Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

When you hit it big you can thank me for this request.

Buy your freakin name as a “Dot Com” today.  I am serious.  Go to GoDaddy.com right now and buy it.

“Do Not Pass Go!” until you buy your domain name.  Keeping with the “Monopoly” reference, you have to think of “YOURNAME.COM” as the “BoardWalk” of web properties.  I promise you for only $10 a year you will thank me.  If you should hit it big you will want to develop this web property and promote yourself.

I speak from experience when I say do it now.  I have been trying to buy BrianMonahan.com for over 10 years with no avail.  Some other scum sucker named Brian Monahan bought it up and has squatted on it for years.  I can’t blame him.  He knows I am working hard to build my personal brand.  Luckily Brian Monahan.net came available this past year and I snatched it up.  I am in the early phases of developing the domain but it already shows up well in search results on Google.

If you are still with me and have any web savvy I recommend you go pick up other web properties using your name.

Here is a quick checklist:

• Twitter.com/yourname
• LinkedIn.com/in/yourname
• yourname@gmail.com
• yourname@yahoo.com
• Facebook fan page using your name as the address

If you are lucky and have a really unique name you probably have nothing to worry about but if you have a name like mine which has become almost John Smith in the USA you might have some challenges.  Remember anybody can buy your name and if you hit it big somebody probably will.  In fact I am considering buying up names of friends and family who I think are going to hit it big and resell them their names for a profit later.

Seriously, please buy YOURNAME.com today.  I promise you it is worth the investment.

Warning do not search for your name using Network Solutions you will pay to much for it there and I have heard that people have come back to find their name purchased and hijacked for a ransom (seriously) from a foreign country.  I use a program I downloaded from LiberateDomains.com to safely search the availability of domain names I might purchase.

Once you own your own domain name and other web properties you can now develop web content to promote yourself or career.  This may feel a bit narcissistic but think of it like having a 1-800 phone number with your name in it but better.  When someone asks how can I reach you, just say, “visit my site YOURNAME.com” my contact information is on the website.

If for chance your name is not available, GoDaddy often makes suggestions that are pretty good options.

Good luck, I promise you it is worth it.

For those of you reading Expert in the Rough looking for personal branding tips, this is by far the most important one I will ever give.

"START" Watch

So many talented people I know wait until they are ready to start something new.

My question is how can you be ready unless you start?

It’s the proverbial chicken before the egg question.

My belief is the only way you will be ever ready to start is if you actually take the plunge and start today.

Starting today allows you to build confidence, experience and momentum.

Not starting today builds fear and stagnation.

You will never know the doors that will open for you by being in the flow of starting on your dreams today.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!!!

Donny Deutsch is on the line and he wants you to be on his show “The Big Idea.” You start rifling through your pile of napkins and scrap paper, but your “Big Idea” is nowhere to be found.  Donny hangs up.  You have just missed an opportunity to work with the “Oprah of Entrepeneurs.” You start to cry, but you’re a serial idea junky and you pull out a napkin, note to self, “Create a better way to take notes.”

You  missed the boat again because Jott.com found your napkin.

Jott is a very powerful and free internet application that allows you to  combine the powers of phone, email and text messaging.  I recommend it for the Expert in the Rough crowd to document their ideas.  This does not replace the “Super Cool Journal” but compliments it.

My favorite way to use Jott is to email myself ideas or notes when I am driving.  (Please don’t hate, I will be careful.)  Often times when I am driving I have an idea and I am not able to write it down.  I simply have Jott.com’s phone number stored into my cell phone.  When you call Jott it will ask who you want to Jott.  You say myself or whoever you want to Jott and speak your message.  It will confirm it recieved your message.  You hang up and it will email or text you the message.

You also have the ability to text or email others, create lists, text groups, set reminders and other powerful features.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on tutorial which you can get at Jott. com but I did have a few tips.

Set yourself up with multiple personal boxes.  If you load your cell phone number and email address into Jott it will send you both.  To save on text messaging, I created another contact for myself with an email address only.  I also like to use Jott to send text messages to people who I know are in meetings and can’t answer their phone but can view a text message.  You can also set up reminders if you are a person who loses track of time.

The opportunities and ideas are endless.  Just be sure to Jott them down.

Alec Baldwin said it best with his famous line from the film Glengarry, Glen Ross, “Coffee is for Closers.”

MySpace & Facebook are for the kids, Linkedin is for Professionals, “The Closers.”  Before you do anything else online you must take a look at your LinkedIn profile.  Oh you don’t have a LinkedIn profile.  Then you’re fired.

LinkedIn now has over 24 million registered users.  These are professional users.  Not a bunch 20 something kids living at home extending their youth with a subsidized broadband connection.  24 Million professional users who can make or break your career.

Recently LinkedIn was valued at 1 Billion Dollars and you don’t even have a profile or have taken no steps to optimize it.

Well you are in luck.  Just like the movie Glengarry Glen Ross, the company has provided leads.  If you are a “Closer” you can have the leads, if not then you will just have to stick with MySpace.

Here is your lead: Linkedin Strategies for Closers

If you feel up to it add me as a contact:

Here is a link to the Closer Clip if you feel up to it.  There is plenty of cussing, but closers can handle it.

By the way your assigment for this weeks Momentum Monday is:

Set up your LinkedIn Profile:

If you already have a profile be sure to use one of the power features such as Public Profile, Answers or LinkedIn Groups.

Extra Credit:

Add me as a connection, reference my blog Expert in the Rough with the “What I am Doing Now” feature or make a recommendation.

Be sure to comment with your successes.

Before you even get started on this journey to becoming an expert you need to know where you are.

Google yourself.

Can you be found?

What comes up?

What do you want to come up?

Who is your competition?

This is your first report card to being known as an expert.  If you did not make the first page of results.

You pretty much got an F.

Lets talk about how you can improve your grades next week.