Private Victory [dot] com

Don't Die On This Hill

Today is my father's birthday and I've been thinking about the lessons he's taught me over the years. Here is one of them...

About 10 years ago, I had a federal lawsuit filed against me. I had one opinion about the situation and the guy suing me had another. My attorney thought we could fight it.

As you can imagine, something like this is pretty scary. I was talking it over with my father and he told me, "Don't die on this hill."

That doesn't necessarily mean that you should roll over and stop the fight, but even if you can win, realize that there is a price you'll have to pay. You'll use money, time, energy, and other resources that might be better used elsewhere.

In short, don't get caught up in "the priciple" and lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes it's better to walk away and use your energy and resources to create something brand new.

Your Wife...In Bed With Another Man

After everything that's gone done in the last couple of weeks, I've gotten a few emails and comments which have basically said, "I want to pick your brain about some of the things you do to stay centered and grounded."

When it comes to being relaxed under pressure, I have one goal...

I want to be the guy who can walk in on his wife in bed with another man and keep cool.

Think about it. This is a situation that has allowed people to get away with murder. The defense? "He saw his wife in bed with another man and went crazy!!"

But it's not really worth going crazy over, is it? Maybe your wife is a bitch and you're better off without her. Or maybe it's something where you should jump in and join the action! There are a million options when something like this happens and most of them have nothing to do with losing your cool.

The bottom line is, even when something "bad" happens, life goes on and you're going to be ok. So why sweat it?

So how to do get to this point? Here are some things that I've found helpful...

1. Quiet Time Every Morning - Personally, I do pranayama for about 30 minutes. Your version of this may be prayer or meditation, reading inspirational material, taking a warm bath, or going for a walk. I feel the most important aspect isn't what you do, but having an activity that is free of distractions, such as mobile phones, news, computers, kids, or other people.
   
   
2. Physical Exercise Each Day - Exercise has been proven to improve mood, boost energy, and decrease depression. All of these things help when you come under stress.
   
   
3. No Meat (and Very Limited Animal Products) - I stopped eating meat in 1997. I feel better and more "balanced" because of it. Your results may vary.
   
   
4. No Alcohol - Alcohol is one way of dealing with the stresses of life, but the downside far outweighs the positive, in my opinion. Not hear to preach, so I'll leave it at that.
   
   
5. A Good Friend - It's nice to be able to bounce things you're dealing with off a third party. A good friend, who knows where you're coming from, can help you to see aspects of situations  that may not be obvious when you're directly involved.

Best wishes in your quest to keep cool under pressure!

I'm Back, Bitches!

One week ago, a major income stream for my company was cut off.

Today, everything is back to normal. Almost.

My "money" stuff is back to normal, but during the past few days, I've been implementing a plan to make sure a situation like this never happens again. I still plan to go through with it, so that's going to change a few things.

In short, the plan is:

1. Renew my focus to ship quality goods.
2. Diversity income streams, so losing one product, retail outlet, or distributor is painless.

I am very dedicated to this. Funny how one experience and just a few days can jumpstart such massive action.

 The timeline of everything went down...

Wednesday: Got notice our distribution contract had been terminated. Immediately called The Big Boss and we composed an email in an attempt to find out more details and get back in.

Thursday: Composed a second email, backing up the previous one with documentation that we're a good partner for this company and want to continue to work with them. Felt like crap all day.

Friday: As we hadn't received a response, we started working on a plan to "go around" the problem. New distribution, revised products, formation of a new company, etc. Felt a little better. Got a massage.

Saturday: As it was both the weekend and New Year's Eve, we didn't expect to hear anything back...and didn't. Physically, I was back to normal. Did a yoga class and went for a hike.

Sunday: Still nothing... Hit the gym.

Monday: Checked out what I'd have to do in order to form a new company, which was part of my plan to diversity things. Would have set everything up that day, but, as the government was observing New Year's Day, I wasn't able to.

Tuesday: Formed new company. Filed with state, got new Tax ID, etc.

Wednesday: Got email from distribution company that "After reviewing your response, we have reinstated your account."

As I'm typing this, I'm thinking, "The sitation sounds really simple." Perhaps on one level, but on another, there were a thousand little things that went into it becuase of what I've experienced since starting my business 1995.

Even the similar distribution situation that happend just a week earlier, and my response to it, affected how I handed this one. What would have happened to "the big one" had I not had the smaller deal fall through?

