Category: blogging

What I have learned from writing 850 blog posts.

It’s hard to believe that I have been writing this blog for over 7 years now. This is my 850th post. (The headline out front should have told you.)

When I first started blogging I was a new entrepreneur and wanted to share my experiences with the world. I wanted other people to benefit from both my failures and successes. Plus, I loved the idea of writing with no client, editor or teacher telling me what I could or couldn’t include. #boogerpoopbutt

I thought that blogging was a simple undertaking where I just sat down to type out my thoughts, learnings, and experiences 5 days a week. But now it is starting to feel like blogging was never just blogging. It was building a bridge to something else. Although I am not sure what. Maybe Terabithia.

Not long after I started writing the blog I was encouraged by readers to start a podcast. Or a vlog. Neither of which I have done. So if that was my thing, I’m not picking up the hint. Kinda like when that girl in 8th grade kept asking me to go for a walk in the woods behind the library.

But readers also encouraged me to write a book. I never thought I would find the time to write something so significant. But then covid happened. Which was bad. But it did cough free time all over me. Which was good.

I used that free time to write my first book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? Readers have offered such a positive response to the book that I thought maybe blogging was setting me up to become an author. Maybe I was supposed to Twain myself up with an alias. Perhaps I was supposed to move to Paris. Or become a recluse in Cornish, New Hampshire. Or shoot my remains out of cannon in Aspen. So I began working on more books. In December I published another book I co-authored with Jeff Hilimire titled The Culture Turnaround.

But the book writing led to speaking opportunities. Not 1. Not 2 or 3. But many. And they keep coming. I don’t advertise that I give talks. But the requests keep coming anyway. Plus, they pay. Which means there must be value in what I am doing. In fact, I have made more money from speaking than from book sales. And no one ever paid me to blog. But then again, I like the control I have as Kenny Bloggins.

So, is the speaking the thing? I have no idea. I have grown and shed my skin enough times now that I am resigned to the fact that I don’t know where this is going. And I’m not sure it matters.

What I have learned

  • I learned that by starting a blog I gave myself a platform to create from.
  • I learned that by writing 5 days a week I developed my own writing style. Which is exactly like my speaking style. Only quieter.
  • I learned that sharing positivity gets positive responses. (Well mostly. Cuz grouches gonna grouch.)
  • I learned that if you always drop funny lines in your writings people will read anything you write just for the funny parts.
  • I learned that authors have much greater credibility than bloggers.
  • I have learned that speaking opportunities are great because they let you see people’s reactions to your stories.
  • I learned that the writer learns more than the reader.
  • I learned that the 2 great keys to success are getting started and not stopping.

Key Takeaway

Start doing that thing that really interests you. When you are excited about what you are doing you will pour a lot of time and energy into it. When you do that you will become really good at it. And people will notice. And it will open more doors to more opportunities. You never know how far it will take you. Which is part of the fun.

*If you enjoyed this please consider subscribing to receive my latest posts at AdamAlbrecht.blog by email 3 days per week.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

How to share your best ideas all over the world.

In the fall of 2015, I decided to create a new blog. I had tried writing blogs several times before. Most of them didn’t go anywhere. I hoped that this new blog would be different. Like Nuprin. Or Zima.

Starting At Zero

I started at zero. Zero posts. Zero readers. Zero subscribers. Zero requests for me to write anything. It was just me and my computer, creating new blog posts out of cursors and keystrokes, the way Doogie Howzer used to do it before he met your mother.

I write to help readers learn a little, laugh a little and lift a little.

Adding Value

I just started writing lessons and learnings I found valuable and that I thought would be valuable to others. I shared what I was learning about entrepreneurship as I launched the advertising and ideas agency The Weaponry in 2016. I wrote about marketing and creativity. I wrote about positive thinking and self-improvement. And I wrote a story about a woman who tried to save me from salmonella poisoning and plane crashes at a Piggly Wiggly.

Developing The Habit

I felt like the Time-To-Make-The Donuts Guy from the Dunkin Donuts commercials of my youth. That guy got up every day, without fail, and would make donuts, day after day, because the world needed donuts. He had created a donut-making habit. I created a similar habit at 6 am every day. Only I was writing, not baking, glazing, sprinkling, and holing.

