Franklin Taggart's Blog

I've been revisiting Instagram and learning about TikTok in recent weeks. When I joined Instagram, it could only be accessed by phone, and I think I may have been using a flip phone. You took pictures of whatever you were doing, wrote a brief message, and posted. The people who followed you saw it. Simple. I've become a fast fan of TikTok, with the exception of the potential human rights and privacy violations, in large part because their algorithm is really paying attention to my viewing preferences and adding more of what I'm watching to my timeline. All the other channels? Not so much. It is probably because I've only been active on TikTok for a short time, but I don't have any idea how the other platforms choose what to show me. It has made me wonder how I decide what to share. There doesn't seem to be a way to predict what the algorithm or audience will favor, so I'm left to my most reliable guide - my hunch. I believe that our intuition is connected to

My promotions often read like puzzles when I was new to my business. I would make lists of things I did and then let the reader fill in the blanks. All to often, they didn't want to do that and they'd just move along to something else. I later learned that what I was doing was using a passive approach to my messages and offers. A passive approach features messages and offers that are incomplete or unstructured, and they depend on the reader to finish them and act on them. This isn't some kind of moral problem, but it probably isn't getting the kinds of results you want. My old way of trying to get bookings was to make a list of the kinds of places and events I'd played for and then present an offer to play for any events my audience might have coming up. This kind of messaging didn't work. When I started to tailor shows to the needs of each venue owner or booking rep, I started to get more gigs. One example was the show I put together that was Three Johns and a

Today I found myself at home alone for almost four hours, a rarity. I had been kind of excited about it because I've been working on a new song and I had several tasks to catch up on, but I ended up taking the time completely off. I read a Longmire book and played on the floor with our dog, allowing my mind some time without a specific focus or productive goal. I'd been feeling pretty stuck in the songwriting process, writing a lot of drafts but not reaching a level of satisfaction. And I had no motivation to catch up on the task list. The wonderful result of this downtime was that my imagination started coming back online on its own steam later in the day, and I had several ideas for the song and other projects I wrote down to come back to tomorrow. I've learned to recognize when I need downtime like this. It isn't frequent, but I see that I'm not getting the things done that I want, or the quality I desire isn't there. Those are the times when it's good to

You've met Jess Kotzer before in some of my other podcasts talking about automation, self-publishing, and collaboration. We recently had a fun conversation about our entrepreneurial experiences and we decided to push "Record". Topics? ** Following curiosity toward learning ** Navigating the sea of offers ** Reversing the production/consumption ratio ** The day jobs that support our entrepreneurial habits ** Being yourself and your brand ** Following intuition, caring, and curiosity as trusted guides Check out Jess' new website at https://jesskotzer.com and watch her recent YouTube shorts on Airtable automation here: https://www.youtube.com/user/youngyessington Find Franklin's blog at https://franklintaggart.com #entrepreneur #solopreneur #businessowner 

Our human imagination is the most powerful tool we have in life. My coaching work is centered on imagining new opportunities for ourselves. In detailed situations in which we connect with the people we want to associate with, we grow into new capabilities and expressions of ourselves, and we serve in more meaningful ways. It's not just a job we're looking for. I think it's important to think more creatively than just getting a job or finding work. I do know that's important, but I've seen these things taken care of beautifully when people allow themselves the chance to envision the kinds of circumstances they want to live in. As always, I welcome people to use the free Best Next Step coaching session as a good jumping-off point. It's easy to schedule at https://bit.ly/BestNextStepCall. Let's talk and see what you can begin to imagine for yourself. #imagination #vision #opportunity 

I learned how to play the guitar from two books. When I finally took lessons, I learned that I had not learned how to play correctly, and my teacher had to help me unlearn some bad habits. As a guitar teacher, students would bring copies of guitar music they'd found online, and most of the time, the music was wrong. I would have to take the music they'd found, listen to the recording, and make corrections for them so they wouldn't be forming bad habits. People who heard them play couldn't discern when a song was incorrect. They thought it sounded a lot like the original. But as a teacher, I couldn't let them learn the incorrect way to play. I have a coaching client who came to me with a pretty jaded view of coaches after spending $12000 for a program with a well-known coach and ended up being worse off than when she'd started. Even expensive coaching programs can get it wrong; there was no way she could have known this before she invested. The best we can do is

For me, the easy part is creating. If I can get into a groove and stay with the commitment to finish, I can get projects done. The hard part about making a living comes after I'm done creating. The hard part is promoting and selling. Just like so many people I talk to, I have an inner voice that likes to tell me what other people are tired of hearing, and at the top of the list is anything I'm getting ready to promote. This insecurity is the most common obstacle between people and the success they've dreamed of. It's built into a lot of people, especially and including me. Yet another psychological protection that ends up keeping me less than satisfied with the life I'm making. I've worked on this much of my adult life and I've never found a way for those inner voices and impulses to go away. I've only found ways to do the things I need to do in spite of them. If you hear me promoting something I'm offering, I can assure you that behind the sound of