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 22 - Activators vs. Cheerleaders: How to Find the Action Oriented Supporters in Your Network

In the first few months when I started The Niche Movement in January 2013, I had a growing number of supporters and advocates that initiated some early outreach. One advocate that really stands out and still supports my vision to this day is Katie Bean. I met Katie in 2006-07 when I started visiting Courtney in graduate school at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. They were both in the same student affairs program and became really close friends.

Upon earning her masters degree, Katie moved to Washington, DC in 2008 where she worked as the Assistant Director of Alcohol and Drug Education for three years. Katie is one of those people who has huge heart and believes in what she does in her job. She has a vision where every college student is properly educated and supported to make healthy lifestyle choices thus leading to a healthier and safer campus.

In 2011, Katie found a new opportunity and moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia where she took a job as the Assistant Director of Student Outreach at St. Joseph's University. In this role, she provides wellness, alcohol, and drug education, support, and programming. Part of her job at St. Joe’s is to lead a group of peer educators that are advocates for responsible lifestyles and link the campus to her office. Katie’s leadership philosophy, both with her programming and advising her students, is to empower people to make choices that benefit them. I love her leadership style because anyone that works with college students knows you can’t force a college student to do something, but you can educate and guide them to make healthy choices that lead to a happier life.

Katie was someone that didn’t just talk about change, she created it. That’s why her mantra is “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The emphasis is on ‘be’ because she is an action oriented person. I didn’t realized it at the time, but I learned that this trait would benefit the Niche Movement tremendously. After telling her about my ideas it was only a matter of time before I saw something different than many of my other conversations with supporters...I saw her take action.

When I launched The Niche Movement’s first online cohort for college students to help them find their niche, Katie Bean was one of the first colleagues to share it with her network. Not only did she promote it, but she encouraged a few of her peer educators that were juniors and seniors who were looking for some direction upon graduation to apply to this program. I can’t thank her enough for her belief in one of my first initiatives. Because of Katie’s support, four students from St. Joe’s were accepted into The Niche Movement’s program. One of her students, Nikki Uy, has an incredible story that I will share later this week.

You will have friends along the way that will listen to your ideas, share their support with you and those all great people to have around you. However, activators like Katie are game changers. She took the conversation a step further by sharing it with her students and supporting their involvement in the cohort. That kind of action-oriented support is invaluable.

Just like many of the people I have talked about, Katie has been there for Courtney and I. She played an amazing role as one of Courtney’s bridesmaids, she has helped us connect with several other colleagues in the field, and has always been there to offer positive life advice. It is great to see her genuine personality shine through in both her professional and personal world.

What They Taught Me:

Everytime I talk to Katie she shares amazing stories of how she empowered one of her students or helped a struggling student on campus better themselves. She has taught me to never give up on a student and to find an outlet where they can be empowered.

How They Inspired Me:

Having Katie as one of the first advocates of The Niche Movement has really met a lot to me and establish a name for my passion project outside of New Jersey. Her encouragement and belief, along with many others, helps me recognize that I bring value to this subject of post-graduate life.

#Nichtip:

When you are finding your niche, there will be those that are cheerleaders and those that will be activators. The activators go beyond the cheers of support and they take action in ways that will amplify your message and help you reach your goals. Katie was an activator for me. I have lots of cheerleaders, but it is the activators that continue to help make this ‘dream’ a reality. Be an activator for someone else. There are many times throughout my story where I have done that for others, and I believe that is why I have been fortunate enough to see that kindness and dedication come back to me. If you have activators around you, thank them. They are critical to your success.

Day 21 - Putting Intentionality and Effort into Your Relationships

My 30 day blogging journey is two-thirds complete and I have been amazed at the support, words of encouragement, and most importantly, the impact that I have made so far. Thank you to all of you who have read or engaged with my posts.

Since day 21 falls on a Sunday, a day to spend time with those close to you, I am introducing my in-laws into the How I Found My Niche series.

