Day 330 – Even Jesus was doubted by those familiar with him.

My devotional reading this morning talked about how Jesus was rejected in his own hometown.

 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” Mark 6:4

This was Jesus’ response to people in his hometown criticizing his ministry. They doubted that he could be responsible for such wisdom and miracles because they were familiar with him.

Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Mark 6:3

Familiarity is sometimes not your ally. Especially if it involves change. Have you ever tried to do something and you got excited about it only to have a family member or close friend scoff and shake their head at you? They make some comment that completely takes the wind out of your sails. They are usually forming an opinion about your ability to carry out your idea. Let me say that again. They are forming an opinion about your ability to carry out your idea. It is important to realize that their opinion has nothing to do with your actual idea. In most cases they do not even think about the idea enough to give it merit or not. That is why someone else can come up with the same idea and they will have an entirely different view based on their knowledge of the person sharing the idea.

I have been an Entrepreneur most all of my life. I have started several businesses and spent a lot of time and resources on these ventures. I get comments all of the time like, “what are you up to now?” It is almost entertainment for some to see what half brained idea I am currently working on. To some I am just the guy who has been unemployed for 2 years and had to go back to work in a warehouse because he failed again.

On the flip side of that coin there are a lot of my business peers that are familiar with me in a different way.

I get emails from other business people on a very regular basis asking me for my advice. I have peers who no the struggle of a start-up company and can appreciate what I have been able to accomplish. I have people bringing me ideas all of the time. I recently just signed a non disclosure with a gentleman that is about to revolutionize an industry and wants to make me part of his team because of my contacts and experience. I am respected as a start-up entrepreneur that has created and brought products to market. I understand supply chains. contract manufacturing, and have stood toe to toe with billionaires and heal my own.

Yes, it is a bit of a stretch and no, I am not comparing myself to Jesus but, the principle applies the same. We are all more respected outside of our immediate sphere of influence. That is a lesson that has taken me a while to learn and I encourage you to remember this the next time you have an idea or want to make a change. Understand the source of the comments coming back at you. While the people close to you love you and care for you, they do look at you through tinted glasses.

Day 303 – Less time equals more.

You know how you always imagine if you had more time you could get so much done?

I have found recently just the opposite to be true. It seems when I have less time I actually get more done. I am more efficient and deliberate with how I prioritize and do things.

I shared a few days ago that I need to get a job. My worry has been that I will not be able to really do what I need to get done. The fact that is starting to emerge is that I think it will be fine. I will be smart with the little time I have and I will do more of the right things when it comes to business. It is not always about doing. If just doing were the key to success, more Americans would be millionaires.

No one needs to tell Americans to work harder. We work more than almost any country on the planet. Our problem is that we just “do”. We are like a rat in a maze frantically searching for food. Constantly busy constantly working but, are we really doing the right things? Guys like Donald Trump and Tony Hawk are so much farther ahead of where I am at because they do more of the right thing. Successful people have figured out what do do. They have identified the right things to do and they spend all of their time focused on those things.

When my back is against the wall and I have very little time I find myself the most productive because I am focused on the big pushes. The things that will get the most results in a short period of time.

I think that by getting a job to just survive and pay bills until all of this can work is going to be good because of the obvious but, also because I will have more days like today where I spend time doing the right things. The things that matter, the big things.

Too much time for me is not necessarily a good thing. Lets see how this new chapter plays out.

Day 274 – Sometimes you just have to pivot.

Well I had a lot to do this week and I was making good headway.I have eluded to a monkey wrench being thrown into the mix but I am not sure if it really is a wrench or not yet.

In either case it has slowed my roll a bit but only operational. Nothing that will affect the big picture so that is good. I will share more when I know I can and we have made more definite decisions. Like I said yesterday, the goal is the same but the path seems to be changing.

