I am not new here.
You can tell by my join date and speed that I've been here for just over a year.
I've made some friends, I've given an insiders call, I've helped and been helped out by the community.
But I'm not the same person I was when I joined, so I thought it appropriate to repost an introduction thread for myself.
The Spark
About a month ago I had a job interview with somebody, that ended in him asking me to do freelance work with him. At the end of the conversation, I asked what I did wrong, what I can do better next time I talk to somebody. He told me "You talk about your failures too much". He said he could tell by the way I talk that I'm young, maybe not confident enough.
Since then... I've been doing a lot of thinking.
I'm preparing a product launch and I realized halfway through that one of the main selling points of the product is the person who built it. The benefits/features of the product don't mean much unless the person making the claims has trust and experience.
I found myself in a situation where I had to talk-up my accomplishments.
It's incredibly uncomfortable for me. Being humble is something that I've found allows for incredible growth. Emptying my head and allowing new ideas and expertise to flow is comes easily when you're humble. Being humble allows you to grow, allow you to learn and accept ideas that differ from yours.
But for the purpose of this product, I talked myself up repeatedly. I did it to potential affiliates, I did it when writing swipe emails and banners, I did it when writing sales copy, I did it while creating the sales video. Over the past 3 weeks I've talked myself up more than I ever had in my life.
The Metamorphosis
Something inside me permanently changed. I can feel it. I feel the emergence of a more refined, confident, and accomplished professional. I know I'm still young and have a lot of learn (and I will always be) but at the same time I'm damn proud of what I've accomplished so far.
I think there's a balance to be had... between being humble and being proud. It's being happy with yourself without boasting or showing off. It's being strong willed as well as flexible. There's something very Zen about this new cocktail and I really like the taste of it.
The lack of aggression was costing me opportunities. I will allow pride back into my behavior, while still remaining open to new ideas/influences.
Allow myself to reintroduce... myself
Hello fastlaners. My name is Dennis.
I know this is a professional forum, so I thought it would be best to introduce myself with my professional history. I'll let the work I've done speak for itself.
My background is in video. I have worked with the following companies:
Cadillac, Sears, Showtime, Palm, Product(RED), New Balance, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hummer, Viacom, CBS, The National Parks Foundation, Boulder Digital Works, Citizens Bank, Food Should Taste Good, General Motors, Nickelodeon.... just to name a few.
I've also worked with smaller clients. I've gotten small time youtubers 10s of thousands of subscribers with a few alterations. I've done commercials for local companies and charities, and ranked them on youtube. I've Developed video backdrops for bands, fashion shows, and sporting events.
I've also dabbled in niche sites. At the start of 2012 I created a website from scratch, and got it to page one of Google for a keyword that receives 1m exact match searches every month. I wrote and sold an ebook on the site, which performed very well and got me a lot of positive attention in the industry.
I know the downside of entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship has a great reward for those that take the risk, but do not forget that it IS a risk.
I used entrepreneurship to build a life for myself after I lost my job, but the road isn't all flowers and rainbows. In fact, the majority of the road has been dark storm clouds.
When you work for yourself, everything's on you. 100% of the reward, but also 100% of the loss, 100% of the pain, 100% of the suffering. I've lost everything I worked for on several occasions. Whether I made a poor hiring decision, or I worked with the wrong partner, or I was too optimistic about cashflow and quit a parttime job too early... they all came back to bite me... leaving me in a state of instability and sporadic homelessness.
Luckily, with every mistake comes lessons. I know more everyday and I set myself up for success with each move, whether it's successful or not.
A Powerful Force
I've driven millions of dollars worth of traffic to other people's brands, and I'm ready for my slice of the pie. I've had experience in so many industries helping so many people that I'm ready for anything. Between my Video, SEO, Design, Content, Customer Management, and Lead Gen skills, I know I can tackle anything that comes my way.
Even the unfortunate events all made me stronger. I have a high tolerance for pain, I've lived in conditions so severe most people couldn't image. I've dealt with horrible people and dealt with great amounts of stress and conflict and kept marching forward in the face of adversity.
I'm a hurricane and nothing can stop me.
