Erich Stauffer

Tag: Change

  • Problem Solver Seeks More Things to Fix

    Recently I’ve been rethinking how I feel about work and jobs. As you may or may not know, I help business owners solve technology and marketing problems, which gives me some freedom to choose who I work with and when. I don’t have fixed hours and if I work more, I can get paid more, but it’s not all roses and cherry blossoms.

    When you run your own business, while you may earn more, much of your work is doubled or even tripled. Not only do you have to do the work, but you have to go earn it, and then process all the finances, documentation, and taxes on the back end. In a traditional job environment the work is handed to you and you just do it. When it’s done, someone else processes it. Your work is finite and so is your pay.

    A Paradigm Shifts Again

    For ten years I worked full time jobs in banking and technology, and I always would told myself I’d be happier running my own business until one day I did. I started off running it on the side in 2007 and in 2011 I finally went full time. I do web design with HTML, CSS, and WordPress, email support with web hosts and Google Apps, and computer and network support for Microsoft products like Windows and Server 2003/2008.

    While I have been successful at running my own business, there are two reasons why I’ve recently began applying for jobs in the Indianapolis market. The first reason is because I realized that the ideas I had about working hard now in order to do much less later were not realistic. I didn’t even realize I had this mentality until after a couple of months had gone by and I discovered that there will never be a time when I’m doing ‘nothing’. I’ll always be doing something, so why not just spend some time figuring out what I want to do, not just what I can find a job doing.

    The second reason I began looking for jobs in the Indianapolis area was because I realized that it didn’t matter who I was doing the work for, as long as I was enjoying what I was doing. Even as a business owner, I have a boss. I have clients, my wife, and my Lord to report to. It’s not just willy nilly around here. I have to meet or exceed all of their expectations just as I would have to in a traditional job scenario – only more so because while the rewards are higher, so are the risks. There are no written warnings with clients, just lost opportunities in the future.

    You Are a Startup

    A friend of mine, Jason Cobb, recently coined a term, “You are a startup,” meaning that whatever you’re doing, do it like a startup. But what is a startup? A startup is traditionally a software company that is rapidly trying to create a product that is useful and monetizeable as fast as they can. It normally involves a small team consisting of a leader, a technical co-founder, and a marketer. These roles could all be one person, or it could be five people, but the point is that it’s a small team pushing out useful iterations of a product with the hopes of expanding very fast once a market can’t live without it.

    So how does a startup mentality apply to you? Whether you are working for a client or for a company as an employee, you must be producing stuff that matters, you must be a leader, and you must be marketing yourself. This means listening to your customers and getting feedback, getting to know your fellow employees, and continuing your education (via meetups, books, or traditional training).

    As I wrote about in 13 More Books for Every Entrepreneur, Reid Hoffman, (co-founder of LinkedIn) together with Ben Casnocha (entrepreneur and author) have written a book about managing your career as if it were a start-up business: a living, breathing, growing start-up of you. The thesis is that the same skills startup entrepreneurs use, professionals need to get ahead today.

    Now that I’ve experienced running my own business, I no longer look down on the traditional 9-to-5 job because I know that I can have impact either way and still accomplish my goals of learning, growing, and taking care of my family.

    12 Month Goals (and Roadmap)

    I recently subscribed to a blog I’ve been reading since 2008 called I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Today he sent out a link to a PDF with a 12 Month Goals Roadmap worksheet, very similar to Michael Hyatt’s Life Plan. I’d like to share my answers here.

    1. What will you be doing for work? – Editing HTML, CSS, and PHP; Converting static HTML web pages into dynamic CMS blogs; converting clients from POP email access to Google Apps; training users on how to use WordPress; Affiliate Marketing; Computer Network Troubleshooting and Repair

    2. What’s your boss (or the person to whom you’ll be accountable) like? – Gives me feedback; Challenges me; Considers me an expert in what I do; Trusts my decisions; Considers my feedback

    3. Where will you be working? – The Greater Indianapolis area, preferably along US 31, Keystone Ave, or 465; In an office with time allocated to work in blocks without interruption,  the ability to get up and walk around or go outside for a walk; And good Mexican, Chinese, and Thai food nearby.

