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Dr. Joyce Knudsen, Founder of The ImageMaker, Inc® Communications Group

By Cheval John

February 21st, 2018

Today’s episode of What’s The Word? features Dr. Joyce Knudsen, founder of The ImageMaker, Inc® Communications Group

It was recorded on Facebook Live via Blue Jeans Network

Dr. Joyce is the author of ten books including “Refusing To Quit: True Stories of Women Over The Age of 60”

She is the host of “The Twelve Minute Inspiration,” where she interviews authors, business professionals and entrepreneurs on making your time count during your lifetime.

The show is on the Gab Radio Network.

Dr. Joyce has been featured in many media outlets including Forbes.

I first learned of Dr. Joyce last year through the twitter chat called #winniesun, hosted by the co-founder of Sun Group Wealth Management, Winnie Sun.

Her simple approach to being a giver of wisdom allowed her to build over a million followers on Twitter.

In my personal opinion, she is more knowledgable of the social media industry than half of the social media professionals.

In this episode, you will hear:

-her thoughts on podcasting
-how she built over a million followers on twitter
-why people should focus on giving value on social media
-why she does not believe in retirement

Snippet on Vallano Media TV

Full episode on BlogTalkRadio

You can also subscribe to the show on Apple Podcast, Stitcher and Google Play Music.

Website: www.drjoyceknudsen.com

Twitter: @drjoyce_knudsen

Quotes from Dr. Joyce Knudsen on:

LISTENING TO YOUR AUDIENCE

People do not listen.

They are listening to figure out what to say next.

So they are not really interested in what someone else has to say.

I call those fake people because people that are interested in other people listen.

They not only listen to what they have to say, they look at the person’s expression, the nonverbal which we are being judged on.

We are not being judged on conversation.

We are being judged on gestures.

Only seven percent of what you say is really going to be heard or counted.

It’s very interesting.

I am a communication specialist.

So I know a lot about how people perceive and everything is perception.

There is no such thing as something that is true.

It is your perception of what is true.

Perception is reality.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

There’s a lot of true takers on Twitter.

I’m a true giver.

Takers are asking you to do something, wanting to introduce you to some kind of new thing.

I’m not there for that reason.

I’m there to just spread the word about joy and love and giving around the world.

I feel that I’ve had a really good life.

I have obviously learned how to have a professional and private life that is a good one.

That is what I want to teach other people and I hope my tweets are doing that.

OBTAINING DOCTORATE DEGREE LATER IN LIFE

I think I was born wanting to learn especially since the doctors told me I could not given my eyesight.

I always was a learner.

At 38, I went back to college for a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

I waited a while after that because I was tired of spending time in the books.

I think at the age of 48 or 49, I went to get my doctorate degree because I figured in my image profession which a lot of people do not know what that is.

They think you only take people shopping or you do their colors or you’re a makeup artist or something like that.

Those are hard skills.

I wanted to do much more with soft skills.

With the empathy.

With the helping people to believe in themselves.

Like I say in my twitter handle, “You are enough.”

So I went back to school and I was in pyschology and maybe three-quarters through, they changed the psychology cirriculum to human services and you had to work for a doctor for two years in order to get the degree.

I said, “Wait a minute, I’ve got my own business, I had it for 20 years, I do not really want to work for somebody now and give up my business.”

I ended up getting the degree in human services with an emphasis on psychology and self-esteem image.

I can’t stop learning.

If there was another degree, I’m going for it.

I’m a continuous learner.

If you sent me a book, it would have to be an audio book or a large print book.

I take a lot of continuing education courses.

I like to learn.

Every answer you get it’s gonna be very simple.

I’m not simple, but I like to boil things down to their lowest common denominator.

DEALING WITH A VISION IMPAIRMENT

When I went to school and I was called cross-eyed and four eyes, I evaluated myself.

I did not know any other way to see it.

My eyes do not work in the middle.

They do not see up.

They don’t see down.

They don’t see the side.

They don’t work together.

So cataract surgery is something they are wanting me to do.

When I was leaving home in my early 20s, I said to myself, “Everybody’s got to deal with something.”

So this is what God gave me and I can handle it because God does not give anything you can’t handle.

