Franklin Taggart's Unconventional Life Blog

There are certain things about life that we have very little control over. The inevitability of death, the basic level of intelligence we're born with, our personalities, and physical limitations are just a few of the cards we're dealt and have to learn to play with.  Everyone's hand is unique from everyone else's so the strategy that works for anyone else will have to be adapted or scrapped according to the hand we're playing. The same is true in our businesses. They are as unique as our fingerprints, and while some of the activities are similar from business to business, there is a unique set of circumstances and traits that every business owner must learn to play with. That was my motivation in developing the concept and practice of Marketing Modalities. I've seen that people who leverage their innate strengths and preferences in the way they bring their business into the world have a greater likelihood of success than when they try to use another person'...

You have to try things in order to learn. Sometimes the things you try turn out as well or better than you'd hoped, sometimes they fall short. In this Coffee Break, Franklin shares some thoughts about things he's learned about failure. The successful software developer whose sophomore product tanked after nearly three years' investment of time and money. The well-known motivational coach and speaker who faced the pain of bankruptcy and a broken marriage. And Franklin's own story of changing course when his best songwriting efforts landed him a job as a carpet installer in a Nashville motel. Sometimes we need to regroup, redesign, and relaunch. Sometimes we need to move laterally to another opportunity. And sometimes we need to surrender to the greater scheme that is unfolding and ask to be shown our next place in it. #failure #selfdoubt #soulexpansion

Introversion is not a disability. Seems like there are a bunch of advice videos for how to deal with introverts. I think it's time to talk about how to live with extroverts. There needs to be a weekend workshop on how to be quiet and reflective, or how to live with less stimulation. The inspiration for this topic is that I live with two extrovert people and very likely one extrovert dog. The need for stimulation is constant around here and it just got more interesting today with my son's acquisition of a new drum set. I have a small room with headphones not attached to any device. I go there when I need to cleanse myself of the overstimulation around me. You'll hear an example in the video. Thanks for joining my Coffee Break! #introvert #livingtogether #extrovert

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ People who work for themselves have a unique opportunity to build and grow businesses in their own way and on their own terms. For many of them, there is no blueprint for the building process, and they find themselves getting stuck with unanticipated circumstances and challenges. In those times, self-employed people can feel like there is no help available and that they are completely alone with their difficulties. Larry Kaul is a resource for solo business owners in times like these and beyond. His decades of experience in starting and growing seven-figure businesses in which he’s been self-employed make him uniquely qualified to help other business owners through these tricky waters.  His Revenue Climber Expedition leads self-employed business owners to move faster in the right direction, identify critical elements that hold them back, find new pathways and change trajectories, and stop wasting time on actions that don’t work. Your next step is to sc...

I gave a talk today and shared a strategy I use for creating business opportunities. Central to my strategy is my motto: Show Up, Pay Attention, Participate. I've found that when I do these things as a regular part of my routine, good things tend to come out of it. So I adopted the motto to remind me of my mission and my desire to serve. I love my motto so much tath I put it on merch. My friend, David Schmaltz says that you should start every creative process with the t-shirt. If the idea translates to the t-shirt, it's usually a good one. Check out the merch here: https://www.cafepress.com/happyworkstuff/7765418 I also am announcing my Discover Your Unique Marketing Modality Workshop on February 25th and March 4th. If you want to streamline your marketing process, leverage your innate strengths and preferences, and enjoy a better return with less investment of time and money, this workshop series is for you. Register here: https://franklin-taggart-coaching.teachable.com/p/disc...

If you're experiencing lack or scarcity in your business or work, one suggestion I have is to watch how isolated you are. One thing that a business, like we humans, needs is connection. We're designed to thrive in groups of all sizes and shapes. And we're also given a natural process to recover from trauma and pain that often includes periods of isolation. In this Coffee Break, I'm thinking about the important distinction between isolation and solitude. Both have their place, but they're often confused. I heard Barbara Sher give a TEDx talk in which she said that isolation is the real opportunity killer, not attitude, and I think there is something to that. If you're too isolated as you're starting and growing your business, you're going to have more struggles than those who are more well connected and active within the communities they serve. Before you take a marketing or sales class, first reach out to the people who need what you have. Those connecti...

