entrepreneurship

cbc tv: the 8 second rule

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SEGMENT (4 MINUTES TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE, BABY.)

 

burning questions with naomi dunford, domanatrix of itty biz

A straight-talking female entrepreneurial adviser, SEO cracker jack, with a giving heart who knows her value and has a proclivity for fishnets? How could I not be smitten? What I love about Naomi Dunford's work is that it's a) incredibly practical and logical, and b) it radiates an intention of "I'm really here to help you. Really."

If you feel shitty, Naomi is there for you. If your customers are telling you they're too broke to buy your great stuff, Naomi is there for you. If you're scared that you don't have an ounce of creative great stuff in your marrow, yep, Naomi is there for you. With the real goods - generous intelligence and the crack of her whip. Take that! She knows you need what she's got. Bad.

1. What do you know to be true, unquestionably beyond doubt, certain with every cell of your being, completely, passionately, righteously certain?

You know, it's taken me a week to answer this question and now, finally, I've realized that I can't let you sit there waiting for my answers forever, while I think about what it is that I'm certain about. Perhaps it's best to be honest and say... nothing. I don't think I'm that certain of anything. I have been certain about so many things and the jarring proof of my wrongness has always been immediate and in direct proportion to the level of my certainty.

Maybe I'm most certain that it is wise to avoid certainty.

2. What was the dumbest thing that you used to believe in?

That I had to make lots of money to be happy. (more...)

 

busy? ’nuff whining.

Click to watch this week's segment: me bitchin' about people bitchin' about being busy.

 

kissing ass, quantum leaps, and the power of being unqualified

(Disclaimer: this vocational approach does not apply to heart surgeons, shrinks, or pharmacists. Or the guys who engineer bridges.)

I took a survey last week looking for "unqualified successes," trolling for crackerjack people who bypassed the diploma, the pecking order, or the security guard to get to the top of their game. Here's what we surfaced:

The Top 30 College Drop Outs Who Made It Big In Business list, which includes: billionaires Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Steve Jobs - who, by the way, took a Calligraphy class in college...and then dropped out.

Jimi Hendrix couldn't read music. Rachel Ray never went to cooking school.

Colleen in Calgary sent me this great list: John Fluevog went from working in a shoe store to his own shoe empire. Vera Wang was a fashion writer, and of course there was Coco Chanel, who had no formal training. And this was my favourite client story from Tanya in New York, she "traded risk management software to Investment Banks and on Wall Street...with only a fashion design diploma from South Africa." Yah.

Me? I'm The Poster Chick for Unqualified. I never went to college - except when I was in diapers. My mother, being eighteen when she had me, took me to school with her so she could complete her degree. I doodled in psych text books and played with my dollies in the back of the class. You could say I got my B.A. by osmosis. Maybe on a cellular level, I drew on my toddler days at St. Claire College when I formed my own communications company (representing a few Nobel Laureates and some old pop stars,) and managed a fancy think tank in Washington DC (stacked with PhDs). To be clear: I juuust made it the Right Side of the Tracks, and then ran like hell.

One of the best inadvertent decisions I made was to not go to university. I never had a box to get out of. And yah, yah, higher education partially makes the world go round, but I did what was best for me personally. I just couldn't see the necessity of school. I wanted to be in the world - asap.

6 1/2 WAYS TO BUCK THE SYSTEM, WALK THROUGH WALLS, AND EARN QUALIFICATIONS ON YOUR OWN TERMS

1. Kiss some ass. Yep, you can bypass The System, but there are no short cuts to initiation. You are going to have to smile, make coffee, drive that package to the airport with no gas in your car to get it on the FedEx airplane on time, and then race back to clean up after the party.

1 1/2. Kiss some more ass. Offer to work unpaid for two weeks. Give your ideas away for free - chances are you'll be asked to execute those ideas. If your ideas get hijacked, it will push you to learn that you've got more where that came from. If you're hungry enough, you will innovate.

2. Learn through obsession bordering on crazy-stalker. Immerse yourself in the culture of your choice. Swim in the industry. Eat information whole. Subscribe to every newsletter, read every book, attend every conference.

3. Take people for lunch, ask questions ceaselessly. Risk being annoying - it usually comes off as charmingly eager. Ask: what they're reading, what they'd do if they were you, where they see things going, the best advice they ever received. Keep in touch.

4. Get in over your head. Can you deliver within fours weeks? Just say yes, immediately. It doesn't matter that you don't have a staff, let alone a business card. Accept the mission and then figure out how to make it possible. Where there's a yes, there's a doorway.

