Creating a strong personal brand involves several key elements, and one of the most crucial is having a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It's often the first thing people notice about your brand and can leave a lasting impression. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for building a recognizable and impactful personal brand.
Consistency is another vital aspect of effective branding. Using the same username across all social media platforms enhances your brand identity, making it easier for audiences to find and follow you. This uniformity helps build trust and credibility by presenting a cohesive and professional image. It also simplifies marketing efforts by eliminating the confusion that can arise from different usernames on different platforms. A single, consistent username ensures your social media handles are easy to remember and share, which is crucial for maintaining a strong, recognizable online presence.
In addition to using a consistent username, it’s important to extend this practice to your personal hashtags and website domain. Using the same username for your personal hashtag strengthens your brand's presence and visibility, making it easier for your audience to engage with your content and participate in conversations related to your brand. Similarly, using your consistent username as your website domain name reinforces your brand identity across all online platforms, enhancing your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and making your website more accessible to your audience.
When it comes to obtaining a professional logo without breaking the bank, Fiverr offers a low-cost solution. As a marketplace for freelance services, Fiverr provides access to a wide range of talented designers who can create a custom logo tailored to your specific needs and preferences. The platform’s competitive pricing and variety of designers make it an ideal choice for those just starting out or working with a limited budget. By investing in a well-designed logo through Fiverr, you can achieve professional results that effectively represent your personal brand, setting a solid foundation for long-term success.
Create a single username across all of your social media platforms.
The rationale behind creating a single username across all social media platforms is rooted in the principles of consistency and recognizability. By using a uniform username, businesses and individuals can significantly enhance their brand identity, making it easier for audiences to find and follow them across various platforms. This uniformity contributes to building trust and credibility, presenting a cohesive and professional image to the public.
A single username streamlines marketing and promotional efforts. It eliminates the confusion that can arise from having different usernames on different platforms, ensuring that all social media handles are easy to remember and share. This consistency is vital for maintaining a strong, recognizable online presence, which is essential for the long-term growth and success of any personal or business branding efforts. By adopting a single username strategy, you can simplify your digital footprint and create a more memorable and impactful brand.
Use that same username for your personal hashtag.
Using a consistent username for personal hashtags further strengthens your brand's presence and visibility on social media. Hashtags serve as a powerful tool for organizing content and making it discoverable to a broader audience. When your hashtag matches your username, it enhances the association between your brand and the content you create. This makes it easier for your audience to engage with your posts, follow ongoing campaigns, and participate in conversations related to your brand.
Additionally, a uniform hashtag strategy simplifies the tracking of your brand's online interactions and the monitoring of user-generated content. It creates a seamless experience for your followers, who can easily find and contribute to discussions about your brand. This cohesive approach not only bolsters your online presence but also fosters a stronger sense of community and engagement around your brand. By adopting this practice, you ensure that your brand remains memorable and accessible across all social media channels.
Use it again for your website with a dot com extension at the end.
Using a consistent username as your website domain name offers several advantages. Firstly, it reinforces your brand's identity by maintaining uniformity across social media and your website. This consistency helps your audience easily connect your online presence, whether they are visiting your social media profiles or your website. When users see a familiar name, it instills a sense of trust and reliability, making them more likely to engage with your content and services.
Furthermore, having a consistent domain name simplifies the process of marketing and sharing your website. A memorable and straightforward domain name makes it easier for customers to find you online, improving your website's visibility and accessibility. It also enhances your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, as search engines value consistency and brand coherence. By aligning your social media usernames with your website domain, you create a seamless and professional brand experience that can significantly contribute to your long-term success.
Incorporating this tip into your branding strategy ensures that your digital footprint is cohesive and easily identifiable. It strengthens your overall brand presence, making it easier for your audience to find, remember, and engage with your business across various platforms.
Get a logo image for your personal brand. Fiverr is a good, low-cost solution to get a logo done.
Establishing a personal brand requires several elements, and one of the most crucial is a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It is the first thing people notice about your brand and often the lasting impression they carry with them. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for creating a strong and recognizable personal brand.
Fiverr is an excellent, low-cost solution for obtaining a professional logo. As a marketplace for freelance services, Fiverr offers a wide range of talented designers who can create a custom logo tailored to your specific needs and preferences. The platform provides access to designers with diverse styles and expertise, ensuring that you can find the perfect match for your brand's aesthetic. Moreover, Fiverr's competitive pricing makes it an affordable option, especially for those just starting out or working with a limited budget.
Using Fiverr to get a logo designed is straightforward and efficient. You can browse through designers' portfolios, read reviews, and select a freelancer whose style aligns with your vision. The platform allows you to communicate directly with the designer, providing input and feedback throughout the process to ensure the final product meets your expectations. By leveraging Fiverr's resources, you can obtain a high-quality logo that effectively represents your personal brand without the need for a significant financial investment.
A well-designed logo can significantly enhance your brand's visibility and memorability. It helps to differentiate you from competitors and creates a cohesive visual identity that can be used across various platforms and marketing materials. By investing in a logo through Fiverr, you can achieve professional results at a fraction of the cost, setting a solid foundation for your personal brand's success.
Conclusion.
Creating a strong personal brand involves several key elements, and one of the most crucial is having a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It's often the first thing people notice about your brand and can leave a lasting impression. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for building a recognizable and impactful personal brand.
Consistency is another vital aspect of effective branding. Using the same username across all social media platforms enhances your brand identity, making it easier for audiences to find and follow you. This uniformity helps build trust and credibility by presenting a cohesive and professional image. It also simplifies marketing efforts by eliminating the confusion that can arise from different usernames on different platforms. A single, consistent username ensures your social media handles are easy to remember and share, which is crucial for maintaining a strong, recognizable online presence.
In addition to using a consistent username, it’s important to extend this practice to your personal hashtags and website domain. Using the same username for your personal hashtag strengthens your brand's presence and visibility, making it easier for your audience to engage with your content and participate in conversations related to your brand. Similarly, using your consistent username as your website domain name reinforces your brand identity across all online platforms, enhancing your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and making your website more accessible to your audience.
When it comes to obtaining a professional logo without breaking the bank, Fiverr offers a low-cost solution. As a marketplace for freelance services, Fiverr provides access to a wide range of talented designers who can create a custom logo tailored to your specific needs and preferences. The platform’s competitive pricing and variety of designers make it an ideal choice for those just starting out or working with a limited budget. By investing in a well-designed logo through Fiverr, you can achieve professional results that effectively represent your personal brand, setting a solid foundation for long-term success.
Building a strong personal brand requires attention to detail and a consistent approach across all platforms. A well-designed logo, consistent usernames, and cohesive personal hashtags and domain names are fundamental to creating a recognizable and impactful brand identity. Utilizing affordable services like Fiverr for logo design ensures that even those with limited budgets can achieve professional and memorable branding. By following these strategies, you can establish a robust online presence that fosters trust, engagement, and long-term success for your personal brand.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
If you are interested in cryptocurrency, the recent spike in prices has probably not gone unnoticed. With the increase, there is a sense of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Bitcoin was originally designed by nerds wanting to make something cool. It was never about profit and investment. With that said, some people have made fortunes in cryptocurrency. Two years ago there were massive drops in the cryptocurrency market and we are seeing them raise up now substantially now. They are a little more than halfway to their all-time highs (ATH) and people saw what happened before and what’s happening now. They want their peace of the pie.
I am writing this to help people be safe when investing, not suggesting they do invest in the cryptocurrency market. In fact, I would suggest not investing in it and investing in traditional investments. Cryptocurrency investing is a bad way to invest because of the lack of long-term measurements and the high volatility of the overall market. If you want to invest, I suggest a licensed advisor, preferably someone with a CFA or CFP behind their names. I will even add legal disclaimers next.
Disclaimer 1: I am not a licensed financial advisor and the information provided is for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered as financial advice. You are encouraged to consult with a qualified professional for advice tailored to your individual circumstances before making any financial decisions. I disclaim any responsibility for any actions taken or not taken based on the information provided.
Disclaimer 2: Some links in this content may be affiliate links. If you click on these links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe in and use personally. Your support through these links helps me maintain and provide content on this platform. Please be aware that I am not responsible for the content or privacy practices of external websites linked from this piece.
Now that’s been taken care of!
If you’re still here, I’ll assume you’re a greedy little shit wanting to win the cryptocurrency lottery. At this point, it’s a matter of when, not if, Blackrock gets to create a Bitcoin ETF. If that happens, other companies will issue their own ETFs and institutional investments stabilize markets. An Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF): is a type of investment fund and exchange-traded product, representing a basket of assets such as stocks, bonds, or commodities. ETFs are traded on stock exchanges, allowing investors to buy or sell shares throughout the trading day at market prices. They offer diversification and are designed to track the performance of an underlying index, commodity, or a basket of assets. ETFs provide a way for investors to gain exposure to various markets or sectors without directly owning the individual assets in the fund. Shout out to ChatGTP for the definition and good explanation of what an ETF is.
In this my goal is to help you, the reader, not get scammed. I will give a list of cryptocurrency exchanges I believe in, a list of cryptocurrencies that I would consider buying with a bit of background information on each of them, and sites to do research on for your cryptocurrencies of choice. I will include notes of my personal opinions throughout. Most importantly, I am not hanging you out to dry. With a little bit of attention to detail while doing it yourself, I have every bit of faith in you that you will be able to handle your own transactions. That goes for anyone reading this.
Important Terms.
I assume, if you’re reading this, you know what a cryptocurrency is, but perhaps that is not the case.
Cryptocurrency: Cryptocurrency is a form of digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and operates on decentralized networks, typically based on blockchain technology. Unlike traditional currencies issued by governments and central banks, cryptocurrencies rely on a distributed ledger, the blockchain, to record and verify transactions. That’s a lot of fancy words and our goal is to learn fundamentals today so let’s break the definition down.
Cryptography: Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for securing communication and data from adversaries or third parties. It involves the use of mathematical algorithms to encrypt information, making it unreadable without the appropriate key to decrypt it. Cryptography plays a crucial role in ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data in various digital communications, including secure messaging, online transactions, and information storage. This field encompasses a range of cryptographic methods, such as symmetric key encryption, public-key encryption, digital signatures, and hash functions, contributing to the development of secure communication protocols and systems.
Blockchain: A blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers in a secure, transparent, and tamper-resistant manner. Each transaction, or block, is linked to the previous one through cryptographic hashes, forming a chain of blocks. This technology underlies various cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum but has broader applications beyond digital currencies. The decentralized nature of a blockchain ensures that no single entity has control, enhancing security and reducing the risk of fraud. Additionally, the immutability of past transactions on the blockchain contributes to a trustworthy and transparent system, making it suitable for applications beyond finance, such as supply chain management, voting systems, and smart contracts.
Distributed Ledger: A distributed ledger is a decentralized and synchronized database that is maintained across multiple locations or participants in a network. It operates on a peer-to-peer basis, where each participant has their own copy of the ledger, and changes are propagated to all copies in real-time. This distributed nature eliminates the need for a central authority, enhancing transparency, security, and trust in the system. Blockchain is a specific type of distributed ledger, using cryptographic techniques to secure and link each record, or block, in a tamper-resistant chain. While blockchain is a subset of distributed ledgers, other forms may exist, such as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs), which organize data without the need for a strict chain structure. Distributed ledgers find applications in various fields, including finance, supply chain management, and decentralized applications (DApps).
Hot Wallet: A hot wallet refers to a cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the internet and actively used for transactions. It is in contrast to a cold wallet, which is offline and provides a higher level of security due to reduced exposure to potential cyber threats. Hot wallets are convenient for frequent trading, transactions, or accessing funds quickly but may be more susceptible to hacking attempts or unauthorized access compared to cold wallets. Common types of hot wallets include online wallets, software wallets, and wallets associated with cryptocurrency exchanges. Users typically use hot wallets for smaller amounts of cryptocurrency, while larger holdings are often stored in cold wallets for increased security.
Cold Wallet: A cold wallet refers to a cryptocurrency wallet that is not connected to the internet, providing a high level of security by reducing exposure to online hacking threats. Cold wallets are typically used for storing larger amounts of cryptocurrencies for the long term. There are different forms of cold wallets, including hardware wallets, which are physical devices that store private keys offline, and paper wallets, which involve generating and printing private keys on paper. Because cold wallets are offline, they are less susceptible to cyberattacks compared to hot wallets. However, using cold wallets may involve more steps and time when accessing funds for transactions compared to the quicker access provided by hot wallets.
Know Your Customer: KYC stands for “Know Your Customer,” and it refers to the process of verifying the identity of individuals or entities engaging in financial transactions or using financial services. KYC is a regulatory requirement designed to prevent activities such as money laundering, fraud, and terrorist financing.
Cryptocurrency Exchange: A cryptocurrency exchange is an online platform or marketplace that allows users to buy, sell, and trade various cryptocurrencies. These platforms serve as intermediaries, providing a space where users can execute transactions involving digital assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other altcoins. Cryptocurrency exchanges facilitate the conversion of fiat currency (traditional currency like USD or EUR) into cryptocurrencies and vice versa. Key functions of a cryptocurrency exchange include order matching, where buy and sell orders from users are matched to facilitate trades, and order book management, which displays current buy and sell orders. Exchanges may offer different types of trading pairs, allowing users to exchange one cryptocurrency for another or for fiat currency. Users typically create accounts on these platforms, and many exchanges implement Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures to verify the identity of their users for regulatory compliance and security purposes. Cryptocurrency exchanges can vary in terms of features, trading pairs, fees, and security measures. Some well-known cryptocurrency exchanges include Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken.
Ticker Symbol: In the context of cryptocurrency, a ticker symbol is a shorthand code or abbreviation used to uniquely identify a particular cryptocurrency on trading platforms, exchanges, and financial charts. These symbols are typically short combinations of letters that represent a specific cryptocurrency, making it easier for traders and investors to quickly identify and track them.
Altcoins: ”Altcoins” is a term used to refer to all cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin. The name “altcoin” is a combination of “alternative” and “coin,” indicating that these digital currencies are alternatives to Bitcoin. While Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and remains the most well-known and valuable, thousands of alternative cryptocurrencies have been created since its inception. Altcoins can have a wide range of purposes and functionalities. Some are designed to improve upon the features of Bitcoin, such as transaction speed or privacy, while others serve unique purposes like enabling smart contracts, decentralized applications (DApps), or tokenizing real-world assets.
Stablecoin: A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that is designed to minimize the volatility typically associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Unlike many traditional cryptocurrencies, stablecoins aim to maintain a stable value by pegging their worth to the value of another asset, usually a fiat currency like the US Dollar, a commodity, or a basket of assets. This pegging is achieved through various mechanisms, such as collateralization, algorithmic adjustments, or reserve backing. Stablecoins serve as a bridge between the cryptocurrency world and traditional financial systems, providing a reliable and stable medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. They are particularly useful for users who want to avoid the price volatility often associated with other cryptocurrencies while still benefiting from the advantages of blockchain technology, such as fast and borderless transactions.
Cryptography Exchanges.
I have a few cryptocurrency exchanges I prefer to use. The first two listed are my preferred exchanges because of their simplicity and they are very easy to use and store cryptocurrency in their hot wallets.
One point I need to make right now is cryptocurrency exchanges operate like banks. Many are FDIC insured and all require some form of KYC. In the context of cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions, KYC involves collecting and verifying certain information about customers. This typically includes personal details such as full name, date of birth, address, and government-issued identification documents like a passport or driver’s license. The goal is to ensure that businesses have sufficient information about their customers to assess the risks associated with their activities and comply with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. Completing KYC procedures is a common step when registering on cryptocurrency exchanges or using other financial services. It helps maintain the integrity of the financial system by reducing the likelihood of illicit activities and promoting transparency.
