Posted on Thursday, July 2, 2015

Planting Seeds For Your Business

I love when things outside of our industry can inspire us. Today, I want to use farming to inspire you. Like the farmer, you are a seed planter. You till the ground, plant the seeds, fertilize and water them, and wait for the harvest.

One of my clients, who was amazing to work with, took one year before he committed to a coaching package. We talked off and on throughout the year and it appeared that he wanted coaching, but he just wasn’t ready to commit. I really wasn’t sure if he was ever going to become a client. However, just under the year mark he sent me the payment and the coaching began.

One time, a friend of mine that I once thought was a prospect that never turned into business invited me out to breakfast. At the end of breakfast, he wrote me a check for his first month of coaching. I was shocked. I really thought that I was just meeting my friend for breakfast and conversation like we had many times prior.

Here is where the life of the entrepreneur is different than the farmer. Sometimes the harvest takes us by surprise.

– Catalyst John

“Amateurs practice until they get it right; professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”

– Unkown (via Peter Voogd)

“I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do, you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men, and, alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great.

Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work will all the precision of a machine, plus, the intelligence of a man.

You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin; it makes no difference to me. Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.

Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.

Who am I?

I am a HABIT!”

I’m not sure who wrote this, but I am thankful to Peter Voogd for sharing this poem.

Posted on Friday, June 5, 2015

Catalyst John & the BattleFrog

I just signed up for my first BattleFrog Adventure Race (Obstacle Race Designed By The U.S. Navy SEALS)

Hooyah!

I don’t know what I’m thinking sometimes. Last night, my friend Micheal suggested we should run the BattleFrog race in December. I signed up this morning. This may be one of the craziest things I have ever done.

Right now I have an adventure race in October & December of this year and then I’ll run my first half marathon in January 2016.

– Catalyst John

Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Does the transaction stop once you get paid?

When does your business transaction end? Most entrepreneurs believe that it is over once they deliver their product and/or service and get paid. I think that this is just when it starts. I want to separate myself from all the other entrepreneurs and that is why I make sure to follow up after the transaction.

Imagine how your clients would feel if they received a hand written card in the mail from you thanking them for their business. Now imagine if you did that and then gave them a follow-up call two weeks later to make sure that they were getting value from the product (or service) you sold them.

(This is also an amazing way to respond to a prospect that does not buy from you.)

Now, let’s take this a step further. What if you sent them a card (not an advertisement) on their birthday, wedding anniversary, or the holidays?

What if you regularly reached out to your “old” customers and checked in on them. I schedule reminders to help me keep in touch with prospects and former clients. I don’t do it to sell to them; however, I bet you can imagine how well they would receive news of an exciting opportunity for them to spend more money.

An interesting side effect occurred that I did not realize. The other day, someone on Facebook was pretty rude to me. All of a sudden, I saw the post blow up with comments as my friends and clients immediately engaged the guy. I never had to respond because my audience did. You can’t buy that kind of loyalty. However, you can build amazing relationships simply on how you act after the sale.

Don’t let the relationship end just because you received payment.

– Catalyst John

How do you follow up with your clients?

Posted on Wednesday, May 27, 2015

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

Posted on Monday, May 25, 2015

Kevin Cleary, CEO of Clif Bar & Company on American Ninja Warrior!

I am a huge fan of American Ninja Warrior and was surprised to see a CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation as one of the people on the course. Kevin Cleary showed up and took on the course. He didn’t make it, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Are you living true to your life? Are you the CEO or entrepreneur that is going to be caught living that lifestyle that your audience expects from you? Right now, I’m overweight and I’m not showing up in one area of my life – my physical fitness.

I have committed to a goal of running multiple obstacle courses every year. I have signed up for a zombie run in October and even though I may not make my second one this year, I plan on being able to complete multiple courses next year (I’m thinking of 3-4 as my target number).

What is missing in your life as the entrepreneur behind the business?

– Catalyst John

Posted on Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial-Day-2015

To me this is the hardest post to type. How do I even try to express gratitude to those who are no longer with us, their family, their decedents, their friends, or anyone else who was blessed to have them in their lives?

On this day, I just want to say Thank You! Thank you to everyone who died serving and everyone who has lost a loved one in the military.

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13

Posted on Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Why I want you to fail at your goals

For some reason we have this mindset that goals are designed for us to achieve them. But what if the greatest thing about goals did not come from completing them?

“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming.” ― Jim Rohn

Isn’t the greatest result from the goal setting process becoming a better version of ourselves? The new creation we become as we work on achieving each goal we set before ourselves? For example, almost everyone wants more money.

$$$

What if you set a goal to make six figures next year?

$$$

You have to change the person you are to become the person that earns six figures. You would have to become a better person to earn 500k. Therefore, what if you set your financial goal for $500,000? Yes, one half of a million dollars! On the way to half a million dollars, you would have to become a $100,000 dollar person. I want to encourage you to set ridiculously and crazy high goals.

“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” ― James Cameron

For some reason, I believe that if you are truly committed and you show up each and every day to work on your #1 goal you would achieve a minimum of 20% of it. If you set your sights on an income of $500,000 then I would expect you to end up with over $100,000 in income. Remember, you have to show up and work consistently on this goal, but you would end up earning between 100k to 500k.

Posted on Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Why you can’t give up being healthy or entrepreneurship

I’ve been sharing with you my struggle with my weight. I have failed numerous times. Even though I am truly committed to success, I know that my ability to stay focused on this doesn’t go that well.

As I went for my morning walk today, I was thinking about how long will this last… Will I make it into a habit or will I get distracted and veer off the course. Even though I hate to admit it, I know that I have wanted to improve my health since 2003. I started training to be on my agency’s SWAT team with a guy named Martin. However, I got married in August of 2003 and I didn’t continue training after my honeymoon.

If we were to talk about my desire to get fit…

Would you tell me to quit?

Would you tell me that I tried and failed and it was time to give up the dream?

Would you tell me that I just didn’t have it inside of me to living a healthy, active life?

I don’t think you would. How do you tell someone to not be a better version of themselves.

My next statement will offend some, but entrepreneurship is the same. How can you tell someone that they need to give up their dream? Or tell them that they just don’t have what it takes?

Why would you quit your dream? I’m not telling you to abandon your responsibilities or make excuses, but if you are truly sold out on a dream why would you not fight for it with all your soul?

Why would you ever give up? How can you put a quantity on the number of attempts that you have before you give up?

I believe that you don’t get to quit your dream. You may have to hustle on the side of your day job and push yourself to the very limits of your being, but you take another step every single day.

If you want to talk about your dream, I’d love for you to schedule a call with me (did I mention it is FREE?)

http://catalystjohn.com/call
Catalyst John