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When deciding to collaborate with someone on a project or start a new business partnership, there are a handful of important steps to take before moving forward.
Having worked with multiple partners on multiple projects over the years, I know that successful partnerships can be incredibly gratifying. But on the other end of the spectrum, a bad partnership can cause stress, have negative financial ramifications, and, worst of all, ruin a perfectly good relationship.
This is the most important place to start when trying to develop a successful partnership. If you arenāt on the same page with the fundamental parts of a collaborative business venture, youāre asking for trouble.
With every project Iāve had a partner or co-founder on, weāve started the business relationship by having a clear conversation about what we expect of each other. These are good topics to discuss early on:
Is one person handling design and development while the other person handles operations and customer service? Have an honest discussion about what each partner should handle. Itās best to be 100% clear early on so you can outsource things if needed.
Is it just small side project where you work on things a few hours per week? Is it a full-blown new business with everyone working full-time? Things donāt need to be equal, as long as youāre both on the same page.
I could dedicate an entire article to the topic of raising money and getting funding. For the sake of this article, weāre just talking about co-founders (or partners) putting up some money to get the basic operations running (business filing, website costs, etc).
During these discussions, itās also good to decide who is paying for the upfront costs and how thatās being documented. Itās best to have one person pay for everything and keep track of expenses out in the open. Use a shared Google Spreadsheet or, if you want to get fancy, accounting software. Either way, just be transparent and over communicate (which youāll read more about in a minute).
If one person wants to make $10,000,000 and the other person just wants some side income of $1,000 per month, thereās going to be trouble. Having shared long-term goals is an important part of a successful partnership because both people are working toward the same thing. If you find out that you want to build a company that you can enjoy and grow for 20 years, but your potential partner is just looking for a quick exit, youāre going to run into lots of problems very quickly.
Iām going to sound like a broken record by the end of this article, but good partnerships thrive when the partners over communicate. Are you going to create a Slack channel for your project/company? Will you have weekly Skype calls? Will you create a separate email inbox or Basecamp account to keep track of all to-dos, tasks, and discussions? Itās imperative to be on the same page with how communication will be doneāotherwise communication will break down quickly.
It may seem premature, but I believe the earlier you can get a partnership or operating agreement in place, the better. This keeps everyone in check and also adds a bit of legitimacy to your partnership (and project/business).
Listen, not all of us want to create companies that must have the option to get purchased or have funding injected into them. Itās perfectly okay to write an agreement on your own. Iād recommend working from an operating agreement template from a site like PandaDoc. This will give you a framework for a partnership agreement thatās quite a bit better and more legitimate than some notes on a napkin (or piece of printer paper).
Oooh, scary sounding, right? Well, it doesnāt have to be! Not all lawyers are blood-sucking vampires. Some are actually really nice people that go on road trips and own basset hounds. Think Iām kidding? I just described the lawyer Iāve used for many of my projects: Ruth Carter. Ruth has helped me with multiple legal documents and can easily and affordably help you get a legally-binding* partnership agreement in place.
*Not to say that Option #1 isnāt legally binding, I just know that some people prefer to have a more structured and āofficialā set of legal documents.
Iāve partnered with my good buddy Paul Jarvis on multiple projects since 2014. And whatās the one reason we both believe weāve created a successful partnership? You might have guessed that itās our love of animals, and that definitely helpsābut no. Itās how much we over communicate.
Is Paul feeling like a project weāre working on is heading in a different direction than planned? Heāll ask me to hop on a Skype call to discuss it.
Are we building a website? Weāll discuss every decision thatās being made and hear each personās perspective on all decisions. Even though I always defer to Paulās judgment on all things design when we work together, he still respects our partnership enough to show me early mock-ups and walk through all his decisions to make sure weāre in agreement.
If one of us messes up, do we allow passive aggression to rear its ugly head? Hell no! We all make mistakes. Every person in every partnership is going to screw something up now and again. We quickly admit to things we did wrong and try to support the other person to set things right again.
I mentioned it earlier and wanted to bring it up again because of Slackās incredible usefulness. Paul and I have our own dedicated Slack channel where we communicate daily. Whether weāre in the throes of working on a project or weāre just coasting along in between, weāre in constant communication. Slack has helped us prevent issues from happening by keeping us connected*.
*We discussed starting a Slack channel together and agreed that it would be something we paid attention to on a daily basis. We donāt expect each other to answer every message at every moment of every day, but weāre on the same page with keeping an eye on things as often as possible.
I find it incredibly helpful to take conversations from words typed on a screen to actually talking to each other. Thereās a lot of emotion and tone that gets lost in digital communication, and partnerships only get better when you can understand someone with 100% clarity.
My co-founder of Teachery, Gerlando, and I also use Slack to communicate. Unlike Paul, we find ourselves often working at different hours of the day. Weeks can go by before we realize we havenāt had an actual conversation. On a recent call, we realized it had been over a month since weād heard each otherās voices. That call was a great way to reconnect on our goals for Teachery, and also to re-establish our excitement for our project.
No matter how many emojis you use, itās not the same as hearing someoneās voice or seeing their face.
Do not let errors and issues fester. From years of experience, I can tell you that getting on Skype to hash out a problem can save hours/days of back and forth (plus the angst and stress that go along with it).
Things will go wrong. You will mess up. Your partner will do something you donāt like. Have an immediate conversation (preferably by phone/Skype), and fix the issue immediately.
Just like youād do with an employer or employee, set times to have performance reviews with your partner. Performance shouldnāt pertain to just financial stuff. These reviews should also be a time when you can speak openly and honestly (even though you should be doing that often already).
Monthly reviews are a great way to check in on each other from a high level. Working with someone on a project can easily turn into talking only about tasks and to-dos. Itās important to revisit the big picture goals and ensure everyone is still in alignment. Did your goals for your project change? Thatās totally fine and will probably happen. Try to stay in sync with changes.
Reviews are a great time to reflect on the previous parts of a project. They can also be a powerful motivator.
You may be reading this article and already have a partnership intact. Things may be going smoothly, but you may not have an agreement in place, and you may not have even had expectations or long-term goal discussions.
Donāt wait. Donāt put these important foundational discussions on the back burner. You want to have them as soon as you can, no matter how far along you are in a project.
If you feel like youāre in a partnership that isnāt going as well as youād planned, have your partner/co-founder get on a call immediately. Bring everything to the table that needs to be discussed, and put everything out in the open. If you donāt think this is a possibility, your partnership may already be doomed to fail. I donāt say that to scare you. I say it because it should be a red flag you take immediate notice of.
Partnerships are a great way to tackle new projects and stretch yourself to try new things. By approaching them intentionally, you can have a much better chance of success.
Wouldn’t you rather focus on doing things you’re happier doing? Things you areĀ able to provide more value with? It’s time to start outsourcing your weaknesses.
1. What is the total time every day you spend on tasks you donāt enjoy and/or donāt excel at? Go ahead, guess.
2. How many of those tasks could be offloaded to someone who can do them better and faster than you?
3. How much is an hour of your time worth to you?
I have a very simple exercise for you. I want you to create a time journal and log the hours that you spend on two types of tasks:
So, donāt log everythingāI donāt care how much time you took for lunch, or that you spent three hours styling your mustache because you love it and lost track of time. Just record the tasks in those two categories above. You can do this manually in a journal, or you can use a free tool like Toggl to keep track.
9:15 – 9:30: Call with Wells Fargo
10:45 – 11:45: Editing an article/blog/podcast
12:50 – 1:30: Mess with WordPress plugins for email capture
3:20 – 3:35: Entering receipts into your budgeting software
The following tasks of doom tend to pop up on a lot of business ownersā lists (they certainly show up on mine):
– accounting
– bookkeeping
– paying bills/expenses
– customer service
– design
– development
– overall website management
– scheduling
– writing/editing
Once youāve spent a few days recording the hours you spend on terrible tasks, two things are going to happen: one, youāre going to be really motivated to reclaim some hours in your day, and two, youāre going to rank the entries in your Time Journal of HappinessĀ in descending order of āUgh.ā The tasks you hate the most go at the top; the things that are more āmeh, I guess I can do thisā go at the bottom.
Example Ugh item for me: Anything involving paperwork or bookkeeping
Example Meh item for me: Scheduling items on my calendar
And then, hey, look at that! Give yourself a round of applause because you now have a solid, personalized, prioritized list of things you should and can outsource right now.
One entrepreneurās āUghā is anotherās Christmas morning.
For every task you hate, there are people and businesses out there who specialize in it, love it, and will take pride in it on your behalf. But where do you find them? Easy. You ask people you know who run efficient businesses.
Who do you know who runs a business efficiently (and probably happily)? If no one comes to mind, look through your email inbox or scroll through your social media feeds. Identify 3-5 people you can email for a recommendation, or start with one person who can introduce you to others.
Write a short and simple email to these efficient and happy business owners. Ask them this simple question:
Iām looking to outsource some of my business tasks. Do you know anyone who can help out with <insert Ugh items from your list>?
There are two beautiful things about contacting these business owners: one, youāre probably going to get back a list of trusted people who can handle your Ugh items. Two, even if they donāt know anyone, youāre probably going to get some ideas from them about running a business more efficiently and happily.
Not only is this a person who comes with a recommendation and experience, but you might also get a āfriends and familyā pricing discount. Yay for saving money!
Thereās a reason you want to reach out to 3-5 different business owners to get references. You want to have a few people vying for the opportunity to work with you so you can find the best fit.
