Kimanzi Constable's Blog, page 48

Stop Learning, Start Implementing

In 2012 I attended two of the best conferences out there: Brendon Burchard’s Expert Academy and 10x Empire conferences.

The information in those conferences was far above anything being taught, the people I networked with were where I wanted to be, I met my publisher at that conference. Each conference was three days of non-stop learning.

I left those conferences ready to make my dream a reality, I had all the tools I needed to succeed. I got home and was ready to get to work, until…..

I’m guessing you read books, read blogs, listen to podcasts, you learn more and more everyday. I got home and heard a podcast talking about something new that was working, I read blog posts talking about another thing that was working and I wanted to try all of it.

It wasn’t long before I had information overload and didn’t take any action. I had learned so much I was confused where to start? This person said do this, that person said to that, who was right?

Does this sound familiar?

We all have experienced this at one point or another and it keeps many from taking action on their dreams. How can you balance learning and implementing what you learn?

Stop learning

I’m not telling you to stop learning forever, just become selective on what you learn. Determine right now what you need to implement from what you’ve learned already. Once you figure out what that is, only learn things that will help you implement that specific thing.

If you see that right now you need to focus on building your audience, only learn what it takes to do that. Set a goal for yourself as to how much you want to implement, once you reach that goal, figure out where your focus should be next.

I know how it is, there’s a wealth of incredible information and we see a good idea and want to jump on it. Even though it may be a good idea, it’s probably not a good idea for you right now. What’s important right now?

Take it one day and one step at a time

You’re not going to accomplish your thing this very moment, it’s going to take some time. Realize this and give yourself some grace.

Set realistic goals for what you want to accomplish and by when, have a solid plan. I’m serious, this is your dream and you have to treat it like you’re already living it. If you haven’t already, get out a calendar and start some serious planning.

Once you have that plan, take it day by day and step by step. You have to change your mindset and what you think about the reality of your dream becoming true. Once you do that, it will affect how you take action on your dream.

Stay focused, plan things out, don’t get caught up in the information overload game. Learn and then implement, focus on what’s important right now.

Have you ever dealt with information overload and how did it affect your dream?

What Does Living Your Dream Life Look Like?

What would life be like if you woke up tomorrow, completely supported by your dream? How cool would it be to wake up living life on your own terms, spending your day doing what you want to do?

You don’t have to “punch the clock,” you don’t have to trade time for money, you get to do what you’re passionate about. It’s a good life and it’s a life I know many want to live and are working on getting to.

This Friday night, March 28th at 8 pm CST I’m doing a live webinar talking about this very topic. I’m going to talk about what’s it like to live your dream life, I’m going to pull the curtain back and let you get a sneak peek into what your dream life will look like.

I’m going to get very specific and answer any questions you have. I made a short little trailer, letting you know what it’s all about. Check out the details of the webinar here and I hope to see you there!

Hope to see you Friday and please come ready with your questions. If you’re not subscribed to my email list, be sure to sign up to stay up to date. Details of the webinar are here.

 

How To Chase Your Dream When You’re Broke (Part 2)

The side hustle

While you’re chasing your dream you should always look to what you can do on the side to generate income. When I wanted to self-publish my book, I couldn’t afford it. The solution? I cut grass in my neighborhood.

I would go up and down the block and cut grass for $15, it didn’t take long before the money started to add up. Can you clean houses? Can you do yard work? What opportunities are around you to make some quick cash so you can survive and add to your “dream fund?”

If you have a job, can you work overtime? If you have already started your dream, what can you package to make more income? Can you put your book with an audio product that you will create? Side hustle means you’re looking for opportunities, keep your eyes open.

I just had a side hustle project last week with a special deal I was offering and it worked beyond my expectations. While you’re building your dream with little money, you have to take advantage of any opportunities and save that money or reinvest in your dream.

One day at a time

You’re not going to build this thing overnight, it’s going to take some time. How much time? I always say plan it out for one year.

