Meet Meena Rahmani, a 28-year-old Afghan woman who recently opened the country’s first bowling alley.  And while much of the country’s businesses are closing, Ms. Rahmani’s six-month-old business is booming.

All in a country which has been riddled with extreme violence since before she was even born.

Rahmani came up with her business idea soon after returning to Kabul from living in Canada. She noticed there was almost nothing for people to do affordably to have fun and unwind.

Thus Strikers was born.  Hidden off a main road in Kabul, with security guards and systems in place to keep people peaceful and enjoying themselves, Strikers has quickly become a hotspot in Kabul for the locals.

Most of who previously knew nothing about bowling.

What is particularly unique about Strikers is the fact it was created by an Afghan, not a foreigner.   It was built with Afghan money, not foreign aid.  And perhaps most significantly, it is owned and run by Ms. Rahmani, directly challenging the country’s deep bias against women.

In fact, she manages 25 of her all-male staff, whom have learned to respect her.

Yes, Meena Rahmani is achieving the UnReasonable.

What exactly happens for many new entrepreneurs like Rahmani to take a seemingly impossible idea to successful fruition?

While pondering this, I found an interesting perspective from a wonderful book I’m reading, Steps to an Ecology of Mind by Gregory Bateson.

Bateson, one of the most respected scientific minds of the 20^th century, addresses this very issue, and instead of using entrepreneurs, he used scientists.

Bateson postulated that science evolves and progresses from how scientists think. And this thought process he identified has two crucial components.

The first part for the evolution of science begins with Loose thinking.  Grand, no structure, no proof, no research.  Just an idea and possibility.  Then the second part, Strict thinking, comes at some point later.  This is where the structure behind the idea develops and solidifies.  Challenges are addressed and the concept modified, when necessary.

Bateson mentions that scientists who understand and embrace these two components in their thinking tend to do well with evolving their concepts.

Einstein was a master at this, for example.

Entrepreneurs are the same way.  The most successful game-changing, UnReasonable, entrepreneurs I’ve met have all been doing this.  They first come up with a crazy, grand idea.  Then with lots of thought and tons of challenges to their concept, they refine it with their “stricter” thinking.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, has done this extremely well, for example.

Bateson warns that delays in this process come when society or individuals don’t understand this two-part process and end up ridiculing, shooting down or rejecting concepts still in the “Loose” stage of thinking.  Or when “strict” thinkers challenge the validity of “loose” thinking, or vice versa.

Just think of all the naysayers in the alternative energy industry to understand this concept.

Yet successful entrepreneurs, just like successful scientists, embrace both sides.

Gregory Bateson’s How to Accelerate (UnReasonable) Progress:

1. Look at older (business) models— concepts that are earlier versions of what you are now trying to accomplish.  Find a way to apply their “wild analogies to your own material to validate your hunches and perhaps give insights to your challenges,” suggests Bateson.
2. “Tie a knot”—part of evolving business, or science will confound you.  You’ll get stuck along the way.  For those things you have not found a solution, “tie a knot” in that “string” of your thinking, using the knot as a marker of where you left off.  This “knot” will later act as a placeholder for when you find the solution, or if you decide not to pursue it, it leaves a sign post “Unexplored beyond this point.”

For example, Meena Rahmani of Strikers came up with the vision from her cold and lonely nights in Canada during the winter.  Not much to do there but ski and bowl.  Later, when implementing the concept in Kabul, she had to deal with serious cultural, religious,  security and economic challenges.  Then one-by-one she addressed each which constantly refined her concept.

When achieving the UnReasonable as a small business owner, you will be constantly challenged in your thinking.  Either by yourself or by others.

When this happens, just embrace your loose and strict thinking.  They will make it much more likely you will ultimately succeed.

And when you or someone you know challenges your business concept, just remind yourself of the 28-year-old Afghan woman in Kabul and what she managed to succeed.

Action Steps for the Week

Do you have a serious game-changing business concept?  Are you stuck?  Do you, or others you respect think there is no way it will work?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, perhaps you are stuck in the “strict” mode of thinking before the idea has created enough structure for you to punch holes in it.

Start by defining your concept.  Start from the grandiose.  Then research to see who has done something like it.  Or parts of it.  Or in a different industry.

What did they have to deal with?  How did they manage it?  What can you learn from their experience?

Build this into your concept.  Refer to it and look to see how you can evolve it from where they left off.

Still stuck?  Then reach out to those in your circle who can help you brainstorm on a possible work-around and solution.

Most importantly, stay focused on what you most want to achieve:  a game-changing advancement of business, the community and hopefully the environment in which you are operating.

Not because I saw many flaws in her business idea or what it was going to take her to launch it.  Nor was it because she was struggling to get it off the ground.

In fact, she knew what she needed to know in her industry.

I got fidgety because she actually knew too much.  And because of this she wasn’t open to outside ideas.

And that is dangerous as an entrepreneur.

So after a few minutes of coaching her, I told her I couldn’t find a way to assist her and I wished her luck.  She didn’t appear surprised in the outcome of our conversation.

And this entrepreneur is by far not the only one struggling with their businesses.

Over the years of meeting these entrepreneurs, I’ve gotten pretty good at determining within a few minutes if they will most likely be successful or not.

