evolution magazine may 2014

Business, Tech and More

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May

201

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Katrina Starzhynskaya Raw|Real|Revealed

Inciting A Movement

Meet Team Incitement May’s Power Players

How to Find Mentors: Reasons You Are

Afraid To Ask For What You Want

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Leadership: Burden and Blessing

Who doesn’t love chocolate?

It’s Amber Approved

Evolve MEdia Group Inc.

Photography

Staff Editors

Graphic Designer

Evolution Contributors

DARNELL G DAVIS - CEO EVOLUTION MAGAZINE BRENDA KARDOCK DONNIE BRYANT EVOLUTION TEAM RENEE MARTHALER VEE ORTIZ DONNIE BRYANT MICHELLE DAWSON SCOTT GINSBURG DEBI SILBER KEVIN WILSON

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Evolution Magazine May 2014Published By Evolve Media Group Inc.

Evolution Magazine is a trademark of the Evolve Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in full is strictly prohibited. Evolution Magazine is a monthly digital publication with limited print copies available in designated markets. Evolution Magazine welcomes all contributions. Evolution Magazine assumes no responsibility for content or advertisement. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is produced subject to errors and omissions.

Evolution Magazine/May 20142

Business, Tech and More

volutionEwww.EvoMag.co

A digital and limited print business magazine for business owners by business owners. Delivering quality business, technology and lifestyle content from around the world and from your neighborhood.


People generally don't like to feel like they're being bossed around, but people need to be led. They crave it.When we're overwhelmed by options and inundated with information, we seek someone to clear away

the clutter and noise for us. Or, where there's not enough information, we search for people we can trust to guide us when we're unable to find our way. Leaders create a vision for the future. They inspire others and give them courage to move forward. They know (or at least seem to know) a little more than the rest of us and provide lantern-light so we can follow their path. You should start thinking about your business in terms of leadership. Your customers and prospects are looking for someone to help them do something. The person or business that can eliminate the risk they're facing, help them make tough decisions with confidence and show them the best path to take, will gain unconquerable loyalty from those whom they serve. The kind of leadership I'm talking about is based on just that: serving people. You're leading them because you care and because you can honestly help. Believe it or not, making their best interests your priority will pay off for you. As the late Zig Ziglar said, "You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

The concept of leadership has constantly pressed its weight on my thinking for the past 2 years. I believe more than ever, that a commitment to leadership is critical to reaching the greatest level of success that your business is capable of attaining. It doesn't matter what business you're in. It doesn't even matter if you don't have any employees. If you have customers, or if you want customers, you have to start thinking like a leader.

You have to have courage......To make tough choices for yourself and your following...To tell the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.You have to take responsibility......To generate results and help clients get them, too...To find and share the best information, systems, tools, etc....To help those you lead, convert that information into an action planYou have to provide clarity...Create vision...Connect the dots...Instill confidence...Inspire action...Lead the way.

Who are you leading? Who do you want to lead? How are you going to get there? If you don't have a plan, it's time to get started on one.

Leadership: Burden and BlessingDonnie Bryant www.DonnieBryant.com

Guest Editorial May 2014

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How to Find Mentors 3 Reasons You Are Afraid To Ask For What You

Want and How To Overcome ThemChen Lujuie

How often have you wanted to reach out to someone but stopped short because you are afraid to ask?

In this article, you will read about how Noam Kostucki, a successful serial entrepreneur who

managed to get one of the world’s best fundraisers as his mentor after an argument with him! As well as the 3 reasons you’re afraid to ask for what you want and how to overcome them.

Lujie is the author of 'Seek to Keep: How to Find the Best Mentors and Keep Them' (www.seektokeep.com) and the co-founder of the Kairos Society ASEAN. He is a also Sandboxer, part of the foremost global community of extraordinary young innovators under 30 (www.sandbox.is), and a Kairos Global Fellow.


During my interview with Noam, he recounted,

“I left Poland for London in 2009 because the financial crisis hit: I thought that after the crisis there would be a need for people who think differently. I found myself giving training to non profits to make money, which turned out to be meaningful, interesting and challenging. As I arrived in the job with little practical experience in fundraising with large non profits, I knew I had to learn quickly. As I started attending conferences and events to learn and find mentors, I saw Ken Burnett give a keynote and I was thoroughly impressed.

He founded the first fundraising consultancy in Europe and has received numerous awards for his outstanding contributions to the practice of fundraising at a global level. He was the kind of person I wanted to learn from so as soon as he finished his talk, I was waiting by the stage to talk to him. I asked to meet because I wanted to hear more about how I can help with one of the projects he mentioned during his speech. One of the reasons we got along is that he left home at a young age and he is a self-made man who left academic education like me. He said he was looking for trustees for the board of his charity and I offered to join it. He replied I was too young, too inexperienced and that I didn’t have my place on his board. We had a big argument because I felt terribly offended. After reflecting on our heated discussion, I sent him an email explaining I had been disappointed by his reaction because he told me himself he had been in my shoes when he started and that he believed young people should be given a fair chance. His reply sealed our friendship that still lasts: he told me I was right and apologized for his reaction. I was amazed that this incredibly successful person not only admitted he was wrong but said sorry to me. That behavior really impressed me so I asked him to meet again. I wanted to learn more from him and being around him made me a much better fundraising guide. I consider now Ken to be a good friend and I love meet with him and his wife. From a professional perspective, an unexpected result of this relationship is that his non profit ended up becoming an early client of my first UK company.

What I learned from this experience is to ask for what you want. I was afraid to be seen as foolish and arrogant, but I am so happy I did because it drew us closer together. I didn’t get the position I wanted but I got to meet a mentor who I love having dinner with and who inspires me every time I meet him. You won’t always get what you want by asking for it, and if you do ask you will often be surprised by what you get. If you don’t specifically ask for what you want, you highly reduce your chances of getting it.”

