Here’s the lowdown: George Bailey, played by Stewart, is on the verge of collapse. His small building and load company is on the verge of bankruptcy, the mean rich man in town is poised to swoop in, and though he has a house full of adorable kids and a gorgeous wife (Reed), there’s never enough money to go around. George decides his family and business would be better off without him. On the brink of suicide, he’s saved by a fledgling angel, Clarence.

Clarence goes on to show George what his life would be like if he’d never existed, and the sight ain’t pretty. By seeing all the people he’s touched, George realizes that he has created a strong network of love and support – he’s created a tribe. And it’s this tribe that pulls together at the end of the movie to give back to George, helping him out of his current difficulties.

The lesson to you should be obvious: Your tribe can, quite literally, save your life. You should be building not only a viable business, but a community – one that supports and cares for each other. If you’re just out to make a buck, don’t be surprised if no one leaps to defend you or lend you a helping hand when things go bad. And they will go bad.

You can get “slapped” by Google. You can get your PayPal account frozen. You can get brought up on charges by the FTC. You can get hacked, robbed, or plagiarized. It happens.

But if you have friends like George’s, you’ll have a whole team of folks on your side. But one thing to remember: George had friends he’d created just by being a good guy, doing the right thing at the right time, not worrying about what was in it for him. He stood up for what was right and shook hand after hand, even when it cost him personally.

He didn’t build this community by selling junk or automating his Twitter feed or spamming everyone. He did it the old fashioned way: By caring.

Some business techniques never go out of style. 

Your turn…

What’s your thought on tribes? Please share this article and leave your feedback below!

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So today’s riddle was sparked by an interview my girl, The Cubicle Chick, sent me highlighting Michael Stelzner on Blogcast FM entitled “How Social Media Examiner Made $1.7 Million in Its First Year of Business.”

Note: If you haven’t heard who Mike Stelzner is, he’s the Founder & CEO of Social Media Examiner, the world’s largest online social media magazine, a site I frequent often and has some awesome resources so check it out!

Back to the question at hand…throughout the interview, Mike kept mentioning a very important equation he’s entitled the Elevation Principle Formula:

Content + Other People – Marketing = Growth

(Here’s the official elevation principle formula: GC+ OP – MM = G.  Spelled out, the formula reads: ‘‘Great Content’’ plus ‘‘Other People’’ minus ‘‘Marketing Messages’’ equals ‘‘Growth’’)

Mike assures you will have much greater success by focusing on this concept and I agree! But let’s take a moment to break down the formula, shall we?

Great Content

What is great content and how do I ensure my content is killer? Well, I previously wrote about some important keys to writing engaging content so in short, once you know your audience, your content should appeal to them. Think about sites whose content you like and why and whose sites you continue to go back to. What elements do they have that you can carry over to your site while keeping it specific to your audience?

Bottom line, deeply engaging content that is personalized for your readers is the first step on the right track to balancing the formula.

Other People

We’ve all probably heard that it’s not just about who you know but also who knows you. Likewise, this part of the equation can be broken down into two parts:

• On one hand, you have your target audience – those you are creating your awesome content for. This is “who you know.“
• On the other hand, think about the people you can connect with and get to know (directly or indirectly through third party sources) who can become your champions and supporters. These people can be the experts in your field who can vouch for you, talk about you to their audience, and do joint ventures with. Because “they know you,” their loyal following will be more apt to check you out as well!

Marketing Messages

There is only one thing to say here about marketing messages: It’s not about you!

Remove the sales pitches and the company advertising and anything else that can dilute your content and/or confuse your readers. People inherently want great content without going through a bunch of bull to get it.

Launch – Get the First Chapter Free

I just read through the first chapter of Mike’s new book, Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition, which you can get for free here. I highly suggest you do so. You don’t even have to buy the book to get the full message (although I’m sure he’d like you to : ) ) because the first chapter should get you thinking about how to approach your business differently to spark more success – I know it did for me!

Over to you…

I’ll leave you with this: “…focus on people, not yourself and not your business; they will love you and be your biggest fans…” -Mike Stelzner

What do you think about the Elevation Principle? Please share your thoughts below!

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Being in business for yourself can sometimes be a lonely lifestyle. Sure, there are hundreds of forums, blogs, and conferences where you can connect with others, but even when you’ve been around for a while you can feel like you’re all alone in your business. When you have little or no in-person connection with others who are in your position, you can start to feel like you are the only one on the Internet who’s worried about how Google’s latest decisions will affect your page rank, who’s still trying to figure out the latest social media tactics, or who’s having trouble updating to the latest version of WordPress. You can forget that there are thousands of others in a similar situation, asking themselves the same questions, struggling with the same issues.

