It is impossible to describe being part of the original Podcast Movement last year, but the founders somehow managed to create an even more amazing event for Podcast Movement 2015!
I was blessed with the opportunity to speak at the first PMx!
Category Archives: Solopreneur
You’re just one person away from true success
I want to tell you a secret. I was thinking about how you are more than enough and thought about writing about that, but then I realized what really needed to be said tonight.
You are just one person away from success.
The secret is that the one person is you. Yes, you. Yes, the person reading this.
The secret is that you have to be uniquely you. Today, I ate a sweet corn cookie. I didn’t know they even existed, but the amazing folks behind the Poor Porker introduced me to this amazing baked item. Like this crazy cookie, you are uniquely awesome. It is time to let your true self be free.
Your unique customers are very excited that they are about to meet you, the real you.
Be yourself. Be amazingly successful!
– Catalyst John
Tom Schwab, InboundForEccommerce.com
Author John
I’m diving into the deep end and writing a book. I want to write a book that serves well and is written for the one person that needs it most. I’ll be devoting the first 20% (Pareto principle) of my day to this book. I am going to show up every day until it is finished. However, I do not plan on doing this alone and am looking to surround myself with a community to make this an amazing book.
The book will be about chasing your dreams. I have chased mine and the results are amazing. I want to help others do the same. If you are an entrepreneur, a dreamer, a doer, an avid reader, and / or a fan of serving others, would you be interested in joining my book team? I have little to nothing to offer you and I am not going to bribe you to help. However, if this excites you and you are willing to sacrifice some time to help me make this vision an unbelievable resource, please join the community.
Today is a day of dreams!
This post is written for the entrepreneur (and the person who does not realize that they too are an entrepreneur). Also, today’s post is in honor of Martin Luther King and his dream.
You have a dream. It is time to celebrate your dream today! We celebrate today no matter how far you have come because there is no ending point for any dream. We can’t articulate a specific date, time, or place in which we will have finally achieved the dream.
I have two amazing boys. Even though you may or may not have children yourself, I am hoping that this analogy can help you pursue your dream. The celebration for both of my children came before their birth. My wife’s baby showers were in anticipation of the child that was growing in her belly.
Your dream may have just been conceived. It may be a toddler. It may be a young adult. No matter what part of the journey you are on please take the time to celebrate your wins. There will be trails and there will be growing pains, but it will be worth it.
Dare to dream!
– Catalyst John
I’d love to hear about your dream. Click here to schedule a phone call with me.
The best advice…
How is this for transparency?
I, without a shadow of a doubt, absolutely love giving people advice! However, do not mistake giving advice with telling others what to do. Instead, I get the opportunity to invest into their lives. I get to share my personal journey (the good and the bad) with them and work with them to see a world in a new light. I get to make a small statement that creates a giant impact or open a door that was previously locked in their world.
One of the greatest things we can do is help others achieve more success in their lives. One of the best ways to do that is to stop trying to tell them what to do and start showing them how to make better decisions.
I am very hesitant to ever tell someone that they can’t do a specific thing. It is not my place to tell anyone whether they can or can’t do something. However, I have and do get opportunities to tell others that they path you are on will not take you to the destination you desire.
When you have the opportunity to speak into someone else’s life, think about giving them insanely awesome advice instead of telling them what to do.
There is a time for instructions, but most of the time people just need a little advice. Also, never forget that the best advice is giving to the person who is willing to listen to it.
– Catalyst John
Think about the best piece of advice that you have ever received. It wasn’t a step by step instruction manual, but most likely a thought or concept, an idea or a belief, and/or a new belief or way of seeing the world around you.
I’d love it if you left a comment with the best piece of advice you have ever received.
The Survivor Tree
Survivor Tree at 9/11 Memorial
This is a story that I really want to share with you. Last week, I heard the story of the “survivor tree”.
The callery pear tree became known as the Survivor Tree after sustaining extensive damage, but living through the September 11, 2001, terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, the tree with lifeless limbs, snapped roots and blackened trunk was discovered and freed from the piles of smoldering rubble in the plaza of the World Trade Center. The tree was originally planted in the 1970s in the vicinity of buildings four and five in the WTC complex near Church Street. The damaged tree measured eight-feet tall when it arrived in November 2001 at the Parks Department’s Arthur Ross Nursery in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. It was nursed back to health and today has grown to a height of about 30 feet.
– 9/11 Memorial Staff
https://www.911memorial.org/blog/survivor-tree-withstood-911-attacks-returns-wtc-grow-memorial-plaza-update-x3
This tree has lived through a terrorist attack, has been blown over and uprooted after it was replanted, and then later survived the flooding of Hurricane Sandy. Today it stands approximately 30 feet tall even though it was found charred and broken. If you are living in “entrepreneurland”, you know about facing challenges. The question is are you prepared to survive anything that is thrown at you like the “survivor tree”?
Personally, I don’t think it matters what resources we have at our fingertips. The only thing that matters is if we have a will to continue. Are you willing to dig in and fight for your dream? The one thing that no one can ever take away from you is your will to continue. You will always have the choice to move forward or to stop.
I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a SWAT team tryout. Even though there is a level of physical fitness required, the real test is how strong are you mentally. Here is the most important advice I was given: “Do not stop!”
Once each challenge starts you do not stop until you have completed it. You move from challenge to challenge pushing forward. Are you willing to push through the resistance and keep moving no matter what? When your body is screaming in pain and your breathing is labored will you continue? Those who say yes and never stop are the ones who get invited to join the team.
