It's always a lot messier and chaotic behind the scenes – in every business. Here's a brief look into the backstage at my business…
Do you compare your backstage to other people's front stage?
It's always a lot messier and chaotic behind the scenes – in every business. Here's a brief look into the backstage at my business…
Do you compare your backstage to other people's front stage?
LaRue
Thanks for this, Jeff! Very encouraging!
Joe Hentges
Thanks Jeff. I really appreciate the thought and encouragement. – Joe
Mary A. Mann
That is a great video. I work in live theatre where improvisation is the name of the game. It is the passion and generosity of spirit that really matters. So encouraging. Loved it.
Leslie Rohde
That’s funny Jeff.
An important message and a really simple and memorable way to make the point!
Leslie
Charlie Wallace
You’re the man Jeff. I have my launch happening right now for my guitar course, I have learned a hell of a lot from you! Great video.
Sandy
Great video Jeff – sound advice! Great quote from Dan! I have followed many online gurus, and you are my favorite because you seem so down to earth and engaging. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Thanks Jeff for showing and reminding us of this point I’m sure we’ve all been there
as sometimes its seems so easy but those who travel the path no its anything but
and can be very frustrating at times – but the journey is worth the risk
kind regards
Simon
Simon
Hi Jeff
Than you for all the hard work behind the stage as it is easy to think you don’t have to try to hard to get great results (not true).
I would like to also thank you for the effort you put into your book Launch as I have found it inspiring.
Kind Regards
Simon
Steph
This was so encouraging, maybe the best video I have seen in weeks. Thank you for letting us share a bit of your backstage. I think the reason we compare our backstage to everyone else’s front stage is that we forget they even have a backstage because we’ve never seen it. Thank you.
Hans
Great message Jeff. And an inventive solution, the way your daughter fixed your personal backstage only with a handful of needles 🙂 What I like very much is the way how you use the story of the ‘shirt and the needle’ as an strong example to underline your message. Great use of storytelling.
Andrea
Very inspiring and encouraging, thank you, Jeff!
Don
I remember seeing that video with you wearing that shirt and saying “Wow, Jeff really stepped it up with that designer shirt from Robert Graham. Man, he’s going pimp!”. Turn’s out your daughter made you look like a rock start int that thing. Jeff, it really helped me a lot today by you sharing this content, I tend to compare my back stage to everyone’s front stage, this was priceless, thanks a million. 🙂
luhur
great advice Jeff ! , Loved it …
Amy
Very cool message, Jeff. Thanks for being so vulnerable.
Douglas Landry
Great video,makes a person think .Thanks
John
Thanks Jeff I really needed it!!!
Terry Drew Karanen
Excellent counsel for my business and terrific advice for life in general … which is why a link to this video was an immediate Tweet out to my followers and clients!
Clinton
Hey Jeff. Thanks for sharing that. This something I really needed to hear at just the right time because I’m in the process of putting together a Skype series and I’m experiencing a few unforeseen challenges in the process.
So, it’s encouraging to know that things can seem like a mess but when its time to perform, I can pull it off.
Thanks Jeff.
Sandy Rees
Thanks Jeff. I needed to hear that.
Jeff Saville
Genius Jeff…. This is so true, but I have never heard it articulated this way. I run a business incubator in Phoenix AZ and I run into this all the time with our start-ups… Well done… Thanks so much!
Laurie Moore Skillings
Jeff,
Love the pins in the shirt!
Telmo Martins
Thank you Jeff, this is very conforting. By the way, thank you for the book!
Mark
Jeff, this kinda reminds me of what my mama used to tell me she said “Don’t try and keep up with the Jones” Meaning say focused on what you need to do, and don’t worry about nobody else. Thanks for sharing.
Susan R
I appreciate you reminding me of how important it is to keep focused and moving forward instead of worrying about my backstage.
I did buy your book, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. Maybe it’s my next task…thanks for posting this.
Cristina
Just what I needed to hear right now! I´m back from holidays and it feels like my office is spread all over the house…
Sue Ferreira
Thanks, Jeff. Great video with a great message. I feel much better about my backstage now. Phew! Relief!
Kevin Wax
Great illustration Jeff. I loved it when you showed us the front of the shirt and then the back of the shirt. You really covered your point well!
Helen
Very inspiring. Thanks, Jeff.
Heron Tait
Thanks, Jeff. Perked me up, quite a bit, before my morning coffee could.
Jodie Davis
So true of life in general too. We think everyone else has their act together, whereas their back stages are just as messy as ours. The trick is to just keep going!
Corneliu Nicoara
I remember you made another video a while ago, with the same refreshment idea. BUT this one is much, much more impactful!
