Some of you may remember the book, “The Black Swan,” that I have written quite a few blogs on in the past. The reason I have shared from Nassim Taleb often is his philosophical thinking about the world and investing is so insightful and unique that it makes for serious contemplation about the world in which we live.
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Riding The Wheel Of Life
As I come back from an EO Insignia and Quantum Leap conference in Park City, Utah, I carry with me some great experiences. This conference brings all the segregated forums together to have time to interact with each other and gain a personalized approach to the EO experience. Insignia is for people with 7 years or more in EO, and Quantum Leap is for those with $15-million or more in revenue. We get time with the large group as well as with our own forum, which includes a coach to take us through exercises.
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Get Your “Why” and You Will Get Your Customers
I have written before on finding your purpose and discovering why you do what you do. It is important to understand your “why” because it changes the way you communicate with your target audience in order to sell your products or services. Most of us communicate with others by discussing our features and benefits, which is the “how” and “what” of the work we do.
Discovering and sharing your “why” with your audience connects them in an emotional way that motivates the decision making process. In Simon Sinek’s TED video, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” he shares his discovery of the “why” and understanding why you do something and why your organization exists.
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A Better Version of Myself
I have returned home from my EO adventure in Istanbul, Turkey. What an amazing time with 800 entrepreneurs from 91 EO chapters in 39 countries around the world! We heard many interesting speakers, including the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who sent a recorded message for us. He told us about their country’s openness to trade and commerce. They are the fastest growing G-20 nation at 8.5%. -
Are Your Crucial Conversations Flops?
As I write this blog, I am waiting in the Frankfort airport and traveling to Istanbul, Turkey to join the EO University and about 700 of my fellow entrepreneurs, including some of my very close friends. I have been looking forward to this conference for a while and have been intrigued with Istanbul for as long as I can remember. I suspect it has something to do with a movie I had seen when I was younger. I look forward to sharing some of my experiences from exploring the city and attending the conference in upcoming blogs.
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Are Your Net Profit Numbers Distorted?
p>I caught up with one of my long-time EO friends, Greg Crabtree, at the EO Nerve Conference in Atlanta. We have hung out and experienced EO events around the world, and we are both passionate about EO and the people there that we learn from and grow with. Greg served on the EO Board as the Finance Chair, which was a perfect fit since his unique perspective allows him to explain numbers in a more entrepreneur-focused way rather than typical accountant speak.
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Our Instincts Are Social
As discussed in the X-Factor Blog, I attended and spoke at the Nerve Conference in Atlanta just over a week ago and had a great time! We listened to some interesting speakers and
had a fun spending time with our EO friends and meeting some young aspiring entrepreneurs. The breakout went well! The X-Factor content leads to such powerful discussions and opens us up to the possibilities of creating breakthrough opportunities for our businesses. -
Discovering Your X-Factor
I have been working on putting together some content for a breakout session I’ll be doing at the EO Nerve Conference in Atlanta next week. This content was created for Insignia and Quantum leap EO programs to help Forums engage in more stimulating discussions around your businesses with the other business owners. I really enjoy these events, catching up, and sharing with my existing EO friends and meeting new ones.
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How Am I Here Now?
What is the opportunity that you find yourself in today? What people did you meet to get here? What are you going to do to create more such opportunities?
I am on my way to Ft. Lauderdale to meet with my EO Insignia Forum. My close friend Joe has a place there, so we are going to spend some time at his condo. I really enjoy going to meet up with my EO friends and spending time with them. It is always a very stimulating and worthwhile experience.
I come away with a greater connection and understanding for their struggles and successes, as each one walks their own path. It opens me up to what life has to offer and awakens me to my limited perspective when the diversity of these successful entrepreneurs come together to share their minds, experiences, and visions.
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The Effectual vs. Causal Entrepreneur
Last week I discussed a study done on Entrepreneurs by Sara Sarasvathy that I found fascinating. Her study analyzes the characteristics, habits and behaviors of what she calls the species entrepreneur. She traveled to 17 states and met with 30 founders of companies ranging from $200M to $6.5B, covering a variety of industries.
So what she determined is that there are 2 methods of reasoning, effectual and causal. The causal approach is one that you commonly find in books. This is where you have a predetermined goal, a given set of means, and you work to identify the most optimal, efficient, and financially feasible way of reaching the set goal.
