The Millennial Mentors: Volume 1

MILLENNIALMENTORS

VOLUME 1

By Dave Anderson

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TABLE OF CONTENTS! ! !! !! !

INTRODUCTION

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ONE - Who Are We? (‘Millennials’ Defined by Tamara Thorpe)

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TWO - Our Expanded Vision, In a Smaller World (Through the Eyes of PK Smith)

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THREE - Upgrading Your Mindset (Insight from Erik Coover)

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FOUR - The Secret of Destiny (Lessons from Yahya Bakkar)

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FIVE - Millennial Money Matters (Financial Wisdom from Eric Roy)

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SIX - Get a Paper Route! (An Inspired ‘Ass-Kicking’ from Aaron Prasad)

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SEVEN - Choose Your Team (Lessons on Creative Collaboration from Daniel Francavilla)

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EIGHT - Trust in the Dots (Reflections from Amy Tepperman)

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NINE - Say “Thank You”, Then Jump (Ninja Start-up Methods from Blake Fleischacker)

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INTRODUCTION !! !

I have so much gratitude for my parents and my family. You see, I grew up in a household with a mom and dad who told me I could be, do and have anything I wanted.

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At the age of four, when I decided to dress up for Halloween as a chimney sweep from the movie ‘Mary Poppins’, my parents told me I could.

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For most of my childhood, my dream was to play baseball in the Major Leagues.

My parents told me I could.

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At the end of high school, after a 4 year hiatus, I fell in love with music again and set out to become a professional opera singer. My parents told me I could.

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As I graduated university and started a career in retail with Apple, I had a vision to climb to the top of the company and maybe one day, work on campus in Cupertino. My parents told me I could.

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Two years later when I left Apple to become a full-time, work-from-wherever ‘Lifestyle Entrepreneur’, my parents told me I could.

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I was conditioned to believe that anything and everything is possible. For that, I am eternally grateful.

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It has now been three years and six months since I was last employed. I suspect that my job with Apple will be the last one I ever have. In just about every way, I have slowly but surely become what many refer to as ‘psychologically unemployable’.

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It’s taken some time, but I can finally say that I am starting to figure this thing out.

I spend all of my time doing work I love, and I take six times more vacation than I did four years ago. I rarely work more than 30 hours/week, and I don’t deal with any politics and am never worried about being passed up for a promotion.

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I am focused on growth. I love working with people and I’m lucky to be able to choose exactly who I spend my professional time with. I live in a world that is collaborative, not competitive. I get to spend lots and lots of time with the people I love the most.

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Moving Millennials is a vision I have had for nearly a year. It’s based on a belief I’ve held deep within me for some time, that young people can literally customize every single aspect of their career and their life, without limitations. Furthermore, it is more possible today than it has ever been.

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As Millennials, I believe we are the luckiest generation in history to enter the workforce. The game has completely changed, and there are virtually no rules. If we allow it to, the ‘work paradigm’ that has existed since the early 1800s - that is, 40 hours per week for 40 years - can vanish in an instant. Poof. Gone.

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It no longer makes sense, it is unnecessary and it absolutely will not move the world forward the way it needs to.

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What’s the new paradigm? Here’s the kicker - we get to design it. We get to choose it, and it will likely vary from person to person.

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Here’s my version of it. No bosses. No employees. No 9-5, Monday through Friday.

No weekday is better than any other. Sunday nights are just as good as Fridays.

Everyday is ideal.

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Work is comprised of one, two or a few ‘passion-centred projects’ that grow and evolve over time, all of which offer a unique contribution to a portion of society, with no geographic boundaries.

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Time and lifestyle are valued before money, though money is more abundant than ever before, and family benefits the most.

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I’ve decided to hang out in this world, and my vision is to help thousands of young people from across the world, move in with me.

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We’re living in a time where everyday expenses will continue to rise at faster rate than ‘traditional economy’ incomes. For this reason, stepping into entrepreneurship is more important than ever before. The time is fast approaching where the scale will tip and it will become the norm.

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This book is the first in a series that features the brightest Millennial Mentors I have had the privilege to meet and interview through my podcast, Moving Millennials.

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Each chapter outlines the key lessons from our conversation, and how you can apply them in your life, starting now.

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My hope is that you can take just one thing away from one of these exceptional people that might cause you to move forward in some way.

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And if someone’s perspective inspires you to cannonball into Lifestyle Entrepreneurship, we’re here to catch you.

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I’m excited to hear all of your thoughts and feedback, and you can share it in our Facebook community at http://facebook.com/movingmillennials.

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It’s time to begin. Let’s get moving!

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One - Who Are We (Millennials Defined by Tamara Thorpe) !! !!

