DAY 40: Why I’m trading SnapChat accounts with Chocolate Johnny || #StrubSnapSwaps
From Feb. 27 to April 16, Chris Strub will trade his Snapchat account with 50 different Snapchatters from around the globe. Add ChrisStrub on SnapChat to meet them all. During the 50 days, a portion of the proceeds from sales of Chris’s book will go to the nonprofits Chris visited during the #TeamStrub 50-state, 100-day journey. See the full list of NPOs that Chris visited here. On April 6, the nonprofit beneficiary will be Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine.
Put aside the idea, for a moment, of “Chocolate Johnny.”
In this crazy world of #StrubSnapSwaps, in the spirit of reversal for the sake of disruption — for a moment, I’m going to talk about “Johnny Chocolate.”
The only time that John Kapos ever put business before a personal relationship was picking his clever username.
The fact is, for anyone who’s ever had even a split-second of conversation with Johnny Chocolate, it’s obvious that he always, always puts you first.
In my mind, the business doesn’t at all characterize the man. There is nothing Chocolate about Johnny, but there is everything Johnny about his chocolates.
The way this young man treats everyone — on and off social media — is the truest characterization of how entrepreneurship should be. Whether you’re lucky enough to catch CJ on Snapchat, Periscope or Blab; you run into him at Summit Live; or, better yet, you find yourself at Perfection Chocolates, Johnny Chocolate will treat you as if you’re a long-lost friend.
In fact, it amazes me that Johnny Chocolate is ever able to even manifest a single morsel of chocolate, given the time and energy he invests in building relationships both online and offline. Simply because of social media, I feel like a regular at Perfection Chocolates — a shop an entire world away in Sydney, Australia.
Perhaps it’s his inextricable association with confection — “Chocolate Johnny” is the ultimate personal branding — that has made him an icon to his thousands of followers around the world.
For some married entrepreneurs, being overly dedicated to the business can cause friction within relationships. But as Johnny Chocolate described on stage during his Scope Talk at Summit Live, it’s his dedication to his audience that has caused concern with the mysterious “Mrs. Chocolate.”
If Mrs. Chocolate is reading this, know that Johnny’s time spent with us — nay, with me — is not for naught.
In fact, by investing in an audience like no other has, and by selflessly giving his time, his energy and his care to tens of thousands of friends worldwide, Johnny has single-handedly raised the bar for social business in 2016.
The work Chocolate Johnny is doing at Perfection Chocolates is *the* model for businesses to follow in 2016. (And don’t just take my word for it: Johnny moderated the ‘Small Business’ panel at Summit Live.)
Not every small business can succeed the way Perfection Chocolates has through social media, because not every business has Johnny Chocolate.
But if they’re smart, they can darn sure try.
On April 6, the man affectionately known to the world as “Chocolate Johnny” will try his hand at #StrubSnapSwaps.
For each copy of my book sold on April 6, I will donate $1 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine, an organization whose mission is to identify and match children in need with adult mentors.
I can legitimately say that if all the young people around the country seeking guidance and leadership had the chance to meet Johnny Chocolate, the world would be a better place.
On April 6, we’ll take a step in that direction.
