Rehumanize Your Business, Ethan Beute, BombBomb, book, readers, reading

11 Tips To Write A Book From a No-Name, First-Time Author

January 3, 2020 / Ethan Beute

I always knew that I was going to write a book about my experience with simple, personal videos at BombBomb, but I was never clear on the intended audience or exact topic. Telling the story of a software company with which I’ve experienced +15,000% customer growth and +2,000% employee growth would be interesting. But who would it be for? Fans and friends of the company? Aspiring software moguls? It seemed self-indulgent and presumptuous to write that book.

Then, I hit my 6-year anniversary as a full-time team member, was struck with how far we’d come as a community, and published this blog post in October 2017.

The post was a declaration. An ownership claim. A planted flag.

The “relationships through video” movement is our movement – one we’re pioneering with, through, and for our customers. The philosophy and practice of communicating, connecting, and converting more effectively with webcam and smartphone videos in place of plain, typed-out text were created and advanced within our community.

But that avowal was as far as I took it for several months, until I decided to take the ideas in that post, information in hundreds of other blog posts, tips from dozens of webinars and stage presentations, lessons from TEDx and Ignite talks, new research, and various other things I’d learned and shared over the years and … write a book.

As a no-name, first-time author, this was no small undertaking.

Apparently, becoming an author is a common goal, so I thought I’d share some things I learned over the past 18 months from the time I decided to write a book through the first 15,000 copies sold of Rehumanize Your Business, a book I co-authored with my friend Steve Pacinelli.

Rehumanize Your Business, write a book, publish a book, Ethan Beute, BombBomb, Seattle, Barnes & Noble, readers — Friends and readers of Rehumanize Your Business.
#rehumanize

11 Tips to Write a Book

This list is by no means exhaustive. Steve and I learned so much over the past 18 months – too much to share in a single post.

If you want to write a nonfiction book, these tips may be more relevant than if you want to write fiction.

If you want to write a book, these tips may be more relevant than if you want to have one ghostwritten for you.

Whether you want to get a book published or you want to self-publish, these tips should be equally relevant to you.

If your question isn’t addressed here or you want more detail on any of these stories or ideas, please reach out to me on LinkedIn and I’ll offer what I can!

1: Find Your Motivation

For me, this one was easy. I’ve already described it here in this post. It’s what drives me every day to show up and bring my best to a team, community, and concept I’ve been working with for about a decade.

What we’ve done within our community at BombBomb has changed lives and careers (I know it sounds dramatic, but I’ve heard it dozens of times) by allowing people to be more personal and human in their business communication. More people should know about the opportunity and have help to get started. Organizing all our best stories, ideas, tips, and guidance into one package is a great way to do that.

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Software Evangelist and Bus Driver: A Perfect First Job

January 27, 2019 / Ethan Beute

Sometimes it’s easy to say “yes.”

When my long-time friend and mentor Lori Cook introduced me to Christine Feuerstein, the Microsoft sales rep putting together a unique project, committing to earn a commercial driver’s license, drive a converted 70-seat school bus thousands of miles, and travel as a software evangelist to more than 20 cities earned an easy, affirmative response.

My undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan was just a year young. I was running shipping and receiving at a faltering business that leased, sold, and serviced copiers and other business machines. I was ready for a first “real” job and for some adventure, something missing in my day-to-day. This assignment was one of the best things that could have happened to me at the time.

I’m glad I shot photos along the way with my 35mm point-and-shoot camera. More than 20 years later, I finally got around to scanning the photos I could find (I know there are many more than you’ll see here; I wish I could find them) and thought I’d write this up.

Drop a comment at the end with any feedback or questions about the trip – or about a great job you’ve enjoyed!

