Zero In

The mission of Zero In is to help as many businesses and leaders build a brand customers love and a company people are passionate to work for.  

So where do you need to focus (or Zero In)?
Solve the problem of INDIFFERENCE!

Indifferent customers have no compelling reason to purchase your product or service rather than your competitors' product or service. 

Indifferent employees are complacent because they are not passionate about coming to work each day.

Utilize the resources, books, and courses from Zero In to increase your customer retention, improve your customer experience, and build a passionate culture of innovation giving your team the ability to find new and better ways to serve your customers.

"Customers DO NOT buy your product or service, they buy what it can DO FOR THEM"
Customer-centricity means knowing your customers and giving them what they crave.  This helps you to build trust and loyalty, but also a solid reputation.  Loyal customers become fans of your brand and refer other customers to you.

"If you don't find new and better ways to serve your customers, SOMEONE ELSE WILL!"
Being Innovative brings new ideas, which is crucial to a business being able to find new and better ways to add value for your customers.  With innovation comes creative new products and services, increases in efficiency and, as a result, improved profitability.

BE THE BRAND CUSTOMERS LOVE AND THE COMPANY PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE TO WORK FOR

Founder and Chief Difference Maker

Entrepreneur Media

Contributor 

CashFlow Tribe

CashFlow Tribe helps Canadians achieve financial freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment through education and events, a supportive community, all with a focus on personal development.

My goal as Director of CX is to help build an amazing customer experience that is valuable, personal, engaging, and repeatable within our community of incredible members.

Director Of Customer Experience

Kawartha Lakes Food Source

Kawartha Lakes Food Source is a community effort to reduce hunger in the City of Kawartha Lakes by:

1. Maintaining a central warehouse to supply food to organizations that provide food to individuals in need,
2. Raising public awareness, and
3. Working in concert with other local not-for-profit organizations.

Past President

President

Board Of Directors

The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

About the Commonwell
We are committed to profitable growth, team development, ingenuity, while having fun at work.  We offer a complete range of insurance products including residential, automobile, commercial, farm and watercraft. We encourage a work-life balance and we are serious about what we do!

About my Role
As Manager of the PMO, I lead a group project managers and business analysts to implement the project management office from the ground up.

About the PMO
Projects at the Commonwell are measured against timelines, budget, delivery of scope, but most importantly the realization of the intended benefits of each project.  Over 85% of projects at the Commonwell were consistantly green throughout 2018.

Manager, Project and Portfolio Management Office

As Manager of Application Services, I am responsible for planning, coordinating and managing the activities of the Application Services team within the Information Systems (IS) Department. This includes leadership and development of the IS team members, as well as providing direction and support for IS solutions to meet the present and future needs of the organization.

Manager of Application Services

Operitel Corporation (An OpenText Company) 

ABout OpenText
OpenText, The Information Company™, a market leader in Enterprise Information Management software and solutions, enables intelligent and connected enterprises by managing, leveraging, securing and gaining insight into enterprise information, on-premises or in the cloud. 

About my Role
Directed a team of PS and R&D resources to develop and implement the LearnFlex LMS platform for over 40 clients.

Director of R&D and Professional Services

TELUS

Manager - Payment Solutions Development and Support

Emergis - A Telus Company

Manager

Emergis Inc

The Accidental Solopreneur

I'm an Accidental Solopreneur

I say that because for the first 40 years of my life, I didn't think I had an entrepreneurial bone in my body.

Until in 2018, at the age of 43, I found myself laid off and decided to bet on myself.

That's when I started my management consulting company Zero In.

Turns out, I had a ton to learn about branding, marketing, sales, and just running a business in general. Luckily, I love to learn and soaked it up (through many ups, downs, wins, losses, bumps, and bruises).

I've been sharing my journey here on LinkedIn along the way.

Since 2018 I have:
- worked with dozens of consulting clients
- written 4 books
- been a guest on over 50 podcasts
- spoken at numerous conferences
- and met a TON of great people along the way!

