Dana Peloso, Founder of Dana Peloso Content Marketing (Webster, MA)

Dana Peloso’s BIOGRAPHY~
In my 18+ years of service in public safety, I have exemplified exceptional leadership while under immense pressure. While my “verbal judo’ has aided me in de-escalating some of the most serious situations in the past, these skills along with my entrepreneurial drive have enabled me to successfully impact public relations and marketing campaigns.
Leveraging my past experiences and my endless desire to educate, improve myself has been among my greatest joys throughout all of my collaborations.

 

 

 

 

 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

BSO: Tell us about the inception of your freelance content marketing work (www.danapeloso.com).

DP:

My  freelance marketing career began a little over a month ago. I had just recently left a career in law enforcement due to a significant on the job injury.

I have always been involved in marketing in one way or another throughout my life in some facet of life so this seemed like a natural  transition from sworn life to civilian life.

In doing so, I was met with some uphill battles.  Marketing and public relations are a tough field to break into.  There are a lot of great people already established here.  I had to learn fast.  So I dedicated nearly a month prior to “breaking out”, if you will, and I studied everything and anything in order to improve my skills.

When I felt that I was ready,  I released my own brand and began to hit the ground running!

 

BSO: There is no typical day when creating online content for mission-driven organizations. Share with us your a.m. to p.m. schedule.

DP:

There absolutely is no typical day with creating online content!  Thankfully I have a supportive wife and family!

When I was a police officer my phone was always on and ringing at all hours of the night for various things.  Now, it rings nonstop during the day.

I start my day at 5am with a cup of coffee and some household chores.  That allows me the quiet time to be alone and get my mind cleared and in place.  I then will typically read a verse from the Bible.  It is God who got me here and I have to keep God in the forefront of my mind in order to continue to push through and succeed.  Then, I go for a walk around our block for a bit to burn some energy.  When I am done and ready to go for the day, I open up my planner.  I am old school with some facets of life, I keep a written journal of tasks, scheduled items and then some simple reminders and affirmations that I turn to throughout the day.

I try and spread my week out with various things based on their respective deadlines.

Sunday nights into Mondays are content production, Monday will be content production and follow up phone calls and emails and so on.  I am very structured and regimented so a lot of my routine is just that, routine!

 

BSO: What are your ‘can’t live without’ apps?

DP:

The apps that I can’t live without is a pretty simple list… Hootsuite, Act! and my calendar!  I absolutely can’t live without my day planner, and note book. They travel everywhere with me as well as my Bible.

 

BSO: What are your proudest achievements, professional & personal ?

DP:

My proudest achievements professionally is what I am living through right now.  If you ask any Cop what the best job in the world is and they will tell you it’s being a cop.  So many of us identify ourselves by our badge that it is unfortunately a difficult persona to escape.

I say escape because it truly is that.  From the moment you cross the threshold into the Police Academy and throughout your career it is beat (sometimes literally) into you head that there is no other career besides being a cop.

It’s simply not true.  There is more to life than the tin on your chest and the patch on your sleeve.  I hung up my duty belt due to complications from an injury that I incurred on the job yet I still had a massive identity crisis thereafter.  My proudest profession achievement is moving on.  It isn’t easy.

My proudest achievement personally has been the number of times that I have ridden in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC). I have four solid years under the belt of various miles, but what truly matters is the good that it has done for so many.  I continue to fundraise for Dana Farber every year using my PMC fundraising site (Shameless plug! Pmc.org/dp0229  GO DONATE!). The amount of good that the Dana Farber Cancer Institute does every day for their patients battling cancer is truly amazing.  So I have made it my life’s mission to continue to do my part to help DFCI!

 

BSO: What are your favorite news feeds?

DP:

My favorite news feeds have grown lately!  I have always been a fan of Matt Drudge, so I read the Drudge Report daily.  I recently subscribed and absolutely love Boston Business Journal and I have always been a fan of Boston Magazine since I lived there in 2003!  I tend to read a lot of news articles throughout the day, it would be tough to narrow it down much more than that!

 

BSO: What are your most rewarding charitable involvements?

