Welcome to my monthly report for April 2014. I’m a little late getting this one out (I like to put them together in the first week of each month), but following the launch of Virtual Freedom, I treated myself to a little downtime, and a short vacation with the family to unwind and recharge after a month of non-stop book madness!
Before I get stuck into the in’s and out’s of what took place last month, I want to make it clear that I don’t publish these reports to ‘show off’ in any way. There are lots of other entrepreneurs that are out there that are way more successful than me. I publish them because they help ME stay on track, and because I know people love the ‘fly on the wall’ experience – and lastly, because I simply love looking back on the month that just was!
Without further ado, let’s rock it!
Important Happenings This Month
April was all about my book, Virtual Freedom.
Launching my first ever traditionally published book was one hell of a ride. It was a lot more work than I anticipated, but about as successful as a first-time author could hope for.
Although we didn’t hit the NY Times Bestseller list, we did hit the Top 150 List on Amazon (of all books!) topping at #133, as well as becoming a #1 Bestseller in THREE Business Categories, which is quite an accomplishment.
UK Podcasters Meetup – In the middle of the month I jumped on a plane to head ‘home’ to the UK for a couple of weeks. Just before heading to London I got an invite from Izabela and Mike Russell, who invited me to be their guest of honor at their meetup for the month of April.
The husband and wife duo run a voice over business, and have done a ton of work for many successful podcasters you’ve probably listened to already, but they also recently launched this group, celebrating podcasting from a UK standpoint, and I was pleasantly impressed, not only with the size of the turnout, but also the quality, too.
There’s a real scene developing in the UK currently, and these guys are leading the way as it is right now! Upon arrival there was champagne served up to help celebrate the launch of the book, which I thought was a lovely gesture. You can read a full write-up (and listen to a live podcast recording I did with Mike) on their site, if you like.
New Business Mastermind (London) – My time in London was mostly downtime, but when I was there I got the chance to run one of my sold out New Business Mastermind events. These are incredibly intimate events where I get together with just ten other entrepreneurs and crackdown on business for the entire day. They are always well attended (read: sold out!) and the quality of the people that attend just keeps getting better and better.
With this group we had entrepreneurs from literally every niche imaginable – pictured above in our own version of an #EllenSelfie. Language learning, graphic design, social media agencies, professional bloggers, startup tech peeps, online service providers, you name it – the industry was represented in the room. A brilliant day of business masterminding.
NOTE: If you’re US based, I am holding two more of these private events in Portland and New York respectively when I am there in July. There are still a few seats left, so jump on board, while you still can!
Presenting at the London Google Campus – Can I get a HELL YEAH! As if the excitement of teaming up with all those entrepreneurs wasn’t enough, I got the chance to present at the brilliant London Google Campus when I was there, too. Roughly 2-3 weeks before I was due to head to the UK I got an invite from the 4HWW Meetup Group in London asking me if I’d like to present at one of the future meetup’s. A few emails later and we were set.
The event was their most attended to date and created such a stir that the original venue needed to be replaced, as there wasn’t enough room! My publisher graciously sent over 100 copies of Virtual Freedom to the venue, all of which were signed and given away for FREE. It was a very memorable evening, to say the least.
Lessons Learned This Month
As with every passing period of time as an entrepreneur, there are always things that you learn as you continue to build your business, and grow as a person. April was no exception, and there were a few lessons that I learned, as well as some home truths that I became aware of again, namely:
Finding Balance is Important – A major focus for me in April was finding some balance between being ‘on’ for the book, and still being able to look after myself, physically and mentally. I’m not burning out again, folks! I was able to do this by basically not working during the day. I would be around and ‘plugged in’ for the morning and for the evening, but during the day I was totally switched off, and it helped a lot.
Your Community is Paramount to Your Success – There is no way we could have sold all the books we did if it wasn’t for the community here at the New Business Blog. Thank you. You are all awesome. Seriously, I often bring you guys up in podcast interviews and live presentations because I respect and appreciate you so much. We might not be the biggest online tribe around, but we are a powerful one when we stand together, and you guys did just that for me in April – I love you.
Trolls are a Waste of Time – At the end of the month I received a particularly nasty email and blog comment (copy and paste style) from an online ‘troll’ saying that I was basically egotistical and calling me a wannabe internet celebrity. Anyone that knows me knows that I do what I do to provide for my family, first and foremost and secondly to help other entrepreneurs. Become a ‘celebrity’ of any type is the furthest thing from my mind, believe me.
However, this message rattled me, I’ll be the first to admit it. I sent it through to my buddy Pat Flynn to see what he thought. His response was basically ‘you wasted your time sending me this, dude, you are as successful as you are because of WHO you are’.
It woke me up. Trolls are idiots with too much time on their hands. Plain and simple.
Full-On Downtime is Needed – That time I had in the UK (and since in Singapore with my family) was needed after that first few weeks of April. It was a busy, busy month. I learned this month that its more important than ever for me to switch off regularly. Can’t wait to do more of it as this year gets busier! 🙂
Plans for Next Month
One word… preparation. The month of May is all about preparing for my upcoming US trip which begins mid-June and rolls right through to the end of July.
More details on all of those events can be found on my Speaking Page.
Although there are several events, such as my 1-Day Business Breakthrough with Pat Flynn (sold out) and my New Business Mastermind sessions, along with some book tour promo stuff that are also coming up, too – it’s gonna be a busy 5-weeks over there, for sure!
If you’d like to hop on the Virtual Freedom Mailing List to stay up to date with all the book tour stuff, you can do so over at the official book site.
Now it’s Your Turn!
I’d like for you to tell me what you have planned for the coming month. Writing it in the comment section below will make it way more likely to happen, and you’ll be holding yourself accountable in front of the rest of the ‘New Business Tribe’.
Remember, being a productive entrepreneur is about taking action.
Start now by sharing your proposed next 30-days worth of business goals, and lets all cheer each other along towards achieving them! Until next month…