I just cleared snow off our sidewalk and driveway and to my surprise found a metaphor I needed relating to a project I need to finish with some urgency. I love shoveling snow but as I've gotten older, it takes longer and I need more breaks. Today, I finished the walks pretty easily but I still had the driveway left to do, which takes a lot more energy. The only way to finish jobs like this is to keep moving one shovelful at a time until the job is done. This is relevant for a talk I'm finishing for Thursday afternoon's appearance at Soulful Entrepreneur Summit. It's been an upgrade of a talk I did a couple of years ago, but what remained to be done was more like a driveway than a sidewalk. It's taken several weeks to get to this point but even a few days ago I wondered if I would ever finish. One shovelful at a time. If you're in the middle of a project and you can't see the end yet, the best you can do is keep chipping away at it. We can only take one step ...

Like many solopreneurs and freelancers, I've fallen for the belief that you have to be everywhere in order for your marketing to reach more people - every social media channel doing posts, stories, shorts, videos, live videos, reels, carousels, albums, polls, emojis, 24/7/365. And then you have to have a blog, a podcast, an email newsletter, a YouTube Channel, a snail mail publication, and a quarterly postcard to your old alumni mailing list. It was exhausting, impossible to maintain, and ineffective in reaching the right people for my business. A few years ago, I did an experiment. I evaluated all the marketing efforts I'd been doing to see which ones were getting the most desirable results. I wanted to know what they had in common. What I found ended up being the catalyst for my ideas around helping people identify their unique marketing modality. I discovered that the social media and content marketing content that was working best for me featured me in a speaking situation,...

Solopreneurs, freelancers, and other small business owners often find themselves stretched thin when it comes to marketing. There are too many channels to choose from, the learning curve to gain new skills can be steep, and it's too expensive to hire an agency to handle it for you. You also may find that it's difficult to find enough time to adequately market your business and that is the beginning of the end for many small and one-person companies. For people in their first year or two of business, I usually recommend having a streamlined strategy for marketing so that your valuable resources can be used effectively and have a desirable return. A central part of this strategy is to identify and leverage your unique marketing modality. Your unique marketing modality is a combination of your strongest communication skills, your preferred relationship channels, your natural influence role, and your preferred venue. Lining these up can have a streamlining effect on your marketi...

I must have struck a nerve. Some Passionistas told me I'm full of something icky. Well, Ok then. I think they didn't watch the whole video. They only read the headline. So just in case you're wondering. I love passion. I enjoy it every day. But following your passion still isn't a great idea for career decision-making.  Even the best hitters in baseball miss over two-thirds of their at-bats. Just because you love something once, doesn't mean you're going to love it the same way or at all another time. I love playing guitar and singing, but there are more nights than not that it's a less than passionate experience. Sometimes it's a downright slog.  Does that mean I regret doing it for so long? No way! I'd do it again today, although I would probably do it differently and I would've shot higher so that I didn't have to carry my own gear. But passion wasn't the driving force. The things that drove me then and still drive me today are curiosi...

It's been a few years since I've been able to participate in Made In Loveland. I'll be joining the fun this year as a speaker on February 3rd. My topic for the morning will be Marketing Lessons We Learned In Kindergarten: Don't Forget the Basics. Marketing, especially for new businesses can be one of the biggest sources of frustration, confusion, and difficulty. There are so many options - the channels we use, the messages we send, the tools and tactics that fill up our email inboxes - and many times, marketing is the aspect of business that new owners are the least prepared for. They underestimate the time, energy, and money it takes to get their businesses and their customers together. In a mad scramble to cover as many bases as they can, they enlist the help of their high school-aged kids to help with Instagram and TikTok while trying to find time to create and manage an email newsletter that most of their customers never read. And the fees that marketing agencies an...

