We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Burke Allen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Burke with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised in the coalfields of Southern West Virginia. My parents, Stanley and Pat, were both confined to wheelchairs. My dad was a disabled vet who became a parapalgic as a result of an automobile accident in his early 20’s. My mom had childhood polio. They met on the sidelines of a football game, unable to get into the bleachers to watch because of their wheelchairs.
As an only child, I was witness to the two of them adjusting to fit in like every other young couple. My dad, no longer able to be a machinist per his Navy training, received a long distance learning diploma to from the Chicago Watchmaking Institute and had a clock and watch workshop in the back room of our small home. My mom worked for her entire career, 30 years, as the City Police Clerk in my hometown, typing every letter, every warrant and answering every call on the telephone or police radio for three decades.
They never asked for special treatment, but instead developed workarounds to accomplish what most folks take for granted; hand-controls to drive our car, ramps and hand-rails, widened doors, grab bars and transfer boards to get into and out of the bath tub and bed, and so on.
Only as an adult did I realize the work they put into everyday tasks, without every complaining. It inspires me to this day.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’ve always joked that I’ve never had a real job my whole life.
When I was just 14 years old, I got a part time job working Sunday evenings at the tiny radio station in my home town. I sat in an air conditioned studio, played rock and roll records, talked to girls on the request line, and listeners on the air. Best of all, I was paid to do it! I was hooked.
Broadcasting took me all over the country; I was on the air and behind the scenes for the next two decades…from West Virginia to Georgia, Utah to Las Vegas, Florida to Washington, DC and more.
Along the way, there were Billboard Magazine awards, backstage parties, limos and limelight and lots of fun; I was named both Music Director and Program Director of the Year by my industry peers and did some television hosting, voiceover narration and live event MC work in front of thousands of people. Pretty heady stuff for a small town boy from Appalachia.
Eventually, I moved into radio consulting and station ownership, then parlayed what I’d learned into starting my own small media, marketing and consulting firm Allen Media Strategies in 2002. We help entertainers, authors and subject matter experts get massive media exposure for their music, books and platform.
After all these years, I still can’t believe I get paid to have this much fun!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s because if you love it, you’re passionate about it, and you’ll pour yourself into it. It doesn’t have to be glamorous, it doesn’t have to make you popular, it just has to flip your switch more days than not. Money will follow the happiness. And, if it doesn’t, you’ll still have the happiness, which is way more important that the money.
2. Be grateful. Somebody, somewhere has it a lot worse than you do. Chances are, it’s lots of somebodies. If my parents could drag themselves out of bed and into their wheelchairs and still contribute to society without ever bellyaching, who am I to complain about anything, ever?
3. I think of life like a great amusement park; you’ve only got one ticket, so you better ride all of the rides before the park closes. Don’t waste time. Not on hate, not on resentment, not on gossip, not on bitterness or envy. Get out there and live life!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
One of the things they don’t tell you, whoever ‘they’ are, is that the more successful you become in life, the more you have a service mentality to help others, the busier you get, and the harder work-life balance becomes.
There are days where lots of folks need you and your time, and there’s lots of plates that are constantly spinning.
For me, it’s all about prioritizing and calendaring, and squeezing small tasks into every down moment I have; then, I can focus on the things and people I love and put the phone and laptop away when it’s most important.
If I’m in line at the airport, at the grocery store or waiting alone at a restaurant, I’m knocking out all the small tasks on my plate during those 5-10 minute chunks of time when I see others around scrolling though their social media feeds.
I’m also a big fan of delegating; I still see so many others micro-manage; empower those around you. Just give them a goal and a mission statement. I borrowed the one I use in my company from my pal Bob. It’s i “Thou Shall Not Make Burke Look Stupid”. I’m pretty sure Bob uses his name instead of mine with his folks, or that would just be weird.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allenmediastrategies.com
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