(If you’d like to follow the highlights, then check out my page on Findings.com.)

One thing I’m coming to understand from Sir Richard’s approach to business, especially after reading his narrative of the early beginnings, is that his view of risk is a fleeting hiccup of mental distraction. 

If there’s a moment where he hesitates to move on an idea solely from the perception of the risks involved, then he takes it upon himself to quickly eliminate the distraction and move on. The larger idea always prevails. 

Sir Richard Branson understands, as do today’s most successful entrepreneurs, that risk is a simple figment of imagination, and therefore it’s something that can be manipulated into whatever form one desires. In fact the very idea that risk might exist in a new direction or situation spurs people like Sir Richard to not only pursue the situation but also to beat himself at his own game. 

Ah, that’s the secret, now isn’t it. If you are the one perceiving and creating the reality of risk, then it’s you who is the obstacle that also must be overcome. Your own perceptions and beliefs are the monster that you’re calling risk. And this is something you can use to your advantage.

I’m quite competitive. It probably has something to do with being the fat kid on the playground, but once I shot up four inches in one summer and coordination caught up with me, the competivitve fire was ignited. 

So for me, its very advantageous to play off that competitive nature, and turn my perception of risk into a villain or challenge that must be overcome. And that stems from my understanding that I’m the one creating the risk to begin with, so the obstacle to overcome is actually a limiting belief I concocted within my subconscious. 

Reframing risk into something that makes it a challenge or even fun to defeat is how the great ones handle “risk management.” Sir Richard reframed his perception of risk into a multi-billion dollar corporation whose core purpose is to create massive global change and better humanity in the process.

The next time you start focusing on the risks ahead of your big decision or new business, then see what other forms you can mold risk into. Is it a competition? A hero’s journey? A mystery that must be solved? You’re the one who created the dreaded monster to begin with. You might as well have fun with it.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into the root cause of risk and how to see through that grand illusion, then grab the latest book, Entrepreneurship At Your Own Risk. 

One hand was clinging my nearly lost backpack, while the other had a death grip on a tiny crease on a granite rock wall. I was high in the air, off the trail, and still only halfway up the massive cliff. If there was ever a time to assess the risks of a situation it was probably about an hour before this moment.

Risk is something most humans acknowledge as a “thing” that exists…out there, everywhere. It’s an ever present potential that can occur at any moment. We’re raised to think this way, to believe in risk and to use it as a word to describe any situation, real or conceived, that can occur at any given time. If you dissect it from that definition, risk is simply a manifestation of faith.

The Biblical definition of faith is “the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). So, if faith is believing in things you can’t necessarily see, then you’re perceiving them as real based on other, indirect evidence. The faith and belief in God or any other deity isn’t backed by a disciple physically seeing that god face to face. It’s supported by the other evidence in their life to point towards and reinforce their faith and belief.

Bringing that back to the idea of risk, we have a word taught to us to describe potentially harmful situations that we aren’t actually seeing as reality yet, but are choosing to believe based on our faith in the existence of risk.

I stared at the rocks and water below. Now I’m even higher than before and the river looked a lot smaller than it did when I started out. I froze. Hanging there, I became transfixed with the potential of falling. After who knows how long, I suddenly heard my own voice inside my head scream, “Snap out of it!” and I jolted back to my present situation. I miraculously found a foothold and put all my weight on that spot. Now I was free to let my arms rest for a moment.

Risk, like just about everything else in life, is simply a matter of perception and attention. It exists only as potential, and that potential is created by what you put your attention on.

See what focusing on risk did? It nearly killed me! It took me away from what I needed to be thinking about in terms of living and not falling to the rocks and river below.

Taking my attention away from perceived risk literally made the difference between having a story to tell from a laptop and a desk, and having a story told about me after finding my crushed body a few miles up river.

Entrepreneurs have a choice: do the work or stare helplessly into the void of “what if.” Focusing on all the perceived risks you’re conjuring up versus focusing on the work at hand is choosing to have stories told about you after the death of your dreams.

This is an excerpt from the new book, Entrepreneurship At Your Own Risk. It’s available now.

photo credit

Welcome to The Grand Illusion. – Styx

It’s what we either dream of or try to avoid. It has many forms – being as varied as the people who entertain it. And yet, when it comes down to it, each version is fundamentally rooted in the belief of “better.”

A better life, a better job, a better offering, a better relationship, a better effort, a better gadget, a better solution, even a better problem (for those who like to play ‘Can You Top This’).

A scenario is envisioned as either the ideal situation or the ultimate failure. In either case, it’s concocted in the name of so-called awareness and founded upon the belief that better exists. Whether it’s striving for better, or avoiding in the name of better.