Now? I'm taking my experience and helping other solopreneurs get started as well.

Want to learn how I can help?
Visit www.dennisgeelen.me

I’ve had lots of people offer to ghost write for me…but I always decline

I love writing 

LinkedIn posts, Twitter threads, books, etc



My goal is not to get tons of impressions and followers

It’s to continue to get better at writing

Dennis Geelen

At first:
- slow
- tons of work
- not much traction
- inching along week by week

And then over time:
- momentum builds
- your opportunities expand

Until one day:
- you're considered an overnight success!



You're on the right track...the train just might not be moving as fast as you'd like

Keep going!

By 2021, the microwave oven industry was worth over $9B

A popular household appliance and major contributor to our “instant gratification” society

But did you know it was actually invented by ‘accident’?



That’s right

The microwave oven was first invented (accidentally) in 1945 by a man named Percy Spencer

*What an awesome name by the way*

Spencer was an engineer for Raytheon at the time and running tests with some radar equipment

At one point, he noticed something unusual had happened

The chocolate bar he had stashed in his pocket had melted!

It wasn’t an overly hot day

What would cause this?

Turns out, as he leaned in close to the radar equipment he was testing, the microwaves they were emitting had caused the chocolate bar to melt 

Upon this discovery, Spencer had the workings for his eventual invention of the first microwave oven that would be released a year later in 1946

A few fun facts:
-         Popcorn was the first food tested in a microwave 
-         The original models sold for $5k
-         Market demand was very small in the beginning. The ovens were too big and too expensive

*****************
The lessons here:
-         Be curious.
-         Pay attention to your surroundings (and what’s in your pocket!)
-         Look for useful applications of ideas where they might not be expected
-         Be prepared to tweak as you get initial consumer feedback


******************

Want to start getting stories and lessons like this in your inbox every week?

Subscribe to the "Happy Accidents" newsletter.

Sign up link in the comments 👇👇

I'm going to turn 48 years old in a few weeks

Almost 50!

That stopped me in my tracks the other day


Unless I live to 96 years old (God willing), then I have already lived more than half of my life here on Earth

This brings about so many questions:

- Have I been giving it my all?
- What kind of legacy will I leave behind?
- Will I have a ton of regrets 10 years from now?
- Have I been living to my potential to this point?

I've never really spent much time thinking about how much time I have left and how I want to spend it

Until recently

You feel me?

**************************

Have you asked yourself these questions too?

There's 1.78 gazillion people online telling you to just keep going, be consistent, and then good things will happen 

Not always 


Here's the thing... Some ideas won’t have merit

It’s best to have a bunch of tiny bets

Then double down on the ones that are working and cut bait with the ones that aren’t


Trust me, your future self will thank you for it

"What if nobody reads it?"

Or worse..."What if they read it and hate it?"

My hands were shaking, my heart pounding. Fear and anxiety had a death grip over me


That was me. 

The thoughts and emotions running through me right before I published my book, 'The Zero In Formula'

You see, it was my 3rd book. Released in Sept of 2020.

But it was the first one where I invested time and money in to writing something I hoped would be well received. 

To add value for business leaders.

My 1st two books were more small side projects. Just to see what the process was like

Laid off from my corporate job at 43 and for the first time in my life, taking a risk and betting on myself

A few years into my solopreneur journey and now in a pandemic, I wrote THE ZERO IN FORMULA

So... what happened when I hit publish?

None of my fears and anxieties came true. In fact, the book exceeded any and all expectations I had

▪ It hit number 1 best seller on Amazon in 4 countries
▪ It landed me as a guest on over 40 podcasts
▪ I published a Spanish version of the book the following year
▪ I created an online course to go along with the book, creating another revenue stream
▪ My consulting revenue doubled due to the exposure from the book

And I've gone on to publish my 4th book, 'The Accidental Solopreneur' which is on pace to outsell 'The Zero In Formula' by next month! 😮

The moral of the story?

