ryan avery» Page 13 of 15 »

Jun 23

Do You Want a Handwritten Letter?

By Ryan Avery Communication No Comments

During the World Record attempt a couple months ago I asked to write you handwritten letters so I could train to sign 5,000 signatures in one sitting.

You came to my aid and sent in your addresses and messages to request a handwritten letter all over the world. I sent more letters in two weeks than I can count! Over the past several weeks since then, the letters have arrived and you have shared with me when you got them and how much they meant by posting on Facebook, emailing me photos of you at your mailbox and even showing them to me in person when I see you. That really means a lot to me and I thought of continuing to write them!

I really enjoy writing those letters so much and hearing from each of you I thought I would do a project where I write one handwritten letter everyday in 2014. I might get more request than one a day, or might not, but I will write at least one letter a day, starting today, in 2014 and am asking for your help.

Do you want a handwritten letter? All you have to do is email me your mailing address at letters@ryanavery.com with a subject that says “I want a letter.” The first 30 people to send me an email at letters@ryanavery.com will be guaranteed to get a letter!

I think there is something special about going to your mailbox and seeing an envelop that has your name printed on it in human handwriting! This will be fun for me and hopefully it is a way I can give back in another way to say thank you for all you do for me!

I hope you are enjoying the start to your week and I look forward to receiving your emails. Remember to sign up for my blog in the top right hand corner of this page via email and continue receiving content focused on leadership, speaking and productivity every Monday and Thursday! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: Know someone who could use a letter? Share this article on your social media or via email and let the hand writing begin!

Jun 19

Love0

9 Speaking Tips for Non-Native Speakers

By Ryan Avery Communication 6 Comments

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, there are more than 35 million adults in the United States who are non-native English speakers.

Many of these people are looking for work, to advance in their career and speak up and out for the causes they believe in. Non-native speakers can experience difficulties in developing and delivering their message when speaking to a group of people on stage, in a board room or during one-on-one conversations.

Non-native speakers might hear things like “I don’t understand what you are saying” or “Your accent is too thick” or “It’s hard to focus on what you are saying.” If you are are a non-native speaker who would like to improve the way your message gets translated into minds of those listening to you or you know someone struggling with their accent, here are nine tips you can use to improve the way you communicate:

Record yourself: Take the time to record what you are saying during your next speech or presentation. Then listen to it. Get a friend to listen to it. Identify the words that are hard to hear, understand or process. When you record yourself, you will pick up on things that you might not have noticed before.

Get a partner: Get someone to help you with your 2nd language who you trust. Someone who can call you out when you say a word wrong, aren’t pronouncing things correctly or using the right grammar. A partner can help you advance your communication skills by helping you see and hear the things you are not picking up on.

Be proud of your accent: Many of my non-native speaking clients say, “I need to get rid of my accent.” I think this is the wrong way to look at your voice. You should be proud of your voice and where you come from. You should’t get rid of your accent, you should embrace your accent. Keep the accent but make it so others can understand what you are saying. When you are proud, others will listen. This also will help you build confidence in what you are saying and remind yourself you speak two languages! Not many people can say that!

Be open to feedback: Listen. Listen. Listen. Ask around for feedback. When you are giving a speech or presenting a proposal at work, ask three or four of your colleagues to take notes and give you feedback on specifics you can improve on. Listen to what they say. Be open to asking for feedback anytime you are speaking to get better at communicating.

Find synonyms for words you can’t pronounce: There are words in English I have trouble pronouncing (I am no longer allowed to say prerequisite and familiarity in public). I avoid them at all cost. There are words some people cannot pronounce. You are not alone, just don’t use them! Find words that are similar to them and use those instead.

Speak slower: This is for all speakers and communicators. Slow down! Most of the time you are speaking too fast and it is distracting. It slurs your words together and on top of your accent it can be hard to digest what you are saying. Remember to pause, slow down and enunciate your words.

