Show Me The Money Dave Navarro!
By Christine OKelly | February 18, 2008
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Dave Navarro - you’ve put yourself and your time management coaching to the challenge when you put me On Notice! 
If for some reason you haven’t heard of Dave Navarro (no, not that Dave Navarro, but a rockstar all the same), you soon will because I’m about to see if his time management coaching can make me an extra $20,000 in passive income this year without taking away from the time I spend on my regular SEO copywriting business.
I know that $20,000 isn’t a TON of money to generate over the course of 10 months. But $20,000 in passive income is completely different than $20,000 made from swapping hours evenly for time. It seemed like a decent goal for my first real crack at passive income.
I have no doubt that I can recoup the $12 I invested in your early riser program many times over and have committed to getting up by at least 4am and working on passive income projects between 4 and 7 am for as long as it takes to get these projects completed. But I’ve got bigger issues Navarro! I was already getting up somewhere between 5 and 6 almost every day to handle my other obligations. How am I going to cram all of that lost time into the rest of my day Mr. Productivity Pants?
I completed the workbook page on Wiping out Weaknesses from Chapter 5 of your 30 Hours A Day program. One of the glaring weakness I have uncovered about myself (along with plenty of others) is a major problem with interruptions. I drilled into this problem a bit deeper and have identified the three major culprits:
Time Management Challenge #1
Two Crazy Little Kids Ages 6 and 7. These kids are cute, funny, awesome, and my favorite people in the world. They are also loud, bicker constantly with each other, generate huge piles of laundry, and leave enormous messes in their wake. I probably spend 2 hours a week just repeating the four phrases “brush your teeth, take a bath, do your homework, and clean your room.” For a good idea of what a complete day with these guys is like, watch this and then multiply it by two.
They require shuttling back and forth to school, ballet class, and hip hop class. They are also preparing for starring roles as a fork and plate in an upcoming school production of Beauty and the Beast for which I am supposed to be helping out with. I know you’ve got THREE kids and still have managed to blog consistently for Freelance Folder, put together monster-sized audio programs, do freelance consulting, and do this all while working a full-time gig - so you must know some kind of secret that I don’t. Help me Dave Navarro, you’re my only hope.
Time Management Challenge #2
Molly O’Kelly. The newest member of the O’Kelly clan is perhaps the cutest baby Scottish Terrier I have ever laid eyes upon. She also has zero bladder or bowel control and requires being taken outside on a leash every half hour. Still, she will return from her walk only to pee or crap on the carpet. The clean up alone has added several extra hours worth of steam cleaning to my weekly obligations. (Sorry about the bad picture. I had to take this with a cell phone because above mentioned kids dropped and broke my camera while arguing over who would use it next.)
Time Management Challenge #3
An Overstuffed Email Box. I use my email inbox as a “to do” list. Ideally, this should be empty each day - but does it look empty? Each one of these items represents some action that I must take. I’ve implemented David Allen’s GTD principal of handling everything that will take less than 2 minutes. This can and does consume about 4-5 hours of my week while still leaving a boatload of things in the email box. Here’s the challenge… I appreciate each and every person that writes with a question or an idea about growing their business and I want to get back to all of them… you’re not going to make me give this up are you?
So Navarro - do you think you can help me? Remember, I’ve still got to earn a living in the midst of all of this. Plus blogging which I love - and I’m also a contributor for a new and awesome blog called Sproutwire developed by Shane and Peter (these guys are a$$ kickers let me tell you… they get an idea and they MOVE on it and they don’t cut any corners!) I’ve got the ideas to create passive income - now I just need you to show me how to find the time to get them done! I’ve got both of your time management programs and I’m ready to put them to the test.
The Everyman Dilemma
Like most of the people who read this blog, I’m no big hancho with a staff of people to order around. I’m an everyday entrepreneur wearing multiple hats and juggling a bunch of responsibilities while trying to maintain somewhat of a life.
