I like that you mentioned using your OWN email address for correspondence. Jobs, and job titles, come and go, but you will always have your own email account.
New Media Corporations are being born everyday, and the old-skool businesses like what they see, so they're trying to change too - old dog, new tricks - it's possible, but takes time and patience.
I would like to add that not everyone feels comfortable doing business with a "person" - especially in business-to-business transactions.
The phrase, "It's just business" was probably born out of people's desires to stay personally disconnected.
Tommy Vallier
· 2 years ago
Wow Chris, what a timely post for me... Being that I'm just really embarking on this same path.
I'm in a very advantageous spot that my "regular" job happens to be with a company in the same sort of space as my personal freelancing stuff (My "Superhero" work -- I LOVE the term, by the way) and so I have the fortune of being able to remember stuff learned through "company time" and tweak it and reapply it to the superhero work.
On the email subject, one thing I do for my superhero stuff is use forwarders. Because I manage my own domains, I use a variety of first name - last name combinations: jdoe, johnd, john, johndoe, j.doe, john.doe and so on. This lets me keep track of where people are hearing about me. I always reply from my personal address, and if the email came from a forwarder, I make a note that I'm replying from my personal one and they should use it to communicate. People feel special if you're moving them from a client/contact email address to a personal one.
I'm hoping someone will comment on separating yourself from your company (Perhaps a followup, Chris?). When I'm attending events, I try to wear both my "Tommy from Company" hat and the "Tommy the superhero" hat and am finding it hard for people to separate the two. If I'm trying to talk as "Tommy the superhero" I ALWAYS get introduced as "Tommy from Company"
Mike
· 2 years ago
I use Moo cards.
I attend a mixture of web 2.0, film and regular press events here in London and I find being able to dip into a vareity of cards very useful.
On meeting a certain director he flipped over my Dawn of the Dead card, while others prefer to take the London skyline or a kitten.
In fact I even have people who already have my details now asking me for fresh cards simply because they dig them :)
And yeah - no matter who I'm working for (I'm freelance) I get a fresh batch made up rather than get stuck with plain dull company ones.
Whitney
· 2 years ago
Levenger has "personal cards" anyone can get, even moms. They contain whatever you want- your contact information. I keep these around in addition to my "business" cards, because they are handy when I run into someone and it becomes clear we need to exchange information- parents at PTA meetings, friends who I usually don't email, etc.
I look at cards somewhat like very old fashioned calling cards- they are memory aids that let you know you had some sort of meaningful exchange with someone, and the information is about the ability to continue and extend the conversation.
It also saves that pesky searching for a pen and paper, and is a tad more elegant than the back of a napkin.
Infomaniac/Ellen
· 2 years ago
Great post, especially where I am formulating who is my inner superhero. Am I Infomania World where I feel more creative or EJM Resources which feels more business like? Or is it something completely different? Your posts are helping me to search within to find out.
I do have business cards and I didn't want to put my home phone number so I signed up with Grand Central which gives you a free phone number and a great service. You can have it ring your home phone, your cell phone, or both phones at the same time (really weird when I'm at home). It has tons of great features which I haven't even begun to use yet but the main objective for me was to have a business phone number and it's great that I don't have to pay a dime for it.
JohnC
· 2 years ago
Yeah!!! The world is looking for you (and your superhero alter ego) they just don't know they are looking for you until you TELL THEM they are looking for you.
John Wall
· 2 years ago
Having a card for your blog, podcast, whatever is a great idea. I also have a personal card with my home address and phone, it's great for anyplace you'd normally have to fill out a form - doctor's office, insurance agency, etc. just give them a card to staple to the sheet.
Also - keep old ones when your address and/or phone change. Give the dead ones to pushy salesman or when you are shopping for cars...
chrisbrogan
· 2 years ago
Hi Tommy-- Nothing wrong with representing your company *and* your brand. In fact, that's what I suggest the most. Best example EVER of this? Robert Scoble. When he was with Microsoft, to me, he was the only guy outside of Bill Gates, Ray Ozzie, and Steve Ballmer, that people could consider Microsoft. Better still, he was the VOICE and the SOUL, when the others weren't really connecting on the human level.
Now that Robert works for one of the best new media companies out there, PodTech, Robert's brand is still front and center, and yet, people know he works for John Furrier and team and is a representative of that.
You grow to that level, but never forget who you work with and represent that brand with loyalty.
Lance Weber
· 2 years ago
Quick Lifehack: Avery's (the label sheet guys) "Clean Edge Business Cards" look great, have a good feel and are nearly indistinguishable from professionally cut business cards. Keep some blank stock on hand, then print only as many as you need. By printing on demand you can update your contact info, upgrade the design, etc as needed without wasting huge amounts of printed stock.
Talk about timing is right. I realized recently that I need to centralize my web presence. Over the last 12 years I've managed sites of all flavors but still need one site for me me me. I have countless email accounts and they all forward to one main gmail account. Since I'm on gmail all day it makes managing messages hella easier.
Vista Print has been a godsend for the podcast I'm on. Podcamp PGH proved that having a business card is like a golden ticket. I've redesigned our card recently to have our show logo replace the cheesy template we started with. The fact that Vista only charges for shipping makes it affordable to everyone.
On a side note of business cards that really has worked well for my podcast is the adhesive magnets you can buy in blocks of 100 from Staples/Office Depot/Office Max. I've taken handfuls of business cards and stuck them to these magnets. It's easy to discard or forget about business cards but magnets tend to end up on a fridge or somewhere it will be noticed again.
