Joe "The Connector" Celebrates Turning 50 Years Old with a Leg Workout, Sushi, Mac & Cheese

OK - it is my birthday - so I can eat like crap if I want to.  It's really a milestone I never thought I would actually reach - 50 frickin years old!  I decided today that I can finally do whatever it is that I want - and NOBODY is going to make decisions for me any more ;-)  I've got lots of great new goals - and a new burning desire to ACHIEVE!

 


I MUST be the luckiest person on the planet! So blessed in too many ways to count!

Joe Kennedy Celebrates Turning 50 - and the First Half of His Life

It's hard to believe I actually made it to 50, but since I did, I'm going to go all out for the next 50!

Presidential Team at Solavei Grows to 117 Members! Who Wants Extra Income in 2013?

Most excellent news:  The Presidential Team at Solavei has grown to 117 members as of this afternoon.  That is a growth of 6 added and very valued members who are saving money on their cell service just over the weekend.  I also had another direct signup today and Amira Lions will soon be activated - her page at Solavei.com will be Solavei.com/49ForUnlimited.  I've also built her a website at CellPhone4Students.info.

I'm still looking for 12 more key people who want to earn an extra $1-2,000 a month or more within the next 6 months.  We're doing pretty good, but I really want to work with people who are motivated to earn a residual income by helping people save money ...

How could an extra $1000 help you and your family each month?  Can you afford not to do this?

Nice to See Past Clients Using Their Web Tools

Sometimes it can be difficult to have small businesses as consulting clients, because many times these great little organizations are run by a super small staff that is generally already overworked, underpaid and not looking for more work to do.  Social media and often, it's not so evil twin, social media marketing, are something that almost all businesses need to be involved in.  You can choose not to be - but can you really afford to make that decision since all your "real" competitors out there will be?

Back in Bellevue with Lots To Do

Well, the trip to LA didn't exactly turn out as planned - but it was rather non-eventful and I did get to see some friends so it wasn't a total loss.  It did seem strange that I didn't actually get to meet the two people I went down to see - and that kept pushing me back north.  As it turned out, my intuition was once again 1000% on target, because once I got back, I found out that a deposit check left for me the day I went to California (a week earlier) was never even signed - and now I have a room to rent - again.

Regardless of where I am, I have a ton of work to do.  Too many interests and websites, not enough time.

My number 1 priority right now has to be income.  Although my income is steadily (but slowly) building with Solavei (I need to be able to help more people save money on their cell bills), I need more income, faster.  I actually started applying for jobs again this week - which seems to always be a humbling experience.  I've applied for jobs I'm qualified for, under qualified for, over qualified for, jobs I am interested in, jobs I would hate, but never in the past three years have I even been able to get an interview.  So far, I have not even been able to get a job pushing butts (Ski Lift Operator) at Snoqualmie Summit.

Actually last month I did have a meeting about a development position with some really good people from All About Hope - a non-profit that grants wishes to those 19 and over with stage 4 cancer - much like Make a Wish does for those 18 and under.  It is a great organization that does some amazing work and it would be great to be able to work with them, but only time will tell if it is meant to be.  The Founder of All About Home is a very inspiring Mercer Island Realtor named Amanda Reynolds who has fought several different types of cancer since she was only 5 years old.  It's impossible to begin to imagine all that Amanda has been through - and yet she continues to serve others and fight for the mission of All About Hope.  Amanda is indeed an inspiration.

Almost makes me feel bad for wanting / NEEDING a J.O.B., but the bills have to be paid - and I need to be able to eat at least once a week ... ;-)

Which brings me back to one of my passions:  clean eating and HealthyEaters.org.  Although I did have a couple of "cheat" meals while in southern California (I actually ate a sandwich with cheese - and bread), and ate a bunch of crap on the long drive back to Washington, I feel like I did pretty darn well during my time out of town.  I had my 'rations' ready for the trip down - complete with protein powders, protein bars, nuts, lots of drinking water, etc, but probably could have done a bit better on stocking up while I was down there.

The piece that I'm not feeling so good about right now is the HealthyEaters.org website.  I have not even visited the entire time I was gone - and literally did ZERO work on it.  Not (yet) building much of a community there - but am now in the middle of planning a social media strategy to launch in 2013 - as well as firming up the details for the 48 state blending juice tour to take place next year.  I still need to get some key partners and sponsors in place to join Blendtec in supporting our mission of reversing the obesity trend in the US.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that I am 3 days into my self imposed 'holiday' from social media?

Hello Southern California - So Very Happy to Be Here

Hello Southern California - as I start my 3rd day back in the great state of California, I am extremely grateful for getting here safely after driving through torrential downpours in Washington and Oregon - and then running right over an already dead deer that was lying in the road.

So glad to be back in So Cal - where I was born and where I have spent many of the happiest years of my life.  I've been away for most of the last 8 years and it has been far too long.  VERY glad to be back - both geographically and personally ....

My Personal Social Media Disclaimer - Please Read and Share

In light of all the disclaimers going around on Facebook (a joke IMHO) and as a way to help explain part of what I'm working on, and how YOU can help (if you are so inclined) I thought I would write and post My Personal Social Media Disclaimer:

1. By engaging on social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, FourSquare, Pinterest, MySpace, etc I realize that I'm basically giving up any privacy I might still have (an illusion of having).

2. If and when I share content on social media, anyone else is welcome to use or share it too!  It is expected that proper attribution and/or credit will be given at all times possible.  If you want to use my vacation photos - please feel free - just link them back to one of my sites like JoeKennedy.biz.

3. Because I share something via social media does not mean I necessarily support or endorse it - just that I thought it was shareable.  In the grand scheme of things, my viewpoint matters little any way - but there are some things, causes, news, etc that should be shared.

4. I try to add value and set a good example, but sometimes (frequently?) you might not like what I post.  Guess what?  That is TOTALLY ok!  I might not like what you post either ...  If you think I am just totally offensive, simply de-friend/follow/stalk me.  No hard feelings.

Shhhhhh .... The Presidential Team at Solavei has Reached 100 Members!

Don't tell anybody, but our Presidential Team at Solavei reached 100 members about 12 hours ago!  I'm so stoked that I've been able to touch so many people so quickly through this pyramid scheme (it is not either).  Just in my network, this Solavei "scam" (it's definitely not a scam), there are already 100 people saving money on their cell bills!  How awesome is that?  What is even cooler is that many of us (who are telling a lot of people about it) are starting to make good money and the Solavei service has not even been live to the public for 3 months yet.

If you would like to join the revolution and The Presidential Team, or would like more info - please visit 49DollarCellService.com or give me a call at 213-632-9227.  It's a great time to join - get your first month free if you sign up in the next 4 days. (before December 1st).

Check Out 49DollarCellService.com at ReferralKey

I guess it is really my personal profile at ReferralKey, but it is all about business, so it is promoting 49DollarCellService.com.  Please visit my profile and 49DollarCellService.com at ReferralKey.

WOWZA! The Presidential Team at Solavei is Kicking Butt! Continuing to Grow!

Two days ago over at TheSocialNetworkMarketingStore.com, I wrote about our Presidential Team at Solavei having grown to 72 members.

Yesterday, I posted at JoeKennedy.biz that our team at Solavei had grown by another two members.



Tonight (and it is only 6:29pm here on the west coast), the Presidential Team at Solavei has grown by another 3 awesome members!!!!  We are now at a total of 77 connections (including my buddy and sponsor Troy McVicker - who is already a Social Connector 2 and making $400 a month just on Path Pay ...).

Yep, Solavei is only six weeks old, but we are taking the nation by storm.  Over 65,000 members already - and over a MILLION DOLLARS has already been paid out in commissions.  I'm very thankful that I'm one of thousands getting some of those commission dollars, but also that I have the ability to share with YOU and help YOU start making some monthly income too!  How sweet it is!