Practice one letter at a time: Find the letter that is the hardest for you to say (V or R or W or P). Practice just saying those letters over and over again. Pick words that have those letters in them and get your mouth comfortable with finding out how to properly say them without being distracting. Practice one letter at a time.

Find speakers you like: Find speakers who are speaking like you want to be speaking. Find speakers who might even have the same accent as you but are doing it the way you want to. What are they doing to get their message across or communicate in a way that people are focused more on their words than how they say them? Find speakers you like to feel more confident in knowing that if they can do it, so can you!

Practice everyday: Practice. Practice. Practice. Get good at practicing. Remember, how you practice is how you play so use these nine steps everyday to get better at speaking in your non-native language.

Please don’t think you ever need to get rid of your accent, you only need to focus on making sure you are speaking in a way that adds value, people understand what you are saying and enjoying your message. Keep using your voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. Know someone, or a group, who could benefit from this article? Share it with them on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn by clicking on one of the buttons below!

Jun 18

Love0

What E-Book would you most likely download?

By Ryan Avery Motivation 24 Comments

Looking to find out what you would most likely read if I offered one of the below tittles as a free download?

A Couple. Life Lessons. For Newlyweds.
How to create a solid foundation for a lasting relationship

6 Things Every Leader Needs To Succeed

What today’s leaders need more than anything

How to Launch Your Public Speaking Business
Your step by step guide in what it takes to make a career out of speaking

Please post your answer below and let me know why you choose that one. Thank you for reading my articles. I want to continue to provide you the best content and I hope they are helpful, entertaining and engaging! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Jun 05

Love0

How Every Airline Should Handle a “Mistake”

By Ryan Avery Motivation 7 Comments

With more than 100 flights a year I get my fair share of “airport stories” and this one has a twist!

Chelsea and I were finishing up my book tour and headed on vacation with my parents. I am flying to Miami, she is flying to Panama City Beach so I wait by her gate because my plane is scheduled to leave an hour later than hers.

After 30-minutes of sitting, we get the announcement, “Ladies and gentleman, I have just been informed that Flight XYZ will be delayed due to a part that needs to be replaced on your airplane.”

Now usually this is where most airlines end their announcement with a “sorry for the inconvenience, please come up to the counter, wait in line and we will book anyone on another flight looking to still make their connections!”

Delta decided to handle it differently and this is how they made 200+ potential upset flyers… happy, satisfied and went above and beyond what they needed to do.

1st – They Effectively Communicated
From emails, to phone calls to messages and updates every 10 minutes, the Delta crew communicated what was happening and let their flyers know what they knew. As soon as we knew the flight was delayed I received an email saying how they could fix it. I received a phone call letting me know ways they could make it better and the crew said they were there to help with whoever needed assistance.

2nd – They Passed Out Food, Snacks and Drinks
Instead of saying sorry they showed they were sorry. They brought out first-class snacks for all passengers, drinks and even went one step further and ordered 15 pizzas for all passengers so they didn’t have to order food while they waited!

3rd – They Provided Options
They gave people options to communicate. You can download the Delta app, you can call one of 500 customer service representatives to reschedule your flight or you can talk to a gate agent at the counter. They gave options to communicate and respond in the way that was easiest for their customers.

It was great to see a global company taking initiative to communicate effectively with their customers, if all companies did this when a “mistake” occurred, their customers would be happier and their retention would be greater. Plus, not to mention, we live in a digital world and as I was looking around I noticed people posting their snacks on Instagram and Twitter.

So they made the conversation online go from frustrated to thankful and let their customers communicate how well they handle mistakes that arise. They might have spent $200 on this, but think of the customers they kept, the PR they received and the example they set! If all airlines, and companies, handled situations like this (communicated effectively and provide options) we as customers would be a lot happier! Thanks Delta for setting an example. As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: What is your favorite airline story?

May 30

Love7

What Made Maya Angelou Successful?

