Hello, there.
I’m Dale Myers, a serial entrepreneur, teacher, scientist/engineer, and football fanatic who loves helping people to create and build the lives of their dreams. I help Leaders and Entrepreneurs to optimize their business and professional lives for maximum productivity and enjoyment.
I’ve made 100+ youtube videos (and counting) to help you the Leader, the entrepreneur, the aspiring leader, the wannabe entrepreneur. These videos and the accompanying blog serve as templates for guidance, provide road maps for those who are willing and disciplined. They represent my best understanding of business and leadership principles learned through formal and informal education.
I have also come to the conclusion that I’m making these videos for the young version of myself and also to serve as a guide for my own children on how to live a life worth living, find customers you enjoy serving, and building the level of wealth that you desire.
Today, I run two successful businesses, but this is a result of trying and failing previously. I’ve also had successes along the way. I’ve done this starting from scratch via self funding. I’ve done it while employed for others and I’ve done it under the stress and duress of being without a job. In all cases, I took the necessary action to move me closer towards my goals.
Here’s the first take home message: once you understand the process of how to build a successful business, you can repeat the process over and over.
Entrepreneurial success is tied directly to your leadership skills. We can’t escape this fact. To ignore it means certain delayed progress and likely business failure. This is why we stress Leadership fundamentals here at Vision Advanced.
Scholars and business leaders much more accomplished than I have stated the following:
To be successful in business you must either learn it all by yourself, take classes to learn the fundamentals, or hire a Coach/Mentor/Consultant to help you and speed up the process.
That’s what we do here at Vision Advanced and our sister company, Vision Shaper Consulting. We teach via our free content below or through designated highly transformative business courses. We also offer Consulting, coaching and guidance. You can find out more about these services at www.VisionShaperConsulting.com.
As I stated, I’m a serial entrepreneur that started selling candy in elementary school. I repaired and sold electronics to hustle up cash flow during high school. I started a lawn service company then as well. I made enough to help put a couple of my older siblings through college.
During my time in college (Georgia Tech Ramblin’ Wreck Here!), I launched an independent record label. I jumped into the business full time and actually dropped out of school during my senior year (I eventually did return to graduate). I learned about marketing, promotion and distribution by working with other small and major labels.
Eventually, we would establish the record company across the Southeastern US and with an international footprint (UK). Let me just tell you that it takes a heckuva lot of hard work to establish a 5 state distribution system.., the amount of coordination it takes to build interest in a record across multiple “barriers” at multiple stages in multiple cities. I’ll tell those stories another day.
This was in the early stages of the internet during the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The business expanded to include a retail store, an artist management firm and event promotions. I also worked as a marketing and sales consultant for a couple of different companies that catered to the music and entertainment related industries. I did this until certain business circumstances led to our shutting down that business after about 15 years. I’ll tell those stories later.
In 2007, I entered higher education as a high school teacher and varsity football coach.
My main business of recent had been tutoring and test prep: Advanced Proficient Learning.. I started the business in 2010 while working as a teacher in the Atlanta area. I worked 5 jobs:
- Teaching
- Coaching varsity football
- Teaching 7th pd (make-up classes) for students
- Tutoring for a tutoring company
- Fitness specialist at The Sports Authority.
Launching a business in this environment was a grind. It was difficult. It wasn’t over night. However, I had a proven skill set, identified market need and went about selling my services.
Like many of you probably are doing now, I didn’t do too much market research. I under-priced my services initially. Still, within 6 months, I was able to get rid of two of my other jobs. Within 12 months, I now was only doing my business, teaching and coaching football.
At this point, I was teaching, tutoring and coaching football. This is a HUGE point! I was getting paid to do things that I truly loved. These were things that I literally would do for free (and have done so).
You know that question that people ask: “What would you do with your life if you had millions of dollars?” Well, my answer to that is “I’d teach, coach football and enrich people’s lives”. Here I was doing just that.
In the spring of 2012, I was making almost as much money tutoring 3 hours after school, as I was making working full time as a teacher. I continued to build, eventually opening up one office, then another.
