Travel to Italy, Have fun, get paid! Loving Life! (2 of 5)

Eight Delta Marketing Group - #EDMG

www.EightDeltaGlobal.com

Author: George Ohan

Next stop: Venice, ITALY!!!!

Locked, Cocked, and Ready to Rock! (…..or something like that!?)

Departing:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 6:45 PM – November 12, 2014

The test of becoming a Tour Manager has begun! I must “LEAD” a group of seasoned comic veterans (Not that they needed much leadership..) and keep the harmony on an overseas tour.  As much as I had accomplished in my career and life up until now, this adventure had a unique way of making me feel intimidated. awwww…. :,-(   >>>>These guys were pros!  What the hell do I know about being a tour manger?!?! Then I took a moment to give myself a mental BITCH SLAP, and snap out of it immediately! 

SUCCESS NOTE: I though about Napoleon Hill and his teachings of “accurate thinking” What were the important facts? I have a mission. >>>What were the un-important facts?  My feelings. >>>I assessed my situation, came up with a plan of action, and executed.

Let’s meet the guys……

P.J. Walsh – He is known as one of the hardest working comedians behind the microphone, and for good reason.  His boundless energy and strength of his physical comedy have carried him around the globe touring with the stars of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and found him performing on celebrated stages including Radio City Music Hall, Universal Amphitheater and the Ryman Auditorium with legends such as Bill Engval, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy.  A successful show on Sirius Satellite radio & a role in a Lionsgate feature film “Delta Farce” followed.

Jody Fuller – He is a comic, speaker, writer, and Soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq.  He currently holds the rank of Major in the US Army Reserves.  Jody is also a lifetime stutterer.  After a 4 year stint as an Army medic, he returned home to attend college at Auburn University at Montgomery where he received a Bachelo’s Degree in Business Administration.  After the tragic events of 9/11, Jody made a decision to return to the Army by way of Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Ft. Benning, GA.  In November 2003, he deployed to Iraq for one year as a platoon leader with the 296^th Brigade Support Battalion of the Army’s First Stryker Brigade.  In 2006, Jody left active duty Army to join the Alabama National Guard and has since deployed to Iraq two additional times.  As of 2014, MAJ Fuller continues to serve.

Benari Poulten – He is a comedian and writer, as well as an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Cal State Fullerton.  A stand-up, sketch, and improv performer, Benari is a writer/performer with the sketch comedy duo The Sophisticates, and he was a writer/performer for Shoot the Messenger Productions.  He received his MFA in screenwriting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and is a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve.  He is a veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and is affectionately known as “G.I. Jew.”

Key Lewis – This Sacramento California born Navy Veteran is a high energy, improvisational, story-telling, multiple-personality nutcase.  His love for the people and the hunger for the stage is his underlying motivation.  His comedic stories about his interracial childhood, family, and unusual views on relationships, make Lewis simply a joy to watch.  His ability to improvise and interact with all types of crowds makes this comic and actor one to look out for.  Lewis has appeared on Marlon Wayans TBS’s Funniest Wins, Starz Networks StaannDup, Kevin Hart’s One Mic Stand as well as Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes!

George Ohan – Screw you all! (Ya, I said it!!!!  You see what I’m up against?!?)

Five guys getting on a plane, we haven’t really had a formal introduction, and we have a very busy next two weeks.  It usually takes time to establish trust, credibility, and rapport, but in show business you shake hands and IT’s ON!  This is where being a military veteran came in so handy.  A simple handshake is all it took to initiate the “social contract” of You keep it cool, and I’ll keep it cool.  Nobody brought their egos on this trip, which obviously made life a lot better for all of us.  I quickly explained to the guys that I am new at this “Tour Manager” thing, however I was a Staff Sergeant in the US Army and I could probably handle just about anything that came at us.  I asked them for their advice, knowledge, and experience to help me along for the next two weeks and they were all very gracious with the mentorship that they offered.  I’ve never been able to be successful alone.  Having a solid team is a blessing and must be nourished properly.

Mr. Joe!!!  Armed Forces Entertainment representative picking us up in Venice was awesome.  He’s a 60 year old version of me… Handsome, funny, well-traveled, and everybody in town knows him!  It was awesome to see P.J. and Benari remember Joe from their last tour and they were able to share some hilarious stories with all of us! 