Coinbase.
Coinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange and platform that allows users to buy, sell, and trade a variety of cryptocurrencies, including popular ones like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. It serves as an entry point for many individuals into the world of cryptocurrencies due to its user-friendly interface and accessibility. Coinbase provides both a website and a mobile app for users to manage their cryptocurrency holdings.
One notable feature is its ease of use for beginners, offering a straightforward interface for purchasing cryptocurrencies with fiat currency (such as USD or EUR). Users can link their bank accounts or credit/debit cards to fund their Coinbase accounts.
Coinbase also includes a secure digital wallet for storing cryptocurrencies. Additionally, the platform offers advanced trading features through Coinbase Pro, catering to more experienced traders.
It’s important to note that while Coinbase provides a convenient way to enter the crypto market, users should be aware of associated fees and consider transferring their holdings to a personal (cold)wallet for enhanced security.
Crypto Dot Com.
Crypto.com stands as a multifaceted cryptocurrency platform, surpassing the conventional role of a mere exchange. Central to its offering is a user-friendly mobile app that serves as a hub for diverse cryptocurrency-related activities. The platform facilitates the buying, selling, and trading of a broad spectrum of cryptocurrencies, catering to both beginners and seasoned investors. Users can seamlessly link their bank accounts or credit/debit cards to fund their Crypto.com accounts, simplifying the onboarding process.
An integral component of Crypto.com is its digital wallet, providing users with a secure means of storing various cryptocurrencies. The wallet not only ensures the safety of digital assets but also allows for easy peer-to-peer transactions within the platform.
A standout feature of Crypto.com is its cryptocurrency-backed Visa debit card. Available in different tiers, this card enables users to spend their cryptocurrency holdings at any merchant accepting Visa globally. The various tiers offer different benefits and rewards, including cashback on purchases and discounts.
Beyond the conventional exchange functions, Crypto.com provides additional services to enhance the user experience. Users can earn interest on their crypto holdings through staking or by participating in different investment programs offered by the platform. Additionally, Crypto.com supports crypto loans, allowing users to borrow against their crypto assets or lend them to earn interest.
As with any cryptocurrency platform, users are advised to stay informed about updates, security measures, and fees associated with Crypto.com. The dynamic nature of the cryptocurrency space means that platforms often evolve to meet the changing needs of users and the industry at large.
The preceding are my two favorite exchanges and I feel they both offer the same or very similar services, features, and expenses. The next two are also good, but require a greater understanding of how exchanges work and include terms like “spot trades,” which I don’t feel qualified to explain in this setting.
Kraken.
Kraken is a prominent cryptocurrency exchange that facilitates the buying, selling, and trading of a wide array of digital assets. Launched in 2013, Kraken has established itself as one of the oldest and most reputable cryptocurrency exchanges in the industry. The platform offers a range of services, catering to both individual traders and institutional clients.
Kraken provides a user-friendly interface for executing cryptocurrency transactions, allowing users to trade various digital assets against fiat currencies like USD, EUR, JPY, and CAD. The exchange supports numerous cryptocurrency pairs, including popular ones like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
One notable aspect of Kraken is its commitment to security. The platform employs advanced security measures, including two-factor authentication (2FA) and cold storage for the majority of user funds. Kraken has maintained a relatively clean security record in the cryptocurrency space.
Additionally, Kraken offers advanced trading features for experienced traders through its Kraken Pro platform. This includes tools such as margin trading and futures trading for those seeking more sophisticated trading strategies.
Kraken’s commitment to regulatory compliance and transparent operations has contributed to its reputation as a reliable exchange. Users can also access educational resources on the platform to enhance their understanding of cryptocurrency markets and trading strategies.
Binance.
Binance is one of the world’s largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, providing a platform for users to trade a vast range of digital assets. Established in 2017, Binance quickly gained prominence due to its extensive selection of cryptocurrencies, competitive trading fees, and user-friendly interface.
Binance allows users to trade various cryptocurrencies against major fiat currencies and other digital assets. The exchange offers a user-friendly spot trading platform for beginners, as well as an advanced trading platform called Binance Futures for more experienced traders interested in derivatives trading.
A distinctive feature of Binance is its native utility token, Binance Coin (BNB). Users can utilize BNB to pay for trading fees on the platform, obtaining discounts in the process. BNB is also integrated into various aspects of the Binance ecosystem, including token sales on the Binance Launchpad and Binance Smart Chain, a blockchain network developed by Binance.
Binance has continually expanded its services, introducing features like staking, savings, and a peer-to-peer trading platform that allows users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies directly with each other using their local currencies.
Many cryptocurrencies are not traded on all platforms. The four I’ve given you are the four I recommend using at this time. If a cryptocurrency is not on one of these four exchanges, I recommend not buying it. These exchanges curate the better cryptocurrencies and some bad ones too, but mostly good ones.
How is “good” defined? Simply by being reputable and trustworthy in the marketplace. No one can tell you if a cryptocurrency will go up or down, predict future stability, or determine which events the market or individual cryptocurrencies will react to.
The Cryptocurrencies.
Anyone claiming they can predict the cryptocurrency market is a charlatan. The cryptocurrencies I am suggesting to buy are based on overall stability within the market along with longevity and utility. The utility of a cryptocurrency is my personal primary rationale for purchasing those coins. You see a lot of cows but hardly any buffalo. Why is that? We eat a lot of beef. If you want to increase the population of an animal, you need to eat it because it will then be farm raised and the survival of the animal has a monitory incentive to exist and thrive. The animals we eat have greater utility to us than the animals we don’t eat. The same is true of cryptocurrency. The coins with the greatest utility rise to the top.
The following are fifteen cryptocurrencies I would suggest if I were suggesting you buy cryptocurrency, which I am not and never will do. Cryptocurrencies are highly speculative.
Bitcoin (BTC).
Bitcoin stands as the pioneering and most widely recognized cryptocurrency in the world. Introduced in 2009 by an unknown person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin operates on a decentralized and open-source blockchain, serving as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Its groundbreaking concept lies in its ability to enable financial transactions without the need for an intermediary, such as a bank or government.
At the core of Bitcoin’s technology is its blockchain, a distributed ledger that records all transactions across a network of computers. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography, and once confirmed, they are added to the blockchain, forming an unalterable and transparent history of transactions. Bitcoin’s finite supply, capped at 21 million coins, adds a deflationary aspect, potentially guarding against inflationary pressures faced by traditional fiat currencies.
Bitcoin has gained significant attention as a store of value and digital gold, with proponents viewing it as a hedge against economic uncertainties and a decentralized alternative to traditional financial systems. Its decentralized nature, security features, and the growing institutional interest have contributed to Bitcoin’s widespread adoption and recognition as a groundbreaking innovation in the world of finance and technology. However, its value remains subject to market fluctuations, regulatory developments, and ongoing debates about its scalability and environmental impact.
Ethereum (ETH).
Ethereum represents a groundbreaking blockchain platform and cryptocurrency that goes beyond the capabilities of its predecessor, Bitcoin. Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and a group of co-founders, Ethereum introduced the concept of smart contracts, enabling the execution of programmable and self-executing contracts on its decentralized platform. This innovation extended the use of blockchain technology from a simple peer-to-peer electronic cash system, as seen in Bitcoin, to a more versatile platform for decentralized applications (DApps).
One of Ethereum’s key features is its ability to facilitate the creation and deployment of smart contracts, which are self-executing agreements with predefined rules and conditions. These contracts run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), a decentralized runtime environment that processes and executes smart contracts across the network. This functionality has given rise to a wide array of decentralized applications, ranging from decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), contributing to Ethereum’s reputation as a foundational platform for blockchain innovation.
Ethereum employs its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), as the fuel for executing smart contracts and processing transactions within the network. The ongoing development of Ethereum includes the transition to Ethereum 2.0, a significant upgrade aimed at improving scalability, security, and sustainability by transitioning from a proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. Ethereum’s impact on the blockchain and cryptocurrency space has been profound, shaping the landscape of decentralized applications and blockchain-based solutions.
Binance Coin (BNB).
Binance Coin is the native cryptocurrency of the Binance exchange, one of the largest and most influential cryptocurrency platforms globally. Introduced in 2017 as an integral part of the Binance ecosystem, BNB has grown beyond a mere utility token for trading fee discounts and has found diverse applications within the Binance ecosystem. The BNB token operates on the Binance Chain, Binance’s proprietary blockchain, and initially adhered to the ERC-20 standard before migrating to Binance Chain’s native BEP-2 standard.
One of the primary utilities of BNB is its role in reducing trading fees on the Binance exchange. Users who hold BNB in their accounts can opt to use it to pay for transaction fees, receiving significant discounts in the process. BNB has gained popularity not only for its utility within the Binance platform but also for its adoption in various decentralized applications (DApps) and initial coin offerings (ICOs) launched through Binance Launchpad.
Binance Coin’s functionality expanded further with the introduction of Binance Smart Chain (BSC), a parallel blockchain to Binance Chain that supports smart contracts. This expansion allowed BNB to play a crucial role in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) built on the Binance Smart Chain, contributing to the overall versatility and value proposition of Binance Coin within the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Cardano (ADA).
Cardano is a decentralized blockchain platform that aims to provide a more secure and scalable infrastructure for the development of decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts. Launched in 2017 by Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, Cardano places a strong emphasis on research-driven development and aims to address some of the scalability and sustainability challenges faced by existing blockchain networks.
Cardano employs a two-layer architecture, separating the settlement layer for cryptocurrency transactions (similar to Bitcoin’s primary function) from the computation layer for smart contracts and DApps. This dual-layer approach enhances flexibility and scalability while maintaining a strong focus on security. Cardano’s development is guided by a commitment to academic rigor, and the platform relies on a peer-reviewed process for its protocols and advancements.
One of Cardano’s distinguishing features is its consensus algorithm called Ouroboros, which utilizes a proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism to secure the network. This approach aims to achieve sustainability by minimizing energy consumption compared to traditional proof-of-work (PoW) systems. Cardano has positioned itself as a third-generation blockchain, emphasizing interoperability and scalability, and it has gained attention for its potential to provide a secure and sustainable foundation for a wide range of blockchain applications.
Solana (SOL).
Solana is a high-performance blockchain platform designed to provide fast and cost-effective decentralized applications (DApps) and crypto projects. Launched in 2020, Solana has gained attention for its exceptional scalability, high throughput, and low transaction costs, addressing some of the key challenges faced by other blockchain networks. The platform’s mission is to enable decentralized and censorship-resistant applications at web-scale.
Solana achieves its impressive performance through a unique combination of innovations, including a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism known as Proof of History (PoH). PoH timestamps transactions before they enter the blockchain, enabling parallel transaction processing and reducing the time it takes to confirm new blocks. This approach significantly increases the network’s transaction throughput, making it one of the fastest blockchain networks in terms of processing speed.
The Solana ecosystem has attracted a variety of decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces, and gaming applications due to its ability to handle a large number of transactions at a fraction of the cost compared to some other blockchain platforms. Solana’s commitment to scalability and performance has positioned it as a competitive player in the blockchain space, with ongoing developments and collaborations contributing to its growing prominence in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry.
Polkadot (DOT).
Polkadot is a multi-chain blockchain platform designed to facilitate interoperability between different blockchains. Launched in 2020 by Dr. Gavin Wood, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, Polkadot aims to address the issue of blockchain fragmentation by enabling different blockchains to communicate and share information seamlessly. The platform operates on a relay chain and supports multiple parallel blockchains, known as parachains, each with its own unique features and functionalities.
Polkadot’s consensus mechanism is based on nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS), where DOT holders can nominate validators to secure the network and earn rewards. The platform’s governance model allows DOT holders to participate in decision-making processes, providing a decentralized and inclusive approach to network upgrades and changes.
One of Polkadot’s key innovations is its ability to facilitate secure cross-chain communication, allowing different blockchains to share information and assets. This interoperability opens up possibilities for creating more scalable and specialized blockchains, each optimized for specific use cases. Polkadot has gained traction for its potential to foster collaboration between different projects and blockchains within the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Polkadot also introduced the concept of parachain auctions, where projects can bid for the opportunity to connect their blockchain to the Polkadot network as a parachain. This mechanism ensures a fair and decentralized way to allocate resources on the Polkadot network. Overall, Polkadot’s emphasis on scalability, interoperability, and governance has positioned it as a significant player in the evolving landscape of blockchain technology.
Ripple (XRP).
Ripple is both a digital payment protocol and a cryptocurrency designed for facilitating fast and cost-effective cross-border money transfers. Developed by Ripple Labs, the protocol aims to address some of the inefficiencies and delays associated with traditional banking systems when it comes to international remittances. Ripple operates on a decentralized and distributed ledger technology, but it differs from some other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in that it is not mined; rather, a fixed supply of XRP tokens was pre-mined at the protocol’s inception.
One of Ripple’s primary features is its ability to enable near-instant and low-cost international transactions. The protocol achieves this through the use of a consensus algorithm and a network of validating nodes that confirm and authenticate transactions. Ripple’s native cryptocurrency, XRP, serves as a bridge between different fiat currencies, allowing for the seamless exchange of value across the Ripple network.
While Ripple and XRP have gained attention for their potential to revolutionize cross-border payments, the project has faced legal challenges. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ripple Labs, alleging that XRP was sold as an unregistered security. This legal dispute has had an impact on XRP’s market dynamics and the broader regulatory discussions surrounding cryptocurrencies. Despite the challenges, Ripple continues to work on enhancing its payment solutions and expanding its partnerships within the financial industry.
Chainlink (LINK).
Chainlink (LINK) is a decentralized oracle network that acts as a bridge between smart contracts on blockchain platforms and real-world data, events, and payment systems. Launched in 2017 by Sergey Nazarov and Steve Ellis, Chainlink aims to address a crucial limitation of smart contracts—their inability to access external information independently. By providing a decentralized oracle solution, Chainlink allows smart contracts to securely interact with data sources, APIs, and external systems, making them more versatile and applicable to a broader range of use cases.
The Chainlink network operates on a decentralized network of nodes known as oracles. These nodes are responsible for retrieving and verifying external data and feeding it into smart contracts. Chainlink employs a reputation system and economic incentives to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the oracles’ data. This decentralized and tamper-resistant approach helps eliminate a single point of failure and enhances the security and reliability of smart contract executions.
Chainlink has found extensive applications, particularly in decentralized finance (DeFi), where accurate and timely data is crucial for executing financial transactions. It has also been utilized in various industries, including insurance, gaming, and supply chain management, showcasing the versatility of its decentralized oracle network. The LINK token is the native cryptocurrency of the Chainlink network, used for compensating node operators and facilitating the transfer of value within the ecosystem. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, Chainlink plays a vital role in connecting smart contracts with the real world, enabling a new paradigm of decentralized and trustless applications.
Litecoin (LTC).
Litecoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that was created by Charlie Lee and released in 2011 as an open-source project based on the Bitcoin protocol. Often referred to as the “silver to Bitcoin’s gold,” Litecoin shares many similarities with Bitcoin but incorporates a few key differences. One notable distinction is Litecoin’s faster block generation time, resulting in quicker transaction confirmation times compared to Bitcoin. This characteristic makes Litecoin suitable for smaller transactions and day-to-day use, complementing Bitcoin’s role as a store of value.
Litecoin operates on a decentralized blockchain, similar to Bitcoin, utilizing proof-of-work as its consensus mechanism. Its supply limit mirrors that of Bitcoin, with a total of 84 million LTC tokens set to be mined, providing scarcity and potentially acting as a hedge against inflation.
