Mighty Wise Media
Ever heard of Sage Software?
Big 800 pound gorilla; killing it in customer relationship management (CRM) and accounting software.
You’d think a huge company like this would have it together, right? A big guy us smaller guys can look up to? Read on my friend as there is something to learn here…
copyblogger.com made me do it.
Kept telling me you love lists like this. So; sitting on my duff, staring at a blank screen, started typing away.
The result? “21 Reasons You Became an Entrepreneur.”
Or maybe it should be 21 reasons “I” became an entrepreneur? Oh, it doesn’t matter. You and I are cut from the same stone.
So, without further delay, I present to you my list of 21 Reasons You (and I) Became an Entrepreneur:
So there I was.
Sitting around after my article was published on Forbes: “What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Peyton Manning”.
Ding. Up pops an email from a gal on ESPNRadio.
Her question?
There he stood.
At the head of a line that was finally getting shorter. A line of fanatics all waiting to see him. A rock star in the world of social media — Chris Brogan.
So there I was, with my wife Susan, patiently waiting for our turn to step in. Camera out and ready to snap. My mind racing on what I was going to say.
Now please understand I am a huge fan of Chris Brogan. Maybe borderline groupie? Um, no. But, I definitely like and respect him tremendously. And here he was in front of me at InfusionCon last week. An event with Chris, myself and about 1,400 other on-fire entrepreneurs.
Wait a minute; never heard of Chris Brogan? Silly you. If you’re a serious entrepreneur wanting to impact the world, you need to know Chris. He will help you build a strong relationship with your customer. So pick up one of his books; check his website, or just stalk him like I did…
As seen in Forbes.
My friend and former business partner died a couple weeks ago.
32 days after he was told he would. The doc had told him his body was wracked with cancer. So in a New York minute, it was done. He was gone.
As I thought about him over the past month of his life, I wondered what he was thinking as he lay there knowing he was dying.
Did he look over his life with any regrets? If so, what were they? What did he wish he wouldn’t have done? What did he wish he would have tried? If it were me in his shoes — basically just waiting around to die — what would I regret about my own life? And more to the point, what would you?
Yes, I tell you this story for a reason…
As seen in Forbes.
Peyton Manning signs a new deal for nearly $100 million to play football.
Some guy named CC Sabathia signs last fall for $122 million to throw a fastball over a white piece of rubber.
Both guys at the top of their game. Skill off the charts. Champions. Leaders.
And they still have 3 coaches… each.
You would think it crazy if Peyton suddenly declared he didn’t need a coach anymore.
Can you hear him now? “Listen. I am the best. I know how to play and have it all figured out. What more can anyone teach me? What more do I need to learn? Nope. I am just going out there on my own now. No coaching needed. Just get out of my way.”
Yeah, right.
If these guys still need 3 coaches each…
As seen in Forbes.
Welcome back!
This is the second part and conclusion of the story of crazy Dave Mayer of Clean Bottle and how he broke free from job jail.
(Oh yes, and how you can do the same. :-)
If you have not seen Part I, please go there now so you have a clue on what we’re talking about. Okay?
I will wait…. :-)
Are you back? Good. Now let’s continue with…
By now, you better have a pretty good idea of what you want to do when you get out of job jail. But wait a minute. Why wait until you break out to start? Why not start now?
As seen in Forbes.
Can you imagine?
Sitting behind a desk, day after day, hating your job.
Is this you? Do you know the feeling?
I call it job jail.
If you’re currently stuck in job jail, don’t despair — there is hope. You can break free.
Oh but how you ask.
Well, I found someone who can help you. (Yes, this dude up here in the bottle.)
You see, after posting my last article on Forbes with my 7 Lessons From an Out-Of-Whack Entrepreneur, many of you reached out to me. (Oh, and if you’re one of them, please bear with me. I will respond personally to you soon. A little overwhelmed at the moment… :-)
But guess what I learned?
So many of you are in the same jail. Sick of it all. Having dreams of starting your own business. But not sure where to begin. Basically “stuck”.
So it got me thinking… Who do I know that has smashed their way out of job jail? A person who can share their story of escape?
Bingo. A guy named Dave Mayer flashed across my brain…
As seen in Forbes.
32 years.
Been nose to the grindstone — chasing the dream.
What dream?
Well, the dream of an entrepreneur.
You see, I really started when I was 14 years old. Hauling a bunch of glassware down to the swapmeet, all purchased at a discount. Going to resell it and double my money.
Of course, at 14 years of age, your mom or dad is playing taxi driver. But there I was, standing behind a folding table, pitching my wares to anyone passing by. Could hardly believe I could do something like this. You know, playing little entrepreneur. What a thrill.
And now, 32 years later? It’s still a thrill and yes, I can hardly believe I get to live the dream of an entrepreneur. But, has it always been a dream?
No way. No how.
Back-breaking, earth-shaking, hard-core lessons along the way. So, in memory of…. well, 32 years of being an entrepreneur, I give you 7 stories with 7 lessons…
(Um, no. This is not Martin.)
As seen in Forbes.
443,978 groupies. Oops, I mean followers.
Yep, my friend Martin Zwilling has 443,978 followers on Twitter.
So you must be thinking, wow, this guy Eric is friends with movie stars or something. He must be chillin’ with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Charlie Sheen and Martin Zwilling.
Wait a minute. Hold the phone. Have you ever heard of Martin Zwilling before?
Didn’t think so.
But that’s the cool thing: Martin is an average, normal business guy just like you and I.
So if he can get over 400,000 followers on Twitter, why can’t we?