If you would like to sign up with the Presidential Team at Solavei and take advantage of awesome, unlimited, nationwide, 4G, voice, text and data with NO CONTRACTS - and the opportunity to earn an extra income by sharing call me at 425-429-8590 or check out 49DollarCellService.com.  I should know - it's my main form of income now.

California Here I Come - Watch Out Hollywood, It's Show Time!

Lots of really cool stuff happening lately - so much to share, but so little time to do so.

Later this month I'll be heading to Hollywood for a couple of meetings that could lead to interesting opportunities, as well as to plot and plan, write, make some videos and finish putting together the HealthyEaters.org 48 State Blending Juice Tour.  Seems like there is a lot to take care of between now and then.

Usually when I get on the road, I like to drive straight thru - my fastest time to San Diego was 17 hours and 30 minutes but that was probably driving way too fast for way too long.  This time I will be stopping along the way to blend some juices, takes some photos and videos, possibly check out a gym or two - as well as promoting the Presidential Team at Solavei and 49DollarCellService.com.

Still not sure where I am going to stay in LA.  I'm really a beach person, so considering Malibu or Santa Monica, but it might be better if I set up shop closer to the real action in Hollywood or Beverly Hills ...

I'm really going to miss my daughter who is about to turn 9 - but hope to solidify some connections who will help her get her SAG card (and some work) when the time is right.  She is very cute, tri-lingual and smarter than her papa .....  At the very least, I'm hoping she will be able to join me on at least a couple legs of the 48 State Blending Juice Tour - and then we'll have an excuse to do kids' juices too!

Lots more to share, but in a different post - I've got to run!  Maybe I'll write later at TheJoeKennedy.com or JoeKennedy.biz.  Oh - BTW - if you are on the west coast and would like to meet up while I am on the way to LA, drop me a note or make a comment here.  I'd love to blend some green juice with you - and let you know about this great little cell phone company I'm involved in ...

VIDEO: Update from Joe Kennedy About 49DollarCellService.com

Here's a short video I recorded this morning giving an update about Solavei, our Presidential Team and 49DollarCellService.com.



Please contact me if you'd like to get involved. Solavei just announced a HUG October promotion that could save you up to $78 on sign up.

5 Reasons Why I LOVE Helping People Lower Their Cell Bills !!!

There are many awesome reasons why I am loving having cell service with Solavei - but there are many more why I LOVE helping others save money with this awesome new cell service.  Here are just a few of the biggest ones:

1. Times are tough for many people and the money savings on cell service are undeniably needed and appreciated.

2. I've been unemployed for waaaaay too long and need the income - badly.

3. I get paid according to the effort I put in - the more I share, the more I make.

4.  The amount of money invested to start is minimal and will be made back in first 30 days - and then some!

5.  I don't have to wear pants!

I don't like clothes, but no, don't walk around naked all day (at least not every day) - I just prefer to wear shorts or sweat pants.  While working in the world of cell phone savings, most of my contacts are made online or on the phone - so I don't need to go to a lot of meetings or anything like that - so I get to dress (or undress) as comfortably as I like.

After writing this I'm feeling like I should go for going the entire year of 2013 pants-less ... What do you think?

It would probably mean spending more time in warmer climates (which is already in the plan) - and I would have to be making enough money to turn down any other opportunities where I might be expected to wear pants ...  soooooo ..... I'm going to pledge to go pants-less in 2013 IF I can directly help at least 100 more people save money on their cell bills.  Are YOU in?  Find out more about this awesome cell service - $49 a month for unlimited voice, text and data, with no contracts, no credit checks, no BS.

Buy My 33 Smoothie Recipes eBook Today! Health and Deliciousness for Less Than Five Bucks

I finally got it done - my first smoothie recipe book, aptly titled "33 Smoothie Recipes".  I was hoping to have it done a month ago, but it wasn't to be.  Instead it was finished last week and formatted over the weekend by Stacia Loo.

33 Smoothie Recipes is an eBook that will be available on Amazon for the Kindle and BN.com (Barnes and Noble) for the Nook by tomorrow, but the good news is that you can buy it right now over at HealthyEaters.org for only $4.99.

This is the first eBook that I have published, but certainly won't be the last - I'm already working on a follow-up recipe book with a focus on blended green drinks.

Thank you very much for purchasing the new 33 Smoothie Recipes eBook and for all of your support.  Because of the great chance we have to save people money on their cell bills at 49DollarCellService.com, I am able to start building a community at HealthyEaters.org and will soon be able to offer free nutritional counseling and community support for anyone who wants it.  Together we are going to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in the United States.

 

I Want You to Get FREE Cell Service Too!

I just recently started earning FREE cell phone service - and I want to show you how you can too!



We're still one week away from the public launch of Solavei and you can still get in pre-launch!  Let me show you how easy it is to get FREE cell phone service - give me a call (213) 632-9277 or send an email to Joe@49DollarCellService.com.

If We Meet at Today's Ignite U Hoopla ....

I just blended up a pitcher full of awesomeness in my trusty Vitamix - spinach, carrot, tomatoes, avocado, Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein and chia seeds from Chosen Foods.  Super nutritious energy for a great event I'm getting ready to go to called Ignite U Hoopla, which is being held today, September 13th at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma from 3 - 9:30 pm.

I'm really looking forward to meeting a lot of new people - it's been quite awhile since I've been to a networking event in T-Town.

If we do get a chance to meet there, I first want to get to learn about you - sure what you do for work, but I'm really most interested in what your passions are.  What motivates you to get out of bed every day?  What gets you so jazzed that you are constantly thinking and talking about it?  I just love to talk to people about their passions!

Talk About Email Overload ... Sorry Everyone, But I'm Using the Delete Button A Lot Today

Talk about email overload ...  After spending much of August on My eBay Jobs Project and now focusing on building the Presidential Team at Solavei and 49DollarCellService.com, I knew I was way behind on email - but I didn't realize I had let it get this bad ...  I just noticed that in my personal email box I had over 2100 emails - some of them stretching back to April of this year.  I've done much better at cutting out the excess email for my account at BellevueBusinessJournal.com - there are currently "only" 293 emails in my inbox there.

Today on Labor Day, My eBay Jobs Project Has Ended

It seems only fitting that My eBay Jobs Project has come to an end today on Labor Day (I started this post yesterday and had intended to finish and post it then -but it didn't happen).  My eBay Jobs Project was only supposed to be for the month of August, but towards the end of last week I had a couple of things come up, so I had to work much of each day during this "3 day weekend".

In summary, My eBay Jobs Project turned out to be a very interesting experience, albeit a financial disaster.  I had the opportunity to work for a couple of local small businesses:  Glass Gardens NW and Smiley Dog.  

Hey dk - I Want to Go to Think Tank!

This video is meant to be a public, but personal message to "dk", Mr. Dan Klein of La Jolla, California.  It is an appeal for an invitation to his 12th(?) annual and ultra cool gathering of Internet Entrepreneurs called Think Tank.  It is held mostly on the sand right in Del Mar next to the Power House - and this is super cool, cause it is the same beach that I used to visit daily when I lived down there.

Hey dk - please consider my offer.  I've had some challenges over the past few years and don't even know how I will be able to afford to get there - but if you are willing to make a deal for an invite and the price of admission, I will hitchhike if I cannot find any other way to get there.



Please contact me at your earliest convenience - (425) 429-8590 or JoeConnector(at)gmail.com .  Let's make a deal!

VIDEO: I Got Rid of My iPhone and Now My Cell Phone Pays Me!

