Gresham Harkless shares his insights on building a successful media presence and the concept behind his “unique media pie” recipe.
He introduces his two main ventures; Blue 16 Media, a digital marketing company focusing on website development and online visibility. CB Nation, is a B2B brand providing resources such as blogs, videos, and podcasts to help entrepreneurs succeed.
Gresham emphasizes the significance of building a media company and being featured on other media platforms to extend reach and impact.
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Transcription:
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Gresham Harkless Teaser 00:00
I have two things that I manage. I have a digital marketing company called Blue16 Media, so I help people build websites and be found online.
And then when I'm not doing that, I have a B2B brand called CB Nation where I basically help entrepreneurs be successful by providing them loads of content and blogs, videos, and and podcasts to be successful.
Intro 00:20
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast.
I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you could do is be on somebody else's media company.
So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast, and I want to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the 8 business pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content and a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing.
So make sure, of course, that you subscribe to our podcast, but, of course, you take some time out. Check out the show notes.
And subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well too and get to learn about some of those 8 business pillars and how you can continue to leverage and build that up so you can go from builder to architect to, of course, rock star and luminary.
So this is Greg signing out. I hope you enjoy this I am CEO special episode.
Cristina Smith 01:13
Hi. I'm Christina Smith, creator along with my brother, puzzle master Rick Smith, of the award-winning best selling yoga for the brain series of profound philosophy and fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun puzzle books.
We are celebrating the release of our 6th best selling book in the series, Life Wisdom Word Search: Yoga for the Brain featuring sixty contributing authors.
And today, we have with us the author of puzzle number forty three, Bake Your Unique Media Pie, Gresham Harkless. Hi, Gresh.
Gresham Harkless 01:49
Hi, Christina. Great to be on. I appreciate being a part of all everything you're doing.
[restrict paid=”true”]
Cristina Smith 01:53
Oh, thank you. And I love all of our synergy together. You're a great person in my world. So thank you so much for participating in, Life Wisdom Word Search. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Gresham Harkless 02:06
Yes. Absolutely. So I'm in the Washington DC area in Alexandria, Virginia. If you're super familiar with the area, I'm pretty much a busybody. I've been around this area for as long as I can remember.
Went to school in DC, but I have two things that I manage. I have a digital marketing company called Blue16 Media, so I help people build websites and be found online.
And then when I'm not doing that, I, have a B2B brand called CB Nation where I basically help entrepreneurs be successful by providing them loads of content and blogs, videos, and and podcasts to be successful.
Cristina Smith 02:40
And I AM CEO, which is behind you, is one of your brands, isn't it?
Gresham Harkless 02:44
Yes. Absolutely. It's the name of the podcast.
Cristina Smith 02:46
Yeah. You are quite an exceptional entrepreneur, and that's why we wanted to help our readers bake their unique media pie. And what I love about your puzzle is you talk about your recipe.
So could you talk a little bit about your recipe for breaking a unique media pie, whether you're in business or whether you're retired or whether you're a teenager? Can you just go through that a little bit?
Gresham Harkless 03:11
Yeah. Absolutely. The recipe is definitely an acronym for, how you can, basically create change and impact in whatever it is that you do.
So for me, I was actually a ten year old kid and, my dad went TDY. So when he went TDY, I created a family newspaper and that family newspaper was a way for me to make money as a ten year old for whatever I needed to make money for, who knows what.
But it was also a way for me to connect with my dad pre Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. So I have this same kind of acronym that I say recipe that you can do no matter what you're trying to accomplish.
So the R basically stands for remembering your goals. Like, are you a young kid that maybe wants to connect with their father that went to a different country?
Are you a mom that maybe wants to get the the stop sign put outside of your house because people are running through.
But the most important thing that we have to remember is just to remember where exactly we're, trying to go. The E's all about, figuring out exactly how to engage, educate, entertain, and enlighten people in what ways you're going to leverage to use that.