We’ve all heard it. Lazy, self-involved, the ‘Me’ generation, entitled, arrogant. All words that some of used to describe our generation.

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With a Masters Degree in Leadership and Training, and extensive academic study on intergenerational collaboration, Tamara Thorpe is THE Millennial Mentor, and she sees things differently. Her perspective is refreshing, and empowering.

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She absolutely believes that generational differences exist, and that the time in which we grow up shapes our values and beliefs. She explains that we simply develop a common set of values and beliefs with the people in our generation.

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What she also says is that just like other differences like culture, race and ethnicity, these differences should be used to give us insight and to add value to our understanding of people.

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While not a Millennial herself, Tamara’s understanding and appreciation for our generation is deep and sincere. She is the real deal.

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Her perspective on the perceived sense of entitlement our generation carries, is refreshing and makes a whole lot of sense.

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Here’s what she says: !

“Every generation raises their children in a certain way, to try to undo or prevent something from their generational upbringing. Baby Boomers grew up threw the first recession, threw war, and grew up with very little. As a result, they’ve instilled their kids with a lot of confidence and told them they could have whatever they want.”

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Our parents told us we could be, do and have whatever we wanted, and we simply believed them. We took their word for it.

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The result, Tamara says, is that “Millennials have been raised to be very ambitious, which is what gives them the confidence people interpret as entitlement”.

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Tamara is passionate about mentoring millennials, and she shares three reasons why. When it comes to stepping into entrepreneurship, these traits are absolutely everything, and a perfect way to lay the foundation for the rest of this book.

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Millennials have a real drive and passion for knowledge

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Millennials are really open to saying, “I don’t know, teach me”

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Millennials have a willingness to push themselves past their limits

If entrepreneurship is in the cards, the thirst for more knowledge and information is essential. We live in the information age, and it’s the people who learn how to gather relevant and valuable information and effectively communicate those ideas with a specific group of people who will be most successful today, and tomorrow.

Entrepreneurship is the land of the complete unknown for most people, and this can be an amazing thing. In the world of the self-starter, it can be to your advantage to be somewhat ignorant to the ‘startup process’ because it keeps you focused on taking the next step. This is true, as long as you’re open to seeking coaching, training and mentorship. Asking for help is just okay, it’s a genius idea, and will shorten your success curve every single time.

Success lives beyond the comfort zone. This mantra gets tossed around a lot, and for good reason. Entrepreneurship is about stretching. Reaching just a little further than you think you can. Doing one more repetition, even when you’re tired and ready to watch another episode of The Big Bang Theory.

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Before you read on, ask yourself if you posses the three traits Tamara outlined for us. Here’s the really good news… if you do, you have what it takes to step into entrepreneurship. Though it will not be easy all of the time, it is that simple.

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If you’ve got a check-mark next to each one, read on and discover a whole new world in The Evolved Economy.

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Two - Our Expanded Vision, In a Smaller World (Through the Eyes of PK Smith)! ! !

While the vision for his life and business is absolutely GINORMOUS, PK Smith actually lives in a much smaller world than most people.

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Many understand the fact that the internet and social media has allowed us to become more connected than ever before. We know that it’s possible to form a relationship with someone on the other side of the world, and we realize that the internet removes all geographic boundaries from commerce. But are we actually using this exciting reality to our advantage?

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PK is a trainer, a coach, and mentor to hundreds of people all over the world. He is a master at simplifying complex concepts, and crystallizing lenses for all of us to see through. His newest concept, called ‘The Evolved Economy’ quickly shrinks our world, while at the same time expanding our vision.

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The Evolved Economy, PK explains, is the movement that all commerce is moving towards. To help us quickly grasp this concept, PK has defined a few simple ‘mindset shifts’ and a set of guiding principles. As we begin to internalize these ideas, we can’t help but to expand our vision for our potential impact in the world.

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Three Mindset Shifts of an Evolved Economy Thinker !

1. Instead of lifting more, we can build a lever !

The ‘traditional economy’ has programmed us to react in a certain way when in need of more money. We work overtime, or find a second (or third) job. From PK’s perspective, this is a band-aid approach. While it can be a quick way to help pay the bills, it drains us of our energy, time and isn’t sustainable.

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As Millennials, we will move through adulthood in a time where everyday expenses will continue to increase - potentially at a much quicker rate than our traditional economy incomes. For this reason, it’s critical that we begin to

understand the concept of leverage, and find a way to earn more money, without having to sustain an increased time and energy output.

