes, King Kong, Cloverfield, Deluge, Failsafe, The Day After Tomorrow, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Contagion, I Am Legend, and Seth's very own short film: The Turkey that Ate St. Louis Guest: Dan Saltzstein – Deputy Editor for Projects and Collaborations, New York Times Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textWhen did the internet become safer than honest conversation with your spouse?In this eye-opening episode of Marriage Mondays with The Kings, we unpack a growing trend that is quietly reshaping marriages. A 2025 survey reveals that 64% of married Americans search online for marriage help before speaking to their spouse, often out of fear of conflict, misunderstanding, or making things worse.Couples are turning to AI, Google, forums, and social media for answers — while real conversations at home go untouched.In this episode, we discuss: • Why couples trust AI more than their partner • The emotional fears behind silent searching • The Top 10 most-searched marriage questions people ask online • How avoiding hard conversations damages trust and intimacy • What Scripture teaches us about communication • Practical, faith-based tools to help couples reconnect and healFocal Scripture: James 1:19If you feel disconnected, unheard, or unsure how to start the hard conversations in your marriage, this episode will challenge you, encourage you, and give you tools to begin doing the root work that leads to real healing.This is a conversation every couple needs to hear.Support the show

 Dr Rima Ghose Chowdhury | President & CHRO, CSR Leader, Datamatics Dr. Rima holds a Bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Technology and a Ph.D. in Leadership from DY Patil University. Trained in Gallup Strengths Coaching in the UK, she has received numerous HR Excellence Awards, including ‘India's Greatest CHRO 2023-24 by Asia One and '50 Most Influential HR Tech Leaders' at the World HRD Congress. As President & Global CHRO, CSR Leader, Dr Rima Ghose Chowdhury leads Datamatics People agenda globally, with operations in the US, India, the Middle East, Europe, and the Philippines. A firm believer in the balance of Hi-Tech and Hi-Touch culture, Dr Rima is an active proponent of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the workplace, and is also a workplace social systems designer focusing on holistic Wellbeing of her staff.Dr Rima leads various Transformational Leadership Programs at Datamatics, bringing breakthrough performance amongst senior leaders and high performers in the organization. She is also the creator of the Datamatics Diversity Charter (DDC), with initiatives like (Wo)Mentoring, ‘Coffee Cake Candid Chats', and ‘Welcome Back' to promote dialogue for an inclusive workplace that nurtures differences. A seasoned HR leader and Practitioner with over twenty-five years of experience in Corporate and Academia, Dr. Rima has been instrumental in building Technology and Leadership capabilities in enterprises like IBM, Sony Pictures, and Quinnox. In the past, she held the position of Professor and Head of Department – HR, at a reputed B-school in Mumbai, with an additional responsibility of leading and facilitating Management course delivery for the Indian Defence forces. Dr. Rima has been an International Mentor for Middlesex University London, and is also a trained Trainer by Sony Pictures, UK on Energy Project, a flagship intervention of Sony Group to promote wellbeing for staff. As a Trainer and Facilitator, she has delivered over 5,000 person-hours of training in Leadership masterclass, HR Analytics, Enhancing Personal Effectiveness & Mentoring.She has received numerous HR Excellence Awards, including ‘Global Women in Leadership' Awards by the Global Council for the Promotion of International Trade (GCPIT), Confederation of Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (CIMSME), India's Greatest CHRO 2023-24 list by Asia One, '50 Most Influential HR Tech Leaders', at World HRD Congress. 

