Name: Shane Mac
Contact: http://twitter.com/shanemacsays
Website: http://shanemac.me/
Running a corporate agency and an internet startup is EXTREMELY difficult and time consuming. I do it every day, and I find if comforting when I meet other motivated, high-wired people that are doing the same thing as me. Shane has a corporate job, runs a startup agency, is writing a book and an ebook, and has recently been awarded “Best Wedding Entertainer” in Seattle. The guy is a beast, and is breaking the mold by successfully working on many things at once.
This interview highlights the high-level methods in which Shane manages his time and how he helps people with their careers. If you want more thorough advice from Shane, I suggest you Tweet him directly – I promise that he’ll immediately respond and welcome you with open arms.
Read a summary of the interview:
You have a corporate job and a startup. Which one came first?
The corporate job at Cobalt came first and is where Shane learned the skills that he now uses at his startup M2 Volt.
Shane understood that a lot of the small businesses in his local area can benefit from his expertise with large corporations. By applying what he learned in the corporate job and scaling down the service to meet a much smaller client, Shane found a way to service small-level clients without affecting his job at Cobalt.
What would you advise someone who wants to build a startup while working at a corporate firm?
1. Team up with someone: It’s always better to have someone running along side you.
2. Learn from corporate America and apply it somewhere else: You spend A LOT of hours in your corporate job; might as well learn everything you can from it and make it your own.
3. Don’t try to hide it: Be up front with everyone at your company and be honest about your projects
4. Passion: Find something that you love and do it with all of your being
How did you get your first clients at M2 Volt?
Shane started the company because there were already interested companies who wanted his services. Mario, Shane’s co-founder, builds websites and Shane does a lot of things with business; it made sense for them to partner together and tackle the clients that were coming to them.
How are you helping people build better careers with The Squab?
The most asked question Shane gets is: “What makes you the expert?”
Shane doesn’t feel he’s an expert; instead, his goal is to make a positive difference through his ability to sees things just a little bit differently. For example, instead if doing a cover letter, try building a business plan for the company.
Do you have a set schedule where you work on Cobalt for 8 hours and then M2 Volt for 3 hours and then write the book on Saturday mornings?
Shane schedules his time in tiers of importance:
- Cobalt
- M2 Volt
- The Squab
- Tier 4 is across the board the same
According to the hierarchy, if Shane has to stay late at Cobalt, then he stays late.
What drives you?
Shane, “Helping people because I believe that 1 person that says thank you is greater than the 5,000 people that say that’s dumb.”
Good stuff Jun and Shane. I can really see your ampness Shane in what you are doing.
How do do you know when your own personal ventures will succeed? In other words, what are your barometers for success if you use any?
Thnx, Sam
It is all about your expectations. How do we all measure success? How do we all measure failure? Here is what I believe.
If I build something that I will be the first person (and maybe only person) to sign up for then I can’t fail. Make sense? Just change how you perceive success… Build something that you will sign up for before anyone else and realize that if you are the only person that signed up for it then SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET, I built it for myself.
Is that dream land or does that make sense? That is what I believe.
Thanks,
Shane Mac
@shanemacsays
Hey Shane, although I think happiness is based on expectations, I don’t necessarily agree with your advice.
If I spend 6 months of my life building a site and I end up being the only user, then I see that as a complete failure. If I spend 6 months on a startup and I lose money, then I see that as a failure as well. The important thing is to learn from the failure, but nonetheless, it is a failure.
Growing up in the US has engrained the “millionaire” mentality into me. If I’m not a millionaire by 30, I’m going to be very very depressed. Its just something that I’ve grown up with.
I understand your perspective, but I don’t think its fair to advise someone to lower his or her expectations just so that she can have the false belief of “success”
– Jun
I would have agreed with you 6 months ago… (being able to disagree is the best part of this). No we are talking about perception of failure, perception of success, and how you see it. That is completely unique to you and what you said, “Growing up in the US has engrained the “millionaire” mentality into me. If I’m not a millionaire by 30, I’m going to be very very depressed. Its just something that I’ve grown up with,” is the part that makes me go…Really?
It is your ultimate opinion but why do you feel that way? If you lose money then yes, you should learn what not to do. When there is no barrier to entry though with a lot of jobs out there, why do you see it as a failure? Why are you focused solely on money defining happiness?
Lowering Expectations was not the point at all and I think that just changing your perspective on expectations will actually make your life happier and build better careers. I have a video coming out soon around this topic and I hope what I have to say can show people how, in 1 year, I am sitting with our Exec board planning our go to market strategy, business development, etc… It was all because of my willingness to help rather than thinking I need to climb the corporate ladder (which could be correlated to your money mentality) Ladder=Money.
What I found is that by living outside your job title, offering help, and being visible, I climbed and gained a voice in a 1000 person company faster than I ever could have ‘climbing the ladder’ and doing the task at hand. It was all about my expectations and that I ‘didn’t’ expect that to happen.
Always strive to do more, embrace falls, learn, and repeat. Life.
(I think we just found our next interview video topic for us)…
To answer the original question, (since I gave just a quick rant but now feel like I did a disservice …Thanks Jun)…jk
“How do do you know when your own personal ventures will succeed? In other words, what are your barometers for success if you use any?”
You won’t ever know unless you try. Be smart about it though and don’t sit in the corner building something and not telling anyone. Make sure you ask a lot of people if they would use what you are building. The internet allows for some powerful market research if used correctly.
