Especially for Women with Ann Barczay SloanCelebrating the Perfect Platform in Appropriate Style
Introducing: Suzanne Falter-Barns
On-line Branding Specialist and Founder of Get Known Now.com
“Insider Strategies that Will Make You into a Household Name”
Happily seeking ─ and finding ─ Suzanne
I first heard of Suzanne Falter-Barnes via web-based teleseminar series named “Healing with the Masters”, hosted by the amazing healer-entrepreneur, Jennifer McLean. Suzanne was one of the guests being interviewed, and listening to her, I found myself being intrigued.
Suzanne’s light-hearted manner and her unique approach to teaching business promotion principles, combined with her background as intuitive and best-selling author, appealed to my curiosity. So I decided to track her down, and once again I’m happy to report it was easy to connect because I approached her through Facebook! Of course it helped a lot that she and I already had a number of FB friends in common. How convenient!
Who is Suzanne and what is she all about?
Speaking of “convenient”, Suzanne’s Facebook Fan page immediately provided me with essential “Who is…” information – and luckily, in her own words. I couldn’t have written all of this better myself (yes, I’m trying to be funny here…)
Here’s how Suzanne summarizes herself:
I am a
You can find me out in the world giving speeches about building platform, leading intensive workshops on moving to the next level, and consulting with major names in the biz. I am known as the top leader on the Web in helping folks build global platforms.
But first, let me really tell you who I am. I live deep in the woods on a beautiful secluded spot on Lake Champlain ─ right near
I live pretty much my whole life ─ even the wife and mom part ─ in kind of a happy psychic bubble. I'm highly intuitive and way tapped into my spiritual guidance. And I'm a passionate seeker and teacher of self-growth and inspiration.
But most of all, I'm one of the happier campers you're going to meet. I love life, laugh A LOT, and my greatest joy is to spread inspiration. (My first self-help book was titled 'How Much Joy Can You Stand?' which should tell you something right there!)
The purpose of my life is to move people to express themselves.”
To me, this is an enjoyable and effective profile (if I say so myself). Now, let’s take a look at Suzanne’s web sites: HowMuchJoy.com and GetKnownNow.com
(A) Site: www.HowMuchJoy.com
Tag line: “Learn Your Purpose ─ Live Your Joy”
This site is built around Suzanne’s two books:
(1) How Much Joy Can You Stand: A Creative Guide to Facing Your Fears and Making Your Dreams Come True (2000)
(2) Living Your Joy: A Practical Guide to Happiness (Ballantine Wellspring, 2003)
Headings on this page indicate areas of products / services offered :
“Discover Your Joy”
“Write About Your Joy”
“Coach Others to Find Joy”
(B) Site: www.GetKnownNow.com
Tag line: “Insider Strategies that Make You a Household Name”
Example Products offered:
“Platform in a Box”
“Coming Out of Hiding”
(C) And then there’s third site – more of a lengthy sales letter / description, actually:
www.PerfectPlatformRevival.com . Stand by for details!
What’s this about a “Revival”?
Let me quote briefly from the lengthy information on this site
This is Actually a Transformational Business Workshop...With Images, Video, Live Music, and a Whole Lotta Stuff You've Never Seen Before
The three-day Perfect Platform Revival is not your standard workshop. No siree!
It’s a completely interactive personal-growth + performance + spiritual download experience that will truly change you. Deeply. At a soul level.
You bet I’ll be asking Suzanne to elaborate on this! But for now, let’s move right into our interview.
The Interview
Thanks for spending some time with me, Suzanne! First of all, how would you describe what you do ─ your elevator speech, if you will?
“I am a
Here’s my abbreviated version for Twitter:
‘I help small biz owners repackage themselves online to attract major media and publishers. (Yes, the media really WILL call you.)' ”
That’s great! I enjoy the way Twitter constrains us into economy of words.
And now, Suzanne ─ what makes your work, your company unique? In other words, what is the so-called Unique Value Proposition (UVP) of what you do?
“What makes my work different is, I help entrepreneurs / solo-preneurs tap into their deep inner purpose, and out of that build a unique ‘hook’, a powerful brand and offer. I’ve accumulated 20 years of media experience doing this. As I am a best-selling self help author and also understand the realm of the conscious professional world, I can easily straddle both worlds”.
What is your mission, Suzanne: the primary goal of the work you are doing?
“My primary goal ─ the purpose of my life, actually! ─ is to move people to express themselves! My mission is to help solo-preneurs develop unique and powerful platform offers that help them get their mission out in front of millions of people.”
That’s inspiring!
So ─ please describe briefly how you got started in all this, and how you arrived where you are currently.
“I’ve done 20 years of marketing / advertising /promotion professionally and worked in
Then I went into a period of writer's block, but still worked as a freelance copywriter consultant. I still owned my business, but could not get any traction on my novels. Basically, I felt I was having a total writer meltdown.”
Sounds like a difficult period, Suzanne!
“Oh yeah! But finally, 6 months later I started writing a newsletter for people on their creative dreams -- and out of this, my book, How Much Joy Can You Stand, was created and written in two weeks.”
Two weeks? Amazing!
