BizTechDay Star - Michael Gerber - Part 1

Of everything I attended at BizTechDay, Michael Gerber’s presentations stood out as the best of the best. Why? Because everything else was about using technology as an entrepreneur, and Michael’s was about the entrepreneur, the person behind the technology. All the technology in the world will not help an entrepreneur who lacks the appropriate mindset, or who lacks the insights required to succeed.

Michael gave us all this and more. And the most inspiring thing to me is that Michael is 73 years old and still going strong and contributing his gifts to the world. That inspires me because my vision and mission is to change the meme around aging, change the way people think and feel about aging, and inspire elders to share their wisdom.

Some of the first words out of his mouth were shocking, “If you don’t want to grow your business, pack it up now”. So, in easily digestible nuggets, here are some of the main points Michael made:

• Ask yourself three questions: What is the significant thing my company is here to do? Is it scalable? Is it transformational?
• Work on the model of your scalable, transformational business. Become a Master of Business Design (MBD).
• Create a perfect system that works so you don’t have to.
• This exquisite operating system includes every single component of your business.
• It makes no difference what product or a service you offer. This exquisite system is the key to success.

• Companies are started by Technicians who suffer entrepreneurial seizures; don’t just create a job, pretending to be a business.
• Replicate a company that is transformational.
• The very first system to create is client fulfillment.

Next Michael talked about the Dream and Creativity:

• What is your dream? What is the great result you want to produce?
• It’s about your destiny and you’ve got to know what it is -- the one thing you want to transform.
• Be creative right now in your own personal economy.
• The Dreamer has a Dream, the Thinker has the Vision.
• The Dreamer, Thinker, Storyteller, and the Leader must be present to create and sustain a successful business.
• We must transcend to transform! This is the spiritual work of an entrepreneur.

He said one must absolutely have a blank sheet of paper and a beginners mind, because you can’t fix a broken business, you have to create a new one. Think about this for your own business. I did this about mine, and it propelled me into right action.

I’ll have more juicy tidbits in the next post. Watch for it!

My Take-Aways from BizTechDay - Part 2

Here’s my second installment of what I learned at BizTechDay 2009. It’s about viral video.

I have really been admiring Elizabeth Potts Weinstein’s use of video. She’s consistent and produces really effective videos that are FUN to watch, and have great content. So, i had to attend the following session on Viral Video.

Video Entrepreneur: How to Turn Visitors to Customers Using Viral Videos

The presenters were Mike Koenigs of Traffic Geyser, and Justin Kan, Founder of Justin.tv .

Unfortunately, Mike talked so darn fast, my notes are not as complete as I’d like, and there were no handouts. So, I’ll do the best I can with what I’ve got. You can visit his web site for more information and his free Viral Video Secrets . It’s a bit “salesy” for my taste, but he has good information.

Mike’s points were:

• There are 1 Billion videos watched on YouTube in the US every day. (Staggering, isn’t it!)
• Just do it! Don’t wait for it to be perfect. There are low cost/low tech ways to create short videos.
• Make a short video (3 minutes or less) that has a beginning, a middle and an end.
• Send it everywhere; there are video directories like there are blog directories

Be sure you let viewers know:

• who you are
• something about you
• how to find you
• how to hear from you

Justin Kan was a bit easier to follow so here goes:

• Justin.tv hosts live videos; your very own TV show!
• Answer the top ten questions your clients are asking about your business (FAQ)
• Also and the top ten questions they should be asking (SAQ)
• Schedule your show at a regular day and time and be consistent -- show up!
• Do lifestyle pieces (these get viewed the most), and testimonials from clients
• you can outsource voice overs -- he recommends Voice123

I got really excited about this. I have a strong hunch that video is the way to go. I like it because it personalizes an already impersonal web experience. I’m all about building relationships and have come to love in-person networking because I can meet people face-to-face and get a feel for the other person. I think video will allow prospective clients, interested people, and friends to actually get a real experience of who I am. Yes, they’ll see my age lines, and I’m no Sophia Loren, but I’m a real person and that will show through.

Elizabeth has offered to let her followers know her process for doing her videos, and I’m eagerly awaiting it. Consider following her on Twitter, @elizabethPW, she’s a hoot! Oh yeah, I’m also on Twitter, @tarufisher, and I’m pretty interesting, too!

My Take-Aways from BizTechDay - Part 1

I recently attended the two day event, BizTechDay, which brought together hundreds of entrepreneurs, techies, social media networking gurus and the media. I was looking forward to learning more about how to use social media networking to really connect with other like-minded people and to promote our business. I learned a lot!

Facebook Fan Pages

I got a lot of extremely valuable information about Facebook Fan Pages from Hazel Grace Dircksen of SocialBees. Here are some of the suggestions given:

• Be sure you start your Fan page with the intention to consistently post daily
• To help you remember to post, set it as your home page in your browser
• Post a maximum of three (3) times a day
• Don’t “over-share” — i.e. overly personal comments
• Post about business needs and information
• Make all posts relevant to your brand/purpose/mission
• Make content very exciting - Don’t try to directly sell
• Offer your fans exclusive benefits and perks
• Simple contests are very good for engaging your fans, but avoid video contests — they’re too complicated
• Create custom tabs for ads
• Above all, have fun!

SocialBees services include building Fan pages for clients. They know all the Facebook apps that can be used on a Fan page, and how to make the page both visually attractive and effective. I’m going to have them do this! I have an Alive! Whole Life Fitness Studio Fan page, but it is not nearly as effective as it could be, and I wasn’t ever quite sure how to make it better.

