When we were young, we would ride our dirtbikes deep into the woods and try and get lost. But. we found our way home.
When I was taking classes in Italy for a semester, I tried to get lost on the streets of Rome late at night. But, I found my way back to the dorm convent.
When I graduated from Duquesne, I remember driving out to Nanty Glo, Pa for work and then going straight to Real Estate courses in Pittsburgh, then leaving there to work on an idea we had called the "busanova" at night. I felt completely lost.
(Yeah Busanova, like in the Eydie Gorme song - Blame it on the Bossa Nova )
These events feel like a lifetime ago. Hell, they really were. I doubted myself constantly back then. Doubt clouds the mind and puts you on paths, roads, and jobs that will lead you astray and away from home.
When you get lost enough times in the dark and eventually find your way back to where you want to be..The doubt eventually fades away. You've ,in a sense, proven to yourself that you can find your way through the darkest days.
And when your life depends on something, there is no time for doubt.
Meeting with the technical division of GNW every morning, problem solving and planning the next years of the company - there is absolutely no doubt at all, #projecthailmary is home.
Two of the men tell you exactly what they think you want to hear. How they love their job. How they love working for you. How they are looking forward to working with you for years to come. It all seems rehearsed. They are there to gain something - maybe a raise, maybe a promotion.
One man sits there and tells you what he thinks. Why is he at the company. What he likes about the company. What he thinks the company could to make something better. It all seems natural. No fear. He likes his job but he makes it clear that he is there to learn something. That is all.
Which one do you think stands above the rest?
Never tell anyone what you think they want to hear. Tell them what you think.
That is what they are looking for. That is how you stand above the rest.
Right now, I am leaving Cleveland after a two day sales
conference trip.I was able to meet a
bunch of people that all come from unique different backgrounds. It opened my
eyes in a different light.
Being invited to this conference has really let us see the
difference between the start-up mentality and the “corporate” mentality.
You see, the start-up mindset is in a sense an “I’ve got
nothing to lose” mentality.For
corporate workers, this is not the case at all.
Playing a game with nothing to lose will keep your emotions from
getting in the way.This can give you the
best chance at getting the result you have always sought after.
It’s apparent to us that starting a business has forever changed
us inside.It’s only trips like these
that let us see that it’s apparent to everyone else, too.
It's more clear to me than ever: Who you are inside becomes
more and more noticeable each day that passes.And that is a damn good thing…
Ok, you know the gist of GoNextWorld: A Software company that accelerates the end user's progress. You tell your cousin's children about it at every get together, i know.
However, you have only been hearing about progress from a businesses' standpoint. Businesses see who is visiting their business (aka who is checking in to that specific destination)- and find out if they are increasing first time customers, repeat customers, and/or overall clientele. This gives them a platform to reward customers that visit and promote their business more often than others. THEN, the businesses can create ad campaigns designed specifically for their clientele that is known via the GoNextWorld daily/weekly/monthly emailed updates. It's a clear path to an answer, a solution and a call to action.
I know what your thinking.... so what about the members? How does it help with their progress?
Well, as you may know, the members are rewarded by the business ( per each destination) AND by GoNextWorld. People love rewards. Incentives give people a reason. So, what if we took it one step further to help increase their progress?
Most people are constantly searching for progress in their:
1) health
2) finances
3) education
4) lifestyle
5) to-do lists
6) relationships
7) work
Right now, there is a piece of paper on my desk that goes into this a little further. It's been keeping me up at night for the past couple of nights. Two months from now, it will be presented to the board.
A few years ago, a good friend and I signed up for ballroom dancing classes. (Yeah, ballroom dancing). She and I were the youngest people in the class by approximately 40 years.
It was all for a new experience. We were there to pickup on some of the dances like: the samba, the cha cha cha, the quickstep, and the tango (a personal favorite).
To be honest, we were able to get the basics down..but we never quite were able to dance like they did in the movie"True Lies" (a true shame, i know).
I thought it would be an education that would stay with me for quite some time. This was not the case.
