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true fans

Making It Start To Work by Identifying Your True Fans

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In part of last week’s post, I mentioned that if we’re going to be involved in digital marketing, we need to be aware of who our Raving or True Fans are.

The question was asked, how do you find who those people are?

This is a great question. So good, in fact, that I’m going to make this post all about answering that question.

 

What Makes a True Fan?

So real quick, if you’re not familiar with the phrase “True Fan”, let’s fix that real quick.

A True Fan is basically someone that will go out of their way to be involved in your work.

They’re the ones that, if you’re speaking for example, will travel 150-200 miles to hear you talk.

They will open up and read your emails.

True Fans are those that tell others about you all the time.

And, they’re the ones who self identify themselves as fans of your work.

So, really, these folks are people that believe in what you’re doing and want to be a part of it in anyway they can.

 

How Does Someone Become a True Fan?

A person becomes a true fan of yours when they feel that they’re engaged in what you’re doing.

That word “engaged” is the key.

How do you build engagement? One person at a time.

If someone takes the time to comment on a blog post, or emails you, or does anything else to reach out to you, answer them. And I don’t mean answer them with a “Oh, thanks!” sort of response. I mean give them a paragraph or two that brings them in further.

A better response to a compliment instead of “Oh, thanks!” would be “Oh, hey <sender>! Thanks for reaching out. Yeah, that <whatever they’re complimenting on> is so important to me. I’m glad you found some value in it! What’s your thoughts on <insert related topic>?”

If they respond, great! Keep going down that path with them.

One thing that I’ve found which has helped me is by finding out how I can add more value to them.

I mean, they might not become a True Fan in the end (we can’t control that) but if they respond, then we might have better insights of helping your real True Fans.

Always seek to improve others lives by letting them have a part in your work. Whether it’s through your art, products, or other services, find out what they want – don’t guess if you can help it.

 

Identifying True Fans

Active True Fans

So, we’ve gone over what true fans are and how people can become one. But how do you identify them?

Well, for one, I think you should know that there are two types of true fans. The first group is a bit more active in following your work. For example, they always share, comment on, or like posts on social media. They always open your emails. If you attend conferences, they’ll definitely come and talk to you.

Usually these folks make it abundantly clear that they’re listening to you.

They’re the ones who you can count on and they’re relatively easy to identify.

Do you know a few folks like this? Make note of their names, their likes and dislikes, and their contact info. Heck if you’re just starting out, perhaps a Google spreadsheet might be useful!

Keep engaging with them and finding more and more ways to add value to these folks.

Passive True Fans

Not all true fans are outspoken as those that I would call active. There’s a more passive variety that you might only hear from time to time or not at all.

But, they’re still engaging with your stuff on another level. They might buy all your products, or they’re telling their friends about what you do.

Many times these same people don’t have the time to follow all of your posts on social media or read all of your emails. Perhaps they’re busy in their own world.

The thing is you have no idea that they’re out there because they don’t usually self identify.

So how do you find this group of fans?

The number one easiest way is to give them the opportunity to raise their hand and say they are a true fan.

Perhaps this might be a special landing page for a separate email list that will allow them to get special news as MVP’s. Sure, you might be getting your active true fans in the list as well, but it’s easier to communicate with them then as well!

Also, consider a special Facebook Group (like I have for the AoL Podcast here). Just make sure that whatever you create, that you don’t leave it on automation too long. I’ve seen some groups start well and then the leader disappears after setting it on auto-pilot with another group member.

I’m sure there’s other ideas, but these are the ones that I use.

 

Action Steps

The key takeaway that I want you to get this week is for you to start building engagement. Only then can you build products and give services that you know people want.

Here’s the strategy in short:

Reach out and add value.

Find out who engages back with you readily and regularly.

And offer them extra value to become True Fans (MVPs?).

Let me know below how you you’ve reached out to your true fans below!

 

P.S. I didn’t speak too much about Twitter. But you can use tools like friendorfollow.com to see who’s following you. Or, if you want more functionality, check out Commun.it.