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ If you have a product, service, or program priced over $3500.00, Yifat Cohen will help you sell many more of them. Yifat is a digital marketing pioneer and innovator who helps entrepreneurs create strategies and systems that routinely deliver remarkable revenue returns. How does she do it? In this interview she lets us look behind the curtain (spoiler alert: it’s all about using technology to build trusting relationships).  Yifat, also known as The Wizard of Jackpot Moments, is an international speaker, a digital engagement expert, an online community builder, and a live video aficionado. She was one of the first non-Google employees to be invited to speak to actual Google employees about their own products. After building a large community on Google+, which disappeared from the social media realm with little warning, she has become an outspoken advocate for “not building on rented property.” In other words, build your own community and bring people th...

I don't think "follow your passion" is good career advice. At least for me, it hasn't been. We make the common mistake of thinking that our passion is caused by an activity or a circumstance, but passion, like every other emotion, is created by the quality of our thinking from moment to moment.  The feeling of flow, presence, and transcendence is a simple shift in your consciousness to a state of mind in which thinking slows or stops - those moments when our self-consciousness fades into the background and our energy peaks. We mistakenly think that the activity was the reason for the feeling, but we could just as easily slip into a passionate state doing something else. That's why I suggest that passion isn't a reliable guide.  I'll tell you more about your more reliable guide in this Coffee Break. If you are ready to discover and leap into the best expression of who you are, let's schedule a coaching session. Use the contact form on the about page and...

Tell me truly - are you spending most of your time producing or consuming? I had some personal revelations late last year about my own habits. I'd been frustrated for a long time about not being able to focus and get things done. I did a time audit late last year and found that I was spending way too much time on Facebook and email and blog posts - basically in a consumption mode - instead of spending my time productively. BIG PROBLEM! Life is short.  In this Coffee Break, I share a few small ideas from my own experience that have helped me gain back hours of time each day that opens the door for a more productive me.  Thanks for watching, listening, subscribing, and sharing!  Want to join me for next week's Soulful Entrepreneur Summit? Get your all-access pass today at https://getsoulfulsuccess.com #productivity #contentcreation #gettingthingsdone

This is a legitimate concern that some people face. Honestly, I don't worry about it. In these cases, I encourage people to spend their time on activities they enjoy with people they enjoy and let that be enough. And I also don't think it's essential to know or name your creative calling. There are billions of people who live happily ever after without ever knowing.  The time I think it's helpful to investigate and find your creative calling are those times when you're burned out in your career, or that you have reached a very deep level of dissatisfaction with your path. Those are the times when exploring and naming your calling can be really enlightening. Your creative calling will be something you're energized by instead of depleted.  I appreciate you being with me for these Coffee Breaks and I'll see you again tomorrow!  #notknowing #dontworrybehappy #burnout

A couple of Devil's Advocates have written with questions about whether or not atheists, agnostics, and other spiritual skeptics have a creative calling. I believe they do and in this Coffee Break, I tell you why. Call it whatever you want, every human being is capable of their own unique kinds of creativity and each human being finds ways to express these unique gifts in ways that are meaningful, if only to themselves.  Religious and spiritual people have no corner on the creativity market. In fact, many of them curb their creative impulses in the name of "humility". I haven't met a person yet who doesn't have some form of a creative gift. And they can't help themselves but find ways to express it.  #creativecalling #atheistspirituality #makeadifference

Creative Calling is more than just talent. It's about more than choosing something to do or finding an enjoyable activity. And following your passion is misleading (that's a nicer way of saying that it's a load of doodoo.)  In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart talks about learning about how he put limits on his own calling that kept him from realizing its power. Your calling can be delivered in an infinite number of ways. Part of the enjoyment of discovery is experiencing the unlimited nature of your calling.  #creativecalling #selfdiscovery #careerpaths

You have a creative gift and calling. That doesn't especially mean that you have an artistic gift or calling. Creative and artistic aren't the same thing.  In this Coffee Break, Franklin Taggart talks about the distinction he discovered when his music career was disrupted by a health crisis.  #creativity #yourcreativegifts #lifepurpose