Don’t focus on accomplishing it all in one week or one month, take the day by day approach. What do you need to do today that get’s you closer? Set goals for yourself each day, if you have a bad day, go to bed and start fresh the next day.

Hustle harder, save money

When you start to see some traction, hustle harder. There are a lot of ins and outs of setting up an online business or making a couple of dollars with your passion. If you haven’t already, sign up for my email list, you’ll get a PDF that has a complete game plan to help you set up an online business.

What I want to talk about is after you have the basics established and are selling something. The thing that usually makes people successful online is being clear who they’re talking to, what they’re talking about and growing that audience.

Hustle means growing your platform, making new connections and converting causal readers. If you’re providing killer content, you’ll do just that. Then you add some premium offerings that help people. Once you make a few bucks, save and reinvest in the business.

Victory

It doesn’t take a lot before the numbers start adding up to real income. If you’re reading this and have made a couple of dollars on your thing, what else do you plan on doing to add to that? If you have a book, what about a workbook?

If you have an audio product, what about some videos? Having multiple offerings, growing your audience and serving them are the keys to make this thing support you. Do the simple path and set financial goals for yourself.

One year of hard work and hustle will get you there. I’m excited to see many of you completely supported by your dream by the end of this year!

If things are rough right now, hang in there. Decide not to settle for something that’s good enough, go for great and never look back.

Give one example of how you’re hustling to make your dream a reality?

My 300th Blog Post Celebration!

I remember my first blog post, I was terrified people would think it’s stupid. I wrote that post from my heart and people responded. Tomorrow my 300th blog post will be published and I’m speechless.

This has been an amazing journey filled with many ups and downs. In this short video I talk about this journey and announce a special deal in celebration:

 

 

 

In case you didn’t watch the video:

Buy my guide: The Little Guide to Figuring Out Your Dream

The first 5 people can get 2 one-hour coaching sessions for $87
The next 5 people can get 2 one-hour coaching sessions for $97
The next 5 people can get 2 one-hour coaching sessions for $107

First come, first serve. The first time I did this I had a blast and helped some people put the pieces together. 26 people responded, so respond early. I hope to work with you and help you make your dream your reality!

If you’re interested, simply hit reply and tell me to hold a spot for you. If you had gotten the deal before, you are still eligible to get the deal again, it’s open to everyone.

Peace out,

Kimanzi

How To Chase Your Dream When You’re Broke (Part 1)

I had the good fortune of starting my first business at 19 years old, I kind of lucked into it. The only problem was I didn’t know anything about running a business and that soon caught up with me.

My business was a service business where we ran bread routes for independent operators who owned their routes. These guys hadn’t taken a vacation in years before I started, so business quickly grew.

At the height of the business, I had five employees and we ran routes in three states. Our best year brought in close to $500,000 in revenue. Despite making good income I didn’t know enough about business to not be in the business.

More than that, I was foolish with my spending, I lived like a rock star back then. I bought everything you could think of, I was in my early twenties without a care in the world. Things came to a head when I bought a brand new, fully loaded Nissan Armada which was $55,000. The payments were $1,200 a month but I only made three of them.

What should have been a good life turned bad, pretty fast. I owed money to everyone, my wife and I separated. I can clearly remember sitting in the living room of a friend’s house where I was staying, crying.

My wife and I reconciled but our money problems still remained, to be frank, we were dead broke, living paycheck to paycheck. It was during this time that I first started to dream of leaving this business.

When I sat down and thought about my dream, I knew it involved writing, I love to write. I also knew that I didn’t want to be tied down anywhere, I wanted to be free to travel, see the world and write about it.

It was a life-changing moment when I first read about Amanda Hocking and how she had self-published some books and sold a million copies. I read her story and had hope for the first time in a long time.

I decided to take action, Amanda’s story and a book I read (48 Days To The Work You Love) convinced me this was possible. The only problem: I was broke.

How could I make my dream a reality with no money? How can you?

One of the most searched terms that leads people to my blog is “I’m (insert age) broke, how can I chase my dream?” I read that everyday and my heart goes out to them, I’ve been there and know exactly what they’re going through.

