Franklin Taggart's Unconventional Life Blog

There are certain things about life that we have very little control over. The inevitability of death, the basic level of intelligence we're born with, our personalities, and physical limitations are just a few of the cards we're dealt and have to learn to play with.  Everyone's hand is unique from everyone else's so the strategy that works for anyone else will have to be adapted or scrapped according to the hand we're playing. The same is true in our businesses. They are as unique as our fingerprints, and while some of the activities are similar from business to business, there is a unique set of circumstances and traits that every business owner must learn to play with. That was my motivation in developing the concept and practice of Marketing Modalities. I've seen that people who leverage their innate strengths and preferences in the way they bring their business into the world have a greater likelihood of success than when they try to use another person'

You have to try things in order to learn. Sometimes the things you try turn out as well or better than you'd hoped, sometimes they fall short. In this Coffee Break, Franklin shares some thoughts about things he's learned about failure. The successful software developer whose sophomore product tanked after nearly three years' investment of time and money. The well-known motivational coach and speaker who faced the pain of bankruptcy and a broken marriage. And Franklin's own story of changing course when his best songwriting efforts landed him a job as a carpet installer in a Nashville motel. Sometimes we need to regroup, redesign, and relaunch. Sometimes we need to move laterally to another opportunity. And sometimes we need to surrender to the greater scheme that is unfolding and ask to be shown our next place in it. #failure #selfdoubt #soulexpansion

Introversion is not a disability. Seems like there are a bunch of advice videos for how to deal with introverts. I think it's time to talk about how to live with extroverts. There needs to be a weekend workshop on how to be quiet and reflective, or how to live with less stimulation. The inspiration for this topic is that I live with two extrovert people and very likely one extrovert dog. The need for stimulation is constant around here and it just got more interesting today with my son's acquisition of a new drum set. I have a small room with headphones not attached to any device. I go there when I need to cleanse myself of the overstimulation around me. You'll hear an example in the video. Thanks for joining my Coffee Break! #introvert #livingtogether #extrovert

▼▼▼Watch and Listen Below!▼▼▼ People who work for themselves have a unique opportunity to build and grow businesses in their own way and on their own terms. For many of them, there is no blueprint for the building process, and they find themselves getting stuck with unanticipated circumstances and challenges. In those times, self-employed people can feel like there is no help available and that they are completely alone with their difficulties. Larry Kaul is a resource for solo business owners in times like these and beyond. His decades of experience in starting and growing seven-figure businesses in which he’s been self-employed make him uniquely qualified to help other business owners through these tricky waters.  His Revenue Climber Expedition leads self-employed business owners to move faster in the right direction, identify critical elements that hold them back, find new pathways and change trajectories, and stop wasting time on actions that don’t work. Your next step is to schedu

I gave a talk today and shared a strategy I use for creating business opportunities. Central to my strategy is my motto: Show Up, Pay Attention, Participate. I've found that when I do these things as a regular part of my routine, good things tend to come out of it. So I adopted the motto to remind me of my mission and my desire to serve. I love my motto so much tath I put it on merch. My friend, David Schmaltz says that you should start every creative process with the t-shirt. If the idea translates to the t-shirt, it's usually a good one. Check out the merch here: https://www.cafepress.com/happyworkstuff/7765418 I also am announcing my Discover Your Unique Marketing Modality Workshop on February 25th and March 4th. If you want to streamline your marketing process, leverage your innate strengths and preferences, and enjoy a better return with less investment of time and money, this workshop series is for you. Register here: https://franklin-taggart-coaching.teachable.com/p/disc

If you're experiencing lack or scarcity in your business or work, one suggestion I have is to watch how isolated you are. One thing that a business, like we humans, needs is connection. We're designed to thrive in groups of all sizes and shapes. And we're also given a natural process to recover from trauma and pain that often includes periods of isolation. In this Coffee Break, I'm thinking about the important distinction between isolation and solitude. Both have their place, but they're often confused. I heard Barbara Sher give a TEDx talk in which she said that isolation is the real opportunity killer, not attitude, and I think there is something to that. If you're too isolated as you're starting and growing your business, you're going to have more struggles than those who are more well connected and active within the communities they serve. Before you take a marketing or sales class, first reach out to the people who need what you have. Those connecti

I just cleared snow off our sidewalk and driveway and to my surprise found a metaphor I needed relating to a project I need to finish with some urgency. I love shoveling snow but as I've gotten older, it takes longer and I need more breaks. Today, I finished the walks pretty easily but I still had the driveway left to do, which takes a lot more energy. The only way to finish jobs like this is to keep moving one shovelful at a time until the job is done. This is relevant for a talk I'm finishing for Thursday afternoon's appearance at Soulful Entrepreneur Summit. It's been an upgrade of a talk I did a couple of years ago, but what remained to be done was more like a driveway than a sidewalk. It's taken several weeks to get to this point but even a few days ago I wondered if I would ever finish. One shovelful at a time. If you're in the middle of a project and you can't see the end yet, the best you can do is keep chipping away at it. We can only take one step