Over the years, Litecoin has gained widespread acceptance and adoption in various merchant networks and online platforms. Its ease of use and the familiarity of its technology, which is based on Bitcoin’s, contribute to its popularity. Additionally, Litecoin has been at the forefront of adopting and experimenting with technological upgrades, such as the implementation of the Segregated Witness (SegWit) protocol, designed to improve scalability and enable the implementation of second-layer solutions.
While Litecoin may not be as dominant as Bitcoin in terms of market capitalization, it has established itself as one of the enduring and respected cryptocurrencies, serving as a medium of exchange and a complementary asset in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Stellar (XLM).
Stellar is a decentralized blockchain platform designed to facilitate fast and cost-effective cross-border payments and transactions. Launched in 2014 by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim, Stellar aims to address inefficiencies in the traditional financial system, particularly in the realm of international money transfers. The platform operates on a consensus algorithm known as the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), which enables quick and secure validation of transactions by a network of decentralized nodes.
Stellar distinguishes itself by fostering financial inclusion and accessibility. It allows users to issue and transfer tokens representing various assets, including fiat currencies, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, on the Stellar network. The native cryptocurrency of the Stellar network is Lumens (XLM), which serves both as a means of facilitating transactions and as an anti-spam mechanism.
Stellar has garnered attention for its partnerships with various financial institutions and payment service providers, enabling them to leverage the platform’s technology for efficient and low-cost cross-border transactions. The Stellar Development Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the network’s development, has played a pivotal role in promoting the platform’s mission of creating an open and inclusive financial infrastructure.
With its focus on interoperability and accessibility, Stellar has positioned itself as a viable solution for individuals and organizations seeking a blockchain platform that facilitates cross-border payments, remittances, and the creation of tokenized assets. The Stellar network’s scalability, speed, and commitment to financial inclusivity make it a notable player in the evolving landscape of blockchain technology.
Uniswap (UNI).
Uniswap is a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange (DEX) that operates on the Ethereum blockchain, allowing users to swap various Ethereum-based tokens directly from their wallets. Launched in 2018 by Hayden Adams, Uniswap introduced an innovative automated market maker (AMM) model, which eliminates the need for traditional order books. Instead, Uniswap relies on liquidity pools and smart contracts to facilitate token swaps in a decentralized and permissionless manner.
The platform’s core feature is its liquidity provision mechanism, where users can deposit cryptocurrency pairs into liquidity pools. These pools then serve as the source of liquidity for token swaps. Uniswap utilizes a constant product formula to determine exchange rates, adjusting prices based on the ratio of tokens in the liquidity pools. This approach allows for seamless and efficient token trading without relying on centralized intermediaries.
Uniswap has played a significant role in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, providing users with easy access to a wide range of tokens and enabling decentralized trading without the need for a centralized authority. The native governance token of Uniswap is UNI, which allows holders to participate in the platform’s governance decisions and vote on proposals related to the protocol’s development and future upgrades.
As one of the pioneers in the decentralized exchange space, Uniswap has contributed to the growth and popularity of decentralized finance, providing users with a decentralized and efficient way to trade and access various tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
Polygon (MATIC).
Polygon, formerly known as Matic Network, is a multi-chain scaling solution for Ethereum, aiming to address the scalability and usability challenges faced by the Ethereum blockchain. Launched in 2017 by Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, and Anurag Arjun, Polygon enhances Ethereum’s capabilities by providing a framework for building and connecting multiple chains, often referred to as sidechains or Layer 2 solutions. The primary goal of Polygon is to make Ethereum more scalable, efficient, and accessible for developers and users.
Polygon employs a modular framework that supports different scaling solutions, including sidechains, plasma chains, and other scaling approaches. One of its core components is the Polygon PoS (Proof-of-Stake) chain, a sidechain secured by a set of validators that uses a PoS consensus mechanism to achieve faster transaction processing and lower fees compared to the Ethereum mainnet. This allows developers to deploy and run decentralized applications (DApps) on Polygon while benefiting from Ethereum’s security and interoperability.
The platform has gained significant adoption within the decentralized finance (DeFi) space, non-fungible token (NFT) projects, and various other Ethereum-based applications looking to enhance their scalability and reduce transaction costs. The native cryptocurrency of the Polygon network is MATIC, which is used for transaction fees, participating in the network’s governance, and securing the platform.
Polygon has positioned itself as a key scaling solution for Ethereum, contributing to the broader effort to improve the scalability and efficiency of blockchain networks, especially in the context of Ethereum’s transition to Ethereum 2.0.
VeChain (VET).
VeChain is a blockchain platform designed for enhancing supply chain management and business processes. Launched in 2015 by Sunny Lu, the former CIO of Louis Vuitton China, and his team, VeChain seeks to leverage blockchain technology to improve transparency, traceability, and efficiency across various industries. The platform places a strong emphasis on real-world use cases, particularly within supply chain logistics, product authentication, and quality assurance.
VeChain utilizes a dual-token system. The primary token is VeChain Token (VET), which is used for transactions and smart contracts on the network. Additionally, the platform features VeThor Token (VTHO), a secondary token generated by holding VET, which is used to pay for transaction fees and other services within the VeChain ecosystem.
One of VeChain’s key features is its use of blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technology to create a tamper-proof and transparent supply chain. By attaching RFID or NFC tags to physical products, VeChain enables businesses and consumers to trace the entire lifecycle of a product, ensuring authenticity and quality. This is particularly valuable in industries like food and pharmaceuticals, where traceability is critical for compliance and consumer safety.
VeChain has established partnerships with various companies and organizations, including PwC and DNV GL, further solidifying its position as a blockchain platform with practical applications in enterprise settings. The platform continues to evolve, exploring new use cases and expanding its ecosystem to bring the benefits of blockchain technology to a wide range of industries.
Dogecoin (DOGE).
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that started as a playful and lighthearted project based on the popular “Doge” internet meme featuring the Shiba Inu dog breed. Initially created in December 2013 by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, Dogecoin was intended as a fun and approachable digital currency. While its inception was somewhat satirical, Dogecoin quickly gained a supportive and enthusiastic community, known for its charitable initiatives and positive engagement.
Technically, Dogecoin is based on the Litecoin protocol, with some modifications. It operates on a proof-of-work consensus mechanism, similar to Bitcoin, where miners validate transactions and secure the network. Dogecoin’s distinguishing features include its unlimited supply, low transaction fees, and a quick block generation time of one minute.
Dogecoin became widely recognized for its community-driven approach, often tipping and donating to causes and individuals in need. Notably, the Dogecoin community has supported charitable initiatives, disaster relief efforts, and even sponsored sports teams and events. Despite its humorous origins, Dogecoin gained attention in the broader cryptocurrency market and experienced surges in popularity, particularly during social media-driven events.
While Dogecoin’s value and use cases are primarily driven by community sentiment and internet culture, it remains a unique and memorable cryptocurrency in the broader landscape, celebrated for its community spirit and light-hearted approach to digital currency.
Filecoin (FIL).
Filecoin (FIL) is a decentralized storage network designed to enable users to store and retrieve data in a secure and decentralized manner. Launched in 2020 by Protocol Labs and led by Juan Benet, Filecoin leverages blockchain technology to create a marketplace for decentralized storage services. The platform allows individuals and organizations to sell or rent their unused storage space to those in need, creating a distributed and efficient storage network.
Filecoin operates on a proof-of-replication (PoRep) and proof-of-spacetime (PoST) consensus mechanism, which ensures that storage providers are genuinely storing the data they claim to host. Miners on the Filecoin network compete to offer storage space, and clients pay for these services using FIL tokens, the native cryptocurrency of the Filecoin network.
Users looking to store data can choose from various storage providers based on factors like price, reputation, and location. Filecoin aims to create a more resilient and censorship-resistant storage infrastructure by distributing data across a global network of independent storage providers.
Filecoin’s decentralized storage model provides an alternative to traditional cloud storage solutions, offering increased security, redundancy, and potentially lower costs. The platform has attracted attention for its innovative approach to incentivizing a decentralized storage network, and its success could have implications for the future of data storage and management in the broader technology landscape.
Scams.
Right now the cryptocurrency market is going crazy. Bitcoin has had days that moved over $3,000 and back the next day. Because of the moves and the seeming never-ending increase, there are people trying to scam the shit out of you! Beware!!!
Rule 1. If you never met her, don’t invest your cryptocurrency with the firm she’s suggesting.
Rule 2. Only use the four cryptocurrency exchanges I suggested.
Rule 3. If anyone suggests you stake your crypto holdings, don’t unless it’s directly into the phone apps for the four cryptocurrency exchanges I mentioned earlier.
Rule 4. A lot of crypto startups want investors. Because of this, there are many fake cryptocurrencies that will have you send Bitcoin in return for a newly released coin. Do your research because a lot of people will get nothing except scammed.
Rule 5. If it sounds too good to be true, it is!
Rule 6. Cryptocurrency wallets are generally anonymous and address you send it to has it, it’s almost impossible to trace. Coins and fractions of coins can be traced, however it’s very difficult to prove it wasn’t traded in a legal transaction prior. It’s like most bills in circulation have been used to buy or sell drugs, but if you don’t have the drugs and cash in the same place, you don’t know who the dealer is.
Rule 7. There is no such thing as a cryptocurrency expert! Anyone claiming to be is a liar.
Scams happen all the time and I want everyone to beware of them. I met a guy one time who met a woman online. She convinced him to buy USDC, a stablecoin that is used a frequently to trade for other cryptocurrencies. She introduced him to her cryptocurrency expert. She worked on him to drop more money while telling him how much she was into him and he put more and more money into this fund. He was ready to cash out and it was “hung up in a trade” and would need another $20,000 to get it unfrozen. This was the point where he was in for about $80,000 and around when I was introduced to him to see if I had any solutions. I didn’t. I said to call the FBI Cybercrimes Division but “DO NOT SEND THEM ANOTHER DIME!!!” I guess he didn’t listen. A few months later I heard he ended up at around $140,000 in losses. He lost his retirement and had to get a mortgage on his house. He will now work until the day he dies, live paycheck-to-paycheck, and not leave his children anything of monetary value. All of his investments for old age were wiped out.
$1,000.00.
So if I had $1,000.000 to invest, what would I invest in?
Bitcoin $300
Ethereum $200
Ripple $200
Dogecoin $100
Binance Coin $75
Cardano $75
Speculation $50
The final entry of “speculation” is where I would buy coins not listed in the fifteen I posted previously. That is my gambling on lottery tickets and hopping lesser coins like Tron (TRX) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) hit.
Conclusion.
Is there anything I left out? Absolutely! This was the MED, the Minimum Essential Dosage. This is the least you should know to safely buy cryptocurrency .
I really and from the bottom of my heart, hope no one has read this far. I truly hope I scared you off of buying cryptocurrency. If you have read this far, welcome to an exciting new addiction full of more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. For those of you still interested, please be safe with your investments. That was the main point I wanted to relay, just be safe!
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
In 1995, I was attending two different campuses of Purdue University for one semester. I started Purdue-North Central in 1993 after graduating from high school and in spring of 1995 I started at Purdue-Calumet (the two campuses have since merged and it’s Purdue-Northwest). I was taking three classes on each campus at the time. My degree was Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional, and Tourism Management or RHIT for short (now just called Hospitality Management I believe). At PNC we had a lot of Organizational Behavior classes thrown in where we didn’t have our own in-house classes. If I thought better of it at the time, I would have gotten a second degree in Organizational Behavior at the same time and been duel major. That’s how many classes we took towards that class work. One semester I had two Total Quality Management classes back-to-back; one for Hospitality Management and the other for Organizational Behavior. The chapters even followed each other so much that I’d always skip one because I just heard the same lecture in the other class.
Around this time, we started getting riverboat casinos in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland so at Purdue-Cal, I took a Casino Management class and I loved it. I’m not sure if it was the first semester that it was offered or not, but having been in front of a classroom myself since I was in college, it seemed rather last-minute now that I think back to times I was told I would be teaching a class they just created. Like we didn’t even have any exams planned. Attendance and participation were our grades (no wonder I made Deans List that semester). For someone who doesn’t get excited over gambling itself, I sure enjoyed learning about it. In a Human Resource class at PNC we found out half way through the semester that we had a thirty-minute presentation to give on the last day of the semester and could do it as groups of six people or fewer. My group picked sexual harassment. Unless I can be the example of how to do it, boring! And seriously? On the last day of school for the summer? In Casino Management, our professor, a great guy we affectionately called Uncle Dave (because he reminded us of that cool uncle) did an entire two hour class on the Mirage in Las Vegas. He said it was informative and we wouldn’t be tested. I was enthralled! But wait, the actual function of opening was a process of the HR department…hmm! Without an exam looming over the content of his day’s discussion, I still feverishly took notes. My classmates thought I was insane, but I explained my stroke of inspiration. If this all around great guy could talk for two hours about it, surly I could do 30 minutes alone discussing the HR aspect with some filler facts and figures. I informed my sexual harassment group that I was out and they were pissed. I informed our Human Resources professor and she was intrigued because most students prefer the safety net of a group. I normally do, but in this case, I inspired!
Human Resources
Photo courtesy of Michael Beebe.
For months before opening, you could be out drinking with your buddies and call an HR representative at 2 AM to ask about benefits for your job class before your official first day. They were the first large scale property to do a hard opening. My critique of Las Vegas is that it has no history but that is untrue and unfair. The history just isn’t that old and it’s more of a living tapestry of history. The Mirage is part of that so the first time I stayed in Vegas I stayed…directly across the street at a place I could afford with a great view of the Volcano Show every night. The first chance I had I walked across the street to see a place I wanted to see for… 2023 – 1995 = holy shit I got old! 28 years. A friend of mine since we were five was in the same Human Resources class and I saw her a month later and we compared hour experiences in the class. She got a B and said “I hear Professor Brown doesn’t give out A’s.” I responded with, “Really? She didn’t have a problem giving me one.” I had something around ninety-eight percent on that final project. I was rattling off stats and figures like it was important to me. Maybe it was hyper focus, but I actually strongly considered focusing on casinos at that point and heading that direction upon my seemingly distant (2 more years) graduation and perhaps I should have and the Mirage is where I would have headed first. It was just something I fell in love with reading about and at the time, I was rather obsessed.
It opened in 1989, which was six years prior to my classes at the various Purdue University campuses and when it opened, everything changed for the better. It was the first mega resort in Las Vegas and paved the way for the future.
History
My biggest critique if Las Vegas is the lack of history. You can talk about the Rat Pack but that was 50 or 60 years ago. There are no 120 year old buildings or old Victorian homes, which I love. Las Vegas still has history and just as much as a lot of other places, but simply more compressed time frames. The coolest casino in the country or maybe the world opened in Vegas in 1989 and now it will be something new in 2023. That’s thirty-four years only. It makes me sad but I see the history of Vegas is something that is current and can truly be experienced because there is so much change so frequently with some cool throwbacks to fifty or seventy years ago.
Photo courtesy of Michael Beebe.
Though now somewhat dated, it was impressive and a piece of the history of the casino industry. I loved it and it will be missed. I am excited about Hard Rock and a big ass guitar going up but the Volcano Show being gone will hurt. Just getting to see that property specifically has been one of my highlights of my various visits to Las Vegas and I will miss seeing it when I’m there in the not so distant future.
I also found a pretty cool article while looking up something while writing this so check it out: https://www.theringer.com/2021/7/20/22584803/new-old-las-vegas-mirage-megacasino. Its a tad pretentiously written but I really loved the flow and learned a lot about the 1980’s Las Vegas and casino industry that I didn’t know.
