How To Conquer The World

The concept of How To Conquer The World is pretty vast and could apply to a multitude of applications, so I’m going to limit this article to the stuff that I’ve learned for 50 years, since I was a 7 year old kid.

I’m also going to talk about the world of business and relationships.

I’ll even narrow it further and limit this to marketing and advertising.

So if you want to know how to conquer the world with military power, this article isn’t for you. Or is it?

First off, you need to pace yourself.

The overnight success stories of others are not what they appear to be.  Before the so called overnight successes we see in the world around us, there were plenty of days and nights that did not look like success. 

Set your expectations in proportion to the work you put in.  There are 168 hours in this week.  You need balance between the things your human body needs and your business passions.  Simple things like sleep, food and non-work related activities will help you become stronger, or if you ignore them, that can destroy you.

Would you rather be a big flash in the pan and get 10 minutes of fame or build a long term success?  Depending on your age and experience you may answer differently.  It’s taken me some time to realize that it’s the long term that is more meaningful.

As I share my story, feel free to picture your own life story too.

When I was a 7 year old I was starting 2nd grade at a new school where I knew no one.  Most of my classmates had known each other from kindergarten and 1st grade and I was one of the new kids.  Over the next 5 years, I became friends with many of my classmates, but not all.  I gained a few close friends out of that initial class of 25 and some of those I still have friendships with due to the connectivity of social media.

7 years later, I went through nearly the same experience as an awkward 14 year old starting at a new high school filled with hundreds of students.  I knew 2 of them when I walked in and not that well.  Over the course of 4 years, I developed relationships with several, but again most of my classmates had friendships that were 8 years strong before we met.

After my formal education ended, my career path took me to new towns and radio stations where I worked on the air.  Some relationships developed and some remain to this day, mostly thru reconnecting online because we all went our own separate ways career wise.  Back then, my idea of conquering the world might have been to be a top 40 disc jockey in Chicago or New York.  Turns out one of my co-workers got that gig in New York and yet he often recalls his days of working on the air in Fort Wayne Indiana as some of his favorite times.

You really don’t need to conquer the world.  Instead you need to build relationships.

In the business world, it’s a matter of connecting with the people who want to either buy what you have to sell; can sell you what you need to buy; or who can connect you to those you need to connect with.

I’m in the advertising and marketing business.  Primarily with WOWO Radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  The same city I was in when I was starting 2nd grade and my freshman years as the new kid in school.   I left and returned.  Not on purpose, at least the returning part, but here I am 19 years straight as a citizen of Fort Wayne, longer than I have ever lived anywhere.

The long term relationships that you can develop in your life are also the relationships that will help you in business if you treat people with respect and honor.  Be true to your word and when you screw up, admit it and apologize.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Learn from them.  Learn from others too.  Find a mentor and mentor others.  Read, talk and most important… listen.

Ask, explore, make changes as needed but remember the only way to conquer the world is one relationship at a time.

The world of advertising and marketing is continuing to evolve.

The mass media outlets like broadcast television networks, ABC, NBC and CBS attract less of the masses as other forms of entertainment and news on different platforms have become available.  Similar patterns have occurred in other traditional mass media vehicles.  Fort Wayne had two newspapers for decades and now we have just one due to declines in circulation.  The number of local radio stations tripled in Fort Wayne from my youth to today and there are plenty of other options to get what radio stations used to offer exclusively.

Fortunately, my radio station, WOWO continues to attract a healthy sized audience with listeners who develop a “relationship” with our on-air personalities, and ours is a good business model for the listeners, the businesses that advertise with us and for the station itself.  WOWO is not always the answer, but it might be.

You as a business person, need to determine how to find those individuals that will help you and your business succeed.  The advertising and marketing options are nearly infinite compared to a few decades ago, however there are some guiding principles that you should follow that involve relationships that will never go out of style.

Contact me for help to conquer the world, or at least your corner of it.