(Note: If you decide to use Commun.it – do so while knowing that some of the functions in it might be somewhat annoying to certain individuals. While I was playing with it, I got on certain people’s radars in a way that wasn’t necessarily the best way!)

Then, send some messages to those who are fans of you (they’re only following you) or you’re following each other. Let them know about your MVP list or group.

 

 

 

alexis parris

Alexis Parris: Doing What’s Important but Not Expected – How to Find the Education You Really Need (AoL 074)

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The world crafts us to be a certain way, there’s no doubt about it.

To this day, most formal education teaches us to be employees.

However, there’s some formal education out there that teaches to our strengths.

But many times, those places are really hard to get into because of the highly custom work they do.

Today’s guest, Alexis Parris, worked hard enough in her craft of dancing to get into one of those schools.

However, she soon learned that while she was good, if not great, at dancing, she had work to do that she really wanted to help people with.

Finding their true gifts themselves.

In this session, Daniel Postma and I chat with Alexis to find out more about her path, including why she left her amazing dancing career to pursue her new dreams, how she’s been able to get great mentors in her life, and what she truly believes that personal development means and why it’s so important.

As always, thanks for listening, and enjoy the show!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What was the process like in Alexis getting started as an entrepreneur? 7:18
  • How did she get into dancing early on? 9:45
  • When did she realize she wanted to do something other than dance as a career? 11:41
  • What made her make that choice? 12:37
  • How did she learn her definition of sacrifice vs what most people think of it as? 14:25
  • What made her quit school altogether? 18:39
  • How would Alexis like to change the world? 21:22
  • What inspired the name of her company “Anomalies at Work”? 25:05
  • How does Alexis reach out to people who aren’t tuned into bettering their lives and those around them? 33:04
  • Why did she chose the title “Why I Quit College to Learn” for her book? 34:19
  • How she would recommend getting mentors into your life. 35:08
  • What made her write her book? 41:08
  • What kind of journal does she use to document and keep records? 44:07
  • What does personal development involve? 46:22
  • Influencers who have helped her to where she is today? 52:32
  • One gift she likes giving others. 52:54
  • A piece of advice that has changed her mindset the most? 53:25
  • One thing all high school students must know? 54:04
  • How can someone be a difference maker in their community? 54:57
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Alexis’s takeaways from the Super Bowl:

Alexis on Embracing how You Stand Out:

Gary V on being real with yourself about who you are vs who you want to be.

Jim Rohn on Taking Charge of Your Life:

alexis parris
alexis parris
alexis parris
alexis parris

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Little Snowflake

Know Thy Inner Little Snowflake: Find Out What Makes You The Most Valuable to Others

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One thing that the many non-millennials of the world make fun of millennials for is the fact we believe that we’re all pretty “little snowflakes”.

Well, truth is, we are.

But not in the way that we think we deserve a special life. Because in that respect, we don’t deserve anything. Sorry, but there are no participation trophies in real life.

We and everyone else in the world is a ”precious little snowflake” because we all have a uniqueness to us.

We have passions and interests not everyone else has.

(If you believe otherwise, then maybe you’re looking forward to the day that 1984 is a reality.)

To be a true creative, you’ll need to figure out what those are in order to be the most valuable to others. You need to find out what makes you, you.

You’ll need to become more self aware.

In this post, I’ll give you some pointers in how you can find out how you’re different from your peers so you share what you’re about to others a bit easier!

My Journey to Finding Out What I’m Interested In

I’ve always been someone who makes friends on the web rather easily. In fact, oddly enough, for many millennials, it’s almost easier to make friends online, than it is in person.

The first friends that I made online were through a chat forum with my original ISP. Every day after school, we’d hop onto the NetUSA1.net chat, and people would just go about discussing their days.

I quickly came to find out that I had a lot of interests in common with people who didn’t go to my school. Today I’d even go as far as saying I simply didn’t fit at my high school.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but was a proto-millennial.

My classmates were more Gen X influenced. Even today when I talk to many of them, I realize that they’re not readily accustomed to the web and technology as I and younger millennials are. For many of them, they’re technology immigrants. They only utilize it when they have to.

