SNOBS has a fan base! Now what?

Well, sort of... I've just built a Facebook fan page for SNOBS, after about 6-months of deliberating over it. If you're not Australian Anthill or Marketing Mag-MASSIVE, are "fan pages" a bit of a wank?
Apparently it's also quite a task to get members of your Facebook Group to make the move to your fancy new Fan Page; understandably so. What even happens to my FBGroup now? Do I just delete it, or try to maintain both? Which brings me to my other reason for hesitation in launching a Fan Page - will I actually find enough time to make it worthwhile to "fans"?
Are there enough apps. for auto-content I can rely on when too busy to stimulate conversation/interaction. Is that even what fans want from a Fan Page? Or it mostly a convenient, RSS-style method of staying up-to-date with news from your favourite sites/services/celebrities...

www.snobs.com.au on Facebook

I've just tried to paste a full, live stream fan box up above this sentence, by pasting the html code into the 'html view' of this blog. Don't think it worked. Might try the sidebar instead.

Would love any feedback, thoughts, advice from Facebook Fan Page operators and/or "fans" of other people's pages.

What do you get out of it?

Oh yeah, I turned 30, and it's getting better!

I realised yesterday it might be time for a blog update. I've changed it now, but the sub-head to BEAU BUSY originally read:

Journalist, presenter and former radio announcer, CARLEE POTTER, is creeping toward 30... and it's nothing like she imagined it would be.

Well, I am 30 now. The birthday was a month ago. I organised a quiet BBQ for about eight friends and then cancelled it 4 days beforehand, cos I was too busy. I was also too broke to purchase nice sausages and... I s'pose I didn't really feel like celebrating "me" because I'm not sitting pretty on top of the media empire I was quite certain to have achieved by mid-life.

But the good news is, I think I just had it all around the wrong way. Really good stuff is starting to fall into place since turning 30. SNOBS is now partnered with Flossie Media Group who will look after selling most of my banner spots (for a fee).

But they also work to promote what I'm doing, via SNOBS' content being filtered through their masthead site (www.flossie.com). And the partnership provides extra avenues for me to 'get amongst it' in the online business world as a panel member for Professional Flossie.

I'm really excited about where it's all headed. Two of the other Australian sites who have joined Flossie are those created by Mia Freedman and Samantha Brett. They've got cred' so I feel like I'm in good stead. See the full list of Australian female-centric sites who have joined FMG here.

Two Rules for Success: from SNOBS' April/May Newsletter

Welcome to SNOBS April/May newsletter, which isn’t supposed to be bi-monthly... but this is the second time I’ve missed my own distribution deadline this year.

If I had a sales manager they’d throttle me for drawing attention to the fact because I offer advertising space on this “monthly” newsletter as part of my sales packages. On the other hand, if I had a sales manager the April newsletter would have been distributed in April. 

There have been lots of tears and tantrums at SNOBS HQ recently (yes, I’m still the sole employee). After eight months in business my online magazine has begun to attract genuine interest from advertisers, which means the first phase of hard work is finally (looking like) paying off. But instead of jumping for joy or even patting myself on the back for getting this far, I honestly considered shutting down and giving up. 

Every step of SNOBS’ growth has been a steep learning curve but the seemingly insurmountable wall I head-butted in April was SALES. Given my zero-level experience creating competition competitive, market standard, client-customised proposals and presentations – I had a bit of research to do! Even the paperwork that would need to pass hands (if I made a sale) put my head in a spin.

• If the rate card is sent first, should that have my terms and conditions for advertising on it? 
  
• What about my T&C’s for payment; should I send that to the client with my proposal/quote?
  
• Should both lots of T&C’s appear again on the booking form? 
  
• What am I supposed to do if the client is registered for GST but I’m not?
  
• When should I send the first invoice? Is it the second I get a signed booking form, or the day their campaign commences, or after the first month?
  
• Should I be writing about this for SNOBS? Yes, I should but I don’t have time! [Aargh!]
  

I was a dead-set nightmare to be around last month (except in a sales meeting). On one occasion my fatigued, frustrated mind lead me to believe I was cracking up, which came as quite a relief because, I thought, ‘I can’t bring myself to admit failure but having a mental breakdown would be reasonable excuse for quitting!’

There are two reasons I’m back on track and both are messages I’ve read, heard or had drummed into me repeatedly since the day I launched my business. I’ve even regurgitated this advice in articles for SNOBS, although I clearly didn’t believe it myself – until now. 

ONE: Think positively.

TWO: Take time out.  

  

Until now my reaction to these messages has been, ‘Yeah right, I’ll make a note of that. Thanks for your incredible insight.’ It’s taken me eight months to realise that just because it’s simple, doesn’t make it easy. 

THINK POSITIVELY is a message you’ll find reinforced in SNOBS’ Success interview for May, with Dr. Lucy Burns. The Melbourne-based mother of two, who has lived with muscular dystrophy since the age of 19, is an unstoppable achiever. In reference to success she says, “Your mind is often your biggest limiting factor.”

TAKE TIME OUT is advice you’ll read in every business-related publication available, not to mention the nagging about it you cop daily from those who love you most (hi mum). But I ignored the advice until, as aforementioned, it resulted in a mini-nervous breakdown. 

The thing that finally made me listen was myself. I began writing a 10-part feature article for SNOBS titled Fix Before 30 – so then it was okay to take time out for health, rest and exercise because I had to, for work (ha-ha). 

