360 DPI

All the most influential people in my life thus far (excluding my father and a man named John Dellarocco) have been women. Shari Sklar Jacobson was the first person to hire me out of film school in Boston to work as a video producer at Lyons Group Management for a club called Metro, back in 1986. We have remained friends to this day. A woman named Donna Wong hired me to edit the magazine for the Boston Film/Video Foundation around the same time. My boss at Arnold Worldwide, Lenora Cushing, saw something in me I could not even see myself. Not only that, but she had my back during one the darkest periods of my life. Lenora was the first person who saw in me the entrepreneurial spirit.

This realization about women has struck me during a period in my life where I am experiencing huge personal growth. Today, I am touched by the amazing gifts I have received from of a group of three women who help keep me grounded:

• Karen McCullough, my mentor and office mate, has taught me the invaluable lessons of perseverance, reinvention and self reliance. In addition to that, she has kept me on an even course with her incredible and endless energy.
• My friend and colleague, Tracey Rubio, has shown a collaborative spirit and generosity to me by offering me the use of her photo studio and all of her equipment, as well as her expertise in the field of photography and her incredible gift for exhaustive research.
• Sharon Ferranti has trusted me enough to take a risk and let me in to her world of film making. Sharon is a genius in a field that hypnotizes me. I love film making, and Sharon has shown me that I can do this for a living. She has shared with me her experience and her knowledge with such generosity that I almost feel unworthy of such an honor.

The sweet realization of the influence of these women in my life comes at a most opportune time: the release of a book that explores the talents of women from two cross-generational viewpoints. The Seven Women Project by Karen and Meredith McCullough beautifully illustrates and explains the unique and varied perspectives of the seven different “personalities” that are a part of every woman, and how women have the ability to tap into these different talents throughout their lives. I was lucky enough to help with the design of this book, and I can honestly say that it is a work of truth.
I say “thank you” to the many women in my life.

Reflecting back over my year has reminded me of something I learned in one of my own workshops. What’s the “One Thing” that makes you different?

Recently, my colleague Karen McCullough and I gave a workshop on how to market yourself as a public speaker.  It was a day of giving away all the things that worked for Karen in her career as a public speaker, some of which I helped her with, and all the things that did not. The workshop ended up being very interactive, with most of the participants adding extremely valuable information and experiences to the mix.

One of the most notable people there was Julie Haralson, the Marketing Director at Texas Children’s Hospital and a marketing consultant.  She shared a piece of information that has helped me immensely in the area of Personal Branding.  It was the concept of “The One Thing”.   Julie posed that very question to us, and it really clarified the crux of personal branding.  In a world where we’re all trying to stand out and be noticed, very few of us can easily identify that One Thing that defines us.  Julie reminded us of the movie City Slickers and this important scene where Curly learns about the secret to success and happiness.

Take a moment to think about that one thing that makes you different?  It’s not an easy question to answer.  I’m still working on it.

I’ve recently had the opportunity to help Karen McCullough with her book endeavor. She and her daughter Meredith have honored me with the privilege of creating the design and layout of “The Seven Women Project”. You may recall from one of my previous posts that I have been hard at work on the cover design. (Unfortunately, my blog posts pre-August 2009 have all disappeared due to a clerical error by my web hosting company so they aren’t available to see at this time). Both efforts, the cover and the layout/typesetting, have been an incredible learning experience for me. My hours at Rice University Glasscock School of Continuing Studies have paid off!

Most experiences, positive or negative, allow us the chance to learn and grow. What I’ve realized through this is another outlet for my creative energy, and also that I have the capacity to offer a new area of expertise to speakers and authors.

As a speaker, to have a book under you belt can be one of the most effective marketing tools in your arsenal. Just ask some of my colleagues (Donna Fisher, Jim Bob Solsbery) and they’ll tell you to “get published”. First of all, your credibility goes up about 1000 percent. Secondly, it can be a great source of income or another way to leverage your fee.

My advice would be to start. Develop your area of expertise. Nothing will make you an expert faster than writing a book. Take some tips from one of my favorite folks, Seth Godin. He has a blog post that might help you. This one is just about me bragging.

iPhone Video

My own introduction