Top Five Reasons Entrepreneurs Do NOT Succeed in Business (and What To Do About Them):

1. Resistance— How much you fight back when things don’t look like you want them to look is directly correlated to how difficult it will be for you to succeed.

You will always be challenged with your business.  Especially if you’re building an UnReasonable one.

Here are some forms of this resistance:

• “I don’t know how to do this”
• “I already know how to do this”
• “I’m too busy to do this”
• “I’ve already done this”
• “I don’t resist!”

If any of these sound familiar to you, first acknowledge and then be OK with the fact that you are resisting.

It is normal.  Just tell yourself, “Thank you for sharing, now excuse me… I have work to do.”

 The “work” you have to do is try new and sometimes radical ideas.  The more radical ideas usually create the best successes.

1. No BLAST Factor—if you forget to have fun when building your business, you might take yourself out of the game over time.  When it is a lot of work and no fun, it will be extremely difficult for you to keep moving it forward.

Keeping the excitement in what you do is crucial.  For you and your stakeholders.

Whenever possible, especially if what you are about to do you are dreading, make sure you add the blast factor.  For example, if you dread doing finances:

• do them in the park, or
• do them while cranking your favorite music
• have a friend or significant other help you in return for a movie and dinner afterwards

1. Lack of Structure—in building a successful business, consistency is one of the most important components.  Without doing certain activities on a regular basis to run your company, you will not create UnReasonable success.

In order to build consistency, it will be important to have a structure… a routine in your day to work ON your business.  I recommend you allocate at least one hour daily, first thing in the morning and schedule it into your day.

Then within about three weeks it will become habit for you.

1. Wrong Environment—if where you are working ON your business is not supportive of you being able to focus, think and feel energized, it is most likely keeping your business small.

For example, years ago I had a client who had a small gardening company here in Brooklyn.  She was working out of her apartment that she was sharing with someone else.  She was living out of boxes and piles of papers everywhere.  The first thing I had her do was create a separate office space and organize it.

Her business tripled within a couple of months.

In order to take your business to the next level, how can you open up your:

• schedule,
• office space,
• piles of clutter
• telephone, computer and other office equipment

1. Lack of Support—most entrepreneurs tend to slog through managing their dramas on their own as they build their company.

They either psyche themselves out, run for the hills when too confronted, start blaming others, or worst of all:  play the victim.

Sound familiar?

Rather, build a board of advisors.  Folks seasoned in business and in your industry.  Give them a clear understanding of what you are committed to creating and by when.  Let them help you deal with your obstacles.

Or you can create a small mastermind group of like-minded entrepreneurs to support you (and you them) in building your businesses.

Lastly, you can take on an experienced coach.  Or have one help you run your mastermind group.

Now, of course there are many other reasons why some entrepreneurs will not be successful.  Yet these are the most common ones that I’ve seen over the years.

Too many entrepreneurs fall into all or some of the above-mentioned traps far too often.

And so will you.  It’ll be almost impossible to avoid it.

Just make sure you catch yourself when you do and quickly adjust.  You’re much more likely to have UnReasonable success when you do.

Action Steps for the Week     

How are things going?  If you’re finding success is alluding you, or not what you originally envisioned it to be, perhaps it’s time to take a look.

First, what is your definition of success?  Why?  Really view it and make sure you are clear on what this is for you.

If you still feel it is alluding you, take and see what of the five above success-breakers might be tripping you up.

Most likely it is one or more of them.  If not, ask your close colleague that does not have anything at stake in telling you their honest opinion.

Take this feedback and build a strategy to address it head on.  Seriously contemplate building a support network, whether it be a board of advisors, mastermind group or getting a great coach.

More than likely be glad you got this handled.

I was invited to mentor and coach a group of 30 or so entrepreneurs just completing a major part of their training.

But these weren’t just any entrepreneurs.

These were men who completed serving 1-20 years behind bars for serious crimes.

Defy Ventures, a new non-profit here in New York City, whom will be showcased in Inc Magazine’s June issue, works with men recently released from prison.  To have made it into Defy’s program, these guys were screened heavily for their potential of being successful as an entrepreneur.

What I learned is some of these guys spend their many hours behind bars reflecting on what they had done in their past.  And are very motivated to turn their lives around and doing something positive when they get out.

But the odds are against them.

In fact they are mostly unemployable… not because they don’t have an education or skills, but no one wants to hire someone with a criminal history.

As a result, many turn back to crime, because they don’t see a choice.  And they don’t have the necessary support to get re-integrated into society.

So within six months, over 60% of them find themselves back in prison.

But not these guys, where my initial nervousness didn’t last long.

Last Week's Defy Entrepreneurs with founder Catherine Rohr

Instead, these new entrepreneurs were so appreciative, humble, and eager for ideas and suggestions on how to take their business ideas forward.  Ideas like:

• being the broker between organic farmers in the Bronx and natural food establishments in the City
• building an online website for musicians to sell their music royalty-free
• having a house painting service using all natural and non-toxic paints and supplies

Towards the end of the evening, ten of them rose to explain what they have gotten from the past several weeks in Defy’s training program.  They were unanimous in saying they would never have imagined the world caring about them nor wanting to help them create a viable life for themselves outside of prison.