I was very impressed with Hazel; she’s articulate, extremely knowledgeable and gracious; a winning combination.

Brand Building on Google Local Business

Before I attended #BTD, I had forgotten I previously used Google Local Business -- now I intend to really use it . It has some great features, namely:

• Your business will get found on Google and Google Maps
• You’re able to control the information on your listing and keep it up to date
• You can add your logo, photos, videos, coupons
• Add a thorough business description; select all appropriate business categories
• Add freeform information like a complete description of your services
• A version of Google Analytics specific to Google Local Business is available from your business’ Dashboard

In subsequent posts, I’ll share what I learned about viral video and virtual work teams. My last post on #BTD will be about Michael Gerber’s presentations. They were the best and contained the most valuable information of the entire event. He got a standing ovation and he deserved it.

I hope you find value in these posts, and I encourage you to post comments and questions. I will answer each and every one.

Powerful Aging Tip #11

A Bonus Tip

Aging is not a disease; it’s a normal stage of a human life. It’s how we THINK about aging that makes it a problem. If we believe the thought viruses prevalent in our society, we will look for those so-called problems of aging. Our very powerful mind will, in fact, create the very problems we fear.

We have in our brain, something called a reticular activating system. It’s job is to filter our experiences in support of what we THINK. For example, if on your way driving somewhere you start to think, I don’t want to hit any red lights, you’ll notice you hit almost (if not every) red light.

If you buy a black car, all of a sudden you’ll notice every black car on the road when previously you didn’t even notice them.

This means you need to have a positive mental attitude; see problems as challenges to be met and overcome rather than some insurmountable issue. Focus on asking for what you want rather than what you don’t want. It will make a world of difference in how you live your life. You can choose joy, or you can choose pain – your choice.

Healthy Bones, an Overview

This guest post is by Damon P. Miller II, MD, ND


Our bones are alive, constantly renewing and rebuilding themselves, and to have strong and healthy bones, there are some simple steps you can take.

The most important drug for your bones is exercise. Gardening and housework are some of the best exercises. Running, walking and cycling give a good workout to the legs, but do not do much to strengthen the bones of the spine and upper extremities. If your lifestyle does not include cutting wood and carrying water, you need to include weight training in your exercise routine. I prefer the slow motion weight training for its safety record and effectiveness (this is what they do at Alive! Whole Life Fitness). Yoga and Pilates classes that focus on core strength are widely available, affordable and useful.

Lessening the risk of hip fracture is important, but by my reading, the value of the pharmaceuticals such as Fosamax is over-rated. These drugs have some risks (ask your dentist about Fosamax induced osteonecrosis), and the decrease in risk of hip fracture is so small as to be almost zero. Research has shown that there is far better data for the value of taking adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 each day. Women who have hip fractures are almost always deficient in Vitamin D, and women who take adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 have a markedly reduced risk of hip fracture. I recommend at least 1000 to 3000mg per day of Vitamin D3. To put this dosage in perspective, know that a caucasian person in a sunny climate can produce almost 10,000mg per day of Vitamin D, with no known adverse effects.

The current recommendations for calcium intake are probably too high. Also, most women take far too little magnesium. I recommend that you take equal amounts of a soluble, well absorbed calcium and magnesium supplement, and for many women, recommend more magnesium than calcium. Use magnesium malate, which is less likely to cause diarrhea, 1-4grams per day, and calcium citrate-malate, 250-450mg per day.

The best food sources of calcium are organic dark-green leafy vegetables such as collards and kale. Milk from cows is not a good source of calcium for most people. The reasons for this are complex, and include the fact that the proteins found in milk (whey, casein and albumin) cause an exaggerated loss of calcium in the urine. People who consume milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream daily lose more calcium than they take in from the milk, and end up in a negative calcium balance. We in the United States have the highest per capita consumption of milk and dairy products of any country in the world, and we also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis induced fractures. You figure it out. (Visit www.notmilk.com for some wild fringe information on the dairy industry)

Bone density studies do not measure the strength of your bone, just the density. Density does not necessarily equate with strength. Read The Myth of Osteoporosis by Gillian Sanson for a good discussion of this.

Use this affirmation: “My bones are alive, and I have strong and healthy bones.”


Dr. Miller has recorded a two-CD set of one of his best talks on bone health. You can get a copy at: http://www.bettereyehealth.com/item--Healthy-Bones-CD-Set--SU-001680.html, or by calling his office at 888-838-3937.

Powerful Aging Tip #10

Give back – you’ve gathered a lot of wisdom, so share it.

In Native American cultures, the elders are revered for their knowledge and wisdom. In our society the norm has been to discard the elders, ignore their wisdom, and make fun of the aged.

This has got to stop. We have a great deal of acquired wisdom and life experience to share and the world is worse for us not sharing it. It is a time to give back to society, to make a difference, to use the extra time we have in service to something greater than ourselves.

Volunteer where your passion lies. Is it with animals, children, disabled, poor, battered women, the environment? – you get the idea.

Powerful Aging Tip #9

Spirituality – as practiced under whatever name you call it.

Look for the meaning in your life’s experiences. Find activities and commitments that give you satisfaction and add purpose to your life.
Find activities that enliven you and give you a sense of courage, or heart fullness.

To quote from an interview with Jennifer L. Brower, a Unitarian Universalist minister, “Spiritual experiences are those events in life and moments in relationships which attune us to that vital or animating force within and which give greater meaning and depth to our day-to-day living.”

If you don’t have a spiritual community, find one that matches your philosophy and participate.