Stories of Our Journeys

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When it comes to smart geeks and bloggers, Chris Garrett is at the top of many people’s lists. A former advertising executive turned full-time blogger and Internet marketing strategist, Chris Garrett travels around the world presenting training programs and speaking at conferences on social media, marketing, and blogging. He is also the author of the best selling book, ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, co-authored with Darren Rowse of Problogger fame. He’s also just released a new free ebook, Killer Flagship Content.

Garrett specializes in non-profits, small business, and major corporations, helping them understand the intricate workings of the Internet.

In his latest ebook, he covers the importance of blog content and messaging as part of your branding and customer reach, part of an upcoming workshop he and Darren Rowse are producing on creating successful blog content.

In 2010, he and his family returned to his birthplace of Canada, finding his new country full of business opportunities and connections. He believes in what he calls “happy accidents” but lives for the risk, which is what motivated him to move from the United Kingdom to a new country.

It was only when we really burned our bridges, when we decided we are definitely doing this and we’re going to do 100% whatever it takes, that’s when everything seemed to conspire to help us. Before then it was slow it was like trying to wade through treacle, but when we were 100% decided, that’s when things changed. So, I think sometimes you do just to have leap and hope you don’t bang on rocks on the way down.

If you don’t take the risks then you don’t grow as a person and you don’t get the awards. It’s not like I was being macho about it I was scared to death at all times. I’m still scared to death. A lot of things scare me but there is some truth to feeling the fear and doing it anyway because if you want the rewards you have to go through what it takes.

I think we’re like sharks. If you’re not moving you’re dying. So, if you’re not taking risks, if you’re not doing new things, if you’re not growing, then you’re not standing still, you’re dying. You’re decaying. So I think that sometimes we have to understand which risks are worth taking and which risks are silly. Mitigate the risk as much as possible but then dive in with both feet. 

A passionate speaker, Garrett has spoken at many conferences and web events such as Blogworld and New Media Expo, the Successful Online Business Conference in Chicago, Think Visibility, Affiliate Expo, Wishlist Member Live, WordCamps, the Netherlands Social Media Congress, and the Institute of Fundraising, along with the dozens of webinars, teleseminars and virtual events annually.

Skier, snowboarder, ice skater, and occasional non-winter sports enthusiast, Garrett’s love of photography helped him connect with Darren Rowse who also produces the popular Digital Photography Tips: Digital Photography School. You can find examples on his Flickr account.

Garrett shares his passion for life and the web in this fascinating interview with host, Kym Huynh, looking at not just risk taking but the lessons he’s learned from more than twenty years online.

Resources

The following are some of Chris Garrett’s most popular posts.

• 10 Reasons Commenting is Good For Bloggers
• Naming Your Blog: How to Create Catchy Blog Names
• 10 Lessons Comic Books Can Teach Us About Blogging and Content Marketing
• Defeating Procrastination: Analysis Paralysis
• How To Create Pen Portraits and Understand Your Target Audience
• Learning From Your Blog
• Selling Information Products: The Four Big Myths of Information Product Creation
• Are You Too Busy to Write? Seven Ways to Blog More Productively — Chris Garrett on New Media

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