By Ryan Avery Adventure 2 Comments

She has been known as an author, actor, activist and a poet, prostitute and producer. Maya Angelou had many titles in her nine decades on this planet, my favorite being “speaker!”

She inspired many with her wisdom-filled words, her stories that within two lines can make your gut sink and your heart flutter and her ability to stand up for what was right when things were wrong.

Her ability to remain focused, to speak up for those who were suffering and feed her need to live her passion have helped me be a better speaker.

There are many things that so many can say about Maya Angelou but here are three actions she lived by that made her successful:

Work Hard
She worked everyday. She wrote, she re-wrote and edited and did not wait for things to happen, she made things happen! She stayed up late, woke up early. She had a fire inside of her to do something positive in this world and understood that hard work is what it would take to make a difference! “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou

Stay Positive

Her life could have been that of a Lifetime movie plot with rape scenes, poverty, abuse, teenage pregnancy, prostitution and struggling to build a life from the ground up. Growing up, she had two ways to view her life and she decided to say positive and help others by sharing her story and living by example. “You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” – Maya Angelou

Speak Up
She shared her truth. She spoke up for civil rights, human rights and women’s rights! Since the 1990s, she made almost 80 speaking appearances a year and continued to do this until the very end. She spoke up, out and about to those who would listen so she could use her voice to make a difference in the lives of millions around the word. She motivated others by sharing her life story and speaking up when others were sitting down. She knew that speaking was an art and that it required time to master it. She used her voice, her story and her gift of writing to achieve so much and it was not granted to her overnight. “All great achievements require time.” – Maya Angelou

The world lost a person of tremendous value but we are thankful for the value she added while she shared the planet with us. What are you working hard for? What are you doing to remain positive? When will you speak up for those who need a voice?

Maya Angelou is an inspiration and was successful because she lived by example and made things happen. Take the time to reflect on what you can do right now to make this world a better place when you leave it. Think of the possibilities when you work hard, stay positive and speak up! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: What is your favorite Maya Angelou quote? (If you are a fan of Maya and thought she was an inspiration, share this article by clicking on one social media icons below).

May 26

Love0

The Best Part of Being American

By Ryan Avery Motivation 4 Comments

After spending last week in DC and on this Memorial Day I have been able to reflect on those who have given their lives, and those who dedicate their lives, to protecting our freedoms.

These men and woman are strangers whom I have never met, yet they have given their life to protect the values we all share. They are strangers yet because they are fellow Americans, they are also my neighbors, my family and my friends. They believe in the right to be free and for others who will live after them to have that same right.

Everyday I am thankful for being an American and being able to have the right to use my voice to make a difference and use my voice to say what I believe.

In my opinion, the best part of being an American is the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights!

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

There is no stronger statement in government history than this to me. It gives power to the people, it provides freedom to our citizens and allows everyone to have the right to live their life.

This might be the First Amendment but there can be certain social consequences to being a particular religion or speaking up about what you believe or petition the government! There are still things we need to do as Americans to advance this amendment.

I know it can be overwhelming to use your voice at times when others around you don’t agree with what you are saying but we must because, the results of using your voice can be scary, however silencing that voice can produce even scarier results.

Americans have died for us to have that right and we must honor them by using it. We must protect our First Amendment by using our voice and speaking up for things we believe in. That power in my opinion, is the best part of being an American. No matter your economical status, marital status, gender or race, we all have the power and right to use our voice!

This Memorial Day, reflect on the things you want to say, the things you want to accomplish and be reminded that strangers who believe in the power of freedom gave their life so you can have the freedom to say what you what, follow who you want and petition the very same government that set those laws into place over 200 years ago!

Thank you to every man and woman who has served our country. Thank you to every family who has given a child to the cause of protecting our freedom and thank you to everyone who uses their voice to make a difference in our country. I am forever grateful for your courage, sacrifice and American spirit. As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: Do you agree with the First Amendment being the best part of being American? If not, what is your favorite Amendment to the US Constitution? (If you like this article and are thankful for those who have served our country, share this with your friends and family by clicking on one of the share buttons below!)