The Grand Illusion seeks to avoid or somehow manage risk in everyday life. From the mundane to the adventurous, each element of living is usually viewed through the veil of what could be or would be better, safer, more sure. Which is why risk is viewed negatively in the first place.

The fact that risk is involved implies a negative or undesirable situation. And with focus on The Grand Illusion why would one even think of entering a risky situation when there’s better to be obtained by sidestepping or redirecting around the risk?

“No, let’s walk a different way, son. That way looks a little risky,” is a good way to sum up the advice I was given throughout life.

Playing the safe game and aiming for the sure bets were considered commonplace, if not even wise for the American Midwestern male if he was going to be a successful contributor to the small town ecosystem.

Good jobs, steady pay, full benefits, and a house on North Elliot were the badges of the wise ones. The ones who had their heads on straight and knew exactly what they wanted out of life. The Grand Illusion was the manual for living, and to follow it meant success.

If that’s true, then why do these same men, men that were once boys sitting next to me in school, why are these men looking on my pursuits with curiosity, interest, and a hint of jealousy?

Apparently my public failures in the entrepreneurial arena are just enough fodder for them to continually justify their decisions as wise, but in the end, they betray themselves with the questions they ask, and the advice they seek.

To them I’ve risked it all, lost, and risked it all again. Over and over. Refusing to bow to the idol and instead worshiping my own deity, that to them feels familiar, but still is to be denied in exchange for the more popular one that gave them the house, mortgage, utility bill, and property tax.

The Grand Illusion will tell them that ensuring it all works out is strategy and that failure is a sign of weakness, poor planning, and laziness. It woos them into the temple by promising stability, security, safety, and provision. In exchange for all forms of soul enrichment and freedom, that is.

The Grand Illusion isn’t the American Dream, popular culture, or events the cult of belonging. The Grand Illusion tells you there’s a better less harrowing path to pursue and that in doing so, victory or success is made sure.

It’s not that better doesn’t truly exist, or isn’t worth pursuing. There’s always a platinum level to the experiences we’ve had and desire to have. Higher degrees of quality will always be there just out of our reach but close enough to stay in our field of vision as motivation and fuel for movement. This isn’t about avoiding better as it applies to true self improvement.

Also, The Grand Illusion isn’t about sacrificing vision of improvement for the monks robe or the pious persons path as evidence of truly becoming a better person.

No, The Grand Illusion is there to tell you that risk is a reality. That it’s an ever present danger lurking just off the side, waiting for you to take your guard down.

Lately I’m more prone to believe in the existence of Bigfoot rather than believe in risk. (For the record, I am fairly convinced Sasquatch exits.)

Risk, like failure, is smoke and mirrors employed by the perspective of one’s choice. What society calls a reality more often than not proves itself to be a carefully constructed version of your own Truman Show.

The Grand Illusion is there to tell you there’s better and it looks a lot less risky than the path you’re on now.

The second book Entrepreneurship At Your Own Risk is available now. It’s all about exposing the Grand Illusion of risk in the pursuit of entrepreneurial happiness. Learn more here.

Yoga, nutrition, business conduct, personal and professional success, and interpersonal communication are just a few of the topics Farnoosh covers.

She leaves no stone unturned as she shares her experience and wisdom with you for creating the exact life you’ve always wanted.I first encountered Farnoosh a couple years ago via Twitter, and I have to admit, I was shamefully slow in really getting to know her and her work.Once I did, the floodgates of inspiration and beauty opened wide and I was suddenly immersed in her world of health, wealth, and truly meaningful living.

So, I knew Farnoosh needed to tell her story her on The Blueprint Interview Series in hopes of bringing hope to all of you to never settle when it comes to creating your most brilliant life.

Farnoosh Brock is just on of the brilliant minds you’ll find inside the 2011 Blueprint Interview Series.

Interview length: 1 hr | Listen in New Window

Farnoosh Brock

Visit Farnoosh: prolificliving.com
Tweet Farnoosh: @prolificliving

Can’t see the video? Click here.

Mark Silver is on a mission to transform business from the inside out. As a coach, writer, speaker, and Sufi practitioner, Mark embodies the truth that spirituality and business go hand in hand.

For over ten years, Mark has been guiding business owners down the path of creating heart-centered businesses. Something that seems to fly in the face of conventional and traditional advice.

Mark sits down to talk about what it takes to run a heart-centered enterprise and dissolves a lot of the myths around the infusing of spirituality into a business.

