Orlando, Fla. – August 30, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, are announcing the development of a new heartwarming documentary, “Jacob’s Turn.” JW Dicks and Nick Nanton will act as executive producers of the film.

The documentary short film, Jacob’s Turn, is a mother’s story of Jacob Titus, her four-year-old boy from the small rural community of Floyds Knobs, Indiana – just outside of Louisville. Jacob loves to play T-ball, like thousands of kids across the country. Jacob also happens to have Down Syndrome. The film shows how Jacob’s “turn” at bat and on the field was a thrill for him, but more importantly, an event that transformed the hearts of everyone in his town.

Jacob’s mother wrote an article about his experience – and the way the town came to embrace his triumph. This article would soon stop the busy, constantly on-the-go Nick Nanton in his tracks, touch his heart and those of numerous high profile business people, and inspire him to executive produce the extraordinary documentary short film based on Patricia’s story.

Nanton is currently working with his extended network of marketing experts to create awareness of “Jacob’s Turn,” through a method of marketing that is usually applied to commercial ventures, but for the first time will be used to launch a charitable campaign – one which he will help benefit children not only with Down Syndrome but a wide variety of special needs. The goal of everyone with an emotional and financial investment in the film is to raise people’s awareness and generate charitable donations that will help these kids receive the assistance they need to lead the best lives they can.

At its heart, however, “Jacob’s Turn” is designed to inspire – to let special needs children and their parents know that the unique challenges they face need not limit the potential to achieve dreams, even small ones that start out on a baseball field in a place like Floyds Knobs.

The seven minute film is now in the hands of top video product and marketing experts, including Mike Koenigs of “Traffic Geyser” and “MainStreet Marketing” fame, and “Big Jason” Henderson, one of the top product launch specialists in the country. The campaign to share “Jacob’s Turn” with the world will begin with an email campaign to literally millions of people, and a push through YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media portals of teaser clips – which will ultimately lead to the unveiling of the whole seven-minute film.

Others contributing to the project are Nanton’s partners, JW Dicks & Lindsay Dicks, along with Mike Koenigs, Preston Ely, Baeth Davis, Mark Richter, Bill Gough, Richard Seppala, Dr. Scott Schumann, Darrin Mish and Jared Bonshire.

“Our hope is to help as many kids with special needs as possible,” Nanton says. “I’m optimistic because it was pure serendipity which led me to Jacob’s world in the first place and I feel that we’re all walking through a series of amazing doors that continue to open. Whether this film reaches the millions of people we hope it will reach and raises awareness and money on the scope we intend remains to be seen. It could be a huge success, or simply be known as a great story that touches the hearts of viewers, making them reflect for a moment. For now, we’re simply thrilled that the story turned out so well. It’s exciting to be able to make a difference and to share Jacob’s wonderful story.”

To Learn more about “Jacob’s Turn” please visit http://www.JacobsTurn.com

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, JW Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com . Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.
J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

I recently heard an interview with one of the members of the band Cheap Trick. The band was preparing to do a string of 9 shows in Vegas where they will play the entire album of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, along with some of their own popular hits. This is interesting enough on it’s own, but what really stood out to me was a little interesting and humorous exchange at the end of the interview.

When asked about their new album, front man Robin Zander proclaimed “Right now we have the number one 8-track in the world!”

8-track? Did I hear that right? The host was laughing and asking the same question. It turns out, while he knew this was pretty funny, Robin was serious! Their latest recording, called “The Latest,” is available on CD, as a digital download, and yes, as an 8-track!

Being involved in personal branding with our branding agency, this got me thinking about niche marketing and how personalities and businesses can use quirky and unorthodox branding and marketing methods to add to the desired perception of their brand.

I think this was a brilliant idea by Cheap Trick. I’ve always believed that when planning your marketing strategy, it’s always a good idea to see what others are doing, and do the opposite! Now, I’m not saying that you should neglect some of the more obvious forms of marketing – advertising, email campaigns, direct mailing, etc – but find that niche of your industry that you can also try to serve as well.

In this case, Cheap Trick has offered an 8-track release (at a premium price, no less) for those who still prefer the format (yes, there are people like that!), and it has also created a buzz about the release. It’s a talking point in interviews – and it gets people talking! They’ve always been known as a fun and upbeat rock and roll band, and this only helps to increase that perception – it bolsters their personal brand even more.

The music business is certainly a crowded marketplace – much like many other industries. Think of ways that you can separate yourself from the noise and stand out when it’s time for you to push a new product or service.

Orlando, Fla. – August 26, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In one of their recent blog posts, titled “Personal Branding Goes Gaga,” Nick and JW discuss the personal branding aspects of Lady Gaga’s ambitions to produce and star in the next blockbuster music movie.

“From our brand positioning perch, we naturally applaud the next expansion of the Gaga brand but would hope that someone in the Gaga camp thinks strategically and doesn’t just jump from project to project without focus,” write Dicks and Nanton.

“There is clearly lots of money to be made from her growing brand and fan base, but at some point you have to make decisions on direction if for no other reason than to solidify what you have. This is not to suggest that Lady Gaga go conservative, heaven forbid the disastrous affect of that. On the contrary, it is an urge to focus and fill in the core of your brand base, making it stronger and ready for bigger challenges,” continued the authors.

To read the entire post, visit http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/blog/personal-branding-goes-gaga.php

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Watch the Video Blog from Nick here: Personal Branding Tip: Forget What YOU Know

In my last blog for Fast Company, I explained to you that you have to display your expertise and all the ways you could do that.

But I’ve had a bunch of emails and posts that have asked me, “But, Nick, where do I begin?” And here’s where you’ve got to begin. You have to forget what you know. Now before you go off saying I’m crazy because I told you before to “get out of the business you’re in” and now I’m telling you to “forget what you know”, here’s what’s important–you devalue the things that you know, because you know them so well. That’s important, let me say that again:

You devalue the things that you know, because you know them so well.

What I want to encourage you to do is forget what you know and start thinking about what your audience knows–their knowledge set is very different from yours. You don’t know where to begin because you think everyone knows what you know, it feels like common sense you know it so well, but it’s not! When you’re want to display your expertise, you’ve got to start from the beginning. The most profound information is the stuff that’s simple, basic and easy to comprehend and most likely, you’ve forgotten about it because you know the basics so well! But think about it, if you want to learn about a new subject, you’ve ALWAYS got to start at the beginning, we all just forget there is a beginning when it’s somewhere in our distant past or our subconscious mind.

Forget about the complex stuff, you’re trying too hard! And start valuing the stuff that you know. I’m going to ask you to focus on starting from the beginning, of course progressively take your audience on the journey to where they need to be, but start from the beginning. Nothing is too basic. Start from the beginning so they can understand it too and that’s what is going to make the biggest impact in their business.

So, forget how much you know, teach people the basics and you’ll have great success displaying your expertise.

Share your comments with us below!

Orlando, Fla. – August 24, 2010 – In collaboration with America’s PremierExperts®, co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, recently released the book, Power Principles for Success. The book features the authors sharing their biggest success secrets for a life of health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. America’s PremierExperts® is a group of America’s leading experts in various fields of business. They are celebrity experts who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field of expertise and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.

Power Principles for Success was released on July 28, 2010. On the day of release, the book was a #1 Best-Seller in the Direct Marketing category. The book also reached the best-seller list in two other categories. JW Dicks, Esq. authored a chapter in the book titled, “Align Your Dreams, Goals & Values.”

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

On Friday, July 30th, America’s PremierExperts® and all of the authors held the official launch party for Power Principles for Success in Times Square in New York City, NY.

To order your copy of Power Principles for Success, please visit http://www.amazon.com/Power-Principles-Success-Brian-Tracy/dp/0615369596/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281555230&sr=1-1

To learn more about JW Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.JWDicks.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

To find out more about America’s PremierExperts® visit http://www.AmericasPremierExperts.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About America’s PremierExperts® LLC:

America’s PremierExperts® is an organization dedicated to recognizing business experts in their field of expertise and offers business owners, entrepreneurs, professional speakers, authors, professionals and corporate CEOs exclusive opportunities for further exposure and growth in the marketplace. JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq., Media and Business development experts, founded America’s PremierExperts® to showcase entrepreneurs, CEOs, authors, professional speakers and businesspeople who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole. For more information on becoming one of America’s PremierExperts® visit http://www.americaspremierexperts.com/become-an-expert

Orlando, Fla. – August 24, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, are announcing the development of a TV show hosted by best-selling author Brian Tracy, one of the country’s leading business minds.

Dicks and Nanton are also the founders and producers of the organization and TV show, America’s PremierExperts®. After producing over 60 episodes of the popular business development, branding and marketing television show, Nick Nanton and JW Dicks have signed a production deal with Brian Tracy, Chairman and CEO of Brain Tracy International. “The Brian Tracy Show” will be feature an interview format, with Brain Tracy interviewing business leaders and marketing experts from around the world.

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. He’s widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on personal and business success, and his teachings have transformed the lives of millions across the world. Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 55 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

Brian has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, business, psychology, history, and philosophy. He is the top selling author of over 55 books that have been translated into 36 languages, and has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Brian Tracy please visit http://www.BrianTracy.com

To learn more about Nick Nanton, JW Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality TV pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About Brian Tracy:

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. He’s widely recognized as one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on personal and business success, and his teachings have transformed the lives of millions across the world.

Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 55 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

He has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, business, psychology, history, and philosophy. He is the top selling author of over 55 books that have been translated into 36 languages, and has written and produced more than 300 audio and video learning programs, including the worldwide, best-selling Psychology of Achievement, which has been translated into more than 20 languages.

He speaks to corporate and public audiences on the subjects of Personal and Professional Development, including the executives and staff of many of America’s largest corporations. His exciting talks and seminars on Leadership, Selling, Self-Esteem, Goals, Strategy, Creativity and Success Psychology bring about immediate changes and long-term results.

For more information on Brian Tracy programs, go to: www.briantracy.com

Not satisfied with the small screen any more, reportedly Lady Gaga is looking to move to the big screen in what she hopes will be the next blockbuster music movie even though there is no script, producer, director, or plan.

The slight negative tone to this blog is not to diminish the music star’s ability to keep her career in the news and everyone guessing, “what’s next”? Does anyone know, may be the better question.

Naturally, an announcement of a potential movie deal is a long way from the appearance of one and hints of movies give Gaga and company many opportunities to continue to stir the press machine as more information is leaked to a willing press and fan base.

From our brand positioning perch, we naturally applaud the next expansion of the Gaga brand but would hope that someone in the Gaga camp thinks strategically and doesn’t just jump from project to project without focus. There is clearly lots of money to be made from her growing brand and fan base, but at some point you have to make decisions on direction if for no other reason than to solidify what you have. This is not to suggest that Lady Gaga go conservative, heaven forbid the disastrous affect of that. On the contrary, it is an urge to focus and fill in the core of your brand base, making it stronger and ready for bigger challenges. Movies are coming but in the meantime, keep cranking the music machine and building your core fan base.

Orlando, Fla. – August 18, 2010 – In collaboration with America’s PremierExperts®, Nick Nanton, Esq., one of the country’s leading marketing and branding experts, known as The Celebrity Agent, recently released the book, Power Principles for Success. The book features the authors sharing their biggest success secrets for a life of health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. America’s PremierExperts® is a group of America’s leading experts in various fields of business. They are celebrity experts who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field of expertise and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.

Power Principles for Success was released on July 28, 2010. On the day of release, the book was a #1 Best-Seller in the Direct Marketing category. The book also reached the best-seller list in two other categories. Nick Nanton, Esq. authored a chapter in the book titled, “Process Yields Progress.”

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

On Friday, July 30th, America’s PremierExperts® and all of the authors held the official launch party for Power Principles for Success in Times Square in New York City, NY.

To order your copy of Power Principles for Success, please visit http://www.amazon.com/Power-Principles-Success-Brian-Tracy/dp/0615369596/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281555230&sr=1-1

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

To find out more about America’s PremierExperts® visit http://www.AmericasPremierExperts.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About America’s PremierExperts® LLC:

America’s PremierExperts® is an organization dedicated to recognizing business experts in their field of expertise and offers business owners, entrepreneurs, professional speakers, authors, professionals and corporate CEOs exclusive opportunities for further exposure and growth in the marketplace. JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq., Media and Business development experts, founded America’s PremierExperts® to showcase entrepreneurs, CEOs, authors, professional speakers and businesspeople who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole. For more information on becoming one of America’s PremierExperts® visit http://www.americaspremierexperts.com/become-an-expert

How Writing Your Own Book Makes You the Center of Conversation

In “The Relationship Age,” it’s sometimes really difficult to be heard. Everyone else is texting and Facebooking, not to mention IM-ing and emailing, and sometimes it seems the longest you can get someone’s attention is for 140 characters or less.

Talking in Twitter-sized bites, however, doesn’t really help you get a lot of meaningful ideas across. For example, here’s how Honest Abe Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address would have gone if he had tried to Tweet it from an iPhone…

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the propositi

Never really was able to get even close to the point, was he? Hey, I even took out two commas, and I still couldn’t get to the end of “proposition.”

Lincoln wouldn’t have been the only one caught in mid-sentence. Here’s how far baseball great Lou Gehrig’s famous Yankee Stadium goodbye speech would have gotten through Twitter:

Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the

On the face of the what? The clock on the wall?

To be fair, let’s get away from the speeches – they always have way too much set-up anyway. Let’s try Tweeting the 23rd Psalm – that’s a little more direct:

The Lord is my shepherd – I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures – he leadeth me beside the still waters – he restore

Wow, that’s a letdown. We’re all set up to relax in the pasture and by the still waters…ready for the great, good thing that’s going to happen…and bam! We’re left bereft of restoration of whatever was going to be restored (in this case, your soul – kind of an important detail).

It’s kind of interesting to put the Twitter 140 character limit on all kinds of things – famous songs, poems, jokes, whatever – but I’m not doing this just to play a game. I’m also doing it to make a very important point: that is, today, in our constantly-communicating ADD society, it’s hard to really put your ideas out there in a meaningful way.

We see this in politics – the constant repetition of out-of-context sound bites that often trivialize a candidate’s viewpoint – and we see this in movies and TV shows, which keep being edited faster and faster in an attempt to retain a viewer’s interest. The pace of all of our social interaction keeps accelerating to faster and faster speeds that make it increasingly difficult to make anything stick beyond catch phrases and slick slogans.

So how do you have the kind of lengthy conversation you need to have in order to build your circle of influence and establish your name—to build a relationship with a potential client or customer? How do you communicate who you are and what you have to say in a way that has lasting impact and in a way that has a long marketing afterlife?

The answer lies in something basic that existed ‘way before’ our current electronic age – a book.

THE OLDEST FORM OF SOCIAL MEDIA

I quoted the Bible before – and that wasn’t a random choice. Books like the Bible were the original form of Social Media. Would Christianity have grown to the size it is today without having the Bible as a cornerstone of the religion – a book with all the religion’s philosophy contained in it that could easily be passed around? It would have been a lot more difficult, at the very least. And consider the fact that, in its time, the Bible was even interactive, as prophets and apostles of the time added on to it as events kept occurring.