5. Present yourself as…You. You can fake qualified here 'n there, but you cannot fake passion, essence or originality - and those are the exact qualities that fuel quantum leaps and barrier-obliteration.

6. Look super fine. If you don't think style matters, then you should probably go get a diploma and play by the rules.

EXTRA-CISE: Consider your dreams (the job, the gig, the love of your life). Write out:
: 5 reasons why your dream is ­unreasonable or the odds are stacked against you;
: 10 passions or beliefs;
: 5 persuasive, potentially outrageous actions that will create forward traction.

Then kiss mediocrity goodbye and prepare to move to the front of the line. Muwah!

 

I get around: november report

I was inspired by my friend, the Communicatrix's "What's up" list and thought I'd let you know, well, what's been up.

TELEVISION
I'm the "Career Fire Starter" contributor on Connect with Mark Kelly (CBC TV National). Canadians can tune in at 7 to 9pm East Coast time on Wednesdays for my bit (the show is daily and it's great.) Everyone else, you can watch the segments online!

Click on these links to watch my recent segments (about 4 minutes each):
: Do you hate your job?
: Busting out of 9 to 5

INTERVIEWS
: The muse of Polaroids, Susannah Conway did a great "My Creative Life" interview with me.
: Kelley Diels from Cleavage asked me and a bunch of blogging bookphiles how to get a book deal for Write To Done, where I bitch repetitively about how Jurassic the publishing industry is.
: Life coach Tanya Geilser asked me to tell her some truth and lies. I left out the lies.
: My CBC TV bio lists 11 Things To Know About Me, like...#4. I've never had a cup of coffee. Not even a sip - for no particular reason. and #5. I have a phobia of anesthesia.
: And in case you missed it, I did an audio interview for the Red Lipstick Report.

OTHER PEOPLE'S COOL WORKSHOPS
: I took a two day Transformational Speaking Workshop with the master herself, Gail Larsen. I'll definitely be writing more about what I learned, and felt (because my learning was to feel more, think less...) but do check out her new book in the meantime. She's a teacher's teacher and I'm indebted to her insight and love.
: Gwen Bell, voted one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Social Media" came to Vancouver to do her Mind Body Tech workshop, and over lunch we got an extra heaping of her social web expertise.

PHILANTHROPY
: Everyone should have a 100 Friends Project, like this one started by my friends Yasmina Zaidman and Marlowe Greenberg. 100 friends. $100 bucks each = $10,000 for 1 charity. This round, we're giving to Women for Afghan Women.

FIRE STARTER SESSIONS
I'm booking into mid January for Fire Starter one-on-ones. Email me directly if you want to do a session.

MORE GLAMOR FOR THE ROAD
The talented Anastasia helped me get all Zen and broody in this photo shoot. Meow.

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Hip holiday cards are possible! Click here.

 

burning questions with the communicatrix: from the hip, to the heart

Without exaggeration I can report that some of the Communicatrix's writing has made me laugh so hard that I snortled - in front of people. Her poetry, which she publishes every Thursday, has made me cry multiple times. And she does these Full Monty Makeover ass-kicking assessments for websites, to which I'd like to send 77% of the world wide web - so many could use her high-sensibility whippin's.

Colleen Wainwright's approach to creativity and marketing is like Buddhist-meets-Ninja-meets-BareNaked Ladies, with a lil' Joni Mitchell thrown in. Just when you're all charmed by her sass, she'll throw out some cosmic truth that makes you go "yeah, true dat!" So lean in and listen up. The Communicatrix never fails to say precisely what she means and make you love her for it.

1. What's the dumbest thing that you used to believe?

You will laugh long and hard—and I will join you in this long, hard belly laugh, O Sister of Lessons Hard-Won—but I used to believe that if I was just a good girl and worked hard, everything would be fine.

I cannot tell you how many stupid, sorry years I wasted, not to mention how many opportunities I probably let slip through my fingers, by not Going For It and/or believing in the Limo Shortcut to Success. (more...)

 

vancouver: gwen bell workshop saturday november 28

I'm really thrilled to be hosting Gwen Bell's Mind Body Tech Workshop in Vancouver on Saturday Nov. 28, 10am - 1pm. Location TBD. We're going to have a brand-mind-body-bending blast. Guaranteed.

Also, we'll be having a casual meet up a few nights before the workshop, so come on out! Wednesday Nov 25: Chill Winston in Gastown, 3 Alexander Street. 7pm.