You will find that it is more about sorting through all of the ideas that might now work and learning how to focus on one idea that you believe in. Focus over time is the secret. If you start losing focus or excitement early on then rethink what you are doing. Be careful though because you can lose excitement sometimes but you still need to keep plugging. Take my music for example. I sometimes played the same 40 songs every night because that is what people wanted. It got old but that was only to me not my audience. Do you have micro audiences? Macro? The same? Different?
Did you have some ideas in mind? Shoot em over. Best advice I ever heard was from Beth Andrus and she said “Don’t be afraid to share your ideas because the people who would steal them already have their own ideas.”
I truly believe this Thomas Edison Quote…”Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.”
Love to continue but I have to run… Hope that made some sense… (not proofreading)
That is why your GF needs to recognize you are a SMB (Super Motivated Boyfriend) and not sweat it if you don’t propose until age 30! 🙂 She says she disagrees with my article, but I know deep down she does.
Not sure if I get that at all Shane. You’re saying if I create something, but only I enjoy, use, and know about it, that’s success?
Let me ask you again, how do you measure success with your own company? And when will you decide it is a success with volt, and when does it become a failure?
“You’re saying if I create something, but only I enjoy, use, and know about it, that’s success?”
I am not saying that at all. I think that big things come from those who do things because they would do them no matter if anyone was looking. My point is that I don’t see things as failures. I actually sold Volt last week. Crazy actually. All of the knowledge and clients I met through running it I can now take into the non-service model industry. Make sense?
It is how you perceive failure and I don’t have the same perception as Jun or maybe yourself. It taught me so much, time to move on and build better things.
I set goals to reach, clients to contact, and how can I put food on my plate and a roof over my head. Ya, if a million dollars rolls in then sweet but I am a simple guy and have never really measured success and failure with a benchmark. Just do shit and put your all into it.
Thanks,
Shane Mac
Sounds good. Funny you mention a million dollars, b/c it is a great figure, but after taxes, it’s only about $600,000 unfortunately. Once you make your first million (600K), you’ll actually want to make $2million next time, to actually be able to take home $1 million in cash after taxes.
It’s the darndest thing. Keep on working at it, and I’m sure you’ll succeed. The hardest part is knowing when to walk away.
Best, Sam
What an inspiring interview son! I am sitting here with tears running down my face right now. You have always been an inspiration to so many and I love your drive – keep up the motivation. And yes that ‘one thank you’ is what keeps us going – always trying to help people. Love you, Mom
I. and Love. and You.
It all came from someone… 🙂
Good stuff Shane. As someone who’s dabbled in both (obviously not to the extent of yourself) it’s very interesting to hear the perspective of someone who’s been there. Cheers!
Thanks buddy… Glad we met.
Blue Moon anytime! I was actually kind of having a rough morning in the video because I went to concert the night before and Jun made my ass get up on a Sunday (loved it though.) Thanks man for the kind words.
Positive messages are the key.
Great interview, “Helping people because I believe that 1 person that says thank you is greater than the 5,000 people that say that’s dumb.” – Shane that quote gave me goosebumps. Continue doing what you’re doing because you’re making a difference, you’re an inspiration.
Ha, inspiration? Thank you for that but really we are all the same. Every. Single. Damn. One. Of. Us. Remember that and you will go far. Never judge, don’t burn bridges, and strive to build them. (the secret) Thanks!
I had a chance to interview Shane myself and he’s clearly a very smart guy. I learned so many valuable job search tactics from talking to him that I actually referred one of my friends who’s currently in bschool to Shane and told him that Shane could make a big difference in how he’s approaching the job search.
More to come on this… Product coming soon to help everyone!
Jun, from one interviewer to another, great job! I’ve been a fan of your interview style for awhile and think you ask some great, insightful questions.
Shane, great to see ya in the flesh on video! I love your style and way of thinking. You going to SXSW? Would love to grab a Blue Moon with ya.
Shane, love your energy man. You’re doing great things, keep it up.
Glad I met you as well buddy! Keep on doing.
Never heard of Shane, but what energy he has! Made for a great interview and watched all 10 minutes of it. Will connect with Shane on Twitter. Good work, Jun!
I hope you do! Tweet tweet tweet what?!?!?!?
Thanks for the shout out Shane.
From my vantage point “beast” is a great way to describe Shane. Keep doing big things man.
No problem… Those doing good are worth it.
I love this quote from Shane…. “Helping people because I believe that 1 person that says thank you is greater than the 5,000 people that say that’s dumb.”
I could not agree more. Offering something something (a book, advice, etc…) that truly helps someone else is so fulfilling. And fulfillment gives you the energy you need to do a gazillion things, like Shane does. Great interview. Thanks.
You already know I love you so no comment needed. We skype enough. 🙂
Thank you Sam,
I hope that we can connect sometime soon. How are you doing?
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview! Thanks Jun and Shane! I really liked Shane’s suggestion on providing a business plan of what yourself as oppose to submitting a cover letter! I think this is an awesome way to differentiate yourself from the rest of the candidates and I am sure most employers would be very imptressed!
You got it… (and it takes less damn time.) Remember, it is about Smarter not harder! If anyone wants mine that I used to get my first job email me and I will send it to you! (just change the name and its all yours)
Thanks for this interview. It’s good to hear from folks who have feet in both the corporate and entrepreneurship camps.
Start-ups are all about solving problems and selling the solution, and in my experience one of the great things that a corporate job can provide an entrepreneur is an up-close-and-personal view of what problems exist in the corporate world.
Jay,
You got it, solving problems = business on any scale.
Thanks for watching the interview.
-Shane Mac