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Just hit 500 blog posts on my site! Here are 5 things that I learnedโ€ฆ Dec 03, 2024

Ever wondered why some websites are lead magnets while others seem stagnant?ย The secret sauce is often a well-maintained blog.ย 

Here's why you should consider diving into the world of blogging:

1) Lead Magnet: Every blog post is a new chance to post strategic, intentional stories on your site that w...

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Conducting a strategic storytelling workshop at the... Dec 02, 2024

...old, iconic Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois, was awesome! ๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ”

For those who may not know, Hamburger University is McDonald's legendary training facility. It was founded in 1961 in the basement of a restaurant with just 14 students.ย 

Today (now at a different location), itโ€™s a powerhous...

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3 things I didnโ€™t know about Rosa Parksโ€ฆ Dec 01, 2024

First, yes, Iโ€™m sitting in the exact seat Rosa Parks sat in that launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which happened 69 years ago today.ย 

Ok, here are three things I learned that I didnโ€™t know.

1. The iconic picture of Parks youโ€™ve seen in mass media does not show the seat where the protest started....

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1 thing I learned while touring Mark Twain's house...๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 30, 2024

A few months ago, I shared my Powerfully Persuade Through Storytelling workshop with business leaders in Connecticut.ย 

I had to stop by the house of one of the best storytellers America has ever known.

While there, I saw firsthand something that many people talk about but donโ€™t make part of their ro...

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Wanna build a story right now? Answer this questionโ€ฆ Nov 30, 2024

โ€œWhat excites you to get out of bed in the morning?โ€

Here, Iโ€™ll go first...ย 

My kids motivate me beyond what I could ever imagine.ย 

Especially since they know my goals, they constantly remind me of what I need to do.ย 

Whenever I hit a business goal, I take all three of my kids out to celebrate.ย 

We deb...

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โ€œ๐˜ผ๐™ข๐™–๐™ฏ๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™๐™–๐™จ ๐™– ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ง๐™ง๐™ž๐™—๐™ก๐™š ๐™—๐™ช๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š๐™จ๐™จ ๐™ข๐™ค๐™™๐™š๐™ก.โ€œ Nov 30, 2024

Back in 2008, I was at a conference where a โ€œthought leaderโ€ gave a presentation on how โ€œAmazon will be out of business soon.โ€ย 

If I would have invested $10,000 in Amazon stock right after that talk, today I would have $626,668.80.ย 

Just because some people donโ€™t believe in your vision doesnโ€™t mean th...

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Hope you like your hit of dopamine. Nov 30, 2024


So many content creators on LinkedIn want โ€œlikes.โ€

No strategy.ย Just fluff.ย 

I know someone with 1,000,000+ LinkedIn followers, and their business is struggling.ย 

I also know someone with 10,000 followers, and their business is thriving.ย 

The difference?ย 

One posts for clicks.ย The other posts with stra...

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Teddy Roosevelt once said, โ€œcomparison is the thief of joy.โ€ Nov 30, 2024

Itโ€™s incredible how many people compare themselves to others.ย 

No wonder we have a society thatโ€™s so depressed.ย 

This phenomenon is only magnified through social media.ย 

Do the best with where you are.ย 

Have you grown more as a person?ย 

What small successes have you achieved in the last couple of month...

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He was sobbing and had to hug me. Nov 30, 2024

Recently, after one of my strategic storytelling workshops, a gentleman in the audience pulled me aside.ย 

60-year-old man.ย CEO of an extremely successful company.ย 
He was sobbing and had to hug me.ย 

For the first time in his life, he realized he had to start telling people his story.ย 

He told me he was ...

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๐Ÿ‘‡ Do any of you know what this โŒ is doing in the middle of the road? Nov 22, 2024


This is the spot where John F. Kennedy was assassinated.ย 

61 years ago today.ย 

I had the honor and privilege of speaking in Dallas a couple of months ago.
ย 
After I flew into DFW, I had to stop by the JFK assassination spot.ย 

For years, I studied our 35th president.ย 

How could this man connect with his ...

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Are you a fan of business history? I sure am! Nov 22, 2024


Thereโ€™s something incredibly fascinating about how massive companies often have the humblest beginnings.ย 

I love diving into their processes and discovering what makes them stand out in the marketplace.

Take McDonald's, for example. While I might never crave a Big Mac, I can definitely appreciate an...

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๐Ÿ“ ๐ˆ๐๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐š๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐ง ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ž๐๐ˆ๐ง... ๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 22, 2024


โžก๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ก๐š๐›๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ . (I haven't missed a single day of posting in 4 years)ย Russell Brunson inspired me to post on LI everyday.ย He said, โ€œdo something every single day without fail, and youโ€™ll see radical growth in your business.โ€ย He was more than right.ย My results from posting ...

