Work-Life Balance for CEOs
Council member George Forsythe called me last fall. He told me that like most CEOs, he has struggled with work-life balance, trying to fit it everything in, and reacting to everyone else’s needs. He told me how he had found Stew Friedman’s Total Leadership and he started changing his life. George shared that he now enjoys better health, better relationships with family and co-workers, and increased community involvement. George said, “I feel much more in control of how I choose to spend my time.”
I happen to know 200 more CEOs who face the same challenges! I got off the phone with George and called Stew. I learned that he did not develop his work in some ivory tower, but in the trenches at Ford Motor Company. Stew now teaches Total Leadership to business students at the Wharton School, where his course is perennially ranked a favorite. And, he takes his life changing work to major corporations all over the globe.
We convinced Stew to offer a one-day workshop for us in Richmond on October 13. We are opening up this workshop to area CEOs and their executive teams. I hope that you will take the time to change your life for the better. You can learn more and sign up here.
Social Media Expert Corey Perlman Shares Strategies
VACEOs members have a thirst for knowledge. They relish Council events that expose them to best-selling authors and wholeheartedly dive into conversations with national thought leaders. They hunger for ways to streamline their operations, engage their employees and market their businesses.
On May 25, members got a chance to hear from Corey Perlman – consultant, nationally recognized social media expert and author of Social Media Overload! His presentation – “Simple Social Media Strategies for Overwhelmed and Time-Deprived Businesses” – could not have been more relevant for his audience.
Perlman challenged us to prioritize our activity on social media platforms – to “buckle down where buyers are” and not be tempted by platforms that don’t make sense for our business. He advised us to create a team or bring in an agency to help with social media instead of trying to do everything ourselves. He also introduced us to a social media sales funnel to guide us through ALL the reasons to participate in social media (it’s NOT all about generating leads), and encouraged us to think outside the box when it comes to content and to be patient for results.
We won’t share everything we learned, but here are five actionable items every CEO of a small or medium-sized business can use to their advantage.
https://www.facebook.com/vaceos/videos/1595840410428127/
FIVE SOCIAL MEDIA ACTION ITEMS FOR EVERY CEO
1. TAKE INVENTORY
Google your business and yourself. What platforms are you on? Don’t forget to check out reviewer sites and personal/company/employee LinkedIn accounts. How’s your brand looking?
2. PRIORITIZE YOUR PLATFORMS
Do you really need to be on Twitter? Maybe not. Not sure where which platforms you should be on? Google the demographics of each and ask your customers. Double down on a few instead of spreading yourself too thin.
3. UPDATE
When was the last time you updated your website? Was it more than three years ago? If so, it’s time to update to current standards. And while you’re at it, update all of your LinkedIn accounts since the design has changed.
4. POST
Post.
Every day.
To LinkedIn.
Post only content that has value.
5. GO LIVE
Challenge your social media team to get on the Facebook Live bandwagon. “You’ll see more activity and engagement on a Live video than you will on any other post you do on Facebook, so I encourage your watchers here to think about how they can go live,” said Perlman.
6. (BONUS) GET PERLMAN’S NEW BOOK, SOCIAL MEDIA OVERLOAD!
Corey Perlman’s latest book is a quick and easy read, packed with actionable items that will give you a firm grasp of the strategies that will work best for your business.
About Corey Perlman
Corey Perlman is an entrepreneur, author and nationally recognized digital marketing expert. He is also the owner of eBoot Camp, Inc. – a team of highly skilled digital marketing specialists who manage social media accounts for more than 40 companies. His latest book, Social Media Overload!, is an Amazon.com bestseller in every major business category. Learn more about Corey Perlman.
Co-Founder of CarLotz Shares Success Formula
When you look back at your first entrepreneurial endeavor, do you recall a sweet image of success – or an embarrassing moment of failure? For Aaron Montgomery, Co-Founder and COO of CarLotz, it’s the latter.
Speaking at a recent VACEOs membership luncheon, the charismatic executive shared what he described as one of the biggest blunders of his life, which happened during his second year at Harvard Business School. It took place during the decade when many entrepreneurs subscribed to the business philosophy of “Get big fast” and/or “Figure it out as you go,” Montgomery told the group. It’s a great story involving t-shirts, some of which he probably still has!
The good news is that Montgomery’s mistake paved the way to a better, more accountable, and leaner way of doing business. Today, he and the CarLotz ownership team adhere to a simple formula:
1. Create a hypothesis.
2. Speak to customers (get data).
3. Take that feedback back to the lab.
4. Refine the idea or product.
5. Repeat.
It sounds simple, but it’s a formula the car consignment company has followed many times to successfully streamline marketing messages, refine various internal and external processes, and hire the right candidates.
Speaking about the company’s reliance on data and information, Montgomery said, “All of our feedback came from actual interactions, and not just theorizing what we were going to do and saying to ourselves, ‘Here are all the studies on this, so here’s what we’re going to do.’ We got actual customer feedback. We asked actual people.”
“You can make a change that’s small and test it for performance results, but you’ve got to be ready to embrace that sometimes small changes can lead to big ones and let go of the idea of throwing it all in and seeing what happens.” – Aaron Montgomery, Co-Founder and COO of CarLotz.
