You may have read my post yesterday titled “I’m Not Shit if You Don’t Know Me.”

Thank you so much if you did. You helped make that post my most successful one yet. It shows me that I really do have something to say that people will read and can use to improve their lives.

I took a risk with that post yesterday. I cussed a shit ton in that post. A lot more than I usually do. Heck, I even insulted you guys because I was trying to get a reaction out of you. It looks like it worked. My fiance read it and even texted me “I would suggest maybe a little less curse words next time?”

I thought about toning it down before I posted it but I don’t think it would have gotten the point across as effectively. Posting something like that took me out of my comfort zone but we know by now that’s a good thing from my past post.

Sure I was worried that I’d get some hate but I realized that would probably just be from a handful of readers anyways so it was worth the risk. I could have played it safe but I would have been disappointed with myself if I did. I wouldn’t have known just how far I could have pushed my writing limits. My writing would not have progressed if I kept it the same.

So what are some takeaways you can use?

• When given an opportunity to play it safe or take a risk, decide to take the risk. Figure out what’s the worst that could happen if you do and just go with it. Pissing off a handful of readers was worth the risk if I could move the majority of my readers closer to taking action.
• Know your customers/readers/clients/etc. I’d say the majority of my readers come from our Tumblr blog. If I had to group those followers in a specific group, they’d probably be people who enjoy older motorcycles. I’ve been around this group of people for years and I’ve come to know them as genuine, hard-working, happy people who won’t be turned off by some cuss words and tough love. If you cater to a group of people who are insensitive to such words, then you probably shouldn’t have said what I did.
• Be yourself. Don’t try to please everyone. If you cuss, then cuss. Don’t tone it down. People are too fuckin’ sensitive these days. It seems like everyone is a copy of a copy these days. That’s boring to me. Too often, people play it safe because they don’t want to offend anyone. But you don’t really get anywhere by playing it safe, do you? I’m not trying to cater to soccer moms who live in mansions and have so much Botox in their face that you can’t tell when they’re smiling. I’m trying to cater to people who roll up their sleeves and get shit done. You have tattoos? Hell yeah! Same here! You don’t want a conventional career? Good. Me neither. I don’t care what you look like, what you do for a living, or how much money you have; all I care about is that you want to take your time and your life into your own hands by going self-employed.
• Not everyone will be a fan of you….the “real” you. And that’s a good thing. You don’t need everyone to like you; just a couple of people. By keeping it “real,” you actually decide who you want your customers/clients/fan/readers to be. You may turn some people away but that’s okay; you weren’t a good fit for one another anyways. Don’t take it as a bad thing. It just is what it is.

What do you think? Do you have anything to add?

P.S. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! A special Happy Father’s Day to my dad who took the risk of coming to the United States on a work visa and went back home with an American wife. He decided to leave everything he knew back in Germany to move us to the United States for greater opportunities for us. He followed his American Dream and started a vintage motorcycle shop and let me be a huge part of it. The risks he took have made me the man I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful for that!

Also, I’m now on this thing called Twitter. Check me out @SelfMployedMvmt