Jeff Hilimire's Blog

Hello friends,

This is the third installment of the series I call, “12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life”. It’s a talk I give each semester to Ed Baker’s GSU class, and after delivering it to the class last semester, I decided to create a series out of it.

But first: More backstory on Purpose Group

If you want to learn a little bit more about my background and why I started Purpose Group (almost a year ago, how is that possible?) you can check out this story on Shout Atlanta.

Tip #3 to living your best life: Be all in on your dreams.

Now to the matter at hand. This third tip on how to live your best life begins in Queenstown, NZ. But before we jump into it, make sure you saw my first two tips:

#1 – Have a long-term focus

#2 – Dream big, but start small (the 48in48 story)

Storytime

Once upon a time, in a land not-so-faraway, Raj Choudhury and I started a little web design business in the dorm room at UNC-Charlotte. We then moved “the business” into my mother’s basement in Atlanta and tricked blackmailed convinced Danny Davis to join us.

Nine months into building Spunlogic (at that point it was still called NBN Designs), Raj was in New Zealand living his best 22-year-old life thanks to a round-the-world-trip that his parents gave him for graduating college (I joke with him that his parents made that deal with him because they never thought he’d actually graduate).

While Raj was galavanting — I looked it up, that’s the best word for what Raj was doing — around the world, he’d typically work on websites late at night or early in the morning, doing his galavanting the other times of the day. I was coaching tennis during the day at a local country club and building websites at night and on weekends, and Danny (who by this time had moved into our office, aka my mom’s basement, to save money) was waiting tables at a restaurant at nights, working on websites during the day. We were a ragtag group of misfits if there ever was one.

Sometime in the summer of 1999, I received an email from Raj telling me to get ready to answer the phone because a guy he’d been talking to in Queenstown, NZ, was interested in us building a website for him. Two things on this. First, the largest (and only) paying client we had up until that point was my aunt in Chicago, who paid us $250 to build her company’s website. And second, I didn’t even know where the phone was in the basement, because no one had ever called us nor had we called anyone. But we were paying for a separate phone line for our business, so I knew it was around there somewhere.

I found the phone and practiced answering. I think I landed on, “Thank you for calling NBN Designs, this is Jeff, how may I help you?” Classy. Sure enough, it rings and the guy on the other asks what is my favorite question of all time, “Is this the US headquarters for NBN Designs?”

I looked around at the unfinished basement, Danny sitting on his dust-covered mattress, wires strung all over the place, and empty Mountain Dew bottles as far as the eye could see, and confidently said, “Yes, you’ve reached NBN Designs US headquarters, how can I help you?”

45 minutes later the guy offers to fly me to Queenstown so that Raj and I can “consult” with him on this new website idea, assuming, he says, that I can clear my schedule. (Uh, yeah, I think I can reschedule the tennis lessons I have the next week for a free trip to New Zealand.)

Raj and me in New Zealand in 1999 wearing our Sunday best.

So I fly to Queenstown, Raj and I meet with the guy (I keep calling him “the guy” because I can’t remember his name, or maybe I blocked it out of my mind because of what happens next…let’s call him Fred for the rest of the story), and I heda back to the States after a week with a signed contract to build eQueenstown.com for $65,000.

Sixty.

Five.

Thousand.

Dollars.

Remember back when I said the largest (and only) website we had been paid to build netted us $250? That’s a 260X increase from that first paying project.

Needless to say, the three of us thought we were now, officially, and unequivocally, rich.

Danny and I quit our jobs. Raj canceled the rest of his trip and moved to Atlanta. We moved out of the basement and signed a one-year lease for office space (in the back of a fitness center in Snellville, GA), and we hired our first employee.

Perhaps some of you are doing the quick math in your head at this point — $65,000 to support four team members and an office, that doesn’t sound like enough…

And you’d be right. What can I say, none of us were finance majors.

January 2000 comes around and we were knee-deep in building eQueenstown.com. While the rest of the team was building the website, I was “managing” the account (in the agency world this is called being an account manager, but we’d never worked in the agency world, so we didn’t know what anything was called). Essentially, I was working with Fred on a day-to-day basis on what the team should be building.

Then in mid-February, Fred started to respond less than normal. By early March, he stopped responding altogether. And then in mid-March, we received The Letter.

The Letter, from Fred, said something to the effect of:

To the NBN Designs team,

I regret to inform you that my business has gone bankrupt and I have to cancel the eQueenstown.com website project.

Fred

Distraught leads to determination

Bummer, right? It gets worse.

Remember when I said earlier that we’d never worked in the agency world before? Well, we’d also never worked in the “business” world before, so we did not know that oftentimes when starting a large project like this, you ask for some payment upfront. Or at the very least you get paid in monthly installments or some other pre-determined time period.

We thought you got paid only when the entire project was completed. So after several months of working on eQueenstown.com, we had received exactly zero percent of the Sixty. Five. Thousand. Dollars.

Perhaps, once again, some of you are doing the quick math in your head at this point — $0 to support four team members and an office, that doesn’t sound like enough…

To say we were devastated would be an understatement.

But then a funny thing happened.

Without realizing it, we had forced ourselves to be “all in” on our business. We had quit our jobs (and round-the-world vacations), signed a one-year lease for office space, hired an employee (that we sadly had to lay off)…all our chips were on the table.

We had to make this work.

And we did. It was a brutal couple of years, scrapping and clawing to get ourselves to profitability (during which a LOT of credit cards were used, and this I would call anti-advice, please don’t do it to fund your business!). And around year five we figured out how to actually grow the business (which I’ll talk more about in future posts).

By year ten we had grown to 75 people and successfully sold the business to Halyard Capital. Huzzah.

