Franklin Taggart's Blog

After last night's questions about the future of creative work, I rebound with the same idea I always come back to - the activities of business fall into three necessary categories that have to be repeatable and able to be systematized. Make it, show it, sell it is the business plan. Each one of those areas is affected by changes in technology and market trends. This Coffee Break brings it all back home to make, show, sell. #marketingcreativework #businessforcreatives #peoplestillbuyart

In 1989 I worked for a sheet music distributor. I remember being very excited at the time as new equipment was being introduced that would allow us to have our customers call a toll-free number and listen to 15-second samples of new music we were offering and then select a digit at the end of the call where I or one of my sales comrades would take their order. Up until then, we had been making cassette tapes and sending them by mail with one free sample of every new piece of music, then following up with sales calls. The new system was making all of that easier and would easily pay for itself after just a few months of use. The price tag? $25,000. Only a few years later, that system would be made obsolete by new modems that allowed computers to connect with each other through the World Wide Web and the whole process could be automated, including the order taking. The sales force that was once required was no longer necessary. Two customer service reps divided the country between them a

  Sending love and admiration to Betsy Taggart and Monica Corrado this Mother's Day, and remembering Monica's mom, Marilyn. I'm surrounded by courageous role models who were determined to find their own path and be true to themselves. They've been through extreme difficulties and have become positive movers and shakers in their communities. #gratefulformom #gratefulformysweetie #honoringthosewhonurture

  Self-sabotage comes in a variety of packages. We creative people can find ten thousand ways to avoid letting people know what we've made. Why? In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart delves into his own mystery around this question.  The intent and the inspiration came from a pure place. They weren't self-serving or vain in nature. They were made to enhance the lives of others. Why does this feel so risky? Ego is a slippery critter for something that is no more than a construct of the mind. Finding ways to release our resistance seems to be the step after we finish something we've invested with heart and soul. I've been going through it, too. And so have several other coaches, consultants, and helping professionals I know. The courage isn't in the creating, it's in the revealing. That's when we feel most vulnerable. But what is really at stake? #egotrips #innerchildactingup #helloresistance

▼ Watch and Listen Below!! ▼ Most photography studios use traditional marketing methods to book one session at a time. Their communication channels are crowded with competition, and they often have to resort to deep discounting to land new clients. Pro Pet Photog's Monique Renee Eckes took a class that challenged that way of thinking and doing business. In that class, she was inspired to publish a locally-focused book about places people take their dogs in Northern Colorado, and NoCo for Doggos was born. In this episode, Monique shares the story of how this idea developed and how it led to filling 34 photo sessions in just a few days. When she needed to promote her professional videography services to busy veterinary offices, she wondered how she would find and get in front of the people who were making decisions about marketing those services. They were difficult to find online, so channels like YouTube and even LinkedIn didn't prove to be effective. So Monique had a simple id

Attending a high school jazz band concert tonight with my son brought back memories of mentors who have been brought into my life at those times when I didn't know who I was or what I could contribute. They had a vision of me that I couldn't see for myself, and they held it for me until I could take it all on myself. I can't imagine what my life would be like now if I hadn't met each of them at the exact times that I did. My hope is to be that for others now. I'm amazed to find that even at this age, I'm still discovering new mentors for myself. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Thanks to my gap fillers. Gratitude doesn't seem to be enough. #mentorship #identitycrisis #weareeachothersangels

May 4th, 2022 - Star Wars Day.  I missed the theatrical run and didn't see any of the Star Wars movies until Return of the Jedi, but I've been a fan of the Alliance ever since. Darth Vader genuinely scared me and I was driven mad when he revealed his relationship to Luke and Leia. In a testimonial a few years ago, a client of mine said this, "Franklin is like Yoda, only taller and less green." High compliment! So much so that it was the tagline on my business card for a few years. I believe humans have extraordinary capabilities wrapped up in things we take for granted and both use and misuse every day. In this Coffee Break I talk about these ordinary extraordinary powers and ask us all to start using them with more resolve and intent.  I'm excited to see where you all take this one. #starwars #yoda #maythefourth

I've been online since 1995. I've seen all kinds of platforms come and go, from Usenet groups to AOL and Yahoo groups, to MySpace, to every iteration of Facebook and Twitter. I'm late to the Instagram and Pinterest game, and I was possessed by the recent success my friend Meridith Grundei has had on TikTok to just take a look. Social media platforms haven't been easy places to build and maintain good quality relationships for the most part. They change too frequently and they seem to benefit by staying more than moderately chaotic. I participate in a few groups where great conversations happen, but other than those, I'd rather spend time elsewhere. I think we need to build our communities so that they're social media proof. I'm not convinced that email is the answer but in the midst of all the commotion, there are pockets of great communities that would be good no matter where they showed up. The Interact Community is the one I mentioned in the Coffee Break.