It will be remembered by many, exactly because of the shirt analogy.
Good work!
Good luck!
Tabor
Great point Jeff! I needed to hear that today. Thanks!
Irene Lyon
Great reminder Jeff. thanks. love it.
Jessica Sarapoff
What a relief you’re not perfect!! :)) Ok, I’ll keep on with the baby steps!
Charles E. White
Good post Jeff!
Africa Archield
Great reveal, Jeff! Yes the backstage craziness is often different from the front stage. My daughter is in theater, and sometimes they are literally stitching actors into costumes seconds before going on stage. I know without the backstage chaos, business wouldn’t be half as fun. That chaos provides laughs and perspective. I enjoy embracing the process everyday.
Eric Miller
An important lesson in business and an even more important lesson for LIFE! Jeff, I just bought a new pair of fatty skis for the killer powder season ahead….have you developed your ski lift seminar series yet? Eric, Male Nurse and Ski Bum,
Colorado
Phil Winn
Jeff
Your video is right on. Great content. Congratulations on your book! It’s excellent and I’m a huge fan.
Phil
Rama
Aloha and thank you Jeff for the valuable message and also showing innovative ways of getting that message across. I really appreciate and learn from your examples. Can’t wait for Scottsdale!
Robert Lach
I love your sincerity, Jeff ! thank you 🙂
Jerry Smith
Jeff,
Thanks for send me the link to your back stage video. It’s encouraging. When I share my plans with others, they are so skeptical that it causes me to doubt my ability to be successful. Keep the encouragement coming. . . .
Jerry Smith
Founder
Gracespan
Elizabeth
Jeff,
I enjoy your natural style of presentation. You are relaxed and genuine. Your stlye and what you share are inspiring. Thank you for your very special self.
Jeannie Long
Hilarious! Glad I watched it until the end. Thanks for showing us the real stuff.
Mary
Wonderful video and message… thank you Jeff! I really liked your side message of “baby steps… keep moving forward”… thank you.
Rob Anderson
Another great video Jeff! I love the shirt alteration! During the “showmanship” time really all that matters is what is seen. I always find the “behind the scenes” of businesses to be amazing! I love seeing how they keep in front of you what they want you to see and keep out all of the rest. It’s like how Disneyland is created in a way that from any vantage point in the park you NEVER see the outside world…and it’s on purpose! Thanks again for the great video and I look forward to seeing you at PLF Live!
Take Care,
Rob Anderson
Lynn Hawks
Love your authenticity Jeff. Your message is always one of encouragement, reality based expectations and generosity. The balance between “unlimited potential” and the Nuts & Bolts of “getting it done” is elegantly delivered EVERY TIME! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Wafa Lababneh
Jeff,
I’m one of those people who have been following you for quite sometime without ever leaving a comment. After watching today’s video I felt compelled to do so.
Firstly, THANK YOU for EVERYTHING you do for us. The combination of your authenticity, down-to-earth personality, and great value in your content is priceless.
Secondly, for someone like me, who is starting from scratch, I find it of paramount importance to have a business role model. Your business structure and you as a person inspire me to keep moving forward knowing there is a business model that is fitting to me and my lifestyle.
My gratitude for your transparency, great work ethics, and genuineness is immeasurable, indeed.
I hope in the near future I can join your Platinum Members’ circle so I can rise hire and bring up everything to the next levels.
Onward & Upward to all of us, always!
Sharon
Love it!! Now I don’t feel so bad – I wish I could share a photo of my video studio, crammed into the corner of my stone foundation basement…had to reshoot the closing scene of my last video because I didn’t notice that the foundation was visible through a gap between the supporting frame and backdrop until I was editing. Fortunately, it’s only 2 floors down from my spare bedroom office…and I kept saying to myself, “When I’m as famous as Jeff, I won’t have to do this…”. Hmm, maybe not. 🙂
janice
I’m swiping your quote from your coach for my Inspire board – Thanks, so true, what we do all the time “they’ve got it so together, I’m such a mess” just because we don’t see anyone else’s process….:-D
Doris Hamilton
As an Arts and craft teacher for many years, I understand the value of a good or great presentation after the mess. But I write to say I really appreciate you and the way you are down to earth Jeff. You have encouraged me every step of my endeavor towards my goal. I have bought your book even before it made it to the best seller. I continue to listen to you to see what inspiring words you will have next. Thank You.
Louise
Thank you for letting us know we are not alone on the journey. Love you videos. They always seem to come at just the right time
Robbie Courtney
Great advice Jeff and love the way you use the shirt as a visual in the storytelling process. Keep bringing us great messages to sharpen ourselves personally and in our business. Appreciate you Jeff!
