Tyler Jorgenson

One Entrepreneur's Journey To Find Greatness

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The Battle

A friend once lent me a Steven Pressfield book called The War of Art. In the book Pressfield talks about something called Resistance. Resistance is that force that keeps us away from our full potential. Somedays we encounter it as laziness and other times we find Resistance dressed in the clothes of routine. The point is that, if we want to make anything of ourselves, we must fight Resistance in this long battle of personal development.

I look back on this blog and feel a spectrum of emotions wash over me. I feel sadness for not writing more. I feel pride for many of the posts since many of them tell stories of past battles. I feel shame for some of the posts seem silly or condescending through the lens of time.  I feel joy for the times I shared about my family.  But the emotion I expected least of all, the one that is catching me off guard like a punch in the gut, is that of fear.

I’m scared.

I’m scared that Resistance has been winning.

I’m scared that I’m operating below my potential.

What scares me most of all is I’m not sure how long Resistance has been winning.

The Shift

In the 2013 movie ‘Jobs’ Ashton Kutcher, playing legendary Apple founder Steve Jobs says to a project lead:

Ok Jeff, let’s get a couple of things straight, we don’t do fine, we don’t accept things the way that they are and we don’t stop innovating.  

In the movie I was reminded of an old Steve Jobs photo where he’s on his desk and there is a simple black poster with the word THINK written in rainbow colors and block font.

Ok Jeff, let’s get a couple of things straight, we don’t do fine, we don’t  accept things the way that they are and we don’t stop innovating.

That poster along with the quote I just shared seem to have awoken something within me.

I don’t accept fine.

I don’t accept things the way that they are.

I never stop innovating.

Let the battle rage on. I’m here for the war.

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Google Voice – 31 DoBA – Day 5

I am a big fan of the many wonderful services Google likes to let me use for free.  Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps (with free navigation on my phone), Google Apps, etc.  If you aren’t using Google Voice yet you are either missing out on some great features or paying too much for them.

Features that I love and why they are awesome

1 – One number rings to all of your phones.  My Google Voice number rings to my desk, cell and google chat.
2 – Switch live call from one line to another.  Say I’m at my desk and need to leave, with the push of a button I can move the call to my cell and head out the door.
3 – Call screening.  Does this have to be explained?  When you answer the call it announces who the caller is and then gives you the option to answer or send to voicemail.  Even after sending them to voicemail you can press * and connect to the live call.  You can turn of call screening for any number.  Turn it off for family.
4 – Pick your own number.  The last 4 digits of my number spell boat.  But in a more practical way this could help if you live in California but all of your family is in New York.  Getting a local New York area code could save some dough on Aunt Lula’s land line bill.
5 – Voicemail transcription.  The voicemails are transcribed and can be emailed or sent to you via text.
6 – Custom voicemail greetings.  Want your co-workers to hear a different greeting than your college buddy?  Set up a group and create different rules for them including greetings, which phones ring, available hours, etc.
7 – Call widgets.  Want people to be able to contact you but don’t want to give them your number?  Put a call widget like the one below on your site or blog.
8 – Cheap international calling.  Want to call China?  It’s only $0.02 per minute.
9 – Text from your computer.  You can text from your dashboard, which I love since I’m not a huge fan of typing out texts on my phone.
10 – Voicemail forwarding.  Did you get a funny message and want to share it?  Just forward it on and they can read the transcription and listen to it from their computer.

Google voice is great.  There are a ton more tips and tricks on how to get it set up and things you can do.  My understanding is that it’s open to join now, but if you need an invite just let me know and I can send you one.


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How To Set Up A Website – Volume 2

I got a lot of really good responses to my last post on how to set up a website.  It included the basics of getting your host and securing a domain name.  Now that you have your host and own a domain let’s set up a professional looking website in less than 5 minutes.

Step 1. Log in to your Dreamhost account

Hopefully you remember your password.  Just login and you should be at the ‘Let’s Get Started!’ page with the toolbox and main menu on the left side.

Step 2. Install WordPress

WordPress is my website builder of choice because it is fully customizable and has a very big support network.  There are countless plugins that can make your WordPress site do anything you’d like.  I use it for eCommerce, blogs (like this one you are reading), real estate and more.  It’s a bit robust if you’re just building a splash page or 2 page test site, so I’ll cover site’s like Weebly in a different post.

1. In the Toolbox Click ‘One-Click Installs’
2. Click on ‘Install new website software – Advanced mode
3. A list of icons pop up, select WordPress and
4. Below the icons is an ‘Install to:’ option.  Select your site from the drop down menu and leave the part after the / blank.
5. Click ‘Install it for me now!’

Dreamhost will now install the latest version of WordPress to your site for you.  If you did everything right you will receive an email from Dreamhost in the next few minutes with the title “Success installing WordPress on your site!”

