Pivot

by Jenny Blake

  It was oddly reassuring that I was willing to feel so down, so discouraged, so bruised, battered, and exhausted by the journey of solopreneurship, and still not be ready to quit. Feeling that inner fire—with all the realities of my financial uncertainty, not just the hypothetical version from a perch of safety—solidified the knowledge that I still had fight left.

  I never dipped into my 401(k). Instead, I stopped looking for answers outside of myself. I studied what worked in prior transitions and with my coaching clients. I redefined my one-year vision. I took the pressure off of having the answer and identified small pilots that were anchored in my strengths, increasing their scope in smart succession.

  My pivot forced me to step up and do things differently. It was not until I started applying, further refining, and digging deeper into the systems I have shared in this book that my career regained traction, this time stronger and more aligned than ever.

  THE COURAGEOUS LIFE

  Make no mistake. Even after reducing risk by working through the stages in this book, pivoting still requires courage. Every time.

  To show up in the world as an impacter, vigorously pursuing learning, meaning, and growth, is courageous in itself. You are signing up for a life of relentlessly pursuing what matters most. You are signing up for a life of making choices that align with your core values, regardless of how tough those decisions are in the moment, ultimately to benefit many lives beyond your own.

  As an impacter, you refuse to phone it in. You ask a lot of yourself and others. You are responsible, not reckless, and for that reason, cautiously optimistic. You do not take blind leaps, because you care about the side effects your choices have on others. You may have tasted failure in the past and be hesitant to expose yourself to that possibility again. But at the same time, you know that the greatest failure is not to try—to settle, to succumb to your fear, and to live as a shell of your truest self.

  Impacters are not afflicted with FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. They have FONT: Fear of Not Trying. Connect with that part of you that knows, deep down, that you are antifragile—that shocks and setbacks only make you stronger—and that you can succeed at whatever you set your mind to, even though success will not always look the way you expect. Life does not give us what we want; it gives us what we need. Pivots work the same way.

  Living life as an impacter can be a vulnerable experience, as you are constantly stretching beyond your comfort zone. But it is also exhilarating, and the only way for you to truly thrive. So remember: build first, then your courage will follow. Hasn’t it always?

  ______

  There is one thing I know for sure: we will all face many more pivots on the road ahead, big and small, planned and unplanned. My aim in this book is to teach you how to teach yourself to fish—to persevere and thrive—when navigating these changes.

  You will learn to lean into a sense of flow with the seasons of your life and career. Get nimble enough with the Pivot process and it transforms into a fluid movement. The edges of the pivots become smoother and less stressful. Rather than making sharp, jarring turns—shocked at hitting pivot points that you do not see coming—you will generate momentum as you make these turns in succession, continually and naturally.

  Operating this way is the adventure and privilege of a lifetime. And it is from this place that we can turn our full focus outward and make the impact on the world that is waiting for us.

  Pivot is the new Plan A, and that’s good news. Learn to love the knots.

  Prevent trouble before it arises.

  Put things in order before they exist.

  The giant pine tree

  grows from a tiny sprout.

  The journey of a thousand miles

  starts from beneath your feet.

  Rushing into action, you fail.

  Trying to grasp things, you lose them.

  Forcing a project to completion,

  You ruin what was almost ripe.

  Therefore the Master takes action

  by letting things take their course.

  He remains as calm

  at the end as at the beginning.

  —Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Every book . . . has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.

  —Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind

  First and foremost, to you, dear reader: thank you for investing your time and energy with me. May you embrace your fear as fuel to tackle anything you set your mind to. I look forward to hearing how your current and future pivots unfold!

