This has been quite the journey...

Hey, {NAME}. What a couple of months it's been. It's been pretty crazy, and I thought I'd share a little bit of what's been going on. I hope you find it interesting. This will be a long message. Here we go... You may or may not know it, but my business has been in a desperate need of a reboot. After 11 years, a business needs to evolve, and mine simply hasn't done that. There are good reasons for that, of course. For the first 10 years or so, my entire focus was on building my business around spending more time with my family. We have three boys, and they were 10, 7, and 3 when this adventure started. They kept us incredibly busy. I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could, including coaching their baseball teams (which required a significant commitment of time and energy, but I loved it!). Anyway, it's a long story, but I prioritized efficiency and resisted change -- change of software, processes, strategies, business model, and focus. Any change could slow me down, distract me, and rob me of time. Or so I thought. I made some strategic mistakes. I failed to evolve. Then 2020 happened. It just seemed to accelerate every problem I faced. My oldest son is now a senior in college and preparing for med school (how??). My middle son started his own college journey this summer. I wrapped up my final year as a baseball coach (for now) this past summer as my youngest son was moving into high school. Two kids out of the house. No more coaching. In other words, I was about to have a whole lot of time on my hands. And it came at a great time. I needed to refocus. I needed to change. Before that change happened, I needed to understand what needed to change. What was different now? What was I doing several years ago that I'm not doing now? How is the landscape changing, and how could I change with it? So, here's what I did... PODCASTING AND NETWORKING One of the biggest differences in my business today compared to several years ago is I feel isolated now. This was my own doing. My podcast was previously a greater focus. I'd have new guests on my show regularly. I was a guest on podcasts regularly. The result of these things is that I was building a natural network of friends. You take for granted how important that network is. You need it for support. You need to have those cheerleaders in your corner. The result of isolation is feeling like you're battling it all by yourself. The other natural benefit of networking is on the business itself. When I was on these podcasts, I reached new audiences. New potential customers. Constantly growing. Well, I've recorded as a podcast guest 13 times since the start of November. I'm meeting new people and getting exposed to new audiences. This is only the beginning. I have a blast doing this and telling my story, and I look forward to making it a regular part of my routine. I'm looking for more podcasts to be on in January! A COMMITMENT TO SHORT-FORM VIDEO When I look back, it makes sense why I resisted this movement to short-form video. First, it was a very big challenge for me personally. I don't like being on video. But I also don't want to worry about the lighting, what I look like, what I'm saying, and the technology. The whole thing was overwhelming and scary to me. It made me uncomfortable, and I also felt like a complete novice. I didn't want to do something that I knew I wasn't good at. But, as mentioned at the top, I had reached a breaking point. And I also happened to have a whole lot of time on my hands. I can't even tell you how this came to be. One day, I was 100% opposed to TikTok. The next day, I had told myself that I was going to create the most followed TikTok account on Facebook advertising education. I then recorded 70 videos in October. I've kept it going in November and December. I did this by giving myself permission to create bad videos. It was part of the process. There was no reason to be scared of it. It was frustrating at times. I was committed and inefficient, which is a recipe for burnout. But it got better. And I started feeling more confident. Eventually, I started seeing some real payoff. I repurposed these videos to Facebook and Instagram Reels, among other places. I began reading comments from people who appreciated them. So many would say that they were excited to see them because they hadn't seen me in their feed for years. And then the greatest validation of all happened. Time after time I'd have a one-on-one or new PHC member who would tell me: They were here because of my videos. Total lightbulb moment. It helped me understand that, for the first time, how video fits for my business. It wasn't about driving traffic or measuring ROI. It was about reaching people and making an emotional connection -- something that is so much easier with video. I hope you're following me on [TikTok](. If you're not, you'll see many of the same videos on [Facebook](=) and [Instagram](. It's been a fun experience, and I know that I have a lot of growth ahead of me. Something you'll get from me in these videos is transparency. Sure, I'll teach you about advertising. Lots of tutorials. But, you'll also get some glimpses behind the scenes as well as thoughts on entrepreneurship and video creation. So, if you're resistant to short-form video or just getting going, I hope you'll join this journey with me. I want to encourage you. It's important. This is the direction it's going, and we need to take advantage of short-form video. Let's do it together! MORE TO COME One danger of a business lasting this long (a good problem) is that you can lose purpose and energy. You can burn out. I think I was approaching that. But the past couple of months have energized me. I'm looking forward to executing a new plan in 2023, and I can't wait to share it with you. Thanks for reading this crazy long message. If you have any questions, feedback, or problems that I can help you with, please reply and let me know. Have an amazing weekend. Cheers, Jon P.S. Don't forget to [follow me on TikTok!](=) [Unsubscribe]( Jon Loomer Digital 17503 Ruxton Ct Parker, Colorado 80134 United States