Franklin Taggart's Blog

When I was working on the Elevator Pitches That Don't Suck course, one of the lessons was about the things we give away to promote our business - the freebies! I did a lot of looking to find some of the coolest freebie ideas and made a presentation for Fort Collins Comic Con vendors about making freebies people won't throw away. That turned into another mini-course in my school - Fridgeworthy Freebies. The things I noticed about the freebies that had the most value in the eyes of the receivers were that they met a relevant need, they were easy to understand, they were easy to access, and they were intended to be used repeatedly. Listen to the podcast for more about what I learned, and if you're interested in having your own freebie strategy and help to create it, take the course: https://bit.ly/FridgeworthyFreebies #creativity #promotion #freebies 

In the Clients Everywhere! Workshop today we talked about barriers that we unconsciously put between ourselves and people who could become customers. For me, the two that are most familiar are timidity and self-consciousness. Timidity is something I've defaulted to for as long as I remember. I usually wait for others to speak before I feel comfortable saying anything and often if they don't start the conversation, there won't be a conversation. When I started to intentionally initiate conversations a lot of things changed for the better. Being invited to talk to someone often has a meaning attached to me that they accept me and I belong - two human needs that have been central to my MO. What I found in starting to initiate conversations was that I no longer felt the need for acceptance and belonging as acutely as I had before. Acceptance and belonging can be had by initiating conversations. Strange, but true. The second barrier - self-consciousness - showed up as me being i

Learning is central to living. We are learning the whole time we're here. The bulk of learning is practicing. I have a number of clients and friends who are starting things for the first time and they're frustrated that they weren't born doing these things perfectly. I've been there, too. Every time I've learned something new. In this Coffee Break, I share some insights I've learned about the art of practicing that I hope will help you get where you want to go sooner and without as many mistakes. It all starts by taking and mastering smaller steps before you take big leaps. It's also about learning how to recover and move forward when you make mistakes. And finally, it's an encouragement to realize that we will never reach the final level of mastery. There's always more to learn and explore. #creativity #mastery #practice  

I have an artist friend who had a realization in one of my workshops that many people she had known for years had no idea she was an artist. For reasons unknown, she never revealed her creative work to people, even those in some of her closest circles. And her chief concern about being an artist was that people weren't buying her art. People won't buy what they don't know about. Another friend has been working with a lot of anxiety and persistence on clarifying the niche for his business and in doing so, his business has come to a standstill. He's so concerned about getting his niche right that he's become isolated and is not reaching anyone. I'm not here to diss ideal client avatar niching exercises. They can be truly helpful, but I am concerned if your stuckness on the exercise is keeping you from meeting people and having conversations that could lead to business opportunities. I'll be offering a new version of an old workshop on Monday afternoon called C

▼Watch and Listen Below!▼ Early in her mortgage business career, a co-worker suggested that Roberta Ravella was well suited for sales. Over the next twenty years, Roberta discovered ways of marketing and selling that were aligned with her own personality, skills, and values instead of the traditional methods that were being taught. In 2019, Roberta stepped into the role of coach and trainer, showing realtors how to discover their own distinct ways of marketing and selling that leverage their strengths and honor their values. For many, this offers a welcome alternative to techniques like cold calling and buying leads. She is also a co-host of the podcast, Grown Women Growing Wealth, interviewing compelling and knowledgeable guests who show women ways to become financially aware and independent. Learn more about the podcast here: https://www.grownwomengrowingwealth.com/ Roberta will be offering a referral generation workshop on July 14th to help realtors build their referral networks thr

Willpower has always been an interesting phenomenon for me. Mainly because mine seems low. Most of the time. Some close to me know I can be very stubborn but when it comes to setting goals that motivate me and that have any real drive attached to them, I don't have much. While I can't say that willpower is something I have a lot of, I do have a deep appreciation for my will, and I see it as a different thing from willpower. My true will is a self-care feature of this being I inhabit. Willpower to me is most often a requirement to override my true will. The will I'm talking about serves as a monitor and manager of energy. It stays aware of the level of energy in my reservoir and it then directs the flow of that energy where I need it to go. It's a remarkable feature of being human. I have more to say about it in the Coffee Break. Thanks for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, would you? Thanks! #will #energymanagement #creativity  

Hi All! For the Coffee Break today, I'm featuring this live stream I did with my friend, Jess Kotzer from SelfPubHub . We had a fun chat about some creative possibilities for authors in podcasting. You should be following her channel! https://www.youtube.com/user/youngyessington I'll be back with another Coffee Break tomorrow. See you then! Jess writes: We've only just begun to learn how podcasting can be used to build and nurture communities. We need to think beyond our traditional purposes of just selling books and products to see new and creative ways we can create experiences that are memorable and valuable, and that still make the sales.  My friend and now go-to marketing advisor Franklin Taggart is the coach people turn to when they're ready for big creative ideas in their careers, business, and marketing. Tune in, if only to hear his sultry voice. To schedule a free microphone placement Zoom call, please visit https://bit.ly/MicrophonePlacement . #podcasting #aut