Not only that, but those in your day-to-day life, who know you in the “offline world” do not have a clue what you’re talking about, and oftentimes tend to bring more negativity than helpfulness to the picture even when they try to be on your side. Unfortunately, that can make you feel even more alone, especially when you have a setback and no one to help pull you through or to even just say “that happened to me, too!”

This is where having an accountability partner (or a small mastermind group) can save the day!

So, What’s an Accountability Partner?

Definition: Accountability partners are formalized relationships with one or more people who help keep you on task. 

In its simplest terms, it’s like having a business consultant at your side to call upon when you need one. Another way to relate is to think of an accountability partner as your personal trainer for your business who helps to push your boundaries and tell you when you’re slacking. Ultimately, you make it your goal to help each other succeed.

Here are some of the roles accountability partners can fulfill:

Cheerleader – This type of partner can boost your confidence, give you assistance when you need it, and help you celebrate your successes.

Co-traveler – Co-travelers are at approximately the same point in their journey as you are. They’re like students in the same year in high school or college. You’re learning the same topics and implementing the same strategies and tools. Sometimes you help them, sometimes they help you, and sometimes you just muddle along, secure in the fact that you’re both in the same place (somewhat like a “Study Buddy”).

Drill sergeant – Everyone from Oprah to Olympian Michael Phelps has a trainer or coach who pushes them just a bit farther than they think they can go. Let’s face it, most of us need one of these in our lives to serve as the whip-cracking, kick-you-in-the-butt person to keep us on task to the goals we’ve set and committed to!

Shoulder to cry on – Every once in a while (hopefully, only every blue moon), things go nuts. Plans derail, projects fail, or you just want to tear your hair out because of technical issues. When Murphy’s Law proves true, you may just need to vent to someone who knows what you’re going through. That person can be your accountability partner.

Brainstorming partner – Wondering what headline will convert best? Need some thoughts on what to offer as an opt-in “bribe” on your new mailing list? Trying to figure out the shortest path between Point A and Point B? Grab your accountability partner and start brainstorming. 

Accountability Partnerships Are Powerful

Creating an accountability partnership not only gives you the opportunity to get help in the areas you need support, it also lets you apply your knowledge and wisdom to someone else’s business, helping them reach new levels of success.

Regardless of what type of accountability partnership you form, you can definitely grow your business quickly when surrounded with others who are committed to helping you succeed. It’s like having your own million-dollar mastermind group without investing the seven figures!

My Wonderful Accountability Partners – #Sistatribe

Andrea, Roshini, Danyelle (doing the leg lean!), and Kesha at Show Me The Blog Conference.

Sistatribe Photos by Urban Tableau.

This past Spring, Danyelle Little of  The Cubicle Chick, Andrea Amir of Smart Money Chicks, and myself started talking about our goals and how we may be able to help each other reach them. It’s the conversation that started our ongoing weekly discussions! We lovingly nicknamed ourselves – Sistatribe. You gotta have a name right!

Then, while we were all at the Blogging While Brown conference, we pulled in our girl Roshini Cope of Glamazini.com (yes, we pulled her in and just basically told her she’s in our mastermind group!) She passed the initiation test!

Each of us brings to the table different experiences and knowledge. For me, they have been the ultimate accountability partners in helping me get to the next level in my business. I don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t met Danyelle, through whom I met Glamazini and also who introduced me to Andrea. I don’t even want to think about it!

Now we are kindred spirits and are not just accountability partners but besties, as Glamazini says.  We have regularly scheduled discussions, meet up often, and though Andrea is in Atlanta and the rest of us are in St. Louis, it’s like we see her just as often as if she was here.

Your turn…

Do you have an accountability partner or participate in mastermind groups or would like to form one? Please share your experience and feedback in the comments below!

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• The fast way is to buy them. Do I recommend that method? NO! Don’t waste your money!
• The better (and to me the more enjoyable way) is to gain them over time through interactions, engagement, and meeting people.

Remember: it’s not about the quantity but quality

To help drill home the better method to get more twitter followers, I’ve snatched reused this infographic from Twiends who has offered some safe and ethical ways to get more twitter followers for free. They’ve broken these ideas up into methods you can use online, things you can do on Twitter itself, and offline, real-world methods too.

Oh yeah, follow me (@xdwebsolutions) – I don’t bite!

Enjoy!

 Click image for full size

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Your turn…

What are some ways you gain new Twitter followers?

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Next thing I know, EAS Sports Nutrition, creator of Myoplex, tweeted me. Unexpectedly, I got offered a free sample of the shakes in my flavor, Chocolate Cream of course. : )

Lovely, right? Well, check out what I really received in the mail in this video!

Thanks again EAS! I am set for months!

Over to You…

This is just one example of how a company uses Twitter for brand and reputation management. There are plenty more cases. I just want my entrepreneurs and small businesses to know not to be afraid to use Twitter like the larger companies. It’s a great tool for customer service, reputation management, and fan engagement!

Do you use Twitter to monitor your brand?

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