StartStories
Stories about STARTers!
Dating // Stu Tully
Stu Tully It had been a long time since I’d been on a date, let alone been in a relationship (over five years, to be exact). After a bad breakup, I felt I didn’t have anything to offer to a lady in a relationship, `additionally, I had pretty low self-esteem about myself in general and I just stopped trying. Thankfully, the Start Experiment helped me to rid myself of this mindset. One of the goals I set for the initial 24 days was to go on a proper date with someone I met in real life. To be honest, I felt this was the most difficult of my challenges because it depended on someone else. My other goals could be accomplished through self-discipline, but this one needed an outsider to agree to go out with me. Without anyone on my dating radar, I took the risk of opening myself up more. I began attending all sorts of activities and gatherings with the intent of simply meeting people. I dropped my usual quiet façade and began introducing myself to people, taking the initiative instead of waiting for them to ask me. The turning point came at a wedding reception I attended on day 20 of the experiment. Instead of just sitting off to the side, I actively asked girls to dance. It was a risk, considering I didn’t know any of the persons I asked, but one agreed. We ended up dancing together for the rest of the night. Afterwards, I asked her to go to dinner the next week. She agreed. And the rest is history, so they say. I write this the day after our dinner date. It went quite well. I’m not sure if it will develop into a proper relationship, and frankly, I don’t care. I put myself more out there than I had in years, and although taking the risk was frightening, it was ultimately worth it. I could have never imagined this particular goal succeeding when I started the experiment, yet here I sit, knowing that making the risk was indeed the best course of...
Read MoreFacing Fear // Amy Campbell
Amy Campbell I read the START book on a family vacation in May of 2013. I’ve been divorced for 12 years, I’m the mother of an 11 year old and I’m a statistic-breaker. It’s statistically improbable that I would be an entrepreneur. I created MyResumeLady.com in September of 2008 because Dave Ramsey said in Total Money Makeover that I needed to get another job to pay off my bills. Had it not been for being “released from serving” my corporate employer in March of 2010, I doubt very much I would have had the guts to be a “Quitter” and launch TheRedChecker.com in June of 2010. Both are debt free growing companies. The Red Checker (TRC), is heading into year four with some incredible case studies and advocate global-footprint companies as clients. Our processes are proven. We have a lot to be proud of. But, we never tell anyone about it and we don’t do the things for TRC that we do for our clients world-wide. Why? Fear. It is my fear that has kept me from taking TRC to the possible heights. Fear that says: Who am I to say that? It’s already been said, better, by someone else! What are they going to say about me whenever I say “THAT”? I spent the first 24 days committed to my START. I would do content building for my own thought-leadership positioning and utilize the tools I have for lead generation, lead capture, marketing/lead qualification and revenue generation, just like I do for my clients. Until START, I have hidden behind my consulting and haven’t really found the courage to tell others about it. I found that the START Experiment provided a safe, positive, non-judgmental place to turn for encouragement about my struggles. The wonderful thing was, we were all taking a really big risk. We told complete strangers our deep fears and nobody laughed. Instead, people commented that they had felt or thought or done/not done, many of the same things. It was such a wonderful bonding thing to happen. I began to really care for other STARTers and cheer for their successes, and prayed for their struggles as well. STARTers were raw, open, honest, collaborative, witty and funny, loving in many cases, and overall, some of the most amazingly REAL people I have found anywhere on the web. Plans have been made to meet several who have been instrumental in enhancing the START Experience for me. This level of inclusiveness is rare. Very rare. In 24 days of START, with the daily posts from Jon and the encouragement of other STARTers, I soft launched my new website, published a whitepaper on becoming a thought leader in your industry, began scheduling posts for social media, and have held audience with 5 new prospects. That is more progress than I’ve made in a year, or possibly two. I am committed to my audacious goal of doing more of those things mentioned previously, and also taking the message online to YouTube and GIVING AWAY THE INFORMATION companies need to make Marketing a Revenue Generating Machine. I want to be a blessing to others. I want to grow and employ passionate and inspired people who are looking for meaningful, worthwhile...
