Nick Nanton, award-wining producer and director, along with Amardeep Kaleka recently received an Emmy® Award for their work directing inspirational short film “Jacob’s Turn.”

Orlando, FL – August 2, 2011 – Nick Nanton, Esq., Orlando Entertainment Lawyer and Founder and CEO of The Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency®, a Personal Branding Media, Marketing and PR firm, was recently honored to receive an Emmy® Award for his passionate work as one of the Directors of the inspirational short film documentary, “Jacob’s Turn.” Nick and Co-Director Amardeep Kaleka accepted the award in the Director – Short Form category at The Emmy® Ceremony held on July 30, 2011.

Jacob’s Turn is a mother’s story of Jacob Titus, her four-year-old boy from the small rural community of Floyds Knobs, Indiana.  Jacob loves to play T-ball, like thousands of kids across the country. Jacob also happens to have Down Syndrome.  The film shows how Jacob’s “turn” at bat and on the field was a thrill for him, but more importantly, an event that transformed the hearts of everyone in his town. The script for the short film is based on Patricia Titus’ essay she wrote and submitted to the local newspaper. Based out of, and produced in, the Ohio Valley region, “Jacob’s Turn” also received a nomination in the Human Interest – News category.

As Executive Producer, Nick Nanton worked with his extended network of marketing experts to create awareness of “Jacob’s Turn,” through a method of marketing that is usually applied to commercial ventures, but for the first time was used to launch a charitable campaign – one which will help benefit children not only with Down Syndrome but a wide variety of special needs. The goal of everyone with an emotional and financial investment in the film is to raise people’s awareness and generate charitable donations that will help these kids receive the assistance they need to lead the best lives they can—to get their “turn.”

The film was produced with the help of Marketers For Good (MFG). Drawing upon the expertise of the top international marketing minds of our time, MFG is a not for profit organization dedicated to creating unique launch campaigns to raise money and awareness for charitable causes. Utilizing cutting edge marketing strategies, MFG brings together top marketing and business minds in order to encourage and lift up those in need.

Others contributing to the project are Nanton’s partners, JW Dicks and Lindsay Dicks, along with Mike Koenigs, Preston Ely, Baeth Davis, Mark Richter, Bill Gough, Richard Seppala, Dr. Scott Schumann, Darrin Mish and Jared Bonshire.

See the 7-minute short film at http://www.JacobsTurn.com and learn more at www.jacobsturn.com/the-mission

To learn more about Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.nicknanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

An Emmy Award Winning Director and Producer, Nick Nanton, Esq., is known as The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to top Celebrity Experts for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts, through personal branding, media, marketing and PR to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

The CEO of The Dicks + Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency, Nick is an award winning director, producer and songwriter who has worked on everything from large scale events to television shows with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber and many more.

Nick is recognized as one of the top thought-leaders in the business world and has co-authored 10 best-selling books, including the breakthrough hit Celebrity Branding You!®.

Nick serves as publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and Nick has led the marketing and PR campaigns that have driven more than 300 authors to Best-Seller status. Nick has been seen in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com. and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates around the country speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a member of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Home to the Emmy Awards) co-founder of the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors, a 6-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Downtown Credo Orlando, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina and their three children, Brock, Bowen and Addison.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.nicknanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

Nick Nanton, Esq., Orlando Music Lawyer, recently facilitated the signing of a recording contract between up-and-coming rock band, The Black Rabbits and Rock Ridge Records

Orlando, Fla. – December 20, 2010 – Orlando Music Lawyer and Co-founder of Loud Entertainment, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently inked a record deal between The Black Rabbits, a North Carolina-based rock band, and Rock Ridge Records.

MTV described The Black Rabbits sound as, “if you took Neil Diamond and put him as the lead of Nirvana.” Rock Ridge Music is the ultimate resource for established and developing artists.  Rock Ridge Music already has an impressive roster of artists including Sister Hazel, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Reel Big Fish, Ken Block, The Villains, Quarterfly, Ingram Hill and The Benjy Davis Project, among others.

In addition to being one of Orlando’s premier music and entertainment attorneys, Nick Nanton, Esq. is one of the leading branding consultants in the entertainment and business world. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, TheHollywoodReporter.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX television affiliates around the country.

