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Fail Better

March 7, 2011 in Life, Linchpin, Misc with 2 Comments

Ever tried. Ever failed. No Matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. ~ Samuel Beckett. (thanks to my daily quote book from quoteflections.com for allowing me to consider this quote today)

I’ve failed a ton of times. I’ve tried dozens of things that were total flops. But have I failed enough? Have I failed “better?”

“Embarrassing” says my inner thoughts. What a goof!

What about the next time? Will I remember that failure? My mind has a clever way of never failing to remind me of what a mess I got myself into the last time. My mind has the uncanny ability to use that failure against me.

“Do you really want to go through all that misery again Noah? Really?”

And that’s the problem. That’s your lizard brain doing its thing. That’s your internal resistance tightening up. And that’s why so many are afraid to start, let alone fail. That’s why so many of us stand at the bottom of the mountain looking up and feel defeated even before we have begun. We are wondering how such an enormous hill could ever be climbed. It is easier to just sit at the bottom and wait.

Wait for what?

Sam Beckett suggests failing again. He suggests failing better. And no matter what, keep going. Keep failing. But each time, fail a little better.

How exactly can we fail “better?”

How can we keep going when the internal resistance grows with each failure?

I’m thinking that maybe when Beckett made that comment, he really meant it in a simplistic, easy to understand way:

Next time, fail a bit better. Even if just a little, but for goodness sake, keep failing. Always.

And I’m thinking, fail often enough and the resistance and all that tension will eventually go way. If you keep pulling an elastic band, it’s eventually going to break.

Once the resistance is out-of-the-way, there’s really nothing left in your way.

The sooner you start the better. Start again and again and again…

This year?

February 7, 2011 in Life, Linchpin, Misc with 3 Comments

Another year.

Can you believe we’re already over a month in to this year already? Only eleven months to go.

For me, 2010 was a big year. To me, it symbolized the importance of becoming a Linchpin in an ever-changing economy.

As we zip through 2011 at an ever-increasing pace, I ask you to consider your own plans for these next eleven months.

At what cost are you willing to stay with the drudgery of a job or career that you have not an ounce of passion for?

At what cost are you willing to hide your amazing talent for the harmonica, or your unique view of the world which you capture through your photography. (Which remains a weekend hobby, only if you can spare a few moments, of course…?)

Let’s also consider just how toxic drudgery can be. Stuck in a situation you’re unhappy about only amplifies the problem. It will find a way to seep through the cracks into every other aspect of your life.

Surely you can’t just give up following the status-quo and decide you’re only going to do what YOU want to do this year. You can’t decide you’re going to turn your love of photography in to a business. You can’t build that website and online business you’ve been thinking about. After all, there are bills to be paid, babies to feed, diapers to buy, dinners at Applebee’s, and cable television to watch, isn’t there?

But maybe, just maybe, if you could grasp the fact that a lot of the people, who do decide to take the risks, actually reap the rewards, maybe then you’d be willing to give it a shot.

The world, believe it or not, has a strange ability to actually work in your favor.

What do ya say? Maybe this year?

The clock is ticking.

2011 – The First Update

January 27, 2011 in Business, Life, Linchpin, Misc, Success with 5 Comments

Wow.

Where did the time go? I find it hard to believe that my last posting was November 23rd.

Here’s a quick update about both my personal and professional life.

First – The Personal Stuff.

Our beautiful daughter arrived on December 19th, 2010. Her name is Avalon Kate Fleming. She’s amazing. Seriously though, what a life altering event. Nobody can truly prepare you or explain to you what parenthood is actually like until you experience it.

So without further ado, I’ve included a picture of Avalon and yours truly.

My wife is doing fantastic. She felt great shortly after the birth and has settled comfortably into being a mother. She seems to be a natural.

The Biz Stuff

After spending a day with Seth Godin back in September, I arrived home energized and ready for a challenge. After all Seth, doing what he does best, provoked me and posed a challenge to me. Could I go home and ship something new this year? (Shipping is used metaphorically… it’s the art of creating something and actually getting it out into the world.)

I met with my friend Derek, who’s a crazy home-beer-brewer. He’s been brewing beer for over twelve years, and we wanted to see if we could turn that hobby into a business.

The business we decided to launch was TheBrewersMarket.com - The concept is simple. A website selling a small batch of all-grain beer. It’s a brewing system for folks who want to try making their own real beer – not like a Mr. Beer where you add water and turn on a machine; but the real deal. It will mean mashing grains, extracting sugars, and using real hops and yeast. Essentially, you follow the same process as your favorite beer maker on a very small scale. I knew nothing about making beer at home until I met Derek.