The Point

In my heart of hearts, I don’t think we would have built our business (and I might not have stayed an entrepreneur) had we not won, and subsequently lost, the eQueenstown.com website project.

What we were trying to do — build a business — is extremely hard. The odds are stacked against anyone trying to start a business. By not being “all in”, we were making those near-impossible odds even more impossibler.

It wasn’t until we had to make it work that we really took it seriously. We had to overcome the obstacles that came our way and find a path to success.

If you’re going to chase your dream, and please tell me you are, then you need to find ways to make it so important in your life that you will yourself to achieve it. Half-assing this is not going to cut it; you’ve got to whole-ass your dreams, my friend.

I hope you’re happy.

The post 12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life (3/12) appeared first on Begin the Begin.

This is the second installment of the series I call, “12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life”. It’s a talk I give each semester to Ed Baker’s GSU class, and after delivering it to the class last semester, I decided to create a series out of it. But before I dive into tip #2, I have a few other things I want to share.

CompostNow!

Y’all, composting has never been easier. We signed up for CompostNow a few years ago. We have a bucket that we put food waste (and a lot of other things, the list is bigger than you think) into, and then every week we put the bucket outside and someone comes and replaces it with a fresh one.

You know I love me some data, which is another great thing about CompostNow. Below is an example of what they sent to me recently to show the impact the Hilimire family has had so far.

If you’re interested, here’s my referral link to give you $10 off when you sign up. It’s such an easy thing to do to make an impact on your environment, I hope you’ll consider it!

Humble (dad) brag

My oldest son is heading off to college in the Fall (NYU for acting), and we’re currently in Montreat, NC, for the Presbyterian Youth Conference that is held there every summer. My son is one of the youth leaders that planned the event (where this week over 900 kids are attending), and as you can see from the photo above, he also performed in some of the experiences (that’s him in the middle). I’m kinda proud of the guy

(But I’m so not ready for him to go away for college )

A quick update on Purpose GroupPurpose Group, the purpose-driven holding company that I founded with Jonathan Morgan and David Cummings, is off to a great start. (My goal with Purpose Group is to create more companies in the world that are a force for good.)

We acquired our first business in May: Gerald Printing & Liberty Imaging. Based in Kentucky and northern Tennessee, they’re a print, apparel, and signs business with over 90 employees (and if your company buys swag for your employees or partners, let me know and I’ll connect you to Gerald!).

If you want to keep up with our journey at Purpose Group, the two best places are to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.

Tip #2: Dream Big, But Start Small.My first tip to leading your best life is to have a long-term focus. Every one of us should think about where we want to be 10, 20, even 30 years down the road. I find this is something very few people do, but it makes such an impact on how we live our lives. Plus, it’s a fun exercise! For more, check out my last post as it plays nicely into my second tip: to dream big, but start small.Story timeWay back in early 2015, I had this idea. It was a crazy idea (or so everyone told me…everyone, that is, except Adam Walker…more on that later).

I had been looking for a way to make a bigger impact on my personal purpose (to have an outsized, positive impact on the world). Up until that point in my career, I spent 17 years building digital marketing agencies, and it occurred to me that I had done very little to help the hundreds of employees at my companies to use their skills to do good.

After mulling over several different concepts (and even trying a few), I finally landed on the idea of having some of my team members build a website for a nonprofit. I couldn’t (and still can’t) think of something a nonprofit needs more than a compelling website, and the smaller nonprofits simply don’t have the budget, resources, or knowledge to stand up a proper website. I was struggling with the best way to pull this off, because typically a website project takes 4-6 months, and I felt like too many things could change over that period of time (the nonprofit leadership could change out, their goal for the website could shift, our team members could become busy on other projects, etc.)

Around this time I attended a technology hackathon, where a hundred developers came together over a 2-day period and built some really impressive technology (mostly mobile apps). I was blown away by the amount of progress a small, passionate group of people could make in a short period of time.

And that’s when the idea hit me: why not put on a website-building hackathon? Could a team of six web designers and developer build a website over a weekend? That’s the question I started asking people, and everyone said, “uh, no, no that won’t work,” …that is, until I had the good sense to ask Adam Walker.

Adam thought about the question for a minute, and said, “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Only, he didn’t know this was a trap.

I followed with, “So, what you’re saying is that a group of six or so people could build a website in a weekend, right?”

“Right.”

“So then, conceivably, two teams of six people could build two websites, right?”

“Conceivably, sure. I guess if…”

“So then,” I said, cutting him off, “if we keep doing that math, several hundred people could build 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours…right?”

After pausing for a second, he said, “Well, I suppose so, if…”

“Great, we’ll call it 48in48 and we’ll be partners, and let’s see, it’s February now…let’s do it in October.”

Somehow, Adam didn’t hang up the phone on me, and we began building what became 48in48. You can read more of the origin story of 48in48, but the gist is that we pulled that first event off in 2015, in the newly opened Ponce City Market, and it was a massive success.

Adam, me, and Warrick Dunn at the first 48in48 event. (Yes, Warrick freaking Dunn!!)

The shocking thing was that, after the event, the volunteers essentially asked us if we would do the event again in 2016. Adam and I had no thoughts of doing the event again—we thought this was a one and done kind of thing. But, if the volunteers were asking for it (we assumed nonprofits would want us to keep doing it), then we knew we had to give it a shot.

Fast-forward to today, and 48in48 has put on 29 events, built over 1,200 nonprofit websites (delivering over $30 million in value), with over 10,000 volunteers around the world. Our 30th event is coming up next weekend (it’s our Social Justice Event, where we build websites for nonprofits run by BIPOC leaders and nonprofits that focus on social justice initiatives). At this point, Adam and I are simply on the board, under the leadership of Sima Parekh (Executive Director) and Raj Choudhury (Board Chair).

