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Video equipment, web host, payment processor, list hosting… there's a lot of decisions about what to use in your business.

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81 Replies to “It’s Not About The Selfie Stick”

  1. Getting started indeed, however from newbie level and then learning the whole how to get traffic subject is a difficult challenge in itself…

    In fact a traffic course alone would suit pre ‘deep dive’

    • Pretty funny that I have to put this as full screen because I can’t center the video with the scroll on this page. Annoying though. I agree, better done than perfect!

    • Thank you Jeff, you are an inspiration and great instructor by keeping it simple…your messages convey “practical usefulness”…God bless you

  2. Thank you for the advice! I think I have been stuck in the study mode which is a form of procrastination/ excuse.

  3. Sensible message Jeff. We sometimes do a lot of waiting and research rather than do things. Great message.

  4. Jeff you are absolutely right but in this times you have to deliver quality because people are more spoiled through high quality performences as you deliver 😉 So the rest of us has a model tp follow!

  5. Thank you Jeff,you are right.We do not need to wait to be perfect,in our (IM) business we need to jump into the water and then learn how to swim.Because it will make us a fast learner but also to take action immediately.

  6. i have 37 people on my list so far! woohoo!…I will wait till i have 200-300 and then do the seed launch like your book says…I am reading those chapters over and over and rehearsing stuff in my head…so the GAME is well played out in my head beforehand…and I don’t even have my SSL set up yet or my site map submitted….but I am excited 🙂 thank you Jeff for this great video this morning 🙂

  7. Hi Jeff,

    Good video. I certainly wasted a lot of time playing around with fancy cameras and lighting and so on. Eventually I discovered a simple webcam that does a great job and I’m happy with that. Anyway, well done. I wonder if there’s now tonnes of people scouring Amazon right now, looking for that selfie stick of yours!

    Talk soon,

    -DC

  8. You are so right about being Ready, Fire and then Aim. For me who is always held up by my limiting belief of limited resources, fearing the failures, the first step out is always daunting. Even after stepping out, it is still as fearful.
    Thank you for your reminder and inspiration to move forward, and take the step anyway.

  9. Completely agree! Working in Video Production, I get this question all the time. If someone’s looking to start out, I always suggest getting started NOW with what they have – then figure out what is and what isn’t working and improve from there. For the majority of people, that’s a smartphone – and the reason why we put together a quick “Getting Started” video for both iPhone and Android.

    Of course, you should always have an idea of the direction you want to go in, but know that this can and will change – it’s taking that first step that’s critical. Then the second, third…

  10. Hey Jeff- Is that the 16″ or 20″ model? ….Just kidding 🙂 Great timing as usual . I m using your course to guide the building of an online mindfulness course and I’m right in the middle of deciding lots of tech questions. The course is actually complete and I’m doing launch #2 but this time with affilliates- so software, programs, providers, etc. Lots of tech decisions- and you’re right. I’m trying to just aim just a little and fire a lot and quickly. Thanks Jeff. Much appreciation as always…

  11. Hi Jeff,
    Great message in that video. Just what I needed to hear at the right time. Thanks as always. 🙂

  12. Hi Jeff,

    Another great video!

    I think the most alluring part of the “research” you mentioned is it feels like important work and allows us to say “I’m making progress” to that little voice in our heads. The truth is what you’ve said. Getting something out is WAY more important than getting it perfect or what equipment you use or whatever.

    Thank you again for the timely and inspiring reminder! You rock!

    Jeff

    • @Jeff: that’s a great point… that “research” makes you feel like you’re doing something useful. And you can tell yourself you’re making progress. But after a very minimal amount of it, you’re just procrastinating.

  13. Maria Breakwood Swap

    Reply

    This is exactly what I needed to hear today. You gave me the push to start moving again. Thanks Jeff.

  14. I just printed out a sign based on this post and hung it over my desk “It’s NOT about the Selfie Stick! Aim Once, Fire, Measure and Adjust as Necessary!” I definitely struggle with being too much of a perfectionist. This is a great blog post as it hits the heart of what holds many people back. Too much learning, buying (trying to make it easier, faster, better, etc) and just as they are ready to deploy… another option appears they need to look at. Good Stuff… Thanks Jeff

  15. Beatrix Willius

    Reply

    Very good advice. As a newbie for anything one can’t appreciate the options of professional gear. Nowadays cameras are so great that anyone will do.