That said, I realized what sets me apart from my peers in this regard.

I excel at understanding entrepreneurial tech and love to show others how to use it in a way that will help multiply their business results.

Have Conviction in What You’re Doing

As a creator, you don’t really want to pursue anything unless you strongly believe that it needs to exist, or what you’re discussing is an important topic.

Just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean that doing that something professionally is a good match for you.

Take, for example, when I was teaching algebra for a couple of years.

Could I do it? Sure! I love to teach.
Could I teach it? Yeah.
Did I have a believe that those who I was teaching it to needed to know it? Possibly.
Did I really envision myself teaching algebra for a prolonged period of time? Nope!!

Also, when other folks start finding out what you’re about, you don’t want to be changing your focus.

You want to be known as the guy or gal who helps ________ do  ______ so that others can ________.

If you’re bouncing around from thing to thing and those topics aren’t connected, then people aren’t really going to understand what you’re all about. This might mean that you lose in opportunity, and potential fans and/or clients down the road.

 

Show That Belief through Passion and Energy

This goes off the last one a bit, but you’ll need to be pumped each time you have the opportunity to share or do something involved with whatever it is that you like discussing. An easy way to find out what pumps you up is finding out what you naturally talk and learn about in your free time.

When I was making those friends on the web, we’d discuss all kinds of geeky things. From games to computers, and even science. We’d also chat about all the crap that we had to deal with in school. Even back then, I can see the seeds of what I’m discussing with you here via New Inceptions.

When you’re thrilled to discuss a topic with other people, it shows. For one, you likely won’t know when to stop going on about the topic. (Been there, done that – still do it.) And two, they’ll probably get energetic from the conversation just because you are. Even if tomorrow they need another kick of your motivation. But hey, you’ll be glad to share it, right?
Give Your Perspective on Other’s Results, Content, and Role Modeling through your own Experiences
Whatever is important to you, chances are there’s going to be other people you learned it from. Whether you’re into cars, video games, sports, fitness, etc., there’s other people who are already doing what you’re going to be doing – just maybe not exactly how you want to do your version.

First, your small difference in how you do things is what’s going to separate you from them. And secondly, you can use those differences to discuss your perspective on what they’re talking about.

I’ve mentioned so many people in this blog that I’ve learned things from over the years. What sets me apart from Pat Flynn and SPI, for example, is that on my show, I have co-hosts. Or the fact that my guests are easy to relate to for beginners. Or, perhaps it’s the fact that I have a more academic background than he does.

Point being, you can talk the same topics as other people, but let who you are guide the actual conversation.

Surround Yourself with People You Want to Be Like

Ok, so this one is fairly simple. You’ve heard that you’re the average of the 5 (or 10) people you’re around the most? Yeah, other people are going to judge you based on who you surround yourself with.

If other people are considered gurus in their field of expertise and you hung around them, would you automatically be considered a guru as well? Maybe.

If you were hanging out with bikers in a bar somewhere and some saw you there – would they consider you a biker? It’s very likely.

You’re the company you keep, internally and externally.

 

Synthesize and Deliver Your Own Product or Services

Once you start expanding on the ideas of people in your field and you’re getting the chance to network with people you admire and want to make part of your network, wouldn’t it make sense to actually walk the walk?

For us in the online information world, that product comes in the form of content. Whether it’s free like this blog post, or it’s a premium course, content is a product.

As a creator, you need to have your own product or services to deliver and/or offer as well.

 

Experience

If you’re just starting out in your own business or project, people might question your credibility because your new. The way that most people deal with this is through leveraging their experience.

For example, maybe you’re just starting out as a woodworker like David Picciuto and you want to make a name for yourself. What he did was rely on his knowledge he obtained from his marketing years to help him develop his platform on YouTube. Maybe you don’t have a marketing background, but you might know someone that does and you can have them make videos of your work. They get noticed as the videographer, you get noticed as the woodworker.

Win-win.

