Where I’ve been…
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | 1 Comment
I haven’t taken the time to do a blog post in over a month. That’s not my normal MO, so I think I need to share what’s been keeping me from the regular posting.
1. Client Work: My monthly flat fee client program has generated a lot of new clients, who all have a bunch of work. The flat fee programs look like this: $250-$3000/month for a 1-year relationship, auto-billing to credit card, excludes out-of-pocket fees & litigation. Obviously, the pricing/month depends on the anticipated work. All include “as needed” advice. Clients are loving this program and so am I because it places the value in the right place and doesn’t include hourly billing.
2. Creative Business Lawyer Program: I’ve teamed up with Alexis Martin Neely’s Family Wealth Planning Institute to bring this flat fee model to other law firms (and their clients) around the country. We’re basically trying to do for business attorneys what she already did for estate planning attorneys through her Personal Family Lawyer program. This program launched earlier this month. If you’re interested in learning more, visit www.creativebusinesslawyer.com.
3. Moving Office Suites: I need room to expand, and my office lease is up this week. So, I’m moving into a larger suite in a cool space. I’ll be in the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art building. This is a historic building in the heart of Fort Collins. It was built in 1912 as the post office. I’m on the Board of the Museum, so this is a nice fit. And, I love the creative energy of being in surrounded by all that great art.
4. Hiring Help: I’ve hired an attorney to join my firm to help actually do the work. 
Her name is Christina Robertson. Christina received her JD from The University of Denver College of Law in 2006, and will complete her MBA from The Univ. of Colorado @ Denver this year. Like me, Christina is incredibly entrepreneurial and loves working with small, creative businesses. I’m very excited about Christina joining my firm.
Hopefully I’ll be back to a regular blogging routine after we get settled into a new routine.
FTC, GEP, & Market Research
Posted on | December 15, 2009 | No Comments
What’s that title all about anyway!? If you’ve been paying attention, you know that as of December 1st, 2009 you can’t use your wonderfully true, but not typical (what I call “aspirational”) client testimonials in your marketing and advertising unless you clearly and conspicuously disclose “Generally Expected Performance Results.”
So, what’s the problem?
The problem is that most of us don’t have data to state what the Generally Expected Performanc Results ARE.
We’ve never done the research.
Now we must.
I was approached by Michelle DeKinder-Smith with an opportunity to co-affiliate the Site Compliant program, including the FTC Toolkit with her professional market research services. You wouldn’t guess it from first glance, but Michelle has over 20 years of consumer product market research experience – including projects for some brands that you would easily recognize.
Michelle was the first market research pro to understand the implications of the new FTC rules. We immediately hit it off and saw a way to help each other out.
The first thing we did was a survey of the people who had purchased or otherwise indicated an interest in the Site Compliant LLC products including the FTC Toolkit. I don’t know how many of you have ever worked on a market research project, but let me tell you that working with Michelle was PAINLESS, EFFICIENT, and effective.
We found out great information about the products and services we’re offering through Site Compliant – including ways to improve the offer. We also found out that 8-10 customers though the FTC Toolkit was a great value for their money!
Now we’re ready to take it (and you) to the next level. Michelle has created a couple solutions to help people gather and analyze customer data so that YOU CAN use your wonderful testimonials again.
REMEMBER, the NEW FTC GUIDES require the disclosure of Generally Expected Performance Data when using testimonials – especially testimonials of the “aspirational” nature. IF YOU USE atypical/aspirational testimonials without this GEP data disclosure, your aspirational (and completely truthful) testimonial will be interpreted as a statement of generally expected performance results, likely subjecting you to accusations of “deceptive advertising” from the FTC.
Michelle and I will be doing a FREE WEBINAR on the topic of Generally Expected Performance Results and the Market Research you need to back up your claims TOMORROW at 2pm EASTERN.
Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/667018355
Again, the webinar is free, will only take an hour, and will be hugely informational and helpful if you want to use those great aspirational testimonials again.
