Day 26 - How a Movement Gains Momentum After Year One

In the first few months when I launched The Niche Movement, I initially wrote a handful of blog posts from “Leadership Lessons from Jay-Z” to “Skip Your Career Fair 30 Under 30 List”. In the beginning the blog posts were infrequent and I only wrote “when I had time.” Looking back on my “How I Found My Niche” series, I’m realizing blogging doesn’t take require more than 45-60 minutes of your time. Sure, writing day in and day out, it can add up, but when you have something you are passionate about, writing comes easy. In January 2014, a year after launching and building a tribe nationwide, I wanted to provide more content to The Niche Movement’s audience. After doing some research, I noticed that sites like the Huffington Post and Post Grad Problems provided content that was built on other contributing editors and bloggers. Second, on a weekly basis, I have people that stumble across the Niche Movement that want to help or have an idea that will resonate with twenty-somethings. Lastly, I wanted to give others a chance to share their real-world experiences and advice that aligned with the purpose of The Niche Movement.

In less than 6 months, we now have 12 contributing editors and have a total of 55 blog posts. In this time we have established a blogging schedule where we release at least one new blog post per week and have tripled our audience outreach.

The one contributing editor who has been the backbone of this new initiative and success has been Amma Marfo. Amma is is the Assistant Director of Student Activities for Involvement and Assessment at Emmanuel College in Boston, MA. Her values are completely in line with The Niche Movement and what I personally believe - specifically finding a career path that suits students skills and talents.

Getting to know Amma over the last several months, I have learned that she is a lifelong learner and avid reader/writer. At the top of her resume, aside from her full-time job at Emmanuel, is her accomplishment in writing her first book called “The I’s Have It: Reflections of Introversion in Student Affairs.”  See, Amma has a very eloquent writing style and has the amazing ability to take a recent book she has read and extract out the important or relevant pieces that will provide real world advice to college students. She has packaged her six blog posts into a “See What Sticks” series on our site.

One of my favorite See What Sticks blog posts Amma wrote was “Questlove’s Guide to Success at the Office.” In this post, Amma shared Questlove’s story for his love of music that has translated into a love of life and career advice. The biggest advice that Amma shared in this post that correlated to Questlove’s journey is that it may not be your first job out of college that will allow you to build your masterpiece but you will learn skills that will help you create it in the future.

After reading and sharing posts like this one with our audience, I cannot thank Amma enough for her sharing her wisdom to help recent graduates succeed in the real world. As I reflect on the decision to create a contributing editor style of writing for the Niche Movement’s blog, I am so thankful that talented writers like Amma are using The Niche Movement as a venue to inspire others. I created a platform for others to share their ideas, wisdom, experiences, and real-world advice and it is people like Amma who are taking this platform to the next level. Amma is not only helping build her brand, but she is offering much needed advice to an issue that too many young adults need to hear.

In addition to Amma’s writing skills, she also shares the same amazing qualities that several of the people I have already introduced possess: she is a connector, genuine, insightful, and most importantly, cares about other’s success. Because of these super powers, I invited Amma to be featured in our May #NicheStory interview and she graciously accepted. During the interview, we talked introversion as it relates to the job search and networking - a subject we are both passionate about. The great piece of advice Amma offered, is that people who are introverted are generally great at listening and storing information away for a future time. Introverts need to take advantage of this skill and use it to their advantage while in interviews and networking settings.

As we get closer to day 30 in this blogging journey you have seen how an idea that was created with a passion for helping college students has grown into what it is today. When you take a step back, The Niche Movement really began simply with the meetings in my office with students that needed career advice. Then it grew when I would go to a campus and speak to students, and grew more when I had our first virtual cohort. However, adding this component of contributing bloggers has amplified the message in ways I could have never done so alone.

What They Taught Me:

The experience of bringing Amma and other talented writers on board has opened my eyes up to a much better content creation model. Now when students go to the Niche Movement for advice they can find a wide variety of perspectives and ideas around the concept of finding their niche. Amma particularly offers our audience that identifies as introverts, excellent advice and helpful tips.

