johnny b truant Archives - Melissa Dinwiddie | Create the Impossible™

February 22, 2011

Profitable Idealism: ramblings on my quest to change the world AND sustain myself (plus gift for you!)

[Hint: there’s a surprise gifty thingy at the bottom of the box. Kinda like Cracker Jack, but without the calories.]

What do I want more than anything? To make a positive impact on other people by doing what I love, and to sustain myself in the process.

To change the world for the better, while at the same time feeding myself, emotionally and financially.

To be my fully-creative self and help others be their fully-creative selves, and make a living from it.

I’m definitely on the path, but I haven’t hit my stride yet.

My Newest Teacher

When you’re on the path, the Universe lets you know by sending the right teachers your way.

I met one of my teachers earlier today when I had a Skype interview for the Thriving Artists Project with the wonderful Goddess Leonie. I’d seen Leonie’s website a few weeks back, and immediately flagged it as one of my daily Genius Resources on 365 Days of Genius, so it was a delightful surprise when she contacted me, expressing great enthusiasm for what I was doing with TAP, and offering to be an interview guest.

My ex-boyfriend used to say “always interpret omens favorably,” and I took Leonie’s email as a definite message from the Universe that I was on the right path!

Not that this was the kind of omen that could be interpreted any other way. Leonie is modeling exactly the kind of life I’m in the process of creating for myself. (As soon as my self-imposed moratorium on buying new digital courses and e-books is lifted, I’m signing up for her Goddess Circle membership (affiliate link), which is filled with over $600 of goodies for the amazingly low price of $99 for a year. In fact, I may just make an exception to my moratorium…)

Teachers are everywhere

Leonie is actually just one in a long line of recent teachers. Every single interview I’ve done lately (or ever?) for the Thriving Artists Project has brought me rich gifts that I was right then needing to receive.

With artist Michele Théberge, I was reminded that it only takes 15 minutes a day to stay connected to your creative flow. I needed to hear this, and was ready to hear it right then. I’ve made art every day this month, which makes me profoundly happy.

With illustrator and syndicated cartoonist Carlos Castellanos, I was reminded that you should charge most for that which comes easiest to you. I needed to hear this, and was ready to hear it right then. I’m still integrating this one, but am becoming more and more aware of the many areas where I bring real value.

And with Goddess Leonie, I was reminded that on the one hand, making money from my gifts is so much more helpful for me and other people than giving it all away. And on the other hand, the best way to get my gifts out there is to use them to help people, to gift people with a journey. AND I was reminded that my art can be more than pieces I sell to hang on walls or put on shelves; it can be an integral part of what I put out into the world: on my blog, in my e-books and e-courses and anywhere else I share myself. Duh. Apparently I needed to hear this, and was ready to hear it today.

An exchange of energy

On her blog, Leonie tells a story of how she used to give her art away. Not as gifts to loved ones, given out of delight and generosity, but to anyone who asked, out of fear and avoidance of the hard act of putting a monetary value on her art.

Her teacher arrived in the form of a wise, older woman, who said:

You must charge for your art. In everything – everything – there needs to be an exchange of energy. An equal one. One that fills me up. One that fills you up. If I give you a massage that nourishes and sustains and relaxes you, I ask you for money to nourish and sustain my life too. We must both be involved in the exchange, otherwise it is one sided. We must both be invested, so we both receive value. If I do not allow you to pay money for my service, I do a disservice to myself, but also to you. You must contribute too, in order to be fulfilled. You will value the things you pay for more. And my life will be better because I have helped your life be better. And your life will be better, because you have helped my life be better too. Everything – everything – must be an equal exchange of energy. It is sacred. Money is the manifestation of energy. Money is sacred too.

This is something so many of us struggle with! Johnny B. Truant and Pace Smith even made a course about it – Profitable Idealism (affiliate link – doors closing at midnight tonight, so you only have a few hours to get in, but if you’re wanting to change the world, OR if you’re wanting to make money, this could be a great match for you, and I highly recommend you check it out).

An unsummary-ish summing-up, and a special gifty thingy

I don’t have a neat and tidy bow to wrap this post up with. Just to say that my chat with Leonie today made me rethink a lot of what I’ve been doing. I’m not sure how it’s all going to shake out, but as usual, I’ll share it with you here.

