Who are you and what do you do?
I am a 50-something father, husband and son who runs his own business advisory company. Dancing Blind Man (DBM) business advisors (www.dancingblindman.com) provides the small to medium size business market with a mix of coaching, consulting and advice that covers my clients’ work, health and personal lives.
I either teach folk how to fish or slap a fish on the table to give them some breathing space. DBM pays the bills while I start to develop in earnest my over-40 health business. Currently this is a blog (www.bodyshapeshiftersonline.com), but I have plans this year to turn it into both an e-product and a complete ‘turn back the clock’ 100-day program.
My intention is not to give up the business advisory, but to combine the 2 into a more complete and powerful offering in the next 18 months.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Usually I grab an art diary and a couple of different coloured pens and I write down the idea: the up and downsides, the challenges, the resources, the ‘why’ of it and a time frame. Then I shelve it for a day or two before coming back and deciding if it is something I want to do. I mean really do. If so, then I begin to plan it out in stages and steps and then get moving on it.
Most of all, I have to convince myself that it is really life or death – I’m a terrible procrastinator, and even though I help people overcome their own battles with this, I can still get caught. Then I just go for it and get it done.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Anything by Seth Godin, not because he’s ‘in’ at the moment or because I agree with him 100% (I don’t), but because he provokes you to think and examine what you are blithely accepting from society.
I like [amazon_link id=”0399536108″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Art of non-Conformity[/amazon_link] by Chris Guillebeau; he’s walking his talk.
Everyone should read a least a couple of the old [amazon_link id=”0449224856″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Travis McGee [/amazon_link]series by John D. McDonald. The books are old-fashioned but the central character is a moral man who wrestles with the world around him. Plus, they are just great yarns to read and McDonald saw many of the issues facing our world today.
What is one piece of advice that you’d like to give?
It’s easier to get your own gig rolling when you start while still working for someone else. I had no choice, I had to start without the safety blanket of other income. It has made things tough but you learn how to do more with less. A lot less.
What is one idea that you’re going to bring to life in 2012?
The idea that once you hit 40, 50 or beyond you do not have to be held hostage by a body that is becoming less physically able. You can stay vital and energetic without becoming a fanatic or sacrificing your quality of life. In fact, quality of life is what it is all about!
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.