However,  there’s more to using Skype than just being able to give your friends the finger while sending them a file (the file sending is pretty great, because it will resume files if you get disconnected, etc). Skype is a powerhouse of productivity… especially with a little help.

If you have a PC, I have good news /  if you have a Mac, I have bad news:  Skype on the PC has an API (programming architecture) that lets developers create programs that work as part of Skype.  On the Mac, this doesn’t really exist, so there are a few programs that sort of do this, but compared to the selection of PC extras, it is pretty insulting.  https://extras.skype.com/categories/15/good will list the Mac ones, while https://extras.skype.com/ lists all of the extras, 99% of which are for the PC.

That said, some of Skype’s superpowers are Screen Sharing.  There are extras for this, but Skype now has this power built right in.  You can easily switch between video conferencing to Screen sharing.  I actually cover a bit on this functionality in Alternative Presentations That Kick Serious Ass. The short version is that you can use Skype to deliver a slideshow, a video, a mind-mapping session, etc… and while you present it, you use Screen Recording software to create a video of the presentation.  That video can be used for many purposes:

• It can be uploaded to the client so that they can replay it.
• You can study it to see how you can improve your presentation.
• You can upload it to Video Hosting sites (such as Youtube) and use it as a marketing tool.
• You can turn it into a product – depending on what the presentation was of, of course.

Using Skype, both as Audio or Video, you can record interviews, it’s generally my preferred method of choice.

On the Mac I enthusiastically recommend Ecamm Call Recorder which lets you not only record audio, but also video, and will even put the two video calls (yours / theirs) in two video windows that can be edited separately… or as default Skype which is a Picture-In-Picture mode. The software also lets you leave notes, so you can remember at which time you asked which question, etc.

On the PC side of things, I’ve personally used Pamela Call Recorder, which worked exactly the same… except it did not do video, but that was years ago. Now they do video.  Pamela also has an extremely impressive set of features, making it a complete call center.

This video was recorded using Skype to Skype calling with Ecamm to record a testimonial from David Gonzalez:

For editing purposes, I had David paned to the right, and me to the left.  Editing audio to be center-paned is easy enough (In audio Pan means which speaker will the audio come out on, left, right, or center (both). David had actually left his house and walked over to the pool, where the Wi-Fi could barely reach, and yet the testimonial came out just peachy.

This month’s interview with Jason Harty was recorded with Ecamm.  I actually recorded the video, but I thought that for sharing the interview, audio was more practical on this interview.  The cool thing is that Ecamm gives you many tools to output the recording as whatever format you want.

Other things Skype lets you do:

• Get a phone number.
• Get voicemail  through Skype (Skype offers voicemail, certain programs, such as Pamela, let you use Skype as a complete call center, with call forwarding, voicemail, etc).
• Record Audio / Video interviews.
• Record Audio / Video testimonials.
• Create products by recording a series of expert interviews.
• Provide a whole new revenue / services source by leveraging video conferencing (see Working Naked case study below)
• Save you money in travel by leveraging video conferencing.
• Have group text chat.
• Have call conferencing (mixing Skype, cell phones, and landlines)

One of my coaching clients, Lisa Kanarek of WorkingNaked.com was looking for additional ways to grow her business.  I suggested Skype consulting. Between that call, and our next call, Lisa had already gotten a client. In fact, I highly recommend that you contact Lisa for a session. By you using your webcam with Skype, Lisa can recommend the best tools to declutter your office, thus resulting in more productivity.  Lisa is ranked #1 on the internet for Home Office Expert out of more than 67,000,000 links.  That’s pretty impressive.  One of the reasons she is so unique is that she is not just an organizer (in fact, she’ll cringe if you call her that)…. she is a home office expert, a productivity expert, and even has a degree in interior design.  This means that she can help you select furniture, soundproofing, etc… and save you headaches and dollars in having to re-do your office later.

I of course recommended Ecamm to Lisa, so she now offers the video playback to her clients. Our next session is on how to market this service a little more, but considering her brand is about working from home (get it? Working Naked), she can now generate additional income, handle more clients, and stand out from the crowd even more.

As you know, I perform many tasks, but as a webdesigner and marketer, I use Skype quite often to give someone a live video review of their site or marketing materials, and then I send them to a page that has that video.

What is your business, and how could you leverage some of Skype’s powers to add more value to your clients?

This is useful information. If you see its power, please comment below, and share this with the people you know… Knowledge doesn’t change the world if nobody sees it.

Originally I recorded it for my consulting clients only… but screw it.. I want EVERYONE to have more sales and more fun! So… enjoy, take action, and share the wealth!


No matter what industry you are in, there is always competition. Your clients or audience knows it, and you need to give them a reason to choose you.

One reason may be because you spent much more time preparing, so you must care more about them.  Another is because you understand them better, and relate to their brand, so you will most likely do what is best for them.  Another is that you stand out from the rest of the people that are trying to sell them on the same product or service, so at the end of the day they will remember you, but not the competition.

This presentation ties in with many other aspects of Ideas On Retainer… Presentation, marketing, tools, technology, psychology, and fun.  These all boil down to leverage. Creating a badass presentation that makes the client forget about the other vendors (this applies in non-business as well, say your reader will forget about the other bloggers) takes some work, but not as much as you think, and not as much as the client will think you spent.

