Columnist David Booth explains why bridging the gap between your marketing performance data and your customer data will help you make strong business decisions.
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Columnist David Booth explains why bridging the gap between your marketing performance data and your customer data will help you make strong business decisions.
Brandy on "Who I Am" Series
Brandy shares the qualities that define who she is and the power and positivity that she can drawn from that knowledge. Her answers in this âWho Am Iâ series interview, are thoughtful, sincere and in one case, surprising!
To thrive professionally and personally, nourish your body, brain and spirit, every morning.
Try these strategies, jot down how they make you feel and make a positive shift for the rest of your day. Using them will benefit you so much more than just your morning.
Alicia Keys Gives Some Productive Girl Talk with Angie Martinez
Alicia Keys stopped by to sit, laugh, and genuinely connect with Angie Martinez for some productive girl talk. They dished over topics like her pregnancy, new music she has coming, the #WeAreHere movement she started amidst all the chaos in the news, Swizz Beatz and her blended family, and more.
I had an incredible time at the Life You Want Weekend Tour in D.C. It was truly an amazing and transformative experience for me. Filled with REAL talk, dancing, laughing, sharing stories and life lessons with Mark Nepo, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell, Iyanla Vanzant, and my aunt Oprah. Iâm headed down a new direction with a renewed level of peace and clarity regarding the vision I have for my life.
INVICTUS
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.
â William Ernest Hensley
GOOD MUSIC: Jazmine Sullivan - "Forever Don't Last"
I'm loving Jazmine Sullivan's new song, "Forever Don't Last" from her forthcoming third studio album Reality Show. Not going to rant about how much I love the songwriting and the emotion she delivers through this tune, I just want you to listen to it and FEEL it. Whew! She is singing down. So glad she decided to return to the music industry and bless us R&B fanatics with her music and authentic contribution to the genre. I love her first album and admire pretty much the majority of the catalogue of music she has, so I'm excited for what this new one will give. What about you?
British GQ has featured their Solo Artist of the Year 2014, Pharrell Williams for October 2014. The 40-year-old went tribal in daring outfits for the editorial photographed by Hunter & Gatti. The shoot captures Pharrell in model mode as he poses for the lenses in Burberry Prorsum, Lanvin, Thomas Pink, Adidas and more all styled by Tanja Martin. All of this was shot in London and this issue of British GQ hits stands next month.
THE POWER IN SAYING "NO" ...
âI no longer have patience for certain things, not because Iâve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and thatâs why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.â
â Meryl Streep
In our last management meeting for Alumnify, one of the team bonding exercises we did was each say what animal we would be and why. My response was a lion, and when asked to explain, I argued that many entrepreneurs share similarities to these giant cats. Lions stay focused when hunting, use rest and diet to keep themselves as the kings of the jungle, and rely on a team to catch prey. Here are three ways you can become a lion in business and in your personal life:
1. Have Laser Focus By Eliminating Distractions
When a lion is hunting a zebra, it uses all its senses to accomplish the task at hand. You need to be the same way when working on your business. The best way to do this is to start eliminating your distractions.
First, get rid of the TV. It's one of the worst time killers. Second, make a list of all the people you hang out with on a regular basis. Then ask yourself which of those people are helping you become the person you want to be. If they don't make the cut, remove them from your life. It may sound harsh, but if you don't move on without them, they're going to bring you down. This is especially true for people who criticize your goals. They never build statues for critics, and you don't have time for haters.
Finally, start meditating. Ten minutes of mediation right when you wake up will clear your mind and help you focus on what needs to get done for the day. Over time, it will also help you spend less time caring about what others think of you. Tywin Lannister said it best. "A lion does not concern himself with the opinions of a sheep."
2. Take Care of Yourself
Lions sleep 20 hours a day. While you don't need to go that far, you need to make time to rest. Stop depriving yourself of sleep. For some reason, entrepreneurs like to show off when they sleep four to five hours a night. Not only will this lead to you lose concentration and gain weight, it also makes it look like you don't trust your team.
