Valerie and her rescue dog, "Cokie Roberts"

By Valerie Young

This article originally appeared in Issue 199 of the Changing Course Newsletter.

That was the question someone asked in a recent survey of Changing Course readers. It was the second time in as many months that someone who was getting ready to start a small business talked about being “terrified” of failing. In neither case were we talking about anyone putting their home up as collateral or sinking their life savings into a venture. In fact, the stakes were relatively low. And all too often this sense of terror at the prospect of failing can be paralyzing.

Every entrepreneur experiences failures on the way to success. I am certainly no exception. While I was still in my corporate job, I decided to produce a line of humorous greeting cards on the side. I spent months drawing each card, surveying my friends to see which ones people liked best, and then invested a couple of thousand of dollars getting them printed. They sold pretty well in small gift stores in San Francisco, Boston, New York, Hartford, Connecticut, and Provincetown, Massachusetts. But about a year into it, I realized that it was the wrong business for me.

Did I spend more money than I made? Yes. But I never felt like a failure. To the contrary, I felt proud of myself for giving it my best shot. I learned a ton about the greeting card business which I’ve been able to share with others considering that same path, and I moved on to my next venture with a much clearer picture of what I was looking for in a livelihood.

No one sets out to fail and certainly no one likes it when they do. But terror? There are things worthy of being terrified about like global warming or a car bomb going off in your neighborhood. Giving something your best shot and finding out that it didn’t work, well, I call that “life.”

If you really want to change course to work for yourself, then you absolutely must readjust your emotional response to failure. This means embracing some fundamental truths about failure that have guided successful people since the first caveman’s spear missed that first wooly mammoth and he picked it up to try again.

To get you started, here are six rules about failure, mistake-making and risk-taking that every entrepreneur needs to understand:

Rule 1: You’ll strike out more often then not.

In baseball a .333 batting average is considered outstanding. If you’re not a baseball fan, what this means is that for every 10 pitches, the batter only has to hit the ball three times to be considered exceptional. Even the legendary Babe Ruth “only” batted .342. The point is, you can be at the top of your game and still strike out more often than not. No one bats 1000, so stop expecting yourself to be the exception.

Rule 2: Failures offer valuable lessons – and opportunities.

Believe it or not, there is lots of good news about failure. Henry Ford understood that, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” In engineering, the process of “failure analysis” is based on the recognition that you can learn just as much from studying what went wrong as you can from what went right. It is this understanding that led Thomas Edison to famously remark, “I have not failed. I have successfully discovered 1,200 ideas that don’t work.”

Instead of seeing your flops as evidence of your incompetence, think of them as information you can use to do better next time. Do you need to develop or hone a certain skill? Do you need more practice or a different approach? Do you need to delegate the things you’re not gifted at? What will you do differently next time? What lessons can you glean? The sooner you grasp the learning value following what feels like a setback, the better. The key is to fail forward.

Rule 3: Failure is just a curve in the road.

I know how easy it is to be so discouraged by setbacks that you just give up. But it’s time you start seeing failure for what it is, a curve in the road and not the end of the road. Did you know that Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job for “lacking ideas”? Or that H. Macy’s store failed seven times before it caught on? Or that Michael Jordan was cut from his junior varsity basketball team? Did they give up? No.

If Abraham Lincoln had taken failure as cause to quit, it would have changed the course of history. In fact he suffered repeated failures on the road to success. After failing as a storekeeper and a farmer, Lincoln decided to run for political office. He failed. Once he finally did get elected to the legislature, he sought the office of speaker and failed. He failed in his first bid for Congress. He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office. And he failed when he ran for the United States Senate. Despite repeated public failures, Lincoln never saw failure as a reason to give up.

Rule 4: Not taking risks may be the riskiest move of all.

So much of changing course comes down to being able to shift your thinking about what “risk” really means. It worked for Janice Bennett. Whenever people begin with “What if…” right before saying “…it doesn’t work?” Janice would always finish their question with, “…what if it does?” “Now,” says Janice, “is the time for me to [ask myself] not only what could happen to me if I didn’t make the change, but what could happen to me if I DO?  Wow, those possibilities are endless. As morbid as it may sound, at my funeral, I want it to be full, to be standing room only, to be overflowing, to know that I made a difference in people’s lives, and I touched them somehow.”

Just two weeks after Janice shared her big “aha” at the Changing Course Blog, she took her own advice. She took the plunge and signed up for the Outside of the Job Box Career Expert and Small Business Success Idea Consultant Course. I have no doubt that in the process of realizing “endless possibilities” for herself, that Janice’s ability to turn fear into excitement will indeed make a difference in the lives of everyone she touches.

Whenever you try anything new there will always the risk of failure. At the same time, not taking risks is often the riskiest move of all. The reason Michael Jordon says he made so many baskets is because he was willing to take so many shots, explaining, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games.  Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Rule 5: It’s not your failures that count but how you handle them.

Imagine making a major mistake with 1 billion people watching. That’s what Miss USA Crystle Stewart did when she fell during the 2008 Miss Universe pageant. She handled the fiasco by putting on a radiant smile, picking herself up and clapping her hands over her head as if to say, “Let’s have a round of applause.” This was not the first time Stewart had to pick herself up after a failure. It had taken her five tries before being crowned Miss Texas. As you think about launching that entrepreneurial dream, remind yourself that it’s not your failures that count, but how you handle them.

Rule 6: Choose what kind of failures you want to have.