OK, it’s time to register now. Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/667018355
Share the word.
Again, that’s Wednesday, December 16th at 2pm Eastern. (TOMORROW!)
Tags: Compliance > Compliant > data > FTC > FTC Testimonials & Endorsements > Generally Expected Performance > Market Research > marketing > Site > Site Compliant > Site Compliant Program > Testimonials
On Recognizing Your Life’s Purpose.
Posted on | November 29, 2009 | 9 Comments
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This is the beginning of the season where we of the Western tradition begin to reflect and celebrate the light (wisdom, power, spirit) of the divine being manifested in humans. A few years ago I felt inspired to write an essay on the topic of Advent and Christmas, and that calling happened again today on the related topic of recognizing one’s life purpose(s).
As many of you know I’m a big fan of social media, especially Twitter.com (@kevinhouchin) and Facebook (Kevin E. Houchin). I recently posted the following and received a couple responses that motivated me to start writing.
The question about HOW to recognize purpose is a question that a lot of people have. While I don’t profess to have THE answer, I think I have AN answer–one that I’ve shared in my Fuel the Spark books, in my workshops, seminars, and keynotes, and will definitely share again in my next book: The Secrets of Creative Business. But I don’t want you to have to wait or have to pay for this, because sharing this information is at the heart of MY purpose on the planet.
First, and this is VERY important, understand that you are not searching for your purpose, instead, the goal is to recognize your purpose. Searching for your purpose will lead you to failure every time, because by searching, you are looking outside yourself to find something that’s already inside you. If you search outside yourself, you’ll be fooled into accepting what other people think your purpose should be as what your purpose really is.
Second, know that you probably have more than one purpose, or at least more than one way to manifest that purpose in the world. Properly stated, your purpose will never be “completed” but you will always be in the process of fulfilling the purpose without “failure.” Many times, if you feel that you have more than one purpose, each purpose you state will be related in some form to a higher purpose that you have not yet recognized and articulated. I’ll give you an example and then we’ll move on to why recognizing your purpose has become so difficult.
I created my purpose statement using the tools and structure from the book Inspire: What Great Leaders Do by Lance Secretan. (No, I don’t have an affiliate relationship with Lance.) This is one of my favorite books ever and one I think everyone should read. My kids will be required to read this as soon as I think they can understand what’s being discussed and I’ll probably read it out loud to them well before they can read it on their own. Lance breaks purpose down into three statements: Destiny, Cause, and Calling. Here are mine:
- Destiny: To reach my full potential in this lifetime by helping as many other people as I can reach their full potential in this lifetime.
- Cause: Every person on Earth recognizes their personal spark of divinity and begins to share their flame.
- Calling: Writing and speaking around the world to share the recognition of the personal divine spark and give people the tools they need to be accountable and share their spark.
This essay is a step toward fulfilling my purpose on the planet. My law practice, where I help people find ways to make their living through creative business (sharing their spark of divinity) is another. My books and speaking events are a literal calling to help people understand these concepts and then have the tools to act on what they’ve recognized in themselves. In a quite moment last night I literally heard my little voice say I needed to write this essay for my friends Terri and Marla who commented on Facebook, and share the essay with the world via my blog. I know my purpose. Now let’s get back to recognizing yours.
Understand that it’s not your fault if you can’t articulate your purpose yet, because it’s not something we’re taught in Western culture. In fact, our entire culture seems to be structured around obscuring your purpose or providing you with all kinds of false paths. This isn’t done intentionally. Most of the people providing these false paths to nowhere do it out of love and pure intention, but as we’ve discussed, anything coming from outside yourself is going to be a false path. Most of the time, these folks who are trying to help you find your purpose really have no sense of their own which means this isn’t really their fault either.
Your parents provided purpose in your life. They sent you to school, they taught by example, they taught by providing positive and negative feedback for your actions. Many of us discuss what we want to be when we grow up with our parents and sometimes our parents do far too much to drive that decision down a path that THEY define as “success” or “security” out of love for you and sometimes out of a desire to reach some unrecognized or unfulfilled purpose of their own.
