Wednesday, March 13, 2019

The Day Facebook Went Down - So What Can You Do?

Today was not a good day for Facebook and Instagram.   Its nearly two billion users day-to-day operation of posting, engaging and enraging came to a halt due to the multiple technical issues with the Facebook and Instagram platforms.  There was specific issues with slowness, posting links and some cases, simply logging in.   Considering how much much Facebook has invested in high availability and software, this is a big one.  It is amazing how consumed we are all are with social media, you would think we lost electricity or survival food.  This can't happen.   So what did we do back in 1995?

Anyway, since my business revolves around social media whether it is working with my clients, or interacting with my connections promoting my networking events or products and services, I started to think about the world outside of Facebook, and realized that there are other social media platforms that are pretty cool, very effective and contain much less drama.

So I pulled out my smartphone and started to go through my applications and I found some pretty cool social media alternatives to Facebook.   So here we go. 


Shapr - Yes, this is a new one which is sort of a dating meets professional networking application.   I have met some successful professionals on this site and it does a good job matching you with people you like to meet and do business with.  The key is when you make a connection, is to follow-up and take the next step.   If there is not an immediate need, I request to connect this person on Linkedin for future potential.

Which brings me to Linkedin, the ultimate professional network.   Linkedin is my favorite social media platform and it is truly the place to inspire, educate and engage with professionals.  When Facebook is down and you want to get serious, Linkedin is a great alternative.  You feel like you just listened to a great educational podcast versus some mindset drama on the entertainment channel on Sirrus.  I also recommend using Linkedin to prospect and connect and to share your knowledge and offering value to your connections.


Before Facebook, there was Twitter.  Before Facebook Live and Instagram Stories, there was Periscope, the first true live platform.  Twitter is more real time and you feel closer to your celebrity connections on this platform.   Twitter does not get the credit it deserves because it is still text based versus visual, although that has changed a lot in the past year.  I recommend spending some time on this platform and updating your profile and study what is trending.   Twitter is really enjoying days like today with all the Facebook problems, claiming to its billion users, that is it still here.


Another Social Media Platform that has held its ground is Pinterest, you known the Pin Board.  Pinterest is also a serious platform with lots of great options for education, shopping and visual delight.  I always recommend Pinterest for any business that is selling visual products such as real estate, clothes, food and jewelry to name a few.    Once you are on Pinterest, you realize that you can spend hours on the site and feel like you didn't waste any time feeding through the drama.   I really pin pictures on Pinterest and realized that I now have over 250k visits to my profile a month! 


Finally, I would mention Google+, but that went out of business on February 28th, so I will mention Google's Social Media Site, YouTube.   YouTube is another addictive platform and there could be some drama depending on what you are searching for.  It is an amazing platform for learning and also to share your expertise.   You Tube videos are not as viral for the standard user as Facebook Live videos are, but it is great platform for promoting your brand.   YouTube is still the most important platform for promoting music.   Check out how many views of that Despacito video and you know this site has some power.

So I hope Facebook can figure out its problems today and put everyone at ease that the world is all good.   But always remember, there is always an alternative out there.   I bet the millennials are thinking, what the heck did the old people do before Facebook?   It is same thought we had before electricity was invented.




Friday, March 8, 2019

Why Business Networking & Residual Income is Essential for Your Retirement

We are in a much different world today compared to your grandparents or even your parents world was like prior to 50 years ago. 


Back then, one parent worked full-time at one job or ran one business and was the primary breadwinner while the other parent stayed at home and took care of the household.   The family can easily survive on one income and the parents were able to retire knowing their company pension & Social Security was all they need to have a nice retirement of golfing and sunshine.  There was really no such thing as business networking in the format it is in today and if you had a side hustle, you may been classified as a greasy old car salesman and did not fit into the norm.   Honestly, it was a good life since it seemed there was less stress and family values were a priority.


Today, there is a lot of more pressure and the norm is change, whether it is your job, business, financial situation.   Less than 5% of professionals stay at a job more than 10 years and 60% of Americans live check-to-check and are not saving for retirement.  Most professionals are in a state where they need to be proactive about their career and their success and not rely on their company to be loyal to them and build their career path.  Everyone today needs to be the CEO of their own domain and those that don't, are left behind and fall into that "check-to-check" and "no retirement" demographic.

