Rich Christiansen – Parallel Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Expert

Weeds are diversions, inefficiencies, and even short-term successes that distract you from the course you have set for yourself.  Weeds can be either negative or positive forces.  They may take the form of being stuck with a large team you just can’t find a way to keep motivated.  They might involve becoming so mesmerized with the profitability you’ve achieved that you forget to move on to your next step.  Your personal weeds might have to do with a tendency to continually react to everyone else’s demands instead of moving toward your goal.

Just as important as establishing the values that will serve as your road map is your need to set up the guardrails that will keep you out of the weeds.  The guardrails you’ll need to keep you out of the weeds are very personal and will differ according to your circumstances and objectives. Everyone should have guardrails in place for the various parts of each zig and zag so that you are always in control of your financial number, your allocation of time, your duration of time, and your financial target.  Your other guardrails will be determined by factors such as your tolerance for risk, your family’s tolerance for risk, your value system, and what portion of your personal network you are willing to expose to your endeavor. 

I’m going to share some of my guardrails, but remember that these are my rules, not yours.  I share them only to illustrate how important it is to give careful, specific thought to your guardrails, rather than attempting to put them in place when you’re in the middle of heading over the cliff:

·                     I will not jeopardize the financial stability of my home or family.  I am not going to mortgage my house for my business.

·                     I like to keep my teams small (under fifteen people).

·                     I will be very careful in taking venture capital.  I want to retain ownership in my companies.

·                     I must control the finances of my business.  

·                     I will not sign personal guarantees on a business I do not personally control. 

·                     I will protect my personal network. 

·                     I will not get involved in a business that goes against my personal moral values. 

·                     I will not do anything illegal or unethical.

·                     I will not work with people I do not enjoy.  Whether it is a customer, a vendor, or an employee, life is too short to work with miserable people.

My list is actually longer, but these are a few examples of my guardrails.  If I find myself getting near the edge on any of these, my wife, my business partner, or my executive admin each knows me well enough to tell me I am starting to cross the line.  And I expect them to not stand by silently.

Tweet This Post 

Paying it forward is a beautiful concept that I came to enjoy this holiday season. As the Christmas season rolled around I was kind of in a little bit of a bah-hum-bug mood. I hadn’t really had the Christmas spirit hit me.

One night as I was preparing to wrap up an intense week and start moving into the Christmas week and the celebration mode. I got a nail in my tire. Everyone knows that I love my Audi A6, and to top it off, I had just put new tires on the thing.

So I was a little irritated as I took the car into my local Big O Tire store. Of course, they were extremely backed up. I waited and I waited in line to drop off the car, got a ride back to the office, and then raced through the day of work. When I finally arrived back at the tire place, it was past closing time. However, they were completely delightful and kind to me.

The guy at the cash register looked at me and said, “Mr. Christiansen, I see these are beautiful new tires. I know you didn’t buy those tires here, but I know you are a great customer. I’ve met you before. This is what I’d like to do. I’m not going to charge you for the rotation. So it’s just $20 for the flat.” Then he stopped, considered a moment, and said, “You know what? It’s Christmas! Let me just do that for you. Go and pay it forward.” 

Instantly that kindness softened my heart. Most of the interactions I have with people are the exact opposite. They are usually attempting to collect money, not gift it! 

I of course, instantly decided to pay it forward. I since have paid it forward. I do not want to share the specifics of the interactions, but I will tell you that when the time came to pay it forward, I had an incredibly strong feeling come over me–a great feeling that doing this little act of service for someone else was definitely the right thing to do. I was sure and that the kindness would touch someone else as it had touched me that hectic day in the tire shop as the joy and happiness boiled up in my heart.

Now as the New Year kicks off, I want to challenge everyone out there to pay it forward. There is no joy greater than doing private, random acts of kindness. I took a little risk in “disclosing” the fact that I’ve been paying it forward. But I share my story with a purpose, which is to encourage all of us to carry out more service.

There is no greater joy than doing private acts and paying things forward. This how we get out of the scarcity mode. I can tell you this with confidence! Every time I get into an abundance mindset –I can tell you the acts of kindness actually end up benefiting me.

So at this time, irrespective of your financial situation, be abundant. Do kind acts. Do small things. Bake a plate of cookies and take it to someone. Pay it forward. Although I can’t explain why, I can tell you that those acts will not only bless you personally and give you joy, but they will also bless you in your business ventures. 

Being abundant is one of the biggest magic secrets that there is. Now I am not one of these big subscribers to the method of sitting around, holding hands and chanting “ohm” and expecting things to fall out of the sky. Success also requires a lot of hard work. What I can say with confidence is that sharing abundance is a key part of the equation. 