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ Businesses need video. The problem is videos take time, talent, and technology which makes you feel overwhelmed, confused, and falling behind. Old fashioned marketing isn't going to cut it. You need a multi-platform digital presence that includes video. Sheryl Plouffe brings 25 years of experience in broadcast media to help six and seven figure businesses raise the bar in their video marketing with a 4-step process she shares in this episode of Your Own Best Company. With insights in the areas of planning, production, publishing, and promotion, Sheryl will show us how to streamline our video marketing process to achieve amazing results. Sheryl is also an in-demand speaker, motivating teams on personal branding and video marketing. Her live online media simulcast, Cash In On Camera features in-depth interviews with thought leaders, influencers, and experts from around the world. Download her resources bundle and schedule your first consultation with he...

Does it feel like there is a spiritual purpose to the work you do? Do you, like me, have a wincing reaction to the concept of spiritual calling? When you hear the words "spiritual calling" what do they mean to you?  In this coffee break, I have some reflections on this topic as I've come to terms in the past couple of years that a big part of my work is helping people discover and align with the spiritual nature of the work they do. Your comments and insights are welcome!  #spiritualcalling #careercoaching #findingmeaning

Creative people often have many more ideas than they have time. Projects can easily start to feel overwhelming as we start to move out of the idea stage and into the creating itself. I have struggled with this for years. Finally, I found a simple time structure that's helped me start to get more creative projects finished. In this coffee break, I share what I've learned. #creativity #projectoverwhelm #gettingthingsdone

We've talked about what you want to be known for and what specialties of yours you want people to remember. In this coffee break, we talk about another important aspect of niching and branding - core values.  Core values, like passion, can be easily misunderstood. I think core values are the qualities and activities that enliven and animate us. They energize and attract. If we act out of alignment with them, we end up drained and burned out.  In identifying these qualities and centering our work on them, we find that our work becomes an expression of deeper gifts and more meaning. An easy way to start to clarify core values is the activity of telling our personal stories. What are the turning points, the deep aha moments, the teachers, and the experiences that shape who we are? These stories reveal the things and people and places and activities that really matter.  #corevalues #storytelling #meaningfulwork

In yesterday's coffee break, I asked what role you want to be remembered for. Today, I build on the same questions, but I want to know which specialty you want people to associate with you and how do you communicate it? Part of your business niche or audience identity comes from knowing your own specialty and being able to articulate it in a way that people will remember and understand.  Your specialty is one aspect of your business or craft that needs to stand out from among all the others like you. It differentiates you from them. It also helps potential customers make decisions about working with you or buying your products and services. Take some time and write about your specialty in as much detail as you can. This will help you communicate it more clearly when you're asked about what you do.  #positioning #h2hmarketing #specialization

Today on the Coffee Break I'm thinking about how people tend to only create one association in their minds for each other. People tend to think of me in one of a few roles, but never all three. A common challenge for people in new roles or organizations is helping people see and remember them in a new way.  In marketing, a lot of importance is put on positioning your business as the one to remember in your area of service. Are you helping people create this association with you in their minds?  #positioning #customerperception #h2hmarketing

I'll be speaking at the Soulful Entrepreneur Summit coming up January 24-28. My topic is Community: The Source of All Opportunity. I'd like to invite you to the summit. Prices start at free so you can attend at no cost but time. Check out the lineup at getsoulfulsuccess.com.  We are made for community and connection. Sometimes in business, I feel like we can get too focused on the linear, transactional way of doing things, but I believe there's merit to approaching our businesses as communities. I learned this in my music career, that while every fan who came to see me was having their own experience, part of what they were looking for was people to share the experience with.  I think every business is a community. The distinction is important. In the coffee break today, I talk about creating marketing that doesn't have a single avatar but has a community as its target. That changes things in ways that might make a huge difference with your messaging. Your business give...