The Compounding Effect

The compounding effect of a habit repeated over time is remarkable. It often sneaks up on you, like the way you catch a unique rabbit. At the start of 2023, I looked at the statistics page on this little blog project and I noticed 3 things that surprised me.

Adam Albrecht Blog Surprises

  1. I have now been writing the Adam Albrecht Blog for 8 years. I determined this through rigorous data analytics where I took the current year (2023) and subtracted the original year of publication (2015).
  2. I have published 828 blog posts.
  3. I saw the world map of where my blog has been read.

Here’s the map.

By writing day after day for years the blog has been read around the world. In fact, it has been read in 170 Countries or territories. According to Google and The United Nations (of Benneton), there are 195 sovereign nations. (And one seven-nation army.) One of my favorite statistics is that there are 38 countries that have at least triple-digit reads.

Notable countries that are boycotting this boy’s blog:

  1. Iran (So far away)
  2. Cuba (Gooding Jr.)
  3. North Korea (De Janeiro)

I get that those countries don’t allow people like me to just wi-fi into their countries, spreading positivity and pop culture references. So I am not hurt.

But then there is Greenland. That large landmass in the north apparently wants nothing to do with me. This has been a source of frustration for me for years. I just can’t seem to crack the Greenland market.

French Guiana is the only other area in the Americas that is not down with the AAB (Adam Albrect Blog). I don’t know if it is their Frenchness or their Guiananess that is to blame.

The Lesson

I started this blog at zero. I have never done any paid promotion of this blog. Yet, the ideas I have shared here have been read by people all over the world, thanks to the power of the internet and the WordPress platform.

By writing at least 5 days each week for years I also developed habits, ideas, and stories that enabled me to write my first book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? In the book, I shared 80 of the best life lessons I have learned. But it never would have happened if I hadn’t first started this blog.

I have now published 2 books, thanks to the writing and publishing habit I developed through this blog.

Key Takeaway

The key to long-term success is to get started. First comes the action. Then comes the accumulation. Studying doesn’t get you success. Planning doesn’t. Goals don’t. Actions do. Habits do. Simply not stopping does. So get started today. And just keep going.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+If you found value in this read, please subscribe to this blog to have new posts delivered fresh 3 times per week.

How deeply do you think?

Great ideas come from time spent thinking.

One of the best ways to think is to write.

Writing is like mining for ideas.

But with less black lung disease.

And more Carpal tunnel syndrome.

Every line you write digs deeper into a vein of thought.

The more you write, the digger you deep.

The digger you deep, the more you discover.

If you force yourself to sit down and write for an hour or 2 or 3 you will discover new thoughts and ideas that you had never considered before.

The pencil is your pick.

The pen is your shovel.

The keyboard is your drill.

Write to find new ideas.

Mine deep.

The more you write the more you will reach.

There are deeply buried gems waiting for you to discover.

But the only way to unearth them is with your writing utensils.

Scratch with each stroke.

Tap and type and claw toward those ideas.

Don’t stop short.

Get to the gold.

Discover the diamonds.

Mine for the motherlode.

The clues on the surface give you a starting point.

But the treasure is always deep below the surface.

Well below the obvious.

So write and find it.

Write fast and furiously. (Like Vin Diesel)

Write slow and smart.

Get to the spot where each word feels hard.

And important

And real.

And new

Go as deep

and

far

as

you

can

think

to

go.

10 things I have learned from writing 700 blog posts.

Back in the fall of 2015, I knew I was going to launch my own business. It was such an exciting adventure that I decided to document it by starting a blog. But like so many big ideas (and Band-Aids on freshly washed hands), I didn’t know if this blogging thing would stick.

Well, it stuck.

Today I am proud to say I have published 700 blog posts. I don’t know many people in the 700 Club, besides Pat Robertson and Jim Bakker. The whole point of the blog was to share what I have learned. But through the process of writing this blog, I have learned a lot too.

My Learnings From Writing 700 Blog Posts.

I do this a lot.
  1. To do something big simply start with something small. The 700th post is not really that important. The most important one was the first post. Just like an estate begins with a single dollar put away, you need that first post, or first step, most of all. If you have a goal (of course you have a frick’n goal!) take the first step!

