Editor’s Note: Annie Mueller provides value-filled, relevant content to help small businesses build an effective online presence. In over 6 years of freelance writing, she’s never had an unhappy client.

Networking is about meeting and building relationships with people for a purpose. It’s that last part that counts in the definition, the purposeful part. Otherwise we’re all just socializing, which is what much of it amounts to anyway because if you don’t know your purpose, it’s pretty difficult to achieve it. That’s fine if you just enjoy socializing for the sake of socializing (and, actually, the best social networkers are people like that usually). However, if you’re spending marketing dollars and the prosperity of your business depends on the success of your social networking, you’d better do a bit more than socialize.

1. The Question You’d Better Answer First

Why are you interested in social networking? To build your business? How, exactly?Do you sell online or just promote online? Are you locally, nationally, or internationally focused? Do you want people to talk about your business online, share your links, spread the word about you, learn more about you, recommend you, sign up for a program, get a free sample, get your e-newsletter, read your blog, interact with you, ask questions, get a membership, order a product, pay for a service, refer you to their friends? If social networking works for you just the way you want it to, what will the results be? Get that pinned down first; don’t tweet a single character or start a Facebook page or write a blog post until you know the answer to this question:What do you hope to accomplish from your social networking? What are your ideal results? Be very specific; don’t say, “I want my business to grow.” Say, “I want 75 members in my exclusive coaching clubs,” or “I want to sell 6,000 widgets online next year,” or “I want 100,000 readers so I can sell pricey ads on my site,” or “I want 250+ people in my referral program,” or “I want 100 customers to sign up for my gold-level service club.”

2. Believe in what you have to offer.

Billy Mays. Everybody wished he would be a little bit quieter but nobody doubted he really loved that OxiClean. And he sold it. Bob Ross. He was all calm and light and happy trees and you just knew you could paint that way, too, if you listened to him. He believed it, and he sold it. Tyler Florence. A gourmet chef singing the praises of a packaged salad dressing? Er. Something’s screechy and wrong here. If what you are trying to sell violates the principles you have already defined for yourself and your business, don’t waste your time trying to sell it. You either have to find a new product or service which fits with the way you’ve defined yourself, or you have to redefine yourself and your business. If you can’t convince yourself that what you have to offer is genuinely worthy, then you cannot convince anyone else. Believe in your business, first. If you’re in one of those slog points, revisit the notes you made on top of the mountain. Remember your strengths. Think about your unique offer. Define the value and make sure it’s something you believe in.

3. Find the right people: the ones who actually need and will benefit from what you offer.

Target your online audience as (or more) carefully as you target your target market. Who will be interested in what you have to offer? Don’t waste your time trying to interest “everybody.” NOTHING (except maybe toilet paper) has universal appeal. Focus on the people who will love, adore, and build small shrines to the solution you bring them. They will become your secondary marketers and will talk a whole bunch of other (fringe) people into trying your business, too. They will be passionate, enthusiastic, and committed customers. Get these people. Focus on them. Pour your attention onto them. Quit trying to convince a huge crowd of slightly disinterested folks to get interested in you, and instead, start talking to the people who are already into your field. Your job is half-done.

4. Find a (free) preliminary way to solve problems.

Before you sell, give. This is a basic idea of permission marketing, education-based marketing, and Golden Rule marketing, which are all pretty much the same thing. So pick a name and then apply the concept by giving first. Offer genuine value. Don’t try to cheap out at this point. People will flee and never return.

5. Find and focus on 1 to 3 social outlets.

Even if you have a full-time, salaried social networker plugging away for your business, focusing on a few social outlets rather than trying to have a presence on all of them will get you better results. Of course Facebook and Twitter are the big daddies, but if you know your target audience well (and you should) go where they are, whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, ZombieLandForums.com, or somewhere else entirely. Go to the people you want to reach and focus on a few of the places where they hang out online.

6. Be enthusiastic.

Because if you don’t really care or even like it that much, why should anybody else? Introverts, break out of your personality a bit and show some emotion. If that’s utterly impossible for you, delegate or hire out so you get a voice out there with some enthusiasm in it. Otherwise you waste your time.

7. Offer value, help, and attention.

First, offer free items of value. This could be content (your blog, your resources) or samples (don’t be cheap) or trials or digital products (ebooks, podcasts) or giveaways or clubs or services.Second, offer help when you see a need and, definitely, whenever people ask for it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t count up the loss of billable hours. Help.Third, offer attention when people start interacting with you. Don’t work to get people to notice you and then ignore them when they do. Follow up. Listen, Respond. Interact. Be real. Give your attention.

