Here it goes… the first real blog entry!
As a reminder to HSUG visitors (and to myself), I have never written a blog before. I’ve perused many in the last few months, picking up framework ideas along the way. I could be wrong here… but my brain keeps wanting this format, so here goes.
*Note 1: I’m a bit worried about finding my ‘voice’ in all this, but I’m assuming that will evolve. (Insert emoji of questionable shoulder shrug…)
*Note 2: I have also completely overlooked any and all aspects of SEO in this post, so that will be part of the immediate study plans before the next entry.
Thinking with the end in mind by way of a first & second goal:
The weekly blog posts are intended to enhance the creation of the actual business plan. When the light bulb went on, I realized this is actually the second goal. The second goal, defined, is the physical manifestation of the hotel. But in order to obtain the hefty investment capital required to construct the building (and actually be in business), I have to actualize goal #1: turning these entries into multiple media formats supporting the “SharkTank-Gone-Backwards” program. The day this became clear was the day I purchased a WordPress site and got to actual work (mid April 2018).
Rationale : Need to make business plan to attract investors → led to→ need to make money along the way → led to→ lots of confusion/meditation → led to→ purpose rediscovered was to help others do this too → led to→ redirect action plan to create education-based format to accomplish the business plan creation → led to→ attract investors, partners and future clientele → led to→ realize dream/achieve success!
Getting started, I needed a few blogging basics. Below are some quick Google tidbits:
- Effective blogs range between 750-1000 words (FYI, this post is nearly 1400 words! oops…)
- Absolutely need proper grammar and spelling to maintain credibility
- Include two images, one that invokes thought(logic) and one that invokes emotion
- Include at least one link, whether to drive traffic or route readers to a revenue stream
- Need request for comments or a question to invite interaction (with possible incentive)
- Cliffhanger – I threw this one in here… but only because I’m treating this blog like a TV show that hitches readers/viewers along for the ride in hopes of converting interest in to investment
My gut says this template will work:
Topic Name – A clever name with chronology. This one is called: The Weekly Template: Action #1. The clever name might hook a reader, just like a newspaper headline (but it primarily keeps my mind straight, to be honest). And rather than ‘chapter one’ or ‘volume one’ which would read like a book, I choose “Action” because NONE of this will move forward without action.
Business Plan Topic – Which part of the business plan does this blog entry relate to? What questions do I need to answer this week in order to move forward, and my rationale behind it. This creates value to me in that it helps backfill the frame of the business plan. It also helps me create a guidebook by rationalizing the timing that seems to make chronological sense. I’m willing to bet that smarter business people will disagree, and if so, please call me and offer advice!
TPP (Third Party Professional) – Who (or what) professional partner is needed to assist in tackling this portion of the business plan? A lawyer to assist with company legal structure? An architect to draw rough plans? A GC to offer rough estimates per square foot? In a perfect week, this will include a vlog and youtube link to a video interview of this professional. Insert “model/likeness release form” here to cover my butt.
Field Trip – The ‘where’ is of incredible value to me, in that it A) sparked inspiration or B) led me further down this rabbit hole. For instance, the first video will be filmed at the first resort I worked at. Inspiration was limitless in those days, and vivid memories of that experience will be weaved in to this project. Another video might be in the office of a TPP in order to understand how they derive conclusions needed to build the business plan. I hope some of them have cool offices… with Keurigs.
Outsource – Taken straight from Timothy Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Work Week”, I need to constantly arrange how much of this business I can outsource or streamline. Whether it’s social media, accounting, errand running, client research, etc. I want to take non-revenue producing activities off my plate before they even get there.
Commitment (Cliffhanger) – Here I’ll tackle what my gut is telling me to do next. This may also be discovered after guidance from the TPP. Flexibility is key here, but all actions are good if it means getting closer to the money (Yes, shameless, but honest). Secondary to giving me a to-do list for the week, I’m hoping to build viewership which keeps me accountable for new content, and ultimately build momentum for the Reverse-Shark Tank show.
Inspiration – A quote or memorable phrase I lean towards? An Instagram post that made me pause and take a screen shot? An architectural Pinterest that needs to be included for the design team? Or could be a link to a book/author I’m reading this week. Simon Sinek will be among the first. And Grant Cardone.
Bible Verse – None of this can happen if it isn’t His plan. It seems fitting to include His guidance as these lessons become visible in both business and life. I have a hunch there is a verse that lends itself to each aspect of the business plan. Clearly I need to start reading the bible again…
Enlightenment – As I strive to learn more about the values & principles of Buddhist perspectives, my personal interests are piqued the more I absorb the Buddha’s teachings, and how those lessons apply to this week’s professional or personal growth, and even how they assist in defining certain aspects of my managerial style.
Sacrifice: What did I sacrifice this week to move forward? Time? Sleep? A special event with friends? Watching the Cardinals or a NBA playoff game? As I scoured Youtubes of business startups, the biggest names in the game all made videos describing how much they sacrificed to reach their goal. As mentioned in the About Us page, my dream comes with a price tag too. This spot seems like the place to reference some of the tangible and intangible costs of achieving this dream.
Personal Anecdote -A personal Seinfeld-like moment? A random thought, business related or not? Maybe some insight on my personal life? What my friends are up to? What sidetracked me this week? Random funny? Random sad? Random stupid? Food or drink interests of the week? Health or fitness topics I liked or tackled this week? And perhaps this perspective is just in my head… but if I were an investor looking to offer money to the Hotel Startup Guy, I’d want to know more about the man behind the blog.
The topics above should absolutely fill the hours between my two day jobs, a gym visit, any errands and walking the pup. I may even throw in a few of these if they seem pertinent:
- Link to the HSUG Twitter. Or a popular news page. I feel this might be a blatant attempt to get page views, but I’ll leave that opinion up to the TPP’s with whom I broach this topic.
- Shameless plea to investors? Maybe my attorney should craft this message…
- Link to Amazon Affiliate pages? This is an entirely separate aspect of the business I look forward to making an entry about soon.
- An entry in to the never-ending ‘hotel manager memoirs’.
- A topic that readers/viewers would like me to approach?
And with that… We are officially on this journey. First blog post in the bag.
Goodnight!