Shortly after the inspirational, fun and high-energy talk thousands of attendees stormed the Serengeti booth (see photos on facebook) creating the longest line of people ever wanting to get a copy of the just released new book. In all 2,600 copies were sold and Stefan autographed his last book that day seven hours after his talk!!

The beginning of the following week Surviving Your Serengeti climbed to #1 on Amazon.com in the categories Business Life, Personal Improvement, Outdoor and Nature and Spirituality. By that week Barnes and Noble listed the book at #1 in its Top 100 books. The following week Surviving Your Serengeti topped the New York Times bestseller list twice, as well as the bestseller lists of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, MSNBC, ABC, Huffington post and Inc. Magazine (see complete list here).

UPDATE: On Amazon we have been blessed by receiving 205 reviews within the first year – 145 of which were 5 stars! (If you have the time we would still love to get your review. Shortcut to Amazon right here). The Serengeti Book fanpage on facebook is rapidly approaching 10,000 Likes, on Twitter we have over 10,000 followers, on our YouTube Channel we celebrate 27,000 views and and astounding 85,292 people have taken the “What Animal Am I?” online quiz (you can take the quiz yourself in only 3 minutes right from your computer, iPad or mobile phone).

To all of you that helped make this happen and participated in any way to the above numbers, thank you very much! My Dad and I appreciate it very much!

We have also created a Serengeti Institute that has just started to offer coaching programs and workshops (more about that here) and Stefan has continued to delight audiences across the US with his great inspiring and team building keynote presentation (I fondly think back to the week my Dad and I spent in Grapevine, TX, where Stefan was the keynote speaker at a 4,500 strong crowd of project managers at the annual PMI Global conference. Last year Bill Clinton was the keynote and we outsold him in books with 328%!)

I am also now currently working on creating an once-in-a-lifetime Safari of Self Discover workshop in the Serengeti plains in East Africa, with Stefan, over a 10-day period. First one will be August next year. How awesome is that! (If the Serengeti has been on your bucket list email me at dj@serengetibook.com).

Surviving Your Serengeti has enjoyed an awesome 365 days and on behalf of my Dad and all of us on the Serengeti Team, THANK YOU for you generous, kind and ongoing support!!!

DJ Swanepoel
Son of the Author
Serengeti Marketing Manager

PS: And yes my Dad has started work on the 2nd book in his 3-book Success Series and we are targeting the publication of that book in 2013!

Stefan Swanepoel connected this Realtor in Santa Fe to the plains of the majestic Serengeti – all online! Here is what happened to me then and now one year later. I took the What Animal Am I quick quiz and discovered I was a crocodile. Yikes, I thought! Then, I learned I if I was a crocodile person in the Serengeti I was an enterprising person who explored all options and boldly seizes every opportunity. Yes, I have the skills of a crocodile! And if I were a crocodile in the Serengeti, my life would depend on it.

Yet, what does it mean to be a crocodile living in Santa Fe NM in 2012 selling real estate? It meant I needed to quickly think out-of-the-box every day! Given, we do not have a zoo in Santa Fe or any living crocodiles on our historic Plaza to observe, I had to find some new venue to sharpen and explore my skills. Using my crocodile imagination, I turned my Serengeti into the new wild and bold landscape of social media. Here is what happened next.

Over the past year, I discovered a new passion for exploring how people make decisions using social networking online. I found loved telling real estate stories using social media tools. Today, I publish a column in the Santa Fe New Mexican Homes Magazine on social networking. And I work to stimulate our local economy by sponsoring Breaking Santa Fe News, an aggregate of twitter feeds in real time about Santa Fe. Recently, I began a mastermind group at Santa Fe Properties to help my peers discover how social media can work for them. When you are uncertain about using new tools it does help to have a support group to learn something new, especially given how social networking changes in a nanosecond.

If you are looking for new ways and ideas to work in our new landscape of real estate, I hope this post will inspire you to make a difference in your environment. Why not explore Surviving Your Serengeti to find new ways to thrive in this coming year.

If you read the book or took the quiz over the past year, what happened to you next?

Surviving Your Serengeti is not only a fable of self-discovery, it is truly a refreshing new perspective on how to see the challenging times in your own life and work differently. Stefan Swanepoel walks his talk. He donates a percentage of each sale of the book to the African Wildlife Foundation.

This post and past review was not solicited by the author. It was first published by Emily Medvec of Santa Fe Properties | Luxury Portfolio Affiliate on her Activerain blog.

Seems like the animals have taken over, as two books left of us, is “All I know about management I learned from my dog.”

The offices are conveniently located at the intersection of Interstate 5 and the 73 Toll Road as close to Mission Viejo Mall and 20 minutes from John Wayne Airport.

The two large courtyards are adorned with huge metal sculptures of Columbian Mammoth, an extinct species of elephant. (How appropriate is that!).

The Columbian mammoth was one of the largest of the largest elephants to have ever lived, measuring 13 feet tall and weighing up to 10 metric tons. According to Wikipedia the Columbian Mammoth was one of the last members of the American mega fauna to go extinct, with the date of disappearance generally set at approximately 12,500 years ago. The remains of a Columbian Mammoth were discovered on southern California and are on exhibition in Los Angeles.

(Check out the cool photos of our courtyard with the mammoths and waterfalls.)

