Archives 2022

I got into a bit of a dispute on my group last week. We have a group called the Brainy Brunch which is a one hour per week Zoom conference centered around Solopreneurs. We have a speaker, and we sometimes hold on for a few minutes after wrap up and have a free-flowing discussion. Well one of my guests is running for some local office in his town and he was talking about his platform. He specifically mentioned he was against his state’s policy on education. The law, passed by the Republican-led legislature and signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey in July, allows every parent in Arizona to use public funds from the K-12 public school system to pay for private school tuition or other education. Well, I voiced my opinion of public education and I call it public indoctrination. I sold schoolbooks for 20 years and saw the system being implemented. All he could say was I am not going to argue about it. Well, that’s typical of progressives. Their ideas will not stand up to debate. When confronted they shout out slogans and act like toddlers.

Given the current climate in this culture of seeming wanting to insulate every precious little darling from anything that might upset them or cause the little snowflakes any discomfort, it is no wonder we have a generation of entitlement. Don’t even get me started on set-asides, reparations, and loan forgiveness.

This Gen Z generation (not all) mostly reminds me of the spoiled kid on the old Twilight Zone Show, “it’s a Good Life”: His name is Anthony Fremont. He’s six years old, with a cute little-boy face and blue, guileless eyes. But when those eyes look at you, you’d better start thinking happy thoughts because the mind behind them is absolutely in charge.

Life is eventually going to bite these immature little brats in the ass. Hard and tough times are a reality. Nothing worthwhile comes easy. The struggle is the thing that makes us strong. You need to go to the gym and work out. You need to learn to roll with the punches, not sit on your device and bitch about not getting your way or being offended by the latest micro-aggression. 

I would say they need to “grow up,” but the so-called adults in their life are treating them like Peter Pan. 

You know, there are a lot of similarities in the folks who populate this planet. In pragmatic terms, there may even be more traits that are alike than there are traits of fundamental differences.

We all can put personalities in boxes, and many sociologists, psychologists, behaviorists, and so on make a living defining those boxes. They may have a tool to detect the type of person you are dealing with, but even then, it is pretty much guesswork.

I think human traits possess more of a common denominator across all epochs, nationalities, and families. So I may see a birth-order trait and regional piques, but maybe I see them because I’m looking for them and imposing my preconceptions on the individual.

Sure there are assertive, aggressive, passive, etc. But these traits are learned and cultivated and can fluctuate back and forth with age, mood, and surroundings.

I am certainly not naive or simplistic enough not to recognize temperament types and other quirks and bents of mankind in a fallen world.

In summary, I see a multifaceted individual when I interact with people, and I try not to “pigeonhole” folks.

What to do when your networking events are taking you all your time and yielding little or no results. Well If I knew the answers I would be implementing them. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

Most of the time folks are going to these events just to promote and transact their own business. They are never going to be a net-worker they are just prospectors in my opinion. True net-workers are giving referrals and connecting folks.

Please leave your comments and opinions below I would love to learn new tricks.

The next most important tips in networking is referrals, both giving and receiving them. One important rule of thumb, you must give to get. If your not giving most folks will see right through you.

I have a simple form I use in emails for making introductions. I can let folks I meet introduce themselves own words. They also have my introduction handy. That way it’s not up to memory.

I am trying to build my list of folks I can help and refer. Below are my answers. reply with your answers to the questions in red. I keep these on file for referrals.

 What is a “Typical Situation” people are in when they realize they need your help? 

When a person is growing out of the solopreneur stage of business and are too busy working in their business and not on their business.  

 What is something someone might say that would lead me to think of you? 

They are going under in the waves and the details of their business. They better send out an SOS before they drown. We at Your Office SOS bring a 100 years’ experience to the rescue.  

 What (Specifically) do you do (3 lines Max)?

Business Development (Rainmaker) – i.e. sales, marketing, social media marketing, and branding.

Administrative Services – i.e. handling email, scheduling, calendar maintenance, etc. We make you look good!

Together we make you profitable and productive. Schedule a free consultation.

How do you do it (3 Lines Max)?

We are virtual so we can handle your office needs remotely from our office at a fraction of the cost of a physical office or co-working space.  

 How can I introduce you?

 We at Your Office SOS let you do what you do best and we handle the rest.

Avoid burnout -you can’t get back your health or your time!

We turn your life from crappy to happy!

The Basics

Dress for success! always be at your best professional image. Attitude counts, always be friendly and positive. Show up early.

The key to successful networking and connecting is primarily likeable. People can spot phony and scammer (even online.) Always be interested to be interesting. People don’t care how much you know but know about how much you care.

Have your thirty second and two-minute speeches down. More on that topic later.

Look folks in the eye. This is true in-person and online. Make sure that camera angle is favorable to that end for online meetings.

More tips to follow.