    But I just spent 15 minutes of Amazon browsing for electric garden scissors. They last one broke and now I need new ones. These will be used a lot. And I still haven’t decided….

  16. Jeff, how do you keep the tree’s from blowing, and the birds from flying by, in your background scene? 😉

    • @Charles: We try to shoot when it’s not windy. When it gets windy (or the light isn’t good), then we move inside.

      Shooting outside is a lot more challenging – wind is the biggest issue, and if you watch our videos closely you’ll often see evidence of wind. Or you’ll hear crickets. And we did have a bird fly through one of them, you can see at the end of this one: https://jeffwalker.com/how-to-stay-centered-and-productive/

      Now if your comment was a bit more smart-ass and you were implying that we used a green screen in this video… we didn’t. This was shot outside on location. I don’t own a green screen, and have never used one. I’m sure we could figure it out, but it’s just not the direction we want to go in at this time. Nothing against other people who use them, it’s just not something we’ve ever done.

  17. Jeff you are so right.I’ve been there far too many times. I’ve got a big library of books aND other educational products to make any guru’s head spin. But at the same time I’ve been known to ready, fire and aim like a entrepreneur madman. Lol, we can have all the tools but if we don’t take the action and implement our tools and knowledge we won’t be able to make that dream we all have a realization. Sometimes all it takes is a little snowball rolling down a hill to become an avalanche of success!
    Thanks Jeff

  18. Wow, Jeff!!! I just LOVE the simple way you do everything. It brings us such a great feeling of softness, that life can and should be easy and happy, just to be here. Not great efforts, just the rigth ones. Great, just great, Jeff, congratulations for this wonderful job. Keep going, man!

  19. Jeff, I’m delivering my first webinar series, an online workshop actually, starting Wednesday. Seed Launched it of course, and couldn’t have proceeded with confidence without your great book Launch, and all the other things I’ve learned through your work. Sharing liberally to help my clients as well, and you’d appreciate as much as I how much of our language is built around your vocabulary.

    In which of your programs might we find a tangible list of tech requirements – even if not exact recommendations – the nature of needs? For example, I’ve learned thus far I need an email broadcaster, an autoresponder, a webinar platform (for first broadcast and evergreen replays), ecommerce, landing page, pop up email signup – and that’s just for the webcast. Traffic building has its own list (like blog, social media, etc.) Anyway – got a head start for the checklist in one of your programs I can reference?

    I use a Gorilla Tripod bought online that I can wrap around anything to record from iPhone handsfree. Another tech tip for we who need tangible at times to offset our trepidation.

    Onto the next adventure, and will enjoy continued learning from you!

    • Rose Scarlet

      Reply

      I’m with you on this one Dodie. I’m trying to make a list of what I need to have in place before I launch. How much of this did you have in place before you did your seed launch? Thanks!
      Rose

  20. Mary Barbera

    Reply

    Love to wake up Sunday mornings to your weekly video! I’m taking action and it’s working!

  21. Just what I needed to hear today. This simple piece hits it all: Just Start!

  22. Jeff, thanks for the video. You are so right, its all about doing, making mistakes and learning from them. I just take my phone, film myself while I speak. So much to learn and with every video I get better. I will record at least 1 video per day for the next 30 days and then see what happens.

  23. He Jeff, this is exactly what I needed to be reminded of. Thanks so much. In fact, it reminds me of my childhood days when I went fishing with my granddad: by the time I got a line wet (brilliant quote, credit to Keith Cunningham), he already had caught one. You have feel the fear and do it anyway! Thanks again for the reminder.

  24. I’ve had a problem with researching too much in the past too. I had enough of it and realized that I was just procrastinating. That’s unacceptable to me, so I’m currently researching the best way to overcome my procrastination issues… 😉

    Ok, ok, that’s not 100% accurate! But I have certainly had issues with this kind of thing before, and Jeff makes a great point. I think at times when it comes to gear, people want to get the next thing in order to tell themselves, “I think once I have that, I’ll be ready.”
    And then they move the goal to the next checkpoint.

    I know I’ve done this, and I know it never helped me a bit.

  25. Thanks, Jeff! I’ve been following you now for over 3 years, and you always have such insightful advice for the online entrepreneur. Thank you! This video couldn’t be more timely. I am still studying and studying but not executing. I put a few blog posts up and then stop to study more. I will need your advice today and just get into action mode! Thnx!