2. I found my writing voice. I started my career in advertising as a copywriter. So I wrote a lot. But I wrote in the voice of the brands I worked on. Writing this blog has allowed me to dial into my own writing voice. Most people who know me would say my writing voice is exactly like my speaking voice. (I am one of those people.) I simply write this blog the way I think and the way I talk. That’s my style. Once you find your style, writing becomes easier. It just flows out of you. Like pee.

2.5 You can write anything you want in your own blog. (See the last 2 words of the last paragraph.)

I started the blog when I started my business. Both have grown into healthy adults.

3. Develop your good habits. I never think about whether I am going to write in the morning. It’s totally automatic. Like that Pointer Sisters song. Writing is a strong habit for me. Sunday through Thursday morning I am in my office writing by 6:10 am. I write until 7 or 8 am. On Friday and Saturday mornings, I write, read or exercise. Studies show that it takes an average of 66 times to create a habit. Then you don’t think about it anymore. You just do. Today I just do. Like Whitney Houston in So Emotional.

4. A blog lets you take control. The world is full of gatekeepers who are trying to keep you out. They are trying to not let you in up in da club you’d like to be in. I prefer to make my own club. I love musicians who put their music on YouTube. Artists who put their work on Etsy. And Dancers who show off on TikTok. Blogs let writers show off what they can do without anyone else getting a veto vote. The most beautiful thing about technology today is that it empowers you to create and share. So, create and share any way you can.

5. You can be read around the world. I publish my blog on WordPress. This platform is read all over the planet. Today, my writings have been read in over 120 different countries. That’s pretty crazy. This past Valentine’s Day I wasn’t scheduled to publish anything. I was just going to enjoy being in love. But I had an idea on my drive to work. So as soon as I got to work I sat down and hammered out that additional idea and posted it right away. Within 2 hours that idea I had on my commute had been read in 30 countries. That’s wild. That’s WordPress. (That should be their new tagline.) (No it shouldn’t.)

A circle of my people.

6. It’s not about who you know. Before starting my blog and launching The Weaponry, my advertising and idea agency, I read The Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffery Gitomer. In his book, he writes, ‘It’s not who you know. It’s who knows you.’ I took that to heart. By writing this blog I have been able to reach and connect with far more people than I could have met on my own. This has brought opportunities my way that I never would have had without the blog. That compounds over time. Like Compound W.

7. I think differently now. I have always been a creative thinker. I have always had a lot of ideas. But by writing a blog and needing to have new ideas to share 3 days a week you begin finding ideas everywhere. When I was a kid Tootsie Roll had a commercial with a jingle that said, “Everything I think I see become a Tootsie Roll to me.’ And the kid in the commercial saw Tootsie Roll-shaped things everywhere. Now, I am like that kid. Except, instead of seeing Tootsie Rolls I see business lessons, creative lessons, marketing lessons, and the ever-popular life lessons, everywhere. My finder is finely tuned to detecting lessons because of the blog. That has been one of the greatest gifts of writing this thang.

8. The Blog Was a Gateway Drug. I didn’t know it in the beginning, but the blog was just the start of something bigger. Eventually, all that writing built into more. I have now published a book, and have more books in the works. I don’t know how far this will go. I guess we’ll find out together.

The first time I held my own book. I didn’t know yet not to cover up my name.

9. Getting Paid To Write. All the blogging I do is free to read. I have never made any money directly from any of my blog posts. But people who read the blog encouraged me to write a book. So I did. And while writing a 50,000-word book is more challenging than writing a 500-word blog post, it is a natural extension of what I have been doing for 6 years. Three months ago I published my first book titled What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? with Ripples Media. Now I get paid a royalty every time someone buys a book. Which is exciting. Because it demonstrates that I am providing others with value through my writing. Which is rewarding in multiple ways.

Me at a recent book talk at the Milwaukee Athletic Club.

10. Getting Paid to Speak Throughout my career I have spoken to many different groups. But since writing my book the opportunities have mushroomed. Despite having written 700 blog posts, it was the next step of writing a book that has made people seek me out for speaking engagements. Today I have paid speaking engagements lined up into August and September. By paid engagements, I mean that I am either being paid directly to speak, or the organization I am speaking to is buying books for attendees, or some combination of the two. The key learning here is that I wouldn’t have these opportunities through blogging alone. But I wouldn’t have written the book if it weren’t for the blog. Which means that first, you have to get started. Then you have to keep pushing yourself to the next level for greater rewards.