Take some notes, and leave any questions you may have in the comments section. This is a high resolution video, and should play just fine in full screen mode.

Future videos will show you many ways to present the video you create to the client in a way that leaves them wanting to do business with you before even seeing your presentation.

Resources:

(The links are provided in the resource section- Most of these will be listed in much more detail in future articles, as each has so many uses)

Skype – A free calling, text, file transfer, video conferencing software for PC/Mac[hr]
Camtasia Studio – Screen recording/editing software for PC/Mac[hr]
Screenflow – Screen recording/editing software for the Mac[hr]
Personal Brain – Mind Mapping software for PC/Mac[hr]
Jing – Free screen recording (and sharing of that recording) software for the PC/Mac[hr]
Camstudio – Free screen recording software for the PC[hr]
Google – Free research tool[hr]
After Effects – Motion graphics and compositing software for PC/Mac[hr]
Livescribe – A pen that records audio, and digitally transfers all audio as well as what you write/draw to your computer.[hr]

720×480 Reference Images:

720x480 in red

720x480 White

720x480 Black

720x480 White with Black border

Now I am going to have to deal with the fears that I’ve let push me over to not committing. Check out Ideas On Retainer– coming January 1, 2011 after the hangover wears off.

I even like my new logo that I designed

I enjoy public speaking, and I like Jeff and what he’s doing, so I agreed, and then had to figure out what to present on.  I titled it Putting your small town on the map while having some fun”  -  the absolute best part was after the event when dozens of people from various small towns thanked me for helping them.  They said it inspired them, it gave them solid ideas, it was fun, it was really helpful.

That’s who I wrote this for, so… that meant a lot.  Anyways- enjoy the presentation, and leave a comment with your thoughts… I’d love to know what you thought of it. If you like it, share it.

You see, there’s a chapter in my book called “Ditching Heavy Baggage” — and it’s about how in order to keep living my passion (traveling, meeting new people, learning all I can, finding mentors, having a blast, taking great photos, having adventures, changing peoples’ lives) I had to get rid of people that were weighing me down (hence the baggage metaphor… get it?  I travel, and it’s extra weight).

I’ve heard – and then had proven through experience- that you are the sum average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This applies to everything: health, weight, happiness, success of relationship, stress levels, positivity, wealth, activity level, motivation.

I generally use positive phrases these days.  I say “wealth”, not “how broke you are” because I’d rather measure the positive things. I guess it’s a bit like “The Secret” – though, my gripe with that book/movie is that they left off one major chapter “Do something!”  ”Take MASSIVE action!” — though… having a pretty vision board is a good start.  I do believe in the law of attraction… I believe more in the law of gravity, but…. you need to know what you want, otherwise you’re a lot less likely to get it.

My posts are inspired by what’s happening in my life, or the conversations I have.  Today (after waking up at 3am from my 5:30pm nap that followed a super productive day where I skipped sleeping last night) I had a conversation with one of my couches in Atlanta.  My friend was on his way to South Carolina.

(Cut  & Paste from Skype chat)

Why you going to SC?  Hurricane looting?  Kite Surfing?  Visiting your Mom?

Nah…. my buddy steve came to visit in ATL and his buddy owns a race shop…atv’s dirtbikes street bikes…so he brought some 4 wheelers to ride….he wrecked while he was here so he is in the hospital with broken clavicle and scapula, ruptured spleen, and a flap of flesh hanging off his skull….so I am driving his truck and trailer back to SC for him.

My buddy has recently had a child, and things are not good with him and the girl.  He’s gotten a new job, which I am thrilled to say is in marketing (and he’ll be the first one to tell you that that is because of my influence over the years). I met him when he worked at Gold’s Gym (which I have a blog post to talk shit about that place!). I mentored him a bit, ’cause he’s a good kid with a similar passion for adventure and photography as me.  We’ve gone hiking, and then climbing power poles that are on the ledge of 1,500 foot cliffs.  We’ve jumped off of (much smaller) cliffs into rivers. I introduced him to marketing, and coached him in his sales technique, and all of a sudden he went from “the guy who is just an assistant behind the counter” to “the guy that broke every sales record for all 8 local branches of Gold’s, despite having a hidden location.”

The manager at that Gold’s was not particularly responsible.  No one at that gym was really motivated. It was “just a job”.

My friend quit finally.  I was glad, because those people were not a particularly great set of people to have in his 5 people that influence him. Notice, I was one of the people, and I pushed him forward to get more sales, and to compete with himself, not the lazy people that are there.

I’ve given free consulting with a very precise action plan to many people when they’ve told me their goals, dreams, or problems.  Yet, they didn’t do anything about it. Some have followed my steps, and have gotten  great results.  Though… some people listen too well… like Rob, who posted a picture of his ass on Facebook when I said “hah! great picture, you should make that your picture!”- although…. people who do listen, rather than overthink everything, can get much better results.  Ready, Fire, Aim.

So, why do most people not take action? They think their friends will make fun of them.  If you’re hanging out with a bunch of people who go drink every night, and they ask you out to the bar, and you say “Hey guys, I’m going to skip out tonight… I want to practice my sales presentation in the mirror for 3 hours, then video tape it (or… whatever the term is these days….flip it?), and see if I’m pre-addressing every objection….” they might tell you to do that later, or “why would you do that? You’re already kicking ass without practicing. Do it tomorrow, that one chick with the big boobs coming out tonight… you should come!”

