3.2.1…Launch
Today's the big day. You see, we're launching our new book, The EntreSpirit. The word "launching" really isn't the right word. Launching something sounds like a rocket is blasting off and heading for orbit. But I don't expect that's going to happen today. Hopefully, we'll get a couple of sales from friends and family, but I understand that might be it. Like every entrepreneurial venture, it's a scary day for us. We've spent two long years preparing, and now we're finally sharing our work with the world. Unfortunately, we have a small marketing budget and to make matters worse, we've never run a publishing company before. If I told you I wasn't nervous, I'd be lying. If I told you I wasn't excited, that would be a lie as well. The truth is, opening day is probably the most emotionally challenging day for every entrepreneur. It's when you put yourself out there and hope for the best. Since this is our first time posting about entrepreneurship in a long time, I'll use this post to share more about our new venture and what we've been up to for the last couple of years.
The Blur After A Company Folds
On September 15th of 2018, we received a commitment letter for a $1.5 million cash infusion to our marketing and training company. I was so excited! Little did I know then that within six months, our business would fold. Closing down a business is a painful experience for everyone involved, including our staff, investors, and customers. I won't go into all the details, but you should know life was a blur, and we were numb. Liquidating assets, finding health insurance, and dealing with an unbelievable amount of texts and emails wasn't any fun. Honestly, I don't like to remember those first couple of months because it was a pretty heavy time. The only positive in the midst of it all was that I started to write a story called The EntreSpirit. I wrote about three chapters, and then I got stuck—more on that in a little bit.
After the dust settled, I started looking for a job. Though we had sold some personal assets to tide us over, I knew the money wouldn't last forever and I needed to find an income. My previous two roles had been as the CEO of start-ups and an entrepreneur, so I knew getting a decent-paying job wouldn't be easy. Nevertheless, I went above and beyond to get noticed, even building an online resumé website with videos and documentation about my marketing experience. I wish I could tell you I had two dozen companies interested in hiring me. Unfortunately, that's not the case. I got a few emails, but not many. Most of the responses said that I was "overqualified" for the position.
A New Job and An Unbelievable Scare
While I was still searching, a friend offered me a leadership position at a large local nonprofit. It was right up my alley as the director of communications and marketing, so I went to work, excited to be doing something and earning an income. Little did I know then how demanding that job would be. On my very first day of work, Sarah visited the dermatologist. She soon found out that she had an aggressive and advanced form of Melanoma cancer, and it had to be removed. We were both heartbroken by the reality of what the pathology report meant. After my wife's first major surgery, which left her with an 8-inch scar above her knee and hobbling around for a month, we went to a specialist at Moffitt in Tampa for a follow-up visit. They told us she needed more extensive surgery to remove some of her lymph nodes and go deeper into the tissue on her leg. My precious wife braved her second surgery, leaving her with two new scars, and the one above her knee was now even larger. I continued to work full-time at my job during this time. Unfortunately, due to the stress and requirements of the position, the only day I took off during this entire season was the day she had the surgery in Tampa.
As 2019 came to a close, the doctors finally gave Sarah a clean bill of health. We were overjoyed, and after Christmas, we visited New York City for our 17th anniversary. As we returned, my mind was abuzz with all the fantastic self-starters we'd met in the city. From our tour guide at the Statue of Liberty to the Uber driver who picked us up outside Central Park, they each had something special inside. Some had even left other countries to pursue opportunities in America. I returned inspired, ready to go to work and finish the book.
A few people have asked me about the principles in the story and how I came up with them. Regarding the book's outline, I spent an hour dreaming it up only a few days after our company closed. The principles I wrote about are a mixture of what I have seen and experienced throughout my lifetime. For nearly a year, I thought about my FSMC students and the entrepreneurs I consulted with over the last 11 years. What did the successful ones have in common? Then, I narrowed it down to a list and grouped them. So if you're wondering, the principles of The EntreSpirit are based on what I have observed working with and training entrepreneurs over the last twenty years.
No Matter What, We Will Overcome
In January of 2020, life was relatively quiet. I continued writing upwards of five hundred words a day. I was making significant progress and keeping a balanced family and work life. However, once February rolled around, my job became more stressful. Then, when Covid-19 hit, it turned my life upside down. The demands became insane and I became pretty sick with high glucose levels, which had previously been under control with medication. By the time Easter came, I had finished writing out the principles and 80% of the book was complete. Though I didn't know how it would end, Sarah and I knew something had to change. So I stepped down from my role to focus on the new business, and she took a full-time teaching job.
That was about a year ago. In the last 365 days, we've had a lot of things happen. Most importantly, I finished the book. To make sure the story was engaging, we invited 20 EntreSpirited people to read and provide feedback. Taking their ideas and suggestions, we rewrote portions of the book to be more clear. Finally, we went through five more drafts and hired a couple of editors to polish everything. Over the last six months, we've been anxiously preparing for this day. Of course, no venture worth pursuing is without its delays. We started 2021 with Covid-19. I was sick for nearly a month and ended up fracturing a rib from coughing so much. Our family caught a second strain of the virus in March, which landed me in the hospital for five days. Needless to say, I'm thankful to be alive and excited this day is here!
Yes, I'm Still a Marketer...But There's More!
In case you're a former student of mine and are wondering, yes, I'm still a marketing entrepreneur. Just because our training company closed down doesn't mean I'm not passionate about the subject. I will always love marketing and geek out on this stuff. I am still a marketing consultant and have a local client that is seeing tremendous growth as I have applied the Four Step Marketing process to his business.
But there is a much bigger story happening here below the surface. You see, as I wrote The EntreSpirit and thought through the chapter on having a mission, I realized something I hadn't seen before. In the story, James tells Luke that having a mission can often take decades to develop. It was a lightbulb moment. Sarah and I realized our mission is to encourage entrepreneurs, but there’s something else as well that we’ll be sharing in the upcoming months. Of course, we will always love entrepreneurship and are thrilled to be releasing this book. At the same time, we're more excited about what the book has done to our hearts. Even if nobody ever buys the book, I'll always be grateful for the story. It brought a lot of healing and clarity to my life. It's also allowed us to see things differently and focus on what matters the most.
Yes, more ventures are coming—that's the EntreSpirit way. Stay tuned!
P.S. - If you’re interested in checking out the book, the Kindle version is on sale for $0.99 for our launch week. We hope that it encourages you!
