The World According to Mitch Fanning

At a recent business luncheon, I had the great pleasure of listening to John Hall, Forty Creek Whisky Maker, and proprietor of Kittling Ridge Estate Wines & Spirits.

His motto: if you find a job you love, you will never work a day in your life.

Judging from his story, John has never worked a day in his life, which is actually hard to believe.  Imagine, coming up with a product or perhaps a new way of making an existing product, but having to wait 10 years before you could make your first sale!

In today’s fast-paced world, where tech start-ups go from concept to beta in 90 days and what was hot last month in social media is dead this month, John sat patiently while his labour of love slowly aged to perfection.

In fact, in an effort to improve the quality and distinction of his Canadian whiskey, instead of aging it in traditional American white oak barrels, he decided to use Canadian white oak.  One small problem, Canadian white oak barrels didn’t exist…anywhere.

So what did he do?

He found the only three White oaks trees in Canada that could be legally cut-down and purchased in a sustainable forest, which would then help the other smaller trees to grow.  Then had them shipped to a barrel maker in Missouri (according to John, there were no barrel makers in Canada).

The result?

Eight years later he finally got his Canadian white oak barrels!

It was worth the wait.

In 2008, John was named Distiller of the Year and his Forty Creek has since won numerous awards.  Overall, here are some lessons I’ve learned from this Award-Winning Whisky Maker and Canadian entrepreneur.

1. Love what you do

2. Be patient

3. Focus on quality and fundamentals

4. Challenge the status quo

5. Never give up

6. Have fun along the way

I was so inspired with John’s story I picked up a bottle of Fort Creek Barrel Select to enjoy what took John ten years to produce.  All I can say is, it was definitely worth the wait.

Thanks for all your efforts John.

P.S. If interested in tasting his award-winning Canadian Whisky, here’s the location of Kittling Ridge Estate on Google Maps.

About the Author

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive (Toronto, Canada). He’s spent 11 years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to some of Canada’s fastest growing web start-ups ranked in the PROFIT 100.

This is part two of a series, which outlines the systems, principles, strategies, and tools I’ve used over the past 10 years to fine-tune my routines to increase results and productivity.

In part one, I discussed the Entrepreneurial Time System (via The Strategic Coach). Now that you have a framework to work with, you can start creating and fine-tuning your routines.  However, before you can fix routines and habits you need a focal point – something to work towards. In part two, I outline some principles and tools I use to decide what to focus on.

System Reset

I’ve been setting goals since I was 16 years old.  However, up until recently, my goals were mostly financial or based on something I was driven to do.  I also ended up taking on too many goals at once, which spread out my energy and focus and motivation.

One Goal

A few years ago, I found a solution.  I started using the One Goal System after reading The Power Of Less (affiliate) by Leo Babauta.  Simply put, you focus on one big goal (at a time).  My deadline to achieving my one big goal is usually six months.  Any longer, I lose focus and enthusiasm.  Any shorter, it’s not worth my efforts.  Incidentally, I do my goal setting on Buffer Days.

Bucket Thinking (focus areas)

With one goal in mind, you then create “buckets” or “focus areas” as filters for determining what projects and/or tasks to focus on.  Any additional work that comes in is pushed through these filters.

In my case, my buckets or focus areas are:

1. Online Marketing (Fruition Interactive)
2. Online Publishing (blogging, writing, etc.)
3. New Media Education (Social Media Club Niagara)
4. Buffer (planning, clean-ups, new skills)

Incidentally, the first three “buckets” are areas I work on during Focus Days with the exception of the “Buffer bucket” (always have a bucket for the stuff that has to get done, but isn’t directly related to producing results).

Three Projects

Using these buckets, you now have a way to separate what project and/or tasks to work on.  As a rule, I never have more than three projects going at one time.  I define “project” as anything that takes a day or more to complete.  If you can do it in a few hours, you can add it to your list, but a project is typically something that takes several tasks to complete.

Mind-Maps (Tool)

I use mind-maps to keep track of project lists. I love mind-maps, because I can break out my thoughts by priority in a non-linear way.  I use MindNode on my Mac, but there are tons of such apps, so pick one you like.

Staying on Target

To ensure you stick with a routine, first establish your one big goal – something you’re passionate about.  From there, use a tool like mind-mapping to pick your top 3 projects and weekly priorities.

Stay tuned for part three.

