Always Be Launching How Consistency Focus & Doing the Work Drive Business Growth

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1. 0:01Welcome, welcome, welcome back to Alienize Photos industry talk.
2. 0:09And this is photographer Jackson, Steve Jackson of Alienize Photos Media.
3. 0:16And I want to reflect on these past two weeks.
4. 0:21I did my first virtual conference.
5. 0:24Okay, let me take it back.
6. 0:26I helped produce and be in the background and service my first virtual conference.
7. 0:37Along with the host, my friend, my sister, also client, Nicole D. Miller.
8. 0:48So shout out to Nicole D. Miller during her first virtual conference.
9. 0:54It was amazing. We show up live, we create content.
10. 1:01But to put on our first conference, starting with the virtual, it was so amazing.
11. 1:09It was a lot of work put into it on the front end, even during.
12. 1:16Now it's just getting the content after, which you could breathe a little bit once it's all over.
13. 1:22But doing it and being in it, it's amazing.
14. 1:27And it's like, launch, launch.
15. 1:31And even this past weekend, the To You Wine presents the South Euclid Wine and Dine Festival.
16. 1:43Also with Fort Bistro in the city of South Euclid.
17. 1:46So always launch, launch, launch, launch.
18. 1:53And that's words from one of my mentors, Donnie Wiggins, in the Social Proof Circle with David Shands.
19. 2:03And Donnie always says launch, launch, launch.
20. 2:06Always be in launch mode. Always launch something.
21. 2:10Always be prepared to launch.
22. 2:12You're always launching. No matter what stage in your business, you're always launching.
23. 2:19Launch, launch, launch.
24. 2:22And during those moments where we were in the launch segment of our mentorship and our activities,
25. 2:34I launched a podcast every single day in the month of August.
26. 2:40Except for like the last two, because I was just so burnt out in so many things.
27. 2:46And I had the virtual conference.
28. 2:48I had my own stuff, my own events, my own projects and work to do.
29. 2:56And then the South Euclid Wine and Dine Festival.
30. 2:58It was like so many things. It was like, oh man.
31. 3:05But I published as many as I could.
32. 3:09I really want to count how many I published within the month of August,
33. 3:14because I know I started on like the third and just went straight into, I don't know, the 27th, 28th of August.
34. 3:29I'm about to find this and really count it live to see if I really.
35. 3:35Let's just see how many I did. Let's see.
36. 3:38I have the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, the 20th again.
37. 3:57Two on the 20th, the 21st, 22nd, 24th, the 24th again, 25th, 26th, 27th and the 31st.
38. 4:09So let me see how many episodes I published at the month of August.
39. 4:15That's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26.
40. 4:3626 episodes in the month of August.
41. 4:40You talk about launching.
42. 4:44I think I was trying to prove a point or something, but I also had a back catalog where I just wanted to just get everything out also so I looked at it as a good opportunity to do that.
43. 4:57And I did just that.
44. 4:59But again, shout out to the South Euclid Wine and Dime Fest powered by To You Wines, Miss Nakia Hudson.
45. 5:11You did it again. This is the third annual.
46. 5:15Stay tuned for the fourth annual.
47. 5:18And we had DJ Lowkey, we had DJ E-Spins, we had Davey with Freedom Papers.
48. 5:25Man, we had so many different vendors.
49. 5:28I'm talking about lines out of this world.
50. 5:32Like even the wine lines to get wine samples and to purchase your wine and wine bottles.
51. 5:39The lines were long.
52. 5:40Like I was more so assistant.
53. 5:43I took a few pictures.
54. 5:45I captured some videos as well.
55. 5:47But I was more so hands on working support.
56. 5:51And what needed to be done, who needed to be helped.
57. 5:56That's what I did and focused on this year.
58. 6:02I was pretty much sober until the end.
59. 6:05I had a couple of sips but not like, you know, previous years actually enjoying myself.
60. 6:11Enjoying the festivities, enjoying the wine vendors and trying the different wines that I haven't tried.
61. 6:18But I had a little siu wines at the end.
62. 6:25So and then also Zesty Compass taste their spicy sangria.
63. 6:33It was something like that.
64. 6:35Spicy sangria.
65. 6:37So something different.
66. 6:38But for the most part, I was more so focused on making the event a success and whatever needed to be done.
67. 6:48Like even, you know, sometimes when people are not engaging in the artist, you have to kind of help out that situation.
68. 7:00Just me being a former artist.
69. 7:02And I know Davey kind of leaned on me in that situation.
70. 7:06You know, even telling experience at the time, just increase the volume because it's perfect when you're in the tent.
71. 7:16But when you're not in the tent, you're out, you know, enjoying the fest or sitting around outside the tent.
72. 7:24It's a different experience.
