Author’s Note: Scott Ginsberg a.k.a. Scott the Nametag Guy is celebrating the launch of his new book, -ABLE: 35 Strategies for Increasing the Probability of Success in Business and in Life, by challenging his readers to come up with their own –able word and write about it in a blog post. Reading Scott’s blog post announcing the challenge, I realized the one –able word that I would use to describe what I strive to be, and what Scott has nailed, is transferable.

What Does It Mean to be More Transferable?

Transferable is more Memorable

Think about all of the knowledge you gained in High School. What ideas, concepts, or principles stand out most in your memory? If nothing stands out, what events during high school stand out in your mind?

Unless you have a perfect memory, the most memorable ideas or memories are attached to a concept presented in a surprising way or were highly emotional. One idea that I remember is the “Mole scream” from Chemistry class, which was a high pitched scream that our teacher let out when anyone correctly used the concept of a mole in discussions.

Since the Mole Scream was memorable, it caused me to remember the concept of the Mole and the teacher’s knowledge was transferred to me.

What are you doing to make your ideas, products, and services more memorable?

Transferable is more Understandable

To be more memorable, you could stand on a busy sidewalk and yelling random equations at the top of your lungs for a few hours. While that would make you very memorable and possibly get the video of you screaming a few hits on YouTube, like many Internet Memes, the effecive lifespan of your demonstrationwould be short.

In order for you to be transferable, you need to make yourself more understandable. I recently heard about Danica McKellar, an actress turned author who was writing math books for girls by using stories and examples from a young girl’s life to explain concepts in math. These books are understandable because they link familiar concepts to new ones.

Since these books are more understandable, they transfer the power of mathematics to people that might not have taken as much of an interest.

What are you doing to creating understandable products, services, and ideas?

Transferable is more Actionable

Let’s go back to High School (OK, I don’t want to either so let’s just go back to what we learned in High School).

While someone might have presented a quote out of the Federalist Papers in period costume so that you remembered the passage, what good did it do if you were not able to apply that knowledge in your daily life?

When you are transferable, you are able to provide information that is actionable. While many business classes provide a wealth of information, many professionals turn to public seminars, coaches, and consultants in order to bridge the gap between knowledge and execution.

When you are transferable, you are able to help people turn their knowledge into operational improvement, life enhancement, or monetary gain. From a product perspective, this is accomplished through actionable checklists, process diagrams, and worksheets that help people grasp the concepts that they need to take action on.

Though college is a great way to gain knowledge, it does not always provide actionable tools that transfer the knowledge to people that will use it.

Are you providing great knowledge with a heavy does of actionability?

Transferable is more Marketable

When you are transferable, your transferableness is more marketable. 

Which business book would you be more apt to read?

“The book contained a lot of good information, but I had to wade through ten long chapters of extraneous self promotion, archaic terms, and unnecessary definitions to get to the material that was actionable.,”

Or

“This book was great? Using the knowledge in the first chapter alone, I was able to save my business thousands of dollars.”

I would prefer the second. What about you?

When you, your products, and your services are transferable, that transferableness becomes marketable.

Transferable is more Compatible

When you are transferable, you are more compatible.

I could talk about the chemical reasons that oil and water doesn’t mix, but I am afraid I wouldn’t be transferring understandableness in my description. Instead, think about relatives you might have that don’t get along. For some reason they are just not compatible!

What happens when those relatives get together during the holidays? They usually end up bickering, making snide comments, and not listening to what the others person has to say. If there was an important message that had to get from one of them to the other, do you think it would get there with the right intention?

When you are transferable, you are compatible with your surroundings, people, and the technology in your life that allows you to be a superhero.

What are you doing to be more compatible?

Of all the –ables that I can think of, to me, being transferable has the most potential to help someone achieve success. When you are transferable, you are more memorable, understandable, actionable, marketable, and compatible than your competitors which will lead you to amazing successes.

Are you transferable?

Make Yourself More Transferable is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. 5 Reasons Smart People Fail at Creating On-line Businesses
2. Good is the Enemy of Great
3. Limitations? What Limitations?

Christian is a 16 year old boy who has created million dollar software and ad companies before the age of 16. The companies sell bundles of popular Mac software and now he has started a company selling ads on websites.  It is a great story that you have to read . . . once you are done reading this blog post of course.

