Tag: ship it

Making Soap: A Lesson in Being a Serial Entrepreneur

Posted on by Carl Weber

Breakfast with a few close friends is always welcome on my calendar. During yet another snow storm, we made our way out to find a new place to eat. The one friend came from far away, the other from right down the road.

We talked. We connected. We laughed.

One friend is always traveling, and has great stories.

The other friend is a Serial Entrepreneur. They are always coming up with new ideas, new businesses, new ways to make something happen.

As we were eating our food, the Serial Entrepreneur gave us both small packages. Homemade soaps in nicely decorated packaging. Not only have they been experimenting with making soaps, they have already started selling them.

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While reading Seth Godin’s new book “What to do when it’s your turn (and it’s always your  turn)” I was reminded of this other friend.

They are always taking an idea and running with it.

They try, fail, try again, succeed, think of something else, and keep moving.

Did they wait for someone to tell them it was their turn? No, they just keep doing.

Do they have all the answers? No.

Do they have a complete plan with all the details before the move? No again.

Do they take risks? You betcha.

Did they wait for everything to be perfect before they shipped? Nope.

Do they do more in a few years than most of us will do in our lives? Yes.

After breakfast I thanked this friend for the lesson: Keep Trying New Things, Take the Risk, and Ship.

I wonder what their [your] next idea will be?

For When You Ship

Posted on by Carl Weber

During the holidays it is hard to say “this is my favorite gift.” Undoubtably someone will wonder why their gift didn’t make the list, and then the comparing will begin. In order to thwart this comparison and potential hurt feelings, let’s simply agree that certain gifts stir our souls. Often this stirring is not a reflection of cost or value, but because the giver connected with us in a way that went deep and said “I know you.”

A few months ago, we hosted a get-together at our house for an educational experiment. Seth Godin announced a relational educational initiative where people get together and learn together.

The first class focused us on picking ourselves, overcoming fear, and learning to “ship.” Shipping as Seth describes it is the act of getting our product, idea, proposal, or whatever off the ground and out the door. The class ended with each of us completing the handy “SHIPIT Journal” that helped us work through the obstacles that typically prevent us from moving forward.

While opening gifts this year, I opened a small shelf organizer for magazines. It was black with a little metal tab. The kind of organizer that you may find on library shelves.

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After thanking the giver, I thought to myself…“That is cute, but are my magazines in such disarray that I need some organization?” Also, we had started the second Seth Godin class based on the work of Gretchen Rubin and the Happiness Project and a big part of our discussions were based on cleaning up clutter in our lives, homes, and surroundings. My first impression connected this gift to the second class.

It was then that I found the note. Tucked inside the organizer was the real reason for the gift. There were only four words, but those four words touched my soul. The giver instantly changed a simple gift into a memorable one.

For When You Ship

The ordinary organizer had transformed into something more. This simple black box with a metal handle was now the place where accomplishments would reside. This box was now the monument, the official record, or the proof of shipping, overcoming obstacles, fears, and doubts.

To the Giver: Thank you for transforming something so simple into a lasting memory.

To All of Us: Connect with others when we can in the simplest but meaningful ways.

To the Universe: I shipped!

The Record of Shipping