Step 3. Create a WordPress Admin account

1. Click on the link in your Success email that should look like this:  http://www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/install.php
2. At the welcome screen add a Site Title (This is the ‘name’ of your site and can be changed later)
3.  Leave the Username as ‘admin’
4. Create a strong password that you can remember.
5. Enter your main free email account (so you can access password resets from anywhere).
6. Click on ‘Install WordPress’

If done right you will now be at a Success! screen.  Look how good you’re doing!

7.  Click ‘Log In’ and log in with your username and password you just created.

Step 4. Customize Your Site in Your Dashboard

1.  Click  ‘Settings’ in the left panel.  Usually the last option
2. Select ‘General’ in the sub menu
3. Change the Tagline.  By default it says ‘Just another WordPress site.  That’s not cool.  Be cool.
4. Change your time zone
5. Click ‘Save Changes’
6. Click ‘Permalinks’ in the left sub menu
7. Chose either ‘Day and Name’ or ‘Month and Name’ if this is going to be a blog.  This is much better for search engines and looks much better than having just a post number at the end of your URL for each post.
8. Click ‘Save Changes’
9. Click ‘Comments’ in the left Menu about half way up.  Delete the ‘Hi, this is a comment.’ comment by hovering over it and selecting ‘Trash’.
10. Select ‘Posts’ towards the top of the left menu and then ‘Posts’ again in the sub menu.  Delete the ‘Hello World’ post
by hovering over it and selecting ‘Trash’.

You’ve now cleaned up your site so you can make it yours.  Your site is actually already live but we want to make it pretty.  It’s time to pick a theme.

Step 5. Chose and Install a Custom WordPress Theme

1. Click ‘Appearance’ in the left menu
2. Click ‘Themes’ in the sub menu
3. There are about 42 themes  installed for you already.  There are thousands more online, but you should be able to find one here that will fit your needs while you get started.  Browse the available themes and when you find one you like click ‘activate’.

That’s it, you’ve now updated and completely changed the look of your site in three easy clicks.

Step 6.  Add content

If you’re moving blogspot/blogger blog then this is easy.  You can simply import all of your previous posts and comments.

1. Select ‘Tools’ in the left menu
2. Select ‘Import’ from the sub menu
3. Blogger is the first option (log in to your google account in a different window first) Click ‘Blogger’
4. Click ‘Authorize’
5. Click ‘Grant Access’
6. Select which blog to import and click the magic button ‘Import’.
7. Since Blogger and WordPress have different usernames, select the one on WordPress that you want to line up with your blogger account and click ‘Save Changes’.  At this point your blog will import itself.

Step 7. Add/Edit Pages

WordPress starts you off with an ‘About’ page.  I usually leave this page but edit it to actually be about the website I’m building.

1. Click ‘Pages’ from the left menu
2. Click ‘Pages’ from the sub menu
3. Hover over ‘About’ and click edit
4. Edit the content to be all about you or your site (add photos with the Upload/Insert option at the top)
5. Click ‘Update’ over on the right

Congratulations.  You have now entered the real world where you can run with the big dogs.  No more will your name be post scripted with some giant corporate entities greedy tagline.  You’re free and you’re ready to rule the world.

In Volume 3 we’ll add my must have plugins for WordPress and customize your site a bit more with a widget or two.  Isn’t this fun!?

Click here to go back to How To Set Up A Website – Volume 1

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How To Set Up A Website – Volume 1

So, you’ve decided that you don’t want to rely on a blogspot domain or some other free service.  You want to roll deep and go big like the pros.  Good for you.  Here’s a step by step guide on how to set up your host and buy your first domain.

Getting your website host and domain.

Definitions:

Host – This is where the files, pictures, and actual website content is stored and accessed when people go to your website on their computer.  Sort of a digital warehouse where items are stored.

Domain – Also known as your URL or Uniform Resource Locater this is the website address that people will type in their browser to visit your site.  They cost about $10 per year for a .com domain, are as cheap as 89 cents for a .info domain and up to $45 for a .tv domain.  .com is the best and most used.

Step 1. Sign up for a hosting service

I use Dreamhost and am very happy with them.  It’s $97 per year for as many domains as you can store.  Click http://www.dreamhost.com/r.cgi?248559 and enter coupon code tylerjorgenson and you’ll get $17 off.  If you use the Dreamhost coupon codes provided here I get credit and am able to help you should you get stuck.  Please use coupon code tylerjorgenson

Step 2. Buy a domain

If you’ve already determined your domain name then you need to buy it right away so it doesn’t get purchased by somebody else.  If you are still brainstorming use sites like www.makewords.com or www.godaddy.com to brainstorm but do not buy the domain there.  It is much easier if you buy it through your dreamhost account.