Be Current

This one is pretty simple. No one wants old information unless it’s timeless information. But even then, you need to look like you’re keeping with the times. If your site looks wonky and unprofessional, then people are going to get that impression of you, the owner.

If your branding looks like it’s something straight from 2007 – then people are going to think that it’s from an old site OR they’re going to think you’re just not with the times.

Obviously this has more ramifications in some industries more than others.

Being current in fashion is going to be much more important than say here with fundamental business advice.

Make Yourself Readily Available

Here’s the other thing. Make sure you actually respond to comments, emails, and posts from your followers. If you don’t engage, they won’t either. And if they’re not engaging, how do you even know they’re there?

Also, be sure to post in as many places as you can. Pat used to have a piece of advice to “be everywhere”. He still might say that, but you can only be in so many places. Choose the a few that you can readily post to (blogging, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and stick with those.

Followers Do Count – Sorta

There’s two schools of thought on whether the number of followers actually count when it comes to social media.

When it comes to actual sales, no, they don’t count. According to Dustin Stout and many others, engagement is what you’re looking for.

However, if you’re looking to bring in more followers, then perhaps it does count. You can’t have engagement without having followers in the first place, right? Would you rather follow and/or pay attention to someone who has 100 followers or 1000?

 

Action Steps

So there you go. A few ways that you can start working on today that will help you boost your appeal to potential new clients.

Differentiating yourself can make all the difference in the online space.

Are there any methods that I forgot? Let me know below if you can think of any!

 

Bonus

For you deep thinkers, I’ll leave you with this TEDx talk of Julian Baggini:

bungie.org

Claude Errera on Halo.Bungie.Org: Build The Games You Want to Play (AoL 072)

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For many creators, money isn’t the driving force for them in their craft.

They do it simply out of the joy that it brings them.

It’s been said that being successful is about being great at doing something, not necessarily pursuing to be great in itself.

Being great is a very vague goal.

In this chat with Claude Errera, we find that he built Halo.Bungie.Org (HBO) because he wanted there to be a place to discuss Halo (and to practice code for his day job as a website developer).

Not because he wanted to make a profit off of all the fans of Halo.

What did that plan and goal get him?

Well, at it’s peak, we find that HBO had over half a million visitors a day.

In today’s chat, JC speaks with Claude about how HBO got started, what he does as his day job, and some of the things he’s learned as father of HBO which will help others build their own communities.

Maybe you can apply some of his knowledge to your new business or passion project!

Enjoy!

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What Claude is known as on HBO and why he chose that alias. 9:56
  • Why did he want to start HBO in the first place? 12:57
  • How did HBO become structured as it was and is? 15:57
  • What does Claude do as an actual online entrepreneur? 18:58
  • How did HBO get some successful in the first place? 24:03
  • Was there ever a time where he thought he’d pass it on or have it pay for itself? 26:17
  • What has been his relation with Rooster Teeth over the years since RvB first started? 30:23
  • Are there any other successes that he’s been able to watch grow in success? 34:51
  • What are some steps that Claude would take to duplicate the success he had with HBO? 38:19
  • What tactics does he employ to prevent himself from becoming a complete fan of something? 41:30
  • What’s he looking forward to (or not) in 2017? 44:24
  • Claude’s top 3 favorite books and/or movies he tells others about. 37:42
  • Smallest decision he’s made that has had the largest impact on his life? 47:30
    Three truths he’s found out over time that he’d want others to know. 48:27
  • Who does he think of when thinks of the word success and why? 50:01
  • What’s it mean to have a life of abundance? 50:42
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Louis Wu receives the First Claude Errera Award:

Claude is interviewed first time on video while talking to dboTV’s Duncan about PAX 2013:

Claude’s house party scene via the Making of Halo 2 DVD:

For Fans of Bungie: Claude is interviewed on Guardian Radio about Destiny and Bungie:

bungie.orgbungie.orgbungie.orgbungie.org

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

shift in perspective

A Tiny Shift In Perspective Can Get You Anything You Want

/by

We live in a time where we’re kind of made to believe that everyone has an agenda. Everyone is out to get something. That all actions that a person takes is to further that particular agenda.

