Mike Sahno with some of his favorite people: readers!Author, Speaker, and Publisher, Mike Sahno, joined me to chat about entrepreneurship and following your dreams in a social media world. No stranger to challenge, Mike understands the hurdles small business owners face daily. In fact, whether you want to launch a book or business, many of the tips Mike offers are the same.
Author of the newly released fiction novel, Whizzers, Mike knows the angst and the joy of seeing your message in print! If you’ve ever thought about starting your own business or writing the book of your dreams, you can listen to the whole conversation below.
Mike’s Book, Whizzers
Whizzers just released last week. I pre-ordered the book and can’t wait to read it. It’s the story of “a recovering alcoholic, Mike, who discovers his six-year-old cousin, David, travels through time to bring comfort to those in need. Mike soon finds himself along for the ride, and while he gets the opportunity to bring solace to some of his greatest heroes, he must also confront his own demons.” (You can order your copy by clicking here.)
One Example of a Success Story
This latest release is not Mike’s first opportunity to launch a book or business. In fact, he often enjoys helping others benefit from his experience in order to succeed. For instance, one of his favorite stories involves a highly successful business coach, a “terrific guy,” to quote Mike.
“He had written a book on his own and published it. It was okay, but he didn’t feel it was as successful as he hoped,” recounts Mike. The coach, an entrepreneur himself, recognized he wanted more social media traction for his next book. He enlisted Mike to ghost write part of the next project and to help him with the launch.
“What was so great about that project was that within the first couple of weeks that book went to Number One in one of the subcategories on Amazon. So, he’s able to put Number One Best Seller on his stuff going forward,” Mike laughs, “He’s a great guy and I was pleased to be able to help somebody like him.” Nothing feels quite as good as helping others succeed. (For more on mentoring, check out the two blogs we did with Civic Leader and Businessman Tony Johnson: https://cathykrafve.com/girls-need-healthy-male-role-models/ and https://cathykrafve.com/qualified-to-mentor/)
To Launch a Book or Business: Mike’s Advice
As a marketing expert, Mike likes to see his clients adding value for readers long before you want launch a book or business. Whether it’s a blog, a free book, or articles based on your expertise, adding value for your potential customers means treating them respectfully by offering free, meaningful content they need. (To read Mike’s blog, click here.)
Fortunately for us all, he pulled together some tips for the entrepreneurial at heart, especially about how to grow a social media following. (To get an insiders view of starting up a social media platform and a short list of people I trust to help, click here.)
Ignore the Myths
#1 Ignore the Myths. Mike offers Twitter as an example of a platform where people suffer from commonly held misconceptions. He suggests ignoring the common misperceptions about social media, especially if your thing is helping others.
“Twitter has some downsides to it. I think people think of it as kind of a broadcast medium for people to go out and argue with each other and so forth,” Mike explains, “But there’s also a lot of people trying to be supportive of each other and what they’re doing. I learned early on that it can be used in a way like networking.” But, that’s only if you use Twitter as a way to help others.
Serve Others
#2 Serve Others. With over 22,000 Twitter followers, including me now, Mike can speak with confidence about how to build a social media network by serving others. (To follow Mike on Twitter, click here.)
“The best networkers are people who really focus on being a giver and trying to do something good for somebody else. Maybe connect them to someone else or help them promote their stuff a little bit,” suggests Mike, who adds he shares other people’s messages 80% of the time and his own a mere 20%.
Woo the People You Love
#3 Woo the people you love. There are no shortcuts in finding the people who love the same things you love, according to Mike. Instead, he shares another myth when it comes to social media.
“’If you publish it, readers will find you.’ I quickly learned the hard way that if only a few people know you work or know about you, you’re not going to make a whole lot of sales.” Instead, as you prepare to launch a book or a business, he makes an unusual suggestion.
“To use an old-fashioned word, you have to woo your audience.”
Shhh…Another Fun “Pet” Project
As a perfect example of wooing the people who love the same things you love, Mike shares a little bit of a special project he enjoyed lately. Watch for this next project; one that’s still so secret he can only hint about it. It involves a retired NFL pro and a new breed of dogs. The football player followed his interest in the dogs to discover an amazing story.
“He funded this project but it’s someone else’s story,” reports Mike, because the football player cares so much about the message. The story includes the life of one of the co-founders of the breed. “Her life had to be in there because she has such an interesting life,” he says, adding, “There was some real drama in there.”
Respecting and Wooing Your Audience
I really loved Mike’s choice of words to explain the process of finding people on social media who share your passions. For instance, when a man woos a woman, he really studies what she cares about. Mike shared more stories and more insight than I can include here. To hear our entire interview click above on the podcast button. (To find other experts on a wide-range of topics, go to CathyKrafve.com. Find more Fireside Talk Radio podcasts here.)
Most of all, please know we really love our reading and listening friends. We love it when you let us know the issues you care about so we can line up experts on those topics. (You can sign up here or make comments or send us messages here. or scroll to the bottom of the page. I read each and every comment personally.)
Readers Rock!
As a reader, I love both sides of this equation. As much as I love writing, I also love reading. I truly love reading other people’s stuff. When an author respects us as readers, doesn’t it feel good? After all, readers give our time to engage in a book. We want to be inspired, encouraged, and yes, entertained, too.
Okay, I’m done writing today. Thank you for reading. Next up: I get to find a cozy place to curl up with Mike’s new book. For a few hours, Mike’s book will be my book. What a treat!
May I pray for you?
Dear Father, You are the Master Creator. You hold heaven and earth together. All life flows from Your nature. You designed us for Your purpose and for companionship with You. We are all creative because we are designed in Your image. We praise You.
Yet, it’s no small task to figure out what You want us to do with our lives. We turn to You now for creative inspiration. Teach us to love and serve others in a way that brings glory to You. In Jesus’s name Amen.
We love to hear from you!
What social media sites are your favorite and why? Which topics do you wish someone would talk openly about? How can we serve your family, church or community to open up terrific, healthy conversations?
Cathy Krafve, Columnist, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, and Christian Writer, invites your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com. Truth with a Texas Twang.
