Morning Team,

I wrote in my morning business email today (an email that I’ve written since 2010):

• Half the time I feel completely inept. The other half the time I feel completely invincible. I think this is the life of the entrepreneur. Massive swings from complete high to extreme lows.On top of the world, one moment…

  Then buried under a thousand pounds of sh!t, the next.

  Learning to live with (and managing) that emotional cycle, I believe, is what separates a true entrepreneur from those who just “try it out.” It sounds good to be your own boss. And it is, I suppose.

  It’s also though, stressful, and at times, torturous. Who is there to blame? The world is against you. Things never go right. Setbacks and delays happen. Costs escalate by 6X…

  Three months becomes 13 months….

  And somehow, every day, you have to find the strength to wake up. Get out of bed. Walk downstairs. Grab your coffee. Sword. If you remember, your shield too. Then, first step out the door, you’re slaying dragons. These are the problems. The challenges. The fires.

  DRAGONS!

  And either, you cut off its head. Or with razor sharp talons, they cut off yours.

  I think to be an effective entrepreneur, you have to learn to enjoy this battle with the beast that tries to eat you. You can’t be scared of it. You can’t run from it. You can’t hide. Because it will find you. And it will eat you.

  Your only option – is to attack it.

======

In your life, maybe this applies. Whether you’re charitable founder fighting for your cause, a business owner, or a parent like me, and so many others, just doing the best we can. Maybe this applies.

There will be Dragons! Running won’t do any good.

Fighting them, will.

Below is my update to all local co-founders. Impact Club is about to grow and mature. Our growth, over these past 12-months, has been staggering. So many people want to do good, to make a difference.

With that, comes great Responsibility:
https://medium.com/@ryanfletcher/impact-club-launch-imminent-a178d7e8b6f3

That memo is complete transparency. There are many challenges.

But everyday, we fight to slay those Dragons!

Keep inspiring others,

-RYAN

PS: Next up? Impact Club Highlands – January 29th

SWITCH TO ONLINE DONATIONS

“Impact Venture Capitalists!”

In the next 30 days, we’re going to start transitioning every Impact Club member away from cash or check donations, and into credit card donations for a couple of important reasons:

1 – SAFETY

With the rapid expansion of Impact Club, where some Impact Clubs have 200+ members, that means huge amount of cash is being collected at the door. Five, ten, even $15,000 at a recent event.

I don’t know about you. But that terrifies me. After the hours of dusk, 7/11 won’t keep more than $100 in the cash register. And here we have five, ten, even 15K sitting in an envelope next to the door.

Then, we send that cash home with the winning charity –

“Here, $15,000 in cash.”

“Safeguard it.”

So yes, this modification from cash/check donations to digital processing, has been long needed. It’s only a matter of time, if we don’t make the switch, that an Impact Club will be robbed – putting everyone in danger.

Being proactive, oppose to reactive, is a must. I would forever regret it, if something happened.

2 – CONVENIENCE

We have heard you. And we have been listening to ALL of you. We know cash and check donations are highly inefficient and inconvenient. Especially, when you aren’t able to make it the night of the event.

Then people forget.

Then they have to find their checkbook. They have to find a stamp. An envelope. Then have to remember to put it to the mailbox, like it’s the 1950’s. Or since cash isn’t sent in the mail, donation requires an actual delivery.

All the while, members have said – “Can’t I just Paypal it to you…”

“Can’t I use a credit card?”

“Can’t I Venmo?”…

Then, did I mention, people forget? So, a month goes by. Then two months. And the charity that won the majority vote, still waits on the donation committed by each member of Impact Club. Which isn’t fair to them. So, in addition to Safety, convenience is a huge factor.

3 – NO ONE LIKES BEING A BILL COLLECTOR

In fact, recently, I’ve heard from several co-founders that they’ve lost friends. Because, when they try to follow-up to collect donations from members who committed to donate, but didn’t make it the night of the event, there has been some festering resentment involved.

Those member promise to send the donation. “It’s in the mail…”

Then forget.

So co-founders remind them. Text #2…

The member says, “Oh yeah, I forgot. I’ll get that to you…” Then they forget again.

Text #3…

And well – you see where there is going!

When someone makes a commitment to donate, to impact their local community. To help and impact local charities. You should haven’t to hound them. And co-founders certainly don’t like it either.

So, in addition to Safety and Convenience, the elimination of Strenuous follow-up is huge too.

4 – MEMBER MANAGEMENT

With the (soon) launch of Impact Club’s new Infrastructure, which includes a full membership site. It will be easy for Members to manage their donations. Update credit card for donation. Etc.

Or even cancel their membership. (which is ok)

Some members, instead of having the courage to just say, “I think I’m going to cancel.” They ignore the communication of our co-founders, when they follow-up to collect donation. Text #1… Email #1…

Text #2… Email #2…

I mean, c’mon folks, we know you’re getting them. People sleep next to their phone.

That said, inside of the new membership site, under Account & Profile, each member can conveniently manage their membership. Stay. Go. Update their form of donation on file, it’ll all be easy.

5 – BETTER FOR THE WINNING CHARITY

Local charities are burdened enough, often struggling to find ways to do more with less. Less time. Less resources. Less manpower. So, to now have to issue 100 or 200 or 300 tax receipts, can be crippling.

So, by integrating with a 3rd party non-profit, as our donation-processor, we have removed that burden from the local charity. You, each member, also, will get your tax receipt instantly.

No more waiting weeks, or even months, for them to be issued.

On top of that, instead of manually collecting donations for months after the actual event. The winning charity, the very next day, will be issued the full of amount committed by Impact Club members. Which means, immediately, they can start impacting lives.

Boom!!

So, those are the five Core Reasons.

Some I’m sure, will reject this shift, maybe even drop their membership. I get that. But like I said, being proactive is essential. On the grounds of Safety alone, this issue can’t be ignored.

Stay tuned.

Big advancements on the horizon! (Exciting.)

KEEP INSPIRING OTHERS!

Once we launch the new infrastructure and work through the process of transitioning all current members, in each local Impact Club, to the new members’ site. We’ll start launching new clubs.

That is, after all, my favorite part. To see the creation of that initial nucleus in each local community. Those folks, “Your voice is more powerful than your money,” then inspire others.

Upcoming Impact Club dates:

Jan 29th – Impact Club Highlands (TN – 3rd Event)

Jan 31st – Impact Club Northern VA – (5th Event)

Feb 19th – Impact Club S. Canterbury (NZ – 2nd Event)

Feb 20th – Impact Club Frederick (MD – 5th Event)

Feb 20th – Impact Club Conejo Valley (CA – 4th Event)

March 5th – Impact Club Tri Town (IN – 2nd Event)

March 7th – Impact Club Boise (ID – 4th Event)

March 8th – Impact Club Coeur d’Alene (ID – 3rd Event)

March 12th – Impact Club Wilmington (NC – 3rd Event)

March 15th – Impact Club Loveland (OH – 1st Event)

March TBD – Impact Club Fox Cities (WI – 4th Event)

More announced soon…

In January alone, nearly hundred thousand will be donated to local charities!

-Ryan Fletcher

Co-Founder, Impact Club – forever Grateful.

PS: Encourage everyone you know to learn the Language of Story. If they do, life, business, fundraising, relationships, the attraction of opportunity, clients, money, love, etc. will be much easier for them.