8. Be consistent.

Give people familiarity and reliability. They tend to like that sort of thing.

• Consistent message: say one thing, say it clearly, and repeat it often.
• Consistent value: don’t create one great product and then cheap out on the next. Your customers will feel betrayed.
• Consistent method: if you blog, post on the same days and follow the same format; if you tweet, offer the same kind of helpful info all the time; whatever you do, set up a format that works for your goal and stick with it. Sure, some variation and creativity is great; just work within some basic boundaries so people know what you offer and aren’t disappointed. It only takes one visit to a blog without a recent post for a visitor to strike you off the “live” list.

9. Be ready to sell what you have to offer.

If you follow the steps as outlined, eventually (maybe much sooner than you think) people will ask, “What else?” You’ve offered value, you’ve been sincere, you’re enthusiastic and likeable, you’ve been helpful, you’ve been consistent. You’ve won them over. They like you. They want to give back. They are eager to invest back in you the way you have invested in them. So give them a way to do just that!

• Make it obvious. Obvious doesn’t mean obnoxious. No flashing signs or neon arrows necessary, but a nice big button that says, “Order XYZ Product Here” could do the trick.
• Make it easy. Purchasing should be a simple, one or two step process.
• Make it sincere. Any sales material you have needs to reflect the heart and vision of your business. Go back to step 1: do you still believe in your business? Put that belief into words. Be real. You can always get an editor.
• Make it subordinate. Yes, this is your business; but your first goal must remain – always – to help the people in your network. If you know that they would be better helped by another product or service, or that your product/service will NOT help them, then it is your responsibility to say so. You may lose a sale, but you will gain a reputation that is worth many more sales in the future.

10. Follow up with even more value after the sale.

Repeat steps #7 and #8 with everyone who buys from you. Sound like hard work? It is. That’s the thing with social networking: it isn’t a magic button or an automatic cash cow. There is no keyword strategy that can build a business without any real value any it. So build a good foundation. Put the work in. And here’s the good news: the initial work will pay off exponentially. That’s the magic part of the social networking model, and it does work. Once you put in the work, the time, the belief, the energy, the effort, the attention, and the value, you win over a few people who love you like you love your business: maybe 10, maybe 100, maybe 1000. Then they network for you. The 10 becomes 100, the 100 becomes 1000, the 1000 becomes 10,000. And it keeps growing. You keep giving, of course. So yes: social networking, done right, is 1) hard work which 2) requires time and effort and 3) takes time before it pays off. But it also 4) does pay off and 5) the returns can be quite great and often 6) will take off and continue to grow far beyond the original investment you made.

Photo Credit: Intersection Consulting

Today is Friday, which means that on Twitter it’s a #FollowFriday or #FF as some folks have started hashtagging it. If you aren’t familiar with Follow Friday, read this post on Mashable for the details.

This Friday, I want to share a few folks with you who I think of as “Smart Marketers” – but who are actively teaching and sharing with the rest of us how to do it better. Some of these folks are expected follows if you’re in our industry, but this week I’ve run into several people who had never even HEARD of some of these folks – which means it’s time to review my short list of very smart people for you…

Here’s who I recommend you follow this #FollowFriday… and here’s the why on all of them: they share their own stuff that they write which is always really valuable AND they share lots of other stuff that is valuable. They are a wide open fire hydrant of valuable marketing information that will make you think – and hopefully ACT revolutionary! Yes, it applies to local business. Yes, it applies to small business. Be revolutionary and pay attention to what these folks are saying:

(In no particular order, of course.)

Chris Brogan – @chrisbrogan + @broganmedia – I knew he was a great guy, but last week we connected over this post about the great things happening in Michigan because he had been there and seen it, too. A family-loving guy who is smart, human and positive. (Plus, I think he’s about to unveil some things through his new venture, Human Business Works, that will be valuable for small businesses. Keep an eye on that.)

Jason Falls – @jasonfalls – We hung out with Jason last fall at a conference where we both presented, and he has proven to be accessible and just plain smart. I like the way his brain operates, his angst with impracticality and his passion for practical solutions that move the bottom line needle. He’s a roll-up-your-sleeves and make things happen kinda guy.