They all felt they could not have done it without the support they were getting.

And they are not alone.  Most entrepreneurs I’ve met and worked with are quite similar in this regard.

When you are building an UnReasonable business (UnReasonable= following your passion and really stretching yourself to get there), most need support:

• to keep stretching when you psyche yourself out
• to brainstorm with for new or alternative strategies
• to keep you focused and moving forward
• to motivate you when you feel like you’re crazy for taking this on to begin with
• to hold you accountable to do what you say you will do

But not just any support.  The best is creating a mastermind group:  a group of like-minded people that support each other in making things happen in their businesses and lives.

People that will listen to you for your greatness.  Not for who they think you are, or have been.  So, it most likely would not be your mother, ex-partner or spouse.

From the dozens of these mastermind groups my company has created over the years, there are right and wrong ways to get the perfect support group.

The 10 C’s to Creating a Powerful Mastermind Group:

1. 1.   Chemistry—mutual respect and are energized by each other.
2. 2.   Communication—comfortable and able express themselves freely.
3. 3.   Committed—making the team a priority: punctual and ready “work” together for at least three months.
4. 4.   Comfortable—life is already going well and they are not looking to “fix” things.
5. 5.   Connected—already tapped into their “source energy” or express a sincere desire to obtain it.
6. 6.   Contributor—have an innate desire to personally make a real difference for the team.
7. 7.   Coach-able—open to taking the group’s coaching recommendations.
8. 8.   Currency—respectful and honoring each team member’s resources.
9. 9.   Confidentiality—everything discussed is held in strict confidence.
10. 10. Captivating—ensure the group stays light and fun… lots of laughter.

Creating a mastermind group honoring these principles can really make an UnReasonable experience for each of the participants.

The key, beyond the 10 C’s, is in the right size of the group, frequency of the meetings, how the group’s rules are managed, the proper way to coach and work with participants, especially when they are in “breakdown”.

The cool thing is when these are done well, the group can last for years.

How to create your team:

• Create a Meetup.com event
• Advertise on blogs, Craiglist or newsletters
• Join a ready-formed group
• Hire a coach with experience

Just make sure you do not do things alone.  Especially if you are not happy with the results of your progress.  The most likely reason for being where you are is because you’re the one that got yourself there.

The guys from last week’s event all knew this about themselves.  They were smart enough to get out of their own way and made sure they got a powerful support team in place.

Perhaps you should too?

Action Steps for the Week

Ask yourself, “Would I benefit from the right support team?”

If “yes”, what would it look like?  Where would you find them?  Next you would define key types of people you want in your support team.

Then create a simple plan of action for finding and recruiting them.

The sooner you then implement your plan of action, the sooner you’ll have people helping you step into your greatness!

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin

In late February Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old black male, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old Hispanic, in Central Florida.

And while recent evidence suggests Zimmerman did not act in a racially-motivated way, this tragic story has our nation up in arms yet again over the issue guns and race.

Zimmerman claimed self-defense, which immediately kicked in Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, the broadest protection of self-defense in the country.  Which, so far, has prevented Zimmerman from being arrested for the killing of unarmed Martin.

Whether Zimmerman acted on racist fears or just plain stupidity will hopefully be sorted out soon.

But what remains is the lethargy and hesitancy of the local police to prosecute the killing of a person armed with iced tea and Skittles.  Some of which the police could have handled much better, some not.

One thing they cannot handle better is the Stand Your Ground law, which prevents them from arresting Zimmerman.  To do so, by law they are required to prove he did not act in self-defense.

Which of course the legal process substantially.

The case has really become a mess.  It has embarrassed many in the police department as well as local and State politicians.  Zimmerman, now in hiding, has received hundreds of death threats against him and his family.  Not to mention the many thousands who have been protesting and marching against what happened to this young black kid.

Primarily because of this bazaar law.

While one might think it was a left over from the 30’s, 40’s or maybe even 50’s, you may be shocked to learn it was enacted only seven years ago.

Maybe one good thing to come of this incident might be the repealing of the law.

It is easy to have a position on something like a completely ineffective law, but I cannot help but think of how so many entrepreneurs and small business owners I have worked with use completely ineffective business strategies.

Business strategies like:

• Sporadically sending newsletters
• Marketing materials without opt-in boxes or calls to action
• Outdated websites being used for nothing more than an expensive business card
• Little or no engagement in social media
• Not being positioned as an expert in their field
• Worst:  using the “build it, they will come” mindset

Know anyone doing any of these or others not mentioned above?

NOTE:  The above ineffective business strategies are only an issue if the user of them is not happy with the results they’re getting.