In the spring of 2014, I left teaching to grow my business. At that point, we had begun to offer football training.
At our main location, the owner of the building was so excited about what we were doing to service the community, that he gave us double the space for no initial increase so that we could expand our operations. We were preparing to offer an Entrepreneurship and Music Business learning and training center.
Business and Life was great.
During Labor Day weekend of 2014, while on a family outing, my oldest daughter, Jayla Gillette Myers, began to lose control of some of her limbs. We found out that she had an inoperable brain tumor.
Six months and six days later, she was gone. As you might expect, business and life seemed to stop.
Success as an Entrepreneur is about focus. After losing a child, my focus was far from where it needed to be.
In the fall of 2015, I accepted a full time teaching position as well as the Head Football Coach for a high school in the Atlanta area. My business was on life support. I kept one or two clients, but did away with offices and most overhead. Coaching football was a great and needed distraction from the hurt and stinging pain of grief.
A year and a half later, as my mom struggled during the late stages of alzheimers, a series of forces interacted to push me back into full time entrepreneurship. My wife and I were struggling heavily to deal with the grief of losing our oldest child, while raising a newborn and a 7 year old.
In case you weren’t aware, 85% of marriages end in divorce after losing a child. We were close to that point. On top of that, I was experiencing work related drama. I took FMLA from school to assist with the care of my mother during the final months of her life on earth.
I was forced to relaunch my business during this turbulent environment. I no longer had an income. I’m seriously struggling with the grief of losing my daughter. My mom is in the final stages of life. My wife and I are on the brink of a divorce. And yes, we needed income to live.
This was the environment in which I relaunched this current version of my business. This was March of 2017.
Like I stated before, once you understand the process of business launch and growth, you can replicate it repeatedly.
Within 6 months, in a small town five hours away from where I had previously lived, I had replaced my teaching salary. Within 9 months, I was considering expansion. I still hurt. I still grieved.
But the confidence regained from self sufficiency cannot be understated. With every new client, sale and referral, I strengthened in my ability to focus. Eventually, I added on Football training again.
I then re-launched the business training and consulting side of my business. This culminated in the launch of my youtube channel and accompanying website Vision Advanced (which is likely why you’re here).
I continue to live to help and inspire others. My place is to serve. Specifically, I help people to optimize their leadership and entrepreneurial abilities so that they can live their best lives.
I don’t waive a magic wand. Nor do I sprinkle pixie dust. If you’re looking for the get rich quick solution, there are thousands of fake gurus on the internet who will happily take your money.
If you’re looking for proven processes on how to successfully launch and grow a business, with the understanding that it takes years, not months to do so, then you and I have a common ground on which to stand.
Having said that, the actions we take today, define our tomorrow and beyond. There are things that if we do today, we can possibly get new clients tomorrow. Even if it takes two weeks, two months, or two years, the whole point is to:
- Identify and work on the right problem
- Identify the correct and actionable solution to the problem
- Take the decided action
- Measure success
- Revise as necessary.
I’m building this platform to help the younger version of myself. The fledgeling entrepreneur is in sore need of guidance. This also serves as a roadmap for my children.
As I build out this free content, it will be enough actionable information that anyone who chooses to be disciplined enough to follow through, can transform their life. In many cases, you’ll see results in less than 30 days, depending upon the problem you’re looking to solve.
Again, I offer no magic wands. I do offer tried and true processes. I have the training that only comes from doing and failing as an entrepreneur, along with formal education in the form of an MBA. These resources are at your disposal.
Along the way, I’ll recommend books to read, videos to watch and occasionally products or services that I’ve used to help grow me and/or my business. Some of these will be products that I’ve built. Often, they won’t be. All of them will be things that will offer significant return on your investment of time or capital.
That is part of my promise to you. I won’t waste your time. Your time is truly your most valuable asset.
Enjoy the videos and blogs. Leave a comment and I’ll respond.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation, or set up coaching click here.
— Dale Myers