So I decided at that time, I was gonna be the best I could be and help as many people as I can.

There was no looking back because I’m not going that way.

Why would I go back to when people calling me names and telling me all these things that were not true?

I actually look in the dictionary a lot of things people were calling me and I thought, “That’s not me, I’m a research company.”

I said, “Okay, you know, I look regular.”

I feel I’m special because of it.

I have a special condition.

That’s why I do as much as I do because I don’t want to let one day go by without some new experience and some new friends.

I guess that’s just me and I wish other people would be move that way.

They don’t realize how many friends they could have.

I’ve made another several wonderful friends on facebook.

I work with gab radio network and they are wonderful to me.

I feel so lucky.

But then, it is not always luck.

I’ve worked hard to get these relationships with people where they know Joyce is not full of it.

She’s really the real deal.

I was so happy to meet Winnie (Sun).

She was my first favorite person on Twitter.

I love her.

She’s just great.

I really love twitter.

I see myself as the hundred year old person who still on Twitter helping people as I have to give up my business by then.

They say when you get older, nothing changes except for that you do everything slower.

I have a sense of humor.

Newsletter For November

By Cheval John

Can you believe we are almost done with 2017?

For some of you who lives here in Houston, you saw the Super Bowl and the World Series.

The rest of you became more prominent in the social media space.

To finish this year on a high note, here are some articles for this month’s newsletter from trusted sources

4 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Embrace the Next Phase of Digital Maturity, ‘Cognitive Transformation’-Jaimy Szymanski, guest writer at Entrepreneur.com

5 Things To Think About When Starting A Blog-Catriona Pollard of C.P. Communications

Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, and Richard Feynman Explain How to Learn Anything Faster-Jessica Stillman, Contributor at Inc Magazine

9 Be’s: Successful Blogger Secrets You Need to Know-Rebekah Radice of Rebekah Radice Media

How to Create and Analyze Instagram Stories for Business Accounts-Kristi Hines, Contributor to Social Media Examiner

How To Turn Views Into Leads On YouTube-Jessika Phillips of Now Marketing Group

Later today, you will see a blog post from the podcast episode featuring Rachel Moffett, Founder of Define Your Hustle as this newsletter falls on a Wednesday.

And keep on eye out for blog posts every Wednesday and Friday.

Also, there will be a podcast recording at approximately 4 p.m. eastern, 3 p.m. central on the business page of this company on Facebook Live with guest Laurie Ann Nilo, Social Media Manager of Simply Measured

Have a great day everyone.

How To Convince People That You Are “Insane”?

By Cheval John

Most of the people were raised to the drum of “If you want a really great and stable job, you need to gain a quality education.”

They go to high school and learn about subjects that they are not interested in.

They study really hard for the SATs and ACTs so that they can make a high enough score to get into the best universities that money can buy.

When they get over that hurdle and know that they are “college material,” they are looking through different colleges to see which ones will get them towards the goals of attaining the all illustrious degree.

If they are a five-star athlete, recruiters from major colleges are paying visits to their home to try and sell to them their school and why they should compete for them.

They are continuously counting down to the day when they are finally free from the rigors of high school and are out of their parents watchful eye.

For most, they have selected the university that they want to attend close to the day of graduation.

If they are a five-star athlete (a.k.a. football), they are making their announcement on the university of their choice in front of a large television audience dubbed as “National Signing Day” broadcasted on major national networks like ESPNU, Fox College Sports, Big Ten Network, etc.

Then that day arrives when they achieved their high school diploma and are excited about the possibilities of going to college.

Once they arrive on the college campus, reality sinks in of achieving “independence” and the opportunity to choose which major they want to study.

They put in the grueling hours of doing labs, homework, writing papers, studying for exams for the four years (six years for some) to achieve the elusive goal of a college degree.

They want to be among those who made it through the rigorous demands of the university and proclaim that they are a college graduate.

They do not want to be among the majority who failed to achieve the college degree because that would be a failure not only to themselves, but their parents who spent their hard earned money to send them to college.

If they make the 40% of people who achieve their college degrees according to this 2014 story by NPR.org, they believe they are set for life.