Books have usually been the basis of any major movement – and that fact still holds true today. Major motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins and Jack Canfield depend on regular book releases to continue to grow their base. And superstars in sports, politics and entertainment make it a point to get a book out, even though it’s usually ghostwritten, to expand their ‘brand’ and put out their side of the story, without a reporter or interviewer beside them ready to instantly poke holes in it.

That’s why I say books are the oldest form of social media. Social media is anything that starts a conversation and builds a relationship – and for hundreds of years, books have prompted millions of hours of discussion, have created relationships between writer and reader, and still do. That’s why thousands of people participate in social book groups all around the world – there’s even this woman named Oprah who happens to have a very famous book club of her own, don’t know if you’ve heard of her…

At the same time, authors are also seen as unique and smart. It’s a hard, time-consuming task to finish a tome of your own – especially when most of us really don’t like to write. It just feels like leftover homework from English class in high school. That’s why most people would never think of attempting to write a book – and anyone who actually does finish one, let alone have it published, is instantly held in higher regard.

And that’s always a good thing.

HOW A BOOK BOLSTERS YOUR BRAND

Let’s return to what we talked about at the beginning of this chapter – how hard it is to impart your ideas to an audience when everyone is chattering away in tiny texts and status updates on their electronic gadgets.

A book is the ideal base for you to have the conversation you want to have with people. It gives you the opportunity to craft your message and have it delivered without any interruptions. When somebody reads your book, you get to go inside their head for hours and hours, so you can make your case in the most impactful way possible – and again, no one’s there to argue against you, except the reader. You’re no longer just a sound bite or a one-liner – you’re someone who has a fully realized vision of how something should work—you now have a “platform.” And again, that brings you instant respect.

Of course, the argument to all that is…who has time to read anymore? People don’t want to be bogged down with a book, they want to watch what they have recorded on their DVRs, play videogames or hang out on their favorite websites, however they like to spend their leisure time.

Well, this is the best part. It doesn’t matter if people read your book or not.

Some will, some won’t…but keep in mind that I said the book was the ideal base for your conversation with people. But it’s certainly not the be-all and end-all. As a matter of fact it’s really only the starting step to a whole world of marketing opportunities.

I always like to use Donald Trump as an example of a guy who knows what to do with a book. The Donald puts out a new book one, two, sometimes even three times a year. He certainly doesn’t need to for the money – no, he does it for his brand.

Think about it – when you see him on Larry King Live or The View or a late night talk show, it’s usually because he’s got a new book out. It gives the show a reason to book him, it gives him something new to talk about and it continually refreshes his brand. He will also then usually spin off other products from the book… a motivational CD, an online sales course, speaking engagements, etc.

His main business may be property development, but Donald Trump does the best at selling Donald Trump – and he uses his books as the platform to do it. If he just came on talk shows and discussed his latest condo project…well, let’s just say he’s sharp enough not to be dull.

THE POWER OF THE BOOK PLATFORM

Of course, there aren’t many Donald Trumps out there – and odds are you’re not going to get yourself booked on Larry King (at least not right away!) simply because you’re not that kind of media celebrity. Again, this is not a problem.

So how do you leverage a book that you’ve written and published?

There are literally thousands of ways to do it – to endlessly reuse, reformat and recycle the content you’ve created – but let’s break it down into three stages:

1) YOUR PRE-LAUNCH SEQUENCE

When a big movie is coming out, the studios want to make sure you and everybody else in the world knows about it. You want to treat your book the way a studio would treat the next “Transformers” sequel, and spread the word every way you can.

Begin by creating a website about the book before it comes out – offer a free portion of the book (a “sneak peek”) through an opt-in box that will allow you to capture leads. You can even feature a “countdown” to the publication date and time to generate more excitement. Create Tweets and Facebook posts about the preparations you’re doing for the book’s release – create an air of anticipation.

When the website is up, put out a press release announcing you’ve got a publishing deal, making sure you have links back to your website. Syndicate the press release and post it on all the social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Also consider doing a podcast by having a friend interview you about the book and put it up for download on iTunes.

2) PUBLICATION PUBLICITY

Once your book is published, you can now use it to your advantage to get your own media bookings. Again, a real author gets attention – and you should at least be able to ‘nab’ some local air time.

Send out copies of your book to local radio and TV stations, as well as print publications, and offer to be interviewed. Also put in a listing in Radio-TV Interview Report (find out more at RTIR.com) to make yourself available for national interviews. You can also mail copies to your top clients, send them out to get yourself booked for speaking engagements at business and civic events, and host a book signing event at a local book store.

Consider continuing to produce podcasts for distribution through iTunes with a theme of something like “Beyond the Book,” offering additional/updated information and conversation about topics you cover in the book.

Finally, remember to distribute blogs and articles online based on your book. You can use excerpts from your book for the articles and write about the experience of being a published author on your blog. Spin off as much content as you can to establish yourself as an authority in your field.

3) LENGTHENING THE AFTERLIFE

Now that you’re an author, it should become an important part of your professional profile. Make sure it’s added to your official bio and put the name of the book and a link to it in your email signature.

You can also break down a chapter and make it into an ongoing free special report, available on your website through an opt-in box. Definitely rework the material into speeches or seminar material for your personal or recorded appearances.

Your office should also reflect your author status. Put a framed copy of the cover of your book on the wall in your reception area or office – it’s easy to do through canvaspop.com. Also, leave copies of your book on the coffee table in your office with “Take Me” stickers on the front. You should also donate copies to the local libraries in your area. Make sure your contact information is contained in these copies – either put a business card in the book, or have your info stamped on the back page.

Those are just a few of the ways you can continue the conversation you start with a book. The book is the vehicle to get you in the door – for interviews, for speaking engagements, for online content and for every other kind of publicity opportunity you can work. And you work it as much as possible so that people will begin to hear your name in different venues – and always in an authoritative, knowledgeable context.

At our Celebrity Branding Agency®, we help our clients do all this and more – and we add another, very powerful step. We’ve created a foolproof way to make our authors’ books best-sellers in certain Amazon categories. We then honor them by getting them inducted into the National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ – and send out another round of press releases noting their honor and best-selling status, which opens up more major marketing opportunities – still from the same book.

A book establishes you as an authority in your field. It gives you credibility and influence – and it also gives you the launching pad for an incredible marketing ride. The opportunity to have lengthy, persuasive conversations are rare in The Relationship Age – but a book allows you to have that opportunity and maximize it over and over to your advantage.

A book stands out. You stand out. And that’s the essential element to any marketing triumph.

Orlando, Fla. – August 17, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency® and best-selling author, JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, recently published an article exploring the shift in Sesame Street’s brand focus, and what businesses can learn from it.

The article, titled “Personal Branding: Do You Need To Shift Your Focus,” was posted on August 16th, 2010, on JW’s website, http://www.JWDicks.com. The post includes the following excerpt:

Why am I writing about Sesame Street today? Because we can all learn a valuable lesson about personal branding from this quintessential American brand.

Sesame Street is a business just like any of ours. Even when we think that we have developed the perfect personal brand, there may always be an opportunity to change the focus of that brand. I’m not advocating changing the things that have made your business brand a success, just finding a way to re-focus your brand to a new audience that will not alienate those who have come to trust and respect your brand the way it is.

Try to think of ways you can re-focus your personal brand that appeals to the new generation – without sacrificing the traits that made your brand the success that it is!

The entire post is available at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/articles/personal-branding-do-you-need-to-shift-your-focus.php

To learn more about JW Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.JWDicks.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

As a small business owner or entrepreneur, the ability to find new ways to market yourself and develop your personal brand, can be the catalyst to unlimited success.

About 2 years ago, I became a proud grandfather! Other than the obvious joys that this brings into my life, I have also been reintroduced to one of America’s national treasures: Sesame Street. Yes, Sesame Street.

This American children’s television series premiered on November 10, 1969 and is still a daily fixture in homes all across the country. Sesame Street is one of the longest running children’s programs in television history. I can remember my girls watching this show when they were young, and now my granddaughter finds the show completely amusing!

Why am I writing about Sesame Street today? Because we can all learn a valuable lesson about personal branding from this quintessential American brand.

How has Sesame Street lasted so long? Two main reasons come to mind. First, their content – educating young children through a quickly paced fun format – is top notch and something that most parents welcome into their home. The producers of this show have created a formula that works – it educates effectively while successfully keeping the attention of the young ones. If you’ve ever tried to hold the attention of 3-year-old for more than 15 minutes, then you know why this is such a big deal!

The second reason that this brand has been able to enjoy incredible longevity is through its creative and unique characters. Much like Disney, Sesame Street has developed their brand through the use of fun and interesting personalities. In the seventies and eighties, it was hard to find anything involving Sesame Street that didn’t feature the loveable character Big Bird. From movies to lunchboxes, Big Bird was the superstar of children’s television.

Then something (or someone) interesting happened. Elmo.

In the last 15 years or so, Elmo, the little red 3½-year-old Muppet who often refers to himself in the third person, has become the new face of Sesame Street. Big Bird has not gone away – but he is no longer the focus. You would now be hard pressed to find any promotional materials or product line for Sesame Street that doesn’t have Elmo’s smiling face in the forefront. Elmo has starred in two full-length motion pictures and has appeared on The West Wing, Emeril Live and The View, among many others. He’s an international superstar!

There’s nothing wrong with Big Bird, of course. He is still one of the main characters on the show. But Elmo has clearly become the new focus of the show. The core purpose and theme of the show (and their brand) has not changed at all – it has merely shifted focus.

So what can we learn about personal branding from this change in focus?

Sesame Street is a business just like any of ours. Even when we think that we have developed the perfect personal brand, there may always be an opportunity to change the focus of that brand. I’m not advocating changing the things that have made your business brand a success, just finding a way to re-focus your brand to a new audience that will not alienate those who have come to trust and respect your brand the way it is.

Is your personal brand built on being wholesome? Traditional or cutting edge? Is your brand and reputation built on customer service? Reliability?

These things do not need to change (and shouldn’t for that matter.) These traits are ones that will be relevant to generation after generation. However, the next time you are thinking about how your personal brand can last for generations, think about what each generation finds the most appealing.

Try to think of ways you can re-focus your personal brand that appeals to the new generation – without sacrificing the traits that made your brand the success that it is!

Akira Mori, president and chief executive officer of Mori Trust Company, Limited, said, “Past success stories are generally not applicable to new situations. We must continually reinvent ourselves, responding to changing times with innovative new business models.”

Nothing could ring truer in this New Economy where seemingly every attempt to draw on past success strategies is met with less than stellar performances. The reason for that result is that economic change, while appearing to be the same, is always based on a different set of circumstances than ever before; the flaw is to assume “a recession is a recession just like the last one” and that the results are the same each time. They are not.

Our current economic crisis is the modern-day economic equivalent of the “perfect storm” in which multiple disparate factors collide to create something different, something unexpected, something that doesn’t react very well to the old traditional forms of economic stimulus.

The reason for the slow recovery of the economy is because we are not just seeing an economic crisis, we are seeing a fundamental shift in the nature of how business works; and the recovery, when it happens, will not come from the same old stimulus methods but instead will sprout from a more fundamental change of the very nature of business growth. For the economy to return to a healthy status and for business to resume the mode of successful commerce, the consumer must be listened to and catered to like never before. Today’s consumers are no longer bound by the offerings of their neighborhood store. What the consumer wants may be thousands of miles away but must be deliverable tomorrow on the buyer’s doorstep without the frustration or cost of time and travel.

Jack Welch, chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981-2001, faced facts when he said, “The Internet is the Viagra of big business.” Just like that, the guy who increased GE’s market value from $14 billion to more than $410 billion—and was named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune in 1999—recognized that where he had taken GE in the past was no longer the route for the future.

The reality is, the Internet has changed the fundamental nature of competition and doing business. And although it has teased us for many years with its false promises and failed attempts at success, including its own industry meltdown and economic crash, that fall was just the foundation being laid for what has emerged in what now seems like the blink of an eye. New ways of building and delivering online products and services have emerged and, whether you know it or not, instantly your competition has increased exponentially. Your established competitors are now joined by new companies, fresh innovations and ideas, and ever-improving processes and products.

This is the real crisis that faces most businesses today, and unfortunately most haven’t even realized it yet. Instead of trying to rapidly adapt, they are desperately clinging to old ways of running a business that won’t work in the New Economy. And it isn’t event the issue of bricks and mortar that was the center of cocktail discussions prior to the dot-com crash; it is a case of “best practices” for the industry or sector you are in.

For example, if you are in the haircut business, bricks and mortar will still prevail because you need to physically go to a location to get the service performed. But if there is any opportunity for you to do your business or service in the virtual world, the preference for most consumers will be towards that—unless they can somehow otherwise be enticed by an element of experience or entertainment.

When it comes to reaching consumers today, it’s clear that you can’t just go on doing “same old, same old” and hope for the best.

The wired world is a universe in constant flux. Bill Gates once called the new Internet era “an environment of constant change” and, more incisively, “punctuated chaos.” As all financial players are digitally connected, any downturn or upturn in a major market creates overnight reverberations in other markets. The digital world is demanding that companies react to change, but the good news is that it includes the tools they can use to stay ahead of the curve. The key is connecting your business strategy with a streamlined response.

So how is business to survive? By understanding the fact that as business climates change, the methods of marketing for those businesses are also “upside down” and in need of change if success is what you are after. Where, normally, you would think global economies would mean larger markets, in reality, for small companies, entrepreneurs, and professionals, the opposite is true because they simply do not have the economic firepower to try and reach everyone or satisfy everybody. In fact, the media has become so fractured it is almost impossible to reach the masses.

Therefore, to be successful in the New Economy, you must think in terms of specialties or niches within broad markets where you can be a difference maker. In fact, the more narrow your focus, the more power you can yield within that niche; and based on this fact, your financial leverage can be multiplied.

A Change of Focus

Instead of the reliance on mass media, your focus needs to be on “targeted media.” Businesses haven’t stopped using traditional media to get the word out, and indeed, it’s often an effective launch point for an ad campaign if you can control the cost and monitor your return on investment (ROI). Clearly, however, the gulf between traditional advertising and online advertising has widened over the past few years as audiences fragment and the Web grows to provide a new media approach.

Mass media of the last century offered a relatively simple structure, with large audiences congregated at a few outlets for a few kinds of programs. But the Internet provides seemingly infinite choices, and it appears difficult to capture the attention of an individual user when that person has split him or herself among a number of destinations for very brief periods of time. One of the biggest challenges for marketers is understanding this self-fragmentation and how to overcome it.

Reaching the individual who is your target customer first requires your understanding of who your target consumer is, and then your application of market segmentation, the process of pulling apart the entire market as a whole and separating it into manageable, disparate units based on demographics. The market segmentation process includes:

1. Determining the characteristics of your target market, then separating these segments in the market based on these characteristics.

2. Analyzing whether the market segments are large enough to support your product or service. If not, you must return to step one (or review its product to see if it’s viable).

3. Once you’ve chosen a target market that has the size to produce your needed sales levels, you can develop your marketing strategy to target that specific market. Your focus is smaller, but you are reaching the specific buyers you want.

After creating this group of prospects, you must develop your market’s buying metrics to learn how many prospects it takes to produce a sale, what your conversion ratio is, and how that affects your bottom line.

