Familius

The New Familius.com

 
At long last we're launching the third phase of Familius.com. If you remember the old site and its initial landing page (a photo of me and two of my boys standing on the continental divide overlooking the Cirque of the Towers) you'll be laughing. Talk about embarrassing baby photos. . . But perhaps appropriate considering this climb we've been on. 
 
It's fascinating to watch how a vision to create a transmedia company focused on the family market can go from idea to a viable company with more than forty books in print, three apps, nine audio books, a DVD series, and another 40 titles scheduled for 2014—in twenty months. The adage "Get big, get niche, or get out!" rings true. We're trying to do both. 
 
Why? The family is the fundamental unit of society and the world is struggling. The cure for the world's struggles cannot be delegated to the state. The solutions for our challenges will come from each and every home throughout the world, where a new generation gains hope and the skills to create a brighter future. Regardless of religion, political views, or anything else, we have a common denominators—family. It's who people called during 9/11. It's who kids run to when tragedy strikes. It's who we reach out to when we lose a loved one. It’s who we celebrate with when something goes right. While we're all dysfunctional, we need our families. No family is perfect but we all search for a better way. And that's why we created Familius. 
 
In our short life we have had many successes, it's true, but we have many issues we must address. No publisher has ever sold enough books (apps, audio books, DVDs, fill in the blank) or achieved enough media, or made a perfect book or app or any other product. That is where our focus is, including constantly challenging our ideas about design, marketing methods, and sales strategies. It's a great time to create. 
 
This is why the new Familius.com is so important. It will become the fundamental marketing platform for our authors and their content. Through paid advertising, social media, and SEO strategies, we believe that creating an online destination for our market, with you as our "family experts," will significantly and directly influence those looking for ways to help their families be happy. And this will all lead back to you you, the author, our expert. 
 
What can you do? If you already have an account on Familius.com, please log in to the site using your username and password and click "My Account" at the top. There you can preview your profile, update your bio, create a new article, and review the work you've already done. There are more options for your profile page than ever before, so be sure to check out the new features and flesh out your profile with a fresh bio, intro statement, and even photos of you and your family. 
 
And, be an "Expert." Have something to say? Great, let's say it. We're constantly looking for short content to help families be happy. Just visit your account page and click "Begin a New Draft" to start work on your latest article. Not sure what to write? Just peruse the site. See what others are saying and suggesting. Laugh at their foibles and applaud their efforts. Again, no family is perfect. That's why we started Familius. 
 
If you're new to Familius.com, we invite you to open your own Expert account. Most people have to apply to become an Expert, but all of our book authors are automatically approved. Just email Kristin, our online editor (kristin@familius.com), that you're one of our new authors, and she'll get you set up with your very own account. 
 
We hope you'll let your friends and family know about the great things happening on Familius.com. What's a site without eyeballs, anyway? 
 
And, remember, let's talk family!
 
CHRISTOPHER ROBBINS
pater familius (founder and president)

“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, poet and essayist
 

The End of Summer

Traditionally, the Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. Cabins are shuttered, kids are back in school, yard work picks up in preparation for the falling leaves. It's bitter sweet as summer provides a time to lengthen our days and fall starts to pull those days back in. But those fall days promise so much color. 

While there's work to be done at this traditional turning, there's also plenty of opportunity to spend some time with the family doing something enjoyable. Don't let the weekend go by without making that happen. 

"Life is to be enjoyed not just endured." —Gordon Hinckley

Work vs. Parenthood

It's all too common that we default to  that important  work deadline or that pending contract or that report that our client needs tomorrow but forget to prioritize our life so that family time also take its appropriate place. 

Remember that work is a means not an end and our important family time shouldn't be routinely sacrificed for the work that surely will still be there tomorrow. This doesn't mean that we don't do the  work on schedule.

What this means is that we correctly prioritize and manage our time and commitments to  ensure our families come first and that we never let our work usurp their relationship. 

