Author: Dan Blank

Join Me at the Communal Table

I have been considering the value of coming together, instead of pulling apart. Of building relationships, not moving merchandise. Of how we can work together to work towards our goals, not build barriers that impedes the process.

I will soon be announcing some exciting ways to connect – that we can work together to grow your impact and establish your legacy.

I work at my local Starbucks quite often, and when I do, I sit at the long communal table in the middle of the store:

Communal table at Starbucks in Madison, New Jersey

I think it’s an apt metaphor for approaching how to grow your career.

Not separate, but together.

Not hoping to remain unnoticed, but open to the chance meeting, to serendipity.

Realizing that we don’t win by nudging out others, but welcoming them in.

That relationships matter, not “products.”

That the lessons from our insecure teenage years shouldn’t be: take fewer social risks as an adult.

That age should not naturally close you off to others.

That you can’t build a strong foundation alone.

That the path to success is not about outsmarting others, but connecting with them.

I hope you will join me at the communal table.

-Dan

On Refinement: Do Fewer Things, More Effectively

I have been in a process of refinement recently. Challenging what it is I hope to create, who it is I hope to become. A process that results in doing fewer things more effectively, in understanding not just what I do, but how it affects the world. The result of all of this will be some exciting new things, all centered on refining what We Grow Media is, and how I can provide even more value to those who inspire me: writers and publishers.

Some of this will be “surface” level stuff, I will be launching a new website soon, along with a new logo, and a new profile image for social media. I know, this sounds incredibly self-centered to even mention. But it matters. It matters to consider every aspect of how I communicate with others – ensuring it all aligns to a single purpose.

It’s crowded out there. The highways are crowded, the coffee shop is crowded, the media is crowded, your email inbox is crowded, and social media channels are crowded. As I grow my business and become further engaged with writers and publishers, chances are that I have microseconds by which to communicate with someone new. How I use those microseconds matters.

The ultimate goal is to establish the seeds of a trusting relationship. One that will share and help – one that creates meaning over time.

Beyond the “surface” refinement, I have been tearing down and rebuilding the services I offer. Ideally – you won’t even notice. Nothing about WHY I do what I do will be changing. I will still be offering courses, workshops and consulting. But the details matter, and I have been analyzing them, and getting LOADS of feedback from others.

Mostly, I have been looking deep into the past, and deep into the future. Of who I have always wanted to be, and what I hope to build with We Grow Media. This is not about following short-term trends, this is about measuring value in years, not months.

It’s a fascinating process, one where I have to really focus on what I believe in, rejecting roads that lead to easy revenue, but don’t build anything long-term.

For me, the goal is to focus more on helping to push others forward. On partnering with those who inspire me. On turning not just idea into reality, but dream into achievement. Those I work with – writers and publishers – are often those working against great odds. And it’s my goal to help stack the odds in their favor.

This process is not about becoming a faceless brand, but to scale what I do so that it has an effect greater than what one person can give. That there is a unique differentiator in what I do, one that is never about having “competition,” but rather, in having colleagues. Those who are as passionate and driven as I am about similar goals.

That in building a company, this is not about putting fake external things on top of who I am in order to seem “professional.” But rather, to do what feels right – to build a business via relationships and a positive impact on the world, not simply by following the smell of money. That the true results are measured in the legacies we leave.

I have had an amazing year by absolutely any measure. For this, I am unbelievably thankful. I appreciate your joining me in this journey, and hope that we are able to connect more fully next year.

Thanks!
-Dan

Risk and Reward: Giving Up Safety To Find Opportunity

Today I want to talk about risk. Taking an action that strips away the security net that we surround ourselves with. Knowingly or not, we all take steps to protect our financial well-being, our emotional well-being, our sense of self, and/or our place in this world.

Rebooting Your Life
In 2010, I threw security out the window. At least, security as many traditionally define it: a stable job and income. In the midst of the biggest recession of my lifetime, I left my job of 10 years, and didn’t apply for another. I actually turned down at least four unsolicited job offers from people I really respect. (that felt bizarre, and I was deeply honored by their interest.) That same year, my wife and I had our first child, a little boy. This year, my wife quit her job as an art teacher. She gave up amazing health benefits that were essentially free, as well as tenure at a job she enjoyed. I started a company, serving publishers and writers.