Becky McCray – @beckymccray – Becky is someone who I want to be friends with off-line, but who has encouraged me along the way on-line. She’s also a farm-girl who shares my passion for rural communities, community development in general, small business and cultural tourism (among other things). One day soon I hope to give her a hug in person.

Sheila Scarborough – @sheilas – I follow Sheila because she works on Tourism Currents with Becky McCray. And I figure if she’s good enough for Becky, she’s good enough for me. So far, so good. Great stuff especially when it comes to tourism, CVB’s and ideas for the smallish versions of the same among us.

Seth Godin’s blog posts – @sethsblog – A must read. Twitter feed is a good way to not forget to pay attention to Seth. He’s the master and shouldn’t be ignored.

Ann Handley – @marketingprofs – Funny. Pithy. Thoughtful. Exceptionally smart and forward thinking yet immensely practical. She shares great stuff. Best of all, very well respected in her field.

Darren Rowse – @problogger – Owner of ProBlogger and the very helpful Digital Photography School. Constant stream of valuble information that you can use.

Brian Clark – @copyblogger – Founder of Copyblogger and also a fire hose of exceptionally valuable information. As a journalism student who was always accused by teachers of writing with an agenda in mind, I appreciate this guy a lot. And I am humbled at how much I still have to learn. I can’t keep up with these folks, but I soak it up and try.

Sonia Simone – @soniasimone (also of Copyblogger fame) – Love to watch her interact. Shares good stuff. See above comments about quality of content.

Robert Scoble – @scobleizer – a very, very smart guy who now works at our server company, Rackspace. Rackspace has the best customer support and uptime in the business with one of the smartest guys as a voice.

Chris Penn – @cspenn – Genius when it comes to customer service and building human relationships. I love the format of his e-mail newsletter. He works for @blueskyfactory with new daddy @djwaldow who I also really like to chat with and learn from.

Justin Levy – @justinlevy – a very accessible guy who is smart about all things Facebook marketing (and much, much more) over at New Marketing Labs (of which Chris Brogan is president). Also a restaurateur.

Ike Pigott – @ikepigott – a smart and funny fellow working for a power company in Birmingham. He lives in the South so points for that, but he’s also insanely smart (and I think that despite the fact that he hasn’t publicly outed @eatbhm yet). His profile sums it up: “I make complex things simpler.” There’s not enough of that in the world.

Michael Hyatt – @MichaelHyatt – CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and a really smart networker and authentic person. I massively enjoy watching his stream and connecting with he and his company. He shares smart stuff, and I wonder how he gets it all done.

Peter Shankman – @petershankman – founder of the Help a Reporter out service and a funny guy to follow. Worth connecting with. Just ask my friend, Grace Bateman (@perupaper).

Who do you follow on this Follow Friday? I’d love you to follow me, too, @resultsrev. I love to learn and love to share.

So I decided I’ve had it. I’m done. I’m not putting up with it any longer.  I’m quitting. What, you ask am I quitting? Whining, and hanging out with whiners…

Recently at a business function I couldn’t help but hear multiple people complaining about how bad business was. Really, I thought this was networking not a support group.

Let me be clear, I’m sure it’s harder to make a dollar right now than it was a couple of years ago. But I’m working with a lot of folks that are doing PRETTY darn well this year and I’m not going to be out there whining about how bad it is. Think about it. Who wants to do business with a guy who’s about to lose his shirt? Not me. But the guy who’s fighting, I’m gonna go out of my way to give him not only business, but a little extra if I can help it.

Your attitude is everything. If you don’t believe it, you might want to check with the facts. Complainers have fewer friends, and do less business than positive people. I’m sure I can google up a study that talks about that somewhere, but it’s common sense. No one likes a whiner.

But it’s so bad out there, haven’t you seen the numbers? Yes, I have and here’s the rest of the story.

It’s a better time to own your own business than ever before. The workforce is ripe with talent, and they’ll work cheaper and harder than you could have dreamt 4 or 5 years ago. Bright folks are waiting for good ideas. Property prices are down to record levels, and while that’s lemons to some, that’s cheap rent to those who have a little sugar and some ice… I can sit down and have a sip of that.

What about our business, we are down 50% from last year? I’m sorry to hear that. Have you changed your strategy?

What we did last year doesn’t work this year. It’s not your customers’ job for YOU to stay competitive. But I can promise you this—If you’ll dig a little deeper and talk to your customers, you can probably figure out what they NEED and turn that in to a profitable business.