If you're going through a similar experience, my advice is to trust that you'll use the lessons you've learned so far and, even if things don't "work out" for you, know that you're at least developing skills that will be useful in the future. In addition, I think it's important that you force yourself to "step away" from the situation. For me, this usually involves doing something physical, like hitting the gym; something that will help me get out of my head and more into my body.

Overall, this situation was a good experience. Nothing wakes your ass up more than having a part of your income zeroed out. Thanks to this, I'm much more focused for the new year and everybody involved in my business, from the distribution company to the end customers, will benefit.

I am very, very grateful.

Hot tub. Full of water. Will make you sweat.

Is there anything weird about grown men getting together in a hot tub?

Maybe...when it's at a YMCA. The hot tub at the Illuminati House is a totally different ballgame though.

At least that was the logic I used...

Seriously, a hot tub is a great place to get to know somebody or get advice. You're relaxed and you don't have distractions, like mobile phones and computers. Plus, since you can't take notes, you have to be present if you want to remember what's being said.

ADVICE FROM THE HOT TUB

The biggest thing I walked away with was my time in the Illuminati hot tub is that everything is part of the process and nothing is a big deal, unless you want it to be. If you get divorced, go broke, declare bankruptcy, have all your money stolen, go to jail, lose your house, have health issues, or whatever else, you don't have to be derailed. Everything is a learning experience.

About ten years ago, I was on the receiving end of a federal lawsuit. Mentioned this and the response was, "Only one?"

You've probably heard the "enjoy the process" thing a million times. Or similar advice, such as "it's the journey, not the destination." I have too. However, sitting down with a few guys and hearing them list off dozens of things that could have kept them from where they are today and how they kept going totally took my understanding of how important this is to a new level and made the little things I was fearing seem like nothing.

If you're not connected with people playing at this level, I highly recommend making that happen. Playing in the "Little League" may be comfortable for your ego, but it's not good for your business.

"The Plan" - Two Weeks In

It's been two weeks since I got back from Toronto, where spent a few days coming up with a plan to help my efforts to both get more done and downsize.

The plan was to...

• Start at 8am
• Follow Daily Morning Routine of Yoga and Meditation
• Have a Healthy Breakfast
• Write on New Book for 60 Minutes
• Check Email for 30 Minutes
• Take a Break and Eat Lunch
• Hit the Gym
• Finish Open Projects*
• Shut Everything Down by Midnight

*Open projects currently include editing already written manuscripts, marketing stuff (big ideas) for projects that we're currently developing, checking in with project managers, finish producing about 12 audio books we have in the works, and about 12-15 other things, which all involve creative marketing related tasks like writing sales copy and slogans.

How it is coming? Glad you asked!

I've done pretty well about staying on task for continuing to develop our passive streams of income. I'm great when it comes to getting most things done (even if it's eventually) as well as the "big picture" stuff that I can outsource to other people on the team.

Where I fail is actually sitting down to do "important" work, which right now is the book I'm currently writing. That has taken a lot of focus as well as energy, which is one of the reasons I have breaks built on throughout my day.

Obviously there is some procrastination on this particular project and I think it has a lot to do with how important it is. I wouldn't say that there is a lot riding on it, because I'll be fine with or without another successful book, but in many ways, this is the most important book I've ever written, because it's going to contain a good chunk of what I've learned from working in the music business since 1995 and what I feel will allow musicians to prosper in the current environment, which most consider to be very crazy. Plus, there are a lot of people waiting on it.

You would think that knowing a lot of people want what you've got would make a project more exciting to create, but even thought I'm not somebody who feels a lot of pressure regarding most business things, I'm finding that the pressure has affected me more than I would have imagined.

So here is what I'm doing...

I'm focusing on writing daily, putting in as much time as I'm able to give my "best" work, and basically ignoring the release schedule I set for myself. Probably the biggest reason I've had any success with business has been my ability to consistently take little actions, which added up to bigger actions.

Is the writing always great? I'm so close to the project that it's tough to tell, but probably not. Am not worrying about that though. I'll have editors to help me piece everything together. May hire a ghostwriter to tighten things up as well.

The important thing for me is to keep going, trusting that the process will get me the results I want.

The Downsize - Part 2

THE FIRST POST IN THIS SERIES IS HERE.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I'm in the process of downsizing my physical environment, getting rid of things that no longer serve me. Old computers, books, electronics, and other household and office items.