May 15

Love0

How to stop talking and start communicating!

By Ryan Avery Motivation No Comments

I had the opportunity to have lunch with one of my new favorite authors,

He is a military man with a good heart and has dedicated his life to study the art of communication. His new book gives, “…counterintuitive strategies for learning how to interact productively and meaningfully in today’s digital world.” Something we all can improve on!

His book is filled with dozens of tips and insightful strategies and here are three ways you should stop talking and start communicating.

Lose your friends!
Tumlin explains that, “Important relationship are being trumped by people you barely know!” Just because you hit the “like” button does not mean you are connecting. Humans are social animals. We need to feel connected. Tumlin writes, “Today it is possible to accumulate scores of friends and still feel lonely, be connected to hundreds of people and feel like no one is listening and spend hours at work, sending and responding to countless messages, but still feeling unproductive.” It is because we are focused on technology and not people. “The problem with a more tech-centered view of communication is that it encourages us to expect too much from our device and too little from each other.” You should start communicating more on a human bases so you can build real relationships, feel connected to others and feel like your voice is actually being heard! If you are feeling disconnected from others, lose your “friends” online who don’t add meaning or value to your life and focus on those around you. Tumlin says, “The main reason to prioritize isn’t to squeeze people out of your life; it’s to make sure that the most important people stay in it.”

Stop talking
In my opinion, communication is the foundation to all of your success. To many people are talking rather than effectively communicating! Talking is you getting your voice heard. Communicating is having all parties who are part of the conversation understand what it is you are saying! The better you are at being able to effectively communicate what it is you want, the quicker you will be at receiving and reaching the goals you have for yourself, your company and your family. Think about a relationship you have built over time, that you lost one time due to one or two sentences? If you stop talking and start planning on ways to react to certain situations, you might be able to build better relationships and create lasting ones. Stop talking and don’t focus on what you want to say, focus on what you want to accomplish. The better communicator you are the better relationship you build and the better life you have.

Ignore your (telltale) heart
When communication problems arise, many of us just want to start talking instead of preparing what we want to say. According to ProFound, last year, productivity losses resulting from miscommunication costs companies $37 billion, or about $26,000 per employee per year, in the US and UK alone. We need to learn strategies and techniques that can help us improve our listening skills, ask the right questions to produce the right answers and minimize miscommunication across multiple communication channels like email, texting, face-to-face and social media. When we are able to effectively communicate to others, we improve productivity, we create clarity and we save money. All strategic communications (including the unexpected ones) benefit from preparation. Take time to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it to minimize conflict, confusion and miscommunication between those you are speaking to.

If you are looking or a book to read, pick up a copy of Stop Talking, Start Communicating and learn how to improve all areas of your life. Connect with Geoffrey and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Apr 24

Love0

Advice from Public Speaking’s Most Prolific Author

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Holding each other’s books!

Have you ever met one of your heroes in person? Had the chance to sit down and talk with them for an afternoon? I am happy to say I got that chance recently when I met Mr. James C. Humes, one of the world’s greatest orators and authors.

His books inspire, his life-story motivates and his ability amazes me. In fact, his books are the major reason why I fell in love with the art of communication and wanted to dedicated my life to helping people improve their communication skills. Reading his books gave me the motivation in a major way to write Speaker, Leader, Champion with Jeremey Donovan.

His firm handshake, pink and blue bow tie and lion-gaze eye contact intimidated me at first. He lived up to the person I had envisioned in my mind. Randy Harvey introduced me to Mr. Humes’ books when I was training for the World Championship. Randy gave me a copy of one of Humes’ books “

Here are the framed front covers for most of the books Mr. Humes has written!

