The very first episode of Casual Business with Jeff J Hunter and Quynh Yamamoto
Passion Over Platform with Quynh Yamamoto
Grab a cup of coffee and join us. Live here at Starbucks (Starby’s as my family calls it) where we’ve commandeered the largest table ungraciously for our efforts!
Background: Quynh and I have been doing some fun things together “virtually” via Facebook. We’ve been on each other’s Facebook live streams, we’ve participated in all sorts of conversations in a few private Facebook Groups with our favorite top doll Diana Mae Fernandez. Quynh is super passionate about using social media to build relationships and she has hundreds of viewers every live stream because she always provides really valuable insight and inspiration to her viewers.
We’ve been talking about doing a live “show” together for the past few months her living about an hour or so north of me in Sacramento, and we both decided we wanted to talk about something we’re both passionate about – relationships and how to effectively communicate on Social Media.
Casual Business is a show about talking business in a casual way. The show is fun, lighthearted but full of business.
On to the show!
Jeff J Hunter (Referred to as Jeff) – I’ve made some serious investments in my own so just to grow who I am so I can build relationships with other people. You know I think that for me I have found that you know I need to start making better connections because I’m a very structured person and I like to have A project manager by trade. So what I do. I like to assess how things are going and how they work and then I start like breaking it down to the process level like how can I do this or what can I change or what can I am through process now. But I found over the years that I had to put more focus on the value of the relationship.
Quynh Yamamoto (Referred to as Quynh) – Yes
Jeff – So that’s what we were talking about relationships. Tell me how you infuse relationships into what you do?
Quynh – Yes. So in the beginning when I learned about Business, I mean it’s like you have to kinda know what your message is but then you don’t wanna be all Sales when helping somebody. So I think there’s like this In-between Art thing. It’s like you have to know who you are and where you’re going, as long as you know that, that will kind of go through your message if that makes sense . It’s a normal thing to ask what are you all about? Right? but then you’re really focused on getting to know that person. So that’s the thing that come about one of the, a mentor that I can look up to she says Play Curious George. Be curious about people. Know your worth know what have. That’s took me a while to get but once you know what you have you can have a conversation with someone. Just be curious about that because you know you have to offer.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Play Curious George. Be curious about people. Know your worth know what have.” quote=”Play Curious George. Be curious about people. Know your worth know what have.” theme=”style6″]
Jeff – That’s powerful. What’s interesting is one of my clients who’s also a mentor to me His name’s Wes, The Sales Whisperer. Shout out! You know he told me some advice for when I go to any event. He said you should be interested in people because people like to feel interesting. So if you’re truly genuinely interested in what someone else is doing then they’re going to think that you are also interesting. Right?
Quynh – Yes.
Jeff – So it’s about their relationships. How many times have you. Been on social media and the very first thing somebody does is it’s like hit you up and say “Hey, by how you look… here’s a link” and you’re like “Argh…no thanks”. You know, DELETE!
Quynh: I know, exactly right, I mean if you guys experience that take that as a lesson like well that’s like what not to do. Right? and this person just probably knew because we were all there at some point like drastic “Argh.. you guys!”
Jeff – So they’re are always about selling selling.
Quynh – So I mean you’re excited but you don’t even know where this person at? What if they don’t want your service? What if they’re not in a place to really open up and have a kind of conversation with you. So I’m enjoying the process and I’m enjoying the relations that I have and I know it’s of Value. So Interview your Potential Clients, customers.
Jeff – True. And you don’t know what stage they’re in exactly.
Quynh – Exactly
Jeff: But you do know that relationships are vital and it could turn into something fruitful. You know funny interesting story I’ve actually had relationship that didn’t work out. A very interesting business relationship that I had brought someone in and he’s a lifestyle entrepreneur and he’s really a great guy and honestly I admire him a lot for what he does as a sales coach as well. He and I really clicked. We put a project together for him and It was going really well and then some things just started you know going bad and It was just, It was really a failure of communication more than anything and kind of like expectations and I just said you know what “ This isn’t working” and he obviously he knew it wasn’t working. And I just wanted to beat him to the punch and say look “Let’s just forget the projects. You know I’m just going to, I’m going to give you your money back and all that and you know I value the relationship that we have because I respect you as a person and I want to build our relationship and we had a salty problem here but I don’t want that to affect our relationship”. So I tried to make everything right. Well funny enough, Years later that person comes back to me says you know what I’ve done other things. I’ve worked with other people. Some have mixed results some good some bad but he never had that experience like he had with me where I genuinely cared about what he was doing and that was a return business. He came back and we had a successful project afterwards because he knew that I cared. I wasn’t just out to get his money. You know I really genuinely cared about the project. And I think that whatever business you’re in you can apply that relationship building mentality to what you do. Everything else falls into place.