Adam and me having a pint at our first 48in48 London event. We never could have predicted where 48in48 would take us…

Oh, and 48in48 is hiring, if you know anyone :)

The Point

48in48 in many ways started as a small idea—how can I help a group of volunteers build a nonprofit website. That initial idea was a small one, but the “dream” became to bring together hundreds of people and build 48 websites in a weekend. What we didn’t realize was that, in fact, that first event was the small dream, with the larger vision for 48in48 being much, much larger.

I’m always telling my entrepreneurial friends to dream bigger. There’s a saying, and I don’t know who said it but I certainly don’t deserve the credit, that people always overestimate what they can do in the short term, and underestimate what they can do in the long term. Dream bigger, people!

Now that you have your long term plan, start to dream big. Think about what you can accomplish, and then try to 10x it! Once you land on something lofty to do with your life (and maybe so lofty that most people say, “uh, no, no that won’t work,”) go back to today and start small. Brick by brick, you can start to lay the path that will get you to your dreams.

I hope you’re happy.

The post 12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life (2/12) appeared first on Begin the Begin.

Hello friends,

I’m excited to kick off this series of what I call “12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life”. It’s a talk I give each semester to Ed Baker’s GSU class, and after delivering it to the class last Friday, I decided to create a series out of it. But before I dive into tip #1, I have some exciting things to share.

William Warren’s book, The Conquering Creative

I’m proud to share that Ripples Media has published William Warren’s first book, The Conquering Creative. William is the CEO of The Sketch Effect, and his book takes the reader on the journey of how William built his company while also laying out “9 Shifts to Build an Unstoppable Creative Business”. I not only read it (and loved it!) but I also recorded a podcast with William that I’d love for you to check out!

An interview I gave where I share the origin of Purpose Group (and why I’m on a mission to build businesses that are a force for good in the world)

I was thrilled to get a chance recently to talk with Soyini Coke on her show, Capitalism Done Right. During the chat, I shared more about why I started Purpose Group and my mission to build businesses that are a force for good. I hope you’ll check it out!

Ok, and now on to the first of my tips on how to lead your best life…

Tip #1: Have a long-term focus.

It took me a while to have a long-term view of my life. Which is funny because early in my entrepreneurial journey, my partners and I had the end in mind from the start.

When Raj Choudhury, Danny Davis, and I worked out of my mom’s basement on Spunlogic (then called NBN Designs for all of you old-timers), we knew our ultimate goal was to sell the business. (If you’re interested in Spunlogic lore, you can check out the YouTube series I created called SpunMafia, in which we dive into the story of how we built Spunlogic.)

Having that goal in mind, we were able to architect the steps needed in order to get there. And while it took us a long time to actually become competent at building a business, we eventually were able to check the following boxes in order to be attractive to potential buyers:

Size (we grew to 75 employees)Fast growth (we doubled in size the final four years)Impressive client list (Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, and HoneyBaked Ham)Working in an innovative part of the industry (digital)

There were many decisions along the way that we were able to make because we knew where we were headed. For instance, HoneyBaked Ham was our first “big” client (and funny enough, my next two agencies—Engauge and Dragon Army—both also worked with HoneyBaked). What most people don’t know is that we took a huge loss to get that first contract with HoneyBaked. We knew if we got one impressive client, we’d get the next, so we priced our proposal in order to ensure we would win the business. Sure enough, a year later we were able to land a small project with Coke that I am sure wouldn’t have happened without HoneyBaked on our client list.

The point

How can you know if you’re leading your best life and headed in the right direction if you don’t even know where you want to end up? It’s so easy to go through life, knocking out tasks and dealing with what comes our way without taking the time to map out your big, long-term goals.

I use a process called PVTV to do this for my companies (and I’ve even consulted recently with a few teams at large companies to help them figure it out). You can do the same for yourself—all of my books dive into PVTV or you can dig around on my past blog posts about it.

Ultimately, whichever process you take, please take the time to understand what your long-term goals are. I like to say, “Dream big, but start small.” In fact, that is another of my tips on having a great life (so, more on that later).

And as always, I hope you’re happy.

Recent podcasts

I produce a podcast called Begin the Begin. I hope you’ll consider subscribing. Here are the latest episodes:

William Warren’s new book, The Conquering Creative Introducing my next venture: Purpose Group Chelsea Jenkins (Director, Cultural and Inclusive Marketing at Kellogg) “Before the Book” – Discussing my latest book, The Culture Turnaround, with my co-author, Adam Albrecht The unstoppable entrepreneur, Sanjay Parekh, on his latest venture: Occasional Wraps Talking modern womanhood with It All Media Barefoot Ted on running, health, and leading a purposeful life

The post 12 Tips To Leading Your Best Life (1/12) appeared first on Begin the Begin.

Since 2013 I’ve been running a bit of an experiment, trying to build a purpose-driven (for profit) business that truly believes in business as a force for good. Dragon Army is a purpose-driven digital engagement agency, and I’m so proud of what we’ve built. We’ve worked hard to get it right – often stumbling, never quitting – and I believe we’ve created a foundation and commitment that has allowed us to build a truly special business.

Along the way, I’ve also had the great fortune to create other purpose-driven businesses, including 48in48, The A Pledge, and Ripples Media.

At this point, and as I revisit my personal Purpose – to have an outsized, positive impact on the world – I believe it is time for me to change my trajectory in order to take what we’ve learned at Dragon Army and my other businesses and apply those lessons to more companies. Part of my goal is to show leaders that a business can be both profitable AND stand for something bigger than itself; that you don’t have to sacrifice growth in order to do right by your employees and make a positive impact on the world.