We cover a large variety of topics in this interview, but one of the most impacting was Mark’s take on the simple act of copywriting. Watch for that, and you’ll see what I mean.

This is by far, the most peaceful and calm interview I’ve conducted. Mark has that way about him, and it definitely affected my usual energetic approach, bringing me into a much more relaxed state of asking questions. Kind of funny to watch it happen as the interview progresses.

I know you’ll get a lot of “A-ha” moments with this one, as Mark opens up about his path to creating his own heart-centered business and what it means for him to empower others to do the same.

Mark is just one of the brilliant minds you’ll find inside the 2011 Blueprint Interview Series.
 

Mark Silver

Visit Mark: heartofbusiness.com
Tweet Mark: @MarkHeartofBiz

Can’t see the video? Click here.

What’s your biggest hangup when it comes to pricing?

Well, Tara Joyce is about to challenge that petty fear and turn it on it’s head.

Tara is at the forefront of new pricing. Besides being a consultant, designer, and writer, she’s also a successful practitioner of “Value Pricing” and leading the rise of the Innerpreneur – a conscious choice for doing business from the inside out.

Tara sits down to unveil the philosophies behind “Value Pricing” and how to create a thriving system for being an Innerpreneur.

You’ll learn why “Pay What You Can” is NOT “Pay What It’s Worth” and how the former is the most destructive thing you can do to your value and your business.

Sit back, and get ready to go deep. I know you’ll be watching this one over and over and taking new notes every time.

Tara Joyce is just one of the brilliant minds you’ll find inside The 2011 Blueprint Interview Series.

Tara Joyce

Visit Tara: elasticmind.ca
Twitter: @ElasticMind

My wrists were throbbing and at least one of my fingers was obviously broken. The other nine were swollen and wouldn’t move. Breathing was laborious and my ribs felt like they were all caved in. Blood was starting to trickle down my sweat-soaked forehead.

I straightened myself and did what I could to hold my arms up.

“Again!”

I took a deep breath and cautiously approached the voice…and that’s when I charged. In an instant my approach was met with the sharp pain of impact, and my ribs once again took the blow. I dropped to my knees and refused to go on. Many years ago I had the “privilege” of studying kenjutsu – the Japanese art of the sword. No pads, no armor, and no rules. We trained with wooden swords called bokken, which obviously taught severe lessons. And this was my day to learn one of those lessons.

Teacher’s voice rose above my attempts to gasp for air. “Stop trying to control everything. You’ll never win.”

He went on to tell me that battles are won when you are resolved to neither live nor die, but to simply be. I was trying to force an outcome that clearly wasn’t going to happen. With my focus placed on “winning” I was ignoring the most basic of tactics – don’t get hit with a really heavy stick! (I seem to recall him making a comment about how many hits I had to endure before even figuring that part out.)

Humans crave control. There’s so much you seem to be able to have power over these days. Almost everything you interact with has some type of user interface that needs you to manipulate it in order to achieve results.

Digital tools have made it easier for you to begin projects, businesses, and gain customers. It would seem that you have more control than ever in the 21st century.

But do you really? Do you truly have control over results, people’s actions, your customer’s perceptions, and your end goals? It feels that way, and that’s why companies make a ton of money selling items or software that give you the illusion of control. But in the end, all you control are the methods, tactics, and platforms that engage others.

When it’s all said and done, you don’t control the results of a promotion or the outcome of a new business. You can’t. And it’s not for you to even attempt. If there was anything you needed to control it’s your mind, your heart, and the actions that come from those places.

Is there anything you’re fighting to manipulate or bend to your will that’s getting your fingers broke, or ribs smashed? Is it an outcome, or a result? Perhaps it’s letting go of something you once had control over but have outgrown.

Whatever it is, how many hits will it take for you to learn that there is no control? Are you willing to find out?

This is an excerpt from the book, The Year of Zen.

image credit

Seriously, that’s all we needed. A deep red triangle centered on top of a stark black background. And with that simple element, my friend Skylar went from being an unknown to being student body president of our college.

Steve was a late-comer to the race. He made the decision to run with less than two weeks left until election day. The other candidates had already been at it for a solid three weeks prior.

So, Steve needed something simple, memorable, and extremely powerful.

That’s where the red triangle came in.

As his campaign manager, I knew the only way to win was to rally the troops and fast. We needed a message, a symbol of that message, and a way to spread the idea like crazy.

For the first week, we posted flyers all over campus that were nothing but a black page with a red triangle. That’s all people saw for a week straight and they were everywhere.