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We move from earner to owner

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We make a distinction between income and revenue

Most of us have been taught to go to school, graduate, and get a job. For the most part, this model worked brilliantly for Baby Boomers, Echo Boomers, and Generation X. As Millennials, we’re entering the workforce during a time when the job market is weakening year over year. In addition to that, this model simply isn’t necessary any more. There are thousands of other possibilities that give us more control and ‘security’ long-term.

This is a simple, yet extremely powerful concept. Most people earn income. In other words, they trade time for money. The problem with this, is that time is finite. If we choose to operate 100% in this paradigm, we are choosing to limit our potential, and in today’s world, this makes no sense. The possibilities are limitless.

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If we can find a way to build a platform that supports a distribution channel through which products and services can move, then we’ve positioned ourselves to generate revenue, and effectively removed the ceiling on our earning potential.

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The Eight Evolved Economy Principles !

1. No Brick and Mortar !

There’s no need to lease an office space, or invest in a storefront. We can work from wherever we want, as long as we have a computer and/or smartphone, and wifi.

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No paid for traditional advertising

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Microscopic start-up costs

Print ads, billboards, radio and tv commercials make no sense in The Evolved Economy. Social media, a free tool we already use everyday, become the steroids for good old fashioned word-of-mouth.

Despite what many believe, it just doesn’t cost very much money to start a business anymore. Check out Chris Guillebeau’s book, The $100 Startup, and discover countless examples of way to start a business for $100 or less.

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Flexible hours

The 9 to 5, eight hours of labour, eight hours of rest, eight hours of recreation movement is now ancient (it dates back to the early 1800s!) In The evolved Economy of 2014, we work when we choose to work. It’s that simple.

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5. No ceiling on revenue !

See Mindset Shift #3. !

6. High net profit !

Combine Principle #3 with Mindset Shift #3 and understand the equation ‘3 + 3 = OMG! Understanding this will give you a fresh concept of ROI (return on investment).

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No borders

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Unique, consumable product or service

Where do they have the internet? That’s where we can do business in The Evolved Economy.

We’ve all heard that it’s more efficient to get repeat business from an existing customer than to acquire a brand new customer. If you can find or create a way to build a distribution channel around a product or service that is consumable, you maximize this principle.

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As powerful as these mindset shifts and principles are, reading through them won’t do much for you. It takes focused attention and time to internalize them, and a long-term commitment to implement them and change your entire world as a result. Here’s the best part - PK says that changing your entire world, is only where it starts.

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As I’ve mentioned, his vision is HUGE, and his world is small. Let’s let PK explain, and put a gigantic, though-provoking bow on this chapter:

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“The Third World is completely superfluous, and the ideas already exist to erase it. Our expanded vision has to include eradicating things that are just unacceptable to our psyche.� ~ PK Smith

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Three - Upgrading Your Mindset (Insight from Erik Coover) !! !

He was the captain of the Division I Golf Team at Arizona State University and was on track to go pro. A few years ago, his career took a turn…for the better. Erik Coover was raised by two wildly successful entrepreneurs, and developed a winning mindset at a very young age. He graduated from college and realized that for him, there was more to life than golf. He made the choice to continue to play golf as a hobby, and shift his primary focus to the business world.

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Now, at just 26 years of age, Erik is living his passion everyday as the Senior Director of Field Development for a multi-billion dollar company. He has very quickly proven himself to be a master at teaching Millennials how to shift there mindset so that they can step into massive success and contribution.

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Erik teaches us to become aware of our current paradigm in three key areas: work; money; and lifestyle. The next step is to decide whether or not we’re seeing all the possibilities, or if we’ve merely been taught to look through a narrow tunnel.

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Work

Go to school, get good grades, hold down a part-time job while in school, maintain the good grades, graduate, find a job, go back to school, graduate, start a career working Monday - Friday, 9 - 5, look forward to Fridays, dread Sunday nights, savour every second of your vacation time, save for retirement at age 65.

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This is the operating system that most of us are running on. Erik says it’s time to upgrade…iOS 7 style.

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Go to school, make lots of friends, start a business part-time while in school, maintain decent grades, graduate, focus on growing your business, get a temporary or part-time job until you’re ready to walk away and become a fulltime ‘Lifestyle Entrepreneur’.

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This is what is possible, if you so choose. ! ! !

2. Money

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Because Erik was programmed with a slightly different OS than most, he’s the guy to explain the difference between earned income and residual income. It’s very simple, and lines up beautifully with PK Smith’s third mindset shift.

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Earned income is where you trade time for money. Residual income is where you build a system that allows you to leverage the time and effort of other people to create recurring cashflow that isn’t directly linked to your time and energy output (PK calls this revenue).

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Just as PK explains, many people intellectually understand the difference between the two. Very few actively tap into the power of residual income or revenue.

