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I’m going to try something a bit different with today’s message and I’ll explain why.
I appreciate you subscribing to my newsletter so by design, I aim to share new and unique content that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
However, I also have a podcast that provides valuable answers to your most pressing questions and can help you get unstuck. Last week I wrote an article for Entrepreneur magazine highlighting key takeaways from recent podcast episodes.
So, I’m going to partially break my own rule by re-sharing some of the content from that article.
Reason being, I usually spend a few hours listening to podcasts over the weekend so this feels like a perfect time for me to introduce you to some of the amazing guests I’ve chatted with.
Before we hop into that, I’d also like to thank everyone who applied to be on my podcast by completing the exercises provided in last week’s email. Your responses were inspiring and I appreciate the feedback as well.
If selected, you’ll be hearing from my team this month. Either way, we’ll be reaching out with a special thanks.
And I should mention that you always have a chance to appear on my podcast by following the directions provided at the end of this issue.
So grab your headphones and a notepad.
Whether you need to come up with your next business idea, build your brand, or just get unstuck, these episodes are packed with valuable information you can immediately take action on.
Shaquille O’Neal: Delegation is the key to unlocking opportunities
While chatting with Shaq I asked him to share the one question almost nobody asks him, but they should, because his advice would be so valuable.
“How do I do so much? And the answer is delegation. For example, if I was going to own an African American successful media company, I’d call you brother. Cause I know you’re educated. I know you’re smart. I know you’re well respected in the business and I’m not gonna micromanage you. I’d call you once a week. I’m not gonna do any work. I’m calling you. I delegate and I don’t micromanage. That’s how I can own a bunch of things and still be here in my country and state.”
I’m pretty sure Shaq offered me a job, I’ll keep you posted on that.
Pat Flynn: Become part of the audience you want to build
When you’re trying to build an audience, it’s tempting to dive in and offer what you think the audience would like. Instead, Pat says that you ought to become part of the audience – that way you know what their likes and dislikes are, what annoys them, what key terms they use, and the gaps in the market that you can fill.
“I think empathy is so key, and it’s impossible to empathize with somebody or a group of people who you just met for the first time,” Pat said.
One of the easiest ways to learn more about your audience is social listening. Just look for people and organizations they’re already following on social media and read the comments. You’ll be amazed at the insights you’ll gain in just a few hours.
T.I.: Don’t let other people’s opinions cloud your vision
T.I. has come up with plenty of ideas that have led to numerous entrepreneurial ventures. He said that one key is keeping your vision to yourself when it’s in the early phases.
“Your vision is yours for a reason. My vision is mine for a reason. Usually, the first thing we do when we get a vision is we take it to the people around us and say, ‘Hey, look, this is what I had an idea of doing.’ And they’ll probably (because of their fears, their failures because they don’t believe that they could do it because it’s not their vision), they would say, ‘Nah, that ain’t gonna work.’”
The worst part of this? If you let your friends talk you out of a good idea, when you see someone else making that vision happen, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.
Tanner Chidester: If you’re not willing to send some DMs to grow your business, you probably need to change your perspective
One thing that Tanner Chidester said he encounters while coaching is the lack of grit for the startup phase. When you have a big idea and no team, you are going to need to power through some less-than-pleasant jobs – but the good news is, there are worse things than sending sales emails or DMs.
“People forget, I did door-to-door sales for eight months, six days a week, 12 hours a day,” Tanner said. “I’ve told people doing that was harder than building a 20 million per year business. He continues “I’ve had guns pulled on me [and] knives. So I think people, they don’t really understand what it takes to be successful.”
Fortunately, resilience is a choice, and Tanner provided more information on how you can take on challenging situations.
Amy Porterfield: Courage and confidence are different things
Don’t have the confidence to make your next bold move? No problem. Amy Porterfield explains how you can still move forward.
“I always say that confidence is something that comes when you start to see a track record,” Amy said. You start with small steps, you see small progress, and your confidence grows. “Courage happens when you don’t have a track record yet, you have no proof this is going to work. You’re going to take a leap of faith, you’re going to have courage to move forward because you know you want it badly enough. And so we all have to start with courage over confidence because courage will absolutely be there before confidence ever will.”
Want to be my next guest?
I want to help you get unstuck so you can multiply your revenue potential. And, I’d love to chat with you about it on my podcast. Here’s how to make it happen.
First, leave a review on your favorite podcast platform and share at least one thing you’ve learned from a previous episode. It can be one of those listed above or any other episode that has been released.
Then, share that review as an Instagram story and tag me at @itsterryrice and Entrepreneur magazine using the handle @entrepreneur.
One last step. Screenshot your review and complete this Google Form.
We’ll then select participants to appear on the show so you can share more about your business and receive a real-time coaching session from me.
This will be an ongoing opportunity but you must post your story by August 31st in order to be considered for the first round of guest appearances.
I’m off to the Bronx Zoo with my kids now, have an amazing weekend and I’m looking forward to hearing your feedback!