Yes, it’s a jungle out there… There are loads of pitfalls and tough times and you may be having some. But keep your chin up, dig a little bit and figure out how to make someone else happy with your product or service. Some folks are having record years, and I’m not just talking about the RepoMan… There’s plenty of money circulating around here—but it’s being spent with winners, not whiners.

Your attitude rubs off a little on everyone you are around. Don’t come see me if you are going to whine.

Photo Credit: zzzack

Easely Amused is a painting studio that teaches classes every night with 25-30 students per class. Easely Amused teaches step-by-step painting instructions while allowing our students to personalize their painting for their own personality. Easely Amused is entertainment and education in one business, teaching art classes that are fun to those that have absolutely no experience as well as those who are artistic. Bridget Tisdale created Easely Amused in January 2009 in the garage studio of her interior design business.

Andy: How did you get started with the business?

Bridget: We started in January of 2009 in the garage studio of my interior design business. I have taught hands on classes for years with my interior design business, but started with two painting classes a week in January. We easily had 24 a night, so I started adding more classes. We now have two full studio/retail locations – one in Ridgeland and this one in Flowood (Mississippi). We have 6 teachers and just as many assistants.

Andy: What about marketing?

Bridget: This is an accidental business. We gained publicity by word of mouth and Facebook. The first month we were open I had a class where I didn’t know anyone. I started asking how they had heard about us, and it was through Facebook or word of mouth from a friend.

Andy: So Facebook was an accelerant to the referral process of your friends and customers?

Bridget: You can’t buy advertising like that. The key with Facebook is using it in a personal way. That’s what makes it work.

Andy: I looked this morning and you have 4800 “likes.” How did you get that many “likes” on Facebook?

Bridget: What we post is interesting. It’s attractive and visually interactive. I try to give teasers of the calendar, so fans will have to check back to see the upcoming schedule. We always take pictures after the classes and post them on Facebook. People get so excited to see it and tell their friends.

Andy: What other advertising have you done?

Bridget: Other than Facebook, we have t-shirts and a website where we have our calendar and post pictures of our events. We have signage outside of both locations to spark interest.

Andy: Tell us about some of the different angles of your Easely Amused classes and how you are developing your business to keep it interesting.

Bridget: We have school groups and children’s classes, and we have children’s camps in the summer. We have local artists come in as guests teachers. They offer different styles of paintings, and it gives the participants in the class a chance to learn more about them and their art. You may see their artwork around town, but may not know anything about the artist. Now we have customers who leave educated about that artist and their work. We also have people who may already own work by an artist and come to the class because they are already familiar with their work.

Andy: What have been your biggest growing pains?

Bridget: We have a great staff and a lot of inventory. We are amazed at how many canvases we go through each month. We are learning how much we can handle – how many classes, how many locations.

Andy: What about feedback? What do you do when someone gives you negative feedback?

Bridget: I try to be as open and honest as possible. We aren’t the perfect business. Even in circumstances when the customer is not right, they still deserve to be heard and treated respectfully.

Audience question: When was the moment that you realized you had to start thinking about your business, not just managing it?

Bridget: Six months in. You get to the point where it looks like it’s going to work and you have to take the plunge.

MyScoop is an entirely online magazine with editions in three markets, Birmingham, Mississippi and Nashville. MyScoop caters to Southern fashionistas and tries to capture the flavor of the south as well as let our readers know what’s going on in other parts of the world. MyScoop focuses on locally made or owned products that are sold nationally or internationally OR national trends that are sold locally.

If you are a fashion retailer in these markets, you want to know MyScoop as a media outlet. If you’re any other business owner, well, I’m here to tell you… Elizabeth Fowler is one of the smartest business women I’ve encountered in a long time, and she has some business scoop to share.

Marianna – How have you used the power of referrals in your business?

Elizabeth – When we expanded to Mississippi we used a referral program so our current readers in the state could tell their friends about us. We gained tons of readers through that web community. It is important to have a consistently email database and utilize Facebook so that readers are interacting with us and each other. My Scoop is the beginning of a very branded community. We have grown through Facebook and Twitter. We are currently growing by about 1,000 each month. All of the advertisements on our site are linked to that local business and we do the same with emails so there is constant exposure to My Scoop and the businesses.