Nick is also an award winning songwriter and television producer, as well as a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Home to The GRAMMYs.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

To learn more about Rock Ridge Music, please visit http://www.rockridgemusic.com

The Black Rabbits can be found online at http://www.TheBlackRabbits.com

About The Black Rabbits:

The Black Rabbits formed on a hot winter night in Orlando by Jetson & Skyler Black. Little did they know at the time that what they were creating would take on the essence of that warm winter night. “Our music is a bit of an oxymoron,” says lead vocalist Jetson. “It’s loud yet soft, edgy yet pure, it has retro elements and modern ones, it’s both serious and playful at the same time… It’s a kind of like taking Neil Diamond and putting him as the lead of Nirvana.” Consisting of the two brothers along with bassist Reah Smith and organist Kim Drakeley the group accompanies a mix of classic and alternative indie rock elements with influences such as The Who, The Pixies, The White Stripes, and The Doors.

In early 2010, still virtually unknown, the band released their first debut EP produced by Billy Chapin and Stan Lynch of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. The EP peaked at #96 on the CMJ TOP 200 and stayed around for over two months along side huge bands such as The Flaming Lips. As their EP climbed the college radio charts The Black Rabbits scrapped together what cash they could and toured the east coast. “It seemed like every show we played was accompanied by a huge thunder storm; like there was a black cloud following us the whole time,” remarks drummer Skyler Black. Still, that didn’t stop people from showing up and soon after the blogs and indie zines were buzzing. The Miami New Times writes, “There’s a feel-good, timeless bounce to the songs that should appeal to Boomer parents as much as twentysomethings in Converse.” OurStage writes, “Like a train that chugs along and suddenly threatens to go off the tracks, The Black Rabbits brooding, theatrical garage rock makes for an exciting ride.”

During this time The Black Rabbits had garnered some mainstream attention that led them to being invited to play the Grammy Showcase during the Florida Music Fest, interviewed by MTV as an up and coming band, featured on Fox News, as well as being placed in television shows across the networks such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Bad Girls. The Black Rabbits recently signed with Rock Ridge Music and are currently gearing up to release their debut full-length album with producers Stan & Billy.

The Black Rabbits can be found online at http://www.TheBlackRabbits.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as The Celebrity Lawyer and Agent to the top Celebrity Experts for his role in developing and marketing business and entertainment personalities. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to television shows with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber and many more.

Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored 8 best-selling books, including the breakthrough hit Celebrity Branding You!®.

Nick has been seen in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com. and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), co-founder of the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors, a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Rock Ridge Music :

Rock Ridge Music is striving to become the ultimate resource for established and developing artists. Rock Ridge Music is a music services company with 3 main areas of focus:

- A full service record label with distribution through ADA (WMG). Rock Ridge Music can

distribute hard product, digital music and mobile media worldwide.

- Artist management services.  Rock Ridge Music takes a long-term approach to career

management, and encourages artists to trust their instincts and to stay creative.

- Marketing services for clients in music, TV and film. Rock Ridge Marketing services include           new media consulting, project management, and production/creative services consulting.

To learn more about Rock Ridge Music, please visit http://www.rockridgemusic.com

Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent, along with JW Dicks, Esq., business strategist and personal branding expert, recently offered some helpful tips on how you can add some personality to your online and offline marketing.

Orlando, Fla. – September 17, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In their latest blog post, titled “Personal Branding Tip: Put A Little PERSONALITY In It!”, Nick and JW provide some strategies that businesses, small and large alike, can use to display some personality in their online and offline campaigns.  The post also contains a video by Nick Nanton that reveals some great online tools that will allow you to get started instantly.

“If you want to build your personal brand and be perceived as an expert by your audience, ultimately your expertise has to align with your personality and who you’re trying to connect with. Although scary at times, that means you have to let people in on who you are,” write Dicks and Nanton.  “We’ve heard it said before that it’s 10 percent what you know and 90 percent the other stuff. We’re not positive that ratio is exactly right, but it does a great job at making the point that ‘people have to know you before they’ll listen to you.’ That’s what our friend James Malinchak says and we agree,” continued the authors.

“You’ve got to give people reasons to want to like you, reasons they’ll be attracted to you, think they’re like you and ultimately trust you and do business with you.,” write the authors.  Nick Nanton and JW Dicks also reveal the formula for the origin story. “It will allow you to show your personality as well as the reason why your audience should listen to you and follow what you have to say,” write Dicks and Nanton.

To read the entire post and learn more about these strategies in detail, visit http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/blog/personal-branding-tip-put-a-little-personality-in-it.php

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business.  JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W.  represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself.  He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com •  800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

Nick Nanton, Esq, The Celebrity Agent and personal branding expert, discusses the only sure-fire way to protect your personal brand

Orlando, Fla. – September 15, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently published an article on his website http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com, explaining how defending your personal brand online is a necessary key to success.