The line you get may be different… that was a hypothetical example, but you know what I mean, because it’s happened to you!  You wanted to do something good for you ( start a raw diet, stick to a budget, stick to a training regiment, meditate, take a class….), and all of a sudden you weren’t quite fitting in with your friends, so you dropped whatever it was.

It’s called a comfort zone.

We get used to how things are, and a change is a threat.  We may want the change, but part of us ( our lizard/reptilian brain) starts trying to protect us….. “What if you get hurt? What if you’re not good at it? What if your friends laugh at you? What if you lose your friends? What if it doesn’t work out, and you don’t get the job?!?!?!” -

You succeeding at your goal is also a threat to your friends, because it means that you may ditch them, or that they will have to improve their standards… both are threats to their comfort zone. And thus loving friends and family are the number one killers of dreams.

I surround myself with positive and driven people who want to (constantly) improve and enjoy their lives, and thus we infect each other with motivation and support for our goals.

Instead of “Come on… do that tomorrow, let’s get plastered tonight!”  I may say “You’re working on outsourcing all your tasks?  That’s awesome!  Ok… well, we’re going, but before we head to the bar, let me give you my copy of Michael Gerber’s E-Myth and E-Myth Revisited!  He’s all about systems, and if you’re outsourcing, you should make a system of every task, so that you can give it to every person that will do it, and they’ll be able to do it!  Think McDonald’s!   Also, you should use Jing, and record the doing of every task… then they can see exactly what you do, and you can narrate it… then you’ll have a library of all the tasks!”

That’s why I like the world of Internet Marketing.  Most people have their own schedules, are positive, always learning new things, share knowledge with each other, and work hard.

My buddy that I mentioned earlier is young.  I figure he won’t listen to everything I say, and that’s fine… at 21 years old I didn’t realize the things I know today.  But, I reminded him this…..

(Cut  & Paste from Skype chat)

my buddy steve came to visit in ATL and his buddy owns a race shop…atv’s dirtbikes street bikes…so he brought some 4 wheelers to ride….he wrecked while he was here so he is in the hospital with broken clavicle and scapula, ruptured spleen, and a flap of flesh hanging off his skull….so I am driving his truck and trailer back to SC for him

that’s nice of u– have a good audio book to listen to while u drive those hours? (Was going to send him one)

hmmmm….. just a reminder:  You ARE the sum average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

if all 5 have suspended licenses, chances are you’re next. and that tapplies to wealth, health, etc…

steve is smart the other guy is an idiot…

Steve’s the one with broken everything

point taken

My friend’s life is currently hectic. His relationship is beyond volatile right now. He left a job that the hated with Coca Cola… which I predicted he’d hate, as it was mindless, and with small results.  That’s a comfort zone thing…. we’d rather have “a  job… for right now… just so I can pay my bills, and then I’ll save up, and then I’ll be able to make that thing so I can get that other job that I really want to have!”  He finally got a gig that involves his brain, where he can measure and create his own results.

I’m not his parent (or anyone’s), nor am I yours.  I’m not calling his friends losers, as I don’t know them all.  I’m not calling your friends losers.  I am saying that you should monitor where your life is compared to where you want it to be.  What’s missing?  Are you truly happy?  Do you have a relationship you like?  Do you have the gig you like? Are you living where you want?  Are your friends positive and supportive?

After you evaluate yourself, take a look at the 5 people you hang out with the most (significant other included if you’re married or dating).  Are they happy?  Are they successful (however success is defined to them)?  Do they like where they live? Are they healthy?

If most people you spend your time with are stressed out, obese, divorced, and broke… then that’s probably what you’ll see in the mirror.

I lost 30 pounds in a month by trying a raw food diet!  Ok… it was 28 pounds, but 30 sounds better  It was a very difficult thing to go from eating meat and potatoes, and never even having side salads or any salads…. to 100% raw (I did have 1 glass of Vodka during the excusrsion).  I was able to do it because the people I was traveling with on a 6 week road trip were Craig & Suzanne… both of which ate healthy, shopped at Co-Ops, and knew how to prep raw food.

The last week was the hardest, because I was alone.  After we finished rock climbing in Yosemite, we parted ways.  I went to San Francisco to visit my family, and they went back to Austin.  My family – like most – is not into raw food.  They prepped and ate all my favorite meals around me… schnitzel, brisket, home made ground burgers.  They had these, while I made salads, or almond butter with seaweed sandwiches, etc…  My mom even kept trying to get me to eat their food!  What the hell?  I told her I was doing 30 days, and that it was difficult, and yet she kept trying to make me stray from my goal!

I love my folks… and they’re at the gym almost every day, and they tell me that they eat very healthy.  But, they both keep complaining about their weight.  They don’t lift weights as I’ve recommended for them.  They swim, exercycle, and walk the elipticals.  It’s just like having a camera, and taking pictures doesn’t make you a photographer…. going to the gym, and eating healthy doesn’t mean that you’re in shape, or en route to results.   It’s better than not doing anything at all… but if you’re not getting the results you want, you’re doing something wrong.  Bring in an expert that works with others like you, and has gotten them the results that you want.