Steps to Fixing a Broken Business Strategy:

• How’s it Going?  Happy with the results of your business over the past 12 months?  Seeing growth in your business over the past three years?  If you’re not happy with the results, you may need to revise your strategy.
• What Are You Committed To?  Your commitment will enable your results to change… or not.  For example, “I’m committed to creating the best XYZ company in my city.”  Or, “I am committed to make enough money to pay my rent.”
• What Works?  about what you are doing.  For what isn’t broken, don’t fix. Be clear on this.
• What DOESN’T work?  Also be clear on what IS in need of adjustment.  Marketing strategy, revenue model, team experience, finances, what?
• What’s the Feedback?  Get outside opinions on what the problems might be.  Go to folks that actually know what they are talking about.  Like getting a second opinion before a major medical procedure.
• How to Fix It?  Now you’re clear on what needs a change/overhaul, how will you do it?  Review the sources you’ll need:  like a marketing or financial expert, business coach, or web developer, etc.
• How to Create Your Team?  With the resources you have to work with.  Hint:  it is in your vision of where you’re taking your company.
• Is It Specific and Measurable?  What gets measured gets managed.  Have a specific outcome and by when that you will commit to achieving it.

Entrepreneurs easily get trapped into the status quo of running their company.  What gets them out of the rut is them stopping long enough to check and see if they are happy with the results they are getting.

Smart entrepreneurs do this long before the outside world gets wind of it.

And while it may be too late for Florida to repeal the Stand Your Ground law before the outside world becomes outraged by it, they still might be able to benefit from the steps above to get back on track.

Action Steps for the Week

How’s biz?  Really, how’s it going?  Happy with the results?  UnReasonably happy?  Or just coasting waiting for the next big gig to show up?

You can usually tell by how excited you are when getting up in the morning and ready to work on your biz.

If your answer is “business is great”, great.  Keep it going.

If “business could be better”, review what needs revamping.  Get clear on what it will take.  And understand what your commitment will need to be to make it happen.

Once you are clear on these, you can use the steps above to put an UnReasonable business plan in place.

Remember to always have a clear end goal in mind… and by when.

And stay UnReasonable!

Disturbing the quiet of patients waiting to be seen, a woman stormed into the reception area, and proceeded to lecture the receptionist about some perceived service inadequacy.  Evidently she’d received misinformation from the organization’s website.

The woman demanded to speak to the supervisor and wrote down the names of everyone at the reception desk. As employees worked to calm her, those of us in the waiting room did our best to ignore the scene and not judge how she was treating the staff. Because we’ve all been there. At those times when you feel someone else’s stupidity has cost you something, you’re angry, feeling entitled, and entirely wrapped up in your drama.

The woman had barely left before another dramatic scene started.  This one much more profound.

In walked two women, one completely blind and the other her companion.

The companion helped find seats in the middle of the room. I remembered thinking to myself, “I didn’t know CHC helped the blind also.”  I thought they just worked with hard of hearing and deaf people. Most recently, they’d helped me learn how to speech read (read lips) to enhance my ability to understand what people are saying.

A moment later a clinician arrived and began to speak to the woman’s companion about some next steps. The blind woman’s face was tilted down toward to her feet. She remained composed and appeared to listen. But she wasn’t listening.

Because she couldn’t.

Communicating when you cannot hear or see

A moment later the clinician gently took both of the deaf-blind woman’s hands. The woman responded immediately by beginning to stand up. And the clinician started using sign language right into the hands of the deaf-blind woman, holding and moving their four hands together. This was how they communicated.

As their conversation ended, the woman’s companion hooked her arm and led her toward the elevators. I watched in total awe and admiration as I imagined them making their way through the mindless lunch-hour bustle of NYC’s Financial District, waiting for them six stories below.

In the waiting room you could hear a pin drop.  It stayed that way until my name was called.

It is impossible for me not to contrast what had happened in the space of three minutes. While most people can bury themselves in the momentary drama of any afternoon, focusing myopically on whatever we feel is the obstacle out to ruin our lives that day, this strong-willed woman manages every waking hour by feeling for clues in her environment, for words and meaning from the few hands that actually know how to communicate them to her.

So, what drama are you managing today?

Entrepreneurs get buried in their “dramas” all the time.   How to increase sales, raise that money, gain market share, be first to market… you name it.

For some, these dramas fuel how they proceed.

Yet your drama usually breaks your focus on what it is that is most important for your business.

That crucial focus on your big picture and goals.

How to stay focused on the important stuff:

• What’s your end game?  Make sure it is 3-5 years out, and is specific and measurable.  Something you can quantify and monitor.
• What are your milestones? Break your end game goal into annual target goals.  Again, make them as specific and measurable as possible.
• What are the top 5 components? For this year only, list out the key parts that must happen, and by when for you to accomplish your Year 1 Milestone.
• What are your systems and structures? To move forward you must have routines and practices you implement daily.  Tasks to move your Year 1 Milestone forward.
• How are you managing your breakdowns?  The bigger the goal, the bigger the breakdowns.  Guaranteed.  What do you have in place to manage them when they show up?

Your ability to stay focused, manage breakdowns, and build your company in a way you want is directly correlated to how well you have identified your goal and the importance of achieving it.

Using these steps make this a lot easier and more enjoyable to move your goal forward.

And if you ever doubt your ability to stay focused on what’s most important, remember the deaf-blind woman of New York City who does this every moment of her life or risks dire consequences.

Action Steps for the Week

What is your 5 year plan?  How specific and measurable is it?  In other words, how do you know when you’ve achieved it?

Take that goal and break it down into tangible chunks.  Start with annual milestones.

