Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

Taking What You Want Requires Tenacious D

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 12:09 PM PST

By “taking what you want,” I don’t mean in a rapey Dexter season 5 villain sort of way, but rather when it comes to business success. Recently Shoe wrote about how growing up morbidly obese actually contributed to his success as an Internet marketer, and Lisa Barone followed up with the story of how she “made herself” into the successful young professional she is today. Basically, she believed she could and wanted to prove that to people who didn’t believe in her. Both Shoe’s and Lisa’s success stories can be boiled down to one thing: some seriously tenacious D.

In the context of this post, I’m not referring to Marv Albert’s basketball commentating or the Jack Black/Kyle Gass rock humor band. When it comes to personal success, tenacious d = tenacious determination. It’s how Lisa created a successful Internet marketing consulting company and how Shoe kept the weight off and has made a gajillion dollars. There are millions of people out there trying to do what you do. What sets yourself apart from the crowd is how determined you are and how much you’re going to hold yourself back. Not to get all Disney on you, but if you believe in yourself, you’d be surprised by what you can accomplish.

Here are a couple of personal examples for you. Many of you may know how I got started in this industry, but for those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, I’ll rehash it for you. When I was finishing my last year of college, I saw a Craigslist posting for a job that advertised a lot of writing and creativity. The listing piqued my interest so I sent in my resume and wished for the best. The job was for a position at SEOmoz, which at the time was a tiny three person company operating out of a one-room office above a movie theater. I came in for an interview with a nasty head cold but tried to be as witty and charming as I could despite the constant sniffles and husky voice. Much to my disappointment, I did not get hired (I was later told that I wasn’t considered “nerdy” enough, which is laughable if you’ve gotten to know me at all).

Even though I didn’t get the job, I wasn’t willing to give up so easily. I really wanted to work with the company in some capacity, so I thought I’d try to make my own opportunity and reached out to Rand via email to propose an interview. I still have the email, which I’ve shared below:

Hi Rand,

Hopefully you still remember me, since we met a whole two weeks ago. I applied for an open position with SEOmoz but did not get the job. I was wondering, however, if your company hires interns. I am looking for an internship for winter quarter, and I am still greatly interested in what SEOmoz does. The company has been stuck in my mind ever since I stumbled upon it, because it’s closely related to the field I want to be apart of once I graduate. If you allow me to work as an intern, you’ll get the following benefits:

1. The best kind of labor–free labor!
2. I’ll gladly do the most most mundane, bottom-of-the-totem-pole tasks. I aim to impress!
3. You’ll get to work with my sunny disposition!
4. I’ll work my hardest and best 15 hours a week to prove my commitment and willingness to learn every aspect of the company.
5. Need a new movie release synopsis? I’ll gladly suggest what movies to see and what to avoid! [In my initial interview, I mentioned I was a huge movie buff.]

How do I benefit from interning at SEOmoz? Well, that’s simple:

1. I’ll get great job experience, which will look spiffy on my resume.
2. I’ll learn a lot about business, writing, research, working on the Internet, and building interpersonal relationships.
3. At worst, I’ll have a great contact for when I graduate and need to find a job. At best, I would (hopefully…you never know) get hired on by the fine, hard-working people of SEOmoz.

So there you have it. I’m desperate for an internship, and free labor is always nice to have, right? Please let me know if you are interested and need extra help around the office.

Thank you!

Rand responded, impressed by my tenacity and determination, and agreed to bring me on as an intern. I worked there for college credit, wrote a paper about flat hierarchies (that turned out to be utter crap, but the prof liked it so hooray for a good grade), and got offered a full-time job when I graduated from school. By not giving up and working hard to take advantage of an opportunity that was presented to me, even though it was a small opportunity and the door was just barely ajar, I was able to get a decent job out of college, met a ton of great industry contacts, and paved the way to other awesome job opportunities and a career I love (not so much the SEO part now, but more the writing/marketing thing).

My second example stems from a hobby of mine, which is training for marathons and triathlons. A few months ago I completed my first full Ironman. Most people can’t wrap their heads around the idea of doing an endurance event because they get too caught up on the physical aspect of it. While I’ll admit that a marathon or an Ironman isn’t easy, it’s far from impossible. The hardest part of completing an endurance event isn’t the physical aspect, it’s the mental one. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll obviously need to train — it’s not like you can go out and do an Ironman tomorrow within 17 hours without building up a good fitness base. However, the biggest roadblock to conquering that milestone is you. I believed I could do an Ironman. I kept believing it after numerous tough, demoralizing workouts and after all those times when a little doubt would creep into my mind. By the time August rolled around, I not only finished the race, I was well under my goal time. I stayed mentally strong, and that strength moreso than the physical strength is what led me to the finish line.

There are always going to be people who will try to fill your head with doubt. They think you won’t succeed. They’ll call you fat. They won’t hire you. They’re expecting you to fail. It’s up to you to decide what you’re going to do with that information. Are you going to accept it, or will you let your stubbornness and tenacious D fuel you to something greater? Giving up is easy. Not believing you’re capable of great things is easy. Being just “okay” at what you do is easy. If you’re content with doing things the easy way, that’s fine, but if you have that fire in your belly and that drive to do better, there’s nothing holding you back but yourself.

Tenacious D is the reason why Shoe is rich, healthy, and happy. It’s why Lisa is one of the top bloggers in the Internet marketing industry. It’s why Dave continues to lift more weight and get in better shape than ever before. It’s why Matt has one of the fastest growing and most successful web comics you’ll find. And it’s why I am an Ironman who loves her job. The question for you is do you have it in you? Is tenacious D the reason for your success, or will it be soon?