Outsourcing your weaknesses needs to free up your time, not add additional stress if the person you outsource to doesnāt gel with you.
The types of tasks youāre going to outsource are usually in industries where the people are familiar with trial periods or test engagements. When I started working with my new structural editor, Chantel (who youāll learn more about in a minute), she edited one article for me as a test. It was a great way to see her style in action, and for me to know if the relationship was going to be a good fit.
You should be willing to pay for someoneās time with outsourced work, AND they should be willing to work through a test/trial period to make sure the relationship will work for both of you.
You may be concerned that spending the time to outsource your weaknesses will take more time than just doing those tasks yourself. Well, Iād disagree with you. Iād also like to bring up an important point I learned a few years ago.
Just a few years ago, I was starting to write a lot more articles for different media outlets (Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine, etc). All was great, except I was having trouble finishing articles and meeting deadlines. I finally sat down and asked myself, āWhat am I really worried about thatās keeping me from finishing these damn articles?ā
Through a bit of introspection, I realized that it wasnāt the act of writing the articles that scared me. It was that I was nervous people would find my grammar mistakes. I knew I wasnāt an accomplished writer (or even someone who took a single writing class, ever), and I was worried that people would see that in my writing and judge me for it. So what did I do? I reached out to a friend who was an accomplished writer and asked if they ever had the same thoughts I was having. That friend emailed wrote back, āThatās exactly why I hired a copyeditor. I let them worry about the grammar, punctuation, etc., and it removes my attachment to that part of the writing process.ā This was exactly what I needed to hear. I asked them for an introduction to their copyeditor and used her services immediately for my next article. She corrected a bunch of errors and delivered a completed article. And you know what? Submitting that article felt different than submitting any other article before. I felt more proud of it. I felt like the fears that scared me about putting my writing out into the world had been vanquished. That copyedit cost me $30.
The more time you spend feeling insecure about the different facets of your business, the less time you have to deliver a great experience to your customers.
Iād like to save some of you a step or two in your quest for outsourcing your weaknesses. Below, youāll find a list of people and services I use, trust, and love. These are my personal recommendations*, but Iād absolutely make sure you set up a trial period if you plan to reach out to any of them.
*I am not being compensated for any of these recommendations and am not getting any referrals commissions if you use these folks. Just trying to share great people with you!
I hate bookkeeping. I just donāt like it. Itās a task I can do, but Iād rather use the hours it takes on many other things, like flossing. Luckily, I have Shelley from FoldedOwl.
I pay Shelley on a monthly basis, and she keeps track of my business expenses and helps me get all my documents ready for tax filing. But thatās not all Shelley can handle. She also helps renew annual business filings and random organizational business tasks I donāt enjoy doing.
I mentioned Chantel earlier, and Iām so glad I have her in my outsourcing arsenal. Not only is she a fantastically nice human being, but sheās also helped me make my writing process insanely more efficient. Sheās a structural editor, which means she helps get a piece of writing from the idea or rough draft stage to finished product.
I have probably 20 articles being written at any given time. Some I write in one sitting, and some take months. When I feel particularly stuck, I know I can reach out to Chantel. Sheāll work her magic to take an article from āI think I need to trash thisā to āWhoa, did I write that!?ā Thatās how you know youāve found a great editor.
Iām a designer by trade. I have a degree in design. My first job and business were in the field of design. But Iāve realized that I havenāt kept up with honing my design skills, and that other folks can do it much quicker than I can.
I used Rolandās talents for IWearYourShirt, BuyMyLastName, and SponsorMyBook. I think Iāve recommended him to over 100 people over the years. Heās reliable, fast, affordable, and always willing to make sure Iām happy with the work he does (no matter what). And like most talented designers, he doesnāt even have a portfolio. Ha!
If you have the slightest inkling that you need some design help, reach out to Roland immediately. Heās happy to pass along work examples and give you quick price quotes.
This is actually the only company on my list of recommendations. Iāve used Chop-Chop for multiple projects of varying sizes over the years. They got their start as a PSD-to-HTML development shop, but they can do a whole bunch more these days. Whether you need help turning a design into a WordPress site, or you just have some nagging issues with your current website, they can help. Super fast and affordable.
Not all lawyers are blood-sucking vampires! Some of them own basset hounds, do improv comedy, and like going on road trips to talk about entrepreneurship and becoming a lawyer. Thatās Ruth Carter.
Iāve used Ruthās legal prowess on a few of my projects. Sheās helped me write a few legally binding Terms & Conditions. Sheās helped me establish business entities. And she can help with loads of other legal stuff (depending on the state you live in). And if you donāt live in a state where Ruth can help you? My guess is that she can recommend you to a lawyer in a state that can.
I donāt advocate running a fully outsourced business. Thatās not the point of this article. The point is to find the areas in your business where you are currently spending time (our most valuable, non-renewable resource), and where I believe you can exchange small amounts of money to get that time back.
The next time you wonder if you should outsource something, ask yourself one important question:
Do I want to spend my time doing this Ugh or Meh task, or do I want to spend it delighting a customer or increasing the revenue of my business?
That one single thought has greatly changed my perspective on trying to do everything on my own. I outsource my weaknesses to people who specialize in getting those tasks done so that I can focus on things I do best.
What do you want to spend your time doing?
I had lunch with a friend and we were talking about goals, future projects, and business philosophies. He said something that shook me to my core:
āI really envy such-and-such business person. Theyāve grown a multi-million dollar business, they donāt work weekends, and they take a month off in the summer.ā
(Iām paraphrasing a bit, but that was the gist.)
At first I thought, Yeah, thatās good. Maybe thatās what youāre thinking, too?
But then, all I could think about was that we should strive for better.
Most entrepreneurs, and probably even most 9-5ers, know this is rarely the case. Not only do most people work every day of the week, but working more is also now a badge of honor. Then thereās the entire conversation about trying to make more money. (Weāll get to that in a minute.)
What is everyone working for? What is the goal at the end of the majority of peopleās work paths? Some idea of retirement, right? Having a bank account full of money? The ability to no longer feel the pressure to work, and instead have plenty of time to do whatever the heck we want (travel, etc.)? So why in the world do we continue to buy into a system of spending over 2/3 of our lives working toward that goal, only to enjoy the fruits of our labor in the last 1/3 of our lives?
Work and money donāt have to be a means to an end. They can be part of the bigger, more enjoyable picture in life.
Just three years ago, a Gallup poll found that 70% of Americans hate their jobs. 70% of us are rolling out of bed in the morning and loathing the rest of our day, every day. Why? Why is this an acceptable thing weāve allowed ourselves to cope with? We live in such an amazing time with so many unbelievable opportunities at our literal fingertips (hello, Internet!). Why do we think itās normal and okay that we should have to sacrifice our lives for a paycheck?
*Donāt get me wrong here. I understand that there are many countries and people who donāt have the same freedoms I/we do. I think you know what Iām getting at here.
Itās a dream of many to have millions of dollars. But what people fail to understand about being millionaires are all the problems and stresses that go along with that title.
You might be shaking your head at me right now. You might be thinking to yourself, Jason, it would be different if I made millions!
Iāve been there. And while I havenāt made millions (with an āsā on the end), I did run a business that generated over $1,200,000 in revenue. And you know what? The first year was the absolute best part of that journey. How much revenue did the business have in theĀ first year? $84,000.
In that first year, I was insanely happy. I had full control of all my daily choices. I sprung out of bed every single day, excited to start my work.
But as soon as more money started to flow in, everything else grew with it: number of employees, number of clients, number of expenses, and 100x the stress.
I got to a breaking point, and I finally walked away from that business (IWearYourShirt). I knew I could do better, so I did.
Closing up one business doesnāt mean I transitioned immediately and seamlessly into another, fully formed one. If you follow me at all, you know how many things Iāve done since IWearYourShirt.
I went from running a business completely funded by client services to trying to build a product-based business. I created my first online course in 2013. I co-created a piece of software in 2014. I wrote my first book in 2014. Essentially, I just kept trying different projects until I found a groove and rhythm in this new way of doing business.
As of 2016, IĀ was three years removed from IWearYourShirt, and I’d never been happier in my life. It didnāt happen overnight. It didnāt happen in six months. It didnāt happen with one project.
Today, I make 90% of my income from the products I create and sell to my email list(s). The other 10% comes from podcast sponsorships, public speaking, and a few other odds and ends (YouTube ad revenue, book sales, etc). Some weeks, I work 80 hours, and others, I work 10. Regardless of the hours I work, I enjoy every project I spend time on, and thatās the most important thing to me.
One of the biggest things thatās continued to bring me success is consistency. This has shown up for me in multiple formats:
It hasnāt been easy to completely transform the way I make money, but Iāve made sacrifices in my life and invested countless hours to put myself in the position Iām in right now. Iām no longer saving all my free time and money for retirement.
Doesnāt investing three years in work you enjoy sound better than 30 years that you hate?
Slaving away at a job (or your own business) five days of a week so you can enjoy 1 1/2 days off is not a dream in my mind. Thatās a system thatās been built that weāve allowed to dictate our lives. And who built the system? We did. All these constraints were created by people no smarter than us, and if those systems donāt work for us, itās our responsibility to create our own. Thereās no reason we canāt.
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” – Steve Jobs
For as long as I can remember, the idea of having only two days per week to enjoy the spoils of my work made no sense to me. Why canāt we enjoy every damn day of the week and treat all 365 days of the year like our weekends?