Welcome to Episode 157 of Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing Welcome to Episode #157 of “Praestabilis: Excellence in Marketing” In this episode,the topic is “From 2025 into 2026: What will you change in your life and business, and what will remain the same?” It’s important to take a close look at what you’ve been doing this year, and if your results were what you expected. I believe that we can improve exponentially year over year, and that it’s up to us to decide what to change and what results we will expect. I am sharing a live session of my “Really Simple Authority Blogging” ongoing training course with you and know you will benefit from the marketing strategies I am sharing and teaching here. Be sure to connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com or on X at https://x.com/ConnieGreen so I may serve you in the areas where my help could make a huge difference in your results. I’m going to share with you how much fun I’m having with creating simple courses using AI (Artificial Intelligence) in about 30 minutes. I know you can do the same thing. Keep it simple, and add the short course you create to a page on your existing website/blog. In this episode I’m discussing how to use keywords and search engine optimization (SEO) to grow your business. Your prospects and future clients, customers, and colleagues are waiting to connect with you, but if they can’t find you online it will never happen. Make it simple for your target audience to find you by using the keywords and phrases they are most likely to be searching for on Google, Bing, and the other search engines. The Power and Gift of Change”- We are all changing throughout each day, and I think we must embrace this change in order to grow and move forward. Changing can take many forms, and if you look back through your life you will come to understand that you are not the same person you were even a year ago. Here is a quote about this you may resonate with… “Growth lives outside the comfort zone. If it feels uncomfortable, you’re probably doing it right.” ~ Marie Forleo I believe that our businesses are based on the concept of serving others. When you start on online (or even a brick and mortar) business, your goal is to serve others with what you know and to benefit in multiple ways, including by earning an excellent income. I’m sharing several examples in this podcast about my own and experiences with clients over the years. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This morning I was reading the message written by outgoing Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. In it, he stated that his “parting prescription” for the American people is to cultivate a strong sense of community to help themselves and others. He added, “Relationships, service, and purpose are the time-tested triad of fulfillment that stands in contrast to wealth, fame, and power which define the modern-day triad of success.” Here are some other questions I want you to ask yourself: What is your commitment to yourself and to others close to you? Why are you focused on the things that are taking up your time? When will you begin to focus on goals that will allow you to create and leave a legacy? Whom do you trust to get you there? Perhaps my “Monthly Mentoring Program” is right for you. Motivation and Inspiration: What It Takes to Get Your Spark Back” During 2024 I went through a period where I wasn’t as motivated as I had been accustomed to being for many years. This gave me time to explore why I was feeling this way and to hopefully learn something that would help others. My inspiration to do all of the things I love in my business, including writing, creating, marketing, and mentoring was waning and I wasn’t sure why. Within a couple of months I was back on track and this is what I learned… Life isn’t easy, but then it isn’t supposed to be. Being challenged in so many ways on a regular basis makes us stronger and perhaps more appreciative and grateful for what we already have and what we know we can achieve if we believe in ourselves and have even one other person who knows we are special and tells us that as often as possible. Marie Forleo wrote a book titled “Everything Is Figureoutable” – https://ConnieLoves.me/FigureOutAble – Her precept is that if you’re having trouble solving a problem or reaching a dream, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you haven’t yet installed the one belief that changes everything. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com and want to hear from you on this topic, or on anything else. “Merging Your Life with Your Business” as a strategy. We aren’t creating a business we need a vacation from. Instead, we’re creating a “lifestyle by design” where we have the time and financial freedom to live in a way that few people are able to, and with choices around everything we do. If you’ve met me in person, heard me on my podcast, or read any of my books, you know that I am a very positive person. No matter what situation or circumstances arises, I truly believe there will always be a positive outcome on the horizon, and sooner rather than later. But I wasn’t always this way. This is a journey that continues… My first year online was 2006, and very quickly I connected with people I’m still part of a Mastermind with in Austin, Texas. I was invited to speak at an event there a couple of years later. It was hosted by Joe Vitale and Mendhi Audlin was also there. She shared a concept she had come up with that she calls “What If… UP!” The premise is that there is truly a silver lining in everything negative that occurs. I liken this to Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. My precept and general rule for life is that we can achieve anything we want and feel that we deserve. Others want to help us to achieve our goals, but many times we get in their way by telling ourselves stories that aren’t true. Mendhi’s precept aligns with mine, and a year or so after I first met her she published a book on this… “What If It All Goes Right?: Creating a New World of Peace, Prosperity & Possibility” by Mendhi Audlin reveals the secret to turning possibilities into a tangible reality. It works! https://ConnieLoves.me/WhatIfUp I’m discussing the importance of being willing to “Better Your Best” during this new year, as well as recommending that this be the year you finally embrace AI – Artificial Intelligence – for your business. I have been a student of and someone who uses AI almost daily since February of 2022, and I’m learning from experts Andy O”Bryan and Denise Wakeman in their ongoing AI Success Club. Asking “How Are You Defining Success?” Creating a business as an entrepreneur allows you to live a lifestyle by design, with both time freedom and financial freedom. Think about how you want to live each day and then take action to make it happen. Over the years I’ve changed many things, while others have remained the same. Instead of making changes just for the sake of change, think about what you could change up and what makes sense to remain at least mostly the same. Years ago, I used to put together my blog posts on a single topic, like copywriting or list building or creation digital products into a simple document that I referred to as a ‘Focus Guide’ and gave them away to my list and to my prospects. Each of these documents contained resources and an ‘About the Author’ page that helped me to build my credibility, visibility, and profitability. For the first time ever, I am recommending that you write a book about yourself, your niche topic, and how you serve others. I first did this in 2009 and now I have written and published twenty-eight full-length, non-fiction books on the topics of entrepreneurship, personal, development, and authorship. Life can be messy. Are their ways you can keep moving forward when your personal life is turning upside down? Yes! Finding joy in helping and serving others, as well as compartmentalizing what is currently going on in your life are just two of the ways to deal with change and situations outside of your control. I recommend that you choose two social media platforms to use for the sole purpose of helping your prospects find and connect with you online. My favorite is X – formerly known as Twitter, and I also use LinkedIn and YouTube as my favorite social media sites to grow my business. Please connect with me on these sites and let me know how I may best serve you as you build and grow your profitable business. Is your list of what you are willing to do longer than your list of what you don’t want to do? I recommend a mile-long “to-do” list and a daily schedule of no more than four things that you will work on each day in your business. Find a mentor who believes in you and get started with creating a lifestyle by design that you want and deserve. I’m recommending James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” – https://ConnieLoves.me/AtomicHabits – as a book to help you alleviate your fears. We all have hopes, dreams, goals, and fears regarding our life experiences. I have found that if we build up our confidence and have faith that everything will turn out in a way that will be beneficial to all, we can continue to move forward without negative effects. Having an online business requires confidence. These are some questions to ask yourself: Who will you serve? What are your prospects pain points? What’s your idea? How will it be created, and then delivered? How will you sell it online? Creating a simple product or online course is the beginning of living a lifestyle by design. Reach out to me any time at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to know more about getting started as an online entrepreneur. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ My first online course back in 2006 was a simple one with three audio trainings and a workbook. Then, I began creating more sophisticated, but not more complicated courses. I’ve used the “Really Simple” branding for many courses at least 25 times, as well as using other terms and phrases based on the keywords I am optimizing for with each new course. Having your own online course on a topic you want to become known for will give you leverage to grow your business exponentially over time. It’s interesting to me that we as humans sometimes take things for granted that later on we know we should have appreciated in the moment. What I’m referring to here is having an online business you can run from home, or from anywhere in the world. There’s a window of opportunity that isn’t always open, and right now this window is wide open to everyone. A lot of it depends upon economic factors. I almost went back to graduate school two years ago to study economics, but decided against it because of the film and television writing I’m pursuing, but that’s a story for another time. Someone I work closely with had posted this quote from Richard Branson the other day: “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” This does NOT apply to online business, but instead refers to starting a physical, brick and mortar business. I know several people in both of my cities who borrowed against their homes, cashed out retirement savings, and sold family heirlooms to start businesses in the community, only to go bankrupt a couple of years later. What I’m saying here is that this is the time to get your online business off the ground and up and running profitably. It’s so inexpensive in comparison, and the biggest expense I incur is what I pay mentors to guide me in the right direction. Yes, I still have a mentor and recommend you do as well. This isn’t coaching, but instead a personal relationship you’ll build over time that could lead to strategic alliance partnerships and lifelong friendships. I’m at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you want to know more about mentoring with me. The four widely accepted learning modalities (or modes) are known by the acronym VARK: Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, Kinesthetic. They are sometimes inaccurately referred to as “learning styles” which implies that each learner has a “style” of learning that should be maximized in all learning situations. Focusing on consistency, productivity, and creativity makes sense for all online entrepreneurs in 2024. I’m also sharing some effective and time-proven strategies with you here that will make a difference in your business, as well as in your personal life experience. Each day I focus on writing, creating, marketing, and teaching/learning/mentoring. My writing began as short and simple blog posts and blossomed into more than twenty-five full-length books. My writing is my oeuvre, my body of work that is my legacy to family, friends, colleagues, and those who follow me. During 2023 I wrote and published more than 400 thousand words. This breaks down to one full-length book, Self-Directed: Inspire, Motivate, and Empower Yourself to the Greatness That Lies Within; the current book on marketing that is more than halfway written; 8 short reports on topics of interest to the people I work with online; one hundred thirty-eight blog posts on three different blogs I maintain; and 382 email messages to my online community. These are  practical strategies for effective time management, emphasizing the importance of creating a balance between work and personal life. Achieving work-life harmony requires effective time management strategies that allow you to balance professional and personal responsibilities. Here are some strategies to help you manage your time more efficiently: 1. Set Clear Priorities: Identify your most important tasks and priorities for both work and personal life. Focus on what truly matters and allocate time accordingly. 