Soon after the classes ended, I remember going to a wedding where ballroom dancing was encouraged. However, I was with a different dance partner. The education I received had no way of helping me/us. 6 weeks of classes didnt benefit us one bit. I just didnt know it well enough to teach her.
This, in itself, taught a valuable lesson. When the outcome of something is reliant on two or more people, there is little room for loss of educuation. The end result of "the dance" or product will be wrong OR non-existent.
I feel there are only two solutions:
1) Know it and study it so well, that you can teach others at the drop of a hat. When your team or dance partner changes, you MUST be able to teach the next teammate or dance partner easily so there is little room for interruption. If you don't know it like your dog's eating habits, you will never be able to teach it. Otherwise "The dance" / end goal / product will be out of sync. Ultimately, time is wasted.
and/or
2) Keep the same dance partner / team. A team that constantly changes is difficult to stay in rhythm. Find the right teammate and master the dance. A team that learns together has the strongest synergy.
Now, you may have guessed it by now, but I am not just talking about dancing the samba at some wedding. I am talking about any combination of two or more people that is determined to accomplish something.
From what I have seen at GNW, you need both solutions in place for the dance to be movie-esque. I see our top programmer teach others on how to program... or dance... like he does. This in-turn, makes them all wicked programmers...which gets them to know it so well, that they can teach others....which causes synergy...which leads to success for the short term and ultimately the long term.
As part of the sales and marketing team, we just gotta keep the music playing...
Yesterday morning, we had a conference call that went over how the ad-xperience bid function will operate.
In order for us to have a solid product, there are many hypothetical situations that must be discussed, so we can prepare for them. We must have a product equally beneficial to both sides of the spectrum (small businesses and large businesses). This involves numerous "What if" statements - a serious workout for the mind.
The bid function will operate as followed:
1. Advertisers will be able to create ad campaigns based on who they want to target and for how long.
2. They will be able to set budgets (per month AND per viewer).
3. The advertiser with highest bid for each specific targeted demographic wins. Therefore, their ad will be shown to the end user.
4. GNW will have minimum bids per viewer (.10 cents) and maximum bids per viewer ($5.00). In the event that two bids equal each other, the ads will be alternated. (Monthly budgets can be set as low as $5.00)
The further we get into this project, we keep adding more and more "what if" statements.
What if... a business on the pacific coast wants an the time stamp of when their ad was shown IN PACIFIC TIME and not Eastern Time?
What if... Advertiser XYZ wants to own the entire market and buy up every open slot?
What if...we remove the "Max Bid" and Advertizser XYZ wants to bid $100 per viewer and the next bidder only bids .10 cents?
What if we introduce a "Bid Threshold" for advertisers, which will be similar to the ebay vs. Auction handling.
What if JOE BLOGGER is a skydiver and writes about Sports and athletics on his blog. Then, applies for GoNextWorld Ad-Stars and only wants advertisements pertaining to Athletics and Sports shown on his blog, which he will directly profit from?
Like I said, the further we dive into #ProjectHailMary, the more "what if" statements are presented.
It's our job to be ready for them all.
I guess this can apply to life in general. The more you try to do, the more "what ifs" that can come your way.
Why not just get a job that pays the bills? Why put everything on the line for something? Why do you have to see this thing all the way through til the end?
The answer to the question "Why?" is different for everyone.
Below is a blog from John Donovan that goes into this a little further:
"About 5 years ago, Fallat and I went to a "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" real
estate seminar in downtown Pittsburgh. it was a three day long seminar
in which I had to fly back from Idaho (where I was working at the time)
and call off work to attend. I'll never forget the speaker. Mainly,
because his name was Pip. And he was a total cheese ball.
We took a ton of notes, met alot of people, and had a lot of takeaways.
But the major takeaway that I got from this seminar was Pip's message
on motivation.
Pip said that if you are setting out to get RE investments just to make
money, you will probably end up failing. In fact, you probably won't
make it to the starting line. Because your underlying purpose isn't BIG
enough. He used a cheesy phrase that still sticks in my head.
