Project: Failing Forward

Whenever we interview one of the Risk-Takers on The Green Couch and their story unfolds, their definition of success slowly comes to the surface. Many of which have boldly stated, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

If anyone would tell you otherwise, they either have not found success or they have encountered one long, treacherous night. A night more extensive than the average 8 hours; perhaps one of 8 years?

From the concept to the creation, to the failed experiments and finally the product or service, more than a blink of an eye has passed. Moreover, while some of your experimental components may have fallen into place unintentionally to your benefit, none of your hard work was an accident.

The further you pursue your vision, the further chances you have of meeting it face-to-face.

But what happens when those failed experiments turn your trajectory off course? How can we keep the momentum going, so even though we won’t achieve overnight success we can fail forward?

It won’t be easy, but ask any of our Risk-Takers, and they’ll tell you the ongoing rewards are worth the ongoing time they “serve.”

• Find a mentor: It doesn’t have to be someone in your industry; just someone wiser, someone more experienced who is willing to sit down with you over lunch every few weeks to talk shop and life.

• Ease up on yourself: Remember, it’s okay to be wrong. If you’re always right, you’re not doing the right thing in life. Never settle for something that doesn’t challenge you.

• Set up a schedule: Whether it’s every day or every week, set an alert/alarm/reminder for you, dedicated to specific projects that need your time that are lacking and need more focus.

• Embrace change: In the absence of change is the absence of innovation. Use every roadblock, technical upgrade or trend as an opportunity to stretch your imagination. 

• Get street smart: If you can’t afford to travel or time away, invest in a good book to broaden your mind and refresh your senses. A new perspective from an unknown source always helps see life from outside the city limits. 

• Understand what failure is: Failure isn’t the absence of success. It isn’t meeting your expectations, deadlines or the status quo. Failure is not trying.

• Understand what failing forward is: Failing forward is using every “No” as, No way am I going to let this stop me from succeeding and reaching my goal. This failure showed me how not to do it – not that I shouldn’t do it.”

Fail forward, fail onward!

The Green Couch

Project: The Gig is Up

For some, “gig” is a word that alludes to a secretive endeavor. Think reconnaissance. Under the books. Hide and seek.

Others, it’s a music feature.

But for those who are trying to make their ends meet, who are trying to get their books out of the red and into the black, their gig means a side job. Their weekend job. Their start up.

So when the day comes when they are told the gig is up, it’s a good day.

Because this time when they’re told the gig is up, it doesn’t mean they’re found out, it means they’ve been found. Both by someone else – an audience, and by themselves.

They’ve been spotted as a recognizable and reputable brand. They are wanted. They have something; they are solving something. They are the someone they know they are supposed to be. They are utilizing the skillset they were intended to, in an atmosphere that is most conducive to society.

No more a pet project, side job, an income loss; it’s now your primary source of income, but more importantly it’s your source of happiness.

It’s freedom.

The gig is up, so now what? What’s a girl or guy to do?

• If you haven’t already explored who you are and why it matters, you start here, because though it may be a one-man show, every one needs a side-kick. This interactive workbook is the almost pocket-sized strategist all newfound, or renewing entrepreneurs need:

Getbrandstarter.com

• If you need business inspiration you can begin by browsing The Project Blog: Written with risk-takers in mind – those who may have many light bulbs burning or those who have yet to shine – The Project Blog is a resource for budding entrepreneurs. Through educating and empowering words, we hope that our posts will inspire you to write your story too. Enjoy the journey and join in on The Green Couch mission to speak, follow and fulfill your dreams. #SpillYourGutsy

thegreencouchproject.blogspot.com

• If you need to bounce your ideas off of someone else’s, there is a reason it’s called a brand new idea - their ideas should inspire you to brand yours…They sign pinky promises, spill their gutsy and share how they continue to speak follow and fulfill business dreams. Sitting on The Couch, they take us along for the journey and reflect on their initial risk-taking moment, re-discovering their love, passion and vision - and then fall in love all over again. Remembering the thrill of the risk, the highs, the lows and the rewards, they refocus and find themselves walking away with renewed purpose.

thegreencouchproject.com/stories.php

• If you have an amazing story, if you have had ups and downs and more downs, then you tell someone, and you can tell it on The Green Couch. It’s time to spill your gutsy. To get it out and tell the world that as a risk-taker you’re just like them, they’re just like you. What made you want to be an entrepreneur? Venture out on your own? Build a brand? What makes you a risk-taker? What makes you get up in the morning? Stay up all night?

