Archives for May 2021

Vivid Vision®: Where, Not How

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One of the best parts of creating a Vivid Vision® is the chance it gives you to tear off the shackles of reality and logic and, instead, fantasize about your future. The problem is, more often than not, successful entrepreneurs have a hard time tapping into their creative side. The pragmatic, logical thought patterns that made them successful don’t allow a lot of room for imagination.

It’s a thought pattern they need to break free from. Here is how to do that, how to focus on the where rather than the how of your Vivid Vision®.

But First, for Those that are New, What’s a Vivid Vision®?

A Vivid Vision® is essentially the plan for the future of your company. It’s one that has to be big and ambitious and filled with piles and piles of hope for your company.

“A Vivid Vision® is a document, roughly three pages in length, describing what a company’s highest-ranking executive envisions for that company in vivid detail. It describes what the future holds for the company but not how it’ll get there.” – Cameron Herold Blog

So, now that you know what a Vivid Vision® is, how do you tap into your creative side to create one?

The Space You’re In Matters

The first thing you can do to unlock your creative side is to get into a creative space. By sitting in the same, old office you do all your work in, you’re going to have a much harder time breaking from the serious, logical mindset that’s required to do all your other work.

Getting creative is getting out of your shell. This first step is taking that literally. Get out of your office!

Don’t Worry About Being Practical

Your Vivid Vision® can be outlandish and it’s important that you acknowledge that and accept it. Allow yourself to think about crazy stuff. If you have an idea that’s too outlandish or impractical to bring up in a meeting, then it should definitely be considered for your Vivid Vision®.

The thing about brainstorming big, impractical ideas for your Vivid Vision® is that you don’t need to use them all in the end. You just have to allow yourself to think outside the box for a while and jot down all sorts of absurd ideas. Then, eventually, you can think more practically and pick and choose which ones to use, but before that time comes you have to leave the practicality behind and just brainstorm!

Do Some Mind Mapping

For that brainstorm of crazy ideas mentioned above, you can use a technique called ‘mind-mapping.’ For this technique, you write down whatever thoughts pop into your head no matter how crazy they are. Each idea inspires another. Sometimes they’re connected and other times they’re completely random.

After a while, you’ll be left with a sheet of paper covered with seemingly unconnected notes. Then, when you dig a little deeper, patterns begin to emerge. They are ideas or directions you might not have been actively thinking of, but your creative subconscious certainly was.

It’s hard to let go of the how, but just like these directions in your mind map, the how of your Vivid Vision® happens organically. You just have to let it. Besides, these lofty goals and crazy visions aren’t necessarily supposed to be achieved. Rather, they are meant to act as guides leading you down a positive path. Sure, the path might not end with your logo on Oprah, but the steps you take in trying to get there will undoubtedly lead you to a better place.

So get out of your own way and imagine a future without limits. Who knows, you just might get there.

Do you have any big, absurd ideas to share? Let us know in the comments below!

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2016 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

How Far Should Leaders Think Ahead?

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It’s no question that thinking ahead is important for everyone, but especially for leaders and businesses. The question is, how far should you think ahead? Is there such a thing as thinking too far ahead?

We’ve all been in job interviews and fielded the inevitable question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” It’s a tough one to answer without appearing too ambitious or too complacent.

But that’s not all. This question is flawed for a whole other reason. In a world as fast-paced as ours, how on earth can you accurately describe where you’ll be in five years?

The World is Changing Faster Than Ever Before

If someone had told you five years ago that you’d be unlocking your phone with face recognition, choosing between a billion streaming platforms to watch a movie on, and spending hours scrolling through Instagram, would you have believed them?

At the rate of change we’re seeing now, you could very well be married to a robot and living on Mars in five years.

That’s why there is such a thing as thinking too far ahead. Instead of looking five years into the future, try three. That’s the perfect length of time for any leader to think ahead, especially when creating their Vivid Vision®.