Chicago skyline from Navy Pier — Navy Pier, Chicago

Preparing To Be a Software Evangelist and Bus Driver

For four or five months, I ramped up for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity by teaching elementary-school-aged children basic programming and software use in one of those learning centers you’d find in an upscale strip mall. Like today’s Kumon, but specifically computer-oriented. The year was 1996, so computing was viewed as the “plastics” of The Graduate and a parent would be happy to sign her or his child up for such things.

While I was learning patience and developing teaching skills, I was also building such skills as parallel parking a 35-foot-long school bus. I don’t remember the driving tests or licensing process, but it all worked out.

Meanwhile, a clever team was ripping seats out of a school bus, installing a 10-station computer lab that ran off servers in the back, installing an amazing sound system with a marine, multi-disc CD changer, and wrapping the exterior with custom artwork. Many people told me the look reminded them of the Partridge family bus, a reference I didn’t understand but accepted as fair. In hindsight, the Microsoft Discovery Bus looked better than theirs.

Word Is Bond: “Whatever You Do, Just Make the Brand Stronger”

July 22, 2018 / Ethan Beute

My experience with Brooks running shoes started a few years ago in a specialty shop, Runners Roost in downtown Colorado Springs (locally owned since 1977). I tested shoes from classics like Saucony and New Balance, the gorilla Nike, and newcomers On and Altra. Brooks fit and felt the best, so I left with a pair of their neutral, lightweight Ghost 7s for $120.

Years later, I’ve since run through several pairs. Years from now, I’ll almost certainly still be running in Brooks. I rarely pay full retail for products with such fast product cycles; you can always pick up a version one or two models back at a serious discount. And yet I’ve bought two Ghosts at full retail.

Here in this post, hear a customer service story about what Brooks did to make their brand stronger in the place it matters most – a customer’s heart and mind.

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Pay Attention to Yourself First for More Creative Thought

April 7, 2018 / Ethan Beute

Pay attention.

In a noisy, distracting world, you often give your attention away. Sometimes it’s taken away. Either way, you’re paying.

Consistent with a financial fundamental, pay yourself first. Invest more of your attention into yourself. You’ll appreciate the benefits.

Per science (easy read, better read), spending more time in the absence of noise and distraction will:

Grow new brain cells that become functioning neurons
Increase self-reflective thought that’s deeper and more creative
Reduce overall stress and tension
Improve cognitive performance (reading attention, memory, problem solving)

But competition for your attention is high.
Especially when your awareness or will is low.

Here in this post: one new trend that further increases that competition, a fundamental concept behind creative thought, and a caution to be intentional about silence and reflection.

organizational behavior, organizational psychology, purist, pragmatist, polarity, dynamics, back to back, face off

Organizational Behavior: The Purist and The Pragmatist

December 17, 2017 / Ethan Beute

“Both are necessary. Both are important.”

You need people who can hold the line. And you need people who can get things done.

John Mackey, Co-Founder and initial CEO of Whole Foods Market and co-author of Conscious Capitalism, gave me specific language for a common dynamic in organizational behavior.

In words he shared on Rich Roll’s podcast, the purist and the pragmatist are at the heart of a valuable tension in businesses, organizations, and movements.

I expect you’ll recognize it.

volkswagen, vw jetta, jetta wagon, cars, subaru, forester, subaru forester

5 Ways Our VW Jetta Wagon Beats Our Subaru Forester

November 19, 2017 / Ethan Beute

I’m not a car guy. The closest I get is a twinge of excitement upon receipt of the release of Consumer Reports‘ annual car issue (it’s pretty good).

This means I’ve not jammed this “car” post full of specs like backseat headroom, cargo space, or acceleration. Instead, it’s based on years of ownership experience – and the experience demanded this be organized and published.

We’ve not had a car payment in years. We’re driving a 2003 Volkwagen Jetta wagon and a 2008 Subaru Forester. We paid the same price for each, but there are 5 ways the former beats the latter for an average driver.

Here are quick acquisition stories – and some unanticipated woes of owning the Subaru Forester. #5 is when it gets expensive.

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