Seth Godin's Marketing in 4 steps and Nassim Taleb's AUB Commencement Address | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 36

ISSUE #36Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Seth Godin writes one post per day. He has the awesome talent and skill of saying a lot with a few words. Great commencement address from the rebel economist Nassim Taleb in my Alma MaterEnjoy!DanaMaine Coon Cat photographed by Robert Sijka.TAKE ACTION

Psychology has identified three mindsets shared by people who actually follow through on their goals

How did I evolve from a self-proclaimed couch potato to endurance athletics enthusiast? I learned how to change my attitude.MKTG

Marketing in four steps

The first step is to invent a thing worth making, a story worth telling, a contribution worth talking about.IRL

Commencement Address, American University in Beirut, 2016

Dear graduating students,This is the first commencement I have ever attended (I did not attend my own graduation). Further, I have to figure out how lecture you on success when I do not feel successful yet –and it is not false modesty.

Why you're being too easy on yourself when it comes to following your dreams and brainstorm questions, not solutions | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 35

 ISSUE #35

Dana's Weekly Roundup

Hi everyone!This week, I loved not one but TWO articles from The Muse. One was hot to complete the work, when working on a project you're passionate about - which I have struggled with before. And the other is about how to navigate hard times - when you're doing you're best but things aren't working out. I take comfort in the fact that others struggle with this too and I love learning about the different tactics they use to thrive during those times.Enjoy!Dana
New born white lion cubs in a private zoo in the Ukraine.TAKE ACTION

Truth: You're Being Too Easy on Yourself When it Comes to Following Your Dreams

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to give up. When I initially decide to do something, I attack it head on, full steam ahead. I’m so excited about it, and I can’t wait to finish so I can show it off to everyone. But, before I get to that point where I actually finish, I stop.

Brainstorm Questions, Not Solutions

Simply stated, the first “problem” to solve is always exposing the “true” problem.

IRL

5 Steps to Take When it Feels Like the Universe Is Working Against You

Unless we live in a bubble, no one moves through life without pain. When the world begins to close in around us, what can we do to push through the darkness?

Here are five strategies you can apply to move through adversity. 

How to Write with Power and Authority, Even if You Feel Like a Nobody and the Gender Wage Gap | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 34

ISSUE #34Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Copyblogger's take on writing with power and authority without letting the imposter syndrome creep up. To change the gender wage gap, we need to understand how it starts and where it comes from - this study does just that. A great breakdown of what makes PokemonGo so addictive based on gamification theory.Enjoy!DanaBeach goers stunned as family of bears emerge from the forest to play in the water.TAKE ACTION

The truth about the gender wage gap 

Nearly 10,000 people graduated with MBAs from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business between 1990 and 2006.In 2009, three economists decided to study a quarter of those graduates.MKTG

How to Write with Power and Authority, Even if You Feel Like a Nobody

In this overcrowded online world, do you ever wonder why people would listen toyour advice?I’ve learned that mindset was flawed.IRL

What makes PokémonGo so Addictive?

This post is about how I feel Pokemon Go’s game designers have perfectly executed on the “Hook Model” — a framework for gamification and getting users to come back again and again and again.

Send a pain letter not a cover letter and the one content metric to rule them all | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 33

ISSUE #33Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!For those who are job hunting, you know how frustrating and broken the recruitment process is. Spending time on your cover letter and application, following up and hearing silence... Liz Ryan advocates for a Pain Letter instead of a Cover Letter.Enjoy!DanaTAKE ACTION

Cover Letters Are Dead -- Send A Pain Letter, Instead

I don’t want you to write any more cover letters. There is a better way to get a job.You can send a letter to your department manager – the person who will be your boss in your new job — directly at his or her desk.MKTG

One Content Metric to Rule Them All

This post walks through how we combined our content metrics for the Moz Blog into a single, easy-to-digest score, and better yet, almost completely automated it.IRL

Meet the woman who wrote Michelle Obama’s DNC speech — Sarah Hurwitz

When Sarah Hurwitz sits down at her laptop, she puts on her noise-blocking headphones and imagines Michelle Obama’s exacting voice in her head.

How Oprah gets stuff done and how my mind thinks about your new solution | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 32

ISSUE #32Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone!Fact: Most women earn less than men in the same job. This needs to change. Salesforce is a great example of that initiative. Transparency is the first step. Negotiating and supporting each other is what we as professional women can do. We will not underestimate and undervalue ourselves any more.Enjoy!DanaWookiees at Comicon.TAKE ACTION

The Key To Oprah Winfrey's Success: Radical Focus

"I’m here," I tell her, "to learn how Oprah gets stuff done.""Okay, great!" she replies. "I can help you with that."MKTG

This is How My Mind Thinks About Your New Solution (…and how you can change it)

You and your marketing machine are pitching me benefits (e.g. gains). It only makes me think you are hiding something that will make my life worse. All new things have some downside. My first thought is not gains….please deal with it.IRL

Earning Less Money Isn’t A Choice That Women Just Make

It’s true that many women do not pursue higher-paying jobs in engineering or science ― fields that are dominated by men. But that’s not the main reason the pay gap exists. In fact, 68 percent of the gap can be explained by the fact that women make less than men within the same occupations.