Now start by writing down exactly what you want:

• Make a list of the top 5 people you want as mentors

• Write down what you specifically want from each mentor

• Ask these 5 people for a meeting and tell them what you want

If you’re thinking “there is no way I can actually contact these

people / ask for what I want”, read on because there are 3 main reasons why we don’t ask for what we want, and knowing about them will help you overcome these mental obstacle:

1. YOU’RE NOT CLEAR ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT

The exercise above should have helped you clarify what you want. Now that you have spent more time writing out exactly why you want a mentor, what difference a mentor would make in your life, the benefits you want and the kind of relationship you want, you will be able to express it more easily. When it comes to meeting your potential mentors, you can now say clearly “this is what I’m looking for and this is why it’s important for me”.

2. WE’RE AFRAID OF NOT GETTING WHAT WE WANT

You’re afraid the person will tell you they don’t want to mentor you. You’re not alone: when I give training in sales or fundraising, I come across the fear of “no” all the time. The reason we’re afraid is because we put too much value on that possible mentor: I really want him/her to mentor me. But bear in mind that the “no” is rarely personal – maybe they don’t have the time right now, they don’t feel like it, they had a bad day, they don’t like the color of your shirt. It doesn’t matter. Do the following two things when this happens: thank them for their time and ask if they know someone else who you ought to talk to.

They have already given you some of their time for free and by being thankful for it, you will reward them and make them feel it was worth it. You never know when the conditions may change and they will change their mind. You also still have their email and phone number: you can always get back in touch in 3 or 6 months.

Even if they can’t be your mentor, you should always ask them to recommend someone else as it’s the best way to expand your network. By doing this, every “no” will become an opportunity to meet someone else. Don’t take “no” as a bad thing: it’s the majority of answers you will receive because not everyone will be the right fit. And that’s OK because the right mentor is waiting for you around the corner.

3. WE DON’T BELIEVE WE DESERVE WHAT WE WANT

Another reason we don’t ask for what we want is that we don’t believe we deserve it. One of our Beta Readers said: “probably the biggest barrier for why people don’t approach other people for mentoring is thinking ‘oh why would they ever want to invest time in me for free?’ After having read that part I think I have new found confidence to pursue a new mentor.”

You are your worst enemy. Write down a list of reasons why someone would want to mentor you. By reminding yourself why someone would want to mentor you, you will build the confidence that you deserve to be mentored.

To Learn More About How To Find And Keep The Best Mentors, Get A Copy Of ‘Seek to Keep’ www.bit.ly/seektokeep !

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“You’re Fired!” If you’ve been fired then you know the feelings of doubt, anxiety, worry, stress, anger, and frustration. But, I think you should be fired once in your life! I was fired in 2008 and there was nothing more heart wrenching then losing my 6-figure executive management job after 4 years, with no notice. There is no doubt I was pissed, but fortunately, it became a call to take massive action and stop being complacent, because thinking that I was secure in a completely unsecure market was frivolous. People will ask from time to time if I fire clients and I’m not afraid to answer honestly. “100% Yes!” There are many reasons I would fire a client.• If they are lazy & complacent• If they pay their invoice more than a week late without communication• If they need their hand held or need to be coddled• If they just don’t take the action necessary to get the results that they wantI have no problem firing these people because these are the exact people that are detrimental to my organization and my other clients. In fact this type of person will kill an organization like a disease. I recently fired one of my clients, which I will detail later. If you aren’t firing the clients who refuse to do whatever it takes, regardless of the sacrifices, commitments, disciplines, and habits, then you need to step up and force them to become aware of how this impacts not only them but the people they

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Melissa Krivachek is the President of Briella Arion. Melissa has been captivating, inspiring and motivating entrepreneurs across the globe since her early twenties www.briellaarion.com

FireWhen Should You

Your Clients


surround themselves with as well. I’ve been in the coaching industry for almost three years and I’ve fired a couple clients during that time. Firing people isn’t my favorite thing to do but it is something that needs to be done and shouldn’t be avoided. Especially when it comes to this particular industry. I love my clients and as much as I want them to get results I also realize the only way that they are going to get results is if they get off their ass and quit running their mouths and take action. I tell my clients I will be here as much as you need me but as little as possible. I’m happy to take my clients calls when something truly needs to be addressed but I don’t believe that being on the phone with me is as important as taking the actions you know you should be taking to get the results you know you should be getting.I have a coach as well and the only time he and I connect is when there is something major happening or he wants to adjust the course of action to get higher results which is typically no more than 2-3 times a month. I don’t want to have someone hovering over me, analyzing my every move. If I allowed that I would be

drowning in someone else’s opinion and would not have the time to figure out what was working best for my organization and me. When you work with a coach, they should be your partner. You want someone who cares about you and your success. A person who will hold you to the highest standards, won’t baby you along the way, but is there with unconditional support when you need it. This person will challenge you physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and financially.

Coaching is an essential part of the success of a business and needs to be integrated in a way that benefits both the coach and the mentee. I’m incredibly passionate about coaching and the coaching industry and want the best for my clients. In order to get the best, I surround myself with the best, expect the best, and will not lower my standards for anyone who doesn’t expect the same. So, I challenge you to be picky about whom you work with and if they don’t do the work, never be afraid to pick up the phone or meet the client in person and say “You’re Fired!”