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive, an authorized member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands to some of Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the PROFIT 100. Follow Mitch on his adventures in new media here at [mitchellfanning.com].

Photo credit: flattop341

Fall is upon us.

Entrepreneurial Time System is a trademark of the Strategic Coach Inc.

For kids, it’s back-to-school.  For the rest of us, it’s a time to get back to work and settle into a routine.  Some of my most rewarding achievements have come from establishing routines in an effort to become more productive.

Perhaps it’s a result of being a former college athlete, but over the years, I’ve used many of the same routines and rituals I once used in sports – in business.  For example, I split up my week into game days and practice days.

What follows is part one of a series, outlining the time system I’ve used over the past 10 years to fine-tune both my weekly and daily routines.  In part two, I’ll discuss the principles behind my routines along with the tools and how I put them into practice.  Keep in mind, these are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules.  What works for me may not work for you.

The Entrepreneurial Time System (via the Strategic Coach)

I was introduced to The Entrepreneurial Time System (created by Dan Sullivan and Babs Smith) in 2000 (as a member of the Strategic Coach).  The system has given me a simple framework for developing effective weekly and daily routines. The system calls for dividing your days into three distinct types – Free Days, Focus Days, and Buffer Days.

Free Days

A Free Day is a 24-hour period, in which I don’t engage in any business-related activities.  In my experience, to perform at your peak during your game days you must be rejuvenated.  When you run out of energy, you don’t have the creativity to seize opportunities.  You also become boring, having only one thing to talk about: work.

Sundays are my default Free Day.  During my free days, I spend time with family, close friends, watch movies, and read.

Focus Days

A Focus Day is a 24-hour period, in which I spend 80 percent of my time on the activities that create results.  These are my game days.  On Focus Days, you concentrate on your most important business-related activities, relationships, and opportunities.   What should you do on your Focus Days?  Think about what you do personally that makes the greatest contribution to your company’s bottom line.  Imagine how productive you could be if you could spend a day attending to just these tasks, without interruption, and with full preparation and support.

My focus day activities involve having meaningful conversations with clients about their business and writing (strategy documents, proposals, contracts, emails related to income generation, blog posts, online media).  Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are my Focus Days.

Buffer Days

If Focus Days are game days, Buffer Days are my practice or rehearsal days.  On Buffer Days, I handle all of the details that would otherwise distract my attention on a Focus Day.  I use these days to catch up, clean up messes, delegate, do research, and learn new skills.  Most importantly, I use them to do the necessary planning that will ensure that nothing intrudes on my Free Days & Focus Days.

Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays are my Buffer Days.

Putting into Practice

This system might seem complicated, but in action, it’s fairly simple and straightforward.  Over the next 90 days, put these concepts to work and watch both your level of rejuvenation and overall productivity sky-rocket.

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is VP of Strategy & Business Development for Fruition Interactive, an authorized member of Social Media Club, and founding member of Social Media Club Niagara. He’s spent 10 plus years working with businesses of all sizes, from global brands including NBC.com to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the 2009 PROFIT 100.  Follow Mitch on his adventures in new media at [mitchellfanning.com].

Photo credit: Strategic Coach

While we’re at it, lets also hang up “web log,” “blogger,” “blogosphere,” and any other derivative of the word.

Why?

They’re outdated and, at times, associated with the stereotypical image of the rogue “Internet marketing guru” who plots world domination from their basement and uses excessive hype to bait naïve prospects with empty promises.

Perhaps it’s just the way these words sound to the average “non-techie” business owner or CEO.  To those who don’t eat, sleep, and breathe the Internet and social media it might sound more like a rubber chew toy a two year old puts in their mouth.

Let me assure you this post is not a rant.  On the contrary, it’s a tribute…a manifesto…a declaration.

Give me 48 seconds to explain…

According to the gospel of Saint Wikipedia, the term “web log” was coined in 1997 by Jorn Barger when he used it on his weblog, Robot Wisdom.

Barger used the term to describe the process of “logging the web” as he surfed.  The short form, “blog,” was then used by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog on his blog Peterme.com in 1999.

Shortly after, a few others started using “blog” as both a noun and verb (“to blog,” meaning “to edit one’s weblog or to post to one’s weblog”) and devised the term “blogger”.

Here ends the history lesson.

Blogging is Serious Business

Over the past ten years there’s been a new generation of people starting blogs.  They’re building audiences, creating influence, and generating profits.

They’re not just “logging the web,” they’re creating businesses.