  There are no words to capture my enormous gratitude to my family, not just for supporting me unconditionally, but for their invaluable role in helping me thoroughly hash through the ideas presented here. Enormous thanks to my brother, Tom Blake, for brainstorming many of the concepts and sticking points over phone calls and massive cups of coffee. To my dad, Jim Blake, for his thought-provoking ideas and laser-sharp edits throughout the writing and revision processes. It was so inspiring to read your essays about evolutionary theory and jam about all the parallels to Pivot! To my mom, Cathy Blake, for her wise perspective and ongoing input. Congratulations on your ASLA fellowship and twenty year workiversary at Stanford! You are an inspiration. And to my grandma, Janice Deino, who has been and always will be an angel and kindred spirit in my life. Much love to my extended and second families: Blake, Deino, Harrington, Quinn, Knox, Schwartz, Walker, White, Dray, and Chaloeicheep. To the immensely talented Mark Hanauer, thank you for another round of author portraits, thirty-one years after the first ones you took when I was a baby. To Zoë, Aivey, and Eva—it is an honor to be your Auntie J. I love you all!

  To the publishing pit crew that made this book possible: Sarah Lazin, my agent—you gave much needed tough love when this book was just the seedling of an idea; the proposal I resubmitted to you one year later was for a far more powerful message. Adrian Zackheim, the president of Portfolio, and Natalie Horbachevsky, my exceptional editor, thank you for believing in me and betting on Pivot—I have been thankful every day since for your vision, input, and support. Working with Portfolio on this project is the privilege of a lifetime; it surpasses my wildest jump-out-of-bed-with-glee dreams. To Roger Scholl and Porscha Burke, thank you for the energizing meetings and votes of encouragement—they meant the world to me.

  Natalie, your brilliant observations, insightful questions, and challenging feedback have shaped this book immeasurably. You rolled up your sleeves and treated the book as your own, never letting up on our shared mission to bring out the best Pivot can offer the world. You are insanely good at what you do. Thank you to the entire team of highly talented people at Portfolio, who I was also fortunate to work with: Hannah Kinisky, Merry Sun, Will Weisser, Tara Gilbride, Stefanie Rosenblum, Daniel Lagin, Megan Gerrity, Chris Sergio, Karl Spurzem, Henry Nuhn, Eric Nelson, Annie Hollands, Joel Rickett, and Richard Lennon. Big thanks also to Pivot’s copy editors, Jane Cavolina and Jim Blake, whose skill at catching and improving upon every last detail astounds me.

  Adam Chaloeicheep, my trusted thought partner and genius brand strategist, you kicked off much of my thinking for this book when you said that my coaching process was “like a rocket launcher to the moon” for people going through career transitions. Thank you for helping me figure out what’s next at every step. Big thanks also to the ABC Design Lab team (Pivot’s secret weapons!) for visually bringing this concept to life, and for all the brand strategy and creative direction along the way.

  Tara Adams, your wisdom is sharp and grounding, and you have been a rock for so many of my pivots. Julie Clow, dinners over these last ten years of our friendship, not to mention following our Yellow Brick Road to Manhattan together and all the experiences that have come with it, hav
e been an oasis in the madness, a little—who are we kidding, huge ol’ heaping—slice of heaven. Inna Aizenstein, I cherish our Friday dinners and am so grateful for your fashion counsel! Ann “NYC Angel” Turi, thank you for showing us the way at every fabulous Louboutin-clad step. Elisa Doucette, from blogs to besties, I am so grateful that trading a few comments many years ago would turn into regular phone calls, accountability e-mails, and workcations around the world. Becky Cotton, I love being the “J” to your “P”! Working with you again has been a dream; your huge heart lights up so many lives, and we are all better for knowing you. Laura Garnett, I cherish our weekly walk-and-talks on all things life, love, and business. John Scaife, you came into my life when I was mid-pivot myself and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, to be the 1/3 to your and Kit’s 0.667; thank you for all the morning laughs while driving over the Brooklyn Bridge, and for the great meals, coffee talks, and conversations. Dorie Clark, it’s an honor to be business-author doppelgängers; I am so grateful for your friendship and all of our New York City adventures!

  Marisol, I could not do what I do without you. I am thrilled we found each other, and beyond lucky to have you at the helm of all things Jenny Blake Enterprises, Pivot, Momentum, and Life After College. You are a job category all your own, given that so many of my friends are looking for “a Marisol” for their business. I look forward to watching and helping your career unfold! Lou Ann Alberts and Mandi Holmes, thank you for keeping all the nuts and bolts on track while I worked on this book.

