SPI 249 Pivoting: How, When & Why to Do It with Jenny Blake€¦ · Pat: This is the Smart Passive...

SPI 249

Pivoting: How, When & Why to Do Itwith Jenny BlakeJanuary 18, 2017

Show NoteS: http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session249

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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

http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/

http://smartpassiveincome.com/session249


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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




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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




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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.




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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




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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.




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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




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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




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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?




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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?




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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




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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




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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




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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




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




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




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




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




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




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.




21

ReSouRceS: PIVOT

PIVOTToolkit

JennyBlake.me

LifeAfterCollege

TheHappinessEquation

Pat’sBookClub

SpoNSoRS: 99Designs.com




http://pivotmethod.com

https://finconexpo.com

http://JennyBlake.me

http://lifeaftercollege.org

https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Equation-Nothing-Anything-Everything/dp/0399169474

http://patsbookclub.com

http://99designs.com/spi


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