Day 360 – Make a resolution and keep it.

So one of the rituals of this week of holiday purgatory is to decide on a New Years Resolution.

In 2012 at least 45% of all American committed to some kind of resolution. The top 10 resolutions are :

1) lose weight

2) getting organized

3) spend less, save more

4) enjoy life to the fullest

5) staying fit and healthy

6) learn something exciting

7) quit smoking

8) help others in their dreams

9) fall in love and

10) spend more time with family.

The University of Scranton did a study that showed surprisingly, that 75% of all resolutions make it through the first week. Only 46% make it past the six month mark. Oddly the study also revealed that 39% of people in their 20’s will actually achieve their goals this year as compared to only 14% of people over 50 will achieve what they set out to do.

Making a resolution is not hard and there is no secret to it. The latter is also true for sticking to them and actually achieving your resolutions.

Make your resolution tangible – make sure your resolution is something that you can see and measure. Things that are ambiguous like being happier need an anchor to give you some stick of measurability to see if you are on track.

Be specific – it is not enough to simply say I am going to lose weight. Be bold and choose a number! It is hard to hit your target when you really do not know what it is.

Come up with a plan – break your goal down into manageable steps. 50 lbs of weight loss may seem like a huge number but it really is only 1lb a week. One pound is equivalent to 3500 more calories burned than consumed. 3500 calories a week is only 500 calories a day which can be easily done by walking half an hour and not going back for seconds one meal a day.

Write it down –  I cannot express how important this one is. There is something magical about writing down your goal. Write it down and put it somewhere you will see it every day. I suggest the bathroom mirror, Every morning and every night you will see what you have written down and there is some cool stuff that will go to work in your sub conscious. Do not skip this step.

Share your resolution –  this is where accountability comes in. If you do not tell anyone what your resolution is it is easy to let something slide and then it just disappears with echos of, “I will try again next year” or some other kind of negative talk.

If you have never embarked on this journey of a New Years resolution I encourage you to do so. None of our lives are so perfect that we cannot find an area to improve in. Follow these simple steps and look back as one of the proud in a year and be grateful for how much better your life is. Share your resolutions with me and lets make 2015 awesome together!

Day 338 – My mentor, and so much more.

I have talked many times about my wife and how supportive she is. I have shared with you how awesome my kids are and that I truly feel blessed. I have many people in my life that believe in me and support me, even cheer me on no matter how crazy the idea.

Every Entrepreneur should have in their life one good mentor. It is priceless to be able to seek advice from someone who has gone down the path you are going before you. This is true in any endeavor whether it be sports, business or relationships.

This seems to be obvious for me but, I see people all of the time asking the wrong people for help and advice. If you wanted to run a marathon, you would not ask your overweight uncle for training advice. If you wanted to learn how to have a long successful marriage that lasts a lifetime you would not ask someone who has been married 5 times. The same holds true for business. If you want to learn how to be successful you don’t go to the guy in line at the welfare office, you find a successful mentor that is willing to help you.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 years ago I met a very important man in my life. We were a young family and I had just become a Christian. We landed at a small Foursquare church and that is where I met Ron.

Ron and his wife Tina were the first couple we met. They were ten years older than us but, we had kids the same age. They invited us over for dinner and we started to get to know them. I know that is a concept that may seem weird by today’s standards just remember that I will be 45 in a couple weeks, we did things like that in the old days.

I was immediately impressed with Ron. He really seemed to have things figured out. He had a great marriage and family, he had a heart for God, he was intelligent and witty (just ask him), and he was an entrepreneur. Ron had started a string of coffee shops in Japan. I think he had around a dozen shops before Starbucks even imagined going to Japan. He had created a brand that was very popular and it seemed that things were really going well for this guy.

