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Articles by Young Kim

Browse published articles attributed to Young Kim, with full-archive search.

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By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Focus on Progress to Prevent Perfection Paralysis

Guess what the following people have in common? I have a friend who wanted to be a screenwriter at one point, but he never wrote a single line. He's excuse was that he couldn't think of a script that was guaranteed to sell. I have a photography client who hasn't touched her camera in over a year because she's waiting for an ideal photo project. I have a family member who has been living with his parents for over five years because he refuses to get a job, and is waiting for a million dollar business idea.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,639 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Constantly Creating

When I used to work for a photography agency, I'd get to sit in on a few meetings with photographers as they presented their books. Having just started in photography, I was always impressed with their photographs. My boss, however, was not.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,621 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Stop Trying to Be Successful

I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but here goes: STOP TRYING TO BE SUCCESSFUL! I have a cousin, Larry, who lives in Los Angeles, and has fallen into the trap of trying to be a celebrity entrepreneur. Larry buys expensive clothes, is obsessed with sports cars, and always talks about money. Larry’s Facebook page is filled with photos of himself with random gorgeous women, or standing next to a sports car. Larry also has tons of credit card debt, and probably has more money going out then in.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,600 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Facebook and Occam's Razor

Every month or two, the employees at Facebook run what are known as Hackathons. For 24 hours straight, all the participants try to work on a new project that could improve Facebook. The "Like" button and the ability to upload videos on Facebook were just two applications that were invented out of such a Hackathon event. Mark Zuckerberg believes that most good applications are the simplest ones, and therefore one should be able to create a great program within a short period of time. This is why the Hackathon only takes places for 24 hours.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,555 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Social Relationships Are More Important Than Social Networks

Social networks existed before Twitter or Facebook. Social networks existed before the Internet or the telephone. Your online followers only make up a part of your total social network. What you have to consider is how many people you actually have a relationship with, both online and offline. This is known as your social relationship ratio. To see what your social relationships ratio might be, run one of these three experiments on yourself: EXPERIMENT #1: The Memory Test

Primary topic: Transformation

1,547 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The Food Burner: A Parable About Unconventional Thinking

Inside an ancient bear cave, around "the dawn of man"... or, um, actually, around dinner time... LARRY: "Hey, Bob. Your caving paintings are looking awesome." BOB: "Thanks, Larry." LARRY: "So, what smells so good in here?" BOB: "Nothing. Just getting ready for dinner. Wanna join me?" LARRY: "Sure, I'm starving." BOB: "Great! Grab a rock and have a seat." LARRY: "So dude, um, where's the food?"

Primary topic: Transformation

1,547 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Be an Indispensable Linchpin to the Right People

If you are reading this blog, you have probably at one point either heard of, or read the Seth Godin's book, "Linchpin". If you haven't read it yet, here's the highlight: be indispensable. I would take it another step, and say that you need to be indispensable to the right people.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,538 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Knowledge is Not a Skill

I used to be friends with a guy, Chad, who was a big movie buff. He knew every thing about movies. He fancied himself to be on par with Martin Scorcese and Quentin Tarantino in terms of being an encyclopedia about film. Although he aspired to be a filmmaker, he actually never made a movie. He did take dozens and dozens of screenwriting classes, and read just about every book there is to know about screenwriting, he never had any of them produced into an actual movie. Even though he knows a lot about movies, he doesn’t write up movie reviews.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,497 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

All I Got for My Membership Was This Lousy T-shirt

<img class="size-medium wp-image-150 " style="border: 0pt none; margin: 1px;" title="ideavist_image_20110307_LousyTshirt" src="http://www.ideavist.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ideavist_image_20110307_LousyTshirt-300x225.jpg" alt="All I Got for My Membership Was a Lousy T-shirt" width="300"

Primary topic: Transformation

1,494 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

7 Deadly Sins of Networking

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,493 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Being Mindful of Money Means Having a Mind Full of Pennies

