We’re All Ears Interview Series | Building Authority with Pat Flynn

Pivoting Toward Greatness

Whatever the reason, when you pivot into something new, you need to build up authority in a strategic way.  The world may know you for one topic of expertise, and now you need to be known for something new.  How do you go about building that and changing directions in a smart way?  Pat Flynn joined me for a great discussion on some tactics and mindsets that have worked well for him.  

Who is Pat Flynn?

Pat is a podcaster, passive income expert, educator, speaker, author, and one of the most humble guys in the digital marketing space I’ve seen so far.  He made a big pivot in 2008 when he got laid off from his architecture position.  Since 2008, he has shared his journey to earn money with passive income streams through his blog and his podcast.  He has also shared many of his journey to entrepreneurship in the process.  Pat is one of those guys who is always learning, building, growing, and innovating.  Best of all, he loves sharing his knowledge and is an educator at heart.  

Golden Nuggets From Our Conversation:

• How has architecture helped you in entrepreneurship:
  • “I had a lot of advantages coming from a design background in the world of online business.  A lot of it was based on work ethic.  As an architect, you have to spent a little bit of time upfront planning something before you execute on it.”  Experience in planning is a great experience to have in business.  
  • Knowing that a project might be massive, and knowing how to break projects up into smaller milestones was a great application from the architecture world to business.  
  • Learn to break projects into smaller chunks and milestones to approach larger projects. 
  • Design skills you learn in architecture allow you the ability to design and create many of the artwork and digital graphics yourself.  
  • Knowing how to function on very little sleep was one very important skill that architecture taught him!
• “Stick to one thing and master that.”  You may need to try a few things, but once you find the thing that brings you results, go all in with that.  You may see people who are doing “all the things,” who have been in business much longer and have had time to build up to that level.  You need to be realistic about what you can do with where you are at in your business.  
• There’s less competition when you niche down and get specific.  
• Get rid of FOMO, and instead focus on JOMO (Joy of missing out)!  
• How do you change gears and build thought leadership in a brand new topic?
  • Realize what got me here, won’t necessarily get me there.  Be willing to change as you need to.
  • No matter what you do, realize what your superpower is.  Put that superpower into whatever you do, even if it’s in a completely new area.  
  • What is the end goal?  Who are you serving?  What kind of lifestyle do you really want to live?  “Sometimes we don’t realize how great a pivot can be until later down the road.”  Be open to change.  

Recommended Links:

Smart Passive Income

FlynnCon

Switchpod.co

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