    4. How much time do you spend working? – 10 hours a day, 70 hours a week.

    5. What does your Monday look like? – Reading and sharing emails until noon, viewing reports, and responding to client requests.

    If anyone is interested in using my services or would just like to get together for coffee, please don’t hesitate to email me or follow me on Twitter.

    This is one of those personal blog posts, if you’re interested in reading more about me specifically, try this one next or not, it’s your life.

  • Don’t Change. Profit.

    Why are people so interested in the new(s)? Because they hate change. Here’s how to capitalize on that fear:

    I recently wrote about how people don’t like to change and it got me thinking, “What if I created products or services based on the premise that people hate change?” Tablet computers are revolutionary partly because they don’t have a keyboard, but one of the most popular accessories for a tablet computer is a keyboard. This is because people are used to computers having physical keyboards and they hate learning something new. Incandescent light bulbs are going to soon become illegal and people will be forced to buy fluorescent or LED light bulbs instead. People hate this and will now pay a premium for the regular old incandescent light bulbs. Nintendo releases the Wii 2, the most advanced gaming system yet, but people are still clamoring for games and accessories for the NES. It’s not retro – it’s change rejection.

    Call it whatever you like, there is money to be had in working against the onslaught of new products. Solo or one-cup coffee makers like the Keurig and their K-Cup system is now all the rage, which means there could be a market for the standard, large coffee pots you grew up with. Ebook readers and ebooks are now sold more on Amazon than traditional paper books. This could mean there is an opportunity for well-designed paper books to make a comeback. Ten years ago, in the height of the CD era, vinyl was cool. Now cassette tapes are coming back into style. Whatever is normal can become cool when change comes around. Digital wallets that use your phone to store credit and debit card information will soon replace your regular wallet, which means regular wallets will start to become cooler than ever. (more…)

  • Who Asked You to Start a Business, Anyway?

    So you want to start your own business? Great. Here’s what your’e up against:

    The Government – It seems like the government should have your back. After all, you’re creating taxable income for them and either do or will help create new jobs, which in turn creates more taxable income for them, but your new business is a change – and no one likes change. First the state wants you to register your business with them. This costs money upfront and then again every year or so to keep it registered. Then you may also have to register with your local government and even with your local sheriff’s department. These are all people who could say, “No”. And if you are thinking of setting up a physical presence, there may also be zoning restrictions, which leads to the next roadblock.

    Your Neighbors – Your neighbors may be friendly now, but if customers start showing up or you have daily deliveries or pick-ups from FedEx and UPS, they may not be so happy. See, people expect things to stay the same and now you’ve decided to all of sudden up and do something different. Shame on you for disturbing the peace around your neighborhood. Even if city officials don’t mind that your business is not really zoned for it’s location, your neighbors might, and once they start complaining to the government all of a sudden those zoning restrictions matter more than ever. You can try to be nice to your neighbors and work with them, but remember, they don’t like change.

    Other Businesses – Other businesses are like the old guard or the established society. You’re the new guy who wants in. They have the websites you need backlinks from. They have the cash flow to outlast you. They don’t want to help you get started. They are just waiting for you to go out of business and leave them alone so they can keep doing what they’ve been doing. Businesses, like people, do not like change. You’re a nuisance to them just like you’re a nuisance to your neighbors. We’re not talking about competitors here, but since you brought it up, just hope your competitors don’t have your Craigslist ads taken down, click on your Google ads to run you out of funds, or report your business closed on Yelp.

    Your Family – Your family will, like your neighbors, smile to your face and talk about you behind your back to each other. They will all hope that when you run out of money you won’t come to them begging for help and won’t try to change their lives in any way. Remember, people do not like change. You were supposed to keep your job, not start a business. Did they say you could do that? What will the rest of the family think when you fail? When they ask you how your business is going, expecting you to say it’s failing, try hard to keep a straight face when they act concerned about your future and wish you well. There only wish is for you to go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before (and to never ask them to change).