In his commencement address at Macalister College, radio show host and author Garrison Keillor encouraged his audience to “have interesting failures.” Let those words sink in for a moment. Have interesting failures. Not only do you have a choice about how you handle failure, you also have a huge say in what kind of failures to have.

From time to time you’re going to miss the mark. So why just be a failure at parallel parking or balancing your checkbook when you can come in third at the National Jigsaw Puzzle Championships, only write one children’s book, or make it only half way up Mount Everest? The fact that you never fail is proof of only one thing – you never tried.

Every day you get to choose settling over reaching, inaction over action, continuing to live your life the way it is over the life you could have. It really is your choice. As Billie Jean King once said, “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozey, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.”

Rule 7: Make your fear work for you.

It’s one thing to quietly promise yourself that you’re going to push past your fears and finally act on those long buried dreams. It’s quite another thing to announce to the world your intention to write your first chapter, hold your own seminar, figure out how to sell your jewelry, learn a new craft, or whatever it is you’ve been “terrified” of doing. It’s quite another to announce it to the world. 

Yet making a public commitment is one of the best ways to ensure that you’ll actually follow through, because now you’ve built in that all important accountability. After all, suddenly other people are watching and waiting. Sure the naysayers are watching and waiting for any setback so they can say, “I told you so.” But if you make a point to tell the “right” people I guarantee they’ll be cheering you on. And guess what? When other people see you taking steps, they’ll be inspired to act too.

That’s because action is contagious! Which is why I’m asking all of the members of the Changing Course Club to add their goals to a “Changing Course in 2009 Pledge list.” It’s a new section of the Club Forum where members get to stand up and publicly state their goal and one action they’ll take to get there and the date they pledge to take that action. And, if they choose, Club Members can sign up to be in a small Tele-Study Group or Dream Team to help one another stay on track. (Not a member? Learn more at ChangingCourse.com/changingcourseclub.htm)

With the New Year comes the opportunity to start anew… to make new choices. Which will you choose – fear or action?

Naturally, I’m also getting loads of questions from those who took the online survey as well as in response to the email that went out this week.

I started to reply to everyone personally. But then it just got out of control. So I decided the smarter thing would be to use a FAQ (frequently asked questions) format and post them here at the blog. That way, you can post additional questions or comments. I’ll do my best to respond within 24 hours.

I highly recommend you read through the FAQs before purchasing the Self-Study Training later this week. You’ll have a lot of the information you need to make an informed decision whether this program is right for you.

I’ll warn you in advance – some of my answers to your most Burning Questions are on a little long. But I’d rather err on the side of giving you more information than less.

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
www.ChangingCourse.com




Valerie and her rescue dog, "Cokie Roberts"

By Valerie Young

This article originally appeared in Issue 198 of the Changing Course Newsletter.

The thing that keeps me up at night is not the economy. Don’t get me wrong. My retirement savings have taken the same hit as everyone else’s has. But in worrisome times I look to successful people to guide me and, financially anyway, who is more successful than billionaire Warren Buffet? Buffet’s rule is, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.” In other words, when the time is ripe to increase the odds of success, successful people are ready for it.

I am of the firm belief that the down economy actually makes this the ideal time to put a small side business into motion. It’s a simple matter of not putting all of your eggs in one basket. When you have another profit center plate spinning, you are one step closer to taking control of your life instead of leaving it to the whims of the employment picture.

The thing that keeps me awake at night is wondering how can I help overworked under-fulfilled people, stressed out people (like you?) to change course as fast as possible. In other words, what exactly will it take to really accelerate your dream of being able to quit your job and get a life?

It’s hard for me to believe sometimes that it has been 13 years since I successfully traded in my 90-mile-a-day commute to my job in corporate America for my sunny home office with a view. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes being able to get up when you want to, to take vacations when you need to, and to have total control over your life and your time. Take my word for it – once you’ve reached “the other side” as Barbara Winter likes to put it, you never go back.

Changing course always comes down finding 6 key things: Money, time, courage, information, ideas, and support. The good news is that they are all manageable, if you know where to look. I know because I’ve been studying the process of changing course for over a decade now. 

I understand your worries because I lived them. In fact, I spent seven years as an employee fretting about where I would find the money, time, and confidence to be my own boss. What finally moved me to action was a painful wake up call. My mother spent the last nine years and seven months of her life toiling at her job as a second shift custodian – a job she took solely to get vested for the retirement benefits. When she died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 61, just five months before she was to retire, it totally changed how I viewed time (we can choose how we use it), money (things work out), and life (it’s all too short).

What Will Be the Driving Force That Gets You To Change Course?

 
Only you can answer that question. I know what the propelling force was for me. Losing my mother at such a young age made me realize that I had spent far too much time agonizing endlessly about what might happen if I changed course and not nearly enough time worrying about what would happen if I DIDN’T.

In other words, instead of being afraid of the “unknown risks” that adventure can bring, I should have been equally worried about the “known risks.” The known risk of staying stuck was spending another 25 years dealing with alarm clocks, commuter traffic, office politics, and spending five days a week living the spirit numbing reality that, as it’s been said, “the truth is rarely told between the hours of 9-to-5.”

“The big break for me,” quipped Jon Stewart of the Daily Show, “was deciding that this is my life.” I know what he means. For me, the propelling force was finally getting – and I mean really “getting” – that I only had one life to live. And that by not at least trying to create the life I really wanted, in all likelihood I would die with my music still in me. Now THAT was scary!

