It's 9AM
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Everybody is trying to sell you something.
Even me.
Sure, I give away thousands of books each month.
But I get something for it.
Exposure and new readers, and sometimes the best thing of all.
New friends who join the Newsletter because we share something.
Opinions. Thoughts. Goals for a kinder world and better nation.
You know, the little things.
I’ve built this author business on Amazon since 2015, and have turned it into a stay at home job.
But it’s work.
The Zon has grown and changed and sometimes, they make it harder.
Plus there are reading seasons.
Now you may be like me, where you read a ton of books every year.
Mine is more realistically around the 50-60 mark, not quite a ton.
But some weeks, I have more time than others.
And guess what.
People are just like that. They get busy during the summers, they play fall ball, and spring ball, and go to see kids in plays, and plan holidays.
In other words, things get in the way and there is an ebb and flow to reading season.
Which surprised me, because there are waves in regular business too.
I suppose that’s why I’m so obsessed with niche marketing, digital marketing and just plain marketing in general.
It talks about how to even out the flow to create a predictable business model.
And I think, looking at the 3Q horizon, we’re going to need some stability and predictability.
This brings me to a Tik Tok story.
I have an author friend who told me a year ago to get on Tik Tok and make one video per day.
I didn’t.
I wasn’t sure what to talk about, wasn’t sure people would want to see me.
In short, I was scared of being judged, which goes against my whole IDGAF attitude I try to maintain.
Why?
Why do I care so much about comments on my appearance, or the highlight of every error in every book (since I was going to talk about books, and more specifically, my books.)
My friend didn’t care.
He had a double chin, just like me.
He had a crappy video camera, just like me.
And he had books, just like me.
But he took the action and made a video.
Then another, and another.
One a day for 350 days.
He got 750,000 followers and showed me the impact to his bottom line, which was impressive.
Very impressive.
All from a talk we had a year ago where he was looking for free attention for his business.
Action is the key to everything.
I get discouraged sometimes, especially when I fail to do something.
I like to think I don’t fail, I learn what not to do and then keep going.
What happens when the learning stacks up?
What happens when it feels like the wheels are coming off?
I go for a run.
Specifically, I go for a long run.
When I feel like I can’t control anything around me, like the world is swirling and the business of being an entrepreneur isn’t doing what I want it to do, I do the one thing I can control.
Me.
My attitude and I think on a run.
I can control pace, and breathing and route.
During the run, I can think about the business, or think about the long list of to do I’ve created.
I can plot and plan and even come up with some words in my head that may or may not make it out on the keyboard when I get back.
And this is what I learn.
Summer will end. Kid’s will go back to school and people will read again.
Be prepared.
Make one video for Tik Tok each day.
Make another longer video for Youtube each day.
Respect not just what the other author shared, but the other marketing tactics you’ve studied and learned over the years.
Write more. Write better. Be prepared for the wave of holiday shopping.
Writing is recession proof as people search out less expensive alternatives to entertainment.
If a recession hits because all of the “bubbles” collapse, people read to escape.
Help them escape.
And if you are in a business about to be affected by circumstances outside your control, humanize the business.
I’m thinking of an example I see on LinkedIn.
My old CEO from corporate America has moved from the company we worked at together to a new place in Florida.
And he’s writing articles on LinkedIn that are very personal, talking about how his industry was hit and is recovering from Covid.
I see a few more experts doing the same, not just about Covid, but opening up and being personal about their lives.
If you’ve been with me for awhile, you know I talk about personal stuff all the time.
Sometimes, I over share.
At least, that’s what I’ve been told.
Except when I share that much, you guys respond and share back.
And that may be the best marketing I’ve ever seen in any business.
Because when you share with me, we’re friends.
Any person with friends is lucky.
I am a lucky man indeed.
The luckiest man on earth, thanks to you.
So today, if you are worried or concerned, about business, about life, about anything, take action.
Take a walk, take a breath and remember that luck runs two ways.
I’m going to keep sharing. Keep giving and keep you in thoughts.
What I get back is immeasurable.
Be awesome today.
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