Good morning on July 5th, where the neighborhood fireworks ended around midnight and the birds started chirping a little before 4 AM and the dog started sighing in my ear and the neighbors started lighting fireworks at 8 AM and I can hear my wife on her phone call from the other room. Such is life. Today I have to cultivate my own solitude and find some inner quiet in spite of my surroundings. In this Coffee Break, I have a few of my go-to ideas in store for you. Being hyper-tuned to other people's voices and noises can be my biggest distraction. I don't know why that is but I've had that sensitivity my whole life. It's almost like vigilance when other people are nearby to make sure they are taken care of. It makes it hard to get my own work done. Listen to learn more... #solitude #introvert #creativity  

Today I'm thinking about all the personal Independence Days I can celebrate - the days when I declared my freedom and autonomy and vowed to call my own shots. The day I left my last full-time job and a few part-time jobs, too. The day a relationship ended and I was given a sense of relief and freedom that had been missing for a while. The day I finally stopped grieving the loss of a person or relationship that I thought I couldn't live without and started out on my own again. Those of us in self-employed, artistic, entrepreneurial paths tend to be people who don't easily fit into traditional employment structures. We need the challenge, the stimulation, and the autonomy that comes only from this declaration of personal independence. Listen to the Coffee Break for a little more of my own story of freedom and learning how to make it work for me. When you're ready for this same kind of personal declaration, let's have a chat. Find me at the contact form below. #selfemp

Continuing the theme from yesterday about hearing different things from different teachers, this morning I was struck by the number of people I know who actually followed their young dreams through to actualize them. It isn't a large number. Most of the people I know, like me, have figured out ways to bloom where they've been planted, learning as they go. You'll hear so many things you should do to follow other people's recipes for success, but ultimately, every decision for your path rests on your shoulders, even the decision to go along with anyone else's plan. Most of us have not ended up where we expected, so there will naturally be a learning curve. Teachers, mentors, and coaches can be extremely helpful, but we need to be aware that their prescriptions may not be suited to our circumstances. That doesn't mean they are wrong, it means that they weren't working with the necessary information to be accurate. Making our own way can be messy. As we figure t

The family road trip to Boulder today with our son at the wheel became fodder for tonight's Coffee Break.  It's interesting to me how many times I've fallen for the fallacy that there is only one right way to do things. Seems this is a common one for other people in my circles, too. I noticed today that there were two teachers in the car and growing frustration on the part of the driver at having to listen to either or both of us. I realized then that I was seeing a truth that applies in so many areas of my life. In my career, business path, and life in general, I've had a lot of voices of experience to listen to. I'm sure we all have. But ultimately the decisions we make don't belong to the teachers, they are ours alone. Watching Bodhi navigate new roads with these disparate voices of experience talking into both ears was a stark lesson. He made the decisions he thought best, no matter what the voices of authority said. I think there's a lesson there for al

Here's July 1st and it's time to look back on the year so far and see what's been happening. Reporting on the video-a-day commitment, the production/consumption ratio, the lessons learned so far, and the things I've done to stay sane. Also included is the encouragement to do the best you can with what you've got for even a few minutes every day. Build a body of work that will make a positive difference during and after your lifetime. I know there's a lot happening, but we don't just have to lie down and take it. We can continue to show up, commit to making things better through making better things, and staying moored to each other through whatever waves the ocean of life throws our way. Much love and many thanks for watching, listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing! Until tomorrow... #franklinanalytics #2022sofar #progress 

I signed up to pitch at One-Million Cups in Fort Collins this morning. I decided to share my pitch with you here on the Coffee Break. 1MC is one of my favorite networking organizations. If you have one where you are you should check it out. If you can't find one, see if you can jump into one of the Zoom meetings that are still happening. My pitch is all about creating a leave-behind that people will value, keep, and use. Some of this will be familiar to some of you, but it's a new spin for me. Stay tuned for a longer presentation that expands the ideas here. And if you want to schedule an IdeaBurst Session, go to https://bit.ly/IdeaBurst #creativity #marketing #businesscards

Interact Quiz Maker is one of my favorite creative marketing and sales tools. There are so many possible ways for quizzes to be used to do research, create engagement, and lead customers further along their journey with your business.  Most people try to start with a personality style quiz, which I find harder, but it may be more interesting for people to take. Interact has amazing templates to work with that will help you along the way, and there is a spectacular community called the Interact Quiz Collective where I've found exceptional help. Interact also has online chat help, office hours, online courses, and special workshops to make sure you don't have any problem learning how to use the great software. I'd like to invite you to try Interact today. It's one of the few products I use that I'm willing to be an affiliate for. It is that good! Please use this link to check it out: https://interact.grsm.io/jboh69i54xwj I wanted to show a simple knowledge-based quiz

