fbpx
3 Lessons from Beyoncé #Beychella

3 Lessons from Beyoncé #Beychella

As many of us were minding our own business in the wee hours of
Wednesday morning on April 17, Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was
preparing to come for all of our necks, edges, and lives with the
release both a 137-minute documentary and concert film, titled Homecoming, AND a live album featuring songs from the concert, aptly titled Homecoming: The Live Album. And whew, Lord, I wasn’t ready. I. WASN’T. READY.

Both the film and album feature various components of Beyoncé’s 2018 headlining set at Coachella,
a twenty-year old music and arts festival held in California. She was
the first African-American woman to headline the festival. Her
performance is masterful for many, many, reasons—it was so good that DJ
Khaled famously proclaimed that “Coachella gotta rename Coachella to
Beychella.”

The original performance from 2018 caused a frenzy of excitement, as I
presume you already know. If you aren’t familiar with all of this….what
are you even doing here?!?

Kidding, of course. Here’s the #BeyoncéHomecoming trailer if you haven’t seen any of this yet:

Beyoncé and her Homecoming were trending across social media for most of the day for all
kinds of reasons. Think pieces will be written about Homecoming for
days and weeks I’m sure. As I was watching all of this transpire today
(because OF COURSE I was…), it made me think a lot about content
creation and how dynamically Beyoncé was using and re-using hers.

Content creators like myself and many of you can take notes.

If you aren’t familiar with the term “content creators,” here’s a quote from Feldman+Weber:

On the face of it, a
content creator is exactly what it sounds like; someone that creates
content for [a] business. You can have various content creators, one for
infographics, one for blog posts, one for videos, etc.

Their whole aim is to take your ideas and turn them into content that’s valuable for your business.

I want to share the top three things content creators can take away from #BeyoncéHomecoming and #Beychella:

#1 Create Original Content

First and foremost, before we even get to #BeyonceHomecoming OR
#Beychella, we have to start with Beyoncé’s original work. According to
Wikipedia, “Beyoncé has released
six studio albums, four live albums, three compilation albums, five
EPs, one soundtrack album, one mixtape, two karaoke albums, and 62
singles (including 12 as a featured artist, nine promotional singles and
five charity singles).” She had a HUGE pool of content to pick and
choose from for her Coachella performance, which did not feature any
brand new content.

Content creators, we have to do the same thing. It can be SO HARD to
post blog posts regularly, or record podcasts each week, or shoot that
next YouTube video. But, consistency is important. This will give you a
breadth of material to use later. Stay encouraged. Use automated systems or content calendars if that helps.

The point is, create enough stuff so that you can use it later. You
worked hard to create that stuff the first time —put it back to work for
you regularly.

#2 Chop and Screw (Remix and Repurpose) Your Original Content

Ya’ll know Beyoncé is from Houston, the home of chopping and screwing,
in which a song is remixed in a way that slows down and
changes/distorts the original. With #Beychella, Beyoncé took her
original songs—and songs of other artists—and remixed them in really
interesting ways.

You could tell any given song was the original but different. She performed many of the songs with HBCU marching band arrangements behind them. One of my favorites is the Diva/Everybody Mad part of the show. Check it out (at least until YouTube makes whoever posted this take it down):

Similarly, the rest of us content creators have to do the same thing.
Yes, it sucks to create brand new content all the time. One way to
break up the monotony if this is to re-use your old stuff. Cut up your
10 minute videos into 5 or more posts for Instagram. Create a treasure
trove of #TBT and #FBF posts. Repost old blog posts with new or updated
lessons. Much of what we do goes around and comes around and we can
leverage our past creative content in all kinds of ways.

As a part 2b—the strategy of releasing both the Netflix special AND the
album of songs was a really smart move. I actually had a long commute
this morning along may back roads with terrible cell phone service. I
couldn’t watch the Netflix special, but I listened to the entire 40 SONG
album on the 2.5 hour drive. This kind of release strategy allowed
Beyoncé, Netflix, and the various streaming services to capture all
kinds of old and new eyeballs and ears and drive all of us back and
forth between multiple platforms.

