Are You Part of the 20% or 80%?

If you know me, you know I love reading business related books. I try to read about 30 minutes every night before I go to bed. This is the time that I "unwind" and reflect on the day that was and the day to come tomorrow. I am currently reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. So far this is a terrific book and I would highly recommend it to anyone in marketing or if you have an entrepreneurial mind. One key idea that jumped out at me last night was this:

**20% of people do 80% of the work

-This can be related to your business, your social circle, or anything else. This is very similar to the 80/20 rule of business. (20% of your clients/customers create 80% of your revenue stream).

-The example in the book is about word-of-mouth referrals for a restaurant. A daughter takes her dad to one of her favorite restaurants. The dad loves it so much he comes home and sends out a mass fax to all of his close friends telling them about the restaurant and that they need to go eat there. The dad would be the 20%. The other people would be the ones that casually mention the restaurant name to a friend or possibly pick up the phone and call a few friends. The dad is the one that took word-of-mouth referrals to the next level. He went above and beyond the norm because he really liked the restaurant and wanted to let everyone in his contact sphere know about it.

**So my question is, are you part of the 20% doing the work and really spreading word-of-mouth or are you part of the 80% casually passing information along to a few people?

5 Blogging Tips

I just started blogging a few months ago and would still consider myself new to the blogging world compared to most. I am in the process of having a custom layout created for a new WordPress blog that will be anchored at www.treyschaefer.com so be sure to keep an eye out for that in the near future.

I was always terrible in English class and would not consider myself a very good writer. However, blogging to me isn't about being a good writer or having proper English and proper grammar. The main thing is to get your point across if you have one, make it easy to read, and add some value to your readers. I have compiled a list of 5 things you can do to create a great blog that will really turn heads:

1. This is the obvious one, blog on a topic you are knowledgeable in as well as passionate about.

2. Be consistent, but don't overdo it. You don't have to update every single day, but going months at a time without posted a new update will keep people away.

3. Add some video. This is an area I plan on doing a lot more of on my new blog. Video helps people get to know you better by seeing the real you as well as your personality.

4. Keep your posts to a few paragraphs. Nobody has time to read a 3 page blog post.

5. I highlighted this one because it is the most important thing you can do. It's fine to send out a link of your new post on Twitter and Facebook, but don't overkill it. If you are constantly trying to sell yourself and your blog, it will turn people off. The most important thing you can do is read other blogs. Search topics that you are interested in, read those blogs, and post comments. When you post comments on someone else's blog it shows that you are interested and that you care enough to take the time to read their posts. Most of the time if you post on someone's blog they will then read your blog, Retweet your comments on Twitter, and so on.

Nobody is perfect so don't worry about it, just get started. The main thing I learned in my first video is that I kept watching it and thinking I sounded stupid, or didn't sound good, or whatever. It doesn't matter, just get your info out there for others to see. If it adds value and is relevant others will comment and that's how Social Relationships form.

What Is Your Passion?

This past weekend I was able to attend a men's retreat that our church put on. The speaker for the weekend was Tom Davis (@cthomasdavis & http://www.cthomasdavis.com). Tom is the President of Children's HopeChest and has done some amazing things around the world. You can check out his website above to learn in more detail about Tom and what his passion is and what Children's HopeChest does.

I have always had a passion for 2 things. One is helping out with younger kids. Whether this is helping out at church with the youth through camps and volunteer work, or working with vacation bible schools to teach kids new games and just spend quality time with them. My other passion is business. I have recently become very passionate about helping others, especially young entrepreneurs. I absolutely love working with young guys like myself that have a passion for business but are just looking for a little advice, or a little boost of encouragement.

Whatever your passion is, do it, and do it 110%! I would encourage you to post comments below about what you are passionate about a link to your blog or your website.