Shotgun vs. Specialists

So how does this apply to today’s online realities? In the past, advertisers had only one choice—they took the shotgun approach, scattered themselves to every mass media outlet they could afford, and hoped a percentage of those people might pay attention. It was about trying to be all things to all people. It was spending money on local newspaper ads, cable television spots, etc., and hoping potential customers would catch a glimpse of them as they turned the page.

It’s the equivalent of the long-ago era of the general practitioner whom everyone would go to no matter what his or her medical condition. Just as patients now go to specialists who can help them treat their specific injuries and illnesses, consumers have become selective about where they go to get their goods and services. Online it looks something like this: health conscious individuals who might have subscribed to a general magazine on health are now signing up for blogs, newsletters, podcasts, user groups, e-mail lists, membership sites, and more to address their exercise regimen, a preventative medicine program that suits their lifestyle, their specific heart condition, their type of diabetes, etc. More and more people are taking advantage of outlets with increasingly specialized information.

With so much out there floating around and vying for consumer attention, today’s savvy marketers are likewise getting more specific in order to forge a competitive advantage. They’re identifying who their potential customers are, cultivating these relationships, and in many cases even charging them for the privileges of membership. Let’s say you have a dance studio in town that offers salsa lessons. In the past, you’d put a medium-size print ad in the local paper, maybe shoot a local TV commercial, and hope for the best. Now, you can create a sizzling, colorful Web site with step-by-step instructions and high-energy videos of those lessons that “students” can pay an online subscription fee to see. Seeing is believing. Even if folks never step into your studio for the real deal, you get them to subscribe to your service to learn how to dance from home.

It can work the same in the sports world. If you give golf lessons in real life, you have to hope people see those local classified ads, right? But if you give golf lessons online and charge a fee to help your students’ progress, you’ve taken the world in your hands without paying any attention to geographical boundaries. You can now teach at any level you want, whether that market exists in your locale or not! Someone might buy an issue of Car and Driver for five bucks, but fans who want to go behind the scenes and into the pits of NASCAR can probably find a better outlet, which they’re willing to pay more for, to really get them into the action and on the inside of the sport they are ravenous fans of. The list of industries and examples goes on and on!

A lot of these opportunities lend themselves to a virtual delivery with cutting-edge technologies, but some of this ongoing flow of information extends to tangible media as well. There has been a resurgence, for example, of paper newsletters and, although still virtual, teleseminars as well, neither of which are considered new technology. Most of these models of selling information, or ideas, offer the basics for free up front, but if they want what you’ve got to offer, and you promise to go deeper, they’ll be happy to pay for the privilege of regular updates and insider opportunities.

The key to setting the world (or at least your bank account and profit margins) on fire in this world of new media is niche-ing down your market to create value in the people you’ve niched into. By building your audience, you build your value, and that in turn increases your roster of consumers who will be willing to pay top dollar for the incredible things you offer. Remember—the power is all in the presentation to the right audience.

So, when thinking about growing your business during the current economic shift, think big; but then make sure you think small with regards to what niche you can ultimately serve to prosper the most. After you figure that out, if you take the time to determine the best format or combination of formats to deliver your products and services to your audience, you will find a formula that is wildly profitable!

Orlando, Fla. – August 10, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently posted a blog on his website http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com, exploring ways businesses can market themselves and build long-term success by expanding their information base.

The latest blog, titled “Are You a One-Hit Wonder?” uses a music analogy to explain how businesses can build their brand and their value by offering more information through a variety of mediums. The piece includes the following excerpt:

Ask yourself if the decisions you are making are geared toward instant (and possibly fleeting) success, or the long-term success of your business or personal brand.

Take blogging for example. There’s nothing wrong with blogging. (You’re reading one now!) But are you ONLY writing blogs or “tweets?” When was the last time that you wrote a special report or an article series about something in your area of expertise? Ever write a book? Are you consistently producing contents in different formats, DVD, CD, printed information products, digital products and more?

It all comes down to the music analogy: Are you releasing singles or albums? How about a concept album or box set? Are you touring?

What else could you be doing to solidify a career in the business?

The entire post is available at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/blog/are-you-a-one-hit-wonder.php

Nick Nanton and business partner, JW Dicks, are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. They emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

I’ve always tried to help others, whether it is in music or other areas of business where developing a personal brand is key to long-term success. I’ve always asked if they want to be a “one-hit wonder” or a “hall of famer.”

Remember these gems?

1974 – “Kung Fu Fighting” Carl Douglas
1983 – “Too Shy” Kajagoogoo
1992 – “I’m Too Sexy” Right Said Fred

All of these were massive hits, but the artists eventually faded into obscurity. As you can see, this is a phenomenon that has been around for decades.

So what does this have to do with personal branding?

Well, ask yourself if the decisions you are making are geared toward instant (and possibly fleeting) success, or the long-term success of your business or personal brand.

Take blogging for example. There’s nothing wrong with blogging. (You’re reading one now!) But are you ONLY writing blogs or “tweets?” When was the last time that you wrote a special report or an article series about something in your area of expertise? Ever write a book? Are you consistently producing contents in different formats, DVD, CD, printed information products, digital products and more?

It all comes down to the music analogy: Are you releasing singles or albums? How about a concept album or box set? Are you touring?

What else could you be doing to solidify a career in the business? Or, you can just sit back like 99% of the bands I’ve ever worked with and wait for “a big record label” to come along and catapult you to success…which can happen, but just remember…he who gives the success, can usually take it away with the touch of the button– or the lowering of a budget.

These are all things that can have lasting effects on your client base, as opposed to a quick thought here and there. Try to think of ways that you can create valuable content for your clients – information that will be a reference for them whenever they need your expertise.

All of us would like to have the “smash hit” right away – and perhaps it’s easier than building a lasting career. Take a look at artists and businesses that have been able to avoid the “one-hit” wonder label. They have lasted and thrived because they are always looking at the big picture. They are always thinking of new ways to build their brand and offer their customers (or fans) interesting, relevant and lasting information.

Are you a “one-hit wonder” or a “hall-of-famer?”

Orlando, Fla. – August 9, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., recently published an article on his website http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com, explaining how being able to say “It Depends” to your clients means that you have the knowledge and confidence in your abilities to be able to offer multiple solutions to a problem.

The article, titled “Personal Branding: Have You Made It to ‘It Depends’ Status,” explores how businesses can become the “go-to” expert in their industry by having the knowledge and confidence to say “It Depends” to a client’s problem, and then guiding them to make the correct decision to solve the problem. The piece includes the following excerpt:

Many of our clients are experts in their field and are offering their expertise on their particular niche to those who don’t have the same amount of education and training, etc. Many of them have used personal branding to brand themselves as the go-to expert in their field.

As many of us get comfortable in our line of work, surrounding ourselves with people who have similar interests, and who work in the same industry – we sometimes forget that there are so many people out there that don’t know anything about the intricacies of what we do – even the things that we think are common knowledge. When people seek your advice, they are looking for you to cut through the clutter and solve whatever problem they may have.

Read the entire article at http://www.celebritybrandingagency.com/articles/personal-branding-have-you-made-it-to-it-depends-status.php

Nick Nanton and business partner, JW Dicks, are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. They emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks and Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

It is often joked that the most common words heard in a lawyer’s office are “it depends.”

Being a lawyer, I do find this quite amusing. It’s very true. In law school, we were taught to always think about the different paths that clients can take to leverage the situation they may be in – and offer as many options as possible. It’s funny if you think about it, Lawyers are some of the only people in the world expected to understand how grey something looks and then present it as if it’s black and white. Chew on that!

Why do people hire lawyers in the first place? They need to know what their options are. More importantly, they are seeking their professional advice on which option to choose. It is no different when you apply this to businesses. Why do people seek out your services? They need problems solved.

As a branding agent, I often ask clients, “Do you have enough knowledge in your field to be able to say ‘it depends’ when a client or customer asks for your advice? More importantly, do you have enough knowledge to be able to inform that client which option is the best for them?” Here is an example:

A few months back, my wife needed to get new tires for her mountain bike. I would say that I know a few things about a few things, but mountain bike tires are not on that list! When I went to the store, I told the salesperson that we needed some new tires for the bike and asked what he recommended. His answer? “Well, it depends.” Slightly annoyed, I said, “Okay, depends on what?” The man started asking me where my wife usually rides the bike, what kind of surfaces were the most common for her to ride, how often she rides, etc. These are things that hadn’t even crossed my mind. I gave him as much information as I could, and he was able to show me 3 or 4 different brands, different price ranges, warranty options and so on.

The most valuable thing that he told me that day was “If I were you, I’d go with these,” pointing to a moderately priced set of tires. He then proceeded to tell me exactly why he would choose that brand of tire, at that price, etc. I had just found my go-to expert on mountain bike tires! I was impressed with his knowledge, but even more impressed that he had a solution for my problem. He had enough confidence in his knowledge of the products that he was comfortable telling me “it depends” and then offering his advice.

This trip to the store got me thinking about many of the clients of our branding agency. Many of our clients are experts in their field and are offering their expertise on their particular niche to those who don’t have the same amount of education and training, etc. Many of them have used personal branding to brand themselves as the go-to expert in their field.

As many of us get comfortable in our line of work, surrounding ourselves with people who have similar interests, and who work in the same industry – we sometimes forget that there are so many people out there that don’t know anything about the intricacies of what we do – even the things that we think are common knowledge. When people seek your advice, they are looking for you to cut through the clutter and solve whatever problem they may have.

As hard as we try, we can never know everything about everything. We need experts! From mountain bike experts and personal branding experts, to mortgage loan experts and business marketing experts – there are experts everywhere! There are those who spend their career perfecting a skill so others can go to them for solutions in that area.

Do you have the knowledge in your line of work to be able to say “It Depends” and do you have the confidence in that knowledge to provide the right solution?

I (Nick) was sitting in a sushi bar in Los Angeles, thousands of miles away from my hometown of Orlando, FL. Having found a table, I asked the waiter to assemble my usual selections which included one order of Maguro, one order of Yellowtail, and one Steamed Shrimp, Cucumber and Cream cheese roll with a drizzle of eel sauce (the Nick Roll, as my friends have come to call it), and then I began to do what I do most of the time when I’m alone – I took out my iPhone to occupy myself.

I checked emails, read and posted a few tweets, and checked my newsfeed on Facebook to see what my friends were up to. I also engaged in a newer activity, “checking in” via geotargeted apps and games like Loopt and Foursquare (If you don’t know what these are, you should! Just Google them!). This particular meal was during a period of time several months ago, before Foursquare had been brought to the iPhone, so I checked-in via Loopt. Much to my surprise, I noticed that a friend that I went to law school with and who also lives in Orlando, had also checked in on Loopt and was just a few miles away from me in Los Angeles. I immediately sent him a text to say ‘hi!’ and to tell him I was just a few miles away. This prompted us to try and coordinate a chance to meet; the meeting would be for the sake of novelty, if nothing else.

This occurrence prompted us to take stock of what many of us do to bide our time (check-in, tweet, post on Facebook), and how it was not only becoming second nature, but what that means for the way we are going to conduct business in the future. Based on these hyper-connected, entertaining, and informative ways of passing information from person to person, we are really leaving behind a trail of everything we’ve ever done, everywhere we’ve ever gone, every opinion we’ve ever had, and, thanks to some less than scrupulous folks who tend to overshare and take pictures with their phones, everything we’ve ever eaten. You might be wondering where this trend is headed and what it all means.

Well, in the context of “The New Economy”, this trail is essentially a “Personal Brand Map”. It’s a record of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, all mapped out in chronological order, from which anyone in our networks (or increasingly, even someone who we haven’t allowed in our networks yet) can review and form an opinion about us.

In the New Economy, some might say that our Personal Brands are increasingly important. We’d go further, saying they’re all we’ve got left.

Think about it. The internet and technology have brought about the following changes:

• Removed the barriers of information flow, allowing us to find anything we want, anytime we want it.

• Made transparency a way of life, allowing the general public to piece together a story even if you aren’t telling it yourself – you can’t hide most things anymore even if you wanted to!

• Leveled the playing field by giving everyone on Earth an instant platform to publish anything you can think of, including thoughts, muses, obsessions, hobbies, photos, videos, business ideas, invitations to social events, collaborative efforts, and more.

We’ve seen this technology bring about the rise of the Personal Brand, while we have simultaneously witnessed the downfall of the institutions that we grew up believing in. This is a total game changer.

We’ve seen the banking industry fail us through credit crises and mortgage meltdowns. We’ve seen over-inflated real estate prices which are due, in large part, to the previous bottleneck on real-time information flow. In the past, we’d have to wait for all the data from real estate sales to drip down from title companies and city and county records in order to get a gauge on what was happening. Even worse, we might have to go to a physical location to view the records. Now you can find that all online, from anywhere in the world, with the click of a mouse. Simply revolutionary!

We’ve witnessed many a corporate meltdown due to lowered barriers to entry. For instance, it is now a very acceptable practice for any business person to schedule a meeting at a Panera Bread or Starbucks location. No formal office is needed, just a place to meet. We’ve also seen the increase in shared spaces replacing the more traditional executive suites and even some less traditional solutions like existing businesses renting out offices that aren’t being used to new businesses. We have seen increased international competition from countries like China and India, who are in a venerable race to bring their high-talent, low-cost human capital to America, with no plane tickets needed, using nothing but Skype and email. And, finally, we’ve witnessed those willing to compete and incur lower overhead in order to gain market share that previously would have seemed untouchable. This accumulation of corporate meltdowns has left many unemployed and without the pensions, retirements, or the security we always thought would be there.

This is a major shake up. In spite of the fact that many are calling it a “lost decade” (2000-2009), we instead look back and see a time of painful discovery and major shifts in the way information is shared, received, and processed. No longer do we look to journalists in last Friday’s newspaper to determine what movies we want to watch or what restaurants we should try out; rather, we look to social networks to see what our friends think and where they are right now.

There has been a shift of power. Power is now at our fingertips – in the hands of the many, not in the hands of the few.

So, how do all of these powerful cultural and economic shifts affect you? You, as an individual, have become your own brand, whether you like it or not. You can control your brand to your own advantage or you can let your personal brand be run by others who comment on what you are doing. In fact, whether you choose to document your life and your business or not, chances are someone around you is going to document it for you. You don’t have to post photos of yourself on Facebook or videos of yourself on YouTube for such photos and videos to end up there. You don’t have to post your thoughts on a particular concept or issue online, for them to end up on Twitter, as those around you are doing it for you whether you like it or not. So, the real choice you need to make (before someone does it for you), is to control your personal brand.

The good news is, if you learn how to effectively control your brand, you can also control your life in ways that were never before possible.

Think about it this way: in the past, if you were a superstar employee, you still got paid what your employer thought you were worth. Now, you can take your brand as a superstar employee to the internet, sharing your knowledge and building a following of people who are interested in your ideas and the projects you are working on. You can become an “internal evangelist” and a thought leader for your industry – all while working for someone else. This buzz about you in turn raises your profile and credibility, which then gives rise to the notion that no longer will you be an employee with limited options. You will now be a free agent operating no differently than the sports stars who are able to offer their skill(s) to the highest bidder.

