May
15

In honor of anti-entrepreneurial-burnout day

Burnt out and fed up?

Dragging your butt?

Every single entrepreneur I know goes through it.  Every single person in a career goes through it.

That awful feeling of complete burn out.

Having been there and collected the t-shirt (more like a collection of them), I can feel your pain.

Actually, my burnout went beyond just that and led me into a multi-year bout of depression.  Never told you that before.  I spent far too long locked up in my office, avoiding people, being the recluse I am good at being…

…and it did me NO GOOD at all.

Interesting thing is, I have spoken to a LOT of entrepreneurs who let burn out lead to depression… and it is an awful thing to go through.

So, in honor of anti-burnout day (yup, just made that up)… here are a couple things I would recommend you do to fix it.

* Shake things up…in a BIG way.  Book a day without meetings and just call people you haven’t spoke to in a long time.  Long lost friends, clients, even leads you have that haven’t been followed up with properly.

* Go do something fun.  If you have children, go to a kids movie, or to the zoo, or to a carnival, or just out for a beautiful walk and picnic.  Being around the young ones is very refreshing and reinvigorating.

* Watch and play with some dogs.  Those fur balls are MASTERS at showing you how to live life to its fullest.  Their unbridled enthusiasm just for a little attention is contagious!  As you may know, I am doing some fun things in the pet business right now and absolutely love it!  If you watch to find out more about what I am doing – maybe even build yourself a business alongside me in the pet business, this video will give you an overview of what I am up to.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xCoT4FI2aw

* Have some FUN with your marketing.  Create some new wild and wacky campaigns.  Go out to the grocery store and pick up some National Enquirers, maybe a Cosmo or two.  Look at the headlines, read the stories… and spice up your marketing some.  Your clients and prospects will love you for it.

* GET OUTSIDE.  Nothing beats the blues better than some sunshine and exercise. I am out twice a day for 30-45 minute per time walking the dog at the dog park.  I do my martial arts 3 to 4 times a week.  I eat good and look after myself.  If you don’t now, start.  You and I aren’t getting any younger, so make the most out of every single day you have.

When the burnout blues grab hold of you, it’s in your court to beat them back.

Massive change and activity will do it every time.

So get busy will ya :O)?

Have a great day.

Troy

May
08

The quick, easy (and scary) way I eliminated my fear of snakes

We all have fears.

Some people are scared to death of public speaking (used to be me too – Dale Carnegie training fixed that).

Some people have fears of heights, water, fire or spiders.

Mine used to be snakes.

The mere thought of them gave me the heeby-jeebies.

So I decided to do something about it…

…I bought a snake.

Then an aquarium.

And put it on the night stand next to my bed.

(gulp)

Nightmares for 2 weeks.

Cold sweats.

Fears of it getting out and wrapping itself around me while I slept.

Guess what?

I came out alive… and FREE of my fear of snakes.

What’s your fear?

My quick and dirty way of getting over the fear has applied to anything and everything I can think of in business.

Writing (hated English – almost failed it twice in University!).

Marketing.

Phone calls to cold leads.

What’s your fear?

Is there any possible way you can immerse yourself in the world you fear most?

It’s the easiest way to get over it once and for all.

I got bit by a dog as a kid… now I not only own one… I run a pawsitively fun dog business that I thoroughly enjoy.

(if you like dogs… marketing… and money… make sure you join me Wed at 2:00 MST – use this link

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/249865786

Title:  Dog Park Dollars… Health and wealth for your favorite furry friend
Date:   Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Time:   2:00 PM – 2:37 PM MDT

Hope you have a great day… free of fears and full of fun.

Troy

Feb
07

A big ole juicy thanks to the worst boss in the world

You may recall that many moons ago I worked for Hewlett Packard.  Troy White and Hewlett Packard

I battled hard for that job and beat out almost 400 other equally qualified University grads.  I did something that those 400 forgot to do though… ask others who had worked in the same position I was applying for… at the same company… what to do to nail the interviews.

6 or 7 interviews, and 5 or 6 written exams later I nailed one of the creme-de-la-creme jobs out there.

Prestigious, well paying… and an incredible career path.