The following week, the same symbol appeared on different flyers with three key words sitting on each side of the red triangle. The three words that summed up Steve’s core mission. And three words that held tremendous value to anyone with a conscious.

So, curiosity became an opportunity for alignment. Even though people still didn’t know what those flyers were for, they instantly began agreeing with the simple message it was communicating.

Then, on the night of the election, Steve had to give a speech to a packed auditorium. The whole time he’s talking, that red triangle was being beamed against the wall behind him via a modified red spotlight.

The student body now had the chance to put the pieces together and decide if this was what they were already aligning with.

Guess what? It worked. Steve won by a landslide.

The coolest part was that red triangle started showing up on people’s notebooks, backpacks, and clothing. Students were making stickers for themselves and others to display that symbol of alignment. We never even thought of stickers. They did.

The red triangle can feel very far away sometimes. Downright elusive, even. But trust me, it’s worth the effort and refinement to get there.

What’s keeping you from your red triangle?

With so much information screaming through social channels, and people scrambling to capitalize on opportunities and gaps within the niches, there’s just cause for the socially conscious entrepreneur to stop and evaluate the nature of the information, products, and services being produced.

Timelessness is the idea of creating work with core messages that will transcend generations and benefit humanity during it’s entire existence on this planet. In other words, work that never becomes irrelevant. It will always serve people at a particular point in their lives.

Timelessness became an important reality for me during my training in furniture design.

We were challenged with creating work that excited us artistically, but still told the client’s story hundreds of years after we were gone from this earth. As romantic as it sounds, there was great difficulty in employing timelessness in that arena.

It’s a difficult prospect in the online space too. Creating timeless resources can mean having to ignore blatant opportunities to fill the immediate need sitting before you. Often times those needs and the information you provide will lose all meaning and impact as the trend fades away.

I’m not advocating that timeless resources is the path everyone must take within their business, but what would happen if even a small segment was dedicated to a singular message that transcends the ages? Perhaps there’s more to your work than meets the eye.

Recently, I published an edition of The Humanity Blueprint on timelessness. Here’s an excerpt:

Employing timelessness in creating resources is the path to sustainability and ultimate service.

What would happen if a web designer stopped designing the usual website? What would be the result of instead, creating something that flows organically with the person or company they’re designing for?

Instead of just communicating the client’s current message, they give them the means to extend their story each time it changes. In doing so, the web designer would create a platform that will always resonate with that client’s current mission and message. Something their customers or fans will so desperately seek to align with.

Employing timelessness takes me out of the equation, in my mind. If I’m designing something to outlast me, then why would I try to keep myself plugged in to the final product?

For me, communicating the vision and the message is enough to satisfy me. It’s more important to create a resource that enables the buyer to continue their own personal legacy and story with that resource, be it a sideboard, ebook, website, or blog post. I’ve found great satisfaction in designing this way. In fact, it’s pushed my boundaries as a designer to places I never imagined.

And in removing myself from the final product, I’m discovering that there’s actually more of my personal self in there than anticipated.

AK: Explain how you arrived at the concept of the micropublisher.

TC: To me, there’s a whole new world of opportunity opening up in what used to be loosely termed ‘self-publishing’. In days gone by, you were either a published author or you weren’t, and those who weren’t were disregarded and dismissed if they ever tried to publish their own work. To do so was seen by both publishers and readers as vanity, as an unwillingness to accept that you weren’t good enough.

Now, of course, self-publishing has exploded, simultaneously creating a more legitimate option for thousands of writers, and creating a whole spectrum of publishing opportunities within the previously limited world of self-publishing.

Sure, you can still do the old things like print your own books, or the slightly-less-old things like run a blog, but in between those two extremes there are people running email courses and premium newsletters and magazines and niche sites and finding dozens of different ways to get their words to the world – and to make money doing so.

So to me a micropublisher is an individual who takes control of their own online publishing. When you keep everything online, you keep your overhead low and you keep your options open. It’s a mental shift as much as anything – you’re not just a writer, you’re also a publisher now. And the most effective way for you to publish might not be to run yet another blog or whatever.

Your words deserve attention, and for you to find the best way to present them to the world. As an independent writer, how you publish your writing is now as important as what you write. Do you give it all away? Do you charge for some? Do you give away a book but charge for a course? Give away a course but charge for a book? The options are vast, and growing.

AK: Previously, you had two very high-end and valuable products for sale. Recently you took them down as a result of your new direction. Currently, your only visible product is How to Make a Living With Words, your premium access letters. Could you describe your philosophy to approaching the “making money” side of your business?