Please like this on social media if it helped you or you enjoyed, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use the hashtags #TheMichaelBeebe and #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! By now you have a pretty good idea of what I talk about in my blog and if you have any questions or comments about any of those things, please feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
I decided to come up with five easy to follow tips that EVERYONE on social media needs to follow to better represent their brand. The brand can be a business or for you yourself personally because you are your own brand. This isn't just for social media, but a set of five easy rules for life too.
A lot of people want their social media presence to be impeccable and think the only way to achieve that is by living life virtually and putting the best version of themselves out online. The general public will see that as a fake and you still have a life to live. Unless you are making money from the internet, please do not treat it as a job onto itself. You have far better things to do.
Making unique content is important. This does not mean to not post the same core content on your Twitter as you did your TikTok and Instagram but it does mean not to copy what others are doing with the exception of trends. Posting trends is a great way to get more followers on your video platforms. I am even leery of the Pinterest posts that say "365 Blog Post Titles to Get You Started" because of how many others may use the exit same name and idea. Be original and if you can't be original, at least be creative in your subterfuge and originality will ensue from that. Every once in a while I will post something others are suggesting, such as "post your work area on social media." the get mixed results and I feel mike a dancing monkey when I do it without the reward of some peanuts in the end and I only do it if I haven't posted anything in a while or to break up monotonous postings like when I did 15 days from Monday to Friday for three weeks of my various social media outlets and how to follow me. It got boring less than half way through yet they were scheduled for 1PM every day still and I hadn't gone anywhere with exceptional food or views at the time to show pictures of as a way to break it up a little bit.
This tip was inspired by LinkedIn, but works with anything social really. LinkedIn is nothing more than a dick measuring contest between professionals. Don't get me wrong, I love LinkedIn and love measuring my own dick, but part of a proper dick measuring is honesty. If you are just adding someone so you can sell them something, just be upfront about that and don't try acting like you are old buddies.
Engaging, topical, educational, informative, and funny are your five main motivators for people to engage with you. Think of a dog at a party. If you are having a party and a golden retriever came in, EVERYBODY would love the dog more than anyone else. The dog would make a bunch of friends and be more popular than the most popular person there, because dogs are fun and engaging. If you can teach people something and they enjoy learning, they will follow you for more. IF you are informing them of a news event, people will follow you for more. How many news outlets do you follow on Twitter? Comedians also have huge follow numbers on social media. Have you ever wondered why?
Gary Lee often tells people to "be authentic." Though I generally appreciate what he has built and have learned a lot from him, I find it humorous that "be yourself" is his sage-like advice and it works because so many people don't think to just not lie to people or try to make themselves seem to be of greater importance. Because of my current job, I fly a lot. In the last six years I have been on more than 300 flights including connections, which became a way of life during and after the COVID-19 scare. I've flown a lot. I have sat in every row from the mouth to the asshole on a number of different flights. So I love when I am online and you see the woman with her Gucci handbag and sunglasses acting like a roll model to the next year's cast of Sugar Babies posting pictures of how successful she is and she posts a picture out of the window on takeoff...behind the wing when my broke ass even gets to sit forward of that. She is trying to show herself to be more successful than she is, playing on people's lack of deductive reasoning that she is sitting in the cheap seats. Guys do it too and all the time too. There is huge money in renting a Lamborghini for the day in Miami and taking pictures of people posing in front of it by the beachfront so guys can be posers on their social media and Tinder profiles. both men and women try to mimic people they can't afford to be even though they still have something others could learn from. Authenticity is so very important and sadly will set you apart from the crowd.
I always enjoy writing these and sharing what I know or have researched with others and I hope people get something out of my postings. I personally get something out of coming up with infographics like I did here for my social media shares and now I am writing blog pieces on them so it gave me extra content that is evergreen.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
Dyngus Day is three weeks away from today and it’s one of my favorite holidays for a number of debaucherousreasons and I wanted to talk about an idea I had and wrap it into another thought to answer a common question. What is branding? Branding is a marketing function to get people to know your product where marketing is a function to get people to buy it. Branding is the “why” and marketing is the “how.” Branding builds loyalty and / or create value. So what are your brand values?
I love Dyngus Day! It is one of my favorite days of the year. It is often called “Polish Mardi Gras” since Mardi Gras is the day before Lent starts and Dyngus Day is the day after it is over and you can go back to all the bad things you couldn’t do for the previous 40 days. In Poland it is a holiday of joyous festivities and in the US it is sponsored by beer companies in various regions that celebrate it. Not everyplace celebrates it and that saddens me because everyone is Polish on Dyngus Day! I ended up being in Los Angeles on Dyngus Day one year and I know it’s not wide spread there but obviously the Polish restaurants will celebrate it. No. I called every Polish restaurant in LA County…all three of them. One was closed for the day when I called, one answered and said they are closed on Monday’s and when I asked about Dyngus Day she seemed to have no idea what I was talking about and the third was permanently closed but Google had not been updated yet. So I had a Long Island iced tea at a Mexican restaurant in Barstow and wept a tad for society.
I currently use the URL and hashtag of TheMichaelBeebe as my primary brand and monikerbut I am thinking of creating a secondary brand for myself called “King Dyngus” or “KingDyngus” for the hashtag and username I would post under for that site. The goal is to talk about Dyngus Day and create an area of exchange for Dyngus-related activities around the United States. My life’s work would be summed up by being able to find a local pub crawl on the day after Easter anywhere in the country. I think this all says more about the trajectory of my life than anything else, but it’s fun and celebrating Dyngus Day has become part of my personal branding.
I would have information about what cities offer Dyngus Day celebrations and allow various people to blog about things they have done on Dyngus Day, like the girl dancing topless in the bar or the guy pissing in the planter on the sidewalk and no one cared because it was Dyngus Day. Dyngus Day can be wild fun or a family-friendly celebration of endless Polish food. South Bend and La Porte are some twenty miles apart but in South Bend most Dyngus Day activities focus on activities for various clubs and organizations around town to raise money and in La Porte we have a shuttle that takes us from bar to bar and the bars on the route, I have heard, can earn as much as one-third of their yearly income on that day. Neither town does a parade like Cleveland or Buffalo do and some even have a Dyngus Day Queen. Both La Porte and South Bend use it to kick off political season with politicians doing from event to event because part of our local tradition is to get the politicians drunk so they can’t lie to us for once and the May Primary is roughly a month after.
I find the differences in celebration methods interesting to say the least which creates an overall macro brand and marketing locally is the micro activity…just as in the general branding-marketing relationship. Branding is the macro and marketing is the micro.
I sincerely hope this clears up any and all confusion you have over the differences between marketing and branding and exactly what a brand is. I hope I defined a brand pretty well here.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
For my 2021 holiday messages, I posted a “Merry Christmas” plus a unique half moniker of “Tha Mikester.” The use of “tha” dates back to something a friend used to call me so I used it to be cooler. The problem is, half of my friends thought I simply misspelled “the.” Now it does go off brand slightly since I’m @TheMichaelBeebe across all social media plus my website so it was my fault for trying to change the branding. Lesson learned and I no longer have permission to go against my own brand, which means my branding is noticed even with a rather small following so that’s a good feeling.
What is permission and who gives it? Permission is a social concept for brands based on what people envision in that brand. A towing company tows cars. Since they work with people having a shitty day with their ride, tire changes, lockouts, and battery jumps are obvious services they have permission from their customers to perform. How do you know if you have permission? Because people call you and ask for it. That’s your poor man’s market research right there. So what happens when said towing company creates a metal structural support for wood framed homes? Unless they create a new company to sell and distribute them, they sit in boxes. You don’t have that permission.
Follow your dreams, but create separate LLCs or at least a DBA to promote the side business.
Anyway, don’t break your branding image because people will notice, but to break from your branding you have to create an unified brand first.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
If you are selling ANYTHING, you need your own website. A website will be the quarterback for your branding outreach and it will create higher conversions and can help serve as a sanitized life résumé that you control plus it will push you higher in search results. Blog on it and tell people your thoughts. It’s great for so many different things. When I say “selling,” sometimes that means you are the product. Make that product stand out.
I am TheMichaelBeebe.com because some motherless panty waste is cyber squatting MichaelBeebe.com but I do have the dot net version and…I don’t love having a dot net. I know they convert just fine now that it’s 2023 but I still have the old school “eww gross” response when I think about being a dot net instead of a dot com. Gag me with a spoon! My primary moniker is the same using both the hashtag and the name for all of my public social media. I do use a personalized email address at the dot net out of pure vanity though and egocentrism. The personal identifier really helps boost your searchability online. Staying active with updating information on your website and posting blogs helps keep your search ranking high.
Blogging is important. Each blog piece you post could be popular and help you rank higher in search results. Both your website and the individual blog piece on your website could rank in Google. That gives you two entries. If the blog piece is picked up on other sites, it could be a duplicate of the original and be listed independently of your website blog piece. That’s three hits on you from one search. The goal in this section is to push your arrest record of the public intoxication charge you caught in college to the bottom of search results. Let people see you in a good light and you control your narrative. So now you’re wondering what you should write about for your blog. Unless you’re Kanye West, whatever you have to say that you can speak with authority on is the answer. Politics, technology, and basket weaving are all fine topics if you know what you’re talking about. The goal is to have a lot out there with decent substance so try not to alienate people with extreme views on topics. We are going to assume you are the product we are selling here. Why are you selling yourself? To get more views on YouTube videos, to gain more subscribers to your OnlyFans account, to sell more books. The final goal matters less in the overall need for it, but have a clear goal stated so you know how to lay out your website and it’s purpose. I like job searching because if you’re an author, people are still hiring you (by buying your book) to tell them a story and if you sell blinds, people are hiring you to help them make a wise choice on their blinds. My blog focuses on several areas that I feel I can discuss compliantly. Mainly they are travel, website design, social media, business management, poker (draw poker, not that Texas crap for people who can’t play cards), marketing, entrepreneurship, cryptocurrency, and politics somewhat. Politics divides people so much that I tend to shy away from it as much as I can unless I have something going around in my head. If you want politics to be part of your brand, then by all means, go for it. I’ll delve into some philosophical and esoteric thought exercises on occasion, as well, if I am trying to figure something out. I am not actively looking for a job, but I’m not saying I’d turn the right job down. So this slowly helps increase search rankings for your name and your name starts popping up in certain topics. So your blog helps you establish credibility on a topic or topics.
Sending people to your website helps with conversions to sales because the person gets a truer sense of who you are and it’s easier to buy from a buddy. If you’re an OnlyFans girl, this is key to you. Let people know you. Become the illusion of girlfriend material. I point them out because sex workers (of every level) already know this. It’s their entire job and there is no business that would suffer from being more like a sex worker when it comes to customer relations and customer retention. With that said, if you are letting OnlyFans manage all of your distribution of content plus merchandise, you are leaving money on the table. Bring them in to your bedroom, your website, and you will control their entire experience, including your OF content they purchase. You can always redirect them back to your OnlyFans content or to your Amazon Author page. It’s really all the same.
Restaurants need online menus and reservation services. Doctors need online scheduling and patient testimonials. Car dealers need online financing options and inventory information. Websites help facilitate all of that.
There is no downside to having your own website, if for no other reason than to be cooler than your friends and pass out pens at the bar with your name and URL on them. Your website is an essential part of your brand and its importance cannot be overlooked.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
I stayed at the STRAT again the last time I stayed in Las Vegas and honestly, it’s not that bad. It is dated, but you can’t beat the price. It has a low rate, but does include a $40 resort free making it still a cheaper place to stay.
But…I’ve learned how to navigate to cheaper. If you are a Best Western Rewards Member, its low rate is 5,000 points per night and when you book on points there are no resort fees. Plus you can buy points for $10 per thousand which means 5,000 points is $50. You can’t stay in a Motel 6 for that price and since it’s bonus points, they don’t charge tax on it. So Monday when I checked in all they pulled was a $50 per night security deposit which was back in my account within an hour of checking out so it was an even 5,000 points. Nothing more. Now most times, the front desk clerk will try upselling you “for just $20 since you’re a rewards member.” He didn’t this time but I usually let them and get a strip view. One note, the bottom two rooms are 5,000 points per night so make sure to book the next tier better than the most basic room. It helps to have a fridge and coffee maker in room. I haven’t upgraded enough there yet to know which tier has an in room microwave yet and I’m disappointed it’s not just standard. All told, the Strat isn’t a bad property but it’s not in the best part of town. As I understand it to be, when the place was built, the city was going to “clean up” that part of town and that was going to be part of The Strip. The city fell through on its promise so it can be sketchy after dark and they do have more “aggressive” hookers working the lobby area and elevators, but they don’t want to make a scene and get banned so they take a simple “no thank you.” Be nice to hookers. You don’t want the embarrassment of “crazy hoe” screaming at you in the lobby.
For what you are saving by staying at the Strat, you have to be smart on transportation options. They have a city bus stop right outside the property by the doors to the theater portion of the property. I’m not sure on price, but the city bus in any city is usually cheap and generally offer some sort of day pass so you can do connections and see schedules, prices, and routes. The monorail is nearby—sort of. It’s “two blocks” away. You walk two blocks and then go into the Sahara and then walk through a maze of poker tables and slots with only a couple signs to give general directions to it so you will probably get lost your first time or two. As of this writing, look for the Starbucks kiosk. It’s pretty close to that. Then back outside and up an escalator and over a street and then down an escalator and you’re right there. It’s convenient…ish. Day passes are $13 and last twenty-four hours and it runs around every ten minutes during the day. I’m not sure on overnight frequency. The monorail is scheduled for demolition in 2028 do you have four or five years to use it. It’s not convenient for all places and doesn’t go to the airport so getting to the hotel will require an Uber or a taxi. The monorail seems like a great idea but let’s say you decide to save money on your Uber and just take a rideshare to MGM, which is the southern station of the monorail system and you’re staying at the relatively new Resorts World. You take the monorail north to the Resorts World stop which is at the Convention Center stop, which then has nearly an one mile walk to the lobby of Resorts World…in 100+ degree heat for much of the year. The monorail only runs on the East side of the Strip by roughly one block and the blocks casinos are on are bigger than the block in Anytown, USA. They have massive resorts on them. Resorts World is on the West side of the Strip and I think the front door might actually be on the side away from the Strip too. I walked there from the mall that is right next door and had no luggage one time and thought I was going to die. I was so covered in sweat that I would have kicked me out of the place. There is a Tesla Loop around town that may be a viable option. I’m not suggesting staying at Resorts World because the goal here is to save money. The monorail is good for Strip access and you will get lost. It’s inevitable but that’s part of the fun and the monorail serves as a great way to see the city for a bit.
So where do you eat? If you stay at the Strat you have several food options. Door Dash may be cheaper than any of them. I paid $9 for a slice of shitty pizza and a 20 ounce cup of flat Mug root beer. The Strat Café is ok but also is $6 for a flat Mug root beer (including free refills). The center bar is $4 each for fountain Pepsi. That’s right! No free refills on pop. They nickel and dime you after you come in for the low room rates. It costs about the same to DoorDash food “to your room” over eating on site. I put that in quotes because the time I did DoorDash something there, the girl messaged e to come down and get it from her by the back entrance. Don’t worry. You tip upfront with DoorDash so I couldn’t take that lack of service into account when tipping. The pizza dude came to my door when I ordered that though, so I don’t know if it was DoorDash policy or if she was just a lazy bitch. There is a Circle K a block away and a Walgreens across the street and at the far end of the block from the Circle K. Between the two, you should have anything you need for drinks and not resort property prices. One trick I like to do is get those bowl of soup things. I get two per day I’ll be there generally from Walmart before I leave for my trip and stick them in my suitcase. Theirs is why it’s worth it to have a coffee maker in my room especially since the lowest tiers don’t have microwaves in them. With what you save on two meals a day, you can have one good one.