For your own content, are there places where you can do the same thing? Certainly worth considering.

#3 Don’t Leave Your Culture and Personality at the Door

FINALLY, perhaps the most important lesson- be you all the time. Whether you watched the original #Beychella performance in 2018 or #Homecoming, one of the things that is evident is that Beyoncé did not want to come to Coachella, which has a distinctly white, bohemian vibe, and leave her blackness behind.

Instead of coming with her “flower crown,” Beyoncé brought the culture of historically black colleges and universities, black greek letter organizations, black scholars and feminists, and black entertainment norms with her. They even swag surfed, which is a common cultural experience for some HBCUs.

In the film, Beyoncé talks about how she wanted black culture to be shared, embraced and celebrated through her performance.

For many content creators, it can be a daily struggle to figure out
how transparent and vulnerable to be with our voice and in our work. I
used to struggle with this a lot more than I do now. Though I have some
fancy titles and awards, I still get just as excited as everyone else in
#BlackTwitter when Beyoncé drops a new project on our necks. A few
years ago I might have been hesitant to say so publicly.

I encourage ya’ll (and myself) to bring 100% of what makes you unique
into the spaces you occupy–that’s the beauty of having you in the room!

So….there you have it. Some great lessons from Professor Knowles-Carter about how to create and leverage your own content. Use it accordingly, students. Class dismissed.

#RunMeMyCheck: Nicki Minaj on knowing your value

#RunMeMyCheck: Nicki Minaj on knowing your value

I’m talkin’ ’bout my brand and you talkin’ ’bout your brands — The difference is a lot of MMMMMMMMMMs to your couple hundred grand –

Nicki Minaj, The Pinkprint Freestyle

Nicki Minaj has built a nine-figure brand since stepping on the scene in 2004. In addition to music, she’s sold everything from nails and perfume to moscato and wigs.

Minaj’s stamp of approval is valuable, and she’s knows it. Companies who use her name must compensate her for that privilege – see, for example, her multimillion dollar licensing deals with Sears and Pepsi.

On Friday, Feb. 3, Minaj took to Twitter to call out one ultra-high end shoe company who is using her name without paying her . . . Giuseppe Zanotti:

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/827552551742607360

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/827553011912286208

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/827553899439599617

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/827554643395883009

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/827557286516240384

The Barbz, Nicki’s online fanbase, obliged, and both #RunMeMyCheck and #GiuseppeWhatsGood were trending on Twitter over the weekend:

https://twitter.com/ThatShadyCunt/status/827559076288659456

Yep – Giuseppe Zanotti has twenty-three different shoes using Minaj’s name in some form or fashion. Here are a few:

 So what is the big deal here? According to the law, a lot. 

There are legal rights called rights of publicity that apply to this kind of situation. Rights of publicity say that a person has a protectable interest in their likeness, name, voice, image, and identity. The owner if a right of publicity can sue if another person is

1) using their name, identity, likeness or persona without consent in a way that causes harm; and

2) receiving some kind of benefit or advantage based on that use.

Because the right of publicity is based on state law, the law’s limits vary significantly by location. Roughly 30 states recognize the right, and most of these states extend the right of publicity to all people, not just celebrities. 

Just a few years ago, in 2015, Michael Jordan successfully sued Dominick’s Finer Foods, a Chicago supermarket chain, for using his name without permission in an ad.

A jury awarded Jordan $8.9 million dollars – the lawsuit actually ended up contributing to the grocery store ultimately closing its doors for good. And this was all based on an advertisement that CONGRATULATED Michael Jordan. This was clearly not a game for MJ. 

And, it isn’t a game for many people who make their living off of their name and likeness. Bette Midler sued Ford Motor Company and won $400,000 after they hired a sound-a-like voice impersonator for a Ford commercial. Tom Waits did the same with Frito-Lay and won $2.5 million. Kareem Adbul-Jabbar was even successful in suing General Motors for using his birth name, Lew Alcindor, in a commercial.

