Hugh want’s you to know that while you may be pouring your heart and soul into your art, or your business, or your passion; nobody cares.

Why would anybody care about all the great things you’re doing?

Human beings are generally considered to be self-interested creatures. Everyone’s living their own busy lives to really care about what you’re up to.

But there’s another important reason as to why most people don’t care.

They don’t care because it’s hard for people to watch someone breaking the rules. It makes people cringe.

It’s hard to fathom someone doing something not considered “safe.”

It’s hard for people to accept your ideas as anything more than silly pipe dreams.

But why?

It’s because there is so much pent up fear.

Fear you might break free.

Fear you might change the rules.

Fear you might succeed.

Fear you might find your way out of the waiting place.

Someday, everyone may be paying attention. They might start paying attention, but they still won’t care.

The good news is this: You’re a self-interested creature too.

Do whatever it is you’re doing for yourself. Get used to nobody caring and carry on.

The phone rings and, within first 10 seconds, you know it’s a business call. They don’t care about you, they care about the sale.

A real estate agent tells you about a house the same way he writes the ad for the newspaper - 2 bedroom, 2 bath, new fireplace, granite countertops, fenced yard.

He’s just going through the motions; hammer the sign into the lawn, write the ad, open house on Sunday.

A car salesman walks, talks, acts like the stereotypical car salesman. He’s always got to “present” your offer to the manager. You think you’re negotiating a major deal – he’s laughing at you in the next room.

Did you really believe you saved three grand on that new SUV because of your super negotiating skills?

You walk into the furniture shop, and you’re swarmed by commission-ready vampires.

You think they care if you buy the flower print ottoman? Do you really believe that it’s actually on sale – and he’s “willing” to do even better on the price?

It’s all business.

We knew it all along, but we chose to accept it. We have stereotyped these people because we believed there was nothing else we could do about it. Therefore, we cope by making light of the situation.

All of a sudden, these tools exist, and we choose not to accept it anymore. All of a sudden, we’ve lost our sense of humour.

Lie to us and we tell our 400 friends on Facebook. Please understand that 400 friends on Facebook can snowball into thousands of people in seconds.

Provide horrible service at your restaurant, and instantly we can Tweet to 2500 people about it.

Tell us the house is a great deal, even though you know it isn’t, by hiding the fact that it needs 20k in repairs. People will retaliate by starting a blog exposing the lies.

Here’s the flip-side. Actually, I’d be willing to say rather than this being the flip-side, this is the only side that matters, going forward.

Be real.

Be honest and truthful with us and we’ll tell our 400 friends on Facebook. Please understand that 400 friends on Facebook can snowball into thousands of people in seconds.

Provide amazing service at your restaurant, and instantly we can Tweet 2500 people about it.

Tell us honestly that you believe a house is a great deal, but warn us it’s going to need 20k in repairs, and we’ll start a blog to share our great experience.

Get it?

I write this blog, I consult with businesses, and  I help them make more money. I show businesses how to use the internet to grow their business and make more money. I do a little of this and a bit of that.

However, I’m not sure I’ve found the “thing” yet.

You know the “thing” right? The “thing” that wakes you up every morning with a burning desire to go out there and get-em. You’ve got it right?

If you go to bed Sunday night and simply can’t wait for the five days ahead, then you’ve found your “thing.”

I was never able to say in my earlier years, “this is what I want to do when I grow up.”

Here I am all grown up, and I still can’t say exactly what that is.

Guidance counselors, teachers, and peers used to make me feel like this was inadequate. After all, most people had it all figured out. They would go off and become teachers, police officer, accountants, advertisers, bankers, restaurant managers etc…

I remember being told that eventually you just had to “decide and pick something.”

I’ve never been able to “just decide and pick” my life, and it used to scare the pants off me.

The nice thing is that I’m not bothered by it anymore.

It used to scare me that I couldn’t just decide.

It used to scare me how easily I could jump between hobbies and try new things.

It used to scare me how I could so easily attempt new business ventures by moving from one extreme to another.

But it doesn’t scare me anymore. It excites me now.

It excites me because I’ve learned that I don’t need to be looking for the “thing.”

