This is a keynote I gave at Traveling Vineyard's 2014 Harvest conference in order to help their top 150 Wine Guides understand how to build their businesses on meaning and purpose. The talk includes a narrated journey about the approach that Mack Web uses to build better businesses through community and passion.
2. @MACKFOGELSON
Life looked a whole lot different before I had two of these.
These are my kids: Ryan and Easton.
3. Ryan
Sabrina
6
@MACKFOGELSON
Ryan is 6. Sheâs about to start ïŹrst grade. She can swim in the deep end and read
chapter books. Sheâs a little CEO in the making.
4. Easton
James
3.95
@MACKFOGELSON
And this is Eason. Heâs almost 4. As of this spring, he can ride a big boy bike without
training wheels. Just this week heâs decided that Spider Man is in fact an actual
profession and thatâs what heâs gonna be when he grows up.
6. @MACKFOGELSON
There were no Cheerios to vacuum out of my car. (I donât care who you are. If youâre
a mom, you have Cheerios in your car).
7. @MACKFOGELSON
There was no pressure getting dinner on the table because Eastonâs hungry and
cranky and a severe meltdown is brewing.
8. @MACKFOGELSON
No sleepless nights because Ryanâs in the bathroom puking every 45 minutes. No
cleaning poop stains out of underwear because their arms arenât long enough to
wipe properly. No packing lunches at the end of a 14 hour day where I just want to
sit on the couch and have a glass of wine.
9. @MACKFOGELSON
There was no having to ask 300 times if Easton would please just put his pants on so
that I could possibly make it to work before this time tomorrow.
10. @MACKFOGELSON
But over the last 6 years, and in the midst of going through all of these glamorous
and wonderful things that they never tell you about before you actually become a
parent, something happened. I just started to feel like life was accelerating at an
incredible pace and I wanted to make the most of it.
11. @MACKFOGELSON
And so, two and a half years ago, we made a change. Instead of building websites, we
wanted to help businesses put meaning ahead of money. We wanted to help these
companies focus ïŹrst on their higher purpose. What they really stood for at their
very core of their company- beyond sales and revenue.
12. Companies
need to
possess these
3 things.
@MACKFOGELSON
That meant that these companies would have to be willing to use marketing very
differently. Not just as a tactic or a hack, but as a lifestyle. And that takes a very
special company. So we identiïŹed 3 characteristics that we knew they needed to
possess in order for this approach to work.
13. @MACKFOGELSON
1The aspiration required to
build a better business.
Desire
These companies must have the desire to build a better business. It isnât always
about the money. Itâs about making someoneâs life better. The lives of your
employees as much as it is about your customers.
14. @MACKFOGELSON
2The compassion necessary to
put others ïŹrst.
Heart
These companies had to have heart. This approach isnât about self-promotion and
hard core selling. Certainly this approach would help them make money. Itâs just that
these companies would want to create something that people really wanted to be a
part of (and tell their friends about). They were willing to put others ïŹrst.
15. @MACKFOGELSON
3The driving force essential to
enduring the tough stuff.
Passion
And lastly, and most importantly, these companies had to have passion and also be
willing to do the work. This approach is not easy. This building a better business stuff
takes a lot of time and hard work. They needed to have the passion so that they
would drive forward when the work was hard and they wanted to quit.
16. We were
meaning & purpose.
@MACKFOGELSON
seeking
We realized that if we found companies like this, who had Desire, and Heart, and
Passion, it meant that our team would have purpose in their work beyond money.
17. @MACKFOGELSON
And it also meant that we got to spend our days with passionate people and
companies who we really cared about. And when you work with companies and
people like that, success is inevitable.
20. @MACKFOGELSON
Marketing shouldnât âš
be about tactics.
Marketing should be about âš
building a better business âš
from the inside out.
When you start from goals, marketing isn't about tactics. It becomes integrated
strategy that helps you build a better business from the inside out.