2. Use a Time Management System: Choose a time management system that works for you, whether it’s a digital tool like Todoist or Trello, or a physical planner. Organize tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. Schedules vs To-Do Lists 3. Prioritize Tasks with the Eisenhower Matrix: Categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. Prioritize tasks based on these categories. 4. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together and tackle them during specific time blocks. This reduces the mental load of switching between different types of activities. 5. Time Blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time to different activities. This includes work tasks, personal commitments, and breaks. Stick to the schedule as much as possible. 6. Learn to Say No: Be selective about taking on new commitments. Saying no when necessary helps you avoid over-committing and allows you to focus on your existing priorities. 7. Delegate When Possible: Delegate tasks that others can handle. This applies to both professional and personal responsibilities. It’s okay to ask for help. 8. Practice the Two-Minute Rule: If a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and becoming overwhelming. 9. Limit Multitasking: Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can reduce efficiency and increase stress. Complete one task before moving on to the next. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ You’re starting a conversation with your emails, and building a relationship with your prospects, customers, and clients over time. I’ve been online as an entrepreneur, marketer, and writer since 2006, and while much has changed, I believe that more has remained the same. Here, I’m discussing how we marketed in those early days, and why email marketing still remains top of mind. Most recently, I’ve co-hosted an Advanced Email Marketing Conference with Ellen Finkelstein. In April of 2023, I hosted my latest live marketing event in Los Angeles, and more recently I’ve hosted my Santa Barbara Retreat for those I mentor and teach. But like everyone else, I began by attending live events, and eventually virtual events in order to find my voice, connect with other like-minded people, and learn more about building and growing my online business. Guerilla marketing is a way to drive publicity and, as a result, brand awareness by promoting using unconventional methods designed to evoke surprise, wonder, or shock. Guerrilla marketing is the creating use of novel or unconventional methods in order to boost sales or attract interest in a brand or business. These methods are often low- or no-cost and involve the widespread use of more personal interactions or through viral social media messaging. This marketing method has increased in popularity with the rise of ubiquitous mobile and connected technologies that can amplify messaging and focus on target groups of consumers. Some consumers may be more attracted by guerrilla marketing campaigns as they may be more interesting and daring, while others may be turned off because of the perceived “disruptive” aspects of this style of marketing. Please subscribe and leave me a review. And connect with me at https://ConnieRagenGreen.com. Find out more about me HERE. Becoming an online entrepreneur was the best decision I ever made. I’ve been online since 2006 and now help others all over the world to do the same or something similar. We all have times where we are feeling a little down, lost, or confused. Life isn’t easy, and no one makes it out alive! These are my recommendations for how to get back on track and feeling more happy and optimistic about your future… Write! Whether you’re already a writer or are just beginning to think about sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others, writing makes sense. I write every single day and publish much of my writing as blog posts, short reports, and full-length books. Writing opens your mind to what you want in the future, by allowing you to explore the past through your memories. You can also retell and reframe your stories in a way that will serve you going forward. Start a new project! I usually create products and courses as new projects, but this can also manifest as something you build or create with your hands. I have family members on two continents that love to put together complex jigsaw puzzles. They look forward to these as a new project on a regular basis. Volunteer! Before I started my online business, I promised myself I would volunteer my time and donate money to charitable causes… as soon as I had the time and the money to do so. Once I had my own business, I realized that I had some time and a little money to do this all along. Spend time with new people! As a part of the volunteering I now do regularly, I’ve spent time with very young children, veterans, women starting over after being in a domestic violence situation, and more. This work continues to make a difference in my life. As you can see, there are many ways to get back to your “Why?” and I hope this has been helpful to you. What’s the best niche topic to cover in your blog? I know you don’t what to hear me say “It depends.” so I won’t. Lean in, and I’ll share the very best niche for you, and it’s one that is also the most profitable, will feel more like you’re just having fun, will never go out of style, and will be the one that has absolutely zero competition. Which niche topic and target audience could it possibly be? I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. I learned when I began online 17 years ago that the best niche for anyone is the one that makes your heart sing and is probably a topic you take for granted. I had been teaching school for twenty years and my students were mostly Spanish and Tagalog native speakers. I told them if they wrote just a few sentences every single day – weekends, holidays, and school breaks included – their writing would improve. Those who followed my advice excelled, while those who didn’t floundered. During all those years, I seldom wrote anything unless it was required for my work as a teacher or for my part-time work in real estate. Fast forward to 2006, and I realized not only that I needed to write in order to succeed online, but also that what I’d done with my students would apply here as well. My niche for the next eighteen months was around helping others to write, publish, market, and sell eBooks. I wrote one on real estate farming – choosing and area close to home to connect with people who may need your services – as an example and sold it on my website. Back then, you had to sell eBooks on your own websites, as Amazon had not yet entered the world of self-publishing. My niche and website became “eBook writing and marketing secrets” and this topic took me to six figures. I was learning right along with the people who were learning and buying from me. I then moved that site over to https://ConnieRagenGreen.com to make a name for myself and to branch out to other topics. The bottom line is that you must begin by sharing what you already know something about and love. Blogging is the direct path to the visibility, credibility, and profitability you wish to have in your business. In my business, every idea begins as a blog post. This is where I think and research and brainstorm what’s on my mind in the very beginning. The blog post is ground zero for what could, and many times does become a product, course or program. Blog posts, while based on your idea, can be created with original content, private label (PLR) rights content, guest content, or curated content. While I immediately share my published posts on social media as “micro content” you’ll want to wait at least 24 hours before syndicating your content on Medium. I also teach this syndication strategy in my popular and ongoing Syndication Optimization training program. Next up in your content creation and content marketing strategy is a short report, which you may sell online or give away as a lead magnet. I teach all of this in my Really Simple Short Reports training. This is what we refer to as “cornerstone” content that is extremely valuable. The final step is creating “authority content” by publishing your writing as a Kindle or paperback book to increase your visibility and build your reputation as an expert on your topic. I typically discuss time management and productivity in regards to entrepreneurs, marketers, and authors, and I’ve even co-authored a bestselling book on this topic, entitled “Time Management Strategies for Entrepreneurs: How to Manage Your Time to Increase Your Bottom Line” where we outline in great details the steps you may take to reach a level of optimal productivity and time management as an entrepreneur. But what about everyone else? Doesn’t every person deserve to live the lifestyle they want and deserve, where they enjoy financial freedom and the time to enjoy every moment to the fullest? Of course they do, and that’s what I’m sharing during this podcast. When I began online as a new entrepreneur in 2006, I realized immediately I would need help with technology and graphics, as these were the areas where I had no experience or talent. I bartered for these services for the first year or so, and then began to put together a team of people to support me so my business could grow. When I look back over my lifetime, I see that I have always had a team supporting me, whether it was while I worked as a classroom teacher, or in real estate as a broker and residential appraiser. Even while I was growing up, I was surrounded by people who supported me, from family, friends and neighbors to teachers, clergy, and people in the community. Put together your team and watch your business grow exponentially! When it comes to your visibility as an entrepreneur, where may we find you to see what you’re doing? This expert status comes from your writing, videos and audios, and your social media presence on the most active platforms for your target audience. My three popular and active blogs are at ConnieRagenGreen.com, HugeProfitsTinyList.com, and at MondayMorningMellow.com. Credibility is about what you already know and what you are learning. We all started our online businesses as adults, so we brought our knowledge and experiences with us. It made sense for me to help people write, market, and publish eBooks in the beginning, because I had worked as a classroom teacher for twenty years prior to coming online, and was learning about marketing and self-publishing. Profitability means that you must ask “What’s for sale?” every day in your business. Create your own simple products and courses, recommend others with affiliate marketing, and look into buying the resale rights to sell other people’s products as your own like I continue to do in my own business. The final part of this information on your expert status as an entrepreneur includes productivity, consistency, and attention to detail. Get everything in place as quickly as possible, and your online business is sure to grow exponentially! During my first couple of years online, beginning in 2007 I connected with mentors Alex Mandossian and Raymond Aaron. When I inquired as to what they were doing together as strategic alliance partners, they gave me a brief explanation and told me that I was not yet ready to move up to this level. Over the next two years they helped me to grow and elevate my business and my mindset as an online entrepreneur so that I could connect with others in this way. Seek out the people and groups you wish to be involved with and show them that you have moved past tactics and on to strategies. It will make all the difference and as you uplevel everything you’re doing online in your business, your free time and disposable income will increase exponentially! When I work with people in my Incubator Mastermind Mentoring program, the goal is to move them into position to become a strategic alliance partner with me and others to share their message in a bigger way. WHY did you choose the career you started your working life with? WHY did you get married, have children, and move into your first home? WHY did you make the conscious decision to leave your career at some point and start your business? WHY do you want to be an author or entrepreneur, or coach? WHY do you get up every single day and do the work required to become more successful on an ongoing basis? Everyone must have a WHY and there are no right or wrong answers here. But if you find yourself unmotivated to work or if you find yourself procrastinating on projects, then it's time to re-examine the main reason for your business. Name Your Reason – or Your WHY – for Starting a Business Focusing on your WHY can help motivate you, so write down your reason for starting a business on a regular basis. Did you want to fill your free time? Did you want to earn some play money or contribute to the family finances? Did you want to pay the medical bills of an aging parent or a sick child? Did you want to pay for your child's higher education or private school tuition? In my case, my answer to “what's your why?” was always around having enough income to live life on my terms. Over time, I came to the realization that every choice I was making, and each time I could not do something that had meaning for me, was all related to me needing to earn a paycheck or a commission from the classroom teaching and real estate work I was involved with each day. I missed just about every family event, vacation, and other activities because I was working 60 or more hours a week in order to cover my bills and other expenses. I wasn't angry or resentful because I believed that I didn't deserve to have a better life during those decades. This all changed in 2005 when I began reading books and attending events based on self improvement and personal development principles. Writing these reasons down – no matter what they are because every person's WHY will be different – should help motivate you to work hard. You should feel driven to make your business a success. You should be willing to tackle things outside your comfort zone because you know the end result will help your business. If you're not feeling motivated, then you need to dig deeper. I worked closely with a woman who was struggling to make her online business become profitable, and she continued to tell me that she had no problems or struggles in her life, currently or during her younger years. Then, one day she told me about her granddaughter who had passed away at age twelve and the floodgates opened. We got to the bottom of things, she discovered her why, and her business grew by leaps and bounds, almost overnight! Be Open and Willing to Examine Your Inner Feelings Life is fluid and ever-changing so it stands to reason that your WHY would change over time as well. Even if you started your business because you didn't know what to do once your kids were in full day school, you can change that WHY to something more meaningful now. A mentor once shared with me that she started a service business because she was a single mom and needed to earn money to survive. She was responsible for lodging, food, and clothing for herself and her child. She didn't have anyone to rely on except herself. THIS is enough to make you cry and to hustle for work, knowing that if she wasn't working, she wasn't eating. What are you passionate about that will get you hustling? Are you passionate about a cause or charity that can benefit from your financial assistance? Do you need to pull yourself up out of financial despair? Don't be afraid to own that reason and fight for your business. This is how you will continue to get closer to understanding and recognizing the answer to “what's your why?” Don't be Afraid to Switch Business Gears to Discover Your “Why” One of my mentees admitted to me early on that even though she has been in a service business for over ten years, that she hadn't been motivated to create any classes or products as a source of passive income. She blamed her indecision on a lack of new ideas and a feeling and belief that everything she knew had already been said and done, but I questioned if it was because she didn't feel attached to her particular niche of online marketing. After some more discussion, she agreed and has since modified her services that align better with what she enjoys. I still suggested that she explore a deeper WHY but this is a step in the right direction. Plenty of businesses add or subtract products or services or modify their mission statement. If something about your business doesn't feel right, don't be afraid to make changes. I'm bestselling author and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green, and now I can confidently answer the question “What's your why?” with enthusiasm and conviction. My “why” is around the concept of helping others to achieve their goals and dreams with writing and having a profitable online business so they may follow their dreams and passions without having to do work that doesn't make their heart sing or worry about meeting all of their financial obligations with grace and ease. You can double your productivity and be success with a business, or with anything you choose to accomplish in your life, if you are willing to implement what you learn and take decisive action on a consistent basis. Many people come to me to learn how to successful and profitable as an online entrepreneur. But some of them end up saying “I already know that” and moving on to something else. I know that I am able to do more than I ever thought would be possible in my life because I am willing to learn, implement, course correct, ask questions, take massive action and keep moving forward with consistency. Others may be smarter or more knowledgeable, but if they hesitate to take action they will not achieve the results they are hoping for in their business or with anything else. As long as you are specific and intentional with what you want to achieve, you can do it all as an entrepreneur, just not all at once. And we must throw perfection out the window. I have a new saying… The more perfecter your goal, the less purfeckt your results. “Everything we do in our lives is preparing us for something that will arise in the future, even though we don’t yet know what that will be.” ~ Connie Ragen Green Our stories are the fabric of our life. A story sets you apart from everyone else, makes you unique and memorable, and is all you have when it's all said and done. When I was a young child a neighbor girl, seven or eight years old at the time, interrupted my mother in the middle of a story she was telling to ask, “Why do you have so many stories?” My mother hardly skipped a beat, informing the girl that “You'll have stories too, when you get older.” On that evening a part of me became a storyteller in training. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I was telling stories about everything from what I did in school that day to what happened in the neighborhood. I wore my storyteller's hat with pride and now I see that this one aspect of my life was preparing me for what I now do in my business and derive great joy from every single day. The word “praestabilis” is from the Latin and means outstanding, excellent, and extraordinary and this is the goal for you as you make your way in the online world. It took me until age 50 to step into the light and live an empowered life. I achieved this by leaving a job – classroom teaching – and a career as a real estate broker and appraiser to come online as an entrepreneur. I have no regrets about waiting so long, as everything unfolds once we are open to receiving it. There are three top strategies to help you move closer to an empowered life and they include… Writing – Every day, I want you to write! This includes blog posts, outlines, emails to your prospects, clients, and potential joint venture partners. Also, write short reports and white papers to show others who you are and what you know. Finally, write a book to solidify your expertise in your niche, and follow that up with additional books over time. Writing is crucial to our process of standing out from the crowd by sharing what we know and believe. Reach out to me if you’re interested in coming aboard for my “10 Week Author” program. Recent posts on my three blogs are at: “Broken Compass Stories We Tell Ourselves” – https://mondaymorningmellow.com/broken-compass-story/ “The eBook That Changed My Life” – https://hugeprofitstinylist.com/ebook-that-changed-my-life/ “Marketing Secrets from Creative Sources” – https://connieragengreen.com/marketing-secrets-from-creative-sources/ Speaking – I was the reluctant speaker, but once I got past my fears and insecurities you can’t get the microphone away from me. Speak about yourself and your topic to anyone who will listen. I began by speaking at my Rotary Club and I continue to recommend service organizations as a way to break in to speaking. Now I speak all over the world, in person and virtually on a variety of topics. Masterminding – Connecting with others for the sole purpose of reaching your full potential is crucial to life success. Find a Mastermind group to join, or start your own by inviting thought leaders to connect with you in this way. I have a group called the Incubator Mastermind that may be of interest to you. Hopefully, you can see that what I’m sharing with on each podcast will make a difference for you as you build and grow your business as an entrepreneur, author, and marketer. Make sure to think of marketing as a priority and get into the habit of sharing your best ideas and resources with the people who are on their way to becoming your raving fans! I’m always just an email away at conniegreenhouse at yahoo dot com if you’d like to connect with me. I promise to help you keep it simple while you grow your online business. Get started with your own eBook empire by learning how to write an eBook from the person who continues to guide me along this lucrative journey. Take a look at How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook…in as Little as 7 Days from expert and author Jim Edwards. Thank you for this opportunity to serve you as I share my beliefs, perceptions, and experiences as an author, online entrepreneur, and marketing strategist with you. Marketing has become the joy of my life as I continue to learn, grow, and share concepts with others. I'm bestselling author, marketing strategist, and online entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 157 first appeared on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.The post Praestabilis – Excellence in Marketing – 157 appeared first on Connie Ragen Green Podcast.

