The True Story Of A Reluctant Thought Leader
…And How This Actually Helps You Getting Out Of Your Head, Into The Benevolence You Desire.
It was a rainy autumn night. With the hands in my hair and my head in my hands I sat alone at home at my desk. Staring at the statistics of my business, I felt depleted and utterly lost.
All those long years of deep study and hard implementation and still not the freedom I so desired. All the money invested, the time spend and the sacrifices given, but no returns in proportion. What did I do wrong?
Still there was not enough income to cover all the costs, not enough new leads to offer my products to, and not enough returning clients to consistently deliver my expertise.
How had it come so far?
On the verge of bankruptcy I started doubting whether I should continue with this business or not. Should I get back to a 9 to 5 job? Or should I just sell every last item of my inventory and start anew?
I even had a recent visit from a tax inspector who wondered if my revenues would actually qualify to be called a business at all!
I knew there had to be a solution though. If I could only find it… that one thing that would clear the confusion and propel me forward to the freedom I so desired. So I went deep inside…
The Becoming Of A Thought Leader
Why did I start with this Thought Leadership business in the first place?
It wasn’t just for the money. Of course I had to make a living, just like anybody else. But when I applied for jobs back then, I hardly got any replies. So that’s why I started my own business, kind of out of necessity.
But what inspired me to start this particular kind of business was actually first and foremost to share what I had learned. And since it apparently wasn’t something that sells itself, I first had to learn how to put it into a business model. That’s how I found out about the profession that’s called ‘Thought Leadership’. An appealing name indeed, especially for a philosopher who’s basic business is to think things through! And then to present his findings so they get followed or dismissed.
On the way of making a model though, my background in academical metaphysics appeared to be a hindrance in doing this. The deep thoughts and profound insights where too far-fetched for most people. That’s what I noticed when talking with people who asked me about what I do. Their eyes would first be wide open from genuine interest, then fade into a glance because of the complexity, and then they’d move away because they thought it would be out of their league.
So despite the passion I had for the subjects, and despite my conviction that thinking about them could really help many people to relieve from suffering, it somehow didn’t seem to resonate. And on top of that, oh how paradoxical, it increased my own suffering instead. Simply because I couldn’t make a living out of it. So how to overcome this? How to present those fortunate insights in a clear and concise manner without losing interest?
The Task To Find The Right Tools
The struggle of building a business in these times, when an online presence has become an increasingly important asset, circles around the complexity to set it all up, streamlined and refined. That is, to create that appealing online presence with the right tools and systems set in place for perpetual success.
This can even be harder when you want to have your virtual presence merged with your actual being, that is with the real person that you truly are. Because why would people want to hear my story? Or why would they want to interact with a virtual persona while they have inspiring friends offline in real life? And besides all that, there’s already so much information online, and so many people who proclaim to know it all, why would my take on things make a difference?
And so it started to dawn upon me…
The Virtual Personas To Leave Behind
The reason I felt depleted was because I gave myself to virtual personas. Wait…
What’s that? Giving yourself to virtual personas?
You know that when you go online to social media, you have to create a profile. That profile can start with your real name or a chosen one. And the picture you choose can be one of yourself, or it can be a completely different image.
Then, the profile text, the other photos, videos and things you share are completely open to your own preference. And thus many people choose to not share who they really are, but rather display a more fortunate version of themselves. As if their lives are always happy, fun and adventurous.
On the other side, some people share everything. Even the things nobody actually wants to see. And from that come those popular TV shows with YouTube clips of things that went wrong or are truly disgusting.
The Bias To Conquer
This made me realize again that generally speaking, most humans are deeply biased. Because as me too, I somehow enjoyed it once in a while to see those strange things happening online. But on the other side, I felt the disgust for the tasteless hate and shaming that went on.
That’s why I decided there had to be a way to find a new balance for myself. A balance of presenting myself online as who I am, with the things I love, in line with what I have to offer as a solution to alleviate suffering and create wealth.
And so the idea of helping genuine people with building their expert brand came to me. Because when people would believe that what they are, despite their perceived flaws or shortcomings, could actually be of help for others too, that would alleviate the suffering of not feeling good enough, and actually help them in starting to create more wealth. So to help people feel good enough, I first had to help myself feeling good enough to actually do this.
The Plan To Pursue
And thus I created a new plan.
- I would create new profiles more in line with who I am and what I feel.
- Then I would be sharing the things and thoughts that I felt like they could benefit others too.
- In the meanwhile I would be answering more messages and placing more comments to posts which I liked and wanted to share, all in the hope that it would help me in getting noticed.
And I would even give away most of my best material for free, with long articles and real life coaching to people who asked for my help, in the hope that it would bring in more business in the long run.
The Obstacles To Overcome
But despite the ‘Thanks!’ and few ‘likes’ I received, my business didn’t grow. I kept on posting articles, sending e-mails to prospective clients and looking for other traffic sources to make it all work. It didn’t matter. The hours on end online, behind my desk filled with papers and sketches and hints of solutions that didn’t seem to work, and the flood of impressions that kept hitting my mind… I thought I was losing my sanity…
If I had known then that it would take me even more time and effort to continue on this new path, I probably wouldn’t have started with it in the first place. Yet, if I truly believed in my purpose, then there had to be a way to accomplish all these missions, despite all odds.
In the past I would have stopped, start something new again, or even dismissed the whole idea of a change within myself as the opening to the life I actually desired to live.
But this time it was different. I just felt there had to be an easier way to accomplish it all. So, again… I went deep inside…
The Actual Way Forward
After a few hours of meditation it suddenly came to me…
There was a way…
And it wasn’t all that hard.
It was all about some simple checklists. So I started to create them. And then comprised them into a package. And out of that, one single page emerged…
That page gave me…
► A concise overview of all things necessary for an online business to work wonders → This can actually give you a clear business plan too, measured to your own personal needs.
► A profound insight into why this online work is so valuable → It actually gives you the exact how to do it, step-by-step, useful shortcuts too.
► A fortunate foresight toward the freedom that can be experienced right now → And the follow-up actually gives you the opportunity for a prediction of revenues, profits and powerful freedom to finally thrive.
All in One Page!!!
How amazing is that!
Now I’m putting this into practice day in day out and my results are increasing by the minute. It’s truly amazing. No longer do I have to struggle so hard for more income, leads or clients. It’s all done for me thanks to this one single page that I’ve just put in place.
The Clarity For Consistent Success
What it actually helped me most with though, is that I don’t suffer from confusion and depletion anymore. It is clear what to do, how to do it, and especially when to do it in the right order for consistent results.
I can passionately deliver now what I have to offer, in a way that is useful and beneficial to all involved. I am now what I wanted to be when I started to create my own online business years ago. And I’m sure that the future holds even more magnificence to explore!
That’s why This One Page with which your desired future can also be written, it’s here for you today. I made it into a special easy to download format for you.
Simply go to this page and get exclusive access now:
www.ToolsForThoughtLeaders.com/the-journey-begins (sorry, but it’s currently unavailable through this website, but you can request it personally via my LinkedIn page)
You’ll love the clarity This One Page gives! So I hope you enjoy using it as much as I did when discovering. Let me know what you think!
And thank you for reading my story.
Sincerely,
Maurits van Sambeek
*****
P.S.: To have your online presence updated, streamlined and going strong for years to come, simply go to this page: www.ToolsForThoughtLeaders.com/the-journey-begins (sorry, but it’s currently unavailable through this website, but you can request it personally via my LinkedIn page)
It will give you a clear overview, profound insight and fortunate foresight into what your updated online presence can bring you in terms of profits, meaning and benevolence for years to come!
