One of the top social media thought leaders in the world is Chris Brogan. I have a ton of respect for him. I recently interviewed Chris about his new book “The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators
The genius of the book came from Chris Brogan pondering about his children’s future. At ages 12 and 8 it was obvious to him that neither would ever end up in a “normal” cubicle job. Chris realized that there are many out there not interested in a “normal” cubical job and are wondering what the best job is for them. They might be high school or college students or 40-60 year olds looking for a different career.
Chris says his book is intended for people who want to do business on their own terms with the people they want to do business with and how do you actually make that work and not end up living in somebody’s basement. It’s really about entrepreneurship from the ground up.
In his latest book, “The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators” Chris defines a “freak” as someone who is passionate about the things they are into and do an incredible job of turning that passion into something of value to the community that they happen to serve. People like Sam Calagione and Joe De Sena. “Freaks” are often people who don’t want to be sitting in a cubicle and feel like they have a better way to do business.
Chris shared his top tips on building your social media presence and build a following. Create and give away actionable useful information. Really talk about and share that thing that you are most into. Gather around you others in your tribe who are doing interesting things and actively promote them and talk about what they are doing.
By giving away 90% of what you know for free you create an audience that is anxious to get the next thing you have to share. Because you have given them so much when you offer something for sale they will naturally wonder what is behind the velvet rope and be intrigued. Then make sure what you deliver is awesome and they are amazed and grateful to receive it. Top yourself… compete with no one but yourself and really serve your community.
Chris has been quoted as saying: “Serve the people you intend to serve and stop trying to sell to everyone. I no longer want “everyone.” I want owners and freaks. Period” The point being that you should know who you are serving and focus on exceeding their expectations and needs.
When it comes to productivity and mastering time Chris recommends that all meetings should be kept brief, lasting less than 10-20 minutes. Limit your phone calls and utilize email most often. Learn to say “No”. You can’t save everybody. Don’t waste your time unwinding in front of the TV or on the computer playing games. It frees you up to exercise, be with your family, and to run your businesses.
Finally, Chris masters time by creating a “time quilt.” Quilts are traditionally made up of tiny bits of useful fabric rescued from worn out pieces. These scraps are then sewn together into a blanket making them useful again. Chris recommends looking for 5-10 minute scraps of time in your day and put them together. You can waste those 5-10 minute scraps of time or you can utilize them to stay connected and be productive.
Chris’s book is full of tremendous content and actionable items that you will really enjoy. If you are not already receiving Chris’s newsletter, Human Business Works, be sure to sign up because you will find it to be of great value!
Chris’s new book “The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators” is available at www.chrisbrogan.com, Amazon, Apple ibooks, Barnes & Noble, BookShout, Google Play, KoBo, and Independent Book stores near you.