David Siteman Garland – Photo by Attilio D’Agostino

Last week, I had the great pleasure of chatting with David Siteman Garland, founder of the hugely successful The Rise to the Top programs and training for mediapreneurs. We explored what mediapreneurs need to understand and do to succeed fabulously in their work and make great money doing it.

If you don’t know David already, he’s a terrifically open, straight-shooting and funny personality dedicated to helping mediapreneurs make it happen in a big way. To David, “mediapreneurs” are personal brands, coaches, speakers, experts, internet/information marketers, and authors who want to grow their business and “dominate” online. Mediapreneurs have an online platform such as a web show, podcast, blog, video blog, and they leverage it to help people and to make money.

I first saw David’s show when he was interviewing Lewis Howes about Lewis’s new Facebook marketing program FBInfluence. I was struck by (and very much appreciated) the honesty and openness that both David and Lewis revealed when talking about what works – and what doesn’t – in launching online programs. Personally, I’ve been incredibly turned off these days by the “get rich quick” and “everyone can do this” nonsense that so many online marketers promise, when all of us who are working with online information know that “quick” and “easy” are not words to describe the success arch of a mediapreneur. It’s not a wild and crazy race to success, but an endurance run, demanding time, energy, commitment, engagement, passion, integrity, and the offering of compelling, vetted information and messages that truly help people and make a difference.

That said, David has found through his hundreds of interviews with successful mediapreneurs and in his own work building his successful brand that there are 6 core strategies that create the most financial (and emotional) reward and success for mediapreneurs.

David’s 6 strategies for highly successful mediapreneurship are:

1.    Build relationships with everyone in your space

David explains that there are specific challenges inherent with a mediapreneur business. Many people think that “online” means they can hide behind their computer and never talk to anyone. But it doesn’t work that way. David encourages us to “get off our butts” and get going, connecting, sharing, networking and appearing at key events, and building relationships with everyone you can in your space. Get out there talking to people, and interacting with those who care about what you’re offering, and other great folks who are serving the same audience. Engage in social media too with the key influencers and product creators, entrepreneurs, and authors who are making a difference.

Another powerful way to build relationships is to conduct and deliver content-rich interviews with the folks you admire in your space. What’s fabulous about interviews is that you’re not asking your interviewees to help you promote something – you’re giving, not taking. David shares, “It’s as if you’re having a party in honor of this individual who inspires you.” You’re learning all along the way too, which serves your own growth as well as that of your community who looks to you for guidance and support.

If your goal is to build a successful mediapreneurship and you don’t want to be social and build relationships, then this most likely is not the right direction for you.

2. Interact your butt off

As you begin to become more and more popular, you’ll attract hundreds of folks checking out your content. You’ll receive comments on your site, tweets asking questions, people hoping to connect via social media and accessing your site’s contact form, and so on. Different groups with varying needs will want access to you. Lots of “experts” will advise you, “Be careful – you don’t want to be accessible.” But to David, that’s malarkey. You absolutely want to be in there responding and interacting personally as much as you can. Certainly, over time, you’ll have scalability issues and you’ll need someone to help you answer emails and queries.

But David believes in the power of personal response and engagement, and responds to as many comments and questions as he can. He shared a cautionary tale of an individual with a great brand he recently experienced who launched a high-quality web show, but the hostess simply never interacted with fans, ever. Unfortunately, the show just withered on the vine.  You can’t build success this way. When people reach out to share that they loved your show or with a question, you can’t be invisible. They’ll think, “Who needs this?” and they’d be right. You need to demonstrate to your fans that they’ve been heard and appreciated.

3. Host kick-butt webinars

Webinars are a powerful tool to build a mediapreneur’s platform successfully. They do two things very well.  First, a webinar is an event with a “buzz” – it’s an exciting, live experience, and folks are encouraged to show up and give their contact info to register, so it’s a terrific list and relationship builder with your target audience.

Secondly, webinars are fabulous for selling products and information that continue the learning for your community. David follows the “90/10” rule – he offers pure, unfiltered educational content for 90% of the webinar, followed by 10% of time dedicated to pitching a follow-up program that presents deeper coverage or a different angle that’s important. David doesn’t hold anything back in the webinar; he teaches what needs to be understood about a specific topic. But the follow-up product takes it to the next level or digs deeper. The 10% part that is the pitch is not a “pushy push” – it’s an authentic, legitimate communication of a follow-up product that will serve the audience well.