73. 7:26So it's just like playing all parts that kind of need to be played to jack of all trades.
74. 7:33I did not mean for that to rhyme.
75. 7:35But, hey, I may use that.
76. 7:38I'm going to use it.
77. 7:39I am going to use it.
78. 7:41Wow.
79. 7:42That was amazing.
80. 7:43Right on that spot.
81. 7:44Freestyling.
82. 7:45Going back to my origins.
83. 7:47But I also had a good conversation with my mentor, Sean Lee Jones.
84. 7:52We finally got an episode in the book.
85. 7:54So definitely look out for that as well.
86. 7:57So there's a lot I've been doing and working on creating this video.
87. 8:06My first speaker reel for a client and which is like, wow, I got to get a speaker reel for myself.
88. 8:14But even before that, like a reel just for me promoting my photography business, you know, something different than the advertisement.
89. 8:24But it still showcases who I am, what I do, what I like, you know, all those things.
90. 8:32So it's like, wow.
91. 8:34You know, I'm getting exposed to a lot of good things and a lot of good situations, a lot of good ideas and a lot of things like I need to do this.
92. 8:45So it's a feel good moment.
93. 8:49Feel good feeling also.
94. 8:52So it's always good.
95. 8:53But shout out to Nicole D. Miller for her first virtual conference.
96. 9:01It was amazing to witness.
97. 9:03It was amazing to be a part of.
98. 9:07It was amazing to, you know, just really live in it, especially the topic, which was faith.
99. 9:19Faith, faith, faith.
100. 9:20They love not their lives.
101. 9:25Virtual Conference 2026.
102. 9:28So I'm just thinking.
103. 9:32Next year.
104. 9:35What is they love not their lives.
105. 9:38Conference is going to be.
106. 9:40And we had talks.
107. 9:43And to make this an in-person conference is definitely to go.
108. 9:50So I'm excited for that.
109. 9:52I'm excited to see that.
110. 9:54I enjoyed everyone living in a purpose and sharing a message and wisdom.
111. 10:01Their faith message and their prayers.
112. 10:04It was something different.
113. 10:06And I was glad I was a part of that.
114. 10:09I'm glad Nicole asked me to be a part of it and assist her and just help her.
115. 10:15It was amazing.
116. 10:19Shout out to you.
117. 10:20Shout out to all you do.
118. 10:22Shout out to your publishing company and the Miller Publishing.
119. 10:27Shout out to Girl Talk.
120. 10:30And I was a panelist on Girl Talk for one of her events.
121. 10:36And you can check out the episode.
122. 10:39Girl Talk podcast.
123. 10:42And then also on YouTube, the actual panel discussion.
124. 10:47I was with my four brothers, my four older brothers.
125. 10:52I like to say because I'm the youngest of the bunch.
126. 10:56I had some feedback that I didn't say too much or I didn't elaborate on a lot of things.
127. 11:04Kind of like the others did.
128. 11:08But those who know me know I'm kind of short-winded, a man of a few words.
129. 11:14I like to get straight to the point.
130. 11:18That's not all the time.
131. 11:19Of course, I got this podcast to even challenge that.
132. 11:25So I'm more long-form, you know, speaking for a long period of time.
133. 11:29Having an interview, so I'm speaking for an hour at a time and challenging myself.
134. 11:36That's the biggest part of it all, just challenging yourself.
135. 11:41But I definitely wanted to shed light on the Cody Miller and the Kia with 2U1s.
136. 11:48Both my partners, family, clients, all that good stuff.
137. 11:54And shout out to the pull-up experience, who me and the Kia is also part of.
138. 12:00And the pull-up experience showed up and showed out as far as supporting and assisting, being all hands on deck.
139. 12:08That's the importance of having a team and a community.
140. 12:12So shout out to the entire pull-up experience.
141. 12:15And we also did interviews, and like I said, I did video and pictures as well.
142. 12:19So I was working the slushy machine too, working on the slushy lines.
143. 12:25It was long and wow, it was like amazing.
144. 12:30So we're going to run it back next year.
145. 12:33We're going to try to get another slushy machine and a better system for this all.
146. 12:38You know, I asked the thing, just me, just wanted to play different roles just to see how much the event could grow.
147. 12:46You know, the wine fest can grow.
148. 12:49So self-ugly wine and dine fest could be a staple.
149. 12:54We just post about it and people show up instead of just promoting and constantly promoting.
150. 13:01I don't have to worry about promoting.
151. 13:02We just post a date, boom, to get sold out already.
152. 13:07Like Jay-Z at the Madison Square Garden when we sold out, boom.
153. 13:10So that's where I want to get every event that I'm a part of, whether if it's my event or someone else's event or even an event I'm attending or supporting.