The article, titled “Personal Branding: Protecting Your Brand,” explores that when their branding agency focuses on personal branding for their clients, one of the most important things they emphasize is “protecting the brand.” The piece includes the following excerpt:

Defending your personal brand online is key to making sure that your clients are always getting the true representation of your brand in everything you do. Your choice of employees, the tone of your marketing campaigns, your social media activity and your public speaking or sales events – all should revolve around one thing – the lifeblood of you business: your personal brand.

Just by staying actively involved and being aware of how your brand is being perceived will keep you ten steps ahead of the competition. Make sure you know what your customer’s preferences are. Make sure you know immediately if they have complaints – and find a way to rectify them. Not only will you understand your customers better, but they will also respect you more, knowing that you have your head in the game.

Read the entire article at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/articles/personal-branding-protecting-your-brand.php

Nick Nanton and business partner, JW Dicks, are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. They emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and personal branding expert, highlights how creative marketing can showcase your personal brand

Orlando, Fla. – September 14, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently posted a blog on his website http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com, discusses the importance of creative marketing, citing an example from legendary rock band Cheap Trick.

The latest blog, titled “Personal Branding Tip: Choose To Be Different!” explains how Cheap Trick released their most recent album on 8-track, along with the more traditional mediums, and how they’ve been able to use this as a superb marketing tool. The piece includes the following excerpt:

Being involved in personal branding with our branding agency, this got me thinking about niche marketing and how personalities and businesses can use quirky and unorthodox branding and marketing methods to add to the desired perception of your brand.

The music business is certainly a crowded marketplace – much like many other industries. Think of ways that you can separate yourself from the noise and stand out when it’s time for you to push a new product or service.

The entire post is available at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/blog/personal-branding-tip-choose-to-be-different.php

Nick Nanton and business partner, JW Dicks, are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. They emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Nick Nanton, Esq, The Celebrity Agent and personal branding expert, discusses niche marketing and using personal branding to fill a void in a marketplace

Orlando, Fla. – September 8, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently published an article on his website http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com, explaining how use personal branding to take advantage of a marketplace that is in need of your services.

The article, titled “Personal Branding: Something Needed? YOU Provide It!”
Uses a local Jacksonville, Florida small business called “Sauce-a-holics” to illustrate the importance of recognizing a need in the marketplace, and using personal branding to satisfy that need. The piece includes the following excerpt:

Just like many small businesses, the competition may seem to be a hurdle that is too hard to jump. In this case, Sauce-a-holics will be competing against the large grocery chains like Publix, who offer a pretty good variety of these items, along with larger specialty stores like Total Wine, where they have a somewhat large selection of sauces and gift items that often accompany beer and wine stores.

So what do they need to do? They need to market themselves as being the go-to experts in all of Jacksonville. They have to give customers a reason to specifically go to their store to buy these items. The best reason? These guys know everything there is to know about salsa and hot sauce. Specifically, Stephen (a nephew of one of the owners tapped to run the store) can post a weekly blog about the latest trends in the business, new products, gift ideas, etc. Perhaps Stephen or Don can pitch a recurring segment on the local news to show ways to spice up everyday meals. Pretty soon, people will be saying “if you want sauce, go see Don.” Don’s personal brand as the Jacksonville’s sauce expert will help drive business, because why would you buy from someone who isn’t an expert? You get the idea.

Read the entire article at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/articles/personal-branding-something-needed-you-provide-it.php

Nick Nanton and business partner, JW Dicks, are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. They emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent, along with JW Dicks, Esq., The business strategist and personal branding expert, recently discussed Lady Gaga’s Personal Branding.

Orlando, Fla. – August 26, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In one of their recent blog posts, titled “Personal Branding Goes Gaga,” Nick and JW discuss the personal branding aspects of Lady Gaga’s ambitions to produce and star in the next blockbuster music movie.

“From our brand positioning perch, we naturally applaud the next expansion of the Gaga brand but would hope that someone in the Gaga camp thinks strategically and doesn’t just jump from project to project without focus,” write Dicks and Nanton.

“There is clearly lots of money to be made from her growing brand and fan base, but at some point you have to make decisions on direction if for no other reason than to solidify what you have. This is not to suggest that Lady Gaga go conservative, heaven forbid the disastrous affect of that. On the contrary, it is an urge to focus and fill in the core of your brand base, making it stronger and ready for bigger challenges,” continued the authors.