There’s an old adage for traveling that says you don’t eat places you can eat at home. So where do I recommend eating? In no particular order, they are:
Wahlburgers. I’ve not been there but I hear great things. They just have a kiosk and no sit down area so consider this for DoorDash.
Marrakech. This is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. Dinner is $50 per person and served family style. They go above and beyond for service and you will feel like a Sultan of old. Take a few $5 bills. They have belly dancers for entertainment and you should tip them. Please don’t embarrass me or yourself by being the person that only puts a single dollar bill in a g-string.
In-N-Out Burger. Good price. I’m not a fan but I’m alone in that. Everyone I know loves them and it’s cheap enough for a lunch stop and two meals out for the day if you find another place with a reasonable price. I know they are a chain place but Las Vegas or Phoenix are probably the farthest East they go.
Fatburger. Not cheap. Expect $20 to $25 per person. They are also not very quick. Then you get the burger and it’s huge! They aren’t fast food burgers. They are a chain place but very limited on locations.
White Castle. They have three of them in Las Vegas. I went to the one on the Strip inside the Casino Royale and my normal $16 order at the one by my house in Indiana was $26 there, but they also serve beer if you’re so inclined. White Castle is a (mostly) East of the Mississippi place so West Coasters have a treat. The hours are weird but they might not be able to get workers for round the clock there. For me it was weird being at one while the Sun was out. They are more of a 2AM place to those of us who are initiated.
Blueberry Hill. Great prices! Very competitive for other places of the country for what you pay per meal and HUGE portions. It’s a family restaurant so they just have a large selection of great food. Expect about $25 per person and to waddle out of the place.
Buffet at the Palms Casino. It’s $64 on lobster day (Wednesdays) and worth it. The biggest drawback is you only have 90 minutes. I went for first seating and it was almost 20 minutes till I got back to my table with my first plate. Don’t dawdle between plates of food. I ate so much I literally thought I might shit myself afterwards and I wasn’t hungry ‘til the next day. It’s well worth it.
Dona Maria Tamales. I can’t say enough good about this place. The prices are very reasonable and even the drinks are a good price. I had a quart sized margarita and staggered out of the place after dinner. The food is some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had. It may be my favorite Mexican place or at least top three (one in McAllen, Texas and one in Lake Station, Indiana rival it).
Gordon Ramsay Burger. I spent $45 for a burger, fries, soft drink, and the tip and I was glad I did. I was very full afterwards. The burger was perfection on a bun and the fries were great. They serve chipotle ketchup and curry ketchup with their fries and have a house ketchup for their parmesan fries. I’m not sure which ketchup’s I had but they set it off. Heinz 57 has nothing on them!
Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse. Ok. It’s $100 per person including non alcoholic drinks and a tip but I usually spend closer to $120 to $130 at the others and the food at Galpão Gaucho just tastes better and the servers are far less rude than I’ve experienced at the other chain Brazilian steakhouses. I’ve been there a few times now and I love them!
As a dark horse outsider, I suggest Pizza Hut if you want pizza delivered. Ok. Hear me out on this! I live near Chicago and so far, every local pizza place not in the greater Chicago or New York areas has left me disappointed. You know what they have and you know the quality and you know the price. So get Dominos or Papa John’s delivered. I don’t care, but I’ve been hard pressed to find great pizza outside of those two places. From what I’ve experienced in Las Vegas, it’s not looking like a bright future for pizza there either. There is one pizza place I want to try and will report on once do if I like them and it’s called Evil Pie and they are a block away from the Fremont Street Experience. I went there once but just for drinks and I was pretty full when I got there so I couldn’t eat but it smelled great and they had a lot of orders so we will see.
Where do you drink?
If you want to drink socially and be near the action, I suggest the Center Bar at the Casino Royale. Drinks are like $5 each. Everything else on the strip is going to be twice that. Evil Pie and Therapy had reasonable prices and good atmospheres also.
What do you do?
People watching is fun in Vegas. It’s also free. Everything else is $40 plus tax. Ferris wheel…$40. Wax museum…$40. Shitty seats at a show…$40. The Neon Sign Museum…only $28 for the top price with a daytime admission of $20, so not bad. Vegas is like any other city in the country. What do you do when you’re in your home town for fun? You can do that there too. I have heard great things about Area 15. It has several interactive features like VR and a flight simulator plus the very popular Meow Wold Omega Mart. Tickets for individual areas seem to range from $12 to $50 and depend on day and time you will be there. If you stay at the Strat, it’s $12 for the observation pod or $20 if you aren’t and it really is a great view of the entire bowl the Greater Las Vegas Metropolitan area sits in. There is no better view of the city. There is also the Gallery of Fine Art at Bellagio for $18 per person. The Pinball Hall of Fame is actually free but they do take donations and some games are available for play for a quarter or two and it’s across the street from the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, which is also free but there is always a long line of people waiting to get pictures taken there. I did a Google search of “cheap things to do in Vegas” and a page popped up from Vegas dot com with the same title as my search. in the URL it says “under #20 and you will be disappointed because half of the tings listed are more. Vegas isn’t a cheap place so people watching and the fountain show at the Bellagio are free and the Volcano show for as long as it is still there is also an option.
Remember the point of this piece was to help you save money. If you can afford to stay at the Wynn, this wasn’t for you. This was for the average person to maximize their Vegas vacation. I also wrote this from the perspective of a non gambler so Las Vegas kind of hates me for that. I really just don’t get any excitement out of it; there is no rush for me, but I do enjoy watching people play and have a good time.
Viva Las Vegas!
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
Stop using “Link in Bio” on your social media. Link Tree is a great idea but falls short for your engagement. You have a website. Create a page for your posts links that way you are directing people to your website instead of some other company’s. This drives traffic to where you want it and helps keep, people on your site.
Basically the first thing you do with Link Tree is find people who are interested in you…and send them somewhere else. Keep them engaged in your website. Obviously if you’re sending them to follow on other social they will leave your site, but create your own “link in bio” pages for that so you can set it to open in a new window for social media redirections or Amazon book sales.
The concept is really pretty easy.
Create a new set of pages.
Do not add them to your primary menus.
Create a different menu for these pages specifically.
Embed links to pages you want to focus on.
Optimize for mobile devices.
I build on WordPress so it’s rather quick and easy but play with it and make sure you’re using a responsive theme. Most people build their website to reflect what looks best on a computer and though responsive (formatting changes to suit the screen size), it can be cumbersome to view on mobile devices. Think of information overload. Consider your link in bio page to be Cliffs Notes or a series of elevator speeches. You want quick and informative and since it comes from apps on a mobile device, the link can be named whatever you want since they simply click on it. Mine is TheMichaelBeebe.com/link-in-bio since most people reference that phrase due to Link Tree’s popularity. Use it to your advantage but let people also see your name in your own URL. Any decent website designer can build it for you in just a few hours. Most entrepreneurs today know how to build on WordPress so it should be an easy job for most people who already have their own website.
I should do a companion piece titled “Everyone Needs Their Own Website” and if I ever do, I’ll turn that last part into a link so if it’s blue, it’s been updated (I did write it and it will be available after 9 AM on January 30, 2023). If you are selling ANYTHING, you need your own website. It will create higher conversions and can help serve as a sanitized life résumé that you control plus it will push you higher in search results. Blog on it and tell people your thoughts. It’s great for so many different things. When I say “selling,” sometimes that means you are the product. So make the product stand out.
Please like this if it helped you, share it with a friend who can benefit from it and / or tag that friend so they can see it. Share on your social and please tag me at @TheMichaelBeebe on all things social or use #TheMichaelBeebe or #MichaelBeebe. Also, if you got something out of this, please follow my social. There’s a lot of it! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email at Discussion@TheMichaelBeebe.com.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
This year I am keeping things simple and doing four small goals for my New Year’s resolution. I’ve failed in years past with lofty goals and even tried breaking the, into monthly resolutions, which would work normally, but but the last eighteen months has been rather unusual with a lot of things coming my way unexpectedly. I’ve basically been on autopilot. I’m focusing just on my digital presence for my resolutions this year. Don’t get me wrong. I do have other goals as well, but I need to achieve them or work towards them at my own pace without the stress of a 365 day timeframe hanging over my head.
Books.
So far I have written and self-published one book. It was a goal of mine and I did the finalization last Christmas Eve. It was a goal of mine so I did it finally. It was a short book, but it got me to continue writing. I am working on ten more. What? Yes! Ten! There is a plan there. Most of them are short and I work on it when the mood strikes me. The goal is cross marketing. Mine of the books will be business related, while the tenth book is about my travels around the country and was supposed to come out three years ago and I got lazy. Writing is actually hard because after a while, you get sick of your own words. The goal is to release the other nine books and have them in my catalog of work and when I release the travel book, market that one hard. When people look on Amazon for “about the author,” it will show my other works and spur sales. So why ten? Because the US Copyright Office allows you to copyright ten books at once in a bulk copyright and save money. I might just do nine total and create a second edition of my first book, Your New Business Mind: The Tools to Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur, to round out to ten. As I alluded, it was kind of rushed.
Each book, when ready for release, will have a blog post daily of the text from a previous draft so you’ll be able to read for free but not the finished version and without pictures or graphics and they will be used as a sales promotion piece with links to buy or preorder the book as they are ready for release. My goal will be to have each one ready and done completely prior to the scheduled release. I fell into that trap with my first attempt at releasing my travel book and it blew up in my face and has since been deleted.
Instagram Growth.
I’m writing this on December 29, 2022. A year ago I just hit 500 followers on Instagram and was excited. You couldn’t tell me shit! It was all organic growth the “proper” way to ensure good followers instead of paid growth. It’s a boring process but works. Today I have 691 followers. I won’t gran nine more in two days probably but my growth goal is to reach 1,000 followers by the end of 2023. I would also consider promotional growth suck as having an influencer post “follow this guy” because they still pop open your account and make the decision to do it after seeing some of your posts.
Twitter Growth.
My Twitter account currently has 173 followers and I want to hit the lofty goal of 500. It is doable but will take a lot of work. I am considering getting an online scheduling service so I can preplan my posts among several social media outlets and just deal with a single interface and program everything for a specific time and day so it will auto post as desired.
Blog Pieces.
April of 2021 was my last blog piece I published. I need to do better so this year it’s my goal to write six of them. Six is a good number and I already have a few done making it easily manageable. I don’t want to blow my wad early, but I have at least four scheduled for Mondays every two weeks starting the day after this post drops.
All of my goals listed here are reasonable and easy to accomplish which will give me a few wins in this forthcoming year.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
If you’re interested in buying cryptocurrency, I suggest Coinbase for the easiest transfers and they have more than just Bitcoin. If you click on the link to sign up, I get $10 after you deposit a total of $100. So please check out Coinbase.
BiblePay (BBP)
This cryptocurrency touts themselves as “The Cryptocurrency for Christians” and on their website, they are rather heavy-handed on their Christian-based marketing…and it’s kind of genius. To be frank, God sells better than anything else. All cryptocurrencies make money for existing from people buying into them and this one uses 10% of its profits to help impoverished children in Africa through orphanage sponsorships. They also require 75% of the donations to be used to directly support the child and only a 25% overhead. In essence, they believe in something and work for it. I really like that. They are one-sixth of their all time high, but like Phoenixcoin, I see this as an undervalued cryptocurrency and they have been around for less than one year as I write this so I feel this has strong potential. In the near future, I would like to see christian sellers (bookstores etc.) start accepting this currency as well as an easy direct tithing method for churches. Those would make me feel better about this coin, but it is still going in my “buy” list.
NOTE: This piece was originally posted by Michael as an on- site page on TheMichaelBeebe.com while he was doing research into cryptocurrencies.
Disclaimer: Michael Beebe is not a financial advisor and all research is for his own purposes. He is simply sharing the research with the readers of this or other blogs and makes no claims to be an expert in finance or any forms of investment.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
This morning I should be waking up for the day, right around the time of this 9AM posting, with a dehydration headache and a sunburn. It’s become an annual tradition that came to an abrupt end last year. I know, sunburns aren’t healthy and I need to drink more water when I’m in the sun all day, but it’s one day a year so please, cut me some slack. Last night should have been the annual fireworks display in Michigan City, the culmination of an entire day of beach-going fun, but it didn’t happen.
Like so many people, I love going to see the fireworks. Any chance to see colored explosions in the sky is an excuse to go see a firework display and the festivities surrounding the birthday of our nation’s beginnings is the best excuse of all. There are a ton of displays on July 4th to choose from every year and the competition to pull an audience is fierce.
In past years, Michigan City has had the forethought of putting the air show off a week or so and holding it the Sunday following the Fourth of July unless the Fourth was Thursday, Friday, or Saturday; then it’d be a week from the Sunday immediately following. In this year’s case, it should be July 12. Mayor Ron Meer has unilaterally chosen to hold the festivities on July 4th in an effort to make it more of a local event. That’s a great gesture since he also killed the fireworks a year ago. With the competition for attendance at a 4th of July celebration, especially from its nearest neighbor, La Porte (the annual honorary state capital for the day).
The Michigan City Air Show (“air show” is another word used for firework shows that some communities use) is more than a holiday celebration and more than just a local community event. In the 1990’s there had years with a confirmed 50,000 people in attendance and estimates have ranged anywhere between 75,000 and 100,000 attendees. People make a full day of it and if you weren’t in Washington Park by 11:00 AM, you had to park off-site and walk to the park. There were food vendors, face painters, and helicopter rides till near dusk; it was literally you and 70,000 of your new closest friends in what looks like a Moroccan bazaar. Michigan City has a population of around 30,000 and if my math is correct, unable to produce the 50,000 people that would show up unless those people were visiting from out of town and having been part of the mass exodus at the conclusion of the show, I can assure you on the excessive traffic flow east out of town and at least ten miles of stop-and-go driving. Over the years, I’ve gone all major directions out of town after the fireworks and it’s like that in every direction.
This year Michigan City has a budgetary shortfall and with the economic impact that 50,000 plus people can bring to the city for just one day, it’s no small wonder the city has such a crisis this year. Thanks to the shortsightedness of Mayor Ron Meer, the city has to make even more cuts than already and that means cuts in services to the city’s residents.
The fireworks have a long standing tradition in the area of being plagued with crime and it’s pretty accurate. There used to be an annual shooting or stabbing and you can clearly see drug deals all around you. Poverty is a leading contributor to illegal activity, so if the city wants to eliminate crime, make it illegal for people whom are impoverished to be anywhere in public. This will be a fun feat since Michigan City has the second lowest cost of living in the nation right now and with nothing on the horizon to fix that truth; the city is impoverished and this tradition has been a source of community enjoyment for decades.
I ask that the next Mayor of Michigan City to have the vision lacking in Mayor Meer and restore this city-wide festival to its rightful day, away from any competition for other displays.
Mayor Meer’s solution was to cancel the fireworks last year because the city needed to cut costs and put it at a date and time where there is heavy competition for the event to reduce the economic impact tourists have on Michigan City for this year. A private group of citizens even tried finding it last year and was told that they needed 90-days notice to hold an event at Washington Park. Basically, the Mayor just didn’t want this to happen. He felt The People doing something on their own circumvented his authority over the city and he couldn’t tolerate that kind of descent. I hope The People remember his short sightedness when they go to the polls on Tuesday, November 3rd this year.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
My last piece, LinkedIn 201: LinkedIn Part 2, gave some good beginner advice, but today I need to focus on some more intermediate concepts. This is what will get you really noticed among your peers on LinkedIn.