How They Inspired Me:

Amma has inspired me to write and to write often. As I near the end of my 30 day blogging journey, I have not only created a habit but a passion to write at least once a week and not just for the Niche Movement but for other blogs and for bigger projects. Getting to know Amma this year has been an opportunity that has helped me get closer to finding my niche, and has lead me to a new and exciting project I will be announcing on day 30.

#NicheTip:

If you have a passion for something or a vision, don’t rely solely on yourself to execute that vision. Find ways to include others in the process and you will not only be creating opportunities for others, but most importantly they will bring new life and diverse perspectives to the table. Your audience will appreciate the well-rounded content you provide. A movement may start with one person, but it only gains the momentum necessary to create change with the help of others.

Day 25 - Could Twitter Lead You Onto The Set Of A Documentary? It Did For This Student

In day 22’s post on Monday, I introduced Katie Bean as one of the biggest activators to help spread the Niche Movement when I launched it in early 2013. Because of Katie’s support, I was introduced to Nikki Uy. Nikki was a student at St. Joseph's University, when she was accepted into our first Niche Movement online cohort program in the spring of 2013. When I met Nikki, she was your typical student leader: - led a group of volunteers to teach ESL

- part of the school’s chapel choir

- Dean’s list

- and was part of the peer educator program.

Within the first few weeks of working with Nikki, I realized that as a junior in college she was close to finding her niche but didn’t know how to take the next step. She has a passion for speech therapy and teaching English as a second language to others. Specifically, Nikki wanted to learn how to help others tell their story by participating in our program. In reality, what Nikki needed, was a way to tell her story first, before she could help others tell their story.

I am a very big advocate for young adults to leverage digital networking and social media tools while keeping in mind that face to face conversations still is still the most valuable form of communication. On paper Nikki had a great resume from her extra-curricular experience at St. Joe’s, but she was missing a digital footprint. She was not on Twitter and had only reactivated her Facebook account to connect with others in our cohort. She didn’t have a LinkedIn profile, blog or any real significant presence online. Here was a young woman that had accomplished so much, yet if someone searched for her name online they would find nothing.

This happens to all too many student leaders. Employers look at a resume they like and then search the name online. Finding nothing is about as bad as finding a college party picture. This is why producing a strong digital identity is such a critical component of the Niche Movement, because in order to land the job you love (or start a business you love) you need to have a strong digital presence.

As part of the cohort I was leading that spring, I taught students how to not only leverage digital networking and the tools at their fingertips, but I helped them with their digital footprint. The first thing I did with Nikki was advise her to give Twitter a chance and create an account. Nikki  created an account and together, we helped her identify Twitter hashtags, accounts to follow, and weekly chats to jump into. By the end of the cohort experience, Nikki already saw the power of digital networking and advantages of putting herself out there. In June 2013, she wrote a follow up blog post for The Niche Movement sharing her experiences of how she connected with other speech therapists, graduate students, and became reassured that there was a high demand of work in this field. In her post, Nikki said  “These sort of connections, simply through reading Tweets, have reaffirmed what I want to do with my life.” That is how powerful digital tools can be for students when they understand them and how to best put them into action.

I came to find out that Nikki was also passionate about photography, videography, and documentaries. This all made sense, especially, since she was passionate about telling other people’s story. The six week program was over, but the journey of how Nikki was telling her story and getting closer to her niche was just getting started.

In the summer of 2013, going into her senior year, Nikki went on to create a well-designed about.me page and started a blog where she was documenting her life photo journalism style - something that was inspired by other writers and artists she connected with on Twitter.

Throughout her senior year, her story continued to unfold and she continued to make more connections. As many college students do, she spent a weekend unwinding and went on a Netflix binge. While she was watching ShelterMe, a documentary series that celebrates shelter pets with positive and uplifting stories, she was left so inspired and took to Twitter. Her initial tweet was favorited by @ShelterMeTV and they also followed Nikki. She then direct messaged (DM) them thanking them for the follow and mentioned where she was from and asked if there was anyway to help.

Unfortunately, Nikki didn’t hear back right away but that didn’t discourage her. She followed up about two weeks later with another DM. About two weeks after that, she received an email from Steve Latham, the director and producer of ShelterMeTv. He wanted to jump on a phone call and talk wit Nikki because now, there was an opportunity to help. Nikki and Steve connected and found out that they had a story they were shooting in Long Beach Island, New Jersey and they needed a video production assistant for the weekend.