Though celebrity cases are the ones we hear about most, the right of publicity also applies to the non-famous. You should care about this if you have a Facebook account, for example. In one lawsuit that began in 2011, Fraley v. Facebook, a court extended the right of publicity to the average, everyday Facebook user under certain circumstances. I actually opted in the class action and got my settlement check in mail just a few months ago — that ~$20 went to good use. 

At any rate, Nicki Minaj’s complaint is certainly legitimate and probably supported by the law. If your employer decided tomorrow that they were no longer going to pay you but wanted to use your talents for free to make millions,  you’d have a problem with that. Minaj really isn’t that much different from the rest of us when it comes to wanting to be compensated for our efforts.   

Here’s to hoping that Giuseppe Zanotti runs her that check . . . or they could certainly end up in court spending a lot more. 

Other articles you may be interested in

Vision Challenge – Day 22 – Organizing your vision

Vision Challenge – Day 22 – Organizing your vision

Day 22 Goal Your goal today is to look over everything you've written thus far and start organizing your vision. In particular, you'll write three things for your business: the mission,the business' focus, and its values. How to Make it Happen I have to say, I'm...

Vision Challenge – Day 19 – Solving problems & standing out

Vision Challenge – Day 19 – Solving problems & standing out

“If you are giving a lot of value, if you are making an impact in people’s lives, it will be reflected in your bank account.” Millie Leung, Entrepreneur, Author and Speaker, Millie Leung International Day 19 Goal Your goal today is to determine what can you offer to...

Business Advice From Janice Bryant Howroyd

Business Advice From Janice Bryant Howroyd

I am addicted to reading people’s biographies and histories. ADDICTED. I can spend hours on Wikipedia reading bios of all types. One bio I’ve been amazed by for years is that of Janice Bryant Howroyd. If you’ve never heard of her, learn more here and then Google her–her story is amazing.

Mrs. Howroyd serves in many capacities, including as an entrepreneur, educator, ambassador, businesswoman, author, and mentor.

Born in a small, segregated North Carolina town called Tarboro, she rose to become the first African-American woman to build a $1 billion business (yep, she beat Oprah to the punch!). She founded her company, The ACT-1 Group, in 1978 — a few years after graduating from North Carolina A&T State University (shout out to the Aggies!). Today, the ACT-1 Group is the largest privately held, woman owned workforce solutions company founded in the U.S. Mrs. Howroyd’s own personal net worth from 2016 has been estimated at more than $400 million.

That’s Tarboro.

Mrs. Howroyd started the company after working for two years as temp secretary for her brother-in law. With about $1,000, she founded her business, which now has offices in 19 countries and +70 cities and serves as an umbrella for at least 8 subsidiary companies.

As a small town girl myself, I am always fascinated when I hear about people who have created large professional platforms without growing up or being connected to a larger market.

I find it encouraging to read about and consume these kinds of stories. Needless to say, I’ve been a huge fan of Mrs. Howroyd’s work and ascension for as long as I can remember. 

As I was clicking around on the internet earlier this week, I was excited to come across an interview Mrs. Howroyd gave with Jenna Bush Hager on the Today Show in 2015. As part of the “Summer of Success” series, Mrs. Howroyd was interviewed for a segment called Billion Dollar Breakthrough: 1st African American Woman to Own $1B Business.”  It is only 4 minutes long but she provides some amazing advice for entrepreneurs and anyone with business ownership goals.

They were so good that I had to share here. She was (presumably) asked what advice she could provide to people watching on that day.  Here’s an overview of what Mrs. Howroyd offered:

#1. Make sure you’re prepared
#2. Understand what the goal is.
#3. Understand that all of those around you, particularly your family, are part of that success.
#4. Always, ALWAYS, find a moment for gratitude.