What excites me about it isn’t that I can’t settle down,  I’m excited because there is something not allowing me to settle down.

Am I looking for a “thing” or is some-”thing” looking for me?

Either way, in my mind, it’s way more exciting than the alternative.

“There is no way of knowing how far intention and action can take you. This world offers no guarantees, only opportunities and vicissitudes. When you reach for the stars you may not get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

This world offers no guarantees – only opportunities.

Think about that for a moment.

I live just outside of Windsor, Ontario and people are in rough shape here. The situation is the hardest on people who worked hard and sweated for years because of a guarantee, a promise.

They feel that guarantees and promises need to be kept. We’re looking to our governments to enforce those guarantees and bail us out. Can’t blame em, can we?

So what’s left? Where do we turn?

What’s left after we come to the realization that the guarantee wasn’t really a guarantee at all? It was a sham. We bought into it, and they tricked us. Good people got screwed.

What can we do?

Well, we could hope they might have a change of heart. “OK, you’re right. We’re sorry. We’ll reopen the factory and overpay you again, even though we can make the parts 75% cheaper elsewhere.”

We shouldn’t bank on this happening.

Therefore, the only thing left is opportunity.

Opportunities come from ideas, and we’ve all got great ideas.  We’re all capable of coming up with a few new ideas.

Take a look at the businesses I read about this week.

Butch Bakery Masculine cupcakes for men. Seriously… I love a cupcake just as much as the next guy; but if I can veto the pink sprinkles for some army camouflage, I’m buying. source – springwise.com

Soupcycle – soups made from organic and local ingredients delivered in an eco-friendly manner - source – springwise.com

Panty by Post – A Canadian company has decided to deliver sexy women’s lingerie on a monthly basis via subscription payment. Brilliant. source – springwise.com

If you’ve been hit by hard times now might be your opportunity to reach for the stars. Remember, there are no guarantees (ZERO), but the world has unlimited opportunities (UNLIMITED).

Unlimited is always a better choice than zero.

Homework:

Your assignment this weekend is to come up with five ideas for businesses or services you could create.  Send me a message if you need help with this assignment.

3-2-1 Go

I was anxiously awaiting the books release. So on launch day, I ordered a copy on my Kindle. I took a quick peak, which turned into reading a few pages, which then snowballed into reading the entire book in one sitting.

Rework represents the new rules of business from the guys who are walking the walk and not just writing books. The CEO, Jason Fried, started 37Signals as a small web development company back in 1999. As of today, the company has created  on-line tools such as Basecamp, Campfire, Highrise, and many others. 37Signals now has over three-million customers worldwide. Not such a small web development company anymore are they?

To me, this book solidifies many of the assumptions I’ve carried for a long time. Those spending time learning the concepts and theories in business school might be wasting their time. Learning in-depth concepts and theories maybe outdated and may not work as well anymore.

Mark Cuban’s quote represents that pretty clearly. He says,

“If given a choice between investing in someone who has read REWORK or has an MBA, I’m investing in REWORK every time. A must read for every entrepreneur.”
-Mark Cuban, co-founder HDNet, owner of the Dallas Mavericks”

I tend to agree with Cuban here. So Mark, if you’re looking for someone…. drop me an email

It’s a fast and enjoyable read, and I highly recommended it to anyone with an interest in working for themselves or starting a business.

I wanted to say it’s a great read for anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship, but David and Jason say, “enough with entrepreneurs!”

They suggest we should retire that term immediatley. They say that the term entrepreneur is loaded with baggage and smells like a member’s-only club. They continue to say, “everyone should be encouraged to start his/her own business, not just some rare breed that self-identifies as an entrepreneur.”

If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business, but you’re worried that you don’t have the business savvy of an MBA graduate, this just might be your ticket. This could be the tool that  provides you with more real-world applicable business knowledge than an MBA, and you can acquire it in just under two hours for about $10 bucks.

Buy it. It’s worth it.

Wait, maybe that’s the wrong wording. Joy didn’t just land a job, she landed her first paying client.

Instead of waiting for an opportunity to knock, Joy created her own.

Joy took the initiative and decided she would start a pet sitting (and dog walking) service.

Joy took the initiative even further by creating and printing her own business cards.