DP:

My most rewarding Charitable involvements sort of piggy backs on the aforementioned.

Dana Farber Cancer Institute is by far my top pick.  I did a lot of work as a Police Officer for the CT chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  They are an amazing organization.  They provide so much for the families of victims of drunk or distracted driving and they push on even through these tough times.  I have helped a number of others, but those two are my go to’s.  I have helped with the Special Olympics on a number of occasions as well as the CT Cancer Foundation, High Pointe Church Youth Ministry in Thompson CT.

 

BSO: You have a diverse career path of public safety, fundraising and social media content creation. Who has influenced your career the most and what is your vision for your future career path? Also, How has Covid19 impacted your work ?

DP:

My career has been extremely diverse yet extremely focused.

I have mostly always been involved in some form of public safety since I was 16 years old when I started volunteering with my local fire department.  To say that any one PERSON influenced me in particular I cannot.  I have had a LOT of great people who have had influences on me both good and bad and with the bad you have to use that as a learning experience.

Matt Garcia, Jon Cerruti and Mark Divine were three Sergeants whom  I once worked for while dispatching with the CT State Police.  Those three men were some of the most honorable and respectful men I have ever known and ever worked for.  They taught me what it is to be a great leader, to be fair and honest at all times and then some.

I would be remisced if I didn’t mention one of my best friends, Joe Sharkey.  I have known him since I was 18 years old.  I always looked up to him as a kid and wanted to be the type of cop that he was only to realize his more than just a cop.  He was one of the most amazing people I have ever known.  I was like a little kid meeting his favorite baseball player when I finally got to work with him as a cop.  He and I still stay in close contact now and he continues to be an exemplary mentor although he will say he has done nothing….

Last in this list, however foremost in my life, is God.  God has led me in times that I wasn’t aware he was leading me straight through today now that I know he is.  We can’t fight God.  He has the plan mapped out for us, its up to us to see the signs and follow them.  I left law enforcement for a reason at a time that I will never understand and it is not up to me to understand.  I just have to roll with it and make the best of it and hope that I am doing right by God.

COVID 19 (un)fortunately has been a huge help for me.  It has allowed me the personal time to break through the funk that I was in and study.  It allowed me to hit the ground running with the determination and stamina like no other.  I hate that so many people have to go through what they are going and want it to stop but my family has never been closer than it is right now.  Check out my blog where I  wrote about this! I can attach it too for anyone who may want to see it.

 

BSO: What is your advice for anyone interested in a career in mission-driven content creation ? 

DP:

The advice that I have for anyone looking for mission driven content creation is simple: Do it.

Get out there, make a big splash in the pond and continue to splash around until you are seen by someone.  Then keep going.  Its corny, but I tell my kids all the time, Life’s a Garden, Dig it!

Edith Moricz, Founder of FastTrack2YrDreamJob 🚀💼coaching program~LinkedIn’s #1 Career Coach 2017 (Boston, MA)

by Wayne Johnson, Sr. Virtual Project Manager & Intercultural Specialist

https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynekjohnson/

Wayne Johnson is Sr. Virtual Project Manager, Intercultural Specialist, and Curriculum Design Expert with Advanced Automation Corporation based in Barrington, Rhode Island.

He lived, conducted research and worked in Asia for 14 years

He studied and conducted research in Western Europe, in addition to working and conducting research in Eastern Europe before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

While Springtime is usually a time for hope, renewal, and strength, the Spring of 2020 has put those qualities to an extreme test as record numbers of Americans are losing their jobs. Today, we talk to Edith Moricz, an expert job coach, who shares her strategies for job searching in the Covid-19 landscape.

 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

WJ: When we met ten years ago, you were Director of Development and Marketing at a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since then, you have launched a successful career coaching company. With so many people struggling to manage the challenges brought on by this crisis, what are the top things you recommend to professionals to quickly adapt and thrive in this environment, and even land their dream job?

EM:

Successful job searching has a few core components, even more so in these recent weeks: branding, narrative, job search schedule, and positioning. I work with clients daily on these components.

Based on my career path, my ability to quickly redefine my schedule and focus on targeting core online and offline activities led to my own success story.

