Friday 4 - Online Banter With Competitors be Productive? 8/23/19

Published: Fri, 08/23/19

Here's some recommended reading to either wrap up your week, or kick off your weekend.

Let's start things off with a guest post published this week on my website:

How We Built an Online Community…That’s Actually A Community - Creating a great community vibe is difficult in a brick and mortar setting, and even more challenging in an online format. This being said, it can be done, and my buddy Todd Bumgardner is here to tell you exactly how to do so (with integrity) in this solid post..

My Friday FOUR:

Four pieces of content I've consumed this past week that will influence my future blog material and challenge me to think differently about how I manage Cressey Sports Performance - as always, I'm looking to bring you some business-specific information from outside of the world of fitness. Enjoy:

An Important College Commencement Speech - My college roommate (not the one named Eric Cressey) accomplished so much in the decade following our graduation that he was invited to deliver the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2015. In it, he shared a message that all strength coaches working for the man need to know and remember: "You do not need to work for yourself, and start your own business, to be an entrepreneur." This is a few years old, but the message is timeless.

Chick-fil-A and Popeyes Just Did Something Brilliant, and Customers are Going Crazy. - This is a fun little story about the beautifully manufactured "war" a series of fast-food chains have pulled together in order (presumably) to drive brand awareness to both. In the end, assuming none of the parties take things too far, everyone wins in the form of increased brand awareness, social media engagement, and audience size. For the record, this is not me encouraging you to start an argument with a competitor in a public forum...at least not yet.

500 Interns Later, Here’s What I Learned About Transitioning Them to Employees - This was a really good article covering not just how to move an intern into the realm of paid employees, but also how to ensure that each program participant maximizes the learning opportunity in front of them from the moment they arrive for day one.

Learning is Supposed to Feel Uncomfortable - This author nailed it when he said "learning takes time, and comfort takes experience." If you're one of the people who signed up for this "business" newsletter because that portion of your gym owner skill set is underdeveloped, remember this...I assumed the role of gym owning "business director" with zero experience in 2007 and managed to (mostly) figure this stuff out. I'm sure you can as well.

Make sure to let me know if you come across any material that you think I'd enjoy. More importantly, have a great weekend.

- Pete