SPI 249 Pivoting: How, When & Why to Do It with Jenny Blake January 18, 2017
SPI 249
Pivoting: How, When & Why to Do Itwith Jenny BlakeJanuary 18, 2017
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
1
Pat: ThisistheSmartPassiveIncomepodcastwithPatFlynn,session
number249.
Announcer: WelcometotheSmartPassiveIncomepodcastwhereit’sallabout
workinghardnowsoyoucansitbackandreapthebenefitslater,
andnowyourhost.Hey,ifyouseehim,askhimabouttheonetime
inhislifehewasgrounded,PatFlynn.
Pat: Hey,what’supeverybody,PatFlynnhereandwelcometoepisode
249oftheSmartPassiveIncomepodcast.Thankyousomuch
forjoiningmetoday.I’malsojoinedwithanamazingpersonwho
ImetveryrecentlyinNewYorkwhohasjustcameoutwitha
greatbookandnotonlythat,shehasamethodforhelpingus
understandwhatdowedonext,howdoweknowifweneedto
actuallymakeachangeinourbusiness,inourlife,andhowdowe
dothat.She’ssomebodywhospeakandhelpspeopleatGoogle
withtheircareersandhernameisJennyBlake,youcanfindherat
jennyblake.me.ThenameofthebookiscalledPivotandIwaskind
ofreferencinganepisodeofFriendsthere,theonewiththecopI
thinkitwas.
Anyway,thePivotMethodiswhatshe’stalkingaboutheretoday
andlearningaboutwhatwecandotofigureoutwell,whatdowe
donextandhowdoweknow...It’ssortofalongthelinesof“The
OneThing”butmoresointothehowdowemakeachangeifwe’re
atajunctureoraforkintheroadinourbusinessorinourlives.
What’scoolaboutJennyisshe’sjustsodowntoearth,sokind,and
soknowledgeable,butnotonlythat.Herbookisoneofthemost
organizedbooksthatI’vereadandwhatImeanbythat,it’sreally
wellputtogether,reallyeasilyread,itwasfeaturedasabookofthe
monthhereonSPIatonepoint.
Ifyouwanttocheckoutthebookclub,gotopatsbookclub.com,
Isendoutanemaileverysinglemonthwiththenewbookthat
I’mcheckingoutandJenny’sbookwasfeaturedrecentlyandI’m
excitedtofeaturehertodaytohelpyouwithsomeoftheupcoming
decisionsyou’remaking,especiallyhereatthebeginningofthe
year.Ithinkalotofyoumightfindsomegreatuseoutofthis
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
2
episodeandI’m,again,reallyhappytointroduceJennytoyou,
soherewego.ThisisJennyBlakefromjennyblake.meandalso
thepivotmethod.com.Herewego.What’supeverybody,I’mso,so
happytowelcomeandintroduceJennyBlaketoyou.Jenny,thank
youforcomingontheshow.Iamsoexcitedthatyou’rehere.
Jenny: Thankyou,Pat,forhavingme.It’ssuchanhonortobehere.
Pat: Itwassuchapleasuretomeetyouearlierthisyearaswellwhen
wemetinNewYork.I’dheardalotaboutyouanditwassocoolto
meetyoubecauseyourpersonalityisjustoneofthosethatyoucan
easilyclickwith,soI’mveryexcitedtointroduceyoutoeverybody
hereontheshowtoday.Tostartoff,whydon’tyoutelleverybody
whatisitthatyoudoandhowdidyougetthere?
Jenny: Yeah,sothankyouandIlovedmeetingyou,too.Forallofyou
listening,youmaynotseePateveryday,youhearhisvoice.Pathas
rockingstyle,soyou’rewelcometothat...It’slike,pocketsquare
andeverything,amazing.
Pat: Thankyou.
Jenny: WhoamI?Iamanauthor,that’showIidentify.Ithinkallofuswho
aredoingonlinebusiness,whatdoyoueversaytofriendsand
familyofwhatdoyoudobecausethere’ssomuchwedobehind
thecomputer,butIsayauthorbecausemybooks,Ilovethinking
aboutbigideas,andIlovesimplifyingcomplexproblems,and
helpingpeopleorganizetheirbrain,andsofromthebookstherest
ofmybusinessactivitiesfollowlikecoaching,andspeaking,and
Ialsohaveapodcast.Quickbackground,bornandraisedSilicon
Valley,workedatastartupfortwoyears,thenGoogleintraining
andcareerdevelopmentforfiveandahalf.NowI’vebeenonmy
ownforalmostsix.ThankfullyI’mstillnotlivingdowninavanbythe
river,sothat’sgood.
Pat: Youwerelivinginavanbytheriver?
Jenny: ThatwasmybigfearofleavingGoogle,Iwasreallyterrified.Huge
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
3
thankstopeoplelikeyouwhoareoutthereactuallysayinghowto
makeitwork,butIdidn’tknowifIwascutoutforentrepreneurship,
Ireallydidn’t.I’dalwaysbeenastraightAstudentandfollowed
therules,andsoIdidwellatGoogleandIjustthoughtI’mnotone
ofthosepeoplethatcoulddothisonmyown.Notwithoutroller
coastersforsure,notwithoutalmosthavingtofoldmybusiness
halfwaythrough,butthatmomentiswhateventuallysparkedme
writingPivotandfiguringoutabetterwaytoplanournextmoves.
