[Note: In case you're just joining the saga, this is a follow up to this post, in which I asked people for interest in something I was thinking about creating. The overwhelming response was "Yes! Do it." It seems like something like this has been missing for a while.]

As most of you know from reading my blog, I have been an entrepreneur now since the beginning of this decade.  Which means that it was 11 years ago when Adrian and I started Evolving Solutions.  Hard to believe when we started I couldn't even open an email account. ;) 

Even more surprising is Adrian kept his full head of hair by taking on a partner like that. :-)  Lets just say I had a lot to learn and still do.  

But I digress...

How This Whole Mindset Thing Started

I remember the EXACT moment I decided that I was going to follow MY intuition on how to live life on my terms and operate the way operating feels right for me.

It sounds so obvious now, but only when it happens to YOU, you know what it is.  Kind of like falling in LOVE.  Remember when your parents would tell you..."You'll Know..."

When I left my job at a big 6 bank...yes, if you didn't know, I worked for a year and a half in the corporate world, waking up each morning not wanting to head into the office.  It wasn't because of the people or even the company.  It just didn't feel right.

I decided I wanted to get paid to do what I wanted to do.  In order to do that I knew I had to change my mindset if I wanted to stand a chance against the gravitational pull of the 9 to 5 society.  From what I hear from some friends now a days,  the 9 to 5 pull has moved to more of a 7 to 7 pull.

Even though I was starting a new chapter as an entrepreneur, changing my mindset wasn't easy.  Even though we had started our first business, we still had the employee mindset and we were following what "they" said we should do.

Who is "THEY" anyway?  Why do we always listen to "THEY"?  "THEY" wasn't "US".  This is when I knew it was important to create a self-education environment if I wanted to increase my chances of doing what I wanted to do.

Now, I am still going to listen to all the solicited and unsolicited advice from "THEY" (in case I miss a golden nugget), but I will FILTER it as I see fit for my life. 

School Of Hard Knocks, Never Ending Degree

The degree that keeps on giving.  Which is a good thing, because, to be successful, I think the School of Hard Knocks degree should never stop.  

It can sometimes be a lonely world out there when you are trying to build something on your own or with others.  You need to continually educate yourself in order to find what you want or how you want to EVOLVE.

Flashback (If you were watching a movie this is where the screen goes grey and a bit blurry) - Did you know I graduated with a Kinesiolgy degree from UNB?  No, I didn't graduate with a Computer Science Degree.  No, I didn't graduate with an MBA or even a business degree.  But I am an astute student from the School of Hard Knocks.

So we started running our business right out of the box, without any formal education or "HOW TO" manual.  We learned from experience (good and bad), mentors and by reading blogs, books, watching videos, taking online courses and watching how other individuals built businesses by creatively blending passion and money that worked for them.

Looking Back At The Keys To Transformation

One important principle that I learned through the School of Hard Knocks...Not all business ideas are created equally.  Some ideas are much easier to implement and scale than others and I realized I wanted to focus on ideas that have these characteristics.

• Creates products that sell on their own
• Independent of the economic climate
• Location independent (can be operated from anywhere)
• Flexible hours, so the owner can decide when to put in the time
• High profit margins and regular cash flow

Changing my Mindset has blessed me to have a very gratifying lifestyle (Some of my friends call it pretty cool...I just Enjoy Having Flexibility)

For example, I get to work with entrepreneurs and businesses all over the world, and know that I'm making real and meaningful connections with people.

I never would of dreamed that I'd get to make my own schedule.  I have to say it truly is really COOL!

Here's The Deal

The demand for thriving entrepreneurs far outweighs the supply in our community (like thousands times over).  And with each passing day, I'm finding over and over again that there is a need for us all to take the Bull By The Horns and not wait and see how the economy will impact us, whether we are an employee or an entrepreneur.

So I feel that our community is being compelled to step up to the plate.  As one commenter in the last blog post wrote

"Sharing knowledge and building a confident and strong business community is beneficial to us all. Being a little scared gives you more of an edge"

All of this got me thinking about how so many people don’t know how to access this type of community and information. Or they’re not sure where to start in order to step into their greatness.

I’m Thinking About Creating A Free Resource For You

I've been really humbled by the buzz surrounding my last blog post.  There has been A LOT of interest in learning how to generate profits around your lifestyle program that I'm POTENTIALLY developing.

But to test the waters...I'm thinking about making a value packed, 100% free "Maritimer Lifestyle Business Kit" for you.

IF you are serious about starting a lifestyle business or adding this component to your current business.

Here is what the free "Maritimer Lifestyle Business Kit" (tentative project name) will include:

• A proven formula to see if your idea will work.
• A recorded interview of my story and how we moved away from trading time for money and towards ideas (content) for money.
• A list of online tools that you can use immediately in your business to help you with working smart hours and not long hours.
• A 30 mins Q&A scheduled session around lifestyle businesses.

(The final contents of the kit will ultimately be decided by you, since I’ll be asking you for your feedback.)

This is my next step to a "little less talk and a little more action" as one commenter on the last post suggested.  

But Here's The Catch

Because I love to talk business and ideas, I will inevitably blog this thing way out of proportion and make it into a much bigger package than it needs to be (or you even want).

So Here's What I Want You To Do

I'm making a list of everyone potentially interested in getting my free resource kit.

So if you are interested, then (1). enter your email address below, and if I end you making it, I'll send it to you at the email address you liste below (leaving a comment with any suggestions on what you'd like to get from the kit would also help)

If enough people get on this "interest list" (I'm thinking 250 or more) then I'll make this free thing and send it to EVERYONE on the interest list.

If no one wants this "Maritimer Lifestyle Business Resource Kit" then no worries.  You and I will all move on. :-)

PS - Don't forget, BE WATER MY FRIEND.