If you’re reading this and you’re broke or living paycheck to paycheck or have a dream but not enough money, I’d like to share a few thoughts with you over the next couple of posts.

What about the internet?

Most of what we do these days is on the internet, so it should make sense that your dream will involve the internet somehow. You may not be a writer but you might like video or you might like audio. You might like to draw or create things.

The internet is a great place to start something at little or no cost. If you really wanted to, it could be no cost. It’s as simple as going to wordpress.com and coming up with a name, within minutes you can have a real website.

We all have different passions and you see that with all the different websites. Even if your dream involved a physical location, you should still start online. There are over 2.3 billion users online everyday and in five years that number is going to triple.

If you’re ever wanted customers or an audience, there’s no better place than the internet. Start your website and start figuring out what you want to do. Do you want to help people get through something you went through?

Do you have a passion for a particular topic? Maybe you craft, have you seen what Ana White built with her passion? She did it at a time when things were rough for her family financially. It’s possible, you just need to start.

Don’t listen to the haters that will tell you that you don’t have “credentials” or that you’re a “self-accredited life expert,” you’re not trying to be a doctor, you’re helping people get through something you’ve experienced. The only credentials people care about and actually follow are real life experience and you don’t learn that in books in a classroom.

Start something you’re passionate about, serve and help others. Ignore the haters and the negative voices of doubt and fear. Life is too short to let them win. Consider starting something online. I’m here if you need help. We’ll continue this on Tuesday.

Have you started an Internet business? If you have, why online?

I Don’t Know What To Do Next

It was 1 a.m. and I was doing what I normally did back then, I was delivering bread. It was a cold Wisconsin morning, -2 degrees if I remember correctly.

My brother on my bread truck

I was taking stacks of bread off the back of the truck and missed my footing, I fell two feet from the truck to the ground. I was laying in the snow, thinking how much I hate this job when I got the icing on the cake: a stack of bread fell on me.

That day, that moment was when I decided enough was enough, I had to make a change, I had to chase my dream.

It took three years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears but I’m now completely living my dream. When I sat down and thought about how I was going to do this, I came up with a game plan that eventually became my first published book.

In the book, I talked about my three main goals: my weight- I was the heaviest I’d ever been at 370 pounds, my work- I had a dream to write, speak and coach full-time, our location- we wanted to move to Maui, Hawaii.

I’m writing this at the airport in Los Angles, I’m on my way back to Wisconsin to get my family and take them to our new home in Maui. We have a place, I have a Hawaii state ID and the kids are enrolled in schools. Our Maui dream has come true.

I’ve lost 150 pounds, I now weigh 220 pounds. I’ve been completely supported by my writing, speaking and coaching for over a year now. All the dreams, I had laying there in the snow, have become my reality, now what?

This life, my dream life seems surreal, I keep waiting to wake up. Why? I shouldn’t, this is what I’ve worked so hard for but it just doesn’t seem real. As I’ve posted updates, people have been supportive but there have been some that said it’s too much to see and I’ve actually had three friends part ways.

I pondered that question and the answer is bigger goals, crazy, seemingly impossible goals because now I know 100% anything is possible. I want to help as many people as possible make their dreams their reality.

Especially you family man. The focus of this site isn’t online business, the focus is to help you live life by your own design. The focus is to help you create freedom so you can spend the precious time you have left on this earth with your family, doing the things that are important to you guys.

This move has made me realize that material possessions aren’t important, time and experiences are what lasts. That’s what you’ll remember on your death-bed, that’s what people will talk about when you’re gone, not what you had.

Family man, listen to me, you can do this, you have to do this for your family! I know you’re probably frustrated, discouraged, you really want to figure this out, I’ll be here to help and I won’t stop until you reach all of your goals!

I’m sitting here right now, thinking about tomorrow and realizing I don’t have to do anything, I’m free. I want you to experience this in your life and I know you will.