Our first official meeting was on October 5th. We sat down and filled out Seth’s Ship It Journal as our unofficial business plan.

The most important aspect of the Ship It Journal comes when you set a date. This is a date that’s set in stone and you’re basically saying, come hell or high water, we’re shipping to the world on this date.

We set a goal to launch a full-blown business within a month. November 1st was our date. Now, keep in mind, I’m talking about a full-blown business. We had one month to go from literally nothing to something special.

For example, and not limited to the following,

Building a website from scratch
Creating a marketing and launch plan (the goal was to be, not just shipping on November 1st, but making money on November 1st.)
Sourcing inventory and figuring out various logistics such as packaging and shipping
Setting up bank accounts, merchant accounts, wholesaler accounts and relationships.

The list goes on and on. When we told people about our plan, the first words were always along the lines of, “that’s impossible.” I’ll show you a few pictures of the Ship It Journal at a later date. We also used Basecamp to track our daily progress.

Anyway – skipping forward, this gives you a good idea of why my last post was somewhere in the middle of November and the one before that was in mid-October.

So how’d we do?

The business launched on November 1st as planned, but only after numerous sleepless nights. That was our first major success. At that point, I kicked into gear on an intensive marketing strategy.

This is when things got really interesting.

On December 15th, our business was featured in two major Canadian newspapers. We managed to finagle our way into The National Post in a big way and secured a mention in The Toronto Star. It was totally coincidental that they both happened on the same day. The two newspapers have a combined circulation of around four million people.

This contributed to a spike in sales almost instantly. But even more exciting was that because the story ran in The National Post, which is owned by PostMedia Network, the story was also syndicated to nearly every other major Canadian daily in nearly every major Canadian City. We assumed this meant the story would show up on their various websites. No. To our surprise, it ended up in print in literally dozens of newspapers. Our business was exposed to millions of Canadians in a single day .

A great start. But then the real magic of the Internet kicked in.

The following day, while my wife and I were driving, my iPhone started going bonkers. Taking a quick glance, I noticed these email were notifications of sales coming from the popular website Etsy. I’m talking one after another, after another, after another.

A week earlier, I was invited to write a blog post for Etsy. I carefully crafted our message and sent in the posting. I had no idea what to expect from it nor any idea if it would actually be used.

As it turned out, the post I’d written was featured on the front page of Etsy.

THEN… things got even more interesting when only four days later, my wife and I were in the hospital, smack dab in the middle of having a baby.

I can’t thank my business partners enough who kept their cool and ensured the business ran smoothly at time where my involvement and help was minimal at best. After all, I’m not Gordon Gecko, and my family comes first. Derek and Laurie had to fulfill, literally, hundreds of orders only days before Christmas.

Needless to say, one month to launch an insanely successful business, and it’s just getting better and better by the day.

You can do the same. This is the year folks.

Enough blabbering – lots of exciting things planned for 2010. I’m going to be changing up my blog in several ways and creating a whack of new sites and products. I’ll keep you in the loop.

As for my goals in 2011, I want to be a great father and keep shipping.

Cheers!
Noah

P.S. Last but not least, there are a few people I’d like to thank who helped tremendously in the successful launch of TheBrewersMarket.com.

Josh Stipancic – Josh handled all of the branding and design for our business in a very short time. We gave Josh an idea of the look and feel we were hoping for. When he returned a short while later, he had totally nailed it. Thanks Josh. He also designs some pretty amazing stuff. I’m sure he could help you too.

Shawn Veltman – Shawn is someone who’s at the top of marketing and copywriting game in Canada. I worked with Shawn on a website a few years back offering coaching and consulting servers to the chiropractic industry. He’s around 30 years old and pretty much retired. He’s good at what he does. Shawn helped me craft press releases, write blog posts, and tweak landing page headlines for optimal performance. If you ever need advice in any of these areas, contact Shawn.

Brandon Scott Photography – Brandon is a local photographer who, my partners just happened to know, and I believed he owed them a favor. He came through to help us with product shots that didn’t look like total crap. (Starting a business in a short time gave us a great opportunity to call in favors.)

Larry Cornies - Larry is a guy who knows the newspaper industry inside and out. He offered valuable advice on how to make sure our story got to the right people. His advice was spot on.

Seth Godin – Thanks for challenging me in September to go home and ship something new and exciting before the year was over.

Don’t Resist – Release.

September 29, 2010 in Business, Linchpin with 5 Comments

I have a friend who has always been wonderfully talented musician.

