Two posts in one month for strategy avenue, I must say is pretty good for me. Right now I've been taking some vacations, chilling out a bit before the big fall rush which always puts me a strategic mindset because I have time to breathe and think.
An email that came across my desk today really made me think. In this fast paced flurry of marketing emails, articles, features, news programs about the latest, greatest, newest, most successful... the biggest piece of advice I can provide to anyone looking to achieve their dreams is to watch who you follow. Keep an eye on where that person came from, what they are doing now and what they have accomplished in the past. Follow only those from whom you see consistency.
A positive example of this is my friend Sean Low's Business of Being Creative blog. Not only does he provide great content that every creative business owner should be reading, but he has the real experience to back it up. Before starting his blog he was president of one of the most recognized event design brands in the world, spearheading activities ranging from establishing international partnerships to creating internal financial processes. He is the real deal.
On the flip side, I receive a piece of marketing email spam almost daily from a woman-focused entrepreneur organization filled with rah-rah-go-girls go-us follow-your-dreams-you-all-you-need-is-hope-and-high-heels rhetoric. Upon a quick Google search one can discover that those involved at the leadership level have little experience running small business or tried uncessfully - therefore starting this venture instead. I find it a bit insulting that they believe women, so caught up in their own estrogen, would buy into it.
The bottom line is to watch who you follow, yes - you can't always know the behind the scenes of a business but I encourage you to use your gut feeling. If something seems too good to be true, don't be afraid to question it. For example, if someone is teaching how to get clients and you go to their blog and see no evidence of having clients (or ever having them in the past) - you might want to appreciate the positive things they offer but consider an additional source of information.
Mentors are wonderful people to have in your world, and it's wonderful to look up to those who you feel have achieved similar goes to the ones you would like to achieve. But ultimately, I believe you are fully capable of creating your own path taking snippets from those who have background and experience combined with your own personal talents and aspirations.
Laura
Strategy Avenue is a place where you can find 
love this post and i completely 100% agree! in fact, was just talking to someone this weekend about the same thing.
Posted by: Ami @ Elizabeth Anne Designs | August 17, 2009 at 02:08 PM
Fantastic post and thank you so much for weighing in on this.
I've found that people will count their number of followers on facebook or twitter as ultimate measures of success rather than taking an honest look at where their accounting books say they are. While they may have a few valid points to share, they can't really impart long-term knowledge on how to make things work because they haven't been able to achieve it for themselves yet.
Posted by: Liene Stevens | August 17, 2009 at 02:13 PM
Laura I wish I could RT and FB your wonderful post. I have to ask myself how busy can some of these people be if they are twittering and facebooking 20 times a day. Social Media is an interesting means to communicate but....
Jo Ann Schwartz Woodward
Wedding Consultant
Posted by: Jo Ann Schwartz Woodward | August 17, 2009 at 04:10 PM
A very good piece of advice. Success rubs off!
Posted by: photo retouching | August 19, 2009 at 10:17 AM
great advice!
Posted by: Meg | August 20, 2009 at 01:55 AM
GREAT post! I've been working with Sean and loving it, and in the meantime, have noticed how many 'mentors', "business coaches" etc are popping everywhere. It seems everyone is an expert these days, but just because one person asks you to help them with their business, and you run your own business, doesn't mean you are prepared to help a wide variety of people with their breadth of business needs. If you are looking for help with your business, be careful, and do your research!
Posted by: Bella Design | August 24, 2009 at 11:37 AM
One should never rely on the number of Twitter followers - there are too many spam accounts out there, or accounts that have gone silent. When it comes to social media, it is all about the interaction and the stats behind the business - and people need to definitely dig deeper to see what is happening!
Definitely check out their credentials!
Jo Ann, some of us are fast with the keyboard and are on twitter & facebook while our computers do other things -- I know you can look at my twitter stream and tell what days I'm exporting & uploading photos (which is as fun as watching paint dry) and when I'm out shooting or in a lot of meetings. It is very different at different times.
Posted by: Christine | August 24, 2009 at 03:57 PM
Hi, Happy Christmas. Thanks you for your blog.
Posted by: photo retouching service | December 12, 2009 at 12:50 AM