4.  Attend to your website and your branding because looks matter

David shares that no matter how people hear of you, they’ll go to your site to check you out. If it looks terrible, you’ll have a problem. People mistakenly think that “The content will speak for itself” but unfortunately, that’s not true – looks do matter. Content is critical but design is 50% of your message and of the equation. You are the star of your brand, and how your site looks, including your optins, your downloadable content, your graphics and photos, etc. – are essential in reflecting who you are and what you have to offer. Spend the time and money necessary for a great web design — this is your home base on the internet and design is not one place to skimp. Hire a designer who really “gets” you and captures your personality and essence to a tee. For David, his design reflects his personality – offering a fun, casual, “edutainment” vibe. The key lesson is this – the worst vibe is no vibe at all.

5. Keep a focus on email (yes, over social media!)

No one would argue that a key part of your success as mediapreneur is having subscribers, fans and an audience. Years ago, David made the mistake of considering everyone – no matter where they came from – a “subscriber.” He’d encourage people to follow him on Twitter and Facebook, until his friend, online marketing expert Derek Halpern of SocialTriggers.com – said “You idiot! You’re doing it all wrong!” Derek asked David, “When you sold your last product, what generated the most income and the strongest relationships?” The answer was email.

Email forges a more personal and intimate relationship. In what turned out to be a one-year experiment, David removed all the social media icons from his site and focused on obtaining email optins. In doing so, his email signups went through the roof. He’s been able to build great relationships with people via email, and is able to sell them more quality programs and products. Revenue went way up, but ironically, so did his social media following.

6. Create an awesome, flagship online course

Finally, David is most excited about this strategy, because he’s neck deep in the process of creating online courses and helping others to do it. David feels that producing compelling and informative courses is the strongest way to monetize your content.

As mediapreneurs, we hear thousands of messages about the different recommended models through which to generate revenue – membership sites, coaching, courses — and let’s face it: they all work. The ones you choose depend on what you personally like and where you want to put the effort.

Last year, David decided he wanted to teach his community how to deliver interview shows successfully, and he grappled with the best format for the content.  Several of his friends said “Do it as a course!” David agreed, and then sought to learn everything he could about the topic – conducted scores of interviews, read hundreds of articles and books, discovered what he liked and what he didn’t in terms of guidance from others. In doing so, he realized that the mixed advice out there creates a great deal of confusion and overwhelm for the beginning course developer. He simplified the process and presented it in his Create Awesome Interviews course, which generated over six figures from a very small but committed subscriber list.

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Listening to David’s shows, it’s clear that he’s found his authentic voice and his true sweet spot, a process that took him five years and a great deal of energy, commitment and passion, and is still evolving. To me, the best message he shares is that to be a successful mediapreneur you must have important messages that are of use to your targeted fan base, along with an email list that reflects your loyal, interested community, and a powerful way to involve and engage your fans in a mutually-beneficial relationship over time.

In the end, no fans + no content + no relationship = no mediapreneurship.

Which of these strategies resonates most with you right now as a new mediapreneur on your way to the top?

For more information on David’s programs that support mediapreneurship success, check out  www.therisetothetop.com and www.createawesomeinterviews.com.

(To learn more about Kathy’s career and leadership coaching and training programs for women, visit www.elliacommunications.com.)

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

Tara Sophia Mohr – Photo by Margot Duane

Before I got “hip to my trip” and realized that I can be a bit too insular and self-focused in my work, I used to think I had it all figured out. I’d been through so much pain and upset in my 18-year corporate life, that when I reinvented myself successfully and came out on the other side more whole and happy again – I thought I had all the answers. That was until I became a therapist and a coach, and began the process of writing my book Breakdown Breakthrough. As I embarked on the book, I sought the advice by a terrific editor, Janet Goldstein, who suggested that I needed to research, research, research before writing it.  When Janet shared that critique with me back in 2006 at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City, I thought to myself, “Research? Why do I need to talk to other women – I’ve experienced it all!”

But a voice inside told me I should take Janet’s advice anyway, and I embarked on interviewing one hundred midlife professional women around the country about their serious professional challenges and how they overcame them, and as I did, my socks were truly knocked off. From that time in my life to this, I’ve found that it is in reaching out to others and truly opening my heart and my ears to their experiences, insights and wisdom that allows life’s most important lessons to flow with greater abundance and impact.