He said to truly reach your goals, the "why" has gotta make you "cry".
Even typing it right now makes me realize how cheesy it is. But, he's
got a great point. The reason for doing something has to be greater
than yourself. The reason "why" you are doing it, must be profound OR ELSE you will find excuses not to do it.
There is a profound purpose behind GoNextWorld. GoNextWorld is a business that will eventually be synonymous with progress.
Our business is build on the desire to positively impact the end users
progress in every day life. Four years ago, that meant throwing awesome
parties and creating memories. Today, it means building software to
help businesses build their client base. Tomorrow... who knows. All
that I know that what we stand as GoNextWorld is much more than
ourselves... and that's some serious motivation."
"Nobody will listen... until you get them to look and watch."
I live by these words. The truth is, I too am one of those people that doesn't really believe what people say until I see it first. Don't tell me.... show me. That is how you can get my attention. I believe most people think this way.
During the hockey days, I've seen players (that did not know how to play) try to coach other players.
During my time at other companies, I've seen people (that did not know how to finish a job) try and teach others on how to complete an assignment.
During the early days of GNW, I've seen people (that never started anything in their life) try and give us advice.
It's difficult to listen to those that never did it themselves. It just doesn't work.
These experiences taught me first hand - In order to get people to really listen, you have to get people to look and watch first.
What is your destination?
The answer to that question is different for everyone. Some people do not have an answer. Some people have known that answer since they were 4 years old.
By definition, "destination" means the ultimate purpose for which something is created or intended.
Businesses, as well as people, need to have an answer if they ever want to find it.
The changes we are making at GoNextWorld isn't altering our destination one bit. It's only making it a little more clear for others to see. Maybe we will see you there.
I am one of those people that is truly affected by the weather. From November til March, I go into hibernation and dream of the day I can the bike out and take that ride to Lake Latonka again.
Well, yesterday, it was 67 and sunny. And you better believe I didnt waste it.
Even our mascot, Palzy had a little extra pep in his step. He was all smiles yesterday and he refused to come inside (to take his medicine). Like i said before, he is the perfect mascot for GNW.
I noticed everyone was in a better mood. There were tons of people outside washing their cars, working on their yard, and just out enjoying the sunshine. Life is just a little easier when the sun and wind is in your favor.
The darker the nights, the brighter the days. I suppose that's the way it will always be.
When you pray for the weather to change in your favor...and then it actually does....
you never should waste it.
As we prepare everything for the big sales push, there are few things that I wanted to say to our sales team. Most of the team is in the Dominican Republic on Spring Break (hopefully spreading the word of GNW), so I wanted to take this time to put my thoughts down on paper. It may help them when the warm-leads and the phone calls begin.
------------------------
Team Red,
#ProjectHailMary is near. And because you will be on the front lines talking to the people that will help us survive and grow, I wanted to share a few things I have learned from my years in the sales industry.
I recently wrote a blog about how the importance of playing this game emotionally and playing to win at all times. I wanted to elaborate a bit more on that subject because sales, in general, is a unique animal. However, the lessons learned can be applied to everyday life.
A major mistake I made early in my sales career was tying my level of happiness to the outcome of an event.
For example - "I would be happier and more successful if "X" is the result of my efforts." "X" could be a promotion, a closing of a sale, or even a simple "yes" from a customer.
That mentality is hard path and I do not recommend it. When your happiness is tied directly to an outcome that you maynot control, your emotions will only play against you.
I believe that every decision a person makes is based off of an experience that happened way before you ever got there. Therefore, it is your job to be yourself, not a sales person. People do not want to deal with sales people, because frankly, most sales people are not genuine... and fake people are very easy to spot. People tend to avoid and resist those that are not sincere.
We have hired you because of who you are. We are giving you a wicked product to introduce to the world. Just be yourself, be natural, and never let your emotions be tied to the end result. I promise you, you will be much more successful this way.