Is that really the case, though?

By watching the political pundits or just the evening news, you’d think that everyone is constantly writing their own future. They’re checking and rechecking their actions to see if it will yield what they’re looking to get.

For the most part, this makes sense.

You should have a plan for what you’re wanting to achieve.

However, there’s one thing that I’ve learned in the last few years that I think will benefit you guys greatly.

Don’t use people as tools to get where you want to get.

“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” -Alexis Carell

 

Karma Is Real

I’m sure you’ve been in a place where you’ve realized the very fact that karma does indeed exist. What goes around does, in fact, come around. Even if it’s not exactly on the time frame that we’d want it to.

Just this past weekend, Maria had a drill weekend with her new National Guard unit. Due to her rank, she’s in charge of several people. One of her subordinates, who’s originally from the unit, is well, not one of the nicest guys.

He’s definitely the type that has his own plan and from what I can tell, uses others to get what he wants. Whether it’s through having them do stuff for him or tearing them down, he uses other people as tools.

Well, to make a long story short, Maria knows that he has a grudge against her because when she was promoted from her old unit, she ended up taking the spot that he thought he was going to get. So he tries to make her look bad regularly.

This weekend, she came to learn that she was going to have to take her physical training (PT) exam again because somehow she had low scores from her last assessment – technically meaning that she failed her last one.

She’s never failed a PT test before. And even if she would, it wouldn’t be because of what she was failed on.

Guess who was in charge of the assessment? That’s right, her subordinate.

And, guess who eagerly jumped at the opportunity to lead the PT exams this past weekend?

Yup, again, her soldier.

Luckily for her, she didn’t need to retest this weekend. She’ll have another go soon. No problem.

And as far her soldier, there was a promotion ceremony this weekend as well. And another soldier who had the same rank as Maria’s actually was promoted to the next position instead of  her soldier. He really believed that he was going to get it.

As reality was setting in, Maria said you could just see him getting redder and redder while they were in formation.

 

Karma is real.

 

Scarcity vs Abundance

So why was it that Maria and her soldier are in the different positions that they find themselves?

Sure, both of them have to take classes to be eligible to be promoted. Which means they both have to plan and sacrifice to take those classes. So they’re both putting in the work to get it done.

But the difference is  Maria approaches the situation with a perception of abundance, while her soldier approached the situation with a scarcity viewpoint.

Sure, there’s only so many positions available, so technically you could see it as a competition. But, because she works her own tail off to get in those places without tearing down other people, that’s why she made the position before he did.

She got the position by adding value to her previous unit, not by asking “how can I use others to get what I want?”.

In other words, even though it’s easier to knock down others in attempt to get what you want, the real winners are those that build themselves up.

Put in the extra work.

That crap doesn’t fly in the military.

I know, first hand, it doesn’t work too well in academia. And it certainly doesn’t fly for long in the entrepreneurial world.

I’ve gotten so many more good relationships through building New Inceptions than anything I’ve done in the past because I’ve used it as a springboard to help other people.

Whether it’s their first podcast that they’ve ever been a guest for, or it’s the first time they’ve ever been a host, helping people and not expecting anything in return has been very rewarding in getting to where I am currently.

Action Steps

The next time you’re forced to make a decision about doing the hard work, going out of your way to help someone, or doing the easy thing and undermining someone else, remember this.

Society makes it seem like the only way someone can get ahead is by using others as tools to get to where you want to go. Especially if you’re a sports fan. There’s always going to be a loser.

The truth is, though, is that there’s enough to go around for everyone. The more you help other people, the more you automatically get in return.

Heck, you might even go on an adventure in the process!!

 

Bonus

Here’s more from Rory Sutherland on how a change of perspective can change other aspects of your life – including happiness.

find your niche

Emily Kelly on Finding Your Niche, Working Remotely, and Mastering Empathetic Writing (AoL 069)

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When first starting, many of us have problems with being an entrepreneur in one way or another. Our main issue, many times, is we simply don’t know where we fit. We’re told to “find your niche” and often times, we find it hard because we could do so many things. However, we need to learn what it is that we do well and hire out for things we’d rather not.