Want to Start or Grow a Successful Business? Schedule a FREE 13-Point Assessment with Clay Clark Today At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com   Join Clay Clark's Thrivetime Show Business Workshop!!! Learn Branding, Marketing, SEO, Sales, Workflow Design, Accounting & More. **Request Tickets & See Testimonials At: www.ThrivetimeShow.com  **Request Tickets Via Text At (918) 851-0102   See the Thousands of Success Stories and Millionaires That Clay Clark Has Helped to Produce HERE: https://www.thrivetimeshow.com/testimonials/ Download A Millionaire's Guide to Become Sustainably Rich: A Step-by-Step Guide to Become a Successful Money-Generating and Time-Freedom Creating Business HERE: www.ThrivetimeShow.com/Millionaire   See Thousands of Case Studies Today HERE: www.thrivetimeshow.com/does-it-work/  

A topical film in today's current technological evolution though this episode is 100% human made with no AI generative content. Jeff, Stuart and Mark, while on the verge of tears, dive deep into the ethical and philosophical goliath known as Spielberg's 2001 film, AI: Artificial Intelligence. Though this is a Robin Williams podcast, we may have spoken about Robin for a total of 5 minutes. When you see the total run time of this episode, you'll understand why that's a big deal.

HMSA's Maricel Blackwell speaks with local businesses, employers who want to provide great health coverage and their employees who like options. What is a good health insurance plan? Are employees interested in fitness plan options? Too many choices can also overwhelm decision makers and HMSA has in person/virtual chats to help clear a path for you and your unique company's needs. Kathy With a K is your host.  Hawaii Matters, Hana Hou: Don Mangiarelli (Cyber Security Hawaii) talks online identity theft, malware, and hacked email or social media accounts, he also sees the trends of AI/Artificial Intelligence getting smarter. An excerpt from a November 2024 episode; Michael T is/was your host"Hawaii Matters", a public service community program that airs on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Hawaii across ⁠Pacific Media Group Oahu⁠ radio stations: ⁠KDDB 102.7 Da Bomb⁠ |⁠ KQMQ HI93⁠ | ⁠KUMU 94.7 KUMU⁠ | ⁠KPOI 105.9 The Wave⁠To be featured or for inquiries on "Hawaii Matters", please email: kathywithak@1059thewavefm.com

In this episode, Paul was asked the following question. Listen as Paul breaks down a question about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it will affect the Trades in the future and what do we think AI will take over and how it will play out over the next 10 years. We also send a message to NFPA about their BULLY TACTICS with NFPA 70, which is created by YOU the electrical community. You won't want to miss this episode.Listen as Paul Abernathy, CEO, and Founder of Electrical Code Academy, Inc., the leading electrical educator in the country, discusses electrical code, electrical trade, and electrical business-related topics to help electricians maximize their knowledge and industry investment.If you are looking to learn more about the National Electrical Code, for electrical exam preparation, or to better your knowledge of the NEC then visit https://fasttraxsystem.com for all the electrical code training you will ever need by the leading electrical educator in the country with the best NEC learning program on the planet.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/master-the-nec-podcast--1083733/support.Struggling with the National Electrical Code? Discover the real difference at Electrical Code Academy, Inc.—where you'll learn from the nation's most down-to-earth NEC expert who genuinely cares about your success. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just the best NEC training you'll actually remember.Visit https://FastTraxSystem.com to learn more.

In this episode, Paul was asked the following question. Listen as Paul breaks down a question about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it will affect the Trades in the future and what do we think AI will take over and how it will play out over the next 10 years. We also send a message to NFPA about their BULLY TACTICS with NFPA 70, which is created by YOU the electrical community. You won't want to miss this episode.Listen as Paul Abernathy, CEO, and Founder of Electrical Code Academy, Inc., the leading electrical educator in the country, discusses electrical code, electrical trade, and electrical business-related topics to help electricians maximize their knowledge and industry investment.If you are looking to learn more about the National Electrical Code, for electrical exam preparation, or to better your knowledge of the NEC then visit https://fasttraxsystem.com for all the electrical code training you will ever need by the leading electrical educator in the country with the best NEC learning program on the planet.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/electrify-electrician-podcast--4131858/support.