Iām not trying to paint some unrealistic picture of a life where you lay on a beach, sipping a pina colada out of a coconut while a bronzed cabana boy brings you whatever your heart desires. Iām talking about building a foundation for yourself. A foundation might take years, but it can result in saving decades of your life from the stranglehold of corporate America (or āThe American Dreamā).
It takes hard work to earn the ability to enjoy your business and create a great lifestyle. It takes sacrificing your time and energy to build something that will provide you and your audience/customers value.
If your dream is to run a multi-million dollar company where you get weekends and one month off per year, more power to you.
My dream isnāt that, nor is it to sit on a beach all day doing nothing. My dream is the life Iām living right now. The one Iāve built for myself with dedication, sacrifice, and the clarity that comes with having made a bunch of mistakes.
Whatās yours?
Public speaking used to be one of my favorite things so I thought I’d share with you everything I learned about being a public speaker.
I heard my name being announced and my bio being read, but even that booming echo was a whisper next to the huge rush of butterflies in my stomach.
I felt like a complete fraud. I donāt belong here, I have nothing valuable to share, whereās the off-ramp?
My thoughts were a mess, but I climbed the metal stairs to the stage, anyway. I shook a manās hand, took a deep breath, and…boom.
I was on.
The rush I felt after that hour on stage fueled me for many years to come.
Instantly, everything snapped into place. The butterflies disappeared. The feeling of fraud evaporated. I started sharing my story and clicking through my slides, and I worked that room for the next 60 minutesāmoving from side to side, engaging the audience, and making people laugh. It went by in a blur, and before I knew it, the roar of applause was filling my earholes with joy.
That was my first paid speaking gig, and only my fifth gig ever. The rush I felt after that hour on stage fueled me for many years to come.
Since that talk in 2010, public speaking has been my jam. Iāve given over 75 talks. Iāve stood sometimes in front of thousands of people, and other times in front of just 5. Iāve made over $250,000 in speaking revenue, and with every talk, Iāve given 100% effort and energy.
One of my absolute favorite parts of public speaking is the feeling you get knowing you are making an impact on at least one personās life. I can honestly say I know this happens because Iāve never done a talk where someone hasnāt come up to me afterward and said something to the effect of, āThis made such an impact on me!ā Iāve also come to really enjoy the adrenaline rush I get after every talk. Itās a dopamine response like no other.
Want to give it a try? Oh, man, do you ever.
Hereās what Iāve learned about getting paid to speak and getting good at it…
Imagine being in the audience for two different speeches about healthy eating. The first speaker has a lot of facts to share. Statistics for days. Thereās no room for emotion in this talk, but wow, he knows a lot about cauliflower. The final slide is a screenshot of his website and social media handles, and his sign-off from the stage is that heās available to speak at your next event. Yay?
The next speaker shuffles his way to the stage, and he makes you laugh immediately with a silly joke about Nutella as a protein source. He opens up about his own emotional health journeyāsharing moments of failure and success along the wayāand he canāt believe it, either, but cauliflower fixed his high cholesterol issues and become a replacement for buffalo wings. A final joke about Nutella Protein Balls finishes off his talk, and he leaves the stage.
Now, which speaker do you think people are going to speak positively about? Which speaker do you think folks will pass stories along to their friends and coworkers about? And most importantly, which speaker do you think is going to get more speaking gigs?
As a speaker, telling stories is paramount. Itās what creates a connection with the audience and gives them a memorable experience.
We all have stories we can share. The trick is figuring out how to share those stories and weave them into a message that an audience can resonate with, relate to, and learn from.
Take a moment to think about some of your best personal stories.
Write these down, and figure out how they can tie into an impactful message that your audience can use to change their lives.
A few years ago, my speaking schedule seemed to be drying up. I realized I had done a terrible job of reaching out to previous gigs (more on that in a second), so I decided to email a handful of other contacts to see if anyone I knew could recommend me to a friend. Hereās exactly how I did that:
From those exact emails, I can attribute over $50,000 in speaking revenue. Again, not a single person I emailed ran events, hired public speakers, or was even someone I thought had a contact for me. I was just willing to ask, and I trusted that people I knew might know people (and would vouch for me).
Of course, itās an even easier idea to reach back out to previous speaking gigs (people whoāve hired you to speak before). You can ask them how things are going with their current events and if they need anyone for future events. I shouldāve done this! If they donāt want to bring you back thatās absolutely okayāyou can also ask these folks for introductions to other potential speaking engagements. This works really well, and a warm introduction can go a long way.
(Queue the Allen Iverson video clip about practice if you know it.)
Iāve had the displeasure of watching my early speaking gigs played back on video. Wowzers, itās painful. At one event back in 2010, I was so intimidated by the size of the auditorium we were in that I literally hid behind the podium the entire time, white-knuckling the edges and never taking a step. Sounds like a nightmare come true…but! Watching that talk later on helped me realize how important it is to move around the stage, and to watch my own uncomfortable moments so I can learn and grow.
Whether youāre getting consistent speaking gigs now or you havenāt yet had your first public talk, hereās something simple you can do to get better: grab a video camera, iPhone, or webcam, and record a practice run of your talk. Give it your 100% effort. Do not half-ass it. Then, watch the recording. What did you like? What didnāt you like? Make notes, and then repeat over and over again, critiquing yourself (constructively! lovingly!) each time. Youāll get better, I promise.
Should you ever speak for free? Yes! Accepting non-paying speaking gigs early on is a rite of passage. Weāve all been there. The key with those events is to focus on honing your skills. Use the early and unpaid opportunities to try different things and share different stories. What seems to resonate with the audience? What do you enjoy talking about?
If youāre not going to use slides, you can skip this step (but Iād suggest reading it anyway).
The 10/20/30 rule was created by Guy Kawasaki, and itās very simple. 10 slides. 20 minutes. 30-point font. Thatās it.
You donāt have to follow this formula exactly (I didnāt), but itās a great way to keep your presentation extremely simple and easy to follow. Itās a framework rather than a crutch, and itās a way to make sure your slides reinforce your story instead of the other way around.
The exception to the 10/20/30 rule is if you use a ton of imagery and click through your slides quickly. Now, I donāt mean you should rush through your presentation, just that you have a lot of visuals to back you up.
(By the way, if you donāt have great imagery of your own, Iād recommend Unsplash and Death to Stock. Please donāt use clip art!)
You donāt have to tell jokes to be funny. Many aspiring speakers make the mistake of trying to land jokes (as if they were stand-up comedians). This doesnāt work. Unless you have experience doing stand-up comedy, stick to telling funny stories.
And hereās a huge secret to telling funny stories: they donāt have to be your own! That may sound weird, but other peopleās funny stories are great way to introduce new perspectives, infuse humor, and reinforce your message.
Use pop culture for moments of humor as well. Remember many years ago, when Brett Favre got in trouble for texting scandalous photos of himself? When I gave talks around that time about using photography to promote your business, my running joke was to warn the audience, āJust donāt share photos like Brett Favre.ā Iām no stand-up comedian, but this line always got a laugh. It was timely, people knew exactly what I was saying, and it worked like a charm because it fit into the message I was trying to share.
And hey, if you donāt want to even worry about trying to add humor to your presentation, thatās okay, too. As long as youāre telling good stories and delivering valuable information, you can still be a highly sought-after public speaker.
This is your last tip about booking paid speaking engagements. Event coordinators are looking for interesting and unique people. They want people who have their own stories and their own talks. If you copy other people, youāre not going to stand out. Figure out what sets you apart, and embrace the heck out of that!
As a final resource, my buddy Grant Baldwin has a ton of resources that help people learn how to be better public speakers and how to get paid doing it. I highly recommend taking his free course (and he has no idea Iām even sharing this with you).
The last talk I gave was in November 2015. It was a great event in Dallas that paid well. I shared my story with hundreds of conference attendees, and even did one of my on-stage cartwheels to finish things off.
I walked off that stage feeling pumped up, and was met with an overwhelmingly positive response afterward. So why was it my last?
Well, life has a way of changing. My life right now is moving away from the public speaking phase. I feel like Iām simply telling the same stories over and over again, so Iām going to take some time off to create some new stories. To experience new things in life. Will I be back on stage soon? Iām not sure. I’m also giving myself permission to quit, because quitting creates space for new things.
But you know what? My taking a break just means thereās at least one more open spot out there for someone whoās got a story to tell.
Someone like you.
So go do it. Use this article to help.
What, you thought this was going to be an article about business? Well, it is, and weāll get to that, but first: ice cream and sprinkles.
Now, I really like ice cream. I love going to Baskin Robbins and ordering my favorite flavor, Peanut Butter Chocolate. Fun fact: Iāve never, ever, ever ordered another flavor from B&R. As far as Iām concerned, 30 of them are just distractions. Thereās only one true choice.
A lot of people think this is crazy. Some of you probably like to order something different every time, or get two different flavors in one cone, or āHORRORā dump a bunch of sprinkles on top of a perfectly good sundae.
Iām kidding (kind of). Add all the sprinkles you want to your sundae, but limit that approach to your dessert choices, will ya? When it comes to business, there comes a time when we have to ask ourselvesā¦
If youāre trying to build a business right now, there are 3 things that you should be exclusively focused on. Letās call it your triple-layer hot fudge business sundae:
Layer 1: The ice cream (your product or service)
Layer 2: The hot fudge sauce (the promo you do to make everyone start drooling)
Layer 3: The cherry on top (your customer service)
Notice whatās missing from this sundae? Yep, SPRINKLES. This sundae is laser focused. It has none of the random cool features that we could add to our core product, but that distract us from the point.