Nikki pushed through her comfort zone and accepted the 3 day position even though she had little video experience and was a Philosophy major. This was an experience that Nikki would never forget. Her responsibilities in addition to taking pictures, included holding reflectors, posing for camera angles, and assisting the crew with errands up and down the island. She was working side by side with a crew that has worked with MTV, Travel Channel, and National Geographic. All from one tweet - how incredible?!

Nikki didn’t return to school her senior year all of the sudden planning to change her major and try and land a job in the media field. What this experience did encourage was for her to use her interest in taking pictures to tell stories (like she learned from ShelterMeTV) in a creative and artistic way. In her own words, “I basically found another niche.”

While Nikki’s story is an incredible one, the outcome is not that unusual for those students utilizing digital tools and willing to push boundaries. The reason why this story may seem so ‘unrealistic’ is because so many students are not taught how to use these tools to connect or amplify their message. We assume that as digital natives they know how to do all this, but that is simply not true.

Working with Nikki was one of the first times I got to see my two passions come together (much like she ended her story with a second niche). As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am passionate about social media and digital trends. In this experience I was able to share that knowledge with Nikki and her fellow cohort members to assist them in producing their digital footprint. The Niche Movement will never be the same after that experience, because now producing a strong digital presence is part of every conversation, workshop, keynote, etc. In fact, when I gave my first WOW Talk last November, I shared Nikki’s story while imploring other students and job hunters to follow her lead and start working on creating their strong digital presence.

What They Taught Me:

My experience working with Nikki taught me that these two worlds, ending employment unhappiness and social media/digital identity, were interconnected. She also taught me that when students say they are not a fan of social media, we can’t just say ok and back off. We need to find out why. Perhaps Nikki wasn’t into the shallow side of social media, but showing her the productive and purpose driven side open her eyes to a completely new perspective on digital tools.

How They Inspired Me:

In Nikki’s application, she said that she finds fulfillment in her work if she can make just one person smile throughout the day while retaining her positive personality. Well, her story has made me smile everyday. I have presented Nikki’s journey in various talks that I have presented over the last 6 months. She has inspired me to keep helping students and that The Niche Movement’s strategies can help young adults get closer to finding their niche early in life.

#NicheTip:

The Niche Movement showed Nikki how these platforms, apps, and technology can speed up the process of bringing people together and growing your network. I encourage both students and professionals to be using these tools. Everyone has a reason they get up  in the morning and something they care about. Use social media to amplify your message and connect with others who believe what you believe.

To read Nikki’s amazing story and connect with her, check out her blog post featured on our site.

Day 24 - There Are No Gatekeepers

 

I remember this day vividly - Wednesday, March 27th, 2013. I was sitting in my office at work when my phone rang. It was a non-Rutgers number that I didn’t recognize.

I answered it on the second ring. When I answered, the young man introduced himself, saying he was given my name by a former FDU friend of mine, Joe Paris, who now works in admissions at Temple University. The gentleman on the other end went on to say how we was looking to enroll in graduate programs and when he visited Temple that morning, he met Joe. While visiting Temple, Joe told him that he was unsure if this was the right program for him and he was still unsure of his career path.

That’s when Joe told him to connect with me. Well, this young man, Shyam Bhoraniya, got on his phone and started finding ways to get in touch with me. When Shyam explained this story to me on the phone, I was super impressed by his ambition. He took the initiative to not only immediately look up who I was, he searched for a phone number to make a personal connection. Shyam had such a great story and personality that he convinced me to meet him that same evening for coffee since he was going to be on campus.

While we talked face to face, I could see the passion in his eyes to make a difference in the world. Shyam shared stories of how he traveled to India to help young children, what he wanted to accomplish in the field of social work, and how he was working to motivate others. I then shared my vision to end employment unhappiness for college students and some projects I was working on with The Niche Movement. My vision resonated with Shyam and he wanted to help out in anyway.

As I drove home that evening from the initial introduction with Shyam, I knew that there was a reason I picked up the phone earlier that day. Meeting Shyam, led to so many other opportunities for the both of us.

A week later, Shyam and I spoke and I mentioned what I was doing with the 6 week Niche Movement cohort and I told him that the last week was focused on motivation and following your passion. On the side, Shyam was working on a passion project called Motivate My Day, a daily newsletter and social media account to inspire others. I knew his experience and the skill set he had in his early-twenties would add value to the students in this program. I invited him to do an online guest lecture on motivation as well as how to get through the “gatekeepers.”

Gatekeepers, in the world of job hunting or launching an initiative, are the people or things that control access to something or someone getting noticed. In Shyam’s world, there are no gatekeepers.

Later in the spring of 2013, Courtney and I came across WOW Talks, a community of people (started in London) that love what they do and are given a platform to share their passion from a variety of disciplines (10 min or less TED style talks & more informal). We found out that there was going to be the first WOW Talks held in the United States in New York City that May, so we bought tickets to attend. About a week out from the event, Shyam and I were talking and I told him about this event. By coincidence, he said he was attending the same event.

Shyam using his skills to connect with anyone, was already in touch with the founder, Gal Stiglitz. That night, Shyam helped anyway he could with the event and introduced us to Gal and several of the speakers. Throughout the summer of 2013, Shyam and I stayed in touch and we continued to talk about the WOW Talks. He knew that an event like this could succeed in the Rutgers/New Brunswick area and benefit college students. With some networking and ambition, Shyam partnered with Stephanie Cywnar, graduate student for the Student Life leadership office, to get the ball rolling on planning an event.

A few months later with the hard work of Shyam and Stephanie, they launched a WOW Talks event in November 2013 revolving around the theme of Education and Start-Ups. Because the theme connected with my efforts with helping young adults find their niche, I was invited to be one of the featured speakers and deliver a 10 minute speech. I have been very grateful for this opportunity to share my message with another 100+ students and help them connect the dots for their future.

Since November, Shyam and I have stayed in touch, periodically updating each other about one another’s endeavors and accomplishments. Today, as luck would have it, on the day I am featuring him, the two of us finally caught up and had lunch. We hadn’t seen each other in four months and one hour wasn’t enough to re-connect. However, I learned that Shyam is now going to be helping WOW Talks as their North America Events Coordinator to help spread them throughout the United States.

What They Taught Me:

There are very few people in my network that are as great at getting through the gatekeepers and connecting with others as Shyam. He has taught me a lot about myself, has connected me with influential people, and offered significant helpful advice. When I reflect on the 16 months I have know him, he has taught me that momentum is key and that hard work pays off.

How They Inspired Me:

Shyam has been a great sound board for me and has the ability to listen to several ideas at a time. I see the opportunities he has created for himself from all of the networking he has done and his fearless can-do attitude. This alone has inspired me to take risks and not be afraid to pick up the phone and connect with someone new. I learned, the worst that can happen is they say no.

#NicheTip:

When Shyam was given my name and told about The Niche Movement, many people would have either brushed it aside or put it off for a day, a week, or a month. The majority of those that take the next step to reach out will often send one email. Unfortunately, it’s easy to not reply to emails so they will often get buried in inboxes. With the resources available to us and access to anyone’s digital identity, it is easier now more than ever to find a way to stand out and get noticed.  Send a note through LinkedIn, tweet at someone, find their phone number and give them a call. Be persistent and don’t be afraid of the gatekeepers because they no longer exist.

Day 23 - 3 Ways to Tell Your Story in a Noisy World

In yesterday’s day 22 post, I talked about cheerleaders (supporters) vs activators (take action and share a message) and the role they play in spreading a movement. The three people I am about to introduce in today’s post will attest to the importance of activators in each of their initiatives.

First, let me start by introducing Noah Rosenberg, the founder of Narratively, whohad an idea to slow down storytelling and go against the grain to focus on the untold human stories and not the next big headline. I met Noah in January 2013, during a weekend retreat where we both were invited to help Rutgers’ students develop their Ignite talks (a 5 minute speech with auto advancing slides) for an upcoming leadership conference. Noah had a passion and skill set for finding stories and was a huge asset to help these eight students craft their message they would then deliver in front of 200 of their peers.

