[quote style=”boxed”]I bring ideas to life by just doing it. I know it might sound simple, but I believe that sometimes people will kill their own idea by waiting too long, or constantly stalling. [/quote]
Rasheeal “Ra Blaze” Dixon is a native New Yorker that always had a passion for words. In elementary school; he would look forward to go home just to write, and he would occasionally write short stories for friends and family. He wrote when he woke up, he wrote before he went to sleep, and by the time he was in high school he quickly earned the nickname “Ra Blaze.”
The “Ra” part came from his first name “Rasheeal” being shortened to just “Ra” ( the first two letter) by many of his friends, and then the “Blaze” part came from the fact that many told him his stories were hot, and they were “Blazing.” So in no time people started calling him “Ra Blaze” as a nickname, and it quickly stuck. The value that books can bring to the lives of an individual is basically priceless in Rasheeal’s mind because he grew up reading everything from science fiction, to thrillers, and even self-help books. He believes that a good book is a gateway to a new world. It’s almost like a having a passport to wherever you want to go without actually leaving your home.
Since, Rasheeal Dixon had this natural love for writing, he always felt like he should try his hand at publishing his own books, he had several stories written, so he gave it a shot in 2011 with his first book “Broken Dreams, How quick life can change,” and ever since he’s been selling books wherever he can; whether online, or out the trunk of his car, he really takes being an author seriously, and he also manages to still write about 3,000 words a day.
Where did the idea for your new book “The devil that follows me” come from?
I can get ideas randomly, sometimes I can just be at the gym and then something just pops in my mind, and then immediately I think that I might have something here.. My new book was almost years in the making, the idea just came from me thinking about how someone can have the perfect life, or seem to have the perfect life, and then one horrible event just can change it all.
It took me awhile to write this book because I wanted to get it right, I wanted the reader to not just read the book, but I wanted them to have so much emotion when reading it that it would almost feel like they knew the main character personally. I wanted to touch the hearts, minds, and souls of all who read this book, so I would go to the park, I would watch many emotion driven films, and I would just write until I felt extremely emotional, and touched by the story.
At some points it got so deep that I wound up caught up in it, and forgot that it was actually fiction that I was writing.
What does your typical day look like?
My days are far from typical because sometimes my routine changes greatly, but one thing I can say is that I always try to write at least 3,000 words a day because I made that a major goal of mine. Now, most of the times I’ll wake up, and then get ready for the day like everyone else, but when I’m getting ready I always try to think about my game plan for the day. If, I’m going to sell some books on the street I always write down the number of books that I’m going to take with me. I then write out how much I will sell them for, and then I write down how much revenue I should have when the day is over. I also give away a great amount of books too because I feel reading is a great way to exercise the brain, so I always have a few extra books with me, and give them away before I end my day. I try to always work as hard as I can, so even during the day I might be on my phone writing down characters, or even writing down ideas, and then when I get to a nice quiet place I’ll put everything together.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life by just doing it. I know it might sound simple, but I believe that sometimes people will kill their own idea by waiting too long, or constantly stalling. I even wrote an Ebook on this issue, and it’s called “5 Steps to manifest a great idea.” I wrote this book to show people who your ideas should be treated with respect, and you should want to bring them to life rather than stall, and let them wind up in the “idea graveyard.” The “idea graveyard” to me is where many great ideas go before they even manifest because sometimes people will stall, or they’ll listen to someone telling them that’s a bad idea, when really it isn’t. I believe that if you got that gut feeling, then listen to it. If your idea fails well so be it; but I think it’s better to fail trying to bring your idea to life than to fail because you never even tried at all.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
I’m not one to follow trends, but I would say social media does excite me. I love it because I’m able to talk to someone in Japan, or in Ghana and I never have to leave the comfort of my home. I just love how social media keeps us connected. It made the world a whole lot smaller for sure.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
