We are living in an era of unprecedented information. In the last fifty years, the dawn of the digital age has caused an explosion of knowledge and data. Every single day, we collectively generate about 1.15 trillion megabytes of new data—a fact I found in a quick 45-second Google search. To put that in perspective, we create more new information in a 24-hour cycle than all of our ancestors did over millions of years.
Most of us have a few scattered memories from early childhood, maybe a birthday party or playing outside, probably from around age four or five. What we can’t recall, however, is how our brains actually operated back then. It’s easy to assume they worked just like they do now, but that couldn’t be more wrong.
Have you ever caught yourself in a loop of self-doubt? That feeling when you desperately want to achieve something, but you just can't seem to make it happen because you're your own worst enemy. How many times have you talked yourself out of a great idea?
I heard a story recently that perfectly captures the journey most entrepreneurs face. A young man’s mother looked at him and said something he dreaded hearing: “You are going to have to go back to being a waiter at Red Lobster.”
It's no secret that companies spend a fortune on social media ads—think somewhere in the ballpark of $58 billion a year. But what if you're just getting started or without a massive budget? The good news is, you don't have to spend a dime to start growing your audience.
Let’s be honest for a second. When it comes to your email list, are you acting like a good friend or that one annoying cousin? You know the one—they only show up at the family reunion to pitch you on a pyramid scheme or ask for a job.
It can all start with a simple conversation. I was walking to dinner with Josh Turner at an affiliate mastermind when he turned to me and said, “I’d like to buy your company.” He’d heard I was thinking about selling, and something about his directness felt right. Our companies were mirror images—his focused on LinkedIn, mine on Facebook. We shared the same values about taking care of our teams and clients, and our visions for a healthy work-life balance were perfectly aligned. He was ready to make a move, and frankly, so was I.
I've often heard from small business owners and people running a side hustle, "If I could just get people to try my product, I know they'd stick around for life." If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. But what if you could get that "try-before-you-buy" effect without actually giving away your core product for free?
I still remember this old TV commercial for a shampoo where a woman tells two friends, who then tell two more friends, and so on. It was the original vision of viral, word-of-mouth marketing. That’s the promise of social media, but in reality, many of us have been led astray.