Many years ago, I strongly urged him to release his music to the world over the Internet and share his gift. More importantly, I wanted him to find his speck.

He resisted.

He resisted because that was not the way traditional musicians did things. He believed the old system would endure. He resisted putting his music on the Internet.

Musicians were supposed to try to get their music on the radio.

Musicians needed a record label to succeed.

It had worked for Jack Johnson, but it would never work for anyone else.

He worried people would steal his music and his lyrics. He worried he’d never become a rock star that way. He believed that if he saved his music a representative from a record label would maybe, just maybe, happen to be sitting in the club the night he was playing.

He missed an early opportunity to share his art with the world. He missed an early opportunity for his art to spread, and the world missed him.

Now he’s resisting again because he thinks it’s too late.

It’s not too late. The world is waiting and ready for your gift. All engines are fueled up, primed, and ready for lift-off like never before.

Don’t resist, release.

Imagine, over 78 Million views later, if Andy McKee had never shared his talent with us. Imagine if Andy had resisted.

Please, don’t resist.

How Many Times?

September 22, 2010 in Career & Work, Linchpin, Misc with 0 Comments

First there were folks who said the Internet wouldn’t make it. It was a passing fad. (These people still exist)

Then came the businesses who said they didn’t need a website. Their customers would never use the Internet to find out about them.

After that came the people who said they’d never own a cell phone. Who can forget the people who said the iPod would never make it?

Next came your friends who said they’d never join Facebook or send a Tweet.

Now comes the people who believe everything will eventually go “back to normal”. The big three will eventually return to Windsor/Detroit, fire up the factories, and start creating jobs again. They say we’re just in a slump.

How many times are they going to be wrong?

You’re different though. You’re going to do something about it. Right?

How Dare You…

September 21, 2010 in Linchpin with 1 Comment

Last Thursday, I was privileged to spend a full-day, in Chicago, with my (virtual) mentor Seth Godin. As others have noted, my day with Seth was, for the most part, “off-the record.” But I’ll share the bit that’s just too dang important to keep to myself.

Seth started his day speaking passionately to almost 700 Chicago-area Linchpins by saying,

“How Dare You Waste The Revolution”

Photo Courtesy of Rachel Koontz

Seth continued, with strong determination, to explain to us that the current Internet Revolution is the biggest single monumental shift any of us will ever experience in our lives.

The moment to take advantage is now.

Hint: The revolution is not simply about Facebook, or Twitter, or Google.

Did you think you were too late to create the next big thing online? Think it’s too late to sell your art on Etsy? Too late to build your tribe and lead them? To late to build worldwide connections?

It’s not too late, but we’re moving quickly.

I’ve got friends who still dismiss the Internet. They laugh when I say you can, and should, move forward in your career without a traditional resume. They laugh when they see the time I spend online creating connections. They laugh at the idea of Twitter or Facebook.

They return back to the world of compliant factory work.

Blogger Al Pittamapali writes,

“Groupon is the fastest growing business in history.

The tea party is the fastest growing political movement in history.

Those who are still sitting on the sidelines waiting for “proof” at this point will clearly never be satisfied.

The social media train is accelerating at full speed, and it’s not too late to come aboard…but it’s not going to wait for anyone.”

Folks, I got news for ya. The traditional factories aren’t coming back. They’re gone. And Seth’s right. We’re moving so fast right now that the world’s no longer waiting around for the compliance cogs. The world’s rewarding the folks who no longer follow the rules.

Compliant factory workers don’t just work in factories. They work in banks, offices, and public relations firms etc. They work everywhere. Blue Collar versus White Collar – Is there really any difference?

How do you know if you’re a compliant factory worker?

Simple. If your job can be written in a manual, you’re a compliance worker. If your job can be written in a manual – you can, and will, eventually be replaced by machines or people who will do your job cheaper and faster.

To avoid this inevitable looming fate, you need to become indispensable. To become indispensable, you become a linchpin. To become a linchpin, you find the edge and start walking it. I’d start by reading Linchpin.

Seth suggested, “We’re all factory owners now. If you’ve got a computer, you’ve got access to a factory”

The question, of course, is when will you fire-up your factory?

Now.

Go.

Don’t waste it.

Go Shawshank

September 13, 2010 in Life, Linchpin with 4 Comments

After reading another post that I’d written, a friend of mine approached me quite frustrated with what I’d been writing about lately.
He said, “you know Noah, for some people, that’s just the way things are, but they’re happy with that.”

And he was 100% right.

Many people are happy with the punching parts on the line twelve hours a day. A lot of people don’t mind the fifty-hour work week in the windowless cubicle. Working for the weekend is just fine for many people. Two weeks to do an all-inclusive in Cancun is a fair trade-off.