Read MoreGenerosity is Contagious
Generosity is contagious. VERY contagious. We know this is true. So why does it always surprise us when we watch it multiply before our eyes? Tuesday, we witnessed Ryan Westbrooks’ excitement as his dream of attending the START Conference came true. It was due to a generous anonymous donation made on his behalf. We celebrated with him and encouraged him to take great notes and represent the #STARTExp well. For many, it was another example of the acts of generosity that have been contagious in the group. But for one person, it was the birth of an idea. Casey Lewis loved watching Ryan’s excitement over receiving a gift that meant so much to him. And in true STARTer fashion, he got a big idea, and instantly decided to take action. He started talking to a few people he trusted and they quickly joined forces to formulate a plan. What if we could do this for someone else in the group? What if we could include airfare, lodging and a ticket to the conference? What would it take to make this happen? We are so excited to announce The Generosity Project – A Start Conference Scholarship. It is the first project of #STARTJoy, which is a movement being developed by FrankenSTART. The goal is to spread joy, scholarships, and awards for STARTers hustling on their dreams. It is an extension of the Start Experiment, but just like FrankenSTART, it is completely independent from The Lampo Group and Jon Acuff. Our goal with this first project is to join together as a group and raise $1,000 in seven days. This will cover the cost of awarding one scholarship to the Start Conference. What would it take, you ask? Only 100 people (out of 3,390) willing to donate $10 each, will make a dream come true for a fellow STARTer. UPDATE! We thought it would take 7 days to fund one scholarship. You proved us WRONG. It took only 90 minutes. So, we know you want to do MORE! Let’s do it. Let’s go for 5 SCHOLARSHIPS. #DriveFor5 Let’s show everyone what it feels like to #STARTjoy! Knowing what we know of the people in this amazing Experiment, we are absolutely convinced we can do this. We have made it super easy for you. To help fund the scholarship, you can donate through our GoFundMe campaign. If you want to attend the START Conference, please use the Google Form to submit your completed essay to be eligible for consideration. It contains three questions, and we simply want to know about you, and why you want to go to the START Conference. You can see all of the details of the scholarship process listed below. We can’t wait to see how generosity multiplies through this awesome experiment, and the many #STARTJoy projects to come. The Generosity Project – A #StartConference Scholarship Purpose: Join together as a community and help a STARTer get to the Start Conference in Brentwood, TN on September 13th and 14th, 2013. Deadlines: Fundraising takes place 8/24 through 8/31 Applications received: 8/24 through 8/27 at 11:59pm Submission guidelines: Applicants answer three questions and complete the application via this Google Form. Winners will be selected by a group of five panelists who will review submissions. All names will be removed and replaced with a number for anonymity. The panelists will choose five finalists, and then the Start Experiment group will choose a final winner. The winner will be announced on 9/3/2013 at noon CST. Winner receives: Scholarship towards Start Conference ticket, hotel accommodations, and airfare/transportation (Meals and incidentals not included) Jon Acuff has also generously offered to schedule a 30 minute coaching session after the conference with the winner! Contest funding: Donations will be collected from the Start Experiment members through GoFundMe. Minimum suggested donation: $10 No donation required to enter scholarship contest. Additional details: Money raised will be used to fund the winning prize package. If the minimum of $1000 is not raised, we will refund the money given. No purchase necessary. No cash value. To qualify, you must be willing and...
Read MoreFear Fighter
The memories are still haunting. Her two year old being pulled from her arms. Her four year old screaming he promised to be good if they let him stay. Having to watch helplessly as they took away all four of her children. She was sick, and her desire to live was gone. “My spark was almost dead because my body felt like it was dying and my mind was almost gone,” she recalls. Those memories are hard places for Shanna Delap to return to. It was the most difficult time of her life. But this story, including all of its challenges, is what fueled an incredible transformation and the birth of a dream. Shanna was hospitalized after her children were taken away. She had been misdiagnosed previously, and was on a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs. Her doctors later told her that the combination she was taking should have killed her. During her hospitalization, she discovered she was pregnant. Doctors quickly suggested an abortion, as they believed the baby would be disabled due to the drug complications. Shanna refused. She left the hospital with the clothes on her back, and found herself without a job, a car, and homeless. She was estranged from her family and had lost every friend she ever had when her kids were taken away. With nowhere else to turn, she went to the Appleton shelter. During her initial meetings, doctors and social workers told her the situation was impossible. They said “The kids you already have deserve better, and you need to sign this paper to give your baby up for a special needs adoption. You can’t do this.” What they didn’t know about Shanna is that she was a fighter. She loved her kids with everything she had, and she committed to doing anything she could to get them back. It was seven months of hard work before she was able to see her kids again. Even then, it was in a supervised room with a two way mirror. It only made her fight harder to find a place to live and prove she could support and care for her children. She continued to hear from everyone that she couldn’t do it. It was impossible. Yet, she didn’t believe them. She knew she could do it. During mandatory morning meetings at the shelter, she would hear people list all of the reasons they couldn’t do something. It would light a fire under her as she would tell them “Don’t tell me you can’t do it. I’m pregnant and homeless. I’m still doing it, and you can too.” When she delivered her daughter, Grace, the only person in the room was an administrator from the shelter. Not long after the birth, the shelter started a program to help raise awareness of kids and homelessness. They chose to name it Project Grace, after Shanna’s daughter. She developed a strong relationship with the shelter staff, as they watched and encouraged her to keep fighting. She was quickly becoming an exception to the rule when it came to beating homelessness. The staff noticed something different in Shanna. She was fighting like many others weren’t, and she was determined to prove everyone wrong. She found a job. She took taxis and buses to work. She walked wherever she could. She worked extremely hard to do what she knew was best for her family. It took just over one year, but she did it. She was reunited with her kids, had a steady job, and had found a place of her own to live. She had beaten the statistics. Fast forward ten years later. Shanna’s life has not been easy. She has continued to beat the odds by fighting for everything she has. She was reunited with the shelter staff when she returned to her hometown of Appleton after living in Florida for a while. They were in the process of writing a story on the 10 year anniversary of Project Grace. Grace and Shanna were invited to be interviewed and attend...
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