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Photography: Larry Nixon Evolution Magazine/May 201410

Katrina Starzhynskaya Raw|Real|Revealed

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Evolution Magazine : Tell us about your background and the background of your company: Katrina: I came to the United States at the age of 17, on my own, with no family nor friends and $500 in my pocket. I barely spoke English. I graduated from business school, then immediately went to medical school, all while running my own business in New York City. During this time, I woke up one day with a “mysterious” disease, which was labeled “incurable” by western medical doctors. As a result of this diagnosis, I felt I had to take full responsibility for my health and life. I had to heal myself. I have detailed this journey in my first book, titled “Katrina’s Recovery”. While I was really sick, I told myself, if I ever get better, I have to write a book to help others overcome degenerative illnesses like my own. I did not expect the success that came with my first book. It has sold thousands of copies and was an Amazon bestseller multiple times. “Katrina’s Recovery” has been endorsed and/or recommended by people like Sir Richard Branson, David E. Stanley (Elvis Presley’s step-brother), Michael Irvin – NFL, Matthew Hatchette – NFL, Bryon Russell – NBA, John Assaraf (Featured in the movie The Secret) Joseph McClendon III, Loral Langmeier (Featured in the movie The Secret), Berny Dohrman, and many others. This success, lead me to speaking engagements on the subject of health and wellness, and the launch of my Health Mastery retreat in San Diego. EM: Who would you say are a few of your greatest influencer? Katrina: As my success grew, I began attending as many personal development seminars as I possibly could. Mr. Tony Robbins became my biggest inspiration. His teachings and events have really changed my life. I have finally realized that anything is possible and my potential is unlimited. While attending seminars, running my Health Mastery retreat and consulting with people on how to heal “incurable” illnesses, I began to attend business and marketing events. I wanted to learn how to grow my brand, because no matter how good I had become at helping people recover from terminal illnesses, my message could not reach everyone who needed it without the benefit of marketing. With this as my goal, I began learning business, branding and online marketing from the best of the best in the industry – Frank Kern, Brandon Burchard, Tim Ferriss and others. This education has helped me tremendously to build and expand my brand. Of course, not everything has gone smoothly, like the time I invested all of my money with one team to help me grow my business and they completely disappeared on me. I have had a lot of rejections and failures, but that is what made me grow. I was able to overcome all of these adversities and create the life of my dreams due to self-discipline, will power, faith and a “do-whatever-it-takes” attitude.

Celebrities with Katrina: From

top to bottom - M

ichael Irvin, Nido Q

ubein, Sir Richard Branson

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Katrina: For the past 12 months, I have focused on consulting with experts who want to stand out from others in their industry and become world-class advisors and celebrity authors. I offer online and offline sessions, teaching how to build a celebrity brand, acquire media appearances and celebrity endorsements, just the way I’ve done. I am selective and work only with people that know what they want and are ready to take action. I now host my own talk show, interviewing modern luminaries. I ask about their success and the mindset it took to “make it”. I am obsessed with thought processes, habits and the attitude that the top 5% of world-class individuals possess. My passion is to discover how great minds break through barriers, and go from average to outstanding ways of thinking. My second book “Raw. Real. Revealed.: Confessions of an Eco-Diva”, reveals all I have learned from my interviews and how to get everything you want out of life. It is an inspiring and empowering guide on how to take action and design the life of your dreams. I teach readers how I improved my health, relationships and created multi-million dollar businesses, all while saving the environment in my 6-inch Luoboutins!

EM: What makes you a unique “Business Trendsetter”? Katrina: I think I am unique in that I do not see limitations, I never take “no” for an answer, and I always say yes to an opportunity, then figure out how to execute it. What people might not know about me, is that I am crazy passionate about sustainability and green businesses. I am all about saving the environment, because there is no planet B. I do whatever it takes to minimize the footprint in all of my brands. I am also excited about launching a women’s upscale shoe line that is made from sustainable materials. The Tesla shoe line is gorgeous, exclusive, and eco-friendly. It is the first eco-friendly high-end shoe!

EM: What else are you doing to keep busy these days?

“I was able to overcome adversity and create the life of my dreams due to self-discipline, will power, faith and a “do-

whatever-it-takes” attitude.” - Katrina Starzhynskaya

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Powerful Affirmations To Become A Money Magnet

As an entrepreneur, you are already someone who is willing to step outside of what’s comfortable, by trading in the employee mentality to become a business owner with a dream of taking control of your financial freedom. After hard work and long hours you may be thinking when do the days of financial freedom occur? For many of my clients, it’s necessary for us to not just work on their business plan, but also to reprogram their money blueprint. Throughout our lives, as early as our childhood, we have had people influencing our programming. They program us with a scarcity mindset, rather then encouraging the abundance of living a wealthy life.

As T. Harv Eker describes in his book “Millionaire Mindset”, individuals have programmed our thoughts in our youth, our thoughts lead to feelings, our feelings lead to actions, and our actions lead to results. If you’re not satisfied, maybe now is the best time to reprogram your money blueprint.

7Elizabeth Sanchez is the founder of Elizabeth teaches entrepreneurs and overwhelmed professionals how to achieve quantum leaps in their business success. www.blazesuccess.com


Powerful Affirmations To Become A Money Magnet

Before you can reprogram your money blueprint, you must become aware of what you’ve heard about money growing up. Write down the phases that you heard most often, such as“ Jack, you’ll never be wealthy. Our family will always just have enough ” “More money, more problems, so why want more?” “Money makes people do bad things” How have these statements affected your financial security until now? They are not really who you are. You have a choice to be different from what you’ve been programmed to believe.

Take the steps to reprogram your money blueprint with these powerful and impactful affirmations. Select one of the following mantras to make your own. Read it 2-3 times a day. Watch how it works for you as you soar to success.