Now, i do not want to downplay the importance of being excited at work. That is the most important of all. We feel that the excitement and enjoyment of working at our company should be more of a constant rise rather than the rollercoaster ride of the ups and downs of the stock market. It is GNW's responsibility to provide that atmosphere... and we will. I promise.
Sales is difficult road...but it is a fun one. And it is an essential one. Sales is the driver, the fuel, and the "Go Baby Go" button of any business.
You are a key ingredient to our success and there will be many steps and missteps that we will make along way.
Do not let the missteps get you down. Just learn from them.
It is truly exciting to see things go as planned, but dont let it affect you if it doesn't. It will make the ones that do pan out that much more exciting...
Yesterday, I received an email that looked like this:
"Hello, I stumbled onto "business xyz".
Looks like it is heads and shoulders above GoNextWorld. Any thoughts on taking
a look at it down the road?"
To be honest, I thrive on competition. So, feedback with such negativity towards our
company does hurt. However, I love honesty and these are honest
words.
To answer his question - We have researched "business xyz" thoroughly, last
year. And it is has many weaknesses that we did not want to repeat.
I could not explain it all to him, but what I wanted to say
is that we are going in a new direction. The new direction will not
be fully displayed to the public for a few more weeks, but I am certain he
would retract his statement once he sees what we have implemented.
That person is only able to see part of the vision right
now.
That will soon change.
I wanted to stand up and fight for why he is wrong. But, one
of the toughest lessons I had to learn was the importance of choosing
battles. If youfight
every battle that comes your way, it will be too long of a road to see the
end.
Winston Churchill said it best:
“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”
I will not ignore the person'scomments, but rather embrace them. Choosing not to fight that battle doesn't mean we will not use it as fuel for the next, bigger, and more important battle.
The email will hang on the wallin our office to remind us everyday that we need to be better.
A man is not defined by the projects that he pursues in his life...only the projects he completes.
Four years ago, we began our first steps as a company.
Twenty-one years ago I laid my eyes on an old car and I fell in love with it.
Twenty years ago, that car was in an accident.
One Year ago, I was able to purchase that same car and begin restoring it.
This past Saturday, we met with the board of directors to hammer out the final leg of the #ProjectHailMary marathon.
Last night, I met with a designer to finish creating our retractable promo signs that businesses will be able to use to promote the GNW service at their stores.
We refuse to be defined by what we started.....only what we finish.
As soon as I got my driver's license at 16 years old, I went and got my first job.
I applied at two places: 1) Hollywood Video and 2) A gas station that was just opening up near my house.
The first place to call me was the gas station and after a short interview, I had my first job. To be honest, I really wanted the Hollywood Video job, but they didn't call til much later.
Until then, my only income was money I made from cutting my neighbor's grass.
I had an obsession to start making as much money as possible, so I began working the max amount of hours and volunteering to work every holiday for holiday pay. That meant working every day after school and on the weekends, from 3pm til 11pm. It was not fun.
About 6 months into working there, I remember the owner of the company, a multi-millionaire, coming into the store to ask me why I wasn't cashing any of my paychecks. I told him it was my way of making sure that money is saved until I really needed it. Cutting grass gave me the money for gas and food, but my paychecks are the savings account.
He said I needed to start cashing them because the $5,000+ in my paychecks that I was not withdrawing from their account was screwing up their books.
I believe that was the moment that the student-mentor process began. He said it was time to start looking into ways of investing the money and he would help me. For the next 5 years, I would watch his actions very closely. It was sort of my pre-education into being an entrepreneur, and in fact he was the guy that recommended that I go to Duquesne University. When I felt confident enough to venture out on my own, it was time to say goodbye to my teacher.
It's amazing how different my life would have been if that event didn't take place.
Forutnately, I didnt get what I wanted - the job at Hollywood Video. Fortunately, someone was able to mentor me through the whirlwind of wanting to become an entrepreneur. Fortunately I was able to learn an early lesson - Self deprivation is one of the toughest things to do... but it could set you on the right path...eventually.
