Launch Your Dream: A 30-Day Plan for Turning Your Passion into Your Profession

by Dale Partridge Narrated by Dale Partridge

Overview

Bestselling author and serial entrepreneur Dale Partridge provides a concrete, easily executed plan for readers looking to start a business that will result in greater freedom, a stronger family, and healthier finances.

Dale Partridge, bestselling author and founder of StartupCamp.com and many other highly successful businesses, has helped thousands of people launch new startup businesses-and find unimaginable freedom in the process-through his highly acclaimed Startup Camp program. In Launch Your Dream, Partridge distills the essence of that course into a hyper-practical, 30-day journey for readers looking to follow their passions and realize their dreams. In clear, easily grasped steps, he teaches readers how to hone their ideas, build an audience, construct an online presence, launch a business, master social media, craft a beautiful brand, and create experiences that keep customers from ever considering competitors. Sharing time-saving “smartcuts” to make readers more efficient, Partridge also helps them identify and resolve business-killing blind spots.

For anyone looking simply to make money on the side or seeking to become a millionaire, for the CEO or the stay-at-home mom, for the would-be entrepreneur or the freelancer, Launch Your Dream provides the steps necessary to begin living your dream in just 30 days.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171104108
Publisher:	HarperCollins Leadership
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Launch Your Dream

A 30-Day Plan For Turning Your Passion

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By Dale Partridge

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2017 Dale Partridge
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7180-9341-9

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CHAPTER 1

DAY 1

Primed with Passion

* Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes

The idea that "you should do what you're passionate about" is so common in modern business literature that it has become almost annoying. Yet most of us still recognize it as true. Sure, working with passion is a first-world luxury — a subsistence farmer in a developing nation tills his land to survive whether he is passionate about it or not — but that doesn't dilute its truthfulness for us. Your life's profession should be derived from your deepest passions. This is why the first step in becoming an entrepreneur is to define passion and then locate yours.

The modern West has romanticized the word passion. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "a strong feeling of enthusiasm for something or about doing something"; we typically use it to describe only things that we experience positively. We think of passions as those things that excite you or put a twinkle in your eyes or a bounce in your step. We may have a strong emotion about child abuse, but we wouldn't say we are passionate about it. Yet, even while we've romanticized this word, we've also diluted it. We claim to be passionate about dark chocolate and ultimate Frisbee while at the same time declaring ourselves passionate about parenting our children.

I, too, had an incomplete understanding of the word passion, until I decided to research its meaning and history. What I discovered surprised me. The English word passion derives from the Latin passio, which means "suffering." Even one of the predominant Greek precursors for passion is linked with suffering. The word was first popularized in English in the twelfth century to describe Christ's suffering and death on the cross. This is why Mel Gibson's 2004 epic film about Jesus' execution was titled The Passion of the Christ. Even the passionflower was so named because its corona resembles the crown of thorns.

This doesn't mean that our passions should make us miserable or lead to our early demise. But it does challenge the candy-coated definitions many of us have come to accept. Our passions involve the things we love, but they are also much more than that. Passions are those things that we love so much we are willing to suffer for them. It's an experience to be coupled with words like pain, preparation, readiness, submission, and loyalty.

It's important to remember that passion is not suffering for suffering's sake. It's suffering for the sake of something we love. Why does this matter? Because if passion is just what makes you happy, you'll quit doing it when it becomes too tough or too risky, when you're abandoned or mocked. If you don't care about something enough to endure pain, it is probably not worth pursuing.

So what do you love so much that you're willing to do it even if it hurts you? Even if it kills you? This is the foundation of your life's work. This is the heartbeat of your calling. This is the soil from which your start-up grows.

It's one thing to suffer for the sake of suffering, but an entirely different thing to suffer for the sake of a vision. The former makes you a victim while the latter makes you a victor. Entrepreneurs must be willing to discover — and pay a price — to uncover their life's most passionate mission.

Steve Jobs hated the PC. Not just the computer, but the entire way of thinking it represented. He once said, "If, for some reason, we make some big mistake and IBM wins, my personal feeling is that we are going to enter a computer Dark Age for about twenty years." In an interview in 2003, Jobs used words like wretched and anguish in describing the phone industry. Steve needed problems to fight. He needed something to suffer for. This passion spurred his most brilliant innovations.

Before Veronica and I moved to Bend, I could have started a thousand different businesses. But I had learned that my profession should be derived from my passion. So I started by asking myself what I loved so much I was willing to suffer for it, and determined that I wanted to devote my life to helping people build the businesses and families they love.

When I think about helping people realize their dreams, my chest burns. My thoughts storm. My feet tap unconsciously. Pondering my passion often means losing sleep as I chase my thinking into the night. Or I drift into a daydream when obsessing over images of what could be — I mages so real that doing anything else seems irresponsible, if not impossible.

