The Escape Hatch

I first met Myles at Bloblive (see Erick Brownstein Escape PODcast interview) and was immediately taken with the inventiveness of his company and brand.  Check out Wise Guys Events for a different kind of fun in LA.

Myles Nye has lived in LA for 10 years. He has been writing and putting on adventure game scavenger hunts for nearly that long, and in 2008 with his friend and business partner Greg Snyder he started his business Wise Guys Events. As game masters, Myles and Greg do everything from handle clients to write and produce the adventures, host the games, all the way to scoring the teams and fashioning the trophies out of recycled material.

Wise Guys is Southern California’s source for real life gaming. Our offerings include cell phone scavenger hunts, innovative puzzle hunts, original competitive photo hunt games, and a wide variety of well-rounded challenges including puzzles and brainteasers, video challenges, and new twists on favorite summer camp and improv games. When not leading teams and corporations on inspirational, hilarious games to boost morale and group performance, Myles and Greg have put on games for LA’s NuArt Theater, the American Cinematheque’s Egpytian Theater (3 games, including Elvis’s 75th Birthday Extravaganza), the La Brea Tar Pits Page Museum, and Loyola Marymount Business School, among others. Their public games have included Astronauts vs. Lumberjacks Smackdown in Los Feliz Village and, on Saturday February 6th 2010, they will unveil the Singles Mixer edition of their game Camera Assassins.

Myles is a tap dancer, a newlywed (married 1 year), and a challenge consultant for CBS Survivor. He has written a novel in a month, lead the scoreboard of the Top Secret Dance Off, recorded an album of original children’s music, and written a musical about Eskimos. He is a contributor to the National Puzzlers League newsletter, the Enigma, and winner of the ComedySportz Los Angeles improv comedy tournament.

Myles Nye shares his \”Lemonade Making Moment\”

You can find Myles here:

www.teambuildingandtraining.com
Facebook.com/WiseGuysEvents
Twitter.com/ClockwiseClocky
wiseguysevents.tumblr.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/WiseGuysEvents
http://www.linkedin.com/companies/wise-guys-events

Please listen in as Erick takes us on his unique entrepreneurial journey sharing his “words to live by”, his 3 “top tips” and his various ventures.  Erick also explains what the “Inner Worm” is, why causes should use social media and the importance of brands telling their stories.  I hope you enjoy.

Erick Brownstein

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Guest post by Todd Kreisman:

I’m out.

For seven long years, I was merely a twig in the cuckoo’s nest of corporate America.  I would pry my tired eyes open every morning at the crack of dawn (all right, well it was dawn somewhere) and drag my weary body to the office.  I would slink quietly into my cubicle with my Hazelnut Roast coffee and begin responding to emails and voice mails, the content of which I could truly care less about.  I would make nice with the other inmates, and would even perform for them at holiday parties.

I would love to be able to say that I got out because my dreams were tugging at me too forcefully to ignore.  That I couldn’t go one more day without sharing my writing, my acting, my comedy, with the world.  But the truth is that the job got bad.  I mean really bad.  Once I realized that I would prefer slowly starving to death and living inside a cracker barrel to continuing to show my face in that place of galling condescension and unthinkable idiocy, the choice was clear.

So I quit.  I have a bit of savings, but even still, I know that I’ll need to find an alternate source of income soon, or that barrel will be calling my name…

Regardless, I have no regrets.  Whether this move works out or not, it was something that needed to be done.  If the worst case scenario is realized (safely assuming that the worst case scenario doesn’t involve me being tortured or mutilated in a Turkish prison), then I’ll go back and get another 9 to 5.  For a while at least.  But at least I’ll know.  I’ll have my questions answered.  I’ll be able to look myself in the mirror and say, hey self!  You went out there and gave it your all.  I’m proud o’ ya.

Nowadays, I’m going to bed and getting up on my own schedule (still setting an alarm, so I don’t sleep the days away).  I’m going to the gym or playing tennis, writing for a few hours, sending out submissions, networking, eating better – the whole bit.  It’s on my terms, and it’s glorious.  At least if and until the money runs out, I’m living the life.

As someone who is actually doing it, I urge each of you to ditch the job that makes you miserable and seek your own inner happiness.  Even if you’ve been told differently for all of your life, there’s no reason you can’t be your own boss, run your own life, make your own rules.

This from the guy without health benefits.

You can follow Todd and read more about his progress on his blog: www.discardthelard.blogspot.com.  You can also check out his novel ‘The Wellspring’ at www.thewellspringbook.com.