First stop, the boat taxi around Venice.  There was a light drizzle of rain that was on and off, but it wasn’t enough to stop us from exploring the city for a few hours. (Sorry Joe, I lost your umbrella) Boat police, boat ambulance, boat car, boat everything!!!! It was awesome!!!!  Ok, back to thinking about work…. We had a radio interview scheduled for Armed Forces Network radio, a comedy show at Aviano Air Base, Meeting the base commander, and another show in Vicenza lined up for the next two days.  This is where the management piece gets important.  I had to carefully gage the guys excitement toward certain activities. (Are they into this tourist stuff or do they want to go and chill in the hotel room?)  I had to ensure that they would have time to get proper rest, contact loved ones via face-time, and adjust to the jet-lag before being at 100% energy for the show. 

SUCCESS NOTE: Think, plan, and anticipate what your crew will be asking next and into the near future.  After all, Tour Manager is responsible for everything that happens, or fails to happen.  How do I make international phone calls?  What’s the distance and time between venues and lodging locations?  Who will take us back to the airport?  Show Business = 10% Show / 90% Business

The Italians are great hosts.  Joe knew the right places to take us for shopping, delicious food, and any other items that we needed.  As we walked into any establishment we were met with warm greetings and friendship.  This is where I noticed my new buddy Mr. Key Lewis REALLY feeling the vibe of Venice.  He was interacting with the people, walking around with his Go-Pro, and generally had a positive feel about his aura that morning. 

I love to ask people, “What is your favorite city that you’ve ever been to?  Not to live in, just to visit and have a great time, then come home.?”  The response is GOLD!  I can actually see people going through their mental rolodex of their favorite places and soon, BAM, the smile!!  Every time!  In this moment, I was thinking that Mr. Key Lewis just might be walking around his new favorite city!  As we explored the statues and buildings, Key kept talking about his wife and kids.  He was definitely going to bring them to Italy when he could.  This was very cool to see a guy get so inspired by a PLACE, that he immediately thought of who he loves the most and wanted to share this with them.  Instead, he got to be with myself and four other men…. J  Beyond the microphone these entertainers have families, stories, interesting backgrounds, and real life things to talk about. 

These guys still really didn’t know who I was.  To them, I was a dude that was annoying them with a camera in their faces for the last two days.  They finally saw me WORK the night of the first show and I feel like we had a mini break through.  All of the guys personally thanked me for what I was doing.  Key Lewis came up to me and said, ”Man you’re a fu*kin hustler bro.  I get it now.” That meant a lot to me because, that’s it.  There is no hidden secret to me or my intentions.  I’m an unapologetic go-getter and I will continue to work hard until I build a team of people that know what that means.

We went around the bases and promoted the show, the guys killed it with their comedy, I did my homework in the hotel room, uploaded the photos and video so Thom Tran could download the assets in Los Angeles, and we were off to the next country!  Our servicemen and women had great things to say about the show.  They were extremely appreciative of the efforts that were put in to bring them entertainment.  Ciao Italia! 

Arriving: Frankfurt, Germany November 16, 2014 - 12:05 PM to Amman, Jordan

Now walking through Frankfurt airport…...  Just landing there gives me back awesome memories of either picking people up for their first time in country as a Soldier or leaving the country for good on to my next military assignment.  Those memories came back to me so quickly, just because I was walking through the airport.  As I’m typing this I thought of the names of the guys from those Army platoons in Schweinfurt….. TRAVELING is so damn AWESOME!!! Ok, so now let’s get back to traveling with the GI’s of Comedy! No drama, and we’re moving right along. 

At this point I realized that I just forgot my battery and charger at the hotel room… These tours have many moving parts and something like that can put you out of the game very quickly.  I realized that I need to step up my level of attentiveness and organization more.

Next stop:  Amman, Jordan

Very Respectfully,

George Ohan

George@EightDeltaGlobal.com

Instagram - @GeorgeOhan

YouTube - /OhanGeorge

#EDMG #EightDeltaMarketingGroup #EightDeltaGlobal #GIsOfComedy #ArmedForcesEntertainment #LifeAtLAFS #AFE #VFT #GeorgeOhan #Ohan #EntertainmentBusiness #Military #Veteran

www.EightDeltaGlobal.com

*BLOG 2 of 5 series

*SUCCESS NOTE, might be one of the steps that I personally took to get to where I am.