In this episode, Paul was asked the following question. Listen as Paul breaks down a question about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it will affect the Trades in the future and what do we think AI will take over and how it will play out over the next 10 years. We also send a message to NFPA about their BULLY TACTICS with NFPA 70, which is created by YOU the electrical community. You won't want to miss this episode.Listen as Paul Abernathy, CEO, and Founder of Electrical Code Academy, Inc., the leading electrical educator in the country, discusses electrical code, electrical trade, and electrical business-related topics to help electricians maximize their knowledge and industry investment.If you are looking to learn more about the National Electrical Code, for electrical exam preparation, or to better your knowledge of the NEC then visit https://fasttraxsystem.com for all the electrical code training you will ever need by the leading electrical educator in the country with the best NEC learning program on the planet.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ask-paul-national-electrical-code--4971115/support.

AI எனப்படும் Artificial Intelligence - செயற்கை நுண்ணறிவின் பெரும் பாய்ச்சலை உலகம் சந்தித்துக்கொண்டுள்ளது. இந்த நிலையில் AI வரவினால் அதிக ஆபத்தில் உள்ள வேலைகள் குறித்தும், செயற்கை நுண்ணறிவு எனக்கும் வியாபிக்கும் நிலையில் தனிநபர் தனது தனிப்பட்ட தகவல்களைப் எப்படி பாதுகாக்கலாம் என்பது குறித்தும் விளக்குகிறார் பிரிஸ்பேன் 4EB தமிழ் ஒலி வானொலியின் நிகழ்ச்சி தயாரிப்பாளர் சுகன்யா அவர்கள். அவரோடு உரையாடுகிறார் றைசெல். சுகன்யா அவர்கள் முன்வைக்கும் தகவல்களும், ஆலோசனைகளும் பொதுவானவை. இதை தொழில்முறை ஆலோசனையாக கருதாதீர்கள். கேட்கும் நேயர்கள் ஒவ்வொருவரின் தனிப்பட்ட பிரச்சனை அல்லது பின்னணியைப் பொறுத்து செயற்கை நுண்ணறிவு தொடர்பான நிபுணர்களின் ஆலோசனை பெறுமாறு கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறோம்.

In this episode, Paul was asked the following question. Listen as Paul breaks down a question about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it will affect the Trades in the future and what do we think AI will take over and how it will play out over the next 10 years. We also send a message to NFPA about their BULLY TACTICS with NFPA 70, which is created by YOU the electrical community. You won't want to miss this episode.Listen as Paul Abernathy, CEO, and Founder of Electrical Code Academy, Inc., the leading electrical educator in the country, discusses electrical code, electrical trade, and electrical business-related topics to help electricians maximize their knowledge and industry investment.If you are looking to learn more about the National Electrical Code, for electrical exam preparation, or to better your knowledge of the NEC then visit https://fasttraxsystem.com for all the electrical code training you will ever need by the leading electrical educator in the country with the best NEC learning program on the planet.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/ask-paul-national-electrical-code--4971115/support.

AI - Artificial Intelligence, the False Prophet, and the AntiChrist: In this fascinating episode, Steve welcomes Pastor Eric from Sound the Shofar Messianic Ministries to discuss the role of AI in Biblical prophecy. Frightening stuff! Find Pastor Eric online: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123168699032724Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.

Would like like to share feedback on this podcast? Or suggest another topic for us to explore? Click here, or email us at DocTalk@medstar.netIn this episode of MedStar Health DocTalk, host Debra Schindler sits down with Dr. Nicole Sakla, a breast radiologist and published researcher in artificial intelligence, to explore how AI is changing the way mammograms are read and how it can help radiologists detect disease earlier, sometimes by years.Learn how AI tools flag subtle patterns invisible to the human eye, act as a double-check system for radiologists, and may reduce unnecessary callbacks and missed cancers—all without replacing the human expertise behind every diagnosis.Dr. Sakla also clears up misconceptions about AI in medicine, explains how it's trained to be accurate across diverse patients, and shares what excites her most about the next generation of AI technology in breast imaging.Listen now for a fascinating, accessible look into how human expertise and machine learning are working together to advance early detection and patient care.For more information about breast imaging and screening at MedStar Health, medstarhealth.org/breasthealth or call the breast center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center: 202-877-2800 .If you would like to comment on this podcast, or recommend a topic for another episode of DocTalk, send an email:  DocTalk@medstar.netFor more episodes of MedStar Health DocTalk, go to medstarhealth.org/doctalk.

As we start a new series, Peculiar People, one of the weird ways we are called to "walk with Jesus while living in our world" is by carefully considering how we position AI (Artificial Intelligence) in our lives.Support the show

The complex world of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has now taken a hard right with the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence). It's no longer enough to be one of the top options when someone Google searches a keyword you have attribution to. Now, oftentimes the top response is AI's answer to your search. To show up there, you have to be recognized as an authority. We wanted to feature an expert who can help you package that authority in the new world of AI, so we welcomed on Dave Burnett, Founder of AOK Marketing. He helps you acquire more loyal customers. For more about ForthRight Business by ForthRight People or for 1:1 consultation, check us out at ForthRight-Business.com And as always, if you need Strategic Counsel, don't hesitate to reach out to us at: ForthRight-People.com FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/forthrightpeople.marketingagency INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/forthrightpeople/ LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/company/forthright-people/ RESOURCES https://www.forthright-people.com/resources VIRTUAL CONSULTANCY https://www.forthright-people.com/shop

আজকের পৃথিবীতে কৃত্রিম বুদ্ধিমত্তা বা AI (Artificial Intelligence) এমন এক প্রযুক্তি যা আমাদের জীবনযাত্রা বদলে দিচ্ছে। চাকরি, ব্যবসা, শিক্ষা, স্বাস্থ্যসেবা প্রতিটি জায়গায় AI ব্যবহার হচ্ছে। তাই এখনকার দিনে এআই শেখা শুধু একটা অপশন নয়, বরং অত্যাবশ্যক। সুখবর হলো, আজকের ইন্টারনেট যুগে এক টাকাও খরচ না করেই বিশ্বের সেরা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ও প্ল্যাটফর্ম থেকে AI শেখা যায়। কিভাবে শিখবেন সেই রকম ১০ টি AI শিখার কোর্স সম্পর্কে এই Podcast এ আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। Artificial Intelligence-এর অসীম ক্ষমতাকে কাজে লাগিয়ে ফ্রিল্যান্সিং করে খুব সহজে প্রতি মাসে ২০০০-৩০০০ ডলার ইনকাম করতে চাইলে, অথবা AI-এর সাহায্যে কন্টেন্ট ক্রিয়েট, ডিজাইন সেল এবং আরো বিভিন্ন উপায়ে Passive Income করতে চাইলে জয়েন করুন এই কোর্সে ➤ https://www.msbacademy.com/course/artificial-intelligence-masterclass