But seriously, the change that’s come about from T/O will mean the difference between a good business idea and career path I’ve made for myself (with SNOBS) – and a truly great future at the helm of a remarkable company. BECAUSE you can only be remarkable if you hone your skills and nourish your mind, body and soul.    

TO SIGN-UP FOR SNOBS' MONTHLY NEWSLETTER (monthly, from now on) CLICK HERE. 

Lucky Startups & My Modeling Career

Just a couple of quick updates:

1. I'm not the new Australian host of Lucky Startups as mentioned here because there was a change of direction with that project - Aronado is now running his own show Startup Lucky and I'm not sure what Dennis is up to (I should find out).

2. I know many of you have waited patiently for this... the image below is my much anticipated bucket-on-head modeling shot. To read how it came about, click here.

Keeping Up Appearances: from SNOBS March Newsletter

Keeping Up Appearances

When I launched snobs.com.au (as an online magazine) the idea was to provide a more relaxed approach to professional interaction, where any business owner or career-driven person could get involved or get themselves featured.

Ten years working as a magazine journalist inspired me to create a publication that is interested in everyone’s story – instead of focusing on mega success stories, or profiling "average" people with unbelievable stories, or sharing a near-disaster story (but only if the person has since become famously successful). SNOBS’ mission to offer the spotlight to everyday businesspeople ties in with its “relaxed approach”.

One thing I've found I dislike about the business world, is that it’s very much about keeping up appearances...

Project success!

NEVER admit that business is bad, or you’re struggling.

Don’t own up to any wrong doing, just smooth it over as professionally as you can and make a huge point about all the things you did that WERE right.

I very recently hosted SNOBS’ first public get-together. It was not intended as a networking event; just a night out to enjoy some entertainment because “socialising leads to opportunity”. It also turned into a very valuable lesson on keeping up appearances.

After launching pre-promotion of the event, which was set to include a half-hour wine tasting, I learned that new regulations for alcohol service at the venue required approval from the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority – if you think that’s lengthy, wait 'til you check out the 8-page application form!

In the next week I’ll publish an article at SNOBS with a link to the form and some information to help others avoid my mistake. In short, it takes 28 days for a “limited license” (single function) application to be reviewed – resulting in my final outcome being delivered just three days before the event. You guessed it! The license was denied.

Post-panic attack, I convinced myself that a first-hand demonstration of what can go wrong when it’s so important everything goes right, would be a useful tie-in to what SNOBS is all about – the trials and tribulations of climbing toward professional success. I began my welcome speech: “So, you may have noticed there was no wine at the wine tasting... ha-ha-ha.”

The laugh on the end was half-fake, half driven by nerves and totally inappropriate as a whole. Some of the guests were not amused. In retrospect I should have been more focussed on keeping up appearances. Not in terms of trying to hide it, just by way of presenting myself and the horrible truth [I don't know about you, but I've bordered on a tantrum when told “there’s no wine”] in a more professional manner.

I know, we are all our own harshest critics but the couple of complaint/critique emails I received afterward confirmed what I felt. First I wanted to hide under a boulder, then I thought about responding in defence: "I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, I guess the 40-odd-dollar gift bags and complimentary noodle box dinners were not compensation enough for etc, etc."

BUT I'm proud to say it only took about, hmm, four hours to grow up, suck it up, and respond in a way which is all I would want in the reverse situation. It's one of the most basic principles of customer service – THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Of course we know they're not, but they were in this case. And even if they'd been wrong, all it takes to placate a customer is a bit of humility, sincerity and willingness to agree there's room for improvement [oh yeah, and willingness to offer a refund or compensation helps too].

This month I learnt that keeping up appearances is an important part of business professionalism, but it doesn't have to equal a constant portrayal of perfectionism.

I'm loving the stories I hear and people I connect with via SNOBS, and hope that you will get the opportunity to socialise with us online and find that, too.

Carlee Potter

TO SIGN-UP FOR SNOBS' MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, CLICK HERE

I am the new host of Lucky Startups: Australia

How lucky is that? Ha-ha! In case you missed it, I was interviewed (about SNOBS) a few weeks back by the team at Lucky Startups; a Colorado-based, live, online show for business entrepreneurs.
The show's creators and hosts are Dennis Lankes and Aronado Placencia who have launched several startups themselves. They describe Lucky Startups as a "non-biased platform for any startup to get live exposure, a captive audience and valuable feedback from potential business partners, customers, members and investors."

Now the guys are expanding their hugely popular online show internationally! Which is where I come in... to help source the business GOLD brewing down under. I'm looking for new business owners to interview, and industry experts or 'movers and shakers' who stir things up the Australian way. Some of the influential big guns Dennis and Aronado have interviewed are Paul Walsh, Guy Kawasaki and Jeff Pulver.

Stay tuned for updates and, in the meantime, check out my interview with Lucky Startups; back to where it all began... [damn, I wish I'd pre-planned some of my answers. Haha]

Streaming live video by Ustream

More Best (and worst) of Browney, Carlee & Benno

The Browney, Carlee & Benno breakfast show on 105.3 NEW FM ruled the airwaves (of Sandgate... possibly also, maybe Hexham, NSW) from 2003-06.
The picture is from a James Bond-themed casino night we hosted at Harrigan's Irish Pub, in Pokolbin.
NOTE Benno - far left - is doing the international sign for, "I'm a loser", which is a bit harsh. He's definitely a little country-backward, doesn't have much luck with the ladies and exhibits ZERO dress sense [he once came to work in an "Angus & Coote 50%-off Sale" T-shirt just because it was a freebie] but he's otherwise a top bloke ;)

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