Tag Archives: entrepreneur

How to Write a Book In One Easy Lesson

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Tejas Nair Photography Sneakers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had a book published before I knew how to write.  I submitted a concept, chapter outline and sample chapter to a local Chicago publisher who liked the idea and drew up a contract.

The Terms said I would produce a completed work in a reasonable time frame in exchange for money.  The selling points of the book: the concept was original, the voice whimsical and the topic timely.

What I didn’t factor when I jumped into the project:  I didn’t know how to write, spell or use grammar properly.  Some ideas were quirky and unsophisticated.  In the scope of one’s lifetime achievements and body of work, this would be considered a boner.

But back then I thought it was Amazing! An Opportunity! A step in right direction!?

The point is, I wrote a book that was published in one easy lesson..I shut up, sat down and did it.

Maybe you have a book stuck in your head..your heart, in a drawer or on a cocktail napkin -

Here are top reasons why you are not writing your book and what you can do about it.

1) It’s already written in your head (the hard part) and the actual doing of  it is just a formality.  ”The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” Thomas Edison

2) It will suck.  You know this secretly so it lingers in Never Never Land until you change your mind.  Which you might. Which you should because – so what if it sucks? If it does you’ll improve it.

3) It will be brilliant if you can just find the time and bandwidth. OK and this one is to the geniuses… Will you please share with the rest of the class?  And to the non-geniuses – DITTO.

4) It will be important – which it probably will be  - so would you mind honoring your expertise, depth or perspective enough to deem it relevant enough to YOU to do it?

5) It will be unimportant.  The irony here is that it already is important.

6) It’s written and got stuck in the weeds of subsequent drafts – so why not hand it over to someone with perspective and get it done?!

7) It doesn’t advance your career – it feels like a side road.  Read Steven Pressfield and The War of Art – it’s a brilliant book on breaking through blocks and his own internal argument for veering from screenwriting to write this very book.

Here’s my advice on how to write a book in one easy lesson. Suspect you can do it (isn’t that a nice low jump?) and set aside time each day to write – a page, a paragraph, a sentence – each day, on the schedule…a step that advances the work.

Don’t talk amongst yourself. You already know how that turns out. Just have the courage to sit down.  If you need some coaching around sitting down, practice sitting down and then getting up and then sitting down and getting up.

My doctor told me a story about a little boy who was discovered in gym class to be an amazingly fast runner. He trained hard and was dedicated. But each time there was a track meet he’d forget his shoes.

Courage is not a concept, it’s a muscle that strengthens with use.

Just bring your shoes to the work and when the gun goes off, do your best.

 

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Top Habits of Highly Productive Entrepreneurs

In anticipation of the productivity session taking place at our next Big Ooga meeting, I’d like to share an organizing idea from one of our experts, Schae Lewis, Professional Organizer and Co-Founder of Mission 2 Organize. Schae has some sage words on harmonizing your home office.

Tip #2: Organize Your Desk, Organize Your Mind

We’ve all heard the expression, “A cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind”. Seems true enough. A tidy, organized desktop makes way for positive work flow and creative ideas. A jumbled desktop gives rise to confusion and that overwhelming feeling of not being able to find what you need, when you need it.

Yet, exactly where does one start to declutter a desk? Lets begin with the beacon of disorganization, the skyscraper-sized stack of papers that’s probably teetering on the edge of the desk right now. No matter how hard we try to control it, paperwork seems to hurl itself at our workspace from all directions and then multiply in the night like rabbits. According to Schae Lewis, there is a way to corral that clutter with style.

First step in paperwork organization is creating a colorful file system that’s easy to use and understand. To do this, you will need colored file folders and colored hanging folders with tabs.

Next, tackle the mountain of paperwork on your desk and start separating it into like-minded piles. For example, a pile for gas bills, a pile for cell phone bills, etc. Congratulations! You’ve just created a bunch of piles that all belong in a category called ‘BILLS’. Now, pick a color for that category. Let’s say RED. Put each pile into a RED file folder and label the contents of that RED file – i.e. GAS BILL folder, CELL PHONE BILL folder, etc.

Finally, gather all those RED folders up and put them in a big, RED hanging file that is labeled with the category BILLS. To your delight, whenever you look at your file system, you’ll know that anything colored RED is a BILL and all BILLS belong inside a file within the RED category.

Follow this system and keep going until your paperwork pile is gone. Keep in mind, each file you create brings you further away from chaos and closer to calm.