Ron is the epitome of an entrepreneur. He has been in the trenches for a long time and I have had a first hand seat not only to his success but, also to the challenges and lows. It was during a couple of his lows that I really began to respect him even more than I admired him. I watched as everything he had worked for years to create was taken from him and destroyed. He was put in a situation that no one, including myself, would have blamed him for just throwing in the towel. Instead, Ron rolled up his sleeves and started over. In just two years he created and started ecobrew. That product is in roughly 35,000 brick and mortar locations, and he employs about 20 people. He leads by example in every aspect of his life. He is not afraid to be open and show his imperfections, in fact he will even make fun of them. Facts are facts and anyone who knows Ron knows he is a man of integrity.

Most of or relationship over the years has been Ron pouring into me. He has helped me in so many areas of my life beyond business. He gave me my start in the coffee business giving me a job working at a local espresso stand and taught me everything. He and his family opened up their home for about two weeks while we were homeless waiting for a home to be ready to move in, he has given us money in hard times, and helped me through one of the darkest times of my almost 25 year marriage. It has definitely been a relationship that has always been tipped in my favor.

I got to spend about an hour with Ron the other night and I walked away again so blessed to have an example in my life. I truly cherish this man and hope in some way to repay him for everything he has done for me.

Day 336 – I swing for the fences every time.

I get asked about my Shark Tank experience all of the time.

I suppose people are curious about TV and it has been one of the popular shows on for a couple years. During the conversation, inevitably they always ask, “Would you do it again?”

Well, they flew me to Southern California, put me in a hotel for 3 days and gave me some spending money. I got to go onto the Sony Studios lot and hang out with several like minded entrepreneurs. So, from that standpoint I would go again in a second. Just being around so many positive and excited people all of the time is amazing. And Southern California in July wasn’t bad either!

I met people with amazing ideas and some seemed a little out there but I could see the market they were going for and I respect that they were taking a swing. It is a good things that people like me don’t listen to the people that say their idea is dumb. For every one of those, I can guarantee there is another who thinks its awesome. Where would we be if the Wright brothers listened to the people who thought man flying was dumb. Where would Babe Ruth be if he listened to the people who focused on how many times he struck out. 

Babe Ruth used to go back to the dugout after striking out with a big grin on his face. When others asked him why he was smiling after striking out he just smiled bigger and told them to wait because that strike out meant that he was closer to his next home run. “It’s coming, just wait, I will knock one of the next ones over the fence. ” he would say.

That is the mindset that separates the winners from everybody else. It is the ability to get up and swing for the fences every time you get up to bat. There have been roughly 400 people on Shark Tank over the last several Seasons. There are too many success stories to name. What a lot of people do not realize is that these people were going to be successful with or without the show.

Those 5 Sharks do not make dreams come true. The entrepreneurs work their butts off to make that happen. the people who have been successful without a deal FAR outweigh the people who have made a deal, and it is not always about the exposure, although 8 million people seeing you does not hurt. A lot of these Entrepreneurs made big deals before ever airing on the show.

Even those that did not do well off of the show, myself included look at the experience as an “at bat”. We walked up to the plate and we swung. We swung for the fences and it felt good. We may have not gotten a deal but, I know these people, some of them closely and we all smiled on our way back to the bench. We are all just that much closer. Just wait because one of the next ones is going over the fences.

 

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 310 – Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?

Being an Entrepreneur is kind of like the weather in Seattle.

In almost any conversation I have had with people about living in the Seattle area, the subject of the weather comes up. People from all over the country are convinced that it rains constantly here. It is partially thanks to the entertainment industry producing shows like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Frazier”, which portrays Seattle as a dreary place. In fact Seattle actually gets less annual rainfall that a lot of other US cities. Seattle actually ranks 44th in the US for rainfall. We are behind almost every major city on the Eastern Seaboard including New York, Boston, and Miami. The primary root of this misconception lies in the relatively high number of days per year with rain. So, if we have more days of rain than most cities but less rainfall, how does that work?

Welcome to the Seattle drizzle. You see, in most places when you think about rain, it actually rains. Here in Seattle it is like a . . .really thick wet cloud of gray misery. If you have ever wondered why your car needs intermittent wipers, it is in case you come to Seattle. Most of the days of the year here, it is gray, miserable, and kind of depressing. During the winter our days are even shorter because of how dark and cloudy it is. Short, dark days filled with annoying drizzle rain are bad but, when you add in the cold of the winter it really is quite nasty. It seems to never really get cold enough to snow around here it really like to get to about 32.5° and rain. That is how the weather around here likes to treat us.