Read every business book on the planet, and theyāll all come back to the importance of focusing on the 3 things above, and of not getting distracted by the ancillary stuff. Sure, adding a bunch of rainbow sprinkles might help a little bit here and there, and theyāll make your offer look extra pretty, but remember this: if the ice cream itself is a pile of dog poop, no amount of sprinkles is going to make it edible. Weird metaphor, I know.
Now, letās take a look at each of the 3 layers.
When youāre starting a business, working on a side project, or even working for someone else on their product, the most important thing you can focus on is making sure it solves a problem (is useful) or will enrich someoneās life (is entertaining).
And just how do you ensure youāre making something people actually want? Well, you could talk to them for a start.
Considering no one from Apple is reading my articles and trying to learn how to make the next iPhone even better, I can assume that your product or service doesnāt need to be shrouded in secrecy from the masses. And while I firmly believing in building buzz, you still need feedback from your target customers. My last big project (BuyMyFuture) was a secret to the public for three months, but behind the scenes, I talked with over 100 people before launching it to the masses.
Make sure you’re getting feedback from your target customers (not just from anyone who will give you feedback).
Whether youāre making sundaes, building an online course, creating a calendar scheduling application, or inventing a dryer that can fold your laundry and put it away after itās dry (if youāre doing this, please email me immediately), you need to see how your customers actually respond to what youāre creating.
Ask your customers to play around with your product or service without giving them much information. Your conversations with them beforehand, followed by a semi-formal interview after, will reveal the following:
You might need to do multiple rounds of testing with your customers. And thatās okay! Revisions are only going to make your offer better and easier for you to sell to future customers.
So many business owners want to allocate budgets for marketing and advertising, but they skimp on making the product itself really great. Again, no amount of rainbow sprinkles makes dog poop taste good. The underlying product (beneath the marketing and advertising hot-fudge layer) needs to be as good as you can possibly make it!
Note that I didnāt say āperfect.ā Donāt strive for perfection as youāll never get there. Strive to put out the best product or service you can with lots of testing, revisions, and feedback from your actual customers.
As an example, it may cost little to nothing to make an online courseāitās really just organizing your knowledge in a digestible wayābut investing in good production equipment is extremely worthwhile. You donāt want someone to purchase the course, start listening to a lesson, and think your audio sounds like it was recorded in a tunnel. And, unless youāre a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, you should invest in an editor to go through all your course copy (heck, I bet Pulitzer Prize-winning writers have great editors).
Iām calling out SnapChat, but it could be Facebook, Twitter, Periscope, etc. Theyāre all sprinkles. Thereās absolutely no need to worry about building a social media following, creating a social media content calendar, or coming up with any strategies about which filters youāll use for your hot-fudge sundae photos on Instagram.
Every one of these platforms is a distraction from making your core offer great.
I donāt have a fancy statistic backed by Harvard Business School about the amount of time people spend building a product versus the time they spend promoting it. What I do have is a decade of experience watching friends (of all walks of life) build businesses and put products out into the world. Most of them represent an extreme opposite from the one above, in that āpromotionā tends to be looked at as a dirty word. These friends poured their knowledge into creating amazing thingsāthey didnāt skimp even a little bit on the ice creamābut when it came time to add the hot fudge sauce, they stalled out. Maybe youāve been there, too.
This doesnāt mean you should spam people on Twitter (weāll get to social media promotion in a moment). It also doesnāt mean you should hand out your business card to every single person you meet.
What it does mean, is that you should invest the time to promote your product or service, and that you should iterate on that promotion (just like you should do while building the product itself). You may find that your customers donāt like hot fudge sauce, but that doesnāt mean they donāt like ice creamāit just means you should try caramel sauce instead.
If youāre stuck, I wrote an article with 10 free marketing ideas. They arenāt foolproof, and none of them are guaranteed to work. But they are ideas you can borrow, steal, and get your inspiration from.
If it took 40 hours to get the first version of whatever your product is to a completed and ready-to-promote state, you shouldnāt spend 4 hours promoting it and then give up. In fact, I believe you should spend the same amount of time promoting your product as you did building it. Promote in different and unique ways, and only then determine whether the product is a failure or a success. Too many people will slave away for hours upon hours building something, and then after trying to promote it once or twice with little success, theyāll throw in the entrepreneurial towel.
Listen, Iām a big believer in quitting when itās appropriate, but not without the adequate and deserved time spent trying.
There are a plethora of attractive platforms that can help you promote your shiny new product or service. What you need to ask yourself is, āDoes my target customer hang out here?ā
It may seem like a good idea to start a social media account on every service you can and see which one sticks, but itāll never work. Your time will be spread too thin, which will give you a lackluster response on every network. But, if you remove the distractions of all the social networks and pick 1 or 2 (where your customers hang out), you will see some solid success.
And while Iām mentioning social media, donāt use your businessā Twitter account to share every thought you have. Focus on solving problems for your target customer with every tweet you put out. Sure, add some personality in there, but if youāre trying to build a business you donāt need to share your thoughts about Kim and Kanyeās next babyās name. What you should be doing is searching keywords based on the problem your product solves and directly talking with people and helping them if you can (read: actually helping, not shoving your product in their face).
Especially on social media sites, being helpful can be more effective than any sales pitch.
This is where every business owner should start and should focus their time: not on growing a social following, but on building a highly targeted list of potential customers whose problems you can solve with information transmitted via the amazing technology of email.
The equal time spent idea is really important here. Spend 40 hours trying different things to grow your list. People like Bryan Harris are great people to learn from. (I learn from him all the time.)
We’ve also written an in-depth guide to building an email list if you want to check that out.
Go above and beyond for the customers who give you money.
This was the goal all along, right? To get someone to pay you money for the thing you created? If you accomplish that goal, you should do everything you can to make sure that customer is as happy as a clam (which is a very bizarre thing to imagine).
Create an amazing first touch point: Once they buy, whatās your first touch point with your brand new customers? Is it a receipt of purchase that gets emailed to them? Borrow an idea from Derek Sivers and add some fun copy to the receipt email:
Follow up: After theyāve owned your product or service for a few days, plan to send them an email and ask your customer how theyāre doing. Is the product actually helping them? Could you make it any better?
Make it easy to ask for help: I donāt know about you, but I get Hulk-smash angry when I canāt find a simple help or support contact form on a companyās website. Even if my question can be answered in a FAQ or Help Resources page, I donāt have time to scroll through topic after topic to try to find my issue. If I paid for a product, I expect part of that payment to include the company talking to me if I have a problem.
Say thank you: Whatās a fun way to thank your customer that would surprise and delight them? Is it a handwritten note? Maybe a photo of your staff celebrating how happy they are that thereās a new customer? You could make a fun thank-you video that features a dog barking and it being translated as a message telling the customer how wag-tastic they are! (Please feel free to use the word āwag-tasticā in any of your marketing or thank-you materials).
There are lots of ways you can plan to offer great customer service. And the key is to PLAN for it. Donāt just end up with a database full of customers, and then wonder why no one is spreading your company through word of mouth. Yes, the wag-tastic-ness of your product should do that on its own, but you can give people a helpful nudge with your customer service.
So there you have it: a triple-layer hot fudge business sundae that promises a fun entrepreneurial venture for you, a high-quality end product, and a winning experience for your customer. Betcha you wonāt even miss the sprinkles.
I was incredibly inspired by an article written by David Heinemeier Hansson called Reconsider. One of my favorite parts of the article reads:
I wanted to work for myself. Walk to my own beat. Chart my own path. Call it like I saw it, and not worry about what dudes in suits thought of that. All the cliches of independence that sound so quaint until you have a board meeting questioning why you arenāt raising more, burning faster, and growing at supersonic speeds yesterday?!
Independence isnāt missed until itās gone. And when itās gone, in the sense of having money masters dictate YOUR INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, itās gone in the vast majority of cases. Once the train is going choo-choo thereās no stopping, no getting off, until you either crash into the mountainside or reach the IPO station at lake liquidity.
Was he writing this directly to me?
Does it feel like heās writing it directly to you, too?
There are these ideals in business, especially in the startup and entrepreneurial world. These things that weāre told we need to do to become successful.
Yet, Iāve had experience with most of these things, and almost all of them lead only to more stress, more problems, and way less independence.
There was a time when seven people relied on me for monthly salaries (roughly $30,000 per month). But I didnāt start out with seven people relying on me. I started out with just me. Just lil ole me and no pressure or keep-you-up-at-night-heart-beating-out-of-your-chest-cold-sweat-stress.
So I scaled up.
Iāll admit it was really exciting for a few weeks to be able to boast that I had multiple employees. Look how big weāve grown! Weāre not wearing startup potty trainers anymore, we have startup big-boy pull-ups on now! But that excitement wore off when someone didnāt get their work done on time. That excitement wore off when a client didnāt pay their bills and I had to make payroll happen. ($30,000/month is a lot of money for any size business, let alone a tiny startup.) That excitement really wore off when an employee became disgruntled, and the quality of work they put out reflected poorly on the brand and business Iād built from absolutely nothing. No one told me an employee might be able to put a dent in MY reputation.
Wait? What happened to looking cool??
More customers and more money tend to go hand in hand. I saw this happen in spades in 2011. I went from having one client per day two years prior, to having five clients per day. While that did result in 5x the revenue, it also resulted in nearly 20x the expenses. Unfortunately, I didnāt have enough experience (or time) to see the writing on the wall before it was too late. What looked like a half-million-dollar business with lots of customers quickly turned into $100,000 in debt and hundreds of headaches every month.