View
LinkedIn offers a really cool option that lets people see who have viewed their page. Use this and see who all has looked at you. View them back. They will know you checked them out, but so what? That’s the idea here. That shows interest in them and they like being noticed as much as you do. With that, look at their skills. If you know them and have an idea that they posses the skills they say, endorse them. Either way, make sure you look any anyone who has looked at you. This is not a dating site where you want to be coy about who you’re looking at, but job searching is a lot like dating too. Sometimes you don’t want to be caught looking at the person because there will be a never-ending conversation about hair or them trying to sell you something (that goes for dating or sales people both). Either way, you never know who tomorrow’s customer or human resources executive will be. Get seen!
Share
One statistic I saw said that people should share something weekly on LinkedIn. I don’t know if that is the case, but I talked about the toggle switch in LinkedIn 101. By now, that toggle should be switched back to “on” from its default position and your connections will see your activity any time you have any. Have some! It gets you into their line of sight that many times. The numbers that seems to be the most common are two and three. Share or post between two or three times a week, though with this site, I’d suggest only two (that is personal opinion). You can share pictures, websites, posts, or just a quick status. Make sure they are professional! No one gives a shit about your photos of your trip to Tahiti. One thing I don’t like is that you don’t have photo albums. I want to set my Thirsty Thursday Tip of the Week photos into my personal LinkedIn page, but I don’t want to go back and add the first ten right in a row. I will do so, but with the toggle turned to off so other’s don’t see them added. I wish they added photo albums so things like my T3 could be separated from the future political cartoons HoosierPoliticsToday.com will host and I would also like to add.
Post
I separated this part because it’s so important. Every time I post a new piece on FullTiltBusiness.com, I use a plugin that automatically posts it to the business pages for the site on Google+ and Facebook and then my personal LinkedIn page. This embeds as a post. You also have the “publish post” option on your LinkedIn page incase you want to write a piece from your own blog. The casual passerby won’t notice if the post you did was written in LinkedIn directly or posted from an outside source, so don’t worry about that. Posting is important. It creates a link to an idea and people love ideas, especially when they are hiring you. A résumé doesn’t always shoe the ideas behind who you are on paper, but posting does; it can tell a company if you are a good fit for a potential job or not or if your views fall in line with the views of the company. As you can see from my LinkedIn account, I have recently founded a small corporation. With the potential exception of teaching college level again or working in radio again, I am not “job hunting” now, but promoting me and trying to get connections who will, in the future, be interested in the newly formed company and what we will be offering. So why bring that up? Unless you are directly involved in politics or religion and want to make a career path out of one of those two areas, DO NOT post anything about either on LinkedIn.
Acting as an intermediate overview, I hope this gave a good follow-up to LinkedIn 201 for everyone and it gave some ideas of things to try tonight. Now get back to work; it’s a weekday.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
I know a big part of my audience is involved with various Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) organizations. Another name for an MLM is “Network Marketing.” The two are nearly interchangeable in every aspect, so I will just refer to them as MLMs since the word is shorter. This piece is directly related to that industry and ways to use multiple types of online tools to your advantage, but it will be of interest to any business as well. It is intended as a quick overview of what can be done online to help drive MLM style sales and use a generic MLM design for any examples. One thing that I do assume here is that you do understand how to use social media a little bit and know some of what I am talking about.
Overview.
First, what is Multi Level Marketing? A MLM is a group of people selling products or services in a higherarchy-style design that allows people to pass money from one level to another in exchange for these products and services. The people at the very bottom are the customers and at the very top are the owners. There are multiple commissions, again, paid out along this model. Each MLM is different, but they have a series of strict promotions based on benchmarks that a person must achieve. As you increase your level, you have to recruit more people to sell under you and build a team. The team building is typically done by a management-style pressure for lower level petiole you manage (called “downlinks” or “downlines”) to sell more and recruit new salespeople. Commissions are paid from the bottom to the top. The commission rates very and I know of one that allows a salesperson to earn six different commission rates at the same time. You can make some serious money in an MLM and most require the sales people to buy product in advance. Some (the good ones) simply give you a website or a link to promote so you get credit for your sales and the salespeople below you are catalogued into your commission rates. Just like any CEO, the top level makes the most money. My only critique of an MLM is that it doesn’t create new wealth, but simply passes wealth around. With that said, the bonuses paid to high performers and the amount of money some are making is amazing. A lot of people hate the idea of a MLM, but I have no feelings one way or another on the design and I think anyone who has a gift for sales and leadership should at least investigate being part of one, though my personal preference is affiliate marketing (which I will write a piece on for overview at some point soon). With that said, how do you market your product online?
Facebook.
Facebook (Business).
Normally I would post the Business Page after the personal page, but I’ll get to my reason for going out of order in a moment. Building a Facebook page is a simple task and if you need a quick overview on how to do it, please check out my tutorial at Tutorial 002: Build a Facebook Business Page. You can create just about any type of Business Page you want, but make sure you are choosing options that work best for the product you’re promoting. One of the best features of Facebook is the ability to schedule posts. That allows you to post things whenever you like for up to six months in advance of the posting.
Now why did I switch the Personal and Business Page order for just this section? Because of IFTTT, a website and selection of mobile applications that allow for automation of a multitude of social networking (and other) types of websites. IFTTT means “IF This, Then That” and is a series of algorithms that allow you to have one social networking site create a cascade into other social sites. Since a Business Page is able to be scheduled, this can act as a master link to the algorithm, including adding an auto repost to your personal Facebook page. You can download IFTTT on your iPhone or Android and use the website at IFTTT.com. I highly recommend their services, even if they can seem a bit complex.
Facebook (Personal).
One of the most common way for a person to use their Facebook page to their own advantage and move product is a simple daily posting. This is easy to do and gives you a good cross section of friends that are potentially like-minded. The biggest obstacle here is your other postings. I have run for office a few times now and I do have political discussions on my personal Facebook page, but I have also referred to people as “douche bag” and “ass hat” before, with the latter being one of my personal favorites and it has worked its way into my personal lexicon for everyday life. A lot of people don’t take “that guy” seriously. Some of these are people you went to high school with and they remember you from those days. How does someone I went to college with take me seriously? When I first did a public announcement that I was running for office on my Facebook page, one girl I went to Purdue-Cal with immediately responded with, “You? You’re joking, right?” Never the less, I was running and had to overcome this obstacle and be seen as a serious candidate. How do you overcome that obstacle with people remembering you? You remember them too. Everybody was a dumbass in school and then they got older. Your parents were dumbasses and so were your grandparents. The perception of a person from their Facebook posts isn’t the obstacle a lot of people might think they are, provided there are no racist remarks or overly sexist jokes. If you have to ask yourself if you need to be “reborn” on Facebook, the answer is “yes” and you should delete the account and just start over. If it was simple dumbassery, don’t worry about it.
So now that being a dumbass is out of the way, post daily. Post something pertaining to your business every day. Most MLM’s give a gigantic resource of pictures, product videos, and product samples that you can get pictures of. You have a URL you can embed in your posts and they show the links pretty nicely.
Facebook (Groups).
The Facebook Groups are an awesome way to communicate ideas to large (yes) groups of people. Depending on what you are selling, you can find a group to fit your needs and possibly more than one. There are two options here. The first option is to start a group and add your closest friends that are sympathetic to your needs. Ask them to network and add their friends and create it as an “open” group so there is direct advertising to the group. Your other option is to comment in groups. Find the Groups that match your products best and push for sales. Now you can’t really just add links to sakes sites without pissing some (a lot) of people off and being “the annoying sales person.” The best advice is to find people asking questions and answer them with helpful answers publicly. This helps build up a relationship with the people in the group and this can help you make some sales.
Twitter.
If you remember the “push and pull” method I talked about in my piece titled Pinterest Strategies that Work. Use it the same way on Twitter. That’s how you get leads. Just follow the followers of your competition products. If you sell a product similar to Herbalife, follow Herbalife followers and expect a 20% to 30% follow-back rate. Growth is not immediate, especially is you have no substantial content.
By going to Facebook.com/twitter, you can link your Facebook page to Twitter and post directly to Twitter when you post on Facebook. You’ll have to link your accounts, which is explained pretty easily and your posts on Facebook will then post on Twitter at the same time. That’s another great use of the Facebook automation.
Instagram.
You can’t automate Instagram, which is very unfortunate, because it’s a great resource. As I pointed out earlier, many of the products you sell will give you a gargantuan supply of product pictures. Load them on your phone and list them on Instagram! Do this now! You can’t schedule posts, but you can post while taking a leak or ordering at a fast food place from the app on your phone. Also, you can link the app directly to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, and FourSquare. There are a couple others you can link and they are in languages I don’t speak. When linking Instagram to another service, look at the automation you have set up first. If you link to Twitter and Facebook, your Instagram will go to Twitter, Facebook and because of automation, back on Twitter so you’ll have two tweets at the same time of the same thing.
Pinterest.
Without going into any details, Pinterest is your target audience. There is one downside, though, is the lack of automation. Even with IFTTT, you can only send automation scripts from Pinterest, not to it, so while you can post things automatically that were on your Pinterest account, you can post from it. Don’t worry about this. You can post on Pinterest and reach your audience very quickly. With the various search options, you can easily target the group’s you want to attract and the mobile apps are freaking awesome. Post your information frequently and repin other people’s stuff. You’ll get people (eventually) letting you pin to their boards as well. Likes are good, repins are better. Try getting people to repin your pins.
Tumblr.
Tumblr is a blogging site. I will be discussing it in-depth in next week’s blog, but it works pretty well to write about topics you know well enough to discuss and write blogs about. You can also post pictures, video, and links to your product page and once again, it is able to be scheduled for when you want to post. Just like my push and pull method, you can follow the followers of the competition. As a word of advice, focus on the people who reblog other’s posts in their own feeds. That will allow you the greatest growth.
LinkedIn.
LinkedIn (Personal).
The how-to of setting up the LinkedIn account is less important than doing it. If you are proud of your résumé and want to show your involvement in the MLM, this is a great place to do it. You can brag about your accomplishments and brag to your connections about them. This can be a valuable tool in building your team and showcasing your skills and talents. The time is longer to get noticed, but the target market for a lot of MLMs are the ever-coveted 25-45 year old crowd and they populate LinkedIn in droves
LinkedIn (Business).
Like Facebook, you can set up a business (company) page. If you like what you do, do this to promote it. Make it personalized since an MLM is so large and you don’t have full rights to the company name, but you can make your own fan site that promotes a product you are selling with supplied product reviews, testimonials, and images.
Google+
Google+ (Personal).
This is analogous to a standard personal Facebook page, but more boring. This attracts a more no-nonsence crowd, so you (fortunately) won’t see many “grumpy cat” photos. Make frequent postings on this as you do with your personal Facebook page. It’s less cluttered with crap. Use this to your advantage and post away on Google+. It will add more legitimacy to your product and to you as a salesperson. By doing this, you can target your friends who otherwise dismissed you. It ties into your Facebook account if you set it up to do so and allows you to find contacts from there or people you have emailed from your Gmail account, so you should have no problem finding your already existing friends. I will warn that it has a slightly higher learning curve than Facebook, but you will get used to it.
Google+ (Business).
This works a lot like Facebook Pages and includes an automation system that allows for scheduling of posts in advance. That is a great design, but when coupled with IFTTT, it can move your posting up to the next level. Important areas to note are the clientele and the design. The clientele is totally different than the regular Facebook user. With this, in mind, they are usually more business-minded and that’s the information they are looking for in the site. The design is also a little different (insert the word “boring”) and that goes back to it being more business-minded. It’s very functional and no frills.
YouTube.
I was half tempted to add this as a subcategory under Google+, but I was talked out of it with the thinking that it is used as a separate entity, so it has it’s own separate area in my piece as well. YouTube is freaking huge! Everybody knows YouTube so it sells itself. It allows you to post videos of whatever you want. Get permission from your MLM that you work under and get hard video to upload. It will be branded as the company video, so they maintain the credit for it, but you can embed your own sales links into it. Product demonstrations are big right now with the most views and this could truly drive your sales with an infomercial-like strategy. In addition, you can monetize YouTube. You know those fifteen second commercials that play before every third video you watch? The person who’s site that commercial plays on (in its entirety without the viewer collapsing the screen) gets paid. Some get paid more than others, but they get paid. If you get a big enough audience and following, you can make a side income from these commercials.
FourSquare.
I’ll keep this short. Check in on FourSquare. Set up your home as an official FourSquare site (it costs $1 on a credit card) and that’s it. Make sure you check in every time you get home. Yes, your home is now a public place that people online see, but your name is in the phone book and you are a business owner, so suck it up. Instagram and Facebook will both integrate in various ways to FourSquare, so your checkins are also posted on Facebook and your Instagram photos can be easily geotagged for location. This helps you on Instagram because when you go out to eat you can share a photo to Instagram and check in to the restaurant at the same time. That puts your photo (of the products you are selling) directly on Foursquare when strangers look at that restaurant and check in there. It’s a whole new marketing outside of your personal network.
Forums.
Forums can be a great if you have an intimate knowledge of the products and services you are selling. To get started, type in a google search for “Business Forums” and replace “business” with whatever word you want that works with what you are selling. When you set up a profile, you can include a link to a website. For that space, include the website for your sales linkage. Many times, you can also add your personal LinkedIn account. Do so! Now search the topics that people have posted and help them. Just talk to them and offer advice. Do not go for a hard sell immediately. Answer a few questions in a few different threads. Advertise your product, but not overtly. Make sure people can contact you and do so directly, not just through the forum messaging system. This will help propel your target audience to your site more frequently.
Craigslist.
Yep! People forget Craigslist.com all the time, but they shouldn’t. Craigslist offers a wide range of items for sale and your website link, phone number, email address can pop up in searches for items people are searching for and these people are actively searching for products to buy. It’s the ultimate classified ad and it’s free!
The main goal of this writing was to show my readers what they can do to promote their product or service while spending just twenty minutes a day (at most) actively engaged. Not all aspects will work with synchronicity in both directions for automation, but by pre-scheduling posts, a lot of the issues can be dealt with easily and allow you more time to handle other aspects of your new career path. Each one of these listed sites will be the subject of a future video tutorial, starting with setting up a Facebook Business Page and other blog pieces with some descriptions of each of these setups. I may have to skip video on Instagram and Foursquare since they are designed primarily as mobile applications instead of websites with applications that simply accompany them.
Take care and be creative with your sales and promotions. You have to promote your product so a single potential buyer sees the product seven times in an eighteen-month period of time. This isn’t just me throwing a dart at a number or pulling it out of my ass. It’s an actual statistic and you can feel free to look it up. So for you to make your first sale, you have to have that person see your product seven times on Facebook in their newsfeed or in a combination of multiple feeds that they see.
As a final note, I would like to apologize to any grammar Nazis out there. I wrote nearly this entire piece in the notepad of my iPhone with a tiny keypad. It’s 3,000 words long, so give me a break and just read the damn thing for what it is.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
One issue many businesses have is increasing their Facebook presence. First, people think Facebook matters and it actually does, but it should only be used as one piece of your social media campaign. With that said, I hope to give some insight on how to grow a Facebook presence on the cheap. Yes, I will be breaking one of my cardinal rules in my advice and that means you may have to spend a few dollars. As my readers all know, I am one cheap bastard and I hate spending money on social media. My tips are geared around a frugal method on increasing your presence, but I will spend some of your money in this one as a potential option.