Take the Huffington Post, a popular news site (ranked #1 in Technorati), which began as a politics blog by Arianna Huffington.  According to their Google Analytics numbers, the site blasted past 40 million monthly unique visitors in February 2010.

Companies like 37signals, Union Square Ventures, and the Wine Library have successfully used their blogs to build a massive audience, which over time have translated into millions of dollars in revenue and business opportunities.

Darren Rowse of Problogger is an independent blogger who makes a comfortable living from blogs like Digital Photography School and TwiTip.  It didn’t happen in a week, but he’s now built a stable business platform that allows him to leverage new growth opportunities.

These individuals and organizations aren’t just bloggers and blogs. They’re serious media properties, thought-leaders, and online publishers with real business models.

So let’s replace the funny-sounding word with something that gives the medium a bit more respect it’s so rightfully has earned.  Let’s come up with a better term than “blog” to describe the new generation of online publishers who are out there creating real relationships and businesses.

Any suggestions?

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is an online marketing and social media practitioner. He’s spent 10+ years (and put in his 10,000 hours) working with businesses of all sizes, from global brand (NBC.com, Nestle) to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the PROFIT 100, creating, selling, implementing both traditional and digital marketing opt-in strategies.

Inspired by the post The Word Entrepreneur and its baggage on the Signal Vs Noise, a weblog by 37signals.

A teacher affects eternity:  He can never tell where his influence stops. – Henry Adams

Be like Mr. Miyagi - Teach your audience something.

I just finished reading 37signal’s new business book, Rework.

At 288 pages it’s a quick read (about 3 hours).  It’s about getting back to the basics, making things easier not harder, and focusing on what really matters (in a business).

I’ll publish a full review soon, but for now I want to focus on the idea of “out-teaching” (not out-competing) your competitors.

Specifically, the notion that you’re more likely to buy stuff from someone who teach you something rather than being influenced by traditional marketing tactics, which is one of the topics in the book.

Teaching vs Marketing

Personal experience has also shown me that teaching vs traditional marketing does produce better results when attempting to create a loyal audience.

Most businesses do the opposite.

They focus on selling or servicing, but rarely do they teach their audience something.  Teaching shows you give a #*%@.  It helps you stand out.  As Fried puts it, it also helps you “out-maneuver” the competition.

There are lots of ways to put this idea into practice online.  One way (but certainly not the only or best way for you) is to start a blog.

Here’s a few examples to get your creative juices flowing.

MBA Mondays

Fred Wilson, a New York-based venture capitalist, has a very popular (and at times, controversial) blog.  Among other topics, each week he writes a post under the category MBA Monday, where he steps back and connects the dots for those wanting to develop their business acumen.  It’s here that budding VCs, start-ups, and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to learn from a VC veteran.

As a result, Wilson is now recognized as a leading voice of the venture capital finance community.  He also happens to be #60 on Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” list for 2010.

Oh, one more thing.  His firm’s portfolio has swelled with some of the hottest tech start-ups, including Twitter, Foursquare, and Zynga.

What Wine Goes Better With Fish?

Gary Vaynerchuk, who owns a large wine store called Wine Library, probably spent hours answering this question (and many like it, I’m sure) on Internet forums while teaching people about wine on Wine Library TV, his daily video blog.

As a result, his video blog is watched by tens of thousands of people each day.  Just as important, from 1997 to 2008, his wine business went from $4 million to $50 million.  He’s also the author of Crush It! a book detailing how he used social media to build his audience and business.

Stop and think about it.

If, like me, you consistently work to improve yourself (and your business) you probably consume content online in an effort to learn something.  In some cases, this content might even come from a company or site that sells something.

QUESTION – Have you ever bought something from a company or site after you’ve consumed their content for some time?  Have you ever purchased something in the hopes of learning something?

I have.

Sometimes even after a year later of being introduced to the company and their content.

Instead of trying to outspend or outsell your competition maybe its time you did something different.  Maybe, it’s time you tried out-teaching them.

About the Author:

Mitch Fanning is an online marketing and social media practitioner. He’s spent 10+ years (and put in his 10,000 hours) working with businesses of all sizes, from global brand (NBC.com, Nestle) to Canada’s fastest growing Internet companies ranked in the PROFIT 100, creating, selling, implementing both traditional and digital marketing opt-in strategies.

Click here to contact Mitch directly.  Or skip right through the garden and grab Mitch’s RSS Feed right here.