“Don’t become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.”
Zig Ziglar
Being in the age of connection creates limitless opportunity that is certain. But as Stan Lee famously stated “With great power comes great responsibility” ,
So Mr. (or Mrs.) sales professional, what does that mean to as it relates to each of us?
I have been seeking this answer and now I believe I am onto a real breakthrough ,
what is it? what is this revolutionary concept I am proposing? what is so game changer ?
ok, you ready?
#Care MORE ,#Matter MORE, #DO MORE,
Yes the platforms and vehicles open the world …But why think we could or should try to be everything to them all- ( Wandering generality)
Instead try being a #Practitioner of the craft of Sales
Drive value through honest integrity and value through comprehension of your services
Go the extra mile for your customers fulling understanding that YOU are the value proposition that cannot be replaced IF you challenge yourself everyday and …..this is the hardest part…WORK
Embrace the Tension, understand that growth and monumental success comes in the cauldron through growing to relish and press forward in the uncertain and turbulent environments
because IF it were easy it would not be special.
Have a great Friday and remember Success takes no days off when you love the journey!
“Listening to your user base is attainable by the mass,
Actually giving a shit about them makes your one of them”
For all the shit you will be led to believe by watching the news and reading news online,
Its a pretty great time in humanity to be doing what you love,
and being #Self-aware makes me Fucking #Linchpin #Lethal
If you are lucky enough to know what it is that makes your heart race , then you have a chance to chase your dreams.
Where the rubber hits the road,
and where many turn into air chair Quarterbacks is ,
Once you identify the target you must still be prepared to #Outwork EVERYONE, EVERYDAY, GO DEEP, and GO GO GO.
It also means saying NO to distractions, noise, time leeches
It means saying NO to piloting others dreams
It means thinking #Legacy always always always OVER currency
Its a hard one to type when I still need that $$$ , that Bling Bling
Its a hard one considering I ultimately want nothing but the best for my family
but thanks to inspirational entrepreneurs I really am getting better at looking at the long game and the vision and how it aligns or does not align with my personal brand.
remember no matter how much you #Hustle you eventually need to sleep
remember that making yourself sick isn’t creating a real Legacy either
the trick is
to pick a lane, a vehicle, a PASSION and GO DO THAT,
Make a #Legacy doing that
be #Vital to the #Tribe and #Care
#give to your community #Everyday
#Give way more than you take
I really believe its in showing up 365 days a year
but its NOT 24 hours a day
when you are in the #Tribe your efforts have more impact
when you are in the #Tribe Less is MORE
we know you because you know the side entrance, the secret handshake, you have the member card ….
no right or wrong answer only our personal answer, so what is yours?
the age of sensory overload makes it easy to be overwhelmed with choices
understand and accept
your Goal
your Strengths
your Shortcomings
now, now now
#START
Is your Goal to be linked to a highly capitalized business plan? Thats fine , start the work, start the dialogue , educate yourself and #GO
If it is NOT, then this is for YOU
2.Is it a #Bootstrapper situation? With the equity leveraged being #SweatEquity ? Yes? Start Today, anyway possible, just start.
Realize the money is a Excuse and a Story we will begin to realize that being Bootstrapped many times is a distinct advantage especially early on.
So many times highly capitalized start ups have no true communication with the very people that they are attempting to become important to.A sledgehammer approach. Sure it may catch the Tribes glances at first, after all its the loudest in the room and very shiny! Inevitably they lose out because the devil is Always in the details and the little things matter.Sooner or later we will know!
The Bootstrapped on the other hand, they have genuine communication, genuinely care and hold a deep desire to matter to their Tribe. They may not be able to show up as loudly or as shimmeringly adorned but they care. They do great work and the do it everyday. They know the lingo and all the secret handshakes because the are in the club and when we realize that we embrace them and look past their flaws. Because after all, “People like US, we do things like THIS”, what else we do is help our own get to the finish line because they CARE. As a Small, Niche, Bootstrapper brand we can be very nimble and iterate on the fly.
