In 2004, I was engaged in various freelance e-marketing gigs — copywriting for one client, strategy consulting for another, creating digital e-books for… well, another.

You get the gist… working FOR entrepreneurs who owned their own products and who were in the business, presumably, of ADDING value to people’s lives through those products.

Sure, it was nice to be able to work from my home-office… the work allowed me to be autonomous, self-reliant, and in control of my schedule and, most importantly, my association with people who I felt were like-minded, ethical, and in business for all the right reasons.

While those reasons are another conversation for another time, the short version of that phrase (“right reasons”) is this:

Is the business associate, vendor, JV partner, or client doing what they’re doing for the love of the game (to use an expression often associated with Michael Jordan) — for their genuine interest and fascination with their niche, product line, or topic ?

= = = = = = = = =

Not only is KNOWING this answer essential when dealing with others, it’s what you should ask yourself anytime you think you’re supposed to be selling or marketing something.

When your interests are MORE rooted in exploration, truth, and ever-expanding knowledge, and less in what others say is trendy, profitable, and mainstream, you’ll naturally surround yourself with curious, open-minded, authentic people.

Now, here’s some million-dollar advice: when you find those people — and you will if you come from a place of inquisitive-fascination about a topic — HAVE A CONVERSATION with them.

Better yet, tell them that you’d like to record it, and share the recording with fellow like-minded people. Explain to the interviewee / teacher / fellow explorer that you”ll end up packaging up various interviews on the same topic and sell ’em. Give away a few interviews in exchange for somebody’s email / name, and then sell them (don’t worry about the word “sell” — your integrity, purpose and passion will shine through your “pitch”) on more of your interviews.

Tell the interviewee that you want the vibe and the energy of the interview to be like you’re both sitting in an empty coffee shop, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Tell them to expect unbridled and raw conversation and questioning about the topic, their experiences, successes, failures, etc. (However, DO NOTE that true blue professional interviewing requires you to have the skills to be much more than a conversationalist.)

How do I know this is a good business model to follow? (Assuming you want to create, own, and sell your own product):

Because I’ve been living it for the past 5 years full time!

It started in early 2005 when I had (and still do, but in different degrees and depths) a fascination for “manifestation / conscious creation”. 14 mentors later, The World’s First Multi-Media Manifestation Portal was born (i.e. ManifestLife.com — er, don’t try and go to that site. The content is being re-purposed).

For nearly 20 months, that first interview-driven product was an honest exchange of MY energy… My time, interests, and hard work in putting it together for people’s investment (money) in themselves. I collected their investment, and they collected valuable content (my investment). Win-Win!

When I was operating solo, interviewing solo, and being a solo entrepreneur, Heather was doing the same thing (well, until that one day when we met. LOA in action, baby).

Since then, of course, we’ve expanded, added products, and re-configured processes, brands, etc. Yet, still to this day, Heather and I know that interviewing will always be the foundation of what we do.

Why ?

Life is part of a continual process of exploration with not just ourselves, but with “others” too.

Like Heather has said many times before here (it’s so important, I’m going to repeat it):

When you strip away all the fluff, hyperbole, and timid behind-the-computer communication, you’re only left with fresh, candid, uncensored conversation.

That basis is the root for nearly everything we do — and that’s because secrets are discovered, ideas are created, thoughts are provoked, and answers are revealed during the course of asking the right questions of the right people.

How you ask those questions, how you find and make an offer to an interviewee in the first place, and how you then make the arrangements to create a product out of it (and other interviewers) is discussed inside:

Interviewing Unwrapped — The Ultimate “Profit With Interviews” Home-Study Resource.

– or –

www.profitwithinterviews.com/presentation.html

Just watch at least 12-minutes of Heather’s presentation and the order link will appear.

Your Partner in the Quest For
Living a Life Without Limits,

Filed under: E-Business, Interviewing