So in this day and age, we have so many different ways that we can do that, whether that be social media.
So maybe you can create the mom group that's going to rally the troops around your goal. Or maybe if you're a business owner, maybe you want to be active on LinkedIn, but the whole idea is really figure out what are those, I call them ingredients, that are essential to what it is that you're gonna do.
And then the E is all about, I mean, the C is all about, creating that foundation. So when you're creating a pie, like, where is everything gonna go?
So you wanna have your crust there so that the ingredients and everything you put in doesn't go everywhere.
So really figuring out, like, what you're trying to bring people back to. Do you want them to come to the PTA meeting? Do you want them to, subscribe to your podcast? Do you want them to maybe buy a copy of your book?
All of that comes back to where that foundation is and what you're trying to do and accomplish. I, as I touched on deals and these ingredients, figuring out what you're gonna do, and what those essential things to you getting to your goal are.
And then, with that being said, you're gonna pick, exactly what ingredients you want. You're gonna prepare it, and then you're gonna put it into the oven just like a pie.
So that's the whole entire idea, the P or those three P's that are essential. And then the E is the absolute favorite part, which is to enjoy the process and, of course, enjoy the pie.
So make sure that everything you're putting into, with love and care that you get to enjoy that process as well too.
But that's a little bit about the recipe that's near and dear to my heart as a business owner, but also near and dear to anybody that's hoping to accomplish anything, in their life.
Cristina Smith 05:56
Well, you know what's really great about your recipe? It gets rid of all those should’s because if it doesn't feel good, if it doesn't smell good, if it doesn't taste good, if it doesn't make you happy in your recipe, it's out of here. Right?
Gresham Harkless 06:09
Cut it out.
Cristina Smith 06:10
It's your pie, so you get to make it the way you want. So anybody who says you should be doing some kind of social media and you really can't stand it, don't do it.
It's just, you just gotta find what works for you. And, Gresh, I know you're a big puzzle guy because you put together this wonderful acronym RECIPE, favorite.
Gresham Harkless 06:37
And I've done a fair share of Sudoku puzzles and it's this reminded me of some of those things because I had gotten away from it.
But just kind of having your mind busy around things like that, those kind of logic puzzles, I always enjoy as well too. But, yeah, it's definitely something that's near and dear to my heart.
Cristina Smith 06:58
Well, what I love about puzzles, and I like to do Sudoku and word search too. It takes me out of it helps you to stop thinking about whatever it is that you're focused on so that you can have what I call like white space in your brain for a new idea to come in.
So it engages your mind so that more information can come in. It's kind it doesn't make a lot of logical sense, but it makes a lot of sense from a mind integration perspective. Right?
Gresham Harkless 07:26
Absolutely. I guess some of the best ideas have come from people taking showers or going for a run, and it's because you're so obsessed on what you're trying to change.
But sometimes if you take a step away from it, it allows your mind to work in a different way. You can come back to it and then how to find everything.
Cristina Smith 07:44
Yeah. You get a fresh perspective, like making your own fresh media pie. Well, if you wanna read all about Gresham's famous recipe for baking your unique media pie, you can pick up your copy of Life Wisdom Word Search: Yoga for the Brain on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, target.com, independent bookstores everywhere.
And maybe even you could buy one from an author if you are connected with them, who knows? But pick one up, enjoy it, and enjoy baking your own media pie. Thanks so much. Thanks, Gresh. Nice to see you. Thanks for participating.
Outro 08:23
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast.
Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these 8 pillars to show you as a builder how you can leverage these 8 pillars and really level up there so it helps to level up your business and organization.
So hope you enjoy this episode, and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on their episode, and, of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well too.
This is Gresh signing out. Hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
Title: Transcript - Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:42:36 GMT
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:42:36 GMT, Duration: [00:08:58.15]
[00:00:00.20] - Gresham Harkless
I have two things that I manage. I have a digital marketing company called Blue sixteen Media, so I help people build websites and be found online. And then when I'm not doing that, I, have a b to b brand called CB Nation where I basically help entrepreneurs be successful by providing them loads of content and blogs, videos, and and podcasts to be successful.