When Noah and I connected to discuss both of our initiatives, I remember the first impression I had of him (and Narratively) was sleek and simple. His business card stood out because it was well designed, clean, and printed on a matte card that was thicker than usual. Come to find out, that design carried over to Narratively’s approach to storytelling as well as their website (it was selected as one of the Top 50 Websites in TIME magazine.)  His calm, but passionate demeanor about storytelling was magnetic. Everything about him made me realize he had found his niche. I knew his skills and journey to finding his niche could impact young adults so I followed up to invite him to be our first “Tell Us Your Story” (now #NicheStory) guest.

With no questions asked, Noah agreed and we hosted our first 30 minute google hangout interview where he shared his ‘post-collegiate’ journey. Noah had a love for journalism, but after working for several large news outlets like CBS and the New York Times, it was time for him to follow his dreams and start Narratively. The best advice he shared during our interview is that “you can network from behind your computer, but it doesn’t compare to being out in the real world meeting people.”

Now that I had one #NicheStory interview down, I had to follow it up with someone who was just as dynamic and had a compelling story in their “post-graduate” life. Luckily, in February 2013, I was introduced to Michael DuDell when I attended a conference at Rutgers. Since college, Michael has built quite a name for himself. He has worked with Seth Godin on the Domino Project, is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and author of the official Shark Tank book that was released in November 2013.

When I interviewed him for The Niche Movement, Michael’s message to Gen Y is that they need to find a career that moves them and that the number one skill employers are looking for is a good “attitude.” Since our interview, Michael has befriended both Courtney and I, and has been an invaluable link in moving our careers forward. He has graciously done everything from introducing us to several other colleagues in his network to hosting my student media team last August in his office at WeWork in New York City. In the last 18 months, having the pleasure of knowing Michael, I have realized he is a connector who wants to see people that are making a name for themselves succeed - especially Gen Y.

Last, I need to introduce one of the most engaging speakers I have heard speak in a long time: Dawn Fraser. Dawn, is a speaker, humorist, and like Noah and Michael, a storyteller. She is also the host and creator of BarberShop stories. Dawn and I met after I heard her speak at a leadership conference that Courtney organized in the winter of 2013 at Rutgers.

Dawn believes every college student has a story to tell, but it’s how you tell it that matters. Whether it is a storytelling 101 workshop or learning how to sell your message, I have seen Dawn deliver high impact presentations.

When I launched my six week cohort in the spring of 2013, one of the sessions was about ‘telling your story’. After meeting Dawn at Rutgers, I reached out to her a few weeks later and mentioned that one of my students in the cohort wanted to improve her storytelling and interview her. Without hesitation, Dawn agreed and ran a 45 minute online workshop for my cohort - this was an amazing add-on benefit she added to my program. In the last year, Dawn has grown her brand, delivered several presentations nationwide, and I was lucky to connect with her again when we both spoke at the first WOW Talks event held in New Jersey in November 2013.

What They Taught Me:

Noah, Michael, and Dawn have taught me that if you have a vision and a platform, you can spread your story with the world. All three of these amazing individuals have taken a unique path to get to where they are today, but they have capitalized on their past experiences - something I have been reflecting on during this entire 30 day journey. They also taught me, that the majority people out there are caring people, especially those that have found their niche. I took a chance to follow up and reach out to all of them, and they more than willingly all said yes to be activators for the Niche Movement’s launch.

How They Inspired Me:

Like I have alluded to, they all have been more than generous with their time, but they share the same vision: to see twenty-somethings lead a happy life after college. At a young age, they have certainly made a name for themselves, but I know it is just the beginning for Noah, Dawn, and Michael. They all share very similar personality and values that align with who I am and I know that with hard work and following my passion, I can accomplish great things like they have so far.

Noah, thank you being our first guest, for sharing your passion for genuine storytelling, and excellent advice to twenty-somethings.

Michael, thank you for your advice, for your brilliant personality, and for always willing to help Courtney and I out in our journey.

Dawn, you have been an very gracious with your time and have been a true inspiration as I grow The Niche Movement. Thank you for being an amazing speaker and for truly caring about young adults telling their story.

