Yesterday was a day I looked forward to for 2 years. And lets just say it didn't disappoint.
It involved an exciting phone call in the morning, a productive work day, a boat ride to Stage AE at night.... and of course Social Distortion taking the stage at 10.
I could go on and on about last night, but that may be a blog for another day.
What is important is that phone call that I received yesterday. It could mean some big changes for GoNextWorld. Changes that we are ready to make. Changes we need to make.
You see, I promised myself a couple years ago that I would never wear a suit unless its for a wedding or a funeral.
That phone call might have changed my mind.
I will need to pull out the suit for tomorrow.
Much like the boat ride, its amazing how the bad storm the night before altered the path to the show.
There are certain moments in a person's life in which "hope" is not enough.
Then, "I hope it happens" turns to "It has to happen."
Hope is great because it leads to that exciting split second where whatever you are hoping for MAY come true. Or it could lead to that moment of disappointment.
The "it has to be" mentality puts the leverage back on your side, rather than in the hands of someone else.
There's still nothing wrong with hope.
When it comes to going to work, HOPE you dont hit traffic on the way there.
When it comes to your favorite hockey team, HOPE they win.
When it comes to grocery shopping, HOPE they have eggs on sale.
But when it comes to completing the mission, surviving the adventure, the dream becoming a reality...
Some opportunities are given to people.
Some are earned. Some are created.
This past week, we were presented with an opportunity that we cannot pass up. If it works well, GoNextWorld's team will begin to grow. And yes, I tend to believe that most, if not all, opportunities are created.
I have realized that certain opportunities are sometimes like a gate to a park that the groundskeeper accidentally leaves unlocked at night. It's unlocked tonight, but it won't be tomorrow.
And I have realized that other opportunities are sometimes like that moment that star player gets hurt on the hockey squad and they need someone to fill in for them for a few shifts. You may play tonight, but you might not tomorrow.
Whatever the case may be; whether the opportunity is earned or created, its always better to enter the park. and to play all out. Because, it will not be there again.
Before we began this company, I thought "business" was a relatively simple thing. I figured " You create a product and sell it for a certain price. If the product is good, more people will want it."
Now, that all may be true... but that is just a small taste of the entire cake.
When we started the company, we neglected many, many things that we knew we would learn the hard way.
Starting something is easy. Keeping it going every minute, every day, every year is the hard part.
This comes down to a support system for customers to rely on, a fluent understanding the first time customer must have through an entire purchase, and a financial and operational automation that cannot have any interruption, and a brand/product that has no dead end, just to name a few.
Everytime we would take an idea so far, we would stumble. Our first step into the techy world,we created a rewards program that had a very poor support system. On a low budget, and team of less than 6, we had no way of continuing its growth without failing. There was no system in place. So, we tore it all down and started over.
Our next venture proved that we lacked the financial automation necessary to receive payments without human involvement, which meant we had to have the customer call our service center and provide their credit card over the phone instead of doing it themselves on the computer. This meant we needed to be PCI compliant, which would cost more money and time. So, we needed to tear it all back down and start over in order to fix our exposed weakness.
Well, I really could go on and on about our stumbles. The main purpose is that every time we stumbled, there was a reason for it. So, it needed to be addressed immediately. Fixing the reason takes way more time than imagined, but once its there....it's there for good.
The way I see it, if you don't ever stumble (especially in you'reyounger days), then you are simply not going fast enough.
We all stumble. But we do not all fix the reason why.
And when its fixed, it means you can go a little faster. That's what we adrenaline junkies live for...
You can tell a lot about someone when you first walk into their house/apartment.
What is playing on their TV... shows what interests them.
What kind of food do they have sitting out....shows how they treat themselves.
What pictures do they have on the walls... shows what they hold dear to them.
Do they take the extra effort and put a garbage bag in the bathroom garbage can...shows if they take things one step further than required.
The same goes for a company's office. You can tell a lot about a company by visiting their office.
When I worked for a company in the retail industry and visited their main office, I figured you would see images about their first stores, or pictures of some of the employees, or accomplishments they were proud of.
This was not the case.
They had framed images of bridges (probably purchased from Marshall's) scattered throughout the halls and a tv seemed to only show the weather channel.
As an employee there, I never felt proud to enter that business. Nothing, including myself, seemed to fit.
