Turning Good Intentions into Reality in Your Career, Business and Life
Ideas equal innovation, growth, and revenue. However, when you’re trying to start a business and have several ideas, they can actually hinder your potential success.
Sometimes, too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. [Read more…] about How to Handle Multiple Business Ideas
Summary:
Your idea is only as good as its sustainability. At Launch Youniversity, we love connecting you with people who are in the same phase you’re in during the launch process. We also understand there are some of you who are wondering what life after launch looks like. Today, our mentors, Shane Benson and Jeff Henderson, share three principles to guarantee your life after launch is sustainable, that you’re enjoying the work you’re doing, and that your team is growing in the process.
Welcome to episode 117 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
Gwinnett Church – Hamilton Mill
Three Takeaways:
1. Give yourself some breathing room. It’s easy for us as leaders to see the launch date as the finish line, but really, it’s just the beginning. After launch, take some time to pause and assess your situation: a lot of the problems that might happen on opening day may not need solving and might right themselves on their own. If you’re quick to make changes, you might be adding unnecessary work to your list of things to do.
2. Celebrate every win. As a leader, it’s important for your team to see you celebrate all your wins. You set the tone for your team, so remember to take some time to remind yourself why you’ve launched this idea in the first place. Check in with yourself and ask, “Am I enjoying this? Am I feeling more stressed than anything else?” Celebrating your wins will help you stay the course when things get tough down the road.
3. Ask questions instead of solving problems. People will naturally come to you, their leader, for wise counsel. Instead of spouting off ideas and decisions anytime you’re asked, ask your team questions about the best way to solve a current problem together. By getting the whole team involved, you’re ensuring they’re growing in this process, too.
Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!
Design Thinking is a trendy term these days, and for good reason! More and more launchers and businesses are learning about the power of this empathy-driven methodology to solve problems. [Read more…] about The Five Stages of Design Thinking
Summary:
Your perspective often determines your view on successful businesses. To you, companies like Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb are monoliths that were guaranteed successful by sheer luck or the millions they secured in venture capital. You might think it’s impossible to grow your business, especially that way.
In today’s episode, Chris Yeh, cofounder of Global Scaling Academy and coauthor of Blitzscaling, introduces us to the concept of blitzscaling, a type of rapid growth pursuit, and what that could look like for your business. Today, you’ll discover the best time to start working with a startup and what’s required of leaders who want to rapidly grow their businesses as entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs.
Welcome to episode 114 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies (book)
Four Takeaways:
1. Determine if blitzscaling is right for your company. Identify the areas where blitzscaling can be relevant in your new or existing business. Would your company be able to sustain itself during a season of rapid growth? If so, you may want to pursue blitzscaling as a way to grow your business.
2. Adapt your leadership style. The way you lead will be determined by the size of your company. A lot of entrepreneurs don’t realize a company requires leadership versatility as it changes and grows. Be willing to change as your business changes and listen to the pulse of your employees to see what they need to thrive.
3. Be an infinite learner. Learning will (and should) take place continuously. Embrace this. The skills and experiences that once brought you success during one phase may not necessarily prepare you for the next phase in your business’s growth.
4. Develop a strong sense of self awareness. Know your strengths and weakness. What do you enjoy? What don’t you enjoy? Get to know yourself well — do the things that fuel you, and delegate the rest.
Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!
Summary:
At Launch Youniversity, we love sharing the stories of people who are in various stages of a launch so you can learn firsthand the steps they’re using to propel their vision forward. Today, our very own mentors, Jeff Henderson and David Farmer, talk about Jeff’s latest project, a book he’s writing called, “For,” and what he’s found has made the undertaking not only manageable, but enjoyable. In today’s episode, Jeff shares what he’s learned during the process of writing his book, including the importance of defining small wins, knowing when to delegate, and the impact of setting a deadline.
Welcome to episode 113 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
069: When Passion and Heart Lead the Way: Dana Spinola of fab’rik
Five Takeaways:
1. Define small wins. When you break the task at hand down into small, manageable tasks, it’s easier for you to manage your expectations and stress levels. For Jeff, his small win is writing 500 words a day instead of viewing his success through the lens of his total word count for the entire book. Once you achieve your small win, celebrate!
2. Define the type of work you’re doing. Jeff shares how there are three types of work you’ll be doing in the launch process: creative work, logistics work, and people. For him, the creative part of process is actually writing the book. The logistics work is the administrative tasks, such as writing captions, getting photo approvals, etc. The people portion of the work is connecting with the people in your sphere to help you, whether it’s requesting they tweet about your upcoming project, or other helpful ways to support you.
3. Determine when you do your best work. When are you your most creative self? Whenever that time is, whether it’s early in the morning when most people are still sleeping or late at night, that’s when you should be doing your work. Also, take into account the ideal environment you need to be in to work creatively.
4. Does it drain or build your energy? Jeff shared a telltale sign of when he needs to delegate a task: If the tasks drains his energy or if he dreads it, that’s a task someone else might need to be pulled in to do so it leaves him room to do what he does best.
5. Start now. Some of you have some great ideas that are meant to be shared with the world. So start sharing them! Give yourself an artificial deadline to light a fire within you and get going.
Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!
Launch Youniversity wants to challenge you to launch something new this year. What will that be? Will it be at work or at home? Will it be a new business or something within your current organization? Call it out, capture it, and be intentional about accomplishing it.
As you begin your new journey, keep in mind these elements of every launch.
Welcome to episode 110 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
Links + Resources:
Three Takeaways:
If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that there will be uncertainty. You don’t have to have everything figured out, but think about that one next step. Eventually the bigger picture will become clear.
Leadership isn’t about leading someone who is subordinate to you or telling people what or how to do something. At the core of all good leadership is self leadership. Self leadership can dramatically influence your success. Listen to learn about the law of the lid and how that can impact your organization.
The most helpful leadership advice is to be incredibly clear about what you expect from your team. To be clear is to be kind. Also offer your team members unending support and challenge them to stretch themselves.
Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question that you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!