And yet, after having taking each of these steps that seemingly expose me to financial ruin, I have never been happier, felt more successful, or confronted with so much opportunity.

I enjoyed my corporate job – I liked what I did, the people I worked with, and the opportunities it provided. But deep down, I was often worried. There were always rumors about potential layoffs, reorganizations, and shifts in the corporate structure that would result in me losing my job. This was by no means unique to the company I worked for, friends at other companies expressed the same common themes that ran through their corporate life. By one colleague’s count, I had “survived” more than 20 rounds of layoffs over the years.

But now, without a “stable” job, with my wife not working, with another ‘mouth to feed,’ I have never slept better. I have never felt more helpful to others, more confident in my career. And I have never been presented with so many amazing opportunities.

Choosing a Path
It is interesting to consider career paths. In the corporate world, it would have been a slow movement up the corporate ladder. From Director to Senior Director to Junior Vice President to Vice President to Senior Vice President to President. On the surface, that embodies everything about the American Dream: opportunity.

Except…

So many executives I met at various companies over the years seemed unhappy in some ways. Yes, they appreciated their roles and the power and financial security that came with it. But their jobs had long since morphed from their true passion. The hours were brutal. They traveled often, spending great deals of time away from their families. The older they got, the more locked in they became. I could always sense the great unspoken fear of corporate America: “getting laid off at age 53.”

You can fill in any age to that phrase – but it implies that you are old enough to have achieved a nice salary, resume, and the wisdom of experience. But that if you are laid off at age 53 (or maybe it is 63 – I don’t really know), and have to find a similar job, you run the risk of being “overqualified” with a salary requirement that is beyond the range of what other companies want to pay.

The result of this scenario can be an aversion to risk: making decisions in your career that are survivalistic and protective, not expansive and innovative. It’s hard to take the risks to follow your true passion when you are too locked in to a certain path. When that path is surrounded by scary monsters, encouraging you to not take half a step off of it, lest your foot gets bitten off.

The Great Second Act
Steve Jobs’ career validates the dreams of so many mid-career managers. That they may feel they have hit a slump in their 30s or 40s, but that there can be a great second act where their best and most innovative work is still ahead of them. Frank Lloyd Wright’s career had an equally brilliant second act, as have some bands such as U2. Yes, it can be done.

But it’s hard. It’s risky. In the Steve Jobs bio, the ability to have a great second act was that “lasting companies know how to reinvent themselves… You’ve got to be like a butterfly and have a metamorphosis.” That is harder than it sounds.

Bono described reinventing U2 in 1990 as the following:

“You have to reject one expression of the band first, before you get to the next expression. And in between you have nothing. You have to risk it all.”

That middle phrase is the part that is often overlooked: “In between, you have nothing.”

I firmly believe that people get wiser and filled with more potential as they get older. Which is why I end up working with so many people who are trying to grow their impact and legacy through writing and publishing. It is incredibly inspiring to me.

The Myth of Being Your Own Boss
Being an entrepreneur means you are always standing on the precipice of success and failure. The most subtle change in the wind can dramatically shift your footing. Every decision is yours, and every resource you expend in both time and money comes from your own pocket. There is rarely a clear path. You have to analyze as best you can, then go on gut instinct. Risk is inherent in nearly everything you do.

Instead of one boss, the entrepreneur has many bosses. Every client or customer or student is a different boss. A relationship that has to be appreciated and respected.

And I love that. For my experience as an entrepreneur, it challenges me to become better at providing value to others, and to understand how I can do more to grow my impact and legacy.

But I often hear of people describing this as “being your own boss,” implying that you are no longer beholden to others. I feel like the opposite is true though, that I rely much more on others. And that it is truly a wonderful thing. In our culture, I think we need to become MORE connected to each other, not less.

Exponential Return on Investment
Yes, there is and will continue to be, great risk in what I am doing. Every year will be different as my business grows, waxes, wanes. I will experience what Seth Godin calls “The Dip.” There will be great challenges, often at unexpected time.