What Growth Work Really Looks Like and an 8-step process for writing sales page copy | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 31

ISSUE #31Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! Poornima Vijayashanker talks about balancing growth work with grunt work - which is a common challenge, given that grunt work takes so long! Also, a step-by-step guide to writing sales page copy - this was for an online course page but the it applies to any type of sales copy.Enjoy!DanaThe Milky Way.TAKE ACTION

What Growth Work Really Looks Like

Growth work, as obvious as it sounds, is any work you do that helps you grow personally or professionally. It could be cultivating a new skill, developing it further, or building relationships.And unlike your daily work that keeps you heads down, growth work is about connecting with others, and showcasing your skills, knowledge, and experiences.MKTG

My 8-step process for writing sales page copy

A powerful (and highly-converting) sales page is made up of two important things:1. Copy2. DesignIRL

Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives

“If you imagine less, less will be what you undoubtedly deserve,” Debbie Millman counseled in one of the best commencement speeches ever given, urging: “Do what you love, and don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can, imagine immensities…” Far from Pollyanna platitude, this advice actually reflects what modern psychology knows about how belief systems about our own abilities and potential fuel our behavior and predict our success.

Secrets of closing the sale by Zig Ziglar and productivity tips for the afternoon slump | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 30

ISSUE #30Hi everyone!Zig Ziglar is a must read for anyone who wants to sell. Talent isn't fixed and can be cultivated. Great productivity tips for the afternoon slump.Enjoy!DanaA photographer who was heading home from a weekend of camping was stunned when he waved goodbye to a bear - and it waved back.TAKE ACTION

50 Productivity Tips That'll Help You Beat the Afternoon Slump

For those times when you’re not able to sneak away for a power nap, we’ve got 50 tips to boost your brainpower and get you so focused and motivated, you’ll be surprised when the clock strikes 6.MKTG

Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar – Book Review

Ownership closing – paint the picture of what their life will be like w/ the close. in the house, look at the tv to watch football here and have breakfast with coffee over here. After showing someone something nice, you can show them something cheap.IRL

Talent Isn’t Fixed and Other Mindsets That Lead to Greatness

If we believe that someone’s talent is fixed—including our own—we are effectively writing off any options for growth. But if we believe that talent, or intelligence, or any other ability, evolves as a result of how much effort we put in, the opportunities are endless.

Not enough 'if' or not enough 'then'? | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 29

ISSUE #29 Dana's Weekly Roundup

Hi everyone! Great story from the CEO of Breather on how they got started and grew. This week's MKTG article is by Seth Godin - who has the extraordinary power to change your thinking with a few lines.

Enjoy!

Dana

A bear gets a slap on the face from a wet fish as it attempts to catch fish in Alaska, USA.

This is the “growth hack” that got my whole company started

MKTG

Not enough 'if' or not enough 'then'?

IRL

Why Trying to Become a Jack of All Trades Hurts Your Business

What Productivity Systems Won’t Solve and Three Things Recruiters No Longer Look For | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 28

ISSUE #28Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! I'm trying out this shorter format. Do you prefer it over a short summary of each article?Enjoy!DanaTattoo Artist Who Lost His Arm Gets World’s First Tattoo Machine Prosthesis. Now that's commitment.TAKE ACTION

Three Things Recruiters No Longer Look For (And Three They Still Do)

MKTG

We Interviewed 75 Top Social Media Marketers. Here’s What They’re Working On, Today

IRL

What Productivity Systems Won’t Solve

25 Facebook Marketing Tips and this experiment suggests intuition is a real thing | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 27

ISSUE #27Hi everyone! I'm trying out this shorter format. Do you prefer it over a short summary of each article?Enjoy!Dana

My spirit animal. 

TAKE ACTION

Surprisingly Simple Ways You Can Trick Your Brain Into Focusing

MKTG

How to Use Facebook for Business: 25 Facebook Marketing Tips and Tricks

IRL

This Experiment Suggests Intuition Is A Real Thing

Stop Yourself from Becoming Content Fried and 5 Waiting Traps That Kill Your Dreams Slowly | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 26

ISSUE #26Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! A great article from Christine Kane on waiting traps. No one is going to grant you permission to do the thing. As a content curator, I do get content fried due to the massive heaps of content I consume weekly which does affect my productivity. These tips could help combat content overload.Enjoy!Dana

They are renowned for being lazy, but this sloth appears to have caught the fitness bug with a spot of spontaneous yoga.