1) “I focus on opportunities that consistently enter my life.” Most people focus on the obstacles, or why they can’t achieve success. Look at the amount of companies who have made it big in spite of naysayers and a down economy. Choose thoughts that serve you. If they can do it so can you!2) “ I get paid greatly for creating great rewards.” People are benefiting in many ways because of what you do and you deserve to be compensated tremendously for it. Put a value on your work and be proud of what you get paid. 3) “I take responsibility for my financial success and it looks great.” You have the power and control to make the necessary changes in your life. If you’ve

experienced hardship in the past, learn from it and move on. Wealthy people create their lifestyle… it doesn’t just happen. When they fall or fail they get back up, learn from their mistakes and move on. 4) “ I focus on building my financial empire.” Get real with your debt and take responsibility to change it. Increase your savings, improve your investments and increase your income. Energy goes where thoughts flow. What you track will improve. 5) “ I am an awesome money

manager.” Create a financial freedom account. Make a jar that you drop money in each day, any denomination will be fine; just be conscious of doing it everyday. 6) “ I am on a journey of continuous growth.” Soar to success by continuous learning. Attend seminars on money, business development, personal growth, and read at least one book a month. You’ll gain more knowledge and confidence, speeding up your path to success.

7) “ I think big, I play big, and I am here to win big.” The bigger your visions, the more you take risks, the better the results. Identify ways to leverage your time. Find ways to have your money work for you so you can play more, do more and give more.

Giving is a part of receiving. It’s no coincidence that when you give even in small amounts, the universe gives back to you. If you want more money, identify ways that you can give. Tithing works wonders for your spirit and it’s so fun to see it come back to you in the most exciting ways. A great book to read if you want to learn more about tithing is “The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity” by Edwene

Incorporate one of these mantras into your life, give back in a way that feels right to you, and enjoy a successful life.

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10 Ways To Make Your Organization

More Joinable

Scott Ginsberg is the World Record Holder of Wearing Nametags. He’s the author of thirteen books, a professional speaker, award-winning blogger and the creator of NametagTV.com. His publishing and consulting company specializes in approachability, identity and execution. For more info about books, speaking engagements, customized online training programs or to Rent Scott’s Brain for a one-on-one session, email [email protected]

“Why isn’t anybody joining our organization?!” It’s a frustrating question many leaders ask, especially when meeting attendance is down, new membership is non-existent and the attitude of the board is bordering on apathetic. Yikes! Fortunately, there’s a solution, and to the relief of your diabetic members, it doesn’t involve a bake sale! The reality is, whether you’re an association, non-profit, church, club, or even a company – you can’t make people join your organization, but you can increase the probability by making yourself, your members and your group more JOINABLE.


Here’s 10 ways to make that happen. 1. Start by thinking of the last three organizations, clubs or groups you joined. How easy was it to join? What was the deciding factor? What reservations did you have about joining? Discuss these questions with your board, make a chart, write the answers out, look for commonalities, and then brainstorm three action items for each attribute of joinable organizations. Begin executing them today. Why do YOU join? 2. Take the first step. My friend Jim Henderson, author of “Jim and Casper Go to Church”, takes a counterintuitive stance on joining. “Are you getting people to join you, or are you trying to join them first?” Proactivity is the secret. Sticking yourself out there is a successful method. Approachability is a two-way street. Your mission as an organization is to give people permission. Wouldn’t it be nice if Megan Fox sent you an invitation to her fan club? 3. Establish a bullshit-free atmosphere. This, of course, is not completely possible. A little bullshit always seeps through. The first secret is clarity in expectations. Alerting prospective members upfront that honesty isn’t a value thrown around like a Nerf ball, it’s a standard practice. It is honoring the truth, YOUR truth, and other people’s truths. The key is the willingness to call each other on – and open yourself up to being called on – bullshit. It’s painful but worth it. Is the prerequisite for attending your organization’s meetings “roll your pant legs up”? 4. Help people feel a sense of self-achievement. In the book “Leadership & Nursing Management”, author Diane Huber explains, “Remember people’s psychological drive and primary need to accomplish things.” Next, make a list titled, “Top Ten Things My Members Want to Accomplish”, then, match group behaviors to desires. Think about what, specifically, your group is providing to help your people accomplish those things. How are you helping your members put checkmarks next to their goals? 5. Sit people down and have a conversation. Shockingly enough, the best way to find out what people want is to ASK THEM. As president of my local National Speakers Association chapter, I’ve spent the last year doing just that. I’ve asked questions, collected data, hosted lunches… I’ve even kissed babies… Whatever it took. During one-on-one meetings with members, past members or potential members, I asked the following questions: “What would bring you back?” and “When you used to come to meetings, what, specifically, were you getting out of it?” You might want to ask people to complete the following sentence three times: “As a member, I would come if (x).” No matter which approach you choose and regardless of current attendance or membership, there WAS a moment when people DID care, and DID come. As their leader, you have the power to create that again.

It’s this simple: Pick up the phone, set up a lunch, sit down with someone, honestly ask for their help, staple your tongue to the roof of your mouth and take copious notes. Remember: People want to be in the mix with something meaningful. That’s how you drive faces back. How many lunches have you had this month with current, past or prospective members? 6. Actively respond to inquiries about membership. Return calls quickly. Use phrases like “Right away,” “What is the best way to help you right now” and “How can I help you the most?” These responses demonstrate urgency through language and reinforce emotional reliability. When people want answers NOW, or, in many cases, last Tuesday, remember: When your words are firm and unhurried – people become relaxed and ready to join. 7. Nourish the interests of your members. Gil Wagner, founder of Yellow Tie International, had this to say on the subject. “Emotionally, the association's philosophies must fit mine. I suggest an open-circle environment (both in welcoming new people and in welcoming their ideas), a giving spirit and a mission that feels right. Logically, the math must work out. The expected ROI must fit with my needs at the time.” Remember: Belonging is a strong feeling – appeal to it. How are you speaking to the emotional needs of future members? 8. Create opportunities to dive in and dig deep. Superficiality works for about twenty minutes. After that, it’s time to get to the heart of the matter. Your mission is to make sure your meetings; websites and materials provide sustainable, practical and actionable value.

