Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!" In November of 2016, we introduced a new format that we are putting alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.
"Lessons for Hannah" are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I have learned which I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.
This week’s Lesson for Hannah
Hannah, As I record this lesson, the world is going through an incredible and challenging time. The Wuhan Coronavirus or COVID -19 is sweeping the world and literally causing almost every major country to shut down, including the United States. I know you will have some memory of this event when you are older, but I wanted to document as much of it as I could for you as of the middle of March 2020.
First, for historical purposes, it is important to know how we got to where we are at the moment that I’m doing this lesson. In December 2019, China announced that it had detected an outbreak of a new type of virus in its Hubei province, with a concentration in the city of Wuhan. As of today, there are multiple theories on how it started and right now the leading one is it came from an exotic animal that are bought in markets and eaten in China. Now, we’ve had these types of things happen before in my lifetime. The most notable virus events are SARS, Ebola, MERS, H1N1 – the swine flu, and Mad Cow disease. And because these events did not rise to the level of a pandemic (we’ll talk some stats in a minute), they seemingly came and went without any of the things we are now seeing states and countries do.
Continuing the timeline, it looks more and more like China delayed telling the world that this was happening for a period of time and people were freely allowed to travel in and out of Wuhan. This allowed the virus to spread across the world, very much un-impeded into January. In late January, the United States shut down all travel to and from China as it became apparent that a large epidemic was breaking out. An epidemic is an outbreak of a virus or disease that is localized. A pandemic is one that is worldwide.
As we got into February, things really began to take hold in other Asian countries like South Korea and Europe, especially Italy. At this point, governments around the world began to take more drastic measures and over the next few weeks leading up to today, extraordinary things have been done. These things include, shutting down all travel both inside and to and from countries, quarantining people in their homes, shutting down schools, restaurants, bars, and basically anywhere people can gather. Almost all major sports have come to a complete stop and just about every aspect of life has been touched in some way.
The stock market has crashed into a bear market and fear is gripping nations.
The Coronavirus has symptoms like the flu but is especially dangerous for the elderly which is the group with the most fatalities. Now, at this time worldwide, just over people have been infected with about 60% of them recovering and getting back to normal. About 7500 people have died.
I would be remised If I did not put some context around this. While no one getting sick or dying from something like this should ever be taken lightly, I hope that the extraordinary measures being taken do limit the impact for the world at this time. But with 250,000 infected and 7 billion people on earth, an infinitely small number of people are getting this currently. You can do the math, but it is a decimal point with a lot of 0’s after it. The last major event like this was the H1N1 or swine flu outbreak in 2009/2010. Over the course of a year, 60 million Americans were infected, 12,000 died, and the government did not respond near to what we are seeing today.
At the present time, there are about 12000 people infected and just under 200 have died in the US.
So, why are we seeing the drastic action that is basically shutting down the world and potentially plunging it into a depression?
My truthful answer is that I don’t know. We are being told that the virus is highly contagious and that may be part of the reason. The governments of the world must know much more about this virus than we do to be getting the reaction we are. My other thought is that H1N1 happened a decade ago and while we had the internet, things like Smart phones were just being released for the first time and social media was just beginning. Information did not move as fast back then as it does today and while the speed of information can make our lives easier and offer a lot of great benefits, it also has the ability to be destructive in its ability to work effectively like a virus and permeate quickly through the world. So, when someone panics, many others can follow suit much faster. I think this is why we are seeing people get into fights over toilet paper – sheer panic has gripped them.
So, what lessons can I teach from where we are to date?
First, I am developed my thoughts for this episode while sitting in airport. I took all precautions we have been told to take like using hand sanitizer and wiping things down, not touching my face, etc. But, I don’t believe in emotional panic. I believe in using logic and methodically working through things. There is a chance that I can get this virus, just like there is for everyone. In fact, many of the pandemics from the past are still with us, we’ve just created vaccines and our bodies have created ways to fight them. In fact, the Spanish Flu which happened in the 1920’s and was one of the worst most devastating pandemics ever, killing millions is still with us – most of us have had it. It’s just another strain of the flu. And while we are on the subject of the flu, the common flu will kill 30-40,000 Americans this year alone. It does every year. This is why it is important to me to have perspective and not blindly follow a tweet or a post of panic from someone online. That is a big lesson in and of itself.
Speaking of perspective, the next lesson is that perception is reality for people. Whether you agree with the responses that are taking place or not, it is the reality we must deal with because it is happening. Governments and many people perceive this virus to be worse than things like what we saw with H1N1 and others and whether that materializes or not, the events leading us to where we are have happened. This is an important lesson in that what people perceive and believe in their life becomes their reality. You must understand this in people and for yourself. And it will be people’s perception and belief that things are getting better that will bring us out of this time. Belief is a double-edged sword that can be used for positive and negative. Make sure you use it for the positive as much as possible.
