John Larson, professional soldier with the U.S. Army is getting ready to retire and planning a move into entrepreneurship.
As a soldier in the U.S. Army, John Larson has had the same routine for the past three decades. Physical training (PT) in the morning, uniform and boots on, head to work, deploy when needed. A structured existence with known expectations and regulations that guide each step of a soldier’s career.
Now, a year out from retirement, we invited him on the show to discuss his plan to transition from a structured life of a soldier to the varied days of running your own business.
As our first male coffee chat guest, it was fun to plan an adventure around the subject of his entrepreneurial ventures, role playing fantasy games (RPG.)
Yes, we’re talking about Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and other fantasy role playing that was an iconic part of the 1970’s and has recently renewed itself and become a mainstream activity for newer generations.
Ready to find out how you go from professional soldier to professional gamer? Take a peek at this 15ish Minute Coffee Chat.
Today’s Toolkit
When you have a role-player as your guest there is no other toolkit to share other than storytelling. A master of weaving a tale, John loves to engage in a story as well as be the one telling the tale.
I love to weave stories into email marketing. It’s a great way to capture your audience’s attention. And, if your story is relatable, it helps them see how they might be able to benefit from whatever product or service you are selling.
In a recent 5 part email series I netted my client over $20,000 in sales for a course she was offering her clients. Great storytelling can work just as profitably for you and your business.
Because not everyone is a writer and storytelling may not come naturally to you, we recommend the Hemmingway App. This FREE application works not only to help correct your grammar but also gives suggestions on voice, sentence structure, and phrasing.
When interviewing a role player, why not make it fun? John is a creative at heart, but has worked in a career that has been largely structured with clear boundaries. We decided to go out of the box and have him “roll the dice” to see where this process will take him.
Transition from a long-term career
We asked John what his advice would be to a long-term career person who was making the transition. He honestly answered that he simply didn’t know. He still doesn’t know what life out of the military will be like and so can only rely on the advice of others.
“There are very few people who have all the answers,” says John. “Even the very best need help.” That is #truth.
John’s dice roll took him into a very positive future with a +15!
Why choose entrepreneurship over a 9-5 job?
A corporate world job means he clocks in and out and shares the load with a team of employees. Entrepreneurship, however, leaves the business owner wearing all the hats. For John, he chose entrepreneurship for a variety of reasons.
- He wants the flexibility to carve out the path of what he really wants to do.
- His family lives a life where being able to pick up and go is a big positive. They like to travel and make last minute decisions and owning one’s own business allows him the freedom to do this.
- He wants to be in charge of his own destiny and entrepreneurship offers him the ability to make his way through a world of many possibilities.
Rolling a “1” in the gaming world means that things aren’t going well or as planned. So what happens in the business world when you are rolling poorly and struggling to make things better. One failure does not mean the failure of everything. “It’s not really a matter of starting over. It’s about hunkering down and fixing it,” says John. “Very few things in life are so serious that you have to chuck the dice and give up. In the entrepreneurial schtick there is plenty of room for everyone to win.”
John’s dice roll was caveated by knowing that there is danger on every side and what he’s worried about are these random encounters that divert him from his goal. He rolled a 5 taking him straight to the finish line and a positive outcome! The future is looking bright for this soldier.
John Wants a Discovery Call.
John’s question today for us was when he has a good idea how does he take it from conception to action. My advice was to start with organizing a to-do list with all the pieces available to be checked off. Including subtasking. “main tasks” for a visual representation of where you are in the process of completing. A listening guest added to make sure the to-do list starts each item with a clear verb. So, don’t just list “bookkeeping” as a task…make it “review receipts for July” to be very clear and specific.
Selena added that hiring the help of a virtual assistant that can help hold you accountable to your own checklist and keep you on track. Entrepreneurs tend to have to do so many different jobs on their plate that things get lost in the mix.
Next Up
Season One has officially ended! Join us for Season Two beginning July 13th with guest, Chandelle Walker.
Watch live on NomadAbout’s Facebook Page.
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