Pat: We’lldefinitelygetintothebook.It’soneofmyfavorites.Idon’t
knowifyouknowthis,butI’lltellyounowanyway.We’refeaturing
itinourbookclubinanearlymonthin2017,soI’msuperstokedto
getthatintopeople’shands.It’scalledPivot:TheOnlyMoveThat
MattersisYourNextOne,whichissuchagreattitleanditmakes
completesense.Ithinkoneofthethingsthat’sverychallengingfor
usentrepreneursishowdoyouknowifthatnextmoveistheright
one.We’veallreadTheOneThingandallthosekindsofbooks,but
thenhowdoyouknowifthatnextonethingistherightonething.I
thinkthat’swherewe’regoingtodiveintoalotofthingstoday,but
I’dlovetolearnmoreaboutyourstory.Intermsofgettingoverthat
fearofmakingthattransitionfromSiliconValleyandstartupworld
toyourownstuff,atwhatpointinthejourneyifyoucomeacross
itdidyoueverfeelthatfinallyyouwereconfidentinthisnewpath
thatyouweregoingdown?
Jenny: Ihadstartedmyfirstvlog,LifeAfterCollege,in2005.I’dbeenatthis
forawhileandnever,neverthoughtthatitwasgoingtobeafull-
timething.Itwasasideproject,ahobby,andIknowyouknowhow
itis,Pat,whensometimeswhenwestartthesethingslike,“What’s
thisnewtechnology?Imightgiveitago,”itbecomesthislifelong
commitmentbecausethere’snoenddateunlesswedecidetofold
shop,butslowlyitdevelopedmomentumandwhileIwasatGoogleI
wasworkingonabookonthesidecalledLifeAfterCollege.Iended
upgettinganagentandabookdeal,andsowhenmybookwas
comingoutin2011Iaskedforthreemonthsofunpaidleavefrom
Google.Ireallyhadnointentionsofleavingthecompany.
Ihadaperfectonpaperjob,buttherewasstillapartofmethat
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
4
Iwaskindofburningoutalot.Googleitselfisareallyintense
environment,nottomentiontryingtohaveabookandablogon
theside.PartofmealsoknewthatIcouldn’tdobothmuchlonger,
atsomepointIwasgoingtohavetochoose.AssoonasIstarted
thatsabbaticalIrealizedIcouldspendalldayworkingonwhathad
previouslybeenmysidehustle,butallday,everyday.Iwasreally
enjoyingit,soIwouldn’tgivethissameadvice,buteventhoughI
wasn’tearninganyincomefromit,Iultimatelymadethedecisionnot
togobacktoGoogle.IhadsixmonthsofwhatIcallpivotrunway.
YouaskedwhendidIhavetheconfidence.Formeinmylife,
confidencekindofcomesafterthefact.Ifeelreallyscaredalotof
thetime,scared,insecure,unsure.WhenItakestepsandtheyfeel
alignedwithwhatIcallsoulgoals,thingsstarttohappenandwork
out.AsaresultIfeelconfident,butI’velearnednottowaitfor100%
confidentorcourageupfront.
Pat: Whatdoesyourbusinesslooklikenow?We’reattheendof
2016,peoplearelisteningtothisearly2017,what’sJennyBlake’s
businessoverallnow?Whatarethedifferentcomponents,howare
yougeneratinganincome?
Jenny: OneofthebigfocusesformeinthelastfiveyearssinceLifeAfter
Collegecameoutismorescalablesourcesofincomes,soin
additiontoIdothepodcast,coaching,andspeaking,butalsoI’m
reallyexcitedtoannouncethatGoogleislicensingPivotasglobal
careerdevelopmenttraining,sothat’s...
Pat: Noway,fullcircle.
Jenny: Yeah,it’sreallyexciting.
Pat: Cool,huh?
Jenny: Yeah,itis.It’ssoawesomethatthey’rewillingtostillworkwith
meeventhoughIleft,wehaveagreatrelationshipandthere’sno
companyIwouldratherpartnerwiththanGoogle.Theyshapedso
manyoftheideasinthebookforobviousreasons.
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
5
Pat: That’scool.
Jenny: Yeah,thenItrainedateamofsixpivotcoaches,soIdon’thaveto
betheonlyoneavailabletobeabletosupportpeople.Ihavea
privatecommunitycalledMomentum.Thosearethemainincome
sources,thenIhavethenewsletters,IhavethePivotwebsiteand
blog,JennyBlakeandLifeAfterCollege,soIstillrunthreedifferent
webproperties,butitallkindofrollsuptothesameplaces,which
isthenewsletters,andthepodcasts,andthenifpeoplewantto
engagemore,Momentum,andcoaching,andspeakingonthe
companyside.
Pat: That’sreallycool,congratulationsonthatopportunity.That’s
amazing.Doesthatmeanthey’rebuyingcopiesofyourbookand
givingittoalltheiremployeesoracertainnumberofthem?
Jenny: We’llsee.Idon’tknowifit’llleadtodirectbooksales,butmore
usingPivotasaframeworktotalkaboutcareerdevelopmentand
toguidepeoplethroughplanningtheirpivot.It’scoolbecauseone
ofthemessagesthatI’mnotsurecomesthroughandyoujustsee
thebookontheshelfasthatnotallpivotshavetobehuge,drastic,
crazycareerchanges.It’sreallyIjustwantedtoputamethodtothis
processofaskingwhat’snextsowecouldallbecomemoreefficient
atit,soevenwithinyourexistingbusiness,figuringoutwhat’snext
andpivotinginwhateveryou’recurrentlydoingisjustaswellasthe
biggermovesthatweseecelebratedinthemedia.
Pat: Let’sgetintothatframework.Howdoesoneevenknowwhere
tostart?Obviouslyyoutalkaboutitinthebook,I’drecommend
everybodycheckitout,butlet’sbreakitdownforpeople.Ithink
whenpeopleapproachwhattheirnextstepsarethere’sacoupleof
waystogoaboutitorthere’sacouplescenariosthatcomeintomy
mindandthatisyoudon’tevenknowwheretostartbecauseyou
don’thaveanyideas,andyou’rekindofworried,andoverwhelmed,
andyoudon’twanttomakethewrongone,soyoujustdon’tdo
anythingatallandyoucontinuedoingwhateveritisyouwere
doing,andbeingcomplacent,andbeingunhappybecauseyou’re
moresatisfiedbeingwhereyou’reatnowversusallthefearthat
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
6
comeswithmakingthechanges,oryouhaveabazillionideas,like
100,000waystogo,whichleadstothesameresult,doingnothing
atallbecauseyou’rejustunsureofyourself.Howdoesoneeven
begintounderstandwhattheirnextmovesareandwherethatpivot
shouldbe?