  26. Great video – very timely! I have been working on a video series this past week and the best lighting I have found around me is outside. But, when I play it back my voice does not pick up loud enough… I keep re shooting it and talking louder but I don’t want to ruin the authenticity of it. Do most of you guys use some type of microphone or other trick? Thanks!

    • @Sheri: for this video and our other “pro” videos, we use mics. Often lav mics, sometimes shotgun mics (this one was shot with a lav mic that was taped underneath my shirt – you can actually see the outline of it). For the selfies that I shot on my phone, I don’t use an external mic (although I probably should).

  27. Thanks Jeff. Enjoyed the video. It is sometimes difficult to start and stay in action. If things don’t go well I tend to go back to learning mode and I do get stuck in learning mode. It sometimes feel that I will never learn enough.

  28. Oh man, so true! I’ve been going around in circles trying to get my head around making a paid websites and cheap hosting! The ones you suggest are way to expensive for me… so I’ve been looking for cheaper options but I’ve wasted so much time trying to be ‘ready’! Definitely right about ready, fire, aim!

  29. Thanks for the reminder to get moving! This is definitely a message that hits home since I am seeing it in several areas of my life. I missed an Aug 1 (self-imposed) deadline for the simple reason that I was waiting to get better equipment rather than use what I have. No more procrastination…I will get it done today! Thanks for sharing.

  30. Hello Jeff…i really think like you. I immediately understand in my business that the action is really important. You can’t stop for these details. A lot of people is stopped by these details. But I’m so happy that you think like me about thise theme….and you’re a marketing guru! So I’m so happy!!!!

  31. Fantastic advice! I especially like the “Ready … Fire! Aim.” The process of learning while executing. My added thought would be to fire again, and again, between iterations of aiming. Thanks, Jeff, great content!

  32. Good advice – obsessing about not being good enough to start is a real bucket of cold water. Thanks for the reminder that there has to come a time to trust yourself and just do it.

  33. Hi Jeff, great video, I have a important question: how cure the overload information?

  34. I think I’m going to use this video as an example in my own blog post, for my niche. It’s relevant, and absolutely true. I also admit I tend to be one of those people as well.

    Which camera do you use? What lavaliere microphones do you recommend? Those are understandable questions, since they are going to cost hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, and you want to buy something you know works well for that kind of money.

    Teaching a non-traditional spiritual Path, I have realized that people want to be lead. They are willing to pay good money to someone who will take them by the hand, and lead them where they want to go. The problem I face, is that I can’t lead anyone anywhere. I can only guide. It’s THEIR spiritual Path, not mine.

    This video illustrates the entire concept very well.

  35. Jeff, great video as usual!. Striving for perfection is a terrible time-waster. All the time you’re trying to perfect something you could be using for something better. As Ann McGee-Cooper said, “If you only do things you can do perfectly, you stop learning new skills, stop taking chances, and stop having fun”.

  36. Thanks for the kick in the pants Jeff. I have been stuck in study mode for a while and I need to start “firing”. I think I will go and pick up a selfie stick! Maybe then I’ll be more likely to be inspired to shoot a promt-to video

  37. Mervyn Fransen

    Reply

    Awesome message Jeff !
    It’s indeed not about going for 100% quality.
    That would probably be a mindfrick that your procrastination is telling you.
    Just go for it, get results, and learn and adjust in the meantime.

  38. I recently upgraded to the iPhone 6 plus. It’s great for taking videos. I also picked up an Audio-Technica lavalier microphone which works well with the phone. Lastly, I picked up a lightweight tripod to hold the iPhone. I’ve lined up sone experts in my niche and am prepared to do interviews. Lighting is still up in the air as the interviews will be done at the interviewees’ places of business.

  39. Tracy Phillips

    Reply

    As someone with an extensive video background I can say THIS video is spot on. I would add, if your message is good then your video quality can suffer (audio, not so much -so have decent audio). I would rather watch a poorly shot but engaging video over an over-produced video that is pretty but doesn’t say anything.

  40. Thank you, Jeff, for reinforcing that subject in another great video. I have heard this now from a few of you, who happen to be the top marketers in the industry. The fact of, “It isn’t about being perfect in everything you do right out of the gate. Take action, even if it isn’t perfect. Just take action. Fine tune it as you go along.” I believe that and have really changed my whole mindset based on that information. For the last two years I have been so worried about everything being perfect that I have failed to make money. I have taken so long to do something I have missed my window of opportunity many times. I recently changed my mindset and started seeing results immediately. Crazy results.