One habit that I have is the “I can’t stop,” “I know that I’ll get where I plan to be attitude.” Even on some days where I may feel discouraged, or a little beat down, I truly believe that this mindset is what keeps me going. I see this as a good habit because sometimes the constant regular routine gets boring, so I try to change it up quite often, but I still keep this dedicated and motivated formula going. I feel as if it helps to keep me alive as a person. I believe this might be one reason why many people tell me that they like hanging around me. I try to also motivate everyone that I come across. I like to say that I have the personality that can even wake a dead man up lol.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
A few years ago I was a telemarketer, I hated it. I hated people constantly hanging up, and people not wanting to speak. The funny thing was that some of the deals we were offering were pretty good. To be honest some of the things were even going to be special offers, but most people just hate telemarketers. I did learn some great marketing tips from the job though, so I guess even though it was a crappy job the knowledge of marketing that I obtained was well worth it.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Good question, but I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I wouldn’t do anything differently I would just use everything as a learning experience kind of like how I do now, so I guess I would still do it all the same.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Being consistent is the one thing that I recommend, and never listen to someone that’s trying to tear you down, and ruin your dreams. I try to stick by what I stand for, and I always tell others to do the same. Your words should mean everything to you, and if you don’t believe in your own word; then no one else will. So, you must always be consistent and if you fail, learn from it, and try to tweak your formula and then come back once again. You’ll eventually get it, if you’re consistent enough.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
I have to go back to what I said before about being consistent. That’s a strategy in itself if you truly do it right. I see myself constantly finding ways to market my books, or trying to get the word out. I once went to a spoken word show (which was a poetry show) and sold my books there, and I was consistent in my attitude and sold every book that I brought with me. If you come up with a plan, then you better execute it, you better be very consistent because no one likes a flip flopper, or someone that isn’t giving their all.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
Oh boy, I once started selling candles and soaps, and I thought I was going to just sell a large amount overnight, but I was young and I really had horrible marketing and my heart wasn’t in it. In fact someone I knew forced me to join them and it failed because I can admit I didn’t truly love it like how I do writing. This early failure is what made me know that I have to only do what I love, and truly believe in whatever product that I’m selling because I can’t force anything. If, I forced something, and my heart wasn’t in it, then there is no way that it would work.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
One idea that I have is to start a website that caters to folks that just love their animals, it would almost be like a social networking site for animals and their owners, and maybe people will also hook up from their love of animals… That’s just one of many ideas that flow through my mind.
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I actually felt hurt, when Mufasa died in The Lion King.
What software and web services do you use?
When I write, I strictly use Microsoft word because I find it so easy to use, and I just love it, I would never stop using it. As long as it continues to exist, then I will continue to use it. The web services that I currently use are regular social networking sites like Twitter, and Facebook, they’re just great at connecting and marketing to a whole lot of folks, so I really love that. I also use BlogTalkRadio, I have a nightly online radio show on there called “All Talk Now Radio” where I talk about various topics and I’m currently working on my own website, so soon that will be up and running.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
Right now, I would recommend my new book “The devil that follows me,” I feel it’s something that many will find interesting because it follows a true human experience. It’s about a veteran NYPD Detective that just got out of a bitter divorce, he lost hope in finding new love until he meets a woman by the name of Maria. Everything is going great until one day on the force what happens to him is probably what some would call every Police Officer’s worst nightmare. His new-found happiness now starts to go in a direction that he never would have expected in a million years, and his life will eventually become altered and wind up in a place that is something that no one would want. This is thus far my greatest work and I’m proud to see what it has become.
What people have influenced your thinking and might be of interest to others?
The folks that interest me are Tony Robbins, Les brown, Jesus Christ (Yes I try to read the bible as often as possible, I read at least one Psalms a day), Zig Zigler… I mean the list goes on and I don’t think I would be able to fit them all, but ordinary people who I cone across daily also will influence me; especially if they’re doing great things with their life.
Connect:
Rasheeal Dixon on Twitter: @RaBlazeWorld
Motivational Page on Facebook:
Online Internet Radio Show:
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.