To hear more Top Habits of Highly Productive Entrepreneurs, join us at the next Big Ooga meeting on Nov. 13th.

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Immediate Response – Lasting Affect – This Entrepreneur’s Life

After waiting two weeks for work to be completed the end product was sub-par. My instant reaction was to send an email outlining a redirection and expressing my dissatisfaction.  Instead of sending the email I chose to sleep on it – to see if there was a better, more positive, more productive way to respond.

Hurting someone is permanent.

Yes, we’re in business to do the very best job we can and yes, success hinges on those accomplishments. But accomplishments are cumulative and in this instance there is an opportunity for a re-do.

But there is no chance for a re-do once you diss somebody’s spirit.  That little thoughtless act may be a wound that lasts a lifetime. And are you really THAT person who would inflict it?

I have a couple suggestions for honing your people skills when the work delivered is faulty and the project is in motion.

1. Think before you send your email. That doesn’t mean you drop your standards but it does mean you prioritize the people doing the work so they are inspired to do it better.

2. Check in during the waiting period. You can guide the work as it evolves. Some people like this approach, others don’t. Ask them so you know the difference.

3. Pick up the phone. Sometimes clear direction is not clear in an email.

4. Be the collaborator. That changes everything even if you are the boss.

5. When in doubt, take the high road. Not the high horse.

Have you responded in a way that you regret? And if so, how would you have done it differently with your do-over?

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This Entrepreneur’s Life – In Any Given Moment

In any given moment:

Someone speaks a first word while another is silenced.

Someone falls in love while another heart closes.

A song is written while an artist is censored.

A act of kindness transforms while a cruelty destroys.

A friend is made while another betrayed.

Someone is pronounced married while another is pronounced dead.

A forgiveness is extended while a grievance is cemented.

In any given moment…

A person awakens

an idea crystallizes

a business is born

a heart repairs

a laugh is shared

a hand is extended

a mind is opened

a resolve is strengthened

an action is taken

bread is broken

and the world changes

What will you do with your moments?

Happy New Year!

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Success & The Questions You Ask Yourself

I have lots of conversations with entrepreneurs and realize the way we frame questions to ourselves determines the direction we’re heading in.

If, for example, you are asking yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen? Can I possibly end up in a double-wide?” This is the wrong direction.

It’s not IF you will succeed that should be running ramped through your brain. It’s HOW you will succeed. What do you need to do differently? Whose perspective can add clarity? How can you replicate what you’re doing right?

Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. If you focus on the solution – you are in the right direction. If you focus on the problem it’s either going to get bigger, scarier or more prevalent.

That which we focus on grows bigger. That which we take our attention away from fades. ( I’m paraphrasing here).

So your energy has to be directed toward driving you forward because if it’s driving you backwards, getting back up to zero from a negative space is exhausting.

On the flip side – seeking the answer is/can be thrilling.

Giving something a chance..just testing an idea is a private beta. You don’t have to lock it in, announce it, throw big dollars at it. You just have to envision if it is possible.

Like trying on a pair of shoes.  You try them on, you take them off.  If you like them and they work – you commit.  If you don’t, you haven’t wasted your time, you’ve spent it on discovery.

Discovery is way more fun and lucrative than inaction.  I’m not suggesting you give every hair-brained idea a try. But what happened to “No question is a stupid question” when you were little?

When I’m building, I’m looking at the whole and the pieces of the puzzle. What next piece makes sense?

Then I take those pieces to someone who thinks in a linear, strategic, sane fashion and say, “I can see that these fit together. Can you? In what order? Can we make them happen now? OR do we put these in the someday file?”

You are not alone in this brave new entrepreneurial world.  Look at Greece, America…Netflix… We are all searching to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Smart, big, small, young, old, experienced, novice..all searching, working, striving to meet the next step.

My here and your here are our creations.  When we meet in the middle we’re collaborating.

When we’re collaborating we’re helping each other.

When we’re helping each other we’re in the right direction.

Don’t let the economy get you down. Keep building upward.. and while you’re at it maybe you want to come and listen to someone who has done just that.

If you’re up for getting inspired, and hearing the unvarnished truth from Nancy Sharp who has built a company from $Zippo to $25 million in revenue.  Then join us and hear what questions she’s asked of herself or how she put the pieces of her own successful company together.

If you’d like to join us at the next Big Ooga meeting October 4th, here’s the link:

Building a Company From the Ground Up 

 

 

 

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