Cofounder and CEO of Fizzle. Entrepreneur for a decade. Blogger, podcaster, lifestyle business builder.
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Something really stuck with me after reading the amazing four-part blog post series at Wait But Why about Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX. In the first article in the series, Elon Musk: The World’s Raddest Man, author Tim Urban notes “… he [Elon Musk] refuses to advertise for Tesla, something most startup car companies wouldn’t think twice about — because he sees advertising as manipulative and dishonest.” (emphasis mine)
Let’s be honest about two things for a minute: 1) we all procrastinate sometimes, and 2) procrastinating has benefits. When we procrastinate, we often work on things that are simply easier or more enjoyable than the things we’re putting off. Sometimes we play. Sometimes we nap. Sometimes we tackle another project that just seems more fun right now. These are all good things on their own.
On this week's episode of Lifestyle Business Weekly, we answer a great question from listener Paul Minors: I’d love some help with growing product revenue. I’d love to hear your advice around the steps you would take after launching a digital product to get more revenue from it.
You’ve heard the advice: when creating your first product, you should aim for a minimum viable product. In other words, the smallest thing you can put out in the world to test whether customers really want it.
This week I launched a new podcast, called Lifestyle Business Weekly (listen on iTunes here). It’s based on the weekly curated email and video series I’ve been publishing for the past five weeks. If you’re interested in independent entrepreneurship and lifestyle businesses, check out the podcast, I think you’ll like it. And if you leave a review in iTunes, I'll love you forever, because your review will help the show get noticed during the essential first couple of weeks.
Last Saturday, our friend Scott Dinsmore died while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He was just 33 years old. Scott and his wife Chelsea were eight months into a year-long trip around the world.
I just launched a new weekly video show, and the first two episodes are available today! Lifestyle Business Weekly is a show and weekly email for people interested in lifestyle business and independent entrepreneurship.
Confused about personal branding? Let’s clear it up in about 200 words. Personal branding means marketing yourself and your career as a brand. You become a brand.
“It started as a whim in a coffee shop,” explains Joseph Michael, creator of Learn Scrivener Fast, an online course that teaches students how to use the popular writing program Scrivener. “I had been trying to get a pizza delivery job, but got rejected over and over. I just wanted to make some extra dough on the side.” The pun may have been intentional, but there was nothing funny about Joseph’s financial situation back then.
The odds are stacked against you. It’s true. I’m often amazed at how many people decide to try to build small businesses online, despite the odds. Maybe it’s naivete. Maybe it’s egotism. Maybe it’s bravery. Probably it’s a combination of all three. I think you need all three to succeed as an entrepreneur.