In 2009, I helped Dr. Alex Osterwalder write Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers. I wasn’t the only “coauthor” though. Dr. Osterwalder invited 470 business people from over 45 countries to contribute to the book.
In short, he crowdsourced the book’s content. It was a win-win. I was happy to help because Dr. Osterwalder gave me a copy and promised to add my name as a contributor. He, of course, was able to have almost 500 people do research by trying out his business strategies in real time. By having his ideal client (business owners) give feedback, he was able to create a popular product. The book went on to become a New York Times bestseller! Are you crowdsourcing your product development, Startup Nation? You don’t have to do product development all on your own. You don’t need $1 million in the bank to start your business. All you need to do is solve your customers’ problems, and they’ll pay you to develop a product that works. Here are three tips for getting your customers to fund your R&D.
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Why Boldness Isn't Just for Business. How Men Can Rediscover Their Passion for God and Spouse6/23/2020 Grant Cardone, the high-performing, no-nonsense entrepreneur and speaker, says, "I'm going to do anything and everything, remove every boulder, every hurdle and every problem out of my way to make my dreams come true."
As a man, that quote puts a spark in my blood. When I hear talk of overcoming hurdles and problems to achieve something truly meaningful, I’m ready to go. Try it. Picture yourself as the underdog. Your eyes are focused. You wake up early to start making cold calls to get ahead of your competition. When a top prospect says no the first time, you keep pressing. You’re confident that your product is going to solve their main problem. And you make the sale. Business is like a battle. It’s an arena men can enter to achieve success. So many men look up to entrepreneurs like Grant Cardone because he lives out this unapologetic masculinity. Before becoming a world-class book marketer, Vickie Gould was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease. She was bedridden for almost 3.5 years and during so many long, agonizing nights she would cry on the bathroom floor being sad, angry and bitter about the life she thought she had squandered away. What little energy she had, she spent on other people. She was miserable because she constantly denied herself for other people. But Vickie knew this wasn’t the life she wanted. She pushed through her fatigue and fought through recovery. She started her own marketing and writing business where she’s helped over 100 authors publish bestselling books. Have you ever wanted to write a bestseller, Startup Nation? Do you have a story that you think the world must hear? What if you could write that books in eight weeks? Vickie shares how you can do just that by mastering the mindsets and practical steps needed to become a productive, bestselling author. Find accountability Do you believe that someone could write a book in eight weeks? It seems almost impossible. To write a book in 8 weeks, you’ll need to sit down at your desk and write almost every day of the week. That kind of discipline will take a support system to keep you accountable. One way to find accountability is to tell friends and family that you’re writing a book. Ask them to ask you how much you’ve written. A simple, “Are you done yet?” is usually enough to get you back to your computer to write another 1,000 words. A second way to find accountability is to set a deadline. Make it a challenge. Five years to write a book is not a deadline. It’s too much time. There’s no urgency. Instead, choose a deadline that will force you to work at least a little bit everyday. Eight weeks is a great deadline. Six months also works. A little pressure can be an excellent motivator. Find confidence in your reason for writing Too many people never finish their first book because they aren’t confident in themselves. They’re paralyzed by the thought, “Who are you to give your opinions on this topic? Why is your story so important?” Don’t give into the fear, Startup Nation. One way people cope with this doubt is to say, “I’m writing this book to help other people.” That’s a great reason to write. But be careful that you’re not using it as an excuse to shut down your own motivations. In counseling, they call this codependency. In an effort to avoid confronting your own needs, you try helping others. Here’s what you can do to find confidence in your own reason for writing. Take out a pen and paper. Then write down the most selfish reasons why you want to write this book. Do you want to seem important in your business community? Do you want your emotions to be validated by fan mail? Do you want to give meaning to the years of pain you experienced with an abusive family member? Once you get these motivations on paper, you’ll realize that they’re not as selfish as you first thought. You can start writing WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY. Look, if you’re not sold out for what you’re saying in the book, or you’re scared, you may finish your book, but the book won’t go anywhere after it’s done. Find the experiences that make up your story Your book needs to be an experience for the reader. It shouldn't be a collection of interesting facts. It shouldn’t even be an account of your life. Your book must be a portal that readers can enter to see the world through your eyes. Think about Disney’s brand. Disney doesn’t sell movie tickets or theme park passes. They sell experiences. Their ads show happy families sitting on a couch watching one of their movies. They show kids having the times of their lives at Disney World. You can almost feel the water splashing your face at the end of the roller coaster ride. You’re right there throwing your arms around Mickey Mouse with a big smile. Disney knows that people want feel-good experiences, and that people are willing to pay for those experiences over and over again. Don’t believe it? Disney made $78 billion in revenue last year. There’s the proof. So, how do you start to make your book into an experience? Describe the five senses: touch, hearing, sight, smell, and taste. Then describe what you felt during key moments of your story. Were you afraid? Were you angry? Were you overwhelmed with joy? Write scenes so that your readers say, “I felt as though I could almost feel the ____” By telling your story through experience, you’ll create a powerful understanding and empathy with the reader. If you can do that, you will reach bestseller status in no time. Key Takeaway You can write your bestselling book in eight weeks, but you'll need to be confident in yourself and make sure your reader EXPERIENCES the story you tell. Has the global pandemic got you feeling ANXIOUS and STRESSED? Do you wish you had freedom, the ability to live a normal life just like everyone else?
I have a solution to anxiety, and it only takes 5 minutes. It’s my 5-MINUTE Anxiety Reduction Method™. Experience a normal life with the fastest anxiety reduction and reversal method EVER. Reduce fatigue, release stress, and pain, & improve your mood. It’s worked for my coaching clients. It will work for you, too. Michelle Shaeffer claims she became a $100K blogger by accident. Startup Nation, you might be wondering how that’s possible (and how you can do it, too). Here’s what she did.
Michelle had been struggling in her copywriting business for eight years before unlocking the secret of a highly profitable blog. In between client projects, she would hang out on online boards for freelancers and writers. She would ask questions, read responses, and give some of her own advice when she could. |
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About Joseph WarrenJoseph Warren is a Christian Speaker, Podcast Host and Spiritual Coach. Joseph Warren offers Spiritual Coaching to Christian Business Owners who somehow find themselves in a spiritual rut. In just 90 days, he helps them avoid expensive divorces, break free from addiction, restore broken family relationships, and start living their Higher Purpose! Archives
August 2020
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