I share each of these immediately actionable strategies and customize them with every client, step-by-step, and they achieve tangible results. All of my strategies are designed to be implemented online first, in the interest of immediacy, so they can genuinely and positively leverage the silver linings in social distancing.

 

WJ: As a private career coach, you launched Fasttrack2YrDreamJob almost five years ago, providing coaching support to individuals, remotely, by phone and video. You were named #1 Career Coach in 2017 by LinkedIn.

How is Fasttrack2YrDreamJob assisting professionals with their job search within the current climate?

EM:

Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, I’ve offered complimentary 15-minute phone coaching consultations with three actionable strategies that can be implemented immediately toward landing a dream job. My comprehensive coaching program is usually five weeks; however, I now offer an abbreviated coaching program for three weeks. This program entails a one-day, executive-level coaching session that provides supplementary coaching calls over the following three-week period. I offer flexible payment plans and special rates to accommodate the diverse needs of professionals in transition during these changing times.

 

WJ: What should professionals who are looking for new employment, be doing while in isolation?

EM:

I think professionals in job transition need to focus on three things:

• Maximizing their online branding;
• Designing their efficient, effective job search schedule, and;
• Highlighting their impact on organizations.

 

WJ: How can your clients best work on their branding in these times?

EM:

LinkedIn needs to be a significant part of their branding and success story. My program addresses core beliefs and problem-solving skills in detail, along with immediate strategies for seeing results as quickly as is possible. It is essential for professionals in a job transition period to use this time to do two key activities proactively:

1. Re-evaluate your core beliefs about your life and career path, as well as your most significant skill sets
2. Focus on 3-5 ways that you see gaps and resolve problems, both as an organization and as an individual.

 

WJ: As many of us are transitioning from brick and mortar to working remotely from our homes, our performance is now the only aspect of work that is important. What questions should professionals be asking of themselves in this transition process when looking for a new job? 

EM:

First, I think of these essential three questions:

• What productivity goals are we setting for ourselves daily?
• Using SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely), are we maximizing our value added based on our skills and experience?
• Are we balancing our creative thinking with our strategic planning?

My own approach is to equate my productivity to 3-5 deadline-driven deliverables per day. There is a big difference between task-oriented work and work that adds substantially toward a more significant—deadline-driven—l goal. Most professionals have deadlines for deliverables for an external or internal client. There are also deadlines for increasing or modifying efficiencies in our workflow. There is also a new benchmark, content creation, which is mostly online and can be almost entirely leveraged through LinkedIn—in addition to other social media sites, such as Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

The final component, and an essential one, is how we are maximizing our creative talent each day. I firmly believe that it feeds our productivity. In any given week, productivity is measured by how significantly quantitatively and qualitatively we are moving toward adding value as professionals to our organization and our community.

As an example, I define productivity as both working on my coaching program as well as in my program. On it means updating my processes, creating more efficiencies and enhancements to improve the work I do. It means providing support for my clients across the board. Essentially, each client is at a different stage of the program, so there are distinct deliverables each week. My basic rule of thumb, with few exceptions, is to divide my day and week into parts—morning and evening are a combination of physical, mental wellness, and creativity. These pieces help me maximize my value-added.

My productivity is measured by the quality of the deliverable that I provide each client each week. I then switch to either content creation /branding or industry research. Among my industry experts or tools for insightful knowledge are the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LinkedIn, Entrepreneur magazine, and Forbes, in addition to research that I follow on the critical topics of interest to me within the investment industry, philanthropy and coaching industries.

Second, how are we creating efficiencies and or opportunity, that, perhaps, didn’t exist before?

Brainstorming and creative thinking are more essential now than ever before. 

Sharing ideas, knowledge, and bouncing around ideas are among the many ways to consider what’s not working with existing processes or products or services and how improvements can be made by leveraging skills, talents that come naturally to our team members or us. In other words, what are a few skills or areas of expertise that can be applied to the existing problems, or problems that your clients or the community will be facing and how can you initially test your ideas/solutions out while being efficient in the process? It may start initially with a list of customer problems that you focus on or bottlenecks in the existing process. When we put our heads together and combine our passions, inspiration to do good, and skills that come quickly to us, making a difference AND an impact flow freely. It also taps into our creativity.

