The Ted Rap

Book Review: Beyond Booked Solid, Michael Port

2008-02-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

Beyond Book Solid: Your Business, Your Life, Your Way is Michael Port’s excellent follow on to Book Yourself Solid.

If you provide a service, let’s say you’re a consultant, a dentist, a hairdresser, a lawyer, a whatever, it’s hard to imagine doing much better than being booked solid. Hey, you’re really selling time anyways, and time is finite – you only have so much to sell. You can get more enjoyable clients perhaps and better paying clients, but that’s about it

This book is about innovation; about growing your business. Growing does not necessarily meaning hiring people and getting bigger, although that’s one option. Growing means changing the scope of your business, so you do more of what you like, less of what you don’t like, and make more money. You’re changing the scope so you are not limited to trading your time on a one-to-one basis for money.

Yogi Bera said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I’ve been doing that and I’ve decided he was joking. Chapter 5 of Beyond Booked Solid talks about building blocks for a business, and although there was nothing entirely new to me, there was a new way of looking at my speaking and consulting business. Instead of taking all the forks when I get to them, I can plan and have options ready. Chapter 5 is a very useful chapter to me

Chapter 8 is on defining and measuring objectives, something I haven’t been going since my objectives have been constantly changing (at every ‘fork in the road’ they’ve been multiplying). I also found this chapter very useful.

Chapter 10 on systems was a slap in the head for me. Sometimes I need a headslap. I need systems, defined ways of doing things. Just today I wasted 45 minutes figuring out how to do something in Microsoft Access. I also wasted 45 minutes in January on the same task. Had I systematized it, basically just documented what I had learned in January, I wouldn’t have lost that 45 minutes of my life, and better still, I could get someone else, perhaps a student intern, to do it for me in the future.

“Read once and absorb, then read again and take action” is what Michael recommends in the preface. That’s exactly what I’m doing.

This is a book I’ll read more than once, and one that I highly recommend.

Book Review: Hermanisms, Axioms For Business & Life

2008-01-14T14:29:00.000-05:00

Book Review, Hermanisms, Axioms For Business & Life, John L. Herman Jr.

Are you in business, going into business, or just dreaming of working for yourself or running your own business? Read this book!

John L Herman Jr. is a business failure expert, and most businesses fail. Even successful businesses end up having some less than stellar times -- my consulting business comes to mind.

What's it take to succeed, what if you fail anyway, and when are the cards stacked against you? These are other issues are discussed in this book's 77 chapters, all short, delightful to read, and packed with experience. It's really just great business advice in a easy to read and enjoyable format.

"Effective Internet Presence, Now required for success in business and life" is available

2008-01-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

An Effective Internet Presence is fast becoming critical today, whether you're self employed, work for a Fortune 500, or simply dating or interacting with others.

Why? People google you all the time. Yes, YOU!

They google you before they hire you
They google you before they meet you
They google you because you're a friend
They google you because you're dating their sister
They google you because, well that's what people do . . .

My free ebook, Effective Internet Presence, Now required for success in business and life tells you in very easy and simple terms how to create an Effective Internet Presence.

No money/email address/animal sacrifice/homage required!

Let anyone who might benefit know

Those who need the information the most are probably NOT reading this now, so pass it on.

And a big thanks to my reviewers, especially
Bob Porter and Nupur Maskara, for managing to review during the holidays.

Student Scholarship ebook

2008-01-02T04:02:00.000-05:00

I know I have some student readers, so even though we're somewhat off topic, here is a great Free Scholarship Guide for College Students!

I say it's great because not only did I read it and review it, but Christopher Penn of The Student Loan network wrote it

Effective Internet Presence, part deux

2007-12-28T17:25:00.000-05:00

My ebook, Effective Internet Presence, Now required for success in business and life is getting closer and closer to completion.

Available Jan 3rd, and 100% free, no registration, email, tribute or animal sacrifices available.

The latest excerpt, Why You (Need to) Care, is online and getting lots of interest and comments.
I'd love your comments too.

Effective Internet Presence, Now required for success in business and life

2007-12-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

Effective Internet Presence, Now required for success in business and life is almost done!

It's a free ebook I'm writing, will be available Jan 3rd, and you can see a preview here:
What's Your Name

Operation China: From Stategy to Execution

2007-12-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

I'm enjoying reading Operation China: From Strategy to Execution, by Jimmy Hexler and Jonathan Woetzel. I've got a pre-release copy, but it will be generally available soon and you can pre-order from Amazon now.