You are the person that I want to get my time management advice from because I know that you’re in the same boat as I am, and yet you manage to get more done than just about anyone else I know!
You’re not David Allen who is charging executives top dollar and probably doesn’t even need to work his a$$ off anymore. I believe in you Navarro because I’ve seen you accomplish amazing things while existing in the same trenches that most of us are in.
So Here’s the Deal…
Over the next 30 days, I’m going to be your most attentive student. I’m going to complete every worksheet in your coaching programs and listen to every piece of advice you give me and take action on it. I know it’s up to me to pull the trigger and to create something that will actually generate $20,000 in passive income over the coming year - I just need your help to find the time to actually do it!
Am I The Only One?
Does everyone else have it all together or are other people struggling with major time management issues? Do all of you just seem to have it together on the outside but are just as maxed out with time behind the scenes?
And a Winner!
Last week I offered a free press release optimization to one commenter… So that I wouldn’t be biased in any way, I had the two crazy little kids pictured above agree on a number between 1 and 51 (the number of unique comments). Then I took that number and counted down the list to find the winner. That person is Michael Martine of Remarkablogger! This is exciting to me because I think Michael’s blog consulting packages rock and I really want to see more businesses leveraging the power of blogs. Everyone who wrote has such amazing businesses that deserve to be promoted. I hope you take the ideas in the press release writing guide and create some more buzz and backlinks for your business!
Topics: Business Development, Announcement |
62 Comments »
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The game is afoot!
I’ll call you tomorrow at 5:00 am and we’ll get started.
See you then -
Dave
I have a feeling I’m going to get my butt kicked by you and your painfully logical advice… I’m looking forward to it!
Remember that progress is gradual - change won’t happen overnight but it will happen at the pace you commit to. Expect good things.
If I can become half as productive as you I’ll be thrilled. I’m probably doing so many dumb things that I don’t even see because I’m in the picture. I think there’s a point where it’s essential to have another person critique whatever we’re immersed in because it is pretty difficult to see things at ground level and at 30,000 feet at the same time!
Like Naomi (who has a rockin blog) said in your comments: “I’m in marketing but I went to Michael Martine for help — I couldn’t maintain any kind of objectivity with my own blog.”
I think part of the value of other people calling you out is that w look at our own areas of improvement and say “yeah, I need to get that …” (and never do), but when someone else is calling us out it’s embarrassing/uncomfortable enough that we’re willing to change that.
James did that when he told me I had been “neglecting my blog badly.” OUCH!
I hear ya! That freaked me out when you put me on notice! This challenge also puts my butt to the fire… I’ll feel like a real a$$ if I let you show me how to get that time into my day (which I have no doubt you will do) and I don’t hold up to my end of the bargain!
I meant that with great love and fondness…
I’m just gonna sit back and watch the show. Yep… Ahhh… great entertainment. My money’s on Navarro. Any takers?
Though I will say, Christine sounds determined…
We’ll see James… we’ll see! Either way, we both win. If Dave wins, that means my strategy works! Plus, it shows that he really does have super-human abilities to juggle 501 different tasks (or just a really great system!)
I get my cut, right? :-p
I… I WHAT? OMG! I wasn’t even thinking about the contest. I was just commenting like you pay me to.
Damn, now I just thought of *another* revenue stream!
lol! Hey… that’s a good idea! Congrats
She pays you? Dammit! I knew it! Christine!! I want a raise! You said that I’d get fame - you didn’t say there was fortune in it too!
It’s not as good as AdSense but it’s better than the streets…
I guess I shouldn’t have said anything.
I thought you were getting enough compensation from Naomi - I saw the picture on your blog!
http://menwithpens.ca/how-to-write-sexy-content-that-satisfies
Doesn’t she make our blog look stunning? But alas… We’ve had a falling out. In public, too. She accused me of cheating and dumped me in the comment section of her blog. I was so depressed.
Christine, do you know how much I look forward to reading your new posts?
Well thank you Ebele! I’ve got some freelance work coming up for you too!