I share all of this because when I read David Heinemeier Hanssonās article, it really struck a chord with me. A chord that I wish had been struck when I was knee-deep in trying to do everything in my power to scale up my business.
I get that there are companies who have a full roster of amazing employees. Your company might even have its fair share. But if youāre thinking about adding more employees, ask yourself if youāre ready for the expenses, the additional human needs, and the potential fallout that come with hiring.
Take a look at your business at this very moment.
Are you stressed to the max because you arenāt sure if you can make payroll next month for your employees? Do you have someone working for you who you think might be hurting your hard-earned reputation?
Since 2013, Iāve run a completely employee-less business. Itās been amazing. Iāve realized how much better I work and bring value to the world when Iām not burdened with managing people. I no longer stress out and lose sleep over the thought of not being able to pay someone. That doesnāt mean I do everything on my own, though. I outsource a ton of things. But those are transactional relationships that are quick and easy.
Iām certainly not advocating that you fire all your employees. But I would take a real hard look at what your employees contribute to your company, and what you contribute to their lives.
Iāve heard so many entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to make $1,000,000 in their next year. But why? Do you have $1,000,000 in bills/expenses you need to pay? I freakinā hope not. Those same people have no idea what kind of extra stress comes with the steps needed to increase their revenue to reach that goal.
What are the things you actually value in life? What really makes you happy? Donāt just pick things that society puts up on a pedestal (cars, vacations, other frivolous things).
What are your expenses? If you donāt immediately know the bare minimum amount of money you need to pay your bills and make your business run, Iām worried for you (because that used to be me and it got me $100,000 in debt). Take a real hard look at what you actually have to make to live a life that makes you completely happy. That may require getting rid of employees and customers, and making big changes in your life. Thatās a good thing!
Obviously, David Heinemeier Hansson would agree that getting to 40 employees at Basecamp (in 12 years) is right where they need to be as a company. He also knows that increasing the number of customers who pay for his companyās services helps his company grow. But Iāve watched Basecamp from the sidelines for years. Iāve seen them shut down other business ventures. Iāve seen them restructure their operations to be leaner.
If you actually think you need more employees, hire some people part-time at first. Have them take on the new tasks, and see if those part-time people add more stress to your life. If you want more customers, make a big push to add more, but then track how much extra time you have to work that takes away from doing the things that make you happy.
Donāt scale your business just because you think you should. Do it because it actually brings value to your life and the lives of people your company effects.
We take fourteen versions of a selfie to make sure we look the best. We write and rewrite status updates and messages to each other trying to sound witty or smart. We buy clothes that accentuate our best features. And when it comes to our businesses, we want to optimize everything to be as perfect as possible. We’re obsessed with perfection.
I used to askĀ a simple question when someone joined my email list:Ā Whatās the thing youāre struggling with the most right now?
The replies I sawĀ most oftenĀ were as follows:
(And no, I promise Iām not adding it in to craftily round out this article)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no such thing as a perfect idea. There are good ideas. There are bad ideas. There are fun ideas. There are stupid ideas. But no idea is ever perfect.
Once you get that idea of perfection out of your head you can start looking at your ideas from a different angle. For me, I look for ideas I canāt get out of my head. Hereās how that works:
Step 1 – When I have an idea, I write a couple of bullet points about it in a journal. I do this as soon as the idea comes to me.
Step 2 – I put the journal (and idea) away for a week. I donāt write anything else about it and I donāt spend any time building a prototype version of it. I just let the idea sit.
Step 3 – If I canāt stop thinking about the idea after a week I take the next steps to pursue it. If Iāve forgotten about the idea or itās no longer nagging at me, I move on.
Instead of looking for a perfect idea, look for something you simply canāt stop thinking about. Trust your gut and listen for things that feel right. We often dismiss our intuition in our unrealistic pursuit of perfection.
Apple is arguably the most perfect* business in the history of the world. They will most likely be the first ever trillion dollar company if they can execute a few of their next big ideas well (carplay, a physical TV, a self-driving car, even bigger iPads, iPhone 7/8/9, etc).
But… Everyone has probably had a less-than-stellar experience with an Apple product. I went through four iMac computers during one year. My iPhone seems to have a power-devouring gremlin living inside the battery. Iāve owned at least twenty Apple products over the years and continue to buy them even though they arenāt perfect. If youāve owned an Apple device youāve probably had a problem with it at some time or another.
Apple, as big and well-run as it is, is far from perfect and itās working out pretty damn well for them. Steve Jobs was a notorious perfectionist, often taking it to utter extremes and becoming abusive and angry towards people who didn’t share his drive. Yet even his dogmatic perfectionism didn’t hold Apple back from launching groundbreaking product after product. Perfectionism can help you on your journey towards making the best product you possibly can, but you can’t lose sight of the end goal: building something people want and can use. Had Jobs waited until every single aspect of every single product was ‘perfect’ we never would have had the iPod or iPhone. Instead, the ideas came, the products were built, and the issues were dealt with in future versions.
You will never have a perfect business (and that’s okay!)
You will never be able to have everything work perfectly. There will always be some issue, problem, or battery-consuming-gremlin. It happens to us all. Accept it and focus on the things you can control: creating a quality product, having amazing customer service, and focusing on making your customers more awesome.
*Taking a leap of faith that we agree that the majority of people would define perfect as insanely profitable, desirable, and seemingly high quality and well made. I understand that many people do not use Apple products.
One of the most destructive, yet widely spread versions of perfectionism is the illusion and simplicity of success in business thatās being spread around. The ā16 tactics to insane profitabilityā or āwhat one simple thing brought in six figures in additional revenueā propaganda we read every single day on āreputableā news sources.
Whatās never (or extremely rarely) talked about in those over-simplified articles are the things that it actually takes to be successful. And while what it actually takes can be boiled down into a few bullet points, those bullet points are layered with context for each individual person and business, and canāt be read as a repeatable āhow toā guide. Those bullet points take months or years of trial and error to end up working for us and helping us reach success.
In psychology, they call this survivorship biasāa logical error where we focus on those who have āsurvivedā some process and inadvertently overlook those who didnāt (probably because theyāre not being paraded around front and center).
Those who win the war, write the history, right?
This cycle continues because we as consumers of content (aka readers of websites) keep clicking the stupid click-bait headlines hoping to find some magic spell or potion.
(Please contact me if youāve clicked one of these articles, learned a tip or tactic, applied to your business, and enjoyed all the riches and success you were promised. I wonāt hold my breath for any of those emails to show up in my inbox.)
The perfect process does not exist. What does exist, however, is the process you create for yourself and that works specifically for you. This comes with time and is never truly perfect.
By chasing the perfect anything, youāre essentially riding a Ferris wheel. As soon as you think youāve reached the end, a new set of āproblemsā arise and you continue going around in a never-ending circle.
Instead of going around and around, focus on creating and trusting the path you create for yourself. The one you wonāt be able to see laid out perfectly in front of you.
āWriting a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights but you can make the whole trip that way.ā – E. L. Doctorow
Thereās no such thing as a fully lit path. You simply need to give your ideas a chance. Believe in whatever process you choose. Build a business and life for yourself that you actually enjoy. The path will illuminate itself bit by bit just as headlights do on a winding road youāve never driven before.
If you can reframe your thinking from perfection to completion, youāre sure to accomplish much more. Donāt worry about finishing a task in the perfect way, worry about finishing the task. The pursuit of perfection most often only leads to procrastination and avoidance.
By focusing on completion things will actually get done. Right or wrong doesnāt matter. What matters is that you are constantly moving yourself and your business forward.
In my own life, Iāve fallen into the trap of perfection many times. Back in 2008 when I was looking to launch my IWearYourShirt business, I had placed a daunting task ahead of myself: filming and editing a video every single day with zero filming experience. At the time I had committed to this path I didn’t even ownĀ a video camera or editing software. Scary, right? But what was even scarier were the thoughts that I let run rampant through my head: This first video has to be perfect or else people will know I donāt have any experience.
Can you guess what happened? At every stage in the process, I put an immense amount of pressure on myself to have the perfect lighting, audio, angle, composition. The editing, I assumed, would have had to be perfect too. But I didnāt even get to that point because IĀ gaveĀ up shortly after I started. The pressure of perfection was too much.
Then a thought occurred: Holy crap, Iām committing to making 365 daily videos… How the hell am I going to get a perfect video done every day!?
Thatās when I made the decision I would focus on completion and not perfection. Just get each dayās video done, I told myself. From that moment forward I tried to not worry about the perfect anything. If I felt something was wrong Iād just film a second take or two. If I didnāt love how I edited a text overlay on the video, I said Iād do a better job on the next one. Slowly but surely I got better at making videos. I am 100% aware that my early videos are terrible. But they got completed. And as time went on people started to really enjoy them (which meant more opportunities to get better).
A constant reminder for all of us:Ā Done is better than perfect
Iāve seen it work for myself and countless other friends and entrepreneurs over the years. You will not come up with the perfect idea, process, or business. And the pursuit of those things will keep you trapped, scared, and unable to get anything done.
Instead, rethink your priorities. Reframe your thinking. Focus on the path in front of you and make decisions based on what you can complete and then take the next step forward.
Youāll never finish more projects if youāre spending time on things you don’t actually enjoy doing.