[00:00:20.39] - Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast, and I wanted to share with you one of the episodes that I was a guest on for someone else's podcast. I always talk about how important it is to build a media company. One of the next best things you could do is be on somebody else's media company. So I had the pleasure of being a guest on this podcast, and I want to share a little snippet with you because it would help support the eight business pillars we've really been trying to focus on with a lot more of our content and a lot more of the solo episodes that I'm doing. So make sure, of course, that you subscribe to our podcast, but, of course, you take some time out. Check out the show notes and subscribe to the podcast that I've been featured on as well too and get to learn about some of those eight business pillars and how you can continue to kinda leverage and build that up so you can go from builder to architect to, of course, rock star and luminary. So this is Greg signing out. I hope you enjoy this I am CEO special episode.
[00:01:13.29] - Cristina Smith
Hi. I'm Christina Smith, creator along with my brother, puzzle master Rick Smith, of the award winning best selling yoga for the brain series of profound philosophy and fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun puzzle books. We are celebrating the release of our sixth best selling book in the series, life wisdom word search yoga for the brain featuring sixty contributing authors. And today, we have with us the author of puzzle number forty three, Bake Your Unique Media Pie, Gresham Harkless. Hi, Gresh.
[00:01:49.09] - Gresham Harkless
Hi, Christina. Great to be on. I I appreciate being a part of all everything you're doing.
[00:01:53.70] - Cristina Smith
Oh, thank you. And I love I love all of our synergy together. I you're you're a great person in my world. So thank you so much for participating in, Life Wisdom Word Search. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
[00:02:06.40] - Gresham Harkless
Yes. Absolutely. So I'm in the Washington DC area in Alexandria, Virginia. If you're super familiar with the area, I'm pretty much a busybody. I've been around this area for as long as I can remember. Went to school in DC, but I have two things that I manage. I have a digital marketing company called Blue sixteen Media, so I help people build websites and be found online. And then when I'm not doing that, I, have a b to b brand called CB Nation where I basically help entrepreneurs be successful by providing them loads of content and blogs, videos, and and podcasts to be successful.
[00:02:40.19] - Cristina Smith
And I am CEO, which is behind you, is one of your brands, isn't it?
[00:02:44.09] - Gresham Harkless
Yes. Absolutely. It's the name of the podcast.
[00:02:46.00] - Cristina Smith
Yeah. You are you are quite an exceptional entrepreneur, and that's why we wanted to help you help our readers bake their unique media pie. And you know what I love about your puzzle is you talk about your recipe. So could you talk a little bit about your recipe for breaking a unique media pie, whether you're in business or whether you're retired or whether you're a teenager? Can you just kinda go through that a little bit?
