Posts tagged as:

entrepreneur

Chris Guillebeau and Pam Slim kick some serious butt. If you don’t know them already, you are missing out. Chris is the king of circumnavigation (with the miles to prove it) and non-conformity. Pam is your get out of cubicle jail free card. I’m doing their $100 Business Forum this month. The basic idea is to take 28 days, 150 cool people and a c-note and get expert help start a business, launch a product or just get your head in the (small biz) game. And if you are the type to do it at home without 150 witnesses, then you gotsta check out Danielle LaPorte’s new sizzlefest:





Alrighty, I’m on the $100BF the first two days, buzzing around pollinating and getting the lay of the land. It’s really energizing connecting with cool people, being nosy, and most of all, giving this time and focus to MY BUSINESS!! Yes, as much as I preach about it, this is rare for me and I’m NOT proud of this. I’m committed to doing more of this and sticking to it, dangit!

Okay, enough intro–here’s the good story. I’m connecting with this cool cat from Australia who is talking about all of the great work he’s doing. He has several projects, interests and directions he COULD pursue. While I am reading his introduction, I get a ZING! from one project he listed. BTW: I’m being vague because I didn’t get his permission to chat up HIS bid-ness, okay? So, I write to him and ask which idea is the most passionate for him; he names the Zinger. I start to get all butterfly-y and excited. THEN, he ups the game and says that not only is that the one he feels the most heat for, but it is scary and challenging, too. I start to prance in place a little. Here comes the money shot. He says, “it’s also financially the most likely to give a clear transition away from the day job.” We have a WINNER!! It’s the triple-threat of what’s possible:
PASSION+PUSH=PROFIT
It’s juicy because it’s true.

What comes to mind when you read the following ideas?

  • PASSION: something that drives you, wants doing, really rings YOUR bell (and yes, if it bugs other people, but still makes you giddy, then you are on the right topic)
  • PUSH: there’s an edge to it, maybe it’s a recurring dream or a project that moves from back burner to front and back again, but never really leaves your mind. There’s an element of thrill, challenge, and eek! to it.
  • PROFIT: this is not all about money. The profit is really about the deep benefits: satisfaction, peace, exhilaration, more time with family, less time with family, living in a van traipsing around the country.

What does your triple-whammy look like? What are the things in your life that turn you on, are a bit scary(good scary) and that are your ticket outta jail? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by Beija Flor, used under a Creative Commons license.

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I had a BLAST talking with Andy Epstein about strategies for keeping focus, being creative and leading with your strengths in corporate (or new to you) environments. Please listen in, tell me your experiences, ask questions and share ideas in the comments.


MP3 File

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Are you (always) “on sale?”

September 19, 2009

Are you working for free? Are you “on sale?” Can you think of one job or project that you are either not getting paid enough for or aren’t sure what to charge for? Are you asking for it (money, that is)? How much do you charge for your services? Does it vary—wildly? Do you find [...]

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Pitch Perfect: How-To

July 17, 2009

WOW! I was on a terrific show on blogtalkradio today! Colleen Rice Nelson has a show dedicated to supporting self-employed folks and she invited me to give a Pitch Perfect workshop today. Three wonderful volunteers, Walt, Melissa and Heather made the process fantastically interactive–we got so into it, we even had and after-show where other [...]

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Client Tell: Brownie Blockade, Part 2

June 16, 2009

Client Tell is a guest-post series from clients who have worked with me and want to share their process. The first series is a 5-part story from Alison Turner, Brownie Boss of Signature Bites, a small-batch, handmade and all natural gourmet brownie company. Let us know what you think of her story–and her brownies! First [...]

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Conference Connecting: It’s All In the Wrist! (Part 3 of 3)

August 6, 2008
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The Creative Freelancer Conference is 21 days away! Imagine yourself at the CFC, you are well-stocked with business cards and taking notes on the ones you collect. Here comes the juicy part, and it’s all in the wrist: FOLLOW UP and FOLLOW THROUGH! Here are my 3 tips for taking your connection to the next [...]

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Conference Connecting: You’ve got their business card, now what? (Part 2 of 3)

July 28, 2008
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The Creative Freelancer Conference is 32 days away! Have you ordered extra business cards, yet? In part one of this series, I suggested that you Take a box of 500 cards to the CFC; Give said cards out and Ask others for their cards. Now what? Imagine you’ve met a riveting fellow solopreneur, you had [...]

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Conference Connecting: Part 1 of 3

July 21, 2008
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The Creative Freelancer Conference is approaching like a comet! Are you feeling ready and game? Have you thought about how to make connections with folks while you are in Chicago? The way we join up with other solo entrepreneurs will certainly color our immediate conference experience, but it could also lead to bigger and better [...]

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