Before I could live out my passion as an entrepreneur, however, I decided to draft a personal purpose statement. You should do the same before going any further. Don't worry if it isn't perfect; you can always tweak it later. Just get something down to help direct your thinking. Most entrepreneurs know what their purpose is, but they can't put it into exact words in a concise sentence or two. As a result, their lives and businesses lack clarity and focus.

So here is mine:

I want to help people find their calling, recognize what is truly important, and love their family in ways that grow connection and trust.

The drafting process shouldn't be a quick one. Spend time brainstorming, write it out a few times, come back to it a couple of days later, and then refine it. Make sure to use plain English. It doesn't have to sound smart. If your purpose statement is too complicated, it will feel either unattainable or unrelatable. Here's a good test: if you can't use it in a casual conversation with a friend, then it's probably too complex. Resist the temptation to skip this step or cut corners. Having a clear and motivating purpose statement is critical to this journey. If you falter at the start, you'll probably stumble before you finish.

Onward.

[[check]] COMPLETE DAY #1

[] * REMEMBER

Passion is the willingness to suffer for something you love. #LaunchYourDream

[] * ASK

What's the one activity that you can't imagine living without doing?

[] * BELIEVE

I cannot succeed unless I am willing to suffer for what I love.

[] * DO

List five things that you love so much it hurts. Rank them in order of how passionate you are about them.

CHAPTER 2

DAY 2

Calm in the Storm

* Estimated Reading Time: 8 Minutes

One-quarter of Americans say they've considered starting a business, but decided not to. That means, if you're reading this in a coffee shop with twenty-five latte-sipping customers, at least six of them fall into this category. In total, eighty million Americans are failing to live their dreams. What a depressing thought.

One of the most common lies you'll hear when you're planning your future is, "Get a job. Play it safe." We've heard this message so many times, it is ingrained in our collective psyche. As our parents and friends and the American educational system echo this message, we come to believe it. We naturally accept that having a job is more secure than working for ourselves.

Of course, starting a business isn't easy. Nothing worthwhile is. The road is perilous, filled with obstacles and the unpredictable. While it may not be as hard as you assume, it will probably be difficult in ways you never imagined. But do not be fooled into thinking that being an entrepreneur is the more risky path. Entrepreneurship is difficult, but failing to follow your dreams is worse. Living a meaningless life is harder. Building someone else's dreams only to realize you were expendable is more difficult.

If you assume that getting a job is playing it safe, try this experiment: Repeat that line to a father who just got laid off because his company's CFO made some bad investments. Tell that to a single mom who was fired for not wearing her uniform correctly. Or try giving it to a college student who lost his part-time job at a call center because the company decided to make some cutbacks. They'll tell you that placing your future in someone else's hands is riskier, not safer, than forging your own path.

Being an entrepreneur is like being a storm chaser. The dream you are chasing is a swirling, twirling, brewing beast of risk. It's dangerous and exhilarating to follow a dream, but if you chase it well and wisely, doing so can be quite an adventure. So if you're going to become a storm chaser, here are three steps that will equip you for what is coming.

Wanting the Storm

Among the most common reasons cited for not starting a business are the worry that it won't succeed, financial concerns about giving up a steady income, and fear that it will negatively affect a person's work-life balance. In short, fear is the most common reason that potential entrepreneurs decline to make a business move.

The fear that you'll face difficulty if you start a business is legitimate. Difficult days and sleepless nights will come. But the best entrepreneurs learn to see these obstacles as opportunities. They crave the challenges instead of running from them.

Fear is what you should be afraid of. Someone recently told me that fear is a neutral emotion; all that matters is what you do with it. But since fear is stealing so many hopes from so many people, I'm not so sure that fear is any more emotionally neutral than love or hate. Fear is a devious, dastardly deceiver. He whispers lies into our ears, wakes us up from a good night's sleep, and pours concrete over our feet. As I've said before, fear steals more dreams than failure ever will.

Timid would-be entrepreneurs can't let tomorrow's anxieties steal today's dreams. To eradicate your worries, you have to see the problem of a storm as the promise of a better future.

Walking into the Storm

Once you decide you want to be in the storm, you have to step into it. This is difficult because you'll be tempted often to turn back, to race back to safer, calmer waters. You tell yourself that you should get out while you're ahead and try again at a better time.

Unfortunately, there is never an easy time to start a business. No matter how long you wait, you'll never be experienced enough, you'll never have enough capital, and you'll never have zero risk. There's always a chance that your business will fail, but there's also always a chance that it will succeed. As Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said, "I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying." The age-old adage is true, if trite: "Quitters never win and winners never quit." So you have to convince yourself early that quitting isn't an option. Once you stop looking for a way out of the storm, you can focus your energy on finding a way through it.

Weathering the Storm

Many potential starters have idealized prominent entrepreneurs like Walt Disney, John D. Rockefeller, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates. We imagine them as underdogs who fought their way to success with nothing except ingenuity. But "lone wolf" entrepreneur stories are myths, and most of these entrepreneurs can tell you that they were successful largely because of the teams they surrounded themselves with.