Jenny: Iknow,andwehavealotofsimpaticoideasfromWillitFly,too,
aroundexperiments,butessentiallyonethingisjustrecognizing
whenyou’reatapivotpoint.I’vefeltlikeIwashavingamidlifeor
quarterlifecrisiseverytwoyears.Imean,everytwoyearsIwas
doingallthisexistentialsearchingwhoamI,whatdoIwant,what’s
important,what’snext.Istartedtofeellikeeitherthere’ssomething
reallywrongwithme,I’mdestinedtoforeverbeunhappy,Ican’t
evenbehappyatGoogle.Imustbeoneofthoseentitledmillennials
thatthemediaistalkingabout,orwe’reallgoingtohavetoaskand
answerwhat’snextmorefrequently.
AsIstartedtodoresearchforthebookthelatterprovedtobe
true,soonethingIwishIhadn’tdonesomuchofisbeatmyself
up.Ithinkalotofuswhenwe’reatapivotpoint...WhenIsaypivot
point,Imeanafeelingofrestlessness,oralittlebored,orthere’s
moreoutthere,orjuststraightupbodyishittingyouwithcosmic
twobyfourslikegettingsick.Ihadafriendwhowouldgetpanic
attackswhenevershewouldgetoffthesubwayonherwayto
work,soifwedon’tlistenearlyontothesignalstheystarttoreally
screamatus,butessentiallyIremember...
Iwasacoupleyearsintorunningmyownbusiness,I’dbeenknown
asthegirlwholeftthings.Thegirlwholeftcollege,thegirlwho
leftGoogle,butwhoamI?WhoamIbeyondthesethingsI’veleft
behind.Ipausedallmybusinessactivities,Iwashavingareally
toughyearforpersonalreasons,too,andmybankaccountstarted
todwindletothepointwhereIhadtomoveinordertostayinNew
York.Ihadtomovetoanewapartment.Myrentdoubledovernight,
mybusinessincomedidn’t,andIhadtoputdownthreemonthsrent
forsecuritydepositbecauseI’manentrepreneurandtheydon’t
trustushereinNewYork.
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
7
Atthatpoint,thisisasrecentasJanuary2014,andIdidn’tknow
howtopayrentintwoweeks.Ireallydidn’thavethemoney
unlessIwasgoingtoliquidatenon-cashassets,whichwasmy
worstcasescenario,soIspentalotoftime...Iguessalongway
ofsayingItookmypivotpointverypersonallyandIkeptthinking,
“I’mdelusional.Myinnercriticmusthavebeenright.I’mreallynot
cutoutforthis.Thejigisup.DoIjustthrowinthetowel?”Ithink
it’sokaytoasksomeofthatforourownselfawareness,butatthe
sametimewhatIcametorealizeispivotsaresooftenaproductof
oursuccessthatwe’redoingsomethingright.We’veoutgrownthis
previouspath,ourdirection.
It’sverynatural,especiallyamongentrepreneursandsidehustlers
thatnaturallywhenwefinishabiglaunchoracreativeproject
there’sgoingtobethisvoidthatopensupandthisdesiretocreate.
That’swhywe’realldoingthis,becauseweliveforthatcreation
processandcreatingsomethingoutofnothing,soonceyoustop
takingitpersonally,thenthereasonIcallitapivot,one,gender
neutralandjudgmentneutral,buttwo,apivotisnota180.It’snot
aboutsaying,“What’snext,”andtryingtostartfromscratch.You
describedtwoscenarios.One,justkindofchokedbyfearand
two,swirlinglikeabeehivewithtoomanyideas.Inbothcasesif
someoneweretoreallystudywhatwasalreadyworkingintheir
careerorbusiness,anddoubleddownonthosethings,thepivots
becomemuchmoreintuitive.
It’snottosaythatanyofuseverknowtheanswerupfront,butby
doingsmallexperimentsexactlyasyoutalkaboutinyourbook,
wecanstarttotestwhichonewilltakeonthemostmomentum,so
Ithinkofpilots...Icallthempilotsinthebook,likeTVshow,pilot
episodehelpsanetworkfigureoutthewholeseries,they’relike
racehorsesattheKentuckyDerby.Inourbusinessesyoujustline
upfiveorsixpilots.Youdon’thavetoknowwhichone’sgoingto
takeoff,butyouletthemstarttobuildamomentumoftheirown.
Pat: Thenpivotingisn’tnecessarilyforpeoplewhoarecomingata
pointintheirlifewherethey’refeelingdistressed,oroverwhelmed,
oranything.Canitbealsoforpeoplewhoaredoingreallywell
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
8
andaretryingtouptheirgame,likeit’snotnecessarilyanegative
thing,butit’sawhat’snextbecausetheyjustfinishedsomething
awesomeandtheywanttodoanotherthingthat’sawesome.
Jenny: 100%.Thebetterwegetatpivoting,themoreitbecomesa
continuousprocessandnotthesejarringpivotpoints.Ithink
actuallythemostsuccessful...entrepreneursarethoseofuswho
areconstantlyasking,“Cool,what’sworking?WheredoIwant
toendupayearfromnow?WhatcanIdoubledownon?What
experimentscanIrun?”Whenyouhavepivotasamindset,andI
sayinthebook,pivotisplanA.
