The Fizzle Show

<p>“Has my topic been done already and done so well that my take on it isn’t really necessary?” Marissa has a specific idea for her business. It’s a good idea. *But* other people have *already* started businesses doing something similar. - Should she move on to another area of interest? - Are there ways she can make her idea more unique? - Should she move forward regardless? - How can she tell if it’s something worth pursuing or not? Chances are you feel the same way about your business idea. You’re not alone, and we’ve got experience and insight for you in the podcast today. Enjoy! fizzleshow.co/147</p>

<p>Fizzler Emma Davies has a successful and growing following on instagram, and she’s found a way to convert followers there into email subscribers. Her recent success—plus a slew of sentiment from experts claiming that blogging is dead once again—made her wonder if there really is a non-blog strategy for her content. On the show today we dig way into it, adding some much needed wisdom and experience to what is often a far too black/white question. Great conversation. Enjoy: fizzleshow.co/146</p>

<p>Christopher Lin is a Fizzler who opened a recent forum post with this story: “I went to the University of Utah, and majored in Entrepreneurship. At the orientation, there were 2 speakers, and the first one opened in front of the entire business school: **‘When I started my first business. I lost my wife, and it was worth it.’** Imagine a group of young starry eyed college kids listening to this opening message.  He continued, ** ‘I wish 10 years of horrible failures upon all of you, so you can truly become great entrepreneurs.’** *Another slap in the face. Are we in the right room?* I'm now hitting just about 10 years after my first business, and barely hitting minimum viable income. It's been a rocky road of squirrel chasing and lack of focus, but I am optimistic that I've laid the foundation to build something great now.” Wow. In those two bolded statements above is some inflammatory, scandalous, polarizing stuff! But there’s more in there than just sludge for debate. There is a question about what it means to fail, what’s at stake if your idea doesn’t work, what the “real world” requires from you and what you require from yourself. More than anything, the conversation you’re about to listen to is about whether you give yourself permission to fail. “Permission to fail” can feel buzz-wordy and insubstantial, but what you’ll find in this episode at large — and in Barrett’s story at the very least — is this could be the very reason why you can’t find the clarity or the courage for the next step. <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/145">http://fizzleshow.co/145</a></p>

<p>Val did the work many of us dream of doing. She was working for herself, building a career doing something she was good at, and she was making money. But something happened that called her whole entrepreneurial dream into question and she had to re-evaluate what she wanted from her work. In the episode today we’ll walk you through Val’s story and you’ll come out the other side with new insight about what you really want from your work. Show note and conversation: fizzleshow.co/144 - Val’s Website: <a href="http://www.valgeisler.com/">Val Geisler | streamline. organize. simplify.</a> - **Fizzle Members:** <a href="https://fizzle.co/forums/index.php?/topic/15251-from-full-time-business-owner-to-employee-again/">From Full-Time Business Owner to Employee Again - General Chat - Fizzle Forums</a> - <a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/23-tips-to-uncover-what-to-do-with-your-life-when-you-have-no-clue-fs096">23 Tips to Uncover What to do With Your Life (When You Have no Clue, FS096)</a> - <a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/how-to-manage-a-side-project-with-a-full-time-job-fs115">How to Manage a Side Project With a Full Time Job (FS115)</a> - <a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/fear-insecurity-business-fs143">I Let Insecurity & Fear Keep Me From Promoting My Business (FS143)</a> - <a href="https://cardsagainsthumanity.com/blackfriday/">Cards Against Humanity Black Friday 2015</a> - <a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/3-reasons-to-never-take-another-job">3 Reasons to Never Take Another Job</a> - <a href="http://icetothebrim.com/2011/alan-watts-on-buddhism-on-passions/">Alan Watts on Buddhism on passions</a></p>

<p>read more: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/142">http://fizzleshow.co/142</a> Hey this is Chase from the Fizzle show with a special episode for you here at the end of 2015. This is a re-broadcast about creating a plan for next year by doing a review of this year BUT WAIT, before you turn it off... What gets measured gets improved. If you’re like me you do a lot of things from day to day, and it’s easy to lose track of the overall direction, of your projects, your business, and your life at large. That’s why the topic today is so important to me. When I first started working at Fizzle, I didn’t have a yearly review process at all. I was a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy. Since then, working with corbett, caleb, barrett and steph, I’ve been kind of whipped up into fighting shape./ I’ve learned how to focus, how to find commitment in an internet full of distractions, and how critical it is to make progress every single week. my business lives and dies by the things i get done. Yours probably does too. So today we’re rebroadcasting this popular episode to help you get a system together to track your progress from year to year so that each year you can look back on what you did and where you are with a kind of humble, honest pride. It’s a classic episode of the show featuring corbett, myself and Caleb wojcik who helped cofound fizzle with us 3 years ago. Alright here it is, complete with the original fizzle show music. I’ll be back after this conversations to fill in any gaps.</p>

