Vounteering

Recently I was asked to be a volunteer for Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

I've been asked to be speech coach for a special young man who wants to be a motivational speaker. We are definitely learning from each other and have quickly become friends.

There are amazing people participating in various Best Buddies programs. One of the amazing people I've met would have to be Greg. He has a voice I would love to have and a memory I am jealous of. Take some time to watch this video of him speaking to a high school in Arizona. Amazing stuff.



For more information on Best Buddies, their programs or how you can help, click on the link below.

www.Bestbuddies.org

Good Day

Some times we have good days and we just have to share it with people that we know. I work at the Phoenix Zoo. Some days I have not so good days and others are really good.

Today I was asked to be a Trail Guide. That means I get to ride a bike around the zoo give talks and presentations to zoo guests and visitors. Today was a huge field trip day. There were people all over the zoo. Plenty of opportunities for me to run my mouth.

Speaking is my passion, so anytime to run my mouth is a good day. It's even more fun when working with kids. The kids today had TONS of questions. Several of my talks involved me and the guests feeding animals. Several of my talks ended with applause and hand clapping. Talk about feeling good inside. Then there was the school group that asked to take a picture with me.

By the time the day was over, I had talk to groups about monkeys, elephants, giraffes, ostrich, vultures, snakes, otters, cheetahs, baboons, mandrills, warthogs, lions, orangutans, tortoises and where the closet bathroom is.

To top things off, a guest left a great comment about me and my customer service skills. The comment was sent out for all of the employees to see with all of the other comments left by guests. The comment is below:

The last thing we did on our day at your Zoo was stop at Stingray Bay. We paid our $2 each more to get in there then I saw the food for the stingrays was an additional charge. That one thing sent me over the edge. I’d paid ala carte all day and was still feeling sort of OK about it until the extra charge to feed the stingrays. Suddenly, I was mad. Then Frank in stingray bay spent a lot of time helping my child get up her courage to touch them. His fabulous attitude and customer orientation immediately turned me back into a happy camper. Frank is the reason I am leaving satisfied today.

This blog entry isn't me bragging. It's me typing about something I'm proud. Many of us don't take the time to share are good days with people. We just talk about what didn't go right in our days or lives. The next time you have a good day. Share it with the people close to you. Be proud of your accomplishments and you never know, you're good day my cheer someone else up.

Have a great week everyone!

Frank

Par is my friend

My best friend recently got asked to write a weekly blog for his local newspaper. He gives advice, tips and commentary on men's and women's golf.

If you would like to learn more about the game that drive's people crazy, click on the link below

http://scottsgolfingblog.blogspot.com/

More Acting

I've had the opportunity lately to dabble in acting again. Anytime I get a chance to act, funny stories follow. I always say "Live Life." Acting is definitely living life. Life is about relationships and experiences. Some funny and some a little painful.

My recent acting experience became an experience between me and the hard molded seat of a plastic horse.

Last Friday, I was asked to be an extra for a commercial. It was for Major League Baseball. I was playing the part of a person attending a carnival as 2010 American League Cy Young Award winning pitcher Felix Hernandez was being featured.

Felix is known for his pinpoint control. The commercial played up this fact by having him participate in the classic carnival game "Milk Jug Toss." You know the rigged carnival game where you throw a baseball at three milk jugs that are weighted. If you knock them all down, then you win a prize. Needless to say, he won all of the stuffed animals. It should be a pretty funny commercial when it comes out.

People think being in a commercial is pretty simple, quick and a lot of fun. Those thoughts would be right and wrong. I thought the shoot would only last a couple of hours, but it lasted almost 8 hours. Of the 8 hours, most of it was me and other actors sitting around and waiting. You have to wait for scenes to be shot; you have to wait for actors to arrive; you have to wait for the make-up, lighting and camera people to get everything right. There are also a lot of rules. Some of the biggest rules for this commercial were not to take pictures of Felix and his family and don't ask for autographs.