When it's all said and done, our relationship with our family is what will give us the motivation to  get those hard jobs done. 

(And yes, I  write this after working way too much.)

Success . . . one step at a time

My stepfather taught me that if I wanted to succeed at anything I had to work.

There is such temptation to help our children by removing the burden when they struggle. This doesn't always help. A feeling of accomplishment comes from doing something that you haven't done before. 

"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs . . . one step at a time."  --Joe Girard

First Day of School

If you have children and the first day of school is now, you are probably anxiety ridden, focused on their new backpacks, their schedules, their  lunches, their forms, their bus schedule, their extracurricular activities. You probably are telling them to remember this and pack that and to do  this and . . . 

Stop for a minute and tell them what really matters. Say, "You are smart. You are kind. You are good. And I love you."

No matter how good the school is or how good that teacher is, the best education still and will always happen in the home. You are their most important teacher.

 

For great advice on how to help kids succeed, consider Dr. Ben Bernstein's A Teen's Guide to Success: How to Be Calm, Confident, Focused.  

What Really Matters?

While working late last night and feeling absolutely overwhelmed and somewhat frustrated, I received an email that one of our authors had just lost one of her very young grandchildren to cancer. 

While life goes on all around us, so also, sadly, does death. It is no respecter of age or wealth, education or talent. It is the great equalizer. 

Love. Time is short. 

Never let a problem to be solved get in the way of a person to be loved. 

Are You Happy?

It's been said that to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results is one definition of insanity. Our behavior often determines our results. I just can't lose weight on a hot fudge Sunday diet. 

So the question is are you happy? If not, consider your own behavior. If there's some behavior that challenges your happiness, consider changing that behavior. Otherwise, you might try being happy by repeating the same behavior that makes you unhappy. 

Common sense, but common sense isn't really all that common. 

Measure Twice and Cut Once

Even with the best intent, mistakes happen. The problem with mistakes is that there are two costs associated with them: 

• Opportunity cost or the cost of missing out on what might have happened; and
• Actual costs or the costs that accrue for fixing the mistake.

We often think about things like this when we accidentally break a household item or make a mistake in our job or business. 

However, mistakes happen in our families and the costs are just as real and often far more damaging. 

So, the adage "measure twice and cut once" is relevant in all walks of life. Measure your words and actions carefully before you make a mistake and begin paying both costs. 

 

 

Audio--the Best Way of Experiencing Global Mom

Last year I worked with globetrotting super mom Melissa Dalton-Bradford on her manuscript, a manuscript that eventually became the new book Global Mom. Two to three times a week we would Skype each other from wherever she lived, whether Singapore or Switzerland, to discuss and work on her writing. Melissa's what business people call a "trailing spouse," someone who moves because the spouse's job carries them around the globe.

I immersed myself into another world--Norway, Hong Kong, Paris, Provence, not as a voyeur who was eavesdropping on the uber-privileged. On the contrary, this was  a real family with real family issues, a real mother and father who were trying to raise their family internationally, learn new languages, learn how to buy bread, understand teachers, experience new customs and cultures all while nurturing and maintaining a growing family.

At times it was surreal, at others it was laughable, at others it was tragic. In its entirety it was magnificent. 

That Melissa narrated her own audio book is worth a call out. I highly recommend it. Audible or Amazon. Enjoy the adventure!

What is Stewardship?

I'm reading a fascinating book called Stewardship by Peter Block which is influencing my thoughts about our role in business and family--key issues for Familius. 

The point of the book is to challenge business paradigms and begin to really look at business' role as a steward--a steward of the economy and the world for the next generation.

Block defines stewardship this way: "Simply stated, it is accountability without control or compliance."

He then states this: "Acts of compliance do not serve those around us or the larger organization. We do a disservice to others when we make decisions for them. Even if we are right." (italics mine)

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on how this aligns with the role of Parent. Thoughts?