Key Takeaway

A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. And to get to 700 blog posts you have to first write one. But if you create a good habit it will compound over time, leading to bigger and better results and open doors to new opportunities. I don’t know where all of this will lead. But I am certainly glad I started 6 years ago. I encourage you to start that thing you have always wanted to do by taking that critical first step. If you have already created a good habit and developed some positive, value-creating work, ask yourself what’s next? Keep challenging yourself to take that next step. And make it worth writing about.

> For more of my lessons on blogging check out these past posts:

What I have learned about blogging after 200 posts.

12 things I’ve learned from writing 300 blog posts.

+To see where all this writing has led check out my new book What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?

Start with 1 blog post and you just may end up with your own book in 3 formats.

To make progress on your life goals, focus on them one at a time.

When you were little you started dreaming of all of the great things you would do in your lifetime. You thought of the great jobs you would have. You imagined the feats that would make you famous. You pictured the amazing things you would someday own. Like the pony, the monster truck, and the free candy vending machine in your bedroom closet that was also encrusted in candy. Because you were extra.

The Reality

As an adult, you have these ideas too. But you also have the ability to make these ideas a reality. You can start that business, take that epic trip, buy that vacation home, or create your own Hamilton. (By this I mean your own Lin-Manuel Miranda-type masterpiece. Not your own ill-fated duel to the death on the Jersey shore, Snooki.)

Dreaming Vs. Doing

My list of imagined successes is long like Duk Dong, and growing every day. The dreaming is easy. The doing is the hard part. But it’s not as hard as you might think.

To make progress towards your life goals approach them the way I approach writing this blog.

Blog Jam

Throughout each day I accumulate ideas to write about and I add them to my list of posts to create. Today, there are several hundred topics on the list.

Pick One

However, when I sit down each morning to write I have to pick one idea to focus on. That idea is in the spotlight. It gets all of my time and attention.

I do all of the work I need to do in order to transform that idea into a real post. I invest my time and my energy. I mind all the details.

I create a headline, write the body copy, and add a key takeaway. I tag the post, list a category, then add a cover photo. I proofread it. Then I hit the publish button. (Fun Fact: When proofreading this post I found that the word ‘proofread’ was misspelled.)

Another One (#DJKhaled)

Through this process, I convert ideas into real posts, one at a time. In fact, this will be my 657th post. Tomorrow morning at 6:10 am I will be writing number 658.

Key Takeaway

You can make each of your hopes, dreams, and wishes a reality by concentrating on them one at a time. Give one idea your total focus and energy. Sweat the details. Take it all the way to completion. Then take on the next idea. Don’t take on more than one thing at a time. But make sure you always have one of your goals in the spotlight. That way you are always making progress. And you are transforming the things you want to do into the things you did.

If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

Do you make money from your writing?

My son Johann saw me writing in my office early this morning, as I do at least 5 days per week. Today Johann stopped and asked me, ‘Dad, do you make money from your writing?’ I paused for a moment. Then, instead of answering his question, I said, ‘Come back and ask me your question again when I am done writing. And bring me the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of The West. NOW GET OUT…’ (Ok, so half of that is true.)

The answer is not cut and dry.

The simplest answer is no, I don’t get paid to write this blog. I am not making it rain up in this URL. I don’t have advertisers, sponsors, or paid subscribers. In that respect, my blog writing is not a job. It is a volunteer activity. An elective.

Your Electives

However, I have found that what separates us from each other are our electives. The things that we undertake that we don’t have to do. The things that not everyone does. Those are often the things that make you different, interesting, and valuable to others. But not so different and interesting that the circus wants to add you to their Tent of Freaks.

Adding Value

What I am trying to do when I write my blog is provide value to others. I am trying to share insights, experiences, ideas, techniques, inspiration, motivation, positivity, or humor. By sharing these things I am creating a value-adding resource.

Universal Math

I believe in a very simple math equation. The value of your income is equal to the value of your contribution.

Income = Contribution

So if I add more value to the world, eventually, somehow, the world will add more value to me.

But there is more to my writing than that.