Friends don't let friends write weak elevator pitches. No matter how good they are, they can always be better.  In this Coffee Break, Franklin has some hints that will help your introductions have a more memorable and valuable impact and lead to a natural next step in your relationships with potential clients and customers. Not included in the video - don't use the word "help." There are ten thousand better and stronger and more sensory words to use than that. Try teach, lead, guide, instruct, coach, prod, poke, lasso... anything besides help. If you want to schedule an IdeaBurst session, get in touch through the contact page. This session is for creating a targeted message for a specific situation you have coming up, like a new networking group, a sales pitch, or any other setting where you need to leave a positive lasting impression. Talk soon... #elevatorpitch #ditchthepitch #getintheirheads

  When I inquire more deeply into the question of what I need, I find that the list of things I truly need is relatively small. The list of things I've convinced myself I need is longer than my life will allow. And there are things I say I need, but they're just means of getting something I really need. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs identified a few layers of gradually more sophisticated needs, but beyond the bottom layer of core physical survival, I wonder if each successive layer might not actually be necessary. Advertisers and marketers constantly play these survival needs, convincing us that our face cream is the difference between being accepted or shunned by our social group. If we look more deeply at our social needs, it may be that what we believe we need is more of a player than what we actually need. See what happens when I make my video early on a Sunday before making my coffee... I'd like to help you start, finish, and launch the creative passion project you&#

Do you have enough time to work on your dream creative project? What other commitments, responsibilities, and distractions keep you from getting started and finished?  For many of us, the frustration of working on our projects only sporadically keeps us from seeing them through. I've experienced that on many of my projects.  My first and only CD took over two years to finish, from when the first song was written until the release concert. During that time, I moved three times and changed jobs twice, and a week before the release concert, 9/11 happened. How any of our projects ever get finished is miraculous, especially with the busyness of life.  My clients manage full-time jobs, parenting, mental health challenges, personal tragedies, and more. Finding time to create is not at the top of the list for many of them, but they are getting it done. People hire me to help them start, finish, and launch their creative passion projects. Together, we've created and launched blogs, podc

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼   Personal development insights from season 1 guests of Your Own Best Company - a podcast for people who love to work alone. Eli Hans https://outoftheblueshow.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/i-tM_AMKqMs Yifat Cohen https://yifatcohen.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/lVPPbP5neUY Regan Espinosa https://thevisitbox.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/w169MuW_b7A Larry Kaul https://revenueclimber.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/GivtiK9il_M Karen Diffey https://ksdcoach.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/w-Ytd3O7aWI Joanie Connell, PhD https://flexibleworksolutions.com Full episode 1: https://youtu.be/SwtPHHp60iE Full episode 2: https://youtu.be/fcsMMxcNCRM Joseph Bennett https://artbybennett.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/jBP8PK8o6ZU Heather Chavin https://gogodone.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/ElcRR5Yhfy8 Alan Heymann https://peacefuldirection.com Full episode: https://youtu.be/roAUEMQZZe0 LeAndra Foster https://linktr.ee/elanlyfe Full episode

On days like today, when I've worked for hours and only have three small tasks finished from a much longer list, it's easy to feel like I'm not doing enough. Time for a different list. I made another list of all the things I've done and helped others do in 2022, and I was amazed to see that this year has been one of my most productive and prolific. I've stuck with my original commitments, and I'm seeing a lot of progress since vowing to consume less and produce more. And my clients are rockin' in all the best ways. New programs being launched, new websites being built, new marketing strategies being created, new blogs and podcasts being started, dreams old and new being taken seriously. I am delighted to see these things on one page. Would you be pleased or disappointed if you were to make the same kind of list? Are there gaps in what you've hoped to do and what you've actually done? I love the groups I'm a part of who help me stay accountable to

Lots of friends publicly announced on Facebook today that they've deleted their Twitter accounts in response to the news that Elon Musk has raised the money to buy it. I seriously doubt that any of them have tweeted anything since 2009, but those accounts will surely be missed. I'd like to see what he does with it before I make a decision one way or another. I was more active on Twitter in my early days there, but have let it sit for the past several years, much as I have most social media. I don't like the way it makes me feel so I'm not interested in giving any more time to it than necessary. So I'm going to wait to ruin Elon's day until he gives me a good reason. I do think it's funny that these folks are making their bold announcements on Facebook. I'm willing to wait because the guy has been known to have some brilliant ideas. PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX - are the most well-known among many. He could really have an idea for something that will be wort

  Listening to my son practicing drums. He started only a couple of months ago, and he's finding a knack for it quickly. It's also the first instrument he's played that he hasn't lost interest in after only a few lessons. I'm enjoying watching this happen. Creative activities teach us more about ourselves, life, and the world we inhabit as much or more than any other pursuit. In the video, I compare creativity to sacraments, outward and visible manifestations of inward, invisible graces. For many of us, our creative time does carry a sense of sacredness that other times don't. While I wish every human would find this side of themselves, I know many don't, and I'm curious why this is. Is it a personality trait, a learned preference, a socialized lesson, a sad result of childhood ridicule and comparison? What keeps people from seeking and finding their own expressions? Finding mine when I did saved my life, and it's given me a center to return to every