This new ‘free agent’ marketplace is already occurring in limited scope through the use of social media sites like LinkedIn that are dedicated to connecting people for business, as well as through sites like Facebook that allow you to share text, video, audio, and even create custom apps to let people know what you do. Not to mention, we are just now in the early stages of internet platforms and tools to make those kinds of connections work to your advantage. The future will give rise to more of what one of our clients, Chuck Boyce, calls the “Independent Executive”. This label applies to someone who takes their knowledge from previous employment and sets out to create their own destiny, lifestyle, and income on their own terms. This philosophy takes personal branding to the next level, because it is not just important for the professional or the entrepreneur, but it is now very important for employees who are happy to work in someone else’s environment but who want to be recognized, both financially and emotionally, for their very real contributions.

In the past, an unhappy employee had limited choices:

• Do nothing but complain (with increasing disgruntlement)
• Quit and go look for a new job (which has no guarantee of being any different)
• Beg the boss for a change in circumstances (power, money, responsibility) without having any real say in the process

Now, in the new “Branded Economy”, you are all allowed to play the role you want in building your brand and building your value. If you don’t take control, you will risk becoming irrelevant and relegated to the position of a cog in someone else’s wheel. You will be at the mercy of a third party whose self-interest will always outweigh your own – just like the players in the sitcom The Office and the comic strip “Dilbert”.

Now that the game has changed, what will you do to control your own destiny? As we have gotten known for telling our clients, we’ll now tell you the same: You have the choice, to Brand or Die!

Orlando, Fla. – August 3, 2010 – Co-founder of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling author, JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, recently posted a blog exploring the Tim Tebow’s personal branding strategy and what businesses can learn from his latest endorsement.

The latest blog, titled “The Birth of Tim Tebow’s Personal Brand,” was posted on August 3rd, 2010, on JW’s website, http://www.JWDicks.com. The post includes the following excerpt:

This has been an especially exciting couple of weeks for new Denver Quarterback Tim Tebow. He just finalized his football contract with the Denver Broncos that could yield upwards of $33 Million and he just signed a 3-year endorsement deal with sportswear company, Jockey.

The Jockey deal appears smart because it adds a little interest to Tebow’s clean-cut image without bruising Christian values and the very large constituency of Tebow followers. He will need to maintain a tight balancing act with the Jockey brand – but that is what he has been doing at the University of Florida for the past four years.

The entire post is available at http://www.jwdicks.com/blog/the-birth-of-tim-tebows-personal-brand.php

To learn more about JW Dicks and the Dicks + Nanton Agency please visit http://www.JWDicks.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu

I am willing to bet that almost every single one of you reading this article has read the above quote – or had it quoted to you – in the course of your life. You’re starting college and it’s rough – somebody tells you about that first step. You’re having trouble getting a new business off the ground – somebody tells you about the first step. Whenever you’re at the initial stage of anything – you hear about ‘that thousand miles’ and ‘that first step’.

And to be fair, you can’t argue with it – it’s true. That ‘thousand mile journey’ starts with that first step.

What people don’t discuss, however, is the 4634th step. Or the 5489th step. When you’re so far from the beginning that you’re in danger of forgetting where you’re going – and when you’re still so far from the end, you think you’ll never make it there.

When you’re in the middle of the grind – when it feels like the pay-off will never come – and when you may be so tired you don’t think there ever will be a pay-off – that’s when it can be incredibly difficult (maybe the most difficult) to take the next step.

I firmly believe that when you get to that tough slog where it just feels ‘like you’re grinding it out for no reason’, that’s actually when you’re in the middle of the real hard work that’s going to ultimately validate your efforts. This is when it’s most important to follow through on the process and systems you’ve set up – and not forget what got you as far as you already are. That’s when you need to power through with your process and get what you originally wanted with it.

But let’s not start with the 5489th step. Let’s take Lao Tzu’s advice and start with the first.

THE FIRST STEP AND WHY IT’S CRUCIAL

Someone who I recently learned of, and am enamored with, has become an inspiration to me and a whole lot of other people, …former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. He always had an interesting first step for his players at his ‘first talk’ of the season. It probably wasn’t so interesting for the seniors to hear the exact same ‘first talk’ they heard when they were freshman – but Wooden was a man who believed in the proper process, which is one big reason he was voted “Coach of the Century” by ESPN.

That first talk of the season was not about the goals for the team, who the captains would be, or any of the usual rally cries of a typical coach, nope, it was all about Wooden demonstrating, in meticulous detail, how the players should properly put on their socks and their shoes. Yes, he would actually show them how to do it. And yes, you usually don’t get that kind of instruction after you’re two or three years old – especially from one of the best college coaches of all time. Frankly, most coaches at any level above elementary school would think it was too trivial to deal with – and college boys should know how to dress themselves!

Wooden, however, knew that most good players ended up on the bench because they ended up with blisters from gameplay. And he knew most of those blisters could be prevented if players would simply take the time and put on their socks and shoes correctly.

Hence the lecture every year – even to the players who had already heard it!! It was a vital first step to Wooden’s process – and do you really argue with a guy who ended up with an over-80% win record? …who won ten national championships? …who is regarded as America’s ‘winningest’ coach? I certainly wouldn’t!

By building from that base, Wooden created teams that knew basketball inside and out. He gave them a process that enabled them to do their very best – and turned him into a legendary coach.

It’s what all of us need to do in our individual businesses. Your first steps, in any venture, should be about finding out what works, from the bottom up. ‘Fine-tuning’ will obviously come as you continue along the way, but if you nail down the process that works for you personally, it’s a template that can take you to where you want to go — if you learn the basics, remember them and continue to implement them.

Some aspects of that process are generic – they’re essential to anyone trying to do what you’re doing. Others are personal – making use of your specific talents and what works best for you. Out of all of it, however, you build your own unique process by seeing what’s effective and what isn’t. Once you have it all put together, you drill that process into your brain at every given opportunity. And you never forget why you use the process you use – because it works …for you. Not for the guy down the street, or somebody two office doors down from yours… for YOU!!!!

And it has to be the process that’s going to serve you all the way down the line. I have to hand it to my four year-old son Brock’s T-ball coach, Coach Will, because he showed me this power principle in action and how it’s relevant at any age.

The kid that was playing pitcher (no, really, in T-ball they have one, they just don’t actually pitch!) in the game ran from the pitcher’s mound to run down another kid running to home plate – and pulled it off. He got the out. But the coach told the pitcher that’s not what he wanted to see. That’s not how the game is played. It’ll work out in T-ball, but that play won’t work when the kids get a little older, and a little faster. He said, “You might get an out this year with that play, but we’re not here to get outs, we’re here to learn how to play baseball.” Wow! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Coach Will wanted them to learn how to play the right way for the long run – now what worked just for now – so as they moved on, they could power through with the proper process.

With any first steps, you should be doing the same thing – finding out how whatever “game” you’re learning works, and how best to play it – whether it’s the game of life, the game of business, or a true game. The principle is the same.

THE FIRST STEP AND WHY IT’S OVERRATED

No, I’m not getting into an argument with myself, it’s true…first steps are absolutely crucial and also amazingly easy!

First of all, people are always incredibly encouraging when you start something new (unless they know you well enough to sense you’re heading for disaster). It’s exciting to them and they live vicariously through you trying something for the first time. Why? Because you have to do all the hard work and all they have to do is watch!

Seriously, how many quotes and advice do you see on beginning something, whether it’s a business or a relationship or just a workout regimen? Whereas, when you’re in the middle of something and whining about it – well, everybody’s in the middle of something and whining about it. And they’d rather listen to themselves whine than listen to you do it!

The first step also often means you’re not putting that much at stake. There’s not a lot invested in it emotionally, physically or financially yet. It’s basically setting a goal and beginning to figure out how you can achieve that goal.

Taking that first step usually means:

• You’re beginning something you want to get done.
• You haven’t faced serious opposition to your goal.
• You’ve psyched yourself up to get going – so you’re ‘pumped’ to see it through.
• Nobody expects a lot from you – because you’re just beginning to find out how it’s done.

In other words, sure, you’re nervous – but you’re okay to start that long ‘thousand mile’ journey, whatever it is. It’s not so bad. You’re choosing to do it. And nobody will be too hard on you about it.

The first step is also generally not that complicated. Remember what the first day of school or a class was like? It was the teacher telling you what you were going to be doing the rest of the semester or year and that’s about it. You didn’t have to worry, at that point, about having homework done or passing any tests. You were just there – trying to stay awake until the bell rang. Hey, even with Coach Wooden, all they had to do was figure out how to put on their socks and shoes the first time he talked to them! Most of us can handle that kind of pressure.

And one last thing about the first step not really being all that bad – you can totally ‘bail’ before the second step. Seriously, most things won’t have horrible consequences if you bail early (guys, this is not an excuse the day after that bachelor party, don’t even think about it!). Maybe you say to yourself, “Hey, I want to learn Mandarin Chinese (I use this example in honor of Lao Tzu).” You take that first step – maybe you get an introduction to a beginner’s Mandarin Chinese book – and then the bolt of lightning hits your brain….“Hey! This is hard! I’d rather spend the effort on __________ (fill in the blank with your next goal).”

What did you lose? …that $9.99 you spent on the book? …and those ten minutes it took you to realize it was hard enough for you to learn English? …let alone this.

Taking one step on the thousand mile journey and changing your mind? No big deal. Getting five hundred miles down the road and changing your mind? Enormous deal. That’s why you can’t…

DON’T JUST MUDDLE THROUGH THE MIDDLE

So let’s talk about being five hundred miles down that thousand mile road. That’s what I like to call the unsung hero of heroic struggles – the middle.

They say the closer you get to the summit, the harder it is to reach it. I’ve chosen to consciously disagree, and you can too with the right mindset – and I talked about this a little at the beginning of this chapter. When you’re so far along, you forgot why you started – but you’re not far enough to see where you’re going – it’s easy to feel like you’re stumbling around in the dark, going through the motions, and completely not getting anywhere.

And that’s where you have to power through with your process. That’s where you have to put your socks and shoes on correctly and keep doing what you’re doing, if you’ve proven to yourself that it works. You may need some adjustments – that’s normal, because the world is always changing – but in general, you have to ‘keep on keeping on’.

I’m speaking from personal experience on that point. For example, a big part of our business involves me speaking at different events all across the country. They are great because they usually generate a lot of interest in our business and we get to build a list of prospects who were interested enough to come out and hear me, and give us their contact information to stay in touch – so it’s almost always a good decision to accept invitations to speak at events. It’s something I’ve learned works for us and it’s definitely a big part of my process.

Well, I was invited to speak at what was billed as a major seminar event in California – and I was told there might be a lot of influential people there that would be interested in doing business, and many of them had very large fan bases (sounds good, but believe me, I’ve heard it before and the delivery of those elements is usually far less than what has been promised). So I thought about it. It was a big commitment (a week in California, away from my family in Orlando), and a big financial commitment (not that it was overly expensive for the trip, but because of my marketing budget at the time, I had to choose between this trip and a new marketing campaign I really wanted to launch).

The California trip, more and more, just felt like a big hassle to me, and an inconvenient one at that. I was ready to skip it, when I remembered that this kind of thing – speaking at places where I could widen my circle of influence and boost my network – was really a vital way that we grow our business. So, I agreed to it.

When I got there, I was amazed at the number of top-tier speakers and writers that were in attendance – it was a room of about 100 people who were all seven figure speakers and authors. I won’t drop names, but I would be willing to bet you’d know at least half of the people in the room. We’re talking about men and women who literally fill STADIUMS with rabid fans wanting to hear them speak, and others who had collectively sold over 100 MILLION books! It was insane! Don’t get me wrong, the seminar was hard work – sessions night and day – but out of that came lots of things, including an invitation to speak at another event which proved to be a huge windfall, and there are many other opportunities still being fleshed out, all because I didn’t forget my basic principles, even when I was reluctant, and I powered through with my process.

PROP-UP YOUR PROCESS WITH PRINCIPLES

When I was thinking about whether or not to accept that speaking engagement, I didn’t think about making important new contacts or generating more business. I concentrated on the expense, the work and the inconvenience. Obviously, big mistake on my part.
Fortunately, I got back on my thousand-mile road because I remembered that the process didn’t exist for its own sake – the process brought results!!!

And that’s what we all have to remember. We must continually perfect the process – and sticking to that process is more important than anything else…because the process gets us to the goal line.

When Coach Wooden gave his annual “socks and shoes speech,” some older players would start to feel insulted that he was still teaching the ins and outs of footwear. They didn’t want to listen to it all over again.

But consider this – do you think Coach Wooden really wanted to tell players how to put on their socks and shoes every single year?

Don’t you think maybe one season, he said to himself, “Maybe I don’t have to do this anymore. Maybe these college kids can figure this out for themselves.” I’m willing to wager he did – and that he also went back to doing it because he once again realized that this was his process, it worked and he should stick to it. …and because it was also important to his players’ process.

After the newness of whatever you’re in the middle of wears off, it’s tempting to forget all the building blocks that got you there. It’s easy to be distracted by turn-offs on the thousand mile road and take another route …that will take you somewhere you really don’t want to go.

Both behaviors are dangerous to your business. Sticking to your the principles that you used to develop your process helps you avoid them. Maybe you have a choice between a lunch with somebody you like but isn’t going to do much for your operation – and somebody else you don’t know that well but could do an awful lot for you. You’re better off seizing the second opportunity, even though you’ll have to invest some time and energy in getting to know this person and selling them on you and your business.

Making productive choices that will further your process means you’ll keep getting the results you want. And, hey, you can always have lunch with the other friend on a day when there isn’t a conflict.

When the pay-off isn’t necessarily in sight, you simply have to trust that what you’re doing will work – and that your process will, in fact, see you through to the other side.

I will leave you with some very wise words from Coach Wooden: “Don’t be too concerned with regard to things over which you have no control, because that will eventually have an adverse effect on things over which you have control.”

You have control over what you do and how you do it. You can’t control the outside factors. Even if you’ve made your process the most powerful it can be, it still won’t work every single time. But if you fixate on the things that could go against you, you’ll have a hard time achieving what you want to achieve.

Life is all about making the odds work in your favor – and having a process that will allow you to power through to the end of whatever road you’re on – means that chances are you’ll get what you’re after.

So pull on those socks and lace up those shoes the right way – so you can win the game!

By Nick Nanton, Esq. and JW Dicks, Esq.

If you missed Tony Robbins’s new mainstream premiere of Breakthrough, his new reality TV show, you missed the evolution of the blending of infomercial, reality TV, and soap opera.

While these adjectives describing Tony Robbins’s new show could be viewed as negative, we don’t intend them that way. It is the representation of the re-launch of Tony’s career in personal development and the launch of a new and powerful blended medium. Had this show been an infomercial, there would have been a strong call to action for viewers to buy the hot product Tony was selling. This may have resulted in successful front end sales followed by following up the sale with offers for additional products and services under the traditional infomercial format.

In the new media, Tony’s production company has mixed reality with message and created fans instead of buyers. While this may have a slight delayed effect in product sales, that delay will undoubtedly be outweighed by a strong new fan base for the entire spectrum of Tony Robbins Experiences including product sales as well as high end events and personal coaching at price points that might have seemed unattainable prior to the new show’s launch. Make no mistake, this show will be a commercial success–perhaps even on the front end from ad sales, but it will be also undoubtedly be a success for Tony Robbins Productions, the producer of the show, and the mix of Robbins’s products and services that will be revived as well as newly created, all at the same time.