This is what I was taking to Mark Cuban about when I was in the Tank. A business owner has to be able to pivot. A Pivot is a change in strategy without a change in vision. It may not feel good and it may not be easy. We like to get emotional about plans we make but, if you get too emotional your judgment will get clouded. You have to be able to separate yourself and take a step back to see the big picture and be able to adapt and pivot. To make changes that make business sense.

I may not even know how to make the pivot work sometimes but, when it is the only correct course of action the answer will present itself. It just does. I cannot stress about it too much just be diligent and keep this thing moving.

Day 271 – Highs and Lows

The morning started out pretty stressful.

I had to spend over an hour cleaning up my computer and restoring some things just to get it to connect to the internet. I really should take better care of my computer but, I get so busy that I forget to restart it and do the updates. The stress of a deadline that I have to get my blog submitted for my quiz on Tuesday night does not help. It literally came down to my deadline when I finally got it done and uploaded.

I did get some awesome news this morning in the heat of my repairs. Our Distributor in Minnesota has already re-ordered! Went through his first 14 cases faster than our Washington Distributor did and it I was not there to push sales. I wish all distributors were this great! And who would have thought Minnesota!?

Spent some time working on the Executive Summary for Eve’s Moonshine Co today as well. This will be the backbone of the business plan we will need to secure the funding we will need to start the location here in Snohomish and the one in Leavenworth. Lots of details to work out but it is a very exciting time.

I am also really looking forward to a meeting we have next week at the farm with the owners and Will from BB Ranch meats. There will be a lot of vision cast for what we will be able to do to create what we are calling a modern farm. Businesses on the farm using the products created on the same property. It is a super cool idea and there are some super ideas that have already been discussed.

The last thing I did today was to locate a guy that can help process all of the left over scraps from out first harvest at the warehouse into usable  product that can be sold. This process with the Washington State Liquor Control Board is really wearing on me. There were about 2700 people apply for the Producer – Processor license we applied for and they have only approved about 200 so far. We turned in our application on the last day so we are at the bottom of the list and I fear that we will still not be contacted for months. In the meantime we are still paying a lease and other bills with limited funds coming in from what we can grow under the current medical growing laws. Coupled with the fact that we do not have a real grower and I am having to muddle through it with an education of Hard Knocks and YouTube, it is difficult. I ma staying above water but even treading water gets tiring. I know I am going to make it but just like everything else I tackle this is a difficult process.

No self pity just sharing my struggle and it is real.

Day 258 – Everything is coming up Millhouse

You ever have those times in life when the planets seem to align and God himself seems to be smiling on you?

This is one of those times for me. I am feeling so blessed and it would seem that my hard work and sleepless nights may be paying off. So many good things are happening and the light down the tunnel is getting bright.

The Walmart order is just the beginning and I hope to be able to fill you all in on the really big news in a few days. I apologize for the tease but great things are on the horizon.

It is one of those times in my life where God’s plan is so clear and there are multiple doors that are open before me and I see a clear path.

Do not get me wrong, there is still a lot of hard work ahead and plenty of top ramen ahead but, I really feel like things are falling into place.

Tonight I had a great meeting with a couple local people that seem to be a major part of our future and they can feel the buzz too.

We have ordered supplies for our third batch of Apple Pie and it will be our biggest to date. I will be spending a couple days next week over in Cashmere bottling to fulfill our Walmart order and continuing the grind of all of the other people in the pipeline. This is certainly no time to relax on a victory but, to focus and remain diligent. The mighty Mo is building and knocking at the door. Time to open it up and feed that momentum.

Stay tuned for the rest of the year. This journey is picking up speed!

Day 238 – You may just miss an opportunity.

Opportunity is a funny thing. It comes around more often than most would expect but, the problem is that it just does not look like opportunity.

We are all formed from our experiences and not just our personal experiences. If we come across a situation that we have not experienced personally, the next fie we go to is the experience of our circle of friends. If I learn about something new I will beging to search my own mind for information about what is coming in. My C drive is my personal experiences and then I go to my D drive. I will look for the first thing I can find relevant to what I am hearing and many times it may be third hand from an acquaintance.