The American editor and author Christopher Morley got it right when he said, “There is only one success… to be able to spend your life in your own way, and not to give others absurd maddening claims upon it.” There are a lot of things to worry about these days. I only wish that more people would worry about what it might look like to actually spend your life “in your own way.” And then do start doing something about it.

What can you do this week to be guided less by your fears and more by your dreams? How can you begin to focus less on “what is” and more on “what could be”?  The New Year is almost upon us. You may already be thinking about how you want 2009 to be different… how you can make 2009 YOUR YEAR. So, what promise can you make yourself to make that happen?




Valerie and her rescue dog, "Cokie Roberts"

By Valerie Young

This article originally appeared in Issue 197 of the Changing Course Newsletter.

This week most Americans will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Our Canadian friends celebrated their Thanksgiving in October. Other countries and cultures around the world have their own days and ways of expressing appreciation for life’s abundance.

I happen to believe every day is meant for thanksgiving. I also think that recognizing the riches in our lives is integral to the process of changing course. Let me tell you what I mean.

Chances are, the reason you’re considering shaking up your life is that you’re unhappy with the way things are right now. In fact, you’re probably painfully aware of exactly what – or who – is contributing to your current misery. It’s your lousy job… or disagreeable boss… or annoying co-worker… or maddening commute… or the day-to-day pressures and stress of the job… you fill in the blank.

You’re “here” but you desperately want to be “there.” And while you may not know exactly what “there” looks like yet, you do know this: You want your future to look very different from your present. And herein lies the challenge. How do you strive to fashion this future life, yet still live happily in the present?

In a word: gratitude. If you don’t like that word then try “mindfulness.”

You see, I believe that the key to our current well being AND our future success is the ability to be mindful of all that we have right this very minute. This is all the more true if the present is less than desirable.

That’s because, as Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin point out in Your Money or Your Life, “So much dissatisfaction comes from focusing on what we don’t have that the simple exercise of acknowledging and valuing what we do have can transform our outlook.” Let me share with you two personal examples of how living in the present and gratitude have transformed my own outlook.

I was on a road trip through Connecticut. I don’t remember now where I was going but I do know that as usual, I was in a hurry to get there. I was making pretty good time when suddenly traffic on the interstate slowed to a crawl.

As I sat there fuming a big tractor-trailer truck edged alongside me. Even in my agitated state, I couldn’t help but notice that the side of the truck had nothing on it. It was completely devoid of advertising, company name, or words of any kind. There were no clues as to its contents whatsoever. It was completely white.

As the truck inched ahead, I could see some writing along the back. Maybe it was one of those “How’s my driving?” messages encouraging motorists to call in to report the driver’s performance. As the truck slowly pulled in front of my car, three simple words written in neat black letters came into view. The words were: Be Here Now.

I don’t know what the truck company had intended by that message but I do know the effect it had on me. The first thing I did was take a long, deep breath. My breathing slowed, my muscles relaxed. Heeding the message, I decided that instead of raging at the traffic gods I may as well pop in a CD, sit back, and do the only thing I could do - enjoy the ride.

I began to compare the simple, yet powerful, message to “be here now” with the popularity of those “I’d rather be…” bumper stickers. Some of our fellow drivers would rather be fishing. Others would rather be shopping. A personal favorite common here in this college town is, “I’d rather be smashing imperialism.” We may all fill in the “I’d rather be…” blank differently but the message is still the same – we’d rather be just about anywhere but “here.”

To be fully in the moment is no small task. Even on a good day our minds have a tendency to race ahead with plans or worries or ideas. Being present is even more challenging when the current state of affairs is the very thing we so desperately seek to change.

And yet, neglecting the present invariably leads to future regrets. Being too busy to spend meaningful time with our children, visit a sick or aging relative, exercise, or even have fun is the stuff regrets are made of. None of us will look back at our lives and wish we’d done less, but we will all wonder why we didn’t do more.

John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.” Lennon understood that life is for living… today. What I’m trying to say is this: As you work to create that new and different future remember that changing course is as much about the journey as it is the destination.

To fully enjoy this ride called life requires that we appreciate each and every day and that we be mindful of all that we have. I realize this may not always be easy… especially when faced with illness, or hunger, or loss.

Yet even in the most dire circumstances, I’ve learned that there is always something to be grateful for. My friend’s Aunt Nancy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was given no more than six months to live. She hung on just long enough to attend her grandson’s graduation. As we were driving Aunt Nancy to the ceremony, we saw the most beautiful sunset. Grinning from ear to ear I heard her whisper, “I’m so lucky. I’m so very, very lucky.” I can tell you, we all felt pretty lucky that night.

“Once we are above the survival levels,” say Dominguez and Robin, “the difference between prosperity and poverty lies simply in our degree of gratitude.” When you consciously focus on life’s gifts instead of its challenges, you’ll begin to feel rich beyond measure.

So as you enjoy a drink of clean water, a warm bed, or the company of a loved one, pause and be grateful for who and what is in your life right now. Strive toward that new future, but remember to be here now and savor the journey.

To all who celebrate this special holiday, I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

I’m not one to throw around big promises like "Turn your annual income into your monthly income." But I met a guy who, through much trial and error and hard work, has successful managed to do just that… and quite a bit more.