I used this same thinking process when I launched RocketYourNonProfit.co fundraising coaching program. I did the same with BeyondSuccessOnlinebyEdith.com blog that I created in 2009.

Third, how are we each sharing and highlighting our impact on our organization’s goals or our impact on our talents, skills, passion, and expertise?

LinkedIn is the critical online professional platform for showing the big picture. LinkedIn shows our 30k foot summary. In other words, if you summarize your expertise, experiences, it expresses the top 3-5 problems you have solved, over your career, for organizations or individuals. When concisely described, your LinkedIn profile should showcase your skills, expertise in a way that entices professionals to keep reading about your accomplishments.

For my LinkedIn profile, I highlight my recognition from LinkedIn, my career coaching brand, and distinct credentials that support my work. In the body of my LinkedIn summary, the About section, I focus on my relationship management/leadership experiences in the financial services, fundraising, and academic industries.

 

WJ: Switching gears in the current pandemic and following up more on the evolution from working in corporate locations to working out of an office environment, what do people need to learn about working remotely?

EM:

Remote working is a cultural shift in everyone’s mindset. In its purest form it is called a Results‐Only Work Environment (ROWE) culture, gorowe.com. In a ROWE, both employers and employees need to realize that work is a VERB, not a noun. Work is what you do, and success is based on your results. Again, this is a paradigm shift about what is “work” and what is “success”. For many, it is a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. The gossip in the office should never evaluate successful work within any organization with statements like “what time did Siena come in today” and “how long did she stay at the office”. Work is evaluated by results—period. This pandemic has shown many of us that irrefutable positive results are achieved while not actually in the office. These times have displayed that the old notion of you need to be in your office, to be working, are long gone. 

In a ROWE, if organizations and staff set up clear goals, timelines, and metrics, they can work wherever they want, whenever they want, if the work is getting done! ROWE results-based organizations give employees greater ownership, and in these situations, productivity increases—a lot! Again, ROWE is a cultural shift, and one of the only good things that has come out of the pandemic.

 

WJ: What has career coaching been like given social distancing, and given the remote nature of the process you’ve designed?

EM:

Basically, I zero in on how to position each individual’s talents, skills, passions, and career paths using only remote access technology. This has been an integral part of my custom program since day one in 2015. For that reason, how I coach each client through Fasttrack2YrDreamJob is to seamlessly dovetail the client’s job transition in light of the current environment. With my five years of invaluable experience in remote coaching processes, after success as a leader in other fields, I have been able to continue to leverage the platform of remote accessibility to continue maximizing the opportunities for clients that match their aspirations and talents.

 

WJ: Edith, you began your career as a financial advisor, then a fundraiser, then a turn in academia, followed by leading as Director of Development and Marketing at a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts. How did this path prepare you to transition to Fasttrack2YrDreamJob and using your tools and techniques to aid others?

EM:

My 25-year career path—in several organizations and, now, privately—includes financial advising, charitable fundraising, academia, and coaching. My fundraising workshops led to my partnering with several non-profits in Massachusetts, leading workforce development workshops with diverse audiences throughout the year. Most notably, I’ve been partnering with the Professional Development Collaborative, Inc. pdcboston.org, where I have been leading fundraising workshops for seven consecutive years.

 

WJ: Great! You were named #1 Career Coach in 2017 by LinkedIn. How do you feel about your current situation?

EM:

I am immensely “inspired” by each of my clients’ life stories, and I am passionate about being a part of their journeys to achieve career and personal success and impact the community and organizations that value their talent and expertise. I’m very excited and humbled that my mission to help talented, motivated professionals has supported so many professionals nationwide and helped them land their dream job.

My primary goal is to ensure that those in job transition can avoid the enormous frustrations, disappointments, and stresses that I went through historically, in my own career searches. My greatest joy is receiving that phone call from my clients, and hearing:

“I accepted the job offer for my dream job—I’m ecstatic.“

 

WJ: Through our collaborations, you have consistently focused on believing in the full potential of each individual. Can you tell us about that and the influence it has had on your customized coaching programs?