Mr. Humes has spoken in all 50 states, more countries that I could keep count and he was a speech writer for Nixon, Ford, Regan and Bush Senior. He wrote the words on the plaque that Neil Armstrong placed on the moon during the first landing! He has written more than 40 books and learned from Winston Churchill! He told me, “Meeting Churchill was like meeting Caesar or Napoleon, it was like shaking hands with history. Best advice Churchill gave me was to study history because in history lies the secrets to statecraft (government)!”

He’s the real deal and as professional speakers, he is one many of us look up to.

His home is like an American Museum with oil paintings hanging on the walls, vintage books that line the floor and his entry way table is a chest from Christopher Columbus dating back to 1501. It was an honor to meet Mr. Humes and during our time together I was able to get to know him and his lovely wife.

I asked why he has dedicated decades of his life to the art of communication. He paused, looked at me and said “Speech is power…” and proceeded to tell me about how Winston Churchill used his words to inspire a nation and as he spoke, reminiscing on the words of Churchill, he ended by saying “… words are the difference between defeat and survival.”

He is right! There is nothing more powerful than speech! Why wouldn’t you want to master the art of speaking?

I am thankful I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Humes as he is someone I very much look up to. Just listening to his stories, being allowed in his home and learning from him was a top ten moment for me. He offered me advice for the next time I talk on stage and shared the three elements of what it takes to make a great speech:

You Need A Great Man (or Woman)
Someone willing to step up when times are tough. Someone who is willing to speak out on issues they believe in. Someone who is willing to use their voice to make a difference. The world is full of great men and woman we just need more of them to use their voice to help our world! A great man or woman will not be made overnight. You need trials and tribulations, you need failures and a sprinkle of success stories- you need to experience life. All of the things that have happened and are happening in your life, prepare you to be a better person, to be a stronger man and a capable leader.

You Need A Great Occasion
There are only a few opportunities in life for a great man or woman to deliver a great speech because there are few great occasions. But look for them. Reach out and ask to be the speaker. Reach out and see what you can do to get yourself on stage, in front of that microphone and during the next great occasion. Think of how you can be remembered for the words you say.

You Need Great Eloquence
You can borrow the eloquence from someone by sharing their story and how they handled the situation. Think of great leaders of our time and how they were able to handle the situations given to them. Remember to share stories that make a point, pause to let the audience soak in what you are saying and end with what Humes likes to say a “Soul Shaker!” (inspirational story).

It took time, digging and a lot of research to be able to get in touch with Mr. Humes but it was worth every minute! Take the time this week to look over who inspires you, who motivates you and who you look up to. Reach out to them and come up with a list of questions to ask when you two meet. Your heroes are out there and they are willing to meet with you if you only ask! Remember to use your voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. If you could interview one person this week, who would it be?

Apr 18

Love0

6 Reminders Why You Should Take a Risk

By Ryan Avery World Records 9 Comments

This week more than one thousand people came together to do something BIG! Many people planned for months, spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to plan for an event where we didn’t reach our target goal. Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Whenever you have the word “world” in front of what you are trying to accomplish like “world record” or “world’s largest” or even “world’s best” those goals don’t come easy.

We promoted Toastmasters around the world, raised money for a good cause and helped hundreds of people become stronger speakers! We worked hard, we held ourselves to the highest standard and I am proud to say we took advantage of wanting to create history! Going for the world record reminded me why you should take that risk:

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” – Thomas Jefferson

So many people wait. They think and think and think and never act. This week we acted. The world belongs to dreamers who take action. We are defined by what we act on, not the ideas in our head. Go out there and find out who you really are by taking a risk and going for those big goals of yours!

“To be wholly devoted to some intellectual exercise is to have succeeded in life.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Devote yourself to one thing and you will accomplish so much more. We planned, acted, worked, trained and collaborated on one idea of breaking this world record and that is a success in my book. Devote yourself to a bigger goal or mission in life and change the course of history!

