Being an independent doesn’t mean you’re an “island.” You need to have friends and connections, too! This marketing marvel can help you with that.

Monday: MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels FROM THE DESK OF MILES EVERSON: Dale Carnegie is an American writer, lecturer, and developer of some courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills. He was the author of the 1936 book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”―a bestseller that remains popular even until today. Carnegie is known as one of the greatest sales people to ever live, as well as a great marketer for valuing good interpersonal relationships with others. He was also an expert in communication―a skill that’s critical to any marketing role. Keep reading to know Carnegie’s experiences can inspire you and make a life-changing impact in your independent professional career. CEO, MBO Partners Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute

Being an independent doesn’t mean you’re an “island.” You need to have friends and connections, too! This marketing marvel can help you with that. Dale Carnegie: American writer, lecturer, and marketer You really cannot judge a book by its cover. Who would’ve thought that this baby who was born into poverty on a farm in Missouri would turn out to be one of the best marketers, lecturers, writers, and public speakers that have ever existed? Dale Carnegie is the second son of farmers James William Carnagey and Amanda Elizabeth Harbison. He grew up in Bedison, Missouri and during his childhood, he attended rural Rose Hill and Harmony one-room schools. By the time he reached 16 years of age, Carnegie and his family moved to Warrensburg, Missouri. As a child, he enjoyed speaking in public. He even joined his high school’s debate team! Carnegie used to get up at 3 a.m. to feed the pigs and milk his parents’ cows before going to school. That sense of responsibility was carried by Carnegie all throughout his life. During his high school years, he became more interested in listening to various speeches at different Chautauqua assemblies. [Chautauqua: An adult education and social movement that was highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the US.] In 1906, Carnegie completed his high school education and 2 years later, he graduated college from the State Teacher’s College in Warrensburg. His first job was selling correspondence courses to ranchers and selling bacon, soap, and lard for Armour & Company. Carnegie was successful in sales and made his sales territory of Nebraska the national leader for the firm! After saving USD 500, he quit sales to pursue his dream of becoming a Chautauqua lecturer. However, he ended up attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, but found little success in being an actor. What followed after that stint was finally a dream-come-true for Carnegie… Settling at the YMCA on 125th Street, he decided to teach public speaking and he persuaded the YMCA manager to allow him to instruct a class in return for 80% of the net proceeds. Guess what happened after his first class? He ran out of materials! … yet the show must still go on. Improvising, Carnegie told his students to speak about something that made them angry. From there, he discovered that such a method of teaching made speakers unafraid to deliver a speech or presentation in front of an audience. As he gained momentum in being a public speaking lecturer, his classes became successful and he began teaching in packed houses. This further motivated Carnegie to tap into an average American’s desire to develop self-confidence. By the year 1914, he was earning USD 500 (equivalent to around USD 12,900 today) every week! That’s not where Carnegie’s story ended. During his work as a public speaking lecturer, he took note of his experiences and learnings and compiled them into book form with the title, “Public Speaking: A Practical Course for Business Men.” At this time, he also served as manager for a lecture tour with another American writer, Lowell Thomas. Aside from creating a book about public speaking, Carnegie saw success with his hugely popular book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” This book emphasized that an individual’s attitude is important to their success in life and career. Here, Carnegie capitalized on Americans’ longing for success by selling advice that helped readers become successful in achieving their goals. Carnegie’s success as a public speaker and writer also led him to establish his own Dale Carnegie Institute, which exists until today. Public speaking, or at least having the confidence to speak before an audience, is an important skill that everyone must develop regardless of his or her career and status in life. As an independent professional, you must also take this into practice as there will be times when you have to speak to clients, customers, colleagues, and others who are part of your network. Being able to professionally and confidently speak in public is a good skill to add to your arsenal as this will contribute to the achievement of your goals. If your clients and prospects see that you are confident enough to face them and talk to them, they will also be confident to entrust you with their needs and project requests. Who knows? Sooner or later you’ll be able to grow your client base and strengthen your brand in your field of expertise through the help of public speaking! Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn.     Stay tuned for next Monday’s MicroBusiness Marvels! Learn more about Walt Disney on next week’s MicroBusiness and Marketing Marvels!