Catching Up with Marcus Whitney

This coffee catch up was way overdue. I love that Marcus Whitney recorded it and shared it with his friends, fans, and followers. I wanted to do the same here because there is so much great content within. Marcus is a good soul, be sure to check him out.

What we talk about:

• public speaking

• improving workplace communication

• book writing

• LinkedIn best practices

• entrepreneurship

• social networking

• social media

• podcasting

Do you have questions or comments? Drop them down below and I’ll do my best to help you.

Waves

Picture deep, dark, waves violently bashing up and down endlessly. This is often how an entrepreneurial journey feels. The waves can be exhausting and dangerous. They can appear like there is no end in sight. 

Zoom out of the picture slowly. The color of the waves is transforming from navy blue to aquamarine. The waves are settling down now as you realize you are not looking deep into an ocean, instead, it is a wave pool at a waterpark. 

These two scenarios sum up entrepreneurship. Some weeks are filled with threatening waves and others are the fun ones you can splash around in. These different waves can appear within the same hour too. Step back and realize you are in a wave pool more often than you think.

Treat entrepreneurship like a visit to a waterpark

When you research and plan the waterslides you most want to ride, you are more likely to achieve these goals. Start with a plan.

Instead of waiting and waiting, show up early to beat the crowds. There will always be other people visiting the park.

Don't judge people. Observe the terrible tattoos and realize everybody makes bad decisions.

As the day goes on, the lines grow longer. If you find yourself at the end of one, refrain from staring up in envy to those at the top. They waited just as long as you did.

Understand that you might not be able to ride every waterslide. You can return another day. In fact, if you travel a little you might discover an even better waterpark waiting for you.

Reward yourself for your hard work by grabbing a tube and floating along the lazy river. You have earned it.

The next time you feel that you are in too deep, take some steps back. Decide what you should do by analyzing the situation. Are you lost, floating in the ocean on the verge of drowning? Or are you in a wave pool? I bet you will find you are in the waterpark far more often than you think.

Make no mistake, you will get wet on this ride.

Photo from Flickr by Cristiano Palese.

Ramble on Success

I think I'm wiser from every failure. Every diet I've tried, every attempt at mindfulness and meditation, every new habit that has failed. I am too hard on myself each time I quit or fail.

I'm not unhealthy. I'm not stressed to the point of sleeplessness or suicidal thoughts. I can relax, I can breathe deeply, I can organize my day and stick with each task until completion.

I've learned these things from my sometimes feeble attempts. I understand what's needed to accomplish items when I aim to, I simply choose not too.

I choose not to stretch multiple times a day. I choose not to exercise. I choose not to work on the proposal, or plan, or manuscript. It's not you, it's me. My own worst enemy, they say.

I'm learning each day I procrastinate. I learn because I read the articles and books, I listen to the experts telling me what I must do to succeed.

Luck & Chance

We don't get their full, truthful transparency. We get the vision of excellence designed by the experts' marketing and publicity teams. We don't see their actual successes that actually fund their journey into expertise. Or maybe we do, but that's not the sexy part of the story. We don't hear about the luck and chance that got them to where they are today. Because so much is about this - luck and chance.

I can't rely exclusively on luck and chance though. Nobody should. But making attempts to improve myself gets me closer to the luck, closer to that chance encounter. Trying and failing gets me closer to the success I long for. And that success isn't the Ferrari or fancy home. It's extended vacations with my family. It's the peace of mind that the house has been paid for. It's knowing that the kids can go to college without the massive debt they should otherwise expect. It's having Heather home with me and traveling to my speaking engagements. It's knowing that our retirement savings are secure and ready for us to unplug from the day-to-day. A house on a lake with a wood-burning fireplace. Maybe a hot tub too. 

What is Success?

Having these visions alone is a success. Most people don't envision what their success looks like. Waiting in the car, in the fall sun, writing this as I wait for the kids is success. Happy, healthy, smart, silly kids... our success. Excited to see Heather when she gets home from work. Success. Leaving to Chicago for Google, success. Leaving to Louisville for my own engagement, success. Running my own business with wonderful clients, success. Writing and having my book published, success. 

Take a minute to consider what your success looks like. Now consider all of your successes to date. You're more successful than you think.

I'm 45. I'm just getting started. 

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I had a colleague reach out to me to ask whether she should continue as a self-employed marketing consultant or become an employee. Here was my advice. 

