Coach Al Johnson
Chicago, IL
President & Chief Coaching Officer, Inspiratude Coaching Solutions
Entrepreneurship
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Ryan Paugh
Welcome! If you'd like to be added to the Official Brazen Careerist Members Twitter List then please leave your Twitter ID in this thread.
Coach Al Johnson
Good evening fellow strategist! I'm new to the group. Curious what any of you do to improve your strategy development skills?
Jay Bitsack:
Hi Coach,
Depends on what you mean by strategy development... Very often, strategy development involves a process. And in that context, there are ...MoreHi Coach,
Depends on what you mean by strategy development... Very often, strategy development involves a process. And in that context, there are skills that are necessary at the process level and skills that are necessary at the component/elemental level. But not to belabor the technicalities, the simplest and most consistently relevant answer to your high-level question is: READ...a lot!
5 weeks ago
Depends on what you mean by strategy development... Very often, strategy development involves a process. And in that context, there are ...MoreHi Coach,
Depends on what you mean by strategy development... Very often, strategy development involves a process. And in that context, there are skills that are necessary at the process level and skills that are necessary at the component/elemental level. But not to belabor the technicalities, the simplest and most consistently relevant answer to your high-level question is: READ...a lot!
5 weeks ago
Ryan Paugh
What are your favorite books for entrepreneurship? Here are some faves from members of our YEC Women program: http://bit.ly/vnj75e What would you add?
20 weeks ago from Youth Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Shotgun Startups, Web Startups and Upstarts!3 more
Timothy Johnson III:
I'd add "The Personal MBA: Mastering the Art of Business", by Josh Kaufman and "168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think" by Laura Vanderkam
17 weeks ago
17 weeks ago
Beatriz Alemar:
The E-myth and Get Clients Now. My personal favs about entrepreneurship.
16 weeks ago
16 weeks ago
Suzanne Kaplan
Is there anyone here who would be willing to do an interview with me for my nascent blog http://jobtalknj.com/? I'm particularly interested in interviewing entrepreneurs. Please let me know how to get in touch with you, or mention me on twitter @JobtalkNJ. Interview takes 30 minutes via phone. Thanks! Suzanne PS I can't pay you, but I'll make sure to tweet your praises!
Noel Rozny and Horus Chan recommended this
Coach Al Johnson
Just read a great article that I wanted to share with this group from Mark Cuban on entrepreneurship: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222524
Dave Rothacker:
Man, do I love #9! And #12, ironically just yesterday I had a conversation with a middle manager, who I know to be excellent at what he does. His ...MoreMan, do I love #9! And #12, ironically just yesterday I had a conversation with a middle manager, who I know to be excellent at what he does. His main beef is that he is under-appreciated and under-valued.
Nice work on finding this resource Coach Al!
18 weeks ago
Nice work on finding this resource Coach Al!
18 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
BRANDING: When you start a new company where you are a coach or consultant...should you brand yourself, the company name, or both? Open to thoughts...
Dave Rothacker:
Here's a thought Coach Al - As a consumer, if I am dealing with the employee of a company, that company's brand no matter what they want it to be, ...MoreHere's a thought Coach Al - As a consumer, if I am dealing with the employee of a company, that company's brand no matter what they want it to be, takes a backseat to the employee.
In a one person gig, I would work like crazy on consistent & appealing communications, image & service. I consider this tactical work. As far as individual branding, I believe good values, ethic and service fortifies the tactical side, so that in the end, there's really only one brand.
18 weeks ago
In a one person gig, I would work like crazy on consistent & appealing communications, image & service. I consider this tactical work. As far as individual branding, I believe good values, ethic and service fortifies the tactical side, so that in the end, there's really only one brand.
18 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
CURIOUS: What is the one thing you wish you would have known BEFORE you started your business and what would you do differently had you known?
Coach Al Johnson
joined the group Entrepreneurs
19 weeks ago
19 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
Great tips in the attached article! What are some things you wish you would have known when you were 22 that would have either accelerated your career success and/or eliminated some bumps and bruises along the way? http://under30ceo.com/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-was-22/
Coach Al Johnson
Great tips in the attached article!
What are some things you wish you would have known when you were 22 that would have either accelerated your career success and/or eliminated some bumps and bruises along the way?
http://under30ceo.com/8-things-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-was-22/
Coach Al Johnson
ARTICLE: Great read from entrepreneur.com with solid advice from billionaire Mark Cuban: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222524
Coach Al Johnson:
What would your TOP THREE rules for start-ups if this article had interviewed you?
19 weeks ago
19 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
Hello - o - o - oooooooooooo!
That would be an echo since I'm the only member of this newly started group! But in time I hope many other Chicago Young Professionals will consider joining the group.
See YOU all at the top,
Coach Al Johnson
www.inspiratude.com
Coach Al Johnson
January is National Mentoring Month! As a coach, I believe having coaches and mentors of my own helps me stay on top of my game. I'm curious -- how do you all go about starting your own mentoring relationships?