#NicheTip:

Whether you are just starting college or just graduated and making it in the real world, find time to reflect on your stories. Somewhere down the road, they will be invaluable stories that you will share on interviews, with your friends, and family. With today’s technology and noise, it is especially important to find creative ways to spread your story. Michael, Noah, and Dawn are a perfect example, I suggest you connect with them.

Day 18 - How I Learned to Get Things Done with Purpose & Personality

Over the last few posts, I’ve revealed a little more of how the last six years has helped me get closer to finding my niche. There’s been so many students, co-workers, projects, and experiences that I will never forget. However, before I move onto the third part of my “How I Found My Niche” series, I would be remiss to not mention two more people that I have had the pleasure of working with in different capacities at Rutgers.

This person (you’ll hear about the second on Day 19) delivered a t-shirt cannon gun to me with less than a 24 hours notice.

When Rutgers Habitat for Humanity was seeking sponsors for their Build-a-Thon this person helped secure space, provided staging, and connected the club with the right people to pull off this event - back to back years.

Back in May 2012, when many of us were planning the Big Ideas Conference, this person put together one of the most amazing and dynamic socials in conference history.

This person also played bartender for my rehearsal dinner.

She is none other than: Carey Loch.

Yes again, another “big sister” in my life. My country music lovin’, big sister from Wyoming. Carey Loch is the Director of Programs for Rutgers Student Life but her title is just the beginning of who she really is. Carey has her hands in several successful programs at Rutgers such as: Dance Marathon, Beats on the Bank, and all of Homecoming week including the legendary Bed Races. And these are just the big ticket events.

Not only is Carey a colleague in Student Affairs, a close friend to Courtney and I, but she is someone that I look up to because she brings the product and the punch. She has built a collaboration with our department to add a layer of “WOW” to some of our events like Mud Run, Color Run, and EDM Run. In a time when Athletics takes precedents, Carey has created partnerships with them that has been indisposable to the programming offered to Rutgers students.

I also have to thank Carey for helping take the Rutgers Habitat for Humanity club to the next level with their fundraising and outreach. As I mentioned in day 7’s post, I served as their staff advisor and have been in the process of raising $100,000 to build and dedicate their own house in Plainfield, NJ. In April 2013, Carey stepped into to help the club secure a location and partnership with Geek Week as they executed their first 24 hour Build-a-thon.

The following semester for Build-a-thon 2.0, Carey went a step further (completely volunteer) and helped them organize a location, bridge a partnership with Residence Life, and secure a stage for a concert. She saw the hard work, dedication, vision, and passion Punit Arora, club president, had. She genuinely wanted to help anyway she could. Both Punit, myself, and the rest of the members are forever grateful for her efforts.

Did I mention Carey does all of this with one of the brightest and most positive personalities I have ever witnessed? Because of this, she is sometimes rewarded with more work and more people wanting to work with her. So how does she do it? Why does she do it?

It’s simple - she has one philosophy: Principle. Product. Personality.

Principle: When Carey starts a project or partners with someone, she wants to make sure everyone involved is doing it for the right reason. In our world, it generally should be for the students or Rutgers community.

Product: For Carey, producing a quality product is a huge value for her. Especially, if her name is going to be on it. When she is working with others, she wants to make sure these people will walk the walk and not just “talk a big a game.”

Personality: Carey’s personality is contagious and anyone that gets to associate with her are lucky. So her third philosophy is clear - you better play nice in the sand box. She knows not everyone may be as upbeat as her, but you better be optimistic, be able to carry out a conversation, and share similar values as she does. Also, it doesn’t hurt if you like to have a good time while you work.

Even though Carey’s events are large scale and draw a lot of attention, a lot of times her work goes unnoticed. But she is ok with that. Just like a lot of people that I have introduced so far, she is selfless. If you know Carey, make sure you thank her the next time you see her. If you don’t know her, get to know her.

What They Taught Me:

Carey has taught me that when you work on projects that you are passionate about, everyone involved needs to put their agendas to the side and only leave room for one - the students.

How They Inspired Me:

As I continue to build my personal brand, Carey has inspired to be a better connector every single day. Whether it is meeting people to build my own network or finding ways to put two people in touch, I always come back to “How would Carey Loch approach this?”.

#NicheTip:

Principle. Product. Personality. Don’t forget it the next time you work on a group project - real world or in class.