The commercial was shot in a local amusement park. The thought of hanging out in an amusement park sounds like a lot of fun. It can be if you get to ride the "good" rides. The memory of sitting on a carousel horse for almost one and half hours is still a little painful. I could still be dizzy from go around over and over again, or it could be listening to the same music over and over again. I believe me and the actors might have set a World Record for time spent going around on a carousel. People at the park had to think we were crazy. Every now and then, park guests were allowed to get on the ride, as we stayed on. The "Special 50!" The carousel people who never got off. It's a pretty funny image to be honest. Little kids got on the ride and got off. 50 adults get on and never get off.

The good news is, by the end of the night, one of the directors assistants did grab me to be in a scene behind Felix. I also made a few extra $$$$, which are needed to pay the bills. I did manage to sneak a few pictures of the set. When the commercial airs, I'll be sure to post it on here. I'm not sure if you'll see me walking in the background or riding the carousel, but I'll be sure to let all of you know.

Until next time, go out and "Live Life" and remember that you can OD (Over Dose) on carousel riding! =0 )

Pictures from the set

A few weeks ago I was asked to participate as an actor from my friends web series. The episode I am in won't appear until the fall. I had the opportunity to see a rough cut of the production and it looks really good. Nathan is a pretty amazing guy and director. He promised me that he would send me photos and video updates for me to post on this blog.

So, here a few photos of me in my role as a special agent reminiscent of the "Men in Black." Enjoy!

The Professional Speakers Forum

Have you ever wanted to be a professional speaker? Have you ever wanted to improve your speaking skills to a point that you could represent your business or employer in public?

I'm working with a couple of friends to develop an organization that assists professional speakers with the "art" of professional speaking. It's one thing to be a speaker, it's another to be able to speak professionally.

I've put links to our website and facebook page below. Things are in the beginning stages, but be on the look out for more details soon. We are really excited about this project and can't wait to get it up and running 100%.

http://www.professionalspeakersforum.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/PSF-Professional-Speakers-Forum/198349710190444

Inside the Kitchen

I've decided to name all of my behind the scenes speaking adventures "Inside the Kitchen." I thought the name was fun and its says it all. You'll get to learn all the little "inside" details of what goes on behind the scenes and I look to my speaking career a full-time adventure!

My first entry for Inside the Kitchen deals with high hopes and dreams that can change in an instant.

As a speaker you're always excited to receive an e-mail or a call for a prospective speaking opportunity. When someone inquires about your services, you get really excited and you start to think about what you'll do and how you will get there. If you're being invited to a new place or somewhere unique or special, you're mind really gets going. As soon as the excitement comes, it can go away when you discover that the prospect doesn't have the budget, changed their mind or just doesn't call you back. Then it's back to square one as you look for new opportunities to fill your calendar again.

One summer in span of three e-mails I went from having two jobs at a college near my grandparents to no jobs at all. I went from having a contract worth several thousand dollars to having just the loose change in my pocket. Entertainment and speaking is a interesting world.

For every job that you get, you loose several more. This spring has been no different. I was contacted by three different groups about speaking in Dubai, the Bahamas and Las Vegas. You can imagine or the ideas going through my head. I thought of the world travel, a honeymoon for me and my wife and the opportunity to connect with new people. Before you knew things were over. The one group lost their budget, the next group changed their mind and went with someone else and the other postponed their event. Crazy.

So, the world travel is off for now, but several jobs did come in for the fall. Be on the look out for me in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin. On top of all of that, I just got invited to do something more special. I was offered the opportunity to volunteer as speech coach for a young man with a learning disability. My opportunities this fall will be great, but giving back gives me goose bumps!

We live in a crazy world where things change second to second, but it's all part of the experience of pursuing your passion!

More behind the scenes

I'm sitting in Starbucks working and decided to type a new blog. I still haven't found a name for my new behind the scenes blogs. It's exciting to think about sharing the fun and not so fun details about what happens off stage.

Today is a crazy one because I have to work on my business and craft, but I also have to "work" so I can pay the bills.

This past December I made the decision to part ways with my long time and only speaking agent. My business partner/speaking partner/friend Rodger Campbell also made the same decision. We started 2011 with a fresh start, but also put EVERYTHING on our shoulders. No agent to make calls for us, or set up speaking dates.

We've spent the last couple of months laying out plans and reorganizing. We've learned a lot about what we can do, who we know and what we need to do. I put a great quote on my twitter page this morning, "We all have strengths and opportunities." The quote means, we have things in life we are really good at and opportunities to improve on all the things we are not good at; have limited knowledge or experience with or just don't know how to do.