Go forward this year of 2012 and have wonderful joyful experiences.  Building businesses, experience, and grow.

One of my favorite sayings comes from the climber Adrianne Burgess. The first time I climbed in the Himalayas it was with Adrianne. He often said, “We are spiritual beings on a physical journey, not physical beings on a spiritual journey.”  I really believe that. We have much to accomplish. Be good to the people around you. Go forward. Prosper.

Tweet This Post 

On any given night there are anywhere between 5 to 15 young men at our house for dinner. We manage our home not by control systematic mechanisms, but by total chaos. Last night was the ultimate joy and experience of not only chaos, but just a real, joyful experience. All of you who know me, know that I have an incredible, intense passion for Nepal.

There has been one family in particular that I have become very bonded with, to the point that I consider these young men and young women my children. We first went to Nepal in 2001, met our Nuwang, brought her back to the U.S., raised Nuwang Sera Sherpa as our precious daughter.

Several years later we took our oldest sons, John and Matthew, to Nepal. They became dear lifelong friends with Tashi and Tenzing Sherpa. Indeed this week our ultimate dream was realized as Tashi and Tenzing have done very well in school. They have followed my education requirements and are now here in the United States. Tashi arrived about a week ago and was able to come to our home for the first time, last night.

He will be going to Snow College next year with his brother Tenzing. As everybody heard about it, all of our wonderful friends and the wonderful friends of our children gathered together to meet Tashi and Tenzing and to celebrate. At the top of the list were Scott Harward and Wyatt Earnst, who were John’s dearest friends growing up. Our favorite thing was when Scott would fling open the door and say “I’m Home!” that is exactly what he did when he came over.

Last night we had a huge, blow-out game night expecting Tashi to invite a young lady named Lauren to join us along with a handful of friends. What we thought would be five or six individuals turned out to be 19 young men and one young women, Lauren. As each young man would walk in the door my heart would swell with joy knowing that that was a strong, determined, intelligent, capable young man and I would add the count for Lauren saying, “Now you have 12 adoring fans Lauren, 13, 14,” and the count went until we hit 19.

We had a joyful night of eating pizza, playing games, interacting with these young men and I want to say this boldly “I BELIEVE IN THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH!” There are more qualified, capable, incredible young men and at least I know 1 young women out there that will make a difference in this world. I know that things are challenging and this diversification into an international economy is tricky and scary for many people, but I want to, with boldness and with confidence say, “I BELIEVE IN OUR YOUTH!”

I believe that there is brightness in store for everyone. I believe that there is enough positive energy and goodness to solve our problems. I think the next major challenge that we have, as a society, is to end poverty–to bring equality to all the world. We can make the world a better place, especially with the positive influence of our youth. I look to the youth with great confidence, because I observe them everyday! I love those 19 young men who gathered in my home last night. And what a delight it was to also have one beautiful young woman join the celebration.

Tweet This Post 

The guardrails you create must be closely aligned with the values you set in chapter 3.  You need to have people in your life who will tell you out when you are out of bounds.  I have a good friend who was a successful and well-known college basketball coach until he got embroiled in some politics and lost his job.  We were talking not long after that, and he shared what I consider to be a very profound insight.  He said, “Rich, when I was winning championships, everyone laughed at my jokes.  Now they only laugh when my jokes are actually funny.”  You need someone in your inner circle who knows you and who you trust to tell you if your jokes are funny or not. 

 Alex Mendozian is a teleseminar trainer.  We had discussed the possibility of working on a project together.  Before we began, he called me and said, “Rich, I have some good news and some bad news.  I’d really like to work with you.  That is the good news.  The bad news is before I do, I need to have an intervention in your life.”  I pushed back, thinking, “What is he talking about?  I don’t have a drinking or a drug problem!”  He continued, “Yes, you need an intervention!”  He then got my wife and his executive assistant on the phone and explained he was having this intervention because I had to quit saying “Yes” to everyone and everything.  Warren Buffet once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that very successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”

Sometimes, in your zeal to reach your beacon in the fog, everything seems possible.  It’s a time when you’re generating a lot of ideas.  It’s a time when, out of necessity, you need to fire, fire, fire, and then aim.  I refer to this part of zig number 1 as the time I have to weave gold out of straw.  During this time I may not have a lot of resources, and I may find myself holding things together with duct tape and bailing wire. As I’m trying to get something to work that will generate cash, I find myself saying, “Yes, yes, yes, no; …yes, yes, yes, maybe.”