Montgomery also stressed the importance of what companies do with their data. “You can make a change that’s small and test it for performance results, but you’ve got to be ready to embrace that sometimes small changes can lead to big ones and let go of the idea of throwing it all in and seeing what happens.”
The philosophy is working – and well. CarLotz, which was founded in 2011, just opened its fifth retail location not long after making it onto The RVA 25 – Richmond BizSense’s list of the area’s fastest-growing companies. (To learn more read: “CarLotz Poised to Grow.”)
This learning experience was taken from the VACEOs Quarterly Luncheon presentation “Test and Refine: Building a Business in the Face of Uncertainty” with Aaron Montgomery (Thursday, November 17, 2016).
VACEOs members have access to national thought leaders with unique voices not often heard in this market on a regular basis. Check out other member benefits.
Cyber Security 101: 7 Facts and Tips to Remember
October has passed, so we must say farewell to Cyber Security month, but not before we leave you with seven important things to remember, thanks to Chris Moschella, Manager of Risk Advisory Services at Keiter, who was on hand at a recent Knowledge Network lunch. Listed below are just a few of the things we learned.
CYBER SECURITY 101: 7 FACTS, FIGURES AND TIPS TO REMEMBER
- Attacks can cost hundreds of dollars per data record to recover, but it’s the damage to your reputation and loss of business (and sometimes employees) that costs SMBs the most.
- One of the best investments you can make as an SMB owner is in security awareness training.
- 91 percent of breaches start through email.
- It’s vital to know where your “cyber doors and windows” are – and to keep them closed.
- Mobile devices, laptops and phones = examples of cyber windows.
- Know exactly where your sensitive data resides – and limit who has access to it.
- When it comes to security, know where your data/internet service provider’s responsibility ends and yours begins.
Members Only: Please send me Chris Moschella’s presentation on cyber security risk prevention.
HEARD AT THE DEMYSTIFYING CYBER SECURITY KNOWLEDGE NETWORK LUNCH
“While I admit that the topic of cyber security did not elicit feelings of excitement, it’s exactly the kind of information that responsible CEOs need to have in this world that’s changing at lightning speed. I now feel prepared and have the much-needed information to ensure the right checks and balances, appropriate training and policy needed to protect our business investment.” – Maria Page Candler, President, James River Ground Management
“If something is not important to you, there is almost a zero percent chance it will be important to your staff.” – Chris Moschella, Keiter, on setting a serious corporate tone when it comes to cyber security and threat prevention.
Related articles: “Making a Claim for Cyber Security Insurance.”
2016 VACEOs Retreat CliffsNotes
This year’s CEO Retreat was a huge success! “CEO Essentials” was the theme, and we’ve got a few short and sweet nuggets here to jog your memory, should you find yourself lost in (ahem) “urgent” matters. Bookmark this page and return to it often. If you care to relive some of the fun, take a look at our Retreat Sights and Sounds video.
BRIAN MORAN: “The 12 Week Year”
When you think of Brian’s presentation, think blue poker chips. He gave us tools to develop clarity and focus – and a healthy sense of urgency. When you shift to a 12-week year, everything changes. And you’re sure to discover what matters most.
Nuggets from this presentation:
• Develop a repertoire of “gracious no’s” for non-essential requests.
• The moment you decide what matters most (i.e., what you need to do) will be one of your Greatest Moments.
• Move through the plan one week at a time. Peer support is important. You will quickly succeed or fail. Refine your plan. Repeat.
• Learn more here.
ROBERTA OSTER SACHS: “Enhance Your Executive Presence: Tools to Fuel Your Confidence and Impact”
When you’re getting ready for a big sales pitch, think about Roberta’s presentation. This Emmy Award-winning journalist and leadership trainer taught us about the science behind “Power Posing” and gave us mindfulness tools to enhance our productivity and health.
Nuggets from this presentation:
• Executive Presence Pillars:
1. Gravitas (ability to recognize others’ emotions)
2. Communication (*listening* skills)
3. Appearance (physical health)
• Feeling stressed or not confident. Practice your best power pose!
• Meditation matters. And mindfulness makes you smarter.
• Learn more here.
GREG MCKEOWN: “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less”
Need inspiration to de-clutter your life? Think about Greg. This superbly hilarious professional from across the pond is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author and founder and CEO of THIS Inc. He gave us the inspiration to pursue less to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy. Or said another way, to pursue a closet filled only with joy. “Can we get a snap?!”
Nuggets from this presentation:
• Your job as CEO is to protect your ability to prioritize.
• Become more of who you REALLY are. Eliminate the non-essentials.
• Remember: It’s either “HELL, YES!” or “No.”
• Becoming an Essentialist begins with small wins.
• Learn more here.
JONAH BERGER: “Crafting Contagious”
This fast-talking New York Times best-selling author and Wharton professor showed us the science behind content that goes viral. He shared just enough data and secrets to entice us to devour his book. Genius approach, wouldn’t you say?
Nuggets from this presentation:
• Remember these three stories:
1. Secret entrance into bar / social currency
2. Blender video / inner remarkability
3. “Never say no to a panda” / story content that carries a message
• There’s power behind peanut butter and jelly. Find your trigger.
• Your homework: Read your free copy of Contagious by Jonah Berger.
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