Tip for entrepreneurs and idea people: how to get out of first gear

Long Version:

I have had a variation on this conversation with a few people recently and so I figured it might be helpful for some of you. Here is the scenario

1. You have lots of good ideas
2. You tell your friends about your good ideas
3. They say "yep, sounds like a good idea"
4. You feel a sense of satisfaction that you have a confirmed good idea
5. You get stalled and never ship that idea
6. You beat yourself because you have a habit of quitting as soon as you have solved it in your head

Deja Vu

Does this sound familiar? Perhaps a year or two later you see "your" idea in the marketplace and you poke your wife, husband or friend in the ribs and say , "remember when I thought of that?!" When I thought about starting CanYouHandlebar I felt like there was a gap in the market for a brand that was:

1. Upfront with ingredients. So many brands have proprietary mixes and I wanted to know what was in the wax that would invariably get in my mouth from time to time
2. Awesome at customer service. This was never meant to be a get rich quick business. It was meant to be built one relationship at a time and I give my customers the benefit of the doubt more than maybe I should. I tell the truth about when I have screwed up even when I could get away with bending the truth a little
3. Designed for people that appreciate a simpler time. If you don;t have any sense of nostalgia then my brand probably doesn't appeal to you. I miss the idea of living in a neighborhood where neighbors knew each other and smoking was healthy. I with we all could meet up every night at Cheers and grab a drink and catch up
4. Really high quality. I don;t cut corners I could cut that you'd never know the difference. I make stuff I am proud to wear and I am not the cheapest guy in town because of that. I think making something the right way is worth it for everyone.

So. That was my idea. I mulled it over for a year and filled pads of paper with notes and took lots of screen shots that inspired me. I also stalled. I found ways to put off important next steps and I got discouraged. Then I had the idea that got me out of first gear and eventually launch on November of 2012: I leveraged my own pride. I don't know if I read this from somewhere or made it up myself. I just knew that if I could force myself into a situation where my pride was threatened enough I would follow through. First, I paid for a logo before I even had my recipe down for my first two waxes. That got me going for a couple weeks. When I felt myself stalling again, I bought 10 pounds of lanolin that I sat on my desk as a reminder that I was "all-in" as far as my ego was concerned. What was I going to do with that much lanolin if I didn't follow through? I know that lanolin would haunt me unless I sold enough wax to get rid of it. That did the trick for me.

Short Version:

If you have doubt, laziness or anxiety keeping you from following your dream, put your pride on the line and you'll be amazed how your mind goes from noisy to focused. I hope this Wisdom helps you take Initiative!

"Manly Marks: A Letterpress Project" review

Manly Marks: A Letterpress Project

"Manly Marks: a Letterpress Project" is a very cool idea and there are 5 days left, so if you want a really cool and totally unique memento of your journey--follow the link and order yours! In addition to a handmade book there are other cool items at different award levels.

As many of you know, I love entrepreneurs and well made things. Brandon is a printmaker and has assembled a really cool hand made book about being a man. In his video, Brandon mentions the merits of the beard and so I am happy to announce that I am giving some beard Dry Oil to some of the backers of one of the coolest Kickstarter projects I have ever seen once the campaign has wrapped up!

Of course you know page three should be "apply Dry Oil to your beard." :}

(Disclaimer: I make nothing if you sponsor the project).