Latest posts from Danny Brown

Enjoy the latest posts from Danny Brown, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments after the post.

The Ballad of Safe, Potential and Already There

There were three businessmen walking down a long and winding road. No-one knew how all three came to be on the road at the same time, but there they were.

Their names were Safe, Potential and Already There.

Safe (as his name suggests) was happy to be wherever there was room for him. He followed the coat tails of Potential and Already There and often stopped to admire the view, then run to catch up with his two friends later, out of breath and giddy just for being around others.

Potential was a strange one. He always seemed intense and was forever taking notes of his surroundings, and testing new directions out to see if there were other areas the road might lead. Safe wasn?t too keen on Potential ? he just seemed too erratic.

Already There didn?t care for either of his traveling colleagues ? he accepted that sometimes you have to put up with company, but that was a bearable annoyance when you knew where you were and now you were just enjoying the surroundings.

A Fellow Traveler

As they walked along the road, they came across another traveler, whose name turned out to be Innovation.

He looked tired and worn out, and as the three travelers approached Innovation, Already There took command (being the most senior). ?Hello, there ? you look troubled. What ails you??

Innovation looked at the three and replied, ?I?m tired. For many years, I?ve traveled various roads and met some amazing people. But now I feel my traveling is coming to an end, and it?s time for me to retire. The world is a different place from when I was in it a lot.?

The three travelers looked at Innovation, and each took a turn to answer.

Safe was first. ?It?s probably a good idea. I?m sure you?ve had some great adventures along the way, but from the looks of you, you wouldn?t last another day without dropping from exhaustion. Take your rest and be happy for what you?ve achieved.?

Already There spoke next. ?I don?t know why you?re upset. The world is a wonderful place when you sit back and enjoy it. I found my happy place a long time ago, and look how content I am. Come, let me show you my home and you can relax there and watch the world go by.?

Old is New

Potential was the last to speak. He looked at both Safe and Already There, then back to Innovation, and smiled. ?These two men speak wise words. The world is a wonderful place to sit back and enjoy. But how long would that last?

?Without new ideas, we?d soon become bored. Without challenges, we?d soon become lazy. Without breaking molds, everything would look the same. We?d be traveling on roads with people we are either leaving behind or about to overtake, as opposed to walking together on paths to ideas.

?I?m not sure where I?m headed; I know it won?t be a Safe journey and I sure as heck am nowhere near Already There when it comes to where I want to be. But then that?s probably why I?m called Potential,? he finished with a wink.

Innovation looked at all three and smiled a smile that lit up his face in a way that at least two of the three travelers wouldn?t have thought possible when they first saw him.

?Potential,? he said, ?you remind me of me when I was younger. You?re right ? Innovation isn?t Safe. Innovation isn?t accepting what?s Already There. Innovation is about taking the Safe and Already There and seeking its Potential for improvement. Maybe the world isn?t ready to see the end of Innovation just yet.?

And with that, he joined Potential and they continued walking and laughing, leaving Safe and Already There behind, shaking their heads and thinking there sure are some strange people in the world today.

Then again, isn?t everything strange until its Potential has been unlocked..?

This is a chapter from my Parables of Business ebook, helping businesses understand how old wisdom can help shape new mindsets.?You can learn more about the book, and grab your own copy,?here?for just $0.99.

I Want to Live in a World?

Where ?fake news? isn?t a defense mechanism.

Where families aren?t torn apart in broad daylight as a statement of power.

Where acceptance isn?t based on religion, colour, gender or sexuality.

Where fear isn?t a tactic used by men in power to prey on the weak.

Where lies are not the new truth.

Where women aren?t silenced on the democractic floor for daring to call out bad people.

Where children aren?t afraid to go to school because their parents may not be there when they get home.

Where our elected officials put people before power, rights before riches.

Where discussing world events, as opposed to petty trash-talking, is the Presidential norm.

Where a stranger is not someone to fear, but a friend yet to know.

It?s not too much to ask for. Is it?

The Focus of Needing to Be Focused

Since starting my blog back in 2008, it’s gone through many iterations, both in the style of presentation, and the theme of the content within.

It’s gone from having about a dozen or so categories, to only having one (which is the bigger picture of this thing called life and where we sit in it, personally and professionally).

It’s gone from having multiple sidebars to zero; from having affiliate ads and posts trying to sell something to zero ads and zero selling (at least, not the hard sell).

And it’s gone from using a socially-driven comment system like Livefyre to a more personal and thoughtful comment solution like Postmatic.

The reason for all of these changes is simple – to meet the goals I have, the focus has to be on the paths to get there.

My goal is to make my blog a destination for folks that prefer pure blogging, where a more personal experience is enjoyed, and the content isn’t driven by the desire for social proof and vacuous clicks (hence my decision to remove social sharing buttons from my blog).

To do that means the content has to be focused. Hence the stripped down look and feel of the blog, where the only thing in front of you are the words.

It’s a little worrying, if I’m honest – because now the content truly does have to stand on its own, as opposed to being supported by a nice flashy sidebar with a colourful sticker or two.

