03 Sep Quitter
I love meeting with people to talk about their business. I get to do this periodically, usually over coffee, when I get to sit with someone and find out how I can best help them grow their business. I am not the expert, by far, but I have been successfully growing my business for the last several years.
One of the things I always ask people is, “What are you reading?” It always amazes me that the answer is often something like, “who has time to read? I am busy working on my business.” I would submit to you, and anyone else trying to grow an idea into a business, that you don’t have time NOT to read!
Because there are so many books that have formed the foundation of my business, I wanted to share a few of them on my blog. These are not meant to be comprehensive book reviews. They are not the “Scott’s Notes” version. I just wanted to talk about a few books and encourage you to use them to grow whatever it is you are building.
When I first began speaking, I did it for free. I spoke at several conferences, taught classes at church, and taught at a men’s group on Saturday mornings. I truly love speaking to various groups of people. I did not need to earn an income doing these things in the beginning because I had a full time job at the police department. I still have that job, but I began to realize that I was eventually going to retire from my full time job. At that point, I would need to be earning extra money. So, Speaking of Harvey was born!
Today, I have had the privilege of speaking to over 40,000 people in the last few years. And, THE book that launched me into this is Quitter by Jon Acuff. (mouse over the book title in that last sentence for a link to the book) The tag line of this book says it all, “Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job”. You see, I really enjoy my day job, but my dream job is speaking and writing full-time. Quitter taught me how to transition responsibly without short changing my day job.
Last September, my wife and I attended the Quitter Conference in Nashville, TN. We heard several amazing presentations from Jon and several of his friends. And, we had the opportunity to network with like minded people. It was very motivating. But, the best part for me was the four hour conversation that happened in the car on the way home. We talked about quitting, we talked about business, we talked about life. It was awesome! I am so blessed to have Greta as my partner for the last 16+ years!
Bottom line, if you have a day job that pays the bills, but is not something you would do for free, you need to read this book. If you have already launched a side business, you need to read this book. If you find yourself saying things like, “I am an accountant, but I really want to be an artist” or “I am a cop, but I really want to be a professional speaker and author”, this book is a must read!
It is time to quit being an “I’m, but”. This book launched Speaking of Harvey, and I am excited about what it will help you launch!
What is your “I’m _____, but ______”? Leave a comment, and let’s dream together. What do you need to Quit?
