The First Male Interview for This Blog-- its great!

Today I am bringing you Nick Nanton, half of the agency called Dicks & Nanton Agency. An interesting business in Florida. How they started, what they do and what I like, they believe that almost anyone can be made into a celebrity for business growth. Great concept and this is a great interview.

1. Both you and your partner in your agency; Dicks & Nanton Agency, are lawyers but now it seems to be in the marketing business. Can you tell us how you meet and started the agency?

Well, Jack and I are both lawyers, but we also both happen to be serial entrepreneurs, which led us to marketing. Between the two of us we have directed the sales and marketing campaigns of products that have had over half a billion dollars in sales.

It’s a funny story of fate how we met. We actually met when I was in high school when my cousin dated his daughter. I wasn’t sure what he did, although I knew he was a lawyer, but we got to know each other casually. Then about 10 years later a good friend of mine in college married into the family and I reconnected with him. We started working on some projects together and over time found that we were a great team.

2. Now are you a talent agency or a marketing agency or are you carving out a new type agency niche?

Actually it’s a new kind of agency altogether. It’s a Celebrity Branding™ Agency. We coach people on how to become Celebrities and Gurus to their market segment and then we represent them and work with them to build their business and their income streams through various business structures like licensing and franchising.

3. For your unique type of business where does all the talent come from you, your partner or do you have that unique type of blend of talents? Tell us about what your talents are?
We both have similar talents of seeing how to build a Celebrity Driven business, but when you get down into the fine details we have a very complimentary skill set.

My talent is engaging people to learn what they can offer the general public and what the general public will accept from them. It’s very similar to my past as a talent manager and producer in the music business. You start with a piece of clay at some stage of the process and then you work with it to make it the best it can be. You can’t turn it into another material, or make it take on characteristics that don’t exist, but you can help it turn into the best end product it can be. I have an extensive background in television, graphics, event and audio production so I often create the “show” for our clients—how to present them to an audience in an entertaining and informative way.

Jack is truly a master at most everything. He can shape shift to meet any challenge. But I would say his greatest skill is monitoring the way money flows in any market and helping the client hop in the stream of cash flow in a way that makes sense for them personally, but still stays relevant to where the money is. He can help any client find multiple income streams that they never knew existed.

4. From what I have read, in doing what you do, it sounds like at times you do a complete make-over of the look of the business or do you just pick certain parts of the business that need real help?

It can be either. We can help at any stage. But we often do help people start from scratch. We work with clients from “Broke to $4 Billion” in annual revenue, so it really does span a very wide range.

5. The way that I discovered you was via a mailed out newsletter. Many entrepreneurs wonder if a mailed newsletter would bring them any business. How has your newsletter worked for the agency?

A hard-copy “snail mail” newsletter is the best business building strategy for any business and it has been for years. It has worked amazingly well for our business and our clients. People perceive something they get in the mail so much differently than they do an email newsletter. The email newsletter often falls prey to a mailbox full of personal tasks that must be responded to, so an informative piece of information that does not require a response usually gets deleted in order to make time for the messages that must be responded to. The email newsletter is essentially a pest that is exterminated, not that they don’t have their place because they do and we use them all the time, but I’m just saying that’s the real weakness of an email newsletter.
A hard copy newsletter on the other hand is usually one of the gems someone gets in their mailbox at home. Most people don’t get much real correspondence via us postal service, in contrast they get junk mail and bills. A newsletter that can actually help the person receiving it will move to the top of the pile over the other items, if nothing else, because of the contrast to the other items in the mailbox.

6. You say that if your website is not making you money it should be. Can you explain that statement…do you think every site should be a money machine?

By making you money we don’t always mean that it should literally have a credit card terminal that collects money 24 hours a day, although we never mind that! We mean that it should be generating warm prospects for you and your business and then you can use whatever the best process is for your business to convert those leads into dollars. Warm leads are worth dollars and ultimately lead to you making money. So we think your website should be put to work in the online world to bring visitors to you and help you with at least the first step of the process by turning visitors into warm leads who “raise their hand” for more information on you, your products and services. From that point on your correspondence turns from “unwelcome pest” to “welcome guest” because the prospect requested the information from you, rather than you just cold calling them or sending them unsolicited marketing materials.