The same goes for you the entrepreneur. Are you willing to dig in and face the challenges head on? Will you live with a belief that will carry you through the resistance? Will you be keep on surviving no matter what like the tree?
If you say yes and you never stop, you will be invited to the team of the successful.
– Catalyst John, Small Business Expert & Coach
Please feel free to comment on this blog or connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.
Are you making the right decisions?
This question is not about whether or not you are choosing the right option. This question is are you asking the right questions. Seriously, are you spending time making decisions that actually matter? Are you deciding on choices that will have a legitimate affect on your future? Are you deciding to do the right activities each and every day to create the future that you want?
I want to challenge you to make sure that you are choosing to decide on the right things and then choosing the right option.
The big things are obvious, but it is those little things that cause us the most trouble. This blog is inspired because of my breakfast. No one gets fat because of one breakfast. Everyone who is carrying too much weight got there because of daily choices that compounded over months and / or years. I had a choice this morning to eat what I wanted to eat or to to eat what I should eat. When I take a step back and ask what would be best for my mission in life, the answer is simple: I need to eat or drink a healthy breakfast that is quick and will not only help me live a long life, but will help me stay focused and sharp for the day. Therefore today I started off with some juiced veggies and fruits. I have an apple (Fuji, my favorite) when I get a little hungry later.
We are bombarded by decisions every day. However, most of the ones we focus the most time and effort on are not good for our lives. In the last year, did it matter what TV you bought? Do you spend more effort planning out your vacation week than any other of the 52 weeks in the year? Do you spend more time scheduling your life around that tv series than the books you need to read?
So make decisions to help you prosper. I would love a nice hot bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich, but it is not going to get me to where I need to be today, tomorrow, or the day after that.
– Catalyst John, Small Business Expert & Coach
Please feel free to comment on this blog or connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.
The time you want the map
Awesome advise from Brendon Burchard…
In Montana, where I’m from, there is this saying:
“The time you want the map…is before you enter the woods.”
The lesson is basic: Before you embark on any journey, know in advance how to get where you want to go.
For those of you that want a map for your future, I’m a map maker. I’ll help you design some audacious but achievable goals, use your calendar to your benefit, and achieve more in your work and personal life.
– Catalyst John, Map Maker & Small Business Expert
Please feel free to comment on this blog or connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.
are you one of the five?
I’m looking to add five clients who want to truly achieve success in their work and personal lives. Specifically, I’m looking for the people who want to either launch a new business or take their current business to that next level of success.
The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker
My goal is take these five clients and give them the tools that will help them create the future they dream about. I have spent hundreds of hours researching the difference between success and failure, searching for the answer to the eternal question of why one person fails when another appears to never lose, and delving into book after book after book about the fundamental rules to operate a small business.
My coaching is designed to create an environment in which you will receive the following:
1. Motivation – It is nearly impossible to not become energized when you are working with me.
2. Accountability – You will no longer be alone and I will be there to help you stay on course.
3. Direction – You will have a written plan that will guide you in creating your new future.
4. Goals – You will have a set of clear and understandable goals.
5. Achievement – We will create systems for success in your business and your life.
6. Knowledge – I will share my expertise, the wisdom I have caught, and my knowledge with you.
When you decide to change your life forever, I will ask you to fill out a questionnaire and we will schedule our first phone call. I want to find out where you are in your journey and where you want to go. Once we know where you are on the map and where you want to go we can start to plot a course for you to reach your destination.
My standard coaching package is $300 a month (2 sessions). The impact of coaching is incredible and when you are willing to invest in yourself the rewards are truly priceless. For those who do not want the “standard”, I have a more aggressive package for $600 a month (four sessions). Either way, you are going to have an opportunity to see huge success because you will have your own professional coaching with you on this journey.
You are the Captain of your “ship” and I am the guy who will help you navigate the raging seas of entrepreneurship. Are you ready to pull out of the harbor? If yes, click HERE to let me know that your going to change your life!
FAQs:
1. What are the sessions like? Each session is approximately one hour long. At our appointment time, I will call the phone number you have given me. We will spend the session working on the specific areas that will result in the best results for you. This coaching is custom designed around you. In addition, I ask that you understand that this does not last for a single month. Most clients are going to work with a coach for approximately three to twelve months depending on their needs. Down the road and once we create significant momentum, I suggest that the coaching changes to once a month to keep the momentum alive.
2. Can I contact you between sessions? Of course! I understand that questions may come up and you may need to reach out to me between suggestions. Each of my clients has my direct e-mail address and access to me.
3. Why haven’t you asked for my payment information? I have a proven track record of success with coaching clients and therefore I do not ask for any payment until after our first session. At the end of our first session, you have a choice to continue with the coaching or stop at the first session. I am confident that you will see value in the coaching and that we will have many sessions together. If you choose to move forward, I will then accept your payment.
4. Do you have every answer to every question? This is not actually frequently asked but just in case you are wondering I want to throw it out there. I am neither perfect nor am I the guy who has every answer. I know an incredible amount of stuff when it comes to business, personal development, and leadership. However, I will never have all the answers.
– Catalyst John, Business, Entrepreneur, & Solopreneur Coach
Please feel free to comment on this blog or connect with me on Facebook & Twitter.
My good friend Tom shared this the other day. I’m a huge fan of working in a way that causes you to explode with productivity. He found a hack to write blogs…
Click the link above to check it out!
Catalyst John