Mom figured I was skinny from my diet, so why don’t I use up this family time to eat home made food.  My goal didn’t matter…. just as most of yours do not really mean anything to your friends.

So, if you’re NOT where you want to be… who is?  Why aren’t you friends with them?  Why not see if you can help them out with something?  Why not join some Meetups (meetings from Meetup.com) and find others that have your same goal.

If you get a workout partner that doesn’t show up, or doesn’t threaten your life because you’re thinking of flaking on the training session… then you have someone who isn’t serious, and should fire them, and find a new one who is serious.

My chapter that I mentioned, “Ditching Heavy Baggage”, talks about how I’ve had to train my parents to stop being negative and tell me how my idea won’t work.  It’s about how I don’t really speak to all my old friends anymore, because my priorities are much bigger than just going to the next party or rave.  It’s about how there are some people whom I will no longer respond to their calls, emails, or texts… and will delete their voicemails without listening.  It was hard to do, but I can be happy the way that I define it now.

We all have (or… in my  case, had) that friend who is always having it rain on their parade.  Every “So… what’s new?” leads to a depressing conversation about how work sucks, their girl is cheating on them, they just got injured, they got a ticket, etc….  I support my friends when they are down.  But… if they are ALWAYS down, I’m done!  You can call me a shitty friend when you read that… but none of my friends will tell you that I”m a shitty friend… If your life is seriously THAT broken that all you have to say is bad news every time, maybe you should seek professional help.  Or… more realistically, you need to do the thing that changed my life– start taking personal responsibility.

Yup, that’s right.  The economy doesn’t matter, and the president won’t bail you out.  YOU have the power to evaluate your situation, and improve it.  Hours cut back at work?  Turn a hobby into a business.  No money for food? Barter someone food for a skill or item that you have.  There is ALWAYS a solution!  There is ALWAYS something you can do.

If I decide that I want to make a photoshop training course (which I did decide, and am working on), my friends say “That’s awesome, you’ve got so much experience in photoshop, your work rocks, you should totally do it! How are you marketing it? I bought that one course on making videos that convert really well, want it?  Want to set up a mastermind to review your strategy and make sure everything’s in the right direction?” They call me to check how that is progressing, and bust my chops if I make excuses.

They’re busting my chops now ’cause my book isn’t done yet.

I said I wanted to do more public speaking, and someone wrote an amazing letter about me, and within 2 hours, I got invited to be a speaker at the 140Conference. I have a month to prepare a presentation that will kick extreme ass!

THESE are the kind of people you want in your life.  These are the people you want in your 5 people you spend the most time with.

Hey, it’s your life. I’m not judging you. Who gives a shit if people are or will judge you? They’re going to do that anyways… we’re all people.  It’s actually a survival mechanism from the cave days…. but, if there is something you want to do/be/have, you are responsible for it. If the current group of people you have are not pushing you towards your dreams, you may want to consider getting a new set of friends.

Couchsurfing has been my savior.  I got to meet so many incredible people, discover internet marketing, find those few places (like Austin and San Diego) where I feel at home…  My life has become a force of change, for myself, and for those I interact with.  Because I keep changing who I’m staying with, and where I’m staying at, my life is always changing, as is the group of 5 people I spend the most time with…. but I make sure that as it changes, I only fill it with amazing people whom I respect, look up to, can learn from, and enjoy their company.

So… who are your five people?

This post is about what just happened with one of my models… but keep reading, ’cause it also explains some neat marketing stuff.

What does it say about the world we live in, when you do something nice for a friend, but they have a hard time trusting that there’s no catch?

I’ve been off the grid.  I’m supposed to be working on my book, but the people I’m spending time with have inspired me back to the business side of things. I’m a closet workaholic!

See that image below?  That’s what I’m working on.

A series of Photoshop and Photography DVDs.  I’ll post more about those very soon, this post is about Daniela.

In 2007 I decided to have a creativity workshop, and 2 weeks later I did.  Based on the feedback I received, I decided to move forward with a whole series of DVDs, so I filmed a bunch of my shoots just for that purpose.  One of the models that I used was Daniela Perez (That stunning model that I used as the picture for this post- sadly, that photo was not taken by me).

I have worked with Daniela for years while I was in South Florida.  She is a talented model.  As a photographer, how do I define model?  Looks are only a small percent.  Additional factors I consider are punctuality, wardrobe size, ability to pose, ability to do work long hours, having a personality, additional skills that come in handy.

Daniela qualifies for all of those.  She is one of those women who always smile (not artificially), have a lot of energy, can show off many looks (I’ll dig up my Daniela photos later), is a professional make up artist (saves you having to hire a makeup artist…. and makes a huge difference in your photography), shows up on time, works for hours upon hours, has a massive diversified wardrobe, and she also knows how to walk and pose (great for fashion shows, catalogs, and my artistic images).

When I announced that I was doing these photoshoots, and video taping them — oh yeah… and I decided this on a whim!  There was very little notice to anyone.  I acquired a studio, a bunch of models, some makeup artists, on a “What are you doing tomorrow??” basis.  Daniela came through with very little notice, did an amazing job posing for my creative shots, and pulled off so many different looks!

