James Tomlinson is a natural born hustler who first started his entrepreneurial career at the age of 10 selling golf balls back to the golfers who lost them! Now he helps new entrepreneurs get over their sales challenges at First10Customers.com.
Subscribe to EOFire
Resources Mentioned:
- Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
- Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator – James’ small business resource
- Little Bets by Peter Sim – James’ top business book
- First10Customers.com – James’ website
- James’ Email – Contact James through his email if you have any sales questions
3 Key Points:
- Talk to people. Lean on your family, friends and everyone who loves you – don’t isolate yourself.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Try to always do something new and take risks.
- Take the first step forward. No one is going to help you through your tough times but yourself. If there’s an opportunity, grab it.
Sponsors
- ZipRecruiter: Looking for quality candidates to help you grow your business? Find out today why ZipRecruiter has been used by over 1 million businesses (including EOFire)!
Time Stamped Show Notes
(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)
- [00:58] – James currently lives in Chicago but is originally from Florida
- [01:09] – James started his entrepreneurial career early
- [02:50] – Value Bomb Drop: “Know your customer better than you know yourself, and always make your sales pitch meaningful to the customer”
- [04:57] – What is something you’ve changed your mind about in the last 6 months? “I used to believe that I had to replicate the icons of the entrepreneurial world in order to be a successful entrepreneur.”
- [05:38] – “Look at yourself and determine which talents and strengths you have”
- [05:52] – Make sure the core beliefs from the past are still relevant today.
- [06:31] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: “A couple of years ago I was making zero entrepreneurial progress… I was chasing a ghost and felt like I was going nowhere.”
- [07:39] – James was in St. Louis, working remotely, feeling insecure, and not excited to “get out there”
- [08:49] – The bumps in the road are a part of the journey
- [09:18] –Talk to people and don’t isolate yourself
- [10:21] – Entrepreneurial AH–HA Moment: Chris had an honest conversation with himself, and that’s when it became crystal clear he was meant to help new entrepreneurs get over sales challenges
- [12:43] – What was your first step into taking that kind of initial plunge into creating something of value? “Reaching out to local entrepreneurs and discovering their huge fear was asking people for money”
- [13:51] – If you’re in your comfort zone right now, you’re stagnant – there’s no magic happening
- [15:00] – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? “It’s this industry of entrepreneurship which actually reminds me of Gold Rush”
- [17:08] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? –“Definitely Shiny Object Syndrome”
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? –“Be kind and stand-up for yourself”
- Share a personal habit that contributes to your success – “I try to build on the momentum of productivity”
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – Little Bets by Peter Sim
- Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning in a brand new world, identical to Earth, but you knew no one. You still have all the experiences and knowledge you currently have – your food and shelter is taken cared of – but all you have is a laptop and $500. What would you do in the next 7 days? –“I would use that week to develop a network and cultivate a community and then figure out from there where the gaps and opportunities are”
- [19:29] – Parting piece of guidance: “Your network is the best way to generate value for yourself”
- [19:46] – Connect with James through email and get a free chapter of his book!
Killer Resources!
1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!
2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!
3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!
Subscribe to EOFire!
