Viziun Blog

Work/Life Balance

As I was sitting watching a television show where one gentleman was being eliminated from a dancing competition, I listened to him as he said his farewells.  He said, "It's not about how much money you have, or the nice clothes, or professional training you get, if you have passion and set goals you can accomplish whatever you put your mind too." I agree 100%! 

This young guy was up against thousands of professionally trained dancers, wearing the best dance gear, having had the best training, worked in the best studios but he beat out 99% of them by his shear passion and determination.

Being an entrepreneur is by far the hardest job you could ever have. I was thinking back to my days in corporate america making six figures in my early twenties and how miserable I was.  I didn't have any passion for what I was doing. I was someone's robot. I did what I was told, produced the desired results, and did it all over again the next day. I was bored senseless.  I was also a slave to my job.  Notice I said "job".

Yes, it was somewhat of a guaranteed paycheck. I knew that if I put in my hours, met my goals, I would be rewarded financially. However, I was severely unhappy.  I was intellectually unchallenged. No one cared about my ideas nor did they want anything truly unique. You always here, "think outside the box", but when you do, doesn't it seem that you always get told "that won't work" or "that isn't a good idea"? It's slowly demotivating and causes your creativity to diminish. 

I swear the moment I was laid off from my most recent corporate position, I had a huge sense of relief. Yes, it was scary not knowing where my next paycheck was going to come from, but I suddenly found myself with so many great ideas and the ability to act on them. No one told me I couldn't do that or that it was against company policy to do or say certain things.  I was finally free to be myself! 

Since that moment, it's as if I am a fire hose that cannot be turned off. My creative juices are over flowing and I've found my passion again. Yes, I've had my challenges and disappointments owning my own business, but at the end of the day, it's mine!  I find myself working harder for me because I enjoy it and it doesn't feel like a job. It feels like I'm fulfilling my passion.

My passion is to help others succeed and with our company I get a change to help new and old businesses establish new ways to reach and exceed their potential. I know I've accomplished my goal when my clients tell me how excited they are and how much our conversations, expertise, and tools have changed their lives and their business. That's what it's all about.

I was just telling another lady yesterday that if you love what  you do, don't quit. Do what you enjoy and the money will follow.  I took this quote from someone's facebook status because I felt it was very relevant to what I was thinking today.

"Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit." -- Paul J. Meyer

With that, no matter how bumpy the road seems, stay your course and you will succeed. Follow your dreams, be passionate about what you do, live life to inspire and you too will be inspired!

To your continued success,

Erin Glass
Co-Founder
Viziun Media

During a recent conversation with a dear friend of mine, I started thinking about why had no one put together a blog or a book on how to prepare to launch a business. There's plenty of information readily available telling you what resources you need, how to write a business plan, how to apply for funding, and so on.

Why is there no information on how to prepare yourself emotionally and mentally for starting a business?  Well, I decided I'm going to address this important point. Many people have dreams of starting their own company and few people actually succeed. Why?  I'm sure there are a number of reasons, circumstances, and pitfalls that prevent a large number of these entrepreneurs from succeeding and resilience may be one of those.

No one said it would be easy. Check
You will work harder than you ever have before. Check
It will take time to be profitable. Check

These are common things we hear when we are thinking of starting our own business.  What about someone sharing these words of wisdom?

You may fail and that's okay. That's how you'll grow.
You will probably loose friends during this time. Be prepared.
People don't want to hear about your success. Sad, but true, so you're better suited to keep it to yourself.
There will always be people betting against you. Use that to drive you and stay focused.
Don't expect your family to help you through this. It's nice if they do, but don't count on it.
There will always be competition and people trying to copy your efforts. Continue learning to stay ahead.
Don't become complacent.  You have to be open to change and evolving.
You'll never have 100% of your customers satisfied. It's impossible.
At the end of the day, no one really cares if your business is successful but you.

These may be harsh words, but they're true. If you know to expect these types of situations and reactions, then you will understand that it's NORMAL. It does not mean you need to pack up shop and move on.  Keep going. Keep forging forward.