Then take the first 12 months and break that into quarters.  Then the first quarter into months.

You now have your current month’s action plan.

Don’t forget to create your system to handle breakdowns that will invariably occur along the way.  For example, if you don’t get that client you thought was a done deal, what will you do?

Remember to think six moves ahead with your month’s milestones.

Opening them only confirmed it.  The guy I was traveling with had drugged and robbed me of everything I had.

I was in a dangerous city in a foreign country, didn’t speak the language and now with no passport, travel visa or money.

And of course, he left me with the hotel bill for the room we had been sharing for almost a week.

The next two weeks were rough.

The challenge was I could not leave the country without proving when I arrived, as the country required an entry Visa from Americans.

Yep, I was screwed.  How the %&#* was I going to get out of there?  My plane tickets, which proved when I arrived: stolen.  My photos with day and time stamps on them: stolen.

I had almost nothing.

In fact, the only part that went smoothly was my visit to the US Embassy.  While were waiting weeks and even months for supporting documents to arrive from the States for lost or stolen passports, I walked out with my new one within two hours.

Thanks to the photocopy of my original passport I managed to hide from the thief.

But without my travel visa, I was completely lost.

As was my dream of a life-changing backpacking trip, spent exploring some of the world’s most exotic and remote areas.  And it had barely begun.

I was hungry, out of money and ideas.

Then one day, sitting on the beach in complete despair, I remember thinking to myself, “Stefan, the choice is yours:  you can leave either hating or loving Brazil.  Which is it going to be?”

I chose the latter.

So I got up, brushed off the sand, and headed to the nearest phone booth and called a Brazilian friend I had met the night before I was robbed.

She insisted I stay with her while I arranged to get money wired to me from my family in New York.

As soon as the money arrived, and knowing it would take the Brazilian authorities another week or two to get my papers in order, I walked straight to the nearest travel agency and said, “Please send me to a really beautiful part of Brazil for a week.”

Stefan 5-month backpacking in S. America

The travel agent looked a bit confused with my vague request.  But she did well, sending me to an incredibly beautiful part of the country.

A couple of weeks later, as I was sitting in my airplane seat on the tarmac about to leave Brazil for the next leg of my trip, I said to myself, “Wow, what a wonderful and crazy adventure.  How I love Brazil!”

Tips on How to Get the Ideas Flowing:

1. Surrender—Get out of your own way.  More than likely the reason why you are where you are is because you got yourself there!  Being stuck is great because now you’re open to ideas that you wouldn’t normally be.  Just allow the solutions to show up and be ready to act when they do.
2. Make Requests—Reach out to your network of contacts.  Don’t be afraid to ask.  People usually like being asked for advise and help.
3. Take a Hike—Clear your head and get away.  Go somewhere foreign to you.  Leave the distractions behind, like iPhone, iPad, etc.  Have fun and do nothing related to your challenge.
4. Coach Someone— Coach someone with a similar issue.  Many times it is way easier to see the strategy when it is not you in the hot seat.
5. Ask Powerful Questions—Your mind will answer any question you ask it.  For example, “How could I have been so stupid?”  or “What’s wrong with me?”, your mind answers, “You’re so stupid, because….”, or “What’s wrong with you is….”  Instead, ask questions related to the fastest, best, easiest way to achieve the outcome you want.  Make sure the outcome you desire is specific and measurable.
6. Hold a Brainstorm Party—Buy pizza and beer for a group of folks you respect.  Pose the challenge in a clear and specific way. Let them talk.  As long as the food flows, so will their ideas.
7. Be Committed—Promise you’ll resolve your challenge, the best way you can, after acknowledging where you are with everything and that it will all turn out OK.

Usually one or more of these tips breaks you through almost any idea impasse you may encounter.

I know, because these days when working with entrepreneurs deep in their funk, I tell them about my Brazilian adventure from 1998.

And how that experience has served me greatly over the years.  Whenever I am out of ideas, I say to myself, “If I can get through that, I can get through this!”

And so far, I have always been right.

Action Steps for the Week:

Stuck?  Confused?  Not sure where else to turn?

Great.

Because now you’re ready to try things with minimal resistance.  Set up a Meetup or a brainstorming party.  Get the pizza and beer.  Invite your most creative, supportive and synergistic colleagues and friends.  If you don’t really know, even better.

Take the top five ideas that come from that brainstorm, create specific and measurable “what, by when’s” and then launch them in priority order, one-at-a-time.

The idea is to make mistakes. This means you’re in unfamiliar territory, a good thing in this situation.  Just accelerate through your mistakes by gauging your progress from the measurable outcome you desire.

Repeat this until you get your desired outcome.

Most likely you’ll find other things to try along the way.  And if your passion and discipline holds, you’ll most likely find a solution that will rock your world.

I started by explaining how his company had been more than doubling in size for the past several years, with last year breaking the $2MM mark, how he had landed some very large customers, successfully raised over $2MM in investment capital, and was recently in The New York Times and Huffington Post.

That was the easy part.

But the exciting part was telling my class of 23 entrepreneurs that Anselm was my baby brother.

Anselm Doering

And how his company, Ecologic Solutions, was making a significant difference in the world.