👉 We can get paralyzed by fear
👉 We grow when we get outside our comfort zones
👉 When we put in the work, good things happen
👉 Just hit publish!

P.S. This post is an example of the ABDCE Story Framework 

• Action
• Background
• Development
• Climax
• Ending


Go back and re-read the post.

Can you see how I used this framework to tell the story?

Share your thoughts in the comments 👇

What you need to understand about being an entrepreneur: 

 
95% of the people who give up too soon are employed by the 5% who were patient and persistent


Be - Persistent
Be - Patient
Be - Consistent


Your future self will thank you for it

Everyone has them all over their office, stuck to their monitors, on whiteboards, and would be completely unorganized without them
 
That’s right…I’m talking about Post-it notes
 
But did you know they were the result of a ‘Happy Accident’???
 
 
In 1968, 3M scientist Spencer Silver was trying to create a super-strong adhesive, but he accidentally created a weak adhesive instead. 
 
At first, Silver felt that he had invented something unique and useful but struggled to find what that use could be.
 
He eventually used the adhesive to create a bookmark that could be easily removed from a page without tearing the paper. 
 
His colleagues also found the bookmarks useful for leaving notes for each other
 
And the product was eventually developed into the Post-it notes we know today.
 
The ‘sticky note’ market has since transformed into a multi-million dollar industry and is projected to reach a value of $2423.01 million by 2029!!! 

What? 😮

All due to this ‘Happy Accident’!!!

*********************
The lessons here:
-         Have the mindset of a scientist
-         Mess around with ideas and find out what ‘sticks’
-         Look for other applications for your new idea, they may not be immediately obvious


 

Top 7 things people regret on their death bed


1. Bet on myself
2. Laughed more
3. Set my priorities differently
4. Seen more of the world
5. Listened more to my heart
6. Not worked so much 
7. More time with my loved ones


Do you need to solve for regret?

You're a coach or consultant and you've tried everything, but just can't seem to get traction

I've been there

I can't speak for everyone, but things completely changed for me once I put my time and effort into publishing a good book 


👉 My book, 'The Zero In Formula' launched my consulting business to a whole new level

👉 My latest book, 'The Accidental Solopreneur' solidified me as a goto solopreneur coach and course creator


Now, I'm not saying just write a book and you'll be all set

It can't just be any book

Your book must:
- Be written to your ideal client as the intended reader
- Talk about your solution for solving their problem
- Be well written (find a good editor)
- Be well marketed (people have to actually read it!)

Now, I love writing. So, yes, writing books was not easy in the beginning. 

But since I love writing and love to learn, I quickly learn a ton about the process of publishing and marketing a good book.

And you can too

***********************

It's only February. You have 11 months left in 2023.

Go for it. Write that book!

Your future self will thank you for it!

***********************

So, are you gonna go for it?


Good things happen when you lead with value...be a giver


I sent a signed copy of my book to Josh Spector

He's a solopreneur I respect and look up to 

Turns out, he enjoyed reading it and is now recommending it to others 😀

******************

If you're not following Josh, you should be. 

He gives tons of tips and strategies for creating content, growing your audience, scaling a newsletter, etc. etc.

What society says our life should look like from age 18 to 65:

• Get a post secondary education
• Get a steady job
• Get married and buy a house
• Rely on your job to pay down your student debt, pay off your mortgage, and save for retirement
• Hope that you save enough money to enjoy retirement and not be a burden to your kids

Don't get me wrong, this is not a terrible script
It can be safe and comfortable 
Many people thrive in it

But there are some challenges it presents:
→ All your eggs are in someone else's basket
→ Not everyone is suited to be an employee, just a cog in the wheel
→ It seems safe and comfortable...until it isn't
→ Where is the focus on your purpose and fulfillment?