7. Do I understand this right? You take someone and marketing them to become a celebrity then you teach them how to broaden their horizons with your legal knowledge?

I prefer to explain it this way: we take people and help them create celebrity status in their niche by generating a buzz and then we help them monetize their celebrity status into multiple income streams through capitalizing on their talents and expertise. We use legal structures and strategies to make these businesses operate at the highest level while protecting their assets.

8. Both you and your partner (JW) are also in something that is very new it is called Kennedys Barber Club. Tell us where the idea came from and how does a Barber Club Work?

Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club™ is a really unique concept that we founded with a couple of our other business partners. We believe that at the core of every business should be what we like to call “Continuity Income.” In other words, the business should generate automatic income on a continuous basis from the same customers. Memberships are a really great illustration of this. In most cases, when you join a gym or health club, you don’t pay a one-time fee to attend for the day, instead they get you to pay monthly for access. They get money from you every month, not only when you come in. We believe every business should have this philosophy and we have built it into every business we have, from our online marketing and PR agency http://www.celebritysites.com/ to our law firm and Celebrity Branding™ agency.

Continuity income can be created in any business with a little creativity. We even know a funeral home director who has added continuity to his business! And it really helps businesses to grow and thrive. Instead of having to go out and compete for the same number of dollars every month, all you have to do is go out and try to grow by getting a few more dollars. Some people will stop paying, move, change their minds or whatever, but for the most part if you can retain a % of your customers, you are already ahead of most businesses that have to re-convince their customers every month just to keep the doors open. Also, when you get someone to take on a monthly bill, they mentally add it to their “overhead” and move on. When you get into the “overhead” category of spending you move from discretionary spending to mandatory spending. At some time you could be removed from the mandatory spending, or “overhead,” category, but the point is it’s a mental switch that the customer doesn’t usually re-address every month unless they are having difficulties keeping up with their personal spending.

If you can get customers paying you monthly, and then bring in more customers every month, you now have a formula that will help you to grow quickly.

Kennedy’s™ is built around the concept of memberships and continuity income, but the reason it works is because we have taken a very mundane, necessary experience for most men and have turned it into a luxurious, even fun, experience. Men go to Kennedy’s for haircuts, straight-razor shaves, great conversation with other like-minded gentlemen and most of all they don’t have to deal with the discomfort of attending a women’s salon. Women’s salons just aren’t a great fit for most men, but that doesn’t mean that they want to go to “chop shops” either. We really saw a gap in the market between what the mass affluent (upper middle class) guy is looking for and what the market was offering, so we set out to create a concept that would fill the void. And so far it’s working out great! We are now franchising and expect to grow exponentially in 2009. You can learn more by visiting http://www.kennedysbarberclub.com/

Didn't I tell you this would be great!
Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene

P.S. Let me know what you think of interviewing men on the blog.

Things Are Changing

Things are changing right here on my Blog. Let me tell you why. I have been receiving many emails from men asking me why I don't interview them on the radio. At first I said Duh…look at the name of the show guys that should be a big hint. Then one bright fellow said, you know we have good information too. Which made me stop and think what are we missing?

We (meaning us women) don't want to miss anything. That includes great information. That is the reason that I have decided to interview men in print on my blog. Now that doesn't mean that I won't put my two cents in on fashion and other things from time to time but I want to bring you my loyal readers well rounded information that we can all use.

The first one will be posted later this week, when I Interview Nick Naton from an interesting company that does what they call Celebrity Branding on almost anyone.

Information you can use!
Looking at a changing world

I will be looking for feedback on all the interviews from all of you. The more feedback the better. Now I am looking for men to interview. Men with information that will help us in what we want to do. So if you know any, email me at drmarlenebbs@gmail.com

Amazingly Yours,
Dr Marlene

Funny and Oh so True!

I must admit this isn’t what I normally talk about. But many things are changing and since I was caught off guard with this great story I just couldn't help but share it. This was sent to me by a friend. (Thanks Cin) You will love this one.