    Yourself – You are the biggest obstacle to your own success. It’s you who decides how you are going to handle each and every obstacle you face. No matter what life, the government, your family, neighbors, friends, or other businesses do or say to you, it’s your choice on how you react to them. You are your own hero and they are the dragons. Will you slay them? So you have no money and rent is due. What does that have to do with how you feel? Who controls your feelings, really – you or your rent? Choose to be a success and do the work it takes to be successful and you’re 90% better off than any of those change-averse people (just like you). If what you’re doing isn’t working. Change.

    “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark Twain

  • From AT&T and the iPhone to Sprint and the HTC Hero: The Journey Begins

    As I write this my wife is in the process of switching mobile cell phone carriers from AT&T, who we have both been with since 2001, to Sprint. My wife is switching from Apple’s iPhone 3GS and I am switching from an LG Shine slider. We are both getting the HTC Hero which has wifi, visual voicemail, video, a 5 megapixel camera, GPS, tethering via USB, a touchscreen, and it runs Android. It’s not an iPhone. It’s more than an iPhone. And it’s not AT&T.

    Plan Pricing

    Sprint offered us 2 lines with unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes (regardless of carrier), unlimited data, and unlimited texts for $130 a month. For both of us to get an iPhone on AT&T’s network it would cost us around $170 a month for the same plan. Sprint’s plan also comes with 1500 landline minutes. Sprint coverage is so much better than AT&T in our area that it was a no brainer.

    Reservations

    We weren’t without our reservations. Sprint, unlike Verizon and AT&T, still charges for roaming, but we wouldn’t have signed up if we didn’t live in an area with plenty of coverage. And my wife and I are avid iPhone users and fans. In fact I’m typing this article on a first generation iPhone I’m using as an iTouch (it has no phone plan). I was a little worried that my wife would hesitate to give up her iPhone, but once she found out that the HTC Hero had similar features and more she was hooked. I’ll have to post a review of the HTC Hero in the near future to let you know what I think, but because it has 3G, direct to Youtube, and WordPress app functionality, this Internet marketing business analyst entrepreneur is happy. Thank you, wife!

  • The Last Ride of the Roller Blades

    Last night, an era ended. Maybe a decade too late, but my roller blades were not just out of style, but now, out of commission. A friend and I thought that it would be healthy to get out and exercise in the warm Arizona sun. She brought her roller blades over and talked about how long it had been since she had used them. 5 years? 10 years? Friends was still on the air that time, but that doesn’t narrow it down much.

    Regardless, she wasn’t sure how fast she would be and asked me to take it easy on her. As I glided backwards on the asphalt, showing my deft ability on said blades, I promised her that I would not race off ahead and leave her in my dust. In a different way that I meant it…. I was right.

    As we turned down the first street, I realized that my bearings had less grease than John Travolta’s IMDB page. Cause for alarm? Maybe to someone unskilled in the ways of the roller blade, but I was confident that I could overcome the extra friction with a little more effort and sweat on my part. I was sort of right. My friend zipped right past me with little effort at all. She looked back at me at every corner like a child would look back at a slow pedaling parent on a bike ride. I just kept plugging along, with lots of effort, and little speed and grace to show for it.

    After about a mile, I decided to sit down and examine my wheels directly. They did not look good.

    The wheels were actually hot to the touch. I nearly burned myself trying to roll them. On closer examination, the rubber on the wheels had actually begun to disintegrate!

    It wasn’t the lack of grease in my bearings at all! The straps were still functioning fine. Even the trendy “Bladerunner” brand could still be seen on the side. But this one piece of my equipment failing was enough to put me out of commission for the day, and possibly for my career.

    Have you ever felt like you are putting a great amount of effort into moving forward, you feel the energy being used up, but you aren’t making nearly the progress that you thought you would? Sometimes it can just be one thing that keeps you from moving forward and free-flowing the way that you see those around you doing it, or better. Have you taken the time to look at the inventory of your life and see if one piece is missing or damaged? Success can be that fickle…. or that close to attainment.