What I found interesting about Christian’s story was some of the comments that people left on the blog where it was posted. While some were positive, many comments are mocking him for not having a life, employing his parents, and most egregious of all . . . being unoriginal.

Common Business Beliefs

What the comments illustrate is a common business belief. When most people start their businesses, they think that they have to be 100% original. They believe that they have to sell products on one else is selling, have a store that is totally original, or create new intellectual content from original research. They have it in their heads that they have to be unique to make it in this world.

Let me let you in on a little secret . . .

The most successful businesses in the world are not unique!

A quick disclaimer; I am not condoning the blatant copying of other people’s copyrighted and patented materials for personal gain. That is stealing. What I am talking about is copying ideas about what works and using those ideas in your business.

There are two ways to accomplish this in your business:

Number One: Improve Current Products

For example, think about a few of the most successful technology companies in the world: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. All of these companies were late to the game in their original markets but are now the leaders in mobile technology, search, and office software.

They accomplished this feat by taking something that was hard to use, expensive to operate, and ineffective. They made those products easy to use, cheap to operate, and more effective. In essence, these companies took complex products and services that were specialty products and made them into easy to use commodities.

In the story of Christian Owens, he found multiple mac programs that people wanted to use but couldn’t afford to purchase them all individually, worked with the software authors to bundle them together, and sold the bundle at a major discount. He also used contests, referral bonuses, and limited time offers to give people a sense of urgency to buy the bundle.

Everything Christian did has been done before, but he made it simpler, cheaper, and more useful to his customers.

Could you do that in your business?

Number Two: Completely Copy What Worked for Someone Else (With Their Permission!)

When you drive down any main street in the United States, what do you typically see? Do you see a McDonalds, a Subway, and an Applebees? More than likely you will find a chain rather than something unique.

Why would someone buy a franchise rather than start something unique?

People open franchises because they are proven businesses. Most people that have started a unique retail or restaurant business will tell you, that if they had to do it again they would buy a proven franchise. While it is great when a unique business succeeds, the failure rate is much higher than if you would have bought a franchise.

If you are desperate for a business of your own, a franchised business might be what works for you since you are copying what worked for someone else.

Can you be successful by being original?

It is possible, but with so many people being successful by being unoriginal, why risk it? Do what others are doing, but take it one step further. Make it easier, make it more accessible, and make it more desirable. If that doesn’t work, then consider what licensing and franchising a business could do for your freedom.

Whatever you do, remember to keep moving forward.

P.S. Here is the story on Christian Owens from Gizmodo.

P.P.S. If you are looking for a tool to get you started in creating a totally unoriginal Internet Marketing business, then make sure to pick up a copy of my step by step guide to Creating a Product this Weekend.

Got another minute?

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The Secret to Business Success: Don’t Be Original is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. Are You Trying to Trade A Monotonous Job for a Monotonous Business?
2. How to Overcome Procrastination
3. How Not to Do Free Content

Compare that to the person that saw when you were having difficulty with a move. What would that person do for you? They would slow down, show you, and guide you to doing it correctly. They didn’t try to show off or hurt you. That person let you learn the techniques without fear that you were going to get hurt.

Which of the two people would you want to practice?

The first person, call him Mr. Hard. He wants you to know that he is good. When he is able to toss you around like a rag doll, it makes him feel like he knows what he is doing. By knocking you down, he is pushing himself up.

The second person, call her Ms. Soft. She wants you to know that it is OK that you are not good, but she is here to help you become great. She knows what she is doing, and wants you to get there as well. By helping you up, she will get helped up as you grow.

How are you growing yourself and your business?

Are you balancing on the backs of people that you knocked down or are you being held up by the people that you brought up with you?

Many times, whether we realize it or not, we are Mr. Hard when it comes to our business and personal development. Consider the last time you saw one of your competitors in business or at work fail. Did you offer your hand to pick them up or were you cheering their failure?

If you are feeling bad at this point, don’t fret. It is common in our society to cheer for the victors and to bash the losers. If you have ever read Stranger in a Strange Land (Amazon Affiliate Link) by Robert Heinlein, then you might have learned from Valentine Michael Smith’s humor hypothesis that all humor is at the expense of someone else. This is one of the consequences of being human that we have to realize. It is OK to laugh, but also feel for someone’s misfortune.

