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Neo Moments: Seeing the world in a new way… not necessarily in green numbers

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my Neo Moment with you, my blog readers, but I wanted to talk about it and perhaps you’ll have your own. The Neo Moment, to me, is this enlightenment and awakening of Neo, the protagonist in The Matrix. In the Matrix, there was a time when he was resurrected in the first movie, and he woke seeing the world for what it really was. At that moment, he stopped hoping and thinking he was The One, and just firmly knew he was The One. As he awakened to the world around him, he saw the Matrix in all its green numeric beauty.

My Neo Moment lasted a bit longer than a few seconds, but it was a moment where I started seeing the world much differently. It was when I started living life how I wanted to while also looking for ways to improve the world. To me, it was a moment where I started questioning normal, old-school conventions in favor of more… shall we say, “disruptive” ways of doing things. In many ways, it was my moment where I started coming up with ideas (potentially for different startups) in everyday things. I started just asking random people questions including flight attendants on Southwest on how to improve their provisioning, call center interactions with customers, etc.

I’m not the only one with a Neo Moment, of course. In fact, I’ve heard of a few Neo Moments recently that have and will continue to have a significant change in my friends’ lives.

  • GiveLiveExplore.com – Matt Trinetti is a friend from Georgia Tech who up and decided that he needed to take a break from the consulting life. He kept hearing this little voice in his head to quit — you can read a recent article he wrote about this in the Huffington Post. In fact, he ended up taking a 7-month sabbatical (spearheaded with a one-way ticket) from a cushy consulting gig to travel to Iceland. The things he learned and experienced taught him so much that he quit his job immediately after his sabbatical, and is now a traveler and writer. 
  • TheWhole-Hearted.com – My new friend from Starbucks Ayan ventured to Brazil as part of her MBA program. Exploring the favellas and watching how technology has proliferated even into these neighborhoods has brought incredible life and opportunity to its people. She’s also been hearing more about how companies need to find purpose and impact the world in a positive way to really thrive — lessons she’s learning in her MBA program. When I met her in December last year, she was confused and unsure of her direction. But since then with all these new experiences, she’s been more and more sure of her direction, and she’s thrilled to be paving the way to finding that intersection of business and purposeful spirituality. She aims to travel the world, and bring that intersection vis-a-vis corporate social responsibility and social enterprise.
  • TitinTech.com – Unsure if I can really say Patrick Whaley’s (CEO) Neo Moment was what really inspired him to push Titin Tech further, but I think it’s definitely lit a particular fire. Patrick had an idea to having weight compression clothing that would fit more naturally on athletes rather than bulky weighted vests. He had this idea early in his life and started working on it in 2006, I believe. In May of 2009, Patrick was mugged and shot and left for dead. He, luckily, survived, and utilized the very-near-death experience to work on his Titin Tech product that much harder, while also using his story to reach audiences as he used his product as part of his recovery. Today, the company is thriving, and he even posted a picture of Titin Tech at the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals practice facility yesterday. The World’s Only Weight Compression Gear. Patented. Boom.
  • My Neo Moment came during my time at Emory getting my MBA. After Georgia Tech, I was always traveling doing consulting. It wasn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, I absolutely loved it. However, I also knew that I wanted to build my own company. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon with Body Boss. I entered the MBA program to be better prepared for business obstacles in the future (a lesson taken from Scouting — “Be Prepared”). What I didn’t realize was the greatest take-away from the MBA program was the time I would get to focus on myself, focus on building Body Boss, workout and play soccer more consistently because I wasn’t traveling. 
Neo Moments happen all the time to people. They’re watershed events that spur sometimes drastic changes in approaches in life. Many people will have several Neo Moments in their lives. What’s common, I think, is some underlying voice as Matt Trinetti puts it in his article that starts creeping in and whispering to you that something else is calling. That voice eggs you on, and oftentimes, taking a leap into some foreign territory be it traveling, educational experiences, or some near-death experience, that’s where Neo Moments seem to crystallize for people. It’s where people get out of their comfort zones (sometimes unintentionally), and push themselves into places where that little inner voice encourages them.

For me, I’m thrilled to have found my calling and where I’m heading. It’s incredibly frustrating at times, and forces me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. However, I’m happy where it’s putting me, and the steps I’m taking.

What’s a Neo Moment you’ve had? Where/ how do you think your own Neo Moment is taking you?

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Living the Boy Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” as an Entrepreneur

Ever since I was young, I was a huge proponent of “being prepared’. I think it was especially hammered home as an Eagle Scout — “Be prepared” is the Boy Scout Motto after all. And in Entrepreneurship, I think being prepared can be a game-changer — one that separates the good from the greats.

I learned the importance of being prepared while preparing for and running my Eagle Scout Project — a food and clothing drive with North Fulton Charities. Coordinating with the North Fulton organization, the local Kroger, the many neighborhoods in the Alpharetta area, and of course, with my hardworking Scout volunteers… it was all a pain. No doubt about it.  However, the drive ran so well, we received donations that overflowed one of those trailers you see being towed by monster SUVs.  It was really was, I believe, a rousing success, and it ran so well because of preparation and planning.

As I’m heading into our second year (since launch) of Body Boss, the notion and importance of “being prepared” has never rang more true.  In my effort to keep my blogs going with bullet points, here are a few “be prepared” moments that come to mind…

  • Conferences. Conferences are especially great places to market and sell many products and services.  However, preparation can really set yourself apart and really be a great marketing and sales diving board if done well.  Be prepared to standout from the sea of vendors.

  • Get in the mind of your customers.  Sales is all about understanding needs, right? Well, being prepared in this case means knowing who the buyer is, what’s he/ she looking for, and being prepared to answer the hard questions. Think of it like an interview. Be prepared so the interviewer asks you a question you’re ready for, or to show that you’ve done your own homework.
  • Be ready to pitch at a moment’s notice.  At any given time, there’s a 50-50 chance I have my computer with me, or at least a pen and paper. I also carry a deck of business cards and Body Boss one-pagers. Like the little robot kids at Disney say, “it’s a small world”.  At any moment, you can run into a prospective customer or a valuable partner. I remember once in Denver at a Starbucks (of course), I saw two big guys in athletic apparel walk up and sit down. I casually laid out some Body Boss collateral on the table nearby acting like I was looking at them. It eventually led them to ask about Body Boss. They were entrepreneurs who were former college football players, and one was a coach at a nearby high school. We talked about sales opportunities and other licensing deals.
  • Be prepared for the fight. Being an entrepreneur is tough. I think I’ve mentioned the toll it takes on you physically, mentally, and emotionally. Going full-time on one also demands a level of financial preparedness, too. Be ready so when it comes down to do or die time, you’re ready to go full steam ahead and you’ve got the conditioning to push through the ebbs. Entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint… it’s a marathon… made up of sprints. Really.

You can’t prepare for everything. However, if you prepare right, you’re likely able to mitigate the impact should something go wrong. Or, you’ve prepared yourself to seize the moment. One of my favorite quotes to live by is from Roman philosopher Seneca: “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity”.

What are your thoughts about “being prepared”? How has “being prepared” helped your cause either in a startup or otherwise?

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