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EFor example, as a board member of NSA/XY, I help facilitate discussions with challenging thought starters. At our recent meet up in Chicago, I took the lead on a conversation about content management/deployment by answering the question, “How do you direct your creative thinking to create value?”That one question helped the group delve into the heart of a key challenge. Does your group give its members conversational tools? 9. Make it easy to contribute. People derive psychological satisfaction from being productive. Your goal is to not only make participation easy – but to continue to recognize people’s contributions as they make them. This cycle of affirmation encourages people to return with more keepers each time. Be sure to create a question-friendly environment. Give new people space to share. Work on boosting your “askability”, and never forget to acknowledge the newbies. They might have a contribution the likes of which your organization has never seen. Are you unintentionally silencing any voice?10. Make it easy to withdraw. In my AIIM Leadership Council, one of the coolest benefits of joining is THV or, “Take Home Value”. Here is how it works: At the end of every meeting, each member fills out a one-page summary with her best “keepers” of the day. Then, our director emails a composite of ALL the keepers to us the following week. It’s invaluable for several reasons.

First, you get a chance to see how twelve people interpret the same ideas in different ways. Secondly, you don’t have to remember anything. Finally, when you see your own THV on the final composite, your sense of contribution is reaffirmed. I challenge you to incorporate this process of into your organization. Use a blog, e-zine, Facebook group or Twitter account. When you deliver Take-Home Value, you win, your members win, and your group wins. Are you making it easy for your members to make positive withdrawals from your organization? REMEMBER: You can’t make anybody join you, all you can do is increase the probability of new people joining your organization by making yourself, your members and your group more JOINABLE. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for my meeting at the Megan Fox Fan Club. Maybe tonight she'll muster the courage to approach me and say hi. So… How joinable are you?

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INCITEMENT

Inciting A Movement

INwww.evomag.co 21

Name: Mohd Zikry Kholil (Malaysian), Daniel de Gruijter (Dutch) Age: 27, 29 Occupation: Cofounders of Incitement (http://www.theincitement.com) Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Affiliations (boards, awards, chambers, etc…):• Featured by www.masterpeace.org as the top 10 most

influential movement wordwide of 2012• Featured on CNN iReport - http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/

DOC-1036776• Front Page News for the Main National Newspaper in

Malaysia http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/10/04/incitement-rage.asp http://rage.com.my/content/stories/inciting-times

• Supporting Partner with http://www.inspire.fm/ and http://italktostrangers.com/

• Highly supported and sponsored by http://www.mindvalley.com

Power Players Under40

Inciting A MovementMeet Team Incitement

Creating A Culture

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Describe your work ethic and why you are a power player. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with making money. It’s a good thing. A great thing! But when your business starts evolving around just that, as an entrepreneur you’ve gone passed the very core of entrepreneurship - helping people by creating value and solving problems. We’ve heard this over and over again, but your customers or your fans (your audience) are your most important asset. They are what propels your business forward. And money is a result so that, not the other way around.

That’s why, if you take extremely good care of your audience in every way possible, the rest will follow. That’s how a grassroots movement started in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia called Incitement (www.theincitement.com) managed to spread to over 30 countries in less than 2 years. Both of us as founders of Incitement, refuse to accept any credit for doing any of this. “It’s the community that has formed itself around Incitement that has done all the work. All we do is light a spark and keep the community focused on one common goal - spreading positivity.” Our work ethics goes beyond this magnitude. Here’s how and why; Daniel simply calls it the R.U.M. Principle. With a background in marketing, we practice what Daniel calls the R.U.M. principle. Here’s what it stands for:1. Relevancy In order to keep your audience engaged you’ll need to give them something that fits into their current context and environment.2. Underpromising, overdelivering Another basic principle in marketing. Always deliver at minimum what your promised, and whenever you can create a scenario in which you can give more than that, do it.

3. Managing expectations Be perfectly clear about your motives and your agenda. This boils down to being honest, genuine and transparent.If complying with any of the 3 above means that you have to sacrifice short terms gains for the ones on the long term, then so be it. This is our work ethos that we live by. Saying we are power player is an understatement; the power players here is essentially the movement itself, it’s our inciters from our the world who has given their love, support, growth and contribution to us. Without them, we would never reached the unexpected height that we’re in right now and the amount of positivity that we’re spreading worldwide. Here’s why. Nowadays making money isn’t all that hard. All you need is a website, throw some traffic at it, and make your own or anyone else’s product convert. That’s really all you need to run your own business. The internet is a beautiful thing. It has enabled many of us to create the financial freedom we otherwise would be unlikely to have. It allows pretty much anyone with an internet connection to become self-sufficient within a matter of weeks, or even days, if you’re lucky. Again, it’s a great thing because it breeds much more entrepreneurs that can go great things for the world. But what it also breeds is a lot of people that are just in it for the money. And the mindset about entrepreneurship for younger generations is changing because of this, we truly believe. When money is literally a click away, why should your business have a deeper purpose, right? We did something that the community was calling out for it; purely giving them the leverage of what they’d like to see next coming from our global movement organization.