The next generation of dreamers depends on us following ours today. No matter how old we get, no matter how long we’re in the business, an entrepreneur never stops growing. What if you could reach the masses just by sitting on a couch? You can. Others have. Now it’s your turn.

thegreencouchproject.com/contact.php

-The Green Couch

Want to be featured in The Green Couch Project Newsletter? 

Email momina@thegreencouchproject… Get ready to #spillyourgutsy and snap a selfie!

Project: Speak Up or Someone Else Will Do It For You

We all have something to say: it is just that sometimes we suffer from Entrepreneurial Laryngitis. (The loss of voice that causes us to lose sight of our vision.) It can be a form of stage fright or the fear that what we think about isn’t worth sharing. And so we keep to ourselves our ideas and our strategies. Any platform in which we could exercise public speaking we avoid as if it were the iceberg and we were Titanic come back from the caverns of 1912’s North Atlantic Ocean.

But why are we so persistent in this endeavor to NOT do something?

Our reasoning could be in thinking that our story is not worth telling, but none of us have a story that is finished. Therefore, if that is our excuse none of us should take center stage. All of us should avoid the soapbox.

Our reasoning could be rooted in the fact that we have been heckled before. Remember the days gone by where we dreamed of becoming a magician, a puppeteer, a singer, a comedian? And for what? To be laughed off the stage? Perhaps it didn’t even have to occur on the stage. It could have been on the field or the court. Tryouts can be brutal, and we end up the butt of the joke. The emotional scars run deep, and the results are how we excuse ourselves from any occurrence where we could stand behind a microphone.

 Our reasoning could be hidden in fear that we will suffer from vomiting before and after. We will stumble over our words. And ultimately we will do more harm than good to what we attempt to represent. In addition, will ruin our personal reputation. And the urge to hide beneath a baggy hoodie becomes an outward visualization of how we hide emotionally and internalize everything; questioning the purpose of our projects.  

But if we don’t speak up someone else will do it for us. If we do not speak up someone will shut up the entirety of our dream and shut down the path that needs to stay open. There are millions that might depend on the vision we are trying to develop.

We could be the cure for Entrepreneurial Laryngitis. Speak up and inspire another to speak up until our voices are loud enough that we don’t need a microphone. Until those who think they are average will tune into social media to find an outlet to build their business, develop their product, travel the world and continue their philanthropic ways.

When our fear of rejection, either from the audience or ourselves, is bigger than our vision, it is often self-imposed. We choose to scratch out our voice and deny others from hearing what we have to say. Maybe it is not much. Maybe it is not “right” or not a “right now” kind of mentality. But we don’t have to remain quiet all the time.

As Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney says,

“For the ones who are forgotten. 

For the ones who are told to speak only when you are spoken to, and then they are never 

spoken to. Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself. Do not let one 

moment go by that doesn’t remind you that your heart beats a hundred thousand times a 

day and there  are gallons of blood making every one of you oceans…”

  

We all have a story; speak up and share yours. We’re listening, want to hear it, and share it: 

-The Green Couch

Project: The Character Count

Say what you need to say in 140 Characters or less.

For those who can disregard grammar and the fine art of English or their language, this is easy.

For those who are born in the texting era, this is easy.

For those who have little to say and to a few people, this is easy.

But for those who have a vision, those who have a big dream, those who just have BIG, how do you break it down and feed it to the masses?

How do you take your business plan and make it digestible, believable, enjoyable, attainable and credible for those who have deemed your character count worth reading?

How do you wow

How to you capture

How do you keep it

How do you inspire

How do you excite

How do you create movement

How do you say what you need to say in 140 characters or less?

And how do you make those few words have a huge impact? How do you stand out and step it up?

If everyone has the same character count, it can too easily and too soon sound cliché.

So how do you character count and make it count?

Speak from the heart, write from the mind

Stay authentic, but be smart. Study who you are and who your target is. Since you cannot reach everyone, you cannot write for everyone. Do not just post for the sake of posting. Post for interaction. There is always a chance they will be hit or miss, but empty threats – posts that are either emotionally or mentally dry – are always a miss.

Be creative, stay classy

It is like Dr. Suess said, “Today you are you. That is truer than true.” Take advantage of that. Discover your tone, find what people retweet and talk about most and throw everything out the window. Just because you think it is funny does not mean it is.

Polish your punctuation

In the effort to preserve character count try not to compromise punctuation so you can add more letters. You may get to say more that way, but what you say may not mean the same.

Hashtag, you’re it

The entire purpose of those 140 characters is to create this chain link of connecting someone or something - turning breadcrumbs into bread pudding. But too much of anything is bad. And not enough can starve the reader. So learn: which ones will best fit your brand, your message and the ultimate goal? Hash it out mentally before you tag it.