Quynh – Now I know that everyone is different but there’s just something about relationships because like what you said it sounds like you have, it doesn’t work out in that round, like you still care enough to focus on It. They will feel like “Oh WOW, it really wasn’t all about Business” so that’s what it’s all about so.
Jeff – Let’s talk about social media. That’s what you’re good at!
Quynh – Our Favorite! Dang! With me, You know we’re all still learning. But I’ll talk about the newture about
Jeff – Let’s talk about it..
Quynh – how are you able to build relationships and do
Jeff – There’s that relationships again. There we are.
Quynh – Well I’ll just talk my experience, I like doing stuff because LinkedIn just has that feature of Going Live.
Jeff – What?
Quynh – Yeah
Jeff – I thought LinkedIn was only just for like influencers. Are they rolling that out to the public now?
Quynh – No, it’s been out in the Public.
Jeff – Really? I am behind the eight ball. Like I got a lot of connections
Quynh – I left LinkedIn too because it’s like “Argh” too professional or whatever, I don’t know.
Jeff – You can’t you can’t post your hate mail on there.
Quynh – you cannot, Yeah you know. No it was very professional like that for a little bit but then I came back and like it was another platform. It’s another free Platform with like people are looking for opportunities they love,
Jeff – Nothing’s Free. They get ya. They just released the new training. They have Linkedin training now. They just
Quynh – really?
Jeff – LinkedIn just bought Lynda.com which was the biggest training platform online. Period.
Quynh – I didn’t even know about that.
Jeff – So now they rolled it into their own Linkedin professional training package , anyway that’s another topic. Social media!
Quynh – Social Media. Back on Social Media Live right? You see all these other Platforms trying to go Live. I don’t know if there was anything Live before periscope but that was my first exposure to live broadcasting and because in the past you know you kind of see posting of quote things like that.
Jeff – I think they were the very first like mainstreaming.
Quynh – Yes, yeah I agree but when I saw that my brain just went like this because I watched other influencors how they were using it but then I think my mind was going a thousand miles because like that, because you can literally turn into anything that you want and if there’s people interacting with you, there’s a relationship being established already.
Jeff – Right.
Quynh – Even though you’re not seeing their face, because they’re following you every time you hop on, you’re building your relationship with them.
Jeff – I like the way that Periscope has like the live over the video thing. That’s the one thing I don’t like that much about the Facebook. I feel the Facebook Live Chat, they’re probably going to have to
Quynh – They’re going to, they’re going to fix it.
Jeff – because to me it’s just like “Nah”, it’s like you know like it’s, especially on Facebook business pages like Whiteboard Wednesday I go live Wednesday night. I constantly have to go live using the studio app and then I have to use my mobile device to look at there and then when I go to look at my stream it’s playing on there already it’s like they should have an easy way for businesses to Go Live and actually communicate with people live without having to have Two different apps and a computer open and mess with this and that you know I think that they’re a little behind on that. So what do you think LinkedIn is going to do for the actual live community because it is a professional network.
Quynh – It is so I think people are going to stay professional but they’re able to Let’s just say OK that they’re doing open house for real estate or something. I think they’re able to use it for that. Or like while they’re doing something like a business event. It would obviously to promote their business.
Jeff – Like this. Well they could do something like this.
Quynh – That’s what I’m thinking yeah like this. Yeah.
Jeff – This is professional!
Quynh – We’re at Starbucks but we’re not like
Jeff – we’re casually professional.
Quynh – we’re sitting down
Jeff – Business Casual
Quynh – having a conversation
Jeff – Starbucks Casual.
Quynh – yeah Starbucks casual. Starbys! Well yeah, With the whole thing you just said When I go on Live I’m really intentional I want to help people develop themselves to deal with that fear and put their message out there.
And so – the Casual Business Show was Created.