TAKE ACTION

5 Waiting Traps That Kill Your Dreams Slowly

I waited.

I waited for an entity – more important than me, more “in the know” than me – to swoop down from some holy place (or more likely, some corporate office) – and give me permission to be this thing.

MKTG

Stop Yourself from Becoming Content Fried and Free Your Mind to be Productive

Content fried is the point we reach when we subject ourselves to too much data. It commonly affects content curators but it can affect any of us. The “always on” Internet may be a blessing much of the time but it can also be a curse.

How Do I Know If I’m Content Fried?

IRL

Retiring Retirement

You don’t take any medications?”

“No.”

The doctor stared at me dolefully, then reframed the question.

“So, when you get up in the morning, what do you put in your mouth?” he asked with an air of exasperation, as if I was the one who wasn’t getting it.

“Oatmeal, usually, and tea with milk.”

“You don’t take any pills for high blood pressure? For your heart? Your bones?”

“Nope.”

Why you shouldn't stop working when you hit flow and how to create an explainer video | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 25

ISSUE #25Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! A great article on creating explainer videos. I've created one using iphones as cameras and microphones but we discovered that the hard part was getting the lighting right - for that we had to call in someone with experience. I also have "busy" days consumed with unprductive meetings and admin work without getting big things done. The trick is to get the hard stuff going first thing in the morning, before getting sucked in to other things.Enjoy!DanaAurora over camp on Bannerdale CragsTAKE ACTION

Why You Should Never Stop Working In the Moment you Hit Flow

There’s nothing that will transform the quantity of your output and the quality of your work like hitting flow on a regular basis. And we know that hitting flow is usually the result of eliminating distractions, discipline, and deep work. The rush produced by hitting flow makes us feel fulfilled and successful.MKTG

How to Create a Killer Explainer Video [Infographic]

Explaining to web users what your business does, what you stand for, and why customers need you. This is called "the explainer video," and it's a quick, memorable way to make an impact on people who might buy your product but need to know more information.IRL

5 Reasons You're "So Busy" Every Day, Yet Not Really Getting Anything Done

Then, one day it hit me: There's a big difference between being busy and being productive. Yes, yes, we’ve all heard this before. But have you really thought it through and contemplated those times you’re sitting at your computer all day, but don’t end up with a lot to show for it?

11 little known Facebook marketing features to try and how New Yorker Cartoonists generate 500 ideas a week | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 24

ISSUE #24Dana's Weekly RoundupHi everyone! Great article on how cartoonists from the New Yorker generate ideas. Buffer always shares detailed how to articles, and this one about Facebook marketing is very helpful, especially if your new to Facebook Marketing.Enjoy!DanaRatu, a 14-year-old Sumatran rhinoceros, sits next to its newborn calf at Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park, Indonesia.TAKE ACTION

How To Know Which Skills To Develop At Each Stage Of Your Career

At the start of your career, chances are good that you'll be hired primarily for your "hard skills"—the stuff you know that's relevant for the job.But what no one quite tells you is that while you might've been initially hired for those hard skills, they gradually matter less.MKTG

11 little known Facebook marketing features you can try today

In the spirit sharing, here are 11 hidden Facebook marketing features for social media managers and marketers to try today!IRL

Idea Sex: How New Yorker Cartoonists Generate 500 Ideas a Week

How to Come up with a Good IdeaBob Mankoff describes the cartoon idea generation process as “idea sex.”

10 Thoughts to Live by in 2016 and 13 bad habits you should break to be more productive|Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 6