Give credit where credit is due

You have the power to dedicate 140 to whoever deserves it most. And you have the power to do it without a microphone. It is all in the @ symbol. Shift + 2 goes a long way when you are making your characters count.

Brand your Bio

Do not copy and paste just because you can and because it will attract more followers.

One of the hardest things to do is maintain your brand in 140 characters. You would think it is easier to do considering you have less to mess up. But the tendency to unintentionally copy and paste becomes prevalent, and so we end up losing sight of who we are, as we try to write what people want to hear. We have a section where we get to explain who we are. Use it wisely and use every 140 character post write-up to back it up.

So the next time you are on Twitter, make sure you do not just count your characters, make your characters count.

-The Green Couch

Project: The Walgreen’s Way: Prompt and Proactive

The enterprise started like any other. Named after the surname of a brilliant man.

This business was born of a necessity and based on education and experience. As a pharmacist, he interwove medicine and the mediocre.

A man, sick himself, found his vocation and that man was Charles Rudolph Walgreen.

He becomes the drug store and a retail location providing knick-knacks, non-pharmaceuticals and soon would food and beverages that sold just as well as his original concept.

When things were going good, things were good. But when things were slow, Walgreen did not allow the business to stop. In less than 40 years he opened 110 stores. How?

Because when things got slow, he decided to not do the norm and accept the fact that his fiscal year was safe. He questioned how could he beat the competition but also satisfy his clients and keep them happy? He questioned how could he make things better? 

Thus he created the 2-minute drill.

The drive-thru, delivery service and microwave dinners seem impressive now, but Walgreen set a standard that created word of mouth advertisement so positively it could possibly be why Walgreens is the largest drug retailing chain in United States.

So what was this drill that deserves such laud and honor?

It’s 1893 and you live close to Walgreen’s south side Chicago location and called them in for non-prescription items, Walgreen would answer the phone and repeat the items enunciating the name of the caller, their address and their desired products. Loud and clear. In doing this, Walgreen’s assistant could accurately collect all the items while Walgreen continued to keep the caller on the phone discussing weather and whatever else might be happening on the social calendar. 

All items collected, the assistant Caleb Danner, set out to make the delivery as Walgreen was still talking to the client. And then the doorbell rings. The client excuses himself or herself from Walgreen’s conversation and finds their order at the door. Astonished at the speed of delivery, Walgreen set the standard for customer service and all through his Two-Minute Drill.

So what’s your 2-minute drill? How will you set your company apart from others or improve your morale? How will you redefine customer service?

-The Green Couch

Project: Say Cheese without Being Cheesy

Kodak moments are a thing of the past. Everyone is instagramming, tweeting, snapchatting and adding filters cropping and for aesthetic purposes, and these images have overtaken social media.

However, these should never grace your professional profile, resume, business cards or web pages; It is cheesy. Although these candid or even posed scenes may seem truer to your authentic self and are a great a way to interact socially online, highlighting a side of your personal life they, unfortunately, often do not give your clients and associates the professional personification of your business.

Blurry images, outdated images, images with date marks – all these indicate someone who hasn’t invested energy, time or finances in their company reputation.

Here are five ways to present yourself professionally:

1) Headshots: Before your clients meet you, they want to meet you virtually, they want to put a face to the voice they might hear over the phone, or the bio they read online. They want to get a sense of comfort that they know you and feel a sense of trustworthy connection.

2) Filler Images: Things like heading images for your blogs increase not just your SEO but your viewing pleasure. There is a fine balance between white space and blank space. No one wants to look at your web pages and think that your site and an overly blank page is a reflection of your company: blank and bland.

3) Landscapes and Offices: Showoff your accomplishments. Whether you are in construction or you have a medical practice, why would people choose you if they cannot see your craftsmanship or you establishment?

4) Stock Photos: If you do not have any of the above, and if you do not have a way to create any of the above, stock photos is an affordable, legal way to purchase and own the copyrights to images that match the theme and needs of your company.

5) Renderings: I cannot believe it’s not butter! Whether it is the future architecture project, a visualization for a presentation or just a grainy picture that needs to be revived, rendering turns imagination, visualization and existing art into perfection. With programs so advanced and creatives so in-tuned, one can hardly define the reality from rendering.

The eyes and our sight are perhaps one of our most valued senses and should never be undervalued commodities in whatever trade, services and product our companies provide. Vision is an asset - both in what we can physically see and what we can see happening with our physical business. We all have a good side. Perfect it, flaunt it and let the camera keep on rolling!

-The Green Couch