Have you ever wondered what makes one artist or business successful and not the other, especially if the two are seemingly identical, or have a similar look and sound? What is it about the one that gets more views and traction while the other stays stagnant?
A little over a year ago, I created my first music video. It had been finished for an entire month before I finally decided to post it to YouTube. I was terrified. I felt like I was exposing one of my biggest vulnerabilities, my voice, for people to judge under a microscope. But, one day, I got the courage to show the world. I posted it to YouTube and then to Facebook, and then shutdown the computer and walked away. Almost 24 hours later,
I logged back in and I was astonished. It had over 4,000 views, hundreds of likes on my facebook post, tons of shares, and almost 100 comments.
I logged back in and I was astonished. It had over 4,000 views, hundreds of likes on my facebook post, tons of shares, and almost 100 comments.
People came out of the woodwork to tell me they saw my video. The number one comment from my network: “I had no idea you sang.”
For years I never wanted anyone in my professional network to see that part of me. I was worried that sharing my art and creative self-expression would reveal “too much” about me personally- that people would judge me, get the wrong impression, and turn away. In retrospect it’s actually comical because the opposite turned out to be true. My voice became a gateway for people to connect to me and “feel me” faster.
Now, my singing has become my secret weapon in relating with people, especially in business.
Located in Boulder, CO, Michael Grab, a professional stone balancer and the founder of Gravity Glue, has also found this to be true.
Michael and I caught up recently on this podcast episode where he shares about his craft and how he has built his business by leading with himself.
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Photo Credit: Gravity Glue
Since Michael quit his 9-to-5 in 2011 to pursue Gravity Glue full-time, he has gradually accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. He shares that when he started his Facebook page, his only agenda was to “share my daily photos with whoever wanted to look, I never went through friends lists inviting every friend, or paying for sponsorships or promoted posts, I just made the page and posted a photo each day.”
Photo Credit: Gravity Glue
Now Michael travels the world balancing stones as his form of art, he does it at many notable events and venues, including the World Economic Forum. He is one of only a few people in the world who does what he does, which is why he can charge $5,000 for a seven-minute performance, even when just last year the Boulder police were trying to kick him out of the creek for stacking too many rocks.
As Michael says, “I pretty much just get paid to be me.”
Photo Credit: Gravity Glue
Michael’s willingness to keep going day after day without attachment to what people think or what will happen next in his journey has attributed to his success. He has spent countless hours practicing his art and has been unwilling to compromise on his personal values. The way he sees it is, most people “focus too much on a business model and not enough about the creative process.” Instead, he lets the internet do the marketing for him in helping his photos and videos go viral.
In this information age where there are infinite options and choices, it can become increasingly challenging to separate yourself and to stand out. It is easy to obsess over the “bells and whistles” like a perfect website, or multi-thousand dollar ad budget, or the right professional photos, social media strategy, promotional offers, etc.
Photo Credit: Gravity Glue
The key to Michael’s success in business has been leading with himself first. People are interested in learning who you are as a human being before they actually decide if they want the products or services you offer. You will always be your best asset and staying true to yourself when everyone else is trying to be someone else will make you stand out.
As author Jeb Blount says, “If you want to know the real secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That’s right, it’s YOU. Do these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in the competitive world we live in today, things almost always are) People Buy You.”
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