There are plenty of good reasons for me to do this, but the main one is because all of my "stuff" is taking energy from me that I feel would be better spent elsewhere. Because of this, I'm also in the process of "downsizing" the non-physical things I deal with as well.

I am currently looking at all of the business projects I'm involved with, evaluating how much I get from these projects in terms of happiness, ease, sense of accomplishment, and other aspects I want more of. In addition, I'm looking at all non-business activities.

I'm leaving town tomorrow, taking five days in Toronto to evaluate everything and come up with a plan of action. During this time, here are a few of the questions I'll be asking myself about each activity and project I am currently involved with.

• How much time does it take?
• How much energy does it take?
• Do I enjoy it?
• What is the monetary payoff?
• What is the emotional payoff?

I've been thinking about this for the last month, so I have some kind of idea of what I'll put into place when I get back, but nothing has been written in stone.

Something to keep in mind, if you're thinking about doing something similar, is just because something worked for you at one time doesn't mean it's still working for you. Because of this, I think the best way to really get clear on what you want is to approach everything with an open mind, be curious, looking at things as a beginner would, and seeing if current beliefs and activities hold water now.

When I do get my plan together, I'll be posting it here, along with updates as to how it is working and what I'm doing to make it work better.

 

The Downsize

Have been pretty fascinated with the current minimalist trend and have decided over the last few days that it's something I need to make happen.

But how far should I go? That's something I'm getting clear on now.

I live in a fairly large place. It's about 2500 square feet with  four bedrooms and five bathrooms. When I got it, I was planning ahead, thinking I'd be married soon. Plus, I like to work from home, so I need space for that, right?

Then I got in and realized it's a little more than I need...

It's not that having "a lot" of space isn't nice, but like an extra shelf, it's easy to fill it up with junk when you don't have a purpose for it. Beyond that though, I think that having less to work with can be valuable in that it forces us to get more creative and think about the decisions we're making.

Same goes for money. I think having less money at the beginning of my business than my friends who took outside funding was actually a blessing, since I had to be very aware of what I spent money on. This skill has helped me to survive, while everybody I know who took outside money is now out of business.

Sometimes "more" of whatever it is can be an energy suck. But "more" can be nice also... The challenge for me has been figuring out a balance. I like the space, but have realized that I'm much more happy when it's not completely filled. And I like a lot of the "stuff" I have, but I don't need as much of it.

My project manager told me about some guy, one of those "pro blogger" types, who was writing about minimalism and how he only has five shirt, a couple pair of pants, and get his entertainment from books he checks out from a library. I'm totally cool with that, but it's not for me.

With the ups and downs of entrepreneurship as well as being single and without the support that a wife or significant other would bring, I find having a comfortable space is helpful to my peace of mind. So I've decided to keep the house (and all its space).

What I'm getting rid of...

• Books - I've had a Kindle for the last couple of years, but still have a lot of paperback books that I've either kept for reference or haven't gotten around to reading yet. That's all going. If I need something in the future, I'll buy it again.
  
   
• CDs - Being in the music business since 1995, I've gotten thousands of promo albums. And as a music fan, I've purchased a lot of music as well, much of it on CD. Not sure how many I have right now, but probably around 3000.
  
  I took a step to reduce the space my music collection took several years ago by removing the booklets and CDs from the jewel cases they came in and putting everything in binders. The way music is consumed is changing though. I don't even own a stereo anymore...
  
  Converted most of it to MP3 a couple of years ago, but even that seems outdated now. Earlier this year, I uploaded about 30,000 to Amazon Cloud Player, but with the launch of services such as Spotify, which let me play a flat rate to listen to almost anything I'd want to, even a personal "music locker" seems like overkill now. 
  
   
• Guitars - I was born in Nashville. Everybody plays guitar here and I am no exception. I used to play all the time. Was in bands and playing professionally for about 10 years. My college degree is in music.
  
  But I'm not playing right now... So I have no use for the amount of guitars I have. 
  
  Giving them away to a music school for underprivileged kids in hope that somebody will be able to benefit from music as much as I have.
  
   
• Computers - I replace my computer every couple of years, not because I have to have the latest and greatest, but because newer equipment means less chance of a hardware failure...and data loss.
  
  But computers are kind of a bitch to get rid of. You can't throw them away and the data they contain is important...
  
  Because of this, I've slacked on recycling (or giving away) a couple of computers. No more.
  