How do I start a new business - Entrepreneur

WARNING: This Blog will be informational and a little bit entertaining. 

So, let's go over the checklist:

1. Business Name
2. Awesome logo design
3. Business Card
4. Facebook "Like" page or Twitter account

Ok, you're DONE!  You, my friend, are an ENTREPRENEUR!!!!

NOT!!!!!!!!!

Why on Earth do people think by simply completing the four steps above that makes them a business owner / entrepreneur?  I really do not understand this madness.

Owning a business or becoming an entrepreneur is: a huge responsibility, a lot of research, hard work, persistence, creativity, positivity, leadership, initiative, and innovation.  If this does not describe you, please reconsider going into business.  This blog is not about discouraging anyone from pursuing their dreams of entrepreneurship.  This blog should be a wake-up call to those that have never considered some of the things I'll mention below.

Let's talk about a little word called PASSION...

 The reason I am writing this blog is because I had a meeting with a person (an idiot) today that had a decent idea, but he did not have any plan or research of how he would introduce his company to the market.  However, he DID have steps 1-4 at the top of this blog covered completely.  As I tried to give him any sort of business advice this man rejected 90% of anything that I told him with an excuse of why he didn't do that, or why my idea wouldn't work.  It's ok, it was my fault for taking the meeting.  I knew better than to waste my time just by reading his unprofessional email with grammatical errors.  I took the meeting because I appreciated the fact that the guy had enough sense to seek me out, he had a cool idea, and seemed PASSIONATE.  Big mistake!  Today I learned to not care about how passionate the person is if they don't have the hard work and understanding of their business to back up their passion.

I don't care if you're passionate about something, venture capitalist don't care that your passionate about something, and your invisible customers darn sure don't care if you're passionate about something IF 

you have not done the proper work to turn that passion into a feasible and attainable objective. 

"The world is not short of ideas, the world is short of execution." - Professor George Abe, UCLA Anderson School of Management

There are MANY steps to cover before going into business; listed below are a few things to consider and a good starting list to gather your information.

(Think Strategically) *NOTE* Strategy should be innovative, not imitative, to create a sustainable competitive advantage.  You should write or type out your answers; don't just answer it in your head.  If you don't know what something means, look it up.

1. What is the opportunity for this business?

2. Can I create a business concept to exploit that opportunity?

3. What resources do I need to exploit and take advantage of the opportunity?

4. How do I assemble and manage the operation?

5. How do I exit the operation?

6. Do we have a Mission Statement?

7. Why do we exist?

8. What is the pain that our customer has?

9. What are we trying to accomplish?

10. What is the purpose of this company?

11. What is the fatal flaw that can take you out instantly?

12. Why would anyone partner with me?

13. What business are you in, really?

14. What are we really good at?

15. What does the market place look like?

16. Who are our customers?

17. What important benefits do we provide to our customers?

18. Are these benefits sustainable? 

19. Where can this business be in 3-5 years?

20. Do I know how to read a lease properly?

21. What are the proper business licensees and permits required?

22. What are my threats, opportunities, weakness, and strengths?

23. What is the law of diffusion and innovation?

24. How can I define market segmentation?

25. What is my niche?

26. Have I completed a marketing mix?

This list can go on and on...... However, I will choose to stop here.  I hope that this will enlighten and encourage some people to really step their knowledge up.  This takes some time, intense focus, and a lot of dedication.  Don't give up!  Just know that every time you answer one of these questions you're giving yourself more of a chance to survive in the world of business.  If you're not willing to do it, it's ok because your competition is.

Entrepreneurship is a team sport.  Surround yourself with people that are much smarter than you are.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to educate yourself by reading this blog.  Please feel free to share this blog with anyone that you think can use the information too

.

