Tag Archives: continuing education

Gotta Love the Quick Fix | Business Problems and Easy Solutions

Originally posted at Pro/Vision Coaching.

I vaguely remember an old movie starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods entitled “The Hard Way”. I couldn’t tell you what it was about or even why I saw it, other than I assume it has something to do with doing something in a more difficult fashion. I certainly prefer doing things the easy way, and that is one of the main reasons why I love duct tape.

“Iowa Chrome”, as many call it is a tape that can hold virtually anything together. Originally designed for duct work, its main purpose was to hold the metal ducts together against heat and sometimes even water. For a roll of tape, that’s pretty impressive! The mid-nineties witnessed the rise of duct tape pop-culture, a fashion statement that included designer duct tape suits. I once made a wallet out of the beloved material, though I regrettably never used it. It is just so simple – one roll of tape that can fix basically anything – who wouldn’t want to use it for everything?

Most people did. It became such a popular household tool, that sales have consistently risen over the years, and, according to a recent article about a spike in sales due to Hurricane Irene, proves that Americans will pretty much use duct tape for anything. Why?

According to Florence and the Machine, duct tape is simply the quick and easy solution to life’s problems, and causes situations when not readily available. “I got in a lot of trouble from my stepfather for using his duct tape, to tape up my school skirt. So the inside of my skirt was done up with electrical tape. I always find in daily life, it’s like, don’t you kind of make your own uniforms in a sense. It’s really weird.” Duct tape is simply the quick and easy solution to your fix-it needs. This is why Iowans use it so much.

What does this tell us about life? It tells us that we are all about finding the quick and easy fix to our problems. It’s been often said that necessity is the mother of invention and, since the industrial revolution, America has prided itself on its ability to figure out faster, easier solutions to problems. While Eli Whitney was brilliant in figuring out ways to make plantation life easier, the impacting result today is unquenchable desire for the next get rich quick scheme.

Hard work is considered a bad word in many parts of our culture. Even during the recession struggles of the past few years, I personally have witnessed multiple people choose laziness. This shows itself in the business world as well. While I am in no way saying that multi-level marketing is, in and of itself, a scam, it is often marketed as an easy way to get rich quick. “Discover the Hefty New Online Revenue Source To Get Rich And Generate At Least $31,650 Every Month On Complete Autopilot! Now You Can Learn The Step-By-Step Methods This 21-Year Old College Dropout Used To Make Money Fast And Generate His First $1,000,000! The Secret Is Now Revealed To Public” (http://21butrich.com/ – please do not visit this site, used only for “journalistic integrity”).

The truth is getting rich quick doesn’t work. “In an October 15, 2010 [USA Today] article, it was stated that documents of a MLM called Fortune reveal that 30 percent of its representatives make no money and that 54 percent of the remaining 70 percent only make $93 a month”.

Success and financial independence can certainly be earned, but it takes time and hard work. Whether or not you have decided to go the multi-level marketing route, it still takes work – lots of it. There are plenty of people out there helping others reach their vision, business coaches (Yay for shameless plugs!) being a good place to start. However, regardless of how many people you have helping you, there is no way to avoid hard work. If you want to strike it rich, my suggestion is to roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and invent something better than duct tape. Or at least make a bad movie with an aging movie star.

Pro/Vision Coaching, Inc. Partners with IMPACT Professional Management Training | Will Teach Social Media Workshops in Omaha

Originally posted at Pro/Vision Coaching.

Grant Mathey, President of Professional Management Training, Inc. (PMT) has hired Philip Stalnaker at Pro/Vision Coaching to run workshops for his clients. PMT focuses on helping middle to large businesses invest in their employees through continuing education. Wanting to create a partnership with PVC, he saw an opportunity to expand his reach and add expertise on crucial subjects.

Impact

I will be teaching two 3-hour workshops around social media. Developing expertise in social media since 2004, I’ve designed and ran many social media campaigns for numerous industries. I’ve also given lectures and seminars on the Web 2.0 world, as well as basic websites and search engine navigation.

One day, I’ll tell you all my favorite social media story, which centers around a Facebook ad campaign I ran for a small university that was able to reach 1.6 million qualified leads for a grand total of $175.00. You’ll have to come to the workshop for that, though. Listed below are the courses and dates for the social media workshops. Courses will be held at the University of Phoenix building at 132nd and Dodge, Omaha.

Social Media for the Business Professional Running May 4, from 8:30-11:30am, Social Media for the Business Professional is a general overview of the Web 2.0 world. During this 3-hour course, your eyes will be opened to a world of social media few know and understand. You will learn how to navigate this world, find what is most useful to you, and how you can benefit those with whom you connect. You will learn ways to both heighten your own understanding and growth as well as bring profit to your company, helping you to increase your value at your current company. You will hear about the pitfalls, mistakes, and fatal flaws of individuals that have given social media a controversial name, at best. Once finishing the course, you will be able to properly navigate your way through social media, with the confidence to participate in any way you choose along with the wisdom to make smart online decisions. At the end of this course, you will understand:

  • The Web 2.0 world and its breadth of offerings
  • What makes Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn different
  • The world of smaller social networking sites
  • How they can help your job/career, as well as profit your company
  • How, if not careful, they can destroy your personal and career paths
  • Proper workplace usage

LinkedIn for the Business Professional Running May 25, from 8:30-11:30am, LinkedIn for the Business Professional takes the ideas of Social Media for the Business Professional and focuses solely on LinkedIn and how it can impact your personal and professional branding. We will discuss how a proper LinkedIn image can help your company as well as yourself, along with how to use it as a valuable business tool – why it should be as accessible to you as your stapler and phone. We will cover what to do and what not to do, helping to ensure that you make wise online decisions with your communication. You will learn the ins and outs of the website itself, giving you a solid understanding for navigating the site yourself and how to get the most out of all its offerings. At the end of this course, you will understand:

  • What makes LinkedIn uniquely different from all other social media sites
  • Whether or not  you should participate
  • How it can help not only your job/career, but also profit your company
  • The difference between the free and paid versions and how to choose what’s right for you
  • Appropriate levels of public communication
  • How to use the site in its fullest extent