By Ben Arment
"It is entirely possible to wake up each day and do what you love."
Not only is it possible, but it's your responsibility!
What do you excel at?
For me, I excel at teaching, speaking, and inspiring others. I also have a knack for technology, allowing me to build tools that other can use.
Although I love to write, listen to (and play) music, do yoga, and meditated - these are hobbies - not my business.
Making the distinction between dream and dreamer. In contemplating going back to work after 8+ years on my own, I recalled how I used to be able to sell for other companies without fear. What I did was on behalf of my company, and I didn't take rejection personally. If someone said no, they weren't saying no to me, they were saying no to the company I represented.
As a freelancer, the challenge is in selling services I don't have anyone but myself to perform. Granted, I am using a set of tools and templates that make the work easier, but I'm still the one doing the work. As a result, I'm a reluctant seller. I want people to use the same tools, but don't want to do the work. I need customers to fund the growth of tools like PubWriter and AuthorDock, but all the income I earn has been getting put back into those tools (mostly in the form of my own labor).
The difference is when I sold for the companies I worked for, I wasn't the one who actually did the work. Instead, I was paid to sell the work. Commissions motivated me because it was the leverage I had to increase my earnings. Today, rather than commissions motivating me, I am demotivated by the fact it's I who will be giving up my time when the client accepts my proposal.
What if instead, I stepped beside myself? What if instead, I saw myself as a sales agent for talented designers, editors, and copywriters? I'd no longer be on the hook, but rather would earn a commission which I would have more control over.
The moment YOU are the one doing the work, YOUR earning is limited by what YOU are able to charge for your time.
Instead, as Ben suggests: * Your dream demands a clear division of duties between the dream and the dream. * Your dream is a separate entity. It has it's own tax ID. It's not you. You must be the dream CEO, but not the dream itself. * The CEO is never reluctant to pick up the phone, delegrate tasks, or make the asks needed to move the prime objectives of the company (defined by the board of advisors).
Dream Co requires some essential roles who are your board of advisors: finance, operations, marketing/sales, strategic (new business).
There's three key aspects to your day-to-day operations and that form the existence of dream co. Without them, dream co would not exist. 1. Strategic BizDev 2. Sales & Marketing 3. Operations & Accounting
I've determined what's easiest for me to sell is enrolling others so they can lend their talents to others.
AuthorDock provides a training module that can be delivered to paying subscribers over a predefined schedule. PubWriter provides the means to create a signup page to enroll students. It's a model I can bring to others.
"Discovering your dream is about finding your sweet spot. It’s where these four components — passion, demand, platform, and giftedness — come together in one coordinated expression."
"To be original requires a new way of looking at your industry. Rather than making lists of inspiration, trolling the Web, or copying the ideas of other people — start with a list of rules. Identify the conventions by which your industry operates. Then ask why those rules exist. And break them."
It's not your job to say no for other people, it's theirs.
Reluctance may be a matter of motive.
You're not asking them to do what you want, you're asking them to do what they want. They key is to frame the ask around their dream, or to enroll them in to yours. It's a collaboration and win-win. When you get a no, you simply haven't found the individual with the dream yet. In other words - it's not that your idea is getting rejected - it's that the idea has not found the right person. It may be a matter of refining your pitch, adapting your dream to fit the needs of others, or simply a misdirected ask.
"Life shrinks or expands according to one's courage." ~ Anais Nin
An original idea by Kevin Kelly
My adaption: 2,500 True fans or 250. Depends on your offering. If you can get $1000/year from 250 people, that's $250,000/year. If you can get $100 from 2,500 people, that's $250,000/year. Shoot for it.
Other summaries: * http://todhilton.com/reads/dream-year-by-ben-arment/