And so I am excited to announce the launch of Purpose Group, a different kind of private equity fund. Yes, we will be buying businesses and providing a return to our shareholders, but the core idea is to acquire companies and instill in them a sense of Purpose and a new way of operating. We call it our Purpose Playbook, pulled from the four books I’ve written in my Turnaround Leadership Series.

My Purpose Group team :)

Along with co-founders Jonathan Morgan (CFO) and David Cummings, and an incredible advisory board (Kashi Sehgal, Sanjay Parekh, Raj Choudhury, and Bharath Parthasarathy) we will be focused on creating more purpose-driven, employee-focused businesses in the world.

I’ve officially stepped down from my role as CEO of Dragon Army, putting the company in the very capable hands of Jenn Leahy. Jenn is an extraordinary leader who believes in this “purpose” stuff as much as I do   I will still be involved, remaining as Executive Board Chair and helping Jenn and the leadership team with our PVTV (Purpose, Vision, Tenets, & Values) and growth.

Here are three ways you can learn more about Purpose Group:

Purposegroup.usThis podcast I recorded with Kashi SehgalThe Atlanta Business Chronicle launch article

Thanks as always for your support and friendship.

And as always, I hope you’re happy.

The post Announcing my new venture: Purpose Group appeared first on Begin the Begin.

Eat More…Purpose?This week I had a chance to hear Dan Cathy (former CEO of Chick-fil-A and one of Atlanta’s great philanthropists) speak for a straight hour in an intimate fireside chat. He shared so many stories I had never heard about the risks they took (and mistakes they made) at Chick-fil-A along the way. It was honestly one of the best talks I’ve ever had the chance to listen to.

Dan spoke about Purpose (I always capitalize that word) and at the end made a plea to the audience (there were 100 of us, with most of the attendees being in the finance industry in one way or another) to do more to help others. Rather than focus on climbing the corporate ladder or increasing your bank account, focus on the impact you want to make in other peoples’ lives, as it’s a) why we’re all here and b) wildly more fulfilling.

At the end of the event I approached Dan for a quick word. I shared with him a few stories of the times I had a chance to meet his father in the past (my past agency was Chick-fil-A’s social media partner), and then I told him that I really appreciated his words and that I thought it was just the message that this group needed to hear.

“Thanks for saying that, Jeff,” he said, taking a quick look at my name tag. “Could you tell me what you mean by that?”

I explained that too many people—including what I thought would be most of the people in this room—were driven far too much with making money. And for someone like Dan, who has clearly made more money than the rest of the room will ever make put together, to express both in words and actions how important it was to give back, that surely he changed a few hearts and minds for the better on that night.

He thanked me, and then I asked for a selfie and here ya go:

Dan Cathy and me…and a free Chick-fil-A sandwich coupon :)

That time I upset the big guy

My partners and I sold our first company, Spunlogic, in March of 2008. (Turns out that was good timing because some weird thing happened with home mortgages and the financial markets crashed and…you can watch The Big Short to find out the rest.)

What most people don’t know is that we were approached in early 2007 by one of the largest agencies in the world with an offer to buy us. On the cheap, it turns out, only we didn’t know that at first.

Sometime in November of 2006 I received a call from a person representing a gigantic agency. Apparently they had seen some of our press and were interested to learn more about us as they wanted an office and team in Atlanta.

We spent several months talking to them, sharing information about our business and learning more about their plans. Even though we weren’t actively looking to sell the business at that time, our curiosity was piqued.

All in all, we were impressed. If the number was right, we’d do it.

The number wasn’t right

I received an email in mid-January with their official offer, asking if we could talk the next day to tell them what we thought. The number they were offering was so much lower than our expectations that I had to re-read the document several times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

It didn’t take long for my partners and me to decide that the deal wouldn’t work for us. Of course, as CEO, I was the one that would have to tell them.

The next day at the scheduled time I received a call from their CEO. Right away I knew this wouldn’t go well because he was talking as if we’d already agreed to the price and terms of the deal.

“Jeff, we’re so excited to have you in the portfolio! This is a great day and you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Selling your business is something most people…”

As he rambled on, I thought two things: I’d need to interrupt him and tell him this wasn’t happening, and was he driving right now?

“Uh, sorry to interrupt, Tom,” I said. (His name wasn’t Tom.) “But, we actually don’t want to do the deal.”

He didn’t speak for what seemed like several minutes, until I said, “Tom, are you still there?”

“You don’t want to do the deal?” he asked.

“Right, but we are so appreciative of the offer and…”

And that’s when the screaming started

I heard some scuffling and what I could only guess was his phone being thrown to the floor, and then I heard him say from a distance, “These a$$holes don’t want to do it! I told you we should never have wasted…”

A few moments later, another voice came on the line. “Jeff, sorry, this is Steven (also not his name). I’m riding with Tom and he needs to focus on the road.”

“No problem, Steven,” I said, recognizing the voice of Tom’s assistant. “I was just telling Tom that, while we appreciate the offer, we’re going to wait and grow the business more at this point and we’d love to talk again in a year or so.”

“What’s he saying?! What’s that a$$hole saying?” I heard Tom shout in the background.

Steven, obviously cupping the microphone on the phone with his hand, said, “They don’t want to sell. They want to continue growing the company and they’d be happy to talk with us again in a year.”

“Give me that f&cking phone back,” I heard Tom say.

Tom shouted at me: “Jeff, I’m going to give you one more chance to change your mind and say yes to this deal. We’ve wasted two months talking to you and its incredibly unprofessional for you to change your mind at this point.”

“Tom, I’m really sorry, but I don’t think it’s fair to say we changed our minds. We simply don’t think the valuation is enough for us to do the deal. And…”

“Oh, for f&cks sake,” he shouted. “That’s it. You’re completely finished in this industry. I’m going to buy another agency in Atlanta and make sure you never win another piece of business. You’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life. You’re going to regret the day…”

He went on like that for a few minutes, screaming at me and ranting about how I was “finished”.