Jeff – So let’s talk about that you know when you go Live, usually have like something in your mind like “oh that’s what I’m going to do” or like do you just like wing it every time? Do you have like, do you go throughout your day like write down things you wanna talk about. What’s your tips?
Quynh – I’ve done all of that and I think the best way is does count to be prepared but sometimes there’s moments where you experience something and you’re like I need to capture this person right here. I’ve done it was like no I need to prepare “Oh my gosh” and then it goes away a little bit but I think if you can just keep those topics that you want talk about bring that passion. You’ve got to capture that.
Jeff – Sometimes your brain just is really on a roll and you’re like I got to get it.
Passion over Platform
Quynh – And your passion wins over everything and that’s what I’ve experienced. That’s what I experienced. But then It helps when you have like kind of a structure to it too, like just topics and I’ve tried doing the script thing too and that’s distracting a little bit like doing things, like I’m not able to engage and respond back to the people that comments are coming from.
Jeff – Yeah, like people can tell right. Like people can tell it’s not authentic, it’s scripted and I also like the fact that I mean because I see when you’re going Live and you have a lot of followers and stuff. It always like you go live you’ve got like five people like “yay” you know for me I’m like you know, a little more of the doldrums.
Quynh – We all started there.
Jeff – Yeah. Well I only have like 300 friends on Facebook so
Quynh – that’s where we all started.
Jeff – My Twitter following is bigger it’s like Seven Thousand but I don’t even use Periscope after what I’m hearing today, I probably should right? Because I mean Periscope kind of pops out into the Twitter field and my Twitter is a lot bigger but…
Quynh – yeah
Jeff – I really need to look at the Linkedin now because my LinkedIn is really where I get a lot of attraction like I posted my blog posts on there and I get lots of views and of course I’m talking more about like professional product management style. So even for me maybe, I need to look into that because I know that my Facebook posts are getting a lot of views but I feel like I get more interaction on LinkedIn.
Quynh – Well then, there you go. Got to explore that.
Jeff – I guess it depends on what market you’re trying to reach, right?
Quynh – Yeah that too because each one has a different feel to it but I think overall. I think passion wins over everything. If you can show your passion, If you can structure your passion if that make sense.
Jeff – Let’s talk about the social media feuds because now you’ve got Snapchat you’ve got Instagram which is obviously trying to make a big play on Snapchat and you’ve got Facebook who has Instagram now and then Facebook did an offer for Snap Chat & Snapchat said “Nay”
Quynh – I just heard that on the way coming over here.
Jeff – Now you know what do you think, well you know what do you see like if we’re to put like, let’s get the ring out, put it, put the mat down, put the ropes and we put a couple of contenders in there. You got Facebook messenger right slash Instagram versus Snapchat where are we at?
Quynh – My Goodness! That’s a great question. That is tough..
Jeff – That is tough! Because I still think they’re really different demographic
Quynh – They are! And I think well each one capitalize on a certain function that people enjoy so much like the Snapchat where people can just bust out their phone like and can snap something real quick.
Jeff – Oh and you got to love all those little augmentation too..
Quynh – That’s why I think Snapchat can stick around for a really long time. People are just catching up to it including my own, including my self.
Jeff – Me too, me too.. I think that each generation has to be really younger generation like the tweens on Snapchat and then now it’s like older people getting in their more adult..
Quynh – Yes
Jeff – And I think that all the platforms are actually growing. In average age because I think it was genuinely fun. And this is what I was trying to say before to people like social media was not created to sell your product. It was created to forge relationships and to have fun acting and connect people and communicate with people in a different microscosmic level.
Quynh – Yeah.
Jeff – You know it’s really especially snapshot where you can only do 10 second clips and they only last for 24 hours. Yeah you miss your message. You know you don’t log on to somebody snap chat and see what to do for the day.
Quynh – Right.
Jeff – You don’t see it.
Quynh – So each one has their own feature so it’s kind of hard bike and like Snapchat has extended where you can call and stuff like that too. So there’s those features too…
Jeff – My mom called me on it too…
Quynh – Yeah, So there’s definitely features that they’re all doing like the calling stuff and the messaging to get the message out to each other but I don’t know…
Jeff – I feel they’re all kind of implementing features that each of the other ones wish they had..