George Leite
· 2 years ago
I did just that Chris, went to VistaPrint and got some business cards a while ago. Stuck some in my wallet and forgot about them. Then just this past Sunday was talking to someone about my website, and realized I had a business card to give him. You never know when you're going to run into someone. He would have never remembered the website, but now he will.
Tommy Vallier
· 2 years ago
Chris, thanks for the reply.
Maybe I'll just stick with what I'm doing then. Build my superhero brand, ride along with the company brand, and take the superhero brand with me when (if) I leave.
Thanks. :)
chrisbrogan
· 2 years ago
Tommy- remember: always treat your employer well. They're directly responsible for a lot of your opportunities. And if they're not, perhaps you have the wrong employer.
Sarah
· 2 years ago
I second the Moo Cards - I'm about to order some for my superhero website, since I frequently find myself scrambling around for napkins to write on. I love the magnet idea, though - maybe I'll make some Moo Magnets too...
VistaPrint does great free business cards, but if you're willing to spend a little money, check out your local independent print shops too - they often have better prices than you'll find anywhere online. And you'll be supporting local businesses - yay!
annie boccio
· 2 years ago
I made up some cards a short time ago. One is for my (brand new) mini-business, and the other is for me/my blog. I made them myself with the Avery cards Lance mentioned, and they look pretty good, certainly good enough for my purposes! I've been out of the workforce a long time, and making the cards was a way for me to kind of announce that I'm here, "back in business." Check them out here :): http://banannie.tumblr.com/post/3081736
Chief Show Officer
· 2 years ago
...and if you want to illustrate your inner superhero, we can make it happen.
All Comments
I like that you mentioned using your OWN email address for correspondence. Jobs, and job titles, come and go, but you will always have your own email account.
New Media Corporations are being born everyday, and the old-skool businesses like what they see, so they're trying to change too - old dog, new tricks - it's possible, but takes time and patience.
I would like to add that not everyone feels comfortable doing business with a "person" - especially in business-to-business transactions.
The phrase, "It's just business" was probably born out of people's desires to stay personally disconnected.
I'm in a very advantageous spot that my "regular" job happens to be with a company in the same sort of space as my personal freelancing stuff (My "Superhero" work -- I LOVE the term, by the way) and so I have the fortune of being able to remember stuff learned through "company time" and tweak it and reapply it to the superhero work.
On the email subject, one thing I do for my superhero stuff is use forwarders. Because I manage my own domains, I use a variety of first name - last name combinations: jdoe, johnd, john, johndoe, j.doe, john.doe and so on. This lets me keep track of where people are hearing about me. I always reply from my personal address, and if the email came from a forwarder, I make a note that I'm replying from my personal one and they should use it to communicate. People feel special if you're moving them from a client/contact email address to a personal one.
I'm hoping someone will comment on separating yourself from your company (Perhaps a followup, Chris?). When I'm attending events, I try to wear both my "Tommy from Company" hat and the "Tommy the superhero" hat and am finding it hard for people to separate the two. If I'm trying to talk as "Tommy the superhero" I ALWAYS get introduced as "Tommy from Company"
I attend a mixture of web 2.0, film and regular press events here in London and I find being able to dip into a vareity of cards very useful.
On meeting a certain director he flipped over my Dawn of the Dead card, while others prefer to take the London skyline or a kitten.
In fact I even have people who already have my details now asking me for fresh cards simply because they dig them :)
And yeah - no matter who I'm working for (I'm freelance) I get a fresh batch made up rather than get stuck with plain dull company ones.
I look at cards somewhat like very old fashioned calling cards- they are memory aids that let you know you had some sort of meaningful exchange with someone, and the information is about the ability to continue and extend the conversation.
It also saves that pesky searching for a pen and paper, and is a tad more elegant than the back of a napkin.
I do have business cards and I didn't want to put my home phone number so I signed up with Grand Central which gives you a free phone number and a great service. You can have it ring your home phone, your cell phone, or both phones at the same time (really weird when I'm at home). It has tons of great features which I haven't even begun to use yet but the main objective for me was to have a business phone number and it's great that I don't have to pay a dime for it.
Also - keep old ones when your address and/or phone change. Give the dead ones to pushy salesman or when you are shopping for cars...
Now that Robert works for one of the best new media companies out there, PodTech, Robert's brand is still front and center, and yet, people know he works for John Furrier and team and is a representative of that.
You grow to that level, but never forget who you work with and represent that brand with loyalty.
Avery's (the label sheet guys) "Clean Edge Business Cards" look great, have a good feel and are nearly indistinguishable from professionally cut business cards.
Keep some blank stock on hand, then print only as many as you need. By printing on demand you can update your contact info, upgrade the design, etc as needed without wasting huge amounts of printed stock.
http://www.avery.com/us/Main?action=product.Det...
Vista Print has been a godsend for the podcast I'm on. Podcamp PGH proved that having a business card is like a golden ticket. I've redesigned our card recently to have our show logo replace the cheesy template we started with.
The fact that Vista only charges for shipping makes it affordable to everyone.
On a side note of business cards that really has worked well for my podcast is the adhesive magnets you can buy in blocks of 100 from Staples/Office Depot/Office Max. I've taken handfuls of business cards and stuck them to these magnets. It's easy to discard or forget about business cards but magnets tend to end up on a fridge or somewhere it will be noticed again.
Maybe I'll just stick with what I'm doing then. Build my superhero brand, ride along with the company brand, and take the superhero brand with me when (if) I leave.
Thanks. :)
VistaPrint does great free business cards, but if you're willing to spend a little money, check out your local independent print shops too - they often have better prices than you'll find anywhere online. And you'll be supporting local businesses - yay!
Check them out here :): http://banannie.tumblr.com/post/3081736