The Awesomeness of Projects

*the people whose images I am using have no idea.

(Non-criminal) Background

Projects- Less structure- Pursue something you’re passionate about - Test stuff you’ve always wanted to do- Meet people you would have never met- Learn stuff you would have never learned- Feel really good about what you do - Good things happen to people who try

I always told everyone I needed to be an entrepreneur.

Turns out, I suck at it.

Full-Time - A ton of responsibility- Marriage meets the 80-work week - You better love it, because you need to bet everything on it- Big upside potential, sometimes even financially

Part-Time- A creative outlet - Start small, test the waters- People think you’re organized and ambitious- Feels more like the beginning of a romance

Why IdeaMensch?

Why #IM48?

20,000 miles, 48 states, 50 events, 4 months, 4 dudes, one Honda Element, no girlfriend(s). Actually, no girls at all.

Typical Wednesday9:29am - Wake up, rush downstairs before LA Quinta stops serving free waffles. Drive 5 hours to our next location. - call local media for coverage of tonight’s event - reach out to speakers of this Friday’s event and check- in on their presentations - email organizations that might care about entrepreneurs to help us promote next Monday’s event - try to find a pizza sponsor for next Wednesday’s event. - find a free venue for next Friday’s event - try to line up speakers for next Friday’s event

3pm - Arrive at event location, setup. 6pm - 9pm - Event. Apologize for whatever went wrong this time. 9pm: Buy local volunteers beers. Pack as much leftover pizza as possible into car. Drive a couple of hours. Midnight - Check into a LaQuinta somewhere else. Rinse and repeat. For four months.

Tell the Universe.

Then start.

Surround yourself with people who have a reason.

Iterate.Try then succeed or fail.

Then try again.

Carl Blake not safe for work

Carl Blake

Radar control Not an urban myth.

Be Lean.

Be Lean.

Be Lean.

3 Feats. Every Day.

When in doubt, email.

Go all in.

And remember.

20,000 miles. $261 in speeding tickets. $45,587 in income.$45,678 in expenses. 175 speakers. 2,500 tickets sold. Dozens of friends across the country. 5 nights on a pig farm. A world record (or so I told girl at airport bar last night) Two weddings.Never be able to consume Popchips or RedBull again.Ditto for LA Quinta Waffles. Ditto for sharing hotel beds with another man. I still drink boxed wine.4 brothers. For life. An awesome job. In Montana. No girlfriend. Actually, no girls at all. Endless perspective.

Wayne Gretzky

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”