Quynh – Yeah
Jeff – Like now like Instagram they launched out the news stories right? And I feel like it was launched too right after that infamous turn down on the buy for Snapchat. Instagram was like “OK well, we don’t need snap chat we’re going to create our own”. Bam!
Quynh – Bam!
Jeff – Right? then and there we just go ahead and rock it out.
Quynh –Exactly and I see people on social media Promoting their other social media like Diana I know she’ll see this but..
Jeff – Queen D? She’ll see this…
Quynh – yeah, she’ll do a snap chat and she’ll make it interesting what you want to go see what she just talked about on Facebook Live or Periscope. Some people go to it so it’s all driving traffic here
Jeff – Ah.. so she is funneling stuff to her social medias
Quynh – is using those social medias to do other social medias. She is using Social Media to drive traffic to her other Social Medias. She’s kind of like building momentum.
Quynh – So for those of you or people who are in business it’s all about driving traffic. And to capitalize on the free social media and capitalize on what each feature and what it does. Definitely a quick thing to check in on someone you can quickly put out a little message out there for someone and take a look at something or whatever.
Jeff – Yeah yeah.
Quynh – And then the longer contents of XXXXXXX like the YouTube or your website
Jeff – Right
Quynh – But that’s the what I’m getting so far. I just, you are missing out if you’re not doing mine because there’s interaction there. Yes, you see you’re seeing the expression and people trust you more because it’s like almost like they’re here but just on the phone..
Jeff – Well the idea is…
Quynh – I’m excited. You know that’s my thing.
Jeff – I think that video in general is the future. I think video is an easy way for you to build a relationship with someone before you meet them. A lot of times when I go out to places where I’m connecting with people connect with me on email or they message me, they feel like they already know who I am because the introductions are no longer like, they’re not like formal introductions where I don’t like “Hey really just saw your video, Really love It” you know “just love your passion the same way I connect with you” right? Like a month or so ago, it was like man I can sense the passion. We’re in the Dols mastermind group and we’re talking about just the passion that you have to kind of exude in what you do and how that really drives everything. That’s why you’re Quynh for the Win you know , it’s like you’re all about that winning positive attitude you know and it’s just like bleeds out of your vein man….
Quynh – I appreciate that so this like the confirmation, I just want the message out there for people like forget about all the hiccups and stuff. People will catch your emotion in action over Anything and that’s something I experience.
Jeff – So I think the moral lesson for today then is Play Curious George. Be curious about people. Know your worth know what have.. It’s Passion over platform. Now we got something that we can claim. #that….#PassionOverplatform.
Quynh – I want to ask you a question , what do have to say to people about being mindful of what you post?
Jeff – I love to offend people. I love it. I don’t consider myself a troll. I’m no Milo but I do believe that the most valuable thing that we have as human beings is freedom of expression. And I think that whether you agree with me or not, that is totally up to you and that’s totally fine but I do not apologize for offending you. So social media it’s the same concept online as it is offline. Are you embracing people or are you encouraging conversations or are you blocking people? it’s the same way people always say “oh I can’t stand it what so ad so said and I blocked him or, In another realm it’s like I encourage people to offer all sorts of different value and different angles to whatever I’m talking about. You know and I know it kind of got on the political spectrum but I think that especially close the elections here right. I think that a lot of people have that on the minds. I think that is long as you’re respectful and you’re using logic you’re not bashing people and you’re getting different viewpoints I think it’s very important for us as a society unfolds to to listen to other people. We can disagree but you do need to at least respect people’s decisions even if they’re wrong. In a lot of people they don’t like to hear that they’re wrong. I’m the same way. Right? We love you right. We are the right economy. We are the right person. We are always right on everything. So I think that if we if we show some humility and show people respect it’s trying to be compassionate and understanding about what their belief is.
Quynh – Awesome, thanks for answering that question.
Jeff – That was a long line… (laughs)
Quynh – That was like just on small question but yeah…
Jeff – yeah..
Quynh -I just want to encourage people to be mindful of what they’re posting, right? I mean there are some things I would love to repost but it’s not on the line of my messaging and I think you’re saving yourself time and other people time if you just think true who you are and then the right person will reach out to you or you will connect with the right person because you are true to who you are.
Jeff – I agree!
Quynh – It’s like this funnel right? There’s relationships everything and …
Jeff – They don’t teach you this stuff in school.