China and business is something I have quite a bit of background in, from lots of time spent in Hong Kong, to meetings in Beijing, to my latest China based startup going belly-up just a few weeks ago. Not a total disaster, but I don't want to talk about it!

Now admittedly, a lot of Operation China: From Strategy to Execution seems like common sense to me, but I've been doing business in that part of the world for over a decade and I think it's just sunk into my brain over time. If you are involved in, considering, or just plain interested in the biggest market around, check this book out.

Book Review: Strategy and The Fat Smoker, David Maister

2007-11-27T10:45:00.000-05:00

Book Review: Strategy and The Fat Smoker, Doing What's Obvious But Not Easy, David Maister

A great book with insights on strategy I have not seen elsewhere – highly recommended.

If you’re a fat smoker, especially of you have family of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other related health issues, your strategy is simple: lose weight and stop smoking.

As Maister artfully explains, knowing what we should do (strategy) is easy; doing it can sometimes be impossible. It may take a near cataclysmic event to make us do what we need to do. Or it may depend on how much we want it. For some organizations, as David explains in chapter 4, strategy is simply NOT possible!

It’s interesting how direct competitors often have nearly identical strategies. Whoever does the most of what they know they should be doing does the best.

David Maister is well known for his work with professional service firms, but his insights are applicable across business types. I haven't read his previous (and best selling) books, but I will be!

Yes, David Maiser was a fat smoker. Me? I’m just fat.

Dog Starts Car: Too Much Technology?

2007-11-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

In my Future of Technology speech, one of the things I talk about is "Technology for Technology's Sake" -- technology where it doesn't belong, making things more complex and failure prone than necessary.

An example I used at my keynote at the ICE conference earlier this week was the keys for my wife's van -- they have a microprocessor in them. Supposedly this is an anti-theft device.

More likely, some propeller head (like myself) figured out they could do it, someone in marketing thought customers would like it, and they did it!.

So what if your dog eats your key, or maybe the chip when you're changing the battery? Well, you may need your dog to start your car? Ridiculous, but true?
Full story here.

Secrets of Successful Blogging audio CDs finally ready!

2007-10-22T21:57:00.001-04:00

Finally, the "Secrets of Successful Blogging" audio CDs are ready!

A few promo copies are done, and the rest will be done next week.

If interested and you want a discount and special bonus, signup for BizBlog+ newletter below for the special pre-release offer.

College Speaker, Ted Demopoulos

2007-10-13T14:13:00.000-04:00

I've spoken at Colleges for a while, actually starting back in the 1980s, but never called myself a College Speaker. College speaking just sort of naturally happened, while I was also speaking for businesses and associations.

I decided to concentrate more on College Speaking. College Speaking doesn't pay as well as speaking in the corporate world but it is very satisfying.

I've put up my brief College Speaking website, and even started a direct mail campaign. That means I've sent a few thousand flyers out, primarily to College Career Centers.

Topics? I've listed three, in order of what I think will be most popular:

How to Get A Great Job Using The Internet

After College you need a job!

Secrets of Great Student Leaders

Student leadership development and training are popular

Entrepreneurial Skills for College Students

Skills to last a lifetime

Notice that all my college speaking topics are essentially business topics aimed at students. I doubt you'll ever find me talking on very popular college speaker topics like alcohol awareness, dating, hazing, etc.

Feedback of course always welcome!

Small Biz Startup TV

2007-10-12T10:05:00.000-04:00

Just started watching Small Biz Startup TV (online) with Becky McCray and Jeanne Cole

They taking your small biz startup questions live in the chat room or by video. Guests include small biz experts and real-world entrepreneurs.

The first episode is online with more episodes to follow on Oct. 15, 22, and 29.

Nice job ladies!

Codes Of Ethics

2007-10-04T07:07:00.000-04:00

I'm all in favor of codes of ethics -- where they make sense. For example, law enforcement personnel need a code of ethics, but perhaps garbage collectors do not. Lawyers certainly do, but coin collectors less so.

Now I know some readers will say: "Ethics- Smethics, we don't need no stinking code of ethics!or similar. However ethics are not black and white. Many gray areas exist, and for guidance in those gray areas for professionals, a code of ethics is essential.

For non-professionals, or non-professional pursuits, a personal code of ethics is appropriate, whether explicit or implicit.