Eventually, Steven came back on, apologized, and we hung up.

Oh, and we doubled our business over the next year and sold for over four times what they had offered. So there.

The point

After I was cursed out by the CEO of one of the largest agencies in the world, my 30-year-old self was pretty shaken. Up until that point, I had been honored to talk to Tom and it made me and my partners feel great that we were sought after. For him to treat me like that after we’d built up a relationship showed me the ugly side of business, or at least the ugly side of how he does business.

But, we got back on the horse. We became even more determined to grow our company, and we went into the next sale process (this time with Halyard Capital, who never treated us badly) with more experience and a better understanding of the process (hint: always find out early in the process if you’re even in the same ballpark on valuation before doing too much work together).

Sometimes the best thing that can happen to you is a loss. After all, obstacles can be our allies.

The post “You’ll never work in this industry again after this!” appeared first on Begin the Begin.

Before I jump into my favorite books from 2023, I just want to remind you that unless you’re on a spending lockdown like my family in January (my wife declares every year that we have to go on a spending freeze in January…this probably has something to do with having five children that we Santa over-indulges every year), you can still grab a copy of my new book, The Culture Turnaround, which I think would be a great book to read to kick your year off. (Plus, you can request a signed copy, and I’ll mail it directly to you.)

A random text from a friend

I was in the middle of writing this post when Joe Koufman texted me this quote:

While I agree with the sentiment overall, it’s the last bit that really explains what I’m all about.

My Purpose (as you might know if you read my stuff because I can’t stop talking about it ) is to have an outsized, positive impact on the world. That is how I hope to lessen the suffering of others. And to be better equipped to do that, I need to know more about the world than I knew yesterday.

Knowing more about the world, especially the vast majority of the world that I have no experience with, is not only how I learn about problems and potentially how I might be able to use my gifts to make a difference, but more importantly, it’s how I try to build empathy within myself to better understand the suffering of others. You’ll notice three books listed below that I read specifically for this purpose, but all of the 13 books changed me in some (hopefully positive) way.

53 books in 2022, and these are my favorites

My general goal is to read 52 books a year — a book a week.

I read physical books and books on my Kindle (or the Kindle app on my phone). I also listen to books while driving. I’m always reading four or five books at a time. Case in point, right now, I’m reading four hardcover books: James Patterson (yes, it’s a book by James Patterson, called James Patterson), Superman, The Terrible Two’s Last Laugh (with my 10-year old), and Powerful; two books on the Kindle: Alexander Hamilton and Rhythm of War; and I’m listening to I’m Glad My Mom Died.

I have kept track of every book I’ve read since 2015 in Notion, with ratings on a 5-star scale. Yes, I nerd out when it comes to reading.

Below are the 13 books (of the 53 I read in 2022) that really stood out to me.

Books written by my friends

A Way Out of No Way by Raphael Warnock. I’ve known Raphael since we went through Leadership Atlanta together in 2013 (and in 2021, I was able to shadow Raphael in D.C., and it was one of my favorite days of my life). This book chronicles his life to date and just shows what an incredible human he is.

6 Ps of Essential Innovation by Michael McCathren. I’ve known Michael McCathren for something like 15 years, and beyond being an exceptionally thoughtful human being, he’s also been in the innovation space for as long as anyone I know. This book lays out his philosophy and strategy around corporate innovation.

Living on a Smile by Jo Ann Herold. If you know Jo Ann, then like me, you know her first book had to be called, Living on a Smile. Jo Ann (who I’ve known for close to 20 years!) is a generous, kind, and supportive friend, and also one of the most accomplished marketers I know. Her book is a wonderful trip through her life and really shows how she became the amazing person she is today.

(Full disclosure, my book publishing company, Ripples Media, published Michael and Jo Ann’s books.)

Business

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. I re-read this book in 2022 in order to take the Dragon Army leadership team through it again (I suggest doing this with your team every 4-5 years), and it only solidified why it’s my most recommended business book to my leadership friends. I’ve read it at least five times by now.

(Even though I’ve written four of them, I don’t read a lot of “business” books. I’ll take a biography of a leader over a traditional business book any day.)

Empathy building

The Master Plan by Chris Wilson. I listened to this book (the author reads it), and it reminded me of when I listened to Just Mercy by Bryan Steveson. (Mr. Stevenson also reads his book, and it’s a top-five audiobook for me all time…maybe my #1.) I can’t say enough great things about this book, so I’ll just leave it at this: if you pick one book on my list to read (or listen to) in 2023, make it this one.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. Each year I read a book or two about the Native American experience, and this one rightfully has the reputation of being a classic.

Sold by Patricia McCormick. I’m honestly not sure how I made it through this book. It’s the brutal telling of a young girl sold into sexual slavery in India. While a fictional story, the author spent a long time talking with young girls who have gone through this experience and somehow, by the grace of God, made it out. My friend Jonathan gave it to me years ago, and I finally had the courage to pick it up. I’m going to be looking for ways to make an impact…somehow.

Begin Again by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. I always have books on race that I’m reading and this was easily one of my favorites of all time. I wouldn’t recommend it as the first book you read on the topic, but it should definitely be one in your collection if this is an area you’re passionate about understanding.