<p>“I think it was pretty stupid to put all that time and energy into something and let my own fears keep me from doing anything with, so I want to sorta ‘relaunch’ it and give it a real go this time.” That quote comes to us from a Fizzler who had successfully made a product, earned some money from it, but then something kept him back from promoting and growing it further. In this episode we share his story and our advice about identifying and deconstructing the feelings, fears and insecurities that keep lots of us from taking action on our businesses. It’s a killer episode to start the new year off with. Enjoy! ==> <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/143">http://fizzleshow.co/143</a> ## Show Notes **[Get the Free Guide to Defining Your Audience — Fizzle]** **[How to Create Your own Definition of Success (FS140)]** **[How We Deal With The Cesspool of Self Doubt (FS133)]**</p>

<p>“If you told me 6 months ago that this would be possible, I'd say no way.” Adam took his expertise, developed a few ideas for tiny products, used gumroad to pre-sell those tiny products, and made the stuff that worked out... ... and now he finds himself here... ... making $25,000 in just over 3 weeks and *totally* overwhelmed. In this episode we share the details of Adam’s story, why we think he’s been so successful, and our advice on what to do when you’re completely overwhelmed by your business! enjoy: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/141">http://fizzleshow.co/141</a></p>

<p>This is a big episode tackling what may be the most important work you ever do. We do a good job of setting it up in the conversation, so lets leave this intro at that. - follow along at home at FIZZLESHOW DOT CO / 140… I’ll be back after this conversation to fill in any gaps. ## Show Notes **<a href="http://readdress-success.strayer.edu/why/">Why Change The Definition of Success? | Strayer University</a>** **<a href="http://www.imfinethanksmovie.com/">I'm Fine, Thanks</a>** **<a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/money-isnt-the-point">Money Isn't the Point</a>** **<a href="https://glose.com/book/inspiration-from-jack-dorsey/stanford-graduate-school-of-business-view-from-the-top-series/03900">Stanford Graduate School of Business View from the Top Series. - Inspiration from Jack Dorsey - Glose</a>** **<a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/finding-your-voice-the-fizzle-show-001">Finding Your Voice — The Fizzle Show 001</a>** **<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory">Self-determination theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>** **<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits">Big Five personality traits - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</a>** **<a href="https://www.birkman.com/">Birkman International</a>** **<a href="http://www.highlandsco.com/">The Highlands Ability Battery - The Highlands Company</a>** **<a href="http://strengths.gallup.com/default.aspx">Strengths Finder Homepage</a>** **<a href="http://jamesclear.com/goals-systems">Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead. | James Clear</a>** **<a href="https://glose.com/book/inspiration-from-jack-dorsey/stanford-graduate-school-of-business-view-from-the-top-series/03900">Stanford Graduate School of Business View from the Top Series. - Inspiration from Jack Dorsey - Glose</a>** **<a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/romance-revenue-big-relationship-tips-entrepreneurs-fs055">Romance & Revenue: Big Relationship Tips for Entrepreneurs (FS055)</a>**</p>

<p>I Lost my job. I have 60 days to launch and get ramen-profitable. What would you do? If you had to make ends meet in a short amount of time, what would you sell? How would you find clients? What would your pitch be? This is where a Fizzler named Josh really is. He brought his question to the Fizzle Forums and in this episode we share his story, breaking down some of the common mistakes and best places to start when you need to get to a minimum viable income fast. Read more: fizzleshow.co/139</p>

<p>A special short episode with some good news and some great vibes.</p>

<p>“No point in beating around the bush – I’m hoping for advice (and reassurance) here. I’ve recently experienced a pretty huge disaster in my freelancing career, and I’m absolutely kicking myself.” That’s how a Fizzler started a recent conversation in the Fizzle Forums, and on this episode we help her blueprint a freelance business from scratch. Here’s some of her story: - She started a successful-ish service-based business - She “fell out of love” with that business and accepted a job opportunity - 2 weeks later the company she took a job with fired everyone in her department - So now she’s back at “mother-effing square one” and wondering what to do. This episode is so raw and honest it might make you bristle a little. We talk about money, emotions and some back of the napkin math you need to do. Enjoy! SHOWNOTES: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/137">http://fizzleshow.co/137</a></p>