This was originally written as a short answer on a Facebook page to a friend of mine running for a city council seat. He wrote on his personal page that he only had 53 likes on his election page and that was out of his 200 or so friends. Actually, a 25% follow-back rate isn’t too bad for personal sharing only, but we need to look more into how to grow a Facebook presence quickly and easily.
The Meetup
Meet up with a couple friends at McDonald’s (or anywhere with wifi). Since this was written for a political campaign, I suggested McDonald’s as a way to be seen. Politicians need people to see them doing stuff in public and McDonald’s has so many people that come there on a regular basis that it just makes sense. Also, with the age of the people who sit around McDonald’s in the morning, it seems to have your potential voters right there. If you want to do this for a business, do so in a private place if you wish so as to keep this a secret. Have them bring their laptops and make them temporary administrators. This will allow them, like anyone, to invite people to your page. The difference is, when people get the invite it will say “Bob Smith wants you to like his page.” It becomes a personal endorsement from them and their friends view it as being an active partner in your campaign. Their friends will have a greater likelihood of liking your page than the standard invite from friends that says, “Bob Smith invited you to like a page.” There is a psychological component at play here and the only real difference is “his” verses “a” and that difference personalizes it for potential future likes.
Spend Money
Here it goes. If you spend about $25 or so, you can use the “promote my page” feature to get likes faster. Once you hit 50 likes, you can promote your page on Facebook. This is an advertising method that increases growth quickly. I recently saw one Facebook page spend $50 and added over 1,500 likes in five days after setting a maximum daily limit of $10. A month later, her engagement with her audience was phenomenal and she said it was well worth the money. You can target your advertisement to various groups and locations based on age and geography.
Pictures Sell
Okay, you wont actually make money with pictures. It’s more of a figure of speech, but pictures work. Add pictures and infographics slowly. An infographic is a picture with words that explains or inspires the viewer, like my Thirsty Thursday Tip of the Week. By Facebook default, hey stay in the newsfeed of fans longer than just a text update and increase the odds of your friends sharing your page’s post.
Share Bomb
We all know about the Ron (now Rand is doing it) Paul Money Bomb. They try and get supporters to get a little bit of money to them in a twenty-four hour period for usually a specific need. The share bomb is the same idea. Message your friends, arrange a share-bomb day, and have everyone share it at different set times throughout the day. Pick Tuesday to Thursday from 9am to about 6pm. Those are the most viewed times for Facebook and the times and days with the greatest interaction with Facebook users. Convince your friends to share a special post with their friends. Have them add it to groups, other pages, and with all of their friends on their Facebook walls.
A Share Deal
In a society, we all need to work with other people. Business campaigns are no different. You need others to promote for you and help raise awareness of your product and maybe you can help them. Mutual shares for each other’s pages can be beneficial for you and for them. They endorse your product and you endorse theirs. No, this shouldn’t be done with businesses that are in direct competition for the same product and customer, but take a supplier for instance. If you have a restaurant selling a specific brand of hot dog, work with the supplier to promote your Facebook page as you promote their product line. It can give you some new ideas on products to carry and they can get some new likes for you. This is the same for political campaigns; work with businesses. You need businesses to support you if you are a pro-business candidate. Some who publically back you will be willing to share your page on their site and you can talk up their business on yours. It’s good business for them to get new likes and it’s good for you to get that kind of exposure.
I really hope this gave some good insight for businesses and politicians to use in the future. This is not an exhaustive list of ways to increase your Facebook presence, but it’s a damn good start.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
Last Tuesday was the Primary Election in Indiana for municipalities and in that light, it’s time for our post-primary healing. I’m not sure if it’s by design, but primaries splinter our party into factions and then afterwards, we need to work together for a common goal of winning for our candidates. We need to let our wounds heal and put aside the differences that divided us and be a whole party again.
While researching this, I used Wikipedia (honestly everyone does and it was just for some basic background information so I could easily add what I wanted and see the layout they used) and found some baseline information on the six primary types of conservatives in the Republican Party. I have a quick rundown of the different main types of Republicans.
Fiscal Conservatives
This group wants a reduced spending and in that reduction, they want fewer social entitlement programs. They want lower spending, lower taxes, and lower government debt. Supporting a balanced budget over extra government regulations, they want every taxpayer to keep money in their pockets. Supply-side economics is king to the fiscal conservative.
Social Conservatives
The Social Conservatives base their entire political ideology on conservative principals when it comes to social interactions. They push for laws against homosexuality, drugs, and alcohol; while promoting Christianity in it’s many forms and pushing for a return to traditional values.
Paleo-Conservatives
This right here is the most common form of Republican. It’s a mix of both the Social-Con and Fiscal-Con to create it’s own unique breed that wants lower taxes and less spending and couples that ideology with pressing for fundamental Christian ideas to be prominent in the government.
Traditionalist Conservatives
Looking at this as a primal version of conservatism, it looks to reduce controls over people with the thinking that people will control themselves. Traditionalists believe that the smaller government entities should have the greatest influence of the people it serves, while being controlled by those very people. In essence, a nation is made up of small groups with a weaker central government that these groups control. This is anti-jingoistic by it’s very nature.
Neo-Conservatives
Jingoistic in nature, this group believes in promoting America, American interests, and American business; if necessary, by force. Neo-Cons are the anti0communist movement and were created in the effort to fight the ideas of communism and socialism. They believe the American “sphere of influence” in the world is one of our most important potential assets.
Libertarian
This is with the lower-case “L” and not part of the Libertarian Party that has sprung up, but it closely resembles the Libertarian Party. They want lower taxes, fully free speech, and almost no gun control. Many believe in the concepts of a “fair tax” or “flat tax” at the federal level and want the IRS abolished.
Additionally, each of these six groups has moderates in their ranks. A person who cares about the budget, but doesn’t care about gay marriage could be a moderate fiscal conservative. The groups tend to mirror each other at times, but have distinct differences to the point that each faction is, itself, factioned.
Each of the six faction of the Republican Party refers to other factions as RINOs, Republicans In Name Only, and our party has never been more in need of unification.
Each of these six groups has negative feelings and prejudices against the others. Instead of looking at our differences, we need to start looking at what unites us as a group. Lower taxes and fewer restrictions on businesses seem to be the two points all factions agree on so we could start there. This is not the time to even discuss what points and projects we are okay with, but just that we need to reduce taxes. We need reduced restrictions on businesses, but, again, to what level is a moot point at this time. Let’s unify based on what we agree on, not fight about what we disagree with. There is plenary of time during the primary races to debate, but the day after, we need to have an organized, solid front for which we stand, focused on the points we can agree on, and not constantly fighting deep into general election season about our internal differences.
Let’s discuss lowering spending. Where can we all agree that spending cuts need to be made? Where do we want these cuts and how deep of cuts can we, as four different factions, agree to go? Let’s ask questions like that and work together instead of apart. We have too many commonalities to stay so splintered. Yes. We have differences.
We need to go back to basics in our own party and build a stronger, more unified Republican Party that will be a lasting testament to, at least, the most basic of conservative values that we all cherish. One former GOP County Chairman created an idea that helped us do that. He created “The Five-Tenants of the Republican Party.” A group of candidates running for the general election sat down with our chairman and worked together to make up a list of five things that we can’t disagree on. We need lower taxes. We need more jobs. We need lower crime. I can’t remember what the other two were, but you get the idea. Who can dispute that we need more jobs? It was something that unified our party and our candidates that year and it was rather effective at creating a singular message for us to push. Even though we each may have a different take on these ideas and how to accomplish them, we agreed on the principles. As you may or may not have guessed, I was one of the candidates that year. I was asked about how lowering crime could be done. It’s one of the primary ideas that we are using. I responded with how creating jobs would be a deterrent to people committing crimes. It actually wasn’t a bullshit answer and I firmly believe that lower unemployment also lowers crime rates. The candidate running for Judge that year had a different answer, as did the Sheriff candidate. Though we had different answers, we held a unified front.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
Why did you go into business for yourself? I bet it wasn’t as a means to avoid your family and miss your friends. At a certain point, “daddy has to work” or ” mommy is bringing home McDonald’s” just doesn’t cut it and you need to scale back your time at work. How do you do that? Why should you do that? Does your family really “understand” why you’re not home?
Let’s go with the last part first. Does your family really “understand” why you’re not home? Absolutely not! For a little while they will, but eventually they will want to see you more than your cash flow and resent you for not being there. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine, but don’t be shocked if they grow more and more distant from you over time. Let me play out a scenario for you. You work all the time, but you have two kids. Now your two kids want for nothing. You teach them work ethic by always being at work. You make the kids study and send them to college and give them an opportunity you never had. Now they graduate and get jobs where they put in the same work load you did. You retire and want to spend time with your family but it’s too late. They are gone, resentful that they never really felt important to you (if it’s true or not doesn’t matter as much as their perception of the truth), and they are just as busy as you were; missing every holiday. You can say how proud you are of them, but you know you wish they would come visit. Turnaround is a real bitch.
I’m not proposing being home constantly, working from home (which I couldn’t do long-term) or anything radical. Every entrepreneur needs to establish a work-life balance. This can be established by observation of key distractions at work and asking the key questions of how to fix them.
Establish a Process.
The first recommendation I have is to look at your routine tasks that have a set process that repeats. How much time do you spend repeating the same task on a daily basis? Generally this task can be broken down by various methods. When I’m working on FullTiltBusiness.com, most of my work is now automated. With the exception of the writing of pieces like this one (which is generally written on my iPhone while I lay in bed or while I wait for waitresses to bring food out), I generally spend thirty minutes a week on Full Tilt Business. Sometimes I know that isn’t possible and need to put a specific amount of time into growth of something or designing a new section, but I generally only do 30 minutes a week. Thirsty Thursday Tip of the Week (T3) is automated on Facebook. Facebook posts directly to Twitter. I post myself to Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and the FTB LinkedIn business page. That takes fifteen minutes. That’s Thursday. On Monday my blog posts. I use an interface that posts to Tumblr, Facebook (which automatically posts directly to Twitter), Tumblr (when the interface works), Google+, and my personal LinkedIn page. I manually post to Tumblr (when automation didn’t work), Pinterest, and the LinkedIn business page. I share it on my personal Facebook and Google+ accounts and I am all done. It’s not worth it to me to hire a virtual assistant to handle all of those tasks. With VA’s working for as low as$2 an hour, the price is there, but I can’t justify spending $1 a week for these routine tasks. Do you have to repeat the same process over and over again? Does bookkeeping take up half your day? It might be a faster and more efficient use of your time to email scans of your daily receipts and email them to a virtual assistant in the Philippines to work on organizing for you. You create the process and they can duplicate it and you can’t even find an illegal to work for the wages they work for over there.
I know it was a long preceding paragraph, but the concepts of the duplicating of a process and using a virtual assistant are potentially two sides of the same coin.
Outsource.
Moving on, what are the other things you can or need to do? How about a lawn service? As a hypothetical, let’s say you have a lawn service and you’re doing well. You have a couple crews and they are working all the time. You have employees out there working and you’re making good money, but you have to be the boss. So why do you have employees? With all the independent contractors doing that work, why not work with one to represent your company and go out to do the work for you? Let them handle all the human resources crap of the crew they run and you just make your same profit. Now you can be on the phone for the day and make your contacts with clients without pushing a lawnmower yourself. Most importantly, you can reduce your overhead from keeping a full sized garage full of lawn equipment to just keeping an office space.
Website.
Using the same lawn care service as an example, how can a website help you? We all know websites are fantastic marketing methods, as are social media accounts, but what more can a website do? How about booking customers? With various types of simple widgets and low-cost paid services, your business can accept scheduled jobs and set prices automatically. Customers can pay with credit cards online and the money is directly deposited into your account, minus their fee. This benefits everyone involved. While you’ll make slightly less money per client, you are not limited by the number of contractors you have that bring their own equipment and you won’t run out of storage space.
With maximizing productivity as your main goal, you can have it all. You can have the business everyone knows, the family life you dreamt about, and extra time to go golfing.
Why did I write this piece for today? On April 21 I bought the domain name HoosierPoliticsToday.com, which is designed to be a political blog emanating from the great Hoosier state. On May 1, I will be forming Beebe Digital Media, Inc, as an entirely new venture, which is owned by my holding company and will feature a large scope of associated websites. I needed to remind myself of this more than my readers, but I think my readers will appreciate the information from here.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
According to Alexa, LinkedIn is the number thirteen site in the world and number nine website in the US. With the number of job-seekers, it’s no small wonder why, but LinkedIn is more than just job seeking. LinkedIn is the modern, more professional version of comparing penis size. Your friends and colleagues post something new so you feel the need to out do them. Your buddy from college learned Spanish and added it to his, so you learn Japanese. It seems like a lot of competing, but it’s really motivational for individuals.
So who uses LinkedIn? Everybody! It’s used mostly by job-seekers across the board to look good in front of human resources people, but it really lets people show their entire résumé online. Artists can show work, writers can show off their latest pieces, and businessmen can talk about their latest accomplishments. It is literally business bragging.
Personal Information.
When you set up your account, make sure to add your photo. Even if you’re ugly, set the photo up. People like to see who they are talking to. Add all contact information you want to give out. This includes email addresses and phone numbers. This allows people who already have your contact information to find you easier and add you. These are friends and colleagues. Being popular is very important on LinkedIn. I’ll explain why friends are important later.
Résumé Section.
Be thorough. Add your full job history, dates, responsibilities, and anything else it asks for. This gives your work history and human resources people look at it to see if you are a good fit. Even if some of your work history isn’t relevant to the job you are seeking, it may prove handy to show how well-rounded you are.
Endorsements.
LinkedIn will ask you about specific job skills. Add them. If you know PowerPoint, let LinkedIn know about this. As you add these skills, they will pop up to allow your contacts to endorse you and you endorse them. One tip I need to throw in here is you should never endorse a skill that you have not directly observed. With that, text all your buddies on LinkedIn and have them endorse your skills after you endorse theirs. Don’t endorse every skill they have, but just ones you have directly observed. It shows who all endorsed a skill to any third-party who views your page, so it’s a red flag if it’s the same person endorsing every skill you claim to have. Make sure you have all skills listed, even skills that aren’t associated with your current because you never know who will see your profile and what they may be interested in.
Other Stuff.
LinkedIn allows for other bragging rights beyond skills and will constantly ask you about these areas. Have you returned to college? Have you learned a new language? Are you published or a contributing author antes here? Add as much as you can about yourself and LinkedIn will give you just about every possibility you can think of. They also include links for portfolios, so artists and writers, take note. That works for you.
Premium.
I don’t use the paid premium version and throughout my pieces, you’ll see I mostly only talk about free methods to use social networking, but there is a premium upgrade service and from my understanding, if you’re looking just to find a new job, it’s completely worth the price, so I give it an untested recommendation. I believe in the product that LinkedIn is that much.
Final Tip.
In your settings there is an option that has a toggle that allows your updates to show up in the feeds of your friends. While building your page, toggle it to the off position. Everything you do will show up to your entire contacts list and they will get annoyed with you as you make updates while building the page. After you are done setting it up, then toggle it back so your updates show up in the feeds of your contacts. Now when you get that dream job of yours, they will see it, but they won’t see every change you make. Ask yourself if you’re changes will just start to piss off your contacts and if the answer is “yes,” toggle it to the off position and back on once you’re done with upkeep-style changes.