বর্তমান সময়ে AI শুধু প্রযুক্তির জগৎ নয়, আমাদের কাজের ধরণও বদলে দিচ্ছে। সবচেয়ে বড় বিষয় হলো এই AI টুলগুলো ব্যবহার করে এখন ঘরে বসেই অনলাইনে টাকা আয় করা সম্ভব। বিশেষ করে যারা ফ্রিল্যান্সিং, ডিজিটাল মার্কেটিং বা কন্টেন্ট ক্রিয়েশনে কাজ করতে চান, তাদের জন্য এটি বিশাল সুযোগ। AI দিয়ে টাকা ইনকাম করার ৭টি সহজ টুল সম্পর্কে এই পডকাস্টে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। Artificial Intelligence-এর অসীম ক্ষমতাকে কাজে লাগিয়ে ফ্রিল্যান্সিং করে খুব সহজে প্রতি মাসে ২০০০-৩০০০ ডলার ইনকাম করতে চাইলে, অথবা AI-এর সাহায্যে কন্টেন্ট ক্রিয়েট, ডিজাইন সেল এবং আরো বিভিন্ন উপায়ে Passive Income করতে চাইলে জয়েন করুন এই কোর্সে ➤ https://www.msbacademy.com/course/artificial-intelligence-masterclass

AI শুধু চাকরি কেড়ে নিচ্ছে না, বরং দিচ্ছে অসাধারণ ইনকামের সুযোগ। ঠিকভাবে ব্যবহার করলে AI হতে পারে আপনার প্যাসিভ ইনকামের মেশিন! AI ব্যবহার করে ইনকাম করার ১০টি সঠিক এবং কার্যকারী উপায় সম্পর্কে এই পডকাস্টে আলোচনা করা হয়েছে। Artificial Intelligence-এর অসীম ক্ষমতাকে কাজে লাগিয়ে ফ্রিল্যান্সিং করে খুব সহজে প্রতি মাসে ২০০০-৩০০০ ডলার ইনকাম করতে চাইলে, অথবা AI-এর সাহায্যে কন্টেন্ট ক্রিয়েট, ডিজাইন সেল এবং আরো বিভিন্ন উপায়ে Passive Income করতে চাইলে জয়েন করুন এই কোর্সে ➤ https://www.msbacademy.com/course/artificial-intelligence-masterclass

✨ **Grab my Creative Direction template for FREE** ✨Curious what the first stage of my brand design projects looks like? Grab the Figma template (and four bonus audio trainings walking you through how to populate it!) below!

Episode Summary: This episode is a deep dive into the critical, yet often overlooked, skill of self-awareness. Randy and Greg discuss why it's easy to see the solutions to other people's problems but incredibly difficult to recognize our own, a phenomenon caused by emotional attachment and personal blind spots. They explore how these blind spots, often rooted in our weaknesses or subconscious triggers, can hold us back from seeing the opportunities right in front of us. The conversation covers practical strategies for increasing self-awareness, such as journaling, meditation, and paying attention to recurring feedback from trusted sources. Additionally, they highlight how modern tools like AI can serve as an unbiased partner in uncovering these hidden areas, helping you to delegate weaknesses and double down on your strengths. Key Takeaways: Self-awareness is the key to seeing the opportunities that are already in front of you. We all have blind spots, and the first step to overcoming them is acknowledging their existence. It's easier to solve others' problems because we lack the emotional attachment that clouds our own judgment. Your personal triggers (physical or mental) are often signposts pointing directly to your blind spots. Recurring feedback from multiple trusted sources is a strong indicator of a blind spot you need to address. To overcome blind spots, focus on amplifying your strengths and learn to delegate your weaknesses. Tools like AI (e.g., Gemini, ChatGPT) can act as a non-judgmental "interactive journal" to help you brainstorm ideas and identify blind spots. Consistent habits like journaling and meditation are foundational practices for building self-awareness. Questions Answered in This Episode: What is self-awareness and why is it so important for success? Why is it so much easier to see other people's problems than our own? How can you identify your personal blind spots? What are "triggers" and how do they relate to your blind spots? How can you use feedback from friends and family to uncover areas for growth? Should you focus on improving your weaknesses or doubling down on your strengths? How can you use AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT for personal development and self-awareness? What daily habits, like journaling and meditation, can help increase your self-awareness? Key People, Concepts, & Terms: People: Randy Wilson, Greg Junge, Joe Dispenza. Concepts: Self-Awareness, Blind Spots, Triggers, Strengths and Weaknesses, Personal Development, Journaling, Meditation, Delegation, AI (Artificial Intelligence). Tools: Gemini, ChatGPT, DuckDuckGo. Key Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Why Can't We See the Obvious Opportunities? 01:31 - The Outsider's Advantage: Why It's Easy to Solve Other People's Problems 02:23 - What Happens When We're Challenged? Unpacking Our Personal "Triggers" 04:30 - The Power and Danger of Our Personal Blind Spots 07:03 - The Physical & Mental Signs of Being Controlled by Your Triggers 09:08 - A Practical Strategy: Identifying Blind Spots by Analyzing Your Weaknesses 10:05 - Key Insight: Don't Just Fix Weaknesses, Delegate Them and Focus on Your Strengths 11:29 - A Telltale Sign: When Multiple People Give You the Same Feedback 14:13 - Modern Solution: Using AI as a Tool to Uncover Blind Spots 17:13 - A Practical AI Tool for Privacy-Conscious Users (DuckDuckGo) 20:21 - The Goal of Self-Awareness: Stepping into the Best Version of Yourself  

Fr. Chris tackles the subject of AI – Artificial Intelligence, and suggests how Catholics should and shouldn't use it. Fr. Mark Barron and Dr. Eugene Gan join to discuss AI.

This week we look at the subject of AI - Artificial Intelligence.  What is it?  How will it impact us?  Are AI companions for real?  Ethical issues - plagiarism, deepfakes and bias; Is humanity doomed?  AI weapons; Was Hiroshima necessary?  AI and jobs;  AI and money;  AI and Climate Change; Country of the Week - South Korea; AI and the Church; Fake Bible characters; Our Future is AI Serfdom - B.Duncan Moench; The biblical answer to AI....With music from Kraftwerk; Christy Moore; Styx; OMD; Radiohead; BTS;  REM; Rage Against the Machine;  Back Free Church; Gaelic Psalm Singing. 

While millions of Americans track their biometrics daily - steps, heart rate, blood pressure - how do we interpret that data and give it context ? Can we use it to improve the quality of our lives, and make better health decisions ? Lotic AI enables you to do that.