EM:

Thank you for recognizing that, Wayne. My coaching program’s success is based heavily on the value each person puts on their individual work and life experiences. My clients need to accurately convey their belief in this value, verbally and in writing, before, during, and after interviews. I emphasize this philosophy throughout the program.

The most notable lesson I learned from my job transitions has been the critical ways that talented, motivated professionals impact organizations and the community as a whole. In fact, I can’t emphasize this concept enough with my clients. This is a central theme in my coaching program.

 

WJ: How can interested professionals contact you?

EM:

LinkedIn.com/in/edithmoriczmba or 617-755-1772 or info@rocketyournonprofit.co

 

Claibourn Hamilton, Design & Art Direction for ClaibournHamilton.com

Design & Art Direction ~ NEW YORK

L’Oreal USA | M A C Cosmetics | Le Metier de Beaute Luxury Cosmetics | LVMH Fragrance Brands, Givenchy + Kenzo | New Avon

 

Claibournhamilton.com

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

BSO: Since our interview years ago, please share with us ways in which you’ve 1) challenged yourself and 2) grown, personally AND professionally.

CH:

Since our interview several years ago:

1) Professionally, my performance came to an all-time high as a Senior Designer at Givenchy Beauty in 2016-2017. I managed the retail promotional design needs for the brand’s North American region. The role required me to juggle multiple creative tasks with an even higher level of detail. Since juggling & multi-tasking has always been a challenge for me, I set up accountability measures to ensure success from day to day.

2) My personal growth was enhanced when I enrolled in Momentum Education’s series of personal development courses in 2018. Working in teams, as well as group exercises,  I learned how to resolve breakdowns in every aspect of life. This sort of life-coaching taught me how to be more authentic, aware and vulnerable with myself and others.

BSO: With what you’ve learned about yourself and all that you’ve achieved, what are 3 pieces of advice you’d give your younger self?

CH:

With all I have experienced and learned in my adult life, three pieces of advice I would give my younger self would be:

– Be yourself…own your magic

– Speak up…express yourself

– Be pragmatic when setting personal and professional goals

BSO: That never ending ‘balance’ question (wellness, career and family). What’s your typical day look like ? Or share with us a sample of 2 days.

CH:

My work life is quite demanding, so I have to be intentional to achieve that ‘balance’ in professional & personal life. Being a workaholic, has required me to implement a hard start & stop time in my work day. This also includes walking out of doors everyday during lunch to revive my senses. I also I set up at least two days per week for a morning or evening yoga practice at home, using the Asana Rebel app. All of this has helped me be aware of my weaknesses so that I may reserve my resources to build upon my strengths.

 

BSO: To function at our highest level and to continue tapping into our creativity, Weekends should be restorative, physically and mentally. What does yours look like ?

CH:

Excursions to Beacon, in upstate NY with my Husband. This is our time to reconnect with one another, and with nature. Taking long walks, or going on a hike is usually involved. Having the luxury of escaping NYC from time to time would help to enhance our minds, bodies and souls. If we can’t make it Beacon, then we usually find ourselves in Central Park bike riding, or simply at the beach on Fire Island during warmer Seasons.

 

BSO: Please share with us what we can look forward to in terms of projects you are working on or your next exciting venture. 

CH:

I’ve worked as a Graphic Designer, supporting the 2D creative needs of visual merchandising for beauty & fashion; this has become my creative niche. However, I have never learned the auto-cad, or 3D skill set associated with the development of visual merchandising display units and store design; that is, until now….I recently received a certification in Visual Merchandising Design this past Summer from Pratt Institute. Since I regularly liaise with visual merchandising teams, it was inevitable  I would make this pivot. Currently, I am a design consultant at Bobbi Brown Cosmetics ; I recently migrated to the 3D visual merchandising team. This new phase in my career will give me the opportunity to harness my expanded creative skill-set so that I can create new design concepts.

Angela Giles, Business Coach | Social Media & Marketing Expert | Speaker | Author (Boulder City, Nevada)

Angela Giles is a self-made businesswoman, author, speaker and consultant leading people to their path to success. She is one of the most sought-after business coaches for lead generation on the West Coast.

