Be Big!

An old friend of mine, Kevin McCrea, is fond of saying "Go BIG". In fact, it's his life mantra. He even avoids saying the opposite of BIG by saying "less BIG". He's done some amazing things in his life because of this philosophy including establishing his own motorcycle racing team; completing his dream home after winning numerous legal battles; and running as a complete unknown in the Boston city counselor race (Boston politics ain't for wimps!). He's simply inspirational.

I took a page from his book recently when I attended a program entitled, "How to Get Your Business in a Business Magazine", sponsored in part by the Harvard Startup group, which consists of entrepreneurs (Harvard alum and others) who discuss the challenges of running a business via a list serv.

Fern Reiss, a good friend, author of The Publishing Game, was the moderator. (Fern has gotten over 100 mentions in major press in the past 6 months. If you want the same, check out her site, Expertizing). While chatting, I asked if there was anything I could do to help out. Well, she asked me to pitch a story idea if the audience grew shy.

Now, I agreed but with a bit of trepidation. The editors from Inc., Harvard Business Review and Fortune Small Business were all on the panel. What did I have to say that would interest sophisticated business journalists like them? I worried what I'd gotten myself into.

Then I remembered Kevin. I could be BIG. Even if I made a fool of myself (which wasn't likely) I could start a conversation with these editors and others in the audience. I pitched!

Now, I'd love to say that the editors raved and fought over who would get the first interview, but that didn't happen. What did happen was this: two editors asked that I stay in touch with them; several audience members said they could use my services; and one CEO completely disagreed with the concept of Ombuds. That was actually the best part because he represents a segment of my market that I need to understand better.

What does all this mean to you? There's something to this "Go BIG" concept. Or as my Dad used to say, "shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll still be among the stars". What can you go big on as you build your practice?

I'll share the secrets of getting a story in a major business publication soon!

Try. Fail. Learn. Grow.

Dina

PS Hey, drop me a note about your best "Go BIG" story, will ya?