Content Content Content

Just over 18 years ago, I was working at an event production agency that had a website that was in desperate need of a serious overhaul. We interviewed a half dozen local agencies before this crazy guy named Glenn Boothe walked in the door. He immediately stood out as someone who thought different.

It’s rare that you are able to work alongside someone who can take a not-quite-coherent-thought and immediately understand the vision that you are trying to convey—and then take the valuable parts and pieces of that idea and turn it into a fully baked product. The relationship that Glenn and I have has created amazing software solutions for M&M Mars, Anheuser-Busch, Sprint, and NASCAR. Not bad for a couple guys that started off building one website for a modest event company.

Glenn recently separated his web development company into two separate and unique brands that serve two totally different customers. Hqoo is a development shop where software developers specialize in web and mobile applications for enterprise clients. Influx is a modern agency that helps people tell their story (think brand development 2020).

To promote Influx, Glenn recently started a podcast and kindly asked me to be his first guest. Over the course of a 35-minute interview, we talked about a handful of topics including my social networks of choice, how I have been successfully creating content for the last five years, and some tips for staying consistent.

I just finished listening to this interview and was impressed by the varied topics we covered. I thought I should expand on a couple of the highlights from the interview:

LinkedIn – LinkedIn continues to be my preferred social network for staying connected with business professionals all around the world. I accept nearly every single invitation I receive and periodically search for associated businesses and professionals that I am not yet connected with on the platform. Since there are over 575M+ users, and a proportionately small number of those users consistently create unique content, I feel like I can have a voice that gets heard. I have been on the platform for the last 10+ years and have close to 4000 connections. If we are not yet connected, please reach out and let me know how we can work together.

Grammar Chic, Inc. – I wrote my first blog in 2014 titled, “Would You Like Fries With That?” and have been consistently writing ever since. The early days were tough. I would ask my wife and friends to proofread articles before I posted them—and I always hated asking for help. One day, as I was commiserating with Glenn on how I found it difficult to write, he told me about Grammar Chic, a content writing and editing service that I could hire on an as-needed basis. This was my ideal solution because they would charge per word without any long-term commitment. Moreover, I didn’t have to fear judgment that what I was writing sounded stupid. Grammar Chic has proofread my last 20 blogs and I can’t imagine achieving this consistency without them. If you are looking for this type of service, reach out to Kevin and Amanda Clark, they are the co-owners. Tell them that I sent you.

One Second Everyday – Gary Vaynerchuk talks a lot about storytelling and how cool it would have been to see video of when Steve Jobs was working in a garage or when Phil Knight was selling track shoes from his Plymouth in the Pacific Northwest. As a student of Gary Vee, I took this to heart and decided that I was going to start capturing video content. This, in turn, led me to the One Second Everyday app. By utilizing this application, I was able to record a one-second video and post it in a timeline from my very first day in business. I consistently recorded a video from Day One all the way through to the day I sold to ISM Connect—and for that I am extremely grateful. I now post a one-second recap every month. I make a special effort to capture milestone events like our annual pit bike race that features videos from competitors throughout the year. Then, I mash this up into a separate but equally entertaining video reel. I love this app and can’t recommend it enough.

Stay Tuned Motor Co – As Glenn and I discussed in the podcast, I have some spare time in my schedule and a desire to exercise my creative muscles. A group of my friends and I have come together to create a lifestyle brand that celebrates a Gasoline Lifestyle. Boats, cars, mini-bikes, motorcycles…really anything that has an accelerator gets us excited. We intend on sharing that excitement though multiple platforms. We are developing merchandise and promoting that gear through a YouTube channel. This is an exercise in building community; therefore, I would appreciate you becoming a member of the “Stay Tuned Tribe” and coach me on what you believe we are doing right, what we are getting wrong, or what is just plain stupid. My community is filled with marketing pros; therefore, I appreciate any and all feedback as I hope you find this a fun brand that you can get behind.

It has been awesome to be friends with Glenn for almost 20 years—and I look forward to continuing to support his business endeavors. I would humbly ask that you do the same by listening to our podcast and shooting him a note on Instagram. Let him know that I should be invited back as we brought 35 minutes of straight HEAT.

Until next time,

Michael