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That’s why recently Incitement launched a program called The Incitepreneurship Program. A full day course students can apply for only if they already have a business idea - that is.. a business idea which at its core is built around helping others or solving a problem. This program focuses on breeding a new generation of social entrepreneurs. And like at any other event, the Incitement Experience is injected into it. Not just listening to speakers, but lost of interaction, one-on-one time, the community feel and a lot more.Besides this Incitement is also held in universities, to mobilize the younger generations to do things that matter and spread positivity. It’s done a lot of wonder as our participants manage to launch their own movement, social causes, social businesses and even got funding all within a week into the program. Tell our readers what motivates you to go above and beyond people’s expectations? There’s quite few things that really drives us to go beyond even against our own expectation. Let us explain how and why. We Set a clear vision - Having a clear vision is very important for any business leader. As is it for any community. It’s the glue that holds everyone together. When crafting this vision you need to make it clear enough to have emotional appeal to the audience you reach out to. But at the same time it needs to be vague enough to ensure your audience can own the vision on an individual level. Ogilvy applied this in advertising very nicely. Reveal just enough to create appeal. But leave enough room for people to feel they came up the idea themselves. To get a vision adopted widely you need to do the same. At Incitement the vision is to spread positivity. In the world today, where the media mostly publishes negative stuff (and who can blame them, there’s so much negativity all around), a little bit of positivity is much needed. It’s very specific. We all know what it means to spread positivity. But at the same time is allows people to use their own imagination to fill in exactly what it means to spread positivity. Create a sense of ownership - One can align with this vision and really own it. By letting your audience fill in the blanks themselves, you strengthen the vision on a very personal level. This is a lot more powerful.In addtion each country Incitement operates within, it tries to tackle a different issue. And the founders in each country decide for themselves what that issue is, as they know best. We declare what we all stand for - To create something more tangible and actionable, a very powerful thing to do is declaring what you stand for. Now that your audience owns the vision, it creates a framework for them to operate within.

“If you’re in the business of helping people, you cannot fail” ~ Daniel de Gruijter

At Incitement this “framework” exists of 3 things:1. Fun2. Contribution3. Growth. Now you, your community, everyone knows that whenever they work towards the vision, if they actually start spreading positivity, these are the guidelines. These guidelines shouldn’t be restricting in any which way. They should in fact make it easier for your community to act upon the vision. It also creates a sense of belonging.

We create your own lingo, our own culture - An easy way to strengthen the intimacy inside your community is to have insiders language. Create your own terminology that only your community knows how to use, it makes people feel connected to one another.For Incitement, every community member is referred to as an ‘Inciter’, as are all the speakers, as are all the team members - who by the way are all volunteers. We also declare what we stand against - Just as important as what you stand for is what you stand against. It’s a very common sales technique. And for a very good reason. It’s extremely powerful. And particularly when you’re dealing with so called “cold leads.” Or new potential members of your community. In sales this is called demonizing, or finding a common enemy. This creates instant trust, because you’re on the same side. It makes it easier for someone to join your community this way, knowing that you have a common enemy. You make the community and its members more approachable and accessible.

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When you look at many social startups, one thing many of them have in common is that they zoom in on the problem itself. This might work if you’re looking to raise awareness regarding a certain topic. However, another way of going about it is to completely disregard the problem, by presenting a solution. Incitement has found this to work better for them, simply because people inherently don’t like problems. By promoting your vision itself, you’re implicitly already declaring what you stand against. When we choose to name our startup Incitement, this was a statement against everything the word ‘incitement’ currently stands for - their goal by the way is to completely change the word ‘incitement’ to a meaning that is positive.

In order to facilitate growth, making your vision challenging is a must. You’ll want to draw people out of their comfort zones. But at the same time create a safe environment where it’s okay to fail. Incitement started out as a public speaking platform to get people out of their shell and turn their ideas into action. Although Incitement has evolved, the public speaking element is still there - called Incitement SpeakUP (led by Natasha Zolotareva and Fadirul Fais). Considering the fact that public speaking is feared more than death itself, this is probably challenging enough as it is. So the key here is to create a trusted and safe environment where failing is allowed, and even encouraged in order to accelerate your growth and the growth of others.

We hear that you guys are a POWER networkers, tell our readers why networking is important to you. We only have a short answer for this: It’s Super Important! As a matter of fact, networking is the single most powerful marketing tactic to accelerate and jumpstart your success for any organization and even as an individual. Let us share you a story that sums it all. We both actually work for Mindvalley http://www.mindvalley.com/. (Today Mindvalley is the main sponsor for Incitement.) Mindvalley organizes an annual event called AwesomenessFest www.awesomenessfest.com. They wanted to attend this event in 2011 but their application was not accepted, as they were both too new to the company. So they decided to organize their own event. This started out as a knowledge sharing & public speaking platform. Anyone could come up on stage to practice their public speaking skills. Initially this was only available inside Mindvalley, but after opening it up to the public it soon grew bigger & bigger.In order to keep growing the concept had to change, because people wouldn’t come to watch other

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people practicing their public speaking skills. So the founders went back to the drawing table & tweaked the concept into what it is today; a platform that incites positivity to get people to take action & spark social change. As part of the Incitement Talks, we needed really really epic speakers (even better than Ted Speakers) and though we were ambitious as hell, it all paid off as thanks to our networking. We simply called up people we knew, used LinkedIn and Facebook and even asking our friends if they could recommend someone. From there, we overgrew our network of people within Incitement and we don’t have to fear when we start to ran out of epic awesome speakers in the future. From there, we started experimenting ways to enhance the audiences experience thus making the Incitement Experience the one major reason why people keep coming back bringing new fanatics to the movement. We didn’t stop there, we really emphasis on having a personal relationship with every potential networker. They love us so much that they now always hangout occasionally too. This really enables you and your organization to stand out, rise above the noise and remain top of people’s mind. Relationships are the catalyst for putting you on top of the pedestal. People do business with those they like and trust; that’s the case with us here at Incitement. If you serve as a resource, you’ll help others succeed. Networking provides the most productive, most proficient and most enduring power playing tactic to build nearly all forms of relationships.

