I’ve been keeping something from you guys for a few months now…

It’s an insanely cool event called Basecamp Renegade and it’s going down in Charlotte, NC on September 25-27th. And, because I can’t do anything the way I’m supposed to, it’s not in a conference room or hotel. It’s in a 200 acre man made outdoor adventure center called the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

For 2 1/2 days, me and Olympic Gold Medal whitewater kayaker, Joe Jacobi, are going to guide a mini-tribe of 25 people through the whitewater, mountainbiking, rock climbing, zip lining, renegade lifestyle and career transformation experience of a lifetime.

There’s some bad news, though…

We only have room for 25 people. No way we can pull off the level of personal attention, intensity and forward movement we want with more than an intimate, driven mini-tribe of Basecamp Renegades.

And, enrollment officially opens TODAY.

Click here now to learn all about it

In the 9 months since its release, though, both the economic climate and the mood throughout the world have changed in a fairly profound way.

And, again, I felt the need to revise and expand the Fire Fly Manifesto to address the questions that were being asked of me and the challenges that lie ahead. Things like, “should I really be thinking about starting my own adventure in this economy?” Or, “can I really go renegade if I’ve just lost my job?”

So, I created  “F2 | Firefly Manifesto: Remixed,” and I’m grateful to have it released today by ChangeThis.com.

Please check it out now and, if it resonates, spread the word by sharing it on twitter, stumbleupon, facebook or any of your preferred communities.

Together we change change not only the conversation…but the world.

Pass it on…

Last month, I profiled Erik Proulx, longtime agency copywriter and creative turned founder of PleaseFeedTheAnimals.com.

In that profile, we also spoke about a very cool documentary he’d been working on, featuring people in the ad biz who’d been laid off and taken that as an opportunity to take back their lives. But, he wasn’t quite ready to go public with anything too big (or visual).

Well, today, he launched the trailer for Lemonade Movie and it rocks, so I just had to share it with you guys. Enjoy.

It’s called the Big, Bad Implementation Gap…and it’s the biggest dream crusher on the planet. Thing is, I’m determined to help you…personally…get out of your head and, probably for the first time in your life, start taking the daily actions needed to launch or grow your renegade vision into a serious, family-worthy living.

A little over a month ago, I posted a survey asking how I could best make myself available to turbocharge your personal quest. Thanks so much to all who responded, your answers were invaluable.

Based on that survey, I’ve created  3 ways to stop talking about all the cool things you’d like to do and…

Work directly with me to make them happen

And, even cooler, there’s an option for every price point…even donation basis!

Click here now to visit the new “Work with Me”
page and see which option is right for you

(Or,  just click the Work with Me tab up top)

Problem is, nearly every example of greatness in the world of business either uses a short window of assessment or reverse engineers the determination of greatness by curve-fitting a select number of high-achieving companies into a desired algorithm, then cherry-picking certain shared qualities and listing them as the essential elements of greatness.

Unfortunately, while curve fitting can identify historical similarities, it provides little predictive or instructive value. In fact, many of the companies mentioned in the above books not only suffered major stumbles after the books’ publication, but upon deeper analysis, didn’t even outperform other companies in their sectors.

Truth is, there is no such thing as a great company, there are only:

• Great ideas,
• Great moments,
• Great decisions,
• Great strategies,
• Great people, and
• Great execution

And, by definition, every one of these elements of greatness are impermanent.

A company launched and grown into a paramount by a great idea can be felled by a subsequent terrible decision, strategy or person. Witness the epic rises and falls of major players in the U.S. automotive, banking, law and dozens of other industries.

It’s never about the company, it’s about the impact of those 6 defining qualities. So, if you’re thinking of launching a business, instead of studying what unites great companies, you’d be better served by studying greatness in the context of the individual qualities and the impact of their presence and absence.

As always, just thinking out loud. Do you agree, disagree? What have I left out?

What do you think?

It’s Wuthering heights meets Spongebob, but edgier and with a Quentin Tarantino fast cut Miller Time energy. It’s The Four Hour Workweek meets Fried Green Tomatoes, but set in Little Havana and with a bit more of a Catcher in The Rye slash The Secret thing happening. And let’s not forget, “it’s the next Hemingway, Brando, Jobs or Ablom.”

People want to frame and pitch you in the light of other massive successes to give context in the hope that you’ll ride reputation of the legends you’re being compared to.

Sounds cool, shorthands the pitch…only it’s garbage.

Strike that. It’s worse.

Because implying you’re the NEXT something or someone simultaneously diminishes the value and power of you being the FIRST you!

It tells people from the get go that you’re derivative.

It strips away the extraordinary opportunity to rise to the challenge of defining who you are, demonstrating the value of your own unique contribution and proving to the world that you’re not the next anyone. You’re the first you. And that’s enough to get you where you’re going and then some.

So next time you or your rep are tempted to shorthand how you’re magically delicious and utterly different, do it by framing yourself as the first big you…not the next big someone else or the coolest elements of other peoples’ work,

Kapish?

The International Canoe Federation, the sport’s international governing body for competitive canoeing, recently partnered with a Swiss production company to broadcast 30 minute highlight shows of each of the three Whitewater World Cup events that start in Europe later this month. On a whim, I wrote a cold letter to the production company and asked if I could voice each of the highlight reels from here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I said that rather than hire a “pro,” they should consider me as I had competed at each venue, knew all the storylines, all the athletes, and brought the best authenticity/credibility factor they could find.

Long story short – we got this job. I am partnering with my ABC affiliate in Chattanooga where we’ll receive the finished production from their server, voice it in Chattanooga, and put it back on their server for global broadcast in the course of a day. Technology rocks. New partnerships in place that never would have happened otherwise and a project that never would have come to Chattanooga either. No plane tickets, hotels, etc. Kinda cool.

Simple lesson – mine technology and the broader culture surrounding your passion and you’ll begin to find and create opportunities you never knew existed.

I’ve also adapted this episode as this week’s Renegade Profile audio podcast, which can now be downloaded in two ways:

• Profile Vault: Sign into the Renegade Profile Vault, just sign up using the form below if you haven’t joined yet, or…
• Podcast: Renegade Profiles are also now available as podcasts on iTunes along with a featured post of the week. Career Renegade Profiles PODCAST

I’ve been blown away by the reception to Career Renegade, “the book.” And, Ive also been overwhelmed by the volume of requests to offer something more than the book, from private launch consulting to retreats, coaching, advanced marketing trainings, social media seminars, copywriting clinics and more.

Thing is, I don’t want to offer anything that you guys don’t want…your time and my time are just too important. So, I’ve posted a survey that lists variety of potential programs and offerings that have been requested, along with very brief descriptions and possible fees (nothing is set in stone). I’d really appreciate if you would take a minute and share what’s most appealing to you, if anything, or add anything you’d be interested in that’s not there.

Thanks, again, for being so cool and sharing what’s on your mind!