If you’ve fallen, get back up. If you’ve experienced failure, that’s ok, tomorrow is a new day. Take a step back and take a deep breath. Realize this: after the storm comes a rainbow. Are you ready?

Peace out,

Kimanzi

Long Term Marketing

My first book completely flopped, it sold five copies in the first six months. This despite all the “marketing” I did, which involved me posting a link to the book on Facebook once an hour. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, it wasn’t long before most people unfriended me.

After a lot of studying and testing, I figured out what I needed to do to market the book. I realized I needed to learn how to market my stuff if I ever wanted my dream to support me. Once I implemented some key things, the rest is history, I’m sitting here writing this post from Maui as a testament to what’s really possible.

One of the main strategies in marketing is focusing on the launch. I’ve really seen this implemented a lot lately. When I look at my podcast app and see one person on almost every show I subscribe to, I know they’re launching something.

Launching your product or service properly is very important but marketing goes far beyond the launch. If you rely solely on your launch week to generate income, your dream will never support.

Selling feels slimy

Before I move on, lets talk about selling in general. I work have worked with a lot of people over the last two years and one thing that has come up multiple times is that selling feels slimy to them.

If you’re running a non-profit that’s one thing but even then there still some selling involved. The way to get over any issues with selling your products or services is to provide incredible value. Don’t just create something good, create something that blows the buyer’s mind.

Give your audience some over-the-top value with the free stuff you create and take it to the next level with your paid stuff. For that you can ask for a fair price and feel good because you’re really helping people. At the end of the day you have to eat and provide for your family.

The long-term approach

Way before the launch, you should start marketing your stuff. For those of you that are creating something right now, build anticipation and let your audience know it’s coming by dropping teasers.

It could be the first chapter, it could be the first video but leak something and get people talking. This way you could also get good feedback from your audience about the direction your project is going.

The long-term approach means you’re not scrambling at the last-minute or hoping for the launch of the year. It’s planting this seeds, getting your audience ready. It’s the ongoing promotion that doesn’t sell 10,000 copies in one week but it does sell 50 each week.

50 copies at a $4 profit really starts to add up quickly. It’s the more consistent daily and weekly sales that will help your dream support you.

It starts with continually building your platform

Here we are three months into the year and three years into my dream and I’m still on the grind. Here are the places I’ve been featured so far this year:

Guest posts:

http://danblackonleadership.info/archives/4809?utm_content=bufferccda2&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

http://jeffsanders.com/how-running-changed-my-life/

http://www.myrkothum.com/dont-settle/

http://www.48days.com/2014/02/13/you-dont-need-schooling-to-be-an-expert/

http://www.theironjen.com/dealing-and-overcoming-fear-guest-post-by-kimanzi-constable/

http://intentionaltoday.com/2-secrets-to-making-love-last/

http://www.jmlalonde.com/lead-worldwide/

Interviews:

AlphaFit 

5 am Miracle show

Kim Pagano show

Jump Start Your Real Estate show

The Iron Jen show

It’s not an accident, I’m specifically writing and sending out guest posts. There are some shows that approach me for interviews but you better believe I go after shows that my message would be a good fit for.

When you’re building your dream you have to hustle, get exposure everywhere you can, after your dream supports you, guess what? You have to hustle even harder, no more guaranteed paychecks from a day job.

There are no overnight success, just those that show up everyday and grind it out. Those that constantly work on building their presence and focus on converting new audience members. That’s how you build your thing to where it can support you.

There are times when it seems like it’s taking too long or it will never happen, don’t think that way. Tell your doubt, your fear and the negative voices of others that you will succeed, you will do this. Change your mindset and take action accordingly. Take the long-term approach and get those consistent sales.

What approach do you take with marketing? How are your marketing efforts working out?

Exercise And Your Dream

How could this happen again?

I asked myself this question as I looked in the mirror after my best-friends wedding. Some pictures were posted on Facebook and I was HUGE!

I had already been down this road before and lost the weight but I let it creep back on me. On June 17th, 2013 I started back down the weight loss road, to date I’ve lost 152 pounds.

