People often pursue the Untemplated life as a way to rebel against "sellout" jobs--jobs that pay well in exchange for enslavement to corporate America, leaving little time to even enjoy the big paychecks. But what if a sellout job (and I use the term in jest) could enable you to live an uncommon life, and even create a mobile lifestyle? It seems contradictory, but I pursued … [Read more...]
Untemplater Businesses: Designing Operations
Working through our framework for building a business, we've already covered the planning and business selection topics and today's post is about designing your operations. Once you've identified and tested your business concept, you'll want to think through how your business should function on a day-to-day basis. You'll also want to acknowledge some key characteristics of … [Read more...]
No One Wants Your Ideas
I'm protective of a lot of things in this world -- life, liberty, justice, my desire to one day own a 150 foot tall tower filled entirely with Lindt chocolate truffles. These things I would defend with my dying breath. The one thing that I am absolutely not protective of, that I care as much for as the toilet paper I buy at the super market every week, is an … [Read more...]
5 Caveman Lessons for Entrepreneurial Survival and Success
Entrepreneurship isn't easy. But the blueprint is simple. It has existed for 400,000 years. And time after time it's lead to survival and success. What is this holy grail of entrepreneurial blueprints? The evolutionary blueprint of the human species. Say what?! Think about it. Our paleolithic ancestors lived in a world rife with entrepreneurial challenges. In fact, … [Read more...]
The Brand of Me: Personal Branding and Your Business
Personal branding appears to be at the crux of what can make or break a business venture, is a factor in whether or not you have 50 followers or 5000 and is a term that is tossed around almost as much as 'web 2.0' in industry blogs. But what exactly does a brand of me (or you) consist of? Chris Brogan described a personal brand as a combination of "reputation, trust, … [Read more...]