For example, three organizations involved with information security (GIAC, ISC2, and ISSA), have recently approved a Unified Code of Ethics for Security Professionals and I laud their efforts.

Why?
Well, it's for "Professionals" and "Security Professionals" at that. Anyone involved in security works in an area where ethical standards need to be high AND uniform. Security is all about risk management, and risk management is essential to all organizations -- if they want to continue to exist!

Also, and from a slightly personal perspective as I'm an information security guy from way back, "we get no respect" (thanks to Rodney Dangerfield for this slightly modified quote of his).

We get blamed for inconveniencing people (e.g. "damn password rules"), the business people usually see us as less than partners or equals, and even IT finds us annoying sometimes. Certainly this is partially our fault, at least historically, but a code of ethics is a great step towards being percieved as professionals who ADD value, not just cause inconvenience.

Codes of ethics? For professionals in business critical roles, a great idea. For anyone involved in security, whether military, police, parking maids, or information security, in my mind, essential.

The 5 D’s Of A Successful Freelance Career

2007-08-28T01:17:00.000-04:00

From Freelance Folder, and perhaps not quite profound, but very very true!

In summary:
1- Decision Making
Your ability to quickly decide what needs to be done right now, to decide how you’ll do it and where, will increase your chance of success, no doubts there.

2- Delegate Tasks - Decentralize
Can't/shouldn't do everything yourself.

3- Dedication And Drive
The more dedicated you are, the better are your chances of success.

4- Decompressing
It’s extremely important to take some time off to decompress.

5- Discipline (Self-Discipline, I should say)
Yep, the last one, but maybe the most important one, Discipline.

It's well worth reading the full story, whether you're freelance or a self starter (or required to be one) at a formal "job"

Thanks to David Finch for the heads up!

What is personal branding and why you should care!

2007-08-28T01:04:00.000-04:00

Stephen Northcutt and I have written an article on Personal Branding.

It is very slightly focused on people like us, security dudes, but has widespread applicability. We don't claim to be profound or original, but include our thoughts and experiences and feedback already has been extremely positive.

Personal branding is what prevents you from being a commodity and receiving commodity pay. It's why people want to hire you, work with you, have lunch with you, and generally associate with you. Your personal brand prevents you from being outsourced, ignored, or easily replaced. It's why you are not just another cog in the machine. Your personal brand is the unique value you bring to the table.

Cool Book of The Day

2007-08-06T23:09:00.000-04:00

What No One Ever tells You About Blogging and Podcasting has been chosen as the "Cool Book of The Day!"
Thanks Dan, My Fearless PR Leader.
Cool Book of the Day does feature some pretty interesting books -- and I've ordered a couple based on their recommendations already.

Summer Reading List

2007-07-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

Just got a load of books from Amazon -- yeah, I read a lot more than just blogs! Will write reviews of the best.

Personal Branding Books -- Why You Should Pay Me A Lot (and why I'm worth it!)
I've been very interested in personal branding lately. Basically, why am I worth a premium over some young bald dude in India, Mary down the street, or what's his name? we used last time. I wrote about it here

The Brand You 50 : Or : Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee' into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!
Tom Peters -- anything by Tom is worth reading, despite his annoying endless upbeat optimism, foo!ish use on end!ess !!!!!! and font mania.

Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand
Just looked through this one and decided I needed it. Once heard co-author William Arruda in a teleseminar with Dan Janal and he was impressive.

U R a Brand!: How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success
This one has been on my reading list for a while.

A couple others I'm really looking forward to:
The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media
Not only is Paul a good guy who writes really well and 'gets' social media and its implications extremely well, but a draft I read was very impressive. Great examples in this book!

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Everyone is talking about this book -- I bought it on James Malinchak's recommendation.

The Brand New You, Personal Branding

2007-07-02T21:50:00.001-04:00

Just rereading a great and ancient Tom Peters article, The Brand New You, from 1997. Tom may have been to first to ever use the term "Personal Branding."

In Tom's words, "Everyone has a chance to stand out" -- in my and many other's words, if you don't stand out you're a commodity. My friends will tell you I've NEVER had a problem standing out, however not always in a positive way :)

"What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times."

Gee Tom, that's tough. YOU try it!