CLICK HERE FOR WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION + REGISTRATION
http://vanmindbodytech.eventbrite.com/

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My Burning Questions with Gwen

 

my 3 answers to those 3 simple success questions

In response to my 3 simple questions to simplify success article. Erika from the very thoughtful LifeBlazing.com wondered out-loud what my answers to these questions were. Hmmm. Good one. Here goes:

1. What do you do (that gives you joy, because why bother if it doesn’t bring you joy)?

First and foremost, I philosophize. It makes me feel wildly free and relatively useful. And that freedom is pure joy. Sometimes though, it makes me feel tangled, lost, and selfish.

In my early twenties, I did a meditation with Barbara Marx Hubbard. I saw two objects: a feather and a gold pen. And I heard very clearly (as if every cell of my being had it's own set of bionic ears,) that my purpose was to evoke the truth. (Just this year I learned that a feather is the Egyptian symbol for truth.) I believe your life purpose is what you say it is, so I decided to take that mission and make it mine.

I philosophize via writing, and speaking - on stage, on TV, online. I aggregate different wisdom sources. I deliver my stuff with transparency, and I pendulum between urgency and a 'whatever, all-in-good time' pace. And while I'm philosophizing and pacing, the result is that other people's truth tends to get piqued.

2. Who cares about what you do?

Meaning seekers and meaning makers. People who think. People who ache with that beautiful longing to live, really live. People who are interested in other people. People who contemplate and generate love ('cause love is a verb, and can't "just" contemplate it.) People who are interested in the thrill of entrepreneurship, of generosity, of financial freedom. Chicks and holistic men who are interested in the deeply divine Feminine, and creative, crazy fulfillment. People who probably read The Artist's Way, The Creative Habit, Good to Great, Alan Watts, Krishnamurti, Ken Wilber, Mary Oliver. They appreciate Oprah, pop culture, the I Ching. A few of them are design fanatics. They recycle, religiously.

3. How do you get to who cares?

TWO WAYS. One is purely energetic, the other is literal and promotional.

Method #1: I "get to people" by being as real as I can possibly be. Authenticity is magnetic, after all. I claim my place as a teacher. I maintain my role as a student. My most stirring and "popular" writing are the pieces that are the most self-revealing, provocative and/or poetic. I put myself at the center of the equation, but I still maintain a deep level of privacy and solitude for myself and the people in my life. (This is why I'm not a diarist.)

Method #2: I broadcast my stuff to the max. Every medium - print, TV, blogs, interviews, stationery, gigs - I am committed to rocking out in multi-media, far and wide.

Why? Because meaning seekers and meaning makers are everywhere.

. . . . . . .

Go to my personal Amazon store for my list of inspirational to business books.

 

3 simple questions to simplify success

1. What do you do (that gives you joy, because why bother if it doesn’t bring you joy)?
2. Who cares about what you do?
3. How do you get to who cares?

That's it - three essential, monumental questions for every entrepreneur. Whether you’re a hairstylist or a blogger, a lawyer or a widget seller, it’s the simplest questions that will illuminate the way. I’ve been using this inquiry strategy for years to build businesses and it never fails to light up what the top priorities are.

Like most simple things, you have to examine each question from every angle to fully glean its elegance and power. No matter what stage of growth your company is in, the answers to these questions should drive your daily actions.

Let’s use a hairstylist for example. {I happen to think hair stylists are seriously powerful citizens. You want to firmly plant an idea in the minds of thousands of people? Tell a hairdresser. He or she has the rapt attention of dozens of people a week. Salons are hotbeds of news and inspiration.} Back to success...

ROLE PLAY WITH A HAIR STYLIST

YOUR PRODUCTS + SERVICES. Most entrepreneurs actually “do” more than they perceive. Examine the benefits and the unintended positive consequences of what you give or make. Look for the deeper meaning of the result of your work.

1. What do you do (that gives you joy)?
Stylist says: “I cut hair.”
Me: No, really, what do you do?
Stylist: “I make people feel beautiful.”
Me: Uh huh. You’re getting it.
Stylist: “I’m a healer who happens to give highlights.”
Me: If you say so, then BINGO!

YOUR MARKET. Pay careful attention to who you actually attract ... how do the people who buy your services or use your content/product see the world, what do they read, where do they shop, who do they listen to, what are their values?

2. Who cares about what you do?
Stylist: “Humans with hair.”
Me: Could you be more specific?
Stylist: “Women...People who want to look great...Women between 20 and 50 who want the best possible cut and colour for under $100 ... and like to talk about personal growth and baking.”
Me: Excellent. That is YOUR market. And the only market you need to care about is your own.