Alex Mandossian

His name is Alex Mandossian. And in 2001 his annual income was $63,700. Three years later, he was earning that much in a month. By 2006, his 2001 annual income became his "hourly" income (16 times)… all through the revenue-generating power of his telephone.

The money part is impressive. Equally impressive though is what Alex has to offer other entrepreneurs who, like me, love teaching but hate selling. He made his fortune because he figured out that it’s a lot easier to educate customers than to try to "sell" them. And it’s a lot more profitable too.

Alex is a master at marketing by teaching, at earning by helping, and at succeeding by helping your customers succeed. He’s delivered Teleseminars with many of the world’s top leaders and authors, including Donald Trump, Stephen Covey, and Mark Victor Hansen and has trained over 13,000 students since 2001.

Over the past 12 years, Alex has helped his clients generate over $203 million in sales. And he’s agreed to share what he’s learned with you.

Be My Special “VIP” Guest

On Thursday, December 4thAlex will reveal time-proven Teleseminar secrets that can dramatically boost my sales and profits WITHOUT spending a dime more on advertising or promotional costs in a live training call at 9:00pm Eastern.

By the end of this call, you will have access to…

• The 8 Critical Advantages Alex has when conducting his own Teleseminars

• 7 huge mistakes most marketers make during their Teleseminars… and how to avoid them

• 9 embarrassing mistakes most marketers before their Teleseminars… and how to avoid them

• The 7-Step Plan Alex has used to triple his passive income as an “Interviewer” of world’s top industry leaders

• 4 Teleseminar campaigns that each produced over six-figures in annual income, but required less than 2 hours of effort (each)

• 5 core attributes to find low-cost reliable vendors to write sales copy with greater pulling-power, build high-conversion web sites, reliably record and transcribe audio content with fast turnaround times …

• Tips on how to build highly responsive online lists from scratch

Alex is convinced that once you apply his principle-centered marketing strategies, practically any entrepreneur can use Teleseminars to substantially grow your business. Last year over 600 Changing Course readers signed up for this once-a-year Teleseminar.

If you hate selling, but love teaching or bringing on guest speakers or otherwise using the power of Teleseminars to grow your business, grab your seat before it’s gone.

Your VIP Discount Code

Claim your $79 discount and register for only $20 using VIP Discount Code: AM3964

Click here to register: ChangingCourse.com/recommends/teleseminarsecrets

The first 200 people to register will also receive Alex’s new "Insiders Guide to Teleseminar Profits for Independent Professionals."

If the idea of turning your annual income into your monthly income seems like way too much to money to be believable then try thinking in more modest terms like doubling your income. Is that worth 90 minutes of your time?

Joey is an old family friend with a great mind for inventions and such. He left his corporate IT job about five years ago to sell a specialty clothing item he created for skiers and other outdoor types. It’s a really good product and there is nothing else like it on the market. He even got a patent.

Joey’s first product brochure was really bad. No, make that horrible.

In my old corporate marketing job, I worked on product brochures all the time. So I tried to offer Joey some friendly pointers. When I did, he literally put his hands over his ears and said, “No, no, no.” I am not making this up.

Since then, he’s had some success traveling around the country selling his clothing at ski shows. But, when you calculate in the time and the cost of driving half way across the country and sitting at a booth for three days, it’s easy to see why Joey’s business barely breaks even.

Bad marketing aside, Joey consistently chooses the least customer friendly ways to do business. For example, he doesn’t take checks from his customers because one might bounce. He won’t accept American Express credit cards either because the fees are too high.

I’ve tried to tell him that out of many hundreds of customer orders I’ve received by check, in all that time maybe one was bad. And even if two out of 100 did bounce, he’d still come out ahead because he’d be making sales he wouldn’t have otherwise.

Like credit card fees, the occasional bounced check is just the price of doing business. Like any business expense they just come off your taxes. Joey won’t listen.

Over the years, I’ve tried to tell him that that he should be marketing his product on the internet. Joey resisted for a long time before finally throwing up do-it-yourself site. It’s ugly and not at all user friendly. Not surprisingly, he only gets a couple of orders a month at most.

Not one to give up easily, I’ve tried to talk to him about ways to drive traffic to his site, about building a list so he can keep in touch with his prospects and clients, about partnering with other companies to jointly sell his products – but Joey always comes back with some reason why “it will never work.”

Over the years, I’ve recommended different workshops or Web designers. But Joey doesn’t want to spend the money. Besides, one of them might rip off his ideas.

At one point, a major ski manufacturer was interested in licensing his product. As he prepared to talk numbers, I told him to focus on sales volume and not a per unit profit. After all it’s better make $2 on a million sales than to make $20 on 1000 sales. But Joey decided it was better to play hard ball on price instead. The deal never happened.

Why am I bothering to take time out of my weekend to tell you about a small business failure?

It’s simple. I know you want nothing more than to fire your boss and do your own thing. And, unlike Joey, I actually want you to make enough money so you can support yourself, take some nice vacations, and enjoy a good retirement.

But it’s never going to happen unless you bring the right mindset to your goal of changing course.

Case in point, compare Joey to a guy named Ted that I met last weekend at a seminar in Salt Lake City. Ted flew all the way from Florida, took three days out of his life, and spent several thousand dollars to learn a new way to drive more traffic to his Web site from an expert.

Ted is an airline pilot who was looking to start a side business in his spare time. He took a seminar on starting an online business, found a product he wanted to sell (a medical device), contracted with manufacturers and distributors, used everything he learned and made it happen. That was three years ago.