21. Put the
on the people.
@MACKFOGELSON
focus
And in order to do that, you have to put the focus on your customers (Thatâs you.
Thatâs everyone who works at Traveling Vineyard. Thatâs your guests, thatâs the
friends of your guests). You have to care about them. You have to listen to them.
22. Put the
on the passion.
@MACKFOGELSON
focus
You need to ignite a passion that people are attracted to and really want to be a part
of.
23. @MACKFOGELSON
Communities are not âš
built by businesses.
Communities are built by people.
Communities are built from a passion that people feel about something. Youâre part
of this community because youâve found other people who share the same passion.
The passion to contribute to your own well-being and happiness and of your family.
And be around other people who also care about those same things.
24. @MACKFOGELSON
Traveling Vineyard isnât
about selling wine.
This company is about changing
lives.
Although there is a passion for wine inside of this community, the passion that has
been ignited with Traveling Vineyard is not about wine, itâs about changing peopleâs
lives. The lives of women (and men) that youâve been hearing over the last few days.
25. @MACKFOGELSON
what are we
working on with
Traveling Vineyard?
So I want to switch gears for a little bit and talk about what Mack Web is helping
Traveling Vineyard to do.
26. @MACKFOGELSON
So the ïŹrst time I met Rick and Huib, I knew they had Desire, Heart, and Passion. I
remember sitting in the Traveling Vineyard ofïŹce with them as Rick told me story
after story, and showed me pictures, of just a few of the more than 1,400 (mostly)
women who were all part of this wine selling thing.
27. @MACKFOGELSON
And as I listened to these stories, It was clear that Traveling Vineyard was about a
whole lot more than selling wine. It was about these incredible people who had
found meaning and purpose in their lives by starting businesses of their own
through the Traveling Vineyard.
30. @MACKFOGELSON
Who the heck âš
is this?
And of course, this, I thought, who the heck are these people? These are not the
people from Rick and Huibâs stories. From what I was seeing on the outside, there
was no way to experience the difference that Traveling Vineyard was making in all of
these peopleâs lives.
31. @MACKFOGELSON
And so the transformation began to bring Traveling Vineyardâs insides to the
outside. As I explained to Rick and Huib when we ïŹrst met, our work with the
Traveling Vineyard isnât really about marketing. Itâs about telling their story. Your
stories. And fostering this incredible community of people that already exists.
33. We see
behind the passion.
@MACKFOGELSON
the people
We see the real people who are behind all of this passion thatâs at the root of this
company. If we can communicate that passion, we will ignite that same passion in
other people and attract them to this community and build Traveling Vineyardâs
business.
34. @MACKFOGELSON
So instead of that stock footage, we see Kirby. We hear her story about the
difference that Traveling Vineyard has made in her life. How her life has changed.
35. @MACKFOGELSON
We see Kristy and we hear her story (which is different than Kirbyâs). These stories
build a connection with other people who also share that passion and want to be
part of this community.
36. @MACKFOGELSON
So over the next several months, and over the next several years, weâll be working on
a whole lot more than that. Weâre going to be building some content on the blog and
on the website and doing all kinds of things ofïŹine to provide you with the resources
you need that will help you build your businesses. So that we can show what success
looks like in real life.
39. Move
forward.
@MACKFOGELSON
leadership
2) Weâre also working on moving Traveling Vineyardâs industry leadership forward.
What that means is really being the example. Theyâre a company with Desire, Heart,
and Passion and they will show other companies what it means to build a better
business.
40. This is a
commitment.
@MACKFOGELSON
long-term
And this stuff doesnât happen over night. This is more than a new logo and beautiful
website. Itâs more than telling these stories. Thereâs a lot of work to be done to bring
the inside to the outside. So just like I tell Rick and Huib, this a minimum 2-3 year
process to START this transformation both on and ofïŹine.
41. @MACKFOGELSON
Communities are built
from the inside out.
