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Show Topics:

• Working with a team in other parts of the world
• Making business more human
• A system for generating ideas

Rob Hatch has been working with humans for over 20 years. He’s the COO of Human Business works which serves businesses around the world. It’s awfully easy to become lonely when you’re running your own business, especially if you don’t have employees. Rob’s team is helping combat that feeling.

Ten years ago, Rob was building childcare centers in fitness clubs when he reconnected with a childhood friend, Chris Brogan. Chris persuaded Rob to join his team and help run a few of his companies.

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“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

A short commercial that never aired, voiced by Steve Jobs. Are you crazy enough?

Blog to grow your business
At Need a Topic you’ll get topics, tips, & techniques three times a week to help you stand out from the crowd and actually make money from your time blogging. I cover writing, audio, and video to help you become profitable. Try the 7 day free trial.

Blogging is just like having a baby. A lot of fun to plan for and even more fun to create.

On the way home from the hospital with our first baby, Christine and I felt woefully inadequate for the responsibility ahead. Where was the owners manual?

It’s easy to create a blog, but it’s hard to keep it going. The missing owner’s manual is at Need a Topic.

For $1.62 per week you’ll get three emails: topic suggestions, tips to create better content more consistently, and techniques to help you connect with more people who will spread your message. My focus is on writers, podcasters, and video bloggers.

If you’re not a member, come join us for free this week. I’ll help you attract more readers and make more money.

Need proof that it works? Check out these great posts inspired by Need a Topic.

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Show Topics:

• Subscriptions to your blog: free vs paid
• What social media growth to track
• How to find inbound links to your blog
• Pricing a new service

Darrin has a question about email subscriptions. Should he stick with the free feedburner or pay for a service like Aweber (affiliate link)?

I got into a discussion about what to track in social media and I gave this to search for at yahoo.

www.coachradio.tv -domain:www.coachradio.tv

Craig sent me an email a few months ago about becoming a social media consultant. Since then he’s been working starting a blog and working with a holistic doctor on setting up a site with an online store, a blog, and an auto-responder.

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About 1.5 years ago an event in St. Louis changed the direction of my business and my life. I was invited to attend a high profile event the day after Easter, and I so didn’t want to leave my family on a holiday. I had enough of that in the airlines.

Ever the encourager, Christine pushed me to go; at least I could stay with my dad for two nights in Missouri.

After church that Sunday, we rushed home so I could grab my bags and head to the airport.

Lesson Learned

I arrived in St. Louis, had a great time with my dad and step-mom, then headed to  the event early the next morning. There were only four of us invited and I really felt like the odd-man out. Two of the companies were doing upwards of $100 million per year.

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Show Topics:

• $150 guitar straps in a $30 world
• Learning the hard way
• Paying for help when no money is coming in

Brian Griffith got an idea about three years ago to design and manufacture instrument straps and gear bags. It took him nine months to get his ideas off the ground and launch his business.

While the economy is suffering and people are out of work, Brian is selling $150+ guitar straps in a world where the average strap sells for just $20 – $30. You need to listen to Brian’s insight on how he’s making this work.

Brian is a former musician with a bachelor’s degree in film. He also studied design and got a job in the advertising world.

Content is king, so they say, so Brian is in the beginning stages of creating film with musicians and other artists. It’s a marketing strategy that has Brian telling stories and highlighting musicians, without actually talking about or selling he gear.

“You’re going to learn one way or the other, and it’s usually going to be the hard way.” – Brian Griffith

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When my friend, Kevin Small, asked if I’d like to review, The Hour that Matters Most, it sounded interesting, but I didn’t jump on it until I found out the authors are Les and Leslie Parrott. Many years ago, Christine and I read one of their classics, Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts. I still send that book to young couples who genuinely want to work on their marriage.

The Hour that Matters Most is about the power of sharing a family meal. It’s something Christine and I have always done together, and have found it especially important now that we’re responsible for turning three little girls into well-rounded human beings.

While I knew having meals together was important, I took much more out of this book, the biggest being how to actually talk to my kids.

“How was school today?”

“Fine.”

You’ve been there, right?

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The thing that sucks about launching a business is that it doesn’t always work. You can’t give up if it’s your dream and that’s what I talk about here.

More Trail Talk videos.