1. Log in to your Dreamhost account
2. Click ‘Domains’ in the left toolbar
3. Click ‘Registrations’
4. Type your desired domain into the ‘Domain to Register’ box and click ‘Check Availability’
5. On the registration page select ‘Use DreamHost’s free WHOIS privacy service‘, fill out the info and click continue
6. Select # of years, click continue (Note: Search engines take this into account when ranking your site.  More years registered gets better results)
7. Enter Credit Card info and click continue
8. Congratulations – you now own a domain.

Step 3. Add your domain to your host

It will take a few minutes for this to show up since the registration is taking place behind the scenes.  Go get a slurpee and come back to your dreamhost control panel in about an hour.

1. Log in to your Dreamhost account
2. Click ‘Domains’ in the left toolbar
3. Click ‘Manage Domains’
4. Your domain should appear under ‘Registered domains without hosting’ , click ‘Add Hosting’
5. Leave everything as is, fill in the visual captcha and click ‘fully host this domain now’

Wham Bam! You have a domain and a host.  In our next series we’ll give you a few more action items to get a website actually set up.

Click here for How To Set Up A Website – Volume 2

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The Return of Awesomeness

If Justin Timberlake were to write a sequal to his ‘hit’ song I’m bringing sexy back it would have to be I’m bringing awesome back.  Awesome seems to be a word from the 90’s that just won’t go away.  For a while it was being used to describe things that weren’t all that great, it had just become a standard description.

I use google voice, and love it.  Google had a post called “Google Voice, Explained” and at the end of the first video they declared that Google voice provided ‘less annoyance, more awesomeness’ to telephony.

I agree Google Voice is awesome.

Google Voice became awesome by looking at a system that had evolved but hadn’t changed much much of it’s core in 20 years.  As cell phones went from science fair project, to rich man’s toy, to a must have for 4 year old children voicemail stayed the same.  Google voice changed that, and made it better.

When considering starting, or continuing even, a business are you going to copy another companies business model?  If so, is that model current and progressive.  I don’t think the market needs another video rental chain, or fake starbucks.

The market is begging for innovation.

The market wants awesomeness.

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The Long, Slow Death of Blogging

Blogging is dying, or maybe it’s already dead. I’ve been noticing that people still do blog posts and that blog activity is still high (so say our analytics) but that people have started to comment less and less. This may be happening for a few reasons.

Why Blogs are Dying

1. When the blogging craze was picking up steam a few years back people followed 10-15 other people’s blog posts. Today it seems to have bloomed to dozens. In the old days if I were a Mommy Blogger sitting down in my spare 45 minutes between laundry, soccer practice, cooking dinner and church meetings I would have been able to squeeze off a post about cheerios in the nose and still blog surf and leave a few comments. But now, after writing that post I have to try and navigate 50 blogs with updates just so that the next free moment doesn’t greet me with 100 new posts. I’m fighting a losing battle.

2. Facebook. The present of the internet landscape has changed the way we interact. The advent of the ‘Like’ button has greatly sped up the ability to leave our stamp upon a status update, note, picture, etc. Plus, everything streams to one central place. No more hunting down, link to link, somebody’s most recent post. It shows up in a summarized feed.

I’ve had this blog since before the word was well understood and I haven’t always been the most active poster. I enjoy the medium but have found the centrality that facebook offers much more appealing in the long run.

Why Blogs Will Still Exist

1. Some people still use postal mail for letters. Some people haven’t adopted the reality that facebook isn’t a fad. Some people are slow to change.

2. It’s great for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Although I feed this blog into my facebook profile it’s still a good source for increasing search engine rankings. Although the present and future of the web may be more focused on social networking sites blogging can be a great tool when properly applied.

3. Many people do it more for themselves than for others. For many, especially ‘Mommy Bloggers’ posting a new post on their blog provides 2 things. A sense of accomplishment and a journal for the future.

What’s Next?

I have no idea. I understood why Facebook would work but am still surprised that Twitter was such a crowd pleaser. There will certainly be new things in the future as change is the only constant. One thing I would recommend, don’t be afraid of change. Enjoy the technology and advancements, just don’t forget that real life relationships are what matter most.

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Outsourcing

My Father sent me this number and told me to call. 267-436-5123.

Give it a call.

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Goodbye to my Treo

Dear John… I mean Treo,

I know we’ve both felt this for sometime. The disconnect between us has been growing for a couple of years now. We’ve both tried to work on our relationship. When our relationship first struggled with the 600 we went to counseling and I upgraded to the 650, again a while later when I upgraded to the 680. I know that give and take is needed in any relationship, so I have been patiently giving knowing that time is needed for personal growth and product development. Most recently it has seemed like there just wasn’t enough battery life in our time together. You wouldn’t call when you said you would and I just couldn’t count on you to get turned on no matter how hard I tried to push your buttons. I know many couples face this and work through it, so I feel I must tell you that there is another device in my life now. One that listens to me, whose buttons are far more simpler to push and responds so much more intuitively to my every touch. I know that it’s hard to put blame on anybody here, and just know that it’s not you… it’s me. I wanted more in a relationship…

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