Speaking is my passion and now its my business. This will be what I do to live my life and pay my bills. I had to take a step back in 2011 to take a HUGE step forward in the future. Part of the experience has been living the life of a struggling artist. When I don't speak, I don't make any money, which means I have to find ways to bring in income.

In between speaking opportunities, I'm working two part-time jobs. I work at the Phoenix Zoo and I work for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Yep, pretty glamorous for someone with the goal to be an International Speaker. I would love to do more, but this economy has led to many of us checking our ego at the door. I'll admit that neither job pays all the bills. Definitely in survival mode. It helps to have a loving wife to assist me with the pursuit of my and now "our" dream.

I have to work 60+ hours a week at both jobs and any spare time is spent working on speaking. That leads me to Starbucks. Today I made a call to Rodger while driving to work at the zoo. The call was to discuss our "Things to do" for the week. I also needed to check his calendar to set up a conference call with a possible business client later this week.

Once I got to the Zoo it was time to do my work, but on lunch break I was able to confirm two speaking dates for August and talk to a friend about performing some consulting work as a speech coach. Now I'm in Starbucks, typing this blog and typing up some of the brainstorming ideas I shared with Rodger this morning. I'm using this hour to work, because I could be stuck in rush hour traffic. I'm just making the most of my time.

I'm going to get going. It's time for me to jump in the car to go spend some quality time with my wife who has been very patient with my "business." After that, I'll get ready for a 6:30 AM meeting I have Tuesday morning with two friends who I'm pursuing a business partnership with. Then I'll be off to the zoo for another full day of work, before I return to Starbucks again tomorrow to avoid traffic.

I hope you enjoyed this entry. I'll be sure to add some pictures, videos and more in the future.

If anyone is interested in having "The BAD BAD Apples" pay you a visit, please contact me. In the last week, I've confirmed dates in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia this coming August and September.

Until next time, "Find people to work with versus working for!"

What it takes to run a business

My beautiful wife is always giving me great ideas for speeches, marketing materials, finances, life and what to wear. Her latest "plan" was about my blog. She came up with the great idea of me sharing the details of what it takes to be a Professional Speaker.

Many of you only get to see what happens on stage for my shows and performances, but that is only a part of the story.

Prepare yourself for some funny stories and a lot of information on what it "really" takes to get a business off the ground.

I'm looking for a name for these entries, so if you have any ideas, please send them to me. Until the next behind the scenes post, I leave you with this.

I was up at 6:00 AM this morning to start my work. Today's list of things to do included the following:

- Manage my database of current and potential clients
- Made several phone calls to past clients to let them know I'll be in their areas this fall. I have a lot of long standing relationships and I like to hold dates on my calendar just for them. I like to treat anyone I work with like family.
- Paid a few bills
- I had a phone call with my insurance agent to discuss my business insurance
- Had a call with my "Bad Bad Apples" business partner to discuss future opportunities. We talk, text or skype daily
- I posted new blogs
- I'm about to call the accountant to discuss my companies taxes. Have to get everything taken care of by March 15th.

I did manage to have breakfast. Eggs, pancakes and chicken sausage with OJ and my daily vitamin.

I love speaking, but the one thing I've learned over the years is - Speaking is only a small part of being a speaker.

Thank you for reading. I have more work to do. I'm off to finish editing my book "Fresh from the Kitchen"

"Normally This Weird"

A photo from the set of "Normally This Weird"

On Monday, I was given the opportunity to dust off my acting skills. Rusty is a better way to describe my skills. I was asked by my friend Nathan to play a role in his web series "Normally This Weird." I was asked to play the part of a special agent. Imagine the agents from the movie "Men in Black."

It's always fun to act, but I'll admit to being rusty and nervous. I have to thank Nathan and the other actors for not laughing when I started speaking my line before the words "action" were said. I learned a lot and I hope I get the opportunity to work with Nathan and his crew again.