I once saw my mom pick up a penny that she somehow saw in the middle of a parking lot. She waved it in the air as if it were a blessing, and placed it carefully into her purse. I asked my how she was able to see that penny? She said that pennies are everywhere, and that all you have to do is look.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,460 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Failure is Not the End of the Road

My girlfriend and I are "American Idol" (FOX) junkies. We promise to stop watching year after year, but we keep going back. This is the first year that she watched the auditions, which happens to be my favorite part of the series. The phrase that always bothered me is when a contestant says, "This means everything to me." Are you serious?! It's this contest or nothing? First of all, "American Idol" is not a contest. "American Idol" is a televised audition. Let's get that's get that straight first.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,460 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Be Where Your Buyers Are

One of my clients, Anna, recently tried to sell her photographs at a concert that one of her friends held at a hotel. Anna's friend, Johnny has a small jazz band and was able to get his band booked for gig at the bar/lounge inside the hotel. Johnny also asked the hotel if they could have friends sell art and crafts in the lounge area. The hotel approved as long as it was kept to a small space.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,459 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Supporters vs. Cheerleaders

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,457 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Half-Baked Ideas Are Better Than None

I hate wasting food. Rather than allowing food to rot, I have to become an Iron Chef sometimes, and think of some way of salvaging the food. Sometimes I perform miracles, and sometimes my creations end up in the trash anyway. Regardless of how many times I've overcooked the fish, under baked the cookies, or made something that was just inedible, those few miracle moments in the kitchen made those half-baked attempts worth it.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,456 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Confessions of a Snooze Addict

I'll admit it. I am a recovering snooze addict. I was addicted to staying in bed, wrapped up in its warmth. But it was always temporary, and it was never enough. At first, I only hit the snooze button once. Next thing I knew, I was hitting that button at least ten times before getting out of bed. And this was during the workweek! The idea of getting out of bed to go to a job I loathed was unbearable, and would self-medicate by hitting that snooze button, over and over again. The weekends were worse. My friends were lucky to see me before noon.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,438 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Passion Fuels Success

When I was in college, I knew a guy - we'll call him Robert - who was obsessed with the Denver Broncos. That's all Robert ever talked about. Now, perhaps I think Robert was obsessed because I don't really follow sports, and perhaps he wasn't any more obsessed than any other Bronco fan.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,436 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

8 Ways to Support Your Local Creative Community

Although many communities support local businesses, supporting local art seems to be a different story. Our homes are filled with poster art of long dead artists, our furniture looks like it came out of a catalog, and our bookshelves are lined with celebrity authors. With our taste for art and design so homogenized, it's no wonder that the appreciation for art has actually depreciated in this country, especially in our classrooms.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,431 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The Restroom Test

I walked into a big box office supply retailer the other day. It was possibly one of the dirtiest restrooms I’ve seen. It looked like a truck stop restroom. I decided to go to the restroom next door at a coffee shop. It was pristine. The cleanliness of a restroom tells me a lot about how a business is run. The office retailer, for example, had shelves that weren’t messy, and the uniforms that the customer service reps were dirty, as if they hadn’t been washed in weeks. The entire store just felt grimy. I wanted to get out of there fast.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,414 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The Myth of Multitasking

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Primary topic: Transformation

1,407 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Some Customers Are Worth Losing

In "A Bronx Tale" (dir. Robert De Niro), the main character, Calogero, befriends a gangster, Sonny. Calogero and Sonny are driving around one day, and Calogero spots a guy who owes Calogero some money. Before young Calogero goes running off, the old and wise, Sonny, stops him.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,391 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Don't Discount Your Value

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,384 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Learn-On-Demand

I love books, and I love learning in a classroom setting, but with time and money being finite, I’d rather learn-on-demand. If I need figure out how to add a feature to my website, I just look it up in user groups. If I need a bit of trivia, I search for it on the Internet. If I need some good tips on marketing, I’ll either research a few articles, or I’ll listen to a podcast while I’m exercising.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,359 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Make Your Own Creative Class