But it’s also a good exercise, as it makes you more aware of the words you’re putting down and the message you want to create.

It’s not too different from life, really, if you think about it.

Pulling Back the Covers on a Life Lived in Shadows

Oftentimes in life, when asked by people what others might think of us, we reply with something like,

I’m an open book. If you want to know me, just look at me or be around me for an hour or two.

While that’s an admirable – and mostly honest – statement, it’s not quite a true one. Think about it.

When you share something on Facebook, is it a picture/update of how awesome your kids/husband/wife are, or is it “Shouted at the kids, felt like a shitty parent for doing so, and don’t get me started on what my other half did yesterday!”?

When you upload a picture to Instagram, is it the first one you take or is it the 4oth attempt at getting a smile just right, a background just so, a pet just in the right contortion to be cute?

When you leave a comment on a blog, do you really say what you want to say, or is it a sanitized version of what you believe, because you don’t know the make-up of the other commenters?

These are just online examples. Offline, it’s the same.

How we present ourselves to our colleagues.
How we approach a social setting.
How we act in the privacy of our own homes versus how we behave under the gaze of the public.

We might think that’s a natural defense mechanism, but the truth of the matter is it’s anything but natural.

Instead of being the open book we say we are, we’re an edited version of the story we want to tell.

We do this because we tell ourselves this is how people will like us. This is how people will gravitate towards us. This is how people will become our friends.

And they might – for a while. Until the covers are pulled back, and the shadows of your real life are on display for everyone to see.

Some may stick around. Others may not. But the choice is no longer yours to make. Now the story decides which characters are left to take part.

The irony is, if we don’t live in the shadows to begin with, we’ll attract the people we truly deserve. The people who’ll be there when we need them.

The people we can truly call friends.

It’s not easy. You have to be focused, and brave, and ready to throw the covers back, even when it’s cold and dark outside.

But the reward and validation are worth it.

Try it sometime. You might just pleasantly surprise yourself.

Pay to Speak at Your Social Media Conference? Are You Drunk?

Take a minute to imagine getting a new client.

You?ve worked hard to get to that stage, and now you?re ready to sign the contract.

Then the new client stops you in your tracks with these words:

OK, I?m ready to have you do your thing for me. But you?ll need to pay me first.

You look at them, surprised, wondering if you heard them right.

So you ask the obvious excuse me, and receive this reply:

You?ll have to pay me first. If you want to work for me, you?ll need to pay me. If you don?t want to work for me, that?s fine?I have options where you can pay me for the honor of me asking you instead.

You shake your head incredulously and wonder when your expertise became whittled down to you having to pay to do the thing you were invited to do in the first place.

Crazy, right?

Not according to the organizers at the Social Shake-Up Show, one of many social media conferences being held in Atlanta later this year.

Speaker or Sponsor?

I received an email from one of the event?s organizers, asking me if I was interested in speaking.

Or at least, I thought I did.

Turns out, it wasn?t quite that simple.

Here?s the body of the email:

Are you interested in speaking at the 2017 Social Shake-Up Show on May 22-24 in Atlanta?
500+ decision-makers will be in attendance, so it?s the perfect platform to discuss your latest product or to display thought leadership in front of a forward-thinking social media community.
Standing at the podium and delivering a powerful message in front of your peers validates the countless hours that you and your team put in at the office.
Our agenda is filling up quickly and I thought you might be interested in taking one of the remaining spots.
These open speaking spots are reserved for Social Shake-Up sponsors, so email me directly if you?d like pricing details.
Along with the speaking opportunity, you?ll receive all the benefits of being a Social Shake-Up sponsor.
If you?re interested, please contact me as soon as possible, as rates for our speaking spots increase after Jan. 20.

Let?s Break that Down, Shall We?

The introductory paragraph is nice enough.

It tells me about the event, and that 500+ decision-makers will be in attendance.

Although, in fairness, my five-year-old daughter and six-year-old son make decisions every day.

Like how much mud to roll in and how many times they can fit poop into a sentence at dinner time, so maybe that?s not such a selling point after all.

Then it goes on to sell me on presenting myself as a *cough* ?thought leader? to these important people.

So far, so good.

The second paragraph is where it gets fun/confusing/painful, depending on your point-of-view.

Standing at a Podium

To recognize all the hard work I?ve put in, honing my craft, building my expertise, and keeping me and my team in the office while our children are growing up and our lives are disappearing around us, I get to STAND AT A PODIUM!!!!!

See how excited I was by this revelation?

I had to use all caps to get the gravity of that offer in full.

A PODIUM. A REAL-LIFE PODIUM!!!!

Well call me Shirley and pour me a double!

Never mind the gratitude of clients, peers, or bosses for any successful project or undertaking?a podium is where it?s at!!!

After that bombshell, I could hardly wait to see what more this event could possibly offer me.

I mean, a frickin? podium!!!

Sponsor the Event

Onto paragraph three?.

Wait, what?s this?

You want me to sponsor your event, and that will let me get to the podium?

Can?t I just bring my own podium?

No?