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small New
Only women of a certain era will fully appreciate this.... True story.
(If you don't understand this, tell your mother, she'll get it!)England town where

Paul Newman and his family often visited. One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk.
After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone.She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes.
The actor nodded graciously and the star struck woman smiled demurely.
Pull yourself together! She chides herself.

You're a happily married woman with three children; you're forty-five years old, not a teenager! The clerk filled her order and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other.

Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction.When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty.
Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store?

Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something! No ice cream cone was in sight... With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.His face broke into his familiar, warm, friendly grin and he said to the woman,
'You put it in your purse.'

I must admit that I laughed and laughed at this one. And oh how true it is something like this can happen. How do I know. Let me tell you a small story of mine.

Being a look-alike is fun. As I tell everyone in interviews…it gets you great seats in restaurants.

But sometimes it gets you more.

During one of those occasions I was driving back from a television show on look-alikes. Yes I was in my full make-up as Carol Burnet; which isn’t much. I was stopped at a light and I was the only car at that light. As I waited for a pedestrian to cross the street; I felt I was being watch. You know that feeling.

As I looked up at the pedestrian I found where that feeling was coming from. He was walking directly at me smiling and staring. Directly at me was actually directly at the car. I tried to warn him but he thought I was waving at him and he smiled bigger and waved back and promptly ran into and fell on the front of my car. I have to admit I had to snicker.

I rolled down my window and asked if he was okay, and he just smiled, put his head down and kept on walking. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t her…but thought better of it as it would have made his embarrassment worse.

I get just a tiny taste of what celebrities go through and you know I do feel sorry for them from time to time. Until I talked to a real paparazzi one time….but that story is for another day.

We are going to be talking about a movie franchise that has lasted for over 40 years. James Bond on the show Amazing Women brains, beauty and style this Wednesday. Don’t miss the show live http://www.marlenesiersema.com/ just click on the E-card. Read more about the show on http://www.amazingwomenbbs.com/ .

Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene

Colors for Fall & Image Stylists

I am observing the new colors for fall and it seems many of the designers are getting stuck in a rut. Many of the colors have that gray undertone again. For many gray is not one of the best colors to bring out skin tones. Like black, gray seems to be a ‘safe’ color and many designers think that like black everyone can wear it. That simple is not true. Gray is one of those colors that needs just the right person and attitude to wear.

For many years it seems that workout clothes only came in black and heather gray. Because of that many women think that gray is a great color. Just remember that heather gray has lots of white mixed in.

Try this when you are shopping and pick up one of the new colors for fall. Wear or throw something into your purse that makes you skin look wonderful. Then, you have a reference point for the new colors. Then while you are looking stop in front of that all important mirror and take those new colors and hold them up to your face covering all of what you are wearing. Wait about 5 seconds and see what happens. Pick several places on your face that are problem areas. Circles under eyes, veins, we all those areas now see what happens. If they suddenly “pop” into view…be careful. Now take the new color down and see what happens…if you see a change…put it back…yes I know that it is hard to do but…you may not wear it more than once and that would be a waste of money. However, if there isn’t any change you may have a great new piece to add to your wardrobe.

Not to many months ago I was talking with a stylist to be on my show. We had set the date and were having a conversation on the color and industry and what was popular. I told her about my book Marketing’s Silent Language. How I looked at color from a scientific standpoint. That color likes and dislikes were buried in our DNA and visually actually depended upon a person’s skin undertones and the colors in a person’s eyes. I ended the conversation with: the show was going to be great as we have different views on color… two days later she cancelled being on the show.

That made me wonder…are some stylists there to make you look great or to push what is the latest fashion trend? When I see many of the celebrities in clothing that makes them look awful, and most of the celebs use stylists I wonder what is going on. Are the stylists and the celebs getting compensation for looking awful? Don’t you wonder? Who is doing who a favor?

My philosophy on clothing…regardless of what is in fashion…if it doesn’t look right on my body…it doesn’t get purchased. The times that I have not stuck to that philosophy…that piece didn’t get used and/or is given away. I have turtle neck cashmere sweaters that are very old and are still warn year after year. Know your style, and know your best colors and stick with them.

