Peter was about to make the biggest mistake of his professional real estate career.
I could tell he was hesitant about sharing what was going on over the phone.
Peter (not his real name to protect his identity)… Continue Reading
What The Caterpillar Doesn’t Know Yet
Do you think this guy knows what he’s about to become?
I don’t think so …
I’m sure he feels trapped and antisocial (but he’s not!)
It’s dark and he can’t see!
But he intuitively feels there’s a whole other world out there, one with infinite possibilities to prosper and fly anywhere he wishes to (’cause he knows he can fly!)
…Bcuz he knows he was meant for more than this!
All he needs to do is put in the work in this phase and let the transformation begin!
In this case… Nature is showing him the way!
Who’s showing you the way?
Claudio “The Transformer” Alegre
P.S. If you’ve been looking for a Coach or someone to mentor you through your journey…
Read the info on the site below 👇
Unlimited Return On Investment
We all have people in our lives who put us to the test, push us to our limits, and make us wonder why we let them hang around.
Relationships, even the good ones, are not all sunshine and rainbows.
Your friends, family, and colleagues… basically the people closest to you, usually determine your fate.
Yes I know what you’re thinking…
But Claudio, my decisions determine my fate!
Yes, yes I know…
But your decisions are influenced by people, events, and circumstances… whether you’re aware of it or not…
And they almost never involve just you!
So don’t lose faith in people, even when they disappoint you.
You never know when they may surprise you, and really make you proud!
You never know when YOU may surprise you…
The ROI on people is limitless!
Claudio “betting on people” Alegre
Disturbing Thoughts I Have in The Shower I’ve Been Afraid To Share Publicly… Until Now
It’s true… I admit it.
I don’t know why these thoughts creep into my mind once the hot water starts running.
But I’m telling you they are sneaky, highly stimulating, and pretty much inevitable…
I simply have zero control over these mental images which by now have turned into uncontrollable physical impulses…
This happens to me everywhere…
At the gym.
When I’m a guest at people’s homes.
Even at public beach showers.
Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing!
But once the water starts running down my back, I’m not in control anymore.
Let me explain…
Normally I walk around with a small moleskine notebook…
I also have thousands of notes in my voice recorder, Evernote app, and other tools I use for note taking and idea strategy.
Plus I take pictures of anything I think could be useful for a copy or content piece.
Rarely does a creative thought escape the physical traps I’ve laid out for it in the wild theme forest that is my brain.
Except in one place…
The Shower!
For some reason this is the place where I get constantly blitzed with provocative and creative ideas…
It’s also where I’m most vulnerable…
And the least prepared to harness the power of such inopportune rush of creativity.
It’s unfair… but it is what it is.
I don’t fret over harsh realities for very long…
But it drove me insane not being able to know why it happens this way…
Or even how to take advantage of it.
So I did a little digging…
And found some pretty interesting stuff…
Including a scientific paper explaining this interesting phenomenon I’m now referring to as:
“Eureka Showers”
Did you know that 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower?
This is exactly what cognitive scientist and coauthor of “Wired to Create” Scott Barry Kaufman found, in a recent study he did…
The study focuses on the importance of relaxation for creative thinking.
“The relaxing, solitary, and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely, and causing people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams.”
–explains Kaufman.
All this is great…
I knew now I wasn’t a freak… Good!
And that almost two thirds of my fellow human creatives experience these Eureka Shower moments too…
But I still had a problem…
I needed to figure out a way to harness the power of Eureka Showers?
And it had to be inexpensive, portable and water proof of course.
I needed a Fred Flintstone-like solution now!
Then ironically… while taking a shower…
It hit me like a lightning bolt…
Why on earth didn’t I think of this before?
The solution was staring me right in the face..
It’s cheap. It works.
It’s portable, and waterproof!
The answer to my problem…!?
A Promate Underwater Writing Slate…
On sale at Amazon for $8.45!
Done!
No more reading ink smudged notes on wet paper…
No more rushing out of a relaxing shower to not lose an idea…
No more stepping out all soaped up… to then dry the one hand I’m using to record thoughts on my phone…
No more of that sh**t!
I had finally found a way to close the capture-loop on thoughts and ideas.
I now have full control of the unpredictable nature of Eureka Showers!
So what if my water bill is a little higher…
Who cares!
Some of these ideas have already paid for about seven lifetimes of water bills anyway!
So far the slate is working … I’ll let you know if I upgrade.
But hey… while we’re at it…
Let me share with you some of the tools I’m currently using for idea capture, development, and canvassing (where I actually do the writing)
By the way, I communicate mostly by writing.
But this applies to any content creator, regardless of the communication medium you feel most natural using.