ISSUE #6 View this email in your browser Dana's Weekly Roundup Hi! Hope you all enjoyed the holidays. In this issue, I learned from the article on automating social media lead generation - though I would say proceed with caution. I also share the 10 thoughts I'm reflecting on for 2016. Share the love and forward the weekly roundup to a friend. If you got this email from a friend you can join the weekly roundup by sending me an email or signing up here. Enjoy and Happy 2016! Dana The moons of Saturn, Enceladus and Tethys photos from Cassini's cameras. TAKE ACTION 13 bad habits you should break in 2016 to be more productive Being more productive is about working smarter, not harder, and making the most of each day. While this is no easy feat, getting more done in less time is a much more attainable goal if you're not sabotaging yourself with bad habits. Following are 13 things you should stop doing right now to become more productive. MKTG How to Automate Social Media Lead Generation and Engagement In this article, we will take a look at the time-saving social media lead generation activities that can easily be performed with a tool. We will also learn how automating the social fact-finding jobs through tools helps in filling sales funnel. Twitter and LinkedIn, being the most popular B2B social channels have been considered for describing the automation scenarios in this article. IRL 10 Thoughts to Live by in 2016 With the holidays winding down, and the return to routine becoming eminently closer, I wanted to take stock of the last 365 days. I am happy 2015 is over, with it’s ups and downs and twists and turns, and looking forward to a hopefully better 2016. As arbitrary as it may seem, the start of a new year gives us a feeling of a fresh start, like cracking open a new notebook to page 1. The following aren’t exactly resolutions, more like thoughts I am reflecting on: EPIC FAIL The biggest tech fails of 2015: Hoverboards, Puls and more Every year is fraught with ups and downs, but 2015 was a milestone year for downs in the technology world. From straightforward hardware blunders to simple errors in judgment that led to high-profile stumbles, it was a banner year for tech fails. In some cases, some of those fails were so ridiculous you had to laugh, but some — like the recent spate of hoverboard fires — were tragic and dangerous. These are technology's lowest water marks for 2015... stay safe and enjoy the schadenfreude. LEARN If You Work From Home (or Aspire to) You Must Read This Let’s face it: long commutes, office politics, and the nine-to-five grind are quickly becoming obsolete. According to a recent report, fifty-three million Americans (34 percent of the U.S. workforce) work from home as freelancers and home-based business owners. Many predict that number will increase to 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. Now, the small business owner can start-up and generate a six to seven figure gross income in 1–4 years. The telecommuting and freelancing consultant can make six figures working wherever she wants and often less than 30 hours per week. Share Share Tweet Share Read More Websites 2015-12-26 Websites 2015-12-26 16 Career-Boosting Lists for 2016 and How to get sponsors for your Podcast | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 5 Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 5 ISSUE #5 Dana's Weekly Roundup Hi! Hope you are all enjoying the holidays. We are enjoying the bizarre sunny and snow less Christmas here in Montreal! In this issue, John Lee Dumas drops some Podcast Sponsorship knowledge bombs and Adrian Granzella Larssen presents 16 awesome lists to help boost your career in 2016.Share the love and forward the weekly roundup to a friend.If you got this email from a friend you can join the weekly roundup by sending me an email or signing up here.Enjoy and Happy Holidays!Dana A group of lemurs prepare to open a Christmas package filled with food at the zoo in La Fleche, northwestern France. TAKE ACTION 16 Career-Boosting Lists to Make in 2016 There’s nothing I love more than a good list, especially at the end of the year, when reflecting and resolution-making abound. You, too? Then here are 16 lists to make in 2016 that’ll help you do both of those activities, plus get a head start on that job search or promotion you’re planning to ask for. Make one, or make them all—I promise every single one is more fun than your to-do list. MKTG Podcast Sponsorships: The Ultimate Guide So let’s get real. Can you start a podcast today and have sponsors lined up at your doorstep tomorrow? No. Can you start a podcast today about a niche you are passionate and knowledgeable about (the knowledge can come), work hard for a significant amount of time (6 months… a year?), build a captive and engaged audience, and then have sponsors beating down your door to get in front of your listeners? Yes. IRL 26 incredible innovations that improved the world in 2015 From the start, 2015 was ripe for world-changing innovation. In early January, we saw Bill Gates drink clean water converted from sewer sludge and human waste by a special processor. In February, social workers and computer scientists came up with an algorithm to prevent the spread of HIV among homeless youth. In March, a research lab created a microchip that could actually help bridge the digital divide in developing countries. And the revolutionary ideas and inventions tackling the world's most pressing problems kept coming throughout the year. EPIC FAIL How the Mast Brothers fooled the world into paying $10 a bar for crappy hipster chocolate Whether you’ve seen their beautifully wrapped bars for sale at Shake Shack or Rag & Bone, featured in the pages of the New York Times or Vogue, or decorating one of their New York, London, or soon, LA shops, Mast Brothers chocolate bars have become the world’s most prominent brand of artisanal chocolate. But while customers can’t get enough of the company’s bearded, Brooklyn hipster founders, and their brilliantly marketed, $10 “bean to bar” chocolates, a term reserved for chocolate that has been produced entirely under the maker’s control, from the cocoa bean to the wrapped bar, chocolate experts have shunned them. LEARN 500+ Free Things on the Internet Read More Creativity, Products, Websites 2015-10-23 Creativity, Products, Websites 2015-10-23 On Creativity and Fear, The Conjoined Twins of Creation  I just listened to “The Source of Creativity” episode on NPR’s TED Radio Hour which covered ideas about where creativity comes from, why we all have it and how we find it.It takes courage to be vulnerable and say “This is me and I made this.” Especially if you created something that you put a lot of yourself into.I challenged myself this past year to do just that. Create something – from idea conception to final result and push it out into the world. No external obstacles, no managers or committees to answer to, no one instruct on what I should do and how I should do it. This is me and I made this.I listened to many business and entrepreneurship podcasts from other people who created something – a product or a business, including Seth Godin’s Startup School, Mixergy, Startup and I learned a lot from all of the stories of trials and tribulations of people who put themselves out there like that. The main thing I learned is just f#$%^@g do it. Get out of your own head, remove the idea that you have to strive to a level of perfection that doesn’t exist and just do it. Stop talking about doing it and just try it.Watch my favorite motivational 1 min video.And of course there were all the negative thoughts that come along with being vulnerable like that. What should I create? What if it sucks? What if people call me a fraud? What if it just gets ignored completely? What if I’m wrong?But as Ken Robinson says “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”I decided to treat this project as an experiment; an experiment in creation. And if it flops, at least I would have learned through the process.I started narrowing down my options. I didn’t want to create a physical product because I know nothing about that and it seemed to be a very expensive experiment to conduct. Instead, I opted to create a knowledge product, based on things I know – no need to recreate the wheel for my beta experiment. I decided on creating an online course about Marketing since I’ve been a marketing professional for almost a decade. But Marketing is a pretty broad term so I needed to narrow it down even further. I was seeing a lot of websites that looked pretty but really didn’t have any substance or optimized for getting customers. And I heard from talented designers and developers that were telling me that they knew how to design a site or develop the site, but they didn’t know much about the strategy side of creating a website. So, I thought I could help with that and I created an online course on website strategy called: “How to Create a Website That Doesn’t Suck.”The challenge was to ship it – to put it out into the world before I talk myself out of it, even if it wasn’t perfect because as the maxim attributed to Sheryl Sandburg goes “Done is better than perfect.”I didn’t want to give in to the fear, I wanted to learn and I wanted to try.This is why I was really struck by Elizabeth Gilbert’s view on how creativity and fear are intertwined.