Just for me

Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear. I listened to this book while running and really enjoyed it. It’s probably second for me in the ‘running books’ category, only after Born to Run. My life hack is to listen to books about runners when going on a run. You’ll be more motivated than ever as you chug along, trying to knock out three miles, reading about someone making it through a 100-mile race :)

Year Book by Seth Rogan. Hilarious book, as you might expect. I’m not the world’s biggest Seth Rogan fan, but he can be a riot, and he reads this book himself which really makes the stories—and he has INSANE stories—really come to life.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. So many people recommended this book to me over the years, and I just kept saying to myself, but I don’t care about rowing (or, sorry, crew)…like, at all. My only experience with the sport was seeing those twins in the Facebook movie back in the day. And even as I read the book and it pulled me into the story deeper and deeper, I kept asking myself, why the heck is this so interesting? But it was, and all I can say is, it’s a wonderful and captivating story that you really should consider reading.

With my kids

You might be surprised to hear that I didn’t read much growing up. I read here and there (Christopher Pike seems to be an author’s name I remember), but by and large, I wasn’t an avid reader back then. Recently, as I’ve noticed my kids reading “classics” for school, I’ve decided to read the books alongside them. I can’t recommend this enough for any of you parents of teenagers out there. It’s a great way to bond with your kids (and learn a little along the way.)

Animal Farm by George Orwell. I’m not sure if I actually read this in its entirety when I was younger, but I really enjoyed it this time around. And if I’m being honest, it probably only made this list because I read my daughter’s copy of the book with her notations (“He better not do what I think he’s going to do!” and “I’ll never look at a pig the same way again!”) throughout that was just the about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. My son played the lead in this incredible book/play at his school. It’s a really touching look at a young man with autism and the effects it has on him and everyone around him.

My son playing the role of Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He was really great you guys :)

The pointWhen I talk to friends about the books I’m reading, they often say, “I should really read more.” I don’t necessarily agree. Reading isn’t for everyone, and I don’t look down on people who don’t read much. For me, it’s the best way to build empathy and escape for a bit. I don’t meditate, but I think reading has a similar effect on me. I slow down, get lost in thought, and feel refreshed after I read.

Please share any of your favorite books with me, as I’m always on the lookout for the next great book!

I hope you’re happy.

The post My 13 favorite books from 2022 appeared first on Begin the Begin.

I want to get right into this post because it’s a story I have never shared before. I think most people who know me think I was born trying to lead things, but that just wasn’t the case.

More on that in a minute.

First, I wanted to share the cover for my next book, The Culture Turnaround. I planned this book throughout 2021, wrote the first draft in January of this year, and my team at Ripples Media and I have been working on the editing and publishing process for the last six months. (If you haven’t written a book before, the hard part comes after you finish the first draft.)

If you’ve check out my previous books, you’ll recognize the format of the cover below. The color scheme is based on Dragon Army’s brand, because most of the ideas in this book I brought to life while building that company.

And, for the first time, I have a co-author! I was thrilled to work on this book with Adam Albrecht (author of the incredible book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?), who partnered with me to create a pretty fantastic culture at Engauge many years back. You’ll want to read The Culture Turnaround if for nothing else to read about Adam’s concept of “weness”

The book should be on sale in mid-November, and I’ll be working on a pre-order system soon. Stay tuned!

By the way, if you or someone you know is interested in writing a book, let me know! The Ripples Media team is actively interviewing authors right now 

That day in the third grade

I can remember it like it was yesterday. My third grade class had recently voted on class president, each of us putting a name in the hat and then passing it to the person next to us. Our teacher was at her desk at the front of the room, reviewing the submissions and tallying the votes. I was busy chatting with my friends in the back of the class, per usual.

By this point in my academic journey, I would have classified myself in one way: class clown. Not the kind that plays pranks or wears silly outfits. No, I was the sarcastic kid in the class. A young Chandler Bing in the making, if you will.

Other than getting me sent to the principal’s office from time to time (and even, if you can imagine it today, a spanking from the principal with his big wooden paddle with holes in it so it could move through the air faster—true story) and some chuckles from the rest of the kids in the class now and again, I thought I was fairly invisible.

Until the teacher called my name that day.

Jeffrey, can you come to the front of the class?

(Yes, I went by Jeffery in elementary school, and possibly through middle school. But at some point I felt I was a grown up boy and should be called Jeff.)

No stranger to being called to the front of the classroom—though confused a bit this time because I didn’t actually remember doing anything bad that day—I made my way up to her.

She had a confused look on her face and I swear I saw her double checking the paper in front of her as I stood there.

“Well, Jeffery, it would appear that the class has decided to make you their class president,” she said. I imagine were it another kid in the class, perhaps any other kid in the class, she would have said this with more excitement and pride in her voice. Instead, she sounded more resigned to the fact than anything else.

Me? I was dumbstruck. At first, I felt pride in the fact that I had been voted as the class president. Look at me, people liked me. But that feeling left quickly when I realized that I would likely have to stand up in front of the class and speak words. This might sound strange coming from the kid that loved to make jokes during class, but there’s a big difference from being in the back of the class and throwing out a one-liner, to standing up in front of the class with everyone looking at you.

That was simply not going to happen.

“Um, Mrs. Dragonpants,” I said in a whisper. (I don’t remember her name, actually. I only remember Mrs. Kay from back then, the world’s greatest first grade teacher.) “I don’t want to do it. Could you just pick whoever came in second place and make them the…”

I thought I was being obvious with Mrs. Dragonpants that I wanted this to be a covert operation, in which she would simply choose the runner-up and announce him or her as the winner, and none would be the wiser.

“Class,” she very loudly said, “Jeffery won class president and has declined, and so Linda Ripplesmaiden (I don’t remember her name either), as the runner-up, will now be your class president.”

I slowly turned to face the class, turning a brighter shade of red than the world had ever seen. Someone toward the back of the class raised their hand.

“What does declined mean, Mrs. Dragonpants?”