154. 13:25I want that event to sell out or be at its maximum, you know, capability and volume and capacity.
155. 13:34You know, that's always the goal, especially with my event.
156. 13:38So, of course, I wanted to sell out and, you know, for it to be a success and for it to be a monetary success, at least break even or get a couple dollars over.
157. 13:50But, you know, the goal is to definitely break even.
158. 13:54But you win, you know, viewers, you win a new audience, a client, partnerships, visibility by breaking even.
159. 14:04And then if you make money over that, then that's profit, which is also good.
160. 14:09You know, because, yeah, you want to pay your expenses, but you also want to pay your business forward and invest in yourself and have capital left over and expendable, you know, money, funds to do what you need to do and also want to do.
161. 14:27It's important to grow in the business, having money in the bank, capital, being profitable.
162. 14:35And nobody doesn't like a profitable business or having investors invest in something that's profitable.
163. 14:41So, I've seen it, but you don't hear about it often.
164. 14:46You hear about companies that are profitable, profitable companies that are seen as they can be invested into.
165. 14:58And that's where you want your business to be, even if you're not having someone invest in your business.
166. 15:05It's you growing it, you building your team, hiring your staff, getting interns, you know, having different positions, W2 employees, contractors, the combination of it all.
167. 15:21It is, it's important and it's important for you to also know your identity.
168. 15:29And that's what I've seen with Nokia and Nicole, as they stay true to their identity and what they wanted their brand to represent, what they wanted their event to represent, what they wanted their fest, their conference, all that to represent.
169. 15:47It's important.
170. 15:49And for me, just being behind the scenes, being in the background, assistant, supporting, you know, you see different things and you're like, oh, this can be improved, this needs to be done.
171. 16:06You also look at your own self and your own business, your own brand, like, oh, this could be done, this needs to be done.
172. 16:15Oh, I could do this better. And there's a lot of things that I could do better.
173. 16:20You know, sometimes it go from a short list of things that need to be done, all the way to a long list that needs to be done all the way to a whole book.
174. 16:29Sometimes there's only one thing that needs to be done, but, you know, as time goes on and life moves on as your business, you know, each day is out here.
175. 16:40There's different things that need to be done as you knock stuff off the list.
176. 16:45But, you know, a couple of days later, there's a whole bunch more that's on the list that you got to do.
177. 16:51You know, it's like being at a W2 job or whatever job, whatever job that needs to be done.
178. 16:58I'm sure there's more work coming soon.
179. 17:02Yeah, you only got a little break or whatever or you almost done until it piles back up.
180. 17:08It's only a matter of time.
181. 17:10We all know that even in our businesses.
182. 17:14It's always work that needs to be done instead of working a nine to five, you know, eight hours a day.
183. 17:20We work in sun up to sundown and most times 12 hours a day, you know, 14 sometimes.
184. 17:29So that's overtime theoretically.
185. 17:31And we don't always make money in that time.
186. 17:35It's doing the X, Y, and Z things all the way from A, all the way from zero, all the way to 101 and then two.
187. 17:46It's always stuff that needs to be done in life and business, with work, with parenting, whatever.
188. 17:54It's always work that needs to be done.
189. 17:57And I just want to leave off with that message that it's always work that needs to be done
190. 18:03because you always supposed to improve, always supposed to elevate, always supposed to grow,
191. 18:10always supposed to get better, always supposed to be moving forward and progressing and going up.
192. 18:16It's like you want your money.
193. 18:18If you invest in a stock, you want it to go up, right?
194. 18:21So you should always go up and elevate your mind, your mindset and, you know, read the books, B and E's,
195. 18:29workshops, boot camps, master classes.
196. 18:32Like I invested so much, I invested so much in education and different conferences, different workshops,
197. 18:47e-books, courses, like it was like July and August, just alone this year, July and August.
198. 18:59So much.
199. 19:00I just bought the last thing.
200. 19:03I asked the Kirkwood who's about to come on in 30 minutes.
201. 19:08So it's like I'm always improving, always learning.
202. 19:14There's so much I want to do and I'm challenging myself to read 10 pages a day,
203. 19:26whether that's the same book or between a combination of two books or whatever.
204. 19:33But I want to challenge myself to read 10 pages a day, starting today and just make it a daily habit.
205. 19:43You know, sometimes I may fall short and only read five or seven pages, but the goal is 10.
206. 19:50I know there's days where I may read a few chapters or even 50 pages.
207. 19:57So I know every day will look different, but the goal is to open the book, at least get to 10 pages.
208. 20:06I know it won't always happen.
209. 20:12I give myself grace and give myself grace now, forgive myself for falling short.
210. 20:19But it's all about setting the goal and hitting the goal.
211. 20:25Sometimes we fall short, but don't beat yourself up.