<p>If you sell a product, digital or not, you are going to experience what this Fizzler experienced. She sells a digital training course. The course has a 30 day money back guarantee. That kind of return policy is pretty common in the digital course world. But what do you do if someone needs a refund past that return policy? What if it involves a moving personal story? What if they try to publicly shame you about it? In this episode we share that Fizzler’s story and killer advice about how to handle customer service issues like these. Enjoy! MORE STUFF: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/136">http://fizzleshow.co/136</a></p>

<p>The whole idea of content marketing is predicated on one core belief. We’re all screwed if it’s a bogus belief. > “The model proposed in blogging seems to be that you show what you know, people sign up, and then you sell them what you know.” This is Steve Fossey writing in the Fizzle forums recently. > **“I almost NEVER pay for anything on the web when I have been attracted by free content. Why would my audience?”** Steve’s question is a good one, a question most of us ask at some point in the journey of building a blog or podcast with the hopes of eventually earning revenue from a product of some kind. So on the show today we dissect this issue. You may have an idea of what the results are, but how we get there will surprise you. Corbett’s ideas and experience here are especially insightful. Subscribe if you haven’t — and please, enjoy the show. Show Notes How to Decide Which Content to Sell and What to Give Away for Free - Copyblogger (<a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/sell-or-give/">http://www.copyblogger.com/sell-or-give/</a>) The Technium: 1,000 True Fans (<a href="http://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/">http://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/</a>) The Passionate Podcaster's High Quality Microphone Shootout (<a href="https://fizzle.co/sparkline/podcast-high-quality-microphone-shootout">https://fizzle.co/sparkline/podcast-high-quality-microphone-shootout</a>) How Stress Makes You Sick - The Atlantic (<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/how-stress-makes-you-sick/412699/">http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/how-stress-makes-you-sick/412699/</a>) Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/0062301233">http://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/0062301233</a>) Elon Musk: The World's Raddest Man - Wait But Why (<a href="http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/05/elon-musk-the-worlds-raddest-man.html">http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/05/elon-musk-the-worlds-raddest-man.html</a>) PrepDish.com — Shop once, prep once, enjoy healthy, stress-free meals all week! (<a href="http://www.prepdish.com/">http://www.prepdish.com/</a>)</p>

<p>We all want to grow our thing and we all need to do a bunch of work to do it. (Note: by “thing” there I’m referring to your product sales or blog or podcast or something.) But most of us don’t realize there are 2 kinds of growth. **Understanding the difference between the two will help you figure out what you should work on to grow your thing.** We’ll walk you through the two kinds of growth and help you make decisions, answering questions like: - What kind of growth is "best"? - Do I *have* to use both? - Plus several examples of real life growth projects. How you think about growing your business can lead to burnout. Let’s nip that in the bud and help your business flourish. Enjoy! Read more: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/134">http://fizzleshow.co/134</a></p>

<p>Self doubt is a natural, inevitable and very real part of building a business. And in this episode we share how we think about it, how we process it and how we overcome it. If you compare yourself to other entrepreneurs, deal with self doubt, or feel the need for validation, you're going to love this episode. Enjoy! "Entrepreneurship is a balance of self confidence and self doubt." ~ Corbett Barr ## Contents - Cesspool: *an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage.* Do you smell something? It might be your self doubt. - "Validation" - "How bad can it get?" - "I really really hate this topic. {Indiscriminate yelling.}" \~ Barrett - Comparing yourself to others - Sometimes we lose faith, or, rather, forget the point. - Self awareness = knowing what you're working towards *beyond* the trophy that others may be playing for. This keeps you from comparison. - Refocus on your own metrics. Set a goal to improve something. [The metric you choose matters]. - Refocus on your core audience. Hear what they're struggling with and let it remind you of why you started this in the first place. - Play... have grace on yourself, backup, remind yourself why you like to be alive (if you do). - There's a lot more in the episode, these are just a few of the bits I wanted to pull out. > "Feeling confident — or pretending that you feel confident — is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s a cliche, but opportunities are rarely offered; they are seized. Given how fast the world moves today, grabbing opportunities is more important than ever.” ~ Sheryl Sandberg Read more: <a href="http://fizzleshow.co/133">http://fizzleshow.co/133</a></p>