  1. It keeps me top of mind.
  2. It demonstrates relevant capabilities.
  3. It means more people know me.
  4. It helps expand and strengthen my network.
  5. It keeps me engaged with my clients, customers, friends, and family.
  6. It allows me to share my expertise.
  7. It makes me a thought leader.
  8. It makes great people think about joining my team.
  9. It helps my team think they are on a pretty good team with a leader who thinks about and cares about their wellbeing and happiness.
  10. My writing, if funny enough, may someday cause someone to blow milk out of their nose. This is the superpower I have always wanted. As in, ‘You saved us, Snarf Man! We never would have escaped if you hadn’t made that bad man laugh and blow his beverage out of his nose!’ My catchphrase would be, ‘Can I buy you a drink…?’

The Greatest Reward

Perhaps most importantly, as I write, I am learning. I am sharpening my thoughts, perspectives, and techniques. All of which makes me better and more capable in other areas of my work and personal life. This enables me to do better work for others. Which ultimately helps me make money. Sorry for the long answer, Johann.

Key Takeaway

The more you write and share your thoughts the more you will profit from it. The value may not come in direct cash payments. In fact, it probably won’t. It will come through the inevitable compensation you will receive for the value you created and shared with the world. It will come through your connections with others. Through your own learning and development. Through the awareness and positivity you generate. So keep writing. Or start writing. Be patient. But persistent. And good things will come your way.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

Why adults should tap into the power of playing Pretend.

When I was a kid we didn’t have electronics. Check that, we had one television in our living room. It had no remote control, so you had to get up and go to the TV to change the channel and volume, or to fix the vertical hold. I didn’t have any video games. Our only phone was wired to the wall. And the only fun things you could do with the phone was prank call your friends, or dial 867-5309 and ask for Jenny.

The Pretender

As a result of my Amish-ish youth, I had to find other ways to fill my time. One of my go-to activities was playing Pretend. It worked like this: I pretended I was someone else with a more interesting life than my own. That’s pretty much it.

My pretending covered a wide range of roles. Sometimes I pretended to be a farmer, doctor, astronaut, or soldier. Other times I pretended to be a professional athlete or a cowboy. I used to pretend to run a chapel in my basement. And my older sister Heather and I even used to regularly play (wait for it…) Brother and Sister! We played together the way we saw brothers and sisters play on TV, or in the movies. Which meant that we got along better and did way more adventurous stuff.

Today I am full-grown-ish, yet I still play Pretend. Because I now recognize that if you play Pretend long enough, and really commit to the part, you can make things happen for real.

How it has worked for me.

College

In college at The University of Wisconsin, I pretended I was going to be an advertising creative. So I declared a major in journalism to learn about writing, strategic communications, and the other isms behind journals. I also declared a psychology major, because I wanted to know more about human thinking and motivation. I realized that declaring a major is simply a fancy name for playing Pretend. Just like kilt is a fancy name for man-skirt.

Entrepreneurship

In 2015, at the height of my employed career, I started pretending I was an entrepreneur, and that I owned my own advertising agency. So I started doing all the things I thought entrepreneurs do. I read books about launching and running businesses. I hung out with successful entrepreneurs. I wrote down all my plans. And I talked to people as if I was a real entrepreneur. Suddenly, real people started asking me if I could do work for them with my pretend business. When that happened, my pretend business instantly became a real business. Just like Pinocchio became a real boy. No lie. And no strings attached. Today that business is called The Weaponry.

Blogging

About the same time, I also pretended that I was a blogger. So I did what I thought real bloggers did. I went to a blogging website called WordPress.com, I created a pretend blog, and I started writing pretend posts. Then, after I had written 5 of those, I started publishing them. Within minutes people started reading them. You, my reader-friend, are proof that I am a real blogger. Because you are most certainly a real reader. (Maybe you could write ‘Real Reader’ in the comments to confirm my Real Reader hypothesis.) My blog has now been read in nearly 130 countries around the world. (Because there aren’t 130 countries crowded into one part of the world).

No ending to the pretending.

Today, I am playing Pretend more than ever. Over the past year, I have pretended to be a cartoonist, an author, a community organizer, a high school track coach, an investor, an employee of a tech start-up, a t-shirt maker, and the owner of a food business. All of these things that I have pretended to be are now in various stages of reality. Just like Kanye West.