Good morning or good afternoon, wherever you happen to be.  Today is an exciting day for me.  I am welcoming the first guest blogger to the Escape Hatch.  Todd Kreisman is an Escape Artist (the title I give to creative artists who are in the process of or have somehow managed to already escape the cubicle/corporate/9-5 life – or any other life they don’t like).  He began his journey of self discovery and new intention recently and he will be joining us every week to share his process: success, fear, warts and all.  I first met Todd a few years back when we were doing a theatrical show together.  I can tell you from personal experience that Todd is an enormously talented artist.  I know you will agree when you see his posts.  Please read and share with others who might need a little creative inspiration to follow the same path.

Todd’s bio:

Todd Kreisman is a writer, actor and comedian who has experienced minimal success… until now.  Quitting his day job in late 2009, Todd is now on a mission to keep his ass out of a cubicle forevermore.  Living (for now) off the savings he has built up, he is now writing daily, sending out story submissions, mailing headshots/resumes for acting work, and preparing his stand-up act for live audiences.  He is also trying to shed a little weight, and get healthier in general.  In additions to his posts here, you can also follow his progress at www.discardthelard.blogspot.com.

Every month I put tips in my Escape Hatch newsletter about saving money in different parts of your life and putting those savings into your Must Fund.  The Must Fund is the (must be interest bearing) account where you tuck away money you save to fund what you “must” do in your life…pursue your dreams and build the business you’ve always imagined.   The way to go about doing this is to look at all of your current expenses and trim where possible so that you can build your business quicker or fund the business investments that will get you to a certain level of success quicker.

I’ve explained the way this can work in the past, but it dawned on me a refresher course might be in order.  Take this month’s article – how to save money on hair coloring services.  I list out a few ideas in the article such as using home preparations, going to a school or waiting longer in between coloring sessions.  For example:

If you normally have your hair colored every 6 weeks, that amounts to 8 or so times/year – if you pay $120/vist that comes to around $960/year.  However, if you stretch that visit to 10 weeks, than you will need to have it done about 5 times/year which equals around $600, this is a difference of $360.  Now, imagine what you can do in your business for $360:

• 3 years of e-commerce services WebGem Network (lowest-priced package, includes hosting) OR they will create a Facebook Fan Page for you for the special price of $300 (use code FBGem to get this offer)
• 1- 2 hour intensive session with PR maven Lizzy Shaw (mention Escape Hatcher to get this offer)
• A marketing tag line that sizzles or 200 words of website copy that will stop traffic with copywriter Serena Tarica (contact me for her contact info)
• A business systems and success package with Alaia Williams (mention Escape Hatcher to get this offer) (or for less money even, you can do a business systems and strategy audit and detailed action plan to carry you forward)
• 2 sessions or  wellness package with wellness coach Erin Lanahan (so you have the energy to think up or run your business)
• 3 sessions with tech guru Douglas Welch (upgrade your blog, or add video to your site, etc.)
• 18 hours of assistant work at $20/hour
• An e-mail marketing account with a service like Constant Contact ($180/year)
• subscriptions to 18 different biz magazines (not sure if that many exist), start with Entrepreneur
  
• membership at 2 Chambers of Commerce (usually around $150/year)
• Office supplies
• File a federal trademark at Legalzoom
  
• 7 meals out with possible investors or joint venture partners
• website upgrades or maintenance

You get the idea…there is A LOT that you can do with $360 if you look at the possibilities and this is just hair coloring!  Imagine what you can do if you go through your budget and eliminate all unnecessary expenses and trim even the necessary expenditures back to a more modest amount.  You could be literally sitting on a gold mine worth of options.  This method will help you get things going and you won’t have to look for outside funding as quickly or as often.

Good luck.  Let me know how it goes and send me your ideas and success stories and I will share them here.

**disclosure – Escape Hatcher does not get a penny if you go after one of these offers up top.  I enjoy spreading the word about exciting businesses and the amazing people that run them…and will continue to do so.

I was driving through Los Angeles yesterday in a part of town I don’t often visit and when I do its usually only on the main thoroughfares.  I was visiting an entrepreneur whose business I love (he’ll be featured in the Lemonade Maker series later this week) and as I turned off the beaten path to go down into his neighborhood I was awakened to a really lovely and picturesque area that I didn’t even know existed.

It reminded me that there are so many places to explore especially in this geographically dense city.  It also made me realize that the reason I chose to go off the beaten path in the first place is because I believed in someone’s business enough to highlight his work.