“It really was! After this, I looked for a publisher because I just ‘knew’ this was an important book in my life. All the publishers I contacted passed, but a small press loved it and offered me a book deal. My book "How Much Joy Can You Stand" was published in 1999 but the publisher never paid me for it! I then connected with an agent who helped me connect to one of the big publishers ─ who offered me a two- book, six-figure deal.”
Six figures? Great!
“You know, it’s interesting ─ as time went on, this book of mine has evolved to be an online business, workshops, a licensing program, and became the entire arc of the business I lead today.”
So these are the products and services available on your HowMuchJoy.com web site. And your other site, GetKnownNow.com ─ what is that all about?
“As I mentioned earlier, the purpose of my life is to move people to express themselves. So for me, platform building is kind of business-meets-spirituality. I spent more than a decade in gritty old NYC crafting brands and promotions for products from The New York Times to Irish Spring Soap. And where did that eventually lead me? ... Right here, where I am now!
Now my passion is 'packaging' people who are here to make a difference in the world. I love to help life coaches, solo- and info-preneurs, speakers, healers, therapists and such find their perfect offer ─ the one that REALLY reflects their soul purpose in life. And build a cracking online presence and business from it!”
How did this part of your work evolve?
“My work in what I call ‘platform’ came into being in 2004. I have a list of 30,000 solo-preneurs who want to know how to build a business, so I began teaching how to build platforms. My self-help books are very successful. They have over 100,000 readers, and we’ve licensed 700 people in 22 countries to lead ‘How Much Joy’ workshops.”
Was there a time of breakthrough, a turning point when you chose to change your course? Any quantum leaps?
“Well, it was certainly a quantum leap to have my first book finally published and out there in the world! After that it took me two years running both sites simultaneously to understand what the ‘Get Known Now’ site was meant to be.”
And that is ─??
“It's all about finding your niche and platform and literally, your ‘place to stand’.”
Which of your projects are you currently most excited and passionate about, Suzanne?
“I am so excited about my Platform Leaders group, and about my work with our platform leaders. Also I am thrilled about my Perfect Platform Revival in
The “Perfect Platform Revival?” Tell me more!…
“Well, the three-day Perfect Platform Revival event is the TOTAL opposite of anything stuffy, contained, straight-laced or ordinary. It's exuberant, jubilant, touching to the core and very, very real!”
But why “Revival”? What’s a ‘Revival’, anyway?
“Here’s the REALLY magical part …This three-day event which I’ve co-created with Jeffrey Van Dyk, a purpose expert and San Francisco-based life coach, culminates in a powerful revival meeting in which you nail down that perfect platform … AND truly step into your greatness ‘revival-style’. There’s even a live blues band on hand to help you get your own greatness deep in your body. So you not only get to discover a whole new platform for yourself … you’ll finally be able to answer that essential call to leadership in your soul. This is the part Jeffrey adds that is such a great addition to my own platform work.
Bottom line, it’s our intention that every person who comes to the Perfect Platform Revival goes home changed and fully empowered. Because that’s what building powerful platform requires.”
Live blues band? Wow ─ Sounds amazing! But you say this event is already sold out?
“Yes, it’s filled!”
So let me ask you: How much of your work is focused specifically toward women?
“We don’t necessarily not target toward men, and I don’t mean to exclude men per se, but most men don't feel they need this piece of the puzzle. The guys that do come are usually very spiritually guided into growth.”
What are some of the ways / places in which you promote your enterprise?
“We promote on our website and Blog, Facebook, Twitter, plus Joint Ventures with partners who reach a conscious solo-preneur audience.”
Bottom line – What do you feel is really working well for you, your company?
“My power team ─ as well as holding a bigger vision for what's possible. And of course, tapping into my spiritual guidance. That’s key.”
Whom does your network currently include? What is the size of your list?
“My list is approximately 32,000. We reach about 3500 / 4000 via Twitter and Facebook;. 4,000 on blog.”
Bottom line – What do you feel is really working well for you, your company?
“My power team, as well as holding a bigger vision for what's possible. And of course, tapping into my spiritual guidance.”
What’s the achievement, the accomplishment you’re most proud of at this time?
“Filling out the Perfect Platform Revival is a great accomplishment. It’s something really innovative and different. I’m proud of creating an entirely new transformational work environment, creating interactive expression and direct spiritual guidance as a part of this event.”
What are your plans and goals for the future, especially regarding networking activities?
“I am hoping to bring the Perfect Platform Revival across the country and the world.”
Any other point you’d like to emphasize at this time?
“Call it Revival, call it spiritual ─ here's what I'm meant to do!”
That’s a powerful, inspiring note to end on, Suzanne! Thank you so much for this glimpse into your own unique brand as
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Key Words:
Solo-preneur, inner purpose, Jeffrey Van Dyk, Get Known Now, Platform, Perfect Platform Revival, spiritual guidance, Suzanne Falter Barns, The National Networker, TNNW, Ann Barczay Sloan,
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Ann Barczay Sloan, M.A.
Author & Editor / Creative Writing Coach
The Connectrix
www.linkedin.com/in/AnnBarczaySloan
Featured Columnist,
The National Networker Companies
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