I want to quickly tell you why I am so excited to be involved with Solavei, a new social commerce company that is providing unlimited voice, text and data cell service for only $49 a month.
I should first let you know that I am in Solavei as a Founder and am registered as member 1311. The name of my team is the PresidentialTeam and I have some really good people involved. I purchased my new Solavei HTC One S phone about a week ago and it showed up at my door a couple of days later. I was more than a little apprehensive about giving up my iPhone and service from Verizon – but am actually liking the One S more than the iPhone – and the service (on the T-Mobile network) has yet to let me down. It is much improved over a couple of years ago when I had tried T-Mobile service – the 4G is AWESOME!
The main reasons I got involved with Solavei are:
1) To save money on my cell bill.
2) To help others do the same.
I am even more excited about it now, because it is almost certain that I will be getting FREE cell service and getting paid by the launch date of September 21st. It is so cool to be in a company PRE-LAUNCH – we are breaking new ground!
Today is Saturday August 25th. If you want to be guaranteed to be in pre-launch, you must be registered in The Lane by tomorrow at midnight. Admission to The Lane is by invitation only so if you need an invite, call me on my Solavei phone at (586) 457-8064 or send me an email to Joe(at)49DollarCellService.com.
I would love to have you on the Presidential Team – and hope to hear from you!

Almost Halfway Thru August, Needing to Make Some Magic for Smiley Dog and Glass Gardens NW

Sitting here on the morning of August 15th, thinking that we're almost half way through the month working for Smiley Dog and Glass Gardens NW.  I'm feeling a bit stressed, as I'm not sure I've been able to help Craig and Barbara as much as I thought I could.  I'm finding it a bit difficult to strategize, plan and implement for two businesses at once in such a short period of time, but I do know that I have been of some benefit.

My eBay Jobs Project: Media Release Goes Out Tomorrow

One of the things that is real important about this project to Craig and Barbara is to generate some media publicity about My eBay Jobs Project so that I can find permanent employment.  I really appreciate that A LOT.

I Sold Myself on eBay! Update August 10th My eBay Jobs Project

Here's a quick little update on the past few days of my eBay Jobs Project working for Smiley Dog healthy pet food delivery service and Glass Gardens NW.

July 8 - Scheduled fan inspection for Barbara Friday 12-2pm.  Met with Craig at Smiley Dog warehouse from 10am - 2 or 3pm. Finalize plans for ShoreDOG's DogFest on Saturday August 11th (that's tomorrow) 11-3pm at Hamlin Park.  Worked on FB accounts, ads, strategy.  Invited a few hundred friends to like the Smiley Dog facebook page.  Not many have yet.  :-(  I posted some pictures of the Glass Gardens NW booth last weekend at the Anacortes Arts Festival and there were a good number of likes.

July 9 - Delivered approximate 150 door hangars for Smiley Dog in Shoreline / Highlands Heights.  Continued researching more influencers to send gift bags.  Starting to post on FB page and try to engage clients and potential clients.

July 10 - a 7:30 breakfast meeting with Craig and Barbara at Maltby Cafe.

BTW - a few things that have happened recently on the employment front:  1) I am still being approached about a Marketing Director position with a non-profit, but I'm not sure it's a good fit because it is affiliated with a real estate company that I do not want to promote.  2) A friend of mine who owns a marketing company is looking for a social media manager for one of his clients and has once again started asking me about it.  It could be a very cool job.  3) I've been offered a founding member position in Solavei.  Not sure I can take advantage of this because it means I have to buy a $578 phone - and that is $578 I don't have.

Joe Kennedy's eBay Jobs Project Update August 7th

Here's the latest update from my eBay Jobs Project where I was 'won' on an eBay auction for the month of August.  The winning bidders were the team of Barbara Sanderson of Glass Gardens NW and Craig Weindling of Smiley Dog reliable and healthy pet food delivery service.

Day 1 - August 1st - Met with Craig at Smiley Dog warehouse at 10:30 am in the morning to discuss the project and tasks, and learn the Smiley Dog story.  Had a dinner meeting with Barbara and Craig to discuss the project.  I was issued this ID card (thanks Barbara!)

:  

Day 2 -  Aug 2nd - Met with Craig and local publication advertising rep at 10am in the morning, then met with Craig to discuss dog show at Hamlin Park on August 11th - where I will be having a booth.  Met Barbara at her studio in Mulkiteo to help her load trailer, drove with her to Anacortes to help set up her booth for the Anacortes Art Fair.  Home around 11pm.

Day 3 - Friday August 3 - Met with Craig at the warehouse at noon to discuss show, marketing ideas, etc.  Starting putting together goodie bags for "influencers".  Took a goodie bag and yard sign to my parent's house in Green Lake.  Got them set up on the automatic pet food delivery program and planted the yard sign (hoping that Smiley Dog starts getting lots of calls for their automatic pet food delivery service.  Calls to Grainger about getting a replacement fan for Barbara's "glory hole" in her glass blowing furnace (it gets really hot in there even with the proper ventilation).  Started searching for Seattle area pet lovers to connect with on Facebook.

Day 4 - Saturday August 4th - Started contacting local dog meet up group organizers, doggie daycares, etc to introduce the Smiley Dog pet food delivery service.  Find a vendor to check out the rooftop ventilation fan on the top of Barbara's studio.  Went to check out/scout Glassybaby.  I really liked the simplicity - only two different pieces - each in 40 million different colors. Each different color was matched with a non-profit which receives 10% of sales of that color - cool idea that could be utilized in many different types of businesses - and help lots of great non-profits.

Day 5 - Sunday August 5th - Met Barbara at her studio at 7:15 am, spent all day at Anacortes Art Festival, scouted vendors, helped take down and pack up booth.  Home around 8:30pm.

Day 6 - Monday August 6th - Blogging about the project, recontacting fan vendors (neither bothered to respond), continue contacting influencers and start help connecting new fans to the Facebook pages for Smiley Dog and Glass Gardens NW.  Write first draft of media release about My eBay Jobs Project.  Start building national media list targeting business and employment editors.

Day 7 - Next draft of national media release, continue building national media databases - one to specifically target garden/home/arts editors.  Write "goodie bag" letter for Craig to approve.  Get more bids for vent fan service call for Barbara's shop.  Get info about her show in Alexandria in November.

BTW - yesterday I was called by someone saying that they'd like me to consider a Directory of Marketing position with a local non-profit.  I told them that I it sounds interesting and I would be interested in finding out more.  Still do not have the link to their website (or any other info).

My eBay Jobs Project: Feeling the Pressure to "Make Magic"

I'm really liking being able to help out two different small business owners during the month of August, but sometimes feel like I may not be working on what is most important to the businesses, where I can make the biggest impact or doing exactly what Craig and Barbara think I should be working on at any given time.  I may be feeling a little stressed, no matter what I've done so far, or what we have planned, I don't feel like I've done nearly enough.

Then I saw this post on the Smiley Dog blog called "Magic for a Month".  Talk about pressure ....  I just hope I can provide both Barbara and Craig a lot of help this month - and that a positive impact is felt from this project for a long, long time.

My eBay Jobs Project Update from August 2nd

Here is a short 2 minute video that I recorded in the car on August 2nd detailing some of the tasks that I have been working on as part of the eBay Jobs Project where I was won for the month of August by Glass Gardens NW and Smiley Dog reliable FREE delivery of healthy pet food in the greater Seattle area.



I really need to come up with a better name for the project than the eBay Jobs Project.  Do YOU have any suggestions?

I Auctioned Myself Off on eBay - See the Results!

A couple of weeks ago, I auctioned myself for the entire month of August off on eBay.  You can read the complete story and follow along with my month of working for Glass Gardens NW and Smiley Dog - all month long over at TheJoeKennedy.com.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please make sure to leave a comment!  :-)

Results of eBay Auction for Joe Kennedy Are In; During the Month of August I Work for Glass Gardens NW and Smiley Dog

The results of the eBay auction where I auctioned myself off for the month of August were final some 10 days ago.  I've wanted to write about it ever since, but just haven't had the time and the opportunity to do it - that and my laptop blew up and my only option for writing now is here in my cave (or shudder to think of using a pen and paper) - and not so inspirational.  Even though the auction did get a small amount of local press, I didn't do a very good job of marketing it - and at the same time, there apparently aren't a lot of people who want the help of someone who has a greatly varied background and multiple talents. The was only one bidder - the team of Barbara Sanderson, owner of Glass Gardens NW and Craig Weindling, owner of Smiley Dog.  Their winning bid was the starting bid of $1000.

I'm still not totally sure of their plans for the month, but if they have me work even just 40 hours a week, I'll be working for $6.25 per hour, far less than minimum wage.  Still the same, I am very thankful for the work and for an opportunity to help both Barbara and Craig and their businesses.  It's my goal to make their investment in me pay off at least ten fold and I am going to write about it here all along the way.

VIDEO: Workout Update, Blended Health Drinks with VitaMix and Bid for Me on eBay

Here's a 7:11 video where I talk about my workouts this week, blending healthy juices with my Vitamix and how you can bid for me on eBay ...



Also if you are interested in trying some of the healthy smoothie recipes that are going to be in my new ebooks, you can check them out for free at HealthyEaters.org.

Hope to See YOU at the Badgeville Summit Engage 2012 in San Francisco Aug 8 & 9

Yesterday I attended a very professionally run event with some seriously interesting speakers with great information.  It was the Seattle stop on the Badgeville Engage 2012 tour, held at Pravda Studios.  There were tv type video cameras and a crew still photographers everywhere.  Fellow Eastside Entrepreneur Matt Heinz of Heinz Marketing was the MC of the event and did an admirable job.

Speakers at the event included Badgeville's SVP of Field Operations Kevin Akeroyd, Jim Petty of Bazaarvoice, Bill Piwonka of Janrain, Dawn Wolfe of Autodesk, An Le of Yammer and the very entertaining keynote was delivered by Sean o'Driscoll, Co-F0under & CEO at Ant's Eye View.

Buy Your Own Joe Connector for the Entire Month of August

It sure took some nerve for me to list myself for sale on eBay.  It's making me more than a little nervous that there are no bidders so far - although there are almost 5 full days left in the auction.  If you were the winning bidder, what would you have me do for the entire month of August?  I'm wishing it would be help you party on the beach in a tropical location and you would have won me through the Buy It Now price of a modest $50k, but my gut says I'll be digging ditches or washing dishes - if anyone will even bid at the starting bid of $1000.

Regardless, I am not resting on my laurels hoping the the auction is a way out of a jam.  I'm actually assuming nothing will come from the auction - except someone new will notice my talent of being able to create noise.  After all, I was the World's First 24 Hour Realtor (with Overlake Realty in Bellevue during the 80s) and was a part-owner, and chief publicist for a company called Aerial Burial in Houston, Texas during the 90s.  Even if I don't immediately find work as a noise maker, PR person or community builder in the near future, there are some cool things coming up.

1. I'm waiting on my initial samples from Chosen Foods in San Diego and then I will be able to take them to some great local markets and health food stores.  I cannot wait to be able to provide them with awesome values on high quality Chia Seeds (which has long been known as a Superfood), Avocado Oil which is specially filtered for the optimum cooking conditions and also Nopal powder, which has many health benefits including weight loss and digestive health.

2. "The Lane" opened up for Solevei and I am excited about the possibilities.  They apparently still have an NDA in place so I cannot tell you anything about this unless you contact me and I send you a link with the NDA so you can sign it electronically.

3. I've started writing about clean eating and my journey in nutrition and fitness over at TheJoeKennedy.com.  There's probably going to be a lot of personal 'crap' flowing out of me on occasion so I hope it doesn't bore you to tears.  I guess if it pissed you off, that is ok by me.  Much earlier in the day, I wrote about my Monday 2am workout (which turned out to be a 2:30am workout) - and a bit about nobody bidding on me too.

Wanting to Connect with Grocery Store and Health Food Buyers and Purchasing Agents in the Pacific NW

It looks like I am going to be repping a small line of health products called Chosen Foods.  I will be selling chia seeds, avocado oil for cooking and nopal powder - and will also be looking for other lines of nutritional products to offer buyers and purchasing agents of grocery stores, health food stores, smoothie shops and more.

Today I was able to get the contact information of a buyer for PCC Natural Foods and I'm also looking to talk to purchasing people at Whole Foods, Jamba Juice, Emerald City Smoothie, Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC and even WalMart and Costco (although I'm not sure we are quite ready for that yet).  Thank you for any help you can give me in connecting with buyers and/or purchasing agents at these companies.

Since Chosen Foods currently only has three products, I'm also looking to rep other, complementary, health/nutrition products that I could sell to the types of stores listed above.  Do you know any nutritionals companies out there who need help with sales in the great Pacific Northwest?  I can help - please send them my way.

Great Start to the Week, but Nobody is Bidding on Me ...

I had a great start of the week this morning, waking to my alarm at 1:20am.  I spent a little too much time answering emails from people who want to get into The Lane with the Presidential Team at Solevei, so I got to the 24 Hour Fitness on 140th almost half an hour late at 2:30am.

After a pre-workout drink of N.O.-Xpolode, I had good energy and did a good chest workout, whaled on the abs for awhile (just over 1000 crunches), did 22 minutes of cardio on an elyptical machine and then swam 20 lengths of the pool, before sitting in the jacuzzi for just a few minutes.  I got out of there just after 5am, when the morning crowd started showing up.

One area of concern is my weight.  I'm back down to 162 lbs for two days in a row and since I started making fresh green juice twice a day.  I find myself now craving vegetables, which is crazy - especially considering that two months ago I rarely ate any.  So I have to work on eating more - maybe adding in a cheat meal or two.  I might actually have to go back to drinking milk again, or ...?

Another area of concern is that nobody has bid on me yet!  There are just over 5 days left in the auction, so I hope that people start bidding.  As my friend Volodymyr said "I hope you find a job and maybe some good adventure".  I agree Mr. Volodymyr, I agree.

BTW - I will be attempting to chronicle more of my workouts here now, as well as trials and tribulations of eating clean and building abdominal muscles.

Finally Did It - I Posted Myself For Sale on Ebay

Back in June I wrote about an idea I had to list myself (well, at least my time) for sale on ebay during the time that my daughter is in Kiev Ukraine this summer.  She left last week and I finally listed myself on the auction site today.  So far the page hasn't received too many views, but I'm hoping that will change real soon - I'm about to call in the media ...



As it says in the listing, I am willing to do anything legal, as long as it doesn't involve hurting myself or others.  I have one good friend who is a former officer in the Soviet Military who told me he laughed when he saw one of the job descriptions as "slave", but that he hopes that I'm able to find a winning bidder and a gig, as well as possibly a great adventure.

Who knows, I could be somebody's assistant while traveling the globe or I could be clandestinely carrying out secret projects under the dead of night ...  Wish me luck - and make share to share this with as many people as you know.

World Trade Center Once Again Tallest Building in New York

Here are some pretty cool pictures of the World Trade Center being reconstructed in New York City.  It's nice to know that World Trade Center One is once again the tallest building in New York.  I think I will pin these photos on Pinterest.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you connecting with your readers?

It's easy, if you run a blog, to claim that you're connecting with your readership. A few comments here and there in response to theirs, the odd reader profile post, and it seems like you've got a good enough back-and-forth. Well, unfortunately, this isn't the case - not in the era of the most connectivity we've ever had access to in the history of the human race.

Twitter, Facebook, forums, Skype - there are so many ways to connect with the people who involve themselves in your content and contribute to its publicity and credibility through their recommendations of and comments on it. If you're curious as to how to generate a real bond with your community whether you're running a partypoker tactics blog or talking about fine Italian wine, then you need to gather your tools.

Revolution About to Hit Cell Phone Market - Prices to Be Driven Down Hard

There's a huge new network of cell phone customers being built by a mysterious start-up in pre-launch mode.  They are truly aiming to save consumers money and promising complete cell phone service, texting and data for $50 a month - as well as other ways of saving money on things you are already buying.

If you are interested in finding out about this service, please send your full name and email address to JoeConnector(at)gmail.com.  This is a network marketing opportunity in pre-launch mode - spots at the top are being awarded July 16th - reserve yours now.

1,603 LinkedIn Connections Link Me To 14,773,112 Professionals - Can ONE of Them Help Me Get a Job?

When I just stopped over at LinkedIn to do a bit of research on a couple people and their companies, my home page says my LinkedIn network has 1,603 connections which links me to 14,773,112+ professionals.  That is almost 15 MILLION people I am linked to - one of them should surely help me find a job?

If anyone needs any assurance that I could help their organization, they could surely check out the 22 recommendations that have been given to me on LinkedIn.  These are purely unsolicited and hopefully heart-felt statements about me and some of what I can do.

By the way, my offer of paying my first week's salary to the person responsible for getting me a job is still good.  You can read the article "Help Connect Joe 'The Connector' Kennedy and Be Rewarded!" at BellevueBusinessJournal.com.

 

Learn PR Tips From a Pro!

Seattle author and business strategist, Whitney Keyes writes a great blog at the Seattle PI and yesterday shared her #1 PR tip (it is mine too - or at least tied for 1st).

It's really impressive how long Whitney has been writing her popular blog for the PI.  Here's a post Keyes wrote about fellow Eastsider Nancy Juetten and I back in May of 2009.

Ms. Keyes highly anticipated new book Propel: Five Ways to Amp-Up Your Marketing and Accelerate Business is due out later this summer.  She has published two other books, Media Tips for Small Businesses and Media  Tips for Authors, which are both available on Amazon.com.

 

 

Video: Joe Connector Talks About Eastside Business Directory and More

Here's a short video where I talk about some of the projects that I've been working on, including the Eastside Business Directory, BellevueBusinessJournal.com, eating clean and blending up healthy green juices with my new Vitamix.



I'd love your feedback - please comment below - or better yet, make a video reply! (and make sure to tell us the name of your website!)

JoeConnector.com Now Using New Facebook App Plugin for Wordpress

I've been busy over the past couple days installing the new Facebook app / Plugin for Wordpress on a good number of websites, including BellevueBusinessJournal.com, LuxuryFitnessFun.com, EastsideBusinessDirectory.com and many more.  Now I've finally got around to putting it here on the Joe Connector site.

What do you think - will you use it?  Do you 'Like"it?

He Can't Do That ... Or Can He?

In my continual quest to be creative in an attempt to find employment, I have recently been working on a new idea:  Auctioning myself off on Ebay.

Yes, slavery did go out many years ago, so I won't attempt to sell myself as a slave, but more as a Voluntary Captive or .... (having a hard time thinking of the right term) - do YOU have any suggestions?

My 8 year old daughter Jacqueline will be out of the country for two full months this summer, which gives me an opportunity to travel and work whenever and (more importantly) wherever I want - or in this case, wherever the highest bidder wants.  I plan on listing my services on Ebay for 60 days, with a reasonable reserve price (I cannot afford to work for nothing) and a very aggressive Buy It Now price of $50,000 - what do you think?

I'm hoping the winning bidder will want me to work someplace where the weather is good and preferably close to the ocean.  I'd be especially happy to spend my time in slavery in southern California, Florida or Hawaii (or any number of tropical locations), but Auctionors cannot be choosers and I will go where I am wanted.  It should be noted that in addition to paying the winning bid, the highest bidder also gets to pay for my travel and room and board during the two month period - IF I am required to leave the Puget Sound area.

What do you think about my idea of auctioning myself off on Ebay for two months?  After reviewing my resume, what do you think a fair price is?

Businesses Enjoying the Benefits of Membership in Professional Video Studio

GoNetYourself.com is a Bellevue-based start-up offering memberships in their downtown professional video studio.  The studio was built by guys who work with KOMO 4 Television and is operated by a team that is very passionate about quality video.  

Are You Ready for a Better Tasting, Healthier Coffee?

Today was a great day - I had a couple of great meetings.  The first was with a really cool guy named Chuck Weinberg who contacted me through LinkedIn.  Chuck has a company called Weinberg Marketing Solutions, but does work with a couple of really cool companies, including Camano Island Coffee Roasters.  As it turns out, Camano Island Coffee Roasters sells coffee that is USDA Certified Organic, Shade Grown, Fairly Traded and in the Top 1% of all Specialty Grade Arabica coffee beans in the world.    

The Eastside Recruiter Challenge Series Begins Today!

Thank you for your interest in the Eastside Recruiter Challenge Series.  This series of challenges is for recruiters who place people in contract or full-time positions on the Eastside (of Lake Washington) and is designed to be a competition for the many awesome recruiters out there, a way for them to meet more Eastside human resource pros and help connect people with jobs right here on the Eastside.

[caption id="attachment_652" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Here I am comparing hairstyles with Sales God, Jeffrey Gitomer in March 2012."][/caption]

The first challenge is a HUGE one - but the reward is nice too.  My first challenge to all employment recruiters and headhunters out there is to find ME employment by the end of June.  Any and all recruiters are eligible to participate and I will gladly meet with any recruiter or potential employer at your convenience.  The prize for the person or persons who gets me hired by the end of June is one full week's pay from the job I accept.  That's right, the first week, I'll be working for YOU - and the higher salary you can negotiate for me, the larger your bonus/prize.

There are several reasons that this challenge is HUGE.  Some of them have to do with the economy.  Some of them have to do with my resume, some of it has to do with the fact that I don't look like most people ...  What should make it easier is that I can do pretty much anything, have been a social media pioneer, have experience in A LOT of different areas, am flexible with schedule and travel requirements, am extremely comfortable in (and usually lead)  interviews.

Remember, time is of the essence - so get started NOW!

Once one of the star recruiters for our Eastside companies helps me get employment, we will issue the next Eastside Recruiter Challenge. If you are a job seeker and would like to be considered for one of the future Eastside Recruiter Challenges, please send your resume to JoeConnector@gmail.com.

If you are a recruiter or headhunter and would like to get me hired and win the prize, CONTACT ME NOW!  I'm waiting to hear from you.

The method of determining the next challenge will be chosen by the end of the month, but I'd love to hear your feedback on how it should be chosen.  Need?  Time unemployed?  Size of family?  Children?  Field?  Comment now!

Looking for Social Media Employment in the Space Industry: My 2nd Facebook Ad

Yesterday morning I placed another Facebook ad look for employment.  I'm really very interested in working in social media for a company in the space industry.  Unfortunately, I was unable to target people who work at Planetary Resources or Moon Express, but was able to target Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.

They might not see the original ad on Facebook, but they are bound to see it on their Facebook pages and several other places (assuming someone at each company is monitoring the web for what is being said about them).

Outer space is indeed the final frontier and I want to be part of the industry that helps to make space travel and other space industries a common reality.  There are so many smart and ambitious people working with these space companies and I would love to be able to help tell and spread their stories.

Sir Richard, Charles Simonyi, Eric Anderson, Naveen Jain and Bob Richards - are you out there?  Are your stories being told the way you want them to be?  If you are interested in getting word out about your plans, dreams and space programs, I can help and would love to have a conversation.

Joe Connector Beginning to Test Facebook Ads

In the wee hours of this very fine day, I set up my first Facebook ad - this one looking for employment.  I initially thought I would try it because I kept on getting emails offering me $50 in free Facebook advertising, but - one I signed up, I was told that promotion was no longer valid ...

Still the same, I am starting out with a very small budget and a very targeted audience.  I will be testing various ads in the next couple of weeks and play around with the targets a bit, until I start hitting consistent bull's eyes.

The bottom line is that I hope to have a new gig or consistent employment very, very soon.

 

Hey Businesses in Bellevue - Get Your FREE Listing at BellevueBusinessDirectory.com

Attention all businesses and organizations in Bellevue:  I would like to introduce you to the all new Bellevue Business Directory.

Any business or organization in Bellevue is welcome to add their own FREE listing.  Check it out!

So Tired of the Up Sell - Just Respect My Time and I Will Yours

Jeeze - I'm so frickin sick of being upsold every darn time I turn around.  Three damn times today alone.

I went to the doctor this morning to get some paperwork signed.  He wanted me to sell me additional copies of the paperwork for $20.

A little later in the day, I took Hannah Montana Kennedy to Petsmart to get a rabies shot.  They charged me for a complete check up (which was not really complete unless I wanted to pay an additional $330) and two different shots and wanted to charge me a lot more.  They explained to me how lucky I was to be able to save SO MUCH money by subscribing to their wellness plan ...  Sorry, but today was the first day Hannah was ever at the doctor and it will probably be a long time before she goes back.  She is a very happy and healthy doggie!

Just now, Stacia called the Elements Apartments in Bellevue to find out how much two bedroom apartments are - as we are starting our search for new housing that we will need in late August.  They asked her at least 20 questions before they would give her a starting range ($1700 - $3000 a month).

It would be so much easier to do business with people who were straightforward and just answered the questions that I am interested in.  I don't have the time or desire to hear your sales pitch and just because I ask you a question, does not give you the right to attempt to sell me something I don't want or need.

As my friend Jeffrey Gitomer says, "People love to buy, but hate to be sold".

Your thoughts?  I'd especially like to hear from those in sales, particularly if you work for Elements Too Apartments or Petsmart / Banfield Pet Hospital.

So Cool - Watch a Nest Full of Bald Eagles

I just bumped into this live (at least now at 8:55am PDT on 4/25) UStream Broadcast called Decorah Eagles.  Check it out:



Streaming live video by Ustream

So You Want to Be in the Liquor Business Like P Diddy? Here's Your Opportunity

I had lunch the other day with a Facebook friend!  And he was a Facebook friend I had not met before - and he's a super nice guy working on some really cool stuff.

Todd Buckley has a plan to hit it big and hit it local with his budding new line of Vodka.  He's done the research, attended the conferences, crafted a very tight business plan - now all he needs is a little bit of capital.  He's got two different versions of how to start off - small, using another distillers facilities and licenses - or all out, with the cost of all new equipment a location and ready to run licenses.  Difference in cost:  $20k or $500k+.

Either way, he is looking for investors / partners and this would be a great opportunity to get into the liquor business here in Washington state.  It could be an ideal situation for a chain of clubs, restaurants, bars, owners of any local bars would be good partners and would benefit from a lot of great exposure Todd will create with the major social media campaigns planned to launch the brand.

If you are interested in being considered as a partner and/or investor, please let me know and I will make a person introduction to Todd.  He'll be happy to share his business plan with you, but please do be prepared to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  Thanks!

Announcing Social Media Marketing Confab 2012

Happy Friday the 13th!  Today was supposed to be the day for the spreecast of the Social Networking for Business and Social Media 101 Reunion, but I just could not get it together in time.  Despite support shown by great people like Shauna Causey, Kathy Gill and Eric Weaver, I've been a little preoccupied and failed to make it happen.

The good news is that while working on a 'Professional Profile' and following the new book by Don Burrow and Deborah Drake called "Burn Your Resume - You Need a Professional Profile', I've remembered a couple of the early social media conferences I was involved in organizing - and want to do a more current version, with a lot more practical knowledge.  Disclosure:  It might also help me get some work.

Previous conferences have all had some awesome speakers and valuable content, but they were at an even earlier time in social media, a time when many businesses had not yet seen the impact of social media and had still not bought into it.

Today, most reasonable businesses have seen that they NEED to be using social media marketing in their business just to keep up with the competition, and the savvy businesses know they need to be using social media well to stay ahead of their competition.

At any rate, I have begun to plan Social Media Marketing Confab 2012.  The location and date have yet to be determined, but I am hoping for a nice venue, that will hold around 200 conference attendees, that is looking for some awesome visibility with the social media marketing crowd, either in Bellevue or Seattle, but will consider all possibilities.  It would be great to have it at Google or Adobe, especially considering that we've had the last two conferences at the Microsoft Conference Center and the local Microsoft Local Engagement Team doesn't seem to want to engage locally any longer ...

(I'm thinking there will be additional Confabs in other cities as well, so if you are in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego are interested in discussing, please contact me).  At this point, the target date is somewhere in the first week of June for the Seattle version.

So at this point, I'm looking for a venue, sponsors and speakers.  I've got a number of speakers lined up and will post a rough Program for the Confab in the next day or so.  Hoping to have a nice rousing session on live broadcasting - including people from spreecast, LiveStream, U-Stream, Social Cam and more, as well as a session on Using Video in Social Marketing - and really hope to get someone from YouTube to talk and let us know what maybe up in the future.

If you can help, or want to get involved - please let me know!

BellevueBusinessJournal.com and Eastside Entrepreneurs Social Network For Sale, Looking for Buyers or Partners

I have decided that I need to simplify my life and focus on some new projects that I'm being recruited for - SOOOO - I am needing to either find a partner or a buyer for two websites that have been a huge part of my life for a number of years now.

That's right - both BellevueBusinessJournal.com and the Eastside Entrepreneurs Social Network are looking for some new blood, in the form of a highly energetic and motivated partner or buyer looking to engage and connect with businesses and business owners here in Bellevue and on the Eastside.

It's very difficult for me to think about no longer being associated with these two sites, but they do take quite a bit of time to run and I just have not been able to dedicate the time or resources required to make them super successful ...

 

Broadcast Replay: What's in YOUR Glass? w @JoeConnector

Just got done broadcasting the first episode of "What's in YOUR Glass?" on spreecast.  Not a lot of participation, but thank you very much to all who participated and viewed - especially Dominic of www.decantez.com - a wine gifts and accessories store and Joy Stephens who let us know about the Okanagan Wine Festival happening in British Columbia May 4-14th.

Thanks again to all who viewed and participated.  If you have a wine that you would like to have me open on a future show, please let me know.  I can be reached at JoeConnector(at)gmail.com.

Today's Tech News from @JoeConnector on spreecast

Here is my first effort at delivering Today's Tech News via Broadcast, this time via spreecast.  I apologize for the technical problems related to the platform which is still in beta ...



Hopefully there is some information of value to you presented here, I realize it is a pretty rough draft.  I do want to deliver this type of news on a regular basis - and would love to hear your thoughts.

Here are the links mentioned on the broadcast:

http://www.shellypalmer.com

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2012/04/05/business/05reuters-google-viacom.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1333646242-8LnEYdGAWokvpoMG5mb7Qg

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-report-apple-investigates-wifi-issue-in-ipad-20120405,0,7986462.story

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2012/04/flashback-trojan-reportedly-controls-half-a-million-macs-and-counting.ars

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402595,00.asp

http://mashable.com/2012/04/04/twitter-opens-detroit-office/

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/google-glass-visor-geordie/

 

Joe Connector Would Make a Great Director of Social Media for Holland America Line

Just got done applying for the position of Director of Social Media at Holland America Line.  How cool would it be to work for an awesome cruise company right here in Seattle?

They have over 426 thousand 'Like's on Facebook!  What a great community!  @HALcruises on Twitter only has 12,430 followers which could (and should) be greatly improved.  Over at YouTube, they have a number of great playlists with 174 very well done and professional videos, but less than 1,000 subscribers.  Tremendous upside potential here.  As Director of Social Media, I would definitely be putting an emphasis on video - YouTube, as well as some of the other social video tools out there like spreecast.  How cool would it be to have live spreecasts onboard some of Holland America Line's best cruises?  We could be showing off the food, views, entertainment, etc, while people can tune in from all over the world to ask questions about the cruise (and how to book their next cruise).

Joe Connector Would Make a Great Social Media Manager for Jackson Family Wines

Yesterday, I wrote about applying for the position of Social Media Manager for Jackson Family Wines.  It looks like an awesome company to work for and I love that they consider themselves farmers, as I was known as Farmer Joe not long ago, when growing palm trees and citrus on my ranch in southern California.

Here are some of their social media profiles so you can check out the awesomeness of Kendall Jackson wines:

Jackson Family Wines on LinkedIn

Kendall-Jackson on Facebook

@KJWines on Twitter

Kendall-Jackson Wines on YouTube

This is a short video featuring the late founder of Kendall-Jackson Wines, Jess Jackson and are definitely words of wisdom.

April Showers Bring Joe Connector Job Offers, Allow Him to Keep His House

OK, so this is an optimistic headline (one that YOU can help make happen) - one that I wanted to start off with yesterday, but did not post on April Fool's Day - because it is NO JOKE.  I need a job - in the worst way.  I have been unemployed for way to long and am just looking for an opportunity - I will have no problem proving myself.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this crappy economy, seriously behind on house payments, utilities, child support and other very important obligations.  Not to mention not always getting enough to eat or being able to help support my friends and family like I should be able to.  It's getting very old - and this month it is critical.  If I do not start working VERY VERY soon, there is no doubt that I will soon be homeless.  Talk about motivation ...

I've started an all-out blitz looking for work.  I've posted banner ads large and small at BellevueBusinessJournal.com and EastsideEntreprneurs.com (I hope that nobody gets offended, but I am desperate - and I do use my time and resources to build and maintain both sites.  (See - I'm already a Social Media Manager - just unpaid ...).

Although I've always believed that my next job will come to me through one of my contacts, I also have a renewed energy to begin applying for positions that I see posted elsewhere including LinkedIn, Craigslist and various local and industry sites.  The first job that I applied for today was for a Social Media Manager position with Jackson Family Wines, makers of Kendall Jackson Wines, as well as many other well respected brands.  I've enjoyed their wines for many years, and after doing a little more research on the company (including watching and subscribing to the Kendall Jackson YouTube channel), I really love their dedication to quality.  Striving to produce the best wine possible is what they do and they do it well.  I would love to be part of this and will write about it more in another post - I've decided to write a short post about each and every job I apply for.

PLEASE let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment on the posts that you read.  YOUR feedback is very important to me.  Thank you!

Congratulations to Britt Mauriss, New Social Media Manager at spreecast

Ron Levi, VP of Product and Marketing at spreecast posted a blog post today welcoming Britt Mauriss, as their new Social Media Manager.  I'm really very happy for you and hope you kill it!  The entire spreecast team seems very cool and I love the platform - I know it is going BIG TIME and am glad you are there for the ride!  HUGE Congratulations and best of luck to you.  If I can ever be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.

So You Want to Know About All That Hair ... Guess You Should Know About TheHairFarmer.com

Here's a little spreecast video I made the other day about my hair.  Actually - it is really not about my hair at all, but all about creating awareness of challenges that children face and that we can all help in many different ways. I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts ... and recruit you to become a hair farmer too.

Time to Get Honest: I'm No Social Media Expert, Guru or Diva - I'm Just Unemployed

It was with great humility that I wrote this post about being unemployed (and looking for work) on my new site at TheJoeKennedy.com.



You should know that if you are the one person responsible for helping me secure ongoing employment, I will pay you a referral fee equal to one week salary.  That's right - I will work the first entire week for YOU!

I am NOT a Social Media Expert, Guru or Diva - Just Unemployed

The recent over-proliferation of social media experts, gurus and divas is getting old quickly.  A bad economy and high unemployment rate has caused good people to take some questionable actions.  There are many out there posing as social media experts or even running social media companies who are not even using social media themselves.  I know I've done some things in the past three years that I'm certainly not proud of.  One of them was joining a network marketing opportunity and dragging people to meetings where neither their time nor their common sense was honored. Another was being paid to raise funds for an organization that would not allow me to hold an annual fund drive.  I've also done social media consulting projects for a number of individuals, companies and organizations that I had a pretty good idea did not have the 1) buy in 2) allocated resources or 3) desire to implement or continue the work that I did.  But I could not and would not claim to be a social media expert - there really is no such thing.  Too much to know and too much changing daily for ANYONE to know it all.

Because I decided early on to avoid pushing my services as a "social media consultant" to those who were just throwing their money away, I've found myself doing some more things I'm not proud of.  I've rented out all the rooms in my house, made the family room into a bedroom and rented that out too, while living in a partially finished garage with bits of carpet as flooring.  Even with that I have been delinquent on house payments, utilities and worst of all child support.  (So far I have kept from losing my house - and I intend to keep it that way.)

The occasional odd job has been my only real income for almost three years now and just recently have I started receiving payment for some of my blogging efforts.  Even so, I have been listing non compensated positions on my resume and social media profiles - perhaps in an attempt to trick myself (and others?) into thinking that I actually have a job?  I'm definitely not proud of that and it is time to face the fact:  I have been unemployed for almost three years.

Yes, I've been dreadfully, drearily unemployed for way too long.  It sucks. And much of it is my own fault.

I started out very motivated thinking that since I am known as "The Connector" and have helped so many people over the years that I printed newspapers and published news sites, I would be able to get a great job very quickly.  When I put out the word that I was looking for work, I had a number of people reach out - some sending me listings of positions that they thought were a fit, a couple offering me commission-based sales jobs and a couple people have even recommended me for jobs.

But despite my experience, knowledge and contacts I have been unable to even get a single interview.  NOT ONE SINGLE INTERVIEW.

Sometimes I have to think I pissed off the wrong person, or that EVERYBODY is discriminatory again hair farmers both of which I know are not true.  But eventually I have just been worn down and quit trying to find work.  Oh sure, I have my ads on Craigslist looking for jobs I can do with my truck and the tools that I own - and I have spent a lot of time working on my many websites and trying to figure out how to monetize them.  I still have big plans, dreams and desires for some of them like LuxuryFitnessFun.com and JoeAbs.com, but I need a more immediate income and I need it now.

I'm moving back into my house next week at the risk of losing it.  The income that the vacating renter has been providing may be the difference between having been able to pay "enough" to keep it and not.  I need to make up that lost income and a lot more real quick.  I'd love to not have renters in my house.  I'd love to be able to pay all my bills and obligations - and on time.  I would love to be able to eat on a consistent basis.  I'd love to be able to get my daughter that x-box she wanted last Christmas and the piece of jewelry I wasn't able to buy my girlfriend for Valentine's Day.  I need a job.