First, from a reality TV test, the show was good. Great production, good story and the people were unquestioningly real. From Tony’s prospective, he too is to be congratulated because he recognized that in the new economy (arising post Great Recession), the focus will be on credibility as much as celebrity. People are tired of what they see in the news and the “BP BS lie detector” will become a new method of judging what people and companies say about their products and services. If you aren’t transparent from today on, you won’t pass the public BS lie detector test and you will get raked over the coals by your prospects and customers for anything your try to “sneak” by them–publicly we might add. On the other hand, if you are able to pull off what Tony Robbins did last night, which is to set up the next sale at the expense of a short term gain, the world will be your oyster.

Orlando, Fla. – August 2, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks and Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In one of their recent blog posts, titled “Tony Robbins’s Personal Branding Breakthrough,” Nick and JW explain the personal branding aspects of Tony Robbins’s new reality TV show, “Breakthrough.”

“Tony’s production company has mixed reality with message and created fans instead of buyers. While this may have a slight delayed effect in product sales, that delay will undoubtedly be outweighed by a strong new fan base for the entire spectrum of Tony Robbins Experiences including product sales as well as high end events and personal coaching at price points that might have seemed unattainable prior to the new show’s launch.,” write Dicks and Nanton.

“Make no mistake, this show will be a commercial success–perhaps even on the front end from ad sales, but it will be also undoubtedly be a success for Tony Robbins Productions, the producer of the show, and the mix of Robbins’s products and services that will be revived as well as newly created, all at the same time.,” continued the authors.

To read the entire post, visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1675170/tony-robbins-perosnal-branding-breakthrough

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – July 29, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In one of their recent blog posts, titled “Harry Potter and Personal Branding,” Nick and JW discuss opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Florida, and how Universal is expanding the Harry Potter brand.

“While all looks great with Harry Potter and the investment Universal made, the naysayers have been wondering out loud if Harry Potter will indeed have legs for years to come, after the last movie is out,” write Dicks and Nanton. “Just because J.K. Rowling doesn’t want to write any more books, doesn’t mean she won’t license different forms of Harry Potter adventures, from cartoons to video games. All of this brand continuity is up to Universal, who has both the burden and the opportunity, to make the Harry Potter brand stay fresh and make its product line continue to flow,” continued the authors.

“The lesson in all of this for us is to remember that we too must be vigilant with our own brands and work to keep them fresh with new ideas and expanding products that not only grow in number, but also lead into new business verticals and opportunities,” conclude the authors.

To read the entire post and learn more about these strategies in detail, visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1671298/harry-potters-personal-brand-profits

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

I entered the huge chain bookstore, hoping my guilty expression wouldn’t give me away. Then I furtively disappeared between two large shelves of books in the back, making sure no store employees were looking at me.

I eyed the area around me one more time – no one in sight.

And then I pulled the brand new copy of my latest book out from under my jacket…headed to the nearest open cashier…smiled to myself as she scanned the book’s ISBN bar…and I paid $21.95 for a book. A book I already owned.

My name is Nick Nanton…and I am a reverse shoplifter.

Why am I committing a crime against myself? I’ll explain a little later…but first, I want to tell you that this may be one of the most controversial chapters in this book… And not because I’m moving around in bookstores in a clandestine manner.

It’s because I’m about to advocate something that I believe delivers one of the biggest ROIs of anything out there today. But it’s also something that many people regard as being as dead as the dodo.

What am I talking about?

Well, I’m talking about what you’re reading right this minute.

A book.

A book can be an amazing platform for your business – it’s got prestige, it’s got impact and, most importantly, you can market yourself and your business through it in a ‘whole bunch’ of different ways. Because, to be honest, it doesn’t do you any good to write a book and then just put it on your shelf next to that dusty dictionary. It only makes a huge difference when you use your book proactively to expand your circle of influence, build your reputation and impress current and prospective clients.

Look at the super-successful people who put out books on a regular basis – people like Donald Trump. He doesn’t need to write books to prove himself any more – he can make as much money doing a couple of speeches here and there. No, he – and mega-motivational stars like Tony Robbins and Jack Canfield – create books for the above reasons. It’s not about getting paid for the book – it’s about growing their brands.

Just look at what happens when “the Donald” writes a book. Suddenly you see him everywhere – Larry King, Fox News, even The View. It gives him a whole new set of talking points and a reason to put himself out there. He knows that the ROI on a book is unlimited – as long as you realize it’s not just a book, it’s a gigantic marketing tool. That’s why it’s something I advise all my clients to do.

I’m going to detail in this chapter just how you can make your book go to work for you in a variety of ways. First of all, let’s talk about the book itself.

MAKING YOUR BOOK HAPPEN

The first thing you should do is be realistic. You’re probably not creating a New York Times Bestseller here – that’s not even what you’re really after. You make money from having a book – not from book sales. This is meant as a marketing tool to sell yourself and your business. Put your book together with that in mind.

As with any marketing tool, you want your book to be an attention-getter. That starts with the title – finding a way to put the concept of the book in a short, ‘punchy’ and powerful statement that taps into something people want to know.

Simple is very important. Has there ever been a better title than “The Secret?” Well, there haven’t been many better-selling titles, anyway. At the same time, it’s a gutsy title – because without the multi-million ad campaign for the book, its generic title could have left it lost in the shuffle. Since you’re mostly going to be sharing this book with clients and prospects, and not trying to sell it to the general public to a great extent, you can get away with that kind of approach.

Of course, you’re thinking, the title is the easy part – what about the content? Well, that might be easier than you think as well. Do you give seminars or create instructional materials? Have you given speeches about your business? That’s content – content you had to think about and structure accordingly. By getting these materials transcribed, you could already have the bare bones of your book content.

What happens next depends on your available time and your level of confidence. Let’s start with time – most entrepreneurs and business people just don’t have enough hours in the day to run their businesses and their lives, let alone try to write a book. It’s time-consuming and requires a lot of thought. Many who try it simply give up and don’t finish.

Then there’s the confidence factor – you may be intimidated by the thought of even trying to write a book. Most people don’t even like to write a short blog – and then there are those wouldn’t be ‘caught dead’ even trying to put together the 140 characters or less that go into a “tweet.”

That’s why most business people will use a ghostwriter to get their book down on paper. You can find excellent ghostwriters on Elance.com (where they’ll bid for the chance to work on your book), or you can ask business associates if they’ve worked with someone they like and trust.

It’s easy to work with a ghostwriter – you either give them the kind of transcripts we talked about earlier or you can talk through the main points of the book with them. The important thing is to end up with something that you can feel good about. If you’re going to use a book as a marketing platform, you want to make sure it’s professional, informational, and represents you and your business in the best possible light.

THE THREE STAGES OF MARKETING YOUR BOOK

Once you have your book finished and published, it’s time to really go to work. You can maximize your marketing punch not only when your book is published, but also before and after. Again, authoring a book is impressive – so make the most of it!

1) MAKE PRE-LAUNCH A PRIORITY

You definitely want people to know your book is coming out in advance. Begin by creating a website about the book before it comes out – offer a free portion of the book (a “sneak peek”) through an ‘opt-in’ box that will allow you to capture leads. You can even feature a “countdown” to the publication date and time to generate more excitement.

When the website is up, put out a press release announcing you’ve got a publishing deal, making sure you have links back to your website. Syndicate the press release and post it on all the social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Also consider doing a podcast by having a friend interview you about the book and put it up for download on iTunes.

2) GENERATE PUBLICATION PUBLICITY

Once your book is published, you can now use it to your advantage to get booked just like Donald Trump does. You probably won’t make it to “Larry King Live,” but you have a ‘good shot’ at some local air time at the very least.

Next, send out copies of your book to local radio and TV stations, as well as print publications, and offer to be interviewed. Also put in a listing in Radio-TV Interview Report (find out more at RITR.com) to make yourself available for national interviews. You can also mail copies to your top clients, send them out to get yourself booked for speaking engagements at business and civic events, and host a book signing event at a local book store.

You can also continue to produce podcasts for distribution through iTunes with a theme of something like …“Beyond the Book,” offering additional/updated information and conversation about topics you cover in the book.

And remember my “reverse shoplifting” at the beginning of this chapter? Here’s why you should consider taking a copy of your book into a bookstore – and buying it there!
As long as your book has a legitimate ISBN number and is available from a major distributor, two things we always do for our clients’ books, the bookstore clerk will simply scan the book’s barcode, a price will come up and you can purchase it, even though the store never stocked it in the first place. Best of all, the bookstore’s computer system will register that somebody bought your book and that they’re now out of stock – meaning they just might order more copies of your book to sell on their own!

3) CREATE A LONG AFTERLIFE

Now that you’re an author, it should become an important part of your professional profile. Make sure it’s added to your official bio and possibly even put the name of the book in your email signature for a limited time.

You can also break down a chapter and make it into a free ‘special report’, available on your website through an ‘opt-in’ box. Other chapters can be turned into online articles that you can syndicate, or you can rework the material into speeches or seminar material for your personal or recorded appearances.

Your office should also reflect your author status. Put a framed copy of the cover of your book on the wall in your reception area or office – it’s easy to do through canvaspop.com. Also, leave copies of your book on the coffee table in your office with “Take Me” stickers on the front. You should also donate copies to the local libraries in your area. Make sure your contact information is contained in these copies – either put a business card in the book, or have your info stamped on the back page.

At our Celebrity Branding Agency®, we take this process through another, very powerful step. We’ve created a foolproof way to make our authors’ books best-sellers in certain Amazon categories. We then honor them by placing them in our National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™ – and send out another round of press releases noting their honor and best-selling status, which opens up a whole world of marketing opportunities for the same book.

They say print is dead, but, thanks to Kindle, iPad and other electronic devices, it’s not really. It’s just migrated to LCD screens. The fact is that nothing conveys authority and credibility more than having a published book with your name on it. Publishing a book and marketing it correctly puts you and your business up more than ‘a few notches’ against the competition – and isn’t that what it’s all about?

And, best of all….reverse shoplifting is NOT against the law!

Orlando, Fla. – July 28, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named Top 10 expert bloggers on FastCompany.com.

In their latest blog post, titled “Display Your Expertise,” Nick and JW provide eight sure-fire strategies that businesses, small and large alike, can use to display their expertise. The post also contains a video by Nick Nanton that reveals the secret to displaying your expertise “to rise above the sea of others in your market and dominate your competition.”

“If you run a printing company you’re only ever going to make a limited amount of money printing paper,” write Dicks and Nanton. “But, if you can become an expert on how to print the paper, or more importantly how to create mailing campaigns that help people maximize their return on investment, you’re always going to get paid more money. So you have to become an expert,” continued the authors.

“We all think that our clients and prospects can see inside of our heads, and they know exactly what we’re thinking. Obviously, that’s not true. So…we’ve got to display our expertise,” write the authors. Nick Nanton and JW Dicks delve into eight different strategies that are highly useful in doing just that. Some of these strategies include getting into social media, starting a blog, writing articles, issuing press releases, providing newsletters for clients, writing books, offering special reports and providing other information products.

To read the entire post and learn more about these strategies in detail, visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1673255/display-your-expertise

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts.
CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.” ~ Richard Bach

What really ignites our passion for our business?

What fires up our ambition and causes us to make crucial decisions about what career paths we want to follow – and what level of success we want to attain?

Well, in many, many cases, it’s people who initially inspire and motivate us in what we want to do with our lives – and how we want to do it.

People like Donald Trump. Richard Branson. Oprah Winfrey. These are people who dominate their particular arena with their personalities, people who completely own their success, people who cause others to approach them with multi-million or even multi-billion dollar deals, just because they know that having these superstars’ names attached to a project or company will almost guarantee success.

When you become aware of these kinds of people and you’re at just the right moment of your life, it’s like being hit by a lightning bolt. And you think, “Whoa! This person is the ultimate. I want to be exactly like them.”

For the first time, perhaps, you clearly see what you want your future to be – a future where, if you do what these super-successful people do, you end up with the same incredible opportunities and influence that they have.

And that’s where it can get a little dangerous.

While it’s awesome to be inspired by amazing achievers who have literally changed the face of the business world, there is a risk of becoming….well, too inspired.

To me, imitation is the highest form of flattery…and one of the biggest traps you can fall into.

THE SONG SHOULDN’T REMAIN THE SAME

There’s a difference between emulating someone you want to be like – and just plain imitating them. In the first instance, you take their best qualities and adapt them to who you are. In the second instance, you actually try to do everything exactly the way they do it – even though you can’t possibly do it as well as they do.

Because you are not them!

You see, there’s a reason Elvis impersonators don’t become known by their own names. Nobody wants them to be who they really are – no, their fans only want them to pretend to be Elvis. Of course, they could never actually be Elvis – they can only bring back great memories of The King of Rock N’ Roll.

Elvis may have inspired these musicians to begin with. And these musicians undoubtedly have to have some talent to pull off a credible Elvis impersonation. But because they only present themselves as a shadow of someone famous, rather than developing their own unique personality, they’re trapped. And if they ever want to become a singer that actually reflects their own personality, they usually have to start from scratch.

You can always enjoy an outright tribute act to a great performer. However, if they have the musical chops, they can bring back some awesome memories. But when you’re perceived as ripping off a beloved icon, that’s another story. And, since I am involved in the music business, I’d like to offer another musical example that illustrates just that scenario.

Anybody remember a rock band named “The Knack”? In 1979, their first album yielded a huge worldwide number one hit, “My Sharona,” which you still hear played today. It didn’t sound like anything else at the time – so you would think these guys had it made, right?

Wrong. The band itself ended up enraging rock fans and music critics at the time – because their first album cover art was a copy of the first Beatles’ album – down to the band’s haircuts. Now, if it had been some kind of clever ‘spin’ on the Beatles’ album cover, they probably could have gotten away with it – but instead, it was almost a replica of the real deal. This resulted in a huge backlash that doomed their next effort and turned them into a footnote in rock history.

The sad fact is, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can use the people who inspire you in a way that helps you succeed as an individual. Billy Joel has been a top act since 1973 – and there’s a good reason for his singular success. In a recent interview, he talked about how he used his inspirations growing up. “I’m a product of what I heard while I was growing up, said Joel. “I synthesize my take on Ray Charles or the Beatles. That’s where I’m coming from.”

Note that he never made a point of singing his musical idols’ songs. Or dressing up like them. Or duplicating their artwork. No, what he did was incorporate their techniques and their kind of showmanship into what he was doing – so he developed his own, strong personal identity that paid off for him. That’s how he became an authentic musical success.

And by doing so, he avoided being trapped by the shadows of the greats – and he also avoided a huge backlash by not ripping off those legends either. Nobody thinks of Billy Joel as being anyone other than Billy Joel. And yet, the man openly admits liberally borrowing from the musical influences of his youth. By developing his own sound, however, and staying true to himself, he created his own indelible stamp that still resonates after three decades in the music business.

THE DAN KENNEDY TRAP

What works in the music business works in any business. Because it’s still, ultimately, all about business. The best thing any business person can do is create their own strong, authentic personality that carries through their company’s image and PR. You can always make a few bucks by slavishly imitating those more successful than you – but you can never truly earn respect or huge profits unless you create and develop your own individual template for achievement.

