SMBME #40 – Inspiration

What better time of year than the beginning of winter to hunker down and take some time to reflect on what you want – and really take the time to go for it. This late November breakfast really hit the spot, featuring some really inspirational (and fun!) local people. Miranda Valentine of Better in French, Pat Lemieux of The Bangor Daily News and John Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire joined us to share their inspirational stories of success: from how they got started and what motivated them, to how they did it and what they learned along the way.

Miranda Valentine kicked things off for us with an entertaining and honest journey that taught her to let her “sparkle flag fly” and ultimately led to success with her blog Everything Sounds Better in French.

Here are some of the valuable lessons Miranda learned along the way:

1. Be honest about what inspires you.
2. To figure out what inspires you, you must be willing to follow the breadcrumbs (or clues).
3. The more authentic you are in communicating your inspiration and passion, the stronger your relationships will be (as a brand and human being).

Next up we heard from Pat Lemieux. Pat’s work with bloggers at the Bangor Daily News has really changed the way people engage with the paper’s website. By adding special interest blogs of all subject types, he has been able to build online communities around the specialized subjects while reaching readers in a unique way. It was interesting to hear about how different social channels have worked for different bloggers. And how he learned to work with (and nurture) each blogger’s unique style and subject matter.

John Dumas finished the morning with the story of how he started his daily podcasting show, EntrepreneurOnFire.com. John’s need for inspiration was actually what initially sparked his success. He saw a need, and took steps to fulfill that need. After unsuccessful searches for a podcast that would fill his long car rides, runs, and walks with meaning and inspiration, John took his passion for business and decided to create one himself. Not only is John pursuing his passion, he’s also helping others find theirs by making the stories of successful entrepreneurs accessible to an online community on a daily basis.

While all of our guests stories were unique, one message was common among them all: success lies in discovering and owning your passion. In the words of Miranda Valentine: you need to “Let your sparkle flag fly!”

Many thanks to this month’s sponsors:

Mainely SEO, Hall Internet Marketing, The Cohen-Tracy Team, GWI, Others! Fair Trade Coffee and The Internet Educator.