In the meantime, one thing I’ve been wanting to do for awhile now is to validate for myself the ways in which I can be directly helpful, right now. To that end, I’ll be offering a limited number of f.r.ee half-hour consulting/visioning/coaching sessions periodically over the coming weeks, starting now.

The first eight people who tungle me by clicking this link will get 30 minutes of my focused attention to work on whatever you want:

Creative Consulting, to help you figure out some specific goals and how best to go after them
“Master the Internet” technology mentoring
a “Whip Your Website into Shape” critique

Heck, I’ll even read your aura if you want (seriously – I’m not even kidding about that!) All up to you.

What’s the catch?

There isn’t one. I just want to get to know my followers and do my best to help you. Period.

Again, click here to get to my Tungle Me calendar and set up your 30-minute session. First come, first served. (But if you don’t get into this group, you’ll have another opportunity down the road. Promise.)

That’s it for today. Now it’s time to get my art on. Catch you later!

July 15, 2010

Never compare yourself to your heroes; look back instead

Last night, as I labored at my drafting table to calligraph an Aramaic text on a ketubah print, I distracted my aching hand by listening to a Third Tribe seminar with Sonia Simone and Johnny B. Truant.

It was a fun interview, but one part in particular really stuck with me:

The reminder not to compare yourself to your heroes.

They’re your heroes precisely because they’re ahead of you on the path. It’s easy to think they’re just superior, that you’ll never be as good/as successful/as [fill in the blank], but in fact, they were once where you stand now.

Neither, Johnny and Sonia reminded me, should you compare yourself to where you want to be. The target is constantly moving and always just out of reach. That’s the point of having goals, in fact: to push yourself forward.

It’s great to have heroes and goals, but comparing yourself to your heroes, or to where you wish you were, can only lead to feelings of failure. Not useful!

Instead, Johnny and Sonia sagely advised, compare yourself to where you used to be.

Ah, yes, infinitely more useful!

Which naturally led me to thoughts of music camp.

“This one time, at band camp…”

Okay, maybe the connection isn’t so obvious. But bear with me.

Today in yoga (when I should have had a mind empty of all thoughts except lines of energy and breath [though of course I never should on myself]), my thoughts were indeed on music camp. On Saturday I head to California Coast Music Camp (CCMC) for the week, and I’m super-excited! This afternoon, as I stretched into utthita trikonasana, I contemplated the microphone technique/performance skills workshop I want to offer to help out less experienced campers who want to perform in the student concert.

Suddenly I flashed back to my first music camp experience, in 2002: Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. I was a newbie guitar player, still struggling to get my fingers to grab the most simple of chords before the song was onto the next change. And although I knew I could carry a tune — and indeed I led services for hundreds of people at my synagogue every year at the High Holy Days — I didn’t think of myself as a singer.

How far I’ve come!

Some specific examples:

Then: I could barely play guitar.

Now: I can actually accompany myself — with jazz chords, no less — in a way that isn’t horribly embarrassing.

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Then: I didn’t even know what music theory was.

Now: I have a decent road map of music theory (and not only that, but I’ve discovered — thanks to music camp — that I love it!)

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Then: I could carry a tune, but didn’t have a lot of understanding of or control over my “instrument.”

Now: I can do things with my voice I never thought possible!

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Then: I was totally in awe of the professional level performances of some of the other students.

Now: I perform professionally myself!

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Then: The idea of having my own CD seemed fantastical.

Now: I have my own CDs!

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Then: The idea of writing my own songs seemed totally out of reach.

Now: I’ve not only written some original songs, but other singers have asked me if they could sing them!

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Then: I remember sitting in on the performance skills class, feeling rather overwhelmed.

Now: I’m teaching performance skills!

Benign reality and baby steps

It’s so easy to get bogged down lamenting what I haven’t achieved yet, and how far away my goals seem. Re-framing my musical life in terms of how far I’ve come turned my entire perspective around.

In 8 years I’ve gone from “Oh, I’m not a musician,” to a paid, gigging singer with a growing body of original songs, 2 self-produced CDs and a mailing list of over 500 fans.

And that’s just my musical life. I’ve made similar strides in my business, my living situation, my self-growth.

Just like a big hike through a canyon or up a mountain, progress feels slow when you’re in the middle of it, but it can take your breath away when you stop for a second and look back at how far you’ve traveled.