I have been very blessed to be a part of Courtney’s family since the first day I met her. Even though I am a Yankees/Giants fan and they’re die hard Eagles/Phillies fans, they have put sports aside and treat me a like a son and a brother (most of the time ;)). My mother-in-law, Colleen, is a retired guidance counselor from Freedom High School in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. My father-in-law, Don is an entrepreneur who ran his own accounting firm for the last forty years in the Stroudsburg, PA area. Courtney has three brothers Kyle, Brian and Mickey and they all go by the beat of their own drum (just like Courtney).

Don and Colleen, now retired in Venice, Fl, are at the opposite end of the career path spectrum but they have taught Courtney and I many lessons to help us follow our passions. As I reflect on these lessons, it always comes back to Don and Colleen “dreaming big.” Over the last 11 years, I have seen them in their professional element where their work comes natural to them.

Colleen, prior to her retiring, was a dedicated guidance counselor loved by her students and fellow educators. I have seen her truly help her students whether it be assisting the best and brightest get into the Ivy Leagues or help students with tough circumstances get what they needed to attain their high school diploma. Colleen’s resume didn’t end when she moved to Florida. In 2013, she obtained her real estate license and partnered with a successful realtor, Judy Mazrin, and the two of them are making quite a name for themselves. See, no matter the work she is doing, Colleen has the skill to care about those around her and build long-lasting relationships.

My father-in-law Don, has a remarkable story. He grew up in Pennsylvania in the post-depression era where his family came from very little. He worked very hard to attend and graduate from Temple University where he earned an accounting degree. Don doesn’t mention it often, but he also enlisted in the marines as a way to pay for his education. For a few years, he worked for an employer, but in his early thirties, he took a leap of faith and started his own accounting firm. This firm was started the old fashion way: on a napkin and with a firm handshake with his partner. Don never looked back and grew his firm to be one of the best in the Poconos. Needless to say, Courtney and I turn to him for any finance or business advice among other things of course.

Just like I have alluded to in my Day 15 and 20 posts, many people who follow their passions can get too wrapped up and not find time for friends and family. That is not the case for Don and Colleen.  Since retiring to Florida, I’m convinced they are living a busier social life than Courtney and I. Their days are filled with golf, swimming, dinners with friends, and visitors from up north (especially, between January - March). Before they retired, they led the same lifestyle and had several pockets of friends and family they would spend time with. At the end of the day, I’m sure moving to Florida may have been tough, but they had big dreams for how they wanted to spend their retirement and so they went for it. They have done this without letting any of their relationships from ‘up north’ suffer, and that takes the intentionality and effort. Something they put into all of their relationships.

Since Courtney’s parents retired, we have grown closer to my older brother-in-law Brian Stone and his fiance’ Lauren Chamberlin. We have been lucky to find time to go out to dinner with them, visit each other’s house, and get our dogs together to play every few months. Brian followed in his father’s footsteps (while making a path of his own), as he too went to Temple and now owns his own accounting firm. He has established a well-rounded business that focuses on accounting, taxes, and also the launching of new businesses all over the east coast. Brian has the perfect balance of personality, business smarts, and street smarts to provide a service that is in-demand.

When I launched The Niche Movement in February of 2013, he and his firm helped me set-up an LLC and business registration. This among other business advice he has offered to Courtney and I has been invaluable over the last year. Not to mention, above and beyond the great business advice, Brian and Lauren are A LOT of fun!

My younger brother-in-law, Kyle also graduate from Temple in 2008 with a degree in International Business (you can see why they are all die hard philly fans!). Currently, he works for a company called Victaulic, where he is a sales rep selling couplings and piping systems to mines in Australia. Two years ago he had the opportunity to go there for a job and in typical Stone fashion, he went for it. He has a perfect mix of his parent’s traits. He has the business and street smarts from Don and has the personality to connect with anyone like Colleen. At the same time though he is adventurous, laid back and doesn't take life to seriously. When you roll these traits into one, Kyle gets a skill set that has been super successful for him. We miss Kyle a whole lot, but we love any chance we get to Facetime with him and always look forward to his visits.