If you have ever had the pleasure of coming here during the summer however, you may have seen a different side of this fair city. You may have been exposed to a little secret that we try to keep to ourselves. When it is clear, warm and sunny in Seattle, I believe there is not many places on earth that can compare. The green lush trees, the snow capped mountains against a sea of bright blue skies is really something to behold. We have so much to offer around here when the weather is nice it is almost perfect. People feel better, smile more, and there is a real attitude difference. Anyone who lives here knows exactly what I am saying. We tell most people that the days we get like that, even though they are fewer in number than the rainy ones, make up for the miserable days. The nice days are really what keeps people here. They are really that impressive. The good days are really good.

Being an Entrepreneur is the same way. There are going to be dark days. There are in fact a lot of dark days. Days when I question my sanity and want to quit. Days when I wonder if it would have been better to lay down my curiosity and to have gotten a job. Days when the gray darkness and drizzle just weigh me down.

I live for the few days of sunshine though. When business is good, it is really good. Days of victory and triumph are my days of Sunshine and blue skies. Success is a snow capped mountain and sales are the sun on my face. The good days are why I do what I do and there are just enough of them to keep me going through all of the dark days. It takes courage to get started but, I am seeing way more sunny days than I used to.

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 296 – The struggle is real.

Most boot strapping start ups are done while an entrepreneur is still working a normal job.

I have had the privilege of focusing on my projects pretty much full time for the last two years. It is a very difficult task. The added stress of just daily life and making ends meet can catch up with you very fast and it begins to really take a toll after a period of time.

Since leaving the Gulf of Mexico this has been a very exciting time. I have been able to go on a national TV show and grow a brand to the point of negotiating to sell it to our manufacturer. I have been able to create and launch a liquor product that is doing very well and growing to expand into a whole line of spirits.

The company is growing but, at this time it is not profitable enough for me to take a salary. I am at a point where we have no more savings and the one salary we have coming in is just not enough to pay the bills.

I am looking at having to take a job to make everything work.

This provides a bit of a challenge by itself. A lot of employers may not want to hire someone who already has another plan or business in the works. It will be pretty obvious that my priority will be to the success of my own company. I will need to take a position that pays decent but has not a lot of responsibility. Many of these types of positions I am over qualified for and another strike against me when it comes to an employer looking at me as an employee. Basically what I need is a position that is pretty mindless that I can just clock in and out of. I need to find a position that is flexible enough to provide me to still do things necessary to advance my business. I will have to find something that is a graveyard shift or an early morning shift that will allow me time during the day to still run the business.

The other struggle is one of a personal nature. It is hard for me to “get a job”. I do not want to look at this as a failure to succeed on my own by any means. I am simply having to make the right decision to survive and provide the necessities. Tough decisions are just a part of running your own business and most decisions are based on necessity.

Time to get a job and relieve a little stress.

Day 292 – Get up early and eat that frog!

Alright!

So I totally meant to get up at 600am when I first woke up. I close my eyes for just a second and it was 700!

Okay so when I did get up I tried to get back into my old habits. No email, made the bed and read for a bit with a warm cup of coffee. I made breakfast, showered and was working by just before 8am.

The big thing I needed to get done today was a contract I have been working on (putting off) for a while. Today was the day that I needed to eat the frog and get it done! If you are not familiar with eating the frog let me explain.

The frog is the task that you don’t want to do but really need to do. The frog task is the ugly distasteful one that you do not want to do for whatever reason. You are not motivated to do it, leaving it victim to procrastination. Frog tasks need structure around them to get done. You need to create motivation to make them happen by transforming them into something else desirable or by making them subordinate to a strong habit. For example you could make a habit out of eating your frog at the beginning of the day, leaving you free to do the things you really want to do later in the day. This habit creates an inherent reward. Rewards for eating the frog are good, otherwise they will just sit there looking at you croaking.

