What's in a name?

About a month ago, I came to the painful conclusion that I was fighting an uphill battle by offering to write SEO content, yet offering it on erickpettersen.com. I chose to name my site erickpettersen.com for two reasons. The first was that I consider myself a man of many talents and the other was that I wanted to get my name out there before I got my product out there. Now, that I have chosen which of my many talents I feel is the most financially lucrative, as well as I feel I have gotten my name out there, it is time for me to start marketing the service I offer.

So, yesterday I launch my new site (http://www.seobridges.com), which features a slightly new design and different services than before. I chose this name because for the last few months the saying, “Building social bridges one word at a time” has appeared on almost every page of my site. So, when I checked Godaddy and saw that that name was available, I snatched it up. Then, for the next month, which has been for about the last month, I redesigned my site.

After a month of hard work, the work is not yet over. The work is never over. For anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit, we know that the work is never over. Yet, for us, it’s almost like the ultimate chess game of the mind.

When I lived in Boston I adopted the motto, “the approach is everything,” and that attitude landed me a pretty decent job in the hospitality industry. When I started looking for a job, I had little money, but I knew if I didn’t look the part no one would take me seriously. And if nothing else, I knew I wouldn’t take me seriously. So, I shelled out some big bucks for a new suit and a nice pair of shoes. I think I wore them three or four times, but that fourth time was the golden ticket.

During my tenure with that company, which required me to act ac liaison between our clients and other businesses, a client asked me why I chose to use a certain business over others. (I can’t tell you much because they might be listening; though, the company was Circles, for those of you who might know of them). Anyhow, I told my client that I chose that business for two reasons: when I looked at their website, it was very professionally done; and when I called and told them of the reason for my call, they were very polite and answered all of my questions. In their case, the approach was everything. The next day, my client called me back, after I had put her in contact with the business and she said she was very pleased that I had chosen them.

So, I am not wearing a suit. I haven’t worn a suit for more than 6 months. I dress nice when I go out, but a suite would be overkill. The approach is everything. Now that I’ve gotten my name out there, it’s time to start getting my business out there. Erickpettersen.com was my way of introducing myself to the San Diego community. Now that I feel I have done that, it’s time for the service I offer to take the lead. In that sense, introducing myself, and now introducing my services is the approach.

Check out my services. I offer various packages and specials, especially for non-profits organizations; and you can hire me on Agentspayingforward.com. In the future, I hope to offer my services as Green SEO content, but first I need to focus on what’s right in front of me.
Keep connecting,

Five Principles of People Connect

Today, I want to talk about how you can begin to connect with like-minded people.  Though, before I get too far into that, I want to tell you about my recent work with non-profits. 

This last weekend, I went to a launch meeting for a new non-profit in San Diego, which will focus on connecting readers and writers.  It’s not a legal 501 C3 yet, but the executive committee is moving in that direction.  At the meeting, which brought in a group of about 25 people, the director (Karla Olson) talked about the vision.  After she talked, everyone broke off into one of the four preset committees.  Of course, I joined the web/marketing committee; and, of course, when the head of the committee asked my specialty, his ears perked at the sound of “SEO Content.”  Everyone with a web site needs SEO content.

Within the last four months, I’ve connected with people on the ground floor of two non-profits and one entrepreneurial venture.  I also connected with another literary non-profit, called DimeStories, which is in its early stages and growing.  That is what my vision is all about—people connecting with people.  So, for the rest of this blog, I want to lay out some steps I believe everyone can take to begin to connect with like minded people.

First, choose your goal.  Several years ago, just out high school, I decided to step out of my comfort zone.  Since my favorite sport to play was basketball, I found some basketball courts.  Though, rather than going to the basketball courts in the uppity neighborhoods, I went to the courts in the barrios.  San Diego has no true ghettos, just barrios—Hispanic versions of ghettos. 

Many times I was the only white guy, sometimes I was the only guy who couldn’t claim affiliation to a gang, sometimes other guys told me we had to leave because the park became gang territory at night, every time I knew  I had earned people’s respect for stepping out of my comfort zone.  Before Oprah calls me for an interview, I will set the record straight and say I never ran drugs or anything like that.  I don’t want to become known as the James Frey of bloggers.  I went to those parks with a goal—to begin to break down walls—to set a precedent.

Second, create an environment for yourself that allows you to nourish your goals.  That can happen in several ways.  For me, I believed in my goals so much that after 3 years of studying philosophy, I completely back tracked, lost way more than 50 credits, changed universities, and changed my major to literature.  Along the way, I developed relationships with people; though, I kept my goals in mind.  I learned that if I was going to accomplish my goal of graduating from college, I had to surround myself with people who encouraged me toward that goal.  Not all of my friends went to, or had any plans to ever go to, college; though, all of them respected that my studies came before going out on a Friday night. 

Third, speaking of studies coming before going out on Friday nights, be willing to sacrifice for your goals.  If your goal is to start and raise a family, it’s time to hang up your bachelor/bachelorette shoes.  If your goal is to make money, spend wisely.  And, along with creating an environment that allows you to nourish your goals by developing relationships with people who support your goals, be willing to let go of unhealthy relationships.  However you sacrifice, don’t plant daisies in a field of weeds. 

Fourth, and this is one I am passing onto you from former New York State and U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, when I asked him about pursuing my literary goals, “Don’t expect it to happen over night . . . Let it move into the center of your life.”  My ultimate goal is to connect people to people; to break down social walls.  My writing is a means to that goal.  Give your goals time to flourish, just as a caterpillar’s goal of becoming a butterfly requires patience. 

Fifth, reflect your goal.  This goes along with the Law of Attraction.  If your goal is to start a business, and you’re just sitting at home and watching television and thinking of great business ideas, you will never meet other people who might like your idea.  The Law of Attraction works, because if you create an environment that allows you to nourish your goals, at some point others with similar goals and environments will see your environment and be attracted to your similar goals.  Of course, the fastest and best way to find like minded people is to join organizations, such as San Diego Writer’s Ink or GreenPeace.

Those principles are the ones that work best for me.  I welcome any questions or comments.  Also, I want to start connecting, so tell me about some of your goals.  I have begun to connect with people, because I’ve set principles into my life, and I follow those principles.  It’s come because I respect people and their ideas, and they respect me and mine.