A Digital MagazineFor Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs

Issue 003 - September 2012

3 Simple Steps TOSelling Anything

Trust Me, I’m Lying!CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIA MANIPULATOR

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASYGO FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT

ALI BROWN:FROM NOWHERE TO

SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE

+ EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXCERPT

September 20123

THE GREAT BUSINESS PROJECTMagazine

www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com

Editorial

Editor in ChiefRalph Quintero

EditorLauren Tirado

Contributors This IssueAli Brown

David BerryCorbett BarrRyan Holiday

David HernandezKarla FaundezDean JacksonHarlan KilsteinJohn Sexton

Carmine Gallo

ConsultantLuly B.

Published ByBald One Media LLC

Advertising ManagerMary Trump

www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com

Become a ContributorThe Great Business Project

is put together by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. We are always looking for

great articles, videos, audio or content that our YLHKLYZ�JHU�ILULÄ[�MYVT�

To be consideredEmail us at:

contribute@TheGreatBusinessProject.com

Or visit:www.TheGreatBusinessProject.com/contribute

Copyright © 2012 Bald One Media, LLC

The Great Business Project, LLC

All rights reserved under International and Pan American Copyright Conventions.

Note From The EditorFocusing On The 5 Pillars Of Your Business

This past month I’ve spent a great deal of time talking to entre-preneurs about establishing a strong foundation for their busi-nesses. One of the ways to do that is to focus and develop what

I call your “5 Pillars of Business”. These pillars are Mindset, Sales, Marketing, Business Development and Strategy. I ultimately believe that you can only be truly successful if you address each one. Individually, they can each help your business, but they can’t sustain your business long term without each other. That’s why we structure The Great Business Project Magazine to include amazing content every month that addresses each of the pillars.

This month’s issue is no exception. This is one of the most content-packed issues yet! Full of advice, tips and tools that you can use right now to grow your business and make it GREAT. There are also awe-some stories that as entrepreneurs we can relate to, learn from, and be inspired by.

Finally, I’m encouraged by the amazing notes, letters and messages from subscribers around the world that are taking MASSIVE ACTION im-plementing the things we teach in the magazine and seeing incredible results in their businesses. This is exactly the reason we started this pro-ject and the reason we believe in it so much. Thank you for all of your support and keep those notes coming.

Here’s to your success!

Ralph Quintero

P.S. - Please help us reach even more entrepreneurs. Share our magazine with a quick Facebook post or Tweet.

September 20125

THE CONTENTCOVER STORYALI BROWN: FROM NOWHERE TO SELF-MADE MILLIONAIREYou Can’t Change the World Until You Change Your WorldBY DAVID BERRY

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITIONby Benny Hsu

THREE HR TIPS THAT CAN SAVE YOUR BUSINESSby Karla FaundezProtect yourself and your business

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDSInfographics are “in”

GREAT BUSINESS TOOLS

WHY AN INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGY MATTERS TO YOUR BRANDby David Hernandez

ONE MORE THING…The Holstee Manifesto

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO SELLING ANYTHINGMake your sales process very easy ENTREPRENEUR PROFILES

Sara Blakely & Jeff Walker

USE YOUR SENSESWatch & Listen ~ Two amazing resources

PROFIT ACTIVATORS YOU CAN TRIGGER IN YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOWby Dean Jackson ,PNO[�[OPUNZ�`V\�JHU�KV�YPNO[�UV^�[V�NYV^�WYVÄ[Z��7HY[���

PASSION & THE POWER OF WORDSby David BerrySharing Your Story With The World

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASYby James RocheGo For The Low Hanging Fruit

IMPROVISATION IN BUSINESSby John A. Sexton, Ph.D.6 Surprising Applications of Improvisation to Social Media

TRUST ME, I’M LYING: CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIA MANIPULATORAn Interview with Ryan Holiday and exclusivebook excerpt

HOW CURATION CAN INCREASE YOUR BUSINESS - PART 1by Harlan Kilstein

)TQ�*ZW_V�Q[�\PM�^WQKM�NWZ�_WUMV¼[�MV\ZMXZMVM]ZQIT�[]KKM[[��;PM�[\IZ\ML�PMZ�ÅZ[\�KWUXIVa�from a tiny New York City studio apartment and has grown it into a multi-million dollar enterprise that has ranked in the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S. In this feature, Ali shows you what it takes to change your world and achieve GREAT suc-cess.

