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    Lessons I've learned

In the three years since I decided to hang out my shingle as a Passion Catalyst, I have learned an incredible amount. The process hasn't always been easy; there have been times when I have questioned my judgment, my ability, and even my grasp of reality. But without a doubt, it has been worth it! Here are some of the key nuggets o' wisdom (or some such thing) I've learned along the way. While some of them are specifically relevant for people striking off on their own, most of them are relevant for anyone pursuing their own passion, whatever form that takes. Keep your feet moving My biggest lesson from my own experience is KEEP YOUR FEET MOVING!! There may be times when you feel like it's never going to happen. Like you're running up against a brick wall. Keep at it. Keep looking for new and different ways to approach things. It felt like an eternity before I finally got traction with my Passion Catalyst work. Throughout that time, I kept trying different things. Surround yourself with support If it weren't for my close friends (especially my best friend, Misa Gidding-Chatfield) and my parents, I'm not sure I could have made it this far. They've been a vital part of my journey, both through the support they've offered and the insights they've shared. Surround yourself with support. I've interviewed dozens of people who have pursued their passions successfully, and almost all said a variation on one theme - "I couldn't have done it without the external support." Whether that is friends, family, or business colleagues (or better yet, all of the above), having that support team in place is important. I have been really blessed with the support I've gotten from all sides, both personal and professional. Above all, don't let yourself isolate. Give! Give! Give! I am such a huge believer in the idea of doing well by doing good. Give! Give! Give! The more you bend over backwards to help others, the more that will impact you in the long run. Baby steps! It doesn't have to all happen at once - and odds are good that it won't even if you want it to. The key is to commit to taking action, today, tomorrow, next week, and next month. You don't have to take huge leaps, you just have to take a step. And another. And another. Talk to people who've done it Why reinvent the wheel? Talk to others who have done it. What did they learn along the way? What are the things to watch out for? What are some nifty tricks to keep in mind? Soak up the knowledge, and then spin things your own way. Seek out inspiration Look for inspiration wherever you can. Read books about people who have done incredible things (like Erik Weihenmayer, the blind climber who summitted Everest in 2001 - his book Touch the Top is a good read). Time and again I found inspiration and thought, heck, I can do *this*. Do it YOUR way Don't listen to people who tell you that you have to do things a specific way. Take everything you learn, combine it all and do it *your* way. It will be much more powerful and have a whole lot more energy behind it when it's you, and not a formula. Network / build relationships Networking is a huge piece of the puzzle. Get out there and wave the flag. Collect business cards from the people you meet. Follow up with a short e-mail note to say, hi, it was nice to meet you. It reminds them who you are. Beyond that, build relationships for the long term. Don't eye people and evaluate what they can do for you right here, right now. Connect with people on a personal level. I was building my network long before I started my Passion Catalyst work. I was constantly going out for coffee with someone new. I used laugh and say I had an ulterior motive for wanting to get together, I just didn't know what it was yet. Do events and/or speak For me, the piece of the puzzle that finally dropped in place and allowed me to get traction was doing events. The month I did my first event (Cranium's co-founder Richard Tait was the first speaker of my Passion People Speaker Series) was the month I finally saw an upswing in my business and was able to start paying the bills with my Passion Catalyst work. It's been the case consistently for me that, if I go too long without doing some kind of event, business starts to drop off. Identify the topics you can speak on, and keep putting the word out there. People won't know if you don't tell them. Write Try to write some articles for publication. I first started getting clients from around the country through articles in various online career focused newsletters. Start a blog My blog has been a huge factor in the last few months. Not only has it given me a venue for building a broader base of awareness, it has also been an incredible learning tool. Post often, and make your content great. This is no time to be stingy with your knowledge and insights. When people see you as knowledgeable, they will come to you. If they could get what you have to offer from a book, they would - they'll come to you for the human element! This gets back to the "Give! Give! Give!" rule. Provide a lot of links (blogging is definitely a what goes around comes around world). Don't expect traffic to build all at once, but know that if your blog is focused, frequent, and interesting, the traffic will come. "This too shall pass" When things were at their most frustrating in the early months, my mantra was, "this too shall pass." I can't even think how many times I found myself saying that. And it will. And the business will grow, because you've built the foundation. Be realistic Be realistic in your expectations of what you can expect from a revenue perspective in your first year. I was guilty of expecting much more than I reasonably should have, and that added to the frustration. I have heard many people say that it takes at least a couple years, if not more, to really build the business into the kind of revenue stream you're comfortable with. It took me a year to even start getting traction - and I started out with an e-mail list with 1600 people on it (my marketing jobs list). Journal Use a journal. I'm not much for everyday recording of thoughts, etc., but I find it incredibly useful for helping me think through things when I have specific questions. It's really a way of self-coaching. Don't just pitch the media - build relationships When it comes to the media, be a resource. Build relationships for the long term. Find journalists who are covering the kind of subject matter that lies within your realm, and let them know you would be delighted to be a resource for them, whether that is as a subject matter expert, for ideas of others to talk to, or just as a sounding board. Even if you don't get mentioned in an article immediately, you're building relationships for the long term. Ask if they would be interested in information you come across - new studies, statistics, trends, etc. There are several journalists that I'm always forwarding new information to. Patience is your best friend If there's one thing you need, it's patience. Your success will most likely come in slowly lapping waves, not a tsunami. If you stick with it, that success will come. So there you have it. Everything I've learned. My head's empty now. ;) Enjoy!