Now compare where Ted’s business is compared to Joey’s.

Ted works on his business part-time. Joey works on his full-time.

Despite spending more time on his business, Joey has made relatively little money, has a garage full of inventory, and has an increasingly impatient wife who just wants him to get a “real job.”

Ted’s business started out slowly, but today he is seeing monthly sales of about $50,000 and next year projects sales to top a million. Corporate headquarters is a spare bedroom in his condo.

“Information Will Set You Free”

There is one reason, and one reason only, why Joey’s business is not making it. He won’t listen to anyone.

Joey thinks he knows it all and sees no value in working with other business owners.

Ted on the other hand goes out of his way to find people who are more knowledgeable than he is and to learn from them. He also partnered with a parent’s organization devoted to helping young people impacted by the condition Ted’s product helps.

Joey doesn’t want to spend a dime on his business that he doesn’t have to, preferring instead to do everything himself. He thinks everyone is out to rip him off – the customer, marketing consultants, internet marketers, workshop leaders.

But like me, Ted invests heavily in his education. That’s because Ted knows for every $1 he puts in he will get $10 or $20 back in increased sales.

My changing course mantra has always been “information will set you free.” Ted gets this. Joey doesn’t.

Last week I shared some information with you about two very smart and very successful people whom I consider to be mentors of sorts – Yanik Silver and Jeff Walker.

Since purchasing their products and then getting a chance to meet and spend time continuing to learn from them, my own business has succeeded beyond my dreams. (One of the best things about making more money is it’s allowed me to give more money to my favorite international cause, www.TrickleUp.org and my favorite local cause, The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.)

Both Yanik and Jeff are experts at helping people like Joey (if he’d listen), or Ted, or me, or you to start with literally nothing more than a glimmer of an idea, to turn that idea into a viable product or service, and then to sit at home reaching out to people who would benefit from our idea by marketing it via the World Wide Web.

Neither of these guys is afraid that people are going to rip them off. Quite the opposite. In fact, right now Yanik and Jeff are both giving away a TON of information that is free for the taking.

For example, Yanik is giving away almost $300 worth of products to any current or aspiring entrepreneur who wants to learn from a true master. All just to get you to give a subscription to his new Maverick Insiders newsletter a fair try.

These are not digital products he’s giving away. This is a big box of stuff that Yanik is going to mail to your home for just the cost of postage and handling. Now compare that to Joey who is too afraid that a customer will rip him off that he won’t even take a check!

Then there’s Jeff Walker. Jeff’s whole philosophy is built on being generous with his knowledge. So, for the last week or so, he’s been letting people listen in to a series of training videos that others have paid thousands to see.

Is Jeff just being a “nice guy”? Yes and no. Jeff truly is one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys you’ll ever meet. I’ve been at conferences with him where some “little guy” who used Jeff’s program will come up tell him that they went from making a few hundred of dollars a month to making anywhere from $5,000 to (and I am not exaggerating here) $100,000 in a week.

Jeff knows what it’s like to barely have enough money to keep his own kids in diapers. So when people come up to thank him like this, you would think he hit the lottery! I’m guessing no one has thanked Joey.

But Jeff is also savvy enough to know that being successful in business means establishing relationships. Relationships are all about trust and credibility. You gain trust by putting your customer’s needs above profits. Like me, I know for a fact that Jeff has walked away from sales or potential business partners if it didn’t feel right.

Jeff also knows that the best way to establish credibility with prospective customers is not to guard the palace, like Joey does but rather to “move the free line” as Eben Pagan says, and give away as much free information as possible.

What can you learn from how Jeff or Yanik do business? Are there ways you can be more generous in your own business? Or offer people what Yanik calls an “ethical bribe” to try your product or service?

The Question Is: Who Do You Want To Be Like?

Technically Joey and Ted are both small business owners. But they could not be more different. If you’re dreading going to work tomorrow, then you need to ask yourself some important questions:

Yes or no, are you really serious about succeeding in your own business? Or is it just one of those “someday-maybe” things you tell yourself to make yourself feel better about getting up and going to your mind-numbing job?

If the answer is yes, go to the next question…

You probably invested a lot of time and money in getting some kind of a degree, right? But what have you invested in your business? If the answer is nothing, then how much are you planning to invest? Or do you think that starting a business just happens?

What do you need to learn to get to the next level and who can you learn from? What is your plan for actively learning from people who are doing what you want to be doing? Is there a book, a workshop, an apprenticeship, a product that will help you get there faster?

My plan is to continue to invest a minimum of $10,000 a year in my own education (something that would have been unthinkable to my working class brain just a few years ago).

And I plan to continue to learn from people like Yanik and Jeff. Last week I shared some specifics about both of their programs. So I’m not going to get into all that again. Besides they both do a far better job explaining what they have to offer than I do so, if you’re interested, I invite you to go see what they have to say.

But, if you have been thinking about starting a business that you can operate online from anywhere, then what you DO need to know now is that there is a clock on all this generosity and that clock is tick, tick, ticking…

I honestly don’t know when Yanik plans to end the $298 in free products offer. All I know is a) it’s not going to be around forever, and b) he wrote to say he plans to kick in what he says is a “killer last minute bonus.” So, if you want to meet Yanik, to see photos with him and his pal Sir Richard Branson (talk about networking!) and how Yanik teamed up with Branson to raise money for some very good causes, and to learn more about grabbing your free products, go to:

http://ChangingCourse.com/recommends/yanik

So many people grabbed Jeff’s program that he stopped taking orders on Friday. But he’s re-opening the doors one last time on Monday, November 17th at noon Eastern Time. But just for a few hours or until he sells out.