Very Respectfully,

George Ohan

www.signaturexavier.com

@georgeohan - Instagram 

@LAfilmOhan - Twitter

www.youtube.com/ohangeorge 

UCLA, Anderson School of Management, Entrepreneurship (2012)

The Los Angeles Film School, Entertainment Business (2013)

Success fueled by ambition - Community Leader / US Army Veteran George Ohan

Ambition:

Some of us have it and others of us need it.  Below are some thoughts that I put together with the studies of Jim Rohn and many other philosophies that I’ve studied.  The difference between success and failure can be a few simple habits.  A few errors in judgments repeated everyday will get you to fail.  Bad habits will show their results a long time after they’re developed.  Thoughts on success below:

Disciplined, Eager, Desire = True ambition.

1.         Success is a minute-by-minute, day-by-day mentality.  Living a successful life isn’t easy; if it were easy most people would have money.  What’s the major difference between people doing good or bad?

2.         Dreams must be well defined, wishes are fuzzy.  Your dreams must be vivid.   Do you know exactly what you want?  Write it out.  I want to see a 10-year plan.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

3.         Nothing is an over night success… diligence is the mother of good luck.  Tough it out with intelligence, continue to educate yourself.  Continue to get better each day.

4.         You’ll be as happy as you allow yourself to be right now.  Don’t be depressed because you are working your way toward success.  Learn to celebrate your achievements.  It’s good to acknowledge your accomplishments on your path of success. 

5.         Big achievements come one small advantage at a time.  Enjoy who you are becoming every day.   You will change daily during your transformation to becoming the person that you know you can be.  You have the power to mold your life. 

6.         Use the ability and power of your mind to build up your success.  Success is a pleasure.  You must be fulfilled with what you are doing today.  Are you happy with your life as it is?  Enjoy the process of becoming successful.  Can you write your successes at the end of each day?  Look for a pattern of what you think is successful.

7.         Try going to bed 30 minutes sooner.  Just try it for 2 weeks.  You’ll get more done and you’ll feel better, just do it.  Start changing how you think, act, and treat others, life will respond to you in the same respect.  Be kind.  What small changes can I start making today? 

8.         Take charge of your personal happiness.  You can’t be successful by yourself.  You have the help of the people around you.  Thank them.   Let the people around you know that you appreciate them.  We are an average of the top 5 people that we spend the most time around.

9.         Keep your mind on your course.  Remember your path.  Your goals will push you forward, but you must remember what your ultimate desire is.  People have already paved the way for us.  They had nothing, and ended up with something great.  These people turned their focused dreams to a reality of success.  Seek them out and research how they did it.  Take the time to talk with successful people.  They might have already walked down the roads that we’re trying to walk down currently. 

10.       Ambition is not being greedy.  It is an eager desire to achieve, to prosper.  Desire is what you want for yourself.  Ambition is how you get there.  Ambition is an expression.  It is something inside of you. 

What are your reasons for creating the dreams that you have? 

Why is it so important to achieve these dreams? 

Does it make you feel good?

Is it for your family?

What has you inspired to be ambitious?

What is the power behind your ambition?

11.       Self-interest is ok; it is not selfish.  You are benefited by giving service to others.  It must be enlightened; make an investment in the service of others.  Always do more than what you’re paid for.  It is an investment in your future.  You will stand out.

12.       Give the gift of attention.  Life responds to give us what we deserve, not what we need.  The ancient law works like, “if you plant, you will reap” …. In order to find ideas, contacts, and hope, you must search. You must go to where you need to be.  It will not come to you.

13.       Life is not a passing of time.  You must have the discipline to act on your life.  Everything affects everything else.  Everything matters.  Save money or don’t save money. Exercise or no exercise? It all matters.

14.       Don’t let up; you can’t ease up.  When you’re at work; work.  Vacation is for rest.  Be disciplined, get your health back, get your bank account where it’s supposed to be, get your family in order. 

 15.      Ambition - it is an eager desire to get more out of life.

16.       Don’t blame others for failures.  It is in your best interest to follow up on everything that affects you.  You are responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen every minute of your life.

17.       Your life will change when YOU change.  Take full responsibility for yourself; whatever your paycheck is… Is that your worth?

 Thank you for reading.  I apologize for the format of this blog

.  I am not really a writer, just some guy with some thoughts.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very Respectfully,

George Ohan

Instagram: georgeohan

Twitter: @LAfilmOhan