As co-founder of YES! Method^TM, Angela offers her clients a dynamic program that is based on simple secrets for BIG results. She is committed to helping independent entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals accelerate their business profits and increase their bottom line. Since launching YES! Method^TM, she has helped her clients to achieve 6-figure launches and go from making mediocre sales to effortlessly generating $32,000 within a 6-week period.

Angela has a solid 17-year background with proven performance in business coaching and marketing. She also holds a bachelor degree in political science. It is this combination that has helped to develop her entirely unique and highly successful approach to analyzing consumer behavior and staying on top of an ever-changing industry.

She is a regular speaker on the topic of influential communication and marketing and her book From Mind to Mouth walks readers through the essentials of communicating effectively with anybody, anywhere— as this is the key (and often missing) ingredient when it comes to closing a sale.

Angela offers private business coaching and consulting, as well as select advertising services to a limited number of clients per year. Her passion is helping people significantly increase their revenue through added traffic, subscribers, clients, affiliates, lucrative strategic alliances and targeted media attention. See some of her testimonials at https://angelagiles.com/testimonials.

You are welcome to get in touch with Angela at angela@angelagiles.com

Specialties: Marketing, Lead Generation, Social Media Marketing, Sales Strategy, Advertising, Media, Coaching, Consulting, Training, Speaking, Success, Entrepreneur, Public Relations

 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

 

BSO : Since our interview years ago, please share with us ways in which you’ve 1) challenged yourself and 2) grown, personally AND professionally.

 

AG:

I have started doing some more speaking and using a new time management system.  I use timer and set it for 25 mins. I then focus entirely on one task with no distractions for 25 mins!  I only do 8 of these a day! It has been super effective for me to get things done.

 

BSO : With what you’ve learned about yourself and all that you’ve achieved, what are 3 pieces of advice you’d give your younger self ?

AG: 

Dont take yourself so seriously.

Save money every month for retirement.

Spend time with people you love.

 

BSO : That never ending ‘balance’ question (wellness, career and family). What’s your typical day look like ? 

AG:

Really it goes back to the 25 minute segments I utilize.  I also make sure I get a good nights sleep. I also have really incorporated eating healthy organic foods.

 

BSO: To function at our highest level and to continue tapping into our creativity, Weekends should be restorative, physically and mentally. What does yours look like ?

AG:

To be quite frank, I spend Saturday doing all the little things that didn’t get done during the week.  My husband and I have a date night every weekend. We have been married 21 years and it has kept our relationship strong.  Sunday is family and worship day.

 

BSO: Please share with us what we can look forward to in terms of projects you are working on or your next exciting venture.

AG:

I am building out my blogging more and developing a new course on how to actually make a SHIZZ ton of money selling an info product on line.

Quentin Allums, TEDx Speaker |CEO, Urban Misfit Ventures | Video Storytelling (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

 

Quentin Allums is a speaker, community builder, as well as the CEO of Urban Misfit Ventures, a fast growing startup based out of Milwaukee (www.urbanmisfitventures.com). He has amassed over 10 million views on LinkedIn content and was one of the first video creators on the platform. He’s spoken at events such as VidCon, TEDx, and is an upcoming speaking at Inbound 2019.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW

 

BSO: Tell us about the inception of your business.

QA:

I was at a point in my entrepreneurial career where I finally found something that was working after failing so many times before.

I had just gone into a large organization to do a training on personal branding for their executives and I had a handful of retainer clients. But I had an idea for another company. Something that excited me. Because I was tired of doing “work”. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to impact people. And do it alongside people that I cared about.

It’s kind of a crazy story honestly, but it goes back to college.

Izzy was one of my first friends in college. He was the reason I got into marketing in the first place. I remember there was an internship, that I really wanted, but was WAY underqualified for. I applied and didn’t hear anything back. Izzy went to a networking event and ran into a person that would later be my boss. Izzy went to bat for me. And I got an email to meet the next day.

I got the job.