MJ Mastro
thanks for the words, I know the feeling that you are talking about> I have to remind myself of this!
I think that you are a great coach.You are very humanistic.
Hector
Jeff is a great truth!, we have to see the real world and worry about the real problems and not the scenarios
Preston Rentz
Appreciate your transparency and your insistence on being real. Great message!
Joe
Thanks Jeff!
(I thought it was just me. I thought the rest of you guys had it all figured out.)
Big relief ! (smiling.)
Jackie Holmgren
I won’t Jeff. The blue shirt was a real good touch…
Lisa Howell
Haha brilliant! Thanks for that one Jeff. It’s also funny in reverse, when people say to me “oh you always have everything together, you are so organised!” I used to jut accept it, but now I let them know the chaos that goes on behind the scenes to make it look that way 🙂 always lovely to hear it from someone else’s mouth, especially yours 🙂 keep up the great work! x
Linsey
Haha this was an awesome behind the scenes insight into the chaotic real world of business
Dawn
Now we need to see your video bloopers! Come on, we know you have some! Filming video is so frustrating for me so knowing that other people struggle with this makes is more bearable for me! 🙂
Nigel Stratton
Jeff,
Thanks for such an encouraging video.
It’s interesting to note, that in the absence of knowing you personally, your audience had to rely on visual cues to determine whether they believed what you were saying. That beautiful shirt (which I also thought was very expensive) made all the difference. It gave the impression that you’d done well from the knowledge you’d gained and maybe you were worth listening to.
Aaron Walker
Jeff,
This was a great encouragement to me as well as others I’m certain. Thanks for sharing, this was a great analogy. Sometimes things are not as they appear to the general public. Be happy that it was your shirt that was a misfit instead of your slacks, those pins could have been a real problem :-). Great job, way to go.
Live on purpose!
Howard Heyn
That was awesome. Though you are a Pro at what you do videos like this from you defiantly give me hope. Most times you see people in such an unapproachable sense that the gap between them and you seems to great to span. For example you just don’t call up Oprah or Donald trump or send them a comment like this one and expect to get much notice. However that whole shirt thing keeps it real like hey I could do that too….. maybe we aren’t so far apart after all. Thank you for sharing the reality rather than the fantasy. It really helps as I have been attending Toastmasters preparing for a launch or a speaking career as I approach retirement from my carpentry career.
Chris Young
Thanks for posting that Jeff. As much as it applies to business, the same goes for life in general – especially in our social media world. It’s so important to keep that in mind.
Todd Long
Thanks Jeff. I’m at the end of, what is for me, a pretty complicated website build and ready to Launch. It is crazy! All the moving parts! Wow.
Mark G
Never known such a down to earth, solid NY Times Best Selling Author. Powerful encouragement in a four minute video. What a blessing you are to me and thousands of others. I love the book and your style. Can’t say enough. Thank you Jeff… for being Jeff Walker.
Gaianna
You’re just so nice Jeff 🙂 I didn’t even realize this was a worry until you acknowledged it, then I said, ya, that’s true! And it helped me relax just a bit more and helped me feel like I could do it 🙂 Thanks for caring about us 🙂
Darin
Thanks Jeff! Good stuff once again. Great to see the “reality” side of things.
DS
Reverend Brian Richards
I was feeling down the last couple of weeks, and when your down its hard to make a possitive video, but this video of yours about the shirt and backstage and all that! Well it is just what I needed to hear at this time!
I send a big thank you, I realized that message could have come from a lot of people and make no difference to me at all. However this message coming from you! has made all the difference, I know now that you are as human and real, as other people give you credit for. If any one deserves the success it is you Jeff Walker, I am still poor and suffering plenty but you give me hope, and it is this hope that make faith work for me. Thank you (RevBrian)
Kathy Lemak
I’m open for business, though I can’t really say I “launched” my business. I don’t have a list, so no one to send anything to, including “we’re open!” Ok. I guess I did “announce” it on fb. My business page has no “friends,” and my friends don’t care. Now what? — On the other hand, I received a request for work via someone else’s forum. I directed them to my site, but haven’t heard anything yet (like, from paypal concerning a purchase). I’ll still do the work in hopes for a reference. Plus I need the practice, being a newbie in the field. Any reply, Jeff?
Gandalf
Thanks for all your amazing videos Jeff
Roy Cobden
Nice! Thanks for “keeping it real” and grounded.
ameena
Simple, personal, and comforting–for every area of life. ! Thank you!
Ruth
Great advice Jeff – thank you!