So here it is…
[*none are affiliate links]
To quickly record thoughts and ideas especially while in motion, I use:
–Iphone voice recorder – quick and easy access
–Rev.com – I can later transcribe to text
–Pocket – Quick bookmarking of articles on the web
–Evernote – Voice recorder feature
For quick note taking outlining, and visualization of ideas I use:
–Logseq – my second brain!
–Imindmap – iphone app. for idea connections and visual relationships
–Sticky notes app – iPhone app (quick and portable)
–Underwater slate – (newest tool!) Handy, waterproof, and portable
–Noteshelf – (Loving it!) for quick idea capture
–Notability – Also for quick idea capture
–Blank sheet of paper – old school, but very reliable when all else fails
For actual writing and editing, and organizing ideas I use:
–Google docs – especially when collaborating on a content piece w/ clients and colleagues
–Trello – When I get ideas, I send them here after jotting them down on my other tools
–Ulysses – my favorite canvas for all my writing. From here to distribution
So there you have it…
Fourteen tools… of which 2-3 are backups. So really eleven!
But this is what works for me.
I’m constantly testing new apps and ways to decrease the friction between my thoughts and ideas, and the physical world.
You need to find what works best for you.
Sometimes I feel all you really need is…
A good idea, paper and pencil, and a quiet place to work.
Claudio “Eureka showers dominator” Alegre
How To Harness The Awesome Power of Gratitude
There are 3 questions I ask myself every morning before I start my day:
- What am I excited and pumped about?
- What am I grateful for?
- What must I accomplish today?
But #2…” what am I grateful for?” is my favorite and the one that gives me the most energy!
Now a point of caution, when you are counting your blessings. try not to do it by comparing your life with the misfortune of others.
This is often done unconsciously and it doesn’t make you a bad person, but it’s unhealthy and unproductive.
For example: “I’m so lucky I didn’t end up like so and so … or, I’m so grateful for not being like that guy or that girl!”
Be truly grateful for the things you’ve accomplished without comparison or judgment.
Being grateful is being sincere. When you acknowledge your reality and genuinely give thanks to a higher power, whatever it is you believe in, you are humbling yourself.
You are saying: “I didn’t accomplish or get here my myself”, which means you know you are not alone and you’ll have company the rest of the journey.
I’m grateful for my parents, my wife, my boys, my brother and sisters and nephews… my friends, my business partners, and clients.
I’m grateful for my health, my success and my failures.
I’m grateful for waking up every day, and I’m grateful for things to come.
Being grateful does not mean you accept your limitations, it means you are at peace with yourself now, but always vigilant and ready to evolve and transform.
Being grateful is living in the moment, engaging with the here and the now, and there is nothing more powerful than being present.
Stay focused, lead, and be great!
Happy Thanksgiving!
4 am Type Discipline- Teaching Yourself How To Win in Life and in Business
It’s 4:45 am, I just left my son at swimming practice. It’s dark, humid and not too chilly but that’s not the point.
The point is that you when you get up at 4:00 am to be at poolside by 4:45 the impact of it is more psychological than anything else.
It’s not the “getting wet” so early, you get over the physical shock after the first 10 laps, -it’s what happens before you hit the water that messes with your head.
Getting up from your soft warm bed, eating something even if you are not hungry cause you are going to need the calories, and the knowledge that you are about to put in more physical work by 6:30 am than most people do in a whole day are thoughts you’d WANT TO AVOID!
And if the mornings are cold?! Forget it …It’s just pure pain and suffering!
The prospect of knowing you are going to swim 2-3 miles before the sun comes up is unnerving and mind numbing.
But young swimmers train their minds as much as their bodies, -it’s part of the sport.
I keep telling my son it’s going to pay off in spades!
I did it when I was his age. He’s 13 now.
But he’s now a much stronger and better swimmer than I ever was at his age, he’s been swimming now for 5 years.
An unwavering discipline and laser-like focus are what separates most sports professionals and endurance athletes from the rest of us.
And I keep telling him it’s going to pay off!
But he knows this! -He knows by now he can do things in the pool most professional athletes in other sports can’t do.
I make sure he hears it because hearing it plus doing it builds a sense of confidence and accomplishment, I can already see it in his attitude.
I tell him all the time:
“Papo do you know that almost no one in the NHL, NBA, MLB and NFL can do what you do every day …and these are all grown up professionals and well-paid athletes!” -He smirks …!
You can’t see the picture when you are in the frame (I forget who said that!)
REMEMBER THIS …No personal or business endeavor feels heroic or even worthwhile you are going through the daily grind. You must find your reasons.
He’s a teenager so we all know he looks at the world as a teenager does, but learning this kind of discipline at such a young age is life altering, it will forge his character because he’s being challenged every single day he steps on the deck.
Most endurance sports don’t just test the physical, but the mental and even the spiritual sometimes!
I’ve seen the pain in his face, but his eyes are defiant and focused …I feel a sense of pride, but I also feel challenged. Isn’t that something?