Understand people will judge you on results. Begin by making a list of tasks that you're responsible for getting done every day. When you find yourself unable to complete tasks, delegate them to a team member or plan a few extra hours on the weekend for work. Work on your schedule until you can get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
After that's accomplished, start hitting the gym. Too many people sacrifice getting in shape for being an entrepreneur because they overthink how to get started. The key is to develop one healthy habit, and then adding more habits becomes easier over time. Next week, force yourself to go to the gym Monday through Friday before you start work. Wake up early, or tell your team you'll be arriving into the office a half an hour later because you're getting in shape. They'll understand. Whatever you do, try to aim to hit as close to the same time every day as possible. Once you do this without fail for about a month, incorporating other healthy habits will become much easier.
3. Work With A Pack Of Lions
Lions are the only social cats, especially when catching and eating their prey. To be a successful entrepreneur you need to recruit entrepreneurial-minded people to work with. Allow and encourage your team members to make their own decisions and take on new challenges. Take the time to look for ways to help people in your company grow.
As the leader, your ultimate goal is to be the dumbest person in the company. Be wary of people on your team who can't think for themselves, or are not interested in taking on new tasks. If these people exist in your organization, you must remove them from the pack. Installing a focus on self improvement is the best way to encourage your team to take risks, work harder, and love the company. When you have people who don't give into that vision, they'll bring the rest of the organization down. As Steve Jobs once said "A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players."
He's the creative force behind two recent pop hits, a philanthropist, fashion designer, tech entrepreneur, and more. How Pharrell Williams does it all.
Angie Martinez Has a Conversation with Elliott Wilson
Such an incredible and insightful interview between Elliott Wilson and Angie Martinez on his latest episode of The Truth. The G.O.A.T in rap journalism himself decided to catch up with Angie and have a real discussion about her reasons behind leaving Hot 97 after two decades to joining the competition at Power 105.1. Angie also talked about the beginning of her career, plans moving forward at her new gig, outside opportunities (e.g. a cookbook, being an Extra correspondent), her favorite moments on radio with Jay-Z, and a lot more.
To speak on my admiration for Angie Martinez, she's just one of the best radio personalities ever in regards to her approach and unique style when she interviews celebrities. When she has an artist or public figure in her studio, she instantly makes it feel like a casual conversation and knows how to get them at ease. That's a real gift. Especially in this day and age where a lot of celebs are apprehensive about doing live interviews because they don't know what to expect. Angie Martinez's technique is what I study and want to exemplify in my own way when I get the opportunity to interview ... or "converse" with my first public figure or artist.
To wrap this up, I just want to add that I am rooting for Angie Martinez to maximize this new position with Power 105.1 and shut the whole interview game down. For the longest time The Breakfast Club (Charlamagne, DJ Envy, Angela Yee) has been the most popular outlet for celebs to come and sit down and discuss their projects, careers, and recent events. I think Angie has a golden opportunity here, because of how different she is from everyone else, to book and really give our culture some great video interviews that will go viral and end up on blogs. I'm hoping that Angie will leverage her good and extensive rapport with Jay-Z and be able to get him and BeyoncĂ© in for a sit-down interview. With them being on tour, constantly in the news and blogs, and the relaxing and respectful essence she has, it'd be brilliant. Angie is the only radio personality that would be able to handle both Jay and Bey in an intimate setting and make it feel natural and less like a stiff Q&A before they're off to the next promo stop. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that this situation will come to pass.Â
This makes one of my favorite episodes of The Read. Kid Fury and Crissle recap their experiences attending the On The Run tour. Guess I'm not the only one that had my edges snatched by The Carters lol. Greatest tour of all time.
Entrepreneurship is a labor of love, and like any great love, that often means a lot of passion and a lot of persistence to reach your happily ever after. There are set-backs and failures and successes and triumphs, but it just may be that all those peaks and valleys are what make being an entrepreneur so great.
The one ingredient youâll always need for the journey of entrepreneurship is persistence. It can take your further than any other quality alone. Here are 10 great quotes about persistence and passion to fuel your journey forward.
Energy and persistence conquer all things. -- Benjamin Franklin
The power to keep going will conquer all other obstacles. Combine that with the energy and passion to see new ways around challenges and youâll achieve your goals.