I rank in the top 39% of my LinkedIn connections. It’s a nice feeling since I was never studious enough in high school or college to rank that high and I’ve taught myself and had others teach me many things which I excel at. I know I need to do some more work on my personal LinkedIn Page, but I’m happy with my current rankings since I’m not a job seeker currently.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
I love Pinterest. Now I am not a middle-aged housewife with a pill and gin problem or a middle-aged woman who still wears flip-flops and posts about wine all the time, yet denies she has a drinking problem. I am a guy and I have found Pinterest as one of the best ways to get your point out to the masses and I have some awesome tips for my readers in this piece. Anyone wanting to send information out en mass should read this about Pinterest. This piece started as a project after I gave a good friend of mine advice on how to market a product she is selling with the bulk of orders being online, so thank you Deb for inspiring this piece with our text message conversation.
First, what is Pinterest? Pinterest is ranked by Alexa as the thirty second website in the world as of this writing. That’s not bad for a company that was also launched five years ago this month. Happy fifth birthday, Pinterest!
Name Optimization. Come up with a searchable name for your business Pinterest account. The name for the Full Tilt Business account on Pinterest is “FullTiltBiz” and when you go there, you will actually see the page labeled as “Full Tilt Business.” This REALLY helps with your search results when people do a Google search for your business’ name. These will increase your actual meta score and bring your search ranking higher and move you up a few pages on Google when people look up your business name.
Push and Pull. This is a great method for using Pinterest and I will probably dedicate an entire video tutorial to it down the line. I call it the “Push and Pull” method, but there isn’t a “Pull” in this one. The Pull is a Twitter thing and I will explain that in a similar piece when I discuss Twitter later. Anyway, follow people! Go to sites similar to yours and follow their followers. If you are a marketing company, follow the followers of your competition. You should expect about a 25% to 30% follow-back rate. Follow similar companies to your competition. If you are promoting your marketing group, follow the followers of bloggers that are similar and deal with the same types of issues and give similar advice.
Posts. So what should you post? Links and pictures. Links for your website will get out and circulate. Make sure that your website has pictures to Pin and you will be a hit. My website has a rather generic look to it (intentionally), so it’s bland with the same picture used multiple times, but my recommendation is that you have a different picture on each page so when you Pin an item, they all look different. That helps people of varied tastes open your pin and read it. Blogs are the exact same. The next area is pictures. These are popular. Pictures can be regular pictures or infographs. An infograph is just a picture with words on it, similar to my Thirsty Thursday Tip of the Week (T3). Click that link to take a look. Anyway, infographs get around. They will get pinned and re-pinned over and over again. The pictures also increase the time your Facebook’s business Page is posted in the general newsfeed. I will also discuss this a bit more in depth in another, later piece that is just about Facebook. Anyway, people love pictures and that is what Pinterest is mostly about, pictures and websites with pictures.
Geotag. If you are working with Pinterest on your computer, you will have an option to add locations to any and every post you make. This is a must-do if you have a location that your website is “from” or another piece of advice is to geotag pictures into large, metropolitan areas that are either of interest to your viewers. The geotag is a location and people on Pinterest love looking at things tagged near them.
The Source. Type https://www.pinterest.com/source/fulltiltbusiness.com/ into your browser when you are signed in to your account. Where it says “fulltiltbusiness.com” put your own business URL in there. That will show you every link that has been pinned from your website. The one thing that is a must is to verify your website on Pinterest, which is an easy process that you can find while setting up your Pinterest account originally. When you go to Pinterest.com, set up a “business page.” The page will ask for your business URL and there will be three options for verification to your website.
Downfalls. What are the downfalls to Pinterest? You know there has to be a few. You can only follow 300 people in any given hour. You can’t just spend the entire day following person after person, but you can stagger your sessions out. In theory you could still follow 7,200 people in a single day and with a 25% follow-back rate, have 1,800 new followers based on that 24-hour period. Not everyone that will follow you back will do so immediately, but that is about the number you can expect after a week. So if you religiously follow people every hour and split the task up with a trusted friend when you need sleep, you could have 12,600 followers after a week of doing that method. The other problem isn’t that big of a deal, but the Pinterest website sucks when you try following people en mass from a list of another’s followers, but both the iOS and Android apps work amazingly for this task.
This should conclude a quick overview of the biggest and best uses of Pinterest for your social media campaign. I will probably write an entire piece on Search Engine Optimization for Pinterest down the line and do some video tutorials as well on the topics covered.
Picture a young Michael Beebe, fresh out of La Porte High School in ’93, diving headfirst into the world of hospitality with a busboy gig at the old La Porte Holiday Inn. That hustle led him to an Associate of Science from Purdue-North Central in ’95 and a Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Purdue-Calumet in ’97 (those schools are now merged into Purdue-Northwest, by the way). Michael’s early career was a whirlwind—running a 140-room hotel in Indianapolis, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry but realized it wasn’t his true calling. What did spark his passion? Teaching. He found himself thriving in front of students at Ivy Tech Community College and Lake Michigan College, sharing the art and science of hospitality management. Oh, and he also moonlighted at WIMS radio in Michigan City, juggling both on-air and behind-the-scenes roles with his signature high energy.
Politics? That’s been Michael’s sidekick since he was 18, registering to vote with a fire in his belly to make a difference. He threw his hat in the ring for La Porte County Council in 2010, where he got a crash course in the power of social media marketing. Undeterred by not winning, he campaigned for Indiana’s General Assembly in 2012 and took another shot at the County Council in 2014 and 2016. Though he hasn’t clinched a seat yet, Michael’s relentless drive to serve shines through. Lately, he’s been pouring that energy into helping other candidates who champion personal liberty, amplifying their voices with his knack for strategy.
Here’s a twist: Michael once co-owned a tattoo shop, despite having no ink himself. As the business manager and marketing guru, he leaned hard into low-cost, social media-driven campaigns to put the shop on the map. That experience fueled his love for digital marketing, and now he spends his free time crafting websites and boosting businesses online—a true labor of love.
These days, Michael’s living the dream as an independent contracted transporter, crisscrossing the country while getting paid to soak up new places and cultures. When he’s not exploring, he’s parked somewhere scenic, laptop open, building his digital consulting company, Spark Plug Strategies, or penning his thoughts. He even wrote a few books.
Based in La Porte County, Indiana, Michael’s embraced a “decentralized laptop lifestyle,” blending work, travel, and passion projects into a life that’s as dynamic as he is.
Creating a strong personal brand involves several key elements, and one of the most crucial is having a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It's often the first thing people notice about your brand and can leave a lasting impression. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for building a recognizable and impactful personal brand.
The rationale behind creating a single username across all social media platforms is rooted in the principles of consistency and recognizability. By using a uniform username, businesses and individuals can significantly enhance their brand identity, making it easier for audiences to find and follow them across various platforms. This uniformity contributes to building trust and credibility, presenting a cohesive and professional image to the public.
Using a consistent username for personal hashtags further strengthens your brand's presence and visibility on social media. Hashtags serve as a powerful tool for organizing content and making it discoverable to a broader audience. When your hashtag matches your username, it enhances the association between your brand and the content you create. This makes it easier for your audience to engage with your posts, follow ongoing campaigns, and participate in conversations related to your brand.
Using a consistent username as your website domain name offers several advantages. Firstly, it reinforces your brand's identity by maintaining uniformity across social media and your website. This consistency helps your audience easily connect your online presence, whether they are visiting your social media profiles or your website. When users see a familiar name, it instills a sense of trust and reliability, making them more likely to engage with your content and services.
Establishing a personal brand requires several elements, and one of the most crucial is a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It is the first thing people notice about your brand and often the lasting impression they carry with them. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for creating a strong and recognizable personal brand.
Creating a strong personal brand involves several key elements, and one of the most crucial is having a distinctive logo. A logo serves as the visual representation of your brand, encapsulating your identity, values, and professionalism in a single image. It's often the first thing people notice about your brand and can leave a lasting impression. Therefore, investing in a well-designed logo is essential for building a recognizable and impactful personal brand.
I decided to come up with five easy to follow tips that EVERYONE on social media needs to follow to better represent their brand. The brand can be a business or for you yourself personally because you are your own brand. This isn't just for social media, but a set of five easy rules for life too.
A lot of people want their social media presence to be impeccable and think the only way to achieve that is by living life virtually and putting the best version of themselves out online. The general public will see that as a fake and you still have a life to live. Unless you are making money from the internet, please do not treat it as a job onto itself. You have far better things to do.
Making unique content is important. This does not mean to not post the same core content on your Twitter as you did your TikTok and Instagram but it does mean not to copy what others are doing with the exception of trends. Posting trends is a great way to get more followers on your video platforms. I am even leery of the Pinterest posts that say "365 Blog Post Titles to Get You Started" because of how many others may use the exit same name and idea. Be original and if you can't be original, at least be creative in your subterfuge and originality will ensue from that. Every once in a while I will post something others are suggesting, such as "post your work area on social media." the get mixed results and I feel mike a dancing monkey when I do it without the reward of some peanuts in the end and I only do it if I haven't posted anything in a while or to break up monotonous postings like when I did 15 days from Monday to Friday for three weeks of my various social media outlets and how to follow me. It got boring less than half way through yet they were scheduled for 1PM every day still and I hadn't gone anywhere with exceptional food or views at the time to show pictures of as a way to break it up a little bit.
This tip was inspired by LinkedIn, but works with anything social really. LinkedIn is nothing more than a dick measuring contest between professionals. Don't get me wrong, I love LinkedIn and love measuring my own dick, but part of a proper dick measuring is honesty. If you are just adding someone so you can sell them something, just be upfront about that and don't try acting like you are old buddies.
Engaging, topical, educational, informative, and funny are your five main motivators for people to engage with you. Think of a dog at a party. If you are having a party and a golden retriever came in, EVERYBODY would love the dog more than anyone else. The dog would make a bunch of friends and be more popular than the most popular person there, because dogs are fun and engaging. If you can teach people something and they enjoy learning, they will follow you for more. IF you are informing them of a news event, people will follow you for more. How many news outlets do you follow on Twitter? Comedians also have huge follow numbers on social media. Have you ever wondered why?
Gary Lee often tells people to "be authentic." Though I generally appreciate what he has built and have learned a lot from him, I find it humorous that "be yourself" is his sage-like advice and it works because so many people don't think to just not lie to people or try to make themselves seem to be of greater importance. Because of my current job, I fly a lot. In the last six years I have been on more than 300 flights including connections, which became a way of life during and after the COVID-19 scare. I've flown a lot. I have sat in every row from the mouth to the asshole on a number of different flights. So I love when I am online and you see the woman with her Gucci handbag and sunglasses acting like a roll model to the next year's cast of Sugar Babies posting pictures of how successful she is and she posts a picture out of the window on takeoff...behind the wing when my broke ass even gets to sit forward of that. She is trying to show herself to be more successful than she is, playing on people's lack of deductive reasoning that she is sitting in the cheap seats. Guys do it too and all the time too. There is huge money in renting a Lamborghini for the day in Miami and taking pictures of people posing in front of it by the beachfront so guys can be posers on their social media and Tinder profiles. both men and women try to mimic people they can't afford to be even though they still have something others could learn from. Authenticity is so very important and sadly will set you apart from the crowd.
I always enjoy writing these and sharing what I know or have researched with others and I hope people get something out of my postings. I personally get something out of coming up with infographics like I did here for my social media shares and now I am writing blog pieces on them so it gave me extra content that is evergreen.
So where do you eat?
There’s an old adage for traveling that says you don’t eat places you can eat at home. So where do I recommend eating? In no particular order, they are:
In-N-Out Burger. Good price. I’m not a fan but I’m alone in that. Everyone I know loves them and it’s cheap enough for a lunch stop and two meals out for the day if you find another place with a reasonable price. I know they are a chain place but Las Vegas or Phoenix are probably the farthest East they go.
Where do you drink?
What do you do?
Remember the point of this piece was to help you save money. If you can afford to stay at the Wynn, this wasn’t for you. This was for the average person to maximize their Vegas vacation.
This year I am keeping things simple and doing four small goals for my New Year’s resolution. I’ve failed in years past with lofty goals and even tried breaking the, into monthly resolutions, which would work normally, but but the last eighteen months has been rather unusual with a lot of things coming my way unexpectedly. I’ve basically been on autopilot. I’m focusing just on my digital presence for my resolutions this year. Don’t get me wrong. I do have other goals as well, but I need to achieve them or work towards them at my own pace without the stress of a 365 day timeframe hanging over my head.
This cryptocurrency touts themselves as “The Cryptocurrency for Christians” and on their website, they are rather heavy-handed on their Christian-based marketing…and it’s kind of genius. To be frank, God sells better than anything else. All cryptocurrencies make money for existing from people buying into them and this one uses 10% of its profits to help impoverished children in Africa through orphanage sponsorships. They also require 75% of the donations to be used to directly support the child and only a 25% overhead. In essence, they believe in something and work for it. I really like that. They are one-sixth of their all time high, but like Phoenixcoin, I see this as an undervalued cryptocurrency and they have been around for less than one year as I write this so I feel this has strong potential. In the near future, I would like to see christian sellers (bookstores etc.) start accepting this currency as well as an easy direct tithing method for churches. Those would make me feel better about this coin, but it is still going in my “buy” list.
This morning I should be waking up for the day, right around the time of this 9AM posting, with a dehydration headache and a sunburn. It’s become an annual tradition that came to an abrupt end last year. I know, sunburns aren’t healthy and I need to drink more water when I’m in the sun all day, but it’s one day a year so please, cut me some slack. Last night should have been the annual fireworks display in Michigan City, the culmination of an entire day of beach-going fun, but it didn’t happen.
My last piece, 
I know a big part of my audience is involved with various Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) organizations. Another name for an MLM is “Network Marketing.” The two are nearly interchangeable in every aspect, so I will just refer to them as MLMs since the word is shorter. This piece is directly related to that industry and ways to use multiple types of online tools to your advantage, but it will be of interest to any business as well. It is intended as a quick overview of what can be done online to help drive MLM style sales and use a generic MLM design for any examples. One thing that I do assume here is that you do understand how to use social media a little bit and know some of what I am talking about.
One issue many businesses have is increasing their Facebook presence. First, people think Facebook matters and it actually does, but it should only be used as one piece of your social media campaign. With that said, I hope to give some insight on how to grow a Facebook presence on the cheap. Yes, I will be breaking one of my cardinal rules in my advice and that means you may have to spend a few dollars. As my readers all know, I am one cheap bastard and I hate spending money on social media. My tips are geared around a frugal method on increasing your presence, but I will spend some of your money in this one as a potential option.
Last Tuesday was the Primary Election in Indiana for municipalities and in that light, it’s time for our post-primary healing. I’m not sure if it’s by design, but primaries splinter our party into factions and then afterwards, we need to work together for a common goal of winning for our candidates. We need to let our wounds heal and put aside the differences that divided us and be a whole party again.
Why did you go into business for yourself? I bet it wasn’t as a means to avoid your family and miss your friends. At a certain point, “daddy has to work” or ” mommy is bringing home McDonald’s” just doesn’t cut it and you need to scale back your time at work. How do you do that? Why should you do that? Does your family really “understand” why you’re not home?
I love Pinterest. Now I am not a middle-aged housewife with a pill and gin problem or a middle-aged woman who still wears flip-flops and posts about wine all the time, yet denies she has a drinking problem. I am a guy and I have found Pinterest as one of the best ways to get your point out to the masses and I have some awesome tips for my readers in this piece. Anyone wanting to send information out en mass should read this about Pinterest. This piece started as a project after I gave a good friend of mine advice on how to market a product she is selling with the bulk of orders being online, so thank you Deb for inspiring this piece with our text message conversation.