Towards that end, I’ve recently been admiring the work of other coaches who support people in playing bigger – who help people step far out of their comfort zone and stretch to the next level. One of these powerful coaches is Tara Sophia Mohr, the author of 10 Rules for Brilliant Women and the founder of the Playing Big leadership program for women. I’ve been enlivened by Tara’s messages about playing bigger, and wanted to learn more.

Tara and I spoke last week, and she shared with me her views on the top 5 blocks that keep women from playing big. (These happen to apply to men too). Here’s Tara’s list:

1. We believe what our inner critic tells us, because we haven’t gotten any training in how to deal with the inner critic. No matter how many promotions or how much praise we get, we still have those vicious inner critics chattering in our heads. Maybe yours says you aren’t smart enough, or articulate enough, or thin enough. Though it may feel like it, the inner critic isn’t telling the truth, and being run by its voice is the #1 thing that holds women back. We need to notice the inner critic when we hear it talking, and choose, in the moment, to stop taking direction from it. You are not your inner critic – this is just one of the voices inside you, and you can separate from it, if you gain awareness of that fact.

2. We think we need to be an “expert” on topic x to do or say something significant about it. The truth is, quite often the greatest contributions don’t come from the industry experts. They come from what I call “survivors” — people who have had a personal experience with the topic in some way (i.e. two women creating a healthy food company based on their own experience trying to cook healthy for their families) or from “cross trainers” – people with experience in one arena who then bring that outside perspective to another industry (i.e. someone trained in tech marketing who brings insights from that domain to a new career in the social sector). Start questioning that voice in your head that says “I’d have to be an expert to do that, speak out about that, start a business in that area, etc.”

3. We fall for the “passion vs. financial stability” either-or trap. Many women say to me, “I know my passion is for x, but I need to pay my bills.” Anytime you have got that  either-or thinking going on, you’ve fallen prey to a self-sabotaging voice within. Usually, this is an excuse because going for our passions is scary. The truth is, every single one of us can in some way follow our passions right now. Passionate about working with little kids but not so excited about having a pre-school teacher’s paycheck? Start volunteering with little ones once a week. In love with your art but know it won’t pay the bills? Carve out some evening times to get out the paints. What matters most is that you are in some way pursuing what calls to you now – full-time or not. Financial demands are no excuse for not making a space for your calling .

4. We  are addicted to being liked. Ouch! But true.  Women have been socialized to prioritize being liked, and to “make nice-nice” with everybody. Yet we get to a point in our careers where we’ve got to make decisions and lead in ways that won’t please everyone. In your career, go for being respected – not simply liked. Ask, “What would I do in this situation if I was looking to be highly respected by my coworkers, rather than worrying about whether I’m coming across as ‘nice’?” Women who do this will still be quite kind in their communications – because they are kind people – they just won’t play small in order to seem more likable.

5. We don’t know how to handle the fears and feelings of vulnerability that come up when we play big and go for our career dreams. There’s a myth in our culture that when we  pursue our dreams, everything will feel exhilarating and wonderful. The truth is that we often feel afraid, resistant, uncomfortable when going for those dreams – because following our own right path feels vulnerable. It brings up fears of rejection, failure, and departing from the herd – taking a different path that peers or family may not understand or support. Women can expect those feelings, and learn to welcome them as a part of playing bigger,

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Tara is right on with her insights.  I see it every day in the work I do with my clients, and in myself. And I know this to be true – greater awareness equals greater choice.  The question is, now that we have the awareness of what’s holding us back, what are we going to do about it?

I hope your answer will be in the form of action – getting “hip to your trip” and stepping forward to embrace your visions for a bigger life, despite your fears, your vulnerability and your very persistent inner critic.  And if you want more,  a great place to start is Tara’s free download 10 Rules for Brilliant Women Workbook.

(For more information about Tara, visit www.taramohr.com and her Playing Big program).

Originally posted on Forbes.

But after 10 years of seeing people turn “stupid” into amazing, I trust wholeheartedly in the power of starting your own version of something stupid, and have seen how this process turns a mediocre and unsatisfying life into a thrilling one.

I was intrigued, then, to discover Richie Norton’s new book The Power of Starting Something Stupid: How to Crush Fear, Make Dreams Happen & Live Without Regret, and couldn’t wait to speak to Richie about his ideas and his journey from “stupid” to stupendous.