The day arrives when they walk across the aisle to receive their college degrees and are excited about the possibilities that are waiting for them.

When most of the college graduates achieve their first entry-level job, they are excited to start the track to promotion.

They are in the workforce earning the salary, living the “American Dream” that they grew up with.

All of a sudden, they got an epiphany that they want to strike out on their own and follow their dreams.

When they tell their family, friends, etc about the decision, they wonder if they have gone “insane.”

They are wondering why you left that great company that have the benefits to go out into the unknown world of entrepreneurship.

Most have probably tried to convince the aspiring entrepreneur that 8 out of 10 new businesses fail within the first 18 months of operation according to this Forbes article “Five Reasons 8 Out of 10 Businesses Fail” by Eric T. Wagner via Bloomblerg Businessweek.

Though they are well meaning, they try to bring you back from your “insanity” of starting a business and to reconsider your decision to become an entrepreneur.

However, you don’t relent and decide to start your very own business.

I highly suspect that Brandon Sobotka heard the same concerns from his closest friends when he started his company, “Integrity Human Performance.”

Check Out Business Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Cheval John on BlogTalkRadio

Many might not have understand his vision of helping people who are either entrepreneurs or business leaders, to increase their productivity and profitability without overworking themselves to death.

Even if you try to explain to them why you have to follow your destiny of owning a business and the desire to make the world a better place, they still believe that you are “insane.”

In their minds, the reasons are valid because you are the one who have to figure out a way everyday to make the venture work.

It makes sense to them that you are insane because you are going into unknown territory of entrepreneurship.

So what should you do if you have a tough time in convincing your friends and family of why you decided to become an entrepreneur and leave the perks of the company that provides you a “stable” salary?

Don’t waste your time explaining to them the reason why you became an entrepreneur.

What you should do is come up with creative ways to make your company a success.

When they see the results from your hard work to build your company into a profitable business the right way, they will understand to a degree your decision to become an entrepreneur.

Maybe they will get inspired by your success and decide to become an entrepreneur themselves and hopefully realize that you were not insane after all.

This Time Really Is Different

by Cheval John

With the presidential election right around the corner, the main concern is the economy.

Some say that we are at a recovery while others believe that it will get worse.

Voters are wondering if we will ever see America return back to it’s “glory days.

To understand where we are today, we have to understand the past and that is where guest writer, Dr. Brian Domitrovic comes in.

He has written a book called “Econoclast, The Rebels Who Sparked The Supply-Side Revolution And Restored America’s Prosperity,” which deals with the ecomonic recovery during the Reagan Administration.

He writes a weekly blog called “Past and Present” for Forbes and have given presentations at various conferences that includes the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (Houston Branch).

He has made appearances on radio nationally on shows like the Lars Larson Show and Voices of America and television appearances on various shows like Lou Dobbs Tonight and The Kudlow Report.

He is an Associate Professor of History at Sam Houston State University and currently serves as the Chair of the Department.

Now without further delay, here is Dr. Domitrovic:

We never seen a recovery from a recession this poor since the Great Depression.

There is some competition, and it comes from the stagflation era of the early 1980s.

The general rule is that a deep recession brings a sharper recovery, and the reason is simple mathematics.

Growth rates are calculated in the following manner: new GDP is divided by previous GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and the steeper the recession, the lower that denominator.

The lower the denominator, the greater will be a growth rate with any given numerator.

In the Depression, growth was very sharp out of the 1933 trough (40% for four years), but it still gave way to a nasty recession in 1937-38 that took unemployment to 17%.

This is the benchmark for failed recoveries: a resort to 17% unemployment.

In 1980, there was a recession, a mild one, and the recovery was meek, at 2.5% in 1981, and this gave way to another recession where unemployment just about hit 11%.

But then growth caught fire, 17% over the next three years, and 3.5% per year after that.

Today, the recovery from our Great Recession, in the aftermath of which there was 10% unemployment, has been at best on 1981 standards.

We used to recover from deep recessions with 17% growth for three years as the recovery.

Now we plod along at 1-2% per year out of a very deep swoon.

The only time we’ve done worse in the modern era is the 1930s.