Bloom Dots’ Post

Does anyone know what this is? Back then, we had TWO ringtones: ANSWER or HANG UP. There was no voicemail, and three-way calling was a premium! Modern technology has created unique ways for us to do business (and) simultaneously develop walls in communication. The world has changed a lot with the advent of tech, but one thing remains: genuine relationships and communications are gold. Having an honest conversation gives you context and insights, allowing understanding. Happy Friday! What conversations will you have this weekend and in the week ahead to facilitate understanding?

Last month, I posted about a project I messed up at work and thats how it impacted my Career😥 Nothing special, right? Wrong. That post got 10x more engagement than anything I'd shared before. 🤯 The secret? I used something called the SLAV framework. Let me break it down for you: S - Story: I shared how I totally bungled a client presentation. L - Lesson: I explained what I learned from this epic fail. A - Actionable advice: I gave tips on how to avoid my mistakes. V - You: I asked my followers about their workplace bloopers. Here's why SLAV works like magic: Stories grab attention. We're wired to love them. Lessons show you're not just bragging, but growing. Advice gives real value to your readers. "You" gets others involved, boosting engagement. Want to try SLAV yourself? Here's how: Think of a personal experience. Work, life, whatever! What did you learn? Be honest. How can others use this lesson? Give clear tips. Ask your audience to share their stories. I used to think my life was too boring for good content. SLAV proved me wrong. It can turn even a mundane Monday into a viral post. So, what story will you share using SLAV? An embarrassing moment? A small win? Try it and let me know how it goes! Have you ever used a framework for your posts? Share your experience below! 👇

When was the last time you cried in front of someone else? That’s the question Charles Duhigg kicked off his TED Talk with (link in the comments). And for good reason—it’s a question that cuts through the surface and gets to something real. We spend so much of our time skimming the surface with others—whether at home or at work. We ask things like: - “How was your day?” to your spouse. - “How was school?” to your kids. - “How’s that project coming along?” to the guy who microwaves fish at the office. These are fine questions, but they’re practical. They're easy. And they keep us from truly connecting. Duhigg talks about three types of conversations we often have: 1. Practical: What are you doing? 2. Emotional: How are you feeling? 3. Social: Who are you? Most of the time, we’re stuck in the *practical*—checking off a list of questions and answers. But real connection happens when we move beyond the surface and align the conversation. It’s about asking deeper questions. Instead of "just asking someone about the facts of their life, ask how they feel about their life." That’s where the meaningful stuff happens. As marketers, we can take the same approach in our research. Sure, we could ask a manufacturing engineer: “How do you design this part?” And they’ll give us a technical answer we might not understand. Or we could ask: “When you’re designing that part, what brings you the most satisfaction?” Yeah, maybe it sounds corny. Maybe they roll their eyes. But maybe—just maybe—you’ll unlock something profound. Something that helps you differentiate your messaging and connect in a way that truly matters. Ask deep questions to connect more effectively. **P.S.** The last time I cried in front of someone was last February. On the way to get dropped off for my military deployment, I held my 6-year-old’s hand the entire car ride. We all cried together. Thankfully, I’ll be home soon after almost a year away.

💡 The Cost of 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 💡 You’re scrolling through your feed, and there it is: another post from someone in your niche, confidently connecting with their audience and probably getting the sales to match. Meanwhile, you’re wondering: ❓ 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒? ❓ 𝐴𝑚 𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ? ❓ 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑒? Here’s the truth: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. Staying invisible is costing you more than you think: 💸 Missed dream clients who don’t know you exist. 💸 Lost opportunities when your competitors get noticed first. 💸 Stalled growth because you’re not showing up consistently. But it doesn’t have to stay this way. 🚀 With 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲, you’ll: 🎥 Get 10 professionally crafted videos that make you shine. 📈 Stay consistent with a visibility system that WORKS. 🤝 Finally connect your message to the people who need it most. ✨ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. Don’t let another week go by staying invisible. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐌𝐄 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬—I’ll send you everything you need to take the first step toward being seen, heard, and trusted. 🌟

Most founders aren’t just busy. They’re overloaded with tasks. But, as a Virtual Assistant, They don’t need someone who just does tasks. They need someone who also takes ownership of results. That’s where WE come in. So I was feeling generous & put together a document to help you: - Identify which pain points YOUR ideal clients care about ( in 13 industries) - Map out tasks that deliver results - Position yourself as one gets it. Want a copy? → Like this post → Follow/connect with me → Comment "Pain Points" And I'll share it with you so you can start delivering value. Happy Friday.

