In February I learned to embrace the emotional roller coaster of building your own business. I was surprised how quickly a “low” could turn into a “high” and then back into a “low.” Highlights I am dropping the “experiment” label from what I’m up to–I’m all in on this business building thing Loving the ability to focus 100% on personal development work What I did in February Continuing to work with my existing clients and look for new ones Continuing to coach through A Social Ignition as a coach to an entrepreneurial program in a local prison Reading: A Second Chance: For You, For Me, And For The Rest Of Us by Catherine Hoke Gifted to me by John Wall from Marketing Over Coffee Finalized my messaging which filtered into several web page updates and my new offering What I Learned The benefits of a break and the ability to focus–I’m getting getting clearer and clear on what I’m up to The Entrepreneurial emotional roller coaster is all too real Expect the emotional highs to be high and the lows to be low Expect those emotions to change rapidly The benefits of blowing off a whole day and getting out of town to reset Cooper Spur Mountain Resort — A great affordable place to ski on the backside of Mount Hood, particularly if you buy the family pass WAAM — Excellent Auto and Airplane museum in Hood River, Oregon Could there be a way to get away at least one a month or every other month? Things often take longer than they appear, but if you keep showing up, over time you’ll accomplish more than you think you can Follow those “inklings” and get on the phone with people, even if you aren’t sure what you want to talk about How to Move Forward When Visibility is Limited (042) — turns out it’s good advice Just about anything can inform you–going for a walk with the recorder rolling to capture your thoughts Feedback (positive and negative) is a gift Speak to what isn’t working Being bold with your coach can take things to the next level Review of Monthly Themes January – Start Lay the foundation and let’s get rolling Administration & Creation Getting the house in order February – Messaging Continue foundation work Heavy focus on messaging and what I’m about Wrote and published my manifesto Really fun to share with people–struck a chord with some Interviewed various people that I could hire to upgrade my website The time for doing it all myself is over I came to the conclusion that what I really need is a designer Finished coaching offers/packages Much easier having gotten clear on message and what I’m offering Providing as “packages” not “month to month” or “hourly” Started updating web pages March – Promote Finish web page updates Polish my new coaching/consulting/mentoring offering Promote my message and enhance my presence on social platforms April – We’ll see Theme is less clear Could be that we iterate through the previous loop (foundation –> message –> promote) Drive traf
How do you move forward when you aren’t sure what to do next? How do you escape the trap of continuing to need more information before you make your next move? You move. Highlights It’s tempting to want 100% clarity before taking action and yet that clarity often only comes by taking action The benefits of perspective from other people Coach Mentor Someone that’s not you Deep planning can be a huge procrastination trap because there is no way to 100% know the future and unexpected things come up 99% of the time (that’s a made up statistic) Strange to hear from a project manager Overly-detailed plans can be a waste of time I’ve rarely (never?) created a WBS (work breakdown structure) for a project I’ve never managed a project to a Gantt chart Planning is one of the best, sneakiest procrastination tools of all The story of how John got into podcasting, met Stephen Warley of Life Skills That Matter and produced other podcasts When you have an inkling Start moving Make it small Define success in small ways Give it time to grow Keep showing up on a consistent basis Even if you doubt it’s quality Even if you aren’t sure where it’s going Clarity comes as you iterate and following the inklings before you Work in Themes Mike Vardy has a whole methodology around theming–look for him in a future podcast If you are working towards a larger goal, consider theming your: Days Weeks Months Year Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 42: How to Move Forward When Visibility is Limited appeared first on John Poelstra.
Here’s what I learned, experienced and accomplished in month #1 of “The Experiment.” Accomplishments, Experiences & Learning A lot of this getting started / setup stuff takes a lot longer than you think Meeting lots of people virtually and in person takes lots of time Use Trello as a CRM to keep track of the people I talk to, topics, next date to contact, etc. Getting lots of foundational things done—different kinds of insurance, estate planning, etc. Recorded four new episodes for this podcast to establish continuity Going forward my goal is to publish an episode at least every other week It takes time and experimentation to determine what the right volunteer situations are and if the return-on-investment has the right mix Mastermind meeting in Los Angeles with Rick Tamlyn was fantastic Personal ownership is going to be a big theme of the work I’m doing—see my new manifesto about what I believe Personal development, human potential and personal ownership is the focus of my work while downplaying the term “coaching” I went away with a ton of things to work out and ways to build out the things I’m working on Overwhelm and chaos are positive contributors to learning Resources supporting these ideas Order out of Chaos–Learning to Embrace Uncertainty by Mel Schwartz One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization by Dee Hock I may reinvest in the podcasting space with a pivot towards more consulting around getting started and establishing workflows for high volume production I got really clear about what I believe by writing down 100+ things that I believe Turned that into a page on my website Will also filter into the various offerings I provide Also continuing to wrap up my certification as a coach for Tilt365.com (completed!) It takes a lot of time to get started, but you just have to do it and get started Sometimes that means simply sitting down and grinding it out Zoom is a pretty solid video meeting platform and I’m using it for a lot of meetings people like to complain about them all seems better than BlueJeans and Google+ Theming my weeks and months is going to become incredibly important to prioritize and avoid overwhelm Be sure to check out a future episode I’m doing with Mike Vardy You can’t do this stuff in a vacuum and to maximize my time and efforts I’ve hired a new coach It’s a conscious mixture of consulting, business development, mentoring and coaching Helping me stay focused and accountable It’s expensive which I’m as a motivator and means of accountability I made a conscious decision to STOP attending free online training courses and webinars and get things done instead! When it’s time to double down on learning in the future I will For now, I know what to do. I simply need to do it! I have the best energy, concentration and insights at the start of the day The best deep work happens first thing Putting more boundaries around my time to make sure the ri
This episode explores the balance between honoring people and expanding professional opportunities in the context of networking. It was sparked by Laura Dreyer’s comment on a previous blog post about valuing people for who they are and not what they do. I also share my best advice for approaching networking events if you dread or dislike them. Ideas Take a “both and” perspective and approach Go with a plan and a specific mindset Set your own minimum success criteria Meet a certain number of people Stay for a certain amount of time Have a childlike curiosity–figure out what that other person is really about Listen with your whole being–check out “What is Good Listening? (014)“ Bring business cards–make your own for your side-hustle Vistaprint Moo Cards Topics and Resources Venture capitalist Brad Feld describes his experiences at an entrepreneurship program in a prison This inspired my own volunteer coaching work at a prison Vanessa Van Edwards gives interesting advice on social situations and reading other people Website Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People Magnet Networking events by Bassam Tarazi Icebreaker Questions by Claire Lew (not mentioned in the episode) Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 40: How to Make Networking Humane appeared first on John Poelstra.