Damn! I’ve been away from your blog for way too long!
I’ve got quite some reading up to do over here and I like the way you guys ’stimulate’ each other (for lack of a better word in my vocabulary).
Your blog just moved back to my daily category. I know, you don’t post daily. But I’m not getting backlogged like this again!
Good ‘luck’ on this challenge
Cool Lodewijkvdb! I’ve been thinking a lot about those quadrants you created in that awesome blog post you just wrote. What are you supposed to do when too many things fit into quadrants I and II? Or maybe I’m just not prioritizing correctly! AHH! This is what Dave’s coaching is going to help me figure out…
Hey I know! Quadrant I can become overcrowded and is stressing me out at times. But if you’re effectively filtering out Q3 and Q4, you’re at least doing the important stuff.
Lately I’ve been experiencing that there are many many things outside of one’s control that influence performance. I’m an early riser too. But the last three weeks our nights have been so much disturbed by our 16 month old son waking up, being ill, crying his lungs out. Night after night after night. Kind of like your Time Management Challenge #1. But it effectively threw me back, and I’m trying to catch all the sleep I can without losing momentum on all my ventures.
I’m very curious as to what Dave’s coaching is going to bring…
I can only deal with two quadrants:
I: Things I will regret not doing
II: Things I won’t.
@Lode -
I am with you on the 16 month olds, 3 times over. One thing that helps: Spend 60 seconds before you sleep being absolutely grateful for the circumstances you’re in (healthy baby, for example), and it goes a long way towards making the night extra restful.
Ooo… This is going to be good… I’m already intrigued by the regret/won’t regret quadrant idea… that’s powerful stuff. You’ve already got me rethinking some of my priorities…
I like the quadrant idea the way Lodewijkvdb is using it for figuring out which aspects of the “non-regret” ideas to focus on. Because a lot of times - individual tasks you won’t regret are part of accomplishing a bigger overall goal. Right?
Holy crap, Lode, that has got to be the best post I’ve seen in a while. That goes into my post queue to dig into this week.
Christine, to clarify about my two “quadrants”: it’s not so much a matter of important/urgent/etc. It simply comes down to the fact that I can’t do everything in my life that I want. I have to pick where my time goes, and pick what will never, ever, ever, ever, ever get done.
So, I ask myself … do I want to trade X for Y? Is it worth it in the long run?
Thanks Dave! That’s always good to hear =)
I like the concept of do and don’t regret. That’s going to be useful in keeping sanity in quadrants I and II
No pressure, or anything, Dave.
Pressure is good - it’s what gets me off my a$$!
Hi Christine - what a brilliant challenge. It will be worth it - I bet you get great results.
I have been getting up at 4am most mornings for a few years now. It’s not easy at first but you get used to it. And you achieve so much more at that time in the morning with nobody else around and no phone ringing. Good luck.
I hope so Catherine! If I can pull this off juggling all of this stuff, then anyone can. I hear from so many people that say they desperately want to do something for themselves but they aren’t quite ready to quite the cubicle cold turkey like I did. I completely understand!
With this challenge I’m essentially finding time outside of my regular “job” to do something entirely different with “found” time that I didn’t realize I had. If I can pull this off, then even someone who has a 9-5 job can still find the time to start building a foundation for themselves outside of the cube farm.
Thanks for that killer post the other day with the 21 Business Writing Resources - Dave will probably get on me about how much time I spent reading as a result of that post!
Ok, yeah, now I have a feeling I’m next on Dave’s ‘On Notice’ list hehe
C’mon Jon… bet with me. Who’s your money riding on?
@ Christine - The harder we try with kids, the worse it is. Tell yourself that it’s temporary, that your kid needs some patience, and find it. I feel for you. Sleepless night suck.
humm, hard to chose.. Ok my money’s on Christine
muahahaha!!
I feel like I’m following you guys on a pub crawl. First Naomi, now Christine, what next. And hey Jon, I’m still waiting on the pic of yours.