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. -- Calvin Coolidge
Persistence can overcome almost any challenge. When you put your mind to something and are willing to do everything it takes, including patience, putting in time and adjusting your strategy to get there -- youâll ultimately know the omnipotence of determination.
Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. -- Napoleon Hill
Itâs important to want things, to have goals and aspirations, but itâs even more important to take the action to achieve them. Thoughts alone wonât get you to the goal line, youâll need to do the work necessary to reach the objective.
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence. --Colin Powell
The qualities that will carry you through to achieve your goals are often the same ones that are necessary for great leadership as well. As an entrepreneur, youâll likely be a leader, so the quality to inspire as well as persevere will be key to your personal growth and success.
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. -- Maya Angelou
Perseverance is the ability to keep going after defeat. Donât define each stumble or failure along the way, as they are only there to make you stronger. Try to see the other qualities and lessons that come forth and shape who you are as you go.
Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. -- Bill Bradley
Itâs easy to see successful people and think they were born that way. The reality is that every successful person was ambitious and relentless. Persistence is the vehicle you should be most interested in.
Paralyze resistance with persistence. -- Woody Hayes
Sometimes feelings of defeat, failure and anxiety will sneak up on you. When they do, try to feed your courage instead of fuel your fear. Overcome the resistance with unrelenting persistence.
If youâre going through hell, keep going. -- Winston Churchill
Parts of the journey will be hellish and hard, but the only thing that can make it worse is quitting. Keep going. Make the struggle worth it by persisting.
Champions keep playing until they get it right. -- Billy Jean King
If you want to become a champion in life and in your niche, keep going. No matter what hardships you face, learn to keep playing the game until you succeed.
If you canât fly, then run, if you canât run then walk, if you canât walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Some days the actions you take will be big, other days your best will be very little, but keep moving forward to persevere and succeed.
Michelle, Beyonce and Kelly Unite on "When Jesus Says Yes"
I have to admit that when I took a first listen to the record, I didn't care too much for the song. Now, I find myself enjoying the record after hearing it in my car several times over the past week or two. "When Jesus says yes, nobody can't say no..." is clearly a motivational message and naturally gives the song quality, but I do wish the verses were different from each other. Kelly's part I don't mind because the arrangement of hers and how she sings it is evident, but either Michelle or Beyonce could have had theirs rewritten. With that being my only selfish expectation of the song, the beat (done by Harmony Samuels) grew on me and I'm digging everything about this song.
The video is fantastic considering they all look awesome and after watching it, I instantly sent up a prayer that we will witness a DC3 reunion within the next five years. Between the three of them doing the Superbowl and collaborating two more times between Kelly and Michelle's individual projects, I'm going to at least assume that they've all had a conversation about getting back in the studio together at some point. I have to note that the Afrian dance performances in the video are a great addition to what the drums and feel of the song give, so I appreciated that.
The song, "When Jesus Says Yes" is the official first single off Michelle Williams' 4th studio album titled Journey to Freedom. We should be able to see/hear that project when it hits stores September 9th. I hope the single receives some great radio airplay and becomes a big record for her in the Gospel community, and the R&B charts.
John Mayer Covers Beyoncé's "XO"
One of my favorite songs from BeyoncĂ©'s latest album (BEYONCĂ) is "XO." It's a great love song that applies to all types of universal connections beyond the usual romantic bond. I'm disappointed this track did not reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 while it was a single because had another pop artist like Katy Perry or whomever sung it, that thing would've ruled for weeks. But I digress. What I appreciate is the fact that John Mayer officially recorded his version of "XO" and I'm sooo into it! Definitely ripping this version for my music library if there's no audio file of it. He first covered the song during one of his live concerts weeks ago and I caught a video clip of that, but the studio version is so much better. This song has some amazing songwriting and production that I personally feel will stand the test of time and be a "timeless piece," as Swizz Beatz likes to call them. I appreciate when artists do covers of contemporary music from their peers because it's amazing to see how different it sounds and feels when another artist touches it (out of respect).Â