What About You?

Are you pretending to be who you really want to be? Are you pretending to do the things you really want to do? It’s easier than you think. Just act like you did when you were a child. You knew what to do then. Simply do the same thing now. And if you pretend all the way, you will get all the way to what you were pretending to be. Just like Jackson Browne. Or Chrissie Hynde.

Key Takeaway

Never stop pretending. It is the first step to creating. It is how you activate your beliefs, manifest your dreams, and live into your vision. Because when you pretend hard enough everyone will take you seriously. Including yourself.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

I admit, I just love to write.

I get asked questions about blogging all the time. The questions often come from people who are thinking about writing their own blog. Usually they consider starting a blog because they are told they should for professional reasons. Or they believe there is some other great reward involved. Like money and fame. Like so many of us bloggers, they are often deciding between becoming a famous blogger, singer or professional athlete. And the other 2 require actual talent. But blogging isn’t something you should force yourself to do for personal or professional gain. You should blog if you love writing.

On Writing

In his book On Writing, Stephen King says he writes because he loves to. The money follows the love.

On Blogging

I can relate to King’s statement. Well, at least the first half. I love to write this blog. I love to share what I know. I love to help more people benefit from what I am benefitting from.

The simple process of writing helps me think through my own ideas, insights and philosophies. Which means that I learn by forcing myself to write. Which forces me to think. Which therefore forces me to am. Which is an obscure Descartes reference. And obscure references are actually my favoritest part of writing my blog. Along with making up words like favoritest.

It’s Not About The Benjamins

I don’t get paid to blog. And I never expect to. But I know that I am adding value to whomever decides to read what I am writing. Because I am offering ideas, lessons and stories wrapped in a touch of humor. Which is the literary equivalent of water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. And who doesn’t love bacon? (Pigs don’t love bacon.)

It’s A Small World After Albrecht

I am not worried about expanding my blog readership. In fact, I dig the fact that a small sliver of the world reads what I am writing. That’s fun for me.

I am posting this on the Sunday of a holiday weekend, at the tail of the year, when reading a blog post isn’t a top priority for most people. I probably could have skipped writing today and no one would have noticed. And there is a good chance that only a small number of people will read this post. But I love to write anyway. Which is the key to writing a successful blog, column, book or newsletter. Do what you love, and there will be people who love what you do too. Which leads to more good things, like the Fine Young Cannibals sang.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. And thank you for reading this post specifically. Today is a free day that you could use to do anything, or nothing at all. And you decided to spend a few minutes reading what I wrote. That means a lot to me. Have a great rest of your day. I hope you do something you love.

Everything there is to know about me in 52 minutes.

Everyone has a story. I recently sat down with Dave Molenda on the Positive Polarity Podcast to tell my story. Ok, so it was more like a series of stories. Kind of like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Which makes my episode the Podcast of a Wimpy Adult.

If you want to skip the backstory and go straight to the podcast click here.

That’s a lot of hair in one square.

Dave Molenda

Dave is a successful entrepreneur who grew a baby startup business into a $10 million beast. Then Dave wrote a book that became a #1 Amazon Best Seller called Growing On Purpose: The Formula to Strengthen Your Team AND Improve Your Customer Experience.

Dave is a really positive guy who is looking to find more positive people with positive ideas to share with the world. (I’m positive about that.) Which is why my friend and public relations expert Monica Baer connected us. Dave is also a great podcast host and found valuable topics to discuss.

Dave is also a member of the Long Hair Boys Club. Which is a club I made up. (But there are real shirts and real stickers coming soon.) In fact, Dave’s flow is so good it makes me look like Telly Savalas.

Why Listen

If you are looking for insights on how to start or grow a business, I share my approach here. If you want to know how to write a blog, it’s in there. If you ever wanted to pick my brain (hopefully not with an ice pick), the insights you are looking for are probably in here. And if you would like to get away from the election and Covid-19 for a while, there is no mention of either of those 2 topics in the podcast.