Joy took the initiative by creating a flyer and posting it around the town.

Joy took the initiative to deliver the business cards and speak to people about her service.

And so it goes. The song remains the same. Opportunities are created by taking action, not by waiting for them to magically appear. It’s really that simple.

Thanks Joy for sharing this very valuable message with me again today. It’s often easy to forget. I’m glad you’re learning at such an early age.

I debated for a long time whether I should call this post “the song remains the same,” or, “Joy to the World.”

I think it’s a little bit of both.

We’re lucky to have Joy. We need more like her….

Joy to the World.

Little did I know, that person would be mother. I found out that this week that she had started her own blog called “The Mustard Chronicles.”

A friend on Twitter summed it up nicely by saying,  “your mom wanting to blog – the ultimate compliment to you.”

I’m honored and thrilled if I have helped inspire her.

Maybe it’s the fact she’s my mother that I find her first few posts rather funny? Maybe it’s because I know the voice behind the words so well? Either way, I think a blog is a great way to use your voice and express yourself.

Should you start a blog? Maybe.

Does it matter if anyone is listening or not? I would say “no.”

The best listener when you start is your first one. When you have one, then it’s time to find the second. Far too often we get caught up  looking for the “quick fix.” We want lots of traffic, big email lists and large subscriber numbers.

We want to know people are listening and we’re not just wasting our own time.

But this is the wrong approach. Focus on finding the first follower and if you’re doing something remarkable the rest will follow. If you’ve got something that you want to say, then there’s a good chance someone in the world is willing to listen.

Check out TheMustardChronicles.com and let her know what you think.

But hear me out.

Yesterday I heard a comment while watching an event being streamed live on ustream.tv with someone very successful. One of the viewers made a comment suggesting that this person’s success and was the result of “luck.”

Everyone thinks people get lucky and some cases people do. I’m constantly told I’m lucky because of all those prizes I won, that I spoke about the other day.

You’re lucky if you win 30 Million bucks in the lottery.

You’re lucky if you’re on a plane that strikes birds and the pilot lands it safely in the Hudson River.

You can get lucky in a variety of ways.

Of course, we often hear most people complaining about the lucky people. We get jealous from other people’s  fortunate good luck.

“He’s so lucky he got that job”

“That lucky SOB is being paid that much to do THAT!?”

“I can’t stand Phil! He’s so lucky!”

But what about Mark Zuckerberg who created Facebook, did he get lucky?

What about Larry Page and Sergey Brin who created Google, did they get lucky?

Sometimes my view is a little different from others but here’s what I consider lucky.

Consider the scenario:

You just got laid off from your dead-end job. Some would consider this the worst thing that could happen. After all, you were promised a pension! Oh my gosh! A pension!

And we’ve all seen how safe those are.

Do you consider this twist of fate lucky or unlucky?

Here’s my opinion. I consider this good luck. You’re being presented with an opportunity. You might not see it right away. But being laid off or fired is a lighting bolt of good luck.

You’re being given a chance, a moment,  to reinvent yourself on your own terms.

Does this mean starting a business or a new career? Not necessarily. You can go out and find another job but this time it’s on your terms, not theirs. Don’t settle. Especially when luck is slapping you across the face with a giant tuna fish.

Luck is not something we either have or don’t have. Luck is the result of effort and hard work.

To win all those contests it took time and effort. I entered 30-50 contests per day and as a result I got lucky. I know it’s hard to believe especially when you look at the sheer number of prizes and contests I won in a short period of time. But folks, these contesting people are nuts and dedicated and they WIN. Why? Because they enter religiously.

The luck is created because of the work put towards the end-goal.

Take a look at this section of a popular Canadian forum. This is where the dedicated contest go’ers post their  wins. You’ll see the same people winning over and over and over again. Go back a few pages and just look at the crazy stuff people are winning.

It’s not because they are a collective of “lucky people,” it’s because they take action and  extend a consistent effort towards something.

The same concept can be applied to ANYTHING. Want to make more money? Have a bigger and better business? Find a better job? Same concept.

Luck is created by taking action. Luck is taking an opportunity when it’s presented and doing something about it.

You know what happens when you take action and start doing things? You start to get lucky.