Whenyoudon’tjustsitaroundexpectingthingstobestaticand
predictable,you’remuchbetterequippedtojustharnessthegenius
insideofyou,likeyousaid.Asmuchasevenwhenthingsaregoing
reallywellit’saboutlookingatawesome,andhowcanIbuildfrom
that.Iusepivotforaframeworkforevenjustplanninginsteadof
NewYear’sresolutions.Cool,what’sworkingandwheredoIwant
toshiftintointhecomingyear?
Pat: Nice,Ilovethat.Ilovethatyoumentionedearlierstrengths,too.
That’ssomethinglikeyousaid,ItalkaboutinWillItFly,looking
internallyatwhatyou’regoodat,andwhatyou’vebeendoing
verywell,andjustdoublingdownonthatlikeyousaid.Doyou
haveanyotherstrategiesforunderstandingwhatone’sown
strengthsmightbe?
Jenny: Yeah,Ilovethinkingabouttwothings.Iknowitsoundsclichéand
everyone’sprobablyhearditbefore,butwhatyoulovetodoasa
kidreallydoescount.Whenpeopleusedtoaskmethatquestion
Ijustfeltkindofvague,soIrecommendbreakingitdowninto
groups,reallyevenaskyourparents.Whatdidyouliketodofrom
whenyouwerefivetoeightyearsold.Whatdidyouliketodoin
middleschool?Whatdidyouliketodoinhighschool?Unpacking,
kindofreverseengineerthestuffyou’vealwaysbeendrawnto.
Thenlookatwhatdopeoplemostoftencometoyouforadvice
onandnotjustwhattheycometoyoufor,butwhatdotheyleave
witheventhattheydidn’texpect.Isitasenseofhopefulness,or
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
9
optimism,orpracticaltools.
Pat: Ilikethat.
Jenny: Whatproblemsdoesyourbrainsolveinitsownuniquewayand
thatcanbereallyinformative.ThenthelastwaythatIlikelooking
atstrengthsisjustwhendoestimeflyandwhendoyoufeelmost
inthezone.Evenifit’sonly10%ofwhatyou’recurrentlydoingand
evenifitdoesn’tseemlikeanyviablesortofwaytomakealiving,
whatdoyoureallyjustlookforwardto.Oneofmythingsforme,I
taughtmyselfHTMLandCSSbackinthedaywhenIworkedatthe
startup.Icanbuildawebsite,andthesunwillriseandset,andI
won’tevennotice.It’sreallyweird,it’snotlikeIearnalivingbuilding
websitesbyanymeans,butitisveryhelpfultomeinmybusiness
asasolopreneurthatIenjoythetechnicalaspectsofmanaging
websites.Thesestrengthscancomeintoplay.Youdon’thaveto
makethemyourfull-timething.
Pat: That’scool.IfIweretoaskyouwhatwasitthatyouwereinterested
inbetweentheagesoffiveandeight,whatwouldyousay?
Jenny: Onething,Iusedtomakemybrotherplayschool.Iwouldlearn
things,andthenIwantedhimtobesmart,andhavealegup,so
Iwouldmakeworksheetsandmakehimfillthemout.Ifhehad
friendsover,poorguy,ifhehadfriendsoverI’dmakehisfriends
playschoolaswell.What’sfunnyisthatmyjobnowprettymuch
involvesteaching,andcreatingworksheetsandtemplatesthat
eithergointhebookoronmywebsite.Ialsoalwayslovedplaying
businessasakid.Iwouldstealcarbonpaperfromskiresortswhere
Ithoughtthatpaperwassocool.Iwouldsetupafakeskistandand
peoplewouldcomefilloutpaperwork,soIalwaysenjoyedthese
aspectsofjustcreatingthings.
Pat: That’scool,Ilikethatexercisealot,lookingback.Inmybook,Ihad
themgo...
Jenny: Whatdidyouusedtodo?
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
10
Pat: Forme,Iusedtotakethingsapart,likeremotecontrolcars,or
typewriters,andjusttrytounderstandhowitallworks,andtry
tomakesenseofitall.Ithinkthat’ssomethingthatIdonowina
differentwaywhereItakethesecomplicatedprocesses,andnowI
postaboutthem,andIsharethatinformationwithpeopleinaway
that’seasytoconsumesotheycanunderstandthesetechnical
things,andbreakitdown.Iwouldtryrebuildingitinacertainwayor
inadifferentwaytoseeifitworked,andexperimentation,thatkind
ofthing,soIlovelookingbackthatfar.
Inmybook,Ionlyhavepeoplegobacktotheirfirstjobbecause
that’sthefirsttimethey’reputtowork,butgoingbackevenfurther
Ithinkthat’sreallysmart.Iwanttoencourageeverybodytobeakid
again.Ithinkwelosethataswegetolderandthat’ssomethingI’m
tryingtomakesuremykidsgrowupwithisthatideathattheycan
alwaysbekidsnomatterhowoldtheyare.
Jenny: Ilovethat.Onething...Well,twothings.IhavetogiveaPSAfor
yourbrainandunpackingthingsthateveryoneshouldknowif
you’restartingapodcast,PatFlynnisyourguidetopodcastingthat
heldmyhandthrougheverystepoftakingminepro,sothankyou
forthat.You’resogoodatwhatyoudo.
Pat: Thankyouforthat.
Jenny: Yeah,andthesecondthingthatI’llsayisthatIthinkthatnotjust
beingakid,butwhatareyouwildlycuriousaboutandthathas
thatplayfulnessofbeingakid.Ithinkit’sreallyfuntolookatwhat
podcastsareyousubscribedto,whichonesareyoudrawnto,
wheredoyoubeelineinthebookstore,what’sonyourAmazon
wishlist,evenifyouhaven’tboughtityet,whatarethebookson
yourshelfyou’vebeencollecting.Oursubconsciousgivesusthese
cluesandbelieveitornot,they’realreadywithinoursphereof
gadgetry,andonlinewishlists,andpurchasehistory.Sometimesit’s
aboutlookingatwhat’shererightnowthatNeilPasrichainhisbook
TheHappinessEquation,hecallsittheSaturdaymorningtest.What
wouldyoubedoingonSaturdaymorningwhenyoufeelyouhave
nootherobligations?