Topics Dave and I talked about:

  • The process I used to discover my career passion
  • How I got my first job in advertising
  • How I started my own business
  • Where the name The Weaponry came from.
  • How I develop new business opportunities
  • Why I give away the goods for free (like a crack dealer)
  • How I built my blog (which now has 515 posts)
  • How I find time to write
  • Where my ideas come from
  • My favorite blogging topic
  • My goals
  • Positivity
  • My tip of the week.
  • The Weaponry’s fake website we had for 3 years.
  • Why Laverne & Shirley are part of The Weaponry
  • How I applied my athletic background to business.
  • The strength of a good name
  • Being a dude with long hair.

If you want to hear the podcast click on the link below. And don’t miss my Tip Of The Week at 46:40.

The link to hear Adam Albrecht sharing everything he knows with Dave Molenda

Thanks for having me Dave! (And thanks for the introduction Monica.)

This is how many people I hope to reach with each blog post.

When I first started writing this blog 5 years ago I thought a lot about the growth of the blog. I focused on how many subscribers I was getting. I thought about how many people liked, commented on, and shared my posts. But over time, as I should care more and more about such things, I find myself caring less and less.

It’s not because I don’t think growth and significance are important. It’s because I have thought more about the power we all have to add real value to just one person.

A Critical Post

Back in 2015, as I was preparing to launch my advertising and idea agency, The Weaponry, I read a blog post that unlocked a critical door for me. It was written by my friend Christien Louviere. Christien is an entrepreneur in Atlanta. And he wrote a blog post about the top 10 things you don’t need to do to start your own business.

In the post he conveys that it is a lot easier to start a business than you thought. He encourages readers not to worry about the many things they likely thought were speed bumps, or impediments to entrepreneurship.

It was a very useful post. And it contradicted Johnny Paycheck’s take-this-job-and- shove-it philosophy. In fact, one of the 10 points was that you don’t need to quit your job to start your own business. In fact, he encouraged readers NOT to quit their day jobs until they absolutely have to. Instead, start your new business on the side (either side will do), and let your day job fund the night job, or side hustle, as long as you can.

The Entrepreneurial Track Change

When I read that post I already had potential clients encouraging me to start my own business. Which I was excited to do. The problem I couldn’t figure out was how and when to switch from salaried employee to on-my-own entrepreneur, like Patti Labelle. At that point, I was 42, making the highest salary I had ever made. I had a significant mortgage. I had 3 kids, and a wife I really wanted to keep.

Good Advice

The advice to get going while still holding onto my job was exactly what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it. It unlocked a critical door for me to pass through. (And I have found that passing through is far better than passing out or passing on.)

But the funny thing is that I bet not that many people read Christien’s blog post. Christien wasn’t the French Seth Godin. He didn’t have millions of followers. For all I know I was the only person who read that post.

But Christien had knowledge and insights that I needed. And he shared it, like Sonny Bono. With that one post, I found exactly what I was looking for, unlike U2. I don’t know how things would have unfolded for me given other timing and circumstances. Because so much of life’s success is about getting the timing right. #TWSS

A Better Measure

I no longer concern myself with how many people read my blog. I am not trying to impact or influence the masses like a televangelist. I don’t expect to ever get paid for my blogging. Or be considered an important influencer.

Instead, what I think about is sharing what I know, what I have learned and what I have experienced. I think about sharing my accumulated knowledge on entrepreneurship, creativity, advertising, marketing, networking, positivity, wellbeing, and adventuring.

I expect that what I share will be valuable to one person who reads it. And that’s all that matters to me. I don’t even worry about whether or not they tell me that something I wrote was impactful to them. I trust that there is a person meant to read each post I share. And that it will help them in an important way. Even if it is just getting through a challenging day.

Proper Perspective

At the end of our days, the only thing that really matters is the impact we had on each other. If I can share something I have learned, and have a positive impact on another human, then my effort is well rewarded.

Key Takeaway

If you have a blog, vlog, podcast, newsletter, twitter feed, Pinterest board or Instagram account where you are sharing what you know, what you think, or what you enjoy, don’t be discouraged by a small following. Focus on adding value. If one person benefits from what you are creating you are positively impacting a life. That is our highest calling. Thank you for answering. And keep sharing. Someone is listening. And that someone is everything.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

Want more tips on blogging? I think you’ll like these:

What I have learned about blogging after 200 posts.

12 things I’ve learned from writing 300 blog posts.

One day I started a blog. Now I have published 500 posts.