Learn how saving more money isn’t always the answer and what’s possible when you look at something as an experiment. Stephen Warley also explains his belief that the nature of work is changing. Stephen Warley runs a community and weekly podcast called Life Skills That Matter. He believes work as we know it is changing. Stephen is on a mission to spread that message and help people prepare for it. Important Highlights and Takeaways Self-employment is a more natural way of being human and being 100% yourself Trying self-employment for a year will teach you more than you ever imagined Working for yourself makes you more attractive to future employers should you decide that self-employment is not for you Working for yourself is a shift in self-identity The hardest question you’ll ever answer for yourself is “What do I want?” The industrial revolution let us put off thinking about and getting clear about what we really want Technology we have created is now forcing us to answer it What we really want will translate into the work we do If you are feeling overwhelmed by a big project or a dream you have, write out a recipe for you what you think is involved: What are all the ingredients you think you need? What do do you think the steps are? Who can you ask for help? What’s the smallest next step you can take (even if it feels too small)? You are self-employed the minute you decide to work on your own terms Make calendar appointments with yourself–YOU are your most important customer Be aware of past failings or disappointments you may be interpreting the future with Looking at John’s next step as an “experiment” opened up so many new possibilities because there could be no “failure” This is the future of work Increasing uncertainty will require continuous iteration Self-reflection becomes an important part of this process as well Each week Stephen checks in with himself (self-reflection) to evaluate what is working and what is not working If experiencing a series of negative thoughts, write them all out and get clear on what’s going on Being stuck is a positive thing It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you Acknowledge it as a sign that something needs to change If You’re at a Company How can you start showing up now as an entrepreneur or consultant at your company now? How could that change your mindset and the way you approach your work? Get really clear on how much money you (not anyone else) need each month to live “Your Number” is your number–it’s person specific Provides freedom and clarity by breaking fears down into real numbers This helps dictate how many customers you need or what your projected monthly income needs to be You might be surprised to learn that the amount you need is much less than you assumed Tuning your resume is the wrong first step in the job search process. Instead: Get really clear and define the type of work you want to do and are passionate about Find companies doing the kind of work you want to do Tailor your resume to those desires Resources You Need a Budget (YNAB) – Excellent personal financial management and planning software Mr. Money Mustache Lifestyle Financial Calcu
Today John and Alene Gabriel talk about how she quit her corporate job to go out on her own as a coach and how John is pursuing a similar, but different path. Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source Music licensed under Creative Commons The post 38: Taking a Break & Experimenting with Self-Employment appeared first on John Poelstra.
This episodes looks at how I use Trello to manage my tasks and todos. Resources Mentioned Using images to restore or recenter you Sustaining Your Peak and Avoiding Burnouts with Brad Stulberg podcast interview with Pete Mockaitis Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success (affiliate) by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness Reflections on the Book Peak Performance (028) by John Poelstra Enable Your Board of Advisors & Fight Your Inner Critics (032) by John Poelstra Kanban Task Tracking That’s Not Overwhelming or Depressing (023) Music Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 37: How I Use Trello to Manage Tasks and Todos appeared first on John Poelstra.
If you want to have the best coaching session possible, prepare an agenda in advance. Not sure what to put on your agenda? Here are some ideas. Prompts to help clarify your coaching agenda What are you tolerating in your life? What are you avoiding? What’s not getting done? Is there a commitment you are not meeting? Where would you like to have more impact? Is there a relationship you are unsatisfied with or that you’d like to be better? Are there gremlins or inner critics holding you back? How are things going related to the desired outcomes that brought you to coaching? Resources Mentioned Tilt 365 Strengths Assessment Enable Your Board of Advisors & Fight Your Inner Critics (032) Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 36: Get More From Your Coaching Session With an Agenda appeared first on John Poelstra.
You’re thinking about holding and facilitating a meeting. Here are some questions to determine if it is a good idea and how to plan for success. Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 35: Questions to Ask About Meetings You Want to Hold appeared first on John Poelstra.
Asking one question is more powerful than asking three. Creating a new blog post is often better than polishing an old one. This episode is a good example. I’m not convinced I presented the material as well as I could have. I could continue to edit or re-record, but I’m erring on the side of “shipping.” Let me know if that was a good idea. Resources Mentioned Feedly RSS reader Unread iOS RSS reader Sweetsetup website — excellent guides to the best Apple apps and applications Credits Hallon by Christian Bjoerklund Cold Funk by Kevin MacLeod Original photo source All songs licensed under Creative Commons The post 34: Create New Instead of Revising Old appeared first on John Poelstra.