One day he’ll be able to look back at those tough grueling sets from hell his coaches gave him and remember is not how you start the set, but how you finish it …finish strong, if not of body, then of mind …but finish strong.
Leave it all in the pool EVERY SINGLE PRACTICE!
The same goes with business by the way…!
You don’t have to be a swimmer, a professional athlete or get up at 4 am… but you do have to walk the gauntlet! …And you do have to find a way to challenge yourself every day if you want to be successful!
I can relate not only cause I’m also a swimmer, but because I hone my craft every day, by writing winning copy, creating business strategies and marketing campaigns for my own business projects and clients.
Like him, I’m in pain when my work doesn’t perform as expected, -BUT I also bask in the glow of success and accomplishment when they do perform and exceed my client’s expectations.
When was the last time you challenged your view of how you do your marketing and grow your business?
Here are a few similarities between entrepreneurs and professional athletes:
- Both need to be brave – Which means you know what you need to do and go through even though you are scared shitless! That’s what brave means.
- Both need to constantly train – Staying on top of your game is critical to your success, learning and growing never stops.
- Both need to have a coach – Someone you respect, look up to and learn from is essential to being a winner, but most importantly someone that can kick your ass and challenge you.
- Both need peers to laugh, cry and grow with – Your teammates and business partners are your family, watch their back and they’ll watch yours.
- Both will experience horrible failures – Both will also experience incredible wins and paydays!
- Neither has a shortcut to greatness – You pay your dues one way or another, sooner or later, but you pay’em! There’s no quick path to Olympic dreams anymore than there are “get rich quick schemes” that actually work.
- Both need to take risks – The greater risk in life and in business is to risk nothing!
Are you putting yourself out there?
It’s not enough to WANT TO …You’ve got to put relentless action behind THOUGHTS OF SUCCESS!
Can you name one marketing campaign that you are running right now in your business? How is it performing ?
Are you being coached in a particular area of your life or business?
Tiger, Phelps, Lebron and my son have coaches! -So do Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Bill Gates and I!
Do you think maybe you need to get one too?
My wife is my parenting coach these days by the way!
I realized that when I caught myself asking her, “Are the boys too young to have watched that movie?” -One look it’s all it took!
Anyway, this my 4:30 am, Thursday morning thought… I’d love to hear yours 
Have a Happy Labor Day weekend!
Star Wars and J.J. Abrams Teach Us a Powerful Marketing Lesson!
Different, just different …!
The traditional way to build anticipation and interest in the film industry is by showing action-filled clips spaced with climactic moments for what’s to come.
Instead in the new Star Wars ComicCon reel J.J. Abrams decided to tell a story that made us feel like we belonged, that just because we didn’t have a physical part in the making of the “new-old” story, we belong because we relate and we have a personal history with Star Wars.
He did so by giving us a brief but aspirational experience!
Sometimes is tempting and easier to tease people about what’s to come, even if it’s great by the way …But what if you go deeper, what if you link to our need to belong and be part of something greater than ourselves!
Nothing’s changed really, I mean everything’s changed but nothing’s changed …that’s the way you want it to be really! -Mark Hamill
That’s a powerful business and marketing lesson!
See you at the movies in December 🙂
How Elon Musk created nearly 1$B in value with a single tweet
Photo credit: www.pando.com
I absolutely had to write about this event on my own blog and that’s why I totally stole it from Michael Carney ( @pandodaily ) at Pando.
Elon Musk, what can I say? I’m a big fan and student of this guy …How can you not be if you are an entrepreneur?
But I don’t want to talk about him as much as I want to point out AGAIN how Social Media when properly hacked and respected can affect bottom line, real-time, real-life-business metrics like …Let me see Oh! …Revenue!?
So on March 30, 2015 Elon tweets this to his 1.86 M followers:
Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30
…and by day’s end Musk’s message had been retweeted more than 4,700 times and favorited another 3,700, while eliciting thousands more responses.
Results: The electric car maker’s stock to jump nearly 4 percent in just 10 minutes – adding a staggering $900 million to the company’s market cap in just 115 characters.
Read full report here!
But here’s my point:
I know you are not Elon Musk, you don’t have 1.86 M followers on Twitter, you are not revolutionizing the car industry as we speak, basically replacing NASA with SpaceX, and the only company that you can be compared to in terms of innovation, disruption and popularity would be Apple. I realize that!
So obviously when this guy tweets or says something, people are on the edge of their seats.
You know what, he’s earned that and you haven’t!
Most of us haven’t!
But that doesn’t mean you should not use Twitter as a primary tool for your personal marketing (branding) or as an integral part of your company’s social media strategy.