To watch Jeff’s newest free informational video or just to get in line for this last chance to grab his program go to:

ChangingCourse.com/recommends/productlaunch

Being a Successful Entrepreneur is All In Your Mind

So much of being a successful entrepreneur has to do with your mindset. Do you want to be like Joey or do you want to be like Ted? Maybe you aren’t out to make millions. But imagine how nice it would be to make a good living on your own terms and not have to worry about money. Better yet, imagine being able to make enough to help other people too.

Sir Francis Bacon once said, “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” A wise woman will too. Change your thinking and it is amazing what opportunities you will invite into your life.




Valerie and her rescue dog, "Cokie Roberts"

By Valerie Young

This article originally appeared in Issue 196 of the Changing Course Newsletter.

I admit it. I’ve watched more than a few episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? So, imagine my excitement when the answer to my prayers arrived in my e-mail. In just 90 days, I was told, I could make $50,000 without doing any hard work or leaving the comfort of home. Lunging for my calculator, I figured out that if I follow this simple success plan every day for one year, I could take in a whopping $20 million dollars! The heck with Meredith, I’m heading straight for Easy Street!

So maybe you’re not naive enough to fall for these get-rich-quick scams. But admit it: the offer intrigued you. Whether looking to lose 20 pounds or switch careers, the promise of a quick-and-easy solution is enticing.

Take Stu, for Example

Stu phoned to say he wanted to get into voice-over work, but didn’t know where to begin. I knew enough to explain his need to practice, make a demo tape, and then shop it around to different studios. After a long pause, Stu said, “Gee, that sounds hard. Isn’t there an easier way?” Jokingly, I suggested he lounge by the phone until a client randomly selects his name from the phone book. Stu liked this idea much better.

Some people do get discovered, hit the lottery, or strike it rich on a game show. If you apply the same kind of thinking to your career dreams, though, your odds of success will likely be less than terrific. Consider these three perspective-shifting antidotes to the Fast-and-Easy-Career-Change Syndrome.

1. Snap out of it.

Yes, making any kind of change is easier said then done. Maybe, though, we need to rethink our views on effort. According to Carlos Castaneda, “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of effort is the same.” When you think about it, it takes the same amount of energy to go after your dream career as it does to stress out and groan about your lousy job.

2. Stop waiting for a miracle.

Too many people waste time daydreaming about being rescued by “Mr. Job.” The career equivalent of waiting for Mr. or Ms. Right, this kind of passive approach is sure to disappoint. Face it: The only person who’s going to liberate you from job jail is you! If you want to live happily ever after, take a proactive lesson from Jonathan Winters. “I couldn’t wait for success,” he reportedly said, “so I went ahead without it.”

3. Accentuate the positive.

Stop dwelling on how much work it takes to cultivate the soil and plant the seeds. Focus on the bounty your efforts will yield. In an essay “Sacrifice or Stepping Stone?” from her newsletter Winning Ways, author Barbara Winter reminds us of something essential. “Giving up something in the present in order to have something greater in the future,” she says, “is actually a wise pay-off.”

So, jumpstart the process by listing everything you have to gain by changing your course, get positively motivated, and shoot for the jackpot!

If you really are serious about wanting to look in the mirror and see the boss, then there’s someone I really want you to meet…

One of the very best ways to be an entrepreneur yourself is to learn from people who have done it themselves. That’s why I really want you to meet marketing guru (and I’m happy to say new friend) Jeff Walker. Jeff not only introduced me to marketing techniques that have - and I am not exaggerating here - literally doubled my income, he also happens to be one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.

One of his most inspiring success stories is about a guy named John who put his family in debt (we’re talking food stamps here) in his quest to make and market a board game. John was a success at making the game. It was the selling part that bombed. That is, until he met Jeff…

I could go on and on about how Jeff’s product launch system not only inspired me to finally stop “thinking” about launching my Outside the Job Box Career Consultant Training Program and actually DO IT - but was THE key to me making a little over $80,000 in about a week.

There is obviously more to this story. But since you can go hear my whole “Lakeside Product Launch” story at ChangingCourse.com/productlaunchformula.htm, I want to stick to what all this has to do with you…

Jeff’s marketing training program has helped hundreds of regular people just like you launch their own small businesses in such diverse niches as health food, knitting, horse training, even a business coaching in Poland. And, like you, the overwhelming majority had no previous marketing experience… and I do mean NONE.

Each one did four and five figure product launches using the same marketing strategies. You can use the same formula to market a service, a workshop, a conference, a book, a CD, or just about any other kind of product -your own or someone else’s.

I know because I’ve met and talked with at least 50 of these now successful entrepreneurs in person. The overwhelming majority had no previous marketing experience… and I do mean NO EXPERIENCE.

Today, Jeff is opening the doors for the latest version of his Product Launch Formula. When he released this program last March, they had to shut it down in only 36 hours.

I don’t want you to miss out and have to wait another seven to 12 months. If you are really serious about jumpstarting your business and becoming successful faster, then I highly recommend you get a head start by signing up to watch some case studies of real people (like me!) who have used Jeff’s program.

