054: 10 Best Practices to Quickly Overcome Writer's Block

09/03/18 • 54 min

Buy Black Podcast | The Voice of Black Business

One of the worst feelings in the world for a creative person is having some version of writer’s block. Blogger, poet, author, painter, podcaster, student, business owner, or entrepreneur; your preferred creative medium doesn’t really matter. We’ve all had to overcome this beast at one point or another. In fact, I’m working through a pretty stubborn block as we speak so I decided to lean into the problem and share with you my 10 Best Practices to Quickly Overcome Writer’s Block.

(Hint: #10 is to create a piece of content about overcoming writer’s block...but SHHH! Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to ruin the surprise)

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Voices of Black Business Show Notes

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Today’s Voice of Black Business: 10 Best Practices to Quickly Overcome Writer’s Block [08:30] I Had Big Plans to Do Great Things

Have you ever had one of those weeks that started out great but by Tuesday, everything was completely off track. That’s exactly what just happened to me. I just knew this was going to be a productive seven days. I had plenty of appointments but not so many that I felt overwhelmed. I was ahead of schedule on releasing a few key pieces of solid content. Most importantly, I had blocked off the first two days of the long Labor Day Weekend to create and publish back-to-back podcast episodes to give my listeners plenty of content that would carry them through the holiday and into next week. I was sure I had it all lined out, but Murphy (with his stupid law) had me dead in his sights!

[13:30] Suddenly It All Went Downhill

Saturday morning, a technician came to my house to upgrade our internet package from 40mb to 1gb speed. The process went smooth enough and my internet was blazing in no time. As soon as the tech left, I began the process of connecting all of our devices to the the new Wi-Fi network. For my office desktop PC, I had the brilliant idea to connect it directly to my Wi-Fi range extender via ethernet cable to create a more stable connection. When I moved the PC to access the ethernet port in back, I somehow pulled one of the video cables which caused a disconnect inside the PC. The motherboard completely stopped recognizing my graphics card. Fifty troubleshooting attempts and 14 HOURS LATER, I managed to get the motherboard to read the graphics card again. Great! There went Saturday.

[16:35] The Final Straw

It’s cool, I may have lost Saturday, but Sunday, I’m goin’ in! NOPE! Sunday, I’m goin’ OFF! As in, the internet customer service because their defective “top-of-the-line” modem stopped working overnight! I had NO internet, like NONE. And you guessed it, there are no techs on call or stores open on Sunday...and Monday is a holiday. No internet until TUESDAY...and the tech tried to tell me I they couldn’t get a modem to me until WEDNESDAY! Oh, that was IT! I was done! Escalate me to a MANAGER NOW!

[21:45] From Resolution to Writer’s Block

After securing an early Tuesday morning tech ap...

(Hint: #10 is to create a piece of content about overcoming writer’s block...but SHHH! Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to ruin the surprise)

Subscribe to Buy Black Podcast

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart

Submit a question for our new monthly Question & Answer episode to: [email protected] Sponsors

Mike D’s BBQ - My good friend, Mike De Los Santos makes some of The World’s Best Barbeque Sauce! Don’t just take my word for it. Check out the growing list of awards Mike’s sauces and rubs are racking up!
- Get your Labor Day grill on point with The Best BBQ Sauce in North Carolina, 2017!
- Visit https://buyblackpodcast.com/bbq to Make Your Order Now!
- Use the code BUYBLACK to get FREE SHIPPING and an EXCLUSIVE GIFT with your purchase!
- Throw Some D’s On It!
10to8.com - The Free Online Booking Software that comes with Batteries Included!
- https://buyblackpodcast.com/10to8
Show your support for Buy Black Podcast!
- Become a Patron and gain Exclusive Access to behind-the-scenes and original content!
- PLUS get a shoutout on our new monthly Ask the Experts Q&A Episode!
- https://buyblackpodcast.com/patreon

Voices of Black Business Show Notes

**Click any timestamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.**

Today’s Voice of Black Business: 10 Best Practices to Quickly Overcome Writer’s Block [08:30] I Had Big Plans to Do Great Things

[13:30] Suddenly It All Went Downhill

[16:35] The Final Straw

[21:45] From Resolution to Writer’s Block

After securing an early Tuesday morning tech ap...

