Planning

“I Think It Would Work”

Garth Beyer

Other variations you might here during a strategy planning meeting: “I like the idea.” “I’m convinced.” “You’ve got me hooked on the idea.”

While certainly positive and supportive statements, normally you’re not your target market.

It’s fantastic the idea appeals to you, but what about the tribe it’s truly meant to appeal to? If you don’t plan on investing in the product or service your marketing (if you’re not part of the tribe), then how you react to the marketing strategy doesn’t matter much.

Rather, when you use language like “I think that would really resonate with who we’re trying to target” or asking your colleagues if they feel Kasey (your target) would share a piece of content instead of asking if they (your colleagues) would share it, you begin to drive marketing that matters.

 

Stay Positive & Put Yourself In Their Shoes (Then You Can Use First-Person Pronouns)

Keeping Sane

Garth Beyer
  • Not everyone needs to approve of your work.
  • The “good” in a good idea comes from having passion, not from the actual idea.
  • You’re told to ask good questions, “can you help me?” is the best one.
  • Always have something fun planned two weeks in advance.
  • You’re enough.

It’s easy to go insane when your work load gets heavy. It’s hard to implement the habits above. You know how I feel about easy vs. hard.

 

Stay Positive & It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It

In The Box Podcast

Episode 5: Stealing At The Bookstore, Being Vulnerable, Planning Ahead And More – Podcast

Garth Beyer

On this episode of In The Box Podcast, we dove into some big ideas and a lot about books.

We chatted about scarcity still being an issue and why it always will be, the advantages and disadvantages of planning ahead, how to handle agents (book, music, etc,.), unique things to add in a book, if it’s stealing to read a book at a bookstore, and why vulnerability makes you beautiful. This is a packed episode. Enjoy.

Episode 5: Stealing At The Bookstore, Being Vulnerable, Planning Ahead And More

Scarcity – Is scarcity (food, clothing, shelter) still an issue in 2015? if so, why?

Plans – What are the advantages and disadvantages of planning ahead?

Agents – If you have an agent, how do you handle them not understanding your value?

New uses for book – What’s something new you can do with a book?

Vulnerability – What Does being vulnerable mean? Does vulnerability make you beautiful?

Is it stealing? – Is reading a book at a bookstore stealing?

 

Stay Positive & Share Your Thoughts In The Comments Section Below

What I Want

What I Want

Garth Beyer

About two and a half years ago I wrote a very short list of things I want. I open up the document containing the list every month or so, usually when I’m cleaning out my DropBox.

At the bottom of the short list, I have a motto. It’s more moving to me than the list of things I want…

Stop thinking about what you want. Think about how you want to feel.

Instead of looking for what will make you happy, focus on what you’re good at.

Rather than planning to get ahead, find a way to help others.

.

Stay Positive & People Over Platforms, People Over Things

 

A Different Kind Of Plan B

Garth Beyer

Off The Path Plan B

Working on every project like you would a jigsaw puzzle is essential if you want it to be a success. Lean the box against the wall and start putting all the pieces together, regularly looking at what the final product is supposed to be. But work projects (and life!) aren’t that simple.

You can plan everything out. You can have the perfect strategy. You can create a system that will get you from start to finish. But – and this is a big but because it’s always existent – things won’t go as planned, as strategized, as systemized.

Tactics will change. People will let you down. You will take an unexpected and uncontrolled turn toward the unknown.

Knowing your plan and visualizing the final puzzle, final product, final campaign has it’s value, but knowing what you will do when the plan doesn’t go as planned – that’s what proves a person is in it for the long run versus only if things go the way they planned.

 

Stay Positive & Yes, You Can Plan For Your Plan Not To Work

Photo credit

When You’re In It For The Long Run

Garth Beyer

How can you make it more enjoyable, or in most cases, at least more bearable? It’s simple to figure out whether something will take a long time or not. Best case scenario, of course, is it doesn’t take long. You can plan for a short input and quick output, but here’s the thing about plans: they almost never happen the way you plan for them to happen (and certainly never as quickly as you plan).

#ProTip: Think of every long-term effort as if you were running long distance. It’s much more enjoyable when you’re running with a friend, much more bearable if you’re jamming to fresh music, you’ll be more excited to go the distance if you have a new pair of kicks. You can build these variables into your plan before you start.

And that’s the key isn’t it? So many people start as soon as they know where they are going. Fact is, the how matters most. The path ahead will be as smooth or as bumpy as it will be, but you can prepare to enjoy either.

 

Stay Positive & A Few. Little. Tunes. For You. Enjoy Your Run.

 

Lessons And Reflections From Krypton Course #001

Garth Beyer

If you didn’t know, Seth Godin and his team created the Krypton Community College over the summer of 2013. The gist: get together with people to discuss, learn and create together. (Here’s the link to the first course Krypton Course #001 Go: How to Overcome Fear, Pick Yourself, & Start a Project that Matters)

The following are lessons and reflections I thought it was necessary to share.

Week one

1. You don’t need a huge group. My team started with a total of two students and one organizer. Then it dwindled to one student and one organizer. It only takes two to tango.

2. Everyone has similar fears. But they won’t believe that statement until someone speaks up and shares their fears.

3. Fear can be narrowed down to either fear of embarrassment or fear of injury. Surprisingly, people would rather risk injury than risk embarrassment. Wow.

4. Fear – the 20 second rule

Week two

1. You can plan (not set) a path for creating projects that add up to a valuable portfolio of experiences. There’s a middle ground between setting something up and allowing for complete spontaneity. Find that sweet spot.

2. Finding your edge is crucial for success. You can’t find it alone, though.

3. Feel free to read Start Schooling Dreams.

Week three

1. Committment means something different for everyone.

2. Not everything you create should be shared. Not everything you create should be kept secret. Make time for what you keep private, make more time for what you share.

3. As the famous Hugh MacLeod said, “Ignore everybody.”

4. Let what you create and share go. You’re better off creating something else, something new. Once you deliver something, detach yourself from it and go make something else remarkable.

5. Success is not a straight line. (obvious, but worth mentioning again)

Week four

1. If you’re going to share your project idea with someone, make sure they have a project idea to share with you too. Sharing your idea with someone who doesn’t have one leaves you with everything to lose. Sharing your project idea with someone who has a project idea too leaves both of you with everything to gain. (I can’t fully explain the dynamic. You will have to trust me on this one without a long explanation.)

2. You’re going to talk about your project idea and get excited. Make a conscious decision beforehand that you will use that excitement for action and not settle at just talking about it. This is the most difficult part of the entire course.

 

Stay Positive & I Hope You Will Give It A Shot*

Garth E. Beyer

*if you live in Madison, Wisconsin, let me know. I will be holding course #002 at the start of 2014.