Remember the excitement you felt when you launched headfirst into your latest project?Ā That bliss of knowing every door was open and the opportunities were endless.
But then, if youāre like most people, something happens as you near the finish line.
You trip. Fall. Get a cramp and take a break. And all that momentum and drive that got you to that spot seems to just disappear.
So many of us get stuck at 90% completion. We put so much pressure on the idea of actually finishing something and saying āthis is doneā that we stress and look for excuses to delay that moment.
We get trapped in asking what will people think of us. What will happen if we get to 100%Ā and fail? What if we finish a project and arenāt immediately swimming through money like Scrooge McDuck?
These are the types of thoughts that run rampant in our minds while trying to push through that last 10%.
But we canāt wrack it all up to pressure. Hitting the 90% wall has a lot to do with our dwindling attention spans.Ā We live in a completely distracted society, so how can we possibly expect to finish our work?
Jim Rohn has a great quote:
As a serial project finisher, this has been instrumental thinking for me over the years.
Too often we want to focus on the big to-do item, the big project goal, the end result of work. This could be writing a book, launching a new website, building an app, etcā¦ Itās been said many times over before, but you simply canāt write the big item down on your to-do list.
That item should be written down on a completely separate list called something like āBig Awesome Things I Want To Do!ā Go ahead and write that list. Now, put that list somewhere where you wonāt see it every day, itās time to do a couple things that will actually help you finish your work/projects/etc.
What you and I work on isnāt rocket science, but you better believe we can learn a thing or two from rocket scientists.
A rocket scientist canāt just build a rocket, they have to start by building each component. There are tanks, injectors, pumps, housings, chambers, nozzles, and a myriad of other parts that need individual focus and completion. The sum of the completion of all those parts leads to a rocket. And yes, I had to Google how to build a rocket.
But the same thinking should be applied to whatever youāre working on. Donāt focus on any large items. Focus on much smaller items that you can complete one-by-one.
I used to struggle with to-do lists. But once I tried managing my to-do lists a few different ways, I finally found a method that worked for me.
It’s empowering to physically cross off your to-do items each day.
Instead of using a fancy app, I use good olā pen and paper. Each day I write out that dayās to-do items and break them down into the smallest tasks possible. Throughout the day I look back at my list and mark things off as I get them done (itās amazing how empowering crossing off a to-do list with a sharpie can be).
The next day, when I sit down to write out my to-dos, if I have any leftovers from the previous day I rewrite them. The task of rewriting to-dos became my least favorite part of the day.
Despising rewriting daily to-dos helped me focus on getting all my tasks done each day as to avoid the rewriting process. I finally broke my habit of letting tasks carry over each day and it only took about 30 days.
When all your small to-do lists are done, you should have a fully functioning rocket! Or blog. Or web app.
Letās face it, at the core of it weāre animals. We have survival instincts. Whenever we start working on something, itās hard for us to stop. Itās just our nature. I envision some part of our brain saying āget this thing done before a sabertooth tiger eats us!ā
But we donāt live in survival mode anymore. You must resist your instinctual urges and pace yourself when youāre trying to work on (and finish) a project.
Weāve all been there: An approaching deadline. Too much work to be done. Sleepless nights and copious amounts of caffeine help us reach a mediocre finish line. We end up with work we arenāt proud of because we didnāt give ourselves ample time to get the job done right.
This isnāt the way work has to be done if you plan to pace yourself.
In 2014 I had a hard deadline for my book launch (my birthday, May 15). But out of nowhere there were complications with the book printing and some really ridiculous hurdles in dealing with Amazon.com as a self-published author.
As May 15 crept closer and closer I realized it just wasnāt going to happen. I was angry for about a day when I realized something: That deadline to launch my book on my birthday was a deadline I had made up and one that, in the grand scheme of life, could easily be moved.
I remember sending an email to my list letting them know the release date had to change and I was met with overwhelming support. More often than not, if youāre honest with yourself and your audience, changing a deadline is not that big of a deal.
Not everything needs to get done on day one and you certainly shouldnāt try to get everything done on the last day of your project. Build a plan for your project and be disciplined in your (small) daily work.
Piggy-backing off of pacing, you must remember to take breaks. If youāve ever felt like your brain is fried and you simply canāt get any more work done, itās because youāve overworked yourself.
Iāve personally found that forcing myself to take many breaks throughout the day is critical to working efficiently and without the feeling of my brain being turned to a pile of useless mush. These breaks are not breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These breaks are time throughout the day when youād normally be working, but when you force yourself to take 10-30 minutes to step away.
I take time to enjoy my surroundings and breath deeply. For some, this might be meditation. For me, I look at it asĀ releasingĀ my tension and stress out into the world.
Thereās one small caveat when I say I āleave all technology behind.ā I bought a Garmin Vivosmart activity band for the sole purpose of its inactivity alarm feature. This little device I wear measures how active I am and alerts me if Iāve beenĀ sitting for more than 40 minutes.
Wearing thisĀ for almost a year now has trained me to get up and move around before the 40-minute inactivity alarm even has a chance to go off. And when I need to focus for a longer period of time? I just take it off and leave it on my desk.
Just like you want to create habits for your daily to-do list creation and completion, make time for breaks that re-energize you.
Whether youāre a solo founder, one-woman shop, or prideful entrepreneur (like me), a little bit of help can usually give you the little push you need to get to the finish line.
This can be done in a few different ways:
There’s no shame in asking for help.
The first two should be fairly self-explanatory. The last one is a nice little trick that works wonders.
Take time to write an email to yourself that encourages you to ākeep going!ā and schedule this email to arrive a week or two before your deadline. If you want to get serious, write multiple emails and schedule them to arrive in your inbox 1 month, 3 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days, 1 day before your project deadline.
Your own encouraging words can give youĀ that extra nudge. Plus, youāll likely forget about them if you write the emails far enough in advance, which becomes a fun surprise.
When that finish line is in sight all of those doubts you pushed aside tend to creep back up.
It takes a little bit of grit. It takes a little bit of courage. It takes digging deep and pushing through the moments of wanting to quit.
If you remind yourself of why youāre doing the work youāre doing, it can help push you to the finish line.
Youāll never accomplish the last 10% if youāre working on projects you donāt want to be working on.
This comes with experience. I have at least 30 projects under my entrepreneurial belt and the ones I struggled the most to complete were the ones I should haveĀ quit working on.
Ask yourself: Am I not getting this project completed because I need more discipline or because I donāt actually want to work on this anymore?
If your answer was discipline, read this article again. If your answer was because you donāt want to work on it, nowās a great time to take a break and think about what you want to do next.
In 2009, I ran into my first bad client. If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing you’ve had a bad client or customer too.
While running my IWearYourShirt (IWYS) business, I encountered clients of all shapes and sizes, but up to that point (and a count of 161 previous clients) Iād never dealt with a bad client or bad customer.
On that fateful day in 2009, I had just finished a 1-hour live video stream on Ustream.tv where I consumed nearly 10lbs of beef jerky (sorry to all my vegan friends, funny enough I’m now 100% vegan). After turning off my video camera, I popped open my email inbox and saw a message from the jerky companyās owner waiting for me.
The owner of the jerky company was unhappy with how I talked about his product, saying I didnāt āsellā it enough and was disappointed overall with how the live event went. My (tired) jaw dropped.
Now, I love(d) meat. When it comes to jerky I used to eat it by the package, not the handful. Working with this client was a dream come true as I knew thereād be no need for forced enthusiasm.
Even during the live video stream, which included the owner chatting with viewers, people were saying they were going to or had already bought his jerky. I felt the event was a success, so when the client came down on me I was befuddled. In the email correspondence that followed I found myself questioning all of my choices. It seemed like all my effort was for not. But then I realized something: This was my first bad client.
I learned a bunch of valuable lessons from that experience and have gone on to work with over 2,000 different (happy) clients since then. Here are the lessons Iāve learned and how Iāve applied them to avoid dealing with potential bad clients…
Whether you wear t-shirts and film videos talking about beef jerky, or youāre a designer, developer, writer, etc… you have to create processes that allow you to do your best work. Itās easy to let your processes slip when a big client shows up on your doorstep (or email inbox), but the outcome of doing this is usually disastrous.
Thereās a well-known story about Steve Jobs and the famous designer Paul Rand. Jobs approached Rand when he needed a logo for his company NeXT, and in typical fashion asked for multiple options to choose from. But Rand refused, saying: āNo, I will solve your problem for you. And you will pay me. If you want options go talk to other people. But I will solve the problem the best way I know how. And you use it or not. Thatās up to you.ā
Jobs was later quoted saying of Rand, āHe is one of the most professional people I have ever worked with: in the sense that he had thought through all of the formal relationship between a client and a professional such as himself.ā
Now, you and I are not Paul Rand. And we are not being approached by the Steve Jobs(es?) of the world. But we are people. We do have talents. And we should absolutely create a set of values and processes that we stand by when it comes to our work. If a prospective client is not okay with those things, then that client is not the right fit for you.
Hereās an example of some of the first questions I ask a new client:
Right away, I have all of the information I need to get started working.
Youāll have to find the questions that best represent your work and your style. For me, a question like #4 (knock knock jokes) is one of the most important ones as I want to make sure the people I work with have personality, enjoy having fun, and donāt take everything too seriously.
If a potential client shows resistance to filling out your one-page process document, thatās an immediate red flag.
If they do fill out your one-page process document and you still get a weird feeling in your gut about their answers, thatās a red flag. We donāt listen to our initial reactions enough and if something seems off it almost always is.