“I think what stops people from doing [creative work] is always exactly the same thing, which is fear. What I've discovered over the years is not that you have to be fearless because I don't believe in fearlessness and I don't advise it.I think the only truly fearless people that I've ever met were full blown psychopaths or really reckless 3 year olds and I don't think we want to aspire to be either of those things.I think instead what you have to do is recognize that fear and creativity are conjoined twins. And what I see people doing in their lives is they're so afraid of their fear, that they end up trying to kill it and when they kill it they also kill their creativity because creativity is going into the uncertain and the uncertain is always scary.So what I've had to figure out how to do over the years is to create a mental construct in which I make a lot of space to coexist with fear.To just say to it: "Hey fear listen, creativity and I, your conjoined twin sister, are about to go on a road trip. I understand you'll be joining us, because you always do, but you don’t get to decide anything about this journey that we’re going on. But you can come and I know that you’ll be in the back seat in panic, but mommy's driving and we're going anyway. And you just take it along with you and that seems to work for me.The rest of the time for me it’s just been about showing up every day for the work. And I find that what actually happens is that you begin the work just from a place of diligence and discipline and then if you’re lucky through that process you’ll have moments where inspiration will come in and meet you.”Gilbert’s approach to fear and creativity really struck a chord with me. Don’t try to be fearless, instead, accept the fear as an integral part of the creative process and don’t give into it.And the results of my experiment? I’m putting the final touches on my course to be released before the end of the year, as I promised myself. I was also honored to present my talk at WordCamp this year, a global conference for WordPress designers, developers and users and I received great feedback from the attendees. It was a great opportunity to test-run my course and learn from all the wonderful creative people who attended. I am very happy to be part of the WordCamp community. What is fear stopping you from creating? Read More Websites 2015-07-05 Websites 2015-07-05 How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas, and Wireframes) Thank you to everyone who came out to my talk at WordCamp Montreal 2015 - How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas, and Wireframes).I appreciated all of the feedback and questions I got from all of you.Many of you asked about the presentation slides. Here they are: How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas and Wireframes) from Dana Salman If you are interested in getting a special promo code for my online course on How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck drop me a line: danasalman1 [at] gmail[dot]com Read More Websites 2015-06-06 Websites 2015-06-06 The ABCs of Landing Pages That Work - by CopyBlogger [Infographic] Great summary of Landing Page Elements by CopyBlogger Like this infographic? Get landing page advice that works from Copyblogger. Read More Products 2015-03-25 Products 2015-03-25 The 5 Dimensions of Great Product according to Jeff Weiner Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn talks about the 5 dimensions of great product on This Week in Startups I just watched This Week in Startups interview with Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn. Jeff Weiner talks about the future of LinkedIn and the 5 dimensions of great product. I learned a lot from the talk and created a quick infographic of the key points made about great products, but I do recommend you watch the whole interview with your team. Enjoy! Read More Websites 2015-01-15 Websites 2015-01-15 Lessons from Amy Poehler's Yes Please I've been learning a lot about entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and passion projects this past year. I'm fascinated by the subject and I'm learning a lot from successful men and women from different backgrounds. I recently finished Amy Poehler's autobiography "Yes Please" (read by her on Audible which added to the awesomeness) and I absolutely loved it! The book is heartfelt, smart and funny - a true reflection of what I imagine Amy Poehler is like in real life. This was my favourite part of the book that really left a lasting impression on me: "What do we do? How do we move forward when we’re tired and afraid? What do we do when the voice in our head is yelling THAT WE ARE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT! How do we drag ourselves through the muck when our brain is telling us you are dumb and you will never finish and no one cares and it’s time you stop. Well, the first thing we do is we take our brain out and we put it in a drawer. Stick it somewhere and let it tantrum until it wears itself out. You may still hear the brain and all the shitty things it’s saying to you, but it will be muffled. And just the fact that it’s not in your head anymore will make things seem clearer. And then, you just do it. You just dig in and write it. You use your body you lean over the computer and stretch and pace. You write, and then cook something. And write some more.You put your hand on your heart and feel it beating and decide if what you wrote feels true. You do it. Because the doing of it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing. This is what I know. Writing the book is about writing the book. So here we go you and me. Because what else are we going to do? Say no? Say no to an opportunity that may be slightly out of our comfort zone? Quiet our voice because we are worried it's not perfect? I believe great people do things before they are ready." This really resonated with me because I have a tendency to get in my own head and psyche myself out of doing things either through thinking this won't work, or there are others who are doing a far better job than I could, or the chances of success are so minuscule that it's better to just not waste my time. I just say to myself, just shut up and do it and you will either succeed or learn for the next one. "Writing the book is about writing the book." Working on that post or project is about working on that post or project. Just start it and finish it, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done. Another thing I loved about this book is Amy's (yes, we're on a first name basis) resilience and optimism. She shares the start of her career and how she made it in comedy, a field that is still to this day a male-dominated field. She always looks for the positive side through successes and failures. It is no wonder that everyone loves working with her, and that is a big plus no matter which field you're in. She says, “Almost every job I have gotten was due to someone knowing my work or seeing me in something else.” Seth Myers (who has a guest chapter in the book) talks about how Amy was in labour and he was supposed to do SNL Weekend Update by himself for the first time, and she still managed to text him encouragement. She is a great example that you don't have to be an asshole to be successful and being kind is a good way to work. Amy also didn't sugar coat any of her stories about drug use, heartbreak and failure. She takes responsibility for her mistakes and apologizes for them. Like the chapter she talks about a crass SNL skit about Hurricane Mary which was a movie based on a true story about a girl with cerebral palsy. Amy admits that she didn't know it was about a real person, but she still was too ashamed to face the girl's parents and she only apologized 5 years later. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend the audio version, she's just fantastic. We need more women like Amy Poehler in the spotlight.   Read More Newer Posts About Services Blog Contact