Now that I’m editing the videos, I saw some of the footage, and was really appreciative.  I forgot to mention, none of the makeup artists or models charged me (nor the studio owners actually).  Once I finish my hard work, these DVDs will help a great many photographers, and will also sustain my travels and lifestyle.  For that I am grateful.

I looked up DanielaPerez.com — it was available.  I texted her to see if she wanted a website.

Lesson: Everyone should own their own name if possible.

Daniela has modeling portfolios online, one of which is on OneModelPlace.com – a company I used to work for (my last “real” job – 2004-2005).  They had just sold for many millions to some media conglomerate.  Additionally, since she has more than one portfolio, but sends people to only one at a time… I thought that a website that has links to all of them makes much more sense.

Lesson:  You should drive people to your personal property (in this case, I’m referring to a website), because these other sites (youtube, facebook, myspace, onemodelplace.com, etc) can go down, or kick you off, and then you lose all your contact data with people, etc…

Text conversation:
Me: DanielaPerez.com is available- want a website?
Her: LOL.. I don’t really have the money for that right now. But thanks though.
(I do charge at minimum $1,500 for a website, since I bring design, marketing, and functionality to a site– not just “making it pretty”)
Me: Domain costs $10. And u can point it to your portfolio.
Lesson: If you are sending people to a site (let’s say youtube), and don’t have or want your own site, you can still buy a domain (your name perhaps), and just have it redirect to the other site. (for example- CouchSurfingOri.com could take people to youtube.com/couchsurfingori)
Me: Or I can even make a small page with a small bio, and links to your pages.  I wouldn’t charge you. You helped me with my vids.
Me: When’s your birthday?
Her: Next Thursday, the 12th.
Her: You would do my website for free?
Me: I’m already doing it- doing it right now. It’s your b-day present. Already bought the domain before you even texted that.
Her: LOL…. there’s no catch??
Her: Is this your first site?
(Skipping a few lines where I talk about my website building experience (made my 1st one in 1997))
Her: Just asking cuz you said free, I was wondering the catch, but if you say so… I’m excited!!!

I made this site: http://DanielaPerez.com and e-mailed her from a new e-mail address which is now at @danielaperez.com instead of hotmail.com (Lesson: Email sounds much more professional when you e-mail people from your domain).  I also set up a Google Voice Number for her so that she doesn’t have to give her cell phone number to creeps… as well as increase productivity- as Google Voice is an amazing tool… it will transcribe voiceails, and text them to you!

I wrote her a bio for the page, went through her whole portfolio to pick the images that I thought were the best, made the slideshow at the top of the page, named the files for SEO purposes, wrote the page information in direct response style (a manner that will make clients know why they should hire her, instead of the competition), and a few other things I don’t feel like boring you with…. but….She got response to it quickly…. and very positive response.

Not bad for a free website, right?  So… while she was surprised, I don’t really know why.  You see, I help people out all the time, and when someone calls me up out of the blue and says “You have to come into town, we got this incredible thing going on, and we’re taking you with!” it never surprises me.

Regardless of helping people…. fun, cool, interesting, people often get invited to do things, or are given things.  By being the most awesome person you can be, you can change people’s lives.  Smiling at someone can change their day or perspective.  By being awesome, you add value to others- maybe if you’re funny you get invited ’cause they know you’ll entertain their guests…. Just an example.

People like to do awesome things for others.  People like to help others.  People like to gift people things.  I’ve gotten rid of the people that were weighing me down… i.e. are not supportive people, or people who just whine all the tim but do nothing about it.  So, since everyone I hang with is so awesome, I have no problem gifting them stuff just for the hell of it… and the same happens to me all the time.  If you’re not sure what it is that you offer, or what makes you so cool (because you are! Everyone is awesome in some way… they may just not realize it)– try asking your friends what they like about you.  Ask what’s memorable about you.  It’s always good to know… and it’s a fun conversation.

Do something nice for someone just for the hell of it, or send them an unexpected thank you for something….. you’ll blow their mind.  Something you can do right now, pay the toll for the person behind you in line…. that’ll just surprise them, especially since they won’t know who you are.  It’s fun!

Anyways- I gotta get back to my DVDs, so I’ll end it on this note:

Regardless of whether you are a model, a blogger, a lawyer, a stripper…. whatever it is that you do, you should have a website that uses real copywriting and marketing techniques.  First, make sure the writing and message are words that would mean something to your target audience… so step 1 is to figure out exactly what you want to do.

In Daniela’s case for example, it is to do high-pay high quality photo shoots with experienced photographers, and high-pay fashion shows with quality designers.  So, the wording I used explains what’s unique about her, so that when those people read that, they’ll want to hire her.  I also gave her homework: to get video testimonials from photographers who have worked with her, to film her photo shoots, and to film her fashion shows.  The same applies for you!

If you’ve ever worked with someone, you should get a testimonial (preferably video).  You should video tape yourself doing your thing.  People don’t “just know” how awesome you are.  Demonstrating is way more powerful than telling.  What other people have to say (called Social Proof) is way more powerful than anything you tell them (and Video is the most credible form of this).

Other aspects of marketing you should consider for your site is quality images, quality design, search engine optimization….. If you’re not a designer, and not a marketer you may do a “do it yourself” version, which may not look very professional, and may alienate clients.