Here’s how you can leverage Twitter exactly like Elon Musk did:
Approach your Twitter marketing strategy with these points in mind and in this order-
#1 RESEARCH – Twitter is the most powerful real time research tool on the Web today. Twitter Trends point you in the direction of the conversation and the #hashtag brings the convo feed right to your door step, it’s the modern social SEO. Join or Listen to any conversation, on any topic, any time, any where!
#2 CONNECTING – Twitter dominates in this area as well because assuming you’ve identified who’s genuine and who’s a troll, Twitter allows to instantly connect with like minded peeps in your space or any just about any area of interest to you. Just be YOU and offer something of value, say thank you to someone for following, support someone’s cause, curate kick-ass content, comments and media… And do so without expectation! You can’t do this? -Find life elsewhere!
#3 MARKETING – Twitter can be very deceiving on this end, especially when you don’t get 1 and 2. Twitter ad product is evolving quickly and is better today than it was yesterday. But still I think that Twitter is the best tool to drive one-on-one marketing opportunities as long as you do again, #1 and #2 properly, patiently and consistently. Be human about the engagement and you’ll be fine.
So let’s recap!
Research your market and find out who needs what, Listen, Listen, Listen! Then connect viscerally with people, give a crap about their stuff, especially if it ads value to other people and share it if it does!
You do this enough and you’ve planned your strategy, funnels and content on your end and in essence you’ve been doing the kind of marketing only 1% of people on Twitter actually do!
That kind of goodwill and digital Karma works, it just does!
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for people to check your stuff out, just make sure it’s actually stuff worth checking out.
I almost forgot!
Here’s a video link to that major Tesla product event announcement on that Tweet … Enjoy, its awesome!
Also, if you’d like to learn How To Use Twitter Strategically for your business or personal brand, email me or call me and I’ll show you the right way to use it specifically for your business 🙂
claudio@venmarkmedia.com – 786.303.1500
Take care!
The Only 10 Slides You Need To Pitch Your Business
When was the last time you truly got practical value out of a power point presentation?
And what I mean by practical value, is a concise, clear and brief understanding of the idea being presented in under 20 minutes or less, and that would help you take the next step or make a decision right after the presentation.
When you pitch your business for the first time the only goal is to sell the next encounter or event. Design your pitch strategy with simple goals and add value at every step. Remember you are qualifying your prospects as much as they are qualifying you.
If you’ve been guilty as I have of the 20 to 30 slides, all-over-the-place deck, check this guide out put together by Guy Kawasaki.
The 10 slides are:
Read full post here!
You Don’t Have Time!
The time I’m referring to is not the time to lose 50 pounds, write that book you’ve been postponing, take a trip to Asia or get that degree you’ve always wanted … No!
These things are great, but often we get to accomplish them at the expense of something else, and are seldom repeated or equaled because of our lack of lifestyle and vision.
You set and do them as goals instead of as a way of life.
I’m referring to the time to do something that changes your options by giant leaps and bounds, and forever!
The time to go from scarcity to abundance and prosperity …the time to design a life where you decide what to do and when to do it without having to pay a negative price for doing so! -Just because you can!
I don’t understand Claudio …What “time” are you referring to?
I’m talking about the time you need to put in to make exponential changes in your life forever!
To make changes that are so qualitative that they rock every fiber of your being, changes that transform and transcend.
But before you start thinking about this, here’s what your mind, friends and family may believe and tell you:
-I don’t know how!
-Things are the way they are supposed to be!
-I don’t have time to put in the “time”
-I’m safe, why rock the boat?
-Money and prosperity isn’t everything in life!
-Abundance is relative!
-I’m happy right now!
-I’m comfortable
I know, I know …in the years I’ve been in business, coaching and consulting business owners, I’ve heard it all, these are just a few.
I’ve said and felt ALL these things myself in multiple occasions! I’m a living example for each and every single one of them 🙂
But here’s how I deal with these common excuses on my way to a better life:
- I don’t know how!——Find a way!
- Things are the way they are supposed to be!——-No they are not, keep striving for better!
- I don’t have time to put in the “time”——–A classic “excuse” and the main reason why you don’t have time for anything, including the things you really want to do!
- I’m safe, why rock the boat?——–Rocking the boat is where “true safety” lies silly!
- Money and prosperity isn’t everything in life!——–You are right …but it sure does help, especially if you care and want to help others!
- Abundance and prosperity are relative!——–No they are not, they are absolutes …You either have options and freedom or you don’t!
- I’m happy right now!———The key here is to know when you are delusional, pseudo-content, you don’t care or are in denial. Truly happy people, I’ve noticed, are always in motion, searching, evolving, that’s what makes them happy!
- I’m comfortable——-So are people that are buried or in a coma
- A regretful and unhappy life? That won’t happen to me——–Just in case, don’t say that out loud or in public! …instead, start reflecting now!
These were some of my demons, I later came to find out I wasn’t alone …and you know what, neither are you!
Claudio