Start Lifting Others Up

The first step to change from pushing down to lifting up doesn’t have to be large. It could be asking a co-worker that is struggling with a problem if there is anything you can do to help. Maybe a committee member of an association needs some help getting a project done. It doesn’t have to be a huge act on your part but sometimes, many times, the small things you do to lift people up have a huge impact in the future.

I believe that our lives and our businesses cannot be sustained on pushing others down. The only way to build a sustainable future is by supporting others so that they will support you whether it is in success or failure.

What do you think? Is it better to succeed from other’s failure or do you try to help everyone have a chance at success?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Are You Raising Yourself Up by Pushing Others Down? is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. Pushing Through
2. How to be a Superhero – Part 5: Joining Forces with Other Superheroes
3. That is Not How This Business Works

The last post was about taking action. Why there are many ways that you can take action in becoming a superhero, the most effective way is joining forces with other superheroes.

Why Do You Want to Work with Other Superheroes?

Many new superheroes often wonder, “Why would I want to work with other superheroes? I don’t want to share the glory with someone else. Why do you think I became a superhero in the first place? I did it for the recognition and not to play second fiddle to someone else.”

When you take the plunge and start to develop your superpowers you often say or think statements similar to the one above and it is a very valid statement. One of the reasons I started writing and speaking was because I wanted to be recognized for my work. In a corporate job, we are not often recognized for our contributions and developing our superpowers is a way to get the recognition that makes us feel like we are achieving something greater than ourselves.

Why would we give that up and work with other people?

There are quite a few reasons:

1. Increased Reach

As you develop your superhero status, you will start to attract fans. Your fans are people you have helped, or people that like what you are doing and want to watch to see what you will do next.

When you work with other heroes, you have a chance to reach out to other superhero’s fans and help them in ways that the superhero you are working with cannot. This expands your reach into groups you might not have had access to alone.

2. Ability to Use the Superpowers of Others

Maybe you are a graphic designer for web sites, but you want to offer blog set ups as well. You could join forces with someone more technical that can handle that component while you focus on the design.

You could be a financial planner, but need someone to handle legal matters. When you join forces, you can offer your customers a greater service from someone that has already helped them conquer evil forces.

3. Connections to Other Superheroes

What I enjoy most about joining forces with others is the opportunity to meet other superheroes through the superheroes that I partner with. I cannot spend every moment of my day working with new organizations, so joining forces gives me the opportunity to meet people through other networks without having to be a full member of that community.

4.  Someone to Lean on When Things Aren’t Going Well

No matter how many times you say, “The World is out to do me good,” some days it feels like everything is aligned against you.

Being a superhero is hard. You have the demands of helping people, there are evil doers out to destroy you, and you might have to balance the demands of your alter ego. Some days it might feel like everything is going to come crashing down around your shoulders.

That is why it is good to have other superheroes to talk to when things are going rough. Someone to be there when you get beat down and pick you up. Working with other superheroes can lift you back up and remind you of how important it is to do what you are doing.

They help you move forward when everyone else is pushing you back.

Meeting Other Superheroes

Living as an alter ego, we might not get the opportunity to meet other superheroes that we can work with. You might be in a place where you can’t display your super powers, but there are places you can look meet others on the same quest as yourself.

This includes:

Associations

There are many professional associations that you can become a member of to help you meet other super heroes. Many of these associations have local, national, and international meetings that allow you to get together with others in your industry to network, share ideas, and develop your super powers.

Service Organizations

It is always good to give back as a superhero. Joining an organization such as Rotary, Lions, or Kiwanis gives you an opportunity to work with others for the common good of society. You will also make connections with people that have complementary superpowers to you and demonstrate your commitment to helping others.

Networking Groups

A search of meetup.com or your local paper can lead to many opportunities for networking events in your local area. These are great venues for seeing what other superheroes are doing, giving, and receiving referrals from other superheroes.

Toastmasters

Toastmasters International is a 200,000+ member strong organization devoted to helping people become better public speakers and leaders. I personally have been a member for 4.5 years and have met an amazing number of superheroes that are constantly working on developing their superpowers.