Anselm and his team of 15+ employees have single-handedly managed to change how companies clean their businesses and take care of their employees.  Companies like Whole Foods, Chipotle, Amtrak, Con Edison and countless restaurants and hotel chains.

Anselm has managed to convinced senior executives at these companies that not only is buying his completely non-toxic and all-natural cleaning chemicals great for the planet, but it is also great for their businesses’ success.

And he has done this while bringing in a technology most of these large companies had never seen nor heard of before.

Yes, my baby brother is an UnReasonable entrepreneur.

Thankfully he is not the only one.

The world needs UnReasonable entrepreneurs.  People who are not just any entrepreneur, but committed to changing the rules to the game the masses play by.

It is also these UnReasonable entrepreneurs who are solving many of today’s challenges, particularly environmental, social and economic.

It is NOT the scientists.  Nor even the educators.  And definitely NOT the politicians.  They can play an important role, but won’t solve our challenges.

But UnReasonable entrepreneurs will.

They are the ones actively figuring out how to get ourselves out of the messes we’ve managed to get ourselves into.

And make money doing it.

Here are just a few examples of many out there today:

FarmingUp—Alec Baxt, a former student, is building the world’s largest rooftop farm here in NYC.  His model is to build a profitable organic farm on City rooftops while integrating with the community.

mkDesigns— Michelle Kaufman is making affordable, customized yet pre-fabricated green homes.  Just “design” your house online and it is made, shipped, and constructed for you.  Costs less, more efficient, better quality with a lower carbon footprint.

Green Apple Cleaners—David Kistner, a friend, runs the largest and greenest environmental dry cleaning company in the country.  Instead of toxic carcinogens and water pollutants used at all other cleaners, Green Apple’s cleaning is better quality with completely non-toxic chemicals while being price-competitive.

These types of UnReasonable entrepreneurs are popping up everywhere:  alternative energy, city landscape and design, online technologies, clothing manufacturing, sustainable transportation and green finance, just to name a few.

And while these guys want to maximize their profits, they only do it by leveraging the positive impact they leave on their communities and environment.  This strategy tends to reduce expenses and employee turnover while building their brand loyalty, market awareness and competitive advantage.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t fail.

In fact, they are more likely to fail. 

Mainly because they are focusing on three bottom lines:  people, planet and profits, making it exponentially more challenging than just focusing on profits.

But they would not have it any other way.  Because they are on a social and environmental mission.  Their company visions are far greater than just being about them and their personal wealth and success.

Each integrates a super-cool business model.  Each has game-changing technology.  Each is transforming how people live, shop and work, in a more sustainable way.

And each is having a blast.

How to Be an UnReasonable Entrepreneur

1. 1.  Focus on WHY— most entrepreneurs do not brand themselves correctly.  Simon Sineck, a marketing expert illustrates how Apple has become so successful primarily by focusing on their why in this TED talk.
2. 2.  Have an UnReasonable Vision—don’t settle.  The vision is far greater than you.  Be clear on what it is and what you will do to get it done.
3. 3.  Enroll an A-Team—most sophisticated investors would rather invest in an “A” Team with a “B” Idea than a “B” Team with an “A” Idea.  “A” teams are much more likely to figure it out and do well.  Follow this model, whether you’re looking for capital or not.
4. 4.  Make it Game-Changing—not afraid to try something totally different.  Do not be afraid to really swing for the fences.  For example, if you have an idea on how to have cars actually clean up the environment, work it!
5. 5.  Create UnReasonable, Tangible Results—that make a difference, focus on outcomes, the impact on the customer. What they will walk away with.  What your stakeholders (community, employees, suppliers, etc.) will achieve and of course the impact on the planet.
6. 6.  Walk Your Talk—examples:  if you are in the health industry, don’t smoke.  If your business is addressing climate change, don’t drive an SUV.

After 90 minutes of my brother explaining how he is reinventing the industrial chemical industry, I realized I was not alone in thinking we need more UnReasonable entrepreneurs.

Many of my students started thinking about how they can reinvent their businesses to use some of the strategies Anselm covered.

They truly understood that entrepreneurism at this level is a gift.  It is tough.  And it isn’t about them.

But wow there is no better place to be!

Action Steps for the Week

Are you an entrepreneur committed to achieving the UnReasonable?

Great.  Start with your vision.  What is it you see that others cannot?  Is it a solution to one or more of our planet, social and/or economic challenges?

How are you giving back?

What is the legacy you’ll be leaving behind for others to take to the next level?

How are you improving the planet?  Your communities?

And lastly, how are you walking your talk?

Use these answers to create your marketing strategy.  Remember to leverage the social, economic and environmental aspects to enroll your target audience to want to do business with you.

The session was intense and extremely helpful. As we were finishing, I suspected the therapist was interested in working on me more in the future on some things he noticed during our session.

I was very open to this conversation, but it never happened.

He did not say a word to me about what was next.

In fact, two other people came up to me mentioning I should consider doing more with that massage therapist.

But I wanted the “expert” to take the lead on our next steps together.

Most entrepreneurs leave serious business on the table by not having a clear and powerful call to action in place for situations like that.  Instead they hope or expect the customer to take the lead

Well, that works… about 10% of the time.