I've spent probably $100,000 on creative tools in my lifetime, and that's a conservative estimate. My output should be so much more based on the embarrassment of technical riches I possess. But Shiny Object Syndrome isn't the real problem here. That's a made-up name and another side of perfectionism that creative people deal with constantly. But I refuse to make it a pathology, it's just a feature of the process. We all have psychological protective behavior patterns. That's a part of being human. For some people, it shows up as high achievement; for others, it appears as ambivalence in our commitments, and for others, it's a compulsion to never move out of our safe zones. Impostor Complex is a similar condition. It's a way of protecting ourselves from exposure, embarrassment, and failure. And it's a part of almost every creative person's life that I've come across, including my own. Creative people learn to work in spite of these protective

A friend who is raising funds to produce a new album was accused by an acquaintance of begging for money. That didn't sit well. In this Coffee Break, I have some history to share, and I reveal what it's been like to watch my chosen profession and industry be disrupted and devalued to the point where I wonder if there will be any creative industry that will survive the digital age.  Those who think creative people should work for free will have a reckoning ahead. There will come a time when all that is available to them is the growing sea of mediocrity because those who would choose a creative profession have had to bypass that option for career paths that actually sustain them. If your life is being touched by a creative person's work, pay them. It's that simple. #paycreatives #crowdfunding #exposurekills

If you're questioning your path because you're feeling insecure or unstable, I'd like you to stop fighting the feelings and just let them be. They don't mean anything. You don't need to second-guess yourself. Feeling uncertain, insecure, worried, anxious, and other future-focused emotions is normal for people who are taking risks. And you are taking a risk here. Life itself is risky.  If you're anything like me, the emotional arrival is predictable - so much so that I call it the monthly visitor. I can predict when I will be feeling this way and could put it on my calendar. My main encouragement is to not be distracted by it. Your work is a source of stability and grounding, so that's where you need to focus. As you do, the emotions work themselves out, and if they don't, there's always a coach or a therapist you can call. Do the work. #insecurity #wrongpath #secondguessing

▼▼▼ Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ Some of the best creativity-themed moments from season one of Your Own Best Company with Franklin Taggart. Cheryl Benedict https://thewisdomoftransition.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/7typuPJFogI Jillian Lee Antinora https://jillianleeantinoramusic.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/k7o7-xLvfU4 Cynthia Trevino https://shemarketsmentor.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/g3Yg2JcKh9M Breanna Gunn https://breannagunn.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/1piz0i-zHHE Johanna Walker https://johannawalker.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/DUEOoIH8tLg Diana Needham https://businessbookpartners.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/Tn-e1vOZYkQ Sheryl Plouffe https://sherylplouffe.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/EL0GdX9OCRA Cindy Skalicky https://onpoint-communications.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/KANyMLgZt7U Meridith Grundei https://grundeicoaching.com Full Episode: https://youtu.be/o1rfkZhYRIA Dre Beltrami https://thesolopreneursociety.com Full Episode: h

A lot of people are investing in new microphones as videos and podcasts become more popular. Many of these people are excited to open the box and plug in the USB, but the microphone's performance is less than stellar when they do.  Like the emperor with the new clothes, everyone tells them it sounds great, but tin cans with a string would sound better than the laptop mic they've been using. When they hear the recordings of their online conversations, they realize their new mic isn't quite as stellar as they'd hoped. Most of the time, the mic isn't the problem. It's just being misused. High-quality microphones are very sensitive, and they are designed to be used with some pretty strict parameters. They have a sweet spot, and if you miss it, they suck. If you've gotten a new microphone lately and want to make sure it's set up for optimal sound quality, take a few minutes and schedule a free microphone placement session with me. We'll get on Zoom with o

The Coffee Breaks are adding up! Today is number 100. Still holding true to my goal of posting a new video every day. I'm a huge fan of Interact quizzes as leading-edge marketing tools, and the people who work there are gems. Go try Interact now and see why I've decided to be one of their affiliates: https://interact.grsm.io/jboh69i54xwj   One of their recently added quiz templates asks, "What Does Your Coffee Say About You?"  I still don't know for sure what my coffee's opinion of me is and why it matters, but we all have preferences that drive our decisions. I like my Thai food spicy, whole my other family members like it mild. I love some music, while I'm meh about other music.  A big part of understanding other people is observing their preferences. And it's also important to honor your own. Listen to this 100th Virtual Coffee Break episode to hear more and thanks always for spending your time and attention with me. #100episodes #podcast #letshavec