Another very important thing to mention– if you are giving someone something for free, that is not an excuse to not do a quality job! If you’re going to do a shitty job, then don’t do it at all.

I admit that I often don’t know what day of the week it is. Couchsurfing takes me around to different people in many places, and I keep growing because of it.  Day of the week… not important most of the time.  But now that I’m actually working with a goal (remember:  Goals are dreams with a deadline) of writing my book, I am racing the clock.

The first lesson is probably the most important, and that is

that asking too many questions is just my (I’d say “Your”- but I don’t want to speak for you) way of procrastinating some more.

“What do I want to write?”
“What do I want the outcome of having a book to be?”
“What style do I want to write in?”
“What format do I want my book to be?”
“What do I do with the book once I’ve written it?”

Sure… they’re decent questions, but as my friend  (and one of my couches!) Allison Nazarian told me (and she is a very highly paid professional writer), “DON’T JUDGE! JUST WRITE!” <— damn great advice, and yes, she wrote it as a text in all caps!

Seriously, you can edit later.  Just write.  What’s on your mind? What do you know about a topic? What do you remember? Just write!  Let your fingers do the walking as they say!

One of the tools that Allison told me about (that @thewaffle told her about) is OmmWriter! I tried this free app, and got a lot of really great writing done in an evening. Here’s their demo video:

As many people have mocked me for, you may have an easier time counting the grains of rice in a sack of rice than counting how many apps and browser tabs I have open at one time.  I also can’t stand the way MacOS handles the menu bar and full screen functionality, so this app is plain wonderful.

Since you know my love of puns, Plain Wonderful was definitely that! It’s very plain! It’s designed to just give you a blank screen that hides all menus (including its own), gives you zen (relaxing/new-age/peaceful– pick your adjective of choice) sounds.  Not only a multi-track music track with many choices (When I say multi-track, I mean that there are many elements to each track, and while they each loop, it is not like a song that repeats, but rather a song that never ends… and they give you multiple versions to choose from as well).

They also give you multiple choices of sounds that you want your keyboard to produce with each keystroke.  The menus are very simple.  Simplicity is the key here…. Come here to tune out the world, and just write.  It works well!  Thanks Allie for the wisdom, and the app.

I asked people what to write, and got many different replies…. both on the phone, and in comment form. Asking that question is a wonderful way to confuse oneself even more.

As Steff (who is an extremely talented writer that has found her voice) told me:

Screw what everyone thinks! It’s your story, you have to write it. Also, it doesn’t matter who thinks what.  Check out How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen – and write only a book proposal.

Basically, worry about what the publishers want… ’cause they’re the ones who publish, not my friends.  Even if I don’t use a publisher, and do it myself, at least having a proposal written, I’ll know what my book is about. I’ll have focus.  Great idea!

One of the things that people talk about in writing is “Finding your voice” and I’ve been told that since I started my blog a million years ago, I’ve definitely found my voice.  It takes 10,000 hours to get to mastery, and I’m certainly closer to that with all this blogging, and writing I’ve done for clients and guest posts.

I’ve recently studied a littlle bit of story structure…. I read a little bit by Gary Provost, but a lot of it really had to do with a conversation with my older brother, Barak.

Barak and I are polar opposites, and we don’t always see eye to eye.  However, he said do not mix genres (which Gary also says), and that he thinks I have a similar style to David Sedaris(click here to see his stuff on Amazon).

This was such a compliment!  I did not know it at the time, as I had to go to Audible, and get his Audio Book version of “When You Are Engulfed In Flames” — I loved it!  Lesson: Find writers you like, and then try to figure out why you like their work so much!

Ok… maybe I overdo things!  I got every audio book of David Sedaris’!  They are so enjoyable!  But I sat there for 3 days listening (and I’m not done yet), and trying to figure out why it’s so captivating.

Things I like about David Sedaris’ work:

1. He reads it himself!  (This has added to my goals for my book– I’d like to do live readings, like David does.)
2. In just one book of short stories he managed to make me feel as if I know him, his neurosis, his family, his lovers, why he is the way he is, the way he views the world.
3. His writing is funny, super-witty, and captivating.
4. Each “Chapter” is a full short story, where David captures the entire story… whether it is an hour, a day, or many decades…. he has a creative start, and a creative end– often I consider his endings to be punchlines (especially since he performs them, and has a dramatic pause, or a way of pronouncing it that really has the completing effect that a punchline has on a joke).

I’m sure I can keep going, but this post isn’t titled “David Sedaris is awesome!” It’s titled “Lessons in Unplugging and Writing”, so while David has been a large influence (I believe my writing style had already changed to encompass some of the things I like about David’s work, starting with my  awesome father’s day blog post), it’s not the only thing I’m writing about.

So, to summarize… if you have authors (or if you work with other media- photography, sculpting, painting, engineering, engineering, etc… then whomever you admire in that field), figure out who they are, and what you like about their work, and make a checklist that you can check your work against.

For me, these things include complete story / fleshed out characters / making sure that it’s not just a narration of what happened, but rather what happened as seen through my eyes / a strong ending.

I am taking Barak’s advice, and working on multiple short stories.  But that brings us to the next point:  Which stories to tell, and what to include in them?