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
11
Pat: Fishing.
Jenny: Oh,nice.
Pat: Yeah,orplayingmusic,orsomething.Anyway,thisisreallycool,
Jenny.Let’sgointothepivotframework.Canyougiveusa
rundownonwhatthatexactlymeans?Wetalkedaboutalotofwhy
weneedtobeconsciousaboutwhat’shappeninginourlivesand
whyonemightneedtogothroughapivot,butintermsofactually
doingit,giveusarundown.
Jenny: Themetaphorthatcametome,soIdescribebeinginthatpickle
ofneedingtopaytherent.WhenIstartedtodoubledownonwhat
wasworking,Ikindofdeveloped,reverseengineered,becauseI’d
beendoingcoachingandcareerdevelopmenteveninmytimeat
Google,butIwantedtomaptheprocess,justlikeyou.Likeunpack
it,understandit,andsimplifyit.Bytheendofthatyearend,tripling
myincome,hitsixfiguresforthefirsttime,soitdoeswork.Itwasto
thinkofapivotlikeabasketballplayer.
Whentheystopdribbling,onefootstaysfirmlyplanted,andthat’s
yourstrengths,andwhatsuccesslookslikeayearfromnow.Then
thepivotfootcanscanforopportunityorpassingoptions.Scanning
isaboutpeopleskillsandprojectsthatarecompelling.Thenthe
thirdstage,pilot,isaboutinthebasketballanalogy,passingthe
ballaroundthecourt,wheredoyouhavethebestchancetomake
ashot.AgoodpilotwillhelpyoutestthreeE’s,doIenjoythisnew
direction,canIbecomeanexpertatit,andisthereroomtoexpand
inthemarket.Youcanplant,scan,pilotoverandoverformonths
ifnotyears.Perfectlyhappywhetherinyourownbusiness,orina
sidehustle,orevenwithinaroleifyou’reworkingatacompany.
Theneventuallytherecomestimeforalaunch,andthat’sthefourth
andfinalstagethatinsomecaseswegottogoallin.Launchinga
book,quittingajob,changingjobs,startingabusiness.Allofthose
involvesomeamountonuncertainty,butthroughfollowingthe
stagesofthepivotmethodthegoalistoreducerisk,andasyou
describedatthebeginning,helppeoplegetoutoftheirpaniczone
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
12
andintoazone,whatIcallthestretchzonewhereitfeelsedgyand
exciting,butdoable.
Pat: Iloveit.Youhadmentioneddeterminingwhetherornotthere’s
roominthemarket.I’dlovetogodeeperintothatonebecause
Iknowthat’sabigoneforalotofpeoplewhenthey’retryingto
dosomethingnewtheyalwaysseethecompetitionoutthereand
they’relike,“Oh,I’mlatetothegame,howcanIbringanything
newtothetable?I’mjustsettingmyselfupforfailure.”Howdoyou
approachsomenewdirectioninawaythat’sgoingtohelpmotivate
youinapositivewayinsteadofbringingyoudown?
Jenny: Acouplethings.OneofthebiggestmistakesImadeasa
solopreneurwastoomuchemphasisonwhatbusinessmodelI
shouldhave.Iknowthatsoundsweirdandespeciallygivenallthe
greatstuffthatyouteachabout,butIgotsocaughtupintheonline
marketingworldandtryingto...
Pat: Whatkindofquestionswereyouaskingyourself?
Jenny: Iwasliterallyasking,“WhatkindofbusinessmodelshouldIhave?
What’sgoingtobemostsustainable?”Ikepttryingtobasicallyforce
abusinessmodeltopdownonmycommunityor“themarket,”the
broadermarket.Itjustdidn’tgetmeanywhere.ItwasonlywhenI
askedhowcanIbemosthelpful.IrememberamomentwhereIhad
tostopandsay,“Enoughalreadywithwhatkindofbusinessmodel
isgoingtoserveme.”Itwasn’tgettingmeanywhere,soIhadto
shiftandsay,“HowcanIbemosthelpful?”I’vecometohavemany
morespiritualpracticesactuallyinthelastfewyears.
Atthattimewastheverybeginningsofmesaying,“Ikindofgive
upontryingtotopdownthesightofbusinessmodelandinstead
justshowme.Mymissionistobeashelpfulaspossibletoasmany
peopleaspossible.HowcanIdothat?Howinmyownlifeand
businessrightnowjustasitiscanIbehelpful?HowamIalready
helpingpeople?HowcanIdoalittlemoreofthat?HowcanI
experimentwithdifferentwaysofdoingthat?”Justthatshiftreally
gotmeunstuckofthinkingonlyonthebusinessmodelside.Ido
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
13
thinksomemixofbothisimportant.Thenlistening.Iknowyoutalk
aboutthis,too,Pat,butformeIhadtogoback.
WhatgotmeoutofthepickleIwasinwasgoingbacktoformer
clientswhohadalreadyhiredmeinthepastandsaying,“I’m
thinkingofcreatingthisthing.Iwouldloveyourfeedback.”Ihate
thephrasecanIpickyourbrain,soonethingIrecommendisIset
up30/30callswithfriend-tors,soIrecommendreachingoutto
people,past,orformer,orperspectiveclients,anddoa30/30.
Pat: Didyousayfriendtors?
Jenny: Yeah.
Pat: Likefriendmentors?
Jenny: Yeah,exactly.
Pat: Nice.