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๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€? Nov 22, 2024

You're not focused on S$&%#.ย 

No, not that s-word.ย You're not focused on...ย 

STORIES!ย 

Say it, โ€œs-t-o-r-i-e-s!โ€

Your clients donโ€™t want to be read a slide deck; they want a reason to believe in your product/service and YOU!

Youโ€™ll connect with them over the right story.

๐—ฆ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ณ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—ฟ...

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5,553,030 ๐Ÿคฏ Nov 18, 2024

Itโ€™s hard for me to believe. It really is.

Just like everyone, when covid hit, I shifted how I was sharing info.ย 

I turned to LinkedIn.ย 

As funny as it is now, I had a tough time making my first LinkedIn post. Must have wrote and rewrote that sucker a dozen times.

So why is the number 5,553,030 so signi...

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Walt Disney is an idiot! Nov 16, 2024

At least, thatโ€™s what hundreds of people said early on.ย 

Countless bankers rejected the Mickey Mouse concept!ย 

But guess what? Walt Disney is hailed a genius today.ย 

In fact, this year is the 101st anniversary of Walt Disney Studios!ย 

Just because some people donโ€™t understand your idea doesnโ€™t mean it...

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The moment you talk about... Nov 15, 2024

...how awesome you are is the moment you lose.

Your prospects don't care about that.

They care about what you can do for them.

You need to share stories that your prospects relate to.ย 


Make your clients the hero - not you.

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When you get knocked down, don't get back up. Nov 14, 2024

At least notย right away.ย 
.
In 1945, Soichiro Honda lost everything due to World War II.ย His business was completely demolished.

You know what he did?ย 

He took a year off.ย 

He focused on creative thoughts.ย 

He focused on his friendships.ย 

He focused on planning.

The next year, Honda was born. ๐Ÿ๐Ÿš—

Did YOU lose...

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โ€œNewspapers are meant to be read on the way to the trash can.โ€ ๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 13, 2024

I remember my Dad telling me that when I was growing up because I was reading a lot of newspapers and magazines.

His point was to read more material (like novels and nonfiction) where the authors put more time and energy into their writing.

Social media is even lower-level writing than newspapers.

Re...

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Packaging design is not just about aesthetics... Nov 12, 2024

...but how every small detail can significantly affect customer behavior. ๐Ÿ‘‡ย 

๐Ÿ‘€ For example, consider how some brands have adjusted the positioning of their characters' eyes on packaging.ย 

In supermarkets, where products are displayed on multiple shelves, design teams have made subtle adjustments, such...

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๐’๐ก๐ž ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž, โ€œ๐‹๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐Œ๐ฒ ๐“๐ก๐š๐ข!โ€ Nov 11, 2024

While speaking in Erie, I asked someone what their favorite restaurant was, and without hesitation, they yelled, โ€œLike My Thai!โ€

Naturally, I had to investigate after a recommendation like that. And let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint!

Mike Augustine, the owner and chef ofย Like My Thai, has his k...

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๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น me what you want your company to be known for... Nov 09, 2024

...and then ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ me that you actually believe in it.ย 

๐Ÿ—ฃ Most companies are all talk.ย 

They write out their โ€œcompany valuesโ€ to check a box. โœ”๏ธย 

None of their employees could actually tell you all the company values since they're so forgettable.ย 

Paint a picture of your values through stories.ย 

Your def...

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Are You Putting Print to Work? | Stories With Traction Podcast Nov 08, 2024

SHOW NOTES:

SUMMARY: In this episode, Kevin Connor and Matt Zaun talk about how storytelling can be woven into print material and how you can get print to work for you.

KEVIN CONNOR: Kevin is a partner at Modern SBC.

Some of the projects that Modern SBC routinely works on:

- Copywriting and content cr...

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One of my Grandmothers used to tell me... Nov 08, 2024

โ€...when I tell you to jump, you ask how high! When I tell you to do something, you do it, period!โ€ She forced me to listen to her out of...

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...FEAR!

.

My other Grandmother, on the other hand, would tell me why she wanted me to do certain things.ย 

She showed me how much she cared about me l...

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Here are my LI numbers that led to cash... Nov 07, 2024

...my content produces 2 million+ impressions each year. Has for the last four years. This isnโ€™t bad, but itโ€™s not great either. Meaning anyone can do it.ย 

This led to tens of thousands of people checking out my profile.ย 

Profile views lead to inbound messages inquiring about services.

Inbound messages...

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