The other 90% is lost!

Most consumers prefer to be taken down the sales process by the one doing the selling.

ALWAYS be prepared with a Call To Action for your:

• Website—home page to capture their name and contact info.  Can be things like a signup for a free report or your ezine.
• Blog—sign up for your RSS feed, social media accounts or subscribe to your ezine.
• Email—your signature should have an invitation to connect on the various social media sites or ezine.
• Ezine—what’s your call to action?  NOTE: Notice our Be UnReasoanble Power Boost Calls To Action here?
• Live Events—signup for your free report, ezine, evaluation, etc.

Do anything less than this and you are most likely leaving business (and money) on the table.

5 Top Tips For UnReasonable Calls To Action

• Remember You Have Nothing To Do With It!  “Follow Me!” or “Sign up for our newsletter” does not work.  Make it about them.  Why would they want to sign up?  What is in it for them?  Remember to focus on benefits, not features!
• Give Perceived Value—the significance of what you offer is in the eyes of the beholder.  Just because it only took you an hour to put something together doesn’t mean it is not valuable.  It may save the recipient untold amounts of time, money or anguish.  Leverage this perceived value in your Call To Action.
• Make the Steps Easy—Remove any barriers to entry. One click sign ups, or it’s easy to pay or “follow”.  If it is too much trouble, too big a leap, or not clear what you are asking, you won’t get optimal results.
• Do Quick Follow Ups—People like confirmation that they 1) signed up correctly, 2) made the right choice in giving you their business, and 3) are appreciated for their interest in your business.  This can take the form of personal autoresponders, fast return calls/emails, and follow-ups to meetings.
• Be Disciplined—If you tell someone you will follow up tomorrow, do it!  If you have a weekly, or bi-weekly newsletter, then issue it like clockwork.  It is a direct reflection on who you are as a businessperson.  People do not like doing business with people who don’t do what they say they will.

BONUS:  Re-Assess in 90 Days—after setting up your Calls to Action for each of your marketing “touches”, create specific and measurable outcomes you want. Agree to evaluate  in 90 days.

When you implementing Calls to Action, results will start to happen.

And when done with consistency, things grow quickly.

As for the massage therapist, he now knows the importance of initiating a Call to Action.

And he has me as a customer to show for it.

Action Steps for the Week

What marketing tools are you using?  EZine?  Live events?  Blog?  Company email address?

Do you have Calls to Action on each of these?

If not, make a list of what needs a call to action. Then prioritized this list by which get the most eyeballs.

Next, determine your success criteria and metrics for each. Make the criteria as specific and measurable as possible.

Commit to implementing the first three on your list this week.

Then schedule this in your calendar to review your Calls to Action in 90 days.

Lastly, revamp and re-implement as necessary.

By doing this simple plan, you will be much less likely to leave business on the table the next time you are in front of a prospect.

Even after he had received the Nobel Prize, was considered the second most popular and trustworthy man on the planet in the ‘30’s, a key creator of the State of Israel, facilitated the end of World War II, an inventor with many patents, and of course, was declared a genius, the father of modern physics, and labeled the most important scientist in history.

All this meant little to Albert Einstein.

In fact, he felt he was a failure because he was not able to develop a certain theory!  It didn’t help that his colleagues thought he was wasting his time on it.  Yet he ignored them and continued with his research.

For more that 20 years.

And towards the end of his life, he gave up.  The Unified Field Theory (also known as the Theory of Everything) would have to be someone else’s discovery.

But Einstein didn’t hold back from trying.

He advanced the theory in an UnReasonable way so that today it is a hot topic in theoretical physics.  Scientists are working to innovate and create an answer to what Einstein felt would advance our planet by understanding how the various forms of energy and physical elements all work together in one “field” (space between particles).

Innovators at any level, especially when they are entrepreneurs, are truly a special breed.

Highly innovative entrepreneurs (usually) are:

• allergic to dealing with details
• challenged with staying focused
• careless with managing time
• even worse with managing people
• love chasing the next “shiny object”

Does any of these characteristics describe someone you know?

That’s the bad news.

Yet the good news for highly creative entrepreneurs is they are:

1. stubborn and don’t give up easily… important in business.
2. game changers when their innovations work.
3. usually the most successful in business.
4. crucial for solving today’s environmental, social and economic challenges.

How to Excel as an Innovative Entrepreneur

The most important asset highly creative people have is their ability to see what others cannot.  But to be successful in business, this creativity must be managed in a special way:

• Have a vision—the “why you are doing what you do.  This becomes crucial in bringing others to the game plus keeping you focused, yet creative in what you are building
• Build a team—for example, a business development person who can take your widget or service to market.  He/she is great at managing details and people, can keep you focused and the project moving forward.
• Stay in the air—to continue creating.  Give yourself the time and space to build, write, design, and create whenever possible.
• Keep current—stay on top of what is going on in the business and world.  Creates more useful and effective innovations
• Balance tasks—know when you must come down to earth from the air to deal with things like staff challenges, marketing issues, pricing strategies, competition changes and so on.  Create a system in your schedule to manage these items.

Working with creative entrepreneurs is by far the most fun and rewarding for me.