212. 20:28But also put in that work.
213. 20:30Don't be lazy.
214. 20:31Don't procrastinate.
215. 20:32Do the work, stay focused, eliminate the distractions.
216. 20:37With that being said, check out my social media sabbatical series.
217. 20:43It was a 10-day social media sabbatical and I documented it all.
218. 20:49I kind of talk about eliminate distractions.
219. 20:52Also, when I was going to try out for the NBA G League, the Cleveland charge of the Cavaliers,
220. 21:03Cleveland Cavaliers and me being a big basketball fan and also watching basketball in the NBA from time to time,
221. 21:12I even made an episode on deleting all distractions, even the NBA,
222. 21:19because I was also building out this podcast when I first got the opportunity to try out for the G League.
223. 21:27And I was like, wow, if I make it to the G League, that's one step closer of actually being in the NBA,
224. 21:35playing in the NBA, closer to my childhood dream.
225. 21:39But, you know, looking at myself and looking at my age and my physicality,
226. 21:43like, if I would have kept training up to this point, you know, I haven't played basketball in like two years
227. 21:54or at least consistently for sure, like once a week or even once a month.
228. 22:01It was like, it's bad as far as like me claiming to be a basketball player.
229. 22:08It's been years since I've like actively done it.
230. 22:12In my early 20s, I used to go to the gym like every day or every other day, you know,
231. 22:18play basketball with the indoor or outside sometimes.
232. 22:23But I had to eliminate it.
233. 22:25Like I'm going to I just built this podcast.
234. 22:27My business is growing.
235. 22:29I need to focus on this.
236. 22:31Like I had to eliminate it and eliminate it from my thoughts and my brain.
237. 22:36Like, no, stay focused and build the podcast, build the business.
238. 22:40I'm about to invest this money into this, this tryout, as you could say, and it's gas and I'm going to be tired.
239. 22:50It was a day that I had to work the previous night and it was early.
240. 22:54I think it was like a 10, 10 to 12 a.m. workout and tryout.
241. 23:02And it was like, do I want to make this 45-minute drive?
242. 23:07I'm tired.
243. 23:07I know I'm not going to get rest, you know, probably not going to eat.
244. 23:14It was just so many factors.
245. 23:16And it was a cost to it as well, you know, just to try out.
246. 23:20But of course, I'm like, well, yeah, let me do it.
247. 23:23I got to go for the experience.
248. 23:24This is my time.
249. 23:25If I don't make it OK, at least, you know, I get to meet some of the people that could become future stars, you know,
250. 23:34future NBA icons and superstars.
251. 23:38You never know.
252. 23:39I'm right here in Cleveland, my city, and I played with them before they came to the NBA.
253. 23:47It was just like, I'm going to do it anyway.
254. 23:50But I'm like, you know what?
255. 23:51No, I'm not.
256. 23:52I got to take care of myself, take care of my body, take care of my priorities, you know, take care of my business,
257. 23:59maintain my business, continue to grow my business, stay focused,
258. 24:03continue to build out this podcast, continue to drop episodes.
259. 24:07And I'm almost on episode 100, y'all.
260. 24:11Consistency.
261. 24:13But, you know, definitely check out that episode.
262. 24:17And also my social media, 10-day social media sabbatical, day one through day 10.
263. 24:23But I also have day 11, where day 10, 11, I did in Las Vegas because I was out there for a conference.
264. 24:31So no matter what, I didn't stop and I kept my promise.
265. 24:35I said I'm going to document the journey.
266. 24:36And I did that.
267. 24:38But I'm still getting that social media sabbatical, like the book together.
268. 24:46I was going to do it right after that series, but I'm like, I'm going to actually take my time with it.
269. 24:52So that will be dropping soon.
270. 24:54And I may do another social media sabbatical series.
271. 24:58So yeah, check out those episodes.
272. 25:02Just lock in, focus, do the work.
273. 25:06Eliminate distractions.
274. 25:08You know, make goals.
275. 25:10Make internal goals.
276. 25:11Talk to yourself.
277. 25:14And yeah, let it all happen.
278. 25:17Make it all come true.
279. 25:19But as we wrap, thank you for tuning in and listening, as always.
280. 25:25This is photographer Jackson, Steve Jackson of Alien Eyes Photos Media, bringing you another episode of Alien Eyes Photos Industry Talk.
281. 25:37Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
282. 25:39I know for those who want to book me or for more information, please visit alieneyesphotos.com.
283. 25:52Alieneyesphotos.com.
284. 25:53And then follow me on all social media, especially Instagram and threads.
285. 25:59Follow me at alieneyesphotos.
286. 26:04And that's eyes with a Z. Alieneyesphotos.
287. 26:12All right, y'all. I am out. Peace.