One of my big inspirations in the business world is master marketer Dan Kennedy. That’s why I’m proud to be a business partner of his in Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club® (www.KennedysBarberClub.com – if you’re curious!) Now, if you know anything about Dan, you understand that he is a very unique personality. He drives professionally in about 100 harness races a year, purposely avoids and disparages slick-looking modern advertising, and is impossible to reach by phone. Yes, in the year 2010, the only way you can communicate with Dan Kennedy is… by fax.

In other words, he pretty much breaks every business rule there is in the world and makes it work for him – because he is very much his own person. And yes, I follow many of his precepts – but only in terms of what I want to project about myself, my business and my image. By absorbing his ideas through my own filter, I’m still Nick Nanton – and I don’t end up being seen as Dan Kennedy Jr.. Trust me – I have zero interest in trying harness racing!

Many of the business people that I work with and I meet through what we affectionately call “Planet Dan” (this is the network of businesspeople who attend Dan’s seminars, read his books and generally are fans of his teachings) – go through what I call “the 4 Stages of Kennedy”. I think this progression is incredibly similar to anyone else’s who suddenly stumbles upon a personality that they desperately want to mimic in their professional life.

Stage 1 is simply…”Dan Kennedy is insane!” When someone first sees Dan’s “No B.S.”, punch-to-the-head style of copywriting, looks over Dan’s rough, unpolished marketing materials and finds out that….wait, this guy only takes faxes???…., they immediately think Dan’s a psycho, I’m a psycho for promoting Dan and everybody in our Glazer-Kennedy marketing group is drinking something they shouldn’t be. But something lures them in…

….and then comes Stage 2…”Dan Kennedy is God!” The person suddenly understands how effective Dan’s approaches are, how he’s attracted all these followers with his incredible, instinctive marketing talents and how his methods can make money for any viable business. Their mind is completely blown and they have the burning fever of the recently-converted. And yes, now the convert seems like he’s ‘drinking the kool-aid’ too!

That fever takes a long while to cool down, because Stage 3 ends up being, “I will BE Dan Kennedy!” Instead of becoming an Elvis impersonator, the person decides to become a Dan Kennedy impersonator (one advantage is you don’t need a sequined jumpsuit to be the latter). So he begins modeling his entire modus operandi on Dan’s. Being only in touch by fax? Amazing idea! Telling people what to do and how to do it without pulling any punches? Outstanding! Hey, who knows where the best place is to learn harness racing?

And then brutal reality comes knocking on this guy’s door. He realizes Dan Kennedy can get away with a lot of his quirks because he’s been regarded as a marketing genius for decades; Dan’s earned his “street cred”, so he knows he can do as he ‘darn well’ pleases. Our Dan Kennedy newbie, on the other hand, is usually in the beginning steps of establishing himself and his business. He finds out he can’t afford to solely use a fax machine instead of a cell phone, nor does he really want to. He actually enjoys communicating with customers, prospects…and even friends, on a regular basis!

(Oh, and he stinks at harness racing.)

So, if he’s smart, he now progresses to Stage 4 – “I’m just going to LEARN everything I can from Dan Kennedy.” That means personally adapting and integrating Dan’s rules and techniques – but still remaining who you are.

Just as Billy Joel integrated the work of the greats who inspired him into his own authentic music, our new Dan Kennedy disciple has learned to likewise funnel the Dan Kennedy marketing magic through his own filter. And nobody looks down on him as if he’s just a pale copy of the real Dan Kennedy.

MAKE YOUR OWN KIND OF MUSIC

Obviously, Stage 4 is what you want to shoot for whenever an impressive person inspires you. But how do you avoid merely imitating the greats – when what you should be doing is integrating what they have to offer into your own persona?

First and foremost, you have to figure out who you are and what you want. You, your personality and your passions are the foundation for your growth and development, both as a human being and as a business person. “To thine own self be true,” goes the Shakespearean maxim and that still holds true 500 years later. I won’t be around in another 500 years, unless science has some really amazing breakthroughs, but I expect that thought to still be quoted then.

Second, break down what works for you and what doesn’t; where you need either a complete change of direction or where you just need to make adjustments to improve your results. To realize your ambitions, this is essential.

Finally, decide how to add needed value to who you are and what you do. This is where you should search for the proper coaches, mentors and role models who have already achieved what you want to achieve. Analyze how they made that magic happen – then see how their different methodologies apply to what you do, how you do it and the areas where you need to make adjustments.

The big lesson here? Never try to play someone else’s game. Instead, fit theirs into your own.

That’s how I help my clients achieve celebrity status in their fields. Obviously, they have to offer something different to stand out – and, to properly brand them, we employ proven strategies used by some of the most successful business people of all time. But we use those strategies to support and promote who our clients are, not to make them into something they’re not.

When you integrate instead of imitate, you eliminate a lot of self-imposed limitations and open up a world of possibilities. So don’t be an Elvis impersonator. It’s always better to be your own King…and that’s how you can ignite your business and transform your world, as well as the worlds of so many more people who you’ll now be able to help – because they see you as the real deal, not merely an impersonator.

Orlando, Fla. – July 20, 2010 – Nick Nanton, Esq., known as The Celebrity Agent, has co-written the feature article in Top 10 Magazine, a publication based in Poland, with business partner JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development. The Article, titled, “The ONE Thing You Can Do Right Now to Change Your Income, Business and Lifestyle,” was the featured cover story in the Summer 2010 edition of the magazine.

“Everyone in business is always looking for the magic pill. The ‘one thing’ you can do in your business that will change everything overnight,” write Dicks and Nanton. “Some of us even thought we found the magic pill and bought it – until we realized that what we really bought was a great tool, service, or system, but it was overhyped,” continued the authors.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Here is another excerpt from the article:

We’re sorry to say that a magic pill doesn’t really exist, however there is one thing that can have the same effect. One thing you can do today, that can change your business, your income and your lifestyle, tomorrow. And that one thing is to alter your current Position in the marketplace to create more value for others. Creating a position that will allow you to go from being a commodity in the marketplace, to becoming a scarcity. That one simple change can increase your income ten-fold, literally overnight.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – July 19, 2010 – JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, has co-written the feature article in Top 10 Magazine, a publication based in Poland, with business partner Nick Nanton, Esq. The Article, titled, “The ONE Thing You Can Do Right Now to Change Your Income, Business and Lifestyle,” was the featured cover story in the Summer 2010 edition of the magazine.

“Everyone in business is always looking for the magic pill. The ‘one thing’ you can do in your business that will change everything overnight,” write Dicks and Nanton. “Some of us even thought we found the magic pill and bought it – until we realized that what we really bought was a great tool, service, or system, but it was overhyped,” continued the authors.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

Here is another excerpt from the article:

We’re sorry to say that a magic pill doesn’t really exist, however there is one thing that can have the same effect. One thing you can do today, that can change your business, your income and your lifestyle, tomorrow. And that one thing is to alter your current Position in the marketplace to create more value for others. Creating a position that will allow you to go from being a commodity in the marketplace, to becoming a scarcity. That one simple change can increase your income ten-fold, literally overnight.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com
To learn more about Nick Nanton, visit http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – July 16, 2010 – Best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., marketing and branding expert and co-founder of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency, was recently featured in a piece on Orlando Blog Spot titled, “Top Orlando Personal Brands.” The author writes, “A strong and strategic personal brand can be one of the biggest advantages when looking for a great career in today’s job market…I wanted to share some top notch personal brands right here in our backyard of Orlando and Central Florida.”

Featured in the article were Orlando superstars, Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic; professional golfer John Raser; CEO of IZEA, Ted Murphy; real estate broker, Marc Grossman; and The Celebrity Agent, Nick Nanton, Esq. The article reads, “Nick Nanton is (also) known as the Celebrity Lawyer and has been responsible for creating the personal brands of a great number of people just like you. Nick is a blogger for Fast Company and uses a mixture of traditional press, social media and great imagery to expand his empire.

The strategy of developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments has led to Nick being known as “The Celebrity Agent.” Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

To read the entire feature, please visit http://orlandojobspot.blogspot.com/2010/07/top-orlando-personal-brands.html

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – July 14, 2010 – Marketing and Branding Agency, Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency® were recently awarded two 2010 Telly Awards for their work in TV/Film and Online Video Production. Nick Nanton, Esq. and JW Dicks, Esq., personal branding experts and principals in the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency, received notification that their recent work with America’s PremierExperts® and The Ultimate Celebrity Branding Experience® would be honored with two Telly Awards. The video productions for these were nominated in the categories of “Film/Video – Non Broadcast Productions, Corporate Image” and “Online Video – Infomercial.”

The Telly Awards (http://www.tellyawards.com) honor the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web. Since 1978, their mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 30th Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

Linda Day, Executive Director of The Telly Awards said, “The Silver Telly Council, our judging and oversight body, is comprised of top industry professionals that are past winners of a Silver Telly Award, our highest honor. The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries annually from the finest ad agencies, production companies, TV stations, cable companies, interactive agencies and corporations in the world. It is a remarkable achievement to be selected for recognition.”

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

America’s PremierExperts® (http://www.AmericasPremierExperts.com) is an organization dedicated to recognizing business experts in their field of expertise and offers business owners, entrepreneurs, professional speakers, authors, professionals and corporate CEOs exclusive opportunities for further exposure and growth in the marketplace. JW Dicks, Esq. and Nick Nanton, Esq., Media and Business development experts, founded America’s PremierExperts® to showcase entrepreneurs, CEOs, authors, professional speakers and businesspeople who are dedicated to spreading knowledge and awareness in their field and making significant contributions to their industry and the marketplace as a whole.

To learn more about the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency® please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency®:

Dicks + Nanton Branding® Agency is a multi-media, marketing and branding agency dedicated to celebrity branding entrepreneurs and professionals as experts in their fields of business. Founders, JW Dicks, Esq. & Nick Nanton, Esq., attorneys by trade and entrepreneurs by choice, focus on helping their clients make more money with creative business strategies. Lindsay Dicks focuses on business building through the online marketing and social media. Nick, Jack and Lindsay consult with clients internationally to help their clients grow their businesses exponentially both online and offline through the use of proprietary systems including Exclusive Marketing Licenses, Online Business Platforms™ and many more.

To learn more please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

Companies must take control of their own brand message and use their own media to do so when possible. LeBron James’ control of ESPN’s own show, to announce his jump from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat NBA Franchise, was as strong of an in-your-face illustration of the point as you can make.

James told ESPN who would interview him, when they could pop the question on his choice of teams, which sponsors would fill the hour long show, and perhaps more importantly, where the money paid for the sponsorships would go. Like it or not, and many journalists don’t, this is just the beginning of high profile sources taking control of a news event. The bigger the story, the more control the newsmaker will have–and that means content control, revenue control and residual spinoffs. Whether you like the way it went down or not, take a look at the opportunity it presents and think about how you could leverage this kind of coup using your personal brand like LeBron did on a local, regional, national, or industry level.

In a world where athletes and celebrities now have their own direct relationship with fans through social media channels, they can not only deliver the news, they can bring the eyeballs to watch the announcement. When the fans have fun and the media and the celebrity make money, who is to complain except the purist–and that cat is out of the bag.

Even though you may not have superstar status in your own market, don’t miss the point that this same formula can also be used in other ways. Local announcements of sports events or celebrity appearances can be used to create your own media appearances where you act as host, agent, deal maker, or sponsor depending on the role that best helps to elevate your personal brand. Use of news to expand your brand is not a new idea, but it’s taking on a new form that offers lots of opportunities.

Orlando, Fla. – July 13, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks + Nanton Branding Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., Celebrity Agent and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named top ten expert bloggers on FastCompany.com. Their most recent blog featured on the site, explores the frenzy surrounding the recent LeBron James “Decision” media blitz, specifically his ability to control the media and manage his personal brand.

The latest blog, titled “LeBron, The Media, and Your Message,” was featured on July 9th, 2010, under the leadership section of FastCompany.com. Dicks and Nanton explain how “companies must take control of their own brand message and use their own media to do so when possible.” The piece includes the following excerpt:

In a world where athletes and celebrities now have their own direct relationship with fans through social media channels, they can not only deliver the news, they can bring the eyeballs to watch the announcement. When the fans have fun and the media and the celebrity make money, who is to complain except the purist–and that cat is out of the bag.

Even though you may not have superstar status in your own market, don’t miss the point that this same formula can also be used in other ways. Local announcements of sports events or celebrity appearances can be used to create your own media appearances where you act as host, agent, deal maker, or sponsor depending on the role that best helps to elevate your personal brand. Use of news to expand your brand is not a new idea, but it’s taking on a new form that offers lots of opportunities.

The entire post is available at http://www.fastcompany.com/1668719/lebron-the-media-and-your-message

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

According to FastCompany.com, “Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and ‘next’ practices, the magazine and website help a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.”

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks + Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Agent” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and television producer and has worked on everything from large scale events to reality tv pitches with the likes of Bill Cosby, President George H.W. Bush, Superbowl Champion Don Shula, Legendary Basketball Coach Bobby Knight and many more. Nick is recognized as one of the top thought leaders in the business world and has co-authored the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business, Shift Happens and Power Principles for Success and has interviewed the top business leaders in the world, including Donald Trump, Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com . Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. CelebrityPress has published books by Brian Tracy, Mari Smith, Ron Legrand and many other celebrity experts and has published books for more than 60 best-selling authors. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs), a 4-time Telly Award winner, and spends his spare time working with Young Life, Florida Hospital and rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – June 18, 2010 – Best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., marketing and branding expert and co-founder of the Dicks + Nanton Agency, was recently featured and quoted in UF Law Magazine. The article titled, “A Talent For Entertainment,” written by Kara Carnley Murrhee, focuses on several University of Florida Levin College of Law alumni who “have built successful careers navigating the maze of media issues that athletes, musicians or celebrity clients confront on a daily basis.” Murrhee writes, “Because of the close relationships they’ve forged with their clients, these attorneys often provide advice and counsel that extend beyond legalities into the realm of private and personal.”

In the article, Nick commented on how brand building is one of the most important structural necessities to building and maintaining a successful business. Nick remarked, “I teach my clients how to become the best-known expert in their industry by using the principles that entertainers use to lock out their competition and be in demand.”

“My job is to create enough buzz about my clients through the creation and distribution of content, that the media comes to us…In this new economy, I tell my clients they’ve got to be in the media business — you’ve got to be creating your own media so that you can control the message,” Nanton continued. “So that’s what we do by helping them create their own content, much like Oprah or Dr. Phil, and then pushing that content through various outlets both online and offline.”

This strategy of developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments has led to Nick being known as “The Celebrity Lawyer.” Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in the Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

The article also features other University of Florida Law School Alumni, including executive vice president and general counsel for MySpace, Lin Cherry; seasoned sports agent and solo practitioner at Pro First Sports Management in Jacksonville, Florida, Paul J. Healy; Darren Heitner, founder of Dynasty Athlete Representation; and Mark NeJame, leading defense and trial attorney and senior partner in the Orlando-based firm, NeJame, LaFay, Jancha, Ahmed, Barker & Joshi, PA.