Christine, you can blame Naomi for that she blurted it out (probably wasn’t supposed to) Great call out by the way, I hope you win, girrrls rule!
Pub crawl! omg - What a great analogy! Congrats Monika on hitting your target to earn a full time living doing freelance writing! You’re pub is on the map now - I just became your 300th subscriber
Damn Christine, looks like I lost another one, it’s down to 299.
My feed is behaving like mad right now.
Shall I start pouring the beer yet?
I think the count takes a day to update Monika - so it should be at 300 tomorrow. I don’t totally understand Feedburner… They try to explain the fluctuation in their FAQ’s… but I still don’t completely get it!
what pic?
ah yeah that pic!
Christine,
Good luck with the challenge! You guys are all so inspiring. I have been resting on my laurels too long now just letting work trickle in. I need to take charge, choose a direction and commit to something. Thanks to you, I think that is exactly what I am going to do!
I know what you mean about kids being a distraction. As you know, I am a mom to 4-yr-old triplets and I think I often use them as an excuse for not pushing myself. I am too tired at night or there are a million other things that need to get done around the house. You know what? The kids are not awake at 4am and I don’t want to be banging around doing laundry or dishes– so there are no excuses now!
Tara - you’re one of those people that I think has FAR more potential than you think you do! I think you’ve got a goldmine and all you have to do to get to it is start digging. It’s not a matter of if - but when!
You’re amazingly talented and have such a practical thought process and an understanding of the “inside” of marketing agencies that most of the rest of us would cut off a finger to know about…
When you and I have talked about the traditional marketing companies you’ve worked for - it’s not what they ARE doing that intrigues me… it’s what they are NOT doing and how much they are charging to do it!
You could provide a great value to these traditional firms by breaking into their “shell” and opening them up to the idea of doing some 21st century marketing… and then hire the rest of us as outsourced talent to get the job done!
Thanks for the ego boost, Christine!
Joking aside, I am going to really take your advice to heart and DO SOMETHING other than being a triplet mom with lots of potential.
I do love working directly with ad agencies because that is what I know best. I will keep you posted on my progress for sure — and totally and utterly appreciate all of your support, mentoring and inspiration along the way.
Tara
Good luck with the challenge Christina! I’ve subscribed to Dave’s blog too and will be watching how the next 30 days pan out in avid anticipation (is that English??)
I’m already feeling caught up in all of the enthusiasm - maybe when the 30 days are through I’ll spend some $$ with both of you and find out for myself how to make some passive $$
Mrs. S - I have never been so pumped up at 6:30am as I was today after my phone call with Dave.
I’m almost tempted to get shirts made up on Cafe Press that say “I heart Dave Navarro.”
I hope you’ll enjoy his blog and his “no nonsense kick your butt into gear” way of thinking as much as I do
Hi Christine. I just pulled the trigger. I sent out an email to 2 companies yesterday and have already gotten 1 potential lead in less than 12 hours. I’m in the midst of negotiating my rates and I hope it goes through. I will be sending emails again to 8 other companies by the end of this week. Its really exciting to see things move so quickly… so here goes!
Zeke -
That’s the winning formula (ACTION).
Funny how it works, isn’t it?
Keep us posted
CONGRATS!! It’s amazing how fast things can happen isn’t it?!?
I’m having a little trouble negotiating my rates as the company says it “seems a bit expensive”. I’m a professional Flash developer with over 5 yeas of experience… however when it comes to business and negotiating, I’m stumped.
I unsure if I will get the job should I stick to my quoted rates. However, I also do not want to lower it too much till it makes my services seem ‘cheap’. I want to get the best rates to ensure that I’m happy to work on a project with the amount agreed on. Could I get some advice? Thanks!
Absolutely! I love this question… The primary reason that people give a price objection is that their perception of the value they are getting doesn’t equal the price. You don’t need to lower your prices - you just need to show them more reasons why your services are worth what you are charging. You probably are or can do provide a great deal of value - they just may not be aware of what that is.