Three and a half years of Couchsurfing with my pace and interests has led to so many adventures, I can not tell them all.  Initially, I thought I was going to just tell my story, kind of like Jack Kerouac’s On The Road – but there’s too much to list.  So, now rather than “I did this, then I did that, then I did this, then I did that” format, I’m limiting it to stories that are more about importance.

I use Mind Mapping to organize ideas often. Mind Mapping is a form of outlining that’s more visual and haphazard… the way the brain naturally works.

An outline is NOT how the brain works.  It’s too linear.  There are many free mind mapping tools out there, as well as many tutorials on how to mindmap.  Though, if you really want to get into it, you should check out Tony Buzan’s The Mind Map Book – as he basically invented Mind Mapping, and really covers it in wonderful detail.  He actually explains the benefits of Mind Mapping way better than I do in this simple post!

Seriously… Mind Mapping is very very powerful, and you can use it to retain information, study, make presentations, write, and much more!  Please take a little (or a lot of) time to learn about it.  It will improve your life!

My favorite application to use to Mind Map is called Personal Brain.  They have a fancy schmancy version, but I just use their free version.

Why do I like Personal Brain?  Because I’m a creative type, and it’s pretty! It moves!  It’s easy to use!  It’s more interesting to me than the fancy ones like MindJet Mindmanager (which is kind of an industry standard), but decide for yourself… they have a 30 day free trial.

That was a pretty long talk about Mind Mapping, when this time around, I didn’t really use it! I generally use it as my 1st step when coming up with a client’s marketing campaign, the things that a website should include, what keywords to do a pay per click campaign on, etc….

A program that I really enjoyed using to catalogue my adventures is called Scrivener.  I love this program for writing, and idea organization.

An old trick of writing is to forget the computer, and just use index cards.

• Write which ideas you want to include in your book- one per index card.
• Write a summary paragraph of each idea on the other side of each card (hint: if you can’t fit it on an index card, it’s too complicated!).
• Organize the cards in the order that makes the best sense.

Voila! You now have your book written! Well, a simple form of it. Your table of contents, and you can tell someone what each chapter or idea is about…. quickly.  Now just go back in and fill in the gaps.

Scrivener gives you a virtual index card / corkboard set!  But it does so much more! Here is an awesome video made by Ed Dale on how to use it:

The app has a 30 day trial, and is only $40.  I highly recommend it if you’re serious about writing.

To recap, now we know how to figure out what kind of writing we like, reverse engineer it into a checklist we can measure our writing against, extract our ideas for what we want to write about using mind mapping and index cards, write in a Zen place, just write — editing later – consider what publishers are interested in, or at least having something we can present about our upcoming book… which gives us focus. Don’t ask too many questions, or you’ll never get started.

That whole “DON’T JUDGE! JUST WRITE” was listened to… don’t think I blew it off to come up with my chapters / stories…. I went into Scrivener’s Corkboard, and pressed Command N (keyboard shortcut for new index card)– another great tip! Know your keyboard shortcuts! It will speed up your productivity by leaps and bounds!), and just write!  For me it was writing potential chapter names (here’s a few of mine):  Zappos, Austin, Know who you are, Ground Industries, How-To, It Begins, Introduction, Angela, In retrospect, Photography, Difficulties, Ditching Heavy Baggage.

I then double click on each, and write a description. Unlike the real index cards, I actually wrote more than a card can hold… don’t judge, just write!  I’ll shorten it later…

There were some that were so broad (such as the “Adventures” card) and I couldn’t write what they cover on a card.  Why’s this important?  I just click and drag on the index cards, as if they were in a pile, and I was really grabbing them and arranging them.  I arranged the ones that had good meat on them in the front of the pile, and the ones that are too vague are in the back of the pile.

The reason I mention everything in the order that I have said it, is because this stuff is cumulative!  I am now using my “Things I liked about Sedaris” to check my index cards against!

In my case that means:  Does each card have specific characters that can be fleshed out? Does it have a beginning and an end? Can I end it in a way that is meaningful, and is definitely an end? Is it something I care about, and can I explain why (in my earlier summary of David’s style, I called this telling the story through his eyes)?

I have a bunch of cards now, but not too many.  When I compare them like this, I can really get a feel for which ones make a good chapter/story that I can tell.  Scrivener is not only a corkboard application!  Don’t think for one second that it is!

I can now go to each “chapter” and start writing it in Scrivener… or, I can go into OmmWriter, and Write in the Zen with out other distractions.

Avoiding distractions is a bitch though! I came out to La Jolla, and had planned to unplug… i.e. avoid social media, phone, and e-mail.  Yeah right!  I’m too damn social!  What to do?

Despite having an assistant go through my e-mail, and send me what needs dealing with, I still keep getting stuck in Social Media.  “Just a quick check to see….”  “I need to get on Facebook and post my new blogpost ‘s link…. oh, new updates!  Oooh, check it out, Terra’s using my photo as her main pic!  Lisa changed her relationship status? About time! Oooh, someone commented on my photo”  – ARGGGGGGGH!  I’m fighting myself!

FREEDOM! That’s the solution!  Despite my isolated’ish location (a studio,  7 blocks from the beach) which is quiet and inspirational, I still keep getting distracted… so Freedom is the solution.  This application cuts off your Wi-Fi!

