26) What is the sign of a professional?

— Going from bullshit product to services to product to SaaS product. (Corollary: the reverse is amateur hour).
— Cutting costs every day.

— Selling every day, every minute.

— When you have a billion in revenues, staying focused. When you have zero revenues, staying unfocused and coming up with new ideas every day.

— Saying “no” to people who are obvious losers.

— Saying “yes” to any meeting at all with someone who is an obvious winner.
— Knowing how to distinguish between winners and losers (subject of an entire other post but in your gut you know — trust me)

Source: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet to Starting and Running Your Own Business Altucher Confidential

Found James through the twitters via Marcus Neto and Adam Wiggall and then lost an hour or three reading through the archives.

I love this type of information from seasoned pros because it provides such a great baseline to measure my thinking against. I go through a two-step process. First, am I asking these same questions? I’ve learned over the decades that its really important for me to evaluate if these questions apply to me (or my clients) and why or why not. Then I compare my answers to the ones provided and examine where they are the same and where they are different and why.

Is this time consuming? Yes. Yes it is. But if you are running your own business and have a family these are the types of things you should be spending time on.

I love the world of content publishing. I’ve spent the last 15 years deeply connected to it and the last two years exploring a range of options. The Grid’s premise of using AI to design based on content so I don’t have to mess with templates, themes, or code myself… well, I couldn’t resist. For my personal site, it seems like a Holy Grail. I gave them $96 and now I wait. Once The Grid comes out and I’ve had a chance to play with it I’ll see about ditching WordPress or keeping it.

After all, Holy Grails aren’t always all they are cracked up to be once you find them.

• Marriage Startup Podcast
• Haywire Podcast
• Glimmering LLC

Last year I started two podcasts and launched my own company. Actually, I launched my own company two years ago but I considered it a “side business” except that it generated 90%+ of our income over the last two years so I guess that its not so “side” after all.

While this blog will be going away my writing and creative output won’t be. I no longer feel the need for a “general” blog, a sandbox meant to help me “find myself.” I have been to proverbial Africa and found the proverbial water. I drank deeply. This is the part where you can roll your eyes at my dramatic use of language.

Both podcasts launch their “season 2s” next week so you can find me there on a regular basis. I don’t plan to keep this blog open. If there is a particular article you want to keep, please make sure you save it in Evernote or something similar. I’ll simply be forwarding this URL to a new location that will make it easy to keep up with me and find my various projects and work on the web.

Here’s to 2015! It’s going to be an incredible year.

There are a few, however, who really do like this new direction, some of them moving in this direction themselves. These people are who I count on now for the honest feedback, the encouragement when I really need it, and solid advice. – Ryan Battles

Ryan recently switched professional directions and did us all the favor of writing about it. In a single post he outlines the reason, the strategy, stays true to his roots, and pulls off the whole thing with genuine authenticity. 

I’ve been contemplating something similar for myself, especially now that I’m a partner at Bold. It’s time for some new things. I hope I can pull it off as well as Ryan does. 

If you’re thinking about making a big change, head over to Ryan’s blog and subscribe. Follow Ryan on Twitter while you’re at it. We’re cheering you on! 

Scott’s goal wasn’t to play an actual game but rather to keep the mind engaged during class. People are asking Scott on Twitter (@39forks) for more.

If I had to go to a yoga class, it would be this one, though my first task would be to level the dice to D20s.

“You get more of what you affirm.” Michael Hyatt, 5 Reasons to Speak Well of Your Spouse in Public.

So the first store on 20% less sales is actually earning 25% more money. Not only that, the store isn’t in danger of losing customers to the Internet or the Big Box stores because discounting was never its draw. Duncan McGeary, Discount versus non-discount.

Duncan is the owner of Pegasus Books, a shop I have to actively avoid because his inventory is so awesome I always, always, always spend way more money there than I intend. Duncan is also very open about how he runs his business and since he’s been successful at running a comic bookish store for 33 years, I pay attention. One day I’ll have a board game, rpg, coffee shop, craft brewery, Japanese Bakery uber store of my own, so I’m taking notes

Also, as someone who almost never deals with physical product, I make it a point to read about the process of inventory management and business models from those who do. Why? Well, I don’t manage inventory but I have clients that do. Don’t you?

Nobody is going to hire me as a retail strategist, but if I’m involved in a conversation about retail strategy, I won’t be at ground-zero either and that’s important. Duncan’s single post here isn’t going to get you up to speed, but its as good a starting point as any as he tackles a critical subject… to discount or not to discount?

I find myself thinking, “how can I apply this to my own services? And if I can, should I?” Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Do not be ashamed of your emptiness. Instead, view it as the optimal condition for being filled… – Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

My friend Sam Wilson is an artist. This morning we were talking about a personal project of mine. After we got done talking about the technical challenges, he pulled out his sketchbook and opened it. Two empty pages starred me in the face.

“Les, this is how I usually start. I just open my notebook and start sketching.”

My brain said “pay attention!”

For Christmas my Mom gifted Laura and I with Jesus Calling, a daily devotional. We’ve been enjoying it tremendously. A passage has been gently speaking to me for a couple days now, asking me to give it real consideration.

“Do not be ashamed of your emptiness.”

Today, I had a creative block. I felt stuck, I felt meh. That inner voice, the bad one, taunted me. “You should be full to the brim of ideas and words and strategies, but instead you suck. There is nothing.” I was empty and ashamed. And then I remembered Sam’s notebook.

If the pages were full, there would be no opportunity. There might be beautiful art, something fun, a clever line, a failed attempt at whatever, but no opportunity for something new. Sam needs empty pages to draw. My brain and heart need empty space too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Its something to embrace.

So I did. It was as simple as saying “I’m okay that I feel empty. This is a good thing.” The words and ideas started to fill up the pages and then I was in a groove.

When I wake up tomorrow, I’m going to make an empty space and let it be filled with new art. Then I’m going to do it again. And again. And again.

Geekdom is not a club; it’s a destination, open to anyone who wants to put in the time and effort to travel there. And if someone lacks the opportunity to get there, we geeks should help in any way we can. Take a new friend to a meetup or convention. Donate your old games, movies, comics, and toys. Be welcoming. Sharing your enthusiasm is part of being a geek. – John Siracusa, The Road to Geekdom

This year I want to share more of my enthusiasm publicly. That’s why I posted this quote and its why you should jump over to Hypercritical and read the whole thing.

At the time of its shutdown announcement, the Everpix platform had 50,000 signed up users (including 7,000 subscribers) with 400 millions photos imported, while generating subscription sales of $40,000 / month during the last 3 months (i.e. enough money to cover variable costs, but not the fixed costs of the business).

via Everpix Intelligence Data.

Are you a bootstrapper? Download this data.
Are you going for funding? Download this data.

Its instructive to see how a company managed to generate $40k per month and yet go out of business because… well, that’s why you want to download this (or fork it you savvy Githubbers you).

And while you’re at it, read the Life and Death Inside the World’s Best Photo Startup over at The Verge.