Online Gatherings

I am a member of three online groups that have helped me grow different aspects of my superpowers. These groups are typically lead by an individual or team of superheroes that have developed a community devoted to helping you grow your superpowers.

Working with other Superheroes is Inspiring

The greatest benefit I have found from working with others is the inspiration I get from my fellow superheroes. When I see someone doing great work, it inspires me to work on my superpowers, help more people, and start to live the life that I am inspired to live.

Are there people out there that will try to take advantage of you? Yes, but you cannot let that stop you from going out there and meeting the best people possible. Getting out there and working with others, you will find that you will be able to find the right people and work together to do something great.

What are you waiting for?

Get out there and start doing what you were born to do and become the superhero the world needs you to be.

I hope you enjoyed this series and I would love it if you left me your ideas, comments, and feedback on how we can all become better superheroes.

How to be a Superhero – Part 5: Joining Forces with Other Superheroes is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How to be a Superhero – Part 4: Taking Action
2. How to be a Superhero – Part 1: Liberating the Superhero within You
3. How to be a Superhero – Part 3: Developing Your Superpowers

In my last post, I provided some tips on how you can develop your superpowers. Once your superpowers are significant enough to take on evildoers, it is time to take action. What kind of superhero would you be if you just sat around all day in a rocking chair not helping anyone?

I am a member of a number of different organizations. In these organizations, I meet with superheroes that want to use their superpowers as professional speakers, authors, and consultants. The problem with these superheroes is that they believe there are not enough evildoers out there to pay the bills.

Speaking to one superhero, Mr. Invisible, he might say, “I can’t get anyone interested in hiring me to battle evildoers.”

Another superhero, Ms. Whynotme, might chime in and say, “I don’t get it. Ms. Wonderful has hundreds of people she has helped . . . Why not me?”

Why Not Me?

The reason that many up and coming superheroes are not finding chances to use their superheroes is that they are NOT TAKING ACTION. Instead they are just hanging out online, surfing blog posts, reading another self-help book, or working on adding more initials after their name.

While it is important to develop your superpowers, there comes a point in the development of your superpowers where you have to stop searching for some book, article, or program that will bring people that need help to you. It won’t happen. In order to help people you have to find those people. The best way to find those people is to take action.

Taking Action

Taking action is a big step for many new superheroes. It is the point where they have decided that it is time to stop thinking about being a superhero and start being one. That thought is a big mental hurdle for a lot of people, but it must be overcome in order for you to realize your greatness.

Some ways you can take action are:

• Call People You Can Help – I admit that calling potential customers is extremely intimidating. Calling people scares me as well, but it is one of the most important actions that you can take to find people to help.When calling someone, I am not asking you to cold call anyone. What I am asking you to do is use what you have learned in previous posts and get out and meet people. Using your new found powers of awareness, you can develop a list of people you have met, their problems, and how you can help them.For example, when I meet with people that want to be professional speakers, I will visit their web pages. If they don’t have a website that is very appealing, then I will create a test site on my server that demonstrates what I can do for them to help them make their site more accessible to potential customers.Then comes the hard part., I will call them up mentioning when and where we met. I will tell them I visited their website wanted to how well their website was converting potential clients into paying customers.

  If they don’t know, then I will tell them about the tools I can provide that will make their sites a destination and not just a business card. This sometimes leads to a discussion of how much I charge and when I can have a proposal put together outlining how we can do business.

  Do I always close the deal? No, but I am reaching out trying to help people that need my help. I am taking action.

• Follow Up with Contacts – How many times has someone you met at a networking event said, “I am having a problem with something you might be able to help me with.”You then said, “I will give you a call.”Did you ever call them back?It amazes me how many people avoid taking the action of following up with people that request their assistance. This action is quite simple. If someone asks for your help, make a commitment to call them and follow up on how you can help them. The amount of money that is left on the table is huge from people not taking this simple step.

  There was a time a number of months ago that another blogger wanted to get together and chat about how he could help me on some projects. I thought that it could turn into a business relationship at some point, but I had a few other projects going on that was making it difficult for me to meet to discuss our mutual interests. I asked the person to call me back on a certain week when I would have a better idea of when we can meet.

  The blogger never called me back and potentially missed out on a sale of his services.