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Lifestyle

Travelling, giving back on a global scale, working on passion-projects, spending unlimited amounts of time with your family, waking up when you choose to, looking forward to Monday just as much as Friday, and staying up late Sunday night just because you can.

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For Millennials, as Erik explains, THIS is what is possible. Not in 40 years. Right now.

In your 20s and 30s. There are so many ways to make it happen. For a long time, it was possible to support a family on just one employee-based income. While this will never be true again, it is more possible than ever before for families to be abundantly supported by two stay-at-home parents. Erik says, why not?

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"If you want to really create freedom in your life, do the things you want to do, and create an extraordinary life for yourself at a young age, entrepreneurship is the most powerful gift you can have." ~Erik Coover

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Four - The Secret of Destiny (Lessons from Yayha Bakkar) !! !

Yahya Bakkar is permanently high on life. He is full of passion, purpose and professionalism, and he infuses every aspect of his life with pure fun.

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Perhaps the most fascinating piece of his story, is the fact that he didn’t meet his birth mother until the age of 25. Not only that, but ’the meeting’ took place on national television in Thailand, and he cinematically documented the entire process and shared it with the world, for free (htp://thesecretofdestiny.com).

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For Yahya, the secret to discovering his destiny lies in three principles that can be applied by absolutely anyone, starting now.

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LOVE !

The first concept wraps around an acronym for the word ‘LOVE’. Here it is: !

Listening — Overcomes — Virtually — Everything !

Yahya teaches the audiences he speaks to and writes for, that listening is simply your ability to understand what’s coming up for you in the moment, being honest with yourself, and take action based on what you discover. He explains that the better you become as a listener, the deeper, more authentic your love becomes.

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While initially, this can seem somewhat ambiguous, Yahya shares why it was solely because of his ability to listen to his inner voice years ago, that caused him to experience the destiny of meeting his birth mother.

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BE. DO. HAVE. !

If you’re familiar with Simon Sinek’s TEDx talk and book, ‘Start With Why’, you know about the Golden Circles that explain how the greatest leaders inspire action by communicating from the inside out:

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WHAT HOW WHY

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Simon says (ha!) that too many leaders (and companies) spend time focusing on communicating the intricacies or features of what they are promoting, or how they operate. Starting with why aligns our communication with biology and the way we are all wired to make decisions.

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Yahya applies this same concept to his life mantra:

HAVE DO BE

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Yahya says that too many people are focused on what they want to have, and the actions they need to do in order to achieve their desired outcome, so they can be happy and successful.

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The secret to truly living your destiny is in flipping this around. Yahya sums it up beautifully. He says, “Who am I being, in order to do what I have to do, to have what I want?”

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FEAR !

One more acronym. This one needs very little explanation. When it comes down to it, making the decision to follow your heart and step into entrepreneurship is 100% guaranteed to bring up all kinds of self-doubt, insecurity and hesitation.

When this happens, Yahya says we have two options.

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1. Face Everything And Run 2. Face Everything And Rise

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You choose. !

"Every decision you make creates your destiny.” ~Yahya Bakkar

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Five - Millennial Money Matters (Financial Wisdom from Eric Roy) !! ! !

As a triathlete since the age of 15, he’s learned and practiced the art of discipline for a long time. Having completed a total of 21 ironman races, and reached a level of conditioning that allowed him to break the nine-hour barrier on two separate occasions.

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Eric Roy understands exactly what it means to focus, stay disciplined, think longterm, while maximizing performance in the moment. When it comes to financial insight and wisdom, he is the real deal.

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The 2008 market collapse provided was an eye-opening moment in his career in financial services, when he realized that traditional strategies of financial planning do not always work, and that the following principles weren’t as true as he once had thought:

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RRSPs are essential to any portfolio You can only borrow from banks The rich have investment strategies that aren’t open to the rest of us You can’t protect yourself from market downturns Don’t dip into your nest egg Contribute to an employer pension plan Pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible Earning high returns requires taking high risks

He opened his mind to new possibilities, and now services his clients with a mindset of abundance, not scarcity, and focuses on education before sales.

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Like PK and Tamara, Eric is not a Millennial - but boy is he ever a great Mentor.

Here are four key concepts we learned from Eric that will help to build a solid, long-term financial foundation.

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The 3 Aspects of Parkinson’s Law

C. Northcote Parkinson was a British Essayist, Lecturer and Economist that left us with some valuable writings of his observations. One of which became Parkinson’s Law; a premise in which “work expands to the time envelope allowed”.

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Give someone a project and two days to complete the task – rest assured on Day 2 the project is complete. Give that same project to the same person, but with 20 days to complete, and get ready to bet that on Day 20 the project is getting complete. This is a fundamental issue with human nature.