But, in this process, I am building skills. I am building wonderful connections with incredible people. I am pushing myself hard to provide as much value to others as I can.

Yes, a “regular” job has greater safety, and some really nice benefits. I would never begrudge anyone that. It is a deeply personal choice. But in that safety is often a diminished sense of opportunity, that there is a positive return on investment, but perhaps not an exponential return on investment. What you work on, who you work with, the outcomes of that work, such as salary, will likely grow slowly over the years. With risk of entrepreneurship does come the potential for unexpected and huge positive outcomes.

You Will Die. Build Your Legacy Today
Sorry to be so blunt, but it’s true. Regardless of what you feel happens once we pass on from this world, now is your time to build a legacy in this specific time and place. Only you can determine what that legacy will be. Some of the most amazing legacies are not defined by entrepreneurship at all: being a wonderful mother, a loyal employee, a giving member of the community. I love those.

Sometimes we are so fearful of the bad things that can happen if we take a risk, that we forget there could be positive outcomes. So we put off important goals time and time again. We live for the obligations of the present, and fear for the future. But…

If there is a creative dream in the back of your mind, but life’s pressures keep you from pursuing it, consider doing them in 2012. Give your dreams a chance, instead of constantly fighting to keep them down. I can’t guarantee safety, no one can. But if your goal is to have an impact on the world in a way you have not yet realized; if you hope to be remembered for things you have not yet done, then now is the time to start down that path.

Thanks.
-Dan

The Value of Social Media for Writers: Self-Promotion or External-Validation?

When a writer engages in social media to “grow their platform” are they turning into heartless self-promoters, shilling themselves for the desperate attempt to lure others to read their books?

I don’t think so.

For someone who engages in producing creative work – writers, artists, musicians – sharing is much harder than it looks. You are often alone, not backed by a corporate entity. When you are on your own, you don’t have the immediate validation that a regular job provides – fancy business cards, job title, or a stable salary and a benefits that makes you a “card carrying writer.” The writer lives and dies by their own confidence to create something from nothing, to push onward when the world chooses not to pay attention.

Validation is important. To know that your work matters; that you are growing; that it impacts the lives of others; that it is creating a work of meaning over time. The work is often very personal, even if not on the surface. It’s easy to read someone else’s book and call it ‘garbage.’ It’s hard to write a book and not be hurt when someone else calls it ‘garbage.’

It’s exposing to be a writer. I was listening to the commentary track of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (yes, this is what I do in my spare time), and something reminded me of the plight of writers: In one scene, a character is facing a crisis of identity, and he stares at George Seurat’s pointillist painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” Since the image is only made up of very tiny dots, the closer he looks at the child in the painting, the less of it he sees. The director explains the meaning of this as:

“He fears that the more you look at him, the less you see; that there isn’t anything really there.”

Here is the painting, and examples beneath it of the pointillist style used to create it:
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
(image source)

I’ve heard people describe having kids as the act of watching your heart run around outside your body. As a father of a 1.5 year old son, I can say that is true. But I think the same expression holds true for writers. After the sometimes arduous process of creating a work you are proud of, how do you ensure it flourishes and grows?

People always say: Don’t self-promote on social media. Don’t be self indulgent. But I feel that most people, and certainly many writers, simply want some sort of validation. A sense of self. To be able to own the identity of “writer,” even if for a single moment during the day. They want to matter, and they want their work to matter.

There is a perception that author platform and writers engaging in social media as jumping on a bandwagon to drum up publicity and sales. But what I often see is someone making meaningful connections around topics they are passionate about.

I also feel there is incredible value in putting yourself and/or your work out there. That there is a risk in the safety of writing without sharing. You can’t fail if you don’t share. But when you move out of your comfort zone to engage with others, that is how you evolve.

Some writers are brash self-promoters. Others are not. Social media is a medium that levels the playing field between the two extremes, allowing all writers to be a part of a community of like-minds.

Thanks.
-Dan

Is Your Writing a Hobby or a Career?

