Step 161: Lateral Action

I went to college right out of high school at a prestigious university, finished in 4 years, completing classes in very practical subjects (economics and history, minor in psychology). I got an MBA in general management at another very prestigious university, worked my a** off, and then got a well-paying job right after graduation. By all accounts I architected my career to foster financial independence and my creative spirit, even if some of my decisions in real-time made some people scratch their heads. In the end, I did make the best choices. I was right to make the moves I made. Go me.

And then about a year and a half ago, the bottom fell out of the economy and I started to question what I was doing with my time post-MBA. All the old paradigms about education, career, and making a living crumbled. Then 9 months ago, my apartment building caught fire, I almost lost my life, I did lose almost all of my precious belongings I had worked so hard for, and I began to question everything. This staged questioning lead me to a door I never thought I’d choose again: entrepreneurship. Working for myself. And not just as a freelancer, but building my own company from the ground up – Compass Yoga.

I talked to entrepreneurs, interviewed them, wrote about them, read books, magazines, and blogs, and attended conferences. I built up enough knowledge that I knew I wanted to do this, that I’d be really disappointed with my life if I didn’t at least give it a whirl. And the further I’ve delved into the process, the more I realized that it would be very easy for me to make a bunch of really lousy mistakes because I don’t know what I don’t know. This is all new and I need some guidance, or at least some people around me who are in the same start-up boat.

Kismet set in and a post from Problogger showed up in my inbox on Tuesday about a guy named Brian Clark who pens Copyblogger. I hopped over to Copyblogger and liked what I saw. He was honest, straight-forward, and a very talented writer. He also seemed very genuine in his desire to help brand new or would-be entrepreneurs (i.e., me). He just co-launched an initiative called Lateral Action that will offer a 6-week online entrepreneurship course that offers “everything we would have wanted to know 10 years ago starting out.” His co-founders are a cartoonist and a poet. My kind of folks. Hmmm….I kept reading, skeptically.

Sounded like too much of a line, too much a cliché. And then he said something that opened my mind a bit more. “What is that type of information worth? Well, I personally made squat for about three years getting started. Making even a fraction of my current income back then would be worth a fairly substantial investment given that kind of return. Let me be clear. We’re not looking for just anyone with a credit card. Rather, we’re interested in working with motivated people who will take action with these methods.”

Okay, now I’m really listening. What sold me was that I sent an email to one of the co-founders and he responded within a few minutes. I told him about Compass Yoga and a bit about my professional background as a product developer. He told me why the class would be completely worthwhile for me and that one of his inspirations (and friend) is Jonathan Fields, the person who founded Sonic Yoga (where I just completed my yoga teacher training.)

All these pieces bundled together – the fact that I need some more guidance in starting MY business (not just any business), Brian’s authentic voice, Mark’s responsiveness, and the Jonathan Fields connection – made me realize that I stumbled upon something that is far more valuable than the small class fee. I just downloaded the first few modules, and I’m going to comb through them this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes. This just may change my tune about online education.

Have you ever had an experience that caused you to change a long-held belief? If so, I’d love to hear about it!

I don’t know who created the cartoon above, though if I had to place a bet, I’d say it was Tony Clark, the cartoonist who is a co-founder of Lateral Action. The cartoon is from their site and I think it’s hilarious (and true-to-life).