Meanwhile I had ignored my true passion… building and running a business.  (I put myself through University with my own College Pro Painters Franchise, but ignored the entrepreneurial path in trade for that shiny new corporate gig).

Little did I know at the time, I was about to meet…

…the boss from HELL.

He was an old timer. He had been selling computer gear way back in the mainframe days.  He was crusty… rude… anti-people in many ways… and a VERY proficient paper pusher.

Hence the problem.

To him… I was going to be his paper-pushing protege.

To me… that was the last thing I want to do.

I was hired for SALES… not administrative work!

But he persisted pushing his crap on me.

We went toe to toe time and time again.

I hated pushing paper and doing administrative tasks (still do).

I LOVED getting in front of people to tell the Hewlett Packard Story.

We fought.

Again and again.

My annual reviews sucked, of course.

But I was allowed to do some sales, just not as much as I wanted.

Fast forward 3 years later, I had enough.

I QUIT!

Biggest load of BS I dumped off my shoulder ever.

I went from Hewlett Packard, with 100,000 employees… to a company with 5.

I was home.

Before I left HP though, I landed one of the biggest deals they had seen in that office… with an account that hated paper pushing as much as me.

They liked my relationship building techniques… and my pig-headed persistence (still one of my greatest assets).

And we landed a multi-million dollar computer deal.

One of the proudest moments of my life.

…especially when the client told me we would have never gotten the deal without me in that job.

So, you’re welcome Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard!

I am glad to have contributed.

To my old boss… piss off.

And thank you.

You taught me to never bend to someones will, just because you are told to.

You taught me to NEVER give up on what you love doing and are good at.

And you taught me to NEVER, EVER work for a paper-pushing bureaucrat like you ever again.

Now I work for me… and that ain’t no great thing some days either.

…but I love what I do and I will never go back.

The lesson for you today… never give up on your passions and talents.

No matter what people say, demand, or beg you to do.

Just don’t do it.

Build iron-clad persistence and thick skin.

And never look back… only good things ahead.

To a great year ahead!

Troy

PS: Your ability to weave a good story into your marketing has never been more important than now.

People are buying experiences more than products and services right now… and stories help them see that the experience of buying from you is DIFFERENT. 

Which is what they want.  Your competitors probably suck at telling stories, so here is a very powerful tool to put you ahead of them quickly.  It helped one company go from $500 a month in online sales to $15,000 a month… with the addition of a one-page story on their website.

You can do that too with the Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com. It is ready and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories…

…where your real money will be made

Story Selling Tips Home Study Program

Jan
20

An ode to entrepreneurs

This is for you if you’re an entrepreneur (or one in the making) …

We are the dreamers.
The visionaries.
The doers.

We are your neighbors.
Your friends.
Or your family.

We pursue our dreams, rather than letting them die a slow death.
We’ve learned to ignore the negative people in our lives.

We know we are different.
And we relish in it.

We are unemployable.

We are good people.

We are writers.
Artists.
Technicians.
Directors and creatives.

We have a disdain for bureaucracy and red tape.

We love to build and enjoy our creations.

We are most definitely off the wall.
…Yet the most sane of them all.

We are passionate about our trade.
Yet we realize most people would never leave the ‘security’ of a job to live their dreams like we do.

We are the biggest employers out there.
We stick to it, amidst economic turmoil and media frenzied trash talking.

Thank the entrepreneurs that you know.
Tell them to keep on plugging and building.

Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
We are the future.

Troy

PS: My new Entrepreneurial Spirit Sauce book is just off the presses!  14 great entrepreneurs
put their heart and soul into this book and I am looking forward to sharing their stories with you.
Watch for it next week.

Nov
09

Want a Steady Flow of Business Without Selling? Read This …

This is the BIGGEST roadblock to success 
that I see most Canadian small business owners
and independent professionals have – and that
 holds them back from getting wealthy in business.

If you are frustrated with having to compete on price,
“sell” yourself all the time to make the sale, cold call
 to make sales, and then and have your customers and 
prospects ‘price-shop’ before they buy from you, then I would urge you to…..