I have an associate who was a stand-up comedian for a little while. For right now, let’s call him Bill. Bill started out on open mic nights at a local comedy club, and then began touring as an opener for a headline comedian. Bill eventually stopped performing stand-up comedy for reasons I have yet to figure out. But for the short time that he was a comedian, he ended up creating his own course on the art of standup comedy.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,356 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Just Write

Alex came to me for some coaching on writing. I asked him how often he wrote, and Alex said maybe once a week for only a few minutes. He also said he was writing less and less. I asked him about his writing process. Alex said that he tries to imagine a story from beginning to end in his mind first before writing anything. He tries to imagine every detail, and every word that is said before he writes even one word. And that's usually where he gets stuck. He just keeps rewriting his opening scene over and over again until it's perfect.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,349 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Get-Rich-Quick Business Virus

My brother and I were fascinated with get-rich-quick schemes when we were in high school. We decided to buy one particular get-rich-quick scheme we saw in an infomercial. The guy in the infomercial touted he had made millions by starting a business in his one bedroom apartment with classified ads, and that he wanted to share this secret, which we purchase with three easy payments. We knew there had to be a catch, but we wanted to see for ourselves what it was.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,338 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Breakfast of Champions

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,335 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Just Five Ingredients

One of my tango instructors once told me that there are basically five simple step to tango: forward, side, backwards, cross, and ochos. If you can do these five steps well, you can dance with anyone. I am by no means the best tango dancer, not even close. But I do know that many women have enjoyed dancing with me. It's not because I knew a lot of tricks, I don't. It's because I did what I knew very well.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,327 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Start Your Day the Night Before

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,319 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Just One Ingredient Can Make a Big Difference

A few years ago, I discovered that I was about twenty pounds overweight. Being who I am, I researched everything there is about nutrition and fitness. Then I made the decision of eliminating one artificial ingredient from my diet: high fructose corn syrup. I didn't realize just how many foods included high fructose corn syrup, so it ended up being a bigger change tha I originally thought. Within one month, without making any changes to my fitness, I lost five pounds! Eventually I achieved my ideal weight. And I all did was eliminate one ingredient.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,316 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Taking Care of Yourself Just As Important as Taking Care of Business

<img class="size-medium wp-image-190 " title="ideavist_images_20110327_TakingCareOfYourself" src="http://www.ideavist.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ideavist_images_20110327_TakingCareOfYourself-300x225.jpg" alt="Taking Care of Yourself Just As Important as Taking Care of Busin

Primary topic: Transformation

1,308 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Informational Billboards vs. Sales Portals

A practical article connected into the broader SelfGrowth topic graph.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,255 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Planning For Your Failure Guarantees Your Failure

Many of us, without realizing it, are manifesting our own failures. We have this intention of pursuing our dreams, but then we also instantly think of a back up plan in case it doesn’t work out. The instant you come up with a back up plan, the instant you fall back to your back up plan, you are manifesting your own failure. You are already thinking, believing, and behaving as if your dreams won’t work out, or aren’t worth the trouble of pursuing.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,227 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Planning Creativity

Somehow, the idea of randomness and freedom got mingled with creativity and artistry. Conversely, somehow, planning has become enemy of creativity. In truth, one has very little to do with the other. Large-scale art project, for example, take a lot of planning, and a lot of resources. Most of us also are more creative at certain times of the day than others; sometime even certain times of the week or month. For some professions, like photography, timing and planning is essential.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,221 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Boundaries a Necessity to Sustain Family Businesses

Lilly and her boyfriend work together. It's really his business, and she's his marketing manager. One of the ways they are able to maintain a healthy relationship and run a successful business is because they establish clear boundaries.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,212 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The Zen of Cleaning the Pagoda