  Anyone crazy enough to live in New York City knows that friends become family here. Many of us have moved far away from home—to a literal and figurative island—to pursue our wildest Pivot ambitions. My NYC family has been an abundant source of joy, support, and idea sharing. From Friday dinners, to picnics in the park, to brunches and potlucks, to walk-and-talks, to Dorie’s author dinners, I am deeply grateful for all of you: Allie Mahler, Kristin Glenn, Monica “MonBon” McCarthy, Christian Golofaro, Bob Gower, Alexandra Jamieson, Dan Schawbel, Jenn Racioppi, Jacquette Timmons, Lauralee Kelly, Petra Kolber, Sarah and Alex Peck, Willie Jackson, and Daniel Jarvis. To the Wolveri family who pop in and out: Nick Reese, Kyle Durand, Nicky Halal, and Sean Ogle, I am always grateful for your domain expertise and epic hugs. Big thanks also to the Young Entrepreneur Council (shout-out to Ryan Paugh, Scott Gerber, Jeff Gabel, and Morgan Brady) for the ongoing connections and community.

  My JB mentor and friendtor crew: no matter how often we talk, you are beacons of light and leadership that inspire me to keep going. Thank you for your warmth, work ethic, kindness, generosity, and good humor. This list does not do your impact on my life justice, but here goes. To my mentors—Lynn Vavreck, Marianne Chowning-Dray, Susan Biali, Pamela Slim, Michael Bungay Stanier, James Altucher, Seth Godin, Christina Rasmussen, Steve Maxwell, Mike Robbins, Michael Port, Jenna Buffaloe, Scott Stratten, and Chris Guillebeau. Tosha Silver—your books taught me the priceless practice of outrageous openness. Penney Peirce, your writing on intuition and frequency opened many doorways of insight and delight. Martha Beck, you are one of my very brightest North Stars and have inspired me from afar to grow in countless ways as a writer and wayfinder. Daniel Pink, thank you for paving the way for Pivot with books like Free Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind, and for accepting my Pixar Pitch with your wonderful cover endorsement. I wasn’t kidding when I said an e-mail from you was as exciting to this bookworm as one from the president. To my friendtors—Ryan Stephens, Alexis Grant, Chris Taylor, John Hill, Ben Casnocha, ChaChanna Simpson, Sally Hope, Derek Shanahan, Melissa Foster, Jenny Ferry, Melissa Anzman, Molly Mahar, Melani Dizon, Thomas Edwards, Nate St. Pierre, J-Money, Buford Barr, Ando Mierzwa, and Nicole Antoinette—thank you for all the support and camaraderie over the years.

  My yoga teachers have provided solace, spiritual support, and regular sweat sessions that have kept me sane: Ari Halbert; Ariel Karass; Teri Steele (Pilates guru extraordinaire); Tara Stiles and Mike Taylor; Phillip Askew, Ivy Kaminer, Nevine Michaan, and the Katonah team; Pashupa Goodwin; and Rodney Yee, whose DVDs unleashed this life passion nearly fifteen years ago. Thank you for the studios and classes you run with such heart, my homes away from home.

  Similar thanks to McNally Jackson, my corner bookstore and coffee shop, an anchor of inspiration, awesome author talks, and binge book buying; and Grey Dog, whose unlimited coffee refills in those great ceramic diner mugs fueled many morning writing and editing sessions.

  My California family of friends: Sara Plummer, Shaun Carrigan (who I promised on a napkin contract at the Meatball Shop that I would finish the proposal for this book), Laura Grose, Jeremy Orr, Cliff Redeker, Susan RoAne, Adrian Klaphaak, Tucker Warner, and Lori Newman (and Emily and Maddie). To my Gunn High ’01 ladies: Vanessa Zarrilli, Laura “LBOBP” Vivona, Katy Stoner, Emily “Scooms” Schuman, Lauren Stone, Diana Neill, Nerissa Gaspay, Krista Cioffi, Tracy Tripp, Maura Ruzhnikov, Amy Costello, Erin Ventura, and Megan Stichter. I love our reunions and am so grateful to still be in touch!