16 Career-Boosting Lists for 2016 and How to get sponsors for your Podcast | Dana's Weekly Roundup Issue 5

ISSUE #5 Dana's Weekly Roundup Hi! Hope you are all enjoying the holidays. We are enjoying the bizarre sunny and snow less Christmas here in Montreal! In this issue, John Lee Dumas drops some Podcast Sponsorship knowledge bombs and Adrian Granzella Larssen presents 16 awesome lists to help boost your career in 2016.Share the love and forward the weekly roundup to a friend.If you got this email from a friend you can join the weekly roundup by sending me an email or signing up here.Enjoy and Happy Holidays!Dana A group of lemurs prepare to open a Christmas package filled with food at the zoo in La Fleche, northwestern France. TAKE ACTION 16 Career-Boosting Lists to Make in 2016 There’s nothing I love more than a good list, especially at the end of the year, when reflecting and resolution-making abound. You, too? Then here are 16 lists to make in 2016 that’ll help you do both of those activities, plus get a head start on that job search or promotion you’re planning to ask for. Make one, or make them all—I promise every single one is more fun than your to-do list. MKTG Podcast Sponsorships: The Ultimate Guide So let’s get real. Can you start a podcast today and have sponsors lined up at your doorstep tomorrow? No. Can you start a podcast today about a niche you are passionate and knowledgeable about (the knowledge can come), work hard for a significant amount of time (6 months… a year?), build a captive and engaged audience, and then have sponsors beating down your door to get in front of your listeners? Yes. IRL 26 incredible innovations that improved the world in 2015 From the start, 2015 was ripe for world-changing innovation. In early January, we saw Bill Gates drink clean water converted from sewer sludge and human waste by a special processor. In February, social workers and computer scientists came up with an algorithm to prevent the spread of HIV among homeless youth. In March, a research lab created a microchip that could actually help bridge the digital divide in developing countries. And the revolutionary ideas and inventions tackling the world's most pressing problems kept coming throughout the year. EPIC FAIL How the Mast Brothers fooled the world into paying $10 a bar for crappy hipster chocolate Whether you’ve seen their beautifully wrapped bars for sale at Shake Shack or Rag & Bone, featured in the pages of the New York Times or Vogue, or decorating one of their New York, London, or soon, LA shops, Mast Brothers chocolate bars have become the world’s most prominent brand of artisanal chocolate. But while customers can’t get enough of the company’s bearded, Brooklyn hipster founders, and their brilliantly marketed, $10 “bean to bar” chocolates, a term reserved for chocolate that has been produced entirely under the maker’s control, from the cocoa bean to the wrapped bar, chocolate experts have shunned them. LEARN 500+ Free Things on the Internet