I was watching a show on haute couture clothing. Incredible clothing with truly incredible prices! I remember one women’s statement. She had been buying couture clothing for many years. Because of her style, taste and color choices, items that were 20 years old could still be worn today. Think about that. How many of us can wear anything from 20 years ago. (Yes I know we have to fit into it first!) But short of jeans, do any of us have clothing that could still be worn in 20 years?

Maybe there is something to be said about timeless style and correct color choices after all.

Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene

If you want to get your shape into better shape get my book:
The Thinking Side to Thin www.thinkingsidetothin.com
How to change your thinking to keep, or get that shape you have always wanted and deserve. To learn more about color and how it affects you everyday life get one of the last copies of my book:
Marketing’s Silent Language at www.silentlanguage.com .

Feeling Good!

It’s that time of year again…no not fall…political season. And everyone has an opinion. One such opinion came to me in an email this morning about Sarah Palin. This one was different; because it really wasn’t about her so much as it was about you. About feeling good and being happy and isn't that what life is really ment to be and all about?

So I am sharing this with all of you with the writer’s permission of course.


Sarah Palin Just Feels Good

Reagan called it “Morning in America”….that special sensation the country felt when they listened to this very positive man talk about them. They felt good. And that’s what is happening with Sarah Palin….she makes us feel good. Or more accurate, we let ourselves feel good when we listen to her.

We feel good about our country, even when we know it has flaws. We feel good about the government, knowing it really can change for the better. And most important, we feel good about ourselves, and that alone goes a long way towards changing everything, since we are the country.

Conditions don’t change for the better just because you sit around and complain about them…they actually get worse. Nor do they change when you rush to action while still focusing and complaining about the problem…again, they are forever perpetuated; merely observe any government program. Yet conditions change automatically when we all feel good. It really is the only condition that does bring about any lasting change.

There is a big difference between a government who wants to give you everything, and a government who knows you can handle things on your own. One says, “Here, let me do this thing for you because I see you cannot do it for yourself.” Not very empowering. The other says, “I have faith in you and I believe that you are capable of doing anything yourself.” Pretty good empowerment. And since everyone wants to feel empowered, which statement do you think resonates more with who we all truly wish to be?

Sarah Palin is a happy politician. Happy people are just more fun to be around. Think about the people you hang out with. Who’s more fun? The ones who sit around and complain about everything in their life; blaming everyone except themselves, or the happy ones who view even the worst of conditions with irreverent humor and smiles. One could be called a Gloomy Gus and the other a Pollyanna. Yet, Pollyannas are not only much more successful, they are way more fun to be around, because some of that happy optimism always rubs off on you….and it does feel good….as John McCain is discovering.


Many wish for this type of life. See how many movies and books are written about how to achieve feeling this way. A pure version of this is in the Disney movie Enchanted. Even New York couldn’t stop the happy heroine. Watch the movie with this in mind. Go to the library or book store section of self-help books. There are hundreds of thousands. Without reading a book maybe Sarah is just making us feel good about ourselves. Great concept!

Remember to listen to my show Amazing Women, brains, beauty & style the women I interview will also make you feel good that ordinary women can accomplish amazing things.

Amazingly Yours,
Dr Marlene

Radio show website is: www.amazingwomenbbs.com

Having Passion

Wow what a show I had Wednesday. Esther Gokhale was so informative. She was also so helpful off the air as well as on the air. We talked during the breaks and she wanted to know what she could do for me. What a wonderful lady. With small changes come big results. On the show she talked about stretch sitting and having the ‘behind’ end of the chair slightly higher than the front. I was fascinated with that way of sitting. It was just the opposite of what I had been doing. As soon as the show was over I changed my chair setting, it felt different at first….BUT before I went to bed I noticed the pain in my lower hip was gone. Yip gone! Up till then that was part of the back area that I could not fix. I also love the fact that she has fun stuff on her website. http://www.wellstackedback.com/ She has a passion to help people with back problems. Because she finally got it and she wants the world to know.