Read This FREE Book – http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

I think he’s a little nuts, but I had to let you know

No Cost Book, Money-Making Marketing for Canadians

If you want to make a lot more money, a lot easier from your business or professional practice, then you need to grab a copy 
of the book my good friend Dave Dubeau and I wrote,  called
 “Money Making Marketing for Canadians” ASAP…

Right now Dave is actually giving our book away…

and if you grab one of the complimentary copies he is actually
 going to donate $2 to the Make-A-Wish foundation or Habitat for 
Humanity- you even get to choose the charity!

You already know about me, but in case you forgot…
 I am a self-professed Corporate World Flunky that left a six-figure-a-year career in the computer industry 10 years ago to start my own thing.

…Since then I have been privileged to live and work on my own terms, while helping entrepreneurs from all over the world build their own dream life as well.

I have been writing for Dave’s private paid newsletter membership for a number of years now and can speak to Dave’s ability to over deliver on everything that he does.

…and here is what “Canadian Rich Dad”
 Darren Weeks has to say about Dave Dubeau:

“I’ve know Dave for years. Dave is a friend and a business partner of mine, and with his marketing know-how we have 
grown my Fast Track Group of companies from 4 employees
in 2005 to over 100 employees with over $100M a year in gross 
sales and a ranking in the prestigious “Profit 100” list of fastest 
growing companies in Canada.”

He continues to say…

“Quite frankly, I would not have been able to grow this big, this 
fast without Dave’s amazing marketing skills and knowledge.”

Pretty high praise from a very sharp business owner… and I agree.

And, modesty aside, I have to say that this book is outstanding.

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.comDave Dubeau, Troy White

In it Dave, myself and the 9 other Canadian expert marketers and 
business growth experts involved do what no other book I have seen
does… take you by the hand and show you exactly how to start from
 wherever you are in business and grow it FAST, even with a very small
budget.

And what I like the BEST is that everything we talk about in
 this book is proven to work here in Canada! None of the usual re-hashed stuff that “doesn’t quite work” here at home.

Get this complimentary book and…

* You’ll discover the “ONLY” 3 ways to grow your business (simplifies it doesn’t it?)

* You’ll learn how to double your profits in 90 days…or less.

* You will be able to quickly tell if your friendly advertising rep
 is ripping you off.

* You’ll find out the #1 way to make more money FAST from
 your existing customers.

* Never throw money away on wasted marketing again!

* Radically Reduce (or even Eliminate) Cold Calling Forever!

* Discover Dave’s #1 Money making marketing strategy, and
 how to put it to
use and much more….

So if you have been frustrated with the growth of your business,
sick of having to compete on price, or worried about making ends meet, I 
highly recommend that you grab a copy of the book now – and you 
can’t beat the price (GRATIS)…

http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

But don’t wait or think about it because Dave only has 83 copies 
available to give away and there are over six thousand three hundred 
business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals
 who will hear about this. (If you wait, your book will have to be on back-order for 2-3 months).

To Your Success, Profits and Ideal Lifestyle,

Troy White

PS: An important note on this book: The title says Money Making Marketing for Canadians… but the information applies to EVERYONE. There is no difference in how we grow businesses in Canada over the US, or Australia, or {insert your country here}. In the past 10 years I have written marketing campaigns for entrepreneurs all over the world – the EXACT same principles of marketing work everywhere.

Master it once and use it anywhere!

Here’s how… http://www.EntrepreneurProfit.com

Oct
07

Craziness and marketing

Here’s to the crazy ones…

…the misfits
…the rebels
…the trouble makers
…the round pegs in the square holes
…the ones with no respect for the status quo

While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see them as geniuses.

What a GREAT commercial Apple has here (and a real shame it was never used)

Watch this and see how many of your entrepreneurial friends fit the craziness description spoken about here…

Speaking of Crazy People… this reminds me – I have a post I wrote some time ago about the movie
Crazy People.

Have you seen the movie?

Anyone and everyone in small business should!

Not only is it a FUNNY movie… it gives some killer examples and concepts behind “truth in advertising”.

Check out some of the ads that Dudley Moore “wrote” in this spot from the movie…

Granted, the examples given in this post by Dudley Moore are a bit on the edge for some… but boy would they GRAB attention these days.

Absolutely love this movie and recommend you track it down.

Crazy People Rock! Both the movie and in real life.

To the wild and wacky world of success.

Troy