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Ten Tips to Reduce Workplace Stress


Workplace stress contributes to so many health issues including aging, weight gain, illness and disease. Feeling stressed during your workday? Here are a few

simple tips to help you stress…less. 1. Learn how to say "no". When you’re already overextended, taking on additional tasks will only create more stress and anxiety. Stop piling onto your full workload by learning how to say “no.” 2. Make your workspace work for you. Personalize your workspace with things that calm and soothe you. That could mean pictures of loved ones or photos of serene settings, something calming on your desk or even music playing softly around you. You can also download apps with sounds like waterfalls, birds, rain, wind or whichever sounds give you a sense of peace and serenity.

3. Keep things in perspective. Sure you have projects to finish and deadlines to meet but stress is tied to many diseases and is a main reason for many emergency room visits. Is what you’re getting stressed over worth losing your health?

4. De-clutter and organize your workspace. Make the decision to keep, file or toss then organize everything left within in your space so things are easy to find. Clutter creates stress by vying for your attention so de-clutter your space to de-clutter your mind.

5. Improve your productivity. Take note of how you’re scheduling your workday and what you’re spending your time on. For many people, delegating certain times to check email, make phone calls, schedule breaks or work on specific tasks is a great way to get more done with less stress.

6. Be realistic. Go for progress, not perfection because trying to be perfect is a perfect recipe for stress. Of course you want to do a good job but take the pressure off by learning what’s good enough in order to keep your stress in check.

7. Steer clear of “energy vampires.” We all know them. They’re the people who drain you of your time, energy and motivation…if you let them. They also increase your stress. By spending time with those who are positive, uplifting, fun and inspiring you’ll reduce your stress while being encouraged to be, do and have more.

8. Exercise. Burn off some steam by taking regular breaks to move and stretch throughout your day. Exercising before your workday can set the tone for a productive, energetic day while exercising after your workday can help reduce your stress before you come home. No matter when you exercise, working out regularly is a great stress reducer, encourages more restful sleep, reduces your risk for stress related conditions and disease in addition to having so many other physical, mental and emotional benefits.

9. Take an objective look at your job/career. Stress is often a result of dissatisfaction and a lack of joy. Are you enjoying your work? Does it bring you satisfaction and fulfillment or is it only a means to a paycheck? Maybe it’s time to change your responsibilities, take on a new challenge or possibly a new career. Work doesn’t feel like work when you’re doing something you love so take a look to see how you’re feeling about how you spend your day.

10. Have more fun. Being responsible doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Lighten up and laugh more by being mindful of who and what you’re allowing into your life. Negative people, programs and information increase anxiety, stress and fear while positive influences strengthen your immune system and make life more enjoyable. Be strict about the messages you allow yourself to see, hear and absorb.

Debi Silber, MS, RD, WHC, FDN The Mojo Coach® Founder of www.TheMojoCoach.com is a weight loss, fitness, lifestyle, self-improvement expert, speaker, spokesperson, author and THE secret behind some of the healthiest, most dynamic and successful people today. Sign up to receive videos, strategies, tips and resources to get you lean, fit, energized, healthy and happy

“Be realistic. Go for progress, not perfection because trying to be perfect is a perfect recipe for stress. Of course you want to do a good job but take the pressure off by

learning what’s good enough in order to keep your stress in check.”

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Chocolate. It really deserves its own sentence. Who doesn't love chocolate, really? I don’t know many that aren't tempted by its rich flavor, and instant euphoric gratification. I’ve always had a love for chocolate, but

in more recent years, my taste buds have changed. I used to be a sucker for the milk chocolate, full of white refined sugar and completely stripped of most of its natural nutrients during the refining process. I’d burn through a milk chocolate bar in no time and be left with wanting more. And I HATED dark chocolate in fact. I didn't think it was sweet enough. Too bitter, it was normally only my last resort if there weren't any other options left. Again, my taste buds were numbed from all the refined sugars, so tasting something with LESS sugar, always seemed to be quite the turn-off. As I started to shift the way I ate and cut out refined sugars more and more, milk chocolate became too sweet and a turn-off and all of a sudden dark chocolate began to appeal to me. It didn't seem to be as bitter anymore, and I found I took more time to appreciate its flavor. Not only was I taking more time to experience the flavor, but I was also now becoming present to the fact that, for the first time in my life I wasn’t wanting to scarf down the whole bar at once! Progress! I want to highlight and clarify some differences between the REAL raw cacao based chocolate and cocoa-based chocolate.

Amber RomaniukHolistic Nutritionist, Public Speaker & TeacherAuthor of "Amber Approved: Gluten, Sugar & Dairy Free"Owner: Nourish This Life & Amber ApprovedTwitter: @amberromaniuk @[email protected] P: 403-999-2264


The real RAW chocolate or cacao goes far back in time to Aztec civilization. It has a wide array of nutritional components which is always music to my ears. Some of the ones in the highest amount include: • Raw cacao contains magnesium, which helps to support relaxation in the body including relaxation of the muscles, enhance brain power and it can even improve our alkalinity. Our body is always working hard to maintain a balanced pH which is slightly alkaline, so the cacao can help keep that balance.• Raw cacao also includes medicinal compounds that mildly stimulate the nervous system.

• Cacao is one of the few foods that contains a substance produced naturally in our brains that gives us the same feeling as excitement, sexual arousal and euphoria. Do you notice how once you bite into that delicious piece of chocolate that you instantly get a feeling of bliss?! It is almost orgasmic for chocolate lovers.