Izzy also introduced me to a guy that was crushing it on Instagram, Optic.Legacy

Six years later,  I met him. His name is Brema, and we met through a group that was trying to do something similar (at least at the time that we started) as my company now. They ended up kicking myself and Brema out of the group for creative differences. I hired Brema to shoot video for that personal branding training that I had mentioned above. I loved his work.

And Eric, I met through Twitter. I reached out to get coffee because he was in Milwaukee and did great work. We talked about everything and it blew my mind that this guy didn’t see the talent and potential that I saw in him almost immediately. I pushed him to jump on LinkedIn. And at the time I had convinced a lot of people to do so (and most of them quit). Eric created for 90 days straight. Which impressed me. We started a YouTube channel together. That wasn’t enough so I asked him to start a company. This company.

We hired Brema to do our inital photo shoot. He liked what we were doing so he asked to join. And then Izzy, my old college roommate, was transitioning from a previous role as Director of Corporate Sponsorships. He joined.

The company has morphed and pivoted but that was our inception. And it’s grown faster than any of us ever expected.

BSO: There is no typical day in the life of an entrepreneur. Share with us your a.m. to p.m.

QA:

I’m typically up by 5am. I work best in the morning and late in the evenings. I listen to an e-book or my meditation app on my walk into the office. My dog is usually always with me as well.

I like to work alone for the first few hours of my day, so that’s usually in the office or just at my place. I usually focus on my major task of the day during this time.

We have a daily team meeting every morning at 10am. From there all structure goes out of the door for me. Meetings, calls, content, strategy, hires, emails, putting out a fire, more meetings, meeting with our business coach, client meetings when I am needed, etc. I lift every other day at 2pm as well. And my evenings, I am either with my girlfriend, at an event, speaking, or doing research on the e-sports industry (or just playing video games).

BSO: What are your ‘can’t live without’ software applications?

QA:

Google Calendar is all I need. To-Do-ist is also pretty rad. And my personal assistant. I would be lost without my personal assistant haha.

BSO: What was the best advice you received when you started your business ?

QA:

You don’t have a business until you sell something.

 

BSO: What has been your strategy for building awareness of your business ?

QA:

1. 1. Building a community.
   2. Bringing constant value
   3. Crafting a story that is about our followers and the lifestyle. It’s not about us.

BSO: What are your proudest achievements, professional & personal ?

QA:

Honestly, I feel like I am just getting started. I still have so much that I want to accomplish. It still shocks me every day that we employ people. We have changed lives and I will never take that for granted.

I’m proud of how far I’ve come. TEDx was awesome. VidCon was awesome. I’m excited to speak at Inbound 2019 in a month. I love the impact that we’ve been able to have on our clients.

BSO: What are you currently reading ?

QA:

1. 1. The Strategies of War
   2. This Is Not a T-Shirt: A Brand, a Culture, a Community–a Life in Streetwear

 

BSO: What are your most rewarding charitable involvements?

QA:

The community that we are building. Honestly, it is just the beginning but seeing people achieve their dreams is more fullfilling that achieving my own sometimes.

 

BSO: Who has influenced your career the most? 

1. 1. My friend Kendrick, who is the reason that I got into video. He also helped me out a ton when I launched my first venture.
   2. Izzy for pushing me towards marketing & showing me that age is just a number.
   3. Brittany Krystle has impacted me a lot when it comes to my personal branding ideology. She also is a main reason why I continued to speak after performing poorly.
   4. My mother.
   5. Kobe Bryant. For showing me that it’s okay to be “competitive”. And that you need to lean into who you are, it doesn’t matter what works for other people.
   6. Sophia Amoruso for showing me that being different is better than being better.
   7. Jason Silva, who is by far my biggest content inspiration.
   8. Jackie Hermes, who is now a client. But she was the second boss that I had in the marketing field. She taught me a lot. She still teaches me a lot and I hope I do as well in return.

 

BSO: What is your advice for starting a business?

QA:

Don’t listen (too much) to people giving advice.

Find what works for you.

You could read a million books and listen to a million podcasts. But at the end of the day you have to DO something.

Test. Try. Fail. Find something that works and lean into it. Again, you don’t have a business until you sell something. Go sell.