Once I get to the next zag, I have to create systematic and organized processes so I can hire employees and teach them how to make the business work.  During this time, I find myself saying “No” about half the time.  Part of that involves learning the discipline of delegating and letting others do the work for me. 

Getting to the third zig demonstrates that I have achieved success by reaching cash creating an organization that is working.  Now I need to scale it.  This is a much more controlled phase of the process because I do not want to destroy what I have just created.  I finally have all of the gears meshing, and I now need to figure out how to scale the business so it will generate income independent of my direct involvement.  During this period, I find myself needing to say “No” far more often. 

Another guardrail you need to put in place is identifying and empowering those people in your life who will help you say “No” and who will let you know when you are heading out of bounds.  For me, those people include my wife and my executive assistant, both of whom are excellent at letting me know when I am crossing the lines I’ve established.  My children will sometimes even tell me when I am out of line—and I’ve learned to listen.  My business partner is another person I make sure I listen to.  Unfortunately, it’s rare that your subordinates will point out when you’re heading toward danger.  Some see things quite clearly, but many are either making sure they look good in your eyes, or they are afraid of your reaction.  If one speaks up, listen, unless it feels like they’re stoking your ego. 

Tweet This Post 

One of the traditions that I have began with my children is a sheer delight. Just before they get ready to permanently leave the home I take them on a surprise “work trip”. So far they haven’t really figured out exactly what this will entail.

This weekend I was able to continue this tradition with my second son Matthew—who is simply an amazing young man, and someone that I thoroughly enjoy being with.

Two weeks ago I made arrangements and then told Matthew, “I have a really nasty project I need to have you help me with.” Being a very dutiful and good son, he said, “Dad, I’ll be delighted to help.” I had him block out Friday at about 9:00 p.m. and all day Saturday. When he showed up I told him to make sure he brought his warm jacket and tennis shoes, because we would be pretty active. However, I had secretly loaded our golf clubs in the trunk. We got in the car and I headed south for a surprise golf trip.

About halfway to St. George, Utah, the destination of our gold expedition Matthew still had no idea where we were going and he finally asked, “So Dad, what are we going to do?” Then I sprung it on him and he was ecstatically excited!

We had the most delightful day bonding and spending time together.

I remember when I started this tradition with my oldest son John. He really loved musicals, so we loaded into the car and headed north. I played the music to Wicked as we drove. It wasn’t until we got all the way to Salt Lake City and pulled into the airport parking lot, that he realized that I was taking him on a trip. We flew out to Los Angeles to see Wicked.

This tradition has created surprise and delightful memories that the boys will continue to talk about. It is important that you also do this in your work environment and for yourself too.

I often comment that we are nothing more than Pavlov’s Salivating Dogs. Indeed we have to give rewards and feed that inner animal. Surprise and delight go a long way in helping to get yourself loose, fluid, happy, and in the right, positive mindset. Not to mention—it’s just plain fun.

There is nothing better than the delightful surprise that feeds a life full of good memories and passion. Far more powerful than handing someone a stack of dollars is helping to make a meaningful memory.

Please make sure that you do that in your business, because it really is about the memories. It really is about the experiences that make it meaningful and lasting. Go forward and motivate yourself and your team and have a blast doing it!

Tweet This Post 

Anyone who knows me personally knows how important marriage and family are to me. Anyone who reads my blog knows that by now too.

My children and especially my beautiful wife are vital to my happiness and every success I’ve found.

Like most of you I too have blocked out my calendar to spend the holidays with my family exclusively. But before I wind things down here at the office I want to pass on some information about an amazing workshop designed exclusively for married couples.

The event is called, The Business of Marriage Relationship Seminar. It is being put on by an amazing couple Dino & Shannon Watts. If you attended The Zig Zag Principle launch party you will remember Dino as the smart, exuberant, and hilarious emcee.

I encourage you to attend, and if possible book before tomorrow night.

Until midnight December 16, 2011, you can get 75% OFF this live, 3-day event.

Grab your tickets here, and save 75%.

On the site you can watch an informational video from the eloquent Dino Watts. In addition to the 75% discount on the event, Dino is giving out five Holiday Gifts:

- VIP Seating at The Business of Marriage seminar. 
- 2 tickets to pre-event session
- Recession Proof your Marriage, a 68 page e-book 
- The entire Marriage Mastery 6 audio library (in .mp3s)
- Marriage Mastery companion workbook (.pdf)

So hop over to Dino’s site, learn more about The Business of Marriage Seminar, and hopefully I’ll see you there.