• It also helps to support a positive attitude and feelings of joy. And who doesn’t want more of that in their lives?! When it comes to a lot of chocolate we see nowadays, most of it contains cocoa. Cocoa is the more refined version of chocolate. The more refined any food is, the more it is stripped of its nutritional contents including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes. I am always fascinated and excited to share the nutritional and health benefits of foods! Especially the ones that seem like an “indulgence” or that some may feel guilty about consuming. Good quality dark raw chocolate made with cacao is packed full of feel-good nutrition. This has also been one of my motivations for creating Amber Approved recipes and sharing them through workshops and of course, my first cookbook. I want

to be able to show people first hand that it’s easy to make changes and use things like raw cacao instead of cocoa powder to make delicious sweet treats and desserts and still get a ton of nutrition out of it. When people can either make the recipe for themselves, or taste it at one of my classes, they are then able to realize it’s easy to make changes and use natural sweeteners. Educating the public on the benefits of these amazing foods including cacao, as well as demonstrating how to use them in recipes, empowers people to go out and make the changes for themselves.

Avocado Chocolate PuddingIngredients 4 organic ripe avocados ½ tsp organic Maca powder 7 tbsp organic raw cacao powder 4-5 tbsp organic lucuma powder 1 tbsp organic vanilla extract ½ cup organic unsweetened coconut or almond milk ½ cup organic dark grade maple syrup

Method1. Remove pit and shell from avocado2. Add all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processer and blend until smooth and creamy3. Adjust flavor to taste, to make a slight bit sweeter add another tbsp of lucuma powder4. To make it a bit less thick add more milk5. Serve into bowls and add top with berries, cacao nibs, coconut or whatever you like6. Keeps chilled in fridge for 2-3 days Prep time 10 minutes Serves 4-5 Garnish with raspberries, cacao nibs, chopped hazelnuts, shredded coconut or mint leaves

Avocado Chocolate Pudding

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In the United States, approximately 70% of all businesses are started at home. It's important that anyone considering starting a home or Internet based business understand that there are common mistakes, which lead to business failure.

Following, are the top 5 pitfalls that lead to failure. Learning about these, may allow you or someone you know a better chance for success. 1) Lack of adequate investment.One of the reasons that startup numbers are so high is that there is a low investment fee to initiate a home or Internet based business. Roughly 80% of all initial capital comes from the entrepreneur or their family. Due to this fact, new business owners may underestimate expenses, if they even plan for them at all. Smart start-ups calculate all costs to get their business off the ground, which might include inventory, equipment, set up, etc. The crucial item they forget is that positive cash flow may not be achieved immediately after opening. It is common to see new businesses operate with a negative cash flow while they are building their business and creating a client list. The absolute minimum one should set aside is three times the cost of the initial business estimate. This amount insures that a business will keep running smoothly until positive cash flow is reached.

Mark Edward Brown is an accountability, success, and leadership coach with 25 years as a military leader, strategist, and soldier and 10 years as a home business/marketing professional. He has expertise in showing his clients how to be, know, have, and do everything they set their mind to in the most efficient manner, least amount of time, and with the most effective systems. Contact Mark at: [email protected] or visit his site: http://www.MarkEdwardBrown.com


Let's project the cost of setting up your business as $150 for equipment (you already own your own computer), miscellaneous expenses such as high-speed Internet access and a long distance or smart phone calling plan. You've chosen not to store or stock any inventory in your home, so you should have another $450 set aside for working capital.Not having set aside the capital necessary to sustain your start-up is the #1 cause of failure or bankruptcy in new home businesses. 2) Marketing and advertising mistakes.It's up to you to create your brand and image. If your customer does not know you exist, you won’t be successful. To be recognized in today's market place your marketing campaign has to be effective and you must have a mission or message that is unique, understandable and solves a problem for your target market. Without effective advertising, your business will struggle to generate customers and sales, which it needs to survive. Some home business providers offer marketing and advertising materials for start-ups. These should be used as a starting point and improved upon, as you understand the needs and wants of your target. It's wise to use a consultant or coach, if you need help with salesmanship, web traffic generation, social media sales strategy, etc. 3) Setting the wrong price points.Many business providers have recommendations for determining competitive pricing strategies. A lot of start-ups think that lower prices will attract more clients and create more revenue. Unless your new business monopolizes the market with a product or service that is a "must have" in your industry or niche, you may be making a big mistake. Pricing factors drive most purchases. If your competitors have products similar to yours, which are available for less, your business may already be in trouble. The key to pricing is establishing a number your customers find value in. This most often boils down to your brand's image, reputation, and ability to attract continuous sales and client testimonials.

4) Failing to constantly improve.In today's marketplace, you, your brand, and the product or service that you sell, must be relevant and current. Stagnation and outdated technology will cause your business to grind to a halt. If you’re not the #1 provider or at least in the top 3 - 5 listed providers for what you do, you'll be considered irrelevant which is not where you want to end up especially after just getting started. If you want to make consistent sales, you have to be on the cutting edge or even a leading developer of new ways to present your offerings. To create and keep a steady flow of new customers along with satisfied returning clients can sometimes be a job in itself and large corporations have positions where this specialty is the main focus of one person or one department. The bottom line is that home business entrepreneurs have to be on top of their game all of the time. 5) Poor follow up, follow through, and customer service.I saved this point for last because it is one of the most important elements for success. If your clients and customers ever feel like they are not appreciated, you will be helping your competitor more than yourself. If they think they are receiving sub-standard service, they will seek a better solution to their problem. Poor, un-professional, and substandard client care is a leading cause of declining sales and business failure. The bottom line is that sales and revenue for your business does not equal immediate success. Other factors to consider when managing your business: Remember to remain a student of your trade and make every attempt to master the basics before you add a new fangled "this or that" to your line up. Common sense can save your business as long as you run your business like a business and not a hobby.

The Top 5 Mistakes Start-Up Home and Internet

Businesses Make

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