As I read the book, I was deeply moved by Richie’s personal story of losing his beautiful and perfect infant boy of only 10 weeks, and having to make the unbearable decision not to resuscitate him as the process would only prolong his suffering and in the end, not save his life. As is often the case when tragedy rips a gash in our reality, we feel forever changed by the loss. In Richie’s case, his life took on a very real sense of urgency, and he faced the shocking realization that circumstance is completely outside our realm of control. Not just certain circumstances, but ALL circumstance. This realization opened the door for Richie to learn the biggest lesson of his life to date, what he calls “Gavin’s Law” (named after his beloved brother-in-law Gavin, who died at 21, just two years before the death of his baby boy Gavin).

Gavin’s Law is this:

“Live to start. Start to live.”

There is so much to learn in Richie’s book, but I want to share here Richie’s 6 steps to making our dreams happen. From my perspective, this model covers all the key bases, and if you use this as a roadmap to pursuing your crazy, stupid idea, you’ll be on the right track.

The 6 steps to Making Dreams Happen and Living without Regret:

1.  Crush Fear

It’s not the actual circumstances that we should feel threatened by, it’s the fear of the circumstances that poses the real threat. The bottom line is that people with high aspirations are going to experience a proportionately high level of fear. If high aspirations are equal to high fear, then the flip side to that truth is that overcoming high fear is equal to achieving high aspirations. To crush fear doesn’t mean you eliminate it; crushing fear means you literally crush it down into smaller, more manageable parts and tackle one piece at a time.

2.  End Pride

The line between fear and pride is nearly imperceptible. At the heart of pride, is the fear of looking stupid. Pride convinces people to feel justified in quitting because, for prideful people, approval is sought at all costs—even at the cost of success. Prideful people won’t ask for help, they won’t ask questions, and they don’t want to do anything to challenge the status quo. To overcome pride, you must embrace “The Humble Power Alternative” – lean into your “stupid” ideas, do more than you think you should do, take ownership of your life, don’t blame others for lack of success, and encourage others in their success. There is true power born of humility.

3.  Overcome Procrastination

When we procrastinate, we fill our lives with the tasks that are right in front of us rather than make the concerted effort to leave enough room in our schedules to pursue dreams. Procrastination doesn’t always come in the form of frivolous activities. Often we’re filling our time with good or even essential tasks, but even so, anytime you postpone doing the things that are most important in your life, you are falling victim to procrastination. “Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried” (the slogan of Procrastinators Anonymous). Procrastination must be overcome or it will rob you of the things that could be most significant in your life.

4.   Be Authentic

Being truly authentic is about knowing what matters to you, on the deepest level of who you are, and committing always to act from that authentic center. No matter the dream, no matter the goal, no matter the level of success you achieve, if your decisions are not aligned with the things in your life that matter very most, and how you want to be experienced in life, your success will be shallow and unfulfilling, to say the least. Until you act in ways that are aligned with who you authentically are, no matter how successful you become, there will always be an underlying and insatiable desire for more, more, more and an underlying hollowness in life. This is not real success. In authenticity, you will find the transformation you seek.

5.  S.T.A.R.T.

START is an acronym that stands for Serve, Thank, Ask, Receive, and Trust. When we genuinely START, we embody proven, timeless principles of connection, credibility and contribution. By authentically STARTing, we build our inner circle of success (or trusted network of supporter and ambassadors) and diligently lay the groundwork that allows us to effectively spur a groundswell when the time is right. START will help you connect with others, gain credibility and contribute to the world in significant ways.

6.  Leverage Existing Resources

Leverage is the process of maximizing the resources that are available to us, in order to increase effectiveness. When we leverage, we aggregate and organize existing resources to achieve success. Many high-potential ideas fail before they even move from stupid idea to project phase, because we become so fixated on the lack of resources we think we need for success. When you truly understand leverage, you know that you already have everything you need to achieve success.

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There are so many helpful ideas in Richie’s book, including how to evaluate a “stupid” idea to see if it’s stupid smart, or viewing the starting of something stupid as a “project” rather than a do-or-die endeavor, or my favorite tip: making a pact to surround yourself every day only with people who embody the “serve, thank, ask, receive, trust” philosophy.

But what you’ll find most in this book is a pathway to remembering that within you is a kernel, the seed of something enormous that others (or your inner critic) will say is stupid, but when nurtured, will show you why you’re on this planet at this time, and why no one else can contribute and make the difference that you can, if you only start.

Are you deeply longing to start something stupid?  What will it take for you to crush your fear and start it today?

(For more about Richie, check out www.richienorton.com and The Power of Starting Something Stupid.  And to gain clarity on the stupid ideas you long to pursue in your career, take my free Career Path Self-Assessment.)