“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford

No one cares what you are going to do, they want to see you going for it! They want to see you accomplish your dreams! Don’t talk about what you will do, talk about what you are doing to make your goals happen. What actions are you taking to build your reputation so you can inspire more people and accomplish more things?

“The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” – Mark Caine

There are enough average people in the world. There is plenty of room for you to be great if you decied to step out of the environment you are in, hold yourself to the highest standard and take that risk. Don’t be average, don’t be good, shoot don’t event be great, be the best at what you do and help change this world!

“Do something wonderful, people may imitate it.” – Albert Schweitzer

I want to thank everyone who wrote me, messaged me and called me saying how they feel inspired to go for their goals after they saw what happened with the world record. At first I was disappointed with not reaching our goal and truthfully felt embarrassed for a minute but when each of you reached out to me and encouraged us to keep going, it meant more than you know! You might not reach your goal when you go for the BIG ones at first, but you inspire people along the way. Is that worth it? Absolutely!

“Dust yourself off and try again.” – Aaliyah

As my wife likes to remind me, “What is the worst that can happen?” I am already thinking of where we can try this World Record again. I am going to reach out to a few contacts to see how we can pull this off because you have to keep going for what you believe in. You have to keep making things happen. You have to because the world deserves your energy, your passion and guts!

Thank you to everyone who supported this 1st attempt at breaking the World Record for the largest book signing in history. Together we made this event happen. This title is ours and together we will make it happen in the near future. Let me know if you have an idea for where we should try it next or how we can improve the event. Should you take a risk today, this week and this year? Absolutely! The world belongs to dreamers who take action! As always….

Dream BIG,

Ryan

Apr 11

Love0

7 Things You Need To Break The World Record for The Largest Book Signing In History

By Ryan Avery Motivation, World Records No Comments

We are working to get ready for the World Record on April 16th. Want to know what it takes to break the World Record for the Largest Book Signing in History? Here you go:

1) 100 Sharpies
Thanks to my uncle and his connection with Sharpie, they have supported this event and provided us with 100 red (branding matters) sharpies to sign more than 5,000 books in 11 hours.

2) 5,000 copies of your book on hand waiting to be sold and signed
Thanks to the CSU bookstore and McGraw-Hill Publishing, we have 5,000 books on hand waiting to be signed. I don’t think I have ever seen 5,000 of the same book before, it is a total of three pallets and more boxes than I can count!

3) Close to 100 volunteers
From Toastmasters International, Alpha Kappa Psi, NRHH and CSU support all the way from friends and family, several CSU clubs and the Fort Collins Lions Club, this event takes almost 100 volunteers to put together! Not to mention all the teams, departments and organizations who are helping spread the event through their channels!

4) A social media team
I call them “Team 34” because it sounds amazing and well… there are 34 of them. They have come together to help spread the message across social media, to their fans and following and have posted during the pre-event, have posts ready for the day of the event and will shout out once it is over! They are amazing and give legs to the social aspect of this World Record!

5) Marathon energy
It will take more than 10 hours to sign continuously to break the record and create history with you. I will be smiling, standing, eating very little, talking, taking only 20 minutes worth of breaks and doing exercises so I don’t break my wrist! It will be a lot of energy, but worth it when we create history together!

6) Training schedule
I have been practicing like I would for a marathon. I have been practicing smiling for hours at a time (even when I do my ab routine. Try smiling the entire time you do P90X abs!), signing my name thousands of times a day, standing for long periods of time and I even taught myself how to sign with my left hand. There is a major training schedule involved with this record because to get to 5,000 signatures without permanent damage, you need to be smart about it!

7) Most importantly…. 5,000 people!
We can’t do this record without you! If you have ever wanted to be part of history, we need 5,000 people to show up onsite or online on April 16th and be part of history! You can pre-register now and we will send you an email with the order link to purchase your book on that day! Help us create history and get your names in the record books! If you need three reasons why you should join us, click here! Or, if you are ready to be part of history, Register below:

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

This is what you need to break the World Record for the Largest Book Signing in History! Join us on Wednesday April 16th and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. Please share this article on your social media accounts or via email with your friends and family. Together we can do this!