For example, some things of value that you can offer to increase your value are:
A one-hour phone consultation designed to learn about the ultimate goal of the project so that you can ensure that the end result is designed to meet that goal
A 20 point questionnaire to ensure that you will get the job done right the first time - so that they don’t pay for 10 additional hours of rework or have to settle for something they don’t LOVE.
Show them 5 additional ways that they can get more mileage from what you’re giving them (for example, if it’s a Flash movie, show them 5 places where they can publish that movie to gain additional links and buzz.)
I’m sure you can think of many more…
Make sure to develop a great set of deliverables if you haven’t already!
Give this a try and see what happens!
Some people just won’t be in your price range - and that’s ok. There is someone for everyone. There are many people who are willing to pay your price for the value you provide.
I am a believer that with any kind of creative work, you need to feel like you’re being compensated fairly for the project. It’s not fair to you or them if you don’t. If you don’t feel you’re being compensated fairly, you’re not going to put your heart into it. Creativity isn’t something that can be manufactured on an assembly line. We all know how it impacts writing when people think they can pay $5 to get someone to pay for an article or a blog post.
Keep us posted!!
Thanks for you tip! I will definitely take your advice into consideration. Also, I’ve decided to keep track of my progress over the next 30 days and see where this leads to. Anyone with any feedback or tips, I would really appreciate it if you could leave some comments. Thanks in advance! Click on my name for the url.
Cheers!
This is awesome. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. Dave, Christine, I’ve subscribed to both your blogs. I’m looking forward to reading them.
Great Diane! Mark my words… I’m going to win! But I’m not really sure what “winning” really means anymore… even if Dave wins, I win and vice versa!
[…] of Christine’s e-book into practice. Christine in return shouted out to Dave to “Show her the money“, taking up a similar trial with the time management lessons of […]
Hi. Here’s a quick update. My previous lead just went cold and suddenly stopped replying my emails without explanation. I sent out 7 more emails to companies and have received 1 more lead. This new lead looks very promising as the company has expressed their keen interest to get started on a project this coming monday. In fact they have 2 projects they would like me to take on. Now I need to find some way to receive payment. Any suggestions besides paypal? Thanks!
Awesome Zeke! Do you know how many people would have just given up after that first lead went cold?!? You rock! And now look what is unfolding.
Why not PayPal? I love PayPal. How about Google Checkout? I’ve used it before and it worked out just fine. I like PayPal better, but it might be a great alternative ~
Christine,
I absolutely love the video! As a father of two teenagers (also two cats and two dogs) I completely understand where you’re coming from.
But of course my wonderful wife of twenty years is the real Saint of the family. I can see her singing every word!
Thanks for the great post. I am just new to your blog so I assume everything worked out well with Dave.
Cheers,
Steve
Steve -
Christine and I are still working together to make her $20,000 goal happen. Great things are in the mix …
Lol Steve! Isn’t that video great?!? I love that woman! That’s awesome that you posted it on your blog with the lyrics
Like Dave said, there are plans in the works! Dave and his programs are really helping me to make this goal a reality!
Jessie
your ideas make me want to start rigth now
So how did this go Christine? It was a year ago, did you make the $20,000 in passive income? How’s your productivity???
Oh yes - I definitely did meet that goal by taking Dave’s advice! It wasn’t entirely passive - in fact, my plan for freeing up my time so that I could do my original passive income ideas because so profitable that my business quadrupled in earnings! And yet I still have tons of ideas from those brainstorming sessions to tap into! As far as productivity… I’m not sure if I met that goal - I feel busier than ever, but that’s only because I freed up some time in the first place! Then implemented more ideas and got busy again. I have plans in place to free up more time so that I can do the cycle all over again!
Nice to know! I bought ALL of Dave’s stuff when he had a sale recently, however I haven’t had time to work through it properly.
I do realise the irony in not having time to work through Time Management stuff that would free up more time! LOL!