I was part of a company that didnt build those bridges on the walls, and I sure as hell didnt need to see the weather channel everyday when we were trying to increase profits in the grocery stores.
So, when we started GoNextWorld, I wanted the office to give a direct reflection of who we were and what we are proud of. When someone comes to visit, they are able to look directly into who we are and where we are going. Hopefully, they would want to be a part of it; knowing someday, their help could lead to a framed image on one of the the walls.
If you walk into our office today, you couldn't miss the daily oversized "To-do list"
- 7ft banner availability with $250 ad credit purchase
- 8.5" X 11" Free downloadable poster
- Complete Facebook API integration
- How it Works page update on membership website
- First 100 phone call list for next week
- Video Tutorial explaining ad campaigns
- Add next 1000 businesses and updated contact info in GNW management app
- weigh Palzy on scale
- Complete script
- fix porch
- prepare for the return of Alexandra
- pay bills
- replace garbage bag in bathroom
Last night, John met with one of the true advocates of GoNextWorld. Since I was not there, I do not know the specific details. However, a topic that came up was: living with no regrets.
To hear that mentality come from someone who has been through a lot in her day, it reminds us of why we began this adventure so long ago. To hear it from her, it really means a lot.
Her card, that is now hanging in the office, pretty much says it all.
When I take the GoNextWorld mascot to the dog park, it helps the blood pressure subside. Not because its a few minutes of time away from work and its a little time to just play, but because it reminds me of how simple it all should be.
You see, Palzy is a sleeper. When he is not begging for food, a walk, or hunting a rabbit, he is usually sleeping. We do notice a change in him when he steps onto the dog park field. With no chain, no leash, and no care in the world, he comes alive...especially when another smaller dog of his kind is around.
You can see it in his eyes. And you can see it in his run. When the sun is beating down and he is really enjoying himself, there is absolutely no quit in him.
When we as a company began, we seemed to over-complicate everything. From revenue streams to marketing strategies. The truth... it didnt work. We learned that simplicity is the only way for something to succeed. The only way.
This means putting yourself out there without all of the smoke and mirrors.... without having to fold that $20 bill over that roll of $1 bills...without every word/action sounding like it came from somewhere else.
As we enter the next stage of making hundreds of phone calls a day to potential advertisers, its important to not to forget that lesson of keeping it simple.
If we do that, every day would be a day at the park.
He briefly describes what it was like to finally "wake up" and the ultimate benefit of those darker days. He said, "[After making the change, he] ..could finally use the energy for what it was really meant for... and that is a freedom that many people don't ever get to know."
That sense of freedom is only felt by the people that go into those dark tunnels (without a flashlight). Once/IF, they make it to the other side, there is a new level of confidence that arises. The experience alone, can teach a person a lot.
In the early days of GoNextWorld, I remember working out of (and slept) in a back office of a beat up, haunted house-looking building in downtown Pittsburgh. That probably should have been condemned.
Seven days a week for far too long, John and I were out on the streets talking to potential investors, potential businesses, and potential members, trying to strike a match that could get us home. We entered a tunnel and we had no clue if we would ever get out OR if we heading in the right direction. I don't think the naysayers believed it..however, GoNextWorld indeed did have a pulse (but, barely.)
Fortunately, we found a couple of people in that tunnel that knew a way.
Well, this past Friday morning, #ProjectHailMary went live!
Of course, there are a few bugs to work out, but there always will be. After all, its about progress, not perfection...
I tend to ask a lot of questions nowadays; especially to people that have been around and seen a few things in their day.
Recently, I spoke with a very successful elderly gentleman about his career path. (We will call him George) He is in his early 70s, but remembers his first job like it was yesterday.
When he graduated from Berkley University with an engineering degree 50 years ago, he said the only job he could get was a sales job for one of the leading aluminum manufacturers in the U.S. and the world.
Luckily, they were only hiring engineers to be their salesmen at that time.
For 35 years, he traveled the ranks of the company and eventually became president.
He had some pretty interesting stories of how his company competed with other major manufacturers (especially in China) and how it was able to survive over the years by changing game plans and strategies.
The thing that fascinated me the most was what happened AFTER he retired.