This is a lifestyle, not a tactic.
Traveling Vineyard already has what it takes to be a great company, but for a long,
long time, their outsides have not matched their insides. So weâre helping Traveling
Vineyard improve what is already there. Weâre guiding Rick, Huib, and the Traveling
Vineyard team as they build a community of life-long customers and a brand that
you can all be proud to be a part of and build a business with.
42. Our
begins today.
@MACKFOGELSON
journey
This is going to be a long, hard-working, and extremely rewarding journey. Itâs a new
approach thatâs truly about building a better business and better lives for everyone
who is part of this organization and community. We are all a team and we need to
work together to make it great. And it starts here, today.
43. @MACKFOGELSON
how can you
build your business
and your community?
So that all sounds pretty great. Hopefully this makes you really excited about what
weâre working on with Traveling Vineyard because the more their brand grows, the
better it is for your business. But letâs talk more about you. How you can use these
same things to grow your business and your community.
44. Build your
community
by doing
3 things.
@MACKFOGELSON
There are 3 really important things to do when youâre working on building your
community.
47. @MACKFOGELSON
1Be intentional about what
you want to accomplish.
Set goals
Funny thing about goals is that when you dream them up and write them down, you
actually get them accomplished. When youâre working on growing your business and
building a community, youâve got to start from goals.
48. @MACKFOGELSON
Set Goals
What do you want to
accomplish in 3-5 years,âš
1 year, this week, today?
And when youâre setting goals, you want to think both long term and short term.
What do you want to accomplish: In 3-5 years? In 1 year? This week? Today?
49. @MACKFOGELSON
What do you want for your
business, your family, yourself?
Donât just think about goals your business. Break it down to what you want for
your family. What do you want for yourself? Maybe you want to hit a ïŹnancial
goal. Maybe you want to become a better leader. Maybe you want to spend more
time with your family.
50. @MACKFOGELSON
When Iâm setting goals for the business, I involve the team. Every quarter we
gather at my house to identify goals for the company and what we really want to
achieve. It keeps us focused on what we want to accomplish long term, but we
also break it down into actionable steps that we can take so that weâre actually
working toward those goals weâve set.
51. @MACKFOGELSON
For my family, one my my goals is to spend more quality time with Jon, my
husband. It seems silly that I would set this as a goal, but because the business will
always require so much work, I really have to make an effort to carve out this time
for us.
52. @MACKFOGELSON
And I also want to have the means to take my family on more vacations. Also
working on that goal of spending more quality time with my husband and also my
kids.
53. @MACKFOGELSON
I do have a shoe problem. And in addition to going on vacations and enjoying my
family, Iâd also like to enjoy some more shoes. May be silly, but itâs a personal goal
for me to have the means to have some fun and support my shoe habit.
54. @MACKFOGELSON
Most importantly my goal for me long-term is balance. And taking care of myself.
Working out. Eating great. Not letting work take over every inch of my life (even
though I love it). I really want to focus on taking care of me. Set a good example for
my team and may family. And thatâs certainly a goal Iâll continue to work on long
term.
55. @MACKFOGELSON
Where would you like to be âš
in just 1 year?
Sometimes setting visionary goals for that 3-5 year period is too far away. So in
addition to that visionary goal, think about the shorter term. Where would you
like to be in just 12 months? At the end of this year, what do you want to have
accomplished? Once youâve identiïŹed that, you can even break this down into 9
months, 6 months, 3 months even so that you have a bit of a road map.
56. @MACKFOGELSON
What will you do this week
that will get you closer?
So that when you get ready to face the week, you know what youâre working
toward based on these longer term goals youâve set. What is it that you are going
to accomplish that helps get you one step closer to that 1 year goal? Your 3-5 year
goal? It helps to bring the vision down to reality.
57. @MACKFOGELSON
What will you do today that
will make a difference?