For me, it's something about business AND technology and success. I'm not just a propeller head any more! How about something like:

"I help people and organizations spread their messages on the Internet and have robust and reliable IT infrastructures while I drink food and wine and give keynotes, and oh, I write books on new media and teach leadership bootcamps to Fortune 500 companies and the military while wearing old tee shirts."

Hmmm, needs some work :)

Bottom, line -- ya gotta lead with something, at least according to James Malinchak, who I greatly respect. I think that makes sense?

Alan Weiss, author of a million great books including How to Establish a Unique Brand in the Consulting Profession: Powerful Techniques for the Successful Practitioner points out that "multiple brands are clearly feasible and even preferable."

Hmmm, tastes good, less filling, and great for mouthwash?

Back to Tom, who suggests, "Go back to the comparison between brand You and brand X -- the approach the corporate biggies take to creating a brand." OK, makes sense. Assuming I can have more than one brand, one is Blogging for Business (thanks to James Malinchak for this one). I have written more books on blogging and new media than anyone else I think?

Now Tom also mentions that "you still have to market the bejesus out of your brand," and Rajesh Setty in his ebook Personal Branding for Technology Professionals reminds us that "Personal branding and 'showing off' are quite different than each other." Well put Rajesh, but my brand is bigger than yours and size matters! Just joking. What's a "bejesus"? Even Wikipedia doesn't define it!

Michael Port in Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling, suggests as part of a personal branding exercise that you email 5 people who know you well and ask them about your "top five personality traits or quirks."

Hmmm, that was fun. Let's see:

Eliza said I was"Humorous, Smart, Extroverted, Quirky, Daring" but then changed her mind to "whimsical, hilarious, whacky, charming, brilliant."

Scotch John says I'm "generous, humorous, devoted, intelligent, and excessive."

Bald Randy started with "Obsessive, Compulsive, Gullet ramming, Kind, Amusing" but then switched to "Hard working, Educator, Fun, Technical, Interesting."

Nomadic Gabrielle says I'm "Eccentric, brilliant, genuine, and ridiculous." Hey, that's only four! And you have an alleged advanced degree in Math!

Shaggy simply says "Fascinated by duct tape, Friend of Jughead, Sluggo, & the Ace, Addicted to talk radio, head-plunger, and Lacking in hair." Errrr, Shag, you're wrong on the talk radio thing.

My wife didn't even answer my email!

These aren't a lot of help, are they?

Branding Guru Mike Wagner, who I interviewed for What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting, says "Blogging reveals your essence. Blogging shows your living brand, your current evolving brand." I need to read Mike's blog more often too. Hmmm, so I'm a rambling kind of guy, huh? According to the Allman Brothers, "Lord I was born a rambling man" -- but I don't think they were talking about me.

Seth Godin seems to get it as far as I can tell. When asked to describe himself in one word, he said "bald." Take that Tom Peters with your 15-words-or-less description. Seth's head adorns most of his books, his blog, and his Web site, and also usually accompanies him everywhere. It works since he is clearly brilliant, phrenologically speaking. But that doesn't help me.

At times of extreme confusion like this I often go back to the words of the ancient philosophers. Popeye put it best:

"I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam."

Right on bro! I might have no idea what my personal brand is, but it is, and so be it!

3 Tips to be a Better Speaker

2007-06-27T17:29:00.000-04:00

1) Memorize the beginning of your speech so you're on autopilot, so you can do it in your sleep. This will let you concentrate on your audience, not on what you're saying, when you begin and will alleviate any possible nervousness.

2) If you have slides, ignore them! They exist merely to help support you, not as the focal point.

3) Smile! Just smiling makes an enormous different to the audience and will make you seem more polished and professional!

Dull Person? That's me . . .

2007-05-31T15:36:00.000-04:00

Apparently Google has decided I'm the dullest person around - a Google of "dull person" currently returns me on my other blog as the #1 hit.

Hey, I'm not that dull, but you can't fight Google, so I decided to go with the flow.

The offending post: Dull Person gets mentioned here and apparently excites Google.

I've also issued a press release, which I'm told is not at all dull. Strange perhaps, but not dull.

So what's the point? Why am I doing this?

No, not because I'm dull and can't think of anything more exciting. Since I began my "dull" campaign: a few emails, blog posts, and the press release, a few hundred extra people have read my stuff, have been exposed to my messages, etc.

And hopefully my rejoicing in dullness, accurately portrays me, as a fun person to work with. Hopefully competent too . . .