The entire UF Law Magazine article can be found at http://www.law.ufl.edu/uflaw/10spring/features/a-talent-for-entertainment-law

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

So what does this mean to you? It means that if you are marketing and branding your company, you need to know what journalists are looking for and be ready to supply it. Maybe it’s information about a grand opening, a new product or service you are now offering or an expert opinion – find out what they cover, and when you have the right stuff be there to supply the information. This is where working with a branding consultant comes in handy – branding agencies often have the inside scoop on what journalists cover.

Of course, this does not mean you should flood anyone’s inbox with press releases about every single thing that happens in your company. But it does mean that you should research who covers what in your area, see what kind of articles they write, and when you have something that fits, don’t miss the chance to offer your information for their next assignment.

Orlando, Fla. – May 21, 2010 – Best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and co-founder of the Dicks + Nanton Agency, will be the featured speaker at a monthly dinner meeting with Buffalo Niagara Sales and Marketing Executives (BNSME.) Nick will be speaking at the Buffalo Niagara Marriot in Amherst, NY on Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:15pm.

The BSNME is a professional association that was established in Buffalo in 1942 by area sales and marketing leaders with the goal to improve the knowledge, standards, conduct and network of sales and marketing practitioners. Nick will be speaking about the importance of building a brand in the new economy.

Registration for the event can be found at http://www.bnsme.org/ems/regengine/event_page.php

Nick Nanton, Esq. is also known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in The Los Angeles Times, Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others. Nick is also FastCompany Magazine’s Blogger on the subject of Personal Branding.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About BNSME:

The Buffalo Niagara Sales and Marketing Executives is a professional association that was established in Buffalo in 1942 by area sales and marketing leaders with the goal to improve the knowledge, standards, conduct and network of sales and marketing practitioners. Our active membership is comprised of high-level executives of leading sales and marketing departments within Western New York’s most progressive companies. We invite you to learn more about our association through this website, attend an upcoming meeting and consider joining BNSME.

BNSME focuses on three primary services for our membership. BNSME is…
1. The Networking Center for Sales and Marketing Executive Decision Makers in Western New York
2. The Leader in Continuing Sales and Marketing Education for Marketing and Sales Executives as well as their Staffs
3. The Only Association in WNY Dedicated to Consistently Improving Professionalism within Sales and Marketing

Learn more at http://www.bnsme.org/

Orlando, Fla. – April 29, 2010 – Personal branding expert, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer, has joined with noted business development expert, best-selling author and speaker, Brian Tracy, to publish a new book titled, “Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy.” Nick Nanton, Esq. along with business partner, JW Dicks, Esq., recently signed a publishing deal with Brian Tracy to release the book under their CelebrityPress™ label.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company Magazine’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida.

Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 53 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.

Brian has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of 70 books that have been translated into 38 languages. Brian is one of the world’s foremost thought leaders on personal and business success. He’s one of the most sought after success coaches and has transformed the lives of millions.

The forthcoming book, “Counter-Attack: Business Strategies for Explosive Growth in the New Economy” will feature Brian Tracy along with leading experts from around the world across diverse fields of business. The book will feature business lessons that business owners can use to fight against declining revenues and learn the secrets of success in the new economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton and Dicks + Nanton Agency, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

To learn more about CelebrityPress™, please visit http://www.CelebrityPressPublishing.com

To learn more about Brian Tracy, please visit his website at http://www.BrianTracy.com

About Celebrity Press™:

Celebrity Press™ is a business book publisher that publishes books from thought leaders around the world. Celebrity Press™ specializes in helping it’s authors grow their businesses through book publishing. Celebrity Press™ has published books alongside Brian Tracy, Ron Legrand, Mari Smith, Kelly O’Neil, Alexis Martin Neely and many other experts across diverse fields.

If you’d like to learn more about Celebrity Press™ or to see if we’re a good fit for your book project, please visit http://www.celebritypresspublishing.com/contact-us

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To learn more about Nick Nanton and the Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

Different from the fleeting Facebook “share” or Twitter “Tweet,” the new “Like” button leaves a lasting “Like” on the page. And for Facebook users who are logged in, they can actually see how many people like that page and pictures of any friends who like it. It’s really kind of cool.

Further exciting our branding agency is the ability to use Open Graph protocol with meta tags to enable users to establish lasting connections to your pages. What does this mean? This means that if your website falls under one of Facebook’s categories such as movies, sports teams, celebrities or restaurants, then your pages show up in more places on Facebook and you gain the ability to publish stories to connected users. Interesting…

So if you like the idea, how do you ad a “Like” button to your page. With a simple widget, of course. Gotta love how user-friendly Facebook likes to make things (pun intended). In addition to the “Like” button, Facebook developers have recently made several social plug-ins available and you can find them all here, but no doubt the one we will start seeing the most will be the “Like” button. To add the “Like” button to your site, all you have to do is grab the code, add to your site and voila – you have your own “Like” button.

The iframe code will look something like this (but with your URL):

< iframesrc="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fcelebritybrandingagency.com%2F&layout=standard&show_faces=true&width=450&action=like&colorscheme=light" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px; height:px"> < /iframe>

“Like” is the new branding strategy on the block, and now is the time to add it to your site. Social media is the game you want to be ahead of the curve on, so ride the wave my friends and let your readers “Like” your work.

Wiki says, “An avatar is a computer user’s representation of himself/herself or alter ego, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) or a one-dimensional username used on Internet forums and other communities… It is an object representing the user.”

Now that we have that straight… Choosing the right avatar to represent your personal brand is just as important as selecting a logo for your company. Perhaps more important in the world of social media because that is what people see every time they correspond with you on Twitter, Facebook, etc.

As a branding agency, we know the importance of being selective in choosing the right avatar for our various social media communication. Here are some of our top criteria in the selection of an avatar.

1. Don’t use a default avatar. Nothing screams newbie like selecting one of the default images as your avatar – make it personal.
2. Pick one avatar for all communication. No, you aren’t stuck with this avatar for life, but you should be consistent. Twitter, Facebook, your blog, forums – they should all get the same avatar. (Hello, this is your online branding strategy.)
3. KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid. Remember, your avatar will often appear smaller than a half inch. If you have a busy background, it is hard to see what’s going on.
4. Make it interesting. Don’t go crazy and break tip #3, but your avatar should be attractive, interesting and/or fun. Make people want to hear from you.
5. Logo or Photo. Depends. Personal branding – photo. Company branding – logo.

Alright, so those are our tips. Wanna see what we do? For our branding agency, we each have our own avatars to represent our voice. Look for us online.

Orlando, Fla. – April 7, 2010 – Co-founders of the Dicks + Nanton Agency and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, were recently named expert bloggers on FastCompany.com. Now, JW and Nick have been named to the top ten expert bloggers on the site.

Dicks and Nanton’s blog series, called “BRAND OR DIE,” is featured under the leadership section of FastCompany.com. According to their website, “Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and ‘next’ practices, the magazine and website help a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.”

The latest installment of the blog titled, “Where Did You Come From? The Simple Question You Have To Answer First,” was posted on March 30th, and includes the following excerpt:

We all have some similar scenarios in our lives, but the beauty of our past experiences is in the details. Show one person a painting, ask them to point out what they find striking and she will tell you what she, “sees.” Show the same painting to another person and he will frequently see something very different. We often see the painting of our lives through distorted glasses. We just don’t realize that what we are seeing is not the same thing everyone else is seeing! Ask around and you will find out.

The entire post is available at http://www.fastcompany.com/1602335/where-did-you-come-from-the-simple-question-you-have-to-answer-first

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize building a personal brand, and the importance of online and offline marketing to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

To learn more about Nick Nanton, J.W. Dicks and the Dicks + Nanton Agency please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To learn more about Nick Nanton and the Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

When building a position for yourself in your business, it sounds really basic, but the very first thing you have to look at is where you came from.

We all too often overlook things in our past that are highlights, recurring trends or even little glimpses of our destiny because we’re so busy running a thousand miles an hour towards our current goals. We get caught up in operations or the next, “shiny object” and don’t see the forest for the trees.

But the most revealing thing we do when we bring clients in for consulting days is ask them to tell us who they are, where they came from and what their path was that brought them to the table with us. Now, often there are many things that aren’t crucial to the process, but by listening to stories from our clients’ past, we are able to determine a very distinct set of core values and skills that our clients thought were mundane, but usually hold at least some of the keys to their future.

Think of it this way: we bet there are times when you’ve said to yourself, “what makes me special? I’ve pretty much had the same experience as everyone else. I don’t live the life of a rockstar, an astronaut or a Nobel Prize Winner, so I’m really not that different.”

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, we all have some similar scenarios in our lives, but the beauty of our past experiences is in the details. Show one person a painting, ask them to point out what they find striking and she will tell you what she, “sees”., Show the same painting to another person and he will frequently see something very different. We often see the painting of our lives through distorted glasses. We just don’t realize that what we are seeing is not the same thing everyone else is seeing! Ask around and you will find out.

Nick has been known to conduct a $10,000.00 challenge when he speaks. It goes something like this:

Take out a pen and paper and write down the answer to these 5 questions:

1. What city were you born in?
2. What is your mother’s maiden name?
3. What is the name of your sibling closest in age to you? (If you don’t have any siblings, write down the name of your first “Best Friend”.)
4. Who was your first roommate when you moved out of your parents’ house for the first time?
5. What was the first and last name of the person who gave you your first kiss?

If anyone in the room has answers that are identical, Nick will give those 2 people $10,000.00 to share. The example is a bit extreme and he could offer a million dollars, but we hope you get the point. The story of your life is very different than anyone else’s, even those who grew up in the bedroom next to you (although that person will never pay you what you’re worth! Trust us on this one!)—if for no other reason than the fact that people focus on different things. Tell 3 people the same story, with lots of details and they’ll all tell it back to you differently, because they focused on the things that stuck out to them.

So, the moral of the story is, take the time to write down the key elements in your life and then tell your “origin story” (where you started and how you got to where you are today) to a few friends, and see what sticks out to them. Look for the reoccurring themes. Things that give you the greatest joy to even if you don’t necessarily make money at them. These key elements will be the beginning of your Positioning Power Points that you will use to take the next step in creating your Brand Position to increase your value in the business world. Examined in this light, your Brand will be your very own and by creating your position this way, you eliminate all your competition because “no one is you” and if your customer wants you, ultimately he will only have one choice.

Where did you come from? Tell us below in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: JW Dicks (@jwdicks) & Nick Nanton (@nicknanton), lawyers by trade but entrepreneurs by choice, are best-selling authors that consult for small and medium sized businesses internationally on how to build their business through Personality Driven Marketing, Personal Brand Positioning, Guaranteed Media and Mining Hidden Business Assets. They offer free articles, blogs white papers and case studies to guests who visit their web site at http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com. Jack and Nick have been featured on NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX affiliates around the country, as well as in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, FastCompany.com, and many more media outlets. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, get more FREE info now at http://www.DicksNantonAgency.com

Orlando, Fla. – April 5, 2010 – Best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and co-founder of the Celebrity Branding Agency®, was recently quoted in a Los Angeles Times article titled, “Fur: In Vogue and in the Line of Fire,” written by Susan Carpenter. The article ran on March 28th, 2010, and delves into the marketing practices of controversial animal rights advocacy group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA.) The article specifically dealt with PETA’s controversial campaigns to discourage the wearing of fur.

In the article, Nick commented on how PETA uses celebrities to help advocate the banning of fur clothing. “PETA isn’t going to the Roseanne Barrs of the world,” said Nick Nanton. “”They’re going to people who set trends. You’ve seen them in US Weekly showing you what to wear before. Now they’re going to show you what not to wear.”

“Fur has always been associated with glamour and sexiness, so the closer you can get to glamour and sexiness and show people, ‘Hey, you can be sexy without fur,’ that’s the most successful pairing,” Nanton continued.

Nick Nanton, Esq. is also known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. In addition to the Los Angeles Times, Nick’s expertise on branding and marketing has been sought out and featured in Orlando Sentinel, The Chicago Tribune, The California Chronicle, DailyMe.com, FastCompany.com, USA Today, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

The entire Los Angeles Times article can be found at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/28/image/la-ig-peta-20100328

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To learn more about Nick Nanton and the Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

There are photographic styles for every image, but a quick snapshot taken by your friend with poor lighting, a busy background and other people in the image is probably not the best image for your brand. A friend in the publishing industry tells the story of a famous actor – I dare not name – who was to appear in a magazine. When a request was made for the actor’s photo, he sent a picture of himself at what appeared to be a cocktail event with his arms around other partygoers. It was an all-around terrible photograph. A second request was sent for a better picture; the actor’s rep informed the publication that it was the best picture available. What? Surely, this is an exaggeration? I am afraid not. The friend made do with the image, but it was a poor representation.

While you may not have a magazine knocking today, what if one calls tomorrow? Are you ready? If not, it’s time to get a professional picture taken. A branding agency (like Celebrity Branding Agency) can steer you in the direction of an appropriate photographer (and other branding strategies to get those magazines and clients knocking).

Now, before you go deleting all of your party pics and family photos. There is a time and a place for those snapshots – think social media. Go ahead; share your favorite pics on Facebook, your blog, etc., wherever you connect with your clients on a personal level. But when it comes to the image for your brand, let a professional help you look professional.

This acknowledgement by Disney of the importance of “thinking”, about how a personality brand is perceived on many levels by your audience, is a lesson we all need to keep in mind. Clearly Disney is concerned about brand reception and its effect on a brand with $5 billion in annual merchandise sales. Your company’s brand might not have billions at stake but what you do have is just as important to you.

Brand reception by your audience, no matter how big or small, must always be a concern and mixed messages can be as large a problem as bad messages. This is one reason that we encourage clients who have businesses driven on personality brands to be consistent not only with the verbal messages they are conveying to their audience but the more subtle messages as well. Brand reception is particularly important in the age of Facebook and other social media sites where some brand personalities might relax too much. Yes, it is important to let your personality come out and let your client/customer base know who you are so you can create a stronger bond. This is one of the strengths of building your business based on personality branding. However, you must at the same time be cautious to realize that you are being watched by your clients and the messages you are sending must remain true to the brand you are building or someday you may have to, “rethink” the direction your brand has taken.

- Richard Seppala, The ROI Guy, www.YourROIguy.com

I checked emails, read and posted a few tweets, and checked my newsfeed on Facebook to see what my friends were up to. I also engaged in a newer activity, “checking in” via geotargeted apps and games like Loopt and Foursquare (If you don’t know what these are, you should! Just google them!). This particular meal was during a period of time several months ago, before Foursquare had been brought to the iPhone, so I checked-in via Loopt. Much to my surprise, I noticed that a friend that I went to law school with and who also lives in Orlando had also checked in on Loopt and was just a few miles away from me in Los Angeles. I immediately texted him to say hey and to tell him I was just a few miles away. This prompted us to try and coordinate a chance to say hi; the meeting would be for the sake of novelty, if nothing else.

This occurrence prompted us to take stock of what many of us do to bide our time (check-in, tweet, post on Facebook), and how it was not only becoming second nature, but what that means for the way we are going to conduct business in the future. Based on these hyper-connected, entertaining, and informative ways of passing information from person to person, we are really leaving behind a trail of everything we’ve ever done, everywhere we’ve ever gone, every opinion we’ve ever had, and, thanks to some less than scrupulous folks who tend to overshare and take pictures with their phones, everything we’ve ever eaten. You might be wondering where this trend is headed and what it all means.