Jenny: Peopleatyoursamelevelorsimilarandsaying,“Iwouldloveyour
inputonsomethingI’mworkingonfor30minutes.ThenI’mhappy
tohelpyoubrainstormonanythingyou’reuptofor30minutes
aswell.”Thatwayit’snotsuchaone-sidedconversation.Isetup
30/30swithabunchofmyformercoachingclientsandwasthinking
ofcreatingthisprivatecoachingcommunitycalledBrillianceBarter
that’snowMomentum,buttheyhelpedshapeit.Theygavemeall
thisgreatinputsothatwhenIwenttolaunchthatprogramtheyhad
createdit.Itwasexactlywhattheywanted.Therewouldhavebeen
nowayformetoguessthatifIjusthadblindersonofwhatwouldfit
thebusinessmodel.That,Ithinklisteningtothemarket.Whatever
marketisinfrontofyou,evenifit’sfivepeopleisreallyimportant.
Pat: Whatwassomethinginthoseconversationsthatyoulearnedthat
wassurprisingtoyou?
Jenny: Onethingpeopletalkedaboutwaswantingaccountability,wanting
feedback,thinkingaboutprogramsthatdidn’twork.Imean,how
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
14
manyofushavejoinedaprivateFacebookgroupandIdon’tknow,
formeit’snotsticky,sotheyjusthelpedmeunderstandwhatreal
successwouldlooklikeandevenpricing.Ievenaskedwhatkindof
rangesothatIcoulddesignaprogramthatwouldfitwithinmostof
theirbudget.Thatwashelpful,too.ThenIlauncheditanditevolved
overtime,butjustbeingabletolaunchit,andlaunchitimperfectly,
andgetitout,andstarttestingit,thenIthinksometimesyou’vegot
tolaunchtheplaninitially.AtGooglewehadathing,launch,and
iterate,andbescrappy.Thensomeamountofbuildingtheplane
whileflyingit,soforthoseearlycustomersthereisacertainamount
offaithinyouandyourabilitytoco-create.ForthatreasonIalso
gavethemreallylowrates,andtheygotafoundersdiscount,and
theyweregrandfatheredinatthoseratesbecauseoutofgratitude
forthemhelpingmeworkoutthekinksalongtheway.
Pat: Howdoyoudeterminewhodoyouspeaktoifyouarejuststarting
abusiness?Yousaidyoualreadyhadcoachingclients,sothatwas
obviouslywhereyouwouldstart,butforthosewhoarelistening
whoarelike,“Thisallsoundsgreat,butIdon’thaveanycontacts,”
howwouldyourespond?
Jenny: Yeah,thisiswhereunderstandingwhoisyourtarget,yourideal
client.Ithinkbeveryspecificandbeselfish.Don’tfeellikeyour
idealclienthastobesomebroadthing.Therewasapoint,the
lingoonmyLifeAfterCollegecoachingpagestartedoutsocliché
like,“Doyouwantmorefulfillmentinlife?”Justexactlywhat,kind
ofthemostgeneric.ThenovertimeIrealizedwhoIreallyloved
beingonthephonewith,sonowmycoachingandmyMomentum
program,thepagessaythingslike,“Areyousmart,generous,
motivated,creative?”I’vegottensoclearonthepsychographicof
whoIlikeworkingwith.Weknowaboutdemographics,that’slike
age,sex,ethnicity,maybewheresomeonelives,butpsychographic
isamindset.
InPivot,Icallthemhighnetgrowthindividuals,peoplewho...
moneyisimportant,butit’snoteverything.Ultimatelythoseare
theonesI’mreallygoingtoconnectwith.Ievensaythingslike
action-oriented,positive,thingslikethat.Let’ssaysomeonewho
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
15
hasnoformerclients,onceyouknowthepsychographic,juststart
tofindpeoplewhofitthatdescriptionandsetup30/30sandask,
“Whatdoyoustrugglewith?Whatareyourchallenges?Whatare
yourfrustrations?Whatareyourhopesanddreams?Whatwould
youlovetoseehappeninginyourlifeayearfromnow?”Ifyou
havesomehypothesisaboutwhattocreate,thenyoucanalsosay,
“Here’ssomethingI’mnoodlingwith.Isthatsomethingyou’dever
beinterestedin?Evenifit’snotforyou,Iwouldloveyourinputfor
peoplelikeyoubecauseIreallyadmireandrespect...”andjust
gettheirfeedbackwithnoattachmentthattheythemselvesever
becomeacustomer.
Pat: IalsolovethatyouhaveCalNewportherewholeftyouanice
littleblurbaboutdeepwork.We’retryingtogethimontheshow
becauseIlovehisbookandeverythingthathe’sdoing,buthe’s
veryhardtogetforsomereason,Idon’tknowwhy.Probably
becausehewroteapostcalledWhyIQuitSocialMedia,soit’skind
ofalittlebit...He’sveryconsciousaboutwhereheputshistime,
whicheverybodyshouldbe,butanyway,goingbacktoyourbook.
Youactuallyhaveafifthstagethatyoudidn’tmentionyet,butI
reallylovethatyouaddedthatinthere.Thatislead.I’dloveforyou
tospeakaboutwhatthatmeanstoyouandwhythat’simportant.
Obviouslylaunching,gettingoffthegroundisimportant,butwhat
does“Lead”meaninthiswholeprocesstoyou?
Jenny: Leadisaboutabetterwaytolisten,actually,andhowto...Allofus
areleadersinourownlivesandwhetheryouactuallymanagea
teamofpeople,oryouwanttosomeday,orevenwithfriendsand
family,itissoeasyforsmartpeople,problemsolversbynature,to
wanttojustdishoutadvice.WhatItalkaboutintheLeadchapter
ishowtoempowerotherpeopleinyourlifetobetheexpertin
theirownlife.ThepivotmethodthatIsharedcanalsobeusedasa
conversationframework.