Another lesson is that during hard times, there are still tremendous opportunities. There are amazing deals in the market right now to pick up stocks at fire sale prices. Mortgage rates are at all-time lows for personal and investment property. In my businesses, there is opportunity to gain market share where others are pulling back. Some of the largest businesses we know about today like Hewlett Packard, Allstate Insurance and others, got their start during the Great Depression – there is always opportunity around us if we are willing to look for it and stay grounded. Now, I’m not saying we are in another great depression, but the world will suffer from the effects of this for some time and those that know how to keep their emotions in check, are prepared, and take action on opportunity when it presents itself will do very well.
Lastly, be there for people. Be a voice of reason and understanding. A shoulder to lean on. Listen to others and help them through their challenges as best you can. Give logical insight and stay grounded in facts and not emotional reactions. There are times for emotion and empathy for sure, but not if it makes things worse for you and for others. Make sure the messages you deliver are helpful, move things forward, and lift them up. This is great advice not just times of turmoil, but at all times in our lives.
Hannah, this time will pass, and we will emerge stronger, smarter, and more prosperous in all areas of our lives than we were before. That I have no doubt. I will continue over the next few Lessons to Chronicle this event and share new lessons from it as they become apparent. Just use the knowledge you gain and the lessons you learn from this period to be a light in the world and positive force in all you do.
I love you, Daddy
Best Quote: Belief is a double-edged sword that can be used for positive and negative. Make sure you use it for the positive as much as possible.
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This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is JB Glossinger. JB holds an MBA and Ph.D. and is the founder of Morning Coach, a daily podcast that has been downloaded over 40 million times! But, even with all the education and advanced degrees, he still credits his “street education” with providing the life-changing lessons that have helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands around the world.
JB left a successful corporate role to to create the life he wanted built around his passions, family, golf, and writing – all within a 3-hour workday. As he achieved this goal, he wanted help other entrepreneurs and business owners turn their dreams into reality and has done so through the morning coach, his masterminds, books, and events.
By working to align his mission, values, and goals, JB has been able to create the life of his dreams and help others to do the same. In this episode, I’ve asked him on to teach you how to do it for yourself.
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JB is from a blue collar family in Indiana and went to school to get his degree – which took him about 6 years. He then ran health clubs for a while, but somehow ended up in the aviation industry.
JB tells the story of how he responded to an ad in the paper to sell helicopter engines because he thought it was cool. He wrote a letter to the CEO instead of sending a resume. He got a call back. He went and met with the CEO one on one because the CEO wanted meet the person who “Wrote the worst letter he’s ever read.” But, they ended up hitting it off and JB got the jobs. So, as JB says, the worst letter he ever wrote got him into aerospace for 15 years.
This led to him buying and selling jumbo jets around the world, making 10x as much as his parents, but was completely miserable. He knew there was more than the job he was doling.
He decided to write a book. He quit his job and spent his savings on ordering the books, spending $5k on an image consultant. And he thought you just went out and started speaking. He quickly found out that things were much harder than he thought. He didn’t sell any books. It was a disaster. He even paid to speak at events and didn’t sell books.
It was depressing. IT lead him to a an evening where a buddy and him were drinking and wallowing in his failure and the friend suggested that his information was good and that he should just a morning message. That was when JB went and found morning coach. He was broke and losing his home. He built a website in a weekend with an opt-in. He started it as a live call each morning and it filled up quickly.
He then read about podcasting and decided to put it out as a podcast. After about 50 shows, iTunes spotlighted his show and we went to 40,000 downloads a day. It was then his life began to shift.
At the 11 min mark, JB and I talk about the journey of an entrepreneur
Why are you the morning coach? What is it that is so important about the morning and success?
At the 21 min mark, JB shares a story of a lady that used Morning Coach and its inspiration and message to get out of marriage of abuse.
You wrote the Sacred Six. What are the Sacred Six?
You coach people all over the world every day, what is the process you take people through?
Are there any recurring themes you see across people?
Explain metaphysics and how it fits into success and entrepreneurship?
Talk about street education vs. formal education – why was it so important for your success?
Selling 747’s? What did you learn?
What has playing golf taught you about life and business?
Titleist or Nike? Titleist!
Best Quote: "With discipline you don’t need motivation."
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This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Megan Yelaney. Megan graduated valedictorian of San Diego State Business School in 2009. By 2012, she had started a network marketing business that wasn’t really making money was waiting tables in-between acting gigs and background work on film and television. She was barely making ends meet.
But, in just a short time, about a year, she turned everything around and created a million dollar business. How?
I’ve asked Megan to come on the show and tell her story of how she went from waiting tables and acting gigs to million-dollar entrepreneur – and teach you how you can do the same.
@MeganYelaney on Instagram
Megan was not an overnight success. It took her some time. When she graduated, she did the exact opposite of being practical and using her degree. She went to LA to pursue her dream of acting and fell into network marketing naturally because she was a user of the products. She didn’t treat like a business.