On Creativity and Fear, The Conjoined Twins of Creation

 I just listened to “The Source of Creativity” episode on NPR’s TED Radio Hour which covered ideas about where creativity comes from, why we all have it and how we find it.It takes courage to be vulnerable and say “This is me and I made this.” Especially if you created something that you put a lot of yourself into.I challenged myself this past year to do just that. Create something – from idea conception to final result and push it out into the world. No external obstacles, no managers or committees to answer to, no one instruct on what I should do and how I should do it. This is me and I made this.I listened to many business and entrepreneurship podcasts from other people who created something – a product or a business, including Seth Godin’s Startup School, Mixergy, Startup and I learned a lot from all of the stories of trials and tribulations of people who put themselves out there like that. The main thing I learned is just f#$%^@g do it. Get out of your own head, remove the idea that you have to strive to a level of perfection that doesn’t exist and just do it. Stop talking about doing it and just try it.Watch my favorite motivational 1 min video.And of course there were all the negative thoughts that come along with being vulnerable like that. What should I create? What if it sucks? What if people call me a fraud? What if it just gets ignored completely? What if I’m wrong?But as Ken Robinson says “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”I decided to treat this project as an experiment; an experiment in creation. And if it flops, at least I would have learned through the process.I started narrowing down my options. I didn’t want to create a physical product because I know nothing about that and it seemed to be a very expensive experiment to conduct. Instead, I opted to create a knowledge product, based on things I know – no need to recreate the wheel for my beta experiment. I decided on creating an online course about Marketing since I’ve been a marketing professional for almost a decade. But Marketing is a pretty broad term so I needed to narrow it down even further. I was seeing a lot of websites that looked pretty but really didn’t have any substance or optimized for getting customers. And I heard from talented designers and developers that were telling me that they knew how to design a site or develop the site, but they didn’t know much about the strategy side of creating a website. So, I thought I could help with that and I created an online course on website strategy called: “How to Create a Website That Doesn’t Suck.”The challenge was to ship it – to put it out into the world before I talk myself out of it, even if it wasn’t perfect because as the maxim attributed to Sheryl Sandburg goes “Done is better than perfect.”I didn’t want to give in to the fear, I wanted to learn and I wanted to try.This is why I was really struck by Elizabeth Gilbert’s view on how creativity and fear are intertwined.“I think what stops people from doing [creative work] is always exactly the same thing, which is fear. What I've discovered over the years is not that you have to be fearless because I don't believe in fearlessness and I don't advise it.I think the only truly fearless people that I've ever met were full blown psychopaths or really reckless 3 year olds and I don't think we want to aspire to be either of those things.I think instead what you have to do is recognize that fear and creativity are conjoined twins. And what I see people doing in their lives is they're so afraid of their fear, that they end up trying to kill it and when they kill it they also kill their creativity because creativity is going into the uncertain and the uncertain is always scary.So what I've had to figure out how to do over the years is to create a mental construct in which I make a lot of space to coexist with fear.To just say to it: "Hey fear listen, creativity and I, your conjoined twin sister, are about to go on a road trip. I understand you'll be joining us, because you always do, but you don’t get to decide anything about this journey that we’re going on. But you can come and I know that you’ll be in the back seat in panic, but mommy's driving and we're going anyway. And you just take it along with you and that seems to work for me.The rest of the time for me it’s just been about showing up every day for the work. And I find that what actually happens is that you begin the work just from a place of diligence and discipline and then if you’re lucky through that process you’ll have moments where inspiration will come in and meet you.”Gilbert’s approach to fear and creativity really struck a chord with me. Don’t try to be fearless, instead, accept the fear as an integral part of the creative process and don’t give into it.And the results of my experiment? I’m putting the final touches on my course to be released before the end of the year, as I promised myself.