Everybodylisteningcantrythisashomework,butthenexttime
someonecomestoyouforadvice,insteadofjustdolingitout,
whichIactuallyfindquiteinefficient.Imean,similartoyou,Ilove
efficiency,andIlovethingsthatwork,andthatareeffective.It’sjust
noteffectivetotakestabsinthedarkatwhatyouthinksomeone
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
16
shoulddo.Insteadyoucansay,“Well,whatisworking?Okay,well,
whatdoessuccesslooklikehere?What’soutthere?Whocouldyou
talkto?Wanttobrainstormsomeexperiments?Okay,great,what
willyoutry?”Thenattheend,giveadviceandinput,butyouwill
havelearnedsomuchfromtheotherpersonfirstthatbythetime
youdogetaroundtogivingadviceorsharingyourownstories,it’s
muchmorerelevant.
Pat: That’sawesome,Iloveit,Jenny.Iwanttotalkaboutthemarketing
ofyourbookPivotbecauseIknowit’sgettingoutthere,alotof
peopleareseeingit,andnowGoogle’slovingit,andisworking
withyou.Whathavebeenthebigthingsthatyou’vedonetogetthe
bookintomostpeople’shands?
Jenny: IkindoftookmyownmedicinehereandIsaid,“Okay,”because
withtheLifeAfterCollegebooklaunchIcompletelyburnedout.I
waslaunchingaglobalcoachingprogramatGooglethreeweeks
priortothebookcomingoutandjustdidafunnytiming.
Pat: That’scrazy.
Jenny: Yeah,soIcameskiddingintothatfirstlaunchjust...
Pat: Wasthatselfpublished?
Jenny: No,thatwasthroughasmallpresscalledRunningPress.Ihadnever
launchedabook,andIwaslivinginCalifornia,Ididn’tknowany
otherauthors.That’swhyIcreatedthathugemarketingspreadsheet
thatSethendedupsharing,butIjustwassooverwhelmedthatI
reallyburntoutbeforethebookevencameout.Thatwasatough
feelingbecauseIfeltlikehere’sthisprojectthatIlovesomuchand
Idon’tevenhavetheenergy.I’mskiddingoverthatlastmileofthe
marathon.Ididn’twantthatthistimearound,sothistimearoundI
lookedandIsaid,“WhatarethethingsthatIambestatandthatare
themostjoyfulindescendingorder?”
Numberone,beingonpodcastslikethis,Iloveit.Itissojoyful
formetojusttalktoawesomepeopleandhaveinteresting
conversations,soImadethatthetoppartofmystrategy,justlining
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
17
upapodcasttour.Thenindescendingorderforexample,oneof
thethingsformethatIfindreallychallenging,IwishIdidn’t,butI
do,iswritingneworiginalcontent.Iendedupdoinganarticlehere
andthere,likeoneforFastCompany,butingeneralIfeltsospent
fromwritingthebookIjustdidn’thaveitinmetocomeupwithnew
stuff,soIreallytriedtoaskthePRrepatthepublisherwhereever
wecancanwepitchanexcerpt,orcandoaQ&A,orevenbetter,a
phoneQ&AbecauseanythingthatinvolvedwritingIjustdidn’thave
theenergyfor.
Pat: Yeah.
Jenny: WorkingtopdownfromwhatcouldmakeabigimpactandwhatI
reallyenjoyed.Thenmakingthemosttimeforthosethings.
Pat: Whataresomeofthefutureplansyouhaverelatedtothepivot
brandandbook?Arethereevents?What’syourultimategoalwithit?
Jenny: Ireallybelievebookstakeonalifeoftheirownoncethey’reonthe
market.Mydream,asmuchasIdiddoalaunchpushandIgave
iteverythingIcouldforthosetwoorthreeweeks,atmyheartof
heartsI’m,Icallitatortoisemarketer,likeslowandsteady,kindof
longtailwinstherace.Mybiggesthopeanddreamforitisjustthat
peoplefinditincrediblyhelpfulandbecauseofthat,everybodywho
finishesitwantstotelloneortwofriends,andthatthat’showthe
bookwillreallygrowvirallyandexponentiallyovertime.Beyond
that,Imean,itwouldbeamazingtoseemorecompaniespickit
up.Myhopeistojustgivepeopleasharedlanguagetotalkabout
changeandtomanagethechangeprocessinawaythatdoesn’t
feellikeacrisis.ProgramslikePivotCoaching,orMomentum,or
thelicensingtocompanies,allofthatiswaysthatI’vetriedtobe
smarterabouthavingthingsbemorescalablewiththissecond
booksothatthemessagecanspreadasfarasitcan.
Pat: Jenny,thankyousomuchforallthisamazinginformation.
Everybody’slisteningtothis,actuallythosewhoaresubscribed,are
listeningtoitinJanuaryof2017,soit’sthestartoftheirnewyear.
Whatadviceorquestionsyoumighthavepeoplebeabletoask
themselves,orwhatwouldyousayforpeopleouttherewhoare
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
18
listeningwhoaremotivated,buttheyjustdon’tknowwhatthenext
stepsare?Let’sleavethemwithonethingtohelpthemshapetheir
mindintherightwaybeforeleavingthispodcast.
Jenny: Oneofthebiggestmistakespivotersmakeissaying,“Okay,it’s
January2017,what’soutthere?”Again,goingoutsideyourselffirst.
Comehome,reallygowithinandsay,“WhatwouldIlovetohave
happeningbytheendofthisyear?Whatdoessmashingsuccess
looklike?HowmuchdoIwanttobeearning?WhatdoIwantto
belearning?WhatkindofimpactdoIwanttohave?Whatdoesmy
idealaveragedaylooklike?WhoamIsurroundedby?”