Think about some of the most successful people in the world today. Have you heard their stories? The majority will share with you that the journey was not easy. It was filled with heartache, pain, and disappointment, but they didn't allow that to deter them from their goal.

Nothing great comes without sacrifice and in order to be prepared to handle the good times and great success, you need to be able to manage the bad times. These are life lessons and consider yourself fortunate to have the opportunity to experience them.  Most people don't even get that far.

Keep dreaming, keep making mistakes, keep driving forward. Don't let the 'life lessons" prevent you from reaching your target. 

To your continued success,

Erin Glass

So, this blog is a little bit different. I know that each of us is an entrepreneur to some degree and I have to say that there is a unique quality among us.  We tend to be very creative thinkers. We are always coming up with new ideas, better ideas, and ways to improve what we are currently doing.

I think it's great to continually evolve as that's what makes your business sustainable.  However, I think it's important to note that if you continue to "move forward" with out giving your current "product", "process", or "message" time to really be effective, you will fail to gain the necessary momentum to propel you into the next phase.

This is one of the most challenging things for us as entrepreneurs to do, be patient.  Set short and long term goals and stick to them.  Gauge your progress and if once you've hit your benchmark, it's not working, then re-evaluate.  It's natural that your initial idea may not even resemble your final product, but that's how we create. 

I'm not saying to stop looking for ways to improve. I'm saying make sure you give your current idea or product time to determine what improvements (if any) need to be made.

I'll leave you with something some one once told me. "Hard work along will not determine success; Consistency will."

Keep that in mind as you proceed in your endeavors.  Best wishes to you all!

To Your Continued Success,

Erin Glass
COO

www.viziun.com

It is interesting to me how some things that we hear, smell, touch and even see can create an instant flashback to a particular moment. A memory of a time and/or place that is as real as its original experience. Even more so, how those moments can invoke a very real and specific emotion. During a call recently, my older brother recalled such a memory of us that was triggered by me wishing him a Happy Birthday. WIthin 30 seconds, he had taken us both back to a particular moment, recalling the road that we were on, the car that we were in, and even the look on both of our faces as I gave him a particular birthday gift. More importantly is that along with the images of that moment, he absorbed, filed away and recalled a particular emotion that we were both now able to relish. Because my brother was able to attach an emotion to a visual memory, I know now, a decade later, that my brother has a historical appreciation of me.

I am a bit of a movie-goer, and relish in the fact that I have probably watched over 300 movies in my short life (this is including those seen more than once). I agree with the anti-movie-enthusiasts, in that a lot of time can be wasted in watching movies. Some are long (enter sarcastic smile here). However, I find that I can live vicariously through most characters, and read deeper into the core character or emotions of the actor, than most probably do. I enjoy learning people, their motives, their actions and reactions. A related pastime of yours may be "people watching" at any public venue. I guess you can call "People Learning" a passion of mine. (sidenote: I have learned that I can define a Passion as something that I can never be dissapointed in when doing)

An example of this is "Good Will Hunting" from the mid '90s with Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Ben Afleck (Movie Reviews). Though not a story of my life, I draw a few relations to Matt Damon's character. What is interesting to me is that although I have seen this movie at least a dozen times, I still find myself laughing at his engagement with Robin Williams' character, as well as pulling for Damon to find the strength to dictate the outcome of his own life. I think that this movie was superbly written. Though humor is subtle and sparatic throughout the movie, opposite of Williams' common performances, the ending leaves me motivated to find a way to remain open to new and unknown opportunities, and not prevent them with emotional stubborness.

The common thread here is that it was a movie that recalled emotions that are tied to the images of those memories of mine. For you, it may be a picture, a smell or a conversation. The emotions invoked could be those of enlightenment and anticipation, or of sorrow and unhappiness. Whatever it is, know that it is not the past that holds your future, but the decisions made today of how you allow your emotions react to present opportunities.

Be Encouraged,
Gary Glass
President/CEO
Viziun Media LLC

www.viziun.com
"Putting you back in control of your business!"