Humans are funny creatures.
Admittedly, I love monkeys, however I'm sure they observe how we interact with our environment and think (with their little monkey brains) that we are weird and irrational. Although we proclaim that we are independent free-thinking beings, the reality is that mostly look for someone else to take the lead and everyone else just follows along.
I've always questioned whether entrepreneurs are more, or less rational than everyone else...
Do you ever get an itch?
An itch where you know that something needs to change? The more time you spend thinking about what you want to change, the harder it seems to be to get started. Sometimes you'll catch yourself making excuses and other times you'll talk yourself down to say that it really doesn't matter.
The truth is, you deserve this. If you have an audience, they deserve this.
Earlier this year I wrote a post called 25 insights from Seth Godin’s Startup School. My first detailed dive into these insights was Freelancer or Entrepreneur? Seth Godin cares and so should you, here is my second.
Marketing is an interesting idea. Everyone has a different perspective on the definition and practise of marketing. Some people think that advertising and marketing are essentially the same thing, others see that marketing is simply everything that happens with the customer before selling. Here’s my definition:
Marketing is making promises, delivering experiences and telling stories.
Today we are stepping back a little bit. This short episode is all about the idea of focus - on your project and in your life. I understand that there are a lot of incredible resources on getting focused and I'm not saying anything new here, but I do have some personal recommendations that I hope will help you if you listen in for this episode.
More interviews in the coming weeks!
- Todd
This is the first episode in a few weeks and we're going to get back on schedule. Because of the time away, I've decided to reconsider how the podcasts will be structured and how the show notes are presented for you. My priority is that it's easy for you to listen to every new episode, so I've got three ways to listen below.
Special offers and giveaways will be below the audio files and links below that. Sometimes I may have some 'learnings' from the podcast but I'm going to move these into a separate post and link to them instead. Simple is good!
Eli Woolery
You could win unlimited access to the online course: Create A Great Crowdfunding Video On A Budget worth $49. Plus , I'll also throw in a 30 minute Skype chat with me about whatever project your working on now.
Firstly, I did mention in the podcast that we would pick the winner by 15th October but because of my delays in getting this podcast up live, we'll extend this to 15th November 2013.
Upload a video link (put it up on Youtube first, and share the link) in the comments below with a video of you explaining:
This is a really cool course and you could get it for free. Who doesn't like free?
Is it possible to own a feeling? I believe yes you can.
Owning a feeling means that your personality is synonymous with that feeling. Think of the funniest person you know - that person who you just look at and you start to laugh. They own the 'funny guy' position in your life.
I do my best to own the remarkable brand. Not me being remarkable, YOU being remarkable. When I sit down with my startup team or any consulting clients, I want them to understand that mediocre simply isn't an option. Fitting-in is not safe. Feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable is the key do being the remarkable person in the eyes of those you admire most.
An amazing friend of my Jen Harwood is soon bringing out a book that is going to help you discover the role you play in the lives of those around you. No spoiler alerts yet. Stay tuned.
What feeling do you want to own?
Is starting.
Starting and restarting have a lot in common. You would think that if you have done something before and stopped (for whatever reason), then it would be easier to restart than start something new. Not the case .
Ok, my fault - it has been a couple of weeks since you had a new podcast episode and I know that this one is on me. If you're interested in what I have been up to, read on. Otherwise skip this and get into the session notes below.
As you may be aware, I'm also the founder of a startup called Referron. We're essentially a mobile app that enables you to refer your friends to people and brands you know, like and trust. Referron is where I spend most of my time and the last month has consumed nearly all of my time with an upcoming relaunch in the App Store and on Google Play.
I've also been spending a lot of time getting myself back on track with my own priorities. I'll detail this in podcast episode 16 (likely) where I go through my process of resetting and getting back on track.
Lastly, I've been doing a little bit of writing on Medium, which I admit to totally geeking out on. Ok onwards.
This episode recaps some of the best interviews I've ever done. Not because I was particularly good in any way, rather my guests took me on an incredible journey of discovery. I hope they took you too!
My first interview of a social entrepreneur and is also one of the most well-crafted crowdfunding campaigns I've ever seen. The Library For All team are made up of volunteers who are driven to change the world for just a few. If you're interested in social entrepreneurship causes, this is the interview for you.
These guys were successful when we did the interview but none of us knew that they would go on to raise $2.6M in their self-starter crowdfunding campaign. I really liked how these guys were so focused on who their customer was right now and how to serve them best.
John's interview was undoubtedly one of the most fun I've ever done. He is a cool dude and has a lot to contribute on product development and entrepreneurship. If you're an entrepreneur, I'm sure you'll like this interview.
BONUS: If you download the Pressgram app, take a photo and share the link (Twitter link is fine), and finally answer this question: "What does creative control mean to you?"...then you'll be in the running to pick up a free copy of John's ebook about his Kickstarter experience.
Jason heads of the products division of Digital Telepathy, known as Filament. These guys do market validation by asking potential customers to 'vote up' product ideas through each stage of design and development. The end result? Products that people want and have put money on the table to see come to life. Awesome.
Lastly we have our interview with Daniel. Satchel & Page got my attention because of their focus on the 'luxury' product segment on Kickstarter. They got a lot of organic traffic from Kickstarter and very quickly turned away the people not in their target demographic. What was interesting was that the average value of each backer was 10x most other campaigns.
…is a cop out.
When you start with If only, you are telling me that you're not good enough. Good enough is easy to find. Others, just like you, have more money, better qualifications, more powerful connections. But I don't care about them. I care about you because you have my attention in this very moment. What are you going to do with it?
The Lean Statup movement is a triumph for entrepreneurs worldwide. Led by Eric Ries, hundreds of contributors in this movement have provided us with a language to communicate with our employees, investors and customers.
This is exactly what they have given us: a language.