When I break it donw like that it is easy to disseminate the difference between third hand knowledge and personal experience. Everyone knows that most third hand accounts are not worth crap. Even if they are them we need to look at the actual source of the third party.

If you had never played video games before and your only exposure was from someone like me who just cannot figure it out, you may be persuaded by my negative experience. However if you tried it for yourself you may love it! Maybe it is a different game than I tried, maybe you are a natural, or maybe you just did it with better friends that were equipped to help you figure it out.

What if you had never done that before and you found out you loved it? What if you were so good and natural at it that it gave you happiness? What if you just let it pass because you had to go to your D drive and took third hand information as you would your C drive?

We come across a door of opportunity and we may miss the ones that were put there just for us. I pray that I can actually find the doors that are put in front of me and that I will have the courage to explore them for my self.

It may not be for me but, what if it is?

The next time you are fortunate to recognize a door of opportunity, do more than just look at the sign above the door. Do yourself a favor and at least open it and check it out for yourself.

 

Day 236 – My ADHD is not a challenge that cannot be overcome.

Just about four months to go on this journey of blogging every day trying to create a trail of successes and failures.

There is so much going on right now it is very hard for me to keep track. As things escalate it seems my ADHD does just as equally if not more. I do not use that as a crutch however. In my studies I have found that most great businessmen and women have the same gift. My ADHD allows me to discover and gives me passion. It is a gift I need to learn how to control however.

Just like any great thing, it can be used for good if controlled and used responsibly. If not, it can be harmful and destructive. I am learning ways to hone this creativeness inside me. I am learning the tools that those before me have found and mastered.

I have shared some of these tools and my struggles in using them. A calendar and a routine is the most important. In that routine I need to provide time for “wandering” and relaxation . There has to be a balance or the whole thing goes to crap.

Today I learned about completion, at least a good lesson. I have this great goals and most of them what Darren Hardy calls Big Hairy Audacious Goals. What I learned today was that when I set a goal no matter the size I must “define completion”. This is what will give me the sense of accomplishment and the energy to get the perpetual cycle of desire and doing going full speed.

It is important that when setting a goal that it is very specific. A plan needs to be put in place and while that plan has to be able to be fluid and adapt daily. The completion must be set so you know when it is done. I know it seems pretty basic but, if your goal is to get to market, what does that mean? If your completion is to be in all Walmarts nationally it may not be as realistic as going to a local fair. Same goal with just different completion definitions. The latter will give you energy and make you want to do the next step. If you have nothing and are shooting for Walmart you may give up before you ever get there and never realize that you may be successful. Even so you will be unhappy.

Small goals, one step at a time, evaluate, execute and repeat. Just like walking up stairs. One at a time, only focusing on the next step and not the top floor of the Empire State Building.

Day 187 – Facebook Anonymous

I know my weaknesses.

Last night I talked about getting rid of my distractions. For me my biggest distraction is Facebook. I can get lost for way too much time scrolling through what is my opinion, mostly crap. It may be different for you and that is okay. I just know myself and I lose time to it that I should be spending somewhere else.

My time is my only currency right now and I have just realized that it is way to valuable to be wasting away on Facebook. I understand there are benefits to Facebook. It is a great tool for marketing and communicating and for that reason I will not be getting rid of it completely. What I have done may seem extreme to you but for me it is what I have to do. If it does not work I will be forced to delete Facebook from my life completely.

I looked at what I really need to accomplish on Facebook and nothing I do is time sensitive. I looked for an app that would stop me from just opening a tab for a moment and checking on something real quick. For me that is the equivalent of an Alcoholic just having a sip. You must think I am crazy but, I assure you it is that bad for me and I cannot believe I am alone.