Upon retiring, a friend and a major shareholder in the company that George was a part of for 35 years asked for his assistance and leadership in a somewhat new company.
The company, another manufacturing company, was bleeding cash and fast. It was only about 15-20 years old, but it needed help from someone who's been there around and seen a few things in their day.
In his mid 60's, when most people are moving to Florida to watch Maury all day and to read the comic section of the newspaper, he took the most stressful job of his career.
In his second week at the job, the company couldn't make payroll. He had to go to Mellon Bank and borrow $100,000.. in his second week!
That bought him some time in order to pull in other investors and keep the company afloat.
The company hemorrhaged money for 2 years (approximately 2 million per year).
Finally, in his 3rd year, they made a profit.
Once the company was self sustaining and quite profitable for 5 years, they sold the company to a larger manufacturer for an incredible gain.
Nowadays, he spends his time on the board of an investment firm living peacefully in his dream house.
Before I left, I asked if he ever thought about retiring completely.
His answer: "I hope not".
Some people can't wait to retire. Some people are like George.
Last night, I watched a documentary about Ozzy Osbourne. My obsession with true stories couldn't let me turn it off, besides, his life story is pretty insane.
Anyway, one of the things that I found pretty incredible was how he came to be...after he was kicked out of Black Sabbath.
Once he went out on his own with his own band, he said he had very little desire to keep playing.
Then, one day, a man named Randy Rhoads came in to audition for him. Ozzy said he immediately knew this guy offered something more than all of the others.
Turns out, he was right.
Randy's abilities took Ozzys voice in different directions, allowing him to surpass the success level he had accomplished with his prior band.
And their friendship rejuvenated his want to keep playing.
It's pretty amazing how the right combination of people, out of luck or fate, can transcend something to a different level.
It kinds reminds me of when I used to play hockey and how noticeable it was when a certain line combination just clicks.
Or
When a programmer takes an idea, runs with it, and brings a product to life that completely surpasses the original idea.
The GoNextWorld adventure has taught me many things...but undoubtedly it has taught me one major lesson:
They say when you are about to die, you see a bright light. A light that leads a person to paradise; to a place where all the questions they had throughout their entire life can be answered, to a place where it all makes sense.
And yes, I believe this is what happens. Not only when we take our final breath, but also each time we fail at something. We learn something new about ourselves and about the world we live in. That light appears and it takes us somewhere else if you have the courage to follow it.
Throughout this journey, we've learned that creativity often leads to failure... and a different kind of "death". It's just a part of the adventure that any explorer must get to know quite fondly. And it can be a good thing.
Why would anyone person want to risk failing? To see that light at the end of the tunnel, obviously.
When I bought my first rental property at 23 years old, one of the first things I did was buy life insurance. My family had no interest in rental properties and/or businesses. So, it was my duty to make sure that if the ride did come to an end, they were covered. And deep down, I knew that it could.
Stress is the ultimate deterrent for those that don't want to start a business. And rightfully so. You see, stress is weight. Weight slows you down. If it slows you down too much, the party is over. But, depending on how you respond, it can actually make you stronger.
Years ago, John and I made a decision that would end up costing us over $40,000. To a start-up company, that amount of money is invaluable. That decision was based on what everyone around us told us to do when starting a business. It was the wrong decision and for that, it's just one of the many failures that will be in the book someday.
But before you think it was all bad, don't forget, there is that all important bright light that appears at the end of every failure. That bright light showed us what we needed to do next: John and I had to sell some of the rental properties.
Once we paid off the $40,000 mistake, it was incredible how much lighter and stronger we felt. I'm not saying that mistake was a good thing. I'm just saying it just taught us a little about the world we live in, fortunately.
It was at that moment that I realized that avoiding failure at all costs is not the way through this adventure....
seeing the light and doing something about it is...
I'm the type of guy that needs a fan on in the room before I can go to sleep (yeah, even when its cold outside).
I am also one of the people that love to fall asleep with the TV on, usually watching Pawn Stars or Seinfeld.
And I think another thing I need every night before I go to sleep is some feeling of accomplishment.
At my first couple of jobs that I hated and only did for a paycheck, I never had that.
In college, when we would hand in a balance sheet for a fictitious "XYZ lumber company" simply for a grade, I never had that.
When I used to play hockey hungover from the night before and I didn't contribute to the team, I never had that.
