Joel-Mark-Witt.com

Bull Crap.
Okay – not totally. You can make over $100k per year consulting – but not everyone can do this. Come on – do you really think this can scale enough to sustain a nice lifestyle?

I’ve attended my share of Social Media-Podcasting-Online Developer-Affiliate Marketing-Tweetup events (heck I’ve even been invited to speak at many of them) and I’ve noticed that about 95% of the attendees are social media / podcasting consultants. That’s great -but it’s like hanging out in a room full of teachers.

The best teachers are the ones who teach from experience.
In other words, they have been up the road a couple times before. They are the ones who own and run a successful business or blog or website. Mark Cuban – Jeff Bezos – Steve Jobs – Richard Branson – Yanik Silver – Jason Van Orden – Brian Clark …. the list could go on.

The problem is getting these uber-successful people to teach us how they became successful.
And that’s just it. It is something we have to learn – not something we can be taught. We must find our own way – not worry about what the “gurus” are telling us. The real gurus aren’t talking that much. They are too busy building their empires of fame and fortune.

Watch and learn.
My two-year-old son copies everything I do. He is learning to be like me. Whatever I do will impress upon him at this early age in life. He is growing and developing as a person and I am shaping that. But I’m not really teaching him formally. He is absorbing what I do and emulating it.

Eventually my son will have copied me enough to get the mechanics – and then he’ll go on to develop even further variations of what he’s learned.
Same with learning to be successful. Watch and learn the mechanics of successful and wealthy people – then get out there yourself. We are all more capable than we let on.

I don’t want to be a social media consultant. I want to be a leader.
I would rather lead a successful company filled with great people that leads the way in innovation and design. I would rather lead the way in asking the dumb questions no one is willing to ask. I would rather be than teach.

NOTE: This post came as a result of reading this book. While the title may turn you off if you are a self-righteous – sworn to poverty – socialist, it has many lessons on being successful in business that can be applied to life in other ways besides the greedy grabbing of wealth.

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This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask the questions while standing at the intersection of social media, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see please subscribe to it for free. To join the discussion or to comment find me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

*Photo by AComment

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SocialDevCamp East is the Unconference for Thought Leaders of the Future Social Web

November 1, 2008
8:30AM – 6PM
6PM-10PM party

Following up on the successful premiere of SocialDevCampEastSpring2008, held in Baltimore in May, SocialDevCamp East Fall 2008 once again invites east coast developers and technology business leaders to come together for a thoughtful discussion of the ideas and technologies that will drive the future of the social web.

Because of the central location, the event draws from Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston — the emerging “Amtrak Corridor” technology scene.

Where is the social web going? It’s going mobile, to geocentric services, and to open platforms. Join a community of like minded developers, social media gurus and thought leaders for an unconference to discuss the future of the social web.

We’re looking for thought leaders from DC to Boston to meet, forge relationships, and envision the future.

SocialDevCamp East is convenient to the entire east coast corridor via Amtrak. Just travel to Baltimore’s Penn Station — University of Baltimore is two blocks south.

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Joel-Mark-Witt.com is a blog about technology, blogging, social media, video, podcasting, and how you can use all these tools to grow your business, even if you know nothing about computers and the Internet. If you like this blog please subscribe to it for free by RSS or eMail.

Joel Mark Witt

I see a lot of people in the new media space referring to themselves and others as new media experts. Or social media experts. I have done the same.

I used to call myself an expert in new media.

But then I thought about it and realized I really wasn’t an expert. Before you think I am shooting myself in the foot by denying my expert status, hear me out.

Experts have all the answers.

I don’t have all the answers. New media is so new that no one has all the answers. I would even say only about 1% of the people involved in this space are even on the right track. Most are fumbling in the dark.

I like to use the analogy of hiking a trail.

An expert of the trail has a map. They have hiked the trail enough times that they know the steep slopes and the trouble areas. Experts know exactly where to cross the streams as to not get wet.

Experts have done it before.

We need experts in every field of life. Experts help us save time and money. Experts are brain surgeons, lawyers, bankers, and pilots.

But I am not an expert.

I have never hiked this trail called new media before. I don’t have a Google map laying out the route. I know where I want to go – but I don’t know exactly how to get there. So instead of a new media expert – I prefer to say that I am a new media leader.

Leaders blaze new trails.

Leaders are risk takers. They stand out in front of a group with a machete and begin cutting into the brush. They see a mountain in the distance that they want to reach but they don’t know the exact path through the jungle to get there. Leaders ask the right questions.

Sometimes leaders get a little lost and have to climb a tree to see the mountain again.

I find that when I get bogged down in my life with the daily “brush cutting” I have to stop, take a good look at the mountain I am trying to reach, and then start again going in the right direction.

This happened with my blogging and use of Twitter over the past few months.

I didn’t know why I was using new media tools. I was just fumbling in the dark. I had to stop – reevaluate and then start again after focusing on my goals. I was getting off on a side trail and needed to refocus on the mountain again.

Leaders are the ones who become experts.

Well – let me rephrase that. Some leaders become experts. True leaders – once they reach the big mountain and climb it – will look out over the horizon and see entire mountain ranges to reach. Expert leaders will walk back the path they charted and then bring more people to the first mountain with them.

Thought: An expert has been – a leader will be.

Warning!

Most businesses don’t want to hire or work with true leaders. Too much risk. No guaranteed answers. No measurable ROI. If you are a consultant, or professional craftsman – please consider the ramifications before calling yourself a leader. Businesses want to hire experts. They want predictable results. They want to follow.

Do you consider yourself an expert or leader?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. After all, I am asking the questions – I don’t have all the answers.

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If you like this blog please subscribe to it for free

Joel Mark Witt

Photo by: The Wandering Angel

I had the privilege of sitting on the Podcasting Business panel at Podcamp Philadelphia two weeks ago. There were a lot of smart and talented podcasters with me. You can watch the whole session here: