Apr 22 2013

I am a full time entrepreneur!


plant in hands

This marks a day which will change my life in one way or another. I will be better off for doing it, but I will either leave this process with a significant dent in my net worth, or a gain to some degree. Either way I won’t regret this decision because the potential gains in other areas are so great.

Today I have chosen to leave a full time and well paid job working for a well respected company who I have aspired to work for, for some time. I leave behind the security of knowing where the next pound I earn will come from at the end of each month, to a world of uncertainty and risk. To some people this is their worst nightmare. To be honest if I thought about that too much I wouldn’t have done it. I am choosing to take on a career path where 4 out of 5 will fail. A path where I personally have experienced previous failure. Never the less, I am a product of the life I have lived and the things which I have experienced. The 30 years I have been in this world have been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs with my fair share of highs and lows. With full knowledge of all the negative outcomes which are possible, I still think the gains are worth the risk.

I used to think that money was the answer to everything. More money equals a better life, which was where I thought I wanted to be. The pursuit of wealth alone has led me down paths to places which I have no desire to go back to. Chasing money gets you to a place where you just raise the bar in terms of your expectations of material possessions, and the value you place on those possessions. You then find yourself in a position where you need to earn more money to pay for things which will eventually become the things which “used” to make you happy. This is no good thing. I believe if this is how you define success you will never reach your true potential.

I define success as having the freedom to do what I want, getting fulfilment from what I choose to do and that whatever it is I choose makes me happy.

The things that drive me in pursuit of my entrepreneurial life are to gain freedom, fulfilment and happiness but also to have a higher purpose. As Steve Jobs once said ”I want to make a dent in the universe.” In a 100 years time when I am no longer walking the face of this planet I want to leave a legacy of something more than my digital data trail of tweets and Facebook statuses. If I can find a way to improve the world in some small little way I will consider my career a success.

As I am writing this I can’t believe how much of a hippy I am sounding, but it’s the truth.

My mission is to help make the world more transparent for the benefit of all.

If you would like to find out more about my project please visit my prelaunch website ItIsWhatIt.Is or connect on Facebook – www.facebook.com/itiswhatitdotis or Twitter – www.twitter.com/itiswhatitdotis

The first version of the website will launch in a couple of weeks. If you would like to receive an email when the site launches please enter your email here.

Feb 4 2013

How to get more REAL followers on Twitter


Do you want to find followers on Twitter?

Do you want to find real followers who actually want to hear what you have to say, engage with you and re-tweet what you say?

Read on if you want to learn how you can add more followers to your total on Twitter.

This blog is the result of me trying out something I have heard Gary Vaynerchuk talk about in a lot of his keynotes. Gary talks about how he built up his following on Twitter by answering people’s questions. That’s it. I have always advocated answering people’s questions in your blog and this applies equally to Twitter.

The big mistake a lot of people make is that they think social media is just another way for them to sell their stuff. I think the opposite, as does Gary.

I do not want followers for the sake of having followers. It is not a vanity thing. I do not think having lots of followers is any use to people if they do not follow you for the right reasons. If you have a million followers who don’t care what you say it isn’t as good as 100 who do care what you say.

Continue reading →

Dec 17 2012

What is social business?


social media RIP tombstone

Do you want to know what social business is?

Do you want to know how it will change business in the future?

I believe there is no such thing as “Social Media”. It is just a phrase to describe the current state of the internet.

I believe social business is the future of business. Social business will be the way business is done in the future and eventually what we know currently as social business will just become “business”.

I have come up with my definition of Social Business.

Restoring the equilibrium of power, to make the values, interests and beliefs of the customer/employee equal to those of the company Continue reading →

Dec 10 2012

How to be happy


I have just spent the last two weeks in Thailand and I am currently writing this blog on the 13 hour flight back from Bangkok to London. Thailand is an amazing country. I have experienced it’s two extremes – the busy streets of Khaosan Road in Bangkok and the peace and tranquillity around islands such as Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Ao Nang. I was fortunate enough to experience things such as:

A Buddhist monk prayer session in full flow. Hearing them recite their ancient chants in the Wat Pho Buddhist temple, home to the worlds largest reclining Buddha. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Passing my open water PADI Scuba diving course 18 metres under the Andaman sea with green turtles and leopard sharks to keep me company.

IMG_0585

Riding an Asian elephant called Nancy bareback into the sea and then swimming with her after she decided it would be funny to throw me and my unsuspecting girlfriend into the sea OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The one thing that struck me above everything is the entrepreneurial spirit of the Thai people. The less the person had, the more they tried. When you are on a remote island where there are no shops for miles, the locals set up stores in their houses to serve the community around them. Locals on the streets were working all hours of the day selling fruit for small amounts of money that the western world would not consider worth picking up off the floor. By western standards the low pay, long hours and shanty town living would deem their quality of life as unlivable. However, on the whole, the people seemed very happy. The holiday made me feel very humble and gave me some time to reflect on how lucky I am and the things that have helped make me happy. I wanted to turn these thoughts into two tips to help you live a happier life.

Continue reading →

May 17 2013

Best business video since @SimonSinek


For a long time I have appreciated Marcus Sheridan and his approach to marketing and business. I read every one of his blog posts, I listen to his podcast and have read his free ebook on inbound marketing.

His honest approach gave me the purpose and inspiration to quit a well paid, well-respected job to launch my company ItIsWhatIt.Is.

Not content with being on the front page of the New York Times business section this amazing guy has joined the elite thinkers in the world and given us a TED talk.

Simon Sinek changed my world when I saw his TED talk. Marcus has also changed the way I think and sums up all that good stuff in these 12 minutes.

If you do one thing I ever ask you, watch this video. Don’t do it for me, do it for yourself. It might just be the start of a new chapter of business success in your life.

Trouble viewing? - Go direct to view on YouTube

Read Marcus’ own blog post about the Talk

Apr 3 2013

[Video] Chris Heffer speaking about Social Data and CRM for Social Media Week 2012


This is the video for the presentation I did as part of Social Media Week 2012. I presented on how social data could be used in CRM. The presentation was part of the Social Data and Privacy Event held at Nebarro as part of Social Media Week London 2012.

Topics covered in presentation

  • What is CRM
  • How could social data be used with a CRM
  • What is the future of business in with these ideas
  • What CRM systems are good at and where they are not not so good
  • Use case for social data for consumer packaged good industry (FMCG)
  • Use case for social data for television production companies industry
  • Use case for social data in retail – one
  • Use case for social data in retail – two

Would love your feedback if you get a chance to watch any of the video.

Slides from event

Mar 16 2013
Video

Chris Heffer speaking at Facebook HQ for Social Media Week


This is the video for the presentation I did as part of Social Media Week 2012. I presented on “why you don’t need a social media strategy”.

Would love your feedback if you get a chance to watch any of the video.

Full write up without the video - Why you don’t need a social media strategy from #smwldn

Slides from event

Mar 7 2013

Hey! I got a new job at Dachis Group!


i love my new job mug

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now but now I have finally done it!

On Monday 4th February I started a new role at Dachis Group to lead their marketing efforts across EMEA.

I was sad to leave SAP as I had built up a big network of colleagues and friends. I want to thank a couple of people:

  • Michael Brenner who gave me a great platform to write for the SAP Innovation blog. A platform that put my work amongst the highest people in the company Jonathon Becher (SAP CMO) and Oliver Bussmann (SAP CIO) to name a few.
  • Todd Wilms for being an inspiring person to be able to work with. Who taught me a great analogy for how to be social. It’s not about the surf board it’s about living like a surfer.
  • Margot Heiligman for being supportive and bringing me into conversations I never would have been a part of.
  • Kris McKenzie for a being an understanding boss and supporting my social quest at SAP.

The whole of the CRM for all the fun times we had at our random team night outs, FKOM and the various escapades in Heidelberg (mainly in Vetters!).

Dachis is a company I had admired ever since I attended their Social Business Summit back in June last year.  I still remember the connected company presentation from Dave Gray and being totally blown away by this new way of thinking about how businesses can work. When the opportunity fell into my lap I didn’t have to think for very long to make the move.

I look forward to working in a team of people I admire for the way they are trying to make a difference in the world by challenging legacy ways of doing business.

For more information on Dachis visit www.dachisgroup.com/europe or follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/dachisgroup_eu .

If you would like to learn more about Dachis or my role please drop me a line through my contact page or through any of my social channels.

Jan 25 2013

How can blogging help you sell?


Do you want to know how blogging can help you sell?

Are you sceptical if it will work in your business niche/sector/industry?

Are you trying to figure out if you should start a blog?

Then read on…..

While on holiday in Thailand I saw this article pop up in my Flipboard.

7 Dynamic Ways Businesses can Blog for SEO, Brand-Building, and Thought Leadership

Continue reading →

Jan 2 2013

2012 in review


The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 10,000 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Thanks for all your support in 2012. Here is to an even better 2013!