Tweet This Post 

Remember, as you’re zigzagging, to look for dangers or pitfalls that are in your way.  There have been lots of times when I’ve been skiing on a run I thought I knew well, only to spot a rock or bare spot that has reared its ugly head. By remaining agile and in control, you can avoid whatever obstacle is lurking. 

In the current business Curtis and I are working on, we began by setting our goal and then laying out our zigs and zags.  Our first two zigs were clear, but our third zag was way off in the distance.  As we hit profitability and then began working on adding resources, it became evident that our initial plan did not have as high a probability of success as several other opportunities we had uncovered as we were working through our first two zigs.  So, we adjusted, which you should always keep as an option.

What you do not want to change, however, is the present target you are shooting for.  Keeping control of your zigs will help you stay focused on that target, rather than turning hither and yon whenever the urge presents itself.  In my experience, if you begin thinking beyond three zigs, you will actually lose sight of the path you are on.  It will probably take you more than three zigs and zags to get to your final beacon in the fog, but only look out at three at one time.  As you complete each goal, take a minute to celebrate, but then climb a tree and look out above the fog toward your beacon, making certain you are still on course.  Then set another zig that will lead you in the direction you need to go.

A common question I hear is, “If I am making money, why do I want to make the next turn?  Wouldn’t it be better to just keep making money?”  I have seen many examples of people who just kept chasing cash.  Often, these are small, family-owned businesses where mom and dad are working day and night.  They make enough money to cover their expenses or maybe to live comfortably; but by not adding resources, they never seem to be able to enjoy life away from the shop.

I have a neighbor who owns a candy-making business.  He is the only one who knows how to make the candy.  His wife works in the front, taking orders and keeping the books.  This is a very labor-intensive business that requires this couple to work every day.  They’ve lamented to me on many occasions that they never dare take a day off to go on a vacation or to enjoy their life because they are afraid of what their absence will do to the business.  Just think what they could do if they would go to the next zig, document their processes, hire a few employees, and grow their company, even just a little.  When people won’t make the turn after hitting zig number 1, they get stuck—even though they may have a bunch of cash.

 Everyone’s situation is different in significant ways; but  as you create your own set of guardrails to control your zigs and zags, here are some common elements to include:

1. A Financial Number – How much money are you willing to spend on each zig?  If you do not hit your goal within this budget, you are not profitable and may have to check your idea off as a failure.  Do not throw good money after bad chasing losing bets.

2. An Allocation of Time – How much of your time are you willing to dedicate toward each individual zig?  I like to spend 65 percent of my working time on the current zig.  I then spend 25 percent and 10 percent planning out the next zigs and zags that I will take.  If I’m spending more than that, I reassess.

3.  Duration of Time – How long are you willing to work on this venture before hitting your financial target?  Are you going to chase cash for a month, a year, or ten years?

4. A Financial Target – How much profit do you want to make before heading toward the next zig?  How much will you need in order to pursue the next zag?

Tweet This Post 

Rich:

I’m so excited to be here today with my first mentor Alan Hall from back in the Netline days. You’ve heard me talk about Alan. Alan is an amazing individual. I’m so grateful to have him in my life. He is indeed an amazing individual and an example of what I hope to be in twenty years.

Alan you are now giving away everything you make! You’re promoting entrepreneurship and helping people’s lives. Will you talk a little bit about your work?

Alan: Well, it’s important for everybody to understand this is about stewardship—we’re stewards of resources. Somehow we accumulate wealth, but then wealth is really for us to give it away. To give to those who are of need. We all get enough to take care of our basic needs and then the rest outta be given away. That’s what we’re all about.

Rich: One of the philosophies that Alan has, is that the best way to take control of your life, and I agree, is to create a business. Not only does it impact yourself, but it impacts many people around you too.

Alan: Oh yeah. We’re looking for people all over the United States who are ready to start a business, and we’re here to support them! Obviously with Rich’s great knowledge, together we have teamed up to help make people successful. So go start a business! America needs you now.

Rich: That’s wonderful advice from a wonderful man. Look for more to come! I’m going to start highlighting Alan in future posts and tweets. Watch for Alan’s example. He’s done it the proper way. There are a lot of individuals that live and “it’s all about me”. But, Alan is the example to me; what I want to become like. Go forward and do good in this world. Please look forward for more to come from Alan.

Tweet This Post 

One of my favorite books of all time is Viktor Frankl’s Man Search for Meaning. Although he covers two or three major concepts in the book, one of the major themes he discusses is that we all collaborate on a conscious or subconscious level.