Some of us are built differently

→ We want to dream bigger
→ We want to create and build
→ We want to bet on ourselves
→ We want to take a different path
→ We want to develop multiple streams of income
→ We want to design a life of purpose and fulfillment

And for some of us, that itch comes early in life

For others (like me) you might be a late bloomer, only getting that itch once you hit your 40's or 50's

Do you have that itch to bet on yourself?

Be interesting offline

So you can write about it online

Dear New Coach or Consultant

The two most important things you should understand before coming up with your offering are:


1️⃣ Your Ideal Customer's Pain
2️⃣ Your Ideal Customer's Priorities


Most coaches or consultants are solving problems that are NOT a big enough pain or of high enough priority for their ideal clients

Starting your own consulting practice these days is TOUGH

It seems like there're millions of consultants — competition is everywhere

And the truth is, most people don't make a go of it

So what do you do?

10X your credibility, fast!



Here's how: 👇👇

1/ Niche down

Like really down 

Get VERY specific about the problem you solve and for what specific group of people

You need to be seen as the EXPERT who is there to solve THEIR problem


2/ Be known for your own proprietary method/system

Don't sell them YOU or your TIME or even your EXPERTISE

Sell them your methodology

What's your 5 step process or 3 week system?

Name it and sell it


3/ Give away tons of free value

Give away hands-on tips and tactics in an ebook, posts, and threads

Give away free advice when on a call with a prospective client

Sound counterintuitive? 

Don't be nervous, it's actually solidifying you as a credible expert


*********************************

TL/DR

1. Niche down
2. Be known for your own proprietary method/system
3. Give away tons of free value

You'll be 10 steps ahead of the competition

And your future self will thank you for it!


The worst mistake an author can make is to sell only books
 


Sure, my books have brought me a lot of credibility and they are a passive income stream
 
But if I only sold books?
 
I’d be broke!
 
I’m no Stephen King or John Grisham
 
But a book (if leveraged properly) can bring in much more revenue

When positioned properly, your book can help lead to more course sales, coaching or consulting calls, newsletter subscriptions, podcast downloads, etc. etc.
 
Each of those (if leveraged properly) can also lead to more book sales
 
Want to know how to do this well?
 
You’re in luck
My friend, diego pineda just released his latest book, 'The Solo Author'
 
He lays out the playbook you need to properly leverage your book
 
**************

Give Diego a follow here on LinkedIn (if you aren’t already)
 
And grab a copy of his book (link in the comments)
 

Some of the top entrepreneurs in history had these 4 things in common
 
They were
- consistent
- persistent
- creative
- smart 
 
But they'll also tell you a little bit of luck on your side doesn't hurt
 
Or as I like to call it, a Happy Accident (or two) 😀

************************

Can you think of any famous entrepreneurs that got a lucky break or encountered some fortunate luck?

Share in the comments 👇

Who else hates those awkward networking events?
 


So, be interesting instead!
 

Subscribe to the Happy Accidents newsletter
(link in my bio)

You'll get a cool story each week about a wildly successful company or product that was actually started by accident!


*************************


This Tuesday will be the second edition of the newsletter

Sign up now so you don't miss it!

Ever built something you thought was awesome

Only to find out nobody wanted it?

- A course? 
- An ebook?
- A product?
- Even a free cheat sheet you couldn't give away?


Ya, you forgot to do market research!


Rather than building something YOU think is cool
Pay attention to your potential customers

- What challenges are they having?
- What questions are they asking?

That's where the idea for your new product should start

But even then, make sure you:
- Build an MVP
- Send it to some potential clients
- Get their feedback
- Is it useful and valuable?
- What new questions do they have?

Now inject those learnings back into your product


Chances are... when you release it now, people will LOVE it!

It doesn't work like that

Networking, I mean


You can’t hack building relationships

It’s not like a YouTube video where you can just watch it at 2x speed

It's not a sprint, it's a marathon

If anything, the hack is consistency. 

- Show up every day
- Give value every day
- Serve others every day
- Allow people to fall in love with your generosity


That's what networking is all about

You think?

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