I completely agree with her on all of these, though my favorite has to be the fourth point about showing gratitude. I’ve made regular gratitude lists for the past few years, but in 2016 I made a conscious effort to do it every day and it made a huge difference in my life.

Mrs. Howroyd also said that she always dreamed of success, though she had no idea that it would look the way it currently does in her life. She certainly provides an inspirational message for those looking to follow in her footsteps.

Do yourself a favor and watch the full interview. She was so good she had Jenna Bush crying at the end.

The Art of the Hustle, c/o Kim Kimble

The Art of the Hustle, c/o Kim Kimble

So, the internet shared with me that Kim Kardashian paid celebrity hair stylist Kim Kimble $2500 to teach her how to braid her daughter’s hair in a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The entrepreneur in me rejoiced, because this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been working with my clients on recently.

If you’re unfamiliar with Kim Kimble, she has a reality show, L.A. Hair, on WE tv that revolves around her Kimble Hair Studio in West Hollywood.

Ever the entrepreneur, Ms. Kimble also has:

  • a full range hair care line,
  • a line of professional hair care products, and
  • the Kimble Academy, where she apparently teaches people how to both do hair and run the business of hair styling.

The recent KUWTK episode illustrates how entrepreneurs must be versatile and recognize additional streams of income. Most people would hear $2500 and holler, because they know someone down the street or around the corner who could have taught Mrs. Kardashian West for maybe $25 (or free!), had she asked. Kimble, however, stepped right up to the plate and stated the price for her expertise. And GOT IT (not to mention the press from the show). She looked at the opportunity, knew her worth, and took it in a way that provided an additional income stream into her business. In doing this, Kimble is teaching entrepreneurs an incredibly important lesson about the art of the hustle.

This story reminds me of a mantra that has stuck with me for years after I initially heard the wise philosopher Cadillac Kimberly (the third Kim of this post, wow!) say it on YouTube:

So many entrepreneurs are uncomfortable asking for the money they are worth. So many entrepreneurs lower their prices because they don’t think anyone will pay whatever it is they really want to charge. So many entrepreneurs just flat out don’t know their value.

What I’ve learned through my own companies and through working with other entrepreneurs is that many people just aren’t ready to ask for, and hence, make, money. And frankly, that is okay.

As an entrepreneur, you have to charge whatever you are comfortable with for your services. If your company is going to be a reflection and extension of you, you have to be open to receiving whatever compensation you deem is appropriate. A lot of people have never really thought about how much money their expertise is worth and so they start with the figure that they believe accurately reflects themselves.

We all have to start somewhere. If you are out working in your business and selling stuff every day, though, and still not making money, perhaps your low prices are a reflection of how you value yourself.

I subscribe to a principle I’ve heard a thousand times — if you aren’t making money, you don’t really have a business — you have a hobby.  A business is defined as “the practice of making one’s living by engaging in commerce.” I don’t know about you, but living, for me, requires cash. It is literally impossible for me to operate in the world without the income I need to support myself and my family.

Until you’re comfortable with who you are and how to create your own value proposition, you do not have a business (unless, I suppose you can live on zero income).

This is why Kim Kimble’s approach is brilliant. Maybe she COULD teach Mrs. Kardashian West how to braid for less money or free. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

Oftentimes the payment you receive for your work is less related to the impact on you and more related to the value to the customer. It is also a way to recognize that the knowledge, expertise, and product development you’ve honed over time is valuable.

Anytime a prospective client balks at my fee and/or asks for a deep discount, I know immediately they are not going to be my future client. Not because they won’t hire me, but because I won’t hire them. I’ve set a value for my services and time that works for my business, myself, and my family. Anything less will negatively impact one or more of these three things. And that isn’t worth it for me. 

So how can you figure out how much you should be charging for your products or services? Here are a couple of guidelines:

#1 What is your point?

In your business, what is the ultimate goal? What do you want your company to look like the long term? Is this the only product/service you’ll ever offer? Or will your customers/clients be able to come back to you for other things? If this it the biggest, best product you’ll ever offer, that should dictate one set of considerations. If this is the first buy in a (hopefully) longer relationship, that should give you a different set of considerations.

