Spent an hour this morning on the phone with my friend Ken McCarthy, talking about his popular Internet Marketing event The System Seminar. This year it’ll be in April, in Chicago, and I’m really looking forward to speaking and hanging out with a few hundred sharp entrepreneurs.
I’m slated to talk twice at the event, once on what I call Strategic Blogging, and once on a topic that might even be more near and dear to my heart, Finding Work / Life Balance. Indeed, that’s much of what we talked about on our call this morning, while my 10yo daughter lay sick on the couch just a few feet away from me. If you have a life outside of your work, you know what I’m talking about…
The good news? You can register for Ken’s free interview call series and get lots of great info from an extraordinary lineup of faculty by listening to all of the calls: The System Teleseminar Series.
Keep reading, though, please, as I have more reasons why you might just want to join us in Chicago for this event…
[A disclaimer: yes, these are affiliate links in this article. We talk about that on the call, but it’s one way to answer the question of “how do I make sales or earn money through my blogging efforts?” If you click, register, and end up joining us at the conference, I’ll make a small commission, which helps me keep my business running. It’s a win:win, and it’s an important underpinning of the entire idea of online marketing in my book]
Last year, I attended The System and really enjoyed myself, both because of the calibre of the speakers and of the smarts of the attendees. Unlike just about every other event I attend, people who go to The System actually do their homework, study the speakers, and already have ideas about who offers them the most benefit and will help them take their business to the next level. Some, of course, have the proverbial blank slate and go to the event hoping to get a great inspiration, an “a ha!” moment that will let them create a successful business, but I found them in the minority. Most people are interested in taking their business and transforming it into a 2x, 5x or even 20x machine.
We all had a great time last year, actually, and I have become good friends with many of the faculty, notably including WordPress expert Sherman Hu, PR guru Marc Harty, business guru Brad Fallon, physical product sales expert Andy Jenkins, eBay expert Sidney Johnston, marketing wiz Declan Dunn, audio geek and generally funny guy Dave Stewart, Taguchi geek David Bullock, and, of course, Ken McCarthy himself. In fact, now that I think about it, just about every one of these experts is also darn funny, with lots of amusing stories, anecdotes, and a great information delivery style. If only my college years would have been populated with such superb speakers!
Anyway, suffice to say that it’s going to be a great few days chock-a-block with great speakers, great networking, and lots of fun and laughs too. Even better, an offer: I’ll take everyone who uses my affiliate link to sign up for the conference out for drinks during the conference and give you a free signed copy of my book Growing Your Business with Google. That’s a good deal, eh?
But more importantly, whether you want to attend or not, I’ll encourage you to go ahead and Sign up for The System Teleseminar Series. They’re free, and I know I’ll be listening to glean lots of great ideas between now and The System.
Once you listen to the call Ken and I just recorded, please come back here and give us your thoughts and response too, please. I think it’ll be interesting listening and, ultimately, I hope it also convinces you that The System Seminar would be a worthy addition to your annual travel and professional education calendar!
I can confirm several things Dave said in this entry. The System IS the best Internet marketing meeting I have ever attended (sorry I signed up directly with Ken, Dave, I could use that beer!)
I attended the sessions with Dave, Brad, Sherman and many more and came home with a tablet full of “a ha!” ideas. A couple of them have strongly enhanced my online businesses.
Highly recommended.
Interesting to note that apart from you and Ken, there is only one other of the faculty who has been in online marketing since at least 1995. Does that mean we have to call you Sir? 🙂
Can I quote you on the ‘drinks’ and free ‘book’ – will try to atend, looks to be a good time ! Cheers !
Hi Dave,
It’s been two days since I saw you give your thoughtful presentation on balancing work and life at the System seminar. Even though I heard several excellent presentations by other speakers since then, I find myself going back to many of the points you made. You gave us a sane framework to approach all of our endeavors from, and for that I thank you.
When I saw your presentation last year, I recognized that you were teaching a potent strategy for successful internet marketing, but I was still in a mental place where my focus was easily subverted by other voices clamoring for my attention (damn you gurus!). I wish I could say that I got past that point quickly, but I didn’t. To be honest, it seems that I’m just now starting to find my center. It’s much clearer to me today that the approach and strategies you were teaching last year are still the ones that fit best with what I’m trying to accomplish.
Thanks so much for returning to the System seminar this year, and thanks for sharing in detail how your own efforts have resulted in a quality of life that most people think is unattainable in what they perceive as a sleep-when-you-die-dog-eat-dog world.
Dave,
I attended your break-out session at The System on blogging this past weekend. I really learned a lot — thank you!!
I am a complete newbie at the whole online thing, even though I’m into my third website revision in the last few years. I’ve decided to take control of my online presence and really develop something more meaningful than a 5-page postcard.
(I’m a full-time photographer, and attended The System looking for ways to differentiate myself from the competition, and possibly develop some information products to my clients and other photographers…)
Your session was one of several that were extremely informative and WELL worth the cost of admission. I will definitely be back next year! 🙂
John