My friend Mark Jones (@multiplyleaders) joins me on the trail while he visits from California. He’s an Air Force Test pilot and we got to talking about accidents and error chains. This is a snippet of ideas I got from our conversation.
More Trail Talk videos
Many years ago I found myself staring at the ground from 37,000′ in the air. I was an airline captain and unhappy with the amount of time I was spending away from my family. Taking matters into my own hands I did the only thing I could think of to regain control of my life…I quit.
Before you go jumping to conclusions, I didn’t jump without a plan. Actually, I had it all planned out (here’s the full story); now I was executing on that plan.
One month into my new found freedom, I sat in my empty office wondering where the money was going to come from to put groceries on our table. Oh yeah, Christine and I also had a baby due in two months, so I had to get busy.
If you’ve ever started a business, this is resonating with you. I had some revenue coming in, but it wasn’t enough. In fact, I needed to double it. I had all these ideas for growing my business, but they were just that…scattered ideas.
I needed to plan, prioritize, and then do something. I set aside a few hours one day to brainstorm. Not that it was hard – remember I didn’t have many clients. The visual of wiping out our emergency fund before the end of the year kept me going.
Out of that brainstorming session was born a list of 101 marketing ideas. Now that I had written ideas I needed to find the time to execute on all 101 of them. My solution then was exactly what I teach now and that’s to forget 98 of these ideas. Seriously, you don’t need to do everything in business. You need two or three great marketing ideas and you need to own them. You need to be so good at doing those two or three things that no one else can do them better than you. Most marketing fails because the ideas weren’t the best for that business.
When you get good at your chosen tactics, add two or three more to your repertoire. People tell me that it looks like I’m everywhere. That’s partly because I’ve been doing it right for a number of years. The rest is due to owning a few ideas and doing them better than everyone else in my niche. It’s the best way to grow your business.
(photo credit Jackie TL)
I’m often asked how I do it all. The answer – stop planning and thinking and start doing.
A simple message, but will you do it?
Click here if you can’t view the How to Get Things Done video
The Butterfly Effect and The Boy Who Changed the World were recently sent to me by the publisher, Thomas Nelson.
These two books go together beautifully. The Boy Who Changed the World is a children’s book with a powerful message about how your actions today affect the world tomorrow or hundreds of years from now. I’ve had the book for weeks and it’s continually been a requested title at bedtime.
Author Andy Andrews takes you through the lives of four people over multiple generations. Without small actions from each of them, two billion people wouldn’t have been fed.
The Butterfly Effect is a great companion and kept me captivated all the way through.
The Butterfly Effect was coined as an idea in 1963. The question was asked, “if a butterfly flaps it’s wings and sets air in motion, could that cause a hurricane on the other side of the world?”. More than 30 years later, physics professors came to the conclusion that the butterfly effect was “authentic, accurate, and viable.”
Both of these books should motivate you to take needed action to improve things in your life, and the lives of others…today.
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Jonathan Pool is a coach and our Idea Professor at the Free Agent Academy.
This is from Jonathan’s About page:
An Adventurer, Traveler, Scout, and Guide.
A Thinker, Strategist, and Catalyst for Change.
An Idea Generator, Possibility Creator, and Problem Solver.
A Translator, Communicator, and Teacher.
I am a Relevant Difference Maker to the core!
I see unrealized potential and take action to draw it out.
I make a difference in everything I do.
Wow, that’s exactly where I’m trying to get to!
Jonathan studied mechanical engineering in school. He worked for a firm before leaving to start his own. He still wasn’t happy so he tried a number of things.
To figure out what he should be doing, Jonathan took a sabbatical from work. He had someone guide him through the process to help him figure it out. (Wow,yet another successful coach who hires coaches.)
In finding your ideas, Jonathan gives an analogy of putting a mosaic together. You need to answer the question, “where have I been and where do I go now?”. What are the significant events that have shaped you?
Jonathan talks about the steps you should take as you’re just starting to figure out what you should be doing.
Check out the Free Agent Academy if you’d like to hang out with Jonathan and me.
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I went to Colorado and recorded episode #64 around the campfire.
While there, Christopher Browning and I did a very fun climb, straight up a mountain at 5:30 am. Here’s the video.
I talked about how to get massive comments on a blog and used God Doesn’t Care what You do as an example.
How to Network Without Business Cards on Epic Launch. Another blog I wrote that received a big response.
I’m headed to Portland, OR in a few weeks with some friends. I’ll report back and let you know what I learn about story.
Here’s where I get frustrated with story, prayer, and waiting. I reference a blog, titled., If you want to get something done, STOP praying.
CoachU is coming up and will likely sell out in advance of the event. Hope to see you there!
That’s exactly what Pat Cuartero has done. Entrepreneur magazine reports he’s on track for record profits this year as well as opening his third office. He has locations in the US, UK, and soon the Philippines.
Pat funded his business with $8,000 from a credit card and netted $32,000 in his first five months.
I often tell people you can monetize anything if you’re passionate about that. Thanks Pat, for providing proof that it’s possible.
So, what’s holding you back from enjoying your work and profiting from your ideas? It certainly can’t be a lack of ideas; here’s a list of 999 of them.
What is it then? Is it lack of support from your spouse? Fear? Anxiety? Lack of money?
Let’s talk about it.
Are all the ideas taken? I spoke with a client this morning and he mentioned the market was crowded already for the idea he was pursuing.
I think the real question is perhaps, what makes you remarkable? Why would people want to do business with you vs. someone else?
There are a lot of web designers out there. Why do some charge $175 and others charge $2,000 for the same service? It’s because the one on the upper end is doing something remarkable that has put them in demand.
What do you think? Have the best ideas already been taken?
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Justin Lukasavige is a storywriter. He helps individuals and businesses tell better stories that attract customers and change the world. Read more about Justin...
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