Genuine happiness can be found in any of the above circumstances and many more. For me, I couldn’t find it. And I couldn’t settle for “just the way things are.”

And that’s the thing. I’m not writing and talking to those people.

I’m talking to the people stuck in those positions that want more. And they know that more is possible. I’m talking to the people who feel stuck without an exit, imprisoned in a life they didn’t plan for. I’m talking to the people like me that aren’t willing to settle.

And believe me, there’s a way out. But your need to start digging. There’s no time for delay. Each and everyday, bit by bit, you need to start picking away. And one day, they’ll come to check on you – and you’ll be gone.

Shawshank it. Redemption is yours for the taking.

Are you average?

September 8, 2010 in Books, Career & Work, Linchpin with 0 Comments

Chris Guillebeau released his new book yesterday, The Art of Non-Comformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change The World.

When I started flipping through it last night, I saw a great list from Chris that I had seen before. The list originally appeared in his free manifesto entitled, A Brief Guide to World Domination.

Here’s the list.

Eleven Ways to Be Unremarkably Average

Accept what people tell you at face value
Don’t question authority
Go to college because you’re supposed to, not because you want to learn something
Go overseas once or twice in your life, to somewhere safe like England
Don’t try to learn another language; everyone else will eventually learn English
Think about starting your own business, but never do it
Think about writing a book, but never do it
Get the largest mortgage you qualify for and spend 30 years paying for it
Sit at a desk 40 hours a week for an average of 10 hours of productive work
Don’t stand out or draw attention to yourself
Jump through hoops. Check off boxes.

Chris’s new book isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK. There is no shame in living an average life. That average – “the life performance average” if you will, could be a bit on the high side. But chances are we’re on the low side of things. But hey, don’t sweat it, it’s only an average.

If you’re unremarkably average, Chris is going to push you to ask yourself some tough questions. He’s going to push you to try something outside your comfort zone. Chris repeatedly gives you ways, throughout the book, to back out. Many will back out. The average will put it down, or send it back for a refund. The average will smile and smirk as they read Chris’s suggestions for a life of non-conformity.

Do you see yourself in this list? Do you care? Or is average and unremarkable good enough for you?

Then again, maybe Chris’s book is exactly what you’re looking for.

Going Into Labor

September 7, 2010 in Business, Life, Linchpin with 2 Comments

No, my wife isn’t going into labor 13 weeks early.

Instead, it’s time for me to truly get down to work. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, Labor Day in my eyes is viewed as a fresh start. It’s the first day of the rest of your working life, regardless of what happened yesterday.

The main intention of this blog over the past six months has been to inspire. I’ve wanted to inspire others to take the big leap. My goal has been to inspire those standing on the edge to take that next step, that step we’re all afraid of.

For me to take the next step in my own life, I first had to conquer an evil lizard. At this very moment, after months of hard work, the lizard has been subdued. And because of that, I need to make my move.

My blog posts may become less frequent in the coming months. I’ll do my best to continue to post often, and maybe still daily, but I’m not making any promises.

I’ve got a lot of exciting things in the works. I’ll keep you posted.

Noah

The Dreamer

August 31, 2010 in Fun Stuff, Life, Linchpin with 3 Comments

Directly under my name on my business card, I’m using three words to describe myself. They are:

Marketer ~ Entrepreneur ~ Dreamer

The first two are easy. It’s the third one that poses a problem for some. It’s the third one that makes people take a second glance. It’s that one that irks a few people.

You see, businesses and organizations have told us they don’t want dreamers.

We bought into it. And, because they told us they didn’t want dreamers, we listened. We stopped dreaming and stopped allowing ourselves to dream.

You’d never get past the interview stage, if you told them you were a dreamer. That’s the biggest mistake businesses and HR people make.

The people they actually want to hire are the dreamers. It’s your job to show them why.

The business started with a dream. Their profit projections were part of a dream. Their new products and service offerings were the result of the dream. Everything that has breathed life into any business or organization is the result of a dream. Dreamers are the reason you’re at the interview in the first place.

And even though they say they don’t want dreamers, profits are declining, businesses are closing, jobs are being shipped elsewhere, and creativity is stagnant. Deep-down the world is begging for dreamers. The next time you have a job interview, let them see who you really are, not the person that the 101 Job Interview Tips book told you to be.

You have a choice. You can choose to be just another cog in the machine, or, you can choose to be dreamer. If the job you’re interviewing for doesn’t believe in dreamers, then move on.

You’re dreaming. They’re in a coma.

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