All of this gives me hope and a renewed sense of commitment and energy. The race is not always to the swift. Baby step by baby step I’m moving myself forward.

I wonder where I’ll be in another 8 years?

June 16, 2010

Two cool courses: the Empire Building Kit and Question the Rules

Here’s the deal: about four months ago I made a decision to change my life. I wanted to do a better job following my evolving Blisses, and I needed some help.

I found that help in the form of two courses, The Empire Building Kit and Question the Rules. (See my review of the first month of the EBK here, and my review of QTR here.)

I have no business writing this post, because I’m still in work fugue mode and really should be working on my deadlines, but in case you’re interested in changing your life and starting (or growing) a sustainable “lifestyle business,” I wanted to let you know about some special offers that won’t be around for long.

Read on for details…

The Empire Building Kit

What is the Empire Building Kit? The EBK is the brainchild of Chris Guillebeau, owner of the blog The Art of Nonconformity and creator of Unconventional Guides. It’s made up of 15 case studies (some video + transcript; some PDF) of “emperors” who earn $50,000 to $150,000 a year in net income from a “lifestyle business” (everything from dog-walking to art), combined with a behind-the-curtain look at how Chris runs his own business, plus 365 daily emails from Chris with tips, tools, techniques and motivation to keep you on track.

In other words, everything you need to build a meaningful lifestyle business in one year by doing one thing every day.

The Empire Building Kit originally launched for 24 hour only, with a second 24-hour launch a month or so later. Starting today, it’s back on sale, this time permanently.

HOWEVER, if you’ve been thinking about getting it, then today would be an especially good day to do so, because everyone who buys the Empire Building Kit today will also get Chris’s guide, Backyard Biz Profits.

Backyard Biz Profits is a 60+ page guide all about combining online marketing with local businesses. It will go on sale later by itself for at least $50, so it’s a pretty cool deal.

‘Nuff said.

Question the Rules

At around the same time that I got the Empire Building Kit, I bought another course called Question the Rules. The creators of QTR, Johnny B. Truant and Lee Stranahan, did interviews (18 and counting, as they seem to keep adding more) with a slew of really cool people who are doing really cool, unconventional things and making a living at it.

The two of them also recorded 9 additional conversations on such topics as The punk rock, DIY mindset; Setting your real goals; Belief and faith; Networking outside of the box [3 parts]; and The Wrap-Up and the Aftermath)

PLUS, Johnny and Lee recently added a whole slew of Bonus Material, including some more audio recordings (Best of the IttyBiz SpeakEasy; Charlie and Johnny Jam Sessions), some e-Books (Beyond Blogging; 52 Weeks to Awesome; Idea Catalyst), and discounts on a bunch of cool stuff (20% off a Great Bowl o’Fire; 50% off How to Get A-Listers on Speed Dial; 25% off everything Beyond Blogging offers; and possibly some other stuff I’m leaving out because I don’t have time to check).

Basically, you get a lot of shit. I mean stuff.

And it just so happens that QTR is going on sale today through Friday for $200 off (using the discount code qtrftw). So if you’ve been thinking about buying it, now would be a good time.

Who are these courses for?

Anyone who wants to build or grow their own business, especially if you’re interested in doing things in a more unconventional way.

If that idea has no interest for you, and your goal is to climb the corporate ladder, these courses are probably not for you.

Which one should I get?

If you could use some step-by-step guidance, and you’d benefit from a daily reminder to stay on track toward your goals, get the Empire Building Kit.

If you’re just looking for some inspiration, get Question the Rules.

If you’ve got the money, get both. Seriously. I’m glad I did.

And if you get either one, please let me know – I’d love to compare notes!

*Disclosure: If you buy either Empire Building Kit or Question the Rules from any of the links in this post, I’ll get some affiliate income, and will be forever grateful. If you don’t buy at all, or you buy through another link, I’ll never know, so don’t lose sleep over it.

May 21, 2010

Review: Question the Rules

I’m not sure where I first heard about Johnny B. Truant. Maybe it was an Ittybiz post; maybe it was a mention by some star or other in the blog stratosphere. All I know is that once Johnny came onto my radar, he basically stayed.

The man is everywhere.

