RISE25 - December 2021

RISE25 - December 2021

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PROFITABLE CONNECTIONS

December 2021

Building a Brand Means Building Relationships 2021 in Review

When looking back at your year in 2021, what do you think of first? There have probably been some big life events, both good and bad. There have probably also been new connections and relationships that have become more important in your personal life and business. In the podcasting world, we’re so grateful that meeting amazing new people is the norm. 2021 was an especially big year for us because we finally met people we’d been trying to connect with for years! For example, John Corcoran finally got an interview with the founder of Kinko’s, Paul Orfalea, and discovered that he started Kinko’s in a 100-square-foot office very close to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where John went to college. Learning how Paul turned his tiny office into a global brand with 1,000 offices and $2 billion in sales was incredibly inspiring. Similarly, Jeremy has always aspired to interview Alvy Ray Smith, the co-founder of Pixar, and emailed him over nine years ago — they’ve corresponded back and forth ever since. Much of the delay for Alvy’s appearance was because he wanted to appear on the podcast after his book was finished. Initially, he thought it’d only take a year; however, the book ended up taking nine years to finish. They never lost touch and laughed about it together when Alvy finally joined Jeremy on the podcast this year. (His book, “A Biography of the Pixel,” is out now!)

Some of the most important relationships you make aren’t always with famous individuals, though. We end up working with a number of our podcast guests, who are service providers or business owners, both personally and professionally. John recently interviewed Katty Douraghy, owner of Artisan Creative, a staffing and recruiting agency for digital, creative, and marketing talent. They had an insightful conversation about both growing Artisan Creative and her memoir, “The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope.” After the interview, the EO forum John belongs to hired Katty to facilitate a retreat. Podcasts have also allowed us to reconnect with and give exposure to longtime friends. For John, that’s Andrei Cherny, a friend from his days working in the White House over 25 years ago. He became John’s recent podcast guest after Andrei started a new mission-driven fintech company called Aspiration. While reflecting on the past year and years past, what amazes us most is how having a podcast gives us a new lens on opportunity and connection. In 2021, Jeremy discovered a new love for kombucha, especially Wild Tonic kombucha — so, one day, he decided to take a picture of the bottle he was drinking and email the address listed on the label. In the email, he expressed just how much he loved their product and asked if he could host an interview with someone from the brand for his podcast. Not only did they happily accept, but they also sent Jeremy a case of kombucha and gave him an open invitation to their main headquarters for a tour of their facility. 2021 was a huge year for us as podcast hosts, entrepreneurs, and people. Our podcast guests had a big part in making this year so memorable, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thanks for reading, and we’ll chat next year. Dr. Jeremy Weisz & John Corcoran

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How This Bookstore Became a Hub for Its Community Engage More Customers in 2022

In the age of Amazon, investing in a brick-and-mortar bookstore might seem ludicrous. But that’s exactly what Christin Evans and her husband Praveen Madan did in 2007, and since then, they have turned two historic San Francisco bookstores into community pillars and social movements. Their not-so-little print-based business is faring much better than one would expect in this digital world, and their secret is right in their community.

you. So, Christin and Praveen founded Kepler’s Literacy Foundation, which is focused on creating and promoting literacy programs, and bought GiftLit, a subscription- based book gifting company. By doing both of these things, Christin and Praveen are encouraging readership, engagement, and local advocacy. They are essentially generating customers (and doing some good, too)!

Now, It’s Your Turn!

How Did They Do It?

You may not be battling Amazon or promoting literacy, but you can use the ideas that made The Booksmith and Kepler’s essential to their communities and transform the way you engage your customers. For instance, a dentist can host a workshop for young parents who are concerned about how to teach their children best oral health practices and also create a curriculum for classrooms across the region to promote oral wellness. In doing so, they create an active community around their business as more than just a dental office — they become more essential to the next generation of oral health.

The couple purchased The Booksmith in 2007, and Christin left a corporate job to oversee the daily operations of the store. From the very beginning, she knew they had to engage with their customers and encourage them to actually visit The Booksmith. As a result, the couple was able to purchase another bookseller, Kepler’s Books & Magazines. 1. They started with the space. Christin knew her store had something that big booksellers or online retailers didn’t have: a community. The Booksmith and Kepler’s could tailor their customer experience to what locals wanted and turn their bookstores into miniature community centers. It helped the community view their stores as essential rather than just available. 2. Then, they hosted events. There is something for everyone at the store. Those who love happy hour but want to read can enjoy Silent Reads, where participants simply come to the store, read, and enjoy cocktails. Other events include mom groups, music nights, and — of course — book clubs. The community always has a reason to visit The Booksmith and Kepler’s because it invites them to stay engaged.

Don’t wait for customers to engage with you in 2022. Collaborate with your team and go to the customers instead.

3. Finally, they got involved. If you’re going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk! Customer

engagement should also include what you can do for your community — not just what your community can do for

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Rise25: Helping B2B Businesses Build Profitable Connections

This Month’s Featured ‘Smart Business Revolution’ Podcasts

Diana Chapman | “Eliminating Drama in the Workplace”

Jason Swenk | “How to Scale Up an Agency Business in an Economic Downturn” Jason Swenk is the host of the “Smart Agency Master Class Podcast,” where he interviews successful digital agency owners on how they built and grew their agencies. He started his career working for Arthur Anderson as a web developer before launching his own digital marketing agency. Apart from being a podcast

Diana Chapman is a founding partner of the Conscious Leadership Group and the co-author of the bestselling book, “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.” She has worked with over 1,000 different organization leaders and their teams to promote self-awareness and eliminate

host, he is also a creator, speaker, and advisor who is passionate about helping agency owners achieve more freedom.

drama in the workplace. Diana also co-leads a training school for coaches and is an experienced speaker. In this episode of the “Smart Business Revolution” podcast, Diana Chapman joins John Corcoran to talk about helping organizations and their teams eliminate drama in the workplace. Diana also explains why she formed the Conscious Leadership Group and how she has been working with clients during the pandemic. Special Shoutouts: A few notable people on Diana’s journey include Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, Dustin Moskovitz, and Justin Rosenstein.

In this episode of the “Smart Business

Revolution” podcast, John Corcoran sits down with

Jason Swenk to talk about his expert strategies for scaling agencies. Jason discusses how to succeed during a recession, the value of podcasting when scaling a business, and his tips for differentiating your brand from the competition.

Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode. SmartBusinessRevolution.com/ jason-swenk

Scan the QR code or visit the link to listen to the full episode. SmartBusinessRevolution.com/ diana-chapman

“Becoming a Serially Successful Entrepreneur” With Paul Martino, Co-Founder of Bullpen Capital This Month’s Featured ‘Inspired Insider’ Podcasts

“Becoming an Athlete in Business” With Tracy Deforge, Shawn Springs, and Donte Whitner Tracy Deforge is the CEO and co-founder of The Players’ Impact, an elite community of professional athletes and entertainers. Shawn Springs is the CEO of Windpact, a materials >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

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