How about today? Be intentional about your time. When youâre on Facebook,
have a mission or youâll be on there all day. Time yourself. Spend your time
engaging and building relationships and then move on to the other important
things that you have to accomplish in your day so that youâre working toward
those goals youâve set.
58. @MACKFOGELSON
I have made a promise to myself to be very speciïŹc about the time I spend during
my day. Thereâs always so many meetings. so I block out time to get work done so I
donât have to work at night and I can work toward accomplishing my goals.
59. @MACKFOGELSON
Set Goals
Whatâs the ïŹrst step? âš
Break it down. Start
somewhere. Start small.
!
So when Iâm setting goals, I like to break them down so that I actually know how Iâm
going to accomplish them. And sometimes, all that takes is determining that very
ïŹrst step. Break it down into that ïŹrst phone call or even just searching something
on Google.
60. @MACKFOGELSON
Set Goals
Who can you ask for help? âš
Thereâs always someone who is
willing to open a door.
Probably the most important thing about setting and accomplishing goals is thinking
about who can help you. Think through your network of friends and supporters. Do
you know someone who may know someone who can help?
61. @MACKFOGELSON
Donât be afraid to ask.
Even if it seems like a long shot.
â
â- Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
Donât go it alone and donât be afraid to ask for help. When I started Mack Web, I
knew nothing about business. In fact, I have two English degrees. Iâve learned
everything about growing this team by reading blog posts, books, going to
conferences, and asking friends for help.
62. @MACKFOGELSON
Set your goals and identify
what success means to you.
Make sure that when youâre setting goals youâre also identifying what success looks
like. What package does your success come in? Sometimes your reward is contrast.
Clarity that something isn't right for you. Is it more time with your kids? Breaking a
ïŹnancial ceiling you never thought you'd hit?Just remember that success comes in
different packages. Keep your expectations in check.
63. Always
to your goals.
@MACKFOGELSON
go back
Always stay rooted in goals. When youâre feeling stuck or like things are not going
the way youâd like them to, go back to goals. Go back to those indicators of success.
Reevaluate, deïŹne your steps, and continue moving forward.
64. @MACKFOGELSON
Setting obtainable goals
is key to happiness.
Instead of perfection, we should aim
for sustainable and fulïŹlling.
â
â- Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
And always bring it back to purpose and meaning.
66. @MACKFOGELSON
2People like people who are
authentic and genuine.
Be human
Social media is about people. Itâs about being a real, actual human that other people
can relate to and trust. Along with that passion, thatâs what really builds a
community.
67. @MACKFOGELSON
Be Human
The people who are winning âš
on social media are those âš
who have earned trust.
The people who win on social media, and the people and companies who are able to
build a community around their passion, are those who have earned trust by being
authentic and genuine and are living up to the promises their brand has made.
68. @MACKFOGELSON
Itâs not about the numbers.
Itâs about the connection.
And the thing to remember about social media is that itâs not about the numbers. Itâs
not about building this huge group of people just so that you can sell them
something. What you want are people who listen, participate, and engage.
69. @MACKFOGELSON
Be Human
Make an effort to âš
actually care about the âš
people around you.
Your ultimate goal is to build a network of people who think highly of you. People
who respect you. People who view you as a knowledge source. People who know
they can came to or call when they need help. You want people to feel connected to
you.
70. @MACKFOGELSON
Donât make it about the sale.
Whatâs important to them?
How do you do that? Donât always make it about the sale. Donât shove your business
card into someones hand. Ask about them. Talk about their lives and whatâs
important to them. If you can focus on being authentic and genuine, you will attract
sales. Just be human and make an effort to actually care about people.
71. @MACKFOGELSON
Be Human
Have a balanceâš
between your professionalâš
and personal side.
That starts with being a human yourself and showing your personality both on and
ofïŹine. When youâre with people in person, itâs easier to earn their trust and
understand that youâre authentic and genuine. But thatâs not always the case online.
You want to make sure your human-ness is being communicated effectively online.