Marianna – As a member of the media, how does a business get your attention?

As the media you can send out press releases. If business owners can promote a category as a whole and promote a trend and not just their store/product, we are much more likely to use that. Example: A boutique owner wrote an article for me on a summer fashion trend. She wrote about the trend as a whole, not just her business. She will gain attention to her business because of the article, but people are more likely to read it instead of just writing it off as advertising. Small business owners should remember that once you reach out you should continue to stay in touch. There are some business owners who will send me reports of new merchandise that they have just gotten in. That is very helpful because they have just saved me a lot of work in finding out what has come in.

To get in touch with the media, introduce yourself at networking events. Email them and follow-up with a phone call. Ask for a media outlets editorial calendar. Most owners don’t think to do that or don’t know that you can. You can learn what they are going to be featuring each month. For example, if you see that the October issue is going to have an article on pumpkin carving and your store sells a pumpkin carving knife you can let the magazine know that and advertise more specifically.

If the media calls you, invite them to come into your business! Make sure you have the owner or manager there – someone who knows the business well and can answer questions. Show them your products and ask how you can help them.

The biggest faux pas when dealing with the media is easily that business owners aren’t responsive enough and miss opportunities.

Marianna – Partnerships are a critical part of what you do and what you sell to clients. How do you view partnerships in business?

I have a great quote that I took from a local business owner, “In today’s world there is no competition; there is only collaboration.” These are the business that will continue to be successful. You should be thinking, “How can we leverage each other’s strengths?”

Marianna – In your opinion, what’s next in new media/social media for businesses? What will they have to do to maintain an edge?

I think we are going to see more creative concepts coming out of media outlets. I think owners should let the media help create their advertisements. That way the ads are more targeted toward the audience of the publication. We need to see partnering with advertisers to create campaigns for a specific market. As a business owner, you have to know what you are trying to accomplish. You’ll use it differently depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

Catch up with Elizabeth at http://www.myscoop.us, Facebook, or Twitter (@myscoopus).

Tragedy. It struck Mississippi two weekends ago when deadly tornado’s hit several counties. Last weekend, Nashville, TN hit with torrential rains, not seen since 1937 in that area.

Small businesses are already here, ready to respond, give and help when those events happen. And again the need is great…how can you help? And let’s just be honest, how can your help… help your business?

Remember a couple of things.

1. If you are only doing it for press, don’t do it. It will never be enough to satisfy if you don’t have a generous heart. So if you aren’t generous, why pretend to act that way? People aren’t stupid. You’ll come out way better not giving, than trying to over promote that you are helping. It has to pass the all important “smell test.”

2. Try to find out the NEED that you can meet. Don’t just donate things that you have. Check on Facebook or Twitter (do a geographical search for “HELP” within 15 miles of the place affected). Finding real needs and real people is very easy on these new media tools. Listen and engage to find out who the folks are that are networking and staging supplies and needs. Talk to as many as you can, without taking too much of their time. It’s important to try and get to the right person with the right needs.

3. Once you’ve identified a need you can help fill, engage others to come along beside you. Sure, you are doing something, but see if others will help you, too. Directly asking for outside help via Twitter or Facebook wall posts or status updates are a great way to ask. For example: “We need 3 or 4 more people to chip in to get this truck full of cleaning supplies headed out to help. Can you join us with a donation to XYZ organization?” This isn’t a post bragging about YOU helping; instead it’s you engaging your customer base to help fill the need together.

4. Thanks. A big public thank you to anyone who gave with you or helped you goes a long way. Make them the stars; put the spotlight on someone else. And watch how that works. Everyone likes to be appreciated, so make sure and thank all of those who are willing to let it be known that they helped. Some people don’t want the spotlight, and that’s okay, too. But for some, it will mean a lot to them for you to share the spotlight and talk about how they helped make a difference.

5. Don’t just give once, keep on giving. Often after the main influx of help and supplies, the news media goes away. However, the people on the ground are still very much working away, and the needs sometimes are even greater. Ask again how you can help. Keep in touch with those that you’ve helped before, both for accountability for them and for your own good as well. Tweeting “@personinneed “hey, how are things going? can we still help?” may give you a response that you can help additionally in new ways. Often their network will have grown and your reach in the good you are doing will be greater the second and third time around.

