On Tuesday, I attended the Fifth Annual Small Business Summit in New York City. Over 500 people attended the full day conference eager to learn tactics to grow their businesses. All of the presenters and conference organizers shared knowledge on important facets of business such as technology, email marketing, social media, community and networking as well as how not to design a business card (contact BAJ Design if you need help in this department).

The main event was Seth Godin's talk which, deservedly so, received a double standing ovation. Godin's use of power point is by far the best that I have ever witnessed: most of the slides are only images or video and a few contain a small amount of text. He fused ideas from his books: Tribes, Linchpin and Purple Cow.  Godin claims that something fundamental in our society has crumbled; and, as a result, the idea of marketing has evolved. You can transform your business by being remarkable (think of a purple cow). More and more, people want to feel like they are part of a community -online and offline. So, as a marketer, business leader, etc. think of how you can establish and grow your network (tribe). Simply put: “Ideas that spread, win."

The most interesting notion that Godin posed was how we should view ourselves. He believes that everyone is an artist and we need to share our gifts with the world. He stressed two key points: 1. Replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity. 2. Push boundaries. It seems that Godin is realizing the pressure that most of us feel and gave this final advice: always take some quiet time for yourself.

If you don't already; I highly suggest you read Seth's blog daily. Also, watch his TED talk.

Thank you, Seth Godin!