It may sound weird, but do some Internet stalking:
Another way to find out if a client is going to cause you a raging inferno of stress is to ask them for references. This sounds old school, but old school works.
Your client should be ready and willing to provide you with people who will sing their praises. Those who arenāt willing to do that fall into two categories:
For example, letās say youāre a designer and a farm-to-table restaurant reaches out to you to redo their website. They seem cool and they pass the test of filling out your one-page process document but on the first phone call with them they off-handedly mention they donāt really care about sustainable food and are just jumping on a trend. If sustainable food and running a business with ethical values matters to you (the designer), then this might be a red flag and a client you want to avoid.
Iām not saying you have to share all the same values as your clients, but it certainly doesnāt hurt.
Too often a new client gives us shiny-object-syndrome. We get so enamored with the possibility of income, a new project, and the accolades that come along with the relationship that we neglect one simple thing:
Iāve been guilty of this MANY times.
A notable company, someone I look up to, or just a cool opportunity falls in my lap. Then, for whatever reason, the project falls through. After that happens I find myself in a short-term state of unhappiness where I consider editing my values and processes to make the relationship work.
You must not edit your values or processes for clients. If you do, you’ll only end up with even more bad clients.
Those decisions will only lead to trouble down the road. Instead, Iāve learned to take a deep breath and understand that potential client didnāt ever exist on my radar before. Yes, itās a bit of a bummer that things didnāt work out with them, but there are plenty of other client-fish swimming in the sea.
Iām not going to sugarcoat it: Firing existing clients is not easy. But what I will tell you is that once you rip the bandaid off youāll feel like youāve lifted a 900-pound gorilla from your shoulders.
There are a few things to consider when going about firing a bad client:
Take care of your clients and they will take care of you. If you create great working relationships with people, they should want to do all your marketing for you.
Seek to solve problems for your clients and over-deliver on their goals if you can. I donāt mean work 10x more hours, but rather go out of your way to make their life easier and give them the right tools for success (however thatās determined for your business offerings).
If you can change your mindset from clients to partnerships it will make the entire working relationship easier. Instead of thinking you owe someone a certain amount of hours of work, you can shift your thinking to investing hours to help someone reach their goals. Thatās where real success happens.
Successful partnerships have the same benefits as happy clients, but also lead to referrals, additional projects, and long-term relationships.
Some of the clients from the first year of my IWearYourShirt business (2009) continue to support my new projects to this day. We respect each other and have built a solid foundation together, one that continues to be mutually beneficial year after year.
I’m going to give you 10 free marketing ideas. These are free ideas, but all of them take work. If you are looking for an automated marketing plan that can activate your passive income funnel and deposit $100k directly into your bank account in the CaymansĀ this is not that. This article is, however, a free resource that you should pick and choose from if youāre in need of a little marketing inspiration.
If you want guarantees, get out of any business that requires marketing or advertising of any kind. Nothing is guaranteed in business and nothing is owed to you.
Ready to put in some effort and see some results? Awesome. Oh by the way, results donāt necessarily equate to money. Results can also mean lessons learned. Which are vital for any business at any stage.
One more thing while Iām handing out caveats like old ladies hand out taffy on Halloween: Trying any of these ideas could lead to other ideas. Thatās the beauty of creation and work. You may be seeking specific results by trying a certain marketing strategy, but you should be open to unintended outcomes which can lead to new ideas.
Okay. The caveat train has left the building. Here are your 10 free marketing ideas in no particular order of importance or effectiveness (except #1, because itās the thing that works best for me).
I make 90% of my income from my email list. Let that sink in for a moment. I donāt use crazy growth tactics. I donāt have a single email pop-up. What I have is a strategy for delivering consistent and useful content to my subscribers.
It doesnāt matter which one I think you should use, just pick one. Then, add an opt-in form on your website in multiple places. You can find my opt-in form on the homepage of my site, in the footer of my site, and in the navigation of my site.
I donāt stop at just having an opt-in form. I explain at each opt-in form exactly why someone should sign up for my email list, who I think my email list is for, and what useful content they can expect. Hereās the exact text I used on my previous website:
Iād like you to join The Action Army: a group of business owners, creative professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone else who wants more out of life than was prescribed to them.
Members of THE ACTION ARMY get my weekly articles delivered to them before anyone else, and they get first access to all of my projects.
There are no pushups required for this army! Join today.
This is polarizing. You either consider yourself a part of one of the categories of people I listed or you donāt. You either want to take more action in your life and business, or you donāt. I intentionally want to deter people who arenāt aligned with the audience that my weekly articles can best serve.
Iāve sent out a weekly email for almost two years and every single week people reply that my email helped them. I donāt just think Iām writing useful content, my subscribers are telling me Iām writing useful content.
People like structure so I send my emails at the exact same time each week (Monday at 10am EST). There have been a few times when my emails didnāt go out on time or I took a break. When this happens I always get emails/tweets from people asking me if they missed that Mondayās email. Thatās a fist pump moment right there.
Being consistently useful has more marketing power than you can imagine. Being authentic and consistent will always lead to positive outcomes. The trick is to believe in the process and continue to deliver on your promises.
My email list used to be called āGet Jasonās Updates.ā Super sexy right? Just reading that gets you amped up to get those updates doesnāt it? Not. When I rebranded my personal site to JasonDoesStuff my wife Caroline came up with the name The Action Army. I absolutely loved it. Nowadays, we have a combined newsletter named around this site: Wandering Aimfully.
Giving your email list a name helps people remember it, but it also helps people feel included in something bigger than just an email list. Here are some words you can steal to brand your own list: Community, collective, conglomerate, cool kids club, group, crew, members, society, legion, etc. If you can tie-in what your emails will be about (mine are about taking action, hence Action Army), even better.
We live in a digital world, but we forget how impactful in-person events can be. To host an in-person event, you need to do just a few things right.
If you thought āconference room at a hotelā when I said ālocal eventā please immediately close this article and go read something else. Picking a boring venue for an event does one thing extremely well: It makes you and your business look boring.
In almost every town in America there is a cool coffee shop, an old historic building, a mainstay restaurant that everyone knows and loves, or some outdoor space that people really enjoy. If you donāt think you know of any cool venues, ask a friend, your kid, or people on social media in your area. If you hear the same place mentioned more than once, thatās the place where your event should be hosted.
Hosting a local event isnāt just about having your company name pushed in peopleās faces. Itās about people associating your company with things they enjoy, which in turn, means they might enjoy your company. Again, go local here and find a hometown chef, mixologist, and/or musician. Donāt feel like you need to pay an arm-and-a-leg for these people. Ask if these folks want to partner with you and get some exposure for their business as well. You donāt get what you donāt ask for.
Spend the majority of time meeting each and every person at the event and asking them questions about what they do. Keep asking questions and listening. Donāt pitch your business or hand your business cards out.
Whether you have a microphone or you just want to stand on a chair and holler, donāt be afraid to take credit for how awesome a time everyone is having. Donāt be a douchecanoe about it, but take a moment to share something about your company. Just keep it short and useful (donāt read your business plan or elevator pitch).
This is where you embrace the power of your existing network. Who do you know in your town? Tell them how awesome your event is going to be and build a list of word of mouth event sharers. Use a service like Meetup, Eventbrite, or Facebook Events to have a (free) RSVP to your event. This makes your event feel bigger and more important than it probably is.
Virtual summits and webinars get a bad rap. Why? Because crappy marketers do a horrible job and spoil things for the rest of us. By partnering up with people who might be in your industry or doing things similar to what you do, a virtual summit or webinar can bring your combined audiences together in one place for a grand-fiesta-of-value!
Too many people use virtual summits and webinars as a place just to sell. These platforms are ripe for teaching. What knowledge can you give to people? What problems can you help them solve? Who do you know that also has unique things to offer in your business space?
Marketing isnāt just about making sales. Itās about building trust and making people respect you. The sales will come if you continue to deliver value.
This is by far the hardest part of partnering with other people. I get asked too often to do a virtual summit, webinar, etc, and thereās nothing in it for me. Iām not trying to be a selfish jerk, I just have a limited amount of time to throw around.
A couple things you could offer someone, especially if you donāt know them and want to partner with them: Your product or service at a hugely discount rate (or better yet, free) for that personās customer base (please make sure their customers would even care). A dedicated email to your customer list promoting something from your potential partner. A very generous revenue share IF you are selling something.
This is a marketing tip in itself, but with live events you definitely want to plan in some extra goodness for the audience. This could be a helpful e-book, an online course, a huge discount to something awesome, or some resource or tool that people can use for free.
Donāt talk about this thing at all until you actually deliver it during the live event. Surprising and delighting people can go a long way (and you should plan to do this often!).
Iām a big fan of Crowdcast.io right now. Itās super easy to use and their customer service is on point. Iāve used GoToWebinar and Google Hangouts before. Both are good, but my preference right now is Crowdcast.
Podcasting is suuuuuuch a great tool for marketing right now. Weāre on the bubble, folks. Nowās the time to start a podcast.
But wait, donāt start one unless you have these things honed in:
I donāt care about the length of a podcast I listen to, I just want it to do one of two things: Inform me of something that improves my life or business or entertain me so I can enjoy some down time.
The podcasts that do the absolute best are the ones that are both entertaining and informative. This isnāt rocket science. Itās planning. Plan to record a bunch of test episodes of your potential podcast. Then share your test episodes with friends, your trust circle, and your existing customers/audience. What do they think? What feedback do they give you?
