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Consumer v. Producer : Which are YOU? by @SBSLEducSoltns

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Stretching your Entrepreneurial Thinking

While entrepreneurs will always consume certain resources, no different from our staff, or other citizens,, we shouldn’t think through a consumer lens nor should we spend precious time being one. So, let’s shake things up!

 

While reading, please invest time to ask yourself some questions. As I often advise mentees, be reflective; forego being reflexive or reactive. The difference is profound.

 

The Consumer

Per Dictionary.com , … origin: 14th C [1375–1425] = “squanderer”

 

What a strong connotation! Do we really desire to have our business(es) associated with this definition, even if its meaning has evolved somewhat over the passage of time?!

 

Why are we ‘encouraged’ , compelled, or even shamed into consuming?

The answer is too complex to address in a blog post, yet, we are able to unravel some characteristics of a consumerist.

 

He/She/They …

 

  • Oft carry a considerable amount of consumer debt
  • Will be watching, listening to, or reading lots of content from the mass media*
  • Quite likely is a side-preneur still receiving a regular paycheck as a W-2’er
  • Fairly often feel uncomfortable discussing economics or talking about money/finances

& …

  • Might use words like ‘retail therapy’, be distressed** , and/or focused on material things

( inc. transactions to make more $ versus building business relationships. )

 

Click to Tweet

 

“Every man is a consumer, and ought to be a producer. He is by constitution expensive, and needs to be rich.”

 

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Sign of a Consumerist

 

Self deception ( vid clip HERE ) is strong; maybe we know in the depths of our soul, by looking at our financial statements, or just in our gut that we are living a consumerist life while building our entrepreneurial venture/s, yet … we outwardly deny it, in our self-talk, our conversations with others, etc.

 

If you do this, you’re not alone. Some signals, both implicit & explicit to home in on & eventually course correct include:

 

  • Not paying off credit cards monthly
  • Driving in a vehicle that you don’t actually own
  • Expensive office space which raises your rates needlessly
  • Not leveraging the countless discount programs/apps/memberships available
  • Buying costly drinks or meals while at events

 

What’ll it Take … a ‘voice of courage’

Laying the groundwork for a major mindset shift will clearly impact all spheres of your business ‘being’ :  heart, mind, spirit/soul, & financial. Yet, it’s still January, and here’s hoping that you invested quality time and treasure creating and then taking action to live out these 2019 mantras, goals, or habit transformations instead.

 

If you’ve not yet carved a line item in your business blueprint for a mentor, a coach, or a niche consultant

( a good friend is ideal for the latter: Cherish Your World/Feng Shui Consultant ),  … now would be a great time!

 

A Producer’s Model

Defined here , with its synonyms including ‘builder’ & ‘creator’; which leads me to ask a few questions:

 

Don’t we all want to be known, in our branding, sales, & marketing, as these things?

Why would we knowingly choose its opposite?

 

Which characteristics might ID this type of business pro?

 

He/She/They …

 

  • Understand Y.D.I.L ***  when it comes to their finances/money ‘mind’.
  • Participate in social capital creating/expanding actions: Connecting others, serving in their communities, & building ‘roots & wings’ in their households.
  • Have eschewed a paycheck from a 3rd party & are sustaining on dollars earned through serving & solving.
  • Understand the value of time > money.  ( read previous post )

& …

  • Oft use words like legacy, leadership, leverage, significance, & value in everyday conversation.

 

Suggested Profiles

 

Brent Wehmeyer

 

Eric Kim

 

Producers Manifesto Poster

 

*** More on Y.D.I.L.

Y = You, Inc. [ ‘investing’ in your mind – trillion $+ ‘real estate’ ]

 

D = {consumer} debt [ pay off, or better yet, bypass proactively ]

 

I = Investments [ mainstream financial vehicles ]

 

L = Lifestyle [ far better to live below or right at par/your means ]

 

By committing to this informal, yet powerful acronym, my entire financial picture & level of consciousness, were shifted, bit by bit.

= I became a producer!

 

You can, too.

Starting, and perhaps expanding,  your business mustn’t originate from the scraps on your monetary table: It should be the main course, growing in parallel with your self-leadership as the “CEO” of You, Inc.