72. @MACKFOGELSON
Letâs take a look at Kirbyâs proïŹle on Pinterest. She has a great photo and her bio
says: Wine Consultant - The Traveling Vineyard she then has a link to her website
and her bio page. Nothing wrong with any of that, but what if Kirby revised her bio a
bit to include her personality, to show her authenticity, her passions, and things that
actually make her human.
73. @MACKFOGELSON
Before
After
Here we see Kirbyâs loves: wine, food, and lifeâŠ.but especially being a mom. This
shows who she is and makes her approachable and friendly. Someone whoâs easy to
connect and reach out to. This makes her human.
Good wine, good food, good life. As a Traveling Vineyard Wine Guide âš
& Wine Tasting Mommy, I get to enjoy them all.
(I love talking about them, too. Hint, hint.)
74. @MACKFOGELSON
Same thing here on Twitter for Kiersten. Her bio talks about her job at Traveling
Vineyard. Which is ïŹne, but it doesnât help us understand anything about Kiersten as
an authentic and genuine human.
75. @MACKFOGELSON
Trying new wines, learning wine things,
making wine money. As a Traveling
Vineyard Wine Guide, I get to do it all -
on my own schedule. Jealous?
AfterBefore
!
This keeps Kierstenâs personality in the mix but changes the focus just slightly to be
more authentic and less sales-y which will provide a better chance of a connection
with Kiersten.
76. Be who
both on and ofïŹine.
@MACKFOGELSON
you are
So the big takeaway here is that you really have to work to help people trust you
online. Show them that youâre human just like you would ofïŹine.
78. @MACKFOGELSON
3Always remember that âš
this is not about you.
Listen
This is the hardest step. Youâre the one whoâs responsible for making things happen
in your business. Youâre setting goals. Youâre taking the action steps. You have an
agenda that you want to accomplish. You want to be in control of how things are
going to go.
79. @MACKFOGELSON
Listen
Youâre not the most âš
important part of âš
the customer equation.
But remember the importance of being human. And when it comes to building
relationships with people, (especially online) the most important thing to remember
is that youâre NOT the most important person in the relationship. Youâve got to put
the focus on them.
80. @MACKFOGELSON
Listen
Is there anything âš
you can do to âš
make their life better?
Talk to your customers. Ask them what they think. Is there anything that would help
make their lives easier? Is there something they want to learn more about? You
actually need to ask them what they need.
81. @MACKFOGELSON
What is your biggest
problem?
How can I solve it?
â
â- Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
When you put your customerâs needs ïŹrst, when you serve others, you will build
your community and your business.
82. @MACKFOGELSON
Listen
Show them youâve listened âš
with action. Provide the âš
value theyâre seeking.
After youâve received that feedback, show them that youâve listened through action.
Donât make this about you. Make it about the value you can provide your customers.
Hereâs howâŠ
83. @MACKFOGELSON
Try the 4-1-1 rule:
4 pieces of curated content
1 re-share of anotherâs content
1 self-promotional item
Thereâs a ratio here that you really want to balance. So the majority of the stuff
youâre doing is not all about you. Youâre focusing on the conversation and providing
value.
85. @MACKFOGELSON
Youâll want to make sure youâre listening to your customers and understanding what
theyâre really passionate about. Wine? Probably. You can then read blogs like Vine
Pair or Wine Folly who provide a lot of value that your customers would probably
love. If youâre a team leader, you can share blog posts on leadership and taking care
of your customers.
86. @MACKFOGELSON
And then share that value on social media and give credit to the source. This does
two things: 1) it provides your audience with valuable content (that you didnât have
to create because someone else wrote it). They feel good about you. Youâre smart.
This helps them to feel more connected. 2) It helps to forge a connection between
you and the person who wrote the content. People like to feel special. When people
know you ïŹnd them valuable, they are more likely to feel connected to you (and this
is one of the ways to grow friendships and relationships online).