Quynh – OK, here we go, school thing! There’s just a few Pillars of people in your life that’s really in the line of where you wanna go and that’s what you really want. I think you should feel good. That’s life. People bring you value business or non-business whatever. I mean that and that’s living with abundance.
Jeff – Living with Abundance!
Quynh -That’s a word that’s going on the whole year for me too. Living with Abundance.
Jeff- Positive people surrounding yourself. Getting rid of the negativity that you talk about that a lot of your Live Stream that you have a lot of negativity in your life and you’re trying to just, cut it out.
Quynh – Like you’re allergic to it but then you say bye to it a nice graceful way
Jeff – and when it’s going to end it could be like Radiation therapy where you kind of zap it and then it starts coming back and you like “Hmmm hmmm” and then you have to go back in there again and zap it but you know in reality you know I think that we only have so many years on this or you know could be today could be tomorrow could be 50 60 70 80?My grandfather just passed away this year. 93. If you ever make it to 93? Boy you have made it.
Quynh – Oh Goodness…
Jeff – My grandma is 89 and let me tell you know the stories that they tell, they’re just Amazing! The real struggles that they had here we are in America where poor is a Smartphone, a car, a refrigerator. My team in the Philippines I have 42 people with the Philippines. 42 people total. Most of them think, they travel to three hours to get to my office every day five days a week. Eight hours a day and they know struggle and they provide for their sisters their mothers their brothers their parents their grandparents. This is like really. Real I mean people talk about the struggle is real here in America. No it’s not. Sure, in America, We have addictions do we deal with you. We do have pretty rough things but you know in all actuality Poor in America compared to the world is so wealthy. Having a roof like it not and not just leaves but a roof. Right outside my office in Makati City there is what we call squatters. You know squatters ? You’ve heard of it, squatters are people that literally don’t own anything. They’re kind of like transients but they actually make Dwelling’s there. And in those places like the Philippines they don’t have Police to come by and force people out. They just don’t have the manpower or there’s just so many people that don’t have places to live. They’re just stuck with it & they have to accept. So there’s literally Little cities that are grown that are just, Buildings that have been burned down or attaching to a giant concrete fence and just building out to the side of it. You know in Mexico they call them like Barrios. It’s how a lot of the World lives in America does not even know what that’s like. Sacramento has that camp right, and that would be luxury in that camp with water fountains with clean water with a place to go to the restroom and showers. That would be heaven been sent for the people in other countries.
Quynh – We have to be grateful and we forget that we could always be worse.
Jeff – We have to thank God every day for the Blessings we have.
Quynh – Exactly and I kind of want to like because of social media there’s access to information so you know it’s you know you have a problem you could go online and find out information.
Jeff – That’s right. And even in the absence of information.
Quynh – Even in those poor areas in the Philippines you know you can get a SIM card on a Chinese Smartphone that is really cheap and most people even for the Philippines have smartphones and guess what? they have the Internet because Smart, Globe, which are carriers over there offer free Facebook.
Quynh – Oh WOW!
Jeff – Did you know that I communicate more with my team in the Philippines on Facebook than anything else because they don’t have to pay for Internet. That it’s included because they have their own version of Facebook that has ads in ads and things like that too. It pays for itself and they can communicate. And whenever they have tycoon’s and things like that they actually have a button check in so-and-so and say. .. They have that kind of technology. We live in a world where this is the coming technology and entrepreneurship and innovation they actually change lives for the better. And that’s why it’s so important that we don’t stifle creativity and innovation. We must be rewarding our entrepreneurs. If you come up with a fantastic innovation you come up with a fantastic idea, they need to get paid because the more those people get paid the more they’re able to get that Ferrari. The more dreaming is going to happen. Those kids when they get up in the morning when they’re kids and they’re the three four five six seven years old, what did you think you were going to do when you’re a kid do you think you’re going to be President? Astronaut? Firefighter? What? Seriously what did you think you were?
Quynh – Me?
Jeff – Yeah everyone has a fantasy when you’re kid. What did you think you’re gonna be? Be Honest.
Quynh – No I’m trying to. I think for me…(thinks)
Jeff- You have one. That’s my point. Now some point in time from here to here as the life skill goes up your dreams totally, you lower your own bar. I think throughout life because you’re so riddled with disappointment in yourself and others around you and you’re told negativity that you can do it so that eventually you lower the bar. You don’t want to do this. You don’t think you can do it. You might want to still do it, you forget it. You forgot your dream already.