 

Value squared

Many thought leaders have previously opined on similar topic/s; I’m always pleased to cross reference their content & encourage readers in this community to learn more about them.

 

Their specialized knowledge, paired with mine, should generate lots of value for you, the reader.

 

The Producers Manifesto

Consumer v. Producer

Start Every Day as a Producer …

* Infographic – What is the ‘mass media’?

** https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/types-of-stressors-eustress-vs-distress/

 

In short …

 

  • Know the clear differences b/w a consumer(ist) & a producer
  • Click to Tweet the Emerson quote: there’s a very elevated level of consciousness within it.
  • Invest time to click on the links provided to follow the bread crumb trail of wisdom
  • Connect with the suggested social media accounts & thank them for being producers 🙂
  • Paint yourself with a producer’s Picassian flair!  #BeAnExample
  • Y.D.I.L. is very insightful, yet very contrarian.

 

Thank YOU for reading!

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Minding the Mobile Inbox: 10 Tips to Get the Attention Your Email Deserves by @BBorowicz

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Minding the Mobile Inbox: 10 Tips to Get the Attention Your Email Deserves

by Brittney Borowicz  | Featured Contributor

Why email? This question haunts many marketers’ dreams. In the age of spam filters, Gmail’s “Promotions” tab and one-click unsubscribe buttons, it seems like email is going by the wayside. Despite the new and emerging hoops that marketers have to jump through just to get their message to their audiences’ inboxes, email remains the second largest acquisition channel behind organic search.

In fact, 79% of email recipients use their smartphone for reading email… a higher percentage than those who use it for making calls. In addition, 91% of consumers check their email at lease once per day on their smartphone, making it the most-used functionality on these devices. Knowing this, it’s time for marketers to change their thinking of the present day as the “Age of Spam Filters” to thinking of it as the “Era of the Email Device.”

Marketers must adopt a “mobile-first” mentality, which means it’s time to start minding the mobile inbox. In order to get the attention your email deserves, take these 10 tips to make your emails more mobile-friendly.

Technical Details

  1. Make your emails responsive. Click-to-open rates are 40% higher for brands that send exclusively responsive emails versus brands that send only non-responsive.
  2. Use a “friendly” sender name. Try using the name of someone in your company. Using “Customer Service” or “Info” is a turn-off for consumers but a definite turn-on for an inbox’s spam filter to kick in.
  3. Set your images to the right. In case your email is not responsive (Tsk. Tsk. See number tip #1.), this allows your reader to see your important text first rather than making them scroll for it. Mobile users don’t like scrolling.
  4. Have your main calls-to-action visible at the top of the email. This tip is similar to the last… mobile users just don’t like to scroll. This entices them to act when they first open your email!
  5. Make everything clickable. Images, section headlines, calls-to-action… you name it! A mobile reader is more likely to click to get more information than try to find it in your email.

Subject Lines

  1. Keep your subject line short. Remember, a consumer’s inbox on their phone is much smaller than on their computer. Keep your subject line between four and seven words max. (From personal experience, this is hard to do at first. Don’t think you can do it? Read the next tip.)
  2. Ditch the “If you can’t see this, click here” preview text. Instead, use this area as an extension of your subject line to deliver your “hook.”
  3. Use the people-to-people rule. Personalized subject lines are 22.2% more likely to be opened.
  4. Give your subject lines urgency. Include a deadline or other featured date so that your readers know they need to act fast!
  5. Give your subject lines some extra energy! Subject lines that end in exclamation marks have higher open rates than those that don’t.

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Brittney BorowiczBrittney Borowicz is an integrated marketing professional with a strong communications background specializing in journalism, public relations and social media. Originally from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Brittney has spent the past few years working with entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Chicagoland area to enhance their marketing and social media efforts.

Prior to her current role as the Marketing Manager for an embedded networking company, Brittney realized her affinity for all things media and marketing while working in radio and television and as a professional presenter. Later, she began working at a couple of small marketing agencies in Chicago as a Public Relations and Sales Director and Account Manager, which required her to be well-versed in coordinating specialized public and media relations strategies, creative marketing initiatives and cohesive sales process implementations.

As a strong believer in intimate consumer/brand involvement, Brittney helps her clients create content that engages and educates brand audiences while establishing each individual or company as a thought leader in their industry.

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