Steven is the founder of My Amazon Guy, an agency that manages over $1.2 billion in annual sales across 400+ brands on Amazon. A best-selling author of "Amazon Selling Tips" and former TV reporter, Steven brings over a decade of eCommerce expertise. My Amazon Guy, with a team of 550+ employees, specializes in boosting traffic and sales for Amazon brands. Steven is also the owner of My Refund Guy and several Amazon brands, while his YouTube tutorials, viewed by millions, provide expert insights on navigating Amazon challenges.Highlight Bullets> Here's a glimpse of what you would learn…. Evolving landscape of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) on Amazon.Impact of Amazon's AI initiatives, particularly the introduction of "Rufus."Stability of foundational SEO practices despite new AI developments.Changes in Amazon's title requirements and their implications for SEO.Strategies for launching new products, including the use of long-tail keywords.Importance of high-quality visuals and main product images in driving sales.Regular audits of Seller Central settings for optimization.Key SEO factors influencing performance, such as click-through rates and organic sales.Collaboration and information sharing among Amazon sellers.Continuous innovation and product launches as essential for maintaining competitiveness.In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews Steven Pope, founder of My Amazon Guy, an agency managing over $12 billion in annual sales across 400+ brands on Amazon. The discussion focuses on the evolving landscape of SEO and AI within Amazon. Steven highlights Amazon's AI initiatives, particularly "Rufus," and their impact on SEO strategies. He emphasizes the enduring importance of foundational SEO practices, optimizing product listings, and the critical role of high-quality visuals. Steven also shares actionable insights on dynamic pricing, launching new products, and leveraging data analytics for continuous improvement.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Measure and Review Data: Regularly analyze SKU performance to identify trends and make informed decisions.Focus on Visual Content: Prioritize high-quality images and engaging product presentations to attract buyers.Implement Dynamic Pricing: Be flexible with pricing strategies to optimize sales and maintain competitiveness.Resources mentioned in this episode:Here are the mentions with timestamps arranged by topic:Ecomm BreakthroughJosh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough YouTubeeComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comAmazonMy Amazon GuyMy Refund GuyAmazon Seller CentralAmazon Brand AnalyticsSearch Query Performance ReportPickFuAmazon A/B TestingPerplexity AIHelium 10Amazon Selling Tips by Steven PopeTranscending the Levels of Consciousness: The Stairway to Enlightenment by David R. HawkinsPower vs. Force by David R. HawkinsDan KennedyJohn AspinallSpecial Mention(s):Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedInKevin King on LinkedInMichael E. Gerber on LinkedInRelated Episode(s):“Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist's Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Kevin King's Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough PodcastEpisode SponsorThis episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you've hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that's Ecomm with two M's) to learn more.Transcript AreaJosh Hadley 00:00:00  Welcome to the Ecomm Breakthrough podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I interview the top business leaders in e-commerce. Past guests include Kevin King, Michael Gerber, author of The E-myth and Aaron Cordova's. Today we've got a special returning guest. He is Steven Pope from my Amazon guy, and today we are going to be talking all about SEO and AI, and how the world of Amazon and SEO is changing. Or rather, is it not changing on Amazon, and are the tactics of how we need to write our titles and our b...

There are no strings on me so let's answer 10 trivia questions about some fictional AIs aka artificial intelligences! If you'd like to choose a specific topic or dedicate an episode to a friend send a donation of your choice on Venmo to @NoChitChatTrivia and write the topic you'd like in the comments: https://account.venmo.com/NoChitChatTrivia Our official store is live!  Support the show by grabbing a NCCT shirt, hat, puzzle, or more: https://www.thetop10things.com/store Visit our sister site thetop10things.com for travel and entertainment information! Thank you to everyone who listens!  Say hello or let's collaborate: nochitchattrivia@gmail.com

It can be difficult to keep up with the marketing and branding landscape - it's always changing. Wouldn't it be helpful to hear from top CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) on the matter? That's what our guest, Mitch Duckler, did in his new book, The Future-Ready Brand. Mitch is the Founder and Managing Partner of FullSurge, a brand and marketing strategy consulting firm that helps clients accelerate business growth. You'll hear his key insights from the book, how to find an authentic positioning for your brand, how to get personalization right, what to think about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and other new technologies, and the tried-and-true approaches across the marketing and branding landscape. And as always, if you need Strategic Counsel, don't hesitate to reach out to us at: ForthRight-People.com. FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/forthrightpeople.marketingagency INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/forthrightpeople/ LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/company/forthright-people/ RESOURCES https://www.forthright-people.com/resources VIRTUAL CONSULTANCY https://www.forthright-people.com/shop

E58: The Evolution of Gyms and Personal Training in a Post-COVID / AI World with Duncan Forbes The COVID 19 pandemic changed many industries over the last several years. One of the industries hit the hardest during the pandemic was gyms. For months and months, many were forced to close their doors, some to never reopen. Duncan Forbes knows this world well. As a Manager of Lifetime Fitness, he learned everything firsthand on how the industry needed to pivot when Covid ravaged the land. Duncan and host Michael Fancher dive deep into the massive pivots that gyms and personal trainers had to make, the current state of fitness in an "Instagram perfect" world, and the future of what is to come with the introduction of AI (Artificial Intelligence) into health and exercise/nutrition programming. Join us for this incredible conversation on the latest episode of The MindFit Method Podcast! For more information about Duncan Forbes, check out the links below! INSTAGRAM https://instagram.com/ufit_duncancforbes?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw== LIFETIME FITNESS PROFILE https://my.lifetime.life/bio/dynamic-personal-training/duncanf.html The MindFit Method #fitness #exercise #lifetimefitness #themindfitmethod #themindfitmethodpodcast #michaelfancher #artificialintelligence #mindset #goals #success #sunycortland #productivity #staydriven

In this episode of the National Crawford Roundtable podcast, the guys talk about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how to determine what is real vs. what is not real. They also discuss transgenderism in the military.

How I use AI (Artificial Intelligence) in my small business. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/563-how-i-use-ai/ AI is no longer optional – it's a game-changer for small business owners. In this episode, Henry Lopez shares how he uses AI tools like ChatGPT to increase productivity, streamline content creation, automate workflows, and improve client services. If you're still on the sidelines, this episode shares examples of how you can start using AI in your business today. In this episode of The How of Business podcast, Henry Lopez provides a behind-the-scenes look at how he's actively using AI tools and large language models to enhance productivity in his small business operations, podcast production, coaching sessions, and planning. Episode Breakdown: Podcast Content Workflow – Using ChatGPT for episode planning, summarizing, and LinkedIn post creation. Zoom AI Companion – Summarizing coaching sessions and highlighting action items. Rev.com AI Transcription – Turning audio into text for content reuse and SEO. Prompt Engineering – How better prompts get better ChatGPT results. Document Review – Using ChatGPT to interpret and summarize agreements. Business Planning – Creating business plans with ChatGPT acting as a thinking partner. Automation with Zapier – Connecting platforms like Patreon and Mailchimp. AI in Marketing Tools – Features in Mailchimp, Canva, and CRM platforms. Advice for Beginners – Start small and experiment with the tools you already use. Top 3 Takeaways: AI isn't just for big companies—small business owners can start using it today. ChatGPT and other tools save hours by providing content, summaries, and insights. Effective prompting is key to unlocking the true power of AI tools. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run, grow and exit your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com