Has it been easy? Heck NO! I have felt a difference in so many areas of my life and even with my dream. If you’re going to chase a dream or live out your dream, I probably don’t need to tell you that exercise should be a part of the process. Why?

It gives you more energy

When you’re chasing a dream there are a lot of times when your tank is running far beyond empty. You have all the normal life stuff and this thing that consumes all of  your free time. You need energy to push through and get it all accomplished.

Exercise gives you the energy you need. Maybe not when you first start but as you build up endurance, you’ll be shocked at how much more energy you have. As you keep building that endurance, (and dropping weight, if you’re trying to lose some) you’ll have more and more energy to keep going like never before.

It teaches you focus

When you’re running, biking, on a workout machine or whatever way you exercise, you’re focused on just that. If you’re giving it all you’ve got for that half-hour, you block out all the distractions and just focus on the burn.

Learning how to focus and block out distractions is the key to making your dream a reality. When you’re sitting there creating something, you have to ignore all the other temptations, social media alone can derail a potential productive day. Take that focus from exercising and transfer it to your dream chasing journey. 

You’ll live a longer life

There are many studies, there are many books, you know it already. Exercise and weight loss will allow you to live a longer life, which means more time living out your dream. None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow but if you’re not living a health lifestyle, you could go quicker and that’s the harsh truth.

You’ll especially need it with your dream

Think about what life will be like when you make your dream your reality? Most people who read this blog are looking for something online, they want that location independence. If you’re in your house all day, creating content and don’t exercise, it won’t be long before the pounds start to add up.

I’m very aware of that with my weight experiences, so I make sure I’m on top of it. The best thing you can do for your dream is establish those good habits now. Good habits are what’s going to help you the most.

What can you do today?

If you aren’t exercising regularly, I encourage you to start and test it out. The best thing you can do is start slowly. You’re not going to run a marathon tomorrow but you can run your first mile and get the ball rolling.

Determine an amount of time you can set aside a few days a week and get to work. Start small and build upon it. When you can easily go for 15 minutes, add another 15, then add more days as you get stronger.

If you do exercise already, use the principles you’re naturally learning and apply them to your dream chasing journey. Focus on what’s important right now, ignore all the shiny objects surrounding us that seem to be working for everyone else.

Use that energy to create, help, teach people about the topic you’re passionate about. Use that energy to start a movement! There’s no better time than today.

How has exercise helped you and your dream?

 

I Forgot My First Book!

Warning: this is a sales post, if you’re not interested, I completely understand if you delete this right now but it’s a pretty good deal

Three years ago I wanted to vent about what was going on at work and what the working man and woman, in general, goes through at work. Those ramblings became my first book: Tales of the Everyday Working Man and Woman, which I self-published.

The book flopped at first, selling five copies in the first six months. You know the story, right? I figured out how to truly connect with people online and I started writing from the heart, digging deep into issues that real people could relate to.

The book went on to sell over 30,000 copies. That was then…. Since the release of my second book, my first book has been neglected (by ME!) and is only selling a few copies a day. I want to change that and I also want to get a few more reviews for the book. Reviews are the juice that helps books keep moving on Amazon.

To do this, I want to bribe you with coaching…. Here’s the deal:

(If you want this deal, simply reply to this email telling me to hold a spot for you, this deal will be limited to the first five people who respond)

1. Buy my first book here   or on Amazon.

2. Send me a copy of your receipt to kconstable29@me.com.

3. Agree to read and leave a review sometime within the next month (it’s a short book).

For this you can get two one-hour coaching sessions for $107!

Check out my services page, that’s a pretty good deal. If you’re curious about whether or not coaching with me is worth it, check out the reviews from some of the people I’ve worked with.

That’s it, thank you for your time on a Thursday and I hope to work with five new people on making their dream their reality! You will work away with strategies you can use long after the sessions are over!

Peace out,

Kimanzi

Step Away From Your Dream

It had been 11 days since I had gotten here in Maui to look for a place for our family and to be honest, it was a downright depressing experience.

