CYBLN 41: Four Powerful Secrets Of Building a Successful Business On The Side [Interview]

These 4 Powerful Secrets Of Building a Successful Business On The Side will help you get started in the pursuit of your dream.

In this episode, my guest Kent Julian from Live It Forward shares four powerful secrets of building a successful business on the side. He also outlines a special technique on how to get your family to be supportive of or buy into, your vision.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Thanks to all who have left a review of the Choose Your Best Life Now Show on iTunes. If you have not yet left a review and rating you can do so by clicking here: Leave me a rating on iTunes Now!

FEATURE SEGMENT:

My Guest Kent Julian shares 4 powerful secrets of building a business on the side.

The following 4 Secrets are explained within the podcast:

1. Lead your life from quiet – reading thinking, praying, reflect, … think about your life where you’re going and what you’re doing to get there.
2. Practice the Pareto principle … 20 % of your efforts produce 80% of your results.
3. Put together a to-do list using “what is your 20%” that you want to accomplish.
4. [Tweet “Find a way to put 80% of your time into the 20% that’s going to get you the 80% of your results ~ Kent Julian”]

This is a game-changer when you’re able to think this way and do it.

Some other thoughts / suggestions within the episode:

• If you could envision your life 3 – 5 years from now, what would that look like? Getting a clear picture of that is so important.
• All of us can choose to live our best life now. No matter how long it takes and no matter how hard it is, I’m going to live that life.
• If you really want something bad enough; something of significance, look at what others are doing and do the opposite.
• Your hurdles are going to be at different places in your life. You just don’t get over one and it’s over. 

I can go back and re-feel what it was like to go through the times when things were hard and where I felt the lack of confidence, doubts, questions, etc.

Kent’s Brief Story:

I learned to jump through my hurdles. The first one was in middle and high school. Very low self-esteem and poor academic performance. I graduated high school and was not able to get into college. However, I worked hard and with the encouragement of others, I went on to complete college and eventually earned my masters. That was a hurdle that gave me great encouragement.

I felt stuck after 15 years of youth ministry and reaching the pinnacle of that vocation. I enjoyed thoroughly what I did but I know that I was in a new season and needed to do something else.

I started my own business at 38 years of age and through hard work and all the feelings that come with launching a new business, I bust through the challenges to pursue living my best life now. For the next 18 months I work on my business on the side until it was bringing in sufficient income to replace my full-time income.

It seems like everything slows down at midlife. We have had jobs. We have our kids. We have bought a car, a house, gotten married … what else. No more newness. It seems like maintenance mode. Now I begin to question if where I am is really the best fit for my life. 

One of the questions that really helped me was this: “As I looked forward thinking of the next 15 – 20 years, do I want to do this for those years?”

So, it became, what’s next.

On Preparing Your Spouse / Family:

It’s important to prepare your family and important people in your life for what you’re feeling and planning to do. My wife helped me with helping her get on board. She knew of my dissatisfaction with where I was in my work. We had conversations around that. Those became seeds of preparation.

So I decided I wanted to start my own business. I wanted to have a coaching component and other aspects.

She helped my by asking tough questions: what if it doesn’t work? Then what? She didn’t want me to throw away our family’s future to pursue my dream. This was a huge concern for her. This helped me. So I went into team mode with her and made a commitment to her as far as what I’ll do and won’t do.

My commitment, I will never bring in less than I am bringing in now from my full-time job. So I’ll start this job on the side and see how it goes. If it doesn’t live up to what I’m expecting or striving for, I will work 2 or 3 jobs if needed.

Fear: If you pursue your dream and not risk your entire lifestyle – not mortgaging your house – and quit thinking about it as if I don’t make it I”m not successful. You are successful just by getting started. There’s no negative but all uphill if you pursue your dream.

You’ll meet new people, have opportunities open to you, do things that you would never be able to do if you didn’t begin the pursuit of your dream.

I have had opportunities that I would not have had if I had not pursued my dream. There’ no downside in pursuing your dream. It’s all upside.

Secondly, you have to figure out a way to put significant time into it. [Tweet “A lot of people dream but they don’t do ~ Kent Julian”]

I changed my mindset and also the math on how I did my life. I worked out my time allotment – how much time I could devote to this business. Schedule time for family, faith, friends and put time in my business. (See math below)

Kent’s Tip on Strategic clutter (pen and paper), that works for him:

Pen and Paper is what I use for my 20 / 80 list (Pareto Principle). Every week I re-list (write down) my task. it forces me to think if this is important or is it not. I then write it on a 3×5 card everyday. It forces me to think on a regular basis on what is most important and how to make it so.

Books:

• YouVersion Electronic Bible
• The Success Principles (TM): How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be ~ Jack Canfield
• The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less ~ Richard Koch 

Tools:  

• Evernote App
• Insightly.com

Where can you be found:

• Liveitforward.com
• Kentjulian.com

Speak it forward conference: May 8th -10th 2014 in Atlanta, GA … How to start a speaking business. A systematic approach to your message and marketing.

What To Do Now

If you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribed (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the show by increasing its visibility. If you have an idea for a podcast you would like to hear or a question about an upcoming episode, e-mail me. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher Radio.

YOUR FEEDBACK

This podcast is very practical and inspiring but also thought provoking. Both Kent and I would love to hear your thoughts on what stood out to you the most within this episode.