19 weeks ago from Ask A Coach
Coach Al Johnson
COACHING TIPS: Are you a young professional in a less-than-ideal job? If so, see what other career coaches and I had to say in the Wall Street Journal this week: http://www.inspiratude.com/about-us/press-room
19 weeks ago from Ask A Coach
Coach Al Johnson
How many folks here are located in Chicago? I'd like to try and connect with a few folks in the Chicagoland area for a live discussion in February. Any takers? I really want 2012 to be the year I challenge myself to learn from others vs. trying to do so much on my own.
Coach Al Johnson
Are there any entrepreneurs in this group who are looking to connect with other young professional entrepreneurs? I've started a new group and hope to gather at least a half dozen to a dozen members in the next 30 days for a live meeting in Chicago! If you are interested send me a message or join the group here: http://www.brazencareerist.com/network/chicago-yp-entrepreneurs
Coach Al Johnson
joined the groups The Windy City Crew, Inspiring Leadership, Ask A Coach, The Modern Strategist and Business Development3 more
19 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson created the group Chicago YP Entrepreneurs
19 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
Happy New Year Badgers! Are any of you located in the Chicagoland area.
Coach Al Johnson
How many of you have a mentor and how many do you have?
Coach Al Johnson
January is National Mentoring Month! Have you told your mentor THANK YOU yet? What challenges do any of you face with starting a new, MEANINGFUL mentoring relationship?
Coach Al Johnson
QUESTION: I spent some time talking with a business consultant I met at a friend's b-day party this weekend. The question of the hour was, as a young entrepreneur, when you full time day job potentially holds you back due to time commitments there, how/when do you know when the right time is to leave your comfortable corporate job and go ALL IN with your start up? What do you guys think?
Edward Antrobus
I recently started a new company doing ebook file conversion and publishing.The conversion aspect I started 10 months ago but never had any customers. Last month I relaunched adding the publishing side. So far I've signed on author had made one sale. What I need help with is the marketing, to get the word out, but I only have ~$25/month I can put towards the effort. I need to find somebody who can do the marketing and advertising on that budget.
Ryan Paugh recommended this
Edward Antrobus:
JRandom, That's a great question. The short answer: quality. The long answer: Any software-based conversion tool is going to be inherently limited ...MoreJRandom, That's a great question. The short answer: quality. The long answer: Any software-based conversion tool is going to be inherently limited in producing quality output by how close the input file resembles what the programmer coded for. The less formatting the source, the better looking the final product.
I'm a big fan of Calibre, I use it to manage my own library, and it does a decent job of converting files from one ebook file to another. If I get a Kindle book for my personal library, I'll use Calibre to turn it into an epub. But it tends to fall down on the job on odt/rtf files (it doesn't support doc files as an input file). Even Amazon's own conversion tool won't produce a file that Amazon will accept if the source file isn't just so.
If somebody wants a file that is going to look right on readers screens, will validate on validation tools, and will be accepted by ebook retailers then work and knowledge has to go into formatting the source document. That's 90% of what I do. And if you're not familiar with the rules, it can take a lot of time. The first ebook I ever did, it took me 10 hours to get right.
Noel, Any company that has a "zombie" level of service desserves some consideration. I'll have to look into them more. Thanks for the link!
20 weeks ago
I'm a big fan of Calibre, I use it to manage my own library, and it does a decent job of converting files from one ebook file to another. If I get a Kindle book for my personal library, I'll use Calibre to turn it into an epub. But it tends to fall down on the job on odt/rtf files (it doesn't support doc files as an input file). Even Amazon's own conversion tool won't produce a file that Amazon will accept if the source file isn't just so.
If somebody wants a file that is going to look right on readers screens, will validate on validation tools, and will be accepted by ebook retailers then work and knowledge has to go into formatting the source document. That's 90% of what I do. And if you're not familiar with the rules, it can take a lot of time. The first ebook I ever did, it took me 10 hours to get right.
Noel, Any company that has a "zombie" level of service desserves some consideration. I'll have to look into them more. Thanks for the link!
20 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson
Curious how other young entrepreneurs who also hold a demanding full time job split their time. There is marketing, operations, content development, website maintenance, strategic planning, and the list goes on when you are an army of one. I've learned to split my time by category, but I'm curious how others spend their time to generate success.
Dave Rothacker:
In another lifetime Coach, I had a twenty-five year relationship with your day job company. (You can just imagine how skinny the catalog USED to ...MoreIn another lifetime Coach, I had a twenty-five year relationship with your day job company. (You can just imagine how skinny the catalog USED to be :-) What is your company's attitude towards your coaching gig?
20 weeks ago
20 weeks ago
Coach Al Johnson:
Dave - I'm impressed each year that they find a way to add more to it! They are fully supportive and my coaching and mentoring background has led ...MoreDave - I'm impressed each year that they find a way to add more to it! They are fully supportive and my coaching and mentoring background has led to many opportunities within the company as a result. Great to place to work - as they reward me with more there, I feel punished that I have less time to devote to my own business. It's tough!
20 weeks ago
20 weeks ago
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