Yeah, it was a pretty boring week..right?Confirmed this week: if someone in the past were to develop and pitch a screenplay called "2020" and somehow conjured up everything that has transpired so far over the last 10 months, there is no way the movie would have been made....And that is even if Tom Hanks agreed to play himself and Scorsese agreed to direct it with a long, iconic "Layla" like montage somewhere midway (if you don't get the reference, re-read last week's Last Word)....It's seriously like the dream you would expect to have after eating week and a half old take out leftovers for dinner and then falling asleep while listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" on repeat....Something tells me the final act should be a doozy, Friends....________________Anyway...One of the biggest benefits I have found from doing this weekly newsletter is hearing from at least one FoD and/or a connection that might have seen or heard about it each week. Usually it's an email or LinkedIn message with some sort of feedback or comment about the preamble or an article I shared. Sometimes it's an intro request to other FoDs or someone in my network, Often it leads to scheduling a call for us to simply catch up. No matter how it comes, I am always grateful for the check-in. Invariably when I jump on a call or a Zoom, the more "commercially oriented" Friends quickly get around to asking about how I am monetizing all of the time I put into this newsletter.Straight scoop: I'm not -- not directly at least (and I have no plans to in the near term). I don't have a paywall, paid subscriptions or sell ads (the FoD podcasts do have a very small ad component however). I mainly do it because I enjoy it and it's a creative outlet. But it does serve a business purpose too, as it's also marketing for me -- for my "personal brand" and for my interests, talents and expertise. As many of you may know, my experience is in providing commercial growth strategies (somewhere at the intersection of sales/marketing/product/biz dev) to growing teams and firms. I am doing this in an advisor/board or consulting capacity while I am also keeping my eye out for the right team to join in a full time, permanent capacity.Anyone who has gone the self-employment route knows it's definitely a hustle to keep the pipeline full. By keeping regularly engaged with my personal and professional connections, the check-ins are what can lead to a variety of monetization opportunities to put into the pipeline.Usually around the end of each call I have with a Friend or connection, particularly if someone has reached out looking for an intro or advice from me, they offer "Is there is anything I can do for you?"The direct answer is a quick hell yes. Here are a few easy things you can do that go a long way for me or anyone else you know that makes a living by hustling trying to monetize their pipeline:-- Support and follow them on social media, particularly LinkedIn. If they post something do your best to "like" it and, most importantly, leave a comment (and like comments they post on other posts). Posting comments (even quick basic ones) is a hidden amplifier on LinkedIn -- they open up your network to others by getting the posts you support pushed out and visible to your closest connections. The same occurs with liking and replying to tweets on Twitter. And, by the way, there is benefit for you as you get exposed to the original poster's network as well because it creates potential business opportunities for you, especially if you are a visible as a regular commenter.-- Share their content, endorse them and encourage others to follow them as well. If you get value from the content you receive (curated or original), it is likely someone else you know might too -- spread the wealth! If it's on social media, be sure to share it with attribution to the original poster. And don't underestimate the power of your endorsement with your network when you encourage them to follow someone. In my case, more Friends of Dave means more potential opportunities for a check-in, which gives me a higher probability to possibly monetize my efforts in some way at some point.-- People who hustle for a living are usually networkers. Find and offer to introduce them with other active networkers or decision makers you know. I've said this before: networking is not transactional. You have to play the long game because you never know when a connection may turn into an opportunity. And good networkers like interacting with other good networkers (especially those who have some overlap with them in an industry or area of interest or expertise) because they know it can exponentially increase the scope of their potential reach.Finally, as I have mentioned in this space before, I have recognized over my last three years as an independent contributor that I am definitely more effective as a full time member of a team. So if your firm or any firm you know may need an experienced executive with creativity, energy and enthusiasm to add velocity to their growing business, please send ideas and intros (and more potential FoDs) my way!In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your first weekend of October. XOXODave
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Friends of Dave #198: walking on sunshine