A Digital MagazineFor Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneurs

Issue 003 - September 2012

3 Simple Steps TOSelling Anything

Trust Me, I’m Lying!CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIA MANIPULATOR

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASYGO FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT

ALI BROWN:FROM NOWHERE TO

SELF MADE MILLIONAIRE

+ EXCLUSIVE BOOK EXCERPT

FEATURES

THE

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September 201236

Why An Integrated Marketing Strategy Matters To Your BrandBy David Hernandez

OK, so you have a great product or service and you have a great sales rep team in place with the right contacts. All are critically important elements in launching a successful brand - but in reality you’re only half-way there. What is your plan for visibility? Public Relations can help create impressions in media but in its traditional sense. Brands need to be online too. Keep in mind this year it is estimated nearly 90 percent of US Internet users ages 14+ will browse or research products online (1). SEO is vital to gain online visibility but what happens when [MIZKPMZ[�»ÅVL¼�aW]'��;WKQIT�5MLQI�KZMI\M[�I�KWUU]VQ\a�IVL�Q[�IV�QUXWZ\IV\�MTMUMV\�QV�ZMIKPQVO�ZMT-evant prospects and keeping customers engaged but the right strategy must be employed. A silo approach doesn’t work anymore. Brands that go from invisible to visible and thrive get there through an integrated strategy. Consumers embrace brands that are discoverable both on and off line. A successful integrated strategy takes into account both worlds and leverages them using an effective and MNÅKQMV\�KZW[[�XTI\NWZU�IXXZWIKP� Start with your website; is it ready for prime time? Do you have compelling content and does it capture your brand’s voice? Have you set aside a budget for your marketing? If the answer is yes to both of these questions consider the following when deciding where to invest those marketing dollars: Public Relations is a key component in helping to build your brand. Good PR involves strategic plan-ning to develop objective brand messaging, appropriately position your product, understand the media landscape and ultimately get the word out. With expert PR counsel on your side, you can be sure that your company, products and services are not only seen but also, seen in the right light, by the right audience. Search Engine Optimization should be a cornerstone of any online brand building strategy. Studies have shown that over 90% of all Internet \ZINÅK�KWUM[�NZWU�I�[MIZKP�MVOQVM��Organic SEO tactics drive the most ZMTM^IV\��XZMLQK\IJTM�\ZINÅK�UWV\P�over month to your website. If your brand isn’t found online, potential K][\WUMZ[�IZMV¼\�ÅVLQVO�aW]��\PMa�IZM�ÅVLQVO�aW]Z�KWUXM\Q\WZ[�� As an element of both optimization and brand building, a continuous ÆW_�WN �KWV\MV\�[PW]TL�JM�I\�\PM�top of your list. If you can’t afford

Why An Integrated Marketing Strategy Matters To Your BrandDavid Hernandez

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September 201237

an outside agency to handle SEO, make sure you have a blog on your site to post relevant industry and JZIVL�[XMKQÅK�QVNWZUI\QWV�ZMO]TIZTa#�QN �aW]�KIV�XW[\�U]T\QXTM�\QUM[�XMZ�_MMS��OZMI\�J]\��M^MV�I�KW]XTM�of times per month is better than nothing. Social media is more than amassing followers and likes. Building a community with engaged fans and followers is the foundation for successfully leveraging the various social media platforms. Social media presents an opportunity to direct conversations surrounding your brand as well as a way to keep current and prospective customers connected and engaged. It also allows a brand to respond quickly and direct-ly to customer service issues or complaints openly and honestly allowing others to see responsiveness and customer care in real time. Finally, it can be used to leverage optimization strategies through the various platforms and create greater reach for news about the brand beyond conventional outlets. In summary, we all are living connected lifestyles; if you are reading this, it is in digital form on an iPad – possibly while watching your connected TV and with your smart phone inches away! As a brand fac-ing a connected generation, it is critical that your marketing strategy incorporates these key elements if you hope to succeed and gain mindshare and marketshare in your space.

This article was written byDavid Hernandez

David Hernandez, Managing Partner of lotus823, founded the business in 2010 after recognizing that brands were searching for a company that could successfully integrate search engine marketing (SEM) methods with traditional public relations campaigns. Today, lotus823 offers a wide range of services to increase brand visibility utilizing public relations, search engine marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. lotus823 works with companies in the consumer goods, luxury, audio, con-sumer electronics, software, and sporting goods categories.

You can connect with David at: