Find out who the other exhibitors are, and if they have anything fun and interactive at their booth. Here’s a landscaper with a putting green. I apologize in advance to any avid golfers out there…

Here is Al’s attempt…not a hole in one…

Why not have some fun creating youtube videos and commercials of everyone who is having fun with you? Enjoy!

So I was watching television with my 4 year old Molly the other day and right at the good part,  commercials took over. She  turned around in my lap and said “Are you kidding me!! I don’t want to see these commercials. Dad, why do we have to watch this?” Well, as a good father, I said “we don’t”, and I promptly changed the channel to another kids show.

Which brings me to my point; Not that many years ago we were forced to watch  commercials because we didn’t have many stations to flip to, but today it’s endless. So why is it that we still tolerate interruptive advertising? Do we believe that we have no choice? Or is it that we really really enjoy them? Or maybe we just would rather feel victomized by the system because we can’t control our own destinys?

I think that the world of social media will finally wake up the sleeping masses from the social dream that says that we must all be the victim of interruptive advertisers. As the world shifts to consumer driven marketing and consumer driven content, we ,as a collective people, will learn to conrol our own input material. Social media is the first step in a long list of things that will make this possible!

This is what we think about interruptive advertising!

With all the trends in social media, the question still comes up, is networking worth it? The answer is YES. The key to making connections online is much the same as making connections in person. There are a few differences, but the esssence is the same. Let’s get back to the basics with some in-person networking tips to make every experience as positive as we can!

Key #1: Smile

Key #2: Open the conversation and break the ice. Don’t wait for introductions, get out there and mix and mingle! At InSights I recommend hugging first, getting their name second. (If you are comfortable with this…it truly opens doors).

Key #3: Conversation is truly an art. Showing interest in others, listening, knowing when to ask questions to take the conversation deeper, maintaining an appropriate line of topics, not dominating the conversation and respecting others are keys to the art of conversation. There is also an art to the exit strategy in networking situations. Knowing how to leave one conversation and move on to another is a key part of successful networking. (This would be when you move on and hug the next person.)

Key #4: Follow up! If you have made a new connection, follow up. Connect with them on Facebook, Linked-In and Twitter. Use these services to keep in touch with people who you meet on the way. It’s the trend, and it works!

Key #5: Continue to go to new events and meet new people. It is the only way to make the world smaller and get more connected.

What is leadership to you? Where within a person does it stem from? Is it a genetic trait or can it be developed?

We often see leaders and assume that they were given the position of leadership or happened to be in the right place at the right time. I, however, believe that leaders follow their hearts. Out of their heart, comes a calling to make a difference in the world. They are drawn to loving through their heart. Love for the task at hand, the people involved, or the cause for which they believe. Those who take this love to the extreme create an Energy that brings to life an amazing result.

Stay tuned for the description of Energy and beyond.

Note: Some die as the result of their leadership!!

The vision statement is what an organization (or individual) wants to become and describes how the future will look if the organization (or individual) achieves their mission.

The InSights Group Vision Statement: to provide the collaboratory experience where people combine creativity, organic growth and a holistic approach to their business community.

To become THE PLACE where people can realize their full potential, create and maintain strong connections, and develop plans to achieve their goals while helping keep focus, and motivation. Aid in accountability and encouragement, helping business owners to stay focused and motivated. Help individuals launch, grow and manage their careers and business lives.

Vision: Empowered People Chasing Their Bliss

After talking to one of our screen printers who just quoted 22k tshirts to a national company, our local cake maker who is now taking international orders, and one of our favorite speakers who was asked to travel to Europe this summer and speak at several conferences, I’d say that our InSights Vision is becoming a reality.

Is your vision lining up with your reality?

Here are some statistics to help you decide if it’s staying!

Google has 1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion) unique urls indexed

         2,000,000,000 (2 billion) searches per day

Youtube houses more than 80,000,000 (80 million) videos as of May 2008

         It would 412.3 years to watch all of the content on Youtube

         13 hours worth of video is added every minute on Youtube

          Youtube was purchased by Google in Oct.2006 for 1.65 billion in      

           stock and was only 22 months old.

Since 2002 more than 133,000,000 blogs have been started

         900,000 blog posts happen per day

          77% of internet users read blogs

As of 8:33 am today there have been 1,347,956,269 Tweets sent!

              3 million tweets per day

              The most active twitter user has 86,078 followers (@kevinrose )

Facebook has 180,000,000 users from 170 countries

         2.6 billion minutes per day are logged by Facebook users on the site

         700,000,000 photos are added per month

          140 new Facebook applications are developed per day

After these few little interesting facts about web 2.0, I just need to ask you 1 question.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE WEB IS GOING AWAY? If not, HARNESS IT!

We typically think in terms of a mission statement for business. A mission statement addresses what an organization is all about.  It answers the questions What do we do? For Whom do we do it? What is the benefit?

InSights Group Mission Statement: To illuminate the path, inspire dreams and add insights to people’s lives as they are empowered to transform their lives and business, while finding a new appreciation for their potential.

Mission Statement: incorporate organic growth and a holistic approach to business.

Planning experts generally believe in a philosophy of a mission statement needing to be created in terms of a holistic statement of a firm’s strategic organization so that long term strategies can be defined. The long term strategy is based on a core idea about what the company is doing in the market place in the first place. This core idea is often referred to as the generic strategy.

Mission statements can be used to define an organizations purpose. If change is needed, the mission statement is the yard stick that the new focus needs to be measured against. If the changes can align with the mission and vision of the company, they should be considered. If they do not, either the mission and vision need re-evaluation, or the new strategy does.  

Apply the mission statement and strategy to your personal life. Can you define your mission? What do you do? For Whom do we do it? What is the benefit?

When our personal mission lines up with our business or career mission, we are working within a holistic framework for all things to move forward in alignment.