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ Are you one of the growing number of entrepreneurs who experience their business as an expression of their spirituality? Do values like passion, compassion, and joy drive the work you do in the world? Is meaning just as important to your bottom line as revenue? If so, The Soulful Entrepreneur Summit is an event you need to attend. Alison Proffit and Amanda Mundo launched the first Soulful Entrepreneur Summit in 2021 to create a gathering for people like you – entrepreneurs who are committed to making the world a better place through their businesses. Their second version of the Summit is coming up January 24-28, 2022, and it is full of exciting and captivating experiences. In this interview, we’ll hear about their inspiration and vision for the event, their learning along the way, and the amazing lineup of speakers and panelists they’ve brought together for this year’s gathering. VIP, All-Access, and Limited Access passes are available now at https://getso...

We've been talking about working with social media algorithms. One of the ways you can learn what types of content algorithms prefer is to do some simple testing. In this coffee break, I have a couple of simple suggestions for ways you can test the performance of your content.  The Care and Feeding of Your Social Media Algorithm is this Saturday, January 8th, 2022 from 9 AM-Noon Mountain Time. For information and registration, see the Workshops page on my website, franklintaggart.com.  #testingcontent #messagetesting #socialmedia

The topic for today's coffee break came from a question sent by my friend, Amy. She asked if it was really worth her time to figure out what a social media algorithm wants. Great questions and the answer isn't cut and dried. Check out the reply in the video.  Enrollments are open for Saturday's Care and Feeding of Your Social Media Algorithm workshop on Zoom. If you can't attend the live workshop, you'll still be able to access the recordings and materials if you enroll.  Here's the link: https://franklin-taggart-coaching.teachable.com/p/the-care-and-feeding-of-your-social-media-algorithm/  #socialmediamarketing #algorithmbusters #contentmarketing

I'm surprised by how many of my clients don't track the performance of their social media posts. It doesn't take analytical wizardry to learn what kinds of posts are performing better than others. In this coffee break, I walk you through a simple process to identify some important statistics and patterns that will help you understand which of your posts the algorithm is favoring. This helps you make better decisions about what kind of media nad content you post in order to find more favor with the algorithms and reach more people.  The Care and Feeding of Your Social Media Algorithm Workshop is happening this Saturday, January 8th from 9AM-noon Mountain Time. Enrollment information is available on the workshop page of my website: https://www.franklintaggart.com/p/workshops.html   I'll look forward to seeing you there!  #beginningsocialmedia #trackingsocialposts #algorithm

Today on the Coffee Break, we're talking about what algorithms do and why it's important for businesses and marketers to make friends with them rather than fight them. They're learning about us constantly then taking what they learn to build more experiences we'll want to have. If your posts aren't getting much response, the main thing to wonder is what can be changed to satisfy the algorithm's rules. If you want more people to see, interact with, and share your social media posts, join the workshop on Saturday. Details here: https://franklin-taggart-coaching.teachable.com/p/the-care-and-feeding-of-your-social-media-algorithm #socialmedia #smallbusiness #contentmarketing

I get almost daily inquiries from people about why their social media posts aren't being seen. Most of them haven't heard about algorithms, and if they have, they've heard mostly negative things. In this Franklin Taggart's Virtual Coffee Break, we ask and answer the question, "What is a Social Media Algorithm?" and we learn why that matters to businesses and marketers. The main thing to know is that the primary goal of an algorithm is to generate users' experiences. Social media platforms want people to stay engaged on their apps and they use algorithms to direct those experiences. I'll be offering a workshop this Saturday, January 8th, 2022 that will help people start to work with algorithms to create better-performing social media experiences. The workshop will be recorded and available in my school the day after the live event.  More information at https://www.franklintaggart.com/p/workshops.html  #socialmedia #algorithm #userexperience

I'm feeling energized and optimistic going into 2022. One new commitment is to upload a coffee break vidpod every day this year. They'll be short videos on a variety of topics and points of view. I'm also reintroducing my monthly workshop series after a five-year hiatus. The first workshop will be live on Zoom on Saturday, January 8th, 2022 on Zoom. We'll be learning how to play along with social media algorithms to build better relationships, reach more people, and get better results from our social media activity. Visit the workshop page on my website for more info. If you can't attend the live workshops, the recordings from each will be posted at my school the day after the live events. Enrollment will be opening very soon... https://www.franklintaggart.com/p/workshops.html #podcast #workshop #socialmediaalgorithm