  To be a superhero, you must follow up with people that tell you to get back in touch at a later time and date. They might not seem interested when you first meet, but that could be because they are in the middle of some big project and need time and space to consider what you can do to help them.

• Tackle a Big Project – Are you an up and coming blogger? Then create a large series of foundational blog posts. These posts can demonstrate your knowledge of the topic area you are interested in pursuing.I know other superheroes that have written a book, created a product, built a house, or planned a large overseas wedding.The goal is to take on a project larger than your current abilities, but still doable if you put your energy into the project. When you do this, you will find that your superpowers will grow in strength from the difficulty of taking on a big project.

• Ask for Advice – Taking action can mean knowing what you don’t know and being humble enough to admit you need to learn what needs to be done to find people to help. Maybe you are at a loss for what people to speak with at a company, what organization would help you connect with the right people, or how to market your superpowers.Take the action of calling or e-mailing as many people that are doing what you want to do and asking them how you can get the knowledge you need to build your superpowers. Doing this you might learn what class you need to take, what books you need to read, or what jobs that you might need to pursue to develop your superpowers. It might also connect you with other superheroes that you can work with.

• Connect with Other Superheroes – We will discuss this topic specifically in the last post in this series, however I will mention here that taking action can be joining forces with other superheroes in order to fill the gaps in your knowledge. I know speakers that join forces with web design experts to create educational websites. Taking action can be hanging out with other superheroes and finding out where a connection can be made that benefit both parties in their development.

A Personal Story

I have been blogging on and off for years. Most of my early attempts were on blogger.com before learning how to sign up for a webhost, buy a domain name, and install WordPress. After learning how to do that, I had to continue to refine my knowledge of the technology while working on my writing skills.

It was not an easy process and I have had many missteps. I have had my sites hacked, moved web servers, bought useful books, bought useless products, started, and then stopped many different blogs. Each time I learned a little more, developed my abilities, and became a part of different groups and communities. If you are reading this, know that I didn’t start knowing anything, but have gotten to a point where I can write and post this with relative ease.

I took action by getting out there and starting to tackle the big project of starting a blog. When I wasn’t getting the readers, I started to ask people for feedback on what I was doing wrong. I then reached out to other bloggers, did some guest posts, and started to develop a small but loyal readership.

What I have learned and continue to learn every day is that you have to take action to make things happen. People don’t magically come to you asking for help. You have to go out and find them and when you do, you have to take action to show them how you can help.

How will You Take Action?

As you have embraced your superpowers, I hope that you realize that the journey has just begun. There are many more ways for you to learn and develop and I hope that this post has highlighted a few that have benefited me in my development.

Let me know how you are going to take action in the comments.

How to be a Superhero – Part 4: Taking Action is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How to be a Superhero – Part 5: Joining Forces with Other Superheroes
2. How to be a Superhero – Part 3: Developing Your Superpowers
3. How to be a Superhero – Part 1: Liberating the Superhero within You

Imagine how Clark Kent must have felt sitting at his desk all day knowing that Superman was only a shirt pull away from being released. Think of how liberating it was when a calamity struck and he was able to break free from his suit and become his true self.

Do you feel like Clark Kent? Do you yearn to be free of your suit and be able to soar in the clouds with ease?

At times, we all feel that we want to be free, but how to we accomplish becoming what we know that we can be?

Step 1: Accepting that You Are Not Your Title

Do you hate when people define you by what it says on your business card or pay stub?

When you go home at night, do you really feel a deep connection with the label of Lawyer, Doctor, or Fry Cook?

If you do feel a deep connection with your title, that is OK. It means that you have found a career that will allow you to be a superhero.

For others that don’t feel a connection with their title, realize that you don’t have to accept your title when you are not in that role. When you go home at night, on lunch breaks, or when you are away from your employer, you do not have to continue to identify yourself with a title you don’t want to be.

You have permission to reject your title and embrace your super power. So if you do not want to be your title, then accept that you are not your title and begin to develop your super powers.

Step 2: Finding Your Super Power

What do you wish your super power could be?

Do you want to fly? Do you want great strength? Do you just want to be able to read people’s minds? While we will not all be able to fly or read people’s minds, we do have a super power in a skill that we might already possess.

Do you think you have a super power?