[00:03:11.40] - Gresham Harkless
Yeah. Absolutely. The recipe is is is definitely an acronym for, how you can, basically create change and and impact in whatever it is that you do. So for me, I was actually a ten year old kid and, my dad went TDY. So when he went TDY, I created a family newspaper and that family newspaper was a way for me to make money as a ten year old for whatever I needed to make money for, who knows what. But it was also a way for me to connect with my dad pre Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. So I have this same kind of acronym that I say recipe that you can do no matter what you're trying to accomplish. So the r basically stands for remembering your goals. Like, are you a young kid that maybe wants to to connect with their father that went to a different country? Are you a a mom that maybe wants to get the the stop sign put outside of your house because people are running through. But the most important thing that we have to remember is just to to remember where exactly we're we're, trying to go. The e's all about, figuring out exactly how to engage, educate, entertain, and enlighten people in in what ways you're going to to leverage to use that. So in this day and age, we have so many different ways that we can do that, whether that be social media. So maybe you can create the mom group that's going to to to rally the troops around your goal. Or or maybe if you're a business owner, maybe you want to be active on LinkedIn, but the whole idea is really figure out what are those, I call them ingredients, that are essential to what it is that you're gonna do. And then the e is all about, I mean, the c is all about, I mean, the c is all about, creating that foundation. So where when you're creating a pie, like, where is everything gonna go? So you wanna have your crust there so that the ingredients and everything you put in doesn't go everywhere. So really figuring out, like, what you're trying to bring people back to. Do you want them to come to the PTA meeting? Do you want them to, subscribe to your podcast? Do you want them to maybe buy a copy of your book? All of that comes back to where that foundation is and and what you're trying to do and accomplish. I, as I touched on deals and these ingredients, figuring out what you're gonna do, and what those essential things to you getting to your goal are. And then, with that being said, you're gonna pick, exactly what ingredients you want. You're gonna prepare it, and then you're gonna put it into the oven just like a pie. So that's the whole entire idea, the p or those three p's that are essential. And then the e is the absolute favorite part, which is to enjoy the process and, of course, enjoy the pie. So make sure that everything you're putting into, with love and care that you get to enjoy that that process as well too. But that's a little bit about the the recipe that's near and dear to my heart as a business owner, but also near and dear to anybody that's hoping to accomplish anything, in their life.
[00:05:56.50] - Gresham Harkless
Well, you
[00:05:56.69] - Cristina Smith
know what's really great about your recipe? It kinda gets rid of all those shoulds because if it doesn't feel good, if it doesn't smell good, if it doesn't taste good, if it doesn't make you happy in your recipe, it's out of here. Right?
[00:06:09.80] - Gresham Harkless
Cut it
[00:06:10.19] - Cristina Smith
out. It's your it's your pie, so you get to make it the way you want. So anybody who says you should be doing some kind of social media and you really can't stand it, don't do it. You know, it's just, you just gotta find what works for you. And, Gresh, I know you're a big puzzle guy because you put together this wonderful acronym recipe, favorite. And
[00:06:37.19] - Gresham Harkless
and I I I I've
[00:06:37.39] - Gresham Harkless
I've done a fair share of,
[00:06:37.60] - Gresham Harkless
of, Sudoku puzzles,
[00:06:37.80] - Gresham Harkless
puzzles, and and it's it's this kinda reminded me of some of those things because I had gotten away from it, but just kind of having your mind busy around things like that, those kind of logic puzzles, I always enjoy as well too. But, yeah, it's definitely something that's near and dear to my heart.
[00:06:58.50] - Cristina Smith
Well, what what I love about puzzles, and I I like to do Sudoku and and word search too. It takes me out of it helps you to stop thinking about whatever it is that you're you're focused on so that you can have what I call like white space in your brain for a new idea to come in. So it it it engages your mind so that more information can come in. It's kind it doesn't make a lot of logical sense, but it makes a lot of sense from a mind integration perspective.
[00:07:26.89] - Gresham Harkless
Right? Absolutely. I guess some some of the best ideas have come from people, you know, taking showers or going for a run, and it's because, you know, you're so obsessed on what you're trying to change. But sometimes if you take a step away from it, it allows your your mind to kinda work in a different way. You can come back to it and and then you know how to find everything.
[00:07:44.60] - Cristina Smith
Yeah. You get a fresh perspective, like making your own fresh media pie. Well, if you wanna read all about Gresha's famous recipe for baking your unique media pie, you can pick up your copy of Life Wisdom Word Search Yoga for the Brain on amazon dot com, barnesandnoble dot com, target dot com, independent bookstores everywhere, and maybe even you could buy one from an author if you are connected with them, Who knows? But pick one up, enjoy it, and enjoy baking your own media pie. Thanks so much. Thanks, Gresh. Nice to see you. Thanks for participating. Bye bye. JJ.
[00:08:23.80] - Gresham Harkless
Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I am CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars to show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there so it helps to level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoy this episode, and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on their episode, and, of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well too. This is Grass signing out. Hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.
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