Oranges, and lions, and bakwas! "Oh my!" as George Tikei would say. It's Chinese Lunar New Year! Yes, it's that time of year when every member of the Chinese family has to get up and clean house. What? You don't know about this tradition? Yes, along with the loud fireworks, red envelops filled with money, and enough food to feed a Chinese army, during Chinese Lunar New Year, every member of the household is also suppose to help in cleaning the home. Technically, considering all the "tiger moms" out there, this probably actually happens everyday.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,212 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The Hidden Cost of Free Email

When I attend networking events, I am always surprised by freelancers, and entrepreneurs that use a free email account – like Hotmail, or Yahoo, or one provided by an Internet Service Provider – rather than a vanity email with their own domain name. They have emails like ABC235LLCCorp@Gmail.com ather tha Jane@ABC235Corp.com. When I ask them why don’t just set up a vanity email with their existing domain name, they give me excuses like how they don’t want to track two emails (personal vs. business), or how they don’t want to pay the extra cost to set up a separate account.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,174 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

When Life Tangles Up, Just Tango On

I’ll admit it: I know how to tango. I started years ago. I never performed, or competed. I didn’t do it to pick up on women. I just did it for fun. The dance itself is unpredictable considering there is no set pattern, and I have to keep switching partners since I didn’t have a permanent partner. That’s what makes tango so interesting: the unpredictability.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,170 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Share Your Vision, Your Values, and Your Story with Your Customers

In a recent post, I talked about my client, Dale, who is in the craft business. We were on the discussion about his artist bio, and Dale told shared with me his apprehension about talking about himself sound self-important. My suggestion was to him was to focus on marketing himself and less on making himself sound important. Dale thought if he had some business cards and a website that would be enough.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,168 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Don't Let the Recession Drive Your Prices Down

In a time of recession, there is a reluctant tendency to lower prices. Rather than targeting people who can’t afford your services, target the ones who can. Think of creative pricing strategies to keep your existing customers and to get new ones. Offer discounts to only your loyal repeat customers, and or only for premium purchases.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,154 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Your Niche is Bigger Than You Think

The word “niche” evokes visions of some guy only collecting comic books that have monkeys in them, or a blogger who only writes about staplers, or an online store that only sells crackers made in Colorado. Artists and entrepreneurs seem to think the word “niche” is synonymous with small, or tiny. A more accurate definition would be highly targeted, focused, and clearly defined market. Although the definition tends to make artists and entrepreneurs gravitate toward something small, a niche audience is actually much bigger than what most people think.

Primary topic: Transformation

1,049 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

The End of Call Centers

If your customers have to contact your call center to ask for help in using your website, or to find information on your website, you have failed in providing good customer service. If your customers have to pick up the phone after visiting your website, that counts as an unnecessary transfer, and customers hate being transferred. Your website isn’t just a digital billboard, or payment processing tool, or a conglomeration of information. It’s also your customer service representative. You should treat your website as the first customer service representative your customer will interact with.r

Primary topic: Transformation

1,033 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Why New Year's Resolutions Fail

It's that time of year again where we make a list of things to accomplish in the upcoming year. And 365 days from now, most of us will fail at achieving most of those things on that list. The reason isn't because I'm a cynic. The reason is that most New Year's resolutions aren't resolutions at all. Most New Year's resolutions are actually superficial goals like losing weight, or making more money, or finding the love of your life.

Primary topic: Transformation

968 views

By Young KimRecently published1 topic

Workshops Generate Repeat Customers for Small Businesses

I have a friend who runs a doggy daycare business. Every once and a while, he’ll run a doggy obedience boot camp for his existing clients. He encourages his clients to bring friends. Those friends sometimes turn into new clients for his doggy daycare business. And the cycle repeats. This is a great example of how workshops can generate repeat customers. Here are some other examples of how small businesses can use workshops to do what my doggy daycare friend does: * Hair salons… creative hair braiding classes * Comic book stores… illustration workshopsr

Primary topic: Transformation

946 views

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