I was also honored to present my talk at WordCamp this year, a global conference for WordPress designers, developers and users and I received great feedback from the attendees. It was a great opportunity to test-run my course and learn from all the wonderful creative people who attended. I am very happy to be part of the WordCamp community.
What is fear stopping you from creating?

How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas, and Wireframes)

Thank you to everyone who came out to my talk at WordCamp Montreal 2015 - How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas, and Wireframes).I appreciated all of the feedback and questions I got from all of you.Many of you asked about the presentation slides. Here they are:

How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck (Using S.M.A.R.T Objectives, Personas and Wireframes) from Dana Salman

If you are interested in getting a special promo code for my online course on How to Create a Website That Doesn't Suck drop me a line: danasalman1 [at] gmail[dot]com

The ABCs of Landing Pages That Work - by CopyBlogger [Infographic]

Great summary of Landing Page Elements by CopyBlogger

Like this infographic? Get landing page advice that works from Copyblogger.

The 5 Dimensions of Great Product according to Jeff Weiner

Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn talks about the 5 dimensions of great product on This Week in Startups

I just watched This Week in Startups interview with Jeff Weiner CEO of LinkedIn. Jeff Weiner talks about the future of LinkedIn and the 5 dimensions of great product. I learned a lot from the talk and created a quick infographic of the key points made about great products, but I do recommend you watch the whole interview with your team. Enjoy!

Lessons from Amy Poehler's Yes Please

I've been learning a lot about entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and passion projects this past year. I'm fascinated by the subject and I'm learning a lot from successful men and women from different backgrounds.

I recently finished Amy Poehler's autobiography "Yes Please" (read by her on Audible which added to the awesomeness) and I absolutely loved it! The book is heartfelt, smart and funny - a true reflection of what I imagine Amy Poehler is like in real life.

This was my favourite part of the book that really left a lasting impression on me: "What do we do? How do we move forward when we’re tired and afraid? What do we do when the voice in our head is yelling THAT WE ARE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT! How do we drag ourselves through the muck when our brain is telling us you are dumb and you will never finish and no one cares and it’s time you stop.

Well, the first thing we do is we take our brain out and we put it in a drawer. Stick it somewhere and let it tantrum until it wears itself out. You may still hear the brain and all the shitty things it’s saying to you, but it will be muffled. And just the fact that it’s not in your head anymore will make things seem clearer.

And then, you just do it. You just dig in and write it. You use your body you lean over the computer and stretch and pace. You write, and then cook something. And write some more.You put your hand on your heart and feel it beating and decide if what you wrote feels true.

You do it. Because the doing of it is the thing. The doing is the thing. The talking and worrying and thinking is not the thing. This is what I know.
Writing the book is about writing the book.

So here we go you and me. Because what else are we going to do? Say no? Say no to an opportunity that may be slightly out of our comfort zone? Quiet our voice because we are worried it's not perfect? I believe great people do things before they are ready."

This really resonated with me because I have a tendency to get in my own head and psyche myself out of doing things either through thinking this won't work, or there are others who are doing a far better job than I could, or the chances of success are so minuscule that it's better to just not waste my time. I just say to myself, just shut up and do it and you will either succeed or learn for the next one. "Writing the book is about writing the book." Working on that post or project is about working on that post or project. Just start it and finish it, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done.

Another thing I loved about this book is Amy's (yes, we're on a first name basis) resilience and optimism. She shares the start of her career and how she made it in comedy, a field that is still to this day a male-dominated field. She always looks for the positive side through successes and failures. It is no wonder that everyone loves working with her, and that is a big plus no matter which field you're in. She says, “Almost every job I have gotten was due to someone knowing my work or seeing me in something else.”

Seth Myers (who has a guest chapter in the book) talks about how Amy was in labour and he was supposed to do SNL Weekend Update by himself for the first time, and she still managed to text him encouragement. She is a great example that you don't have to be an asshole to be successful and being kind is a good way to work.

Amy also didn't sugar coat any of her stories about drug use, heartbreak and failure. She takes responsibility for her mistakes and apologizes for them. Like the chapter she talks about a crass SNL skit about Hurricane Mary which was a movie based on a true story about a girl with cerebral palsy. Amy admits that she didn't know it was about a real person, but she still was too ashamed to face the girl's parents and she only apologized 5 years later.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend the audio version, she's just fantastic. We need more women like Amy Poehler in the spotlight.