The Contract was my frog because I cannot type worth a crap. O have an advanced hunt and peck method. I have to be looking at the keyboard while I type so when I am transcribing something as technical as a contract it takes time. So much punctuation and proper Queen’s English I can only go about 3-4 words at a time. When I am typing a 10 page contract, you can see how that is not very desirable.

Anyway, cheers to me! I got it done and just in time. I was able to reward myself with a nice little 20 minute catnap and visiting with Amy watching a show late this afternoon.

It is Thursday so of course its family dinner! Tonight was one of the special ones as it was pumpkin carving night! We get pretty competitive around here and I am not gonna lie, there was some secret squirrel shit going on this week leading up to tonight.

So we had a few inside joke pumpkins but I have to say I was a fan of Emily’s. She carved out her pumpkin, added a tap and poured beer into it to make a pumpkin keg! Man my life just suck doesn’t it!?

Anyway getting my blog done early so I can get to bed early again tonight. I have an appointment at 900am already.

Cheers!

Day 279 – One step at a time.

I wrote a while ago that October was going to be very busy.

I knew going into this month that things were going to get crazy but I made that assumption based on what I knew was coming. It would seem that God that that was going to be too easy for me to handle so He decided to put a few more things on my plate.

Time to bear down and get things figured out. I mentioned in the last couple days that I am learning how to separate my emotions from decisions. That is easy in concept but a bit more difficult on practice.

I am also learning a lesson in worry. The thing about worrying is that it is energy spent on things that COULD happen. If fact I have no idea what is going to happen and i have to move forward based on what I know and not what I think may happen.  The fact is that right now things are fine, great even.  We have a lot of product and we are growing. We have picked up North East New York and it is our 2nd state outside of Washington. Looks like we are on the verge of getting a few more. The goal has always been to go National and I never really thought about what that would take. I am learning that it may manifest different than I thought and that is okay.

While I need to focus on the things I know and the present I cannot be totally irresponsible and ignore the future. I need to come up with a plan but the effort has to be focused on what we have going right now. I do not necessarily know how we are going to get there but all I can do right now is put one foot in front of the other and take one step at a time.

Day 278 – Competition is a given.

Competition is a great thing.

Competition is a big part of the American marketplace. It can be healthy and promote growth of individual companies and the economy as a whole. Competition can also breed some negative things.

Sometimes there are companies or individuals who are threatened by competition. In these instances, things can take an ugly turn. I have become witness to people, not just specific to my field but across many others who turn to negativity instead of innovation to compete. I have seen people attack other businesses in order to try and protect what they feel entitled to. I believe that there is room for any quality business or product.

In a free market place we rely on the customers to make the choice on whether a product or service is any good. They vote with their wallet and that should be it. If your product or service is better than others people will buy yours based on quality and value. If your product is losing market share because of another product you simply need to improve your product. That seems simple right?

Then why do companies that loose market share resort to things that harm the competition instead? I have seen legislation passed to affect the competition. I have seen people get involved in local politics to create zoning issues that affect their competition. I have heard of all kinds of corporate espionage designed to take out and hurt the competition all for the sake of someone trying to hold onto market share with a product that just may not be popular anymore. In the end it is the consumer that loses.

Take the Tucker Car Company for instance. Preston Tucker sought to build the car of the future with innovative safety designs such as a padded dashboard, a pop out windshield, disc brakes, and a third headlight that swiveled while making turns. He was head to head with big car companies that simply did not want the car to exist and wouldn’t let Mr Tucker acquire the steel or supplies he needed. Today Tucker’s 475 acre Chicago production plant houses a tootsie roll factory and a shopping center. Many of his ideas were later instituted and we enjoy them as standards in today’s vehicles.

Competition is a good thing for the consumer and for business. A great new product or service in any category brings more consumers to that category as a whole. It forces us as business owners to constantly be improving and proving a better product. If someone makes a better widget than you or has improved on your service than you have to work to improve your product. Anything else is just wrong and eventually even if you succeed in removing your better competition you will still lose customers because there will always be someone else coming along with something better.

Don’t be this guy