You can tell by my join date and speed that I've been here for just over a year.
I've made some friends, I've given an insiders call, I've helped and been helped out by the community.
But I'm not the same person I was when I joined, so I thought it appropriate to repost an introduction thread for myself.
The Spark
About a month ago I had a job interview with somebody, that ended in him asking me to do freelance work with him. At the end of the conversation, I asked what I did wrong, what I can do better next time I talk to somebody. He told me "You talk about your failures too much". He said he could tell by the way I talk that I'm young, maybe not confident enough.
Since then... I've been doing a lot of thinking.
I'm preparing a product launch and I realized halfway through that one of the main selling points of the product is the person who built it. The benefits/features of the product don't mean much unless the person making the claims has trust and experience.
I found myself in a situation where I had to talk-up my accomplishments.
It's incredibly uncomfortable for me. Being humble is something that I've found allows for incredible growth. Emptying my head and allowing new ideas and expertise to flow is comes easily when you're humble. Being humble allows you to grow, allow you to learn and accept ideas that differ from yours.
But for the purpose of this product, I talked myself up repeatedly. I did it to potential affiliates, I did it when writing swipe emails and banners, I did it when writing sales copy, I did it while creating the sales video. Over the past 3 weeks I've talked myself up more than I ever had in my life.
The Metamorphosis
Something inside me permanently changed. I can feel it. I feel the emergence of a more refined, confident, and accomplished professional. I know I'm still young and have a lot of learn (and I will always be) but at the same time I'm damn proud of what I've accomplished so far.
I think there's a balance to be had... between being humble and being proud. It's being happy with yourself without boasting or showing off. It's being strong willed as well as flexible. There's something very Zen about this new cocktail and I really like the taste of it.
The lack of aggression was costing me opportunities. I will allow pride back into my behavior, while still remaining open to new ideas/influences.
Allow myself to reintroduce... myself
Hello fastlaners. My name is Dennis.
I know this is a professional forum, so I thought it would be best to introduce myself with my professional history. I'll let the work I've done speak for itself.
My background is in video. I have worked with the following companies:
Cadillac, Sears, Showtime, Palm, Product(RED), New Balance, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hummer, Viacom, CBS, The National Parks Foundation, Boulder Digital Works, Citizens Bank, Food Should Taste Good, General Motors, Nickelodeon.... just to name a few.
I've also worked with smaller clients. I've gotten small time youtubers 10s of thousands of subscribers with a few alterations. I've done commercials for local companies and charities, and ranked them on youtube. I've Developed video backdrops for bands, fashion shows, and sporting events.
I've also dabbled in niche sites. At the start of 2012 I created a website from scratch, and got it to page one of Google for a keyword that receives 1m exact match searches every month. I wrote and sold an ebook on the site, which performed very well and got me a lot of positive attention in the industry.
I know the downside of entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship has a great reward for those that take the risk, but do not forget that it IS a risk.
I used entrepreneurship to build a life for myself after I lost my job, but the road isn't all flowers and rainbows. In fact, the majority of the road has been dark storm clouds.
When you work for yourself, everything's on you. 100% of the reward, but also 100% of the loss, 100% of the pain, 100% of the suffering. I've lost everything I worked for on several occasions. Whether I made a poor hiring decision, or I worked with the wrong partner, or I was too optimistic about cashflow and quit a parttime job too early... they all came back to bite me... leaving me in a state of instability and sporadic homelessness.
Luckily, with every mistake comes lessons. I know more everyday and I set myself up for success with each move, whether it's successful or not.
A Powerful Force
I've driven millions of dollars worth of traffic to other people's brands, and I'm ready for my slice of the pie. I've had experience in so many industries helping so many people that I'm ready for anything. Between my Video, SEO, Design, Content, Customer Management, and Lead Gen skills, I know I can tackle anything that comes my way.
Even the unfortunate events all made me stronger. I have a high tolerance for pain, I've lived in conditions so severe most people couldn't image. I've dealt with horrible people and dealt with great amounts of stress and conflict and kept marching forward in the face of adversity.
I'm a hurricane and nothing can stop me.
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