Last night, while fixing a minor issue, John and I were talking about what we found value in 10 years ago compared to now and how different it is.
Some things that took so much energy and thought way back when, make us laugh nowadays.
It's pretty funny what life will eventually teach you if you just give it time.
Realizing that is an accomplishment in itself.
....But, I still needed the fan last night.
How do you sleep? (please, no need for Jesse McCartney playlists)
A.It is a new way for businesses and people to
advertise effectively and efficiently via a worldwide website called
GoNextWorld (www.GoNextWorld.com) and other participating websites known as
GoNextWorld Ad-Stars.
GoNextWorld is a software
company that tracks, shares, and rewards the user’s progress; a message anyone
could get behind.
Q.Who could
advertise on GoNextWorld?
A.Anyone, any business, or anything.Yes, even dogs if they had opposable thumbs.
Q.Why would you want
to advertise on GoNextWorld?
A.Most businesses can already be found on the GoNextWorld.com.When people visit their place, “punch=in” via
GoNextWorld, share that business on Facebook and Twitter, and the business
rewards them for it if they do it enough times.Businesses would want to advertise to get more people visiting their
place and promoting their business on Facebook and Twitter.Advertising on GoNextWorld can do that!
Q.Why would they
advertise on GoNextWorld and not somewhere else?
A.We feel that advertising is a complete waste
unless you know who is seeing your ad and if it is actually working.So, we created a way to do just that!
·It’s truly targeted
mobile ads (you choose the gender, zip code, and age ranges, and days an ad is
seen) compared to most advertising is a shot in the dark to wide group of
people.
·It is completely controlled
by YOU (you choose how much you want to spend per month, per person that sees
it, adjust it at anytime) compared to other advertising where you spend a
certain amount per month on a set campaign and there is no way to make changes
to frequency and content.
·It is guaranteed to
be seen (we call it owning a person’s experience because during a person’s
visit, they see nothing but YOUR AD when they go to the website) compared to
other advertising where it is easily ignored by the viewer.
How to get started?
You can be
up and running in less than 2 minutes!
1)Create a Profile.
oName,
Address, Advertiser ID, and Password, etc.
2)Add funds to your account
oYou will be
directed to our secure payment processor.(min $5.00)
oFunds are
available immediately after payment!(call 1-800-976-7924 to hear newest promotional
giveaways).
3)Create a campaign!
·Choose an
Image
oUse an
image that is found in the folder or simply submit your own via this portal.Once it is approved, it will show up in the folder
(Approvals take up to 24 hours).
·Setup the
campaign how you want it (this can be edited at anytime).
oBid amount –
this is the amount you want to spend per person that sees your ad .Remember, you are owning their experience, so
1 person can see it many, many times in their 1 visit to GoNextWorld.The more times that 1 person sees it, the
more memorable it is J
oExpiration
Date – When do you want this to run to?Just enter the date or simply write “Never”
Where do
you want it to be seen?
oNational –
This means you want your ad to be seen across the United States.This is best for national companies.You do not need to enter a zip code in the
text box to the right because we
oRegional – This
means in a specific region. Your region is determined by the zip code that
you enter in the text box to the right.For
example: If the zip code you enter begins with “15XXX”, then your ad will only be seen by people in ALL “15XXX” zip codes.
oIn ZipCode –
this means you want it to be seen in 1 specific zip code ONLY.You would enter the
specific zip code in the text box located next to it.
Set Gender
and Ages
oChoose to
include/exclude a particular gender and/or ages.
Set the
days you do not want your ad to be seen
oExclude
Days- Choose which days (if any) you do not want your ad to be seen
Add text to
your ad to tell people what you want them to know
oInfo Field –
Insert any content, including a summary about your company, a list of specials,
or information about what you want others to know about you. (You
can insert links to your website by <a href>)
oYou may
edit this at anytime.Any edits to Info
Field will require an approval process by GoNextWorld wizards.(This may take up to 24 hours)
Disable
your ad at anytime!
oYou can
disable your ad at anytime by clicking the “Disable this ad”
GoNextWorld
Ad-Stars
oYou may opt
to have this shown on participating websites (known as GoNextWorld Ad-Stars) -
-UNAVAILABLE AT THIS TIME
My Account
In “My Account”, you can edit your profile and manage your
budget and notifications.
