Original Thoughts

Lately I've been trying to dial down my internet noise. I'm trying to be more intentional about what I let interrupt my day and not be consumed by FOMO or "the fear of missing out".  As I analyzed the different feeds I began to see a trend of a lack of original thought. More and more my response was becoming "Really, I let you interrupt my day for that?"

It would seem that the new goal of bloggers, tweeters and linkediners is to rise above the noise and be heard rather than developing an original thought that is worth sharing. 

Yeah, it's hard to do but take Seth Godin for example. I don't know how he does it but the guy is an original thought genius. He inspires us to be and do remarkable things by twisting old paradigms into new internet parables. Derek Sivers is also another original thinker worth hearing. 

For me it's time to get over FOMO and do some twitter, feed reader, linkedin house cleaning. It's time to pick out the  consistently remarkable voices and eliminate the time wasting chatter.

Go, do something remarkable (but don't tune out this blog; you might miss out on something important!)

7 Fundamental Game Changers

Ready and sitting down? Here are 7 nuggets that could change how successful an entrepreneur you will be.  You'll have to read the full article to understand why.

1. Network

2. Don't listen to naysayers

3. Think creatively

4. Learn from mistakes

5. Be honest

6. Be flexible

7. Find a mentor  

"Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't"

Go, do something remarkable.

Read the full article by Havey Mackay at http://harveymackay.com/column/advice-for-winning-entrepreneurs/
See the remarkable work we're doing at The mindMender Project at http://mikezachry.com/home/projects

Remembering the "Why"

There are a lot of reasons we do the work we do. But when we consider our "great work" it really boils down to one reason, and that usually is to make things better for others. When I say "Great Work" I'm referring to work that makes us feel better about our accomplishments more than any other work we do. In the book Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters Great Work is defined as "...what we all want more of. This is the work that is meaningful to you, that has an impact and makes a difference. It inspires, stretches and provokes. Great Work is the work that matters."

But Great Work is difficult. It requires change and change doesn't always come easy. It requires perseverance because change often takes time. It requires taking the long view and often doesn't bring immediate results. And most of the time it's not very profitable if profitable at all.

And that brings us to Remembering the "Why". Just when Dorothy and the gang thought they had made it through the worst of it they discovered upon reaching Oz that there was more work to be done and it wasn't going to be easy. They had to kill the wicked witch in order to go home. Remembering the "Why" kept them going. Remembering "there's no place like home" provided the intestinal fortitude to step up and finish the task.

If you're discouraged or thinking about giving up, remember the "Why" of your Great Work. Stop, take stock, talk it out and think about alternatives and ways around the road blocks. Quitting and giving up are two very different options. Quitting involves a thorough assessment and coming to the realization that the work is not possible or worth the expected results. Giving up is driven by emotion and can only be defeated by remembering the "Why".

Go, do something remarkable.

Bootstrapping 101 - The Next Big Thing

What's your next big thing?  Is anybody asking for it?  Is there a tribe that's waiting for what your going to make?  Unless you're doing your remarkable stuff just to do your remarkable stuff, these are questions you have to answer.

In his book The Bootstrapper's Bible Seth Godin reminds us that we need to find an unmet need to meet.  It would be nice to "build it and they will come" but bootstrappers generally don't have the resources to establish a need. As bootstrappers we need to listen for and find an unmet need around which a tribe is waiting to be born.  

OohLaLa is doing just that with their campus event social networking app.  Colleges need a way for their events to rise above the chatter and give students a away to use social networking to connect with what's going on at their campus.  OohLaLa built an app that meets that need and is selling it like hotcakes all over the world.

By tapping into an existing need the cost of building the tribe is within the bootstrapper's budget. Trying to build a tribe where they don't yet know they have a need is herculean considering the noise you need to rise above to get the attention of the market.

So what's your next big thing?  The tribe will tell you if you'll stop and listen.  And whatever it is, make it remarkable.

Go, do something remarkable.

Bootstrapping 101 - Getting Back Up

Someday it's going to happen. Someday you're going to discover that somewhere along the way you may have taken a couple wrong turns. They didn't seem so bad at the time or you may only have noticed them until looking back but now they seem catastrophic. What do you do? Here are a couple tips:

Don't panic - Right now you need a level head. Take some deep breaths and relax. Lots have gone before you and lived (assuming you haven't done anything illegal or unethical).

Don't throw good money after bad - Once you realize you're not going to make it up in volume; that the cost of each one sold is  more than the price the market will pay, STOP. Pause the Google AdWords campaign. Stop the Facebook Ads. Suspend the Twitter Ads. Do it now. A penny saved is a penny earned.

Take stock - What do you have? How much time? Are the errors reversible and do you have the resources to reverse them?

Talk to a mentor - Right now your perspective is skewed. Talk it out. Find someone you trust who provide a clear perspective. It would be best if you know someone who has stumbled and recovered well.

Evaluate your options - What are your resources and how can you best use them?  Can you meet your obligations?  If not, can you negotiate for some time?

Make a plan - Now it's time to write something down.  Generalize the plan and run it by some trusted mentors.  Once you've got a reasonable plan in hand start working it.  a)define the very next step;  b)do the previously defined step;  c)rinse and repeat until solvent.

Through it all don't lose sight of what you accomplished and learned.  Next time it won't be so bad.

Go, do something remarkable.

Bootstrapping 101 - Advertising

Seth Godin, author of the Purple Cow, lays out 4 essential rules for advertising that every bootstrapper should have tattooed on their foreheads.

SPEND REGULARLY ON ADVERTISING - "Most bootstrappers get impatient and give up too soon." Don't give up. 

PERSISTENCE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS - "If you persist ... you'll make a dent."

BE CLEAR  - "Your headline is an invitation to read the rest of the ad."

TEST AND MEASURE - "The more you measure, the better your ad gets.  Be a control freak about testing."

Get the full impact.  Read the FREE book, The Bootstrapper's Bible by Seth Godin.

Go do the remarkable; create a purple cow.

Choosing and Being Chosen

The difference between choosing and being chosen is narrow but important.  One has me in the driver's seat and the other standing on the side of the road.  Choosing has me in control.  Being chosen has me at the mercy of others.  Choosing has me deciding what's best for my goals.  Being chosen has me part of achieving another's.

And yet they are intertwined.  Choosing requires that others need what I do and choose to pursue me.

Deciding whether I choose or get chosen will determine how I spend my time.  To be chosen drives me to polish and shine my outward appearance since I am competing against hundreds, maybe thousands, who are also polishing their outward appearance.   And as the competition gets more polished, before I know it I'm spending most of my time polishing, sending, calling and following to be chosen.  All the while spending less and less time doing/making the remarkable thing I do best.

On the other hand, being able to choose requires that choosers come looking for me.  Although they might find me in a pile of resumes it's not likely.  The key to getting them to my doorstep is the concept of "attraction to the remarkable" and leveraging that attraction to build the tribe.

Focusing on your remarkable work and building the tribe produces three results.  One is  continued income and a growing tribe while focusing on doing the remarkable thing you do.  Two is it exposes you to more choosers who now come knocking on your door rather than you knocking on theirs.  And three, the final and greatest benefit, is that you get to choose.

Read anything by Seth Godin to learn more about "attraction to the remarkable" and the benefits of tribe building in this new economy.

Go, do something remarkable.