The most difficult aspect is once a Goal is established and a plan has been set it is time to choose the vehicle…and Buckle IN.
In my humble opinion exhausting Choices are what torment a wide eyed Freelancer or Entrepreneur. Don’t be doomed to the fate such as befell Narcissus;
“Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and revenge, learned what had happened and decided to punish Narcissus for his behaviour. She led him to a pool; there, the man saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. Although he did not realise in the beginning that it was just a reflection, when he understood it, he fell in despair that his love could not materialise and committed suicide.”
Society tells me how a successful entrepreneur dresses
Society tells me how a successful entrepreneur lives
what he drives
what occupies his free time and pursuits
The internal narrative that is our true DNA is in a lifelong struggle
the battle between what our self wants and what it believes we need
many many times these do not sync
For me , a wide eyed dreamer this has become very obvious
Obvious in setting goals, in what my laser focus is locked in on
for me it is not about material items, possessions
for me it is about Freedom, Experiences, Passion
the problem is that does not always fit the hole of what is reality
So what to do? Soldier on? Hustle? well to Hustle for something that does not contain the potential to dyanmicaly bring me closer to DREAMS is futile isn’t it?
Wow , this is exploding in my mind! Its NOT about jockeying another owners horse to victory
Thats NOT LIFE CHANGING
How many owners can I watch ruin a tremendous opportunity?
A business is the creators own Oasis, a Utopia, where all the rules are based upon what I Matters most to the creator. Period.
The business can be spectacularly Small yet incredibly large
I am different I guess however I love the nimbleness of the small, being able to make decisions without a week of worthless meetings, calls arguments
I love personal connection, with all partners on the journey, such a deep connection that leaves a virtual “fingerprint” on everything I do
Just because the connectivity of 2017 can allow us to reach the entire world does not mean we need to matter to the entire world.
not only that it is impossible to appeal to everyone and still be absolutely important as air to “someone”
I believe deeply in what artist Kevin Kelly explained in his blog post that started my stepping out of the Matrix
I am proud to be part of a community through Seth Godins #AltMBA that truly empowers leaning forward always or as we term it to #SHIP to push past #lizardbrain #theResistance
Make a list of 25 ways you could take responsibility (without authority) If you cared more about changing things than credit, authority or blame…
This was a prompt that at first halted me in my tracks. I truly appreciate the great content others put out for this prompt. I viewed my life, career and ambitions when selecting the list that follows.
Develop a “Plan”/ “strategy” to lead a true and professional sales force
Personal Brand “T2 Experiment” – dedicate myself towards Content Content
Mentor a personal social Media Intern
Hold weekly Vimeo team meeting
Launch first interview series on T2 Podcast
Take on (1) marketing STORY free
create core value list and inpliment these into all I lead
Re examine “Hell Yeah or NO ” Derek Sivers and live by this
SET GOALS…LOFTY…AND GO
WRITE daily
LISTEN…speak little
Remember RULE 6
Write Bar article
Train Daily
Meditate Daily
Be SELF AWARE of what makes me tic
Disconnect Daily
WORK HARD EVERYDAY/NIGHT
Fall asleep Working EVERY NIGHT
Use Empathy in EVERY situation, EVERY ONE
Find way to @garyvee to ask 1 question
Decide WHAT is my BEST Play…Brand, Media firm, or what..
Let me outline what I am learning in a short form post
Find that “Change you want to make” the #WHY behind what you do, you personal mission statement.
Dig in and understand and most important Accept your Strengths and Weaknesses- Be truly #SelfAware and embrace that. knowing once you accept the stuff you suck at its time then to push ALL IN on the Strengths- Focus on that!
Pick your Platform(s)- what medium- voice, Video, Pictures or written word? Its not about balance , ITS ABOUT DETERMINING WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU
NEXT, Whats NEXT?
HUSTLE……..
Thats right ladies and gents….WORK
Its not about less, balance yada yada…now its about OUTWORKING EVERYONE…
always remember Tom Brady was drafted #199 overall
Chad Pennington was #18 overall…Brady outworked Everyone…still does! #BeBrady!
