Dennis Yu

Dog for Comfort: The Hammer’s “Honey”

Relationships, Gratitude /

The Hammer’s Pet Dog “Honey” If you want a friend at any place, get a dog for comfort! These friendly canines make for great lifetime buddies. The bond that you create with them is as lasting as this earth will ever be.  Even Darryl “The Hammer” Isaacs agrees! The Joys of Having “Honey” The Hammer’s pet dog was Honey. While all of the Isaacs’s dogs have been a special part of the family, one dog truly captured Darryl’s heart like no other —Honey Isaacs, a dog for comfort, was a Labrador mix adopted from the Humane Society. Honey had been a great addition to the Isaacs family. Long walks in the park and a trip to the Doggy Daycare, she had been an integral part of the tight-knit group. With her adventurous spirit, always lounging in the sunbeams and bringing joy to the neighborhood, she brought plenty of love and hope that shone brightly in the Isaacs.  Honey’s story was a representation of so many dogs in the Humane Society, abandoned, with no shelter and little food. Even so, she had plenty of vibrant energy. She loved being around people, especially children. But more than anything, she loved spending time at home with the Isaacs.  She was a close friend, a loving companion, and a family dog who left lasting paw prints in their hearts. Leaving Lasting Paw Prints Honey has given Darryl and the family her absolute all. In return, they too, have given their most genuine love and adoration for their four-legged kin. Sadly, her paw prints are now in heaven, getting much-deserved snuggles and belly rubs from angels. Still, the Isaacs continue to celebrate Honey for her love of attention and her ability to befriend every dog and human at the park. They paid tribute to their beloved jet-black Lab for “Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.” Encourage Others and Adopt Our furry buddies are there for the good and the bad times. They’re immensely loyal and endearingly affectionate. And with their boundless judgment-free cuddles, we can be our most authentic selves.   A short time ago, adoption was nothing but a rarity. But thanks to continued animal welfare support, neglected pets are finding homes and gaining access to veterinary care.  Setting the stage for others to follow, Darryl Isaacs and his family bask in the warmth and comforting memories brought by Honey, their dog for comfort, inspiring and encouraging everyone to adopt a companion animal.

Dog for Comfort: The Hammer’s “Honey” Read More »

Dollar a Day Strategy

How I Grew Gavin Lira From 12 Followers to 18,000 Using the Dollar-a-Day Strategy

Engagement, advice, Boosting, Branding, Digital Marketing, Dollar a Day, facebook marketing and advertising, personal branding, Relationships, twitter /

Wondering how some people rise above the noise and get a high following on their social media accounts? Let me show you how I grew Gavin Lira’s account from 12 followers to 18,000 using the “Facebook for a Dollar-a-Day strategy.”

How I Grew Gavin Lira From 12 Followers to 18,000 Using the Dollar-a-Day Strategy Read More »

You can’t please everyone, so don’t make the same mistake I did.

Communication, Relationships /

You can show your care in a couple of sentences. But don’t make the mistake I’ve made with one Office Hours subscriber specifically, where I’ve given him hours of my time privately to help him build his brand. He wanted me to join his podcast several times, then canceled and no-showed, which is not good form.   He didn’t follow through on the specific recommendations I gave him– which is key for anyone in our program, even if just courses, group coaching, or private one-on-one coaching. We are teaching at intermediate to advanced levels– we don’t have much beginner-level content.   But if you present yourself as an industry pro who is teaching others about how to expand your brand via digital, I’d assume you’re not a beginner yourself. We are not right for everyone.  We aren’t trying to please everyone— just the top folks in the industry to start, who in turn can then teach their communities. I admire that our subscriber wants to be a big personal brand that teaches others how to grow their personal brand.  But he’s not at the level of a partner– he needs to be a specialist (learn how to do digital) or a business (client) first. Watch for people who want to be partners, but need to start at specialists or businesses. Think about their expectations and look at it from their point of view – as if they were actually a partner – to see the gap in expectations.

You can’t please everyone, so don’t make the same mistake I did. Read More »

Relationships are like bank account balances.

advice, Relationships /

Every interaction is a deposit or withdrawal. Sometimes a major screwup can make it go negative, resulting in overdraft fees. The key is to make so many small positive investments that when you goof up, you’re still positive. Most people have bank account balances that are just above zero, easily wiped out when the unexpected happens. Or they are so transactional, they are living paycheck to paycheck. Are you constantly making investments to build up long-term relationships, so that there’s no chance you will ever bounce checks with the people that matter to you?

Relationships are like bank account balances. Read More »

Worth your time.

Relationships /

The “crutch and leash” story is PURE GOLD from Roland Frasier. Worth your 15 minutes to read the longest Facebook post I’ve ever seen– to identify and remove the things (especially people) that are holding you back. I’ve held on to stuff that I shouldn’t have– because I cared about them too much, hoped they would improve, was afraid they would fail without me, and just as an ongoing bad habit… And that has prevented me from taking on the amazing things with amazing people that are right in front of me. I hope you can identify your crutch and leash, so you can stop doing the stuff you don’t want to do anymore.

Worth your time. Read More »

Invest in yourself and your relationships.

Relationships /

The algorithms are getting smarter, and so should you. The algorithm recognizes the power of your friends and gives you credit for this. Thus, your business success is increasingly based on your long-term friendships, not how smart you are. You can hire workers who are skilled in any particular area, and so can your clients. Fly above the noise by choosing the right environments and the right people. I believe you will unlock unbelievable opportunities when you make the switch.

