How to Win with Social Media by Running Your Own Race

Laura Click & Kyla Cofer - Nashville Women's Half MarathonIn September, I ran my second half marathon with my friend, Kyla. As we trained for the race, it became clear that Kyla was a bit faster than me. And, on race day, she decided to run ahead of me about half-way through the race.

Although it was incredibly lonely to run the last seven miles by myself, I knew it was the right thing to do for Kyla, and for me. She had to run her own race, and so did I. And, in the end, we both accomplished personal records.

In life, and in business, it’s way too easy to worry about keeping up with the infamous Jones’. You know the ones…they have the fancy car, the perfect house and the incredibly gorgeous children. In business, the Jones’ are the ones who seem to have endless amounts of success, seemingly without any effort.

Social media has made it so much easier to keep up with the Jones’. Now, we can see people’s social media efforts in full display. We see how the business down the street uses Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and we constantly read stories about how businesses are using the latest tool, network or gadget.

Social media is the shiny new toy that everyone wants to play with and it’s very easy to get caught up with what others are doing. We think that every business needs a Facebook page, even when they don’t. We believe every business should use social media, even if it’s not a fit. Although social media is a fantastic tool for business, it isn’t right for everyone. Or at least, it might not be the first weapon in your marketing arsenal.

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Risk, Reward and Celebrating with Chile

It’s almost 2am – and I can’t rip myself away from the online and television coverage of what is happening in Chile. While I’ve been rejoicing with each miracle, big and seemingly small, that has brought these men out of their captivity, I’m also thinking of the terrible tragedy this situation could have been. Mining is inherently risky – period.

Center Rock Drill, located in Berlin, Pennsylvania, played a huge role in Pennsylvania’s Quecreek Mining incident in 2002. Their expertise was called upon in Chile as well. Brandon Fisher, Center Rock Drill’s company president, is like Harry Stamper of the movie, Armageddon (the hero portrayed by actor Bruce Willis). No one, perhaps, knows better how these men’s lives will change after they are rescued, and the inherent risks they will face because of the experience they have survived. What further peril lies ahead for these men and their families?

But we also take risks, perhaps not quite so dramatic, in our lives and businesses on a day-to-day basis.

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