I often have issues with brands and the marketing efforts or lack of they project.
Truth is that no marketing firm is going to do whats needed, necessary to be the BEST
Its about #Giving and #Mattering to those you would call your #Tribe
That means IF you have the audacity to claim the title of #Thoughtleader or #leader you owe us #MORE so #CARE and #MEANIT
how?
That is what #AskGaryvee opened my eyes to in #Crushit
once you know the target, the focus, then go ALL IN GIVING, COMMUNICATING, ENGAGING…do NOT wait to respond to comments- Thats Lazy ass shit
NO- its WORK, Thats HUSTLE- Search for groups, conversations, forums, and JUMP IN!
Be Generous and do not try and sell shit….nobody likes that!
instead #Contribute because YES, You #Care
Show #empathy too…be real
Funny thing is it is always about WORK…you simply get to have the privilege to do something you love and are uncontrollably passionate about if you chose to….but you must work…
So #Doit we definitely need more from the ones who care!
I totally mean that when I call each of you generous enough to stop by and hopefully add input, criticism and commentary friends…BIG FIST BUMP!
So before I start I am going to lay down two epic Videos by two first class Entrepreneurs (one of whom I had the absolute pleasure of working with for several years).
First Is Gary Vaynerchuk #Askgaryvee , I will be absolutely honest when I state that Gary ties together and puts a bow on what makes me who I am. He is IN YOUR FACE, ENERGY, PASSIONATE and EXTREMELY GENEROUS. I love this video…
Next is my friend and Thought Leader Tom Bilyeu ( Co Founder of the Quest Nutrition brand). Tom made me honestly uncomfortable on many occasions which was my internal narrative starting to short circuit. Tom states what a Entrepreneur is in this great impromptu clip during a power outage.
Now that you have watched these I would like to list out in my opinion what are some of the Top attributes I feel the Entrepreneur “should” possess….For me..
Self Awareness- I could Not agree more with #askgaryvee on this one. Understanding what I excel in and also what I SUCK at or simply am uninspired to do and pushing “All chips in on the Strength”. I do warn you that you should seek the uninhibited feedback from a short list of those people you most intimately know and know you without any restraint whosoever- DO NOT GO EASY ON YOURSELF BECAUSE THE WORLD SURE AS FUCK WONT GO EASY ON YOU!
Confidence- This has to play directly off of understanding your Self- i.e. having a firm sense of Self. I KNOW I am the one in the room that will not comprise on integrity, That as Seth Godin says Its NOT about marketshare, Its about being the WORLDS BEST at whatever you seek to be the Change you wish to create.The WORLD is only a point of illustration- It could be a town, a region, or the world literally.
Ownership- I am Fucking so tired of the shit society shoves down peoples thoughts with “oh you take it too personally” oh yeah! ? How the hell should I take it?? Know your craft, strive for #Mastery and OWN THAT SHIT! I am not saying be a martyr. I am saying be pissed when you fuck up and then backwards deconstruct that and #Learn. If you are a Boss – be a #leader not a #manager- Manager – the term SUCKS! A leader encourages honest mistakes and failures as long as everyone makes them for the good of all- WE LEARN. Managers with the CYA, CYA BULLSHIT….NOPE..BEEN THERE AND ….NOPE.
Always ON- IF you want to be OFF at 5pm, You want weekends without a thought of work, long regular trips with no work- EARN THAT SHIT! MY WIFE ENDURES MY ASS IN THE BASEMENT STRIKING KEYS, ON CALLS, READING AND PASSING OUT IN A CHAIR, SLEEPING ON A SOFA- WHY? WELL, SHES A SUPER KOOL PARTNER BUT ALSO BECAUSE SHE KNOWS I AM NOT STOPPING – ON ON ON ON – AND WHEN I HIT SUCCESS I WILL CONTINUE…I WILL FIND TIME FOR ALL THE QUALITY MOMENTS BUT I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR GAMES, TV, ETC.