Shannon
Hey Jeff,
Thank you for posting this. It is just what i needed to hear. I have been so worried about getting everything just right I’ve been in “analysis paralysis” for far too long. I see now that it is time to make quick decisions and move forward. The fine tuning can come after I make some money on this project. Much appreciated!
Sincerely,
Shannon
ken ca|houn
good point, Jeff — I’ve found the backstage hard-work is often a big multiple of the front stage “show time”… like how a hollywood movie takes months and thousands of labor-hours to create, for a 90 minute “front stage” … similarly with launches i found the more hours of detailed pro “prep/backstage” work I do, the more successful the front-stage actual launches are. and right re confidence, it’s utter chaos behind the scenes the closer one gets to launch, exciting too… beats a corporate job any day of the week
Roy Saunderson
Authentic, behind the scenes sharing. I appreciate you being so transparent, Jeff.
Jeff R. Hale, PhD
Jeff, we are launching a series of workshops throughout Chicago and Northwest Indiana. The first one is next Friday. We’ve made great progress, but still lots to get done! – I needed that encouragement today. Thanks!
Shannon
Hey Jeff,
Great stuff! Great way to illustrate your point! And I love that your daughter tailored your shirt! You inspire me to keep going and recognize it will never be perfect! Thanks Jeff .
Michael Hyatt
So true, Jeff. I am in the middle of a launch right now, and it is totally chaos. Thanks for keeping it real!
Dawn E
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Argel
Thanks for the video Jeff! I always enjoy and learn from them. Very encouraging. Thanks for sharing another part of reality.
Bob Tewsley
Hi Jeff, Thank you for showing that chaos is not a sign of failure and that comparing apples and oranges is not useful. Have a sunshine day, Bob Tewsley
Alice Crawley
Great video, Jeff, thank you. Funny and so true! I really needed to see this today. Thanks for always being such an inspiration and helping me keep a sense of humour on the business building journey 🙂
Liese
Jeff-
I needed someone to tell me to take a deep breath and relax today, so thanks.
I appreciated this video as well as so many of the other videos you have shared with us.
I am a coach who is making the leap from 1:1 coaching to online offerings.
I am putting PLF into practice with a launch date quickly approaching. This video is very timely as I try not to get overwhelmed with all the backstage details of my first videos.
Thanks.
Clara Rose
Such great advice… we often forget that in this digitally connected world people are putting their BEST foot forward. We are not seeing the blood, sweat and tears from behind the scenes.
It is easy to give others grace… harder to give ourselves the same!
Marisela Abasta
Thanks Jeff, I loooovvveeed this video, especially when you said JCPenny. My next thought was “I shop at jcpenny”. My next thought after that was “he is a normal guy like me” well I am a woman actually but you know what I mean. Then my next thought was ” I am sure he was like me in the beginning building the courage to launch with the fear paralyzing you sometimes but you did it you pushed through and so can I. I know we forget that you were not this marketing guru the day you came into this world. You had to build the back stage and work hard at it to even have a back stage or a front stage. Thanks for sharing this today. It has really touched my life and many of the people reading it.
God bless you always!!!
Sydney
Love it! What I like about you is your down-to-earth honesty.
Jim Miotke
I found this really powerful. What a great metaphor the shirt turned out to be. This one really touched home for me, Jeff.
Kim White
Great Video Jeff, well done, see you tomorrow.
cheers,
Kim
Andre Catnott
So true.
I use be that way I always thought everything was suppose to be perfect.
That type of thinking was holding me back.
Marisa Shadrick
As I look at the mess in my office, a blog post due tomorrow, and countless sticky notes, thanks–I needed this video! 🙂
Daniel Jordi
Love it! So authentic and too many people miss the fact that the backstage of other people and other businesses is messy… I get many comments that everything looks so perfect in my business… Well, the backstage looks different many times 🙂
Rev Walter
Wow! Now that has just given me some awesome inspiration – “dont compare your back stage to someone else’s front stage”!! Lesson of the year for me!
Chef Tony Marciante
Jeff,
Your candor and openness to share in your videos is awesome…really brings it down to a “common man” type level, and we appreciate!
Keep rockin out your great content, we’ll keep reading and watching…
ps…”Launch” was great, got it on kindle and hard copy, …never did get my bonus content though…
cindy landham
LOVE THIS!!! Genuine and encouraging to the core.
Marcos
Great share Jeff Walker, I need to hear that!! Love the shirt!
Andrea
:)) That was funny! I appreciate your honesty, it’s encouraging indeed. You are lucky to have your daughter there! It seems she can save the day 😉 Congratulations for such team work!