Turning Good Intentions into Reality in Your Career, Business and Life
Whether you recently launched your company or you’ve been in business for months (even years), you can bet there will be ups and downs. There will underlying and repeating patterns just as every organization has experienced before you.
In a recent Launch Youniversity podcast, Les McKeown shared seven phases all organizations go through. He says if you are aware of these stages, you can avoid some ruts and survive. [Read more…] about 3 Stages of Growth in Any Business
In the world of charities, nonprofit organizations, and startups, there are plenty of success stories of someone’s “crazy” idea reaching meteoric success. But some rise to the top and find success according to the world’s standard is quite meaningless. This is the story of Scott Harrison, the founder and CEO of charity: water, a nonprofit organization that brings clean drinking water to developing countries.
Once a successful nightclub promoter, Scott found success driven by financial standards left him feeling unfulfilled, so he set out on a personal mission to find purpose. In today’s episode, he joins hosts, Jeff Henderson and Kevin Jennings, to talk about his transformational experience and how solid, communicated values drive any mission.
Welcome to episode 96 of the Launch Youniversity Podcast.
charity: water spring subscription
1. Have a vision for your culture.
Be really clear on the culture you want to create. Then, carefully craft a team of people you not only want to work with, but whom you trust. These people will be on the front lines of your mission and you want to make sure they actually want to be there.
2. Be transparent about your values.
First, document your values immediately. Then, make sure you clearly communicate those values to your employees and potential new hires — this will make all the difference in your team’s investment in your mission.
3. Replicate what you admire.
Scott Harrison shared in today’s podcast how he looked to subscription-based business models such as Netflix, HBO, and Dropbox to model charity:water’s business model after. If you’re looking to make some changes to your business, you don’t always have to look to your competitor for ideas — fresh perspectives can be found anywhere you look.
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!
We’ve officially reached the halfway point of 2018 and for many of us, it’s the perfect time to review the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Maybe you haven’t made as much progress as you would’ve liked this far into the year. Maybe you’ve completed your goals and you’re wondering what’s next. No matter what side you land on, don’t worry — there’s no time like right now to recommit or make adjustments to your plans.
Today, we hear from three of Launch Youniversity’s mentors: David Farmer, Shane Benson, and Jeff Henderson, who will discuss the best ways to take stock of your year so far and set a clear path to where you’re headed.
Launch Youniversity Episode 070 with Karen Houghton of Atlanta Tech Village
Rocket Fuel [Goal Setting Guide]
Success Is Not An Accident by Tommy Newberry
1. Take time to rest and reflect on your wins.
Negative feedback usually outweighs the positive feedback you receive no matter how much someone loves you or your idea. When you take time to rest, it helps you reprioritize the goals you set for yourself and focus on celebrating the positive outcomes. Take a half day or full day to reflect on the year so far. Ask yourself,
“What went well?”
“What needs improvement?”
“Where do I go from here?”
2. Establish morning and nighttime success rituals.
Rituals give structure to the areas of your life you’d like to see improvement. When you stick to a morning ritual, it will set you up for success for the entire day. Doing a nighttime ritual takes the friction out of the next day and sets you up for even greater success. Planning your day (and upcoming week and months, for that matter) ensures you make time for the things that truly matter to you, including not only your goals, but for your family and self-care, too.
3. Start from where you are right now.
There’s nothing magical about January 1. Review the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year. Do those goals still matter to you? Is this still the right plan? If so, start (or restart) now. Jeff Henderson shared a great idea that could help you recommit to your goals: Jeff takes the first of every month and spends 10 days trying something new, whether it’s doing yoga for 10 days or eating a meat-free diet for 10 days. You can take this same concept and apply it to your idea — maybe it’ll motivate you to try a new and fresh approach.
Thank you for listening to the Launch Youniversity Podcast! If you have a question you want to be answered on the podcast… ask us here!
Sam is an expert launcher, communicator, and radio host. Today, he’s sitting down with Jeff to have a conversation about taking leaps of faith, following your calling and telling a greater story.
Welcome to episode 51 of The Launch Youniversity Podcast.
A Greater Story with Sam Collier
Sam on Twitter
1. Get out of the boat.
Launching is hard. There’s a lot of risk and room for failure on the table. But sometimes, you just need to get out of the boat. Take the leap of faith, and step out. If you sink, you can start again. But sitting in the boat and living in fear gets you nowhere.
2. Who you need is probably already in your phone.
Something every single person is guilty of: Looking at someone else, doing something you wish you were doing, and telling yourself “well I would be successful too if [I knew that person they know, my spouse was able to financially support me, I had my foot in the door] like they have.”
This, frankly, is a lie your telling yourself to justify why you aren’t where you want to be.
What if we told you that you probably already have the connection you need in your phone? Really. Go through your phone, or LinkedIn connections, or Facebook friends and think about each person you see. Sam was trying to work with the public school system and thought “I don’t know anyone there to connect me with the right people.” Only to later realize, his Aunt worked in the public school system. Go through your phone, we bet that you’re not seeing something that’s right in front of you.
3. No success is overnight.
To find success, we have to wake up and launch everyday. Try and try and try again. Not everything is going to be a success, but overtime, you’ll start to find the solutions you’ve been looking for. As Sam said, nobody wakes up one day and just discovers the cure for an illness. They try, everyday, to push further and futher. To take risks, to take leaps of faith, and keep going. Then, eventually, they find the solution.