Great, we were going to learn a new vocabulary word that every kid in the third grade would associate with me. I could just imagine at the next spelling bee, a kid gets the word “decline”, and they ask to have it used in a sentence.

“One time Jeffrey was voted class president, but as you all know from school lore, he declined because he was too nervous.”

As Mrs. Dragonpants went on to explain what it means to win an election and then decline it, I slowly made the longest walk of my life back to my seat, head down in shame.

Whew, just reliving that experience makes me feel bad! But, rest assured, things worked out after that. I somehow found myself in leadership positions in almost everything I did thereafter, including founding and running businesses, chairing nonprofit boards, and writing three (soon to be four) books on the topic of leadership.

And yet, somewhat inexplicably, my leadership journey started with me being elected class president and declining (go ahead, try to use that word in the future without thinking of me ).

The Point

It’s important that we don’t let our past define us. You are not your past; you are your present and most decidedly your future. Sure, we’re all going to stumble and make mistakes and do things we’ll regret, but it’s how we pick ourselves up and get back on the saddle that will define who we are.

I hope you’re happy.

The post I declined my first leadership opportunity appeared first on Begin the Begin.

I hope you are all doing well this summer. And, if possible, avoiding the heat! We were able to escape the Atlanta summer briefly and spend some time in Bar Harbor, Maine. To those that provided ideas on what to do while there, thank you!

An example of one of the many incredible views we had in Maine. And yes, my 15-year old had trouble staying out of the photo (like his father, patience is not his strong suit).Side Notes

My new goal in life is to be this kid.

If you haven’t picked up Michael McCathren’s book on innovation, and you’re into that kind of thing, please do that now! It’s just fantastic, and I’m not saying that because my publishing company published it. Or because he’s one of the smartest and most generous people I know, which he is. (Also, if you know someone—or are someone—who wants to write a book and needs a publisher, please let me know!)

My next book, the 4th in the Turnaround Leadership Series, is in the final stages of editing. I’ve been working on this one for about three years, and it dives into a topic that is near and dear to my heart: building an undeniable culture. Should be out in October or November

My 5 favorite books on race and social justice

In 2012-13, I went through a program called Leadership Atlanta. It was one of the defining moments of my life as it started the process of exposing me to the privilege that I have in the world.

It’s why I landed on my Purpose of having an outsized, positive impact on the world.

It’s why I co-founded both 48in48, Ripples of Hope, and The A Pledge.

It’s why Dragon Army is a purpose-driven company, and why we’re in the final stages of becoming a B Corp. (Here’s a podcast I did talking about what a B Corp is and why it’s important.)

And so, since 2013, I’ve been on a path of education to learn more about how groups that do not share my privilege—specifically People of Color, women, LGBTQ+, people experiencing disabilities, and non-Christians—experience the world. And how I can be an ally to them, using my privilege to help in some way.

Most of my education has come from conversations with friends, watching documentaries/movies, and reading books. A lot of books. And up until this point, probably 75% of those books have been focused on race and social justice.

The List

This was a hard list to create, but as of today, these are the five books that I highly recommend my friends—especially my white friends—consider reading. Each of them blew me away and changed the way I see the world.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

This is the first book I read that I could say is on the topic of race. Wow. (A similar and equally powerful book is Evicted.)

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-63

Amazing view into the beginnings of the social justice movement of the 1950s and 60s, with a particular focus on Dr. King. Many see it as the definitive book on this time period. I was able to interview the author of this book (who won a Pulitzer Prize for it) on my podcast.

Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America

This is the one I wish all my white male friends would read. Some of you may unsubscribe from this newsletter simply because I’m recommending this book. But it’s so important to understand…us.

Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

I finished this book last week while in Maine, and I think I highlighted more passages in this it than any other book I’ve read (and I’m a big highlighter, y’all). This book helps put into perspective a great deal of what we’re experiencing today.

His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope

So powerful. While I had the chance to meet John Lewis a time or two, I never had the opportunity to have a conversation with him. He’s one of my heroes, and after you read this book, he’ll be one of yours.

The Point

Honestly, there are so many great books to choose from, and I think the list of my favorites changes daily. Here are a few more to consider (because I couldn’t help it): Just Mercy, Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?, and Caste.

Ok, I have to stop there but the list could go on.

Empathy is the key to most of life’s problems. If we could see someone else’s side of things—their pain, their point of view, how they see the world and how the world sees them—we’d be much more willing to be kind and respectful and lend someone a hand when they are in need. (Like the boy in the video I shared earlier in this newsletter…you gotta see how sweet he is.)

I truly believe that empathy is the key to life, and one way to build more empathy in yourself is to read books about other people’s lives.

And if you do read one of these books, please report back on what you thought. I’d also love to know what books you would put on your list!

The post 5 books on race and social justice that changed me forever appeared first on Begin the Begin.

It’s been a while, I know. I’ve been spending way more time reading than writing over the last few months. (Just finished the devastating, beautiful, and necessary book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, in preparation for a church youth trip – I’m a chaperone – to visit a Navajo reservation in Black Mesa this summer.)

So, sorry I’ve been more silent lately. I’ll pick it back up after the summer, promise.

Oh, before I get into today’s topic, I did want to share that the nonprofit I co-founded in 2020, The A Pledge, recently won the Marketing for Good award by the American Marketing Association. That makes two of my companies to win Marketing for Good (48in48 won in 2018) – I might be the only person who’s won that twice…but who’s bragging counting?

Some of my The A Pledge co-founders and me at the award show.“Jeff, I need some inspiration to help me through this…”

A friend of mine was in a terrible car accident in May that left his face bruised and gashed, his right hip shattered, and his confidence shaken. I went to visit him at Grady Hospital, bringing with me the requisite bag of Chick-fil-A sandwiches and fries.