Also, if you donāt like listening to your own podcast, you should probably change things up.
Donāt start a podcast on marketing. Donāt do it. Get laser-focused. What part of marketing are you really good at? What part of marketing do you know a ton of stuff about? And do you love talking about marketing? Because if you donāt, donāt host a podcast about something you donāt actually enjoy talking about.
Just like the email list idea above, you should be very clear with who your podcast is targeted to. Letās say you want to host a podcast about the mating habits of exotic birds. Be very clear that your podcast is for people who like birds and their mating habits. Go even further and say something like āIf you want to know more about The Rainbow Lorikeet, The Golden Pheasant, The Hoopoe, and the Quetzal, this is the podcast for you!ā (I like birds, leave me alone.)
The bird example is silly, I know, but it illustrates my point. Be super focused on who your podcast is actually for. Donāt worry about creating the next Serial podcast. Create a podcast that you and you alone can create.
Again, just like the email list idea above, consistency is king. And the queen of the castle? Authenticity. Donāt pretend to speak like someone else. Donāt remove all the uniqueness from the way you talk naturally. Be 100% you. Then create a production schedule and stick to it.
If you arenāt sure if youāll like podcasting, set a 3-month plan for yourself. Commit to doing it for 3 months and then reassess at a certain date. If you hate doing it and it isnāt bringing you value, stop doing it. If you enjoy it and can see an uptick with stuff related to your business, keep going!
A handy little trick with getting in New & Noteworthy on iTunes is launching with a few podcast episodes in the bag and getting ratings and reviews early on. So instead of releasing 1 episode when you start, have 3-5 already recorded and ready to launch. Instead of launching your podcast and then asking for ratings and reviews, get people ready to give you ratings and reviews before you launch. The more time people spend listening to your show early on, the better your chances are for hitting New & Noteworthy.
You can read more about this and podcasting in general in this podcasting article I wrote.
This is a really great article about making t-shirts and giving them away. Iāll summarize it for you if you donāt want to read the whole thing (which you should though).
People will not wear crappy t-shirts. Trust me, I know from a boatload of experience. The plain white 100% cotton shirts with your mediocre company logo on them? Yeah, those will get tossed in a drawer and the next time that shirt sees the light of day is when it gets donated to Goodwill. Pick high-quality shirts (blends created by Next Level, American Apparel, and Canvas are great) and put something interesting on the shirt! Sorry, your logo isnāt super interesting unless youāre a band, a delicious coffee company, or a ghost with boobs.
Whatās something your company stands for? Whatās a phrase you use all the time that people like hearing you say? Whatās a little motto or interesting design element that tells the story of your company (and that people would be proud to wear)? Put that on your t-shirts.
The same advice goes for stickers, etc. Make stuff that people would be proud to showcase, even if it doesnāt clearly say your brand name. If itās interesting and people get asked about it, then they have the ability to tell your story to someone else. Creating an opportunity for word of mouth marketing is very powerful marketing.
Who doesnāt love scavenger hunts?? This could be virtual or in-person. In-person would be really fun, but that favors businesses that have some type of local appeal. Scavenger hunts are really not that hard if you just take a moment to plan out each step and make it a fun thing for people to spend time doing.
Virtual or in-person, here are some steps to consider in the hunting process:
Remember how excited you got as a kid whenever you thought of (or created) a treasure map? Hire a designer to create a treasure map! Whether your scavenger hunt is online or not, a physical map that someone can hold in their hands creates a visceral response. Yes, it will take planning and money to come up with a map that leads people on their hunt, but with effort comes results.
If your scavenger hunt experience is in-person, donāt just shove an item on the hunt in a bush or under a mailbox. Create an experience for the person when they find it. You can do the same thing if you do a scavenger hunt online. Add good copy and design at every turn.
Have you EVER in your life gotten excited about a lanyard or 5% discount? Donāt make those things the rewards for peopleās effort. You donāt have to offer up gold bullion. I mean, that would be epic, but if you know what your customers like, then invest in some stuff they would actually enjoy.
Peopleās attention spans are crap these days. Iām shocked youāve read this far in this article. Itās just the nature of the time we live in. Know this and make sure you arenāt creating a scavenger hunt that takes two lifetimes to accomplish.
A great way to test this is have different people of different ages go through your scavenger hunt. See how long it takes them and listen to any feedback they offer.
Ask your existing customer what their favorite childhood memories are, then make those childhood memories show up on their doorstep.
This one is pretty easy. Whether by email, survey, social media, or carrier pigeon, ask your existing customers what their favorite memories are from childhood. If you want to get specific, ask what their favorite cereals, candies, snacks, movies, songs, etc, are.
Then, buy those things for your customers and mail them those memories. Do you know how excited I would be if someone mailed me a package with a small box of Honeycomb cereal, Skittles, and a Super Contra Nintendo cartridge? Holy crap, Iād Instagram/Facebook/Twitter the hell out of that photo. Maybe thereād also be a note from that person with their companyās cool sticker or t-shirt that doesnāt suck in the box too? Thatād be great marketing.
Tip for sending memories: Donāt do something like this just because you think itās a good marketing tactic. Do this if you actually care about your existing customers and if value customer retention over customer acquisition.
Thereās something really interesting about seeing the behind the scenes and live-action of a project. I used to do this daily with a live video show I hosted on Ustream. There were many times when I kept the live video going for hours after the show time because people wanted to watch. Those bonus-hour-watchers ended up being my biggest fans (and sometimes best customers).
You donāt have to host a live video show. You could create a blog post and update it hour by hour. You could do this via social media and keep people up-to-date via a hashtag. You could use an audio recording service (like Soundcloud) and make lots of little clips.
Find a platform that provides little barrier to entry for you, but is also easy for a potential viewer/listener/reader to enjoy.
People love learning processes. Some of my biggest successes in business have come through sharing my entire process (SponsorMyBook and BuyMyFuture specifically). If youāre going to do something for 24-hours, whatever unique processes you use to accomplish that thing should be shared and explained to other people.
Itās 24 hours. You arenāt going to build a DeLorean from the ground up. Pick something reasonable like a e-book, course, website, fundraiser, gluten-free bake sale, whatever interesting thing you can create. It really doesnāt matter how good the thing turns out, you just want people to join you on the journey and feel like they were a part of something.
Ask people to call you, tweet at you, comment on your blog, email you, leave audio recordings, etc. Then, showcase their words during your 24-hour event. People love seeing their name and words online. Embrace peopleās vanity!
Including people also helps you build a stronger bond with your customers and fans. Having raving customers and fans is possible for any company in any industry. If you donāt believe that, I have no idea why youāre reading this article.
This idea came to me while writing this article. Hereās how it works:
Letās say, for example, thereās an amazing donut shoppe in your town (and you know itās amazing because they spell shop āshoppeā). Go talk to the donut kingpin who owns the shoppe and order up a whole slew of circular deliciousnesses.
While the donuts are baking, buy a domain like ihopeyoulikedthedonuts.com. Have a designer whip up a very simple website with a fun message on it (use Squarespace if you want to save money and do it yourself). The message could say something like:
– Tom Selleck, CEO, Mustaches-R-Us, 1-800-MUSTACHE / tom@stachaholics.com
You donāt need your corporate logo on any packaging. You donāt want your name plastered all over the delivery. Create a little mystery!
Leave a note in the box (example donuts) that says nothing more than āEnjoy the delicious pastries? Visit ihopeyoulikethedonuts.comā Thatās it! Donāt muddy up the note with all your business objectives, logos, letterhead, CEOās dogās name, etc. You want people to be interested in taking the next step to find out more info.
Iād recommend a healthy dose of existing customers and potential new customers. Gather up all their addresses and plan out your delivery route.
Donāt want to deliver the items yourself? Thatās cool. Most cities have courier services or you can post on Craigslist and find people willing to do deliveries for cheap.
An idea like this doesnāt have a long shelf-life (much like a yummy donut). Organize a handful of delivery people to drop off the goodies at the same time to all the businesses on your list. If I was doing this marketing idea, Iād make sure as many deliveries got delivered first thing in the morning and within the smallest time window possible.
Wait, what? Iām serious. Ideas like this arenāt meant to be measured and analyzed. Itās a fun marketing thing to do, not a long-term strategy. Donāt obsess over how many people call, email, or even visit the website. Understand that you made an impression on a potential customer and move on to your next idea.
Reach out to your existing customers and ask what you can do for them. Then do those things.
Best form of marketing ever? Word of mouth. Who has mouths? Your existing (and hopefully) happy customers. Send an email to your customer list and ask one question: āWhatās something we can help you do, within reason, right now?ā
Then wait for the responses.
Does someoneās family member need prayers because they are in the hospital? Send them a bouquet of flowers.
Does someone need help getting customers for their own business? Offer to jump on the phone with them and share everything thatās worked in your business to get customers.
Does someone want tickets to a New York Knicks game? Go on Stubhub and buy them two tickets to a game in the future at whatever price you can afford.
Yes, these things will cost you money. No, you are not required to do any of them. But if you are going to take on this marketing idea, I suggest you set a budget and do your best to accommodate every single person who replies. This takes effort and money, but those two things can yield incredibly returns if invested in the right places.
These ideas might not work. They make work incredibly well. Either way, doing anything will bring about learning moments to advance your business forward.
Even if you donāt use one of these ideas, my hope is that reading this article might spark some sort of idea for you. Remember that ideas are great, but execution is the true secret to any success. Now get out there and do something interesting.