The Three Year Vivid Vision®

When creating a Vivid Vision® for your company, three years is far enough into the future to allow for some optimistic dreaming, but short-term enough to avoid having technological advancements make your plans seem dated and useless.

Trying to visualize where your company will be further out can get overwhelming. There are too many factors to consider, too much to cover, and too many contingencies to build in. Do all the work to plan what your company will look like in 10 years, then watch as it all crumbles to the ground when some MIT grad comes along and invents some revolutionary technology that completely changes the game. Think ahead, but not too far ahead.

Three Years is Plenty of Time to Make it Come True

Three years means you won’t have to continually undergo the process of reworking your Vivid Vision®. It’s a good idea to begin working on your Vivid Vision® about six months before the existing one is complete. That’ll give you plenty of time to make the old one come true before the new one comes into play.

Hopefully, you’ve hired ambitious people, too. A shorter-term Vivid Vision® allows them to advance and move up in rank without disrupting your plan. If you try to forecast further out and share a vision of the company that doesn’t accommodate growth for certain employees. You might find yourself losing talent.

Young, ambitious, entrepreneurial-type employees that got where they are by always looking into the future are great kinds of people to work with, but it can be difficult to get them to scale back and focus on only the next three years. Explain it to them like this: in order to create your Vivid Vision®, you have to keep one foot planted in the present and lean out to test the soil in the future with your other foot. If you lean out too far, you’ll fall down.

So don’t think ahead of yourself. Craft your Vivid Vision® three years out and get to work making it come true. Those 36 months will be over before you know it!

How far do you think ahead? Does it work for you? Let us know in the comments below!

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2016 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

The Value in Sharing Your Business Ideas

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Lots of people are afraid to share their ideas. These can be business ideas, movie ideas, product ideas, etc. Big ideas are hard and scary to share. You don’t want people to steal them or make fun of them, but the problem is that if you don’t share them then you’re stuck trying to make these big ideas real all by yourself.

It’s a long, hard, uphill journey to succeed and an even harder one when you’re alone. It’s beyond valuable to share your business ideas. That little part of you that is too scared to share them due to the fear that “others will act on them first” needs to be ignored. This blog is here to tell you why.

Making Your Business Ideas A Reality

Sharing your business ideas is one of the best ways to ensure that they come to fruition. Admitting that ambitious idea to others inspires you to work harder to succeed at it. Once others know, you are far less likely to give up when things get hard. So, write down your idea, share it on your website, and let everyone read it.

“Sharing your goals helps to keep you accountable. When you know that someone knows you’re trying to achieve something, you’re much more likely to actually achieve it. You don’t want the embarrassment of that person knowing you never did it.” – Cameron Herold

Rather than be afraid of others stealing your idea, get excited about the fact that your friends, colleagues, and associates are reading it and become allies in your ambitious endeavor. The more people that hear your ideas or see your vision, the more help you have in making it come true.

Sharing Helps Put The Pieces Together

It’s important to remember that your business idea or vision isn’t an inflexible blueprint of the future. It’s more concerned with where your business is going rather than how you’re going to get there. That’s where sharing comes in. Getting other people’s input can help you start to put the pieces of “how to get there” together.

“When you speak your goals and difficulties out loud to someone you trust, you’ll often gain clarity and sharpen your thought process because they can see angles blind to you.” – Inc

Share It With Everyone

When you lay out your vision for your company, you might feel that sharing it with only your senior leaders is appropriate. Why confuse the receptionist with such a high-level strategy, right? That’s where you’re wrong.

How do you know that your receptionist isn’t friends with the executive assistant to the biggest venture capitalist in town? Perhaps your IT person knows the perfect program to simplify your inventory control.

Sharing your business ideas also helps your employees understand their role in the grand scheme. It will prompt them to make decisions that align with this blueprint. This makes succeeding all the more possible!

Knowing Is Empowering

When people are empowered and feel like they are working towards something bigger, amazing things can happen. Sharing your vision can spark a kind of momentum that carries you further than you ever imagined. Others outside your company will see this momentum and will drop anything to be part of it.