If you were lucky enough to have some great teachers in your life, they probably exhibited some examples of purpose for you. How many people wanted to grow to be like one of their teachers or coaches? While at school, you find friends and those friends help shape your dreams, goals, and definitions of success – for better or worse. After school, you go to work and the culture of the job or company shapes your purpose.
The religion of your parents, friends, and nation also shapes your definition of life purpose, usually with a moral undertone, but again as an influence from outside. How many times has religion been used as a tool to bend people’s purposes from what is inside them to what is willed from behind the pulpit. No religion is exempt from these examples and I believe that most of the time the outside influence is delivered with the purest of intentions. But none of these influences will guide you to your true life purpose, because your purpose can’t be FOUND because it’s not LOST. It’s inside you right now. All you need to do is recognize, accept, and surrender.
I’m about to share with you the most powerful (yet simple) tool and process for recognizing your life’s purpose that I’ve found, and I’ve been working on this for YEARS. But first you have to be in a state to use the tool. This process can be used in your personal life, your career, or even at a business planning level. To make it work, you have to be able to get quiet.
Western culture doesn’t like people to be quiet. We’re bombarded with stuff every second. I do workshops and ask the attendees to just sit quietly and look at a dot on the wall for just one minute. To a person all of them think it’s the longest 60 seconds they’ve ever spent. We are taught to multi-task. We are taught to be on the go all the time. We are not taught to just be. We are not taught how to find the space between thoughts, but it’s in the space between that we find the place where God, the Universe, Spirit, Zero Point Field, or whatever you call the higher power can speak to us in a language we understand. It’s there right now trying to help you recognize your purpose. The tool I’m about to share can help you find the space between thoughts and get quiet enough to recognize why you’re on the planet. Nobody can do this for you.
This process is not about searching, but it does involve some work, focus and commitment. It’s not hard, and if done right is actually fun, fulfilling, instantly and permanently rewarding. Are you ready to start?
Good.
It starts with this quote from an incredible book called The Universal Traveler:
The most profound choice in life is either to accept things as they exist or to accept the personal responsibility for changing them.
What does that quote have to do with life purpose? EVERYTHING.
Your life purpose is simply the thing you accept personal responsibility to change.
It really is that simple, because when you’ve truly accepted the personal responsibility to change something in the world, your path unfolds with opportunities for inspired action and your life will never be the same. Everything you do will be moving you toward the goal of fulfilling the responsibility you have accepted and if something doesn’t move you toward that change you either won’t do it for long or you won’t do it at all.
The work is figuring out where you TRULY and DEEPLY ACCEPT the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to CHANGE something.
There are plenty of problems in the world that need solved. There are plenty of things that need changed. What are you going to accept as your problem or problems to solve?
What can you NOT live with as it exists?
I can’t live with people going through life in ignorance of the spark of divinity that lives inside them. I can’t stomach people living lives of quiet desperation working in a cubical at a job they hate waiting to have fun only on the weekends because they don’t know how to start their own businesses doing what they love. So, I became a Creative Business Lawyer, started this blog, and have been writing in an effort to change that situation.
I can’t stand how law school takes our brightest, most idealistic young people and beats the creativity and idealism out of them, redefining the definition of success into a trap of top 10% and six-figure salaries doing work they hate and feeding a lifestyle of internal and external conflict. So, I try to help change law schools through helping law school administrators better define their branding, and wrote a book to help law students stay balanced in the face of this 3-year+ hazing ritual. Finally, I wrote a book to help practicing attorneys recognize the trap they may be in and find a way out in order to truly use their passion and skill to manifest their purpose in life.
What can YOU not live with as is?
When you answer that question in the sincerity of your heart and soul, you’ve taken the most profound step toward recognizing your purpose(s) in life because all you have to do is flip the statement around.
Your purpose in life is to change the thing(s) that you can’t live with as they exist.
It’s just that simple. And that difficult.
