As many of you know, I’ve been working on a book for a while now. My new book on Amazon is not that book.
There’s obviously a backstory here but I’m not going to share that today. I have a lot to say about writing, publishing, and entrepreneurship that’ll take a while to parse and this new book has been a phenomenal catalyst for me.
The book, The Small Business Lifecycle: A Guide for Taking the Right Steps at the Right Time to Grow Your Small Business, is an extension and curation of the material I’ve been sharing about the small business lifecycle over the last few years. It’s main point – which you’ve probably heard me talk about – is that bootstrapped small businesses grow differently than other kinds of businesses and growing a small business requires focusing on the right steps at the right time. Too many small business owners are either trying to do things too early or are still doing things the same way as they started, which either leads to gaining no traction or not addressing what has their business stuck. It shows what steps to take at what stage of business.
So, that’s what the book is about. If you’re in a small or micro business, it’s for you, no matter which stage of business you’re in.
And by it’s for you, I really mean it’s for you. I shipped this one now and this way because I was getting 2-5 emails a week from people asking if I’d consider turning it into a book. My clients, students, and workshop participants were also wanting it in book form.
I decided to stop hearing and instead really listened and reflected on it. For me not to do it was about me and my own Stuff, which, if you’re curious, I’ll talk about more in the aforementioned post. And for me not to do it was to be out of alignment with what I’ve been teaching about entrepreneurship and small business as a vehicle for service.
On the other side, it’s been incredibly fun to do. Not at all like the other book being done the other way. One of the epiphanies about doing this has been that it’s been so much more fun and Flow-ful to do because I’m talking to you and nobody else – there aren’t those Other People (the well-meaning editors, marketers, distribution people, agents, and so on) that show up in the traditional publishing process that I was allowing to let my fingers falter at the keys. And, to be 100% clear, their momentum-blocking manipulations were entirely of my own making.
Imagine the pro/con table with no cons except those built upon limiting beliefs, shadow stuff, and the uncertainties inherit in walking on the thin ice of this digital disruption we’re all going through. The more power we give those, the more power they have over us, so it was clear it was time to ship.
There was a surprise inside this box of CrackerJacks: people were buying it and sharing it before I was ready to announce it. I was going to get everything staged and ready to go so I could start talking about it this week, but the joys of selling on one of the worlds’s largest platforms is that people can find and buy it as soon as it’s available, which may be before you’re ready. I’ve been chasing the ball down the hill since Friday.
I wasn’t ready for the selling and sharing, but that’s all bits of code and waiting. What I was most unprepared for and am still adjusting to is how excited people are about it. It’s been a tidal wave of support, celebration, and joy that I’ve been riding since Friday night. Thank you all.
The digital version of the The Small Business Lifecycle will be available at its discounted intro price all week. The print version will be out in a couple of weeks. If it’s a fit, I’d appreciate it if you’d buy it and share or review it. If it’s not, celebrations and well-wishes are nice, too.
Again, thank you all.
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