Structure- This is the most difficult for me to be honest. It is VERY EASY to live and die by REACTION ACTION. RESPONDING. WHAT I AM DOING IS STRUCTURING MY REACTING / EMAIL/CALLS TO SET TIMES…LIMITING MEETINGS TO FIT “IS THIS NECESSARY?” AND “IS THIS DOING ANYTHING TO GET ME CLOSER TO MY GOALS?”
Empathetic NOT PC- I love Empathy, I truly feel its the secret to respecting others, understanding that we all do not need to have our way, and that that is perfectly fine. It factors in strongly to my belief that we CREATE CHANGE AROUND AREAS CHANGE IS NEEDED, WANTED, SOUGHT AFTER…what I do not like is the way society corners individuals for having a belief or opinion. I will openly state that I am very uninspired even by “Thought leaders” who in my opinion abandon Empathy when emotionally aroused. as the Stoics stated “Practice what you Preach” that means that being Noble and empathetic has to be practiced even when its not your desired outcome. I always heard from my father “never talk politics, or religion at work” I used to stress and hide whom I am but at 45 – I do not care, Im a Catholic, and Yes I voted for Trump. Guess what, I do not Hate or harbor ill will towards anyone and IF you do not like that I would rather lay those cards first and not start anything. Polarize to people like you- YOUR TRIBE…Leaders and Entrepreneurs GET THIS!
HOURS- Entrepreneurs GET that its ultimately about RESULTS not HOURS CLOCKED….I won’t even say another Fucking word about how much I fucking hate micro managing ANYONE. IF you get a shot with me Ill div you enough rope to Lasso the moon or hang yourself- YOU CHOOSE!
So am I a Entrepreneur? YES
But Im in development. Getting there by leveraging what equity I have much of- Sweat, Passion and the Cocky belief that Second place is the First LOSER so play to win!
I warn you that Im a leech for knowledge….I am on a QUEST…thats why I started this blog the T2 Experiment
I love my career path…I love being involved with Innovation in making people healthier, more Vital, Vibrant but I HATE BULLSHIT. I hate Manipulations.
Whats my sweet spot? Its GIVING, MATTERING, HELPING…I truly want this to evolve me to being a source of Inspiration…to help others through my openness.
Ive been in your shoes. Ive been scared, insecure BUT something in my DNA always makes me push…push to be more ….to be FREE…and to borrow from Tom Bilyeu…I want to be the guy to help others shoulder up, stand up, and look fear in the face…that matrix and pull them out…
I appreciate that my forwardness is Not for everyone, Its just me…Jumping through my skin…Life is NOT a spectator sport after all…Lets play to WIN!
because its about being WORLDS BEST and goes what WORLDS BEST DON’T SCALE!
Joes model- Finest ingredients period
Artists passion for ONE THING
no credit cards
no call in orders
noon delivery
Open till sold out ( usually within minutes!)
and guess what to everyone who is pissed off when then cannot get one of his beautiful creations? TOO BAD, IF IT MEANS ENOUGH FOR WORLDS BEST- COME WAIT IN LINE!
at the end is the treasure you desire, whatever that treasure might be
we begin the journey with Integrity, Passion and a true #STORY , your #STORY
terms define the start such as
#Smallbatch
#Local
#Fringe
#Niche
#Purplecow
In the beginning we know and are ultimately aware our #STORY holds value because its for US, our #TRIBE and as Seth Godin perfectly states “People like US do things like THIS”
see in the beginning we have not been “infected”
Infected with “Delusions of Grandeur” we are NOT thinking #QVC #WALMART the #MASS
NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING FUNDEMENTALLY WRONG WITH MASS
EXCEPT CATERING TO IT
Ive been around a while
Ive seen Special STORIES become “NOT SO MUCH”
Ive seen Fame addicts infected with there own marketing
Ive seen a real #STORY become #BULLSHIT
and I ask you all now
WHATS WRONG WITH STAYING SMALL?
STAYING NICHE?
STAYING LIMITED PRODUCTION?
it comes down to the FACT that the brands that stay “Special” remain harder to find but that scarcity makes them even more remarkable
they are the brands we should be seeking, supporting and embracing