MARKETING TO YOUR MARKET. Effectively accessing your audience means that you’re reaching as much of your market with the least amount of effort. Quality + Quantity + Leverage. Repeat that to yourself before you spending a dime on marketing. Look for leverage points, vocalizers, mavens, influencers to spread the word for you ... from the right trade show or celebrity, to the local socialite or class president.

3. How do you access who cares?
Stylist: “With business cards and an ad in the yellow pages.”
Me: Is that how the majority of YOUR market comes to you?
Stylist: “I get my very best clients by word of mouth referrals.”
Me: Whose word brings you YOUR market?
Stylist: “Becky the Realtor tells everyone. Janice is a total maven, she’s sent me at least ten clients. And Josie with the bakery and the flaming red bob ... she’s so well connected.”
Me: Great. Give them each a free hair cut and a stack of business cards.

The formula for success is usually so simple it takes some time to really see it. The answers may take a while to find. Keep peeling back the layers until you come to the most elegant truth. Because the truth is what works. Simple.

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check out the business books I dig the most

 

3 keys to un-branding…and why I changed my twitter name

{my ego implores me to note that this has been re-tweeted 70+ times...the tweet-app re-set to zero for some mysterious reason. I say this because, that's way cool!, and to make known that a lot of people identified with the sentiments of branding from the heart - and actually changed their twitter names! xo Danielle}

In my commitment to live bolder, truer, Me'er, I've got to be clear that I am not "a brand." (Yep, that's rather strange for a "branding expert" to say.) I earn my living by teaching about what I live. And it never fails that the more transparent I am, the more useful I seem to be.

It's tricky shit because I'm also deeply private. I ask more questions than I answer. I struggle with privacy issues and interruptions make me mental. Most of the time, I prefer to be invisible. And yet I'm very upfront about the fact that, vocationally speaking, I'll be thrilled to be a household name someday. I consider contradictions a hobby.

When your persona starts to wag your person, you've got trouble.

So with all that introvert-extrovert creative tension I have to keep my persona in check. And it occurred to me that ever so subtly, I might be setting myself up to hide behind my brand. That I might be creating products and images that hemmed me in in the future. And while good branding makes for good commerce, it can be a real drag for freeing your art.

When I changed my Twitter name last week from @whitehottruth to @daniellelaporte I got some questions. (If you tweet, twit, twitter, then you know that your twitter handle is a very big deal.) @stephendavis02 wanted to know if my name was taken before and just got freed up? @ealvarezgibson wondered if my account had been hijacked. When @chrisguillebeau asked what was up, I told him I just got out of the witness protection program.

Names are hugely important. And yeah baby, White Hot Truth is damn sexy. That's why I named my site that. But I’m not my site. Or my books. Or the stuff I make.

As Paula Cole puts it:

I am not the person who is singing
I am the silent one inside
I am not the one who laughs at people's jokes, I just pacify their egos.
I am not my house, my car, my songs
those are only stops along they way
I am like the winter
I'm a dark cold female
with a golden ring of wisdom in my cave.

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic. But so am I. Stay with me.

3 KEYS TO GENUINE BRANDING...or UN-BRANDING. YOUR CHOICE.

1. Keep it pointed to where you want it to go. What do you want to be known for next year, and for years after that? If Twyla Tharp were on Twitter I think she’d go by twylatharp, not “creativehabit.” @EckhartTolle tweets, and he's not “PowerOfNow". Think like a legend.

2. Live artfully. I couldn’t bare to lock myself into a “brand” that I felt restricted by. I’ve done that and it hurts. A lot. I want to live like as an artist and it's the "designer" kind of business model that works best for me. Donna Karan is "Donna Karan". That leaves her free to do cashmere, fragrances, and Urban Zen. Keep your essence at the helm and you can't go wrong.

3. Walk proud. Take deep breaths when you need to - it's not always easy being authentic. Within a day of changing my Twitter name I got all strange and unsettled about it. Zoinks. Was that a bad move? Are my re-tweets going to plummet? I emailed my assistant and asked her if I'd screw up anything by reversing it...then quickly emailed her back and told her to ignore me.

Learning to trust that you're enough, without a gimmick or a sidekick or a discount offering takes some faith and practice.

If you’re selling widgets or scaling a company that you want to sell off someday, then packaging is paramount. If you're selling your soul - in the best possible way, remember that a little theatre goes a long way, but you still need to show up on stage as the real you. And when you do, applause will follow.

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calling all crazy paper people! cool new stationery line.