  To all the courageous pivoters who generously shared their stories: thank you for bringing this book to life. To my coaching clients, you are a huge source of inspiration for me. You are insanely smart, talented, and generous. I will not name names for privacy reasons, but you know who you are! It is the highest honor to help organize your brain. Enormous thanks to the Momentum Crew, who gave ongoing feedback at critical points throughout the book process; it’s so much fun to “hang out” with you online and during our calls.

  If I forgot anyone—or for new soul-traveler friends who I met after this book went to press, and therefore left your name out of these acknowledgments—forgive me!

  Most of all, I want to end where I started: thank you to the JennyBlake.me and LifeAfterCollege.org readers and Pivot Podcast listeners, some of whom have been with me for ten years and counting. You are the reason I do what I do. I know that I am doing something right because of you.

  Thank you for reading—I will be cheering you on wherever you go from here. May you be happy, healthy, and free. May your pivots exceed your wildest dreams, and may you savor all the small moments in between. Finally, may you shoot the moon whenever you get the chance. :)

  Much love,

  POST PIVOT: ONLINE RESOURCES

  Ways to Keep in Touch:

  Questions, success stories, or feedback to share? I would love to hear from you! E-mail Jenny@PivotMethod.com, and share your Pivot story at PivotMethod.com/share or with the hashtag #mypivot or #nextmove on social media.

  Access the book’s full toolkit at PivotMethod.com/toolkit, and a glossary at PivotMethod.com/glossary.

  For ongoing blog posts visit JennyBlake.me, and subscribe to the Pivot Podcast at JennyBlake.me/podcast.

  Subscribe to my twice-monthly behind-the-business newsletter at JennyBlake.me/updates, where I share curated lists of the latest Pivot-related tips, tools, books, and resources.

  For more personalized ongoing support, join our private community of solopreneurs and side hustlers at MomentumCrew.com.

  Want to Help Spread the Word?

  As my first book mentor Michael Larsen told me, “Authors don’t keep books alive, readers do.” If you enjoyed Pivot and think others could benefit, I would be grateful for your help in any of the following ways:

  Write a review, on the retailer’s site where you purchased the book and/or on Goodreads, to help others decide whether to purchase a copy.

  Gift a copy to a friend or coworker.

  Share your pivot story on social media with the hashtag #mypivot or #nextmove.

  PIVOT METHOD QUICK REFERENCE

  STAGE ONE: PLANT here

  Values: What are your guiding principles? here

  Vision: What does success look like one year from now? here

  Strengths: What is working? Where do you excel? here

  Finances: What is your timeline? How can you earn extra
income? here

  STAGE TWO: SCAN here

  Connect: With whom can you exchange expertise and support? here

  Learn: How can you grow? What research can you conduct? here

  Discern: How can you add unique value and build visibility? here

  STAGE THREE: PILOT here

  Identify: What small experiments can you run? here

  Implement: What real-world data are you collecting? here

  Evaluate: What worked? What didn’t? What could you do differently? here

  STAGE FOUR: LAUNCH here

  Launch: When will you make the big move? What are your linchpin decision criteria? here

  Flip Failure: What will move you into action? here

  STAGE FIVE: LEAD here

  Communications Culture: How can you facilitate engaging career conversations? What programs can you pilot within your organization to engage and retain top talent? here

  LAUNCH CRITERIA CHECKLIST

  Financial Benchmarks

  Money saved

  Money earned

  Stay until OBO (Or Better Offer)

  Specific size compensation

  Stock or bonus incentive tied to a date

  Acquire funding, loan, or scholarship

  Date-Based Timing

  Launch X project at work

  Take X months to explore, or take a sabbatical

  Make a launch decision by X date

  Leave/change no later than X date

  Progress Milestones

  Build X prototype