Dull Consultant For Hire -- Will Work For Money

Information Security Certifications (and others too)

2007-05-22T20:43:00.000-04:00

Professional certifications are a hot topic, and quite honestly I don't feel many of them are very useful unless you simply want initials to add to your name. Most certifications simply bear little relevance to real world skills.

In the real world, we have access to books, the Internet, etc.

The GIAC Information Security Certifications stand out in my mind as extremely valuable however, because they are not only well done, but very real world. Unlike any other security certifications or other certifications I know of, they are open book, open Internet, open Google, just like the real world. There is no memorizing of stuff you'd never memorize just to "pass a test."

GIAC, The Global Information Assurance Certification is closely affiliated with The SANS Institute, a client of mine, but that certainly doesn't sway my opinion.

It also doesn't encourage me to list myself as Ted Demopoulos GIAC GSEC either, as my name is already long enough!

I wish other industry certifications would take a similar approach -- trying to mirror real life skills and problem solving as closely as possible.

Ted (that's me), and Fame Finders

2007-05-17T22:23:00.000-04:00

I'm now "Director of Internet Marketing" for Fame Finders (click and scroll down to find me).

Fame Finders helps "Successful People become Renown Authors and Speakers" and is the brainchild of my more than extremely well qualified literary agent, Wendy Keller.

I understand the Internet part well and PR somewhat too, but she knows the whole package, the whole 'kit -n- kaboodle,' the 'whole shebang,' well.

It's going to fun! Fun on several levels. I'm passionate about the topic. I love working with successful people -- what could be more motivating? And I'll learn -- and teach -- oodles of stuff that delivers bottom line results.

Business Networking - effective techniques & common mistakes

2007-04-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

Josh Hinds at Business Networking Advice has a short interview with me on Business Networking: how I define it, some effective techniques, and common mistakes.

Hint: Start networking BEFORE you need something. Asking for favors is NOT networking.

5 success tips

2007-04-07T22:27:00.001-04:00

I've been tagged by Meryl to write my success tips, a tagggingfest (new word) started by Aaron,

1) I don't obsess over email. I should shut it off even more often and just get other stuff done.

2) If I'm not being productive at all, I quit. Sometimes I just need a break, nap, bike ride etc.

3) If I'm cranking and really getting stuff done I plow ahead, often changing/ignoring plans I may have had.

4) When I start getting a headache from too much screen time, I try to quit. I can do a lot without the computer, and should more often!

5) I make a *short* list -- 5 or less items I need to do, and throw it away when I'm done!

6) Read -- daily. Something I don't need to read but want to, even if for just 5 minutes.

7) I don't worry too much about metrics, for example 5 tips might become 7 :) I go by feel usually.

Book Review: The Dip, Seth Godin

2007-03-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

Book Review: The Dip, Seth Godin, A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit And When To Stick

The Dip? What is The Dip?

Being #1 is worth the effort, but it requires lots of quitting.

Most things worth doing can be described by two curves, either a cul-de-sac or a dip.

A cul-de-sac is a dead end. The Dip is the “hard part” between getting started and becoming the best. If you’re going to reach a dead end, it’s better to quit early. No amount of effort, positive thinking, or anything else will help. The Dip in contrast, requires lots of persistence to get through, but results in enormous success.

For example, I rowed crew in high school with Andy Sudduth who eventually made it to the Olympics (twice) and won a medal. I didn’t make it to the Olympics – instead I quit, which was the right decision.

Why? I enjoyed rowing, I was good, but I could never be great. This cul-de-sac was caused by my leg length. All great rowers need long legs. At 5’10”, I could never be the best in the world. I’d never make the Olympics, never mind win a medal, no matter how hard I tried.

Andy wasn’t facing a cul-de-sac. He was taller and otherwise better than I was. He powered his way through The Dip and emerged victorious. There may have been other equally talented rowers, but most people give up even when they are facing The Dip, not a sure dead end.

Why is being the best so good? The difference between good and great is vast! How much more does a rock star make than an average excellent musician? I’m a successful business book author, but I probably sell 1% or less of the books Seth does – he’s at the top of the heap. People beg him to speak for tens of thousands of dollars. Some people ask me to speak -- for a lot less.

Being the best is worth it – is worth the hard work to get through The Dip. Being the best means quitting when you can’t be the best.

The Dip is available for pre-order at Amazon. I like it! Highly recommended.

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