If you don’t, here is the exercise that I use to help people I coach find their undiscovered powers.

How do people ask you to help them?

• Are people asking for your help to fix their computer?
• Do people ask for your help to move?
• What about someone asking you to watch their kids, cook dinner, create a logo, or Paper Mache their house?

When someone asks for you help, it is a sign that you have a skill that others do not possess in abundance. When you are more skilled in something, you have a super power that others don’t possess.

What is your super power?

Step 3: Create an Alter Ego

Now that you have figured out your super powers, you need to create an alter ego that will be the aspect of you that shows off those super powers. Your alter ego is really you performing your super powers, but it is distilled down to the aspect of your personality that you want to show off to the world.

For example, some alter egos I have interacted with are:

• A foul mouthed marketing guru – Ittybiz
• A caffeinated web designer – The Caffeinated Elf
• A humorous blog and marketing coach – Johnny B Truant

Your alter ego is you.

Don’t think I am telling you to be someone else. Inside the shy Clark Kent was a confident Superman, but that confidence was only shown when the time was right. In the same way, your alter ego is a part of you, but it might be somewhat separate from your day to day life.

You might be a very edgy and somewhat dirty minded writer, but you are not going to deliver an edgy and dirty reading of your kid’s bedtime stories. Instead, you save your alter ego for the times that it will do the most good for the world in a way that is specific to you.

What is great about an alter ego is that it allows you to develop a very specific image in the minds of people you are helping. How can you not remember someone in a bright blue outfit and red cape that swoops down to rescue you in your time of need?

What alter ego can you develop that helps you be memorable, and fits your super power?

Step 4: Establishing Your Lair

Superman has the Fortress of Solitude and Batman has the Batcave, so you need a lair that you can call your home as well. At home, you will want to create a place that you can do your good deeds from. Make some space on a desk, in the corner, or some other place where you feel comfortable showing your alter ego and helping people with your super powers.

Once you have a physical lair, you might want to consider setting up an online lair. You can set up a website or blog. To do this, find a webhost (I use dreamhost), install word press, and start creating your online lair in your image. You can even keep it simpler than a webpage and set up a fan page on Facebook.

Whatever form your lair takes, make sure that it is suitable for your super powers and matches the personality of your alter ego. It might take some time to get your lair built, but remember that Superman had many different lairs over the years, so you can start small and develop your lair as your reputation grows around the world.

Next Steps to Becoming a Superhero

Now that you have embraced your super powers, created an alter ego, and started constructing a lair, you might be wondering how you can use your powers to help people. In the coming posts, we will look at how you can become more aware of who needs your help, how to further develop your superpowers, how to help people when they ask, and why you would want to join forces with other superheroes in order to do more good in the world.

Make sure to subscribe by e-mail or by rss to keep up to date on this series.

How to be a Superhero – Part 1: Liberating the Superhero within You is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How to be a Superhero – Part 5: Joining Forces with Other Superheroes
2. How to be a Superhero – Part 4: Taking Action
3. How to be a Superhero – Part 3: Developing Your Superpowers

The problem is that most of the articles about procrastination actually keep us from doing whatever we are putting off doing. The articles recommend “getting organized to do it”, “getting motivated”, or telling us any number of mental lies we can use to hide the fact that we are not doing what we tell ourselves we need to be doing. Instead we are procrastinating by reading about how to overcome procrastination.

For many people that want to create a business, you can spend more time studying how to create a business than actually doing something to make that business a reality.

In my case, I have been procrastinating the building of a speaking, coaching, and consulting business for three years. For three years I have been blogging, writing free articles, incorporating my business, and discovering new accounting tools that make my year-end tax preparation for $0 in income much easier. It wasn’t until a number of months ago that I realized I was having a problem.

On a Monday afternoon, when I was getting ready to leave a Toastmasters meeting, one of my friends made a comment to me, “You have all these ideas for product, programs, and speeches. When are you going to actually follow through and sell something?”

I was floored and for three months I didn’t have an answer.

It wasn’t until I was meeting with a friend a few weeks ago that I had an answer. During the meeting, I realized what separated me from people that were successful with their businesses was not knowledge. I have enough of that. What the true separator was that successful people had an idea then executed it. They didn’t let procrastination get in the way. They took an idea and they executed it until they had created a complete product, service, or business.