Ask yourself what you want to do most. Do you want stability but give up some freedom for it, or would you prefer potentially more reward but also more chaos? Working for yourself is always a bit chaotic and stressful (trust me, I know). So it's key to decide which lifestyle you prefer. If you choose employment, remember there are always options to work on a side hustle. ;)

Entrepreneurship or Employment

Entrepreneurship is wonderful and hellish at the same time. It is important to understand that there is nothing wrong with working as an employee. I did this for most of my career. I feel better for having done it, because I learned so much about how a business is run, and how to correct common problems and concerns that aren't visible to the outside world. 

As simple as this may sound, create two Pros and Cons lists. One for working for yourself and one for an employer. Do this on paper with a coffee (or stiffer drink). Close your computer. Put your phone in airplane mode. Don't get back online until you have completed both lists. 

I bet you'll see your answer right in front of you.

Now here's some music to help you work on your decision...

How To Test Your Ideas

Will your idea fly? How to test your ideas.

Listening to Erik Fisher's Beyond The To-Do List podcast came at a great time, because I am working on some new ideas for my business. His guest was, Pat Flynn, from The Smart Passive Income Podcast and author of the new book, Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money.

I'm a big fan of Pat Flynn. Like other podcasters, he shares great advice for internet marketers. However, he approaches things in a very conversational, non-expert style. I am confident in saying that Pat Flynn is an expert in online marketing, but he delivers in a non-pushy or self-inflated ego kind of way. He's a good guy. 

The Beyond The To-Do List interview is about Pat's latest book, Will It Fly?, which is the question every entrepreneur should be asking before launching anything. Pat urges listeners and readers of his book to test their ideas before moving ahead. 

The following are key takeaways from the interview. I encourage you to listen to the full interview for more nuggets of wisdom from Pat and Erik. 

How to test your business ideas.

Grab your copy.

• Too many choices will stop you from moving forward. The unknown can cause enough fear for you to give up on an idea before you even test the waters.

• Get the answer to the question first.

• Consider the opportunity costs. Mike Stelzner from Social Media Examiner says, "You can't start one thing without stopping another."

• Don't rush into it. You need to decide on the idea and determine the steps you will need to make to move forward.

• Understand where the points of failure are.

• Make sense of your ideas by visualizing them by mind mapping. Check out MindMeister.

• Pat loves using post-it notes to create the order of his ideas by clumping them, reorganizing, and more. Beth Kanter has an excellent post about facilitating meetings with sticky notes.

• Figure out the problems you are solving with your idea first.

• Every great business solves a problem.

• An entrepreneur is a problem solver.

• Market research is crucial.

• Create your market map. Understand what's out there first by using the Three P's.

P: Places. Determine all of the places where your customer is online and offline. 

P: People. Find out who the influencers are in the space who have gained the authority. Use Twitter's advanced search to find them. Use podcasting networks to find them. Refer to the owners of popular LinkedIn Groups.  

P: Products. Figure out what the products are that already exist. You can find a position in the space if you see what is already out there. 

• Use Amazon to find the books on the topic and read the three-star reviews. Pat explains that these reviews tend to be the most honest. Reviewers provide the authors with suggestions on how the book could be improved or with new ideas not covered. These are items you can address in your product.

• Refine your idea after you have done your research.

• Get a few people to pay for your idea. Tim Ferris talked about validation in his best-selling book, The Four-Hour Work Week.

• Don't pretend to have a product with a buy now button. Instead, be honest and tell your friends, fans, and followers that you will create the product if you get enough buy-in from them. Ask them to pay up front to show they are truly interested in your idea. Make it a discount price. Include access to your early customers to help you shape what the product becomes.

• Set S.M.A.R.T goals.

• If you do not meet your goals. You know the product may not be a right fit.

• Do your homework and validate your ideas.

• When you have an idea of any kind. Talk about it with people close to you. You might be afraid people will steal the idea, but they won't.

• The pros of sharing your idea with people far outweigh the cons. The benefits include seeing and hearing the feedback. You get to have them poke holes in the ideas. They will also help you make it better by providing you with new ideas.

• Share your idea with strangers too. Don't just take one person's opinion. Use this feedback to help you determine whether you should proceed.

• Consider joining or creating a mastermind group to share these ideas.

• Onboarding means offboarding other things.

• You will need to make sacrifices in order to launch your new product. You will have to say no to other things that steal your focus.

• Make the product your one thing. Make it a healthy obsession.

• Everything you read and learn should contribute to that one idea.

• Don't let other things slow down your new idea.

• Work-life balance is a myth. Don't let your balance teeter too much to one side or the other. Be sure your communication is strong with your loved ones.

• Share what you are working on with your family, so they are aware. They will understand you will be busy if they know what you are doing. Be sure to refocus your time on them too.

I recommend you hop over to Amazon right now and pick up a copy of Pat Flynn's book, Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money. 

You can listen to the full interview below and grab the show notes at Beyond The To-Do List.