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His second observation has to do with the way we very quick to turn a “luxury into a necessity overnight”.

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Finally, he noted that “expenses quickly rise to meet income”. This really is a law, and makes a lot of sense (no pun intended).

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The great news is that we can absolutely overcome these natural human tendencies. In fact, we can set up automated systems that work for us to break through these universal flaws.

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The 15% Rule

This one is simple to understand. Eric recommends that 15% of what you earn before taxes should be put aside for later. This is often referred to as ‘paying yourself first’. It’s nothing new, but something that most people simply don’t do.

This is becoming especially true for Millennials. Cost of living is increasing more quickly than our traditional economy incomes, we have student debt, and we love to consume.

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For this reason, automating a way to apply the 15% rule is one way to ensure you don’t fall victim to Parkinson’s Law.

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The Concept of Proper Diversification

The concept of ‘Diversification’ as referred to in traditional financial advice, is flawed. The principle is spot on: protect yourself financially by placing your money in different categories and investment products (ie. stocks, bonds, GICs, money market, funds).

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Eric explains that the problem with this way of thinking about diversification is that this type of portfolio is far less diversified that many realize. In fact, all of these categories actually sit in the exact same asset class. He calls it ‘paper money’.

He teaches diversification by teaching his clients that there are actually four asset classes. Over time, it’s important to build portfolio in each of these four areas.

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II. Real Estate

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III. Commodities

Your Own Business

This is the place to start. Way too many people never even consider the fact that as an investment, a business can bring a higher ROI, and more security and control than any ‘third-party’ investment. Perhaps beginning to look at the possibility of having your own business as an essential piece of your long-term investment strategy, is the shift you need to start something.

This requires some capital, and can be a great way to further grow the revenue generated from your business. As with anything, Eric says it’s important to get educated first, and seek guidance and mentorship, especially when you’re stepping into your first rental property.

Precious metals, hard assets. Physical gold, silver etc… Commodities have intrinsic value and as a result, have no ‘counter-party risk’. In other words, they don’t depend on a company, group of companies, a team of executives, and increasing business metrics in order to preserve their purchasing power.

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IV. Paper Assets

The most common asset class. Stocks, bonds, GICs, funds, etc…

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An Introduction to the ‘Infinite Banking’ Concept

Despite the fact that it’s been around for over 30 years, many have never heard of the ‘Infinite Banking’. In fact, Eric didn’t touch it for the first 9 years of his career as an advisor. Now, he’s a leading educator on the principles of Infinite Banking.

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The idea stems from one simple, and powerful question: Why do we borrow from banks and other lenders and pay interest to them? Figures have shown that the average person can spend between 30-50% of their annual income on financing charges. The Millennial generation, graduating with more student debt than any previous generation is at risk of elevating these numbers even further.

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At it’s core, Infinite Banking is way to use a permanent life insurance policy to create your own pool of savings, and borrow from yourself the next time you want to purchase an automobile, pay for your children’s education, or even take a vacation.

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Even better, borrow from yourself to take advantage of another investment opportunity. This puts the velocity of money in your favour.

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As with any investment strategy, it’s important to educate yourself and make your own informed decision about whether or not it makes sense for your situation. If you’re excited to learn more about this, a great place to start is by reading Eric’s article at: http://www.infinitebankingcanada.ca/basics/infinite-banking-canadaconcept.html

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I love the quote Eric shared to wrap up our conversation. As it turns out, it comes from Will Smith:

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“Too many people spend money they really don’t have, on things they really don’t need, to impress people who really don’t care”. ~Will Smith

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Thank you Eric for this amazing information. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Six - Get a Paper Route! (An Inspired Ass-Kicking from Aaron Prasad)! ! !

Hustle? This guy’s got it. Passion? He’s got that too. A dog trained to respond to command in Spanish? You bet. Aaron Prasad is one of the kind, and one of the most talented, focused and disciplined young professionals I know.

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“I’m really busy” is a line that’s become far too common in our everyday conversations and self-talk. Aaron won’t have any of it. He is a producer, a mover and a shaker, and he gets stuff done - no excuses.

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To illustrate this point, Aaron shares his story about how getting an early-morning paper route (and I mean early!) at the age of 28 for reasons other than the extra income, has allowed him to get more done, feel more energized, spend more time with the people he cares about, and get into the best shape of his life so he can run the World’s Toughest Mudder at the end of the year.

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When Aaron made the decision to sign up for six adventure races in 2014, he had no idea how he was going to find the time in his ‘busy schedule’ to get in peak shape. So, he got creative. Allow me to explain:

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Six days a week, Aaron wakes up at 2:30am. By 3am he is out on the road delivering newspapers in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Here’s why the paper route is so powerful: it forces him to run every morning, while carrying a sack of newspapers.

