Holla! /?hälä/
(Not to be confused with ¡Hola!)
Hi, my name is Steven. I’m a Gemini. I like long walks on the beach, holding hands and intimate candlelight dinners.
WAIT! Shoot, that’s my online dating profile. Sorry. Let’s start again.
This website used to be SocialMarketingPlanet.com, which sort of explains the quote below. At least in my mind. Just pretend that you understand where that comes from, the rest of this bio will make complete sense. ?
Oh man, this is sooo embarrassing…this site is NOT about Social Media, nor is it “Social Marketing Planet” any longer. But, it’s part of my story so grab a cold beverage (or a hot one, doesn’t really matter) and read all the way to the end. I promise it will make sense at some point. Or not…
I’m Steven B. O’Sullivan (the original Steve O :-)) and I created this site for you. I know it’s kind of crazy, a social media and marketing site from a guy who is basically an introvert and semi-antisocial. But, that’s the reality of the online world. Anyone can do anything if they have the passion and cojones to do it.
I started Social Marketing Planet to help solo entrepreneurs and small business owners who are overwhelmed and confused by trying to understand and actually do marketing (in general) and social media marketing (specifically) in a way that doesn’t take up their whole day and make them want to tear their hair out.
The Big Bang
At a marketing event in 2011, I was constantly asked: “What do you do?” And I kept trying to tell them all the stuff I do. You know, internet marketing stuff, blogs, social media, copywriting, blah blah blah, the laundry list of things that I’m fabulous at. That’s when I came up with my tagline:
because that’s really the essence of what I do. And when I answered the question “what do you do?” with I make you famous on the internet, everybody got it. Instantly.
I was at a Meetup recently and was asked the same question. I listed the usual yadda yadda of what I do, and a guy behind me said, “Oh, you’re the Mechanic of Internet Marketing”. THAT’S IT! That’s me!
The Birth of The Planet
Way back in 2007 I started my company, DoorJamb Productions as a hobby and just for fun. I taught myself how to build a website, how to edit photos in Photoshop and how to produce audio tracks. I made a few meditation tracks for a meditation group I was part of and built a few websites for my friends and myself. Then I started to learn about marketing and the fire was lit.
In 2011, my inadvertent business became a full-time gig, but my blog doorjambproductions.com lacked a good brand and, well, everything else a good website needs. Chicks did NOT like the name, Dudes loved it. But most people who were finding my site were searching for “how to install a door jamb”. WTH?! Time for a complete makeover!
I was stumped for a good name, luckily my good friend came up with
Social Marketing Planet and a new star was born.
Before the Big Bang, I Dug Ditches for 17 Years
It’s true. My passion before I became a marketer was landscape construction. I loved it! Again, I was the “handyman” of landscaping. I built custom decks and fences, arbors, installed irrigation, sod, plants, outdoor lighting, built things with brick and stone, you name it, I did it. I even had one of my decks published in a Rodale book. That was a helluva ego boost.
Back then, when people would ask what I do, I would say, “I did ditches for a living”. They’d laugh. The guy who taught me the fine art of landscape contracting, Woody <insert your own joke here>, would always say that all that landscapers do is dig holes and fill them back in. Another good line.
Digging Ditches is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
The reason I mention that I dug ditches for a living is just to illustrate the fact that I had a less than technology-based job for my first career. So, if I can do it, you can do it.
But, here’s the thing, my first assignment as an apprentice “landscraper” was to dig a ditch 3 feet deep, 2 feet wide and 100 feet long…on the side of a hill. No, I’m not kidding. (And actually, there were 4 of these that had to be done.) I accomplished this one shovel full at a time. I mastered the art of digging before I mastered the art of planting, building and running my own business. But 4 years later, I had my Landscape Contractors License.
Social Media, Marketing and the Art of Ditch Digging
I learned about marketing and social media the same way I learned how to dig holes. I mastered the basics first and continued to add new skills along the way. I made some money with the first website I ever built; I’ve been at this for about 7 years now, and I make a LOT more money now.
The Official BÖring Bio
(or, It’s Better to Be a Serial Entrepreneur Than a Serial Killer)
Steven B. O’Sullivan is a Social Media and Digital Marketing expert who helps entrepreneurs leverage social media, and digital marketing tools to build the “know, like and trust” factor online. Better relationships and greater visibility mean more clients and more income.
Steven has been a cereal serial entrepreneur for over 30 years, running a variety of businesses including landscape construction, real estate, and small business coaching.
Steven works with business owners who want to impact our rapidly changing world, in a BIG way. His clients learn how to achieve better results in less time using WordPress, Email Marketing, SEO (search engine optimization) and social networking sites.
The Life of a Citizen
Here are a few completely self-indulgent facts about me.
- I was run over by my Mom’s car when I was 18 months old (I think that’s why I’m so tall)
- I was born and raised in Palo Alto, now the heart of Silicon Valley
- I actually do like long walks on the beach
- I’m the proud Papa of a wonderful daughter who is a Performance Artist in New York City
- I’m an excellent cook, love photography, music and all things geeky
- I build my own computers
- I’ve been told my sense of humor is “quirky” which I take as a compliment
- My heroes are: My Dad, Walt Disney, and Albert Einstein
- I love Geek humor like “It’s all in your <head>!”
UPDATE!
The Planet Fell into a Black Hole…
After a few years of doing only Social Media, I got bored. There are just so many times you can talk about Facebook without being redundantly redundant. Yawn…
Besides, everyone and her sister decided to be a Social Media expert and frankly, most of my clients didn’t have a solid online foundation for their business. So, back to my roots and back to www.SteveOSullivan.com, my first WordPress site. Social marketing is still a great addition to your online efforts, but it is a supplement, not a business model.
First things first…
Most small business owners need a website that attracts visitors and actually makes money for them rather than being just an online brochure. Then they need to build a list (that is an email list, that they own) and then they can think about other marketing channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Advanced SEO and paying for traffic.
I can give you the tools to do all of these things, but you’ve got to master the fundamentals first because marketing tactics come and go but fundamentals stay steadfast.
I’ve made all the mistakes for you, wasted all the money on useless marketing programs for you, so you don’t have to. I’ve made and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years and you get to benefit from all this expensive experience included in the price. No extra charge. 🙂
If you made it this far, thank you! You have true intestinal fortitude!
Yours,
Steven B. O’Sullivan