We are in Suite 105, and right opposite us in the other corner is Diane Lynn Harkey, former Mayor of the City of Dana Point, California and currently the Republican Representative in California’s 73^rd State Assembly district. (Guess it will be a busy year in our neck of the woods).

Our new contact details are as follows:
29122 Ranch Viejo Rd, Suite 105
San Juan Capistrano
CA 92675

Our mailing address remains the same:
P.O. Box 7259
Laguna Niguel
CA 92607

Our contact telephone numbers have also remained the same.

Here are some of the key ones:

Main Number  (949) 954-7045
DJ Swanepoel (949) 681-9409
Tom Mitchell (970) 631-8240
Stefan Swanepoel (949) 202-5758

With his team, his family and at a party. Wow!! I never envisaged that Surviving Your Serengeti would touch so many people, and on so many levels. I am absolute delighted!

Taylor’s story is so cool that I asked him to share the details. He obliged and sent me below summary. Thank you Taylor!

* * *

The book Surviving Your Serengeti by Stefan Swanepoel is a great read and the on-line test is informative and easy to take. I am a happy graduate of the Serengeti Institute and have loved learning the skills of each animal and how as a Crocodile manager, I can build a successful team.

Utah Association of Realtors

As one might expect I had my entire staff take the “What Animal Am I?” quiz and we frequently discuss in our office meetings how our individual skills can help us accomplish our organizational goals and objectives. Productivity and morale is up and things are really clicking.

Then I decided to also have my wife and our older children take the test. This has made an even bigger change in my life. When I discovered my 14-year old son is a “Strategic Lion” many things became obvious to me. It made perfect sense. Now I know why it takes him so much time to get ready for school or bed; he is planning each step. Knowing this has allowed me to be more supportive instead of being the nagging dad who is out of touch.

Oldroyd family

In fact, it may be hard for me to express how significantly knowing this information has made being a husband and a father more enjoyable. I know better how to manage not only myself, but others and it has brought new meaning to surviving my own “Serengeti”. I am not only more productive and efficient but I’m enjoying the journey so much more.

Serengeti Party

So given that I have valued so much the improvements to my career and parenting, I don’t know why I was so surprised recently at how much fun the online test became during a recent party my wife and I hosted with some of our long-standing friends.

Following a local college football game, we came back to the house for some treats and to catch up on the latest news with each other. A few of the couples now live in other areas of the country and so we enjoyed hearing about tales of school, church and teen-age challenges. I thought of my experiences as a manager and at home and was preparing to mention the book and test. So when the conversation of covering the usual topics lulled, I quickly introduced the “What Animal Am I?” quiz and jumped on the computer (hooked to our big-screen) and each began answering the questions.

It was so fun to share my new found appreciation to my friends and then to see how they quickly connected with the results and how their animal skills will help them in business and at home.

In every case, each person felt the answers were spot on and from the conversation, I can tell that now their own journey will be influenced by this amazing tale of self-discovery.

Having been lucky enough to have talked many times with author Stefan Swanepoel I know that it was never his intent to have the books principles apply at home or be part of entertaining guests that still doesn’t change the fact that his award-winning book improves how this CEO approaches home and work. The connections to my Crocodile skills…and my weaknesses…will continue to help me be a better boss, husband, dad, person, and now even a party host.

Happy reading and party on. Chomp!! Chomp!!

and myself personally,

we would like to wish you all

a very Merry Christmas!!

May you have a blessed time with your family and friends!!

Thank you for all your support and wishing you an awesome 2012!!

We are at 194 but not quite there.

Would you please do us a favor and help by posting us a review for Surviving Your Serengeti on Amazon at http://amzn.to/skillsbook

We would really appreciate your support very much!

Finding your innate skill, your strongest, survival skill, can help you reach your dreams and goals.

This week, a year ago, we launched the “What Animal Am I?” quiz and so far 70,000 people have taken the free and fast online skills assessment and learned more about themselves.

Here is a breakdown of the most dominant skills:

Being Enterprising – 26%
Being Gracious – 25%
Being a Good Communicator – 14%
Being Efficient – 10%
Being Strategic – 9%
Being Tenacious – 9%
Being Willing to Take Risks – 7%

What is your strongest skill? Take 3 minutes and find out right now.

Africa Wildlife Foundation

As we approach the end of the first year that Surviving Your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business & Life was published, we would like to take a moment and once again acknowledge and praise the great work being done by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF).

We are delighted to have partnered with the African Wildlife Foundation and contribute to their work. As many of you know a portion of the sale of every copy of Surviving Your Serengeti is donated to the AWF so our thanks also goes out to all our readers that that have also helped save the wildlife in Africa.

Asante!

(PS: That’s thanks in Swahli).

Book club selects Surviving Your Serengeti for their Read.

We are receiving various emails from readers that have decided to share the great message and wisdom of Surviving Your Serengeti with their office colleagues or their neighborhood by holding a book club event.

One such group was the Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS in Washington DC. The event was arranged by Charmaine Flanagan who shared that they had a lively and thought provoking discussion as they collectively “took a safari” and discovered their innate skills. See the group photo she sent us. Looks like it was a lot of fun! Well done Charimaine!

For those who would like to plan a book club meeting next year, we have made it even easier with a new book club guide that provides five open-ended questions to start the discussions. You can download the guide here.

Surviving Your Serengeti is available at most libraries, local bookstores as well as on Kindle, Nook, iTunes and as an audio book.