For 1.5 years she treated it like a hobby and made a little bit of money. But then, she had the moment where her life changed. She was at a conference for the company seeing all of these people having so much success and making huge amounts of money and they were no more talented than her. She realized she was sitting on a goldmine and decided to get serious. She committed deeply to personal growth and development. This helped her to better believe in herself and started her taking action.
After a year, she was able to quit all her side jobs and soon after made over 6-figures and became top 50 in the company. But, she felt she had a calling to do more and could be more. She felt she had so much more to offer. It was at this time that company changed from physical products to more digital products and it cut her income almost in half. She decided in 2017 to go all in and start her own coaching and training business.
It was very humbling.
But within just two years, she now has a run rate of over $1 million for 2020.
Why do “pretty” and “awkward” have such big meaning for you?
What were the actions you took to succeed and what do you teach others to do to succeed?
At the 16 min mark, Megan talks about she uses content in her business and the actions she takes with it….
What do you find that works when it comes to content?
Any other thoughts on how to get high tickets clients?
At the 37 min mark, Megan talks about building teams and what helped her to do so in network marketing…
Other lessons learned from building a high level network marketing business that translate to your business today?
The people that keep showing up every day, even when they don’t want to, figure it out and find success.
What has your work in acting and film taught you that translates to entrepreneurship?
Best Quote: Overwhelmed is not having too much to do, it’s just not knowing where to start.
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This week’s Misfit Entrepreneur is Jonathan Horton. Jonathan is a 2-time Olympian in gymnastics, winning a silver and bronze medal at the 2008 and 2012 games, he’s a 2 time U.S. national all-around champion, and a 17-time medalist at the U.S. national championships. And if that wasn’t enough, in recent years, he also took on American Ninja Warrior and became a perennial finalist there as well.
Additionally, Jonathan is a successful entrepreneur, speaker and author starting multiple businesses, including the Ninja Coalition, a traveling Ninja Warrior experience company.
Jonathan wasn’t the most talented kid to walk through doors of a training facility, but was one of the most driven and dedicated, so much that he spent 28 years of his life in pursuit of excellence in gymnastics.
It’s the relentless pursuit and everything he’s learned along the way that I want to explore with him and share with you in this episode.
www.JonathanHorton.net
@JHorton11 on Instagram
Jonathan’s journey is full of ups, downs, twists, and turns. When most people see an Olympian, a lot of times they think that they are just that talented or gifted and while some are, Jonathan was not. He struggled from the start and wasn’t quick to succeed. As he says, he is a slow learner and things took him longer.
He was passed up by a lot of kids early on. What he did have was a lot of energy and the ability to outlast. By the time he was 20 years old, he was #1 in the country and by 22, he was going to his first Olympics.
“You don’t need to have a lot of talent to be successful in this world.”
Jonathan shares that the one thing he was gifted with was a lack of fear. He took off when he was 4 years old in a Target with his mom, and he climbed to the rafters of the store. The next day his parents enrolled him in gymnastics.
Tell us about the pursuit. What is it that drives someone like you from an early age to stick with something to its pinnacle?
It wasn’t that he didn’t have challenges. He wanted to quick almost every single, but told himself he would come back the next day.
Everyone needs to find their “Olympic moment” in their lives….
What is it that makes someone finally decide to go for true greatness and not turn back? How does find that point and make the decision and do it?
At the 13:30 mark, Jonathan gives an example using the High Bar where he talks about “waiting for the bar to come to him vs. coming to the bar.”
At the 19 min mark, we talk about how when you are able to go through failures and keep going, it gets easier.
Tell us about the mental side and how you mentally prepare for success….
Jonathan would look calm on the outside, but had tremendous anxiety on the inside.
Jonathan tried to eliminate, but over time realized he couldn’t do it….so he embraced it.
Embracing it shifted his ability to perform.
He embraced being nervous and anxious and made it part of his routine. He turned it into adrenaline.
This was the game changer for him. He began to train every day trying to make himself nervous to prepare himself for the real compensation.
“Practice like you compete and compete like you practice.”
At the 27:30 mark, I share a story of a discussion I had with an Olympic hopeful for this year and relate it to the mental game. Jonathan talks about his coach used to deliberately try to distract him while practicing as a technique to help him focus better and overcome anxiety.
Tell us about the importance of the “little things” and the difference they can make…
What are some of the key takeaways from your book Falling Forward?
How did the lessons you learned about succeeding at the Olympic translate to Entrepreneurship?
The biggest one is to learn is to stay in your own lane and not compromise your own game plan.
You have stick with your game plan and not worry about the others.
You are going to have great moments and bad moments, but eventually you will get to the end of your race.
Final thoughts?
For younger entrepreneurs – Stop Trying to Be Cool!
You can cool yourself all the way to nothing.
If you want to be successful, throw out being cool, and be laser focused on what you want. Don’t let trying to fit in get in your way, even if people make fun of you or give you crap because of it.
Best Quote: Practice like you compete and compete like you practice.
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