For everyone reading this, I offer this piece of advice. If you want to improve your people skills and communication skills, TAKE AN ACTING CLASS. Acting classes give you a great opportunity to explore your emotions, body language and communicating abilities. You may think you're expressing one thing and discover people are reading you completely different. The acting classes and workshops I've participated with in the past really helped me with my soft skills. The classes were also a good way to relieve stress. After a long hard day, it's great to play the part of a jerk or villain and get all your anger out without upsetting someone.

When I get more photos from my day as a special agent, I'll be sure to post them.

For more information on the web series, please click the link below:
"Normally This Weird"

What are you communicating?

I was driving home yesterday and saw this sign. It made me think...."What is this company communicating?" I didn't hide the phone number on the truck, maybe I should have.

The business wants people to buy vehicles from them. They also offer auto service. They have a big problem before the even work on your vehicle. Look at the sign. Would you trust this business if they don't take the time to spell check their signage?

The sign represents how we communicate. We may want to communicate one thing, but we may communicate another by our actions. The next time you have to communicate something really important, make sure your acting match your words.

Smooth Criminal

It's amazing how talented people are. A friend sent me this video. I thought I'd share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Thank you Denny!

Amazing Video

Just had a friend e-mail me this amazing video. I had to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Thank you Wolf~

Happy Birthday Kelly!

My wife celebrated her birthday this week. We like to keep things private, so I'll keep what we did to the two of us.

I will take this time and space to say "Happy Birthday Kelly! I love you! I'm happy to have you in my life!"

Frank

Teachers in Space!

My best friend is participating in NASA's Teacher in space program. Next month they're going to cut the candidates down from over 200 to 16! Watch this video from the "Today Show" to learn more about what he's been doing. He'll be the guy holding the camera next to the reporter at the end of the video.

Good Luck Scott!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/41586406#41586406

Finish The Race

Video of me performing in Minnesota last fall.

Thank you for editing Jim!

Video Blogs are coming!

I'm learning new technologies! I'm working on doing weekly video blogs so you can hear me speak my mind as well as read what's on my mind.

Be on the look out for my first V-Blog soon!

Frank

My Twitter Page

If you miss my constant blogs of the past, be sure to follow me on twitter. I am constantly posting links and quotes daily. All you have to do is click the link below to find me.

You can also follow me on Facebook! I have room for 4,000 more friends! =0 )

Thank you again for reading!

Frank

http://twitter.com/frankkitchen

Follow Your Passion

Tonight I was invited by a new friend to speak to a group of Marketing Students at Arizona State University. I was the Master of Ceremonies for a program on the Elements of Effective Speaking.
During the program I had endless energy. Why? Because speaking and entertaining people is a passion of mine.

As the end of the program, my friends and I were on "Cloud 9." The four of us have a passion for speaking and the ASU students allowed us to pursue our passion. We got a high that we don't want to go away.

Wouldn't it be great if life were like that? On my way home I talked to a friend. I discussed how it's great to do something you are truly passionate about. It's even better when people appreciate and acknowledge your passion. Thank you ASU for your time and the "fellowship" after wards at dinner.

Back to my life comment. Society is teaching us that we have to get a job and that's what life is about. Life is about living! Living is about doing what you are passionate about. The thing that keeps you awake at night. The thing that puts a smile on your face. The thing that makes you loose time because you work on it for hours without realizing it.

The people who have left a legacy on society and a mark on history are passionate people. We are not taught to pursue our passions. We must be adults and mature. Kids are some of the most passionate people alive. They are full of energy and passion. What happens to us as adults.

Working with the college students tonight, we talked about how fun it is to be on a campus because everyone is pursing a dream or a passion. Then they graduate and get into "the real world." We get hired to help someone else to accomplish their passions and dreams and forget about ours.

The best part about my passion is, I'm helping meeting accomplish their passion while I'm living mine. For everyone reading this. Pursue your dreams now or you'll spend your life wishing you did. Work to do something you are passionate about and it won't feel like work at all. You will have a constant high and a huge smile!

Good Luck and thank you for reading!

The Book Is Done!

"I was so busy writing I forgot to shave!"

I just finished my first book! It's in my editors hands and I'm crossing my fingers that I can have it printed SOON! Be on the look out for "Fresh From the Kitchen" the book!

Thank you everyone for your support and reading this blog! With the book done, I can return to my blogging ways!