Inside Look | Alex of Midland Social Media and The Developing Renaissance Man

Once upon a time I was an admissions counselor for my beloved alma mater, Dana College - on a mission to find students who would thrive at Dana like I did. Alex was one of my treasures. He was a friendly, ambitious fellow who was going to do great things and I knew our community would be the perfect place to educate and empower him on the way. (I tried not to have favorites, but it's inevitable with personalities like his.)

Six weeks before move in, our worlds came crumbling down as we learned that Dana was closing its doors, but we found new homes and made the most of our situations. Alex went on to a vibrant college career at Midland University in Marketing and we've kept in touch over the years. At our annual stimulating creative minds chat, he noted interest in going through the sifting process - a mental, emotional, and physical reset I do with my other business, The SIFTED Life. We talked dreams and fears, struggles and wins, and through the roller coaster of owning the life you want, Alex launched his baby and venture, Midland Social Media.

Now, half a year into serving business owners in Fremont, he's gaining ground and determined to make a difference in the lives of entrepreneurs. As padawan learner becomes mentor, Alex now helps me and contributes a great deal to my SEO and social media strategy. He once told me in a video of encouragement to consider him my own personal dream catcher - "think: Walt Disney meets Tony Robbins." :D Exactly what I need.

Featuring more entrepreneurs and creatives like Alex has been a goal of mine this year (every business owner needs an inventory of images to tell their story!), so enjoy a curated gallery along with a little Q&A segment about the man of the hour:

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your venture?

A: I believe strongly in authenticity, storytelling, positive influence, & the art of aligning these maxims. Midland Social Media manifests these maxims by attracting authentic audiences to become raving fans for businesses. I just happen to use social media in my work.

Q: When did you realize you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

A: It seemed to be the reaching of a mental threshold. My own approach to that threshold was gradual. I believe the initiation was after I had begun experiencing internal struggles with the state of my life. Mostly uncertain of the longevity & fulfillment of what I was doing around the time I began Army Officer Candidate School. I vividly remember a motivational video that featured a clip from the 70's film, The Network. The news anchor's words bore deep, shaking my entire soul as he bellows over live broadcast,

"You've got to get mad! You've gotta say 'I'm a human being goddammit! My life has value!' ... 'I'm as mad as hell & I'm not gonna take this anymore!'

That has been the most certain I'd ever been that I was going to do something with my life... I still cry watching that scene.

Q: What are the biggest lessons you've learned in entrepreneurship?

A:

Pick something you can be almost infinitely curious about
When frustrated, close the gap by taking incremental action on new knowledge
The fundamental reason for what you are doing must be undeniably clear
If you need inspiration to keep you going, you should probably stop
Challenges are overcome by deploying discipline
Passion drives you when things are going well
Know thyself; there are too many resources to ignore introspection
Invest in yourself, particularly in knowledge & wellness
The quality of your communication will determine the quality of your life

Q: What does every business owner need to know about social media?

A: Business owners must recognize that if they want people's attention, social media is where that attention is going. Consider social media as the current state of the internet.

Q: What should every business owner be doing with social media?

A On a bluntly honest note, every business owner should stop complaining or blaming their tech person that social media "doesn't work". Social platforms are changing on a nearly daily basis, & the continued learning associated is a full time gig. Furthermore, harnessing people's attention, engaging a community, monetizing strategic outcomes, leveraging & properly tracking results, & aligning your business to your audience is no game. Those customers are what make each businesses' world go round. Any business complaining that social isn't working for them has a lot of work ahead to execute properly, build the audience they think they deserve, & transform customers into raving fans.

Q: How do you make life easier for entrepreneurs/business owners?

A: "Easier" is something of a misnomer. Hardly anything business owners or entrepreneurs do is easy. What's really valuable is having someone on your team willing to carry a heavy workload for you. When it comes to business needs, marketing & innovation are the top two. Marketing, even for a small business, is still a massive undertaking. Ultimately it's up to the business owner or entrepreneur whether they invite me on their team which can be painful, as it means they have to admit that they need help. So for those that want to transform their audience into raving fans, I'm willing to undertake the workload.

Q: What projects and/or clients are you most excited about?

A: At the moment I'm working with a local YouTuber to develop a channel & leverage local opportunities to grow a following. Outside of that, I'm letting my referral network & prospecting program work it's magic to generate higher quality leads.

Q: What is your favorite pick me up?

A: Chocolate. Preferably dark chocolate. But chocolate nevertheless. Pizza on occasion also brings me joy.

Q: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

A: Look forward to the launch of my podcast. It's all about "the little guys". It's geared toward businesses in the local area. I'm expecting the conversations to revolve around the individual business owners. I want to archive their stories of how they started, what's kept them going, & what they expect from the future. Without small businesses that last, it is nearly impossible for a local economy to thrive. People need to be aware of the current state of things, what fears & doubts are lingering, as well as advice for those struggling or getting started.

Q: Where can people find you?

A: People can visit Midland Social Media at: www.midlandsocialmedia.com & on Facebook. Follow my life size journey on w ww.authenticatd.com.

Facebook: Drm Alex Tschampl-Diesing
Twitter + Snapchat + Instagram: DrmAlex8
YouTube channel: Developing Renaissance Man

Thanks, Alex! Go get 'em.