My first choice would be to work for a cool company like spreecast, but I am very flexible, extremely motivated and could be a huge asset to almost any company or organization.

I will consider all situations and will pay a bounty/referral fee of the equivalent of one week's salary to anyone who gives me a lead and or referral leading to ongoing employment.  I will work the first week for you and look forward to it.  Until then, I am not a social media expert - I am just unemployed.

The Hair Farmer Project and TheHairFarmer.com - Growing Hair for the Benefit of Children with Medical Challenges

At the suggestion of some friends who think that I may not be getting an interview at spreecast because of my hair, I just recorded a spreecast talking about The Hair Farmer Project, TheHairFarmer.com and my unruly locks for Locks of Love.



I don't think that anyone with a sack (or a conscience) would make hairstyle a major consideration when deciding who to hire, so I don't give a lot of credence to the idea that people don't want to hire a guy with long hair.  In fact, I think it is an asset - I'm definitely A LOT more memorable with long hair than without, I'm a free thinker and I don't give a crap about what other people think.  I am always going to bust my ass for any client, business partner or employee and do a better than expected job - my hair and style of dress have NOTHING to do with that.  :-)  (I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts).

I Love Spreecast! Why I Want to Work for Ron Levi and Spreecast by Joe "The Connector" Kennedy

Just over one week ago I found out about the super cool new social media platform called Spreecast, which allows people to broadcast together.  I took one look at knew that it is going to be a game changer and got really excited about it.  What is even cooler is that they are searching for a social media rock star to join their team, and their VP of Marketing Ron Levi made a Spreecast announcing the search and inviting people to apply via usual channels such as emailing a resume and cover letter, or by using Spreecast and other social media tools.

Although I did eventually send Ron a link to my online resume, along with an email expressing interest in working for him - I first reached out through a number of social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and a few of my websites.  

Get a Cool New Social Media Tool FREE Right Now - Help Joe "The Connector" Kennedy #HelpRon and #HelpJoeConnect

I just found out about Spreecast a week ago, but I am so excited about it that I feel like I have to tell everyone I know.  For those not yet using it, Spreecast is a cool new social media platform that allows people to broadcast together.  Up to four cameras can be on screen at any given time, other cameras can be rotated in and out, the entire session is broadcast live via the internet, while being recorded and then archived for easy embedding any time in the future.

Joe "The Connector" Kennedy's First Spreecast - #HelpRon #HelpJoeConnect

Wow - today (now yesterday) turned out so exciting.  My Millionairess, Stacia Loo is always showing me cool new stuff, but today she sent me an email about Spreecast - a SUPER COOL cool new application which is a mash up of other technologies, live casting type of video conferencing that is recorded and enbedable.  WOW!

 

It's now past 1am and I cannot sleep.  I had to get going and do my first Spreecast - even though I should have been sleeping around noon ..  Here it is - I'd love to hear what you think - and hope that YOU will connect with me on Spreecast so that I can invite you to upcoming Spreecasts that are going to be pretty cool and stretching the boundaries of technology.  I'm sure that you'll want to be a part of it.

Embedding a Pinterest Pin: Restaurants in Bellevue - Seastar Restaurant Delivery Available Thru ClickEats

This is as much of a test as anything else, but I hope that it gets them some traffic:

Source: seastarrestaurant.com via Joe on Pinterest

It would be really cool if someone saw this an invited us to do a review for the BellevueBusinessJournal.com news site, but even cooler if they would sign their restaurants up for the Eastside Business Directory. I know they have a great raw bar, but I wonder if they have lobster? If I did a lobster review, it would have to be good for my lobster influence on Klout:  http://klout.com/#/KennedyIAm/topics

Source: eastsideentrepreneurs.com via Joe on Pinterest

 

 

Julia May of ClickEats.com

Notes from the Universe: The Need to Criticize

Wow!  There really seems to be a lot going on in my life right now.  I have a very strong feeling that I am getting pushed or pulled in a certain direction (or is it directionS?).

One thing in particular that just happened is that I got an email from "The Universe", which is Mike Dooley's Notes from the Universe.  Everyone on his list gets personalized daily positive and motivational emails, but this email seemed to be written just for me:

Joe, the need to criticize simply belies a longing for recognition, appreciation, and validation. None of which, however, can be obtained through criticism.

I'm sure it's just a phase they're going through.

Wink,
The Universe

I feel like the wink shares with me, that which I already know - the "they're" that is referred to is actually me - and I'm ready to be done with this phase (the first many years of my life?) and stop criticizing people, businesses and organizations.  It never felt good doing it, but now that I know the pathetic reason behind me doing so, I think it will be much easier not to.

Thank you to Michael Dooley and The Universe!

Lobster Influence Definitely NOT the Same as Mobster Influence!

Lobster influence is nice, but it doesn't carry the punch of Mobster influence.

Back in the day and probably still even today in certain areas, a person who was "connected" or had "influence" carried a lot of weight.  This person usually got what they wanted - mostly because of who and what they knew, but many times because of the fear of others.

Today, influence can be much different.  There are a growing number of social media / internet sites that try to score and track it.  

Eastside Entrepreneurs Featured Here by Joe Connector

Note:  It looks like I wrote this post back in 2010 and never published it.  Well, I did some work on it and wanted to help promote a lot of great people and their businesses, so I better (finally) get it posted.  This post first appeared at BellevueBusinessJournal.com, but I want to put even more of a spotlight on a few of our Featured Members at Eastside Entrpreneurs and link to their businesses.

Members can choose to be Featured Members by becoming supporting members of Eastside Entrepreneurs at any of three separate support levels, but the current Featured Members were chosen to be featured randomly.

A Lot to Digest at End of First Six Months of Eating Clean

At the end of this month, I will have been Eating Clean the Joe Abs Way for a little over six months.  (I started in late August 2011 before I'd ever even heard of clean eating).  It's been an interesting run - not without trials and tribulations, but very beneficial in a lot of ways - mostly in the way I look and feel.  More energetic for sure, never starving - and always eating ... the right foods.

Last week I had my body composition tested in a BodPod at BodPod Bellevue or Vitela Health, owned by Brent and Jan Mathew Stahl.  It was a pretty cool experience and I was fairly happy with my results.  I'll blog about the entire experience a little later over at Joe Abs, but I will say that I was able to get my body fat percentage even lower than the 8% I was hoping for ....

Also last week I finished up negotiations to head up a tech start-up called Text Retriever.  Text Retriever is a really cool text marketing solution to enable real estate professionals to win more listings, meet more buyers and make more sales.  My marketing strategy is to first approach a top tier of a handful of potential huge partners that could easily help us start off with good market share.  If I'm not able to create a mutually beneficial partnership with any of the top tier potential partners, I move down the list to national real estate brands, then to those who already market a complementary product to real estate professionals and then the regional MLS, Boards of Realtors and real estate brokerages.

I'm thinking that Text Retriever could make a huge splash with the right partner and it could happen very quick.  Stay tuned and see what I am able to put together.  I'm hoping to be able to announce at least one major partner at Inman Real Estate Connect in San Francisco August 1-3.

I also asked Jeffrey Gitomer and his crew to help me come up with a Gitomer-ish job title.  They came back to me with "Big Dog", which had previously been suggested, but I had decided to go with "CEO / Alpha Marketing Dog".  It's all about sales - and in this case, that means it's all about finding the right partner who markets to real estate professionals and can help us reach a huge number quickly.  I'm not greedy.  I'm not asking for anything out of reason, I simply want 1% of market share in our first year.  With approximately 2.3 million listings across the country, that is about 23,000 listings that we are going to be helping get sold.  (BTW Jeffrey Gitomer is coming to Bellevue for a couple of special events on March 22nd and 23rd)