    For me, I won’t be blading anymore until I get the right wheels. Or maybe I should just figure out a more relevant way to exercise with speed. Any suggestions?

  • This is Our Time

    Like the kid said in the Goonies under the wishing well, this is our time, down here.  Down here in the recession is our time to shine.  The CEO of Cisco, John Chambers, thinks this moment of our lives will shape the next 25 years.  The decisions we make now are the ones that people will be telling stories about for years to come.  It’s make or break time.

    Humans have a way of evolving faster when they have to.  What I mean by evolving is probably more like innovating, but its innovation for survival’s sake, which is more closely related to evolution.  Necessity is the mother of invention.  If you need to eat, you just might start thinking harder about all the different ways in which you could make money to buy food.

    This is a period of paradigm shifting.  People are rethinking everything they do.  They are starting to ask themselves, “Why am I doing this?”.  On a national scale we are asking ourselves, “Tell me again, why are we at war?”  And when we go to do something we normally do, we notice our habits are changing.  I’m reminded of the old poem:

    Use it up

    Wear it out

    Make it do

    Or do without

    I think there is a lot of people making their cars run longer, upgrading their computer parts instead of buying new, cutting back on cable programming and spending more time at home.  But if you take each one of these scenarios, there is a flip-side for the economy.  Car maintenance shops have increased business.  Computer repair shops are now busier than ever.  Low-budget entertainment like Red Box rentals and Netflix are increasing.

    How many of you are starting to eat all of the food in your pantry? How many of you are selling your unused goods on Ebay or Craigslist? How many of you have started a second job or business? How many of you have gone through your home and unplugged unnecessary appliances to save money on electricity? How many think that these are things you should have been doing all along but never did? How are you going to live going forward? What will you do when things turn around? Will you go back to your old ways? What can you do to improve the life of yourself, your family, or a neighbors life today?

    This is our time.  How we spend it is up to us.  Lets make it memorable.  Lets improve things for all mankind.  Lets bring developing countries up with us.  Lets unite as a world and stop tearing each other down.  Lets use the economy as an excuse to do the things we should have been doing all along.

  • Who Limits Your Success?

    This is a guest post by Zac Parsons. Enjoy. – Erich

    Seriously.  Think about that question.  Maybe first you need to look at how you define success, but that’s easy because the only person that this question matters to….is YOU!  Maybe you define success by how much money you make.  Maybe its how many people respect you.  Perhaps its how close you feel to God.  We all know of a place in our lives or a state of being that we wish we were at.  Something that we are working towards.  The closer we get to there, the more successful we feel.

    So, maybe your parents didn’t teach you the right things, or did teach you the WRONG things.  Maybe you didn’t have the best teachers growing up, or you couldn’t afford the right kind of schooling/training after high school.  Maybe your friends just don’t have the tools or attitudes that you need to move closer to “success”.  Is your town the right place you need to be in to achieve that success?

    Ok, now think about how many of those things are in your control.  How many of those problems are based on choices that you have made or continue to make?  Ok, so the parents doesn’t really seem like a choice.  But, if you can identify that some of the things taught to you were right and others were wrong, then you are close to identifying what you need to add or subtract in order to reach you closer to your goal.  Then, once you have identified those things, you have to ask yourself the question:  “How do I assimilate those things into my life?”  So, once you answer that question, it is a matter of choosing to follow it or not.

    Laziness

    It is nearly impossible to find a successful person that is lazy.  Now, there are some people that work HARD, and are not successful in the way that they say they want to be.  As we all probably know, the key is working SMARTER.  Creative thinking, and understanding WHAT you want are key to being successful on your terms.  But, once you have developed some ideas, you have to DO them!  This is where I have tripped myself up in the past.  Sometimes I call it fear, but a lot of the times, I know that it is just laziness.

    I have to understand and believe that I have the power to change the situations around me.  I live in freaking America in 2009!  I have the opportunity to change my location, my vocation, my education, my social compilation, my sexual orientation, and ANYTHING ELSE!  Who’s stopping me?  Who’s stopping you?  Quit being a victim.  Go change the world.  Start with yourself.