Surreal Entrepreneur

Let me explain…

Month: January, 2014

January 5, 2014

We started from the bottom now we…

Ke$ha likes to remind us that we’re young, our mentors like to remind us of that as well. In similar fashion, before entering the “real world” I liked to imagine that I had all the answers to solve any business problems I would ever encounter. Based on no experience, based on no actual real world work, I had inflated vision of my own abilities. This is the same problem a lot of our generation deals with.

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It’s time to be real with yourself and stop spinning your wheels. You most likely have no experience, no chance of getting your dream job right out of college, and you need to find humility before you find greatness.

I know those are some hard things to deal with and if you’re still with me, let’s talk about the next step. After graduating college I took a job to act as a placeholder while I worked on my masters degree. This job wasn’t necessarily in my desired field, but it was steady, full-time, and offered benefits. Although it was a safe job, I wasn’t fulfilled. I started considering the field of marketing because of its importance to the entrepreneurial world (where my passion lies). No matter how incredible your business idea is, if no one knows about it, you won’t succeed in changing the world.

I allowed myself to be humbled. I took my last months pay from the safe job, moved in with my parents, and groveled for a volunteer position with a marketing company that I believe in. Allowing myself to drop down to the bottom of the totem pole and soak up any information thrown at me has been integral to getting experience. I learned more in that month of time that I wasn’t getting paid then I did in all of the marketing classes in an undergraduate and graduate level. The most important thing is that I loved what I was doing enough to show passion and talent, and from that I was offered a full-time job.

Will this work for you? Maybe it’s not the exact model, but understand that the opportunity for you to move into your desired field is always there, once you get over your own ego. Put down on paper your expectations of what you want out of life in the long term, then talk to someone in that field currently. Most of the time, they started from the bottom…

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January 5, 2014

Let me save you some time…

Have you ever tried to read and watch TV at the same time? It’s like having a serious conversation in the middle of a nightclub. We’ve all been there, trying to relay to someone our feelings concerning a very important topic but being constantly interrupted by “fun”. Well, like oil and water, entertainment and productivity don’t get along.

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I’ve always tried to make the bridge between productivity and downtime. I’ve hoped that I could be doing something that I needed to do, while enjoying something that I’ve wanted to do. For instance, reading a thought-provoking book during the commercial breaks of a movie on TV. As pleasant as that seems, I’m pretty sure that I missed some really good parts of the movie and also I’m going to have to re-read the last few chapters of that book.

How can we apply this to every day life? Here are some small suggestions:

1. Turn off your notifications from Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine, Instagram, Myspace, Friendster (I’m dating myself). Allow yourself to be “in-the-zone” without distractions. Once you start working on something and are not paying attention to your “Social Life” you’ll get your important tasks completed a lot quicker giving you more time to be devoted to your Vine creativity.

2. Stop multi-tasking. Allowing yourself to be absorbed in two things is most likely asking you take even longer on both tasks and it certainly affects the quality of the work you’re doing. Allow yourself to prioritize and then attack one problem at a time accounting for greatest reward first.

3. After being productive and accomplishing a task, let yourself relax. We spend most of our lives lost in thought. Wandering through an endless maze of possible situations and solutions that we will never encounter. Instead of causing yourself more stress, allow yourself time to be still mentally. Not only will this skill refresh you during stressful days, and make you more productive in the long run, but it will also allow you to start enjoying the present instead of worrying about the future. Some would recommend meditation, I recommend meditation after reading scriptures, others would even suggest yoga. Whatever you need to do to take a mental break, just be sure to hang a sign from your forehead “Back in 5 minutes”.

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January 1, 2014

New boss, New Year

Inches behind the table he stands poised to attack. The ball is lobbed in front of him and he raises his striking arm to punish the opponents mistake. He uncoils and makes contact with the small orange sphere sending it screaming towards the opposite side of the table over the small net. This game is the perfect way to test someone’s personality. He stands impatiently waiting to attack, he’s aggressive and confident, however he doesn’t underestimate his opponent and he calculates most risks. Ping pong has taught me a lot about my own life, and now teaches me about my boss.

Some of you know that I have just started a new marketing job with a company in Asheville, NC. I have left the higher education realm to pursue a position in the “private sector”. I view this as a possible foot hold into the marketing world but most importantly as an opportunity to learn. I’m enthralled with the constant task of learning everything I can about the client’s industry and then translating creativity into thought provoking advertisement. 

I’d love to brag about my boss, even though he’s 51, he still treats everyone with the same excitement and zeal he probably displayed as a 25 year old. Every person he meets he shows genuine interest in and then hounds them to gain more information about their businesses and interests. Even though he’s late bloomer to the entrepreneurial world, he has developed all the tools to build any of his creative ideas and has successfully done so in several ventures. I have yet to beat him in a round of ping pong, and I’m half Chinese (yes, he’s that good). I believe it’s fitting to talk about the new year, my new opportunities, and my new boss by incorporating all of these things into a few bullet points about what I’ve learned in the last month of my new job.

1. This is overplayed around New Years, but for a very solid reason… The most important aspect of your success is connection between mind and body. That being said, remember that time you were working on an important project and thought “I’m ready for a break, should I spend 5 more minutes on working or go play on (insert pointless website or video game here)?” Fact: It is scientifically corroborated that showing dedication in the gym and completing goals in personal fitness creates more determination in the workplace. Think of your will power as another muscle that gets worked out with every rep in the gym.

2. As a naturally confident person who fancies himself as intelligent (I can feel you rolling your eyes) you can see how this next point is hard for me to swallow… Always think outside the box, but know when to keep your mouth shut. Every boss has gotten to where they are for a reason, it might be sheer luck, sometimes nepotism, but a lot of the time it is talent and hard work. That being said, remember that you’re most likely expendable. About half of US college grads are currently underemployed or unemployed, you can be replaced. But, also remember that you are the one who can and will get things done, and you have a vision that needs to be heard… just wait till the right moment.

3. Don’t forget about God. I don’t know your faith system or if you practice one at all… but regardless of what you believe, we can agree that we are called to greatness. Whether we are called to be janitors or CEOs, something inside of us doesn’t want to settle for sub-par. So, I have worked to do everything to the best of my ability because my creator made me so expertly to work for His glory. Religious talk aside, remember that your inner being will not settle for anything less than the greatness that expert status can assure of. It’s hard, it takes time and patience, but growth is what we’re on this planet for. 

I hope that you reflect on a good run at 2013, recognize how lucky and blessed you have been to be able to see 2014 roll in. Adjust to writing a 4 at the end of the year instead of a 3 quickly so you don’t have to waste paper. Most importantly, I hope that you pursue unreachable perfection in everything you do, even if it is just top spin on a back hand.

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