I’m a Christian. I deeply believe that God has purpose for us in our lives. I think he has a bit of a sense of humor. And I think that oftentimes the alignment of happenings and circumstances in our lives are not just coincidental. I firmly believe that.

Although I’m a Christian, my mentor is an atheist who believes in the power of the universe. I also have dear friends who are Jewish and Hindu. Irrespective of beliefs and views, I think that we can all see that indeed, God, or the Universe, or whatever power we seek from; allows us amazing, unique, and beautiful opportunities.

I had such an event happen to me this weekend. Tenzing Norbu Sherpa is an amazing young man who has come over to the U.S. from Nepal this past year. We’ve been working with him on his college education, and we enjoyed having him join us for Thanksgiving dinner.

As we were down in St. George, Utah this weekend, we took a few minutes for a stop at the visitor center. All of the sudden, in walks my dear friend Roger Reid. Roger is a successful high school and college basketball coach.

For years Roger had been sharing with our family a story about an amazing woman from Hoang Jo, China. He tells about how when he spent time in China he and his family had a tender, wonderful relationship with this young woman. They spent time  discussing both religious freedom and personal freedoms that she was not afforded. In the past Roger had shared how deeply his family longed for this young lady to come to America.

Finally this young woman had come for Thanksgiving with the Reid family. So here we were: old friends with our amazing young international friends enjoying the holiday weekend. And to top it off at that very moment, in walks a woman who had a very profound effect on Tenzing’s life his first year of college. She helped him really live life with hope and optimism and belief.

It was serendipity.

Two minutes in the other direction and all of us would have missed each other. We had a delightful, joyful reunion. We gave hugs, we took pictures, and then we went our separate ways.

As for me and my house, I believe that God is in the details of our lives. I believe the universe does give us what we seek. Indeed as Victor Frankl points out, on a conscious or subconscious level we all collaborate.

It’s important to put positive energy into the universe and expect good things to occur. I think the energy is one part (not the only part) but one part of the equation that allows us to find success in our lives.

I’m so thankful in my life for these joyful, little, serendipitous events.

Tweet This Post 

As you zigzag down that mountain toward your goal, you need to realize there are hazards on either side of the ski run.  Ski resorts groom and prepare the areas intended for skiers; however, experienced skiers know that just beyond the groomed runs are trees, rocks, potential avalanches, cliffs, and other dangers that may cause injury or even death.  The same is true in business and life.  If we’re smart, we establish boundaries and guardrails to keep us away from perils and on the groomed slopes that lead to our goals.

Some people think zigzagging is easy or a lazy person’s game.  The reality is it requires great discipline and control.  Any skier will tell you that traversing a steep mountain requires a strong back and legs, quick reflexes, and agility, while heading straight down is far less taxing.  That is, until you crash and burn. 

To avoid disaster, you’re going to want to create boundaries and set guardrails, which will keep you headed in the direction of your goal—and away from your own personal train wreck.

Keeping Your Zigzags under Control 

When you are beginning to head toward your beacon in the fog, you want to concentrate on three zigs and zags at a time.  That will keep you focused and under control. To help you with that, think in terms of devoting 65 percent of your time and resources on zig number 1 (driving to profitability), with 25 percent spent on planning and preparing for zag number 2 (adding resources and processes once you get to cash).  The final 10 percent of your time and resources should be spent planning how you want to scale your undertaking in zig number 3 (creating scale).  If you’re looking beyond three zigs, life gets too complex.

Once you have hit zig number 1 and your business is profitable, you need to turn and head toward zig number 2.  It’s easy, once you have cash coming in, to think you can skip making the turn.  But if you just stay in zig number 1, you may miss out on the dreams and goals defined as your true beacon in the fog.  (And remember cash alone is not a beacon worth pursuing.)

Once you are profitable, you should shift and spend about 65 percent of your time and energy on zag number 2, with 25 percent of your time spent on planning and preparing for zig number 3.  Again, if you do not make this next turn, you may find yourself with a lot of resources, but never hitting that big goal.  The last 10 percent of your time and efforts can then go toward setting another series of zigs that will help you get even closer to your beacon in the fog. 

Some people think zigzagging is easy or a lazy person’s game.  The reality is it requires great discipline and control.  Any skier will tell you that traversing a steep mountain requires a strong back and legs, quick reflexes, and agility, while heading straight down is far less taxing.  That is, until you crash and burn.

To avoid disaster, you’re going to want to create boundaries and set guardrails, which will keep you headed in the direction of your goal—and away from your own personal train wreck.

Tweet This Post