To read the entire post, visit http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/blog/personal-branding-goes-gaga.php

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business.  JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W.  represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself.  He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com •  800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent, along with JW Dicks, Esq., The business strategist and personal branding expert, recently discussed Tony Robbins’s Personal Branding “Breakthrough.”

Orlando, Fla. – August, 2 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In one of their recent blog posts, titled “Tony Robbins’s Personal Branding Breakthrough,” Nick and JW explain the personal branding aspects of Tony Robbins’s new reality TV show, “Breakthrough.”

“Tony’s production company has mixed reality with message and created fans instead of buyers. While this may have a slight delayed effect in product sales, that delay will undoubtedly be outweighed by a strong new fan base for the entire spectrum of Tony Robbins Experiences including product sales as well as high end events and personal coaching at price points that might have seemed unattainable prior to the new show’s launch.,” write Dicks and Nanton.

“Make no mistake, this show will be a commercial success–perhaps even on the front end from ad sales, but it will be also undoubtedly be a success for Tony Robbins Productions, the producer of the show, and the mix of Robbins’s products and services that will be revived as well as newly created, all at the same time.,” continued the authors.

To read the entire post, visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1675170/tony-robbins-perosnal-branding-breakthrough

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

by Nick Nanton, Esq.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu

I am willing to bet that almost every single one of you reading this chapter has read the above quote – or had it quoted to you – in the course of your life. You’re starting college and it’s rough – somebody tells you about that first step. You’re having trouble getting a new business off the ground – somebody tells you about the first step. Whenever you’re at the initial stage of anything – you hear about ‘that thousand miles’ and ‘that first step’.

And to be fair, you can’t argue with it – it’s true. That ‘thousand mile journey’ starts with that first step.

What people don’t discuss, however, is the 4634th step. Or the 5489th step. When you’re so far from the beginning that you’re in danger of forgetting where you’re going – and when you’re still so far from the end, you think you’ll never make it there.

When you’re in the middle of the grind – when it feels like the pay-off will never come – and when you may be so tired you don’t think there ever will be a pay-off – that’s when it can be incredibly difficult (maybe the most difficult) to take the next step.

I firmly believe that when you get to that tough slog where it just feels ‘like you’re grinding it out for no reason’, that’s actually when you’re in the middle of the real hard work that’s going to ultimately validate your efforts. This is when it’s most important to follow through on the process and systems you’ve set up – and not forget what got you as far as you already are. That’s when you need to power through with your process and get what you originally wanted with it.

But let’s not start with the 5489th step. Let’s take Lao Tzu’s advice and start with the first.

THE FIRST STEP AND WHY IT’S CRUCIAL

Someone who I recently learned of, and am enamored with, has become an inspiration to me and a whole lot of other people, …former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He always had an interesting first step for his players at his ‘first talk’ of the season. It probably wasn’t so interesting for the seniors to hear the exact same ‘first talk’ they heard when they were freshman – but Wooden was a man who believed in the proper process, which is one big reason he was voted “Coach of the Century” by ESPN.

That first talk of the season was not about the goals for the team, who the captains would be, or any of the usual rally cries of a typical coach, nope, it was all about Wooden demonstrating, in meticulous detail, how the players should properly put on their socks and their shoes. Yes, he would actually show them how to do it. And yes, you usually don’t get that kind of instruction after you’re two or three years old – especially from one of the best college coaches of all time. Frankly, most coaches at any level above elementary school would think it was too trivial to deal with – and college boys should know how to dress themselves!

Wooden, however, knew that most good players ended up on the bench because they ended up with blisters from gameplay. And he knew most of those blisters could be prevented if players would simply take the time and put on their socks and shoes correctly.

Hence the lecture every year – even to the players who had already heard it!! It was a vital first step to Wooden’s process – and do you really argue with a guy who ended up with an over-80% win record? …who won ten national championships? …who is regarded as America’s ‘winningest’ coach? I certainly wouldn’t!

By building from that base, Wooden created teams that knew basketball inside and out. He gave them a process that enabled them to do their very best – and turned him into a legendary coach.

It’s what all of us need to do in our individual businesses. Your first steps, in any venture, should be about finding out what works, from the bottom up. ‘Fine-tuning’ will obviously come as you continue along the way, but if you nail down the process that works for you personally, it’s a template that can take you to where you want to go — if you learn the basics, remember them and continue to implement them.