If you either have a business with a Web site, or you have an idea for one, but you HATE MARKETING, then I highly recommend Jeff’s program. He’s giving away some great free content including his new Product Launch Blueprint video. Sign up to watch it now at ChangingCourse.com/recommends/plf

P.S. Someone asked a good question on the about launching a business in a down economy. If you have the same concern, you can read my reply there.

On this same economic note, members of the Fast Track/Changing Course Club Community can log in to listen to my November Opportunity Hour Teleclass. One of the things I talk about is how smart entrepreneurs can turn these tough economic times into even more ways to serve customers and grow your business in the process.

The fastest way to become a successful entrepreneur yourself is to learn from other successful entrepreneurs. I want to introduce you to two enormously successful (we’re talking millionaires here) who have had a tremendous impact on my success.

I am not exaggerating when I say that what I learned from these two guys has helped me to literally double my income. One helped me generate $80,000 in less than a week.

But to me, it’s never been all about making money. I have had the pleasure of personally working with and learning from both of these amazing entrepreneurs. And what impresses me as much as their marketing know-how is that they are both huge advocates of giving back and helping the “little guy.”

Don’t Know How to Market Your Business?

Jeff Walker & Valerie at a Product Launch Formula Workshop

If you want to have a small business – but have no idea how to market it – you need to know my friend Jeff Walker.

Jeff first built his reputation by helping most of the big millionaire internet marketers to do seven figure product launches. But you don’t have to be an internet marketer to benefit from Jeff’s teachings. In fact, you don’t even have to necessarily know what you plan to sell to get started.

I could go on and on about how Jeff’s product launch system not only inspired me to finally stop “thinking” about launching my Outside the Job Box Career Consultant Training Program and actually DO IT – but was THE key to me making a little over $80,000 in about a week.

There is obviously more to this story. But since you can go hear my whole “Lakeside Product Launch” story at http://ChangingCourse.com/productlaunchformula.htm, I want to stick to what all this has to do with you…

The point is that Jeff’s marketing training program has helped hundreds of regular people just like you launch their own small businesses in such diverse niches as health food, knitting, horse training, even a business coaching in Poland.

Each one did four and five figure product launches using the same marketing strategies. You can use the same formula to market a service, a workshop, a conference, a book, a CD, or just about any other kind of product –your own or someone else’s.

I know because I’ve met and talked with at least 50 of these now successful entrepreneurs in person.

The overwhelming majority had no previous marketing experience… and I do mean NO EXPERIENCE.

In addition to being a marketing genius, Jeff is one of the most down to earth people you’ll ever meet. To “meet” Jeff and to get a really good overview of his Product Launch Blueprint, click here to watch a short 20 minute video.

The only reason this video is available is that sometime next week Jeff plans to release a limited number of his product launch training program. The last time he did was this was back in March and they sold out in 36 hours.

I don’t want you to miss out and have to wait another seven to 12 months. If you are really serious about jumpstarting your business and becoming successful faster, then I highly recommend you get a head start by signing up to watch some case studies of real people (like me!) who have used Jeff’s program.

Jeff is giving away a lot of really great information in the videos. So even if you ultimately decide not to buy his program watching the videos will still be very beneficial.

Here is the link again:

http://ChangingCourse.com/recommends/jeff

Become Successful Faster

Yanik Silver and Valerie at a Mastermind session

The other person I want you to meet is Yanik Silver. I talked to you about Yanik earlier this week.

What I didn’t mention was that last spring I completed an application to join Yanik’s Mastermind. Little did I know then what a difference being in a group of successful entrepreneurs would make in my business… and in my life.

Yanik’s own story is fascinating. He is recognized as one of the leading experts on web marketing even though he still considers himself, like me, a “techno dunce.” Obviously it didn’t hold him back because he was already a millionaire at age 31.

A little over a year ago, Yanik combined his sense of adventure and zest for life and merged it with entrepreneurial success into a business called Maverick Business Adventures.

Maverick Business Adventures is an invitation-only membership exclusively for highly successful entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners who want to live life to the fullest, create business breakthroughs and give back through charity and education to empower disadvantaged youth to become entrepreneurs.

Like I told you earlier, I share Yanik’s passion for working with young people, so I tossed caution to the wind and joined the Maverick group too!

Joining the Maverick group has been an amazing experience. Not being terribly athletic, the “adventure” part of the program definitely takes me out of my comfort zone — like rappelling off a cliff which, once you get past the terror part, is actually a lot of fun.

But I also get to meet and learn from some phenomenally successful entrepreneurs. People like Frank McKinney whom I met in Aspen. Frank builds $35 million dollar seaside mansions on spec. That’s also where I got to dine with Carl Banks — the former NY Giants Super Bowl champ turned mega-entrepreneur.

Now, even if you did qualify to join the Maverick group, you may not be the adventure travel type. But guess what – you don’t have to!

Yanik’s newest mission is to bring the wisdom of these success entrepreneurs to the masses in a new program called the Maverick Business Insider.

To get the word out, Yanik is offering what he calls an “ethical bribe” by giving away a ton of great resources – all for free.

All you have to do is pay for shipping and handling and you’ll receive an information-rich package containing Yanik’s “34 Rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs” book, poster and a CD interview where national best-selling author of “Conversations with Millionaires” Mike Litman interviews Yanik.

But that’s not all. You’ll also receive Yanik’s $15,000 Closed Door Session blueprint that points out Instant Leverage Points that can instantly increase your bottom line.