I didn’t do that. Instead I jumped from idea to idea without completing anything.

After my meeting, I had enough of my mental excuses of why I couldn’t create a product, so for 6 days I spent my free time doing what I had never done before. I sat down and executed my idea for a product.

The result was an eBook and website that shows that it is possible to overcome procrastinating and create a product in a weekend.

The goal of the eBook is to help you overcome what I have overcome, the inability to turn ideas into products. It does this by giving you a plan for a Friday night through Sunday evening self-directed boot camp. During your self-directed boot camp, you will formulate an idea, get your idea organized, turn it into a product,and  then get your product packaged and available for sale.

The product you create isn’t going to be a massive product that will change the world, but I hope that it will be the product that shows you it is not as hard as you think to create and sell your products and your ideas.

Does this sound like it could help?

Then check out the sales page or just click buy now:

The cost is $37

How to Overcome Procrastination is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How Not to Do Free Content
2. Are You Trying to Trade A Monotonous Job for a Monotonous Business?
3. What if I Told You that Everything You Have Been Told About Finding a Niche is Wrong?

It has nothing to do with their current financial situation, their upbringing, or their intelligence.

The reason that someone else is succeeding and you aren’t is that they are working their ass off while you are sitting at home watching Lost.

I didn’t have to work today. Actually, I wanted to sit at home and watch reruns of Lost, but I got up and went to the library at 7:00 AM, because I had a goal of getting a product created and available for sale by the end of the week. I am almost there, but it is because I did what many others don’t do . . . I got up and started working toward my goal.

What did I get done today that moved me forward?

Since 7:30 this morning, I have:

• Set up a personal VPN
• Wrote, edited, and posted this blog post
• Drafted three other blog posts
• Edited three additional blog posts I have been working on
• Edited a 39 page workbook
• Set up a new website
• Wrote the draft of my sales page
• Read 50 pages of Alan Weiss’ new book
• Sent a draft of my product to my accountability partner
• Had lunch with my girlfriend

I don’t say this to brag. I say this because I think it is important to demonstrate how much you personally can get done when you put your mind to it. The problem is the people that think that sitting around doing nothing is going to get them rich. They believe that they can think their way to riches or outsource their product creation to someone.

The Problem with the 4-Hour Work Week

I have nothing wrong with Tim Ferriss or the success he has had with the 4-Hour Work Week (Amazon Affiliate Link). I am actually a huge fan of what he has accomplished and what he strives to inspire others to do. What I have a problem with are the people that think that creating a product or service is about outsourcing everything on elance for as cheaply as possible then sitting around on a beach while the money rolls in.

What outsourcing knowledge and product creation does is create a large volume of cookie cutter products devoid of originality and value. If you sit down and read4-Hour Work Week (Amazon Affiliate Link) and other books that have copied Tim’s idea, you will see that working 4 hours a week is not done on the front end. It is done after you have built a portfolio of knowledge and products that can be developed into an automated system for delivering that knowledge and product to your customers.

Are you looking at the amount of work you are putting in?

So if you are wondering why your boat hasn’t arrived, maybe you need to look at the amount of work you are putting.

Are you actively learning and developing new products and services as much as possible every day?

If not, don’t you think it’s time to get off your butt and get to work?

Stay tuned and hold on tight, because I am gong to have some more on this topic and how you can get off your butt and create a product in the coming weeks.

The Reason for Success is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How Not to Do Free Content
2. 5 Reasons Smart People Fail at Creating On-line Businesses
3. How to Overcome Procrastination

1. Create a niche blog.
2. Fill the niche blog with bought content.
3. Inflate your Google search rankings with backlinks.
4. Direct people that find the blog through Google to sign up for your newsletter.
5. After signing up for your newsletter, direct them to a sales page where you pitch them a $7 to $97 product.
6. Upsell buyers with private coaching or a membership site.
7. Never work another day in your life!

In my experience, most of the people that attempt to follow one of these formulas fail to create the financial freedom that they crave.

Why?

One word: Passion.

When you are starting your own business, you have to have a passion for what you are doing. When you are passionate about your business, you will find the energy to create a business that is uniquely you and that is what will sell your products or services.