Some aspects of that process are generic – they’re essential to anyone trying to do what you’re doing. Others are personal – making use of your specific talents and what works best for you. Out of all of it, however, you build your own unique process by seeing what’s effective and what isn’t. Once you have it all put together, you drill that process into your brain at every given opportunity. And you never forget why you use the process you use – because it works …for you. Not for the guy down the street, or somebody two office doors down from yours… for YOU!!!!

And it has to be the process that’s going to serve you all the way down the line. I have to hand it to my four year-old son Brock’s T-ball coach, Coach Will, because he showed me this power principle in action and how it’s relevant at any age.

The kid that was playing pitcher (no, really, in T-ball they have one, they just don’t actually pitch!) in the game ran from the pitcher’s mound to run down another kid running to home plate – and pulled it off. He got the out. But the coach told the pitcher that’s not what he wanted to see. That’s not how the game is played. It’ll work out in T-ball, but that play won’t work when the kids get a little older, and a little faster. He said, “You might get an out this year with that play, but we’re not here to get outs, we’re here to learn how to play baseball.” Wow! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Coach Will wanted them to learn how to play the right way for the long run – now what worked just for now – so as they moved on, they could power through with the proper process.

With any first steps, you should be doing the same thing – finding out how whatever “game” you’re learning works, and how best to play it – whether it’s the game of life, the game of business, or a true game. The principle is the same.

THE FIRST STEP AND WHY IT’S OVERRATED

No, I’m not getting into an argument with myself, it’s true…first steps are absolutely crucial and also amazingly easy!

First of all, people are always incredibly encouraging when you start something new (unless they know you well enough to sense you’re heading for disaster). It’s exciting to them and they live vicariously through you trying something for the first time. Why? Because you have to do all the hard work and all they have to do is watch!

Seriously, how many quotes and advice do you see on beginning something, whether it’s a business or a relationship or just a workout regimen? Whereas, when you’re in the middle of something and whining about it – well, everybody’s in the middle of something and whining about it. And they’d rather listen to themselves whine than listen to you do it!

The first step also often means you’re not putting that much at stake. There’s not a lot invested in it emotionally, physically or financially yet. It’s basically setting a goal and beginning to figure out how you can achieve that goal.

Taking that first step usually means:

• You’re beginning something you want to get done.
• You haven’t faced serious opposition to your goal.
• You’ve psyched yourself up to get going – so you’re ‘pumped’ to see it through.
• Nobody expects a lot from you – because you’re just beginning to find out how it’s done.

In other words, sure, you’re nervous – but you’re okay to start that long ‘thousand mile’ journey, whatever it is. It’s not so bad. You’re choosing to do it. And nobody will be too hard on you about it.

The first step is also generally not that complicated. Remember what the first day of school or a class was like? It was the teacher telling you what you were going to be doing the rest of the semester or year and that’s about it. You didn’t have to worry, at that point, about having homework done or passing any tests. You were just there – trying to stay awake until the bell rang. Hey, even with Coach Wooden, all they had to do was figure out how to put on their socks and shoes the first time he talked to them! Most of us can handle that kind of pressure.

And one last thing about the first step not really being all that bad – you can totally ‘bail’ before the second step. Seriously, most things won’t have horrible consequences if you bail early (guys, this is not an excuse the day after that bachelor party, don’t even think about it!). Maybe you say to yourself, “Hey, I want to learn Mandarin Chinese (I use this example in honor of Lao Tzu).” You take that first step – maybe you get an introduction to a beginner’s Mandarin Chinese book – and then the bolt of lightning hits your brain….“Hey! This is hard! I’d rather spend the effort on __________ (fill in the blank with your next goal).”

What did you lose? …that $9.99 you spent on the book? …and those ten minutes it took you to realize it was hard enough for you to learn English? …let alone this.

Taking one step on the thousand mile journey and changing your mind? No big deal. Getting five hundred miles down the road and changing your mind? Enormous deal. That’s why you can’t…

DON’T JUST MUDDLE THROUGH THE MIDDLE

So let’s talk about being five hundred miles down that thousand mile road. That’s what I like to call the unsung hero of heroic struggles – the middle.

They say the closer you get to the summit, the harder it is to reach it. I’ve chosen to consciously disagree, and you can too with the right mindset – and I talked about this a little at the beginning of this chapter. When you’re so far along, you forgot why you started – but you’re not far enough to see where you’re going – it’s easy to feel like you’re stumbling around in the dark, going through the motions, and completely not getting anywhere.