Plus, you’ll get the first issue of the Maverick Business Insider newsletter and audio of an interview with a successful entrepreneur who created a seven figure business with a single eBook. All and all, it’s a pretty amazing deal.

And, if you’re one of the first to buy, Yanik will throw in even more amazing bonus material — all for ONLY the cost of shipping and handling.

Why would he give so much away? Because Yanik knows how good his stuff is. And because it is SO GOOD he knows that a significant number of people will want more.

So, if you choose to remain a Maverick Business Insider, you’ll continue to receive a new interview every month with a new entrepreneur at a very reasonable cost. Learn more about this amazing program at http://ChangingCourse.com/recommends/yanik

You know I’m a big advocate of recognizing the opportunities around you. And, I also choose the opportunities that I share with my subscribers very carefully. This week has been filled with possibilities.

If you’re really ready to make your dreams come true, I *highly* recommend that you check these amazing individuals. But, I also want to be clear that they are offering two different kinds of information.

So think about where you are in your transition of moving you closer to your goal of turning your interests into income. For example, Yanik’s program will apply to any entrepreneur while Jeff’s program is really geared more for someone who already has or is planning to do business online by creating a list and then creating and selling information, products, seminars, or some other kind of product or service.

Here are those links again:

Jeff Walker, Product Launch Formula

Yanik Silver, Maverick Business Insider

To your dreams,

Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence
ChangingCourse.com

P.S. As a Maverick member I also have the chance to network with and learn from dozens of less famous but also really successful and interesting entrepreneurs. For some great tips for people who want to change course, including some from Yanik himself, check out this cool video Lisa helped me put together from my Aspen trip: http://ChangingCourse.com/maverick.htm)

P.P.S. Both of these guys can help you achieve your dream of changing course. But it’s up to you to take the first step… The key is to begin.

UPDATE: The webinar is now over, but you can still view the recording and learn from these amazing entrepreneurs on you to make more money, have more fun and give back more.

On Monday, Lisa emailed my list to let you know about our limited quantity of Making Dreams Happen, the *LIVE* recording of an amazing workshop I did with fellow career change experts Barbara Sher and Barbara Winter. Our remaining copies sold out within 10 minutes!

The news that the Making Dreams Happen CD set would no longer be available made me incredibly sad. I realized that I’m not ready to say goodbye to this amazing program. I can’t make any promises but, I’ve got Lisa investigating what it will take to create a “digital” version that you can download yourself.

If you were one of the many who tried to purchase the program after it was sold out and would like to be notified of updates on a potential downloadable version of Making Dreams Happen, contact Lisa at Lisa@ChangingCourse.com

Lisa also mentioned a great video that internet guru and mega-entrepreneur Yanik Silver has put together on his “Maverick Philosophies.” I’ve had the pleasure of working with Yanik and getting to know him over the last several months. His zest for life and for helping others is contagious. The guy one of a handful of entrepreneurs to meet with and spend the weekend on Richard Branson’s private island as part of a massive fundraiser for Branson’s charitable organization.

Yanik even inspired me to sign up for his Maverick Business Adventures program, an invitation-only membership exclusively for successful entrepreneurs, CEOs and business owners who want to live life to the fullest, create business breakthroughs and give back through charity and education to empower future entrepreneurs.

Joining has been an amazing experience. Not being terribly athletic, the “adventure” part of the program definitely takes me out of my comfort zone. But it’s a good stretch.

The thing that really sold me becoming a Maverick member was the opportunity to share knowledge with potentially at-risk kids and young adults who don’t have the resources to gain this real-life, entrepreneurial knowledge and experience.

An added bonus of being part of the Maverick group was the opportunity to talk and learn from fellow entrepreneurs. On a recent trip to Aspen, I took this opportunity to ask some of these extremely successful individuals to offer their advice for changing course. I’m happy to share this information with you now at http://ChangingCourse.com/maverick.htm

I encourage you to really listen to the advice and apply it to your life and your dreams to find work you truly love.

As a follow up to Yanik’s Maverick Philosophies, he’s offering a free, LIVE Webinar tomorrow, Thursday, November 6, called “Secrets of Maverick Entrepreneurs.”

Imagine being able to sit down and corner a half dozen top-gun entrepreneurs from all different industries and get their take on the Maverick philosophy of how to make more, have more fun
and give back more! (I’m talking about everyone from $100M Manufacturing conglomerate to online mavens to a luxury Realtor and more.)

That’s exactly what Yanik will be doing. There are only 500 seats available for this event, so there’s a very good chance this fill quickly.

Sign up while you can at http://MaverickBusinessInsider.com/go?p=45450&w=mbilife

And, as an added bonus, Yanik’s offering the people who sign up for the webinar special back-door access to his new “Maverick Business Insider” package before it’s available to the general public.

So if you’re interested in hearing Yanik’s insights that made him financially independent before the age of 31 starting with a silly idea at 3 o’clock in the morning, you’ll want to be on this webinar. Here’s the link again:
http://MaverickBusinessInsider.com/go?p=45450&w=mbilife

I leave you with a thought from Henry David Thoreau, “I have learned, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he
will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

To Your Dreams,
Valerie Young
Dreamer in Residence

P.S. If you haven’t signed up to watch Yanik’s Maverick Philosophies 60+ minute video, I encourage you to do so. It’s not too late, sign up today at
http://www.MaverickBusinessInsider.com/go?p=45450&w=mbiweb