#2 What is your position in the market?

Do you want to be more like Payless, the discount footwear retailer, who sells inexpensive products but massive amounts of them, or like the Adidas Yeezy line, which often releases a limited number of shoes that cost hundreds of dollars and sell out in minutes? Or are you somewhere in the middle? There’s nothing wrong with any of these approaches, it just requires you to think about where you want to be among your market.

It also requires you to do your research. Figure out who your competitors are in the market and how they are pricing themselves. You could also research/talk to your ideal customer group and figure out what they want and how much they are paying for things. That may provide you with some guidance. 

#3 What is your product worth?

As I mentioned above, there are really two values to your product: the value to you in creating it, and the value to the purchaser. These numbers could be wildly different. I imagine it doesn’t cost $645 to make each pair of Yeezy military boots, but that is what buyers are willing to pay for the value of owning/wearing a pair of them. Similarly, just because it may only take you a few minutes to create your product, that shouldn’t be the only consideration in determining your price. In terms of figuring out what your product/service is worth, consider:

  • How much time/energy/money did you spend creating it, including training classes, purchasing supplies, driving to/from the store, etc.?
  • What does it take for you to convert a prospective purchaser into a customer/client – do you have to talk to the person multiple times, buy social media ads, travel to/from specific locations, etc.?
  • How drained are you mentally and physically after developing your product or service? (this IS costing you something regarding your health, mental state, and energy level)
  • What is your customer’s/client’s alternative? If they don’t get your help or product, what happens to them? Do they lose money and/or peace of mind? Do they end up sick and in a doctor’s office? Will their business fail and cause them to lose all of the investment they’ve already put in to it? Will they never get organized? Will their kid’s birthday party suck?

These things are worth considering. In Kim Kimble’s case, the however many hours it took to work with Mrs. Kardashian West may not have required much prep work on her part because she does hair for a living (or maybe it did – we oftentimes assume that people can jump to their expertise quickly, but that isn’t always the case either). But, the value of learning how to braid a little girl’s hair, to this client, was enormous. In addition, Kim Kimble realized that $2500 for one client certainly beats $25 for 100 clients.

In the words of Cadillac Kimberly, there’s nothing wrong with knowing your value. In the words of me, there’s also nothing wrong with charging for it.

Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Pastor Shirley Caesar

Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Pastor Shirley Caesar

Unless you’ve been on a social media hiatus in the run-up to Thanksgiving, you’ve probably seen at least one #UNameItChallenge video meme. This meme is a mashup of: (1) gospel legend Shirley Caesar performing a live version of her iconic version of the gospel song “Hold My Mule,” (2) a hip-hop remix of the audio and video of her performance created by Instagram/YouTube user @RemixGodSuede, and (3) videos and other content from around the interwebs. If you are unfamiliar with this, here are some of the relevant videos:

Original “Hold My Mule” performance by Shirley Caesar (the meme segment starts around the 5:25 mark).

Original video by @RemixGodSuede on YouTube:              

https://youtu.be/oB9FrK2jMs4                                         

And here are two of my favorite memes that took off afterwards: 

How did all of this happen? Here’s the history: In early November, @RemixGodSuede posted the original video on Instagram (since deleted). On November 11, 2016, Chris Brown reposted the @RemixGodSuede original on Instagram with the question “Grandma what you plan on cooking for Thanksgiving?” The next day, YouTube user @remixgodsuede – presumably the same person from Instagram – uploaded a video featuring a group of dancers with the remix playing in the background (the video posted above). In true Internet fashion, this random but hilarious video caught like wild fire and became one of the greatest hashtag challenges since…what, the #runningmanchallenge? The #mannequinchallenge? Since whatever the last great challenge was.