There are so many writers out there. Even more books. Think of all the writers who have lived and published in the past 30 years alone. In some ways, you could think of this as your “competition for attention.” Asking yourself challenging questions such as: “What am I able to add to the lexicon that 5 others haven’t already done?” Are you trying to get an agent? Trying to get a book deal? Trying to self-publish and sell enough books to warrant a writing career? In a sea of other authors, how will you answer the question to agents, publishers, and readers: why do you matter? Why would these other people invest their resources and time in your work?

So with this in mind, I want to discuss how you will create the foundation for having an impact on the world with your work, and building a legacy that lasts beyond your own lifetime.

I think the question that gets at the crux of this issue is: Is your writing a hobby or a career? And by that, I mean:

Do you prioritize your writing career, somewhere after getting the laundry done, but before resealing the basement? Because if the slightest household chore derails your writing career for weeks, then likely, it is just a hobby.

Is your writing what defines you, but only after a long list of other things? That you are first a mother, second a wife, third an assistant financial analyst, fourth the treasurer at your local PTA, fifth a homemaker, sixth the co-chair for your regional knitting group, and seventh, a writer? This is not to diminish the value of the other 6 things listed here, and I do not mean to imply that being a writer should be first on the list. But how far down that list does it fall? After how many tasks must you accomplish before you have a moment to actually write? Because if most people you know have zero idea that you write – that it is something you NEVER bring up with friends or colleagues, then chances are, your writing is just a hobby, not a career.

Do you focus only on the craft of writing, and not the business aspects of truly building a writing career? Do you feel that you will find an audience for your work because one day, just the right person will read it, and spread it to others, like a beautiful domino effect? That it will only take that one person to provide a “viral” marketing effect, whereby thousands of others magically discover you randomly, and glom onto you, and tell everyone they know how awesome you are? Because that won’t happen. Nearly every creative professional (writer, musician, artist, etc) will tell you – it is an insane amount of work to truly succeed. That, if you are just going to wait for others to do the work for you, then chances are, your writing is just a hobby, not a career.

Are you constantly learning new things about how others created successful writing careers? By reading articles, by learning new tools, by seeking out these people and talking to them? Are you analyzing data about what works, and what doesn’t; are you constantly making yourself feel slightly uncomfortable by tackling another new topic that sounds scary (marketing, branding, contracts, revenue, ROI, licensing, rights, etc.) Because if you aren’t constantly learning, constantly pushing yourself to understand the many facets of what it means to be a professional writer, then chances are, your writing is just a hobby, not a career.

All of this begs the question: is there anything wrong with writing being a hobby, not a career? Of course not. Writing serves many purposes. It can be the key to personal growth; it can bring sanity; your work can brighten the day of a few close friends, or even a small group of distant strangers; it can lead to truly appreciating the amazing process of what it means to be alive. I have created countless works that have never been published, that have never been shared as part of a “career.” Those works allowed me to grow, they made me the person I am in so many ways. That is nothing to apologize for.

But… if you want to truly have an impact on the world, to truly build a legacy that extends beyond your lifetime, then at some point, you must make a choice. A conscious, difficult, and sometimes arduous choice to take your writing career from a hobby to a professional level. That you must start a long, oftentimes lonely journey to create something from nothing.

So how can that be done? How can you look at dozens of aisles of books in Barnes & Noble and think: I offer something not represented on these shelves – something that will have a powerful impact in the lives of others?

Well first off: that is the attitude you need!

Second… you need to understand and appreciate what differentiates your work, your purpose from others. That you should not be a commodity – something to be leveraged by others; just another box on the shelf. That in some ways, you are you are the center of a community, and a unique part of other communities. That while you may want to appeal to a broad audience, don’t vanilla down your work so that it is so bland, so afraid to be anything but a poor copy of everyone else, that your work ends up standing for nothing – another copy of a copy of copy in the great bookshelf of our times.

You get to choose your path, not become someone else’s model of what it means to be an author. You get to work the way you want to, and choose who joins you on this journey. That you can create a special experience that only you can.

Differentiation is key. This is a choice. It’s that simple. To not be a commodity. To choose your identity. To push yourself and your work to truly have an impact in the world. To build the foundation for your legacy as a writer.

-Dan