6. Be human. You probably are a time-starved small business owner. I know what that’s like. I’m writing this post at 11 PM, while a client Facebook messages me, and another texts me a last minute question. Trust me, I get it. You are busy. But get out there, in person, YOURSELF if at all possible. Your gifts and time will go much further. You’ll be able to see what you can do better to help those in need and also how you can better leverage the time, money and effort you are exerting. But you might have to get your hands dirty in the process. I highly recommend it.

Editors Note: Andy Chapman, a co-founder of the Results Revolution, speaks from first-hand experience in disaster recovery work. Andy worked in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He helped facilitate thousands of volunteers, as well as hundreds of donors and millions of dollars in gifts during the post-Katrina rebuilding process.

In closing, we’re sending a shout out to our friends at The Rogue in Jackson, Mississippi who partnered with a local church in an affected community within 48 hours of the Mississippi tornadoes to donate over $50,000 in clothing from their own store shelves to help one community recover. He then persuaded several of his clothing vendors to make additional donations and used social media to encourage customers to bring quality, laundered clothing for immediate distribution to families in need.

Interview with Serial Entrepreneur & Publisher, Jack Criss

Jack Criss chatting with ResultsRevTV hostess, Marianna Hayes Chapman.

Yesterday, I interviewed 20-year publishing industry veteran and serial entrepreneur, Jack Criss. Criss is currently publisher of locally-owned and operated Greater Jackson Business magazine. Here are some of the questions we discussed and my paraphrases to his answers. For precise quotes, please watch the full interview on ResultsRevTV here (30 minute video).

Marianna: As a news insider, explain how small businesses can get their business covered in the media? What approach would you recommend?

Jack: Realize that the media love to be contacted and love to have their ego stroked. Recognize their work. For example, “Dear Jack, I read the article you wrote about the Two Lakes project – incredibly well written piece! I love what you’re doing with the new magazine… I have a story idea I think would fit well…” Address press releases or story ideas to specific people. Find their real name and correct spelling and send a personalized e-mail directly to that person’s e-mail address.  Be personal and find ways to connect with them unrelated to the need. Don’t mass send information to 50 journalists and address it to “Dear Sir/Madam” – those messages get trashed immediately.  If you don’t personalize a press release at least make sure it’s well written and correct and keep the information to one page as much as possible.

Marianna: How has technology played into having a successful business?

Jack: The demographic that the magazine is geared towards calls for a print magazine in addition to the website.  Jackson isn’t ready for a 100% online magazine yet, in my opinion. However, corrections can be made online within hours instead of waiting for the next edition to be printed.  We can supplement the print magazine stories, post video and photos not in the magazine and much more. Also, GJB is really a multi-media effort with the print magazine as the cornerstone providing readers and advertisers with a valuable and interesting long shelf life. But we supplement that with Facebook, a weekly radio show and vide on the web site.

Marianna: How have you overcome your fear of technology to keep up with the speed of news?

Jack: Facebook is often primarily used to communicate, network and make deals, in many cases more than e-mail. You have to get over your fear and get on Facebook.  Your competitors are on and you have to be too.

Marianna: How do you use Facebook to network while balancing your personal and professional life?

Jack: I’ve used it in incorporating my business and personal life. I’m just an ordinary guy who likes to run and has two daughters. I love being a father and a runner and a member of the community. I think being who I really am on Facebook helps me connect with others who share my interests and builds deeper relationships.

Marianna: How do you make time to do it all? Facebook, web site updates, sales, writing, events, networking and Twitter, too?

Jack: One way is that I’m leveraging the technology so that some things just happen automatically without me spending any time at all. For example, whenever a news article is posted to the web site, Facebook and Twitter are automatically updated with that information. You can leverage technology to make time to do it all without a big staff.   Facebook and Twitter all point to the magazine and help promote it.

Marianna: What do you do in your business to give back, even when cash is tight?

Jack: I can’t always give cash, but I can always give space in the magazine. Of course, certain “restrictions apply,” but non-profits that need advertising get free advertising in Greater Jackson Business – always. You’ve talked a lot about generosity in recent weeks, and this is how we do it at Greater Jackson Business – it’s important.

Marianna: What have you learned from failure?

Jack: Learn from your failures and be humble. You have to appreciate your customers more than ever.  Make friends with them and take time to develop a friendship. See them face to face on a daily or weekly basis as much as possible. Also, know when to say no and know when not to expand.

Jack talks much more on each point in the 30 minute ResultsRevTV broadcast…watch it now.