How They Inspired Me:

With people like my parents, grandparents, cousins, and now in-laws in my life, I have a very well rounded set of values and skills that no matter what I do with my life, I know I will be successful. Don and Colleen have inspired me to dream big and have shown me how to maintain important relationships with friends and family. Kyle has inspired me to be adventurous and to roll with the punches. Brian has taught me that with the right skills, smarts (and good accounting advice), you can make it on your own if you’re willing to put the time and energy into it.

#NicheTip:

When finding your niche, you will need to advocate for yourself and what you want or need help with. My in-laws are a perfect example of how they balance a life of doing what makes them happy while keeping relationships close to them.

Day 20 - Running Toward Your Passion

Today I would like to introduce a couple who has found their niche and are completely following their passion: Laura Chegwidden Jacobs, a close friend of mine from high school, and her husband Joe Jacobs. Over the last three years, I have seen Laura and Joe take something they love and turn it into a career path.

In high school, Laura was part of my circle of friends that included John Gianonne (day 3 post) and Russ Bloodgood (day 7 post) and many more. She also was a star athlete who played field hockey, basketball and track. Running is in her DNA as she comes from a running family of four other siblings that all went on to run either cross country or track and field as well in both high school and college.

The same is true for Joe. Joe and his brother, Pat, ran for Butler High School. Joe then went on to run for UNC - Greensboro. After college, he knew he had to find something in the running world and was lucky to have worked with several running companies like Mizuno. That’s why Laura and Joe are perfect for each other. Running is in their lifestyle. It’s their passion, their calling. They even named their first child Miles.

Laura, being as active and disciplined as she is, went onto earn a Bachelors and Masters from Montclair State University where she played field hockey. When she graduated, she landed an amazing job at Kinnelon High School as a PE teacher. Because she had so much energy and a love for sports, she had to get into coaching. Of course, she didn’t just coach one sport, she has gone on to coach three sports: cross country, basketball and track. Let’s just say there is no rest for her from August to May, but to Laura that is ok. The thing is, is that it doesn’t feel like work and I’ve never heard her say she’s “tired of it.”

When you do something you love, success follows. For Laura, she was named North Jersey’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2011 and in September 2013 she organized a fundraiser with her team to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand for every mile they ran. She also organizes a 5k every March to raise money for the Kinnelon Education Board - a project she initiated and does completely voluntarily.

Now Joe may love running more than Laura. As I mentioned he worked for a few running companies, but a few years ago he took a job with Sneaker Factory, an up and coming running store in New Jersey. He started from the ground up by working in their Millburn store then becoming manager of their new store in Basking Ridge in 2011. In 2013, Joe (and Laura), took took their passion for running even deeper: they went “all-in” on opening the fourth Sneaker Factory store in Florham Park, NJ. Opening up a brand new store and going into business for yourself can be a huge risk. Not for Laura and Joe though. They will succeed because of their work ethic, love for running and incredible family and friends around them.

As I mentioned in my day 15 post, the closer you get to finding your niche the more you may be pulled away from what really matters. You would think that the busy lifestyle they lead while opening a store that they would have no time for those around them. Yes, for the last six months, Joe and Laura have certainly both made sacrifices and have worked tirelessly to get this store up and running. What is even more impressive though, is that they did this all with Miles, their one year old son. They also never changed their lifestyle - they make time for their friends and family, run everyday, and more often than not you will find them competing in cycling and running races.

What They Taught Me:

Laura and Joe have taught me that with the right values you can have it all. They have found their niche and made a lifestyle out of it. Most importantly, they are succeeding at it - individually and as husband and wife. As Courtney and I start to propel our careers, I know that with people like Laura and Joe to look up to, we will be just fine and are lucky to have them as friends.

How They Inspired Me:

The best part about Laura and Joe’s story is that they took something simple that they were passionate about since high school and have made career path that they love. I have never heard them complain about their choices or the workload I’m sure they have. As I look to my future and coming closer to finding my niche, I know that with a work-ethic and mind like theirs, I can create a career out of the things I love.

#NicheTip:

Going “all-in” on your niche is certainly risky and you can read about it, watch it, and people can tell you to go for it. However, sometimes it takes seeing people close to you go for it and pull it off. Look for those in your circle that have found their niche and find ways you can pull inspiration from them to get closer to living out your passion.