Meet Aaron Ross, the founder of PebbleStorm, which is helping 100 million people “make money through enjoyment” by combining happiness and money. Aaron’s Unique Genius work shows people how to discover their purpose & passions and turn them into a successful business.
Aaron is also the author of “CEOFlow: Turn Your Employees Into Mini-CEOs“, and “Predictable Revenue” which is coming soon.
I’m excited to interview Aaron and surprised I haven’t done this yet. I took the Unique Genius course last September when it first opened. I was just starting A World of Inspiration and his free videos resonated with me so much that I had to give it a try. It was great. It helped me learn some interesting things about myself, introduced me to a community of awesome people that were really helpful (I actually had lunch with two of them while visiting Japan), and made me throw my first rock of creating an ebook. Aaron’s been super supportive along the way with everything I’ve done and I’m honored to introduce him to you.
Welcome Aaron.
What is the Unique Genius Superhero Program?
It’s a group mentoring and educational program, in which people learn how to start a fulfilling business that is based on values such as integrity, purpose, authenticity and making money in ways that are fun and feel good. I want people to be able to make money through enjoyment, meeting other like-minded people and making lots of money at work they love!
What brought you down the path to creating Unique Genius?
I’d been successful in Silicon Valley: I’d been an Internet CEO, built a sales team at Salesforce.com that helped them add $100 million in revenue, and had a job at a venture capital firm where I was getting paid to figure out what company I wanted to start. It was at that point I realized that I felt unfulfilled, that my work didn’t really matter.
Who needs another sales or marketing process app? Was some internet or software app really going to change the world or lives? I knew I was meant for more and that I wanted to make a big difference…and that I didn’t feel like I was going to do it in that world.
This led me to my purpose – to help 100 million people “make money through enjoyment,” combining the best of capitalism (money) and buddhism (happiness). Unique Genius are the methods and principles I discovered to help people do this, do what I did.
What did it feel like when you found your Unique Genius and what happened after?
It felt INSPIRING at first, and then SCARY second – it brought up all kinds of hidden fears and questions like, “Can I do this? Who am I to do this? Will people reject it?” and others. (I’ve since seen this same thing happen with every single student).
Also, I think there’s some misconception that people find their life purpose, or Unique Genius, in some single big flash of light. Really, it comes from a series of breakthroughs and realizations, all of which build on each other, step by step. Also, finding your purpose is one thing…learning how to live it every day, to express yourself fully, is a whole ‘nother ballgame! The Unique Genius work helps with both steps.
In the program, you talk a lot about taking baby steps and throwing rocks. What do you mean and how important are these things?
First of all, baby steps are just so amazingly powerful. I’ll bet you come up with big ideas all the time that you don’t do anything with…they can feel so overwhelming. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you discover what you are meant to do, your unique talents, and turn them into a fulfilling business that can’t fail? One baby step at a time.
Where does all this impatience in our lives come from? Everyone wants INSTANT results, whether it’s with weight, money or love. It’s insane. Impatience to me is a form of unhappiness, as in “what I have isn’t good enough right in the moment, I need something different NOW.”
Look, you can make money very quickly: get a for-profit job. You can find fulfilling work very quickly: get a not-for-profit job. But combining the two in spending the time to discover your passions and purpose, then turn them into a fulfilling business that makes you plenty of money, takes time.
There are probably online courses that promise you a college degree in 30 days. Good luck with that! After founding half a dozen companies and mentoring hundreds of people, I’m here to say there are no shortcuts…so you might as well start now, and you might as well have fun and enjoy the process!
Have your past students had success/breakthroughs with Unique Genius?
Some examples:
1) Jessica Ross, who, as a single mom with no time or money, founded Bond Girl Bootcamp, where she takes women out to be badasses for a day in shooting guns, jumping out of airplanes and learning self-defense.
2) Rich Walker, CEO of a software company, published an amazing book and has started a second fulfilling business as a coach (video of Rich).
3) My mom took the course last year and, at age 67, has started Wheels Up Adventures with a friend of hers.
Marylou Tyler was a client who was so gung-ho and fun to work with that we ended up partnering and created a new business together that she is CEO of. She and I founded Predictable Revenue, Inc., a company that helps businesses multiply sales.
How does it feel to help people find their unique strengths and superpowers?
Incredibly fulfilling. Even better is when clients find them, and then come up with ways to partner with me and stay in the community, like Marylou. And many alumni of the program come back as mentors to new students, which is fun, fulfilling and a great way to build their own skills and businesses.
I think a lot of people think that they don’t have any special skills or strengths and therefore feel they have nothing special/unique enough to form a business with. What would you say to those people?
None of those things are true, and they should watch the videos on www.UniqueGenius.com. EVERYONE is unique, and has a special gift to share with the world. Few take the baby steps and have the commitment to find it and express it in a way that they live every day (and can make money from).
Thanks Aaron for doing the interview. Anything else you would like to add?
Yes – that there are many lies people believe about what it takes to start a business. For example: you might believe that you need money, time, a brand, a great idea, a college degree, to raise money…etc etc. None of that is true. I’ve started and gotten all my current businesses to profitability with less than $100 each. All you need is commitment and a decision, baby steps and patience…and the rest can follow. Unique Genius video #2 is titled “Start A Business That Can’t Fail,” which I highly recommend watching if anyone feels this way.
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Registration for this year’s Unique Genius course is July 30th. Note: I am a past student of the Unique Genius program and I am affiliated with it. If you decide to buy the course through one of my links, I will also include 4 hours Unique Genius coaching with myself. As a past student, I will be able to help you through some of the modules and explain anything you don’t understand. We can also talk about cheesecake.
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What do you think? Have you found your Unique Genius?