You know what happens when you skip the 4 hours of reality shows tonight and tackle something productive? You get lucky.

Guess what happens shortly after that – the people around you start to get ticked off at how lucky you are.

1. You can read a number of books.
2. You can attend College or a  University.
3. You can blow piles of cash on newspapers, radio advertising,  television commercials, or just hope for the best.

But I’ve got a better suggestion. If you live in Ontario (or even Detroit/Buffalo), you’re in luck. On March 2nd, 2010, there’s going to be a very special event held in Toronto called “The Art of Marketing”. This is, without a doubt, an all-star jam-packed conference that you can’t afford to miss.

And I’m especially calling on all the businesses in my area – the Windsor/Essex County area.  Get in your cars, grab a Timmies, crack the stereo and hit the 401. This is a BIG event that packs some serious thunder. It will pay back in major dividends for you and your business.

Sure, you can go and buy a pile of books, spend a few days reading about social media tactics online, or maybe even hire someone awesome like this guy to come in and whip your business into shape….

Or – you can attend this event and learn WAY more and spend a lot less. I’d still hire this guy though.

Here’s who will be speaking at this jam-packed event.

Seth Godin on Leadership & Creativity – If you’ve been to my blog more than once you know I’m a Seth Godin nut. I think eight of my last 10 posts have included the name “Seth Godin.” Seriously. Seth Godin is by far, one of the (if not THE)  top marketing gurus of our time. He’s written many best-selling books and has been called one of the top 21 greatest speakers of the 21st  century.

If I can give you just ONE reason why this event is worth your time or money, this is it. I’m guessing Godin will be presenting concepts from latest book Linchpin. I wrote down my thoughts about Linchpin here.

That would be enough for most people. If Godin was coming to Toronto on his own to give a talk on leadership and creativity, you could bet the lineup would stretch down the road and wrap around the corner. But the organizers thought “we can make this event even better,” and they did.

What you will learn: (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
• Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers
• The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
• Is Your Marketing out of Sync?
• Why Smart Companies Abandon Worry and Embrace Change
• Are You Indispensable?

Mitch Joel on Digital Marketing & Social Media – Mitch just released his book Six Pixels of Seperation and will be talking about social media. Thank goodness for that. Everyone and their sister is using social media. But only a handful of businesses are actually getting it. This is your chance to learn how to properly use social media and stand out in a very crowded room.

What you will learn: (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• How to “burn the ships” and rethink marketing in a connected world
• Mind-blowing stats about the online world and what people are doing/saying about your brand
• How to thrive in a world where anyone can (and is) saying whatever they want about your brands, products,  and services
• Why “why?” is a much more important question to ask your teams than “what?”
• How to understand what “control” means in a digital world
• Why traditional advertising is making us all more irresponsible than ever before
• The theory behind “Digital Darwinism” and how your business will evolve in the next 24 months

Sally Hogshead on Persuasion and Influence – Sally says that the average consumer’s attention span is nine seconds. Count em. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9. If you haven’t captured your audience in those nine seconds, you’ve lost them. I can’t be bothered to read your ad or check your storefront window as I walk by. Why? Because my buddy is IM’ing me; I’ve got 16 texts coming in; I just got invited to seven events on Facebook; and 11 people just re-tweeted my awesome tweet.

How the heck can you break through all of  this?

Sally will show you.

What you will learn: (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• Seven  triggers to persuasion and captivation: Power, Lust, Mystique, Prestige, Alarm, Vice, and Trust.
• How marketing has changed and what you can do about it
• How to fascinate your audience; leave them wanting more!
• Learn the decision making process and how to implement it into the marketing mix

James Othmer on Advertising & Branding – I don’t know much about James Othmer, but here’s what the event organizers tell us we can learn from James:

What you will learn: (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• Technological and cultural triggers in the evolution of branding, from persuasion through engagement, through advertising yet to come.
• Why some brands are winning and some are losing the critical battle for authenticity.
• Why advertising is a tension between art, commerce, and ethics.
• Pros and cons of consumer-driven, immersive, imbedded utility,  and now trans-media based branding approaches.
• The roots, triggers, and implications of the coming revolution in narrative branding.
• Discover via case studies from around the world, how understanding this profound shift in the way we create, share, and combine story and technology may prove to be one of the most vital skills of the 21st century marketing.

