I did a guest post for Ramit Sethi this week on his blog I Will Teach You to be Rich where I discussed some common fears that hold you back from starting your business and how to overcome them.
Ramit’s lead-in to my post cracked me up:
A couple weeks ago, my friend Pamela Slim sent me her book. To be honest, I was worried. She had recently written positively about my book, and she writes about entrepreneurship on her blog, but her audience is pretty different than mine — typically older and more female than iwillteachyoutoberich — and I thought her book might have too many emotional/spiritual components like “Tell yourself that you can do it every morning!” I hate emotions. I tell my friends to call me an Emotional Robot because I care about the tactics, not how you feel. Witness my cold, listless countenance for people who ask, “Is it a good time to invest?”
But I was REALLY surprised at how tactical this book is.
Yes Ramit, all my “fairies and rainbows” advice got edited out of the book, darnit!
And I set him straight on my male/female ratio, which is pretty much even.
We snuck in an extra few pages from the book for the post, uploaded on Scribd. Check out Top excuses and tactics. Why haven’t you started your own business?
My favorite reader comment from “Joel”, perfect for Mother’s Day:
My mom is a corporate auditor for a regional bank. I’ve been pushing her to quit working 12 hours a day and become an audit consultant but she’s too scared. I didn’t have a Mother’s Day gift for her. Thanks to this post & Saturday delivery from Amazon, I got her something she can actually use.
The “no time” excuse is simply phenomenal. I wouldn’t have time to start something either if I watched 4 hours of TV at night. I find that other excuses fall in line with keeping things status quo. Nothing is going to change while I sit and watch SportsCenter.
.-= Brian Webb´s last blog ..TV-Induced Sleep Deprivation – Hooray!! Poll included! =-.
I’m excited that you *do* teach techniques and tactics. It is needed.
I tell my couples all the time behavioral change is what changes your life, not just insight.
Thanks for a blog and book filled not only with insight, but real things to grasp and use.
I am LOVING reading your stuff- I’ve spent the last hour poking through your blog. So inspiring, and inspiration is what I need right now as I figure out who I want to help (aspiring artists) and how to do it. And that I can also do other things I’m passionate about at the same time. I am a little giddy at this!
Katana Barnett’s last blog post..Talk Like That- Artist Talks
I linked into your world through Bob Sutton’s blog, and picked up your book before boarding a tranatlantic flight last week. I’m a mid-fifty’s american expat living for three years in the Netherlands, presently parting from my (big) US firm to launch a (tiny) startup in the Netherlands. I’ve been planning the business in order to keep my connections alive to innovation, people, and Europe, and am learning how to solve the many details of forming a solo enterprise outside the US.
As I drove to Amsterdam to sign the incorporation papers today, I caught up with 14 of your podcasts along the way. Your recommendations hit on so many of the same issues that I’ve identified, and I kept having to pull over to scribble a note in my planning book. “Cash flow” and “When is your brand good enough” were especially helpful.
With luck, everything will lift off in a couple of months, and I really appreciate being able to check my thinking against your advice and your guest’s experiences. Most of it translates well across borders and languages; thanks and keep up the great work!
Dave Hampton’s last blog post..Thrills and Chills
Like it. What I love most about your work all along is the right blend between practical and emotional. Tactics are important, but the reality is we are human beings (wow~ radical… not sure if that falls into rainbows and faeries). So that piece is always at the crux and foundation. It is the engine behind the to-dos. There is equal danger between the field of dreams “build it/dream it/ people will come” all or nothing approach and the fully devoid of emotion “tactics and tools 24X7”. Both can lead you up a stream without a paddle. Thankfully your approach and book provides the stream, boat, paddle, map, and a plan.
Paula G’s last blog post..Are You Climbing the Career Ladder?
One of the things I appreciate most about your work is that you address both the emotional/mental and the action/tactics aspects of self-employment. The emotional/mental stuff can distort action/tactics, leaving heaps of Accidental Entrepreneurs thinking about but not actually starting a business. The best action steps are useless when our fears and prejudices keep us from taking them.
Molly Gordon’s last blog post..Eagle Cam
Nice! Pam, whether you meant to or not, you’ve mastered the key to active inspiration. I love what ‘Joel’ had to say too – four wisdoms in one comment – not bad at all! He’s got his mom’s best interests at heart, understands the fear and knows to get her something helpful and he’s taken advantage of one of the world’s best Mom Cheats, Amazon’s ability to get you what you need when you need it. And Pam, I know he hit the mark with this one! Great gift, great book, great job!