How to Become a Local Celebrity

How to Become a Local Celebrity in Your City or Town

I have discussed the strategy of how to become a “local celebrity” to build and grow your business, but you may be wondering what this actually means and how can you get started right away. I define a local celebrity as someone who is known in their city or town and who can connect with the influencers in that location very easily.

It was totally by accident that I became known in my city a decade ago. I had moved there from a much larger city twenty-five miles away and started my online business simultaneously. I was concerned about being isolated after working for more than twenty years as a classroom teacher and also as a real estate broker and appraiser. How would I spend my free time when I didn’t know anyone in this new city?

The answer was in volunteering with local groups. It all started when I Googled for volunteer opportunities in my new location and found that the local Rotary Club was meeting that day in a restaurant not far from where I was now living. I showed up at noon, not knowing anyone or even what this group was all about. I was slightly intimidated when I recognized the Mayor of the city, two of the City Council members, my new dentist and my new veterinarian. They greeted me warmly and I soon found out that Rotary is an international service organization with more than a million members worldwide. They are also involved in local projects, but their main focus is with providing clean drinking water to communities primarily in South America and Africa, as well as eradicating polio from the few endemic countries in the world still fighting this disease.

How to Become a Local Celebrity with Volunteering

Over the next three months I attended meetings when I could and joined the Rotarians on some local projects. That’s when I got to know some of the people in a way that isn’t possible at lunch or in meetings. During my fourth month I joined the group and found that volunteering and being a part of Rotary was perfect for my goals as an entrepreneur and human being. I began to feel like I had a true purpose and a passion for helping others, many of whom I would never have the privilege of meeting in person because we were separated by oceans and continents.

My involvement in Rotary led to interactions with other charities and non-profits throughout my city and beyond. It wasn’t long before I was being asked to chair committees and to give my input on upcoming projects. Soon I felt like a leader in my community and my work from home allowed me the freedom to be involved in a way I could never have done while I was working long hours and commuting each day. I loved my new life?

At some point I was asked to speak to my Rotary Club about social media, and this launched me on the path of becoming a public speaker and presenter. It was then that I was perceived differently by the other Rotarians and soon I was speaking at other locations and to much larger groups. This helped me to overcome my fear of public speaking (a common fear, it turns out) and soon I reached the status of local celebrity in my city.

The results first came in the form of people asking me to mentor them and to train them on what I was doing as an online entrepreneur. Later on I was asked to be a corporate consultant, something I had believed I would never be qualified enough to be considered for. I was now seen as someone who could help individuals and corporations solve problems based on the experiences I was having and my accomplishments in my own business.

When I published my first book a couple of years later, my local celebrity status increased once again and I understood even more fully how to become a local celebrity to grow your business. I began writing articles for two local publications and being interviewed for segments on the local radio station. People would come up to me in the grocery store or at the shopping center to tell me they had read my articles or heard me speaking on the radio. I had been thrust into a world I has not known previously even existed and it felt wonderful

I would encourage you to learn how to become a local celebrity in your city or town. Let people know who you are and what you stand for and soon they will be coming to you for advice and with opportunities. If you begin with service to others in mind you are sure to prosper from this strategy. Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self” and this is with me every single day.

You may be interested in my popular course on how to become a local celebrity…

Connie Ragen Green is a bestselling author, marketing mentor, and online marketing strategist, working with people and corporations on six continents to help them increase their credibility, expand their visibility, and explode their profitability. If you’re interested in getting started with the journey to online entrepreneurship and taking your life to the next level, find out more by downloading your Online Entrepreneur Blueprint and get started today.