It also got me thinking about businesses in general and making the most out of what you have to offer to your clients and customers.  Sure, it might be the regularly traveled paths or “beaten” paths that originally brings your clients to you (marketing, copywriting, etc), but its your unique qualities that make them pay attention and keep coming back.

What comprises your unique brand?  What is different about you and your service or product?  What sets you apart?  Sometimes, as entrepreneurs we need to consistently remind even ourselves of this valuable asset.  Take a moment to jot down what makes your business unique…and if you are just in the “brainstorming your biz” idea phase write down unique qualities of some of the ideas you have.

A good friend of mine once said (and I believe it) “it doesn’t matter if you decide to go into business doing what someone else is doing as long as you are doing it differently”…and I would add “better” to that equation too.

Now, if you aren’t already different, go out and “uniquize” (my new favorite made up word)  yourself asap.  Come back and let me know how it goes.

I’m happy to share with you the Escape Hatcher newsletter for January 2010 featuring none other than the brilliant Jodi Womack (If You Build it They Will Come…and Keep Coming) of The Ojai Women’s Business Social and The Womack Company.  Jodi is an inspiration and I hope you’ll stop by the newsletter or the Escape Hatcher site to get to know her a little better.  Just seeing her smiling face with that hula hoop is enough to make anyone smile and want to go out and have some adventure and fun.

There are also fun tips for saving on hair coloring, coming up with business ideas and figuring out your “value proposition”…I hope you enjoy.

I was meeting with The Nohopreneurs Sunday afternoon and Lelah Baker-Rabe gave a short presentation on organizing (since she just happens to be an organizing expert extraordinaire and owner of Lelah with an “h”) and she reminded me of something that I work with clients on all the time, but haven’t been doing enough of myself…calendaring my to do list.  I keep a fairly lengthy to do list and I am good about adding things to the end of it , but I am less good about setting aside specific chunks of time to do every single item (and I mean every single item) on my calendar.  Lelah reminded me how important this is and I’ve been trying to stick to this method this week and I’m finding its keeping me on track better.

I have my clients “roadmap” their days and set their intentions and goals and map out their schedule for working on their business, now I’m finding that I need to do that as well…as Lelah reminded us, a to-do list is just that unless you actually do stuff…and finding the time to do stuff won’t happen unless you build it into your schedule.

Try it and see if you don’t get better at emptying that to-do list.  Let me know how it goes.

Listen in as Erick Brownstein takes us on an entrepreneurial odyssey from announcing at the ripe old age of 8 that he would like to be a “rich CEO” to graduating with an economics degree from Duke, going on to work with Mother Theresa, leading international human rights campaigns, and finding his way to becoming an “Opportunity Explorer” and developing four brands which helped other entrepreneurs find their footing.

Erick Brownstein

Erick Brownstein is an innovator who helps organizations get social in the era of Google.  Among other things, he works with senior executives to build brands, develop and execute social web strategies, generate extensive coverage in traditional and online press and establish corporate partnerships, particularly those with meaningful causes.

During the last five years, he worked extensively with Advanta Bank Corp. to significantly expand their small business community, assembling and leading an internal innovation team, managing PR and social media and conceiving of developing, launching and promoting four of their major brands.  In addition, he’s designed and implemented content development and other social strategies for several other companies from a Broadway musical to cosmetic companies to film.  In addition, he was an international director of two environmental and human rights campaigns.

Subscribe to the Escape PODcast in itunes

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

This is an exercise that I like to use to get creativity flowing in terms of business ideas.  Try it.

Stop what you are doing (as soon as you read the instructions and grab a pen/piece of paper)

sit down (close your eyes and take a deep breath)

and stare…around the room in front of you…what ideas abound here?  Are there products that could be enhanced or branded better?  Are there things that don’t yet exist that would assist you in some task or simplify life in some way?

Now jot down 10 ideas as fast as you can…don’t worry about viability, marketing potential or anything else an entrepreneur would immediately start worrying about, just let it flow out.  Once you have about 10 ideas (no matter how ridiculous or insane) look down your list and pick out 1 or 2 to work on (preferably the best ones or the ones you are attracted to the most.)

Get a clean piece of paper and start jotting down the idea, fully describing it as much as possible.  Is it a service or a product?, what does it do?, what value could clients achieve by using this product/service?

You get the idea…have fun.  When you’re done with the living room, move onto the kitchen, the bathroom, the offices, etc.  Send me some of your ideas and I’ll share them with the world (after you get the proper protections of course).