88. @MACKFOGELSON
So hereâs an example of a re-share or RT from Traveling Vineyard. We RT something
that Deanna shared that had @homegoods tagged in there. This is going to be really
relevant and valuable for Traveling Vineyardâs audience and because Home Goods is
in the tweet, their social media team will see that Traveling Vineyard shared it. Now
it may take some time to turn their head, but it wouldn't be such a bad idea if Home
Goods then decided to follow Traveling Vineyard and share their content and the
great things theyâre doing.
90. @MACKFOGELSON
So hereâs an example of amore self-promotional tweet. Traveling Vineyard was
sharing something about Harvest. And there was still value in this tweet because
theyâre trying to get others to be able to participate in the fun (whether they can
come to Harvest or not) so theyâre providing the hashtag.
91. @MACKFOGELSON
When I share curated content, I like to write something clever to explain the value in
it that shows my personalty. I also like to include images wherever possible (people
like images).
92. @MACKFOGELSON
And I also try to share something personal. But again, follow that 4-1-1 rule so that
you have a balance between making it about you and making it about them. Itâs that
ratio that Iâm not talking about myself all day long, Iâm providing value, that overall,
Iâm doing things that really beneïŹt my audience and make it about them.
94. @MACKFOGELSON
When youâre posting your stuff on social media, youâre hearing what your audience
really wants. Look at what people are liking, sharing, or commenting. Weâve found
that the Traveling Vineyard community on Facebook likes recipes. This recipe had
18 shares and 20 likes.
96. @MACKFOGELSON
They also really like graphics like these. 169 shares and 104 likes and a ton of
conversation. You just need to listen to what they respond to and adjust accordingly.
Make it about them. Keep testing out your balance for your 4-1-1 ratio.
97. Your goal
a conversation.
@MACKFOGELSON
is to spark
Itâs easy for people to like things. Itâs harder to get them to have a conversation with
you. To be engaged. To participate.
98. @MACKFOGELSON
Try different things. And try things that get them talking. For this post, we shared a
quote from the article we were sharing. Fewer people liked and shared this, but it
sparked a little conversation and connection. Makes them feel like youâre listening.
100. @MACKFOGELSON
Or like this on Facebook. Start a sentence and let your community ïŹnish it. So try
lots of different things, but really make sure youâre listening.
101. @MACKFOGELSON
Show them you listened through action. Take the online ofïŹine. Iâd make some
sangria for her. Or ïŹnd another recipe in another week or two and share that with
her online. Bring some recipes to your next party. Or ïŹnd a recipe thatâs similar to
what they said they liked and seek them out to share it with them on social media.
You just have to listen and paying attention to what theyâre saying.
102. @MACKFOGELSON
Listening is a dynamic process.âš
Make the effort to adapt.
And donât do the same thing day in day out. Experiment with different things not
only on social media but at your tastings and listen. Then apply what you learn.
106. @MACKFOGELSON
So this is a photo wall that we built at Mack Web. We put this up to remind us why
weâre here. The people and the things on this wall are what really matters to us. This
is why we work so hard. This is what gives us meaning and purpose in our lives.
And doing all of the things that I have talked about today, those are the things that
have helped to build our company over the last few years. And doing these things
have made us successful. Itâs taken a few years, but itâs really working. Which makes
me feel really good becauseâŠ
109. @MACKFOGELSON
The secret is, âš
there is no secret.
Just do the best you can with âš
what youâve got.
â
â- Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook
Owning a business and being a mom is hard, hard work. Itâs a continuous journey of
self-discovery. You learn what you can handle, how much you can endure. You learn
that you possess courage and the ability to take risk and that you do in fact have the
courage to sustain it. Remember to stay rooted in the goals youâve set. Donât
compare yourself to anyone but you. Start small. Donât give up. Provide value. And
most importantly, have a purpose for doing this besides money. Remember that
youâre not just selling wine, youâre changing your lives.