Suddenly your suppliers are offering more relaxed terms and your banker feels motivated to loosen their purse strings. Before you know it, you are leading a veritable army of diverse and driven individuals all working to achieve a common dream. All it takes is sharing your big business ideas!

Do you have any exciting ideas brewing? Share them in the comments below!

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2016 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Vivid Vision®: Lean Into the Future

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Your first question upon opening this blog might be: What is a Vivid Vision® and how does it benefit my company’s future?

Well to answer the first part of that question…

“A Vivid Vision® is a document, roughly three pages in length, describing what a company’s highest-ranking executive envisions for that company in vivid detail. It describes what the future holds for the company but not how it’ll get there.” – Cameron Herold Blog

For the second part of that question, the rest of this blog is here to answer that.

Your Company is Like an Olympic Athlete

You might find that statement a little strange, but keep reading. If you watched any of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, you may have seen American downhill skier Lindsey Vonn’s pre-race routine. She would stand there, close her eyes, bob her head back and forth, and wave her hand in front of her face. In other words, she looked like someone having a good time at a Grateful Dead concert.

But what does this have to do with Vivid Vision® and leaning into the future?

Well, in actuality, Vonn was visualizing the run in her head. She was picturing herself carving the turns, tucking on the flats, and sticking the jumps. The two medals she won (including gold) are solid, shiny proof that visualizing works.

But What Does This Have to do With You and Your Company?

You don’t need to be an elite athlete to use visualization. You can use it in just about all aspects of your life, from golfing to renovating the house to going on vacation.

Not only that, but visualization is one of the best tools you can use when growing your company.

Visualization and Your Vivid Vision®

Visualization is a major part of creating a successful Vivid Vision®. It’s an essential exercise every young, ambitious business owner should undertake.

In the case of a Vivid Vision®, visualizing (or, in other words, leaning into the future) involves picturing your business three years down the road, but not in some ambiguous, conceptual way. Close your eyes, hop in your mental time machine, and take a tour around your company three years in the future. Don’t get caught up in the realism either. Dream as big as you want to.

Details to Take Note Of

While you’re visualizing your company three years in the future, take note of as many details as you can. These could include:

  • What does your office look like? Is it open concept? A cubicle farm?
  • How many employees do you have?
  • What is your day like? Are you talking to suppliers? Interviewing job applicants? Negotiating with the bank?
  • What are employees talking about around the water cooler (we should still have water coolers in three years, right?)
  • What is your marketing like? Are you advertising on TV yet? Have you rebranded?
  • How are you funded now? Venture capital? Have you gone public?
  • What does the media write about you? Do you have a PR department?
  • Is the business reflecting your core values?

On one level, doing this lets you enjoy the thrill of seeing where all your hard work is going to take you. On another, more important level, visualizing this future for your Vivid Vision® helps you begin to set goals and make the kinds of conscious and subconscious changes to your thought patterns and behavior that you’ll need in order to create this imagined future.

There is so much research that shows the positive effects of visualization. If it works for Lindsey Vonn and just about every other elite athlete in the world,  it should certainly do wonders for you, your company, and your Vivid Vision®.

Do you use visualization in your life? How has it worked for you? Let us know in the comments below!

If you have questions or would like more information, I’d be happy to help. Please send an email, and my team will get in touch with you!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2016 and has been edited for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Meetings Suck: Turning One Of The Most Loathed Elements Of Business Into One Of The Most Valuable

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We all know that meetings suck, right?

You hear it all the time. It’s the one thing that almost everyone in business can agree on.

Except it’s not actually true… 

Meetings don’t suck.

We just suck at running meetings.   

When done right, meetings not only work, they make people and companies better.

In Meetings Suck, world renowned business expert and growth guru Cameron Herold teaches you how to use focused, time effective meetings to help you and your company soar.

This book shows you immediately actionable, step-by-step systems that ensure that you and everyone in your organization improves your meetings, right away.