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By 8am he’s finished the paper route and is ready to take his dog named Gambit for a 30 minute walk. So get this - by 9am every morning, Aaron has run about 8 kilometres (yes, the paper route is that long since he has to run up and down every street!) and gone for a 30 minute walk with his dog, Gambit.

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As this point, as you can imagine, his brain is electric, his endorphins are buzzing, and he starts his work day (from his home office) feeling like Leonardo DiCaprio with arms spread wide at the front of Titanic.

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Now, this isn’t to say that you need to get a paper route and pull off a 2:30am wake up six days per week. But, for most of us, there are times in our day that we don’t maximize. Of course, we’re going to have days where we’re feeling especially lazy, run down and stressed. The danger is stumbling into a lifestyle of stress, fatigue and being ‘busy’ with work and other ‘stuff’ you don’t love.

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When it comes to start-up advice for new entrepreneurs, Aaron credits Jim Collins and his book Good To Great for creating the winning formula in the form of goodold-fashioned venn diagram:

Simple, visual, powerful. Use these three questions to discover your sweet spot.

Then, take action!

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One of Aaron’s favourite quotes comes out of Will Smith’s mouth in the movie Hitch:

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“Like I always tell my clients — begin each day as if it were on purpose.” ~Hitch ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Seven - Choose Your Team (Lessons on Creative Collaboration from Daniel Francavilla) !! !!

He founded a charity while still in high school, and raised $8000 in one weekend to get it started. He owns and operates a design firm in Toronto called Now Creative Group, and he’s just 23 years of age.

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Two meaningful projects that continue to expand each year, and in both scenarios he is surrounded by a team of leaders, each with their own set of unique skills and abilities.

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Daniel Francavilla understands that entrepreneurship has little to do with your specific skills, and more to do with the way we can produce a compound effect when we build a team of awesome people.

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For many new entrepreneurs, the idea of building a team, hiring an employee, or shifting from self-employed freelancer to a business owner, is one that brings up a handful of objections. “I can’t afford it to bring anyone else one”, “If I want it done the right way, I need to do it”, “I don’t have the patience to train another person”, “I don’t have enough experience on my own yet”… the list goes on.

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From day 1, Daniel has stomped on these roadblocks. He realizes that in order to take on bigger, multi-faceted projects he needs to build a network of other designers who have strengths that compliment his. Because Daniel is only 23 and still relatively new to the profession, he LOVES to access student networks (both high school and post-secondary school) to find young talent in people who are highly-motivated to do great work.

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He’s especially focused on teaming up with designers who bring a completely different approach to the work then he does. For example, while Daniel comes from a very pure design background, one of his team mates named Damien has a formal background in engineering, and thus takes a slightly more left-brain approach to design.

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This specific partnership allows Now Creative Group to see more possibilities, more angles, and build a design process into the firm’s DNA that is more holistic.

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The great news about Millennials is that we are in fact more wired for creative collaboration than any generation before us. The education system shifted towards more group work as we were moving through elementary school. As a generation we love team sports, and working together through the arts.

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We’re naturals when it comes to social networking and don’t think twice about reaching out to friends for advice in our personal and professional lives.

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With this in mind, it’s critical to keep your collaborate hat on when stepping into entrepreneurship. Working for yourself should rarely mean working by yourself.

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Daniel shares one more helpful tip when it comes for looking for people to collaborate with. He has built the habit of regularly attending events. Not just the traditional ‘networking’ events. He goes to conferences, TEDx events, presentations, design competitions, etc..

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No matter what profession you choose, consistently finding ways to expand your network is essential. Of course it’s partly what you know. But mostly, it’s who you know. There are amazing people everywhere. Go meet them!

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I love the quote Daniel shared from Lemony Snicket: !

“Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course”. ~Lemony Snicket

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Eight - Trust in the Dots (Reflections from Amy Tepperman)! ! ! !

Growing up, she was a competitive dancer. Ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, Contemporary. Rooms filled with (mostly) girls and their mothers, tons of make-up and boatloads of hairspray. While she didn’t always love the environment and the culture, she was actually laying the groundwork for her passion-filled career.

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Years later, at the end of high school, she gets accepted to a six-month film production program, and just as the year was about to begin, the school goes bankrupt, and students were automatically placed into a different school.

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With a new buffet of options at the International Academy of Design in Toronto, Amy selected Digital Animation as her new field of study: something she new absolutely nothing about, and had never considered.

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Believe it or not, it was actually Amy’s dance background caused her to thrive in new career path. It turns out that Digital Animation has less to do with drawing, and more with operating as a virtual puppeteer. Understanding movement, performance, rhythm and timing ended up being a tremendous asset for her.

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She finished the 1-year program and jumped right into a career in animation. She had made it. She was going to be a Digital Animator for the rest of her life. That is, until she wasn’t…

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Two years after finishing school is when Amy experience her first taste of Entrepreneurship. While most of her friends were still finishing college or university Amy was acquiring her first piece of real estate. She bought a house that had apartments which could cover her mortgage payments. Smart!

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Now she’s really made it. Age 23, a career as a Digital Animator, and a landlord, living in downtown Toronto with microscopic living expenses. Sweet!

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Looking back, Amy realizes this was merely a ‘dot’ along the road that would give her a financial cushion so that she could leave the work force and step into fulltime entrepreneurship when the time was right.

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One day, through a conversation with her boss, Amy learned that in Canada, the industry of Digital Animation was spiralling downward, and that there likely wouldn’t be an abundance of opportunity down the road. Not good for someone who has no university or college degree to ‘fall back on’, and only has a 1-year diploma in Digital Animation.

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Time to get creative! Amy’s wheels start to spin. Start a dance studio; launch an online dance education program; a webisode series that would teach kids how to make creative school lunches. She had a few ideas and was on the right track, but wasn’t feeling any of them enough to dive in.

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In the mean time, based on a friend’s recommendation, Amy had signed up for a weekend course on a dance method called Groove. Amy’s only experience with Groove was through a 1-hour class she attended which was lead by a woman named Michele Hillier. She didn’t love the class, and was hesitant to take this weekend course as a result.

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Nonetheless, she convinced herself to go. What she learned on her first day surprised her in the best way possible. Groove, as it turns out, is not so much about traditional dance fitness (which isn’t Amy’s thing). Groove is really about liberation through movement, freedom of expression and creative stimulation for the body, brain and being (which was her thing).

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Over the course of the weekend, Amy reconnected with Michele, and learned that Michele had a company called Fit2Dance. Michele had retired way early from a career in teaching, and formed Fit2Dance with a vision to bring dance fitness and Groove into schools.

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Amy and Michele really connected that weekend, and Amy began to follow Michele into schools for the sake of market research. You see, Amy was still focused on her ‘school lunch-making webisode series’.

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Slowly but surely, Amy started to lead some of the Groove sessions in the schools.

She enjoyed way more than she initially thought she would, and realized that although she had no idea where it would take her, she had found new path. She didn’t know it just yet, but all of her previous ‘dots’ - her dance background. real estate business background, digital animation experience, and natural creativity

were inches from converging, from creating a perfect storm to form her dream career.

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Fast forward to today. Amy and Michele are the co-visionaries of a company called The Groove Edgeucation. They have a mission to inspire a generation of healthy, happy, creative and confident human beings through the power of music, movement and dance.

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Amy leverages her hands-on real estate business experience every day, as she runs the back end of the company. She utilizes her skills in design and animation to create the visual branding, print materials, and curriculum-based products they now distribute across North America. Finally, she uses her years of dance training and experience, to facilitate Groove in schools with thousands of students and educators every single year.

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If asked even five years ago, Amy would have never guessed she would be doing what she is now. There was no way to see it coming. As Steve Jobs once said in addressing a graduating class at Stanford University:

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“You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path; and that will make all the difference.” ~Steve Jobs

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Amy says this: “Don’t feel pressure to go on a certain path. Take some time to find a path. The only way to find your path is by being active. If we just sit behind a computer and wait for things to come to us, it doesn’t really happen. If we look for things, keep our eyes open, try different things, and go different places, we will meet people and have conversations that will spark different ideas.” ~Amy Tepperman

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Nine - Say “Thank You”, Then Jump (Ninja Start-Up Methods from Blake Fleischacker) !! !!

He’s all smiles, all the time. He lights up any room he walks into, and he lives and breathes gratitude. Blake Fleischacker loved the campus life, and in fact, he spent 7 consecutive years living in residence on a university campus.

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It’ s not what you think. This is no Van Wilder situation. After completing the first year of his undergraduate degree, Blake made the decision to step into the world of student leadership.

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He spent a year as a Frosh Leader, two years as a Residence Advisor and Don, and three more years as a Residence Manager.

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Yes, for four of those years he also went to school. Blake struggled through first year as a business student, and ended up switching to a degree in Sociology and Writing. In true connect-the-dots-backwards form, this academic switch served to be a brilliant move for Blake.

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He took courses like ‘Writing for Humour’, ‘Public Speaking’ and ‘Kids and Family’.