    I recently saw a movie called NightCrawler, with Jake Gyllenhaal, about an off-the-wall character who, after spending years just learning stuff off of the internet, decides to “take action”, gets some basic items to get himself started and ends up making a ton of money and growing his new business into a major player in his field. I don’t suggest his exact methods by any means, but the basic tie to this movie is to take imperfect action to start, then build and perfect your business along the way.

  41. It becomes about the selfie stick when you don’t want to admit you’re simply afraid to put yourself out there in all your naked vulnerability.

  42. Hi Jeff,

    No truer word said. I think everyone, sometime in their career go through ready aim, aim, aim, aim and then
    fire instead of ready fire aim.

    I’m sad to say that I am one of them.

    Some great insight and a timely reminder of what we should be doing.

  43. This one hits home! Heck, my company is called Get Ready Coaching. This could imply aim, aim, aim and aim forever! Perhaps something Freudian there. I work with parents of teenagers, so I can’t subscribe to ready, shoot, aim.!!! I will go with ready, act, aim. Awesome job of hammering us with the K.I.S. as always!

  44. I think the most of the people tend to over-complicate the things. There is a need to take action and learn on the way. You build your experience with the main concept in your mind and tweak the details, and the best way to build your experience is to “get your hands dirty” and make mistakes, and… you will make less mistakes over time. Sometimes you learn on your own mistakes, sometimes you learn on the other people mistakes.
    The key is to take a massive imperfect action!

  45. I have been sucking up every one of these videos with this message. I have been working on a project for over 3 years now. I teach gambling strategy. What I have learned is that I am always going to be learning something new and my product is never finished as a result. I have put off launching, building a list, and the really important things for building a business like this because I am constantly coming across new info and feel my product is not complete unless I include it.

    Well I decided that enough was enough. It is time to start creating content and using it to build a list. I have a partner who takes care of the tech end of things. He is building a squeeze page. I am creating a newsletter and shooting videos for it. I have to say that my videos are not nearly as good as yours. I am really driving myself nuts with “ummmmss” and “errrrsss”. It is pretty easy to get tongue tied. I am very concerned about how unprofessional it looks and sounds. That is the downside. On the upside though, the content is second to none. I have really dug deep into my subject matter and I am out telling people about strategies and theories that nobody else is taking about. I call it the Pendulum Cycle Theory. I have discovered bubble patterns inside the point spread and odds systems. These bubbles are just like stocks or real estate. They are driven by fear and greed. I can’t believe I am the first person to come across this but I am the only one talking about it. Since I am the only one talking about it I have the advantage of being the first person to tell people exactly how they can exploit these bubbles.

    I have a handful of people that have been following my progress. They are my unofficial list. Once the squeeze page is up I will be looking to get them to subscribe. One person has told me he is anxiously awaiting. Sorry this is such a long comment, but it is because of videos like this that I am finally making progress. I am finally taking the idea and putting it out there.

  46. Jeff
    Thank you for reminding me. I keep trying to make everything perfect and putting things off.
    Just do something , put anything out there 🙂

  47. Jeff:

    Just starting out and that was great information. I need to grab a selfie stick, learn how to do a blog, set up a w3ebsite after finding a product and get your book Launch to move forward. Plus listen to your other videos. Appreciate you and all your information. Thank you.

  48. Jeff: Am I ever in agreement with your video…. just get started and improve, improve along the way. Honestly, it isn’t simply starting. After 30 years as a consultant, I’m always adapting to new ideas. I continually remind myself to jump or I’ll get left behind the wave of transformation.

    By the way, I’m sharing this video with a friend of mine. She seems a bit stuck in waiting. Love it if this has her starting rather than thinking about starting and running into her own resistance to the unknown
    .

  49. Jeff,
    I totally agree with you. Instead of worry about the tech. Focus instead on an Implementation plan. Ready, Aim Fire. You are never going to have the best tech, tech changes every week. Just get started. I am writing a new book title ‘Press Record, Get Paid” in the introduction I talk about picking a niche, press record and get paid. Yes I talk about the tech but the main focus is getting started FIRST. Ready, Aim, Fire

  50. Hey Jeff, two quick questions:

    1) Re the mic taped beneath your shirt: Did you simply run the lead (out of shot) to your phone? Or how exactly did you set that up so as to avoid the internal phone audio system from kicking in?

