During a session of What Would an Entrepreneur Do? we
were talking about behaviors that
distinguish employees from entrepreneurs. I'd written a long list of
characteristics, but the best one came from Alice Barry during the seminar. She
said, "Employees commiserate. Entrepreneurs brainstorm."
Collaboration is also a favorite activity of the Joyfully
Jobless. For those of us who run solo enterprises, we have to actively seek
ways to connect with other self-bossers to share ideas, plan joint projects
and, yes, brainstorm.
There's a post on
Buon Viaggio blog right now inspired by a
survey that Edward Glassman recently conducted. His study was done with
employees, not entrepreneurs, but there's no reason to think it doesn't apply
to us as well. Here's what he found. Overall, the majority
of people perceive that the biggest boost to their creativity comes
from interacting with other people.
It's also true, of course, that these idea-stimulating folks
almost never show up at our front door inviting us to brainstorm. We have to
put ourselves in places where those connections can occur. I'll be sharing more
ideas about that on my blog.
I'm also getting ready for two exciting events happening this week that will certainly be
loaded with brainstorm-worthy material-and people who can boost your
creativity.
They're coming up fast so if you want to participate, there's no time to
dither.
The Traditional Writers' Conference Goes
Virtual!
If you're writing a book, thinking about it or have one that
you'd like to see selling briskly, check
out the Nonfiction Writers' Conference. Stephanie Chandler has gathered a
fantastic group of experts including Dan Poynter, Joan Stewart, Brian Jud and
Mike Larsen. I'll be doing a segment on Building Long Shelf Life for Your
Book.
Here's just some of what you will learn:
- How to
write a compelling book with market appeal.
-
Methods
for generating business revenue and opportunities with your book.
-
Simple ways to attract valuable media
exposure.
-
How to break into professional speaking--from
free to fee!
-
Ways to
build your platform and get known as an expert in your industry.
-
How to
take advantage of low-cost, high-return social media marketing strategies with Facebook and Twitter.
-
What it
takes to turn your website into a traffic-generating machine.
-
The pros
and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing and mistakes to avoid.
- Real-world advice on how to land a book deal.
-
Insider
secrets for promoting your book online.
-
How to
generate passive income from ebooks, special reports and other information products.
BONUS: Pitch Your Book to Literary Agents!
All-Access conference attendees have the opportunity to
participate in our Literary Agent Pitch Fest, which guarantees that your book
will be reviewed by an agent from our panel.
Conference Location: Your Couch!
Best of all, you can attend this event from anywhere: your
office, car, couch or even at the gym. All conference sessions will be
delivered via teleseminar so all you need is a telephone to attend the live
sessions. Can't make it to all of them? No problem!
Registered attendees with an All-Access Pass receive
downloadable MP3 recordings for all sessions.
If you are ready to finally get your book finished, promote
the books you already have or you want to discover how to build a business
around your books and unlock new opportunities, then you've come to the right
place.
Un-Job Fair
For the past year, our local news has shown us a steady
stream of job fairs where hundreds of people show up to check out a handful of
job openings. Often these stories include interviews with discouraged job
seekers.
As I watched this happening, I kept thinking that the time
had come to talk about alternatives to getting a job. And so the Un-Job Fair
was born. Thanks to the support of Helen Hand at Colorado Free University,
we'll be debuting this day long exploration of self-employment in Denver on
Saturday, May 1.
There's a terrific lineup of speakers including Steve
Veltcamp who's a whiz at researching and sharing great ideas for small
businesses. I'll be kicking things off with my keynote So Why Aren't We All
Self-employed? and then following up with a workshop on Doing First Things
First.
If you're in the area, cancel all other plans and join us.
It's going to be an idea-filled day.
Event Date: May 1, 2010
Denver, Colorado
Five Minutes of Inspiration
I've been sharing this wonderful video ever since I found it
last week. It's all about the importance of keeping a personal, visual journal.
Enjoy!