And that’s where you have to power through with your process. That’s where you have to put your socks and shoes on correctly and keep doing what you’re doing, if you’ve proven to yourself that it works. You may need some adjustments – that’s normal, because the world is always changing – but in general, you have to ‘keep on keeping on’.

I’m speaking from personal experience on that point. For example, a big part of our business involves me speaking at different events all across the country. They are great because they usually generate a lot of interest in our business and we get to build a list of prospects who were interested enough to come out and hear me, and give us their contact information to stay in touch – so it’s almost always a good decision to accept invitations to speak at events. It’s something I’ve learned works for us and it’s definitely a big part of my process.

Well, I was invited to speak at what was billed as a major seminar event in California – and I was told there might be a lot of influential people there that would be interested in doing business, and many of them had very large fan bases (sounds good, but believe me, I’ve heard it before and the delivery of those elements is usually far less than what has been promised). So I thought about it. It was a big commitment (a week in California, away from my family in Orlando), and a big financial commitment (not that it was overly expensive for the trip, but because of my marketing budget at the time, I had to choose between this trip and a new marketing campaign I really wanted to launch).

The California trip, more and more, just felt like a big hassle to me, and an inconvenient one at that. I was ready to skip it, when I remembered that this kind of thing – speaking at places where I could widen my circle of influence and boost my network – was really a vital way that we grow our business. So, I agreed to it.

When I got there, I was amazed at the number of top-tier speakers and writers that were in attendance – it was a room of about 100 people who were all seven figure speakers and authors. I won’t drop names, but I would be willing to bet you’d know at least half of the people in the room. We’re talking about men and women who literally fill STADIUMS with rabid fans wanting to hear them speak, and others who had collectively sold over 100 MILLION books! It was insane! Don’t get me wrong, the seminar was hard work – sessions night and day – but out of that came lots of things, including an invitation to speak at another event which proved to be a huge windfall, and there are many other opportunities still being fleshed out, all because I didn’t forget my basic principles, even when I was reluctant, and I powered through with my process.

PROP-UP YOUR PROCESS WITH PRINCIPLES

When I was thinking about whether or not to accept that speaking engagement, I didn’t think about making important new contacts or generating more business. I concentrated on the expense, the work and the inconvenience. Obviously, big mistake on my part.
Fortunately, I got back on my thousand-mile road because I remembered that the process didn’t exist for its own sake – the process brought results!!!

And that’s what we all have to remember. We must continually perfect the process – and sticking to that process is more important than anything else…because the process gets us to the goal line.

When Coach Wooden gave his annual “socks and shoes speech,” some older players would start to feel insulted that he was still teaching the ins and outs of footwear. They didn’t want to listen to it all over again.

But consider this – do you think Coach Wooden really wanted to tell players how to put on their socks and shoes every single year?

Don’t you think maybe one season, he said to himself, “Maybe I don’t have to do this anymore. Maybe these college kids can figure this out for themselves.” I’m willing to wager he did – and that he also went back to doing it because he once again realized that this was his process, it worked and he should stick to it. …and because it was also important to his players’ process.

After the newness of whatever you’re in the middle of wears off, it’s tempting to forget all the building blocks that got you there. It’s easy to be distracted by turn-offs on the thousand mile road and take another route …that will take you somewhere you really don’t want to go.

Both behaviors are dangerous to your business. Sticking to your the principles that you used to develop your process helps you avoid them. Maybe you have a choice between a lunch with somebody you like but isn’t going to do much for your operation – and somebody else you don’t know that well but could do an awful lot for you. You’re better off seizing the second opportunity, even though you’ll have to invest some time and energy in getting to know this person and selling them on you and your business.

Making productive choices that will further your process means you’ll keep getting the results you want. And, hey, you can always have lunch with the other friend on a day when there isn’t a conflict.

When the pay-off isn’t necessarily in sight, you simply have to trust that what you’re doing will work – and that your process will, in fact, see you through to the other side.

I will leave you with some very wise words from Coach Wooden: “Don’t be too concerned with regard to things over which you have no control, because that will eventually have an adverse effect on things over which you have control.”

You have control over what you do and how you do it. You can’t control the outside factors. Even if you’ve made your process the most powerful it can be, it still won’t work every single time. But if you fixate on the things that could go against you, you’ll have a hard time achieving what you want to achieve.

Life is all about making the odds work in your favor – and having a process that will allow you to power through to the end of whatever road you’re on – means that chances are you’ll get what you’re after.

So pull on those socks and lace up those shoes the right way – so you can win the game!