    2) I notice that you occasionally dropped in a close-up of yourself. How do you do that with just one phone shooting from a static position?

  51. “Buying the best selfie stick was the turning point of my business” – said no successful businessperson, EVER!

    Thanks for the reminder Jeff!

  52. Rose Scarlet

    Reply

    Hi everyone,
    I’m still in study mode and am kind of overwhelmed with the number of ‘things’ that need to be in place before you do a launch. Blog, website for sales letter/video, squeeze page, list manager, shopping cart, analytics. Oh, and a product. 🙂 Is anyone else out there having this problem? How are you getting past it? Thanks.

    Rose

    • Jeff, thank you for another inspiring video. I think it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the wealth of information and technology options available. As Rose Scarlet, said, she doesn’t know where to start! We need to take that first step that will drive us to further action, and a critical first step we often overlook is to determine our mission: WHO we serve and WHAT we do to serve them. What outcome do we want the people we serve to achieve? That’s the first question I ask my clients and many times they don’t have an answer…

      • Rose Scarlet

        Reply

        Hi Cloris, Yes, defining our mission is important and I think I’ve got that covered. I’ve got my product started and will have a good one when I get it up and running. I just don’t know much about the techie stuff and I want to make sure it goes smoothly when the time comes to launch.

  53. So true! I just launched in May and I quickly realized this very thing after spending so much time on things that seemed important but did not make an impact on my content or revenue. A friend and I are supporting each other on our separate paths to our businesses and we always remind ourselves when details/research bog us down, “we are after excellence NOT perfection”. Thanks Jeff!

  54. Andrea Scalici

    Reply

    I’m definitely one of those people who gets caught up in the research and perfection. Time to break out of that! Thanks for the motivation and reiteration, Jeff. Great video.

  55. I love your generosity and authenticity Jeff. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge in such warm, accessible ways. Fran

  56. Great message and video, Jeff. Mindset is such a huge part of entrepreneurship! This was a great way to frame the message, and kick lots of people into action. Thanks.

  57. I’ve been doing a lot of videos, and have started to be asked to help others with theirs. I know that one method that keeps attention, especially with a long headshot, is to alternate between a closeup and a mid-range, or to change angles. The speaker is still speaking – it’s still one take. I often just shoot my videos on my computer as a Google Hangout so it goes straight to my video channel – especially for a regular video blog post, where I want to keep it as simple as possible. For something like a PLF video, though, I’d like to be able to change between closeup and medium shots – which would mean multiple cameras, I think? Or is that a feature I can get on a camera? changing angles requires multiple cameras, of course. How do you change between closeup and medium shots?

  58. The pro gear seems unnecessary from a viewer perspective anyway. Your cell phone camera videos look great (yes, with the stick and/or simple tripod to keep it steady).

  59. Amazing title jeff, this is so much more about the confidence to shot that first video, wright that firts article or make that first phone call!
    Thanks for pushing us up forward 🙂

  60. Hi!

    I agree that it’s not really about the gear (and anyway a bad golf player remains a bad golf player with the best gear). There may be exceptions though, at least I feel like this. For example: Preparing for my first seed launch I start to think if OptimizePress or LeadPages is the better solution, given also the fact that Jeff suggested them both in his Seed Launch Deep Dive. So, I don’t really care so much in that case about the gear/technology, but rather which one of 2 specific ones is the ideal one. This may sound like the same as the selfie stick example in Jeff’s video, but it feels different to me.

    Regards from Greece
    David

  61. Jeff, thanks for the pointed reminder. Whether it’s tech gear (selfie stick) or the latest version of training content … I began with PLF 2014 and now have PLF 2016. Yet I’m not much further along in “launching”. In my head, I know that I can never “know enough” and just have to “do”. Need to make the leap to action and “just do it”! Looking forward … and upward!!! Thanks – Gene

  62. Jeff, thank you, this video was exactly what I needed to hear. I am SO guilty of being in eternal learning mode and eternal research mode, and you guessed it…eternally not getting my first squeeze page online lol! I think that there are a lot of reasons I have buried deep within my subconscious which are disguised as ‘needing to know and learn more before getting started’. Perhaps I have fears and doubts? I am sure that is what keeps me from going for it sooner than later! Like you said in PLF, as you go through the process you learn and you grow, so why I am trying to grow before I get started, I will never know lol! Thanks again for your brilliant advice. Adama xXx

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