In the process, you’ll turn meetings that suck into meetings that work. 

In life, we always hear about people who’ve made huge decisions from their gut – without data.Today, I want you to make a decision, not only from your gut, but also from some data.  A decision that is only $12 per employee but will be priceless for your business.

Right now, your gut is telling you something is wrong with your company’s meetings.  You KNOW everyone complains about meetings.

People HATE going to them, they HATE running them, and they really have NO idea which meetings are truly necessary but they hold meetings simply because they think that is what they SHOULD do.

Even some of the smartest CEOs in the world complain about meetings – Elon Musk publicly told employees at Tesla & SpaceX to walk out of meetings if they weren’t being run properly.

I sent Elon a message saying that wasn’t going to fix anything – the key is to fix the root of the problem – NOT continue to ignore why meetings suck.

A Meeting is – Any phone call, video call or occasion where 2 or more people meet to discuss or work-through office topics.

Most employees on average spend 1-2 hours per day in meetings.

And likely, none of those employees – front-line staff or leaders – have had any training on how to attend meetings or participate in them, LET ALONE How to RUN THEM.

Consider this…

If the Average employee spends just 1 Hour per day in meetings – that’s 1/8th of their time.

If the Average employee earns $50,000 per year.

And they’re spending 1/8th of their time in meetings, that means you’re paying $6,250 dollars per year for just ONE employee to attend meetings.

The reality is, employees spend 1/8th of their time – and 1/8th of your company’s payroll – doing something they have literally NO idea how to do.

The Reality is…

95% of employees are booking & leading meetings – and they have NEVER been trained on how to run them.

95% of employees have had NO training on how to show up and participate in the meetings they attend daily.

And 95% of employees and companies have no idea what meetings are even necessary to hold.

Meetings CAN be hugely effective – IF you know how to run them

Meetings don’t SUCK, we just SUCK at running meetings. 

Investing $15 per employee – to help ensure the $50,000 a year you spend on them is an obvious and easy choice.

This could be the most impactful $15 you’ll ever spend and will save the company’s money, time and resources instantly.

Buying a copy of Meetings Suck for 100% of your employees and having them read it this month will have a huge impact on your company’s success.

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Free PR: How To Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring A PR Firm

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Public relations has always been an essential part of doing business which is probably why you’re shelling out big money to an outside PR firm. But the truth is that you don’t need them. You already have all the necessary tools in-house to do as good a job as the so-called experts. 

Cameron Herold and Adrian Salamunovic have taught thousands of company execs how to exploit free media coverage and ditch these expensive, often ineffective outsiders. 

Cameron & Adrian have also built in-house PR teams, spent decades learning how to generate Free PR and how to leverage public relations to complement their sales and marketing strategy. 

In Free PR, you’ll learn how the media world operates while you gain invaluable insider knowledge and actionable advice on how to: 

  • Build your own in-house PR team
  • Provide effective interviews
  • Score great media coverage for free with just a few easy steps 

Landing public relations coverage for yourself and your company is a powerful tool to help elevate your personal brand. PR is easier to generate than marketing, PR is easier to leverage than marketing and PR is more cost effective than marketing. In other words, Public Relations is more critical than ever in growing your brand and your business. 

You’ve got more passion, commitment, a larger stake, and a deeper understanding of your business than any outside PR firm could ever have. So stop wasting money and take the reins yourself.  Learn the secrets to landing TONS of Free PR for your company.

What they’re saying:

“I think PR is the core for promoting any business. Public relations acquires customers! That’s what’s cool about this book.”

– Kevin O’Leary,  Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank

“The ultimate guidebook for those looking to get press, grow their brand, and get in front of the masses. Free PR is the roadmap you’ve been looking for.”

– Peter Shankman, Founder, Help a Reporter Out (HARO)

“Adrian and Cameron will show you the secrets of getting massive exposure for your business. This book is packed with actionable insights from two guys that actually know how to to do it.”