I haven't always been good at asking for help, and it's still often the last resort because I like the feeling that goes with figuring things out for myself.  That all started to change back when I was going through the illness that sidelined my music career and opened my eyes to possibilities I otherwise wouldn't consider. Asking for help became more of a necessity during those years than a perceived luxury. You may have heard an adage in self-help and entrepreneurial circles that you are only as good as the five people you spend the most time with. I'm lucky that I live with two exceptional people and an extraordinarily talented dog, but just as lucky to have met a whole bunch of people in the past few years who are playing a higher-level game than I ever imagined I would play. What I've noticed is that the help I receive from these people gets the job done more effectively and quickly than the help I've received from peers in previous incarnations of my caree

  Working on course videos for my wife this weekend was a great reminder of what a star I'm sharing life with. She's an exceptional teacher and deserves a much wider path of influence, even though she's already created a very positive name for herself. Visit https://simplybeingwell.com and see what I'm saying. I've also been working on a Quiz Quick Start mini-course to highlight Interact Quiz Maker software. I became a big fan of quizzes a couple of years ago and I've written a few for clients. Finally getting around to making some of my own. I was asking some people in the Interact Quiz Collective for some feedback and was marveling at the intelligence in that virtual space. And every one of them is finding a way to share what they know in creative and innovative ways. There's never been a better time for sharing knowledge of every kind. The sizes and shapes of all the potential packages are already mind-blowing, but we're still finding new ways to sha

A lost afternoon at a trout pond with a five-year-old is the inspiration for today's Coffee Break. If we're making money by selling anything, one of the questions we have to ask is whether there is a demand for it. I work with some artists who don't believe there is a demand for things like art, but I challenge them to find a building in the world that doesn't have some kind of creative something somewhere. That said, if what we offer isn't selling, we need to look at a couple of options. Are we fishing in the right pond? Have the fish already been fed? Do we just need to come back tomorrow? Is there anything you can do to stimulate the appetite? The conditions have to be right for the sale to go through. If the horse is full, the carrot won't work. Enough metaphors for now. Go make something and then sell it. #creativebusiness #selling #marketing 

Several recent conversations about concerns over inflation and the economy are the inspiration for today's Coffee Break. As purse strings tighten, and people start to curb their spending, what can small businesses, freelancers, and artists do to weather the changes? An interesting observation from past recessions suggests that people who cater to higher-income earners tend to not be as negatively affected by downward economic trends as those who serve middle and low-income consumers. Luxury buyers' lifestyles won't see much of a change. Those whose buying power is affected negatively and those whose jobs may be compromised will be a different story. If you depend on high volume sales of low to mid-priced goods and services, you may want to adopt a different strategy as the economy adjusts itself.  And if you've been exclusively selling higher-priced goods and services, adding options in the middle price ranges may also be of benefit.  In the past couple of recessions, I

▼ Watch and Listen Below! ▼ Finding a way to leave a situation that is unbearable can be terrifying. When Jesse Panama found himself in the middle of a job he dreaded and with no known prospects, he yearned for a blueprint that would help him find the life he wanted. That was the beginning of a search that has paid off in extraordinary ways. Jesse found his way into the world of digital marketing largely by accident.  In 1998 when he was starting his transition to entrepreneurial freedom, there were abundant opportunities but no guidance. Jesse took a class on entrepreneurship and worked his way from there into a lifestyle that has taken him to six continents and success that continues to expand and grow. In this interview with Your Own Best Company host, Franklin Taggart, Jesse talks about his discovery of the Japanese principle of Ikigai, how he helps people leverage their greatest strengths and passions, and finding viable markets where those traits can flourish. He is the author of

  I attend networking meetings every week and I'm amazed to see the change that takes place in people from when you're just having a normal conversation with them and the point where they are asked to introduce themselves to the group. I almost have to do a double-take because the charming person I was just talking with has turned into a robot who is rushing through a canned, formulaic phrase that ends up not giving anyone a reason to talk to them after the intros are done. I've had my share of elevator faux pas', too, mostly because I never realized just how important they were in the process of creating memories and delivering value. A few years ago, I attended a workshop at the SBDC where we were given an elevator pitch exercise that had a formula that I had to question. It was the most uninteresting way to present yourself that I had ever seen. About a month later I was putting together a workshop on marketing messages for the same SBDC and I created a short exercis

We've been having a lot of conversations in our house about how devices like smartphones and computers promise connection, but actually deliver isolation. Isn't that the case with anything we can become addicted to?  And then there are times when we place devices between ourselves and others in what seems to be a positive light, like as a way to take notes or to feel more engaged in a conversation, not realizing that all of our attention is on the screen in front of us instead of the person. No real connection is made and the good things we need to find in our relationships elude us. I get that for some of us, being fully present with another person doesn't feel completely safe. We do feel a need to set a boundary. In this Coffee Break, I ask us all (including myself) to consider that one of the contributing factors to our loneliness and isolation is that the boundaries never come down. I'd also like to propose that we start asking each other for device-free time. Close