Think about why you want to start a “freedom business” in the first place. Are you are in a dead in job that is draining you of energy? Why would you think that trading a monotonous job that sucks you of energy for a monotonous system of sourcing and posting crappy articles would be any better?

Successful “freedom businesses” are created with passion. They are successful because people can feel that passion in your writing, videos, and programs. Many of the people that follow your blog and business will pay you, because they see your passion for your business and know that you will provide them with a valuable product or service because of your commitment to your business.

If you are considering starting a business, then ask yourself, “Is this something I am passionate about doing?”

If you are, then go for it.

If not, then are you trading a monotonous job for a monotonous business?

Think about it then let me know if you agree or disagree with me in the comments.

I would love to hear from you.

Are You Trying to Trade A Monotonous Job for a Monotonous Business? is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. How to Overcome Procrastination
2. The Secret to Business Success: Don’t Be Original
3. How Not to Do Free Content

After returning from a conference or networking event, I find my mailbox and e-mail filled with newsletters and marketing materials from people with whom I exchanged contact information.

That is funny . . . I never remember any of these people asking, “Hey, do you mind if I add you to a mailing list so I can send you a load of marketing crap materials for our crap products and services?”

Repeat after me . . .

Exchanging Business Cards is Not a Free Pass to Add Someone to Your Mailing List

Just because you had a fishbowl out to collect cards for a contest, exchanged cards with someone between sessions, or got a card through a mutual acquaintance doesn’t give you permission to add card givers to your mailing list. Many of the people you meet will have no interest in you or your company. In many cases they want to do nothing more than win a prize, be polite, or make a networking connection. The offering of a card does not say, “Please market your product to me.”

Stop Wasting Your Time Carpet-bombing Card Givers

There are many marketing professionals that feel it necessary to deluge contacts with their newsletters, glossy brochures, and other marginally effective marketing materials. Not only is this a colossal waste of your time and energy, but it can make your contacts have an unfavorable opinion of your company through your carpet-bombing of people that did nothing more than give you a business card.

When many people are suffering from information overload, what makes you think that your unsolicited marketing will be more effective than anyone else’s unsolicited marketing materials?

Stop wasting your time, because when you try to market to everyone, you end up marketing to no one.

Some Advice on What You Should Be Doing

The first thing you need to do is keep track of where you got the business cards you came home with. Was it from a contest? Was it in person? Was it through a referral?

Now ask yourself, “What do I remember about this person? Do I know what their needs are? Can my product or service help them?”

Once you have that information, you can segment your contacts by how you got their card and what level of interest they have in your product or service.

Using that information, you should make a point of sending a personal e-mail to each of the in-person connections you made that might have a high level of interest in your products or services. Tell them that it was nice to meet them, remind them of a point of discussion, and give them a way to reach out to you if you can be of service. At the end of the e-mail, if you have one, you can give them the ability to opt-in to any newsletters or mailings you might have to offer.

If you had a contest or don’t remember how you got someone’s business card, a simple mass mailing can help you keep in touch with the people that want to know more about your products and services. Include in the e-mail how you got their card, and then give them some incentive to opt-in to your marketing message. Provide some value in the form of a report, consultation, or other free information and then if they want to know more, give them a way to opt-in to receive your marketing.

The Result of Allowing People to Opt-In

When you give your new contacts a choice of opting-in, you give them the power to listen to you. Many people should respect this gesture even if they don’t opt-in. This helps you develop trust with your contacts and makes it possible to connect again in the future.

Have you ever gotten unsolicited marketing materials after a conference?

How did it make you feel?

Let us know in the comments.

What You Should Be Doing With Business Cards After a Conference or Networking Event is a post from: As A Dude Thinketh
As A Dude Thinketh is written and edited by Chris Elliott. Chris helps small businesses figure out what their big idea is, how to get it to market, and how to get people to notice their wonderfulness. He is also a dynamic speaker and trainer in personal growth and public speaking. Do you need help with your next big idea or speech? I encourage you to talk with me to see how Chris can be of service.

If you liked this post, then you should also check out:

1. FTC Announces New Rules on Disclosure and why that is Great for Your Business
2. Why Your Business is Like Most Chinese Restaurants
3. Is This How a Business Helps Their Community?