Find Your Reason to Hustle

Failure Presents an Opportunity

Last night I held a seminar for people who wanted to create more successful New Year's resolutions.  I booked a function room at a local hotel, paid for a direct mail campaign to reach out to people in the community who might benefit from such a seminar, and I reached out to all my clients and connections through social media.

One person attended.

I was disheartened, to say the least.  When I woke up this morning, I really felt like taking the day off.  I've been running my own business for almost six years, now, and sometimes there are these moments when it feels like it won't go to the next level.  I left a safe job at a state university and sold my car to start this business.  When failures like last night's seminar occur, it's difficult to feel like it's all worth it.

But then I get past that initial emotional reaction, step back, and look at the bigger picture.  Here I am, almost six years after I started, and I'm still going.  I don't answer to anyone but myself.  I have complete control over my failure or my success.  It's nobody's fault but mine that last night didn't work like I hoped it would.  I can either pout about that, or learn from it.  That's my CHOICE.

I'm going to do a seminar again in three months, and I'm going to do it better next time.  I'm going to learn from my mistakes, make the proper adjustments, and do a better job of marketing and promoting.  I'm going to fail forward.  You just watch me.

Jared Aronson Brings Humor to his Hustle

Jared Aronson is a pretty impressive person.  He is the owner of Madhouse Tees.  I first met Jared at a craft fair a couple of years ago, where he had a booth set up to sell his t-shirts.  I was immediately struck by his, um, different... sense of humor.  He really has a fresh take on things.

When I wanted to have my own t-shirt design to promote my work as a stage hypnotist, I went to Jared.  I just knew that he would come up with something that other people would think was cool and fun, and he did.  But Jared's story is about more than t-shirts.

Jared was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy at four-years-old. Even though he's confined to a wheelchair and on a ventilator he continues to design and run Madhouse Tees. He creates his designs using a software program that allows him to draw using a trackball mouse. The passion Jared has for his company and product is fueled by his love for laughter and making others laugh too. Jared wants to educate the world about physical limitations by saying, “Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you don’t have creativity and passion.”  I think he's got it spot on.

Drop on by Madhouse Tees website and check out Jared's work. 

"Crush It" Essay Contest Winner Announced

Monica Everdyke left a perfectly "safe" job working for a college to start her own photography business.  She works another job at an entertainment agency to supplement her income, and still finds the time to coach softball.  If that's not hustle, I don't know what is. 

I talk with people regularly about their vision of a more gratifying life, and it's really common for them to not pursue that life because of the risk involved.  Anything worth having is worth taking a risk!  Monica gets it, and that's why she's changing her life.  And she's going to crush it.

As the winner of our essay contest, Monica will get a free copy of Gary Vaynerchuk's book, "Crush It."  I'm confident that Gary's book will inspire Monica and help her take her business to the next level.

Teenager Shows that Entrepreneurial Spirit is Ageless

"Here's the deal:  if you want it badly enough, the money is there, the success is there, and the fulfillment is there.  All you have to do is take it.  So quit whining, quit crying, quit with the excuses."

-Gary Vaynerchuk, in his book "Crush It"

We live in the greatest country in the world when it comes to entrepreneurship.  If you have a good idea and are willing to hustle, you can make big things happen.  This article in Spirit Magazine is a great example.

Leanna Archer was eight years old when she first asked her parents about starting a business.  Today her company grosses about $100,000 selling her family recipe for hair pomade.  She's 13 years old.

If Leanna can do it, so can you.

Win a Copy of "Crush It" by Gary Vaynerchuk

I want to keep learning about ordinary, everyday people who want more than ordinary, everyday lives.  In my attempt to better understand what drives the entrepreneurial spirit, I'm holding this essay contest.  The winner will get a free copy of Gary Vaynerchuk's new book "Crush It."

Essay Contest

Write an essay that incorporates the answers to the following questions:

1. If you could "crush it" at anything in life, what would it be?
2. How would you rate your own level of hustle on a daily basis in life?
3. Who would you most want to be successful for, in terms of their approval?
4. What's keeping you from crushing it right now?
5. What's your age, gender, and economic background?
6. How do you hope Gary Vaynerchuk's book would help you?

Your essay should give a little background on you, share some of your personal experiences, and tie the questions above together to help paint that picture of you.  By submitting an entry, you give your permission for your essay to be used on www.findyourreasontohustle.com.  All entries must be submitted by Sunday, October 18, 2009.  Send your entry to paul@paulramsay.com

I'll announce a winner on October 21.  Good luck!

These Young Entrepreneurs Know How to Hustle

Sandals made from recycled tires?  A rainforest tea that works like an energy drink?  There's always room for a good idea, and these entrepreneurs in their 20's are making it happen.  Don't underestimate the power of hustle.

Have you Thought of Starting Your Own Business?

Here's a nice article from Fox Business about starting your own business.  As people have more and more difficulty finding jobs, some are deciding to just create one for themselves.  You can do it if you're willing to hustle.

Stay at Home Mom Earns Six Figure Salary Because She Hustles!

Julie Trade's husband got laid off in 2007.  Julie's husband struggled for nearly a year to find a job, so she figured she should start working from home.  She used her background in marketing to start her own marketing communications business in the spare bedroom of their home.  Now she earns six figures with her business while still staying at home with their child.  You can read the whole article on CNN.com.

Julie does most of her work between 4am and 8am.  That's hustle!  But this leaves her with the rest of the day to spend with her family.  Julie is a great example of "where there's a will, there's a way." 

Business Students Get Entrepreneurial

"Students are looking out over the horizon and saying, 'You know what, there may be no job waiting for me when I graduate,' " said Bernhard Schroeder, director of the Entrepreneurial Management Center at San Diego State University's College of Business , who said membership in the school's entrepreneurship club tripled this year. "This recession is showing them that they can't trust anyone with their career."

That quote is from an article in Business Week discussing how more and more MBA students are graduating without finding a job and deciding to strike out on their own and create their own businesses.  Isn't that great?!  That's how it should be!  Look, if you're going to spend the extra time and money to get an MBA, you ought to be able to use what you've learned to start a company, right?  And small business is the lifeblood of our economy.  It's what the American Dream is all about!

Read the rest of the article here.

Some See Recession as Opportunity.

"What I'm worried about are those who are putting their heads in the sand and giving up."
--Deb Chereck, Director of the Career Center at the University of Oregon.

The unemployment rate in Oregon is 12%.  That's not stopping Ngan Nguyen.  She's involved in two start-up companies.  One is producing bio-diesel, the other an all-natural, eco-friendly cosmetic line.  Read the article from OregonLive.com.

Ultimately, how you come out of the recession is less about economics, less about luck, less about education, and more about you.  Your work ethic, your commitment to yourself, your drive to succeed regardless of the challenges.  If you have a good reason to hustle, you can make it happen.