– Dan Martell,  Serial Entrepreneur & Investor (Intercom.io, Unbounce)

“I told Cameron to write the book on generating free PR. I’m excited to see that he’s finally sharing his secrets with the world. This is a must read for any entrepreneurial company and marketing team.”

– Verne Harnish, Founder of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and author of Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)

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Vivid Vision: A Remarkable Tool For Aligning Your Business Around a Shared Vision of the Future

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Many corporations have slick, flashy mission statements that ultimately do little to motivate employees and less to impress customers, investors, and partners. 

But there is a way to share your excitement for the future of your company in a clear, compelling, and powerful way and entrepreneur and business growth expert Cameron Herold can show you how. 

Vivid Vision is a revolutionary tool that will help owners, CEOs, and senior managers create inspirational, detailed, and actionable three-year mission statements for their companies. In this easy-to-follow guide, Herold walks organization leaders through the simple steps to creating their own Vivid Vision, from brainstorming to sharing the ideas to using the document to drive progress in the years to come. 

By focusing on mapping out how you see your company looking and feeling in every category of business, without getting bogged down by data and numbers or how it will happen, Vivid Vision creates a holistic road map to success that will get all of your teammates passionate about the big picture. 

Your company is your dream, one that you want to share with your staff, clients, and stakeholders. Vivid Vision is the tool you need to make that dream a reality.

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The Miracle Morning for
Entrepreneurs: Elevate Your SELF to
Elevate Your BUSINESS

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READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.

READY FOR EXPLOSIVE GROWTH AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND ACCELERATED SUCCESS IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

Hal Elrod’sThe Miracle Morning has helped redefine the mornings and the lives of millions of readers since 2012. Since then, careers have been launched, goals have been met, and dreams have been realized, all through the power of the Miracle Morning’s six Life S.A.V.E.R.S.

THESE SIX DAILY PRACTICES WILL FUEL YOUR EFFORTS TO CREATE AND SUSTAIN POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.

Now The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs brings you these principles in a whole new light—alongside the Entrepreneurial Elevation Principles and the Entrepreneur’s Elevation Skills. These are essential skills that you need to create a successful business and personal life. Cameron Herold— Bestselling Author and a widely-respected expert on entrepreneurial mindset—brings his wisdom and insight to you using Hal Elrod’s powerful Miracle Morning framework.

DEVELOP A VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS, AND BECOME THE INFLUENTIAL AND INSPIRING LEADER YOU WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE.

The principles and skills you’ll find in this book will help you to channel your passion and achieve balance in a remarkable new way. – Learn why mornings matter more than you think – Learn how to master your own self-leadership and accelerate your personal development – Learn how to manage your energy—physical, mental, and emotional – Learn how to implement Hal Elrod’s invaluable Life S.A.V.E.R.S. in your daily routine – And much more… You’re already an entrepreneur. Now discover how to take your success to the next level by first taking yourself to the next level. The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs is your roadmap to masterfully building an empire with a powerful vision, utilizing your areas of personal genius, with the right team at your side.

Start giving your business and your life the very best opportunities for success, right now.

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Double Double: How To Double Your Revenue And Profit In 3 Years Or Less​

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A step-by-step guide to enjoying the roller-coaster ride of growth — while getting the most out of life as an entrepreneur. A growth-focused approach: The book is divided into three sections, which cover planning for fast growth, building a company for fast growth, and leading for fast growth. Each topic the author covers — from creating a vision for the company’s future to learning how to generate free PR for a developing company — is squarely focused on the end goal: doubling the size of the entrepreneur’s company in three years or less. A down-to-earth action plan: Herold’s experienced-based advice never gets bogged down in generalities or theory. Instead, he offers a wealth of practical tips, including: How to design meetings for maximum efficiency; How to hire top-quality talent; How to grow in particularly tough markets; How to put together a board of advisors — even for a smaller company; How even the busy entrepreneur can achieve a work/life balance.