When you’ve found the quiet place to do this work, it will come to you. You will recognize your purpose. You will be inspired to act in authenticity in every element of your being and every moment of every day.
I could expand on this quite a bit – and in fact, I will. IMPLEMENTING this work is at the core of my next book, The Secrets of Creative Business. When you know your purpose, it will be time to act and I believe at a soul-level that the best way to implement one’s purpose in life is through founding and building one’s own busines and aligning one’s VOCATION with one’s Purpose and AVOCATION.
Recognize your purpose. Accept the personal responsibility. Surrender to that path and you will find more power than you’ve ever imagined you could wield.
Recognize Your Spark. Share Your flame.
Tags: creative business > flame > power > purpose > Spark > spirit > surrender
Site Compliant Trust Seal Graphic
Posted on | November 26, 2009 | No Comments
For those of you on the mailing list the trust seal graphic that displayed in your email message goes gray and says “status unknown” because the trust seals may only be used on the domain name registered to the trust seal in our Site Compliant trust seal system. If the code is used outside of the domain it’s registered to (such as in my email), it “flops” to an inactive status automatically. If someone is a member of the program, they can create up to 5 trust seals each to be used on a single domain. You can go to my web site at http://www.houchinlaw.com to see what the active trust seal looks like.
FTC Compliance: Blogger Disclosure System
Posted on | November 26, 2009 | No Comments
As most of you know by now, I’ve been very busy since the new FTC Rules regarding the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising were released on October 5th. Remember those rules become effective next Tuesday, December 1, 2009.
I’ve been doing Webinars, Blogtalkradio shows, phone interviews, magazine interviews (no TV appearances yet, but amazingly the national TV media doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to this yet…). I am also a co-creator of the new FTC Toolkit and Site Compliant program and expect to see you using the new Site Compliant Trust Seal right away. Here’s mine:
One question has been coming up over and over – especially for bloggers.
Do I have to put a disclosure next to every affiliate link or can I do one blanket disclosure?
Based on the new rules and the interviews with FTC officials that I’ve been reading, I think you need to do BOTH. So, I set up this site as an example.
Here’s what you’ll find:
Some things you’ll notice about this page:
- First, it makes the required disclosures of material connection with each organization or entity that pays me a commission for links.
- Second, it makes the statement that I intend to be compliant with the FTC rules.
- Third, it gives my contact information.
- Forth, it tells people how I’m going to disclose material connections on my site.
- Fifth, it turns the disclosure page into another marketing page by including examples of all the affiliate links! (I think this is brilliant…, but it’s 3:49am on Thanksgiving for Pete’s sake.)
2. Affiliate disclosures next to every element that visitors might not think I have a material connection with.
—
We’ll be posting this disclosure form to the membership area at www.sitecompliant.com for members to use as part of their membership. Yes, I know it’s short and easy enough that plenty of people are just going to steal this and use it without permission. I can live with that if it helps a few people, but I also sincerely hope that most people will do the right thing (and find an incredible value) by going to www.sitecompliant.com, purchasing the FTC Toolkit and getting their 60-day free membership in the Site Compliant program and start using the trust seal on their site too.
YOU SHOULD BE PART OF SITE COMPLIANT starting NOW.
Is your site compliant?
Don’t risk it. Get The FTC Toolkit now! (I’m an affiliate and co-owner)
OH! And I hope you have a GREAT Thanksgiving, 2009. We all have a great deal to be thankful for.
Tags: Disclosure > Endorsements > FTC Compliance > FTC Disclosure > FTC Rules > Site Compliant > Testimonials > Trust Seal
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About Kevin
Kevin E. Houchin is an attorney, artist, teacher, author, and principal of
Houchin & Associates, P.C. , a copyright, trademark, arts & entertainment,
business development, and branding firm located in Fort Collins, Colorado.
To schedule Kevin for keynote speeches, workshops, or seminars, call 970-493-1070
or email
kevin.houchin@houchinlaw.com.