Dammit!!!

So?to be clear?one of the organizing/sponsorship team for the event invites me to speak, but not as a speaker.

Instead, it?s as a sponsor, and by sponsoring the event I?ll get to be a ?speaker? (albeit at a podium)?

My Reply

Well, of course, I had to reply?

Hi,
So, just to clarify?you want me to speak at your event but I have to pay to do so?
On top of, undoubtedly, paying my own expenses for hotel and flight?
And the ?benefit? of this is I get to ?stand at a podium??
Is the podium a time machine, like the Doc?s DeLorean?
Because then I could see value in your proposal.
Or is it like that podium from the original Police Academy, because that looked like a rewarding podium!
Perhaps you meant possum?
I?m a firm believer that possums make for great photo opps, so I could see the benefit there. Though I think you might have meant ?stand beside a possum,? as opposed to at.
Anyhoo? Please advise if any of these scenarios are true.
Otherwise, I?ll have to decline before I have a laughter-inflicted hernia due to the ridiculousness of your ?proposal?.
Yours in eagerness (especially about the DeLorean!),
Someone Who Places More Value on Time, Expertise and Knowledge Than a Pay-to-Play Podium Slot

Or, in the immortal words of Mary Poppins:

Why do you always complicate things that are really quite simple?

You Say Exposure, I Say Tell My Kids Why They?re Hungry

There?s a commonly-held belief that exposure is a wonderful way to avoid paying for expertise.

This can usually be seen in two forms:

Write for something such as?The Huffington Post and be rewarded with thousands of eyeballs and impressions, thereby driving traffic back to your own blog.
Speak at an event (after paying for your own travel and accommodation costs) to get in front of peers and potential clients.

Or, you can go the Social Shake-Up route and make people pay to be a sponsor in lieu of giving them a speaking slot.

The first two are crappy enough.

The Huffington Post was bought for $315 million in 2011, and brought in $146 million in ad revenue in 2014.

Yet their business model is to get the majority of its writers to produce content for free, in exchange for eyeballs on their content.

Events?especially social media conferences?charge upwards of a few hundred dollars to attend, to almost $2,000, and beyond.

They have a bunch of sponsors, and they generally have anywhere from a few hundred one-day attendees to several thousand during?the course of two to three days.

And yet, they?ll only pay the ?top-tier? speakers.

But then you have the Social Shake-Up approach.

There are many reasons it?s wrong, and?to me, at least?unethical.

It?s Totally Wrong

But here are the core ones:

Speaking for exposure does not pay the bills. While the event organizers no doubt make money or get paid, as do some of the speakers (you have to assume), the rest are out in the cold, paying almost a thousand bucks for a flight, a few hundred bucks for a hotel, and then food and drinks on top. This, despite tickets for the event range from $700 to $1,800, and are non-refundable to boot. All for the promise of getting in front of ?decision-makers.?

Advertising on your site that ??speakers are carefully vetted and will deliver on the promise to share the strategies and tactics that have truly shaken up the ecosystem.? How carefully vetted can they be when they?ve paid to appear? It immediately devalues the promise of earth-shattering learnings.

Speaking of paying, every speaker who?does that now becomes a sponsor. Which allows the event to sell more sponsorships with the pitch, ?Sponsorships are filling up quickly.? Sorry, no, they?re not?they?re being filled up by people sold what is essentially an empty promise.

Now, don?t get me wrong.

Some Social Media Conferences DO Get it Right

There are some fantastic social media conferences that not only deliver value but treat their speakers with the respect they deserve and pay them for their time and expertise.

These are the ones you should support, and the ones I don?t mind attending.

The other ones?

The ones that are essentially saying, ?Hey, come stand in a room and get 15-20 minutes to talk to people who will probably never give you work no matter how awesome you think your talk is??

I?m going to keep my money from these guys.

Instead, I?m going to invest it in the work I know I get respected and paid for, and spend it on the family I do that work for.

And you can shove that up your stupid podium.

A version of this first appeared on Spin Sucks.

Make Believe Games

Did you doodle at school as a kid? Did you play make-believe games with your friends that took you to other worlds, real and imagined? Did you have an invisible friend?

Our minds are so free as kids. We imagine anything and everything. Our creativity knows no limits, and our imagination is boundless.

When do we lose that? When does our creativity go into hiding, and we settle for the ordinary and the mundane?

Some people never lose it. Some people keep the imaginative strength of children into their adult lives. You see it around you every day.

Who would have thought you could run a car on electricity? Or hear music on the go? Or watch 3-D landscapes in a 2-D setting?

Your creativity is still inside you. You never lose it. If you look closely enough, you?ll see it there underneath the surface, waiting for you to renew your acquaintance.

Go find it. Rediscover the creative part you haven?t used since childhood. It can be used anywhere.

Your personal life.
That board meeting.
That business plan.
That marketing idea.
That blog post.
That kitchen recipe.

Anywhere.

Your imagination and creativity are powerful tools. They can separate you from the crowd.

The possibilities they offer, in life and in business, are endless ? the only barrier is you.