   
• Hard Drives - Since I'm moving more and more of my data to the cloud, I no longer have use for multiple hard drives.
  
   
• Clothes - I'm at the gym daily. Because of this, most of the time, I'm wearing sweats. No reason to have as many clothes as I do.
  
   
• Various Electronics - Every piece of electronic equipment that I get comes with cables, power cords, adapters, and other things that I either already have or don't need. Going through everything to get rid of outdated stuff as well as duplicates.

There are plenty of good reasons for me to do this, but the main one is because all of my "stuff" is taking energy from me that I feel would be better spent elsewhere. In addition to physical things, there are also some other things I need to get in order. 

More on those shortly... 

30-Day Writing Challenge - The Recap

For the last 30 days, I've been participating in a writing challenge around "writing prompts" based on Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Each day, including today (Day 31), I'd get something in my email box, think about it for a second, and write my thoughts here.

I was a little hesitant to sign up for this, but since I'm currently working on a new book, I thought it would be a good experiement for me in that it could force (or at the least, gently nudge) me to write daily. That was the main thing I wanted out of it.

Got about three days into it, wasn't really feeling the prompts, since I felt they weren't always a good match for this blog, and almost quit. Decided to stick it out though, although, considering it's Day 31 and I'm still getting prompts via email, I guess I'm quitting after all.

What I learned from it:

1. I don't follow rules.
   
   As mentioned above, I wasn't really into a lot of the prompts. This is my blog though and I can do whatever I want on it, so I just decided to make them fit a little better. Problem solved.
   
   This got me thinking... Sometimes it doesn't make sense to follow the rules. Just because they work for somebody else doesn't mean they'll work for you. Might as well embrace it and be bold when you break them, rather than try some half-ass "stretch" that will leave nobody happy.
   
    
2. It was limiting...sort of.
   
   I like writing about whatever it is I'm feeling that day. That's how this blog is different from something like my blog on music marketing. Here, I write posts (or don't write posts) depending on how I feel and everything I've written here is published immediately rather than scheduled to post later.
   
   Having a daily writing prompt changed the way I do things. I had to find inspiration rather than allow it to happen on its own. Nothing wrong with that though as it's how most things get done. A surgeon doesn't wait for "inspiration" to do surgery; he suits up, sanitizes everything, and does it when it needs to be done.
   
    
3. I'm not as "personal" as others.
   
   One of the cool things about this experiment was that other people were doing it with me. You could search for the hashtag on Twitter and immediately be connected to people who were writing about the same thing you were writing about.
   
   The "community" aspect of this was very cool. It was interesting to see how you could find meaning in a prompt and another person would find a totally different meaning, even though the prompt was the same. 
   
   One of the things I noticed is that I'm not as "personal" as others, which is a little strange, considering this is the most personal blog I have. As I've been working on my new book during the last 30 days, it got me thinking about how I approach things of a personal nature and I have made the commitment to bring that aspect to it.

Enthusiasm!

NOTE: This is Day 21 of a 30-day writing challenge. As I'm not in charge of the "prompts" I receive to write about, some of the topics discussed during this challenge may not directly have to do with this blog's topic of entrepreneurship. But I'll try to make them fit... :)
 

"Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

I've been working with musicians professionally since 1995. Can't tell you how many times I've heard something along the lines of, "We need a big crowd to really let loose on stage."

Uhhh... No.

At least not if you're a professional.

Professionals don't wait for outside factors to get excited about something. They're excited regardless of who is in the audience, how many people they're going to reach with their message, or whether or not they're being paid. These things help, of course, as it's nice to get feedback in the form of attention or money, but true professionals do whatever it is they do regardless of either.

If you're in something just for the money, there is probably an easier way to make that happen. Think about it. No reason to work harder than you have to.

How to Make Decisions

NOTE: This is Day 18 of a 30-day writing challenge. As I'm not in charge of the "prompts" I receive to write about, some of the topics discussed during this challenge may not directly have to do with this blog's topic of entrepreneurship. But I'll try to make them fit... :)
 

"Greatness appeals to the future. If I can be firm enough to-day to do right, and scorn eyes, I must have done so much right before as to defend me now. Be it how it will, do right now. Always scorn appearances, and you always may." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

When looking at an opportunity, I think about these three things...

1. What's the best outcome that can happen?
2. What's the worst outcome that can happen?
3. Can I live with the worst outcome?

If I can live with the worst outcome, I usually go for it.