Previous Episode

053: Customers vs. Clients - 5 Tips to Convert Business Relationships

Do you know the difference between a “customer” and a “client”? If not, don’t worry! I struggled with understanding the nuance for a long time in my consulting career. In today’s episode, we’re going to examine the definitions of customers vs. clients, and lay down five key actions you can take to build business relationships that are more than transaction deep.

Subscribe to Buy Black Podcast

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart

Submit a question for our new monthly Question & Answer episode to: [email protected] 3 Key Points:

Know the difference between Customers vs Clients: Customers come to your business to get a product or a service. Your relationship is transaction-based. Loyal customers will happily patronize your business again and again, but that doesn’t make them clients. Client relationships typically feature and exchange of value based on a trust relationship and demonstrated expertise.
Become the Concierge: Everybody claims to “know a guy who knows a guy”. You want to be THAT Guy (or Gal)! Build a strong and diverse professional network and always look for opportunities to refer your customers to other people who can solve their problems. Not only does this increase your personal value in their eyes, but your peer business relationships grow stronger because of your referrals! DJay Reace and Oliver M. Fitzpatrick have some great techniques for building professional networks!
Have a Coaching or Consulting Offer Ready: If you build real relationships with your customers, many of them will ask for more access to you and your expertise. You NEED to be prepared for this with a structured coaching or consulting offer! Take the time, while you have it, to put together a basic offer for your services and have an agreement in your file library. There is no shortage of coaching/consulting agreement templates available on the web, but here’s the one that worked best for me Templates for Coaches.

Next Episode

055: Five Critical Behaviors of Successful Business Leaders w/ Chevan Baker

So you want to run your own business? Great! Don’t let fear keep you from getting started. In fact, you should get comfortable being UN-comfortable! In this episode, learn the five critical behaviors used by successful business leaders to stand out in the marketplace.

Subscribe: Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Get yours Questions & Answered in our monthly Q&A episode. Send yours to: [email protected] Sponsors

Mike D’s BBQ – My good friend, Mike De Los Santos makes some of The World’s Best Barbeque Sauce! Don’t just take my word for it. Check out the growing list of awards Mike’s sauces and rubs are racking up!
- Get your Labor Day grill on point with The Best BBQ Sauce in North Carolina, 2017!
- Visit https://buyblackpodcast.com/bbq to Make Your Order Now!
- Use the code BUYBLACK to get FREE SHIPPING and an EXCLUSIVE GIFT with your purchase!
- Throw Some D’s On It!
Show your support for Buy Black Podcast!
- Become a Patron and gain Exclusive Access to behind-the-scenes and original content!
- PLUS get a shoutout on our new monthly Ask the Experts Q&A Episode!
- https://buyblackpodcast.com/patreon

Voices of Black Business Show Notes

**Click any timestamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Voice of Black Business: Five Critical Behaviors of Successful Business Leaders w/ Chevan Baker Chevan’s #1 Piece of Advice: Don’t second guess yourself! You can accomplish anything!

[03:10] Interview begins
[04:00] The Tech Blog & The Senior Project
[13:30] The Value of Evergreen Content
[21:50] Back from Break

Five Critical Behaviors of Successful Business Leaders

[22:10] Build genuine relationships and strong networks
1. Always carry business cards and give them out generously
2. Work on your elevator pitch...always be ready to talk about your business
3. Shoot your shot!
4. Always be open and receptive to the moment - go where the people are
5. Be genuinely curious
6. Don’t be afraid of the challenge
7. Be a real leader - to control your path you must make the key decisions
[31:40] Control the path you walk. Take ownership of your destiny
1. Look at yourself as a CEO
2. Present yourself on purpose...all the time. Even down to the way you answer your phone
3. The only failed opportunity is a missed opportunity. Be prepared for the moment and step into it
[35:40] Take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you
1. [47:10] The Cold Shower Theory
[40:50] Get Comfortable Being UN-Comfortable
1. We are biased toward our own ideas
2. People will also tell you what you want to hear...don’t believe them
3. Pay attention to the data
4. Pay attention to what customers actually DO when they visit your site or walk through your door
5. Use https://trends.google.com to see what people are searching for...
6. [55:10] Google Trends Search Term Analysis Use Case Example
[48:30] Watch and Listen to Your Audience - Really Listen to Learn What They Want