Yes, that’s right!  You tell it how many minutes you want to unplug for– from 15 minutes to 8 hours — and your Wi-Fi is off for that duration!  Now, they know how us clever people are… “I’ll just kill the process, and internet will come back, and then I can check my tweets!”

No… that won’t work! With Freedom, if you want to bring your Wi-Fi back, you have to reboot your computer… which is generally a hassle, as you have to save all your work (You should always be saving and backing up your work anyways!), close down all your apps, wait for the computer to shut down, and then wait for it to restard. *yawn* (although, oftentimes that will improve computer performance).

Basically, because you’re off the web, and rebooting is a pain in the ass, you just do the work you’re supposed to do!

I bought Freedom tonight. It’s a whopping $10!  For $10, I got $2,400 of productivity in 40 minutes!  Wow, was I focused!

This brings me to another point…. Coffee!

You don’t have to be on stimulants, but you should know a lot about yourself.  There are actually different types of people: Night Owls and Larks.  Check out this fascinating article by James Owen for National Georgraphic.

Basically, your body actually does function better in the day or night.  Regardless of how many times my older brother tells me to get a regular 8 hours of sleep, wake up in the morning, and get stuff done, it just doesn’t work that way for me.  I get distracted in the daytime, and I get tired.  For me, the day is good for communicating, exercising, exploring, and occasionally napping.

The night is when I kick-ass…. and yes, the occasional burst of caffeine helps, though since I’ve been on my cleanse, and started again with caffeine tonight, I feel like a Motley Crue member (you remember how they’d go into the studio with bins full of cocaine?)!  Ok… I’m not jittery or anything, but I am very focused.

Knowing about myself, I know that I’m a night owl, that I like caffeine, and because I’m ENTP on the Myers Briggs test(it’s free!), I get charged up by being around people.  I don’t even have to interact with them.  It just helps to people watch, or know others are around…. so, I went to a coffee shop, and I stay charged up.

I used Twitter and Facebook to find a coffee shop near me.  Another tool that would’ve been useful if Facebook/Twitter answers hadn’t started pouring in is Yelp.com, where people rate and review everything… especially restaurants.

I was initially recommended “The Living Room” in La Jolla, which was close enough for me to jog to- 1.4 miles each way.  Cool!  It was in La Jolla Cove, a pretty neat area.

I did not like The Living Room at all.  Their Baklava was delicious!  But they only had ONE outlet in the whole place!  Like, really!  They had unscrewed the outlets from their sockets, so there was only this one… near the door, and underneath their hanging merchandise.  Their logo is cool actually.

Their internet was broken. A stunning brunette with a beautiful face walked up to me and asked if I could get on the web.  “Nope.  I asked them an hour ago, they said their router broke this morning.”  “What? I just called before coming here, and they said it was fine!”  “Nope, sorry, don’t kill the messenger.  I’m in pain here too!”

Not only was The Living Room’s internet broken, but that one outlet which I was using had decided to stop working as well.  It was just a matter of time before my battery went to empty.

I then found a place called Lestat’s. This place is rad(yes, I did just say rad!)!  It has art, live music (though I didn’t catch a show), more outlets than I have the patience to count!  Wifi that works!

Lestats has a massive selection of  chairs, couches, poofy things, stools, and other seating aparatus of all shapes, sizes, and tables of all heights.  You can definitely find one that is comfortable for you to work on.  I’ve been here for hours now! Very productive, and very comfortable.  This may be my new home…. Did I mention that Lestats is open 24 hours a day, while The Living Room is only open until midnight.

What’s the point? Find a place where you can work and be productive.  It may be a clean office.  It may be a coffee shop.  It may be an eclectic cafe. My friend Jared had spent 2 months going from coffee house to coffee house until he found one that he considers “home”.  Don’t underestimate the importance of being comfortable.

Here’s a powerful combination for you- take your checklist, do the index card thing, mind-map to extract ideas, go to a place you’re happy/comfortable/energized by, disable your internet with Freedom, and just write away in your happy place in OmmWirter.

Just so you know, I am telling you EXACTLY the tools and processes that I use.  They are not the right or wrong way to do it, they are just how I do it…. and I hope they work for you too.

I mention this because there’s a zillion courses out there, and a zillion tools out there, on how to write….. and yet, so many people tell me “I want to write a book!”

I’m not really a published author.  I’m a problem solver and consultant who is working on writing his very first book.

I am highly resourceful, and I’m pretty adhd– I cover a lot more links on the web than you do   So, these are just the conculsions and tools that I’ve come up with… feel free to ask around, use your favorite search engine, read whatever books and articles you want, and come up with your own conclusions… or just try these ones on, and see how your productivity goes up.

I truly hope this helps you!  I’ve certainly had a lot of mental anguish trying to come up with the answers that I’ve included in this post.

If you have any questions I can further answer, leave a comment below, and I’ll make sure to get to it! If you have your own tools or techniques that you like… leave those in comments too!  I’m sure that will help some people. If you got anything out of it, share the link, so others can benefit too.

If you want to know more about my book, you can sign up on the right hand side of my blog under “Interested in my book?” – and of course you can sign up to keep up with my adventures, insights, and tips by using the Keep up with my adventures (rss) part!