Quynh – Now it’s coming out. Now I’m an entrepreneur and its coming out…
Jeff – Now your new dream is connecting with people. Now what’s your new dream?
Quynh – So One thing that came out of the closet when I discovered that things could be possible and I remember trying to apply to Peace Corp or something and then I want to help the Rural Countries like actually experiencing what it really is, how it really is another country where they need help. I think during that time I don’t know a Hurricane? it was something that I saw myself jumping out of the country just to experience that. So that was my dream honestly.
Jeff – That’s great. Very altruistic dream of helping people.
Quynh – Helping people and I just didn’t think it was possible for us when it started going in the closet like all of this because I don’t know how that’s going to happen and then I saw the Myself, my parents and everyone around me and that was that was my Life. You can be successful with going to school, going to college.
Jeff – See for me I’ve always liked, I’ve always really felt passionate about helping People. Whether it’s a business man or in another country whatever. That’s one of the joys that I have every day when I wake up. I know that my team that I support all throughout the world right now not only do I support all these crazy entrepreneurs because their minds are, they’re messed up…
Quynh – I can relate to you…
Jeff – Like I said that you know that squirrel syndrome with shiny objects. It’s just unbelievable how I can help them bring clarity to their life their focus and then my team in the Philippines, It’s such a life changer. You know the average person in the Philippines makes like $2 a day. So when I’m paying them like more than double that, an hour. Then it’s like, it’s life changing, like generational wealth changing and no one in their family before they worked for me have made this much money. It’s just such a huge, Huge Impact and you know a lot of my team they call me Popsie Jay. Popsie means like like a father or mentor type figure. It’s like being here you know and they trust me a lot. I built that relationship.
Quynh – Wow!
Jeff – Most of my team have worked with me for almost two years. You know Rhodora, who’s my main manager in the Philippines worked with me over two years. I think the average you know, I’ve only been in business for three years.
Quynh – And how did you find them?
Jeff – They find me usually..
Quynh – but it was through social media, yeah?
Jeff – Oh you know what, in the beginning it was tough. It was like Social media definitely, a lot of them find me on social media but you know a lot of them through Facebook. I think in the Philippines when you are when you have a good rapport with them as a provider and a great boss. You know, I’m not want to float my boat here but I know I’m probably at least top 10 percent good bosses in the world.
Quynh – Now, I mean why you provided…
Jeff – I’m probably too nice my wife tells me that I’m too nice and I had to hire consultants to help me not be so nice…
Quynh – That I have to learn the balance of being too nice but like you know…
Jeff- Yeah because you get taken advantage off…
Quynh – Yeah yeah yeah… you want to Be respected.
Jeff – Right, yeah like you know the saying between do you want to be loved or feared. You have to find a very interesting balance behind there because if people aren’t the people don’t think that you know there’s they don’t think there’s any repercussions for you know showing up to work late or whatever. It does make a big difference. It does make a big difference but you also have to have that trusting loving feeling with people so that they understand that they can be open with you and that they get you care about them. My team knows that I care about them. You know they’re not a paycheck. You know they’re really are it’s like a family. I’ve been to the Philippines a number of times. My wife and I just came back from there in June and we spent a whole month with a team developing them, going on trips. We all went bowling and you know it’s experiences that they don’t ever get to have before this job …
Quynh – Definitely and just oh yeah anyway because like… The World can use more Leaders or people who care like that. That’s so huge.
Jeff – I think most entrepreneurs have that. I think most entrepreneurs are like me but I don’t think that they’ve been able to unleash that they don’t have focus and attention that’s required to get there like I had a really hard time, I went to school full time. I was always I always had a job since I can remember. I’ve always had two jobs since I can remember. Yeah and you know even this company myself it was a fun hobby. I wasn’t expecting it to turn into anything Great and here it is something where I get live wholeheartedly passionate about and I just get to just tell people about it. I don’t even have to sell it. Like people just hear me talk about it and they’re like “Yes, Yes, do that for me”.
Quynh –That is a good point to bring up, just having conversations and being passionate about what you do..
Jeff- There it is, Passion Over Platform !