Why did Harvey the Homeless guy get thousands of views but a business video only hundreds? I’m not a social media expert but I can only guess that it’s because homeless guys are cool. And, there’s something about them that makes us want to reach out.
We want to reach inside of ourselves as well, and be difference makers.
This is the season to create 2016 goals.
So a lot of the calls I get are about mapping out a book or entrepreneur speaking strategy for the new year.
Speakers want me to help them audition and strategize for a TED talk, coaches want me to map out a book library, (because now just one book isn’t enough) and CEOs are ready to build books that market companies.
It’s the season for thinking about The things we want to be intentional about accomplishing in the new year.
But it’s also the season for giving.
So I inevitably get a lot of calls, text and emails that start like this…
“I know you do a lot for the homeless, and I want my kids to know what it’s like not to have much. Can we go with you to the homeless over Christmas break?”
And it is heartwarming, however each year the volunteer lists are filled up weeks in advance. It’s almost like Black Friday. I dare you to try to volunteer to help the homeless around Christmas.
Why this Black Friday homeless rush? Why is it that it’s the season that we consider teaching our kids how to serve the less fortunate?
Maybe it’s just something most people forget about the rest of the year. And Christmas is inspiring to most people.
After decade of writing books for really cool CEOs and entrepreneurs I discovered that most of them felt that they had not given back enough. So as we sat to write a book that they felt would mentor others, they wanted to give back. It occurred to me, what if I could coach people not to wait until they reached the pinnacle of success or sold their companies, but to make an impact as they build their businesses instead?
Our company culture is cool. We’ve built a model my Canadian client Hamed Shabazi refers to as; Impactpreneur.
Everyone we hire desires to make an impact, even our interns. We hire homeless writers too and help them find restoration. OnFire books is a company I’m proud of. But when I set out to write books, and then to ghostwrite for world changers, I didn’t think about the impact of those volumes of words. It unfolded naturally.
My team serves the homeless all year through our Words are Currency campaign, led by our interns. We deliver words, on word cards, because words save lives. This also warms my heart.
We have homeless people who help us edit and transcribe books which means they don’t just have jobs, they have the hope for a new future and restoration with their families. How can you make an impact this season? Even better, how can you become an Impactpreneur?
Tis the season, to think on these things.