It is amazing what some of these guys are building.  For example here in NYC they’re creating UnReasonable solutions to rooftop farming, energy management of buildings and eliminating the use toxic chemicals in the large companies.

Yet like so many others, their key to success is in harvesting and channeling that creative energy in a focused and strategic way.

Just like Einstein had to do, and eventually became a master at.

Action Steps for the Week:

Concerned you have some or all the above-mentioned characteristics of a highly creative entrepreneur?

Don’t be.

Start by using your creativity to get crystal clear on your company’s purpose: the why.  Build your company vision from this.

Next, leverage this vision to find someone to keep you focused, organized and managing the tasks at hand.  This person should have strong skills in business development and if possible, people management skills.

Keep in mind, when you have a powerful vision it makes it much easier to find help on a limited budget.

Then find a routine to organize your time to be creative and “in the air” vs. “on the ground” dealing with daily important tasks at hand.

Last, remember to stay focused, stay engaged, and stay UnReasonable!

And Gary meant it.

Gary Whitehill, a good friend, is one of the top entrepreneur advocates in New York.  His rapid growth has now gotten his Entrepreneur Week events to a global scale, where he just completed his first event in Santiago and next week in Athens.  In the near future they will be in a different city every two weeks.

I asked Gary to join us to share his experiences on what it is like out there today and how he’s managed to build his company and brand so quickly and successfully, regardless of the economy and what the naysayers are selling the public.

And while Gary started off by warning the class he would tell them the real skinny and curse his way through it, by the end of the hour, the students were bouncing off the walls with knowing they needed to make a serious shift in their business practices.

As we start 2012, many entrepreneurs look to do the same thing.  Here are some to consider taking with your business:

Top 10 UnReasonable Business Strategies for 2012

Increase Sales

1)   Return to the well—Reach out to former clients… daily.  Check in on 5 a week.  Meet with them.  Give them a free strategy session or sample of your newest product.  It’s a gazillion times easier bringing a past client back on board than going out and getting a new one.  If done correctly, within two weeks you should have several them back on your roster.

2)   Ramp up your SP/JV’s— Develop solid strategic partnerships and/or joint ventures with other firms.  Pick at least 3 synergistic businesses that bring something powerful to the table.  Collaborating and leveraging others’ skill sets and assets is one of the most powerful sales tools today.

3)   Increase your prices—Do not compete on pricing.  You will most assuredly lose that battle.  Instead bundle your project(s)/service(s) with features and benefits in a way your target customer gets the incredible value you offer.  If they balk at your price, never reduce it without taking something off the table.

4)   Swim upstream—whatever your competitors are doing, take a look at doing it the opposite way.  More than likely you will find a serious opportunity.  For example, if all your competitors are offering multiple selections for their products/services, offer only one or two.  And explain why in a way that is interesting and makes sense.

Decrease Expenses

5)   Scale back the gadgets—Too many people live on their electronic gizmos and miss the business opportunity right in front of them.  Instead of trying to get another 10,247 “friends” on Facebook, Twitter or whatever, build real, lasting connections with several people who will go to the wall for you.  Stop hiding behind your electronics and make a rule to not spend more than 45 mins. daily on social media!

Build Exposure

6)   Create an UnReasonable event—One of the fastest splashes you can make to your target audience is creating an event that rocks their world.  Tailor it to allow you to brand and position your business in a powerful way.  Doing highly creative events, summits or workshops can be a lot of work, but your audience will remember you big time.

7)   Promote the heck out of others—Be a powerful advocate for your colleagues… on a regular basis.  They will really appreciate and remember you and most likely will reciprocate in ways you cannot imagine.

8)   Be opinionated—Be an expert with an attitude.  Don’t hold back and be “nicey-nicey”.  Just remember this is a difference between being a jerk and being an opinionated expert.  Media hates the former and loves the latter.

9)   Take a position—Use a social and/or environmental cause that really means something to you personally.  Build that into the core of your business infrastructure.  Involve your stakeholders (employees, venders, customers, etc.) to work together in a way that builds loyalty to your business and brand while making a real difference for the planet.

10)                  Make many mistakes—when you are playing an UnReasonable game, you will make mistakes when getting outside your comfort zone.  Don’t beat yourself up for not getting it right the first time, or worse, don’t get into analysis paralysis and not do anything.  Instead, know how to accelerate through your mistakes to success.

Bonus:  Be consistent—this, for most entrepreneurs, is the most UnReasonable of all.  I cannot tell you how many entrepreneurs I’ve worked with that just do not schedule and factor into their calendars to do these activities.

Don’t be one of them.  Schedule your UnReasonable activities for all of 2012.

And while Gary had a lot of strong reasons why being an entrepreneur really sucks, he would not have it any other way.  Nor would anyone else in the class.

Nor me.

For it allows us the freedom to create powerful solutions to what we need on this planet:  more freedom, happiness, and co-existence, along with a safer and healthier planet to live on.

Happy New Year!

Action Steps for the Week:

Review what you would like to create for 2012.  Is what you are doing now going to get you there in a way you want to?

If yes, great and keep going.  If no, review the strategies above and choose at least 3 you will start to implement now.

Take these and schedule the tasks into your calendar now.