Last week I removed the Facebook app from my phone and that has helped me immensely. I am picking up my phone a lot less and certainly less when I am driving.  During my search for a program to help me I found a couple that had very mixed reviews including some negative ones that talked about  slowing my whole computer down and I cannot have that.

I did however find a Chrome extension called Website Blocker and it works perfectly for my purpose. It allows me to block any website I choose; Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or any other website can be blocked for certain times during the day when I am supposed to be productive. I set it up to block Facebook from 8:00am to 12:30pm and again from 1:30pm to 9:00pm. I will have time to post my blog and respond to any messages. I will also be ablt to plan marketing and schedule posts for my businesses to be posted at certain times.

It may sound extreme to those of you that can handle “just a drink”, but it is what I need to do. While it has taken me a while to get here and make this decision I know that it is the best ting to do.

Day 179 – My purpose is Blessed

My path is set.

I have worked hard for the last 20 years. I have known I was an enrepreneur and worked towards that for a long time. In recent weeks I have finally developed my definite major purpose and it has made things so clear.

In the last few weeks I have seen things “fall” into place. Challenges that seemed insurmountable have been overcome. In the past I would probably have beat my chest and thought, “oh yeah I did it!” Right now I am at a place where I give that credit to where it is due. God has been watching and has been taking care of me and my family.

My purpose it, at it’s base to help other people. I feel right now, based on recent events that God has blessed my purpose and is helping me along my journey.

This is a blog titled “My journey to my first $1,000,000. ” That is a pretty arrogant title and some may think I am starting from a power position. Many people embarking on such a journey may be starting with a good nest egg or a substantial amount of funding to get there. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Last month I had no idea how I was going to make my rent for the month. Our savings has run out and we do not having enough coming in to make our monthly payments. On top of just our monthly obligations we had Amy’s 50th anniversary celebration to pay for. Not something we could afford but, we pressed on in faith. I had a plan but, it just did not work out. Right now by the grace of God we have made enough money to cover our rent.

The i-502 business was in a similar situation. Our licensing process has taken much longer that we expected and we have signed leases and made financial commitments that needed to be met. We were looking at an empty bank account and bills looming but, in the 11th hour things have happened to cover expenses.

These things are proof to me that my purpose is blessed and that God will provide. He is watching and helping us with just enough allowing us to press on and work towards fulfilling our purpose. For the last two years of me not having a job and working for myself, he has been taking care of us.

If God is with me then who can be against me?

Day 171 – Sometime you need to scrub toilets

This weekend we are celebrating Amy’s parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.

The past couple of weeks have been tough for Amy and especially this last week. No tough like the end of the world tough just a bit busier than normal. On top of just that business of the project she is having to oversee other people.

When it comes to organization Amy is my hero. When I talk about scheduling and list making it is a struggle for me. Amy is the type of person that it comes to naturally. She can plan and cook for 120 people, design the decorations and timeline, organize the execution involving 20 people and still have time to fill 20 orders for our business. She is amazing!

Tonight we had her brother and his family over for dinner to socialize and take care of some last minute planning for the party tomorrow. It was great to relax and laugh with family. My day’s priority was making sure that all of the little stuff was taken care of. Amy still needed to do a bunch of cooking and prep for tomorrow not to mention getting dinner for tonight. She also had to squeeze in a mani pedi as well. My job was to whip the house into shape and scrub the toilets for company coming over tonight.

If you are not willing to scrub toilets to make the big picture happen, success will not happen for you. I have the ability to see the big picture and know the strengths of the team involved. I am not in need of the glory of cooking and being in front of the parade. In some instances I am best utilized as the pooper scooper or in this instance toilet scrubber.

I was able to get a good amount of my own work done today as well. I have someone at the warehouse trimming plants, I worked on inventory management system for Advocare and I even followed up with Total Wine & More about Eve’s placement and organized the office.

Work got done and it was effective work that contributed to a much larger picture!