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Yeah, it was a pretty boring week..right?Confirmed this week: if someone in the past were to develop and pitch a screenplay called "2020" and somehow conjured up everything that has transpired so far over the last 10 months, there is no way the movie would have been made....And that is even if Tom Hanks agreed to play himself and Scorsese agreed to direct it with a long, iconic "Layla" like montage somewhere midway (if you don't get the reference, re-read last week's Last Word)....It's seriously like the dream you would expect to have after eating week and a half old take out leftovers for dinner and then falling asleep while listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" on repeat....Something tells me the final act should be a doozy, Friends....________________Anyway...One of the biggest benefits I have found from doing this weekly newsletter is hearing from at least one FoD and/or a connection that might have seen or heard about it each week. Usually it's an email or LinkedIn message with some sort of feedback or comment about the preamble or an article I shared. Sometimes it's an intro request to other FoDs or someone in my network, Often it leads to scheduling a call for us to simply catch up. No matter how it comes, I am always grateful for the check-in. Invariably when I jump on a call or a Zoom, the more "commercially oriented" Friends quickly get around to asking about how I am monetizing all of the time I put into this newsletter.Straight scoop: I'm not -- not directly at least (and I have no plans to in the near term). I don't have a paywall, paid subscriptions or sell ads (the FoD podcasts do have a very small ad component however). I mainly do it because I enjoy it and it's a creative outlet. But it does serve a business purpose too, as it's also marketing for me -- for my "personal brand" and for my interests, talents and expertise. As many of you may know, my experience is in providing commercial growth strategies (somewhere at the intersection of sales/marketing/product/biz dev) to growing teams and firms. I am doing this in an advisor/board or consulting capacity while I am also keeping my eye out for the right team to join in a full time, permanent capacity.Anyone who has gone the self-employment route knows it's definitely a hustle to keep the pipeline full. By keeping regularly engaged with my personal and professional connections, the check-ins are what can lead to a variety of monetization opportunities to put into the pipeline.Usually around the end of each call I have with a Friend or connection, particularly if someone has reached out looking for an intro or advice from me, they offer "Is there is anything I can do for you?"The direct answer is a quick hell yes. Here are a few easy things you can do that go a long way for me or anyone else you know that makes a living by hustling trying to monetize their pipeline:-- Support and follow them on social media, particularly LinkedIn. If they post something do your best to "like" it and, most importantly, leave a comment (and like comments they post on other posts). Posting comments (even quick basic ones) is a hidden amplifier on LinkedIn -- they open up your network to others by getting the posts you support pushed out and visible to your closest connections. The same occurs with liking and replying to tweets on Twitter. And, by the way, there is benefit for you as you get exposed to the original poster's network as well because it creates potential business opportunities for you, especially if you are a visible as a regular commenter.-- Share their content, endorse them and encourage others to follow them as well. If you get value from the content you receive (curated or original), it is likely someone else you know might too -- spread the wealth! If it's on social media, be sure to share it with attribution to the original poster. And don't underestimate the power of your endorsement with your network when you encourage them to follow someone. In my case, more Friends of Dave means more potential opportunities for a check-in, which gives me a higher probability to possibly monetize my efforts in some way at some point.-- People who hustle for a living are usually networkers. Find and offer to introduce them with other active networkers or decision makers you know. I've said this before: networking is not transactional. You have to play the long game because you never know when a connection may turn into an opportunity. And good networkers like interacting with other good networkers (especially those who have some overlap with them in an industry or area of interest or expertise) because they know it can exponentially increase the scope of their potential reach.Finally, as I have mentioned in this space before, I have recognized over my last three years as an independent contributor that I am definitely more effective as a full time member of a team. So if your firm or any firm you know may need an experienced executive with creativity, energy and enthusiasm to add velocity to their growing business, please send ideas and intros (and more potential FoDs) my way!In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your first weekend of October. XOXODave