Over at Fizzle, for example, Chase and Corbett hired in Steph Crowder to help with customer support back in 2015.

Steph, having worked at a few startups by that point, knew how to interact with clients on a one to one basis. It was something that Chase, who’s the main creative at Fizzle, and Corbett, the business brain, didn’t have the resources to do themselves.

In our interview with Steph in 2016, we learned that she was expecting soon.

They had to get a fill-in for her while she was on maternity leave.

Today’s guest, Emily Kelly, was the hero for Fizzle during that time.

But, just because she was with them temporarily, doesn’t mean she was bad at the position.

In fact, it was part of her new role as as a virtual customer support specialist. She has taken the phrase “find your niche” seriously.

In this interview, we find out about her journey to become a virtual assistant, what she recommends to folks coming right out of college to keep them from getting burnt out at work, and some pointers in putting emotion into writing.

If you’re thinking about about starting your own business, perhaps being a virtual assistant first might just be in the future for you as well.

SPECIFICALLY, YOU’LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT:

  • What kind of career did she envision as she was going to school? 8:02
  • Which creative influences did she have in her life growing up? 10:52
  • What it was like to have her dad working remotely growing up. 13:15
  • When was the first time Emily had experience with entrepreneurship herself? 14:47
  • What was it like to work at a startup vs where she previously worked? 18:13
  • What advice would she give someone who’s coming out of college so they don’t get burnt out? 21:37
  • Which mindset did Emily utilize while working for a startup? How did she use the advice “Find your niche”? 27:15
  • What is some advice that she’d give someone to get more emotion into their writing? 37:04
  • What are some things to look for when hiring remote help? 39:28
  • 3 Influencers or teachers that have helped Emily get to where she is today. 44:38
  • One gift that she likes giving others. 45:17
  • Something she believed as a 21 year old but doesn’t now and why? 45:46
  • If she could place an ad anywhere in the world cost free, what would it be and where? 46:19
  • Who does Emily think of as a success and why? 48:29
  • What are some ways that someone can improve their customer support? 49:53
  • … and MUCH more!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

ITEMS and PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SHOW NOTE EXTRAS:

Broke with Billy Corben:

Intro to Deep Work by Cal Newport:

How to Become a Virtual Assistant:

Simon Sinek on the Millennial Question:

Bonus: Simon Sinek followup:

Thank You For Sharing Some Time With Us!

Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for The AoL Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them.

If you have any questions feel free to email them over via the email mentioned in the show or by our contact form.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, and/or Google Play Music. It’s absolutely free to do so.

A huge thank-you to you guys for joining us!

Cheers!

Entrepreneur vs Employee

The Entrepreneur vs Employee Mindset: How We Must Think Different

/by

With the beginning of a New Year, comes new beginnings. One of my new beginnings that I’ll be starting is to write blog posts per month based on a particular theme. Not only will this help me curate material, but it will be a bit more organized for you guys.

I thought we’d start this month focusing on getting started and implementation of your new creation.

 

Using the Word Entrepreneur:

The first thing that we should focus on is that this: if you’re looking to create a lifestyle based on something you like to do and/or create, then you’re going to realize you are technically an entrepreneur.

The term entrepreneur simply means this:

a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

Many folks get hung up on that word business.

That word has several meanings.

When I use it, I think of definition 1:

an occupation, profession, or trade

Or more to the point – what we’re more concerned about here at New Inceptions – definition 3:

a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern.

So just to set one thing finally straight. If you are creating something and building a lifestyle from the fruits of that creation, then you are an entrepreneur. It might not be a startup entrepreneur, or you might be doing it on your own (which makes you a solopreneur), but you are an entrepreneur. Personally, I’m a lifestyle entrepreneur and really, I always have wanted to be one.