Less than two weeks later, Shirley Caesar let everybody know she’s a business, man. By November 21, 2016, Mother posted on Facebook announcing the launch of www.unameitshirley.com to sell hoodies, sweaters, aprons, bags, mugs, tees, boards, songs….*you name it.* The money from the sale of these items will support her ministry and other philanthropic causes.

The brilliance of this knows no bounds (well maybe some bounds, as I’ll share below). At any rate, watching Mrs. Caesar ride the viral meme wave got me thinking that entrepreneurs can learn a lot from this situation. Here are the top three lessons this gospel great is teaching her internet-grandchildren entrepreneurs:

#1. Stay Ready So You Don’t Have To Get Ready.

Of course, Shirley Caesar has been around the industry longer than most of us have been alive (she started recording in 1951), so it is easy to assume that she would have a good team in place. But, this isn’t always the case with music icons (just ask George Clinton). In her Facebook post, she thanks her “team at Entertainment One,” her “Business and Legal Team,” and “H Creative.” She had the right people in place. And if she didn’t, she had the connects and used her networks to make it happen quickly.

Have you ever gotten a call or email out of the blue that offers an awesome opportunity that you aren’t ready for because you’ve been so focused on other things (or just procrastinating)? How often, as entrepreneurs, do you ignore copyright protection, contracts, or marketing until the last minute and then end up scrambling to find someone, or some website, to help you? Entrepreneurs often assume they can pull things together. But, you may end up getting nothing in writing, losing intellectual property rights, or having to pass on a major project because you simply aren’t ready at the right moment.

I’m about 2000% sure Mrs. Caesar wasn’t expecting to be the next viral sensation a couple of weeks ago (and she told Willie Moore, Jr. as much in her radio interview). But, she pulled her business consultants, lawyers, and graphic designers together with a quickness. It is time for you to do the same. Maybe you don’t have the funds to hire someone full time right now, but you can at least start vetting the right people for when you get that next big unexpected opportunity. Having someone you can call immediately could make a world of difference.

#2. Be Versatile, But Don’t Stray From Your Purpose.

As a pastor born in the 1930s, Shirley Caesar has probably never dabbed or rapped (if I’m wrong, please forgive me Mrs. Caesar!), but she embraced the new packaging of her original message. If you’ve never listened to the original song, Hold My Mule is fundamentally a song about the goodness of God and how He provides. The #unameitchallenge doesn’t quite send this message, but it has certainly raised awareness about Mrs. Caesar herself and her broader work (her original live performance now has more than 1.5 million views on YouTube).

The creation of www.unameitshirley.com shows that Mrs. Caesar, as an entrepreneur, is flexible. The “First Lady of Gospel Music” has embraced the secular world’s adoption of her music and is now using her popularity with this new audience to not only expand her ministry’s work, but also raise money to donate “greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes,” and other foods to the hungry. How awesome is that?

This versatility though, is not without limits. Mrs. Caesar has stated that, while she likes the original video and appreciates “some of the dancing,” she’s not here for the “gyrating,” “shaking and twerking” in some of the videos. She has also said she doesn’t want any of this to detract from her message as God’s servant and her role as a pastor.

I don’t know what kind of opportunities will present themselves to Mrs. Caesar in the coming weeks and months, but she’s letting everyone know to come correct. She is capitalizing on her success through her own personally-branded and controlled website, but she’s also making it clear that she is not going to sell out or compromise on her purpose to make a few more dollars.

This is a critical lesson for entrepreneurs. Most of you are mentally, emotionally and maybe even physiologically tied to the visions you have for your businesses, products and brands. So much so that sometimes you may be unwavering in what you will say yes or no to. The chances you get in business may not always look the way you envision them, but being flexible may skyrocket you to something incredible.

However, there’s a fine line between being versatile and being a chameleon (you know, the lizard looking thing that changes colors when it moves to something new). Not every thing is the right thing.  Having a clear vision will let you know when something is right or wrong.