Apr 05

Love0

When is the right time to leave a company to start your own?

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation No Comments

One year ago today, I stopped working for an organization that inspired me. Everyday I went to work, I was excited by the mission, the people I worked with and my roles and responsibilities to help improve the lives of those we served. I had potential in the organization and the proposition of leaving to start working for myself was a difficult one to make.

I decided to leave my job at Special Olympics Oregon to become a full time speaker for three reasons:

1) I asked myself, “One day, when my kids ask me if I went for my dreams, I want to make sure I can tell them ‘yes’ with all honesty.”

2) Worst case scenario, I can always get a job again

3) As long as Chelsea was on board, I would be all in!

The decision was rational, frightening and exciting all balled into one. I felt like a peppy puppy having to choose between a run on the beach or a playdate in the park! How do you leave a job you love to create a company you know nothing about?

Here are six questions to consider if you are looking to start your own company:

This was AveryToday, Inc. “Headquarters” when we started last year. Dream BIG right?

Are you ok with taking a step backwards financially?

We planned for me leaving but we had to save more, spend less on things that are considered “fun” and use our finances to start a business. We even moved from Oregon to Texas to move in with my parents to save money on rent, you get better tax benefits when you own a Texas corporation and my mom and dad were willing to help support us emotionally throughout our transition.

I am not saying you will go backwards when you start your own company, but are you willing to if needed and invest your money into growing you company rather than living the lifestyle you already have? Are you willing to go three steps back to go five steps forward in the future?

Are you ok with working harder than you ever have?

When you start a company, there is a lot to learn. At the beginning stages of our company there were no weekends. We woke up early, went to bed late and replayed that schedule over and over again until I lost what day of the week it was.

Today, is a little different. I have a schedule, I take personal time and I still work harder than ever but those beginning months can be brutal if you are not prepared for your business to survive. It takes every ounce of energy you have.

Are you ok with things rapidly changing?
In this past year I have quit my full time job, moved from Portland to Houston, wrote a book, put on a 50-city North American Tour, planned a book tour and a world record, delivered keynotes, workshops and private coaching to leaders all over the world, I moved back to Portland, and now I am scuba certified. When you start your own company, things seem to always be changing. You do things you have never done. Are you ok with this?

Are you ready to be your own boss?
This is the biggest thing you need to think about… Are you self-dicipled enough to make your company survive? Stop here. Think about this and come back to read the rest. Seriosuly think about what you are going to do to be self-dicplined because no longer is anyone telling you what to do, when to do it and how it should get done. It is 100% up to you. This is both freeing and very difficult to manage.

Do you already have a base and slight proof you can make it on your own if you try?
We didn’t start our business by chance. It was our choice to leave but we planned, outlined how much money we were making, how much we could be making if we took it full-time. Planning doesn’t always work. Those first six months were brutal. We didn’t meet any of our financial goals for the first six months but we kept pushing ourselves and used the proof we had to remind each other we could keep doing what we were doing. If you can do it once, you can repeat it twice!

Is your family okay with taking the leap with you?

Your family depends on you, they have to be okay with the above as well because this is not a decision you make alone, it is one y’all (yes I am from Texas) must make. Have a conversation with your family, tell them what you want to do. Ask them what they need and are how they are willing to help or support you on your dreams.

I went from employee to entrepreneur in 24-hours and today I own two successful business. I have a long way to go, more to learn and a whole lot more people to serve but I am ultimately glad I took the leap. You only live once, right? Take the above decisions to consider owning your own business. As scary as it was, looking back on this year, I made the right choice. You are not too young or too old to start, but what you must do is make a decision, start planning for the life you want to live and go for it!

As always…
Dream BIG,
Ryan