TC: It’s interesting, though I’m quite closely related to the blogosphere and interview a lot of bloggers for In Treehouses, I see definite distinctions between running magazines and running blogs. For one, I don’t really have a “making money side” to my business; this is my business and so it needs to make money. It’s how I make a living, so it’s not like I’m a casual blogger looking to make some ebook sales on the side.

That said, the way in which I make my income is quite fluid at the moment. As you rightly mention, I recently took down the ebooks that accounted for a decent proportion of my income, so that’s necessarily affected how and where I make money. I’ve only been doing this full-time for around 6 months or so, and in that time I’ve sold ebooks, coaching, consulting, advertising, affiliate products, and newsletters. Some of these have been one-off things and experiments to see how they fit with my work, business, and life, while others are things to which I plan to return in future.

It’s been quite fun, really, exploring what works and what doesn’t, what will make money and what won’t. Having been through the past six months and tested out various different options, I’m in a stronger position moving forward to know what my readers want and where they see the value. So although the fine details of the business model are still being ironed out, I’m pretty much set on the direction for the next stage of things – though I’ll respectfully decline from going into huge detail about that just yet, because of those fine details that are still to be finalized.

AK: In Treehouses is, in my opinion, one of the most beautifully designed publications available. Obviously, the valuable content adds to its beauty, but the visual appeal is incredibly strong. What influences your design aesthetic for your magazine?

TC: Thank you, I appreciate that. The first thing I have to do is thank all the photographers and artists who offer up their work on the Creative Commons for all of us to use; they make the magazine far more attractive than it ever would be otherwise.

As for the magazine itself, I’m constantly trying to balance the need for visual interest with my own personal preference for simplicity. It’s nice to be able to get out of the way of the words and images – that’s when the design is at its best, I feel. That said, I’m always looking to add something to the designs that keeps readers engaged, rather than having it feel like a simple ebook where every page looks the same. When in doubt, though, I tend towards simplicity.

In terms of design inspiration, it’s hard to say. I don’t look to many print magazines as they tend to be very advertising-led and have teams of trained professionals working on them each month, so there would be no way for me to imitate that even if I wanted to do so.

Really, not many people are working in the same format as In Treehouses, so I’ve had to pioneer things a little and find out what works for myself. That’s been great fun but a lot of work, and I’m still learning and testing and evolving the magazine with each new edition. The little steps add up.

AK: Your sites are beautiful and the minimalist approach is refreshing and very well executed. What experiences are you designing into these spaces for the reader or patron, and what intentions are you conveying through these distinct designs?

TC: (I discuss the design of In Treehouses in the edition of the magazine, How to be Beautiful. The following is taken from that section of the magazine, as it covers this questions pretty perfectly.)

I’ve experimented with a few different design directions for In Treehouses over the months, but I always tend to come back to something fairly simple and minimal. In the early days, I was too easily distracted away from my own personal aesthetic by looking at what was working for others. I’ve come to the belief that, while it’s important to take on board the lessons that other people can give you, you have to fit that in to a design with which you feel comfortable.

I could probably boost my conversion rate of readers to subscribers by adding a pop-over form or using shoutier headlines, but then I’d end up with a site with which I wasn’t happy. Whenever I’ve done something like that and been uncomfortable about the feel of the site, it makes me less inclined to want to spend time on In Treehouses as a whole. Design has a very direct effect on how I work, so I always want to make sure that the site is in a state with which I’m happy.

Getting more specific, the simplicity and minimal design is also crucial to keep the focus on the magazine. In terms of the path of the reader, I want people to head towards the magazine and to read that more than I want them on the site, so keeping the website simple means fewer distractions on that path.

The simplicity of the design is also linked to the state in which I want readers to approach the magazine. Consider that many readers who arrive on the site will have come from the bitesize beats of Twitter or from click-click-clicking through the blogosphere – so reading a 50 or 60 page magazine presents an entirely different prospect. Whilst many readers take a while to get through the whole magazine, or skim to the sections that are most appropriate to them, I can at least use the website to set up a certain mood, with a calm atmosphere that encourages readers towards a more relaxed pace.

If you’re true to yourself in your design, then you’re likely to attract a readership that you actually want. The window displays at Tiffany’s are different to those in the bargain basement shop down the street for a reason. The bargain shop might get more people in off the street, but that doesn’t mean Tiffany’s should start imitating their tactics; they’re going for a different market.

I’m not saying to be snobby, just that your web design is an indication of the type of operation you’re running – and before you imitate others, it’s worth considering whether their readers are the type you want.

AK: Any pursuit of passion is going to be wrought with difficulties. What have been your hardest struggles on the road to developing your own micropublishing house?