The same holds true for my guest, the week before, Annette Sym. She is a super lady who after a lifetime of being fat discovered that she could lose the weight with small changes that got big results. She did change the way she ate, because she liked food. What I can tell you is, off the air, Annette is, just the same bubbly personality with that passion to tell the world what she found out about losing weight. What Annette and I learned off the air is our backgrounds are very similar. The weight gain and loss and although I finally out weighted Annette (Isn’t that a thing to say) we both learned how to get it off and keep it off. She is such a beautiful woman. Her love for cooking shows in all her books, check it out at http://www.simplytoogood.com.au/ . Her recipes transformations are just like her personal transformation. She is bringing her cooking ideas to America and I can’t wait to see what she does here in the land of huge food and huge fat grams. She has found her passion and can’t wait to tell the world. And we all might just be a little slimmer because of her.

When you have a passion you usually do well in that passion. If you find your passion early in life you are so lucky to enjoy that passion longer and tell the world. Work toward your own passion not others. Listen to your inner self. It is proven that people don’t do well with others passion. But don’t worry if you haven’t found that passion yet. It took me many years to find mine. Then one day I finally listened to my inner self and my passion was born. Interesting now I have two.

Amazingly Yours,
Dr Marlene

Don't forget to listen to my Aug 20th radio show. The 90 year old Darling will be on. You can also listen later at http://www.amazingwomenbbs.com/ or http://www.marlenesiersema.com/ click on the radio button on top of the front page of my site. Learn how I changed my life and also became passionate about weight loss at http://www.thinkingsidetothin.com/.

An 8 Year Olds Fun Pays Off

After months of practice and practice there she was an 8 ½ year old, standing waiting to march onto the field. What field? Why a huge football field as; she was about to perform in a baton twirling drum majorette competition. All the excitement of the last months, all the sore feet, blisters on fingers and toes, all the practice. At almost 8 ½ years old she was so excited! She loved her music, helped design her performance (AT 8 ½) and had worked at performing it over and over and over again. She knew it perfectly! Her Mother gave her small hand a squeeze and whispered “I love you honey”.

Mom knew the performance almost as good as her daughter. Mom knew how much her daughter loved all the tap dance classes, the ballet classes, the baton twirling classes, the acting classes that her young girl took. Mom also knew that her daughter was good. So there they stood waiting for the 8 ½ year old to march to the center of the field. The music came on and… she was off.

As she got to the center of the field and she turned to face the judges something happened….she forgot her routine!!! Oh NO…what was she going to do. In that split second, that 8 ½ year old realized the show must go on (as her acting and ballet teacher always told them)! As her routine music came on she smartly saluted the judges and off she went making it up as she went along. She knew the music so well she knew what was next so she did twirls, front back and over the head. She put in some one handed cartwheels while twirling the baton. (She had never done one before) She decided she was going to have fun and she didn’t care what happened or about the competition. At the end of the routine she threw the baton into the air so high it even surprised her and also to her surprise she caught it!!! She stopped saluted the judges again and marched off the field to loud applause!

Her Mom was standing there with her mouth wide open. What was that? What happened? That wasn’t your regular routine. "Oh Mom, I am soooo sorry I forgot the whole thing and decided to just make it up as I went along and have fun!" Her Mom put her arm around her and said that’s okay honey you had a good time today and you will always remember it. Her daughter asked if they could go home as she thought without the regular routine she didn’t have a chance to win. And off they went hand in hand smiling and laughing and discussing the made up routine.

The next day she went into the dance studio to a huge surprise. Everyone asked what happened to her the day before at the competition? Her teacher said she knew her routine that was performed was not the one they worked on but she did a great job and she were having such fun. You should have stayed, she said. Because SURPRISE you won second place!!! We are having a party for the whole troupe and you’re the STAR. She had won second place…wow…she was the STAR that day WOW!!! Wait till her Mother heard about this.

When you do something that you love and have a great time doing it, two things happen. First your love for what you do comes through, and second you become very good at what you are doing. When you love what you do success will follow.

Yip …this story is true, as I still have that medal for winning second place that day with a made up routine! My Mom was right I have never forgotten that day. You know that girls just gotta have fun! So...Go have fun...

Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene


Join me Wednesday’s for Amazing Women: brains, beauty & style on Voice America Women’s Radio network. http://www.amazingwomenbbs.com/ . If you want to get your shape into better shape get The Thinking Side to Thin http://www.thinkingsidetothin.com/ How to change your thinking to keep, (or get) that shape to become a fashion icon.