 

Entrepreneurs Think Different

Do you remember the ad campaign of Apple’s back in the 90’s? It was called “Think Different”. Here’s one of their ads:

That campaign gave me shivers. It just made me smile everytime I saw it. It still does.

The majority of the folks in those commercials were entrepreneurs.

Sure, you had people like Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein in it – and while we don’t think of them as typical entrepreneurs, they were. They were what we call thought leaders. Which is one of the 10 archetypes of online business.

But how do they actually Think Different?

 

Differences in an Entrepreneur and Employee Mindset:

Most people in the world are employees if they’re not an entrepreneur. They have to make a living somehow, right?

And the truth is that you can be an employee at all levels – anywhere from a janitor to a scientist or government worker.

The same thing can be said about being an entrepreneur – from your neighborhood mechanic to your local startup business owner, all the way to your Steve Jobs and Elon Musk types of the world.

That said, each of the two groups thinks differently.

Here’s how:

 

Full Responsibility vs Limited Responsibility:

As a business owner, the buck stops with you. If anything goes wrong, it’s ultimately something you have to deal with. For example, if you have employees and your company doesn’t make as much as you would have liked, then you’ll pay them first and you get whatever is left.

On the other hand, if you have success, you’re going to be happier with it as the business is your baby. If you get a big client or land on a big show as a guest, you’re going to be happier about it than your employees might.

 

Emotion Scale:

Entrepreneur vs Employee

Taking responsibility into account, your emotions are going to be a bit more up and down as the business owner.

Keeping with the previous example, if you have employees and you won’t be able to pay them, you might feel really bad if you have to let some of them go. The more employees you have to let go, the worse you’re going to feel.

That said, if you’re suddenly interviewed by a big show host or get a big time client, you’re going to feel the high side of that emotion as well.

As an employee, your emotions don’t vary as much because your life isn’t going to change over time as much – even if you’re suddenly looking at having to get a new job. You’ll have unemployment income as you transfer – so it’s just a matter of getting that new job.

On the other hand, the greatest joy someone might have as an employee is the day they learn they got a new job.

 

Constant Uncertainty vs Constant Stability

As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly struggling to make sure you have money to cover your overhead and make profits to potentially build your company and pay yourself.

There’s ways to mitigate that struggle, but in the great scheme of things – your control of it is as likely as you controlling the weather.

Sure, you can plan for the market to act a certain way, but if there’s a sudden change in technology that makes your company obsolete or someone ends up doing something better than you do, then you’re going to have to figure out how to change course quickly.

Otherwise you’re going to go the way of Circuit City, Blockbuster, and other companies that are no longer around

On the employee side, your contract with your employer basically states that your wage stays the same no matter what. Well, I take that back. You might actually get a bonus. Point being is that you have a safety net.

Many people who have chosen to be an employee have done so because of this stability factor alone.

 

Value Economy vs Time Economy

The reason why Circuit City, Blockbuster, and other big companies have had to shrink is because they’re not valued by the market as much as they once were.

As an entrepreneur, this is the world you live in. You’re thinking about how you can bring more and more value to your audience and/or customers. You do this through selling better products and/or services. The more value you give, the more income you get.

As an employee, you’re not selling services or products – you’re selling yourself. You’re trading your actual time for money.

You only have so much time you can trade away so if you want more money as employee, the more of a specialist you want to be so there’s a need for your skills. That’s why it makes sense for those who want to be employees to go to college – especially if they want to focus in something that is in a STEM field.

 

Take Action

So now that you have this new perspective, think about it a bit before you jump into one or the other.

For me, I know I hate the idea of selling my time. I’d rather be paid by the job or by my value. Even when I had a job, I’d have a better work ethic than those around me and I often found myself being given more work to do. Not cool.

Also, I personally think that signing my income over to someone else is more risky than seeking my own income.

As I’ve mentioned before, working for one company for the rest of your life is a thing of the past. This is why I say people need to realize that it’s better for yourself to at least treat your career as a consultant would. That way when you’re forced to go to the next job, you’re not surprised.

For more information on this topic, you can listen to my conversation with Dr. Joe Albano here.