Conversations are so underrated. There's so much more clarity in your mind about things just by talking about it. A super insight at the end of the post for anyone making content that came out of a 5 minute conversation btw. I took a 3 hour round trip for a 30 minute conversation today and as stupid as that sounds, it gave me more perspective than a week worth of thinking on my own. When you have to explain things to someone totally new, you can't assume they know the basics like you do, and if you assume, their face will tell you you're messing up. They will say things, show you a perspective that completely switches around what you had in mind. Well here is the insight I took away from this conversation - I have anywhere between 2-6M people watching my Reels every month. The number of people who follow me? 5.5K. I've always been thinking why is it that even after doing multiple 1M reels do people not follow me and the answer was again something that came out of today's conversation. My reels don't talk about who I am. People follow people. People don't follow ideas. I have great ideas, my Reels make people feel real connected, and they want to share it with others and what not, but nobody knows who I am. Interesting perspective. Will try to switch things up on this front and see if this works. And if you want someone to talk to and just jam, hit me up. I'm building a barefoot shoe D2C brand and have some learnings from a supply POV at least.

Three things I’ve loved reading this week Which brought a massive smile to my face: “Oh wow this is AMAZING! I am so excited and how you have captured so much of my tone. I knew you were my person!” [About my first draft of a first blog, for a brand new client] “Although we have not been connected for long, Rachel gave me some advice that I really needed at that moment. Thank you, Rachel. You brighten up my feed every time I open LinkedIn.” “Thank you again. So much. I can't tell you how useful last week was and also, the wrap-up document is like having a golden letter! Something I just could not do for myself. I can't wait to get cracking with it.” [About our Get it Done Day - where together, we got clarity on her key content themes, messaging and differentiation and a tonnnn of content ideas] This isn’t just about the joy of knowing you did great work and delivered cracking customer service. But for me it’s also about knowing that I helped that client move forward in their business: 🩷 I saved them the time when it’s a scarce commodity 🩷 I transformed their ideas into strategic stories 🩷 I helped them connect with their ideal customers 🩷 I gave them confidence to show up in their own fab way 🩷 I brought clarity to their communication style Over to you: What one thing have you loved reading this week?!

Tomorrow’s the 127th anniversary of Moe Howard’s birthday of the Three Stooges fame, born June 19th 1897. Here’s my favorite Moe Quote that transcends time and defines Moe’s genius intellect… “Shut up and say something.” A good segue from Moe’s quote is Karen Friedman’s book of the same name as Moe’s quote, “Shut Up and Say Something” available on Amazon @ https://lnkd.in/eqxuksV4 Shut Up and Say Something shows readers how to convincingly communicate their expertise in any business situation. This book demonstrates how to condense complicated concepts, minimize communication mistakes, avoid misinterpretation, convey vision, and quickly influence decision makers. Strategies for expressing yourself succinctly and clearly, dodging "loaded" questions, thinking fast on your feet, humanizing inscrutable information, and using humor to engage an audience are examples of the topics covered. The importance of prioritizing outcomes is emphasized throughout the book. Barbara Litwak writes this about Karen’s book… When was the last time people at your business meeting or important event were riveted to what was being said? Can't remember? You're probably not alone. In today's time challenged, Twitter-like world, it's little wonder so many professionals suffer from S-A-S: Short Attention Spans. Karen Friedman's newest book, "Shut Up and Say Something" is an essential, much-needed guide for anyone hoping to cut through today's multitasking, electronic fog and communicate a clear compelling message that impacts others. Whether selling ideas, impressing the boss, influencing decision makers or connecting with customers, simple communication strategies can help us minimize mistakes and shine in the workplace "Shut Up and Say Something" unveils an entirely new "Z-to-A" approach to business communications showing readers how to keep the end result in mind when faced with daily communication challenges that are frequently met with resistance and uncertainty. Karen demonstrates how to dodge loaded questions, think on your feet, express yourself clearly and provides practical problem solving strategies to twenty-six different communication topics to engage listeners so they care about what you have to say. #moehoward #threestooges

It's Monday morning... Let's talk about Authenticity and Transparency in creative industry. The shift toward authenticity and transparency in creative and social media management marks a departure from the era of polished perfection. Today, audiences value genuine connections over curated images, creating a demand for honesty and relatability. What does authenticity look like? A genuine voice: Let your personality shine through—avoid stiff, overly formal language. Relatable content: Share struggles, successes, and behind-the-scenes moments. Flaws and vulnerability: Acknowledge mistakes to build trust. Honest engagement: Respond authentically to your audience. And transparency? Open communication: Be upfront about challenges, processes, and motivations. Clear partnerships: Disclose sponsorships and collaborations honestly. Data credibility: Share clear sources and methodologies when presenting stats. Humility: Acknowledge your limitations—authenticity builds credibility. How to apply this: Share your story and behind-the-scenes moments. Use personal, unpolished visuals. Respond genuinely to comments. Consistently show up as your true self. By embracing authenticity and transparency, you foster trust, loyalty, and meaningful connections; a strategy that lasts far beyond trends.