The good news with today's world is that there are more options than ever to build your own domain.    The options that stand out today are Business Networking and Residual Income.  There are more opportunities than ever to build your own legacy and retirement success using these tools.   You can networking offline at events, especially in big cities and online via social media platforms like LinkedIN.  In terms of Residual Income, whether you earn residual income via real estate, network marketing or online learning, the sky is the limit to build a financial component that makes you money while you sleep.   Residual Income used to be a dirty word back in the days of the one income family, but now it should be part of every professionals financial plan to stability.


I wanted to share my story.  Prior to 2007, I had one source of income from one job and once the work day was over, I did the typical activities like watching TV, going to the gym or hanging with friends.  In 2007, I went to my first networking event and then in 2008, I was introduced to residual income.  It was a whole new world, but slowly but surely it caught on, and now today in 2019, I run a successful business networking group and currently have multiple sources of income (most residually) with the goal to retire from the typical corporate job in a few years, much earlier than most of my colleagues I graduated with.

The model I have built for me and my family in order to have an amazing and financially free retirement is my business networking and side hustles I am doing alongside my primary job.  Now don't get me wrong, I still want to have a "working retirement" focusing on my passion of helping others whether is with their health, their business or their financial situation.  However, I feel like it is absolutely essential to build a residual income today.  Social Security is good enough to buy your monthly groceries.  Nobody has a pension anymore, and you how your retirement portfolio is doing.   The stock market today is absolute drama and most companies don't even match your 401k contributions anymore.  You are essential on your own to make sure you are not a Walmart greeter just to make ends meet at the ripe old age of 82. 


So where does business networking come in?  It is the referral base, the lead generator that introduces you to the right people that can use the products and services you provide via your side hustles.   Hopefully, you are building side hustles that truly provide you with residual income.  Real Estate investing is the most popular, but network marketing is the least risky.  I encourage you to take the idea of building a residual income seriously and if you are approached with an opportunity to build something, don't close yourself off, since it may be your path to controlling your own domain.



Monday, March 4, 2019

Why the Fitness Club is Better Than the Nightclub

It is hard to believe I turned the big 5-0 last month considering how I do not feel old at all and have a zest for life and am excited for what is ahead.   I am involved with a lot of side hustles and run professional networking events in the Boston area and the majority of the attendees are younger and serious about their career and life which is enlightening.  Hanging with so many successful young professionals has had an amazing positive effect on me that I feel like I have just turned 30 instead!

I remember back when I was in my 20s, it was all about partying till 4am at the various nightclubs in Boston, Providence and even the occasional trip to a warm climate.   My colleagues had the day job, then went out till 4am, got up at noon and may hit the gym to sweat out the hangover.   Fitness was important but not the center of life then.  It was all about how hungover you can get.


As I got older, the nightclubs started to close and more fitness clubs were opening.   I remembered a time when Rte. 9 in Framingham was a strip of nightclubs whereas today it is dotted with fitness clubs.   The fitness club was becoming the new nightclub where people congregate, shared workouts and diets and even met their significant other.   I was pretty amazed when I went to the gym on a Friday evening recently and it was packed.  Back in 1995, you went to the gym on a Friday night, you were a loser.

Today, people are healthier than ever.   With yoga, SoulCycle, Crossfit and your basic free weights, it is cool to be into fitness, and not cool to smoke cigarettes.    That is why of all of my business ventures, my health/wellness business is my baby.

So why is the Fitness Club Better Than the Nightclub?

1)  Being active in a Fitness Program is an Investment in Your Health whereas investing in a cocktail at a Nightclub will only result in a headache and oversleeping the next day.   You feel amazing after a workout and are ready to tackle the day.   After a big night out, the only thing you are tackling is your pillow.

2)  People are positive and happy at the gym.  You notice that people encourage you at the gym and smile (well except for those that overdid it with some of  those supplements).   There is no drama at the gym, it is all business.   At a nightclub, it is all about drama.   Well look at her or why is the bartender so slow.   Why are there so many brawls and bad stories at the end of a night out?   Don't see that at a fitness club.

3) Successful people tend to congregate at the gym.    I met a lot of entrepreneurs and forward thinkers at the gym, even on a Friday night.   Refer to #2, nightclubs tend to congregate people that have no direction in life.   It is all about who you  hang with, right?


So hopefully, you will join the fitness revolution and get strong, feel great and look great!   I am rooting for you and want you to think 50 is the new 30 and 60 is the new 40.   It is the best de-aging process there is, so let's rock, at the fitness club.

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