John Fox on Leaving Academia To Become An Entrepreneur

Converge: The Business of Creativity Podcast with Dane Sanders

NOTE: DANE’S AUDIO HAD SOME GLITCHES BUT THE CONTENT WAS TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE.

Don t you love success stories? Especially the kind where the successful person bucks the conventions of the day and does something unexpected and it works? John Fox has that kind of story. He left a tenure track position in academia to develop a business designed to serve others through providing the information and resources they were looking for. It s an encouraging and dare we say it, inspiring story for anyone who wants to pursue their dreams but isn t sure if it s possible. After hearing John s story, you ll know it is.

People make SEO difficult but it s simple. It s giving people what they want.

There are all kinds of acronyms in the digital space, SEO being one of the biggest. It stands for Search Engine Optimization and John Fox says most people make it much more complex than it really needs to be. To him, SEO is equal to unselfish blogging. It s the process of finding out what people are searching for, what they need, and creating incredible content that gives it to them. Google rewards that kind of behavior, that kind of service. As it should. The steps John took to build his blogging business once he left the academic world are simple but powerful. Find out more of his incredible story on this episode of Converge.

If you think you re smart by using free email list software, you re wrong.

As John Fox began to attract a following through his website he realized that something had to be done to engage those people, to keep them coming back for more. That s where his email list came in. He tried social media and advertising but nothing gave him the direct line of communication like email. He also realized that his attempts to be frugal through using the free plan of his email list provider – Mailchimp – wasn t going to cut it. The premium features were exactly what he needed to engage with his followers on a level that mattered to them as individuals. That s why he says that anyone who thinks they are smart because they are using a free email list service is fooling themselves. John has strong opinions about the subject, but he says it in a nice way. Find out why he s so convinced and see if he can win you over.

The main problem for any business is getting new clients. Period.

One of the things Dane likes to do in these conversations is tap into the perspective his guests have developed once they’ve gotten to the other side of success. He wants to know how they view things differently now than they did when they started. When John Fox was asked what advice he d give to someone who is just getting started with their own business he made the point that every business succeeds because of a continual stream of clients or customers. That means you have to serve others well in ways they are looking for and then market to let them know that you do. If you can nail that aspect of the business down, it s just a matter of figuring out how to scale from there. John s insights are practical and helpful. You ll get a lot out of this conversation.

Serving others and helping them fulfill their dreams leads to your own success.

There s nothing mysterious about how business works. When you provide something that others deem to be valuable, they find it easy to pay you for that thing. John Fox says that put the onus on the business owner to make sure they are serving others in ways they really need, that they are helping their customers to fulfill a dream or attain a goal of some kind. When that happens, success naturally follows. You can hear the entire, abbreviated version of John s trek from the academic world to entrepreneurism, on this episode of Converge.

• [0:21] The kind of success story that comes from choosing your own adventure.
• [2:24] John s story: from academia to entrepreneurial life.
• [6:25] The mindset shift that propelled John into a new world.
• [9:41] Getting traction from learning SEO and attending the Go Summit event.
• [18:36] Talking to your audience in ways that are most relevant to them.
• [21:33] The outcome of changing the focus of of his business approach.
• [26:33] John s advice to people who feel stuck in their current situation.
• [30:00] Why serving others and fueling their dreams leads to your own success.
• [32:07] The common theme in John s story: Serve others and success comes.

Resources & Links mentioned in this episode

• www.Fastermind.co/GoSummit – sign up before it fills up
• SEM Rush
• MailChimp
• ConvertKit (service the Fastermind team uses)
• Infusionsoft
• Ryan Holiday
• BOOK: Ego is the Enemy

Connect with the Converge team:

Website: www.Fastermind.co

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followdane/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danesanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danesanders

Audio Production and Show notes by PODCAST FAST TRACK

The post S.3 Ep. 003 – Leaving Academia to Serve Others and Find Entrepreneurial Success, with John Fox appeared first on Fastermind.co.