Invest in yourself and your relationships. Read More »

Tell me if you’ve been here before…

mentorship, Relationships /

Rent is due and you don’t have the money. You’re stressed out since you’ve drained your bank account and maxed out your credit cards, hoping that the big “deal” is coming through. Any day now, you promise others. But you’re conflicted inside since you can’t publicly say you’re on the brink of implosion. So you grin and bear it since nobody would hire you if they knew the truth. You’re afraid others will expose you for being a fraud. But you make promises on stuff you know you can’t deliver, since you need the money. In fact, you’d take on even random stuff or screw over others if it meant you could get some money today. Because once you get past this emergency, it will all be smooth sailing from here on out. But you know that’s not true— you’ve been here before. And all those other times, it was someone else’s fault that the big “deal” didn’t come through. This time will be different, I swear! I’ve been here many times and can tell you that the only way out of this mess is to immediately seek help from mentors— people who have achieved what you are trying to do. Ignore the “successful” boasting you see on social media. Most are broke and pretending, talking about stuff they have no experience with. The person who created the problem, you, isn’t the one who can solve it— because problems must be solved on a higher level than they were created. Talk to a mentor who cares and can guide you out. But that means you have to stop pretending and start being honest. Then you will feel massive relief since you won’t have to misrepresent how things are going. And you’re not solely relying upon your limited knowledge, experience, and questionable ability to work 24×7. If you want to go fast, go alone.But if you want to go far, go together. That ancient African proverb reminds me of how important it is to have a high-quality, ethical team around you. Are you building your team first or just hustling and hoping this next deal will be “the one”?

Tell me if you’ve been here before… Read More »

It’s taken me 30 years to build a $237 million dollar capital portfolio.

Relationships /

Relationship capital, that is– the goodwill of people earned over time, which is more valuable than money in the bank. I’ve asked the most successful people in the world what they would choose: A) Keep all your money, but lose your relationship.B) Keep all your relationships, but lose all your money. Know what 100% of them chose? Option B, of course, since with these connections, they can quickly rebuild to where they were before. Amateurs focus on deals, while pros focus on relationships. If you hear people talk about “hustle” and acquisition, run– they will use you and are short-term oriented. The reason wealthy people talk about helping others is NOT that: + They have so much money, they can be philanthropic.+ Making donations is a great tax shelter and makes up for the dirty things they did to get rich.+ Wealthy people don’t need money, so they now want to be famous. It’s because they had that mindset of helping others ALL ALONG. Naveen Jain told me that the way to make a billion dollars is to create $10 billion of value for others. And so you’ll find that the most successful people have global visions that create the best while finding an economic vehicle (a for-profit company) to accomplish their goals. Like-minded, mission-driven people attract one another, while “the garbage takes itself out” (my favorite quote of the last month). Have you defined your WHY, so that you can then be a magnet to attract the people you want in your life? Start that mission NOW, instead of waiting for when you have the money to begin being a good person.

It’s taken me 30 years to build a $237 million dollar capital portfolio. Read More »

Disclaimer:

advice, Growth Mindset, Relationships /

If you lead your business with love, empathy, and the ability to have free time that allows you to have quality time with friends, family and loved ones, this post is not for you. But if money, data, or analytics are the motivating factors in your life, read on because… This is going to piss off some people and expose a polite lie we all like to tell each other. In business, you can bucket everyone into one of these categories— customer, employee, partner, and other. There is no “friend” category, even though we should all be nice to each other. You have a limited amount of time, so you can’t be hopping on the phone to give free consulting all day long or meeting people in your “free time”. Because that’s time away from your family, your health, and your business. And if it’s business, your priority is to your customers, employees, and partners. Be careful that the giant “other” category doesn’t become such a distraction that you lose sight of your customers, employees, and partner. I see a lot of you so enamored with trying to become an “influencer” that you forget you have a business that needs your attention. I’m guilty of this, too, which is why I need the wake-up call once in a while, like this note, to be clear about priorities. If someone “might” become an employee, client, or partner, it’s okay to spend time with them. But don’t fool yourself by using that as a blanket exists to squander most of your time. If there’s no clear value, you’re just wasting your precious time. If you find yourself wandering about, likes scrolling through the Facebook newsfeed, consider if there’s something more important you should be working on with your family, friends, health, spiritual needs, or business. This concept just relates purely to business. Outside of business, I spend quality time with my friends (and yes, I’ve met some friends along the way who started out as business contacts first and do value them and will do anything for them), and give back to the community through free content and workshops. These are great things to pursue outside of business but do not confuse the two and think that when you are hanging out with a friend, you are working. What do you say?

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That’s my luggage in the background there!

Growth Mindset, Relationships /

More importantly, the BEST place to learn digital marketing is the community that goes by the same name, DigitalMarketer. Notice that it’s about the community, not just the courses, the company, or the conference. It’s relationships that will carry you through to achieve your goals. And I’ve found unbelievable friends, business partners, and clients from this community. Look at what the successful people are doing- they are members of a few communities that help them level up. They actively share what they know and help others, while getting help at the same time. When you buy a course, look to the community behind it to see the quality. And if you’re selling something, no matter what it is, what are you doing to build community?

That’s my luggage in the background there! Read More »

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