In fact, he’s so everywhere, that he’s kind of famous for being everywhere. Which I guess makes sense, if you think about it.

In any case, it seems Johnny got his start in the blogosphere limelight in March of 2009, when he offered himself up as a public guinea pig to Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz. His offer:

“Why don’t I use your stuff and your advice to make money online. Publicly. And show everyone that an average guy who’s never done this before can actually do it. And you can coach me through it. Make course-corrections. Turn me into a millionaire. And together, we can make this whole ‘make money online’ thing a reality for everyone.”

Naomi took him up on it, and for the next year he blogged about his experiences building an online business. (I was actually practically oblivious to the blog world during this adventure, so I missed the excitement while it was happening in real time, but it’s all on Itty Biz if you want to catch it in reruns. Just do a search on Johnny B. Truant.)

The point is, Johnny’s actually done the work and built a financially successful business from his creativity in less than a year. In other words, he knows his shit. (Oops… I mean “stuff.” Sorry Mom.)

The arrival of Question the Rules

So when an email from Johnny landed in my box, announcing the imminent arrival of a new, DIY, punk rock course that Johnny made with his friend and fellow punk, Lee Stranahan, I took notice. The sales page promised a “nonconformist’s punk rock, DIY, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating the business and life you really want, starting with what you already have.”

“Well, dang,” I said to myself, said I, “that sounds like me!” (Except for the punk rock part, being more of a jazz music person myself [but very much appreciating the punk DIY attitude, nonetheless.])

I figured it was worth the gamble. (Plus I was on the pre-pre-launch advance notice list, so I got it at the pre-pre-launch price — sweet! Note: for the best deals on info products made by your blog heroes, get on their advance notice list!)

So what is Question the Rules, exactly?

QTR is basically a bunch of audio recordings, which you can listen to via a streaming player on the password-protected QTR member site, or you can download (if the links work; some of them were broken for a few weeks, post-launch, but I believe they’re all working now.) Each recording stands alone, so you can go through them in any order, though there are essentially two modules:

The Johnny & Lee conversations (The punk rock, DIY mindset; Setting your real goals; Belief and faith; Networking outside of the box [3 parts]; and The Wrap-Up and the Aftermath)
The Rule-Questioner Guest Interviews (eighteen interviews, most about an hour long, with really cool people who are doing really cool, unconventional things and making a living at it)

Basically, you get a lot of shit. I mean stuff.

And on to the review

Okay, Johnny and Lee, if you’re reading, I’m going to be brutally honest. Your course has some flaws. The conversations frequently ramble and go off on tangents for long, long, long stretches. (Insert yawn and eye-rolling here.) And although I find the whole “un-schooling” concept quite interesting, not being a parent of a school-aged child myself (or any child, for that matter), the extended talk about un-schooling (in several of the interviews) gets a little, well, annoying. (Oh, god, do they have to rattle on about un-schooling again?) Plus there were a helluva lot of technical glitches at the start (like mp3’s not downloading, or only a few minutes of an hour-long interview downloading; all of which I believe have been resolved at this time [?])

So do I wish I’d spent my hard-earned clams elsewhere?

No! Absolutely not!

Am I glad I spent my hard-earned clams to buy Question the Rules?

Yes! Absolutely!

Why?

In bullet form:

it’s inspiring to hear so many totally rad people chatting informally about how they got where they are (and so much more besides, like, um, un-schooling)
it’s eye-opening (“wow, you can do that?“)
I got some great new ideas
I learned about some really cool people I’d never heard of, and am super-glad to know about (hey, I got the “Multi-Passionate” part of my job title from Marie Forleo, one of the interviewees)
it’s validating to be introduced to other people who are successfully doing exactly what I’m working on doing with my own life (but in their own, unique ways)
I’ve been exposed to several different viewpoints
it’s pretty darn entertaining (despite the aforementioned rambling, which, I must admit, does have the benefit of making one feel a bit like a fly on the wall of Johnny and/or Lee’s living room)

And I’m probably less than half way through!

As someone who’s been a solopreneur for going on 15 years, I have to admit I’ve found all the pep talks about how great it is to work for oneself a little tedious (you’re preaching to the converted, guys), but I would imagine it would be appreciated by the Cubicle Nation dwellers who make up QTR’s main target group. (If you’re looking for validation for quitting your job, you’ll certainly find it here.)