Ifyoucanpaintthepictureofthatvision,aoneyearvision,oneyear
isplenty.Noneofuscanpredictthefuture,norshouldwetry,but
that’sastepthatsomanypeoplewanttoskipanditmighteven
seem[fru-fru00:13:02],butit’sactuallysohelpful.Whenyou’re
anchoredinthatpresent,compellingvision,thenextstepsthat
followwillrevealthemselves,andareoftensomuchclearer,andI
saylikeasyoutakeonestepforward,theuniverseunrollsthered
carpet.That’showyouknowyou’reontherighttrack.
TheotherthingI’llsayforeveryonelisteningis,andIknowyoutalk
aboutthis,too,Pat,butjustpickonethingthat’sreallyexcitingand
theonenextstep.That’sallwecaneveraskofourselves.Don’t
expectthatyou’regoingtofeelready.You’renot.That’swhywe’re
highnetgrowthindividualsandnodoubt,anybodylisteningto
yourpodcast,Pat,ishighnetgrowthbecausewearehere,we’re
herespendingfreetimelearning.Knowthatifyouweren’talittle
nervous,andalittleanxious,andalittleinsecureitwouldn’tbebig
enoughforyou.
Pat: Yeah,Ilovethat.Ialwaystellthattopeople.Ifyou’renotnervousit
probablymeansyou’renotgoingbigenoughandsohopefullyallof
youarenervousthisyearbecauseyou’vegotsomeamazingthings
happening,soJenny,thankyousomuchforjoiningmetoday,
andmotivatingpeople,andgettingpeoplefamiliarwiththepivot
method.Wherecanpeoplegofindthebookandyourself?
Jenny: Thebestplacetogoispivotmethod.com.Ifyougoto/toolkitthere
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
19
areatonoffreetemplatesbasedoneverythingwetalkedabout
today.
Pat: Nice,thankyou,Jenny.Weappreciateyouandgoodluckonallthe
stuffthatyou’reworkingon.Appreciateyou.
Jenny: Thankyousomuch,Pat,andhugethankstoeverybodyforlistening.
Pat: Allright,IhopeyouenjoyedthatepisodewithJennyBlake.Again,
youcanfindheratjennyblake.meandthattoolkitshementioned
isoveratpivotmethod.com/toolkit.There’snooptionrequired
tocheckoutalltheresourcesshehasthere,whichincludesan
assessmentthatyoucantake.Apivotabilityself-assessment.You
canmakeyourpivotprofileandyoucandothatunderfiveminutes,
sogoaheadandcheckthatout.Jenny,thankyousomuch.Iknow
you’relisteningtothisshow.IappreciateyouandIappreciateallof
youforlisteningallthewaythroughheretotheendasalways.
Thenextepisode’sgoingtobereallycool.We’regoingtobe
featuringnotsuccessstories,butfailurestories.Thesearestories
offailuresthatthenturnedintosuccessandtheyaresomeofyour
stories,soIactuallyaskedtheSPIaudienceawhilebacktosend
voicemailssharingsomeoftheirfailurestoriesthatwhichhave
turnedintoasuccessinsomeway,shape,orform.Wehavea
numberofthosetoshare,reallyinspiring,butalsoreallyactionable,
too,becauseIthinkalotofuscanrelatetofailinginourbusiness
andhopefullywearefailingasoftenaspossiblebecausethemore
oftenyoufail,themoreoftenyoucanlearn,andmakeadjustments,
andpivotintotherightposition.
Anyway,lookoutforthatepisodenextweek.That’sgoingto
celebrateepisode250,howcrazyisthat?Ofcoursethisone
isepisode249.Ifyouwanttogettheshownotes,andlinks,
andeverythingmentionedinthisepisodeheadonoverto
smartpassiveincome.com/session249andfinallyIwanttothank
today’ssponsor,whichis99designs.comforthoseofyouwhocan’t
affordthatonedesigneronyourteam,whichissortofideal,but
especiallyifyou’rejuststartingoutorbootstrappingyoucan’tafford
thatonedesigner,sothenextbestthingistohiresomebodyona
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
20
sitelike99designs.com,whichiscoolbecauseifyouhaveadesign
needthatyouhave,sayforexamplealogo,orawebpagethatyou
needdesigned,orsomeletterhead,anythingthatyoucouldthink
ofthatyouneeddesigned,whichweallneedthosethingsifwe’re
doingstuffonline,youcangoto99designs.com/spi.
Youcanputinadescriptionofwhateveritisthatyou’relookingfor,
itcouldevenbelikeaninfographic,orat-shirtdesign,oranything
anddifferentdesignersfromaroundtheworldwilldesignbasedon
whatyou’relookingfor.Youcanpickyourfavorite,whichisreally
cool,whichisalsocoolisyoucanhaveyourfriendsandfamily
votefortheirfavorite,youcanhaveyouraudiencevoteforyour
nextebookcoverforexample,whichisreallyfunandexcitingto
gettheminvolved.Plus,ifyougothroughthatlink,99designs.com/
spi,that’llgiveyoua$99creditthatyoucanputtowardsyournext
designproject,whichisreallycool.Plus,ifyoudon’tlikeanyofthe
designsthatcomein,youcangetyourmoneyback.
Now,I’veneverhadtoaskformymoneyback.I’veused99designs.
comseveraltimesinthepastandIknowalotofotherpeopledo,
too,sogoaheadandcheckthatoutifthat’ssomethingyou’re
interestedin,99designs.com/spi.Thankyousomuch,Iappreciate
youandIlookforwardtoservingyouinnextweek’sepisode.All
thebest.Takecare,bye.
Announcer: ThanksforlisteningtotheSmartPassiveIncomepodcastatwww.
smartpassiveincome.com.
Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249
21
ReSouRceS: PIVOT
PIVOTToolkit
JennyBlake.me
LifeAfterCollege
TheHappinessEquation
Pat’sBookClub
SpoNSoRS: 99Designs.com
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/