The damage to his body was so devastating that he might not be able to walk for months. Months of which he’ll mostly be lying down, unable to play with his children, do his work (he’s a talented and beloved social justice leader, author, and speaker), or generally feel like himself.

He’s a big reader and, given all the time he’ll be immobile over the upcoming weeks, he asked me if I had any book recommendations that might help inspire him, specifically around mind, body, and spirit.

5 books that inspired me

I thought about books that had inspired me over the years that might work for my friend. Whether from a health perspective, business/leadership, “spirit”, etc., it didn’t take long to come up with a solid list.

The 5 books I bought for my friend that I hope will inspire him during this tough time.How Not To Die

This book, probably more than any other, is impacting the way I think about my health. The gist: eat more whole vegetables. A lot more. I listened to the audiobook of this one, which was read by the author and he does a great job.

Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World

Part of my friend’s work is running a nonprofit, and Scott Harrison’s journey of starting Charity Water is nothing short of incredible.

I Feel Great and You Will Too!

I think I first read this book almost 20 years ago. Pat Croce is one of those people who seems to have a boundless amount of energy and the most positive of positive attitudes on the planet. Every time I read this I get charged up to go after my dreams.

The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose

Absolutely incredible story. Chris Wilson’s story is nothing short of extraordinary and he had to overcome some of the most difficult struggles the world can throw at a person to create a life of meaning. I also listened to the audiobook of this one.

It’s in the Action: Memories of a Nonviolent Warrior

Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian was a civil rights hero and champion for anyone suffering in this world. This book is an autobiography of sorts and I found myself inspired to do more with my life after reading it. (Side note: I’m on the board of a nonprofit that Dr. Vivian founded in 2008.)

The point

We could all use a little inspiration now and again, and hopefully one of these books does the trick for you.

The post 5 books that inspired the pants off of me appeared first on Begin the Begin.

We were fortunate this summer to escape the heat of Atlanta and make our way to Bar Harbor, Maine (thanks to all of you that gave me suggestions on what to do there!). We also traveled to Montreat, North Carolina, for a week. But now, as the song goes, it’s ‘back to life…back to reality’.

I also read a ton of books this summer and I’m already mourning the loss of the extra reading time. And speaking of books…

You need to buy this book!

If you’re looking for a book to inspire you in your life or career, then you need to grab a copy of Jo Ann Herold’s new book, Living on a Smile. If you know Jo Ann (formerly the CMO of HoneyBaked Ham, Interface, Arby’s, and many other brands), then you know she’s one of the most genuinely kind and happy people on the planet. She’s also excelled at everything she’s done in her career, resulting in her being given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Marketing Association (she’s way too young for that award, but very deserving).

So, grab a copy of her book, and then save your book money for my 4th book which comes out in November. Stay tuned on that one ;)

So, I got spanked in this tennis match…

I went to a small liberal arts college for the first two years in order to improve at tennis enough to ultimately transfer to a Division I school. Limestone College in South Carolina was a perfect match: small enough that I could play #1 singles on the team and get a partial scholarship, and close enough to Davidson for me to visit my then girlfriend (now wife of 22 years).

Playing #1 singles meant I played the best player on every team we faced. And some times, I did get spanked. But in this particular example, I actually played a close match and lost in three sets to the #1 player at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. Even though I played well, I wasn’t happy after the match because I knew I could have beaten the kid. I didn’t lose a ton of matches that year—I think my record was 14-7—so each one stuck with me. And that one was a bummer.

Fast-forward three months and I applied to UNC-Charlotte in hopes of being recruited onto the tennis team. Charlotte is a top 75 tennis school in the nation and I wasn’t sure I could make the starting lineup, having only played against Division II opponents thus far in my college career.

I went on a visit to meet the team a few weeks after applying and immediately fell in love with the campus, the team, and especially, the coach. I was surprised when the coach offer me a spot on the team, and I ended up playing #6 for the two years I had left of my eligibility. Apparently my almost 4.0 grade point average at Limestone did not impress the faculty at UNC-Charlotte, so I had to take a fifth year of school and during that time I was the assistant tennis coach, working with Coach Boykin daily.

Coach Boykin giving some much needed advice to me and my doubles partner.

Coach was, and still is, a hero to me. He always puts his family first, leads with his heart, and has more integrity than anyone I’ve ever met. In fact, I dedicated my last book, The Great Team Turnaround, to Coach Boykin due to how much I learned from him about building a great team.

I asked Coach one day during that fifth year why he recruited me to the Charlotte tennis team given that he had never seen me play an actual match. He said it was an easy decision because he saw my result against the #1 player at Belmont Abbey, who he said was a phenomenal player, and anyone that could take that guy to three sets must be a good player.

This past weekend I watched Coach Boykin be admitted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of FameThis past weekend I found myself at the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame ceremony, watching my coach be admitted for his 40+ years of successful coaching in the state.

A few of my teammates were able to attend and we had a great time in Greensboro, North Carolina, hanging out and talking about old times.

Me, Coach Boykin, and some of the other past players celebrating our guy.

The Point

On that late afternoon back in 1995 when I lost to the #1 player at Belmont Abbey, I was devastated. And yet, somehow, that match set me on a course that I never could have imagined. Had I not performed well (even though I lost the match), I never would have ended up at UNC-Charlotte. I never would have met Coach Boykin. I never would have met Raj Choudhury and started my first business (Spunlogic) in the dorm room. And I might never have been an entrepreneur at all!

The point is that life is going to throw some losses your way. It’s part of the journey. But if you can keep your head up, and always try your best, you never know when one of those losses might set you on a course you never could have imagined.

I hope you’re happy.

The post Sometimes your whole life can change from what you thought was a loss appeared first on Begin the Begin.