The Upshot

If you want a step-by-step guide to building a sustainable “lifestyle” business and working for yourself, check out Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides, $100 Business Forum [watch for a review soon] and Empire Building Kit (when it becomes available again in the summer). If you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to creating products from what you know in order to grow a sustainable income, check out Dave Navarro’s Creating Products That Sell and Building A Responsive List and The Launch Coach Library.

But if you want to immerse yourself (at your own pace) in conversations and ideas with a whole bunch of really cool people who are living unconventional, question-the-rules lives, SUCCESSFULLY (and if you don’t mind a bit of aimless rambling as part of the package), you’ll get a lot out of Question the Rules.

I know I am. Lee and Johnny, thank you. You guys rock.

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*Disclosure: If you buy Question the Rules, or any of the other products linked to in this post, I’ll get some affiliate income, and will be forever grateful. If you don’t buy at all, or you buy through another link, I’ll never know, so don’t lose sleep over it.

May 20, 2010

Workshop Review: The Launch Coach’s “Creating Products That Sell” and “Building A Responsive List”

A few weeks ago I got an email from Naomi Dunford. Okay, not a personal email; I’ve never met Naomi, and am just one of thousands of fans who read her hilarious and informative (and potty mouth) blog and bow in awe at her ninja marketing awareness.

If you haven’t heard of Naomi yet, stick around the Blogosphere enough and you will. She’s sort of the Dean Witter of the blog- and small-biz-marketing set. In other words (and I’m dating myself here), when Naomi talks, people listen.

Ittybiz shit for free? Sign me up!

Naomi is famous for her anti-hype, “un-salesman-y” marketing strategies (along with her propensity for cussing), so when I got an email from her linking me to a page on her blog offering six previously unreleased recordings of telephone classes she gave for members of her SpeakEasy class (a class that’s now permanently closed), my ears perked up. (Or my eyes perked up? Not sure of the right metaphor here.)

That alone (the SpeakEasy recordings) might be worth the price of admission (depending on the admission price, of course).

The deal? Buy EITHER Johnny B. Truant and Lee Stranahan’s course Question the Rules, AND/OR either or both of Dave Navarro’s workshops Creating Products That Sell and Building A Responsive List. Then forward the invoice email to Naomi’s ninjas and –wham– you’ll get the SpeakEasy recordings.

As it happens, I’d just purchased Question the Rules, so I qualified for the SpeakEasy dealie already, but Naomi’s description of Dave’s workshops sounded right up my alley. Here I am, itching to create some “digital assets,” some “products” that can make me some passive income, and according to Naomi, Creating Products That Sell will teach me

“How to create residual income products that make money and aren’t lame”

Yep, pretty much what I’m looking for.

I hadn’t seen much of Dave’s stuff before buying these workshops, but I knew he had a solid reputation as The Launch Coach, and I knew (because Naomi said so in the aforementioned post) that “Dave is the one who helps ME [Naomi] make MY [Itty Biz] products, and I am rich and famous on the internet. That should be testimonial enough.”

Indeed.

But just in case that wasn’t testimonial enough, Naomi’s post went on:

Who it’s for:

People who need very clear, simple instructions

People who dig lists, checklists, exercises and so on.

People who like PDFs — this course is almost all written

People who are ready to MOVE. Dave does not pull punches and he doesn’t fluff.

Who it’s NOT for:

People who already know exactly what they’re going to sell

People who don’t learn well by reading

I was sold. And since I’d need a list (and a responsive one at that) to sell my products to, I went for the package deal.

And finally, the review

Understand that the purchase price for these two workshops was not an insignificant amount of money to me, so it represented quite a gamble.

The upshot: WOW! If you are looking for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to making ebooks, audio recordings, video recordings, teleseminars, webinars, or even a few physical products, Dave’s got you covered.

From how to come up with ideas, to how to go about creating the products (step-by-step, remember?), to boosting sales, to getting money in your account THIS WEEK, Dave leaves no stone unturned.

The man clearly values thoroughness (though you will find the occasional typo or formatting weirdness), and will take you from zero to launch with minimum pain and stress. But don’t be fooled — you’ll have to put the work in. These are not get-rich-quick schemes. Quite the contrary; these are solid tools for your toolbox to (as Dave puts it) “get you started and get an ‘income snowball’ rolling and growing each month.”