Max Lenderman on Branding & Experimental Marketing - If there are two words when combined that get me excited, they are “Experimental marketing.” Want to learn the newest and most radical marketing techniques being used around the globe? Max will show and tell you how to start using them in your own business.

What you will learn: (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• Learn how oligarchs are using radical advertising and marketing tactics to launch brands and reinvent products.
• Dive into the multi-billion-dollar racket of brand fakery at Silk Street, the epicentre of piracy and counterfeiting in China, and learn how pirates are reshaping brands around the world, and what brands are doing to combat and co-opt them.
• Learn the secrets of success to marketing and advertising to four billion poor people in this world by examining how brands and products reach the hinterland of India, which has the world’s largest poor population.
• Find out the strategies and ethos that are driving the future of marketing and advertising in the global marketplace.

Dan Heath on Strategy & Communications - Dan, along with his brother Chip, wrote Made to Stick. This is an amazing book about why some ideas survive and others die. This book will transform the way you think about communicating and sharing your ideas. If you haven’t read it, buy it. But then again, why not just come and listen to Dan speak?

This is going to be a great presentation It’s no surprise the organizers have left this event for the last one of the day.

What can you expect to learn from Dan? (source: theartofmarketing.ca)

• Simplicity: Simplify your message. Simplicity isn’t about dumbing down, it’s about prioritizing
• Demand before Supply: Before your message can stick, your audience must appreciate it
• Credibility: How to create credibility in an untrusting market place
• Emotion: How to enter the emotional realm, emotions lead to actions
• Stories: Driving action through the power of stories

So after all is said and done, you’re looking at this and thinking “Holy Schmoly – That’s a pretty awesome event Noah!” But deep down you’re probably assuming the event costs thousands and thousands of dollars.

And why wouldn’t it?

People would easily pay that and more to hear Seth Godin speak. People HAVE paid that and more! You can’t blame them either. By just applying a few of the right techniques, or making a few changes to the current way you do business; you could easily make a lot more moola!

So what’s it all going to cost you?

Well, I hope someone is near you when you read this because you may just keel over and have a heart attack.

You might end up spitting coffee all over your computer monitor.

You might dance around like a nut for a few minutes.

Because the event is only $399 bucks. (keep reading)

But, let’s just say you enjoy the finer things in life. Like special access doors or being so close to the action that the speakers saliva might hit your forehead.

You want to wine-and-dine enjoying a 3-course meal while I’m outside stuffing my face with  street-vendor Hot Dogs. You can do that too. VIP pricing is only $499 bucks. (keep reading)

Still alive?

Good.

Because you might not be after I drop the next bomb. I persuaded the organizers to do even better. Things are in rough shape in Windsor/Essex county! Give us a break I shouted! And they responded.

If you use the code  CN25, you’ll be able to take $50 bucks off your ticket. This means you can get in for only $349 or you can be a high falootin VIP for only $449! The choice is yours!

REGISTER HERE

Folks, this is a no-brainer. If you want to find me at the event, look for the guy outside keeping the Hot Dog stands in business.

Don’t want to go yourself?

Pony up and send your marketing employee.You know who I’m talking about. The one you keep locked up in the office with no windows. The person, or  highly specialized person, you’ve hired to engage in everything your organization calls “marketing.” Send her.

She will thank you, not just for a day out of the office, but  by showing you the new ways to grow your business. At first it will be hard for you to accept your employee’s recommendations. That’s normal. She’ll explain that there’s more to life than your yellow pages advertisement or the coupon in the local newspaper. She might even show you why,  just because you have a Facebook & Twitter account, that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything even close to social media marketing.

Do it. I hope to see you there.

Key points I took away from the interview.

1. The world is changing, are you a dispensable cog? If so, you need to become indispensable.
2. Are you creating art or conducting “paint by numbers?”
3. Are you an entrepreneur or a freelancer? For a long time I thought I was an entrepreneur but I’m working more like a freelancer. It’s time to change that.
4. The lizard brain and why you can’t follow anyone else’s map to defeat it.