To give you an idea of how hard it is to rent here, I was going to see a house on Tuesday that rented for $1,400 a month. I already had a previous appointment set up, so I didn’t go. After the viewing, I called the owner and asked about the turnout: 36 families showed up to see the place.

Three families actually went into a bidding war, the winner agreeing to pay $2,200 a month! I heard this and my stomach turned, was I going to have to go into a bidding war to find a place?

Yesterday I laid down at 4 pm, depressed about the rental market. Every doubt I had in my mind came rushing at me, telling me I was going to fail and our family would be living in a tent on the beach. After about an hour, I got up and made one last call to a place I had long written off.

To my surprise, the owner answered, she said I had an hour to get across to the other side of the island. I’m staying in Paia, the place was in a town called Kihei, which is about 20 miles away and it was rush hour.

What’s crazy is that I had called the owner at least eight times without her ever picking up the phone. What’s even crazier is that she already had someone picked out to rent the place but when it came time to sign the lease, they didn’t have the security deposit. She said I called at the exact right time!

Desperate, I hitch-hiked a ride to the main bus station, hitch-hiking is actually pretty common here in Maui. I took a bus to Kihei. I got off the bus and ran 2 miles in 14 minutes and got there as the woman was getting in her car.

I told her everything I could think of as to why we would be a good fit, I didn’t feel to confident when I left, I was a sweaty mess when I got to the place. At 8:30 am this morning (Saturday) I got the call saying the place was ours if I could get there  and sign a lease!

I got there and now our family is officially residents of Maui! Our dream has finally come true and we’re now living in the exact town where the dream first started to form.

Will it work out for you?

It’s simply amazing when things work out this way but do things always work out how you want them to?

Lets take this to where you are and the reason you’re read this blog. You have a dream that involves some sort of online component: blog, website, book, teaching/training. You’ve taken all the necessary but basic steps.

You’re creating great content every week, you’re speaking to a specific audience that you’re passionate about. You’re building your email list, you’re following all the amazing advice out there.

I’m going to guess but from working with people this is where someone is usually at:

You’ve got about 50 to 100 people viewing your website everyday, you’ve got about 50 to 150 people on your email list.
You probably have at least one thing for sale, maybe more but you’re not making the traction you want. You want this thing to support you but it seems like it’s taking forever!

You’ve heard it plenty, so I’ll spare you the “hang in there” pep talk. What I will say is take a step back and examine every part of your plan and how you’re implement that plan.

After coming up empty looking at place after place, I started to look for places that were out of our budget, I was desperate. When I laid down and thought about things, I realized I had to take a step back.

There would be no point in getting a place that would make us poor in two months, I had to go back to focusing on the criteria my wife and I had set up and just be patient. If worse came to worse, we did have a back up plan.

If you haven’t seen the progress you’ve wanted so far, what part of your plan can you improve? If you don’t have traffic, are you guest-posting? If you’re guest-posting but not building up your email list, what’s wrong with your funnel?

Are you guest-posting on sites that don’t speak to your target audience? Is something about your site turning the new visitors off? Are you just not clear who your website is for? There’s something there that might not be clicking and let’s be honest, we all can constantly improve.

If you want your dream to support you, it could be that you need more things to sell. If you have a message and are super passionate about it, what can you create that helps deliver that message to people?

More importantly, what are the biggest pain points of your audience? What can you create to solve them? I’m not talking about throwing together a Word document with a few bullet points, I’m talking about creating something that actually helps and you charge a small price for that thing.

When you’ve done the research and create things that help people, they will buy those things, as you keep building that audience more people will buy and before you know it, you’re making a decent income. It takes time.

This is my challenge for you, take a step back TODAY and examine your plan. If you don’t have one, start making one. Where can you improve? Where can you simplify? Where do you need to hustle more?

In about a week I’m going to ask you what you saw when you took that step back and what changes you made. I’m going to offer you an incentive just to take a look!

Are you where you want to be with your dream? What can you do this week to improve your plan?