Set your budget to control spending each month.In order to avoid interruption of your ads,
you may opt for email notifications when your account balance reaches a certain
level.Then, simply add more funds at
anytime.
View Accounting report to see all withdrawals from your
account each time a person sees your campaigns.
Note:0.00 Withdrawal is a GoNextWorld technician
checking the system.You will not be
charge for GoNextWorld team member’s views of your ads.
My Ads Stats
This page will show you all of the ad stats for all of your
campaigns.You can simply filter the
stats to see only one particular campaign if you prefer.
This will show you
·Each Campaign Ad
·When It was Shown
·How much was deducted from your account
·The age of the person seeing your ad
·The gender of the person seeing your ad
·The zip code of the person seeing your ad
·If that advertisement was clicked by the viewer
·If the person that saw your ad actually visited
your business (Available 8/13)J
My Campaigns
This page will show you all of your campaign (active and
inactive).You may edit your campaigns
at any time by clicking the “Edit/View” button.Any edits to the text/info field will require a GoNextWorld wizard to
approve your ad again (This may take 24 hours).
“Last Run” shows the last time your ad was shown.
“Run Count” is the total number of people that saw your ad.(The number of Xperience’s you owned.Remember, your ad can be shown to the same
person multiple times in one visit and it will only count as 1 run.
In the article, he mentioned a few things that he holds as a priority when hiring new people. The phrase that caught my ear was "relentlessly resourceful" and how that is a critical skill among great entrepreneurs and employees.
To me, that is the ultimate skill.
Putting together a 3 piece puzzle, (when you have all of the pieces) is easy.
Putting together a 50 piece puzzle (when you only have 3 of the pieces) isn't.
I recently watched a video of Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, giving his opinion on intuition and where it comes from.
It got me thinking about it last night, too.
To me, intuition comes down to one's own experiences. Decision making should get better with time. The more experiences that you have in different situations, the more your "gut" knows what works and what doesn't work... and it will know how to respond and react in order to position you for a better chance to win.
The more experiences, the more your intuition will change. It gets better.
Until a few years ago, my intuition was telling me that I should feel like less of a man if I bought Donald Duck orange juice. Nowadays, my intuition tells me that its a financially smart purchase.
In the video, he brings up an amazing point. He describes the pros and cons that he listed before taking his job with Apple. From his "logical" standpoint, it didn't make sense to leave Compaq.
I can't help but think of some of the things that were on the con list. Cons
-He would make less money (for awhile)
-He would have to move (for awhile)
-He would have to change positions (for awhile)
-He would have to learn the aspects of a whole new company (for awhile)
-Less security (for awhile)
-Leave a world/job that he became comfortable with (for awhile)
To many people, these are all cons.
But, before a decision is made, one must look at the Pros list. Pros
-It just feels right. (now)
I know when we started GoNextWorld, that is what our Pros and Cons sheet looked like. It was tough to explain to people, but intuition told us what decision to make.
The logical answers were not enough to beat out intuition.
If you have been through enough in your day, then your gut knows that the cons are only temporary.
If you're reading this, you've finally arrived. And if you've come
this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further.
I've spent many moons thinking about you and everything that comes with.
Of course, you know what I am talking about...
-The true beginning of Summer
- Cookout season
- running on Grandview
- Playoff hockey
- Social Distortion on June 26th :)
- and of course, GoNextWorld's debut of #ProjectHailMary
In preparation for your arrival and the completion of #ProjectHailMary, I have learned a few things.
You taught me about balance. And how there is a give and take to every objective. It still amazes me of some of the things we have to give up in order to see GoNextWorld take a step.
You taught me about juggling. And how the best entrepreneurs in the world are in fact the best jugglers. And how juggling knives compared to Palzy'stennis balls is the only way to truly learn.
Above all, I have learned that the only way to succeed in anything is to fully play to one's strengths, rather than follow other people's "map". You've taught me that playing any game straight up is a slow death and it's crucial to find your strengths, and then build around it. When the enemy outnumbers you, never attack it straight on. Being outnumbered is a common trait among anyone trying do something worth writing about.
And that's what this road to finding you, June, has been all about.
Hopefully, June, if you have come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further.