This happened to me recently. A prospective client approached me about a project that was tangentially related to what I do, but not really. The more we talked about the project, the worse I felt about the countless hours I’d have to spend getting up to speed on the very complicated topics I needed to understand. My gut said no, but I hesitated when we talked numbers because my payout would have been really, really good. Ultimately, I said no, and looking at what has transpired since then with that project, I’m glad I did – it was even more work and time than I anticipated, and after all of the time I would have had to spend getting up to speed, I might have ultimately lost money.

At any rate, Mrs. Caesar provides an excellent example of how to walk this line. Embrace the things that allow you to strive toward your vision, and be wary of the things that move you into an unproductive and unhelpful place.

#3. Control Your Brand, But (Maybe) Not Too Much.

In her Facebook announcement,Shirley Caesar says she was informed that “others were selling goods not connected to” her, and in her post she let us all know that there is only one place to get official messages and announcements from her team (her “Pastor Shirley Caesar” Facebook page). She also encourages people to both email her team and post more “funny and inspiring videos.” As there are levels to this, I want to break this down in two parts:

First, Mrs. Caesar basically tells all of us, “you can only get official merch from me.” In other words, everybody selling #unameit gear ain’t with her. As she’s been building this career for more than 50 years, she has a huge following in the gospel arena. Many people, however, have just been put on gospel game. She’s letting her new and old fans know that she’s not all over the internet at every CafePress, Amazon, or cheapshirts.com shopping page. There is only one place to get this stuff and if you want to support her brilliance, this is where you find it. There’s one consistent brand and you should come to her to get official information and goods.

This lesson is one that most entrepreneurs don’t learn for years, and usually by the point the lesson is learned, it is attached to some bigger problem and/or competitor. Consistent branding ensures that your customers know who you are and where to find you, even if you aren’t standing right in front of them. It also ensures trademark protection. In the trademark arena, if you aren’t consistently using your logo, name, or brand, you might actually lose the ability to legally protect it.

Second, Mrs. Caesar encourages people to continue to be in relationship with her via her official channels and through the videos they create. This is really good marketing packaged as the sweet grandma cooking those beans, greens, potatoes, and tomatoes. Your customers and clients want to feel connected to you. Communicating, in clear language, that you want that too can be quite helpful to you.

In addition, she’s asking her followers to continue creating and sharing their own videos. In doing so, she now has access to the connections of her fans and followers – thereby building an even bigger network.  She’s also requesting insight into what her fans and followers like and prefer, perhaps for future engagement (What do they find funny? What is inspiring to them?). Though the popularity of the #unameitchallenge may be fleeting, like many other viral hashtag challenges (RIP, #ALSIceBucketChallenge), getting this kind of information can help her build future products so that her business does not wane even if the challenge does.

What new and important products or services are you developing for your customers? As they move on to other things, do they also move on from you? It is worth thinking about how you can engage with them now to create the thing they’ll be wanting in the future. This is a fine line, though. You want to encourage your customers to share your message, but you still need to maintain control over your brand. It will be interesting to see Mrs. Caesar’s approach to this in the coming weeks and months.

The internet gave us an early holiday present in the #unameitchallenge that we may forget all about by Christmas (unless you buy your grandma one of those official aprons). The entrepreneurial lessons, however, can serve you and your business well for years to come.

Have you gone viral? If so, what advice would you give to others to leverage that 5 seconds of fame?

Please provide as much information as you can! I’d love to help you strategize on the your own goals. And, I know the other folks reading this can learn from your experiences. We are in this thing together.

I always say that I’m on a mission to build a nation of good people with dynamic personal brands and successful businesses. We can learn from each other on this journey, particularly when we have accountability partners. This is why I am building a whole nation of them.

Download the app

You can connect to the the private community I’ve created to provide support and encouragement along the journey–online and via app. Check us out at programs.shontavia.com or via the Mighty Networks App.

Download the Mighty Network app by clicking here. Once it downloads, click “Find a Mighty Network” and search for Shontavia Johnson. You’ll find content there that I may not share elsewhere.

Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience. I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with wonderful people each day.

Let’s make it happen,