I’m still working my way through Creating Products That Sell — it’s made up of five modules, plus a bonus module, each with several chapters. Something like two dozen in all. Honestly, I haven’t even started Building A Responsive List because I figure it makes sense to figure out my product path first, but I have every expectation that it will be as solid a workshop as Creating Products That Sell.

So, Melissa, where can I get these workshops?

I’m so glad you asked. It turns out that Naomi’s special SpeakEasy dealie was a rare opportunity to get your hands on Dave’s workshops. At the time of this writing, they aren’t anywhere to be found on his website; the offer I followed up on was part of Dave’s “soft launch” (which resulted in 400 sales for him — go Dave! — that’s why he’s The Launch Coach). Now, however, Dave is about to launch them formally.

The official launch is not until Thursday, May 27th, but pre-launch goodness starts Friday, May 21. Want in? Click here for details.

And the interview

If you’ve read this far and you want just a teensy bit more info, I’ve got a surprise for you. I managed to score an interview with The Launch Coach himself, who was kind enough to answer some questions about his soon-to-be-launched workshops. Read on:

Q: Dave, tell me about your Creating Products That Sell and Building A Responsive List workshops; what are they and what will people get from them?

A: The first workshop teaches you how to rapidly create high-quality, high-value products that your audience wants; the second teaches you how to build that audience and get them to look forward to buying from you on a regular basis.

Q: What kinds of people are these workshops aimed at?

A: Actually, I’m covering a good range here — I have step-by-step stuff for beginners who need the hand-holding as well as advanced strategies for product/list-building veterans. Basically, I wanted to cover how to rapidly get started and then give my best strategies for getting visible results fast. So, it’s valuable for any skill level but it’s really focused on information products (not physical products like clothes or toys).

Some of my happiest customers are artists, coaches and consultants because this material so so instantly applicable to growing their business.

Q: What kinds of products do you cover in Creating Products That Sell?

A: I cover how to make all kinds of products (and easy ways to make them high-quality) like PDFs, audios, videos, teleseminars, webinars, and a few variations on physical products.

Q: Do you have to be technologically savvy to benefit from these workshops?

A: Not at all — in fact, it’s step by step for a reason, to cover people who are savvy at what they do (their expertise) but may need to start from scratch tech-wise.

Q: What gave you the idea to create these workshops?

A: I listened to my audience after I released How to Launch The **** Out of Your Ebook and they told me via surveys that product creation and list-building was hard and scary and too complicated. That told me the market was ready for an easier solution that helped them get results fast.

Q: How did you learn all this stuff?

A: The unsexy truth is that I really purchased quite a lot of information products and took really good notes, then did what I could to improve upon the techniques I learned. Then I put it into practice and learned more about what worked and what didn’t.

Q: Did you have to push past any blocks in order to create your various courses and workshops? If so, what were your blocks, and how did you get past them?

A: My biggest obstacle is always worrying about the “giants” in the industry, like “how can I compare to them.” I have to remind myself that success doesn’t come from beating competitors, it comes from helping customers. So I just focus on the people I’m helping and it all works out.

Q: I heard that you recently quit your day job, and now focus full-time on your internet businesses. Congratulations! How are things going in your new entrepreneurial life? Is there anything that isn’t what you expected?

A: Getting the paperwork done (insurance, legal, etc.) takes a lot longer than I expected. I wish I’d paid people to research / file stuff for me instead of doing it myself. Lesson learned!

Q: Is there anything else that you think people would want to know?

A: The most important thing to succeeding online is to take consistent action. It’s like a snowball — you just keep rolling it bigger and bigger ’til your results are huge. Don’t go looking for the avalanche – work on that snowball. I spent 5 years trying to make an avalanche of success happen (it didn’t). I then spent working on that snowball and surprise, it worked. 🙂

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For more information on Creating Products That Sell and Building A Responsive List, be sure to check out Dave’s pre-launch, which starts Friday.

*Disclosure: If you buy Creating Products That Sell, Building A Responsive List or Question the Rules, I’ll get some affiliate income, and will be forever grateful. If you don’t buy at all, or you buy through another link, I’ll never know, so don’t lose sleep over it.