Well, in the context of “The New Economy”, this trail is essentially a “Personal Brand Map”. It’s a record of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, all mapped out in chronological order, from which anyone in our networks (or increasingly, even someone who we haven’t allowed in our networks yet) can review and form an opinion about us.

In the New Economy, some might say that our Personal Brands are increasingly important. We’d go further, saying they’re all we’ve got left.

Think about it. The internet and technology have brought about the following changes:

• Removed the barriers of information flow, allowing us to find anything we want, anytime we want it
• Made transparency a way of life, allowing the general public to piece together a story even if you aren’t telling it yourself (you can’t hide most things anymore if you wanted to!)
• Leveled the playing field by giving everyone on Earth an instant platform to publish anything you can think of, including thoughts, muses, obsessions, hobbies, photos, videos, business ideas, invitations to social events, collaborative efforts, and more.

We’ve seen this technology bring about the rise of the Personal Brand, while we have simultaneously witnessed the downfall of the institutions that we grew up believing in.

We’ve seen the banking industry fail us through credit crises and mortgage meltdowns. We’ve seen over-inflated real estate prices which are due, in large part, to the previous bottleneck on real-time information flow. In the past, we’d have to wait for all the data from real estate sales to drip down from title companies and city and county records in order to get a gauge on what was happening. Even worse, we might have to go to a physical location to view the records. Now you can find that all online, from anywhere in the world, with the click of a mouse. Simply revolutionary.

We’ve witnessed many a corporate meltdown due to lowered barriers to entry. For instance, it is now a very acceptable practice for any business person to schedule a meeting at a Panera Bread or Starbucks location. No formal office is needed, just a place to meet. We’ve also seen the increase in shared spaces replacing the more traditional executive suites and even some less traditional solutions like existing businesses renting out offices that aren’t being used to new businesses. We have seen increased international competition from countries like China and India, who are in a venerable race to bring their high-talent, low-cost human capital to America, with no plane tickets needed, using nothing but Skype and email. And, finally, we’ve witnessed those willing to compete and incur lower overhead in order to gain market share that previously would have seemed untouchable. This accumulation of corporate meltdowns has left many unemployed and without the pensions, retirements, or the security we always thought would be there.

This is a major shake up. In spite of the fact that many are calling it a “lost decade” (2000-2009), we instead look back and see a time of painful discovery and major shifts in the way information is shared, received, and processed. No longer do we look to journalists in last Friday’s newspaper to determine what movies we want to watch or what restaurants we should try out; rather, we look to social networks to see what our friends think and where they are right now.

There has been a shift of power. Power is now at all of our fingertips – in the hands of the many, not in the hands of the few.

So, how do all of these powerful cultural and economic shifts affect you? You, as an individual, have become your own brand, whether you like it or not. You can control your brand to your own advantage or you can let your personal brand be run by others who comment on what you are doing. In fact, whether you choose to document your life and your business or not, chances are someone around you is going to document it for you. You don’t have to post photos of yourself on Facebook or videos of yourself on YouTube for such photos and videos to end up there. You don’t have to post your thoughts on a particular concept or issue online for them to end up on Twitter, as those around you are doing it, for you sharing for you whether you like it or not. So, the real choice you need to make (before someone does it for you) is to control your personal brand.

The good news is, if you learn how to effectively control your brand, you can also control your life in ways that were never before possible.

Think about it this way: in the past, if you were a superstar employee, you still got paid what your employer thought you were worth. Now, you can take your brand as a superstar employee to the internet, sharing your knowledge and building a following of people who are interested in your ideas and the projects you are working on. You can become an “internal evangelist” and a thought leader for your industry – all while working for someone else. This buzz about you in turn raises your profile and credibility, which then gives rise to the notion that no longer will you be an employee with limited options. You will now be a free agent operating no differently than the sports stars who are able to offer their skill to the highest bidder.

This new free agent marketplace is already occurring in limited scope through the use of social media sites like LinkedIn that are dedicated to connecting people for business, as well as through sites like Facebook that allow you to share text, video, audio, and even create custom apps to let people know what you do. Not to mention, we are just now in the early stages of internet platforms and tools to make those kinds of connections work to your advantage. The future will give rise to more of what one of our clients, Chuck Boyce, calls the “Independent Executive”. This label applies to someone who takes their knowledge from previous employment and sets out to create their own destiny, lifestyle, and income on their own terms. This philosophy takes personal branding to the next level, because it is not just important for the professional or the entrepreneur, but it is now very important for employees who are happy to work in someone else’s environment but who want to be recognized, both financially and emotionally, for their very real contributions.

In the past, an unhappy employee had limited choices:

• Do nothing but complain (with increasing disgruntlement)
• Quit and go look for a new job (which has no guarantee of being any different)
• Beg the boss for a change in circumstances (power, money, responsibility) without having any real say in the process

Now, in the new “Branded Economy”, you are all allowed to play the role you want in building your brand and building your value. If you don’t take control, you will risk becoming irrelevant and relegated to the position of a cog in someone else’s wheel. You will be at the mercy of a third party whose self-interest will always outweigh our own – just like the players in the sitcom The Office and the comic strip “Dilbert”.

You have the choice to BRAND OR DIE

Our purpose in this blog is to uncover strategies, technologies, and case studies that will help you build your personal brand as a successful employee, entrepreneur, professional, or free agent, so you can thrive in any way you choose. Your motive may be increased profits, better lifestyle, more time to give back, or anything else that allows you to take control of your life. What you want is not for us to decide, but our insights will help you succeed in gaining control over your own destiny. We’ll be revealing the strategies that will help you build your personal brand so that you can achieve whatever it is you desire. So, bookmark this blog, share it with your friends, and stay tuned!

Orlando, Fla. – March 19, 2010 – JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, has joined with noted real estate investment expert, mentor and coach, Ron LeGrand, to publish a new book titled, “The New Masters of Real Estate: Getting Deals Done in the New Economy.” JW Dicks, Esq., along with business partner Nick Nanton, Esq. recently signed a publishing deal with Ron LeGrand to release the book under their CelebrityPress® label.

JW Dicks is one of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. JW emphasizes branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to his clients and gives them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Ron LeGrand is a nationally recognized real estate expert and trainer with 25 years experience in both residential and commercial properties and a 20-year history of hard money lending and brokering. His experiences include personally buying and selling over 1,600 single-family houses and completing over $300,000,000 in Commercial Property deals with student partners all over America.

Mr. LeGrand is a highly sought after platform speaker whose addressed audiences as large as 20,000 and as small as 100 in hotels and convention centers across North America, sharing the stage with leaders such as Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Rudy Giuliani, Tony Robbins, Larry King, Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, and many others. For the last 20 years he’s been helping thousands of ordinary people take their lives back and create financial freedom by implementing his systems for success as real estate investors. Today he’s considered the country’s leading expert and is referred to by many as the “millionaire maker.”

The forthcoming book, “The New Masters of Real Estate: Getting Deals Done in the New Economy.” will feature Ron LeGrand along with other leading real estate investment experts from around the country. The book will feature proven strategies for investing in real estate in any economy.

For more information on JW Dicks, visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

To learn more about CelebrityPress®, please visit http://www.CelebrityPressPublishing.com

To Learn more about Ron LeGrand, please visit http://www.RonLeGrand.com

About J.W. Dicks:

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is America’s foremost authority on Personal Branding for Business Development. He has developed some of the most successful mass media and multi-channel business marketing campaigns in the country and built multi-million dollar businesses on the back of them – to the tune of more than $500,000,000 in sales.

J.W. represents some of the top marketers and professional experts in the world in the growth of their businesses using online and offline business development systems, social media, multi-dimensional marketing, franchising and strategic legal structure to accomplish their goals and capitalize on the assets they create.

A “Best Selling” author with more than 14 published books, and hundreds of articles, J.W. has also been quoted or appeared in Newsweek, The Wall street Journal, USA Today, NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliates as well as Entrepreneur’s Start-Up Magazine, Forbes.com, CNN.com, and many other national and local media outlets.

In addition to coaching and consulting for clients nationwide, J.W. is also a successful entrepreneur living in the trenches himself. He has built his own businesses, with annual sales exceeding $35 Million, developed real estate in excess of $200 Million and created and sold intellectual property rights for as much as $1.8 Million.

J.W. is a graduate of the University of Florida and George Mason College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, NASD, National Association of Realtors, the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar.

J.W.’s business address is in Orlando, and his play address is at his beach house where he spends as much time as he can with his wife of 37 years, Linda, and their two Yorkies. His major hobby is fishing… although the fish are rumored to be safe.

JWDicks@DicksNanton.com • 800.980.1626
http://www.DicksNanton.com

Orlando, Fla. – March 18, 2010 – Co-founders of the Celebrity Branding Agency® and best-selling authors, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and JW Dicks, Esq., America’s Foremost Expert on Personal Branding for Business Development, will be featured on FastCompany.com as expert bloggers.

Nick Nanton and JW Dicks are two of America’s leading experts on using personal branding to build a business. Together, they emphasize branding, and the importance of online marketing and social media to their clients and give them strategies to expand their business in the current economy.

Dicks and Nanton’s new blog series, called “BRAND OR DIE,” will be a featured blog under the leadership section of FastCompany.com. According to their website, “Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and ‘next’ practices, the magazine and website help a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.”

The first installment of the blog titled, “BRAND OR DIE: The Downfall of the Institution and the Rise of the Personal Brand,” was posted on Tuesday, March 16th, includes the following excerpt:

Now, in the new “Branded Economy”, you are all allowed to play the role you want in building your brand and building your value. If you don’t take control, you will risk becoming irrelevant and relegated to the position of a cog in someone else’s wheel. You will be at the mercy of a third party whose self-interest will always outweigh our own – just like the players in the sitcom The Office and the comic strip “Dilbert”.

The entire post is available at http://www.fastcompany.com/1585319/brand-or-die-the-downfall-of-the-institution-and-the-rise-of-the-personal-brand.

Kevin H. Ohannessian, Associate Editor of FastCompany.com remarked, “We’re excited that Nick is contributing to FastCompany.com. His insight into personal branding will be a valuable resource to the executives and creatives that frequent our site.”

To learn more about Nick Nanton and the Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding as Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject and lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida. His book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter, television producer and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, FastCompany.com and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen.

To learn more about Nick Nanton and the Celebrity Branding Agency®, please visit http://www.NickNanton.com and http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com

Orlando, Fla. – March 17, 2010 – Best-selling author, Nick Nanton, Esq., The Celebrity Lawyer and co-founder of the Celebrity Branding Agency®, will be a featured guest speaker at the 2010 Impact Conference taking place in San Diego from March 19th – 21st. Hosting the event is Ken McArthur, Internet marketing expert and Author of the best-selling book Impact: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions and Make a Difference in a Noisy World.

Nick will be speaking along with some of the nation’s foremost experts in Internet marketing, personal branding, e-commerce, and other fields of business marketing. Some of the announced guests include relationship marketing specialist, Mari Smith; best-selling author, e-commerce and online marketing expert, Mark Joyner; business strategist and marketing expert, Dave Lakhani; CPA lead generation expert, Gill Ortega; Entrepreneur and COO of 123Employee, Daven Michaels, and direct response copywriting expert, Trevor Crook, among others.

McArthur describes this event as being about “reaching millions instead of thousands with your ideas, solutions, products and services and is designed to help corporations, non-profit organizations, small business people, authors, speakers, marketers and many others to reach the masses and make a difference.” The attendees will be “discovering cutting edge techniques in the areas of idea propagation, publicity, publishing, marketing, list building, advertising, motivation, persuasion, radio, television, magazines, social media, joint ventures, video production, corporate sponsorships and more.”

Nick Nanton, Esq. will be speaking about building your personal brand. Nick is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments.

To find out more about and Nick Nanton, please visit http://www.CelebrityBrandingAgency.com and http://www.NickNanton.com

About Nick Nanton, Esq.:

Nick Nanton, Esq. is known as “The Celebrity Lawyer” for his role in developing and marketing business and professional experts into Celebrity Experts in their field, through personal branding, to help them gain credibility and recognition for their accomplishments. Nick is Fast Company’s Expert Blogger on the subject of personal branding and is recognized as the nation’s leading expert on personal branding. He lectures regularly on the topic at the University of Central Florida, and his book Celebrity Branding You® has been selected as the textbook on personal branding at the University.

Nick serves as the Producer of America’s PremierExperts® television show and The Next Big Thing® radio show, both designed to recognize the top Experts in their field and bring their solutions to consumers.

Nick is an award winning songwriter and, the co-author of the best-selling books, Celebrity Branding You!®, Big Ideas for Your Business and Shift Happens. Nick also serves as editor and publisher of Celebrity Press™, a publishing company that produces and releases books by top Business Experts. Nick has been featured in USA Today, The Wall St. Journal, Newsweek, The New York Times, Entrepreneur® Magazine, and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox television affiliates speaking on subjects ranging from branding, marketing and law, to American Idol.

Nick is a member of the Florida Bar, holds a JD from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, as well as a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida’s prestigious Warrington College of Business. Nick is also a voting member of The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS, Home to The GRAMMYs) and spends his spare time rooting for the Florida Gators with his wife Kristina, and their two sons, Brock and Bowen. For more information about Nanton visit http://www.NickNanton.com.

Even in our highly digital world, branding consultants will tell you that the direct-mail campaign is still one of the most important tools in a branding agency’s bag. But even if you plan the best campaign, if your campaign doesn’t reach your intended recipients, you might as well throw your cash out the window.

When your mail piece arrives at the post office, it is feed into a machine to read the address and give it a barcode for delivery. That’s right, a machine. There is no guy in the backroom assigned to reading every addresses piece of mail that comes through the PO. Since you are dealing with a machine, you have to think like a machine, so while Florida, Fl, Fla, FL. and FL all mean the same thing to a human — to a machine reading a bulk list only one of these is correct. What does that mean? It means the other labels could delay or completely prevent your piece for ever reaching its destination. It’s true. (Wondering which one is correct? The two-letter state abbreviation in capital letters, no period.)

The problem with lists is that often the person entering the information is copying and pasting from another location. Sometimes that information is up to postal regulations, sometimes it is not. So, it is important for the person creating and maintaining your lists to know what is acceptable and what is not.

Here are some more pointers from USPS about addressing your mail:

• All capital letters
• No punctuation
• At least 10-point type
• One space between city and state
• Two spaces between state and ZIP Code
• Simple type fonts
• Left justified
• Put the attention line on top — never below the city and state or in the bottom corner of your mailpiece
• If you can’t fit the suite or apartment number on the same line as the delivery address, put it on the line ABOVE the delivery address, NOT on the line below
• Make sure your labels are straight — mail processing machines have trouble reading crooked or slanted information
• Words like “east” and “west” are VERY important

Learn this lesson now, friend. Otherwise you could loss a good portion of your list before you even get the mail out the door, and what will that do to the statistics for your personal branding?

Customer endorsements
Continuity programs
Loyalty programs
Sweepstakes
Rebates
Coupons
In-Billing advertisements
Business reply cards
Location-Based targeting.

Keep your eye out for my emails and blogs which will carry the heading 30 Year Proven Marketing Strategies and the number I am commenting on.