His friends used to laugh at his course selection every single year. Comments such as, “What are you going to do with that degree?” “You won’t be qualified for anything”, and “Seriously?” became things Blake heard often.

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All the while (albeit secretly), Blake was the one laughing. This shift boosted his grades significantly. Why? Because he was now taking classes that he genuinely enjoyed, and was focusing on subjects that catered to his personality and strengths. As a side-benefit, this ended up reduced his academic stress ten-fold, thus allowing him to really step into his campus work in student leadership.

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Let’s fast forward to today and connect some dots (I love this part!). !

Blake Fleischacker is a now a true Lifestyle Entrepreneur and Professional Speaker, earning as much as $3,600 for a 1-hour keynote presentation (checkmark #1 for using his degree). He works from where he wants, when he wants to work, and

with whomever he chooses. He takes vacation when he decides to, and gets out of bed after he’s finished sleeping on Monday mornings.

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What does he speak about? Student life, leadership, communication and appreciation (checkmarks 2, 3 and 4 for using his degree).

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Who does he speak to? Kids ages 6 - 12, teenagers, college and university students, parents and educators (5, 6, 7, 8 … check).

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But wait, there’s more. He’s a published author. The book is called ‘The Campus Life Guide: Secrets to Success in College, University and Life’. Good thing he took all those writing courses! (check #9)

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The lesson here? For the most part, your degree will absolutely not make (or break) your career. YOU do! The coolest thing is that in 2014 we don’t have to fit into an existing mould. In fact, that approach can be extremely limiting.

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We’re lucky enough to live (and start careers) in a time where there’s an abundance of opportunity to literally customize a lifestyle-centric career from the ground up, that is 100% based on your specific and unique skills, personality, and experiences.

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And here’s the thing… there may be pieces of your degree or diploma that you never use, and that is okay. There will be pieces you don’t use now, but some day they will prove to be extremely useful. The dots will connect. You will know when it happens.

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Blake was kind enough to leave us with some massively tangible action steps to apply when stepping into entrepreneurship. Let’s break them down into two simple steps:

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1. !

Say “Thank You”

No matter what type of business you begin, in some way you will rely upon other people to make it successful. Those other people may be your team mates, partners, colleagues, clients or customers. When you’re first launching your business, it’s often helpful to notify the people in your social network to help create that initial buzz.

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The challenge is that nobody wants to be the person sending mass emails to friends and family, or throwing posts up on Facebook that say ‘Hey, look at me! I just started a new business. Want to buy my stuff?’

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The solution? It’s called ‘The Blake Fleischacker Method’. You see, Blake lives gratitude. Allow me to explain. Wherever he goes he carries with him a big stack of blank Thank You cards and envelopes. They are always with him, and he is always searching for the next reason to use one. This is powerful.

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Going about everyday life in search of people to say ‘Thank You’ to (in the form of a handwritten card), has the potential the completely change the game - for you, and for others.

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So when Blake decided to go into business for himself, he didn’t send an email out to his contacts letting them know. He didn’t post about his new business on Facebook in hopes that the right people would come running from the hills to hire him as a speaker.

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Instead, he sent personalized emails to everyone he had worked with in residence life over a span of 7 years. The purpose of the email was simply to let the person know that his time in residence life was coming to an end, and they had made an impact in his life and work along the way. In short, he said ‘Thank You’. He said absolutely nothing about what he was doing next, nothing about his new business.

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What happened as a result of those emails? Many of those people responded. As you can imagine, the typical response went something like this: ‘Thank Blake, that means a lot. Congratulations on all of your success in residence life and leadership. What are you up to next?’

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And there it is. They asked. The rest is easy. !

This one method alone allowed Blake to fill his speaking schedule on college and university campuses (as a total newbie) for the months of August and September.

He was off to the races, and grateful.

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Jump

While the concept of this step could not be any simpler, so many people never do it. Most people tip-toe into their new venture. This is completely understandable.

We’re taught to ‘proceed with caution’ when exploring unfamiliar territory.

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Blake’s approach was to jump right in the deep end. When his contract expired with the university he was working for, he chose not to get another job, and decided he would make it work.

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He moved in with his brother and sister-in-law for the summer, made a work space in their basement, got to work filling his speaking calendar for August and September, and self published a book. This was huge. From the moment Blake called himself a professional speaker, he could also add the word Author to the mix. This did tons for his credibility, especially since he was new to the profession.

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As we all know, there are thousands and thousands of people who have a goal of publishing a book at some point in their lives. Very few people ever do. It can be a daunting task, and many simply aren’t willing to do the work and see it through.

Blake was. He jumped in. Now, he’s swimming the butterfly stroke.

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