The best start-ups are led by people who are entrenched in community. They are supported by their friends, family, and acquaintances. This isn't by chance, but by design. Those who dare to enter the storm alone are taking a grave and unnecessary risk. Having a community means having people to lift you up when you lose and to celebrate you when you win. It means having a rich well of wisdom from which to draw in confusing and confounding times. It means keeping people close who can remind you of why you've chosen this path.

Many people don't do community well because they don't want to pay what true community costs. We don't want to be responsible for anybody or for anybody to be responsible for us. As individualistic Americans with a spirit of independence, we opt for autonomy. But community is a hard-fought idea that requires giving up a level of autonomy. It's not the sweet, syrupy idea you learned about in Sunday school. Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results, so it is worthwhile for entrepreneurs. It means making a lasting covenant with a group of people, one that can't be revoked because you're too busy or bored with it. We need each other more than we know. But meeting this need is not free of charge.

Find two or three people who would commit to supporting you on your journey of entrepreneurship. Identify anyone who might hold you back or feel uncomfortable with you doing this, and steer clear. Gather experienced entrepreneurs around you who can help navigate these new and often difficult waters.

If you learn to confront the storm, you'll conquer the storm.

[[check] COMPLETE DAY #2

[] * REMEMBER

Today isn't rehearsal. This is your life. #LaunchYourDream

[] * ASK

As you start your business, what is the biggest fear you're facing? (Be specific.)

[] * BELIEVE

Starting my business is less dangerous than sacrificing my dreams.

[] * DO

Ask one person to hold you accountable. Give them permission to ask you about your fears, opportunities, and progress each week.

CHAPTER 3

DAY 3

Personal Preparation

* Estimated Reading Time: 10 Minutes

A friend of mine once told me that the recipe for successful entrepreneurship has at least two ingredients: preparation and perspiration. He's right. Becoming a starter means laying the groundwork for the future and working tirelessly to realize that future. But in another sense, those two ingredients are really just one. Preparation is perspiration. Paving the road to occupational freedom requires breaking a sweat.

Yesterday, we talked about thinking like an entrepreneur. Launching a successful business is not a matter of putting on a uniform, signing a membership card, or paying your annual union dues. Your mind-set matters. So you have to be in a constant state of learning. Since you've continued on to day three, I assume you learned the importance of learning.

But preparing to be an entrepreneur is more than a matter of the mind. It is also a matter of the eyes, heart, and hands. Some work needs to be done before you can do the work you've been called to do. Preparation in the present is paramount to your success in the future. Remember, it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

Think back to when you were a kid. One of the most thrilling times in a child's year comes at the close of the summer, when a new school year is about to dawn. We may have been sad to wave good-bye to endless sunshine and late-night bedtimes, but we were equally excited to embrace new adventures and new friendships. As kids, we knew (in part thanks to our parents) that entering a new season should be a time of intense preparation.

As the school year approached, our parents took us to school to locate our classrooms and meet our teachers. They carted us off to the neighborhood mega-mart, where we navigated the family-filled aisles in search of book bags, Trapper Keeper binders, and paper. The night before school began, we cleaned our rooms, set our alarm clocks, and made sure to get enough sleep.

When the day finally arrived, we poured into the new school. We looked around the classroom and realized that every child was one of two kinds of students: prepared or unprepared. Those in the former group had neatly combed hair, found their chairs early, and lined sharpened pencils across the tops of their desks. Students in the latter group rushed into class late, tripping over untied shoelaces, only to realize they were in the wrong homeroom. While most of us are no longer full-time students, the same two categories still apply.

Launching a start-up means beginning a new season. And much like a school year, it requires a time of intense preparation. Approximately 145,000 new businesses start each year in America. About 137,000 of them declare bankruptcy in the first 365 days. I've noticed that most often, those that fail early are those launched by people who skipped the critical work of preparation.

Just like a student, you need to make sure your bag is filled with the right items before the first day of your new season. Here are three tasks that should be on every entrepreneur's pre-launch shopping list.

Identify Your Weaknesses

The ancient Greek adage says, "Know thyself." I would add that you must know all of yourself: the good parts and the bad, your strengths and your weaknesses. Most of us are better at knowing half of ourselves. Those of us who grew up with adoring parents or teachers and watched Mister Rogers' Neighborhood each afternoon already know that we're "special." We know what we're good at because people have reminded us of it our entire lives — we may even still have the trophies and ribbons to prove it. But we may not be as aware of our flaws.

Before you launch a start-up, you should pause and take a hard look at your weaknesses. We often like looking through windows more than staring into mirrors, but unattended imperfections can often become fatal flaws for entrepreneurs. Are you dishonest or manipulative, easily distracted or obsessive, a poor writer or reckless money manager? There is